The Second Coming (sometimes called the Second Advent or the Parousia) is a Christian concept regarding the future return of Jesus Christ after his "first coming" and ascension to heaven about two thousand years ago. The belief is based on messianic prophecies found in the canonical gospels and is part of most Christian eschatologies. Views about the nature of Jesus' Second Coming vary among Christian denominations and among individual Christians.
Most English versions of the Nicene Creed include the following statements: "...he ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again in his glory to judge the living and the dead, and his kingdom will have no end. ... We look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come."
Several different terms are used to refer to the Second Coming of Christ:
In the New Testament, the Greek word ἐπιφάνεια (epiphaneia, appearing) is used five times to refer to the return of Christ.
The Greek New Testament uses the Greek term parousia (παρουσία, meaning "arrival", "coming", or "presence") twenty-four times, seventeen of them concerning Christ. The word is also used six times referring to individuals (Stephanas, Fortunatus and Achaicus,Titus, and Paul the Apostle ) and one time referring to the "coming of the lawless one".