The question of whether the Old Testament predicts a second coming of the Messiah is an important one for Christians seeking to understand biblical prophecy. There are several key Old Testament passages that are often interpreted as pointing to a second advent of the Messiah.
The Prophecies of Isaiah
The book of Isaiah contains some of the most extensive messianic prophecies in the Old Testament. Several passages in Isaiah hint at the idea of two comings of the Messiah. For example, Isaiah 9:6-7 predicts the coming of a royal Messiah who will reign on David’s throne forever. Yet other passages like Isaiah 53 describe a suffering servant Messiah who would die for the sins of the people. How do these fit together? Many argue Isaiah envisioned both a first coming of the Messiah as the suffering servant, and a second coming as the triumphant king. Isaiah 11:1-10 describes the root of Jesse (the Messiah) judging the earth with righteousness and slaying the wicked at His coming, which does not fit the first advent of Christ but could point to the second.
Another important passage is Isaiah 61, which Jesus quoted in Luke 4 at the outset of His ministry. Jesus quoted verses 1-2a which speak of proclaiming good news, freedom, and comfort. But He notably stopped before verses 2b-3 which mention the day of God’s vengeance and repayment of His enemies. This implies Jesus was announcing the fulfillment of the first advent prophecies in Isaiah 61 at His first coming, but the judgments would wait for His second coming.
The Prophecy of Daniel
The book of Daniel contains the important prophecy in Daniel 7 of the “one like a son of man” coming with the clouds of heaven and being given an everlasting kingdom by God. Since Jesus applied this title “Son of Man” to Himself, and the passage sounds more like a second coming than a first, many see Daniel 7:13-14 as an Old Testament prediction of the Second Coming.
Another passage in Daniel 12 speaks of a time of great distress for Israel, followed by the resurrection and the rewarding of the righteous. This led some Jews to believe in a Messiah ben Joseph who would suffer and die, followed by a Messiah ben David who would triumphantly return. Jesus fulfills both types in His two comings.
The Prophecy of Zechariah
Zechariah 14 contains a vivid prophecy that many understand as portraying the Second Coming. It describes a day when God will gather all nations against Jerusalem to battle, but then the Lord will go out to fight against the nations. The Lord’s feet will stand on the Mount of Olives which will split in two, and living waters will flow out from Jerusalem. The Lord will become king over all the earth. Many see this as the climax of the Mount of Olives sermon in Matthew 24-25, when Jesus describes His return in glory.
The Promise of the New Covenant
One of the purposes of the Messiah was to establish the New Covenant spoken of by the prophets Jeremiah and Ezekiel. Through the Messiah, God would write His law on people’s hearts, forgive their wickedness, and have an intimate relationship with His people. Yet the arrival of Jesus did not lead to the complete fulfillment of these promises. Believers still struggle with sin, and the world is full of evil. This suggests the need for a second coming of the Messiah to fully accomplish the purposes of the New Covenant.
The Unfulfilled Reign of the Messiah
Psalm 2, Psalm 110, and other passages describe the Messiah reigning in glory and subduing the nations. While Jesus fulfilled the prophecies concerning His suffering and death at His first coming, the kingly prophecies were not fulfilled in history. Jesus did not overthrow Rome and reign on David’s throne. This points to a second coming of the Messiah when He will fulfill the remaining prophecies in power and glory.
The Timing of the Messianic Kingdom
In passages like Micah 4 and Isaiah 2, the prophets envision a future messianic kingdom centered in Jerusalem with the nations streaming to it. When Jesus came, He did not set up this kind of political kingdom but rather announced the kingdom of heaven. His disciples anticipated the coming messianic kingdom (Acts 1:6). This implies the Messiah must come again to fulfill the promised reign and kingdom.
The Promise of Resurrection and Judgment
In passages like Isaiah 26 and Daniel 12, the Old Testament connects the arrival of God’s kingdom with the resurrection of the dead and the judgment of both the righteous and the wicked. While Jesus initiated spiritual resurrection through the new birth, the general resurrection of all people did not occur. And the final judgment of evil has not yet transpired. The second coming of Christ will coincide with these events.
The Unification of All Things in Christ
Ephesians 1:9-10 says God’s plan is to unite everything together in Christ, things in heaven and on earth. But this did not take place at Christ’s first coming. This promise seems to anticipate a future coming of the Messiah when He will finally unite and reconcile all things in Himself.
The Enigmatic Two Comings of the Messiah
Given all these strains of messianic prophecy in the Old Testament, it’s understandable why the Jewish religious leaders in Jesus’ day expected the Messiah to be a victorious liberator. What puzzles some is why the Old Testament does not seem to clearly distinguish between two comings of the Messiah: one in humiliation and another in glory. Some have theorized that this enigmatic two-stage prophecy created a “stumbling block” that concealed the Messiahship of Jesus from many (Isaiah 8:14). His sufferings did not line up with the kingly prophecies, confusing those with false expectations. Yet hindsight allows us to see how the first and second advent weave together all the messianic themes into one glorious storyline of redemption.
The Clarity of the New Testament Writings
While the Old Testament messianic prophecies feature some ambiguity between the suffering and glory of the Messiah, the New Testament writings are very clear in delineating two comings. Passages like Hebrews 9:28 sharply distinguish between Christ’s first coming to bear the sins of many, and His second coming to save those who are eagerly waiting for Him. First Peter 1:11 notes the prophets searched and inquired about the twofold coming of Messiah and the gap between His sufferings and the glories to follow. So while the two comings of the Messiah may not be stated in the most systematic fashion in the Old Testament, they become very plain with the hindsight provided by New Testament revelation.
Unfulfilled Promises Still Awaiting the Second Coming
There are a number of promises in the Old Testament that have not been fulfilled historically and appear to await the second advent of the Messiah. God’s promise to Abraham to bless all nations through his Seed (Genesis 12:3) has not yet been completely fulfilled. Malachi’s prophecy of the coming “sun of righteousness” who would bring healing and restoration (Malachi 4:2) points ahead to the return of Christ. God’s promise in Hosea 3:5 to restore Israel and revive their hope in the end times requires the Messiah to come again. So Old Testament expectations that still remain unmet after the first coming build anticipation for the second coming.
The Darkness Before the Dawn
Some references in the Old Testament depict an intense time of darkness, tribulation, and suffering for God’s people just before the arrival of the Messiah and His kingdom. These point to the end time tribulation preceding the second coming of Christ. Passages like Isaiah 60:2 and Amos 8:9 allude to this darker transition period before the dawn of God’s kingdom glory.
Jeremiah 30:7 refers to it as the “time of Jacob’s distress.” Zephaniah 1:14-15 speaks of “the great day of the LORD” that is “near and coming quickly” as a day of wrath, distress, and trouble. So the Second Coming is preceded by a definite season of darkness according to Old Testament prophecy.
The Already and Not Yet of the Kingdom of God
An important dynamic in several Old Testament prophecies about the coming of the Messiah and His kingdom is that there is a tension between the “already” and the “not yet.” Certain promises have an initial, partial fulfillment, while the complete fulfillment awaits the consummation at the second coming. Examples of this include:
– The New Covenant promises in Jeremiah 31 and Ezekiel 36 were inaugurated by Jesus at His first coming, but the full realization comes at His return.
– The promise of resurrection finds initial fulfillment in regeneration, but complete fulfillment at the final resurrection.
– The arrival of the kingdom in Jesus’ ministry points ahead to the climactic fulfillment in the age to come.
– Christ’s defeat of sin and death at the cross anticipates their final destruction at the Second Coming.
So the partial, inaugurated fulfillments of the “already” lead naturally to the expectation of the complete “not yet” fulfillments when Jesus returns in glory.
One Plan from Beginning to End
While certain Old Testament prophecies feature ambiguity or lack systematic precision in delineating the two comings of Christ, the consistent testimony of the Scriptures is that God has had one unified plan of redemption from beginning to end. As 1 Peter 1:10-11 says, the prophets searched and inquired about the person and timing of these things. Yet they understood the grace and suffering of the Messiah was part of God’s larger redemptive purpose.
The Second Coming fulfills what was started at the First Coming. Paul calls this the “mystery” now revealed that Jews and Gentiles would be fellow heirs through the gospel (Ephesians 3:1-6). The promised offspring who would bless all nations (Genesis 12:3) ultimately finds fulfillment at the return of Jesus in glory. So the two comings of Christ comprise two stages in the unified plan of God to redeem all things to Himself through the Messiah.
Conclusion
In summary, while the Old Testament messianic prophecies feature complexities and unanswered questions, overall they provide many promising foreshadowings of a Second Coming of the Messiah. Though the details may sometimes be unclear, the big-picture expectation of the Hebrew Scriptures is that the Messiah would come not just once but twice – first in humility and sacrifice, and finally in power and glory.
This two-stage mission is foreseen through prophecies of the Messiah as both a suffering servant and a victorious king, prophecies about the partial “already” and future “not yet” of God’s kingdom, and promises that await a future fulfillment. Unfulfilled Old Testament expectations demand a second advent to make right what is wrong and reconcile all things to God, affirming that God’s purposes will be accomplished through both comings of the Messiah. Though the first century Jews did not always understand it accurately, the overarching testimony is that the Hebrew Scriptures truly do predict the Second Coming of Jesus Christ.