Many Evangelical and Charismatic Christian denominations make much about the second coming of Christ. It pervades their media, their literature, their ethos, and along with it the perception that the older traditions have left it in the dust of forgotten libraries to find again.
Uh, not so fast.
The older traditions, and many mainline Protestants too, have a whole SEASON dedicated EVERY YEAR to the second coming. To the unwary, it seems wrapped up as a countdown to Christmas, of varying lengths by tradition (four among the Roman rite and its descendants, like the Anglicans and Lutherans, six according to Milan's Ambrosian rite, six-ish according to the Byzantine rite, some even adopting a seven week season, marked by extra prayer and even for some by fasting). It is called ADVENT.
Our readings are definitely looking forward to the coming of Jesus, some are prophecies of His birth, but many are prophecies of that VERY dramatic second coming. I've heard many saying, "Well, Jesus could come again, and probably He'll just appear like He did before, sort of work His way into society, maybe climb up the political ladder, maybe appear in some backwater."
*Sigh* No.
The first go-round was the humble one, the one where He appeared in a backwater, where He became a human just like us and walked like a human. That first round is over. At the Ascension, He closed that chapter and left us with the promise of the Holy Spirit to live and to proclaim the Kingdom of God until He comes back.
When He kicks the doors off their hinges. Our reading in today's Gospel for Mass leaves little room to think we'll have to look for Him. NO ONE will miss it:
"But in those days, after that suffering,
the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will be falling from heaven, and the powers in the heavens will be shaken.
Then they will see ‘the Son of Man coming in clouds’ with great power and glory. Then he will send out the angels, and gather his elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of heaven." (St. Mk. 13.24-27)
This is echoed in Revelation (another Anglican Advent staple set of readings):
"Look! He is coming with the clouds; every eye will see him, even those who pierced him; and on his account all the tribes of the earth will wail.
So it is to be. Amen.
‘I am the Alpha and the Omega’, says the Lord God, who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty." (Rev. 1.7-8)
The older traditions do not sugar-coat, they don't protect the faithful from the coming storm by a theologically dubious rapture, and they do not protect mankind from a humanistic "soft-opening" of the second coming of Jesus. They preach and teach that the veil between heaven and earth will rend and all will see what has been veiled from our eyes. Isaiah had stated over 2,700 years ago that while our eyes and ears have grown dull (Is. 6.9-10), but when Christ comes again all will be revealed and made clear.
So we enter a season of preparation, not merely to welcome again the Christ Child, born in a stable in Bethlehem, though that is important too, but also to prepare for the Alpha and Omega, when all veils are rent and shadows dispelled. This is our Ancient Tradition looking for a present hope. He is coming.
