Jesus hasn't returned yet. Why not?

In the first century, something or someone stopped Jesus’ second coming. David Instone-Brewer explores what happened and asks: What is it that is holding him back today?

Here’s how I remember the emperors in the New Testament: Augustus the dad, Tiberius the lad, Caligula the mad, Claudius the sad and Nero the bad. 

Augustus was reigning when Jesus was born and started this family of emperors. His stepson, Tiberius, who was famous for his orgies, was ruling when Jesus died. He was succeeded by his adopted son, Caligula, a certifiable megalomaniac; he made his favourite horse, Incitatus, a priest and wanted to appoint him head of the senate.

Claudius never wanted to be emperor – he was a quiet, studious historian; however, he did a good job and even established the empire in England. Tiberius and Caligula were notoriously cruel, but Nero was the nastiest end of this family line; he burned Christians on poles to light up his evening garden parties. Dad, lad, mad, sad and bad.