Virgil, just a quick clarification for now. The ‘coming’ of Jesus language in the New Testament has to do with two main themes: i) the vindication of Jesus and the community that identifies itself with him; and ii) the historical deliverance of that community from the pagan power that persecuted it. The Jewish War and the victory of the church over Roman paganism are the historical loci for that two-fold expectation. That, at least, is roughly how I see it. It ahs nothing to do with a physical return.

But I think that because the resurrection is inherently a ‘new creation’ event, a renewal of a creation that is subject to decay and death, the early believers saw in Jesus’ resurrection the ground not only for the martyr hope of vindication (the Son of man theme) but also for the more fundamental hope of a new creation (the Jacob theme) in which the final enemy death is defeated. But the latter remains theologically distinct from the vindication motif.

I don’t see a physical ‘return’ of Jesus to renew the creation. That is simply a final act of God at a creational level by which all injustice and corruption and death is destroyed. At that time the kingdom is handed back to the Father; it is no longer necessary for Jesus to rule as king over the people of God when the final enemy has been destroyed. But he is still there at the heart of God’s presence in the city which has descended from heaven.

This is a bit incoherent, I’m afraid - I’m in holiday mode. But I’m happy to discuss this further.