The Crucified Messiah

The return of Jesus at the “ end of the age ” is portrayed as a singular event of great finality. His “ arrival ” or ‘ Parousia ’ will be accompanied by celestial and terrestrial upheaval, the appearance of the New Creation, the resurrection of the righteous dead, the judgment and punishment of the ungodly, the “gathering of his elect,” and the cessation of Death. Mortality will be replaced by immortality, and nothing will ever be the same again!

What is striking about New Testament passages that describe the final victory of Jesus when he returns is that they base this future triumph on the past death and resurrection of the Nazarene. His crucifixion and subsequent enthronement ushered in the “ last days ,” the final era of human history that will culminate inevitably in his ‘ parousia ,’ the resurrection of the righteous dead, and the judgment and punishment of his enemies.

Certain members of the Corinthian congregation denied the future resurrection of the righteous. Paul responded by stressing how necessary our resurrection is and by appealing to the past Death and Resurrection of Jesus. His resurrection was and remains the precedent for our future resurrection. We will be raised bodily when he “ arrives ,” and his appearance will mean nothing less than the termination of Death itself.