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rising from the dead three days later. Christians look on this rejection as a struggle that Jesus had to go through, realising that the Messiah would not be accepted by all people until he had experienced trials and tribulations that affirmed his faith.
    The Jewish Messiah was also expected to fulfil a number of other tasks, namely with the building of the Third Temple in Jerusalem, the return of all Jews to Israel and the start of an era of world peace that would unite all of humanity; the Jewish rejection of Jesus focuses on these acts, realising that Jesus cannot be the Messiah while these events have not yet occurred.
    Jesus’ death and resurrection provides much of the imagery used by Christian belief: the cross has become the most obvious representation of Christian faith, a symbol that embodies both love and suffering. However, both the cross and Jesus’ death mean nothing without his later resurrection.
    In the resurrection, Jesus hints at just one element of the Jewish End of the World that has since become a focal point for the Endtimes: the resurrection of the dead. By a triumphant return from the dead, Jesus proves himself to have mastery over death, a mastery that he promises to share amongst the faithful.
    Christians believe that, after his return from the dead, Jesus continued to preach before ultimately rising into Heaven to join God, promising that he would return as part of the End of Days. This should not be treated as another death: Christians believe that Jesus is still alive and that his promised return will, in fact, be seen as him descending from Heaven.
    This Second Coming has since been linked to the End of the World and has become an important part of Christian eschatology. As beliefs have grown and developed, different Churches have adopted different attitudes towards the Second Coming: some look forward to it as an event to be celebrated, while others fear its imminent approach. Some even believe that the Second Coming, or parousia , has already occurred.
    Regardless, Christians believe that the Second Coming is one of the first events to herald the Apocalypse.
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    JUDAISM
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    Because the Jewish faith does not recognise Jesus as the Messiah, there are no specific references to the Second Coming as a sign of the Endtimes: once the Messiah appears it will, in fact, be the first coming. However, by claiming to be the Messiah, Jesus Christ fulfilled a different role, that of a false messiah who both led humanity astray and tested the faith and conviction of the faithful.
    There are, however, some commenters and philosophers who try to reconcile Judaism and Christianity by suggesting that after his Second Coming, Jesus Christ will fulfil the various prophecies and roles of the Messiah, proving himself to have been the Jewish Messiah all along.
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    CHRISTIANITY
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    With the Second Coming forming such an important part of the Christian faith, it should come as no surprise that there have been many different theories about how, when and why this will happen.
    The Second Coming has taken a number of forms over the last 2,000 years and has commonly reflected the political climates of any given time. Some believe that Jesus will be born again in conditions that echo his first birth; others believe that the Second Coming will be a dramatic affair with loud noises and lights in the sky.
    There are also different suggestions as to what role Jesus will play during this Second Coming, and again, most of these depend on the politics of the time and the location of the Church. During his original time on Earth, Jesus was hailed as a wise man and teacher, but Jesus may return as a warrior, ready to fight the battles that will accompany the End of Days.
    Even the depictions of Jesus as a warrior differ, with some Churches suggesting that Jesus will use divine powers and abilities to show his power and might to overcome adversity, while others imply that Jesus will don a suit of armour and lead the charge at