The Risen Christ Will Return: Living in Light of His Coming Kingdom

Author: Dave Jenkins

Introduction

The resurrection of Jesus Christ is not the end of the story—it is the beginning of the end of all things as we know them. Too often, Christians rightly celebrate the empty tomb but fail to see where it points. The resurrection is not only proof that Christ has conquered sin and death; it is the guarantee that He will return in glory to judge the living and the dead and to establish His kingdom in its fullness.

The gospel does not stop at “Christ is risen.” It moves forward with certainty and hope: Christ will come again.

To understand the Christian life rightly, we must see that we are living between the resurrection and the return of Christ. The risen Savior is not absent. He is reigning. And the reigning Christ is coming again.

The Resurrection Guarantees His Return

Scripture makes clear that the resurrection of Jesus is inseparably connected to His future return. In Acts 17:31, the Apostle Paul declares that God “has fixed a day on which he will judge the world in righteousness by a man whom he has appointed,” and the assurance of this coming judgment is that God “has given assurance to all by raising him from the dead.”

The resurrection is not merely a past event. It is God’s public declaration that Jesus Christ is the appointed Judge and King. The empty tomb is evidence that history is moving toward a divinely appointed conclusion.

Likewise, when Jesus ascended into heaven, the angels declared in Acts 1:11, “This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven.” The same Jesus who lived, died, and rose again will personally, visibly, and gloriously return.

The resurrection guarantees that His return is not a possibility. It is a certainty.

The Reigning Christ Will Return as King and Judge

After His resurrection and ascension, Jesus did not withdraw from the world. He took His rightful place at the right hand of the Father, where He now reigns in authority and power. As Hebrews 1:3 teaches, He “sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high,” a position that signifies completed redemption and ongoing rule.

But His present reign is not the final stage of His kingdom. Scripture teaches that the risen and reigning Christ will return as King and Judge. In Matthew 25:31–32, Jesus describes His return in unmistakable terms: He will come in glory, all the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will judge with perfect righteousness.

This truth confronts the modern tendency to domesticate Jesus into a figure of mere inspiration or moral example. The Christ who rose from the dead is the Christ who will judge the world. His return will not be symbolic or hidden. It will be visible, decisive, and final.

The Coming Kingdom Will Be Fully Revealed

The resurrection of Jesus inaugurated the kingdom of God, but it did not yet bring it to completion. We live in the “already but not yet” reality of God’s kingdom. Christ reigns now, but His reign has not yet been fully revealed in all creation.

That day is coming. In Revelation 21:1–4, Scripture gives us a glimpse of what lies ahead: a new heaven and a new earth, the dwelling place of God with His people, the end of death, mourning, crying, and pain. This is not an escape from creation but its restoration. The curse will be undone. Sin will be no more. God’s people will dwell in His presence forever.

The resurrection is the firstfruits of this coming reality. Just as Christ was raised bodily from the dead, so too will His people be raised, and all things will be made new under His righteous rule.

The Return of Christ Calls for Readiness

Because Christ will return, Scripture repeatedly calls believers to live with watchfulness and readiness. Jesus Himself warns in Matthew 24:42, “Therefore, stay awake, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming.”

This readiness is not marked by speculation about dates or signs but by faithful obedience. The Apostle Peter presses this truth in 2 Peter 3:11–12, asking, “What sort of people ought you to be in lives of holiness and godliness, waiting for and hastening the coming of the day of God?”

The certainty of Christ’s return is meant to shape how we live now. It calls us away from complacency, worldliness, and distraction, and toward a life marked by holiness, urgency, and devotion to Christ.

Living in Light of the Coming King

To live in light of Christ’s return is to live with a different set of priorities. The Christian life is not rooted in fear of the future but in confidence in the One who holds the future.

In Titus 2:11–13, Paul reminds us that the grace of God trains us to renounce ungodliness and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives as we wait for “our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ.”

This hope shapes every aspect of our lives.

It gives us hope in suffering, knowing that present trials are not the end of the story. It calls us to holiness, reminding us that we belong to a coming kingdom. It strengthens us for faithfulness in ordinary obedience, knowing that nothing done for Christ is wasted. And it fuels our urgency in gospel witness, as we recognize that history is moving toward a final day of judgment and restoration.

The return of Christ is not a distant doctrine. It is a present reality that reorders our lives.

Conclusion

The resurrection of Jesus Christ stands at the center of the Christian faith. But it does not stand alone. It points forward—to a coming day when the risen Christ will return in glory, judge the world in righteousness, and establish His kingdom forever.

We are not waiting for an uncertain future. We are waiting for a certain King.

Christ has died.
Christ is risen.
Christ will come again.

Until that day, the call is clear: live with hope, walk in holiness, and remain faithful to the One who has conquered the grave and will soon return.

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