Jesus Is Coming Soon: Why That Sounds Like an Empty Threat

Jesus Is Coming Soon: Why That Sounds Like an Empty Threat

For generations, Christians have repeated a phrase like a mantra—or a warning:

“Jesus is coming soon.”

It shows up on church signs, in songs, in evangelistic tracts, and from pulpits across the world. It’s meant to produce urgency. Repent! Clean up your life! Get ready! But let’s be honest: after 2,000 years of saying it, it begins to ring hollow.

Is Jesus really still coming “soon”? What does that word even mean after millennia? And more importantly—what kind of God do we proclaim if we keep making threats that never materialize?

The Problem With “Soon”

The New Testament writers didn’t say “soon” the way we say “soon.” They didn’t mean “eventually.” They meant imminently. The Greek words like tachos (quickly) and engys (near) show up all over the place:

“The time is near.” (Rev 1:3)

“In a very little while, He who is coming will come and will not delay.” (Heb 10:37)

“This generation will not pass away until all these things take place.” (Matt 24:34)

They weren’t vague or metaphorical. They were urgent because they were talking about something on the horizon in their own time.

So if Jesus didn’t come back “soon,” then either they were wrong—or we are misunderstanding what they meant by His return.

The Empty Threat Syndrome

Many Christians today still say “Jesus is coming soon” the way a parent might say, “Just wait until your father gets home.” It’s used to scare people straight. But here’s the problem:

If that coming never happens, it becomes a threat that loses its power. It creates fear without fulfillment. It keeps people looking at the sky instead of walking in the Spirit.

Worse, it damages God’s credibility. People read the promises of the New Testament and say, 

“They said He was coming back in their lifetime—and He didn’t.”

 If we don’t have a better answer than “God’s time is different than ours,” we leave people with a Jesus who breaks His own word.

Fulfilled, Not Failed

The problem isn’t with Jesus. It’s with our interpretation. Full Preterism offers a better, more consistent answer:

Jesus did come soon—in judgment upon Old Covenant Israel in 70 AD, just as He said He would.

This was not a global return to destroy the earth, but a covenantal coming—a return in power and glory to end the age (Matt 24:3), destroy the temple (Matt 24:2), and fully inaugurate the New Creation Kingdom where God now dwells with His people.

This “coming” was real. It was visible. It was near. And it was fulfilled, not failed.

Presence, Not Postponement

The real tragedy of clinging to a “Jesus is still coming” mindset is that it postpones the presence of Christ. It pushes God out of the now and into the maybe-later. It robs believers of the reality that Christ is already here, indwelling His people, reigning in His kingdom. We don't need to wait for His arrival. We need to wake up to His presence. He didn’t leave us with an IOU. He gave us Himself.

Living Without the Fear

When “Jesus is coming soon” is turned into a threat, it fosters anxiety, not assurance. It keeps believers stuck in spiritual limbo, always trying to be “ready,” never sure if they’re good enough.

But when we realize that Jesus came in His kingdom when He said He would, we can finally stop waiting—and start reigning. We are not under the Law. We are not waiting for judgment. We are not clinging to fear. We are walking in fullness. Walking in freedom. Walking in Him.

Conclusion

It’s time to stop using “Jesus is coming soon” as an empty threat. It’s time to proclaim a better gospel: Jesus has come. His kingdom is here. His presence is now.Let’s live as people who are not waiting for God to show up—but as people in whom God already dwells.