Christ will return personally, bodily, and visibly to judge the world
The BFM2000 affirms that 'God, in His own time and in His own way, will bring the world to its appropriate end' through the return of the Lord Jesus Christ. His return is described as bodily and personal — the same Jesus who ascended will come back visibly. This event will include the resurrection of the dead and the final judgment of all humanity.
The SBC does not mandate a specific eschatological timeline (pre-tribulation, mid-tribulation, post-tribulation rapture, etc.) as a matter of confessional requirement. However, within SBC culture, dispensational premillennialism has historically been the dominant popular view, largely due to the influence of the Scofield Reference Bible and figures such as Jerry Vines and John MacArthur among Southern Baptist readers.
The BFM2000 affirms the certainty and imminence of Christ's return as a practical motivation for Christian living and evangelism. The hope of the second coming is integrated into the broader eschatological vision of resurrection, judgment, and the final states of the redeemed and the lost.
Key Distinctions
- Return expectation:
- imminent; premillennial dominant in Southern Baptist tradition
- Tribulation view:
- pre-trib rapture dominant but not binding
- Parousia nature:
- bodily, visible return
Scripture References
Sources
- Baptist Faith and Message 2000, Article X: Last Things