Is the 2nd Coming Contingent Upon Jews Accepting Jesus?

“You [Jews] shall see me [Jesus] no more until you say ‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord’” (Matt. 23:39).

Many Christians believe this passage teaches that Jesus will not return until the Jews acknowledge him as Messiah. But is that really what Jesus was teaching? I don’t think so for a number of reasons.

To start with, while “seeing” (in Matt. 23:39) often refers to physical sight, it sometimes refers to understanding and perceiving. (You see?) Think about when Jesus said, “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God” (Matt. 5:8). Was Jesus teaching that the pure in heart will literally see God with their eyes? Of course not. God is spirit (John 4:24). Jesus simply meant that the pure in heart would perceive/understand the things of God.

This is essentially what Jesus is saying in the passage under consideration (Matt. 23:39). Unless/until Jews repent and admit that Jesus is the Messiah, they will not “see” God anymore. That is, they will not perceive the things of God anymore…because Jesus and the Father are one (John 10:30).

Consider something else Jesus said: “A little while longer and the world will see Me no more, but you [first-century disciples] will see Me” (John 14:19, italics mine). The reason why the world would no longer see Jesus was that he was “going away.” That is, he would be killed, rise from the dead, and ascend to heaven. Jesus was leaving the physical/earthly realm. Even at his second coming, Jesus would come again “in the glory of the Father” (Matt. 16:27), that is, in the way the Father had come numerous times before in the Old Testament—spiritually (see Isa. 13:9–13, 19: 1; Ezek. 32:7–15; Ps. 18:7–17). While those with “eyes to see” would see/perceive this event, the rest of the world would “see him no more” (they would not understand what happened).

This is essentially what Jesus was telling the Jews in the passage under consideration (Matt. 23:39). Unless/until Jews repent and admit that Jesus is the Messiah, they will not understand the things of God anymore.

Here’s something else to consider. When Jesus uttered this statement (Matt. 23:39), the Jews were mired in sin. In fact, the entire chapter is essentially one long condemnation of the Jewish leaders. Jesus called them hypocrites (v. 13), fools (v. 17), blind guides (v. 24), whitewashed tombs (v. 27), murderers (v. 31), and a brood of vipers (v. 33). Then, at the end of the chapter, Jesus said:

“O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the one who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing! See! Your house is left to you desolate [God has departed your temple]; for I say to you, you shall see Me no more till you say, ‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!’” (Matt. 23:37–39).

Jesus was essentially telling the Jews: Unless you repent and admit that I am the Messiah, you will not understand the things of God anymore: “I am the way, the truth and the life. Nobody comes to the Father but by me” (John 14:6).

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By Alex Polyak, Director of The Bible Fulfilled, 3/29/25