Will the same Jesus who died 2000 years ago return physically, or will he choose someone to inherit his mission?

The Second Coming of Christ will not be the physical return of Jesus in the clouds, but rather a new individual born in the flesh to inherit and complete Jesus' unfulfilled mission of substantial salvation and establishing God's Kingdom on Earth. Biblical prophecies of "coming on clouds" are metaphorical, signifying a central figure surrounded by believers. This new Messiah, the Lord of the Second Advent, will be born of a woman, just like Jesus.

The question of Jesus' Second Coming is fundamental to Christian faith, yet often misunderstood. This response explores how the Divine Principle, drawing from both the Bible and its own unique insights, clarifies whether the same physical Jesus will return or if his mission will be inherited by a new individual, leading to a deeper, more complete understanding of God's redemptive plan.

The Biblical Foundation

The New Testament clearly prophesies the Second Coming of Christ. Jesus himself foretold his return, stating, "For the Son of Man shall come," and also, "But first He must suffer many things and be rejected by this generation" (Luke 17:25). He also spoke of his coming "like a thief in the night" (Matthew 24:43), suggesting a less obvious arrival. While Revelation 1:7 states, "Look, He is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see Him," this prophecy, like Daniel's prediction of "one like a son of man, coming with the clouds of heaven" (Daniel 7:13), must be understood metaphorically. Just as Elijah, prophesied to return, came as John the Baptist, born of a woman, not literally in a fiery chariot, Christ's coming "on the clouds" signifies his appearance as a central figure surrounded by faithful believers, not a literal descent from the sky. This understanding is supported by the fact that the Messiah will come in the flesh, as affirmed by 2 John 1:7: "many deceivers who do not acknowledge Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh have gone out into the world. Any such person is the deceiver and the antichrist." The early church earnestly prayed "Come, Lord Jesus!" (Revelation 22:20), indicating a longing for his return. The apparent contradiction between prophecies of a spectacular public arrival and a quiet, unrecognized one created a mystery that would only be solved by new revelation.

Divine Principle's Clarification

The Divine Principle clarifies these apparent contradictions by distinguishing between a spiritual return and a physical return. It explains that while Jesus, as the spiritual savior, will return spiritually and work through believers, his physical return will be through a new individual born on earth, inheriting his mission. Jesus' mission was to restore humanity both spiritually and physically. Due to his crucifixion, he could only accomplish spiritual salvation, becoming the Lord and True Parent spiritually, enabling saints to be filled with the Holy Spirit and gain power over Satan spiritually (Acts 2). To complete the physical restoration – establishing the Kingdom of Heaven on Earth – a new Messiah, a perfected man, must be born in the flesh. This is because atonement is only possible for what is physically assumed on earth, and human beings fell both spiritually and physically. Just as Joshua inherited Moses' mission to complete the substantial return to Canaan, the Second Coming Messiah has to inherit Jesus' mission and walk a substantial course to establish Heaven on Earth. This new individual will come in the "same way" as Jesus came the first time – being born of a woman in the flesh (2 John 1:7). This interpretation aligns with passages where Jesus spoke of suffering and rejection at his Second Coming (Luke 17:25), as he would come quietly like a thief in flesh and blood, much like his first advent when he was not widely recognized. The Lord of the Second Advent will fulfill the unfulfilled physical mission of Jesus, coming as True Parents to renew us spiritually and physically, discarding original sin through marriage and family life.

The Completed Understanding

When combining the Biblical narrative with the Divine Principle's insights, a more comprehensive and profound understanding of the Second Coming emerges. The ambiguity of a purely physical return of Jesus, given his spiritual nature after resurrection, is resolved. The Divine Principle explains why Jesus cannot return physically as the same body because, after his crucifixion, his body entered the spirit world. The angels' proclamation in Acts 1:11, "will come in the same way," is to be understood not as a literal physical reappearance of the same body, but rather in the same mode of birth – through a human mother – and with the same essential mission to establish God's Kingdom. The Scriptural prophecies about Christ's return, often seeming contradictory, are harmonized: the "thief in the night" (Matthew 24:43) describes the unexpected birth and development of the Lord of the Second Advent, unrecognized by many; the "Son of Man coming on the clouds" (Matthew 24:30; Revelation 1:7) symbolizes the Lord's spiritual victory and his coming as the central figure, surrounded by crowds of faithful, God-centered believers. Thus, the Divine Principle does not negate the Bible but completes its understanding, providing the missing pieces to God's central purpose of creation and the full realization of the Kingdom of Heaven on earth, a kingdom requiring both spiritual and physical perfection through new True Parents.

Physically, or Spiritually?

The question is usually put as a choice between a visible descent through the clouds and a purely invisible, spiritual arrival. Both readings miss what the work at the second coming requires.

It must be physical, in the sense of a person living on earth in a body, because what remains to be completed is physical. The cross secured spiritual salvation, but the family, the lineage and the sovereignty of this world were left unrestored, and none of those can be restored from the spirit world by a spirit. They require someone who eats, marries, raises children, teaches, and is opposed — as Jesus was. "For as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be" (Matthew 24:37): people eating and drinking and marrying, unaware, which is a description of ordinary earthly life, not of a cosmic spectacle.

It is not physical in the sense of the same body walking out of the sky. That reading also has to explain why Jesus said Elijah had already come, and pointed to John the Baptist — a different man, carrying the same mission.

So the expectation Scripture actually sets up is a person, born of a woman, in an identifiable nation, at a discernible time, whose credentials are the work he accomplishes rather than the manner of his arrival. Which is precisely why the warning attached to it is about recognition, not about watching the sky.

Living the Principle

1. Cultivate a receptive heart: Understand that God's providence unfolds in unexpected ways. Be open to new truth and revelation, recognizing that the Lord of the Second Advent comes in the flesh, not on literal clouds. 2. Seek spiritual discernment: Focus on the individual's mission to establish the Kingdom of Heaven on Earth and bring substantial, not just spiritual, salvation. A true messianic figure will unite humanity. 3. Commit to personal growth: Strive to perfect your own character and create ideal families, understanding that the Messiah comes to restore humanity's physical being and establish True Parenthood. 4. Engage in understanding the time: Be aware that the period between 1917 and 1930 is divinely set as the beginning of the new era of Christ, the time of the Second Advent, indicating its commencement on Earth.

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

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