3: What will Jesus be like when he returns?

Note: Reading sections 1, 4, and 5 are necessary prerequisites to understanding this post.

The millennium will not start until Christ returns. Acts 3:21 gives an amazing promise. When Christ returns, it will be time for the "restoration of all things". But what will Christ be like when he returns? How will he return? In section 4, I mention that Christ in Matthew 19:28 potentially references reincarnation as the way he and his disciples would return to earth to establish his kingdom. Or will Christ literally come in the clouds? 1 John 3:2 says that when Christ appears, we will be like him. But what does that mean? Will we all be sinless? Perfect, when Christ returns? Or did John mean something else? Much mystery surrounds the end times.

If Christ and his disciples do return via reincarnation (Matthew 19:28), Christ will return without a miraculous virgin birth. He will be born like the rest of humanity. He will have heart that wants to obey and love God. But he will also have corruption from sin from his past lives as Adam and David as that sin was bypassed via the virgin birth. This is him “as he is” (1 John 3:2). The Bible reveals he will 1) come back with sin he needs to be purified of and 2) the need to mature. How can this be? Again, the sinful corruption he developed in sinning as Adam and David cannot be bypassed without a virgin birth or something else as miraculous. The Bible says nothing about Jesus having a miraculous return like a virgin birth. Instead, the Bible reveals in at least 5 passages that Jesus will return with sin temporarily and need to mature: 2 Samuel 7:4-17, John 3:1-3, the passages regarding David and the millennium reign of Christ, Revelation 12, and 1 Timothy 2:13-15. These passages demonstrate that Jesus comes back, temporarily, 1) with sin and 2) the need to mature.  

1.     2 Samuel 7:4-17 reveals that when Jesus returns he will sin and need to be disciplined by God. The passage reads,

 “But that night the word of the Lord came to Nathan, saying:

⁵ “Go and tell my servant David, ‘This is what the Lord says: Are you the one to build me a house to dwell in? ⁶ I have not dwelt in a house from the day I brought the Israelites up out of Egypt to this day. I have been moving from place to place with a tent as my dwelling. ⁷ Wherever I have moved with all the Israelites, did I ever say to any of their rulers whom I commanded to shepherd my people Israel, “Why have you not built me a house of cedar?”’

⁸ “Now then, tell my servant David, ‘This is what the Lord Almighty says: I took you from the pasture, from tending the flock, and appointed you ruler over my people Israel. ⁹ I have been with you wherever you have gone, and I have cut off all your enemies from before you. Now I will make your name great, like the names of the greatest men on earth. ¹⁰ And I will provide a place for my people Israel and will plant them so that they can have a home of their own and no longer be disturbed. Wicked people will not oppress them anymore, as they did at the beginning ¹¹ and have done ever since the time I appointed leaders over my people Israel. I will also give you rest from all your enemies.

“‘The Lord declares to you that the Lord himself will establish a house for you: ¹² When your days are over and you rest with your ancestors, I will raise up your offspring to succeed you, your own flesh and blood, and I will establish his kingdom. ¹³ He is the one who will build a house for my Name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. ¹⁴ I will be his father, and he will be my son. When he does wrong, I will punish him with a rod wielded by men, with floggings inflicted by human hands. ¹⁵ But my love will never be taken away from him, as I took it away from Saul, whom I removed from before you. ¹⁶ Your house and your kingdom will endure forever before me; your throne will be established forever.’”

¹⁷ Nathan reported to David all the words of this entire revelation.”

Verses 12-15 are talking about Jesus. He is the only one who the Bible says his kingdom will be established forever, and he is the offspring of David (Revelation 22:16). The prophecy says, “when he does wrong”, indicating Jesus will do wrong. God says in this prophecy he will punish him “with a rod wielded by men, with floggings inflicted by human hands.” But, God still says his throne will be established forever.

Jesus never sinned in his first advent on earth, so this cannot be talking about Jesus then. Yet, the passage is referring to Jesus, so this must be referring to his second advent. When he returns, Jesus will do wrong, and God will discipline him for it. How could this be, given who Jesus is? The answer lies in the virgin birth, which God used to miraculously ensure Jesus was born pure and sinless. Without a miraculous virgin birth, Jesus when he returns will be born like everyone else, with the sinful corruption from past lives. Jesus was Adam and David. They seriously sinned. David was not sinless when he died. Jesus, when he returns, will have sin, do wrong, and be disciplined by God for it, because he will still have the remaining sin David was not purified of when he died.

The only other person this passage may be referring to is David’s son Solomon, but the passage is clear it is Jesus, not Solomon, as only Jesus’ kingdom is established forever, not Solomon’s. So, the prophecies about the Messiah in the Old Testament included a Messiah that would sin and be disciplined. Again, as this did not happen to Jesus during his first advent, as he was sinless, this prophecy must be referring to his second advent, when he will have sin and do wrong.

Of course, this is a temporary state, as Jesus with all other Christians will be sinless forever in the new heaven and new earth. But given that Jesus was Adam and David, the sin David still had upon his death he must be purified of so that he can share in God’s holiness forever.

2.     1 John 3:1-3 also reveals Jesus will return with sin temporarily. The passage reads,

“See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him. 2 Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when Christ appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. 3 All who have this hope in him purify themselves, just as he is pure.”

John says here in his letter that when Christ appears, Christians will be like him, for Christians shall see him as he is. Note that the emphasis is on Christians being like Christ because we see him differently, not because Christians will be so different (not that Christians will not be). When Jesus returns, other mature Christians will be like him, according to this passage.

Moreover, John explains here that when Christ appears true Christians will be like him in character. God did not send Jesus so he would be worshipped as God and so that no other person could attain the “whole measure of the fullness of Christ” (Ephesians 4:13). God sent Jesus to create a new people for himself so that all Christians would be conformed to the same image as Jesus (Romans 8:29). God’s purpose, as set forth in Ephesians 4:13, is for all His children to “reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.” This will happen for every single Christian, as God says in Philippians 1:6 through Paul that “He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ.”  This is also why 1 John 3:3 says Christians are to purify themselves as Jesus is pure - to become like him.

God sent Jesus to create a new people for himself according to 1 Peter 2:4-10. God’s chosen people, the true Church, will be like Jesus when he returns. There will be no great difference between Jesus and his Church. Jesus will worship God with the rest of the true Church of God. Again, this passage reveals this will happen NOT because the Church is so different (though God is continually sanctifying us), but because the Church sees Christ differently. 

This verse speaks of seeing Christ “as he is” when he returns. Again, Jesus had an advantage being born via the virgin birth without sin. Jesus will not have this advantage when he returns, if he is born naturally - and the Bible speaks to Jesus returning via reincarnation at least once, in Matthew 19:28. Wisdom 7:6 also says that coming to earth is only done through childbirth.  So, when Jesus returns, we will see Jesus “as he is” (1 John 3:2), with no supernatural birth. What if Jesus returned “like us” (1 John 3:2), more literally than Christians think? All humans wrestle with sinful flesh. Jesus did not because when he first came he was born pure like Adam and Eve without sinful flesh (Romans 8:3), though as I write in part 11 of section 1 of this blog, he still sinned, needed to repent, and learn obedience.  Again, Paul discusses the human struggle with sin in Romans 7:17-25, describing sin’s effect on all people and in particular the believer’s struggle. Christians want to do the right thing, but our sin, our flesh, battles against our will. Paul writes, “So now it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out. For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing.  Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me (verse 18-20).” From Paul’s perspective, the sin that dwells in us does not define us. It is not who we truly are, and when we act on that sin, it is the sin that acts, not us. Christians, with Jesus, are truly children of God, not defined any longer by our sin – our flesh. 

This is, of course, true of Jesus upon his return.  If Jesus returns via reincarnation without divine intervention through a virgin birth, he would return in a way where, per 1 John 3:2, we see him “as he is” – having a “pure” heart (1 John 3:3) but struggling with sin in a way that does not define him or reflect who he really is. Jesus had an advantage in being born without sin through the virgin birth, and the Bible gives no indication he will have that advantage when he returns, particularly as this passage says we will see him “as he is”. The Church, upon Jesus’ return, will see Jesus, “as he is” (1 John 3:2), and the Church will be like him, as 1 John 3:2 prophesies. This is of course, if what I write is true, a temporary state (having sin) for Jesus and all Christians. God is sanctifying us from all sin, and He will complete the work He has begun in us (Philippians 1:6). 

Again, why would Jesus need to mature and work through sin? The answer lies in reincarnation: he was never purified of his corruption because of Adam’s and David’s sin, as Jesus was born without that corruption via the virgin birth. Therefore, Jesus will justly return with sin that he still needs to work through before becoming eternally sinless with the rest of the Church. Why else would 1 John 1:1-3 say we will see him “as he is”? Perhaps we will see him “as he is” because he will be Jesus being purified of his past sin from Adam and David. We will see him “as he is”, much like the rest of the Church, except for his role as King, Lord, and Savior. 

3.     Additionally, the passages about David and the end times point to Jesus returning with sin.

David is specifically described in the Bible as reigning during the millennial reign of Christ and having the same role as Christ in multiple passages (Revelation 20:4-6, Ezekiel 37:21-28, 1 Peter 5:4, Matthew 26:31, Micah 5:2-4, Hosea 3:4-5, Hosea 3:4-5, Ezekiel 34:22-24, Jeremiah 30:9).

As already discussed, Jesus is the reincarnation of David. The difference between David at the end of his life and Jesus is that David had sin. Perhaps these Scriptures are highlighting that when Christ (David) comes back to reign, he will have sin like David did – namely, the sin that David still needed to be purified of. This David, i.e., Jesus when he returns with sin, being sanctified like the rest of humanity, will reign in the millennium as King of Kings. Why else would the prophets highlight “David” as having Jesus’ role?

Again, these passages could have just referred to Jesus in some way. In referring to David, perhaps they are highlighting Jesus’ role being fulfilled by someone who still has sin he needs to be purified of: King David. In summary, if Jesus and David are referring to the same soul, or person, the only real difference between David and Jesus at the end of their life is that Jesus became fully mature and sinless. So, perhaps the end times prophecies about David occupying Jesus’ role indicate that when Jesus returns he will need to complete the process of sanctification by being purified of the remaining sin David had when he died. These passages equating David with Jesus in the end times indicate Jesus will return with sin temporarily.

4.     Revelation 12 shows that when Jesus returns, he will need to mature.

This is an end times prophecy in Revelation that describes a woman giving birth to Jesus and the struggle with Satan that ensues as a result. It is clear the child is Jesus because in verse 5 it says the male child will rule all the nations with a rod of iron. The timing of end times events described in Revelation 12 is repeated in other end times prophecies, so this is talking about when Jesus when he returns. Verse 10 refers to the kingdom of God and authority of Christ having come as the outcome of the battle with Satan described. Just as 1 Timothy 2:15 refers to Jesus’ return, Revelation 12 describes Jesus’ return using childbirth as well. God highlights in two places in His Word that Adam’s (Jesus’, as he is the “last Adam”) return to earth is related to childbirth, so evidently the childbirth metaphor is a helpful way of understanding how Jesus coming back is going to take place. Revelation 12 reveals that Jesus will need to, regardless of any sin, at a minimum, mature when he returns:

1.     This passage is clearly talking about the end times: Jesus’ return when the kingdom of God comes (v.10). This is a future prophecy, not something that has already taken place (i.e. Jesus being born the first time). Revelation 1:1 indicates what the book is about: it is about “what soon must take place”.

2.     The child born is clearly Jesus. Only Jesus will rule, or shepherd, the nations with an iron scepter, which quotes Psalm 2:9, a classic prophecy from the Psalms about Jesus.

3.     This passage is either referring to a literal birth of Jesus or to a metaphorical birth. Given reincarnation, could this passage be referring to a literal birth of Jesus? This is unlikely, as the entire passage is rich with symbolism not to be taken literally. This is established at the beginning as John says in verse 1 that “a great sign appeared in heaven, a woman…” Further, if this was referring to physical birth, would God “snatch up” the child to his throne immediately upon birth from his mother? So, the birth of Jesus here, being born from a woman in heaven that appears as a “sign” is not a literal birth but a metaphorical one.

4.     If this male person is Jesus, why is he described as a child? Why not a man? A child implies growth is needed to reach manhood. A child implies the need to grow in maturity. Could this passage be indicating that Jesus needs to grow and develop upon his return? If not, what else could this passage mean? The woman – the sign – did not give birth to a man, but a child, and that child is definitely Jesus. Further, that child does not “rule” right away. He “will” rule: so, in the future, perhaps when he is ready.

5.     Satan is active throughout this whole chapter, so this passage must be pre the millennium in Revelation 20 when Satan is bound and unable to deceive the nations.

6.     The woman is a “sign”, but also the woman is literal as this woman flees to the wilderness for a certain number of days as well as is specifically pursued by Satan. Given Eve in 1 Timothy 2:13-15 is involved in “saving Jesus” by some sort of childbirth, perhaps the woman in Revelation 12 is the reincarnation of Eve as this woman is also involved in some metaphorical childbirth of Jesus. It is unlikely the Bible is referring to two different women involved in “birthing” Jesus’ salvation and return.

So, Jesus will probably need to mature in some ways initially when he returns, as bizarre as that sounds, given the metaphors of childbirth used in Revelation 12 and 1 Timothy 2:13-15 about him being saved. Why else would God use those metaphors regarding Jesus’ return? Children need to mature. When Jesus first came, he also matured and grew in favor with God and man, and according to Hebrews 8:13, Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and forever. 

4. 1 Timothy 2:13-15 also shows that Jesus will have sin when he returns.

1 Timothy 2:13-15 says, “For Adam was formed first, then Eve; and Adam was not deceived, but the woman was deceived and became a transgressor. Yet she will be saved through childbearing - if they continue in faith and love and holiness, with self-control.” 

This confusing passage is referring to the future Adam and Eve: so, Jesus (Adam) when he returns, and the reincarnation of Eve (see section 4 on biblical reincarnation). Eve will be “saved through childbearing”, whatever that means, and this childbirth is contingent on both of them continuing in faith, love, holiness, and self-control. Eve’s “saving”, understood in context, may involve some sort of saving from the deceit she fell into in the garden. This would presumably happen through metaphorical “childbearing”, as literal childbearing does not save. Perhaps this passage refers to the redemption and restoration of Eve and what happened in the garden in her falling into deception.

The “Adam” when he returns is referring to Jesus, as Jesus is the last Adam and he was Adam. Paul says Eve will be saved “if” they continue, which means her saving is not guaranteed apart from Adam and Eve continuing to have faith, love, holiness, and self-control. This is evidence that Jesus (Adam) will return with sin. If Jesus returned sinless and perfect as he was when he ascended, there would be no “if”. Him returning without sin and completely perfect would give a guarantee that he would continue in faith, love, holiness, and self-control. But if he returns with the remaining corruption of sin from his lives as Adam and David that he still needs to be purified of, there is an “if”. It is possible, Paul writes, for Adam to sin, so the future Adam (Christ when he returns), must return with sin.

Conclusion

Multiple passages indicate that when Jesus returns he will return with sin temporarily and need to mature, so that is exactly what will happen. The Bible never says Jesus will come back sinless, as off as they may sound to many. Scripture shows he was born pure via a virgin birth, sanctified himself as Jesus, offered his life for the sin of the world (including his sin), and will come back and “do wrong” (1 Samuel 7:14), “as he is” (1 John 3:2), “as David” (consider all the passages I quoted above), needing to mature (Revelation 12), and an “if” statement, not a guarantee, that he will act, with Eve, in love, faith, holiness, and self-control. God is just. If all of us need to be sanctified of all our sin, Jesus does too – which includes his corruption of his sin as Adam and David. Therefore, I think Scripture shows Jesus will come back with sin, temporarily, and the need to mature.