One Coming or Two? Re-reading Jesus’ Prophecy of the End

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When Jesus speaks in the Gospels about “the end of the age,” he does not define the phrase in abstract terms. Instead, he anchors it in a sequence of events—gospel proclamation, tribulation, and the coming of the Son of Man.

In Matthew chapter 24, he says:

And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached throughout the whole inhabited earth as a testimony to all the nations, and then the end will come. (Matthew 24:14 NET)

 Later, he adds that all of this will occur within “this generation.”

I tell you the truth, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place. (Matthew 24:34 NET)

At first glance, this creates a tension. What does it mean for the gospel to reach “all nations”? And what exactly is “the end”?

The answer becomes clearer when we compare this with other New Testament texts.

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Colossians 1:23

In his letter to the Colossians, Paul writes that the gospel has already been proclaimed “in all creation under heaven.” This does not necessarily mean every individual on earth has heard it. Rather, it reflects a first-century way of speaking about the known world—the expansion of the message beyond Israel into the wider Gentile world.

So the language of “all the world” in the New Testament often describes scope and significance, not modern global coverage.

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Daniel 7:13,14

This becomes especially important when we return to Jesus’ words in Matthew 24.

The passage speaks of the “Son of Man coming on the clouds,” a phrase drawn from the prophetic vision in the book of Daniel chapter 7.

I was watching in the night visions, “And with the clouds of the sky one like a son of man was approaching. He went up to the Ancient of Days and was escorted before him. To him was given ruling authority, honor, and sovereignty. All peoples, nations, and language groups were serving him. His authority is eternal and will not pass away. His kingdom will not be destroyed. (Daniel 7:13-14 NET)

In that context, “coming with the clouds” does not describe a literal descent from the sky. It describes enthronement—vindication and the public demonstration of authority.

In other words, it is language of royal revelation through divine action in history.

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Revelation 1:7

This same imagery appears again in the book of Revelation chapter 1.

(Look! He is returning with the clouds, and every eye will see him, even those who pierced him, and all the tribes on the earth will mourn because of him. This will certainly come to pass! Amen.) (Revelation 1:7 NET)

There, it says that “every eye will see him, even those who pierced him.” That phrase is crucial. It ties the event directly to those responsible for Jesus’ death.

This suggests a historically grounded audience—those who participated in or belonged to the generation that rejected him.

Revelation also repeatedly emphasizes that these events are “near” or will happen “soon,” reinforcing an expectation of imminence.

The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show his servants what must happen very soon. He made it clear by sending his angel to his servant John, (Revelation 1:1 NET)

In addition we have Jesus statement to the high priest at his trial:

The high priest said to him, “I charge you under oath by the living God, tell us if you are the Christ, the Son of God.” Jesus said to him, “You have said it yourself. But I tell you, from now on you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Power and coming on the clouds of heaven.” (Matthew 26:63-64 NET)

Obviously, in order for the high priest and the members of the Sanhedrin to see the coming of the Son of Man it would have to be a first century event.

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When we place Matthew, Paul, and Revelation side by side, a pattern begins to emerge.

The New Testament regularly uses “coming” language in two ways.

First, it describes historical acts of divine judgment—events where God’s authority becomes visible within history itself.

Second, it describes a final, climactic coming associated with resurrection, judgment, and the end of death.

Thus Jesus answer to his disciples question on the Mount of Olives can be understood as Jesus primarily showing them what would happen shortly in the first century during their generation in Matthew 24:4–35. Then in Matthew 24:36–25:46 he presents to them the final, universal horizon.

The shift at verse 36 (“that day and hour”) marks a transition from observable, time-bound events to final judgment, the timing of which is unpredictable.

“But as for that day and hour no one knows it – not even the angels in heaven – except the Father alone. (Matthew 24:36 NET)

Yet the language overlaps because biblical prophecy often compresses near and far events into one vision. These two uses are not explicitly separated in a technical way. The New Testament never says, “There will be two comings.” Instead, it uses the same language across different contexts.

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This is why interpretation becomes necessary.

In chapter 21 of Luke’s gospel, the destruction of Jerusalem is described in concrete historical terms: armies surrounding the city and judgment falling on that generation.

“But when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then know that its desolation has come near. (Luke 21:20 NET)

This provides a clear historical anchor for at least part of what Jesus describes in Matthew chapter 24.

At the same time, other passages—such as the resurrection in 1 Corinthians chapter 15 and the final judgment scene in Matthew chapter 25—clearly point beyond any first-century event to a universal consummation.

For just as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all will be made alive. But each in his own order: Christ, the firstfruits; then when Christ comes, those who belong to him. Then comes the end, when he hands over the kingdom to God the Father, when he has brought to an end all rule and all authority and power. For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. The last enemy to be eliminated is death. (1 Corinthians 15:22-26 NET)

“When the Son of Man comes in his glory and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne. All the nations will be assembled before him, and he will separate people one from another like a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. (Matthew 25:31-32 NET)

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So how do these fit together?

The most coherent synthesis is not that there are two unrelated comings, nor that everything refers only to one moment in time.

Instead, the New Testament presents a single theological reality expressed in stages.

A first manifestation occurs in history—most visibly in the judgment on Jerusalem and the vindication of Christ’s authority.

And a final manifestation occurs at the end of human rulership—when resurrection and judgment bring the story to completion.

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In this framework, the “coming of the Son of Man” is not divided into separate doctrines.

It is a unified concept.

It is the public revelation of Christ’s authority—first within history, and finally at the culmination of the history of human self-rule.

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Conclusion

So when Jesus speaks of “the end of the age,” he is not introducing a simple timetable. He is describing a theological unfolding: the transition from one covenantal order to another, and ultimately, the completion of God’s purposes in history.

And when the New Testament speaks of the Son of Man “coming on the clouds,” it is describing that same reality from different angles—sometimes as a near historical judgment, and sometimes as the final act of divine fulfillment.

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In the end, the question is not whether there are one or two comings in a strictly mathematical sense.

The deeper question is whether we recognize the biblical pattern:

A God who reveals his authority in history—and completes it at the end.