How should we understand the signs and symbols of the Second Coming?

The waters are read as human multitudes, rising clouds as purified believers growing in higher love, and heaven as spiritual elevation rather than outer space. It connects an earthly advent with restoration, warning against rigid literal expectations, and emphasizing discernment and loving practice.

We should understand the signs and symbols of the Second Coming by reading biblical prophecy with spiritual discernment and attention to context, recognizing that its imagery expresses spiritual realities, not merely physical events. This is essential preparation for recognizing and receiving the returning Lord. Prophetic expectations can become obstacles when we insist that God must act precisely as we imagine. The purpose of studying these signs is therefore not to predict an extraordinary event, but to prepare our hearts to participate in overcoming fear, hatred, and ignorance and building a world of peace, freedom, and love.

The Biblical Foundation

Scripture presents images of Christ’s return that must be considered together to reveal their true meaning. Some passages portray a glorious, universally visible event: “And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory” (Matthew 24:30). Likewise, Revelation declares, “Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him. Even so, Amen” (Revelation 1:7).

If read as straightforward physical descriptions, these passages suggest an unmistakable manifestation in the sky. Yet other passages emphasize unexpectedness, spiritual readiness, and the failure of people to recognize God’s work. To understand the whole truth, we must reconcile both types of verses.

When asked when the kingdom would come, Jesus answered, “The kingdom of God cometh not with observation: Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you” (Luke 17:20–21). The expression translated “within you” also means “among you” or “in your midst.” This reveals that God’s kingdom does not first announce itself through spectacular outward signs but develops quietly in the midst of humanity.

Jesus also compared the days of the Son of man to Noah’s time: “They did eat, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, and the flood came, and destroyed them all” (Luke 17:27). In those days, ordinary life continued while people remained unaware of God's impending judgment. The warning concerns spiritual unpreparedness, not the inherent wrongness of eating, marrying, or attending to daily responsibilities.

Jesus further asked, “Nevertheless when the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth?” (Luke 18:8). Paul wrote, “For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night” (1 Thessalonians 5:2). These sayings make vigilance and faithfulness central to preparation. The thief image specifically conveys that the Second Coming will happen at an unexpected time and in an unexpected way, which is why the Lord is born on earth again, unrecognized by the world.

Another important passage states, “But first must he suffer many things, and be rejected of this generation” (Luke 17:25). Just as Jesus was rejected by his generation at the First Coming, this verse prophesies that the returning Lord will also be misunderstood and rejected by the people of his time. These two parallel passages show a consistent pattern in God's providence. The way to reconcile the verses on glory with those on rejection is to understand that the Lord’s advent begins with an unrecognized earthly life and culminates in eventual worldwide recognition.

The Precedent of the First Coming

The relationship between Elijah and John the Baptist provides an important example of prophetic fulfillment through a person carrying another’s mission, rather than through the literal repetition of an earlier event.

Elijah’s departure is described vividly: “And Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven” (2 Kings 2:11). Later came the promise, “Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD” (Malachi 4:5). A literal reading led many to expect the same Elijah to return visibly from heaven.

Yet the announcement concerning John said, “And he shall go before him in the spirit and power of Elias” (Luke 1:17). Jesus identified the fulfillment: “And if ye will receive it, this is Elias, which was for to come” (Matthew 11:14). John fulfilled an Elijah-like mission of preparing people for the Lord; he was not Elijah descending from the sky.

The lesson is that biblical fulfillment concerns mission and spiritual identity, not the literal return of the same person or the outward form readers anticipate. This is not an accusation against Jewish people: Jesus, John, and the first disciples were themselves Jewish, and responses to Jesus were diverse. The warning applies to believers in every age, including Christians today, whenever fixed expectations take precedence over careful discernment.

Daniel’s vision likewise describes “one like the Son of man” who “came with the clouds of heaven” (Daniel 7:13). This heavenly imagery is connected with a Messiah whose work is carried out in human life. This heavenly scene depicts the divine investiture of the Messiah who is born on earth, receives his authority and mission from God, and then begins his work to save humanity. Jesus’ own birth of a woman illustrates that divine authority and a genuinely earthly life are perfectly compatible.

These examples establish a biblical principle of symbolic fulfillment and provide the key to interpreting the prophecies of the Second Coming. This principle does not mean that every biblical statement can be turned into a metaphor at will, but that we must discern the patterns God has shown us.

Water, Clouds, and Heaven: The Symbolic Sequence

The meaning assigned to clouds becomes clear when the whole sequence of imagery is explained: water, its rising and transformation, and its appearance above the earth.

First, water symbolizes human multitudes. Revelation explicitly explains one such image: “The waters which thou sawest, where the whore sitteth, are peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues” (Revelation 17:15). In this context, waters represent the crowds and masses of humanity living within the fallen world.

Second, clouds are related to water that has risen. Physically, water evaporates into vapor, rises, and condenses into droplets or ice crystals that form clouds. Symbolically, this transformation is an image of people being raised out of fallen patterns of life toward higher values and higher love. People who once lived amid selfishness, division, and ignorance undergo purification through receiving God’s truth and practicing self-giving love. Their orientation changes: they increasingly seek goodness rather than domination, reconciliation rather than hatred, and service rather than self-interest. As water rises from below and gathers above, so these people are pictured as spiritually elevated from the fallen condition.

On this basis, clouds represent purified believers—a community prepared to receive and support God’s work. “Coming on the clouds,” in this reading, signifies the Lord appearing with and among such believers, standing as their central figure. The imagery describes his spiritual foundation in a community of faith, not an atmospheric vehicle.

Third, “heaven” and the skies in this prophetic imagery are understood as an uplifted spiritual state, not outer space, a physical orbit, or a geographic place from which the Lord must travel. Height expresses nearness to God in heart, character, and purpose. To be heavenly in this sense is to live according to God’s love, not to occupy a higher altitude.

These symbols consequently form a connected argument: waters signify human multitudes in the fallen world; water’s rising and transformation signify purification and spiritual elevation; clouds signify people whose lives have been elevated toward God; and heaven signifies the spiritual sphere of divine love and authority. Together, they portray an advent supported by a spiritually prepared people on earth.

Why the Manner of Coming Matters

A rigid expectation of a literal arrival on atmospheric clouds can create two different obstacles. Some people may look only for a spectacle and overlook a providential work developing through ordinary human life. Others may find the expected spectacle so fantastical that they reject the expectation and eventually abandon faith itself. When people have been taught that faith depends on accepting that single physical picture, they may mistake rejection of the picture for rejection of God.

This is why uncovering the correct interpretation is so important. A spiritual reading does not remove the event’s seriousness or reduce it to a private feeling. It reveals that the grandeur of prophecy lies in the transformation of humanity and the manifestation of God’s authority, not in the mechanics of movement through the sky. A work beginning quietly can ultimately have universal consequences.

An Earthly Advent and the Completion of Salvation

The Second Coming parallels the First Coming: the returning Lord is born on earth and carries out a mission in embodied human life. This means the continuation and fulfillment of Jesus’ mission is accomplished through another earthly person, not the physical return of Jesus’ resurrected body.

The theological reasoning begins with God’s purpose for creation. Salvation must ultimately restore not only individual spiritual life but also relationships, families, and humanity’s life on earth. Because the human Fall affects both spiritual and physical existence, the work of restoration must address both.

Jesus’ crucifixion brought the great grace of spiritual salvation, but because his mission was cut short, the establishment of the full earthly ideal remained unfulfilled. The unfinished task includes establishing a God-centered family, restoring humanity’s lineage, and extending a life of true love into society and the world. This is the work of complete restoration.

The Second Coming therefore requires a real earthly life, not merely a spiritual appearance. The returning Lord and his bride are to fulfill the role of True Parents, establishing the family foundation through which spiritual and physical restoration can advance together. Reports of spiritual encounters with Jesus throughout Christian history, however meaningful, are distinguished from this embodied mission of physical and spiritual salvation.

The statement “For many deceivers are entered into the world, who confess not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh” (2 John 1:7) affirms this very point. This verse affirms the principle that Christ must have a physical body to complete God's will on earth, a principle that applies to the First Coming and equally to the Second Coming. It is a warning against doctrines that deny the necessity of a physical body for the Messiah's work.

Understanding the Deeper Meaning

Taken together, these interpretations direct attention from outward spectacle to the purpose of God’s providence. The crucial question is not only what the returning Lord will look like, but what his work will accomplish: the restoration of humanity to God, the overcoming of selfishness, and the realization of love in actual human relationships.

Jesus’ birth was humble and largely unnoticed by the wider world, yet Christians recognize its world-changing significance. This sets a precedent showing that providential importance and immediate public recognition are not the same thing.

Scripture says, “Surely the Lord GOD will do nothing, but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets” (Amos 3:7). This encourages confidence that God prepares people for His work. However, openness must be joined to discernment, especially because Jesus warned, “Take heed that no man deceive you” (Matthew 24:4).

Neither spectacular claims nor unfamiliar teachings should settle the matter by themselves. Claims should be examined through their scriptural reasoning, their truthfulness, their moral fruits, and their treatment of other people. Jesus taught, “Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them” (Matthew 7:20). Spiritual discernment should deepen responsible judgment, not replace it with unquestioning acceptance.

The preparation Jesus emphasizes is a lived relationship with God: “For whosoever shall do the will of my Father which is in heaven, the same is my brother, and sister, and mother” (Matthew 12:50). Understanding prophecy should therefore make us more faithful, more loving, and more responsible—not merely more confident that we possess the correct prediction.

Living the Principle

1. Cultivate spiritual discernment. Join prayer and reflection with careful reading of Scripture. Look beyond outward impressiveness while remembering that inward conviction alone does not prove a claim true.

2. Study symbols in context. Understand how interpretations are built upon the biblical foundation, seeing the connections that reveal deeper truth, such as the relationship between waters and clouds.

3. Examine your expectations. Consider whether a fixed picture of an arrival in the sky could prevent you from recognizing goodness and truth expressed through human life. Maintain a loving heart toward all people, even as you hold firm to the truth you have understood.

4. Unite faith with daily practice. Spiritual elevation means growing in higher values and higher love. Speak truthfully, keep commitments, reconcile where possible, serve others, and build relationships that reflect God’s care. These practices make preparation concrete.

5. Remain open without becoming credulous. Examine claims of new revelation patiently. Test their reasoning and fruits, welcome honest questions, and do not confuse humility with surrendering conscience or responsible judgment.

6. Keep salvation’s purpose in view. The goal is not fascination with signs, but restored life with God. Prepare by cultivating the love, faithfulness, and responsibility through which peaceful individuals, families, and communities can grow.

These answers explain the Bible in the light of the Divine Principle, the teachings of Reverend Sun Myung Moon. .

Last reviewed:

More on Second Coming

Sources and further reading

All questions · About this site