As a matter of fact, the Second Coming of the Messiah is such a hot issue which is subject to a lot of controversy among the followers of the three divine religions. The believers of each faith have their own conception of this event. It is ironic that each faith has a different account of the anticipated incident.
As for Jews, they believe that Jesus was one of the false Jewish Messiah claimants because he failed to fulfill any Messianic prophecies. Regarding the Christian idea that these prophecies will be fulfilled during a “Second Coming,” Ohr Samayach states: “We find this to be a contrived answer, since there is no mention of a second coming in the Jewish Bible. Second, why couldn’t God accomplish His goals the first time round?”[i] Rabbi David Wolpe believes that the Second Coming was “grown out of genuine disappointment” and invented by Christians to theologically compensate for Jesus’ death.
In Jewish eschatology, the term mashiach, or “Messiah,” came to refer to a future Jewish King from the Davidic line, who is expected to be anointed with holy anointing oil and rule the Jewish people during the Messianic Age.[ii] The Messiah is often referred to as “King Messiah” or, in Hebrew, “מלך המשיח” (melekh mashiach), and in Aramaic, malka meshiḥa.[iii]
Orthodox views have generally held that the Messiah will be descended from his father through the line of King David[iv], and will, among other things, gather the Jews back into the Land of Israel, usher in an era of peace, build the Third Temple, father a male heir and re-institute the Sanhedrin. Jewish tradition alludes to two redeemers, both of whom are called mashiach and are involved in ushering in the Messianic age: Mashiach ben David and Mashiach ben Yosef. In general, the term Messiah unqualified refers to Mashiach ben David (Messiah, son of David).[v]
In Christianity, the Second Coming of Christ, the Second Advent, sometimes called the Parousia, is the anticipated return of Jesus to Earth. The Second Coming belief is based on prophecies found in the canonical gospels and in most Christian eschatologies. Christians generally believe the anticipated event is predicted in biblical messianic prophecies.
In the New Testament, the second Parousia, or coming of Christ as Judge of the world, is an oft-repeated doctrine. Jesus not only foretells the event but graphically portrays its circumstances. He is quoted as saying: “For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.” (Matthew 24:27)
According to the New Testament, Jesus will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead, and his kingdom will have no end. We read the following verses in the New Testament: “He commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that he is the one whom God appointed as judge of the living and the dead.” (Acts 10:42) “All this is evidence that God’s judgment is right, and as a result you will be counted worthy of the kingdom of God, for which you are suffering.” (2 Thessalonians 1:5) “While we wait for the blessed hope—the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ” (Titus 2:13)
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Islam confirms that Jesus will come back to underline the basis of his message, namely monotheism.
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