Overview
Jesus Christ ascended to heaven after His resurrection and will return visibly to earth. This return is not symbolic but literal, personal, and bodily. Scripture emphasizes that believers should live in anticipation of this event, which will culminate in the final judgment and the establishment of God's eternal kingdom.
Key Scriptures
"Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven? This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven" (Acts 1:11, ESV).
"For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God" (1 Thessalonians 4:16, ESV).
"When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne" (Matthew 25:31, NIV).
Application
Living with the reality of Christ's return should motivate personal holiness, faithful witness, and readiness to meet the Lord at any moment.