Would the Church not lose its power if the Messiah came back?

[A question from an internet discussion forum brought to Swami by Śrī Anil:

Wouldn’t the Church lose its power if there was a Second Coming of the Messiah. In that case, would the Church not try to destroy the next person who is an equivalent of Jesus?]

Swami replied: The Second Coming means God coming again and again in human form to preach spiritual knowledge, whenever there is a necessity. This is told in the Gītā as “Yadā yadā hi...”. Accordingly, God has been coming to earth in every human generation. Jesus said that He would come again. Did He say He would come only once more? ‘Coming again’ for His next visit does not mean that it will be the last visit. When a relative who had visited your home, is about to leave, he says that he will come again. Does it mean that he will visit your home only once more, which would be his last visit to your home? You too say to him “Please come again”. Does it mean that are you asking him to make his last visit to your home? Such foolish interpretations of scripture only come from foolish people, due to the over-activity of their livers (paitya uddreka)!

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