Christ returns personally and bodily to establish God's kingdom on earth
Biblical Unitarians affirm the personal, bodily return of Jesus Christ as a central and motivating hope. Christ — now glorified and exalted at the Father's right hand — will return to the earth, raise the dead, judge all people, and establish the kingdom of God. This coming is understood as the fulfillment of the promises made to Abraham and David and the culmination of the entire biblical narrative of redemption.
The second coming is given a particularly earthly and Jewish character in Biblical Unitarian theology: Christ returns to the land of Israel, to Jerusalem, to fulfill the Davidic covenant by ruling from his throne as king over the restored and renewed creation. This is not a spiritual or metaphorical return but a literal, historical event with geopolitical and cosmic dimensions.
Biblical Unitarians regard the imminence and certainty of Christ's return as a primary motivation for faithful living. The expectation of judgment — standing before the returned Christ and giving account — shapes moral seriousness within the movement. The coming kingdom is not merely a future hope but a present orientation: Biblical Unitarians live now in anticipation of the age to come.
Key Distinctions
- Return expectation:
- literal return to earth; Israel restored
- Tribulation view:
- preceded by tribulation; no pre-trib rapture
- Parousia nature:
- bodily, visible return to Jerusalem
Scripture References
Sources
- Anthony Buzzard, 'The Kingdom of God' resources; biblical unitarian eschatological writings