Will Jesus Return? Where did the Belief in Jesus' Return come from?
Around 2.4 billion Christians and 2 billion Muslims believe that Jesus will return to Earth. Many people assume their religion has always taught this doctrine.To help us better understand this matter, the table below lists a series of historical events to show the origins.
| Book of Daniel | 165 BC |
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Long before Jesus, a Jewish book called Daniel described a vision of "One like a son of man, coming with the clouds of heaven" who is given an everlasting kingdom. Based on this, Jews were waiting for a Messiah figure.
I saw in the night visions, and, behold, one like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days, and they brought him near before him. And there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, should serve him his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed.
DANIEL 7:13-14 |
| Paul's Letters | 50 AD |
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Shortly after Jesus' Crucifixion, his followers in despair began saying he would return. The earliest written record for this is a letter by Apostle Paul, in which he wrote the Lord would come down from heaven. This is the first time the idea of a "Jesus Return" is written of.
For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God and the dead in Christ shall rise first
1 THESSALONIANS 4:16 |
| Gospels, Acts & Revelation | 70-100 AD |
The Gospel Writers take the picture from Book of Daniel and apply it literally to Jesus.
And then shall they see the Son of man coming in the clouds with great power and glory.
MARK 13:26 Which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven.
ACTS 1:11 And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war. His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself. And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood and his name is called The Word of God. And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean. And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations and he shall rule them with a rod of iron and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.
REVELATION 19:11-16 |
| Nicene Creed | 325-381 AD |
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Both the Nicene Creed (325 AD) and the Apostles' Creed (381 AD) declare that Jesus will return to judge humanity, though they use slightly different wording. So the Church wrote the belief into its official creed, which says Jesus "will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead". From here on, the return of Jesus become a core Christian belief. |
| The Quran | 610-632 AD |
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The Quran honours Jesus. It says he was not killed on the Cross and that God raised him up. But the Quran never claims in simple, clear language that "Jesus will come back".
And [for] their saying, "Indeed, we have killed the Messiah, Jesus the son of Mary, the messenger of Allāh." And they did not kill him, nor did they crucify him; but [another] was made to resemble him to them. And indeed, those who differ over it are in doubt about it. They have no knowledge of it except the following of assumption. And they did not kill him, for certain.1 Rather, Allāh raised him to Himself. And ever is Allāh Exalted in Might and Wise.
QURAN 4:157-158 The verse most often quoted to support the idea of a Jesus return. Many scholars say the "HE" here means Jesus. Other early scholars have argued the "HE or IT" means the Quran itself. The below verse is not clear on the matter. And indeed, he [i.e., Jesus] will be [a sign for] knowledge of the Hour, so be not in doubt of it, and follow Me.1 This is a straight path.
QURAN 43:61 Another Quran verse that states God raising Jesus up, fails to clearly mention any earthly return. [Mention] when Allāh said, "O Jesus, indeed I will take you and raise you to Myself and purify [i.e., free] you from those who disbelieve and make those who follow you [in submission to Allāh alone] superior to those who disbelieve until the Day of Resurrection. Then to Me is your return, and I will judge between you concerning that in which you used to differ.
QURAN 3:55 |
| The Hadith | 700-875 AD |
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For Muslims, the more clear and detailed story of Jesus' Return comes from Hadith tradition. These were written down over two centuries following Muhammad's death.
Sahih Al-Bukhari (died 870 AD) and Sahih Muslim (died 875 AD) record Muhammad saying:
وَالَّذِي نَفْسِي بِيَدِهِ، لَيُوشِكَنَّ أَنْ يَنْزِلَ فِيكُمُ ابْنُ مَرْيَمَ حَكَمًا عَدْلًا "By the One in whose hand my soul is, the son of Maryam (Jesus) will soon descend among you as a just judge." (Sahih al-Bukhari 3448) Other hadith add the details. Jesus comes down at a white minaret east of Damascus, Syria. He kills the Antichrist (Dajjal) at the gate of Lod near Jerusalem, and later he dies and is buried. The event takes place in Syria and Palestine which were Christian lands that Muslims had only recently entered. Historians such as David Cook have shown that early Muslim end-times stories grew up in this region and share much with the Christian end-times stories that were already present and widely circulated. The Christian Antichrist and the Muslim Antichrist appear very similar. |
| Sunni Creed | 850-930 AD |
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Writers of official Sunni creeds, like Imam Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal (died 855 AD) listed Jesus killing the Antichrist among the things a Muslim must believe.
Later, Imam al-Ṭaḥawi (died 933 AD) wrote: وَنُؤْمِنُ بِأَشْرَاطِ السَّاعَةِ: مِنْ خُرُوجِ الدَّجَّالِ، وَنُزُولِ عِيسَى ابْنِ مَرْيَمَ عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامُ مِنَ السَّمَاءِ "We believe in the signs of the Hour, including the coming of the Antichrist (Dajjal) and the descent of Jesus, son of Mary, peace be upon him, from the sky" The Jesus Will Return belief had now became part of mainstream Sunni Muslim theology. |
| Twelver Shia | 900 AD |
| Twelver Shia Muslims believe their 12th Imam went into hiding in the late 800s and will return as the Mahdi. They fit Jesus into this narrative, who will return as a helper who prays behind their Imam Mahdi. |
| New Movements | 1800 AD |
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New Christian groups such as the Latter-day Saints, the Seventh-day Adventists and the Jehovah's Witnesses made Jesus's return at the core of their message.
In Iran, Baha'u'llah (1863) claimed to be the return of Christ. In India, Mirza Ghulam Ahmad (1891) claimed that Jesus had died and that he himself was the "Promised Messiah" who fulfilled the Jesus' return event. |
| Quran-Only Movement | 1900 AD |
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Finally, a few Muslim scholars asked what the Quran said on the matter. Muhammad Abduh and Rashid Rida held the view that Jesus had died, and so not returning.
In the 1940s, Shaykh Mahmud Shaltut, who later became the Grand Imam of al-Azhar, Egypt gave a famous directive. He argued the natural reading of the Quran is that Jesus died, and so not returning. Many scholars disagreed with Shaltut's opinion, and the majority of Muslims today believe Jesus will return. |
| Summary |
| The belief in Jesus's return began in Jewish visions and early Christian letters. It became formalized into Christian creed. The belief flowed into Islam mainly through the Hadith, but not explicitly through the Quran. In Islam, you can agree with the Jesus Will Return belief, or disagree with it. Knowing where the belief came from is the first step to understanding it, and asking questions is part of any healthy tradition. |
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| Author: Guest • Updated: 18 Oct 2026 • 31 views | 57 mins ago |
