Some time ago a gentleman presented what he thought was an “insurmountable problem” for the Christian who claims that “Jesus physically rose from the grave in essentially the same body that was crucified on the cross” (see Lyons, 2004, emp. added). Allegedly, since God is spirit, Who lives in the spiritual heavens, it was necessary for Jesus to die a second time in order to shed His earthly body. And, since there is no mention of Jesus shedding this body before ascending into heaven, one supposedly cannot justifiably conclude that He physically rose from the grave.

A brief consultation of Scripture, however, reveals that such argumentation is extremely irrational. First, if Almighty God could create that which is visible from that which is invisible (Hebrews 11:3; cf. Genesis 1), then it is logical to conclude that the same omnipotent God can turn a physical body into a celestial, immortal body simply by willing it to happen. Recall that Jesus once turned water into wine simply by desiring it to happen (and not by adding grapes, sugar, food coloring, etc.—John 2:1-10). What’s more, He miraculously healed a centurion’s servant (who was not even in His presence), by merely willing it to “be done” (Matthew 8:13). Could this same Jesus not choose to change into His glorified, celestial body at some point before sitting down “at the right hand of God” in heaven (Mark 16:19)? Could the Father not simply will it to be done? To ask is to answer.

Second, the Bible never suggests that the angels who appeared on Earth in the past in human form had to “die” in order to get their former celestial bodies back. Before the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, Jehovah and two of His angels appeared in human form and ate a meal prepared by Abraham and Sarah (Genesis 18:8). The two angels later entered Sodom and ate another meal with Lot before warning him to flee the wicked city (Genesis 19:3). Would anyone advocate that these angels (and even Jehovah Himself) had to experience physical death before re-entering their heavenly home? If not, why would one conclude that Christ needed to die again physically (following His resurrection) before ascending up into heaven?

Finally, Jesus did not have to die a second time in order to transform into His celestial body anymore than Christians (who will be alive when Jesus returns) will have to die before receiving their celestial, immortal bodies. The apostle Paul addressed this very point in one of his epistles to the church at Corinth.

Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; nor does corruption inherit incorruption. Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed—in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. So when this corruptible has put on incorruption, and this mortal has put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written: “Death is swallowed up in victory” (1 Corinthians 15:50-54, emp. added).

He also wrote to the church at Thessalonica about this subject.

For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord (1 Thessalonians 4:16-17, emp. added).

According to Paul, there will be Christians living on Earth when Jesus returns. Before entering heaven, these individuals will not have to die first. Rather, God simply will “change” their bodies into “incorruptible” bodies “in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet.” Exactly how this is going to happen and what these bodies will be like, we are not told. What we do know is that those living when Jesus returns will not have to go through a “death and burial” before getting these new bodies.

To argue that Jesus’ resurrection was not a physical, bodily resurrection based upon the assumption that He would have had to die again (in order to put off that old body) before ascending into heaven simply is not a biblical, rational argument. Based upon the above scriptures (and others—cf. 2 Kings 2), one can be assured that in the past God has chosen to change the spiritual into physical and physical into spiritual simply by willing it to happen. What’s more, He will do so again at the end of time when those “who are alive and remain” (1 Thessalonians 4:17) will “be changed” (1 Corinthians 15:51) and “caught up…in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air” (1 Thessalonians 4:17).

Jesus will return in the same way that He ascended into heaven (Acts 1:9-11). It will be physical and personal, not figurative. He will descend from the sky accompanied by a shout, the voice of the archangel, and the trumpet of God (1 Thess. 4:16-17). This is what is prophesied in Scripture, and generally speaking, prophecies are fulfilled literally. Nevertheless, there are those who say that Jesus returned in 70 A.D., with the Roman armies as they laid siege to and destroyed Jerusalem. This is called preterism and Christianity rejects it as a false teaching. Please take a look at the following verses.

- Matt. 24:30-31, “And then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky [ouranos], and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the SON OF MAN COMING ON THE CLOUDS [nephelon] OF THE SKY [ouranos] with power and great glory. 31 And He will send forth His angels with A GREAT TRUMPET and THEY WILL GATHER TOGETHER His elect from the four winds, from one end of the sky [ouranos] to the other.”

- Acts 1:9–11, “And after He had said these things, He was lifted up while they were looking on, and a cloud [nephele] received Him out of their sight. 10 And as they were gazing intently into the sky [ouranos] while He was going, behold, two men in white clothing stood beside them. 11 They also said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into the sky [ouranos]? This Jesus, who has been taken up from you into heaven [ouranos], will come in just the same way as you have watched Him go into heaven [ouranos].”

- 1 Thess. 4:16-5:2, “Forthe Lord Himself will descend from heaven [ouranos] with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 Then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds [nephele] to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall always be with the Lord. Therefore comfort one another with these words.”

Take note of the similarities between the three major pericopes dealing with the manner of Jesus’ return.  Notice how they deal with clouds, the kind that are in the sky!

VERSE
CLOUDS
(νεφέλη nephélē)
SKY/HEAVEN
(οὐρανός ouranós)

Matt. 24:30-31
X
X

Acts 1:9-11
X
X

1 Thess. 4:16-17
X
X

The Day of the Lord comes like a thief

Further evidence that Jesus will return literally from the sky is found by comparing what is said in 1 Thess. 5:2 and 2 Peter 3:10.  The Thessalonian passage states that the return of the Lord (descend, shout, trumpet, resurrection) will be like a thief in the night. 2 Pet. 3:10 says a day of the Lord will come like a thief in which the heavens will pass away, the elements we destroyed, and the earth will be burned up.  Is that what happened in 70 AD?  Nope!

- 1 Thess. 5:2, “For you yourselves know full well that the day of the Lord will come just like a thief in the night.”

- 2 Peter 3:10, “But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, in which the heavens will pass away with a roar and the elements will be destroyed with intense heat, and the earth and its works will be burned up.”

This refutes the idea that Jesus returned in 70 A.D. because the heavens and the earth were not destroyed. As simple as this is, preterism is false.

In just the same way

There are some preterists who quote the King James Version which says that Jesus will return “in like manner.”  They refer to this phrase because they want to deny that Jesus’ return is literal ‘in just the same way.” So, let’s take a look at some translations and how they render it.

- NASB 95, “in just the same way as he watched him go into heaven.”

- ESV, “will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven.”

- RSV, “will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven.”

- LEB “will come back in the same way you saw him departing into heaven.”

- NIV84, “will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven.”

- ISV, “will come back in the same way you saw him go up into heaven.”

- CSB, “will come in the same way that you have seen him going into heaven.”

- ASV, “shall come in like manner as ye beheld him going into heaven.”

- KJV, “shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven.”

Since the majority of Bibles listed translate it as “in the same way,” there is no reason to focus on the KJV and assert that the return of Christ is not literal, but symbolic (in the armies of the Roman Empire!?). After all, the context of Acts 1:9-11, is that Jesus will return in just the same way as He ascended into heaven.

Conclusion

So, we can see that Jesus will return in just the same way that He left. He ascended into heaven and was received by a cloud. The clouds will be there in heaven when He descends. That is how Jesus will return.