Doctrine of Eschatology (Systematic Theology 2)

All Evangelicals agree on the following facts about the last days:

A. There Will Be a Sudden, Personal, Visible, Bodily Return of Christ

Jesus often spoke about his return. “You also must be ready; for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect” (Matt. 24:44

Matthew 24:44 NKJV

44 Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.

He said, “I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also” (John 14:3

John 14:3 NKJV

3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also.

Immediately after Jesus had ascended into heaven, two angels said to the disciples, “This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven” (Acts 1:11

Acts 1:11 NKJV

11 who also said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will so come in like manner as you saw Him go into heaven.”

B. We Should Eagerly Long for Christ’s Return

John’s response at the end of Revelation should characterize Christians’ hearts in all ages: “Amen. Come, Lord Jesus!” (Rev. 22:20

Revelation 22:20 NKJV

20 He who testifies to these things says, “Surely I am coming quickly.” Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus!

True Christianity trains us “to live sober, upright, and godly lives in this world, awaiting our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ” (Titus 2:12–13

Titus 2:12–13 NKJV

12 teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age, 13 looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ,

Paul says, “our commonwealth is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior the Lord Jesus Christ” (Phil. 3:20

Philippians 3:20 NKJV

20 For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ,

C. We Do Not Know When Christ Will Return

Several passages indicate that we do not, and cannot, know the time when Christ will return. “The Son of man is coming at an hour you do not expect” (Matt. 24:44

Matthew 24:44 NKJV

44 Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.

“Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour” (Matt. 25:13

Matthew 25:13 NKJV

13 “Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour in which the Son of Man is coming.

Moreover, Jesus said, “But of that day or that hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. Take heed, watch; for you do not know when the time will come” (Mark 13:32–33

Mark 13:32–33 NKJV

32 “But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. 33 Take heed, watch and pray; for you do not know when the time is.

D. All Evangelicals Agree on the Final Results of Christ’s Return

No matter what their differences on the details, all Christians who take the Bible as their final authority agree that the final and ultimate result of Christ’s return will be

The judgment of unbelievers and the final reward of believers

Believers will live with Christ in a new heaven and a new earth for all eternity

God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit will reign and will be worshiped in a never-ending kingdom with no more sin or sorrow or suffering.

Areas of disagreement among Evangelicals are the following:

Could Christ Come Back at Any Time?

One of the significant areas of disagreement is over the question of whether Christ could return at any time. On the one hand, there are many passages encouraging us to be ready because Christ will return at an hour we do not expect. On the other hand, there are several passages that speak of certain events that will happen before Christ returns. There have been different ways of resolving the apparent tension between these two sets of passages, with some Christians concluding that Christ could still return at any time, and others concluding that he could not return for at least a generation, since it would take that long to fulfill some of the predicted events that must occur before his return.

1. Verses Predicting a Sudden and Unexpected Coming of Christ.

In order to feel the cumulative force of the passages that predict that Christ could come very soon, it is helpful simply to list them here in order:

Watch therefore for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming. But know this, that if the householder had known in what part of the night the thief was coming, he would have watched and would not have let his house be broken into. Therefore you also must be ready; for the Son of man is coming at an hour you do not expect. (Matt. 24:42–44 cf. vv. 36–39)

Matthew 24:42–44 NKJV

42 Watch therefore, for you do not know what hour your Lord is coming. 43 But know this, that if the master of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched and not allowed his house to be broken into. 44 Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.

The master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he does not know. (Matt. 24:50)

Watch therefore for you know neither the day nor the hour. (Matt. 25:13)

But of that day or that hour no one knows not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. Take heed, watch; for you do not know when the time will come. (Mark 13:32–33)

It is like a man going on a journey, when he leaves home and puts his servants in charge, each with his work, and commands the doorkeeper to be on the watch. Watch therefore—for you do not know when the master of the house will come in the evening, or at midnight, or at cockcrow, or in the morning—lest he come suddenly and find you asleep. And what I say to you I say to all: Watch. (Mark 13:34–37)

You also must be ready; for the Son of man is coming at an unexpected hour. (Luke 12:40)

Our Lord, come! (1 Cor. 16:22)

For our citizenship is in heaven, from which also we eagerly wait for a Savior the Lord Jesus Christ. (Phil. 3:20 nasb)

For you yourselves know well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. (1 Thess. 5:2)

Training us to … live sober, upright, and godly lives in this world, awaiting our blessed hope the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ. (Titus 2:12–13)

Encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near. (Heb. 10:25)

Be patient, therefore, brethren, until the coming of the Lord … Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand … Behold, the Judge is standing at the doors. (James 5:7–9)

The end of all things is at hand. (1 Peter 4:7)

But the day of the Lord will come like a thief and then the heavens will pass away with a loud noise, and the elements will be dissolved with fire, and the earth and all the works that are upon it will be burned up. (2 Peter 3:10)

The time is near. (Rev. 1:3)

Behold, I am coming soon. (Rev. 22:7)

Behold, I am coming soon bringing my recompense, to repay everyone for what he has done. (Rev. 22:12)

He who testifies to these things says, “Surely I am coming soon.” Amen. Come, Lord Jesus! (Rev. 22:20)

What shall we say to these passages? If there were no passages in the New Testament about signs that would precede Christ’s return, we would probably conclude from the passages just quoted that Jesus could come at any moment. In this sense, we can say that Christ’s return is imminent. It would seem to blunt the force of the commands to be ready and to watch if there was a reason to think that Christ would not come soon.

Before we look at passages on signs that precede Christ’s coming, another problem must be considered at this point. Were Jesus and the New Testament authors wrong in their expectation that he would return soon? Did they not think p 1097 and even teach that the second coming of Christ would be in just a few years? In fact, a very prominent view among liberal New Testament scholars has been that Jesus mistakenly taught that he would return soon.

But none of the texts just quoted require this interpretation. The texts that say to be ready do not say how long we will have to wait, nor do the texts that say that Jesus is coming at a time we do not expect. As for the texts that say Jesus is coming “soon,” we must realize that biblical prophets often speak in terms of “prophetic foreshortening,” which sees future events but does not see the intervening time before those events occur.

George Ladd says: The prophets were little interested in chronology, and the future was always viewed as imminent … the Old Testament prophets blended the near and the distant perspectives so as to form a single canvas. Biblical prophecy is not primarily three-dimensional but two; it has height and breadth but is little concerned about depth, i.e., the chronology of future events … the distant is viewed through the transparency of the immediate. It is true that the early church lived in expectancy of the return of the Lord, and it is the nature of biblical prophecy to make it possible for every generation to live in expectancy of the end.

Peter also reminds us that the Lord has a different perspective on time than we do, so that “soon” with him may not be what we expect: “But do not ignore this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. The Lord is not slow about his promise as some count slowness” (2 Peter 3:8–9

2 Peter 3:8–9 NKJV

8 But, beloved, do not forget this one thing, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. 9 The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.

2. Signs That Precede Christ’s Return.

The other set of texts to be considered tells of several signs that Scripture says will precede the time of Christ’s return. In fact, Berkhof says, “According to Scripture several important events must occur before the return of the Lord, and therefore it cannot be called imminent.”

Here it will be helpful to list those passages that most directly refer to signs that must occur before Christ’s return.

a. The Preaching of the Gospel to All Nations

And the gospel must first be preached to all nations. (Mark 13:10; cf. Matt. 24:14

Matthew 24:14 NKJV

14 And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come.

b. The Great Tribulation

And when you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be alarmed; this must take place, but the end is not yet. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; there will be earthquakes in various places, there will be famines; this is but the beginning of the birth-pangs. (Mark 13:7–8; cf. Matt. 24:15–22; Luke 21:20–24

Luke 21:20–24 NKJV

20 “But when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then know that its desolation is near. 21 Then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains, let those who are in the midst of her depart, and let not those who are in the country enter her. 22 For these are the days of vengeance, that all things which are written may be fulfilled. 23 But woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days! For there will be great distress in the land and wrath upon this people. 24 And they will fall by the edge of the sword, and be led away captive into all nations. And Jerusalem will be trampled by Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.

For in those days there will be such tribulation as has not been from the beginning of the creation which God created until now, and never will be. And if the Lord had not shortened the days, no human being would be saved; but for the sake of the elect, whom he chose, he shortened the days. (Mark 13:19–20

Mark 13:19–20 NKJV

19 For in those days there will be tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the creation which God created until this time, nor ever shall be. 20 And unless the Lord had shortened those days, no flesh would be saved; but for the elect’s sake, whom He chose, He shortened the days.

c. False Prophets Working Signs and Wonders

False Christs and false prophets will arise and show signs and wonders, to lead astray, if possible, the elect. (Mark 13:22; cf. Matt. 24:23–24

Matthew 24:23–24 NKJV

23 “Then if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ!’ or ‘There!’ do not believe it. 24 For false christs and false prophets will rise and show great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect.

d. Signs in the Heavens

But in those days, after that tribulation, the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will be falling from heaven, and the powers in the heavens will be shaken. And then they will see the Son of man coming in clouds with great power and glory. (Mark 13:24–25; cf. Matt. 24:29–30; Luke 21:25–27

Luke 21:25–27 NKJV

25 “And there will be signs in the sun, in the moon, and in the stars; and on the earth distress of nations, with perplexity, the sea and the waves roaring; 26 men’s hearts failing them from fear and the expectation of those things which are coming on the earth, for the powers of the heavens will be shaken. 27 Then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory.

e. The Coming of the Man of Sin and the Rebellion

Paul writes to the Thessalonians that Christ will not come unless the man of sin is first revealed, and then the Lord Jesus will destroy him at his coming. This “man of sin” is sometimes identified with the beast in Revelation 13, and is sometimes called the antichrist, the final and worst of the series of “antichrists” mentioned in 1 John 2:18.

Paul writes: (2 Thess. 2:1–10

2 Thessalonians 2:1–10 NKJV

1 Now, brethren, concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to Him, we ask you, 2 not to be soon shaken in mind or troubled, either by spirit or by word or by letter, as if from us, as though the day of Christ had come. 3 Let no one deceive you by any means; for that Day will not come unless the falling away comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition, 4 who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or that is worshiped, so that he sits as God in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God. 5 Do you not remember that when I was still with you I told you these things? 6 And now you know what is restraining, that he may be revealed in his own time. 7 For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only He who now restrains will do so until He is taken out of the way. 8 And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord will consume with the breath of His mouth and destroy with the brightness of His coming. 9 The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders, 10 and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved.

f. The Salvation of Israel

Paul talks about the fact that many Jews have not trusted in Christ, but he says that sometime in the future a large number would be saved: Now if their trespass means riches for the world, and if their failure means riches for the Gentiles, how much more will their full inclusion mean! (Rom. 11:12

Romans 11:12 NKJV

12 Now if their fall is riches for the world, and their failure riches for the Gentiles, how much more their fullness!

For I do not want you, brethren, to be uninformed of this mystery, lest you be wise in your own estimation, that a partial hardening has happened to Israel until the fulness of the Gentiles has come in; and thus all Israel will be saved. (Rom. 11:25–26

Romans 11:25–26 NKJV

25 For I do not desire, brethren, that you should be ignorant of this mystery, lest you should be wise in your own opinion, that blindness in part has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in. 26 And so all Israel will be saved, as it is written: “The Deliverer will come out of Zion, And He will turn away ungodliness from Jacob;

g. Conclusions From These Signs That Precede Christ’s Return

The impact of these passages seems so clear that, as was mentioned above, many Christians have felt that Christ simply cannot return at any moment. As we look over the list of signs given above, it would not seem to take much argument to demonstrate that most of these events, or perhaps all of them, have not yet occurred. Or at least that is what appears to be the case on a first reading of these passages.12

Possible Solutions

How can we reconcile the passages that seem to warn us to be ready because Christ could suddenly return, with passages that indicate that several important and visible events must take place before Christ can return? Several solutions have been proposed.

One solution is to say that Christ could not come at any time.

This position is taken by Louis Berkhof, in the sentence quoted above. Just how long it would be before Christ would return depends on each person’s estimate of how long it will take some of the signs to be fulfilled, such as the preaching of the gospel to all nations, the coming of the great tribulation, and the ingathering of the full number of the Jews who will be saved.

The difficulty with this view is twofold. First, it really seems to nullify the force of the warnings of Jesus that we should watch, be ready, and that he is returning at an hour we do not expect. What force is there in a warning to be ready for Christ to come at an unexpected time when we know that this coming cannot occur for many years? The sense of urgent expectancy of Christ’s return is greatly diminished or denied altogether in this position, and that result seems quite contrary to Jesus’ intention in giving these warnings.

Second, this position seems to use these signs in a way quite opposite from the way Jesus intended them to be used. The signs are given so that, when we see them, they will intensify our expectation of Christ’s return. Jesus said, “Now when these things begin to take place, look up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near” (Luke 21:28). And the warnings are also given to keep believers from going astray and following false messiahs: “Take heed that no one leads you astray. Many will come in my name, saying, “I am he!’ and they will lead many astray … And then if any one says to you, “Look, here is the Christ!’ or “Look, there he is!’ do not believe it” (Mark 13:5–6, 21). So the signs are given to keep Christians from being surprised by these remarkable events, to assure them that God knows them all in advance, and to keep them from following after alleged messiahs who do not come in the dramatic, visible, world-conquering way in which Jesus himself will come. But the signs are never given to make us think, “Jesus couldn’t come for a few years.” There is no indication that Jesus gave these signs in order to provide Christians with a reason not to be ready for his return or in order p 1100 to encourage them not to expectthat he could come at any time! To use the signs that will precede Christ’s return in this way (as Berkhof does, for example), is to use them in a way that Jesus never intended. Therefore it does not seem convincing to say that Christ could not come at any time.

The other major solution to this problem is to say that Christ indeed could come at any time and to reconcile the two sets of passages in various ways. (1) One way to reconcile them is to say that the New Testament talks about two distinct returns of Christ or two second comings of Christ, that is, a secret-coming at which Christ takes Christians out of the world (a coming “for his saints”), and then, after seven years of tribulation have occurred on the earth, a visible, public triumphant coming (a coming “with his saints”) in which Christ comes to reign over the earth. During the seven-year interval all the signs that have not yet been fulfilled (the great tribulation, the false prophets with signs and wonders, the antichrist, the salvation of Israel, and the signs in the heavens) will be fulfilled, so that there is no tension at all between waiting for a coming that could occur “at any moment” and realizing that a later coming will be preceded by many signs.

The problem with this solution is that it is hard to derive two separate comings of Christ from the passages that predict his return. However, we will not discuss this matter here, but will treat it in the next chapter, when considering the pretribulational premillennial view of Christ’s return. It should also be noted that this solution is historically quite recent, for it was unknown in the history of the church before it was proposed in the last century by John Nelson Darby (1800–1882). This should alert us to the fact that this solution is not the only possible one to the tension presented by the passages quoted above.

Another solution is to say that all the signs have been fulfilled, and therefore Christ in fact could return at any moment.

On this view, one could look for possible fulfillments of these signs in the events of the early church, even in the first century. In some sense, it might be said, the gospel was indeed preached to all nations, false prophets arose and opposed the gospel, there was great tribulation in the persecution the church suffered at the hands of some of the Roman emperors, the man of lawlessness was in fact the emperor Nero, and the full number of the Jewish people who are to be saved has gradually come about through the history of the church, since Paul even gives himself as one example of the beginning of this ingathering of the Jewish people (Rom. 11:1).

The signs have already been fulfilled and therefore we simply cannot know with certainty at any point in history whether all the signs have been fulfilled or not.

This position is an attractive one because it takes seriously the primary purpose for the signs, the primary purpose for the warnings, and the fact that we are not to know when Christ will return. With regard to the signs, their primary purpose is to intensify our expectation of Christ’s return. Therefore whenever we see indications of things that resemble these signs, our expectation of Christ’s return will be aroused and intensified. With regard to the warnings to be ready, advocates of this position would say that Christ could return at any time (since we cannot be certain that the signs have not been fulfilled), and so we must be ready, even though it is unlikely that Christ will return at once (because it seems that there are several signs yet to be fulfilled). Finally, this position agrees that we cannot know when Christ will return, and that he is coming at an hour we do not expect.

But is it possible that these signs have been fulfilled? We can examine them one at a time. In each case our conclusion will be that it is unlikely, but possible, that the sign has been fulfilled already.

a. The Preaching of the Gospel to All Nations: Has the gospel been preached to all nations? Probably not, since there are many language groups and tribes that have still never heard the gospel. It is unlikely, therefore, that this sign has been fulfilled. However, Paul does speak in Colossians about the worldwide spread of the gospel. He speaks of “the gospel which has come to you, as indeed in the whole world it is bearing fruit and growing” (Col. 1:5–6). He also speaks of “the gospel which you heard, which has been preached to every creature under heaven and of which I, Paul, became a minister” (Col. 1:23). In these verses he certainly does not mean that every creature alive has heard the proclamation of the gospel, but that the proclamation has gone forth to the whole world and that, in a representative sense at least, the gospel has been preached to the whole world or to all nations. Therefore, though, it is unlikely but possible that this sign was initially fulfilled in the first century and has been fulfilled in a greater sense many times since then.

b. Great Tribulation: Once again, it seems likely that the language of Scripture indicates a period of suffering coming to the earth that is far greater than anything that has yet been experienced. But it must be realized that many people have p 1102 understood Jesus’ warnings about great tribulation to refer to the Roman siege of Jerusalem in the Jewish War of a.d. 66–70. The suffering during that war was indeed terrible, and could be what was described by Jesus in predicting this tribulation. In fact, since the first century, there have been many periods of violent and intense persecution of Christians, and even in our century much of it has occurred over large portions of the globe, with Christians being horribly persecuted in the former Soviet Union, in communist China, and in Muslim countries. It would be difficult to convince some Christians in this century who have undergone decades of persecution for their faith, and have known that persecution to affect thousands of other Christians throughout large segments of the world, that such a great tribulation has certainly not yet occurred. They have longed and prayed for years for Christ to come and rescue them from the tribulation that they are enduring.

Once again, though we may think that Jesus’ words indicate the likelihood of a yet greater persecution coming in the future, it is difficult to be certain of this. It seems appropriate to conclude that it is unlikely but possible that the prediction of a great tribulation has already been fulfilled.

c. False Christs and False Prophets: With regard to the false christs and false prophets who will work signs and wonders, any missionary who has worked among people where witchcraft and demonic activity are rampant will readily testify that seemingly miraculous “signs and wonders” have been worked frequently by demonic power in opposition to the spread of the gospel. Certainly demonic miracles and false signs have been done for centuries, at least since the time that the magicians in Pharaoh’s court produced false signs in opposition to Moses’ miracles (Ex. 7:11; 8:7; cf. the activity of Simon the Sorcerer in Acts 8:9–11). Whatever the specific form it takes, such working of deceptive miracles is almost always accompanied by false religions, leading many people astray (leaders of such groups could be called false messiahs and false prophets). It seems likely that Jesus’ words predict a far greater manifestation of this kind of activity in the time just prior to his return, but again, it is difficult to be certain that this will be so. It is best to conclude that it is unlikely but still possible that this sign has been fulfilled already.

d. Powerful Signs in the Heavens: The occurrence of powerful signs in the heavens is the one sign that almost certainly has not yet occurred. Of course, there have been eclipses of the sun and moon, and comets have appeared, since the world began. But Jesus speaks of something far greater: “The sun will be darkened and the moon will not give its light and the stars will fall from heaven and the powers of the heavens will be shaken” (Matt. 24:29). Although R.T. France attempts to explain this as symbolic language that refers to the destruction of Jerusalem and God’s judgment on it, he must base this claim on the assertion that Isaiah 13:10 (from which Jesus’ words in Matt. 24:29 seem to be drawn) is also merely symbolic language to refer to the fall of Babylon, whereas it is more likely that p 1103 both Isaiah 13:10 and Matthew 24:29 speak of a yet future literal falling of the stars and blackening of the sun and moon, something that would be a suitable prelude to the shaking of the earth and heaven and the cosmic destruction that will come after the return of Christ (see Heb. 1:10–12; 12:27; 2 Peter 3:10–11). Moreover, it is significant that this description of cosmic events in Matthew 24:29 is followed in the rest of the sentence with the description of “the Son of man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory” (v. 30). Given these facts, it seems unlikely that the descriptions of the falling of the stars from heaven and the darkening of the sun and moon are merely symbolic language. It is better to regard them as literal signs that will occur just before Christ’s return, and as such, they fall in a different category from the other signs, since it seems certain that they have not yet occurred. Nonetheless, they could occur very quickly—within the space of a few minutes or at most an hour or two—to be followed immediately by Christ’s return. These particular signs are not the type that would lead us to deny that Christ could return at any time.

e. The Appearance of the Man of Lawlessness: Many attempts have been made throughout history to identify the man of lawlessness (the “antichrist”) with historical figures who had great authority and brought havoc and devastation among people on the earth. The ancient Roman emperors Nero and Domitian, both of whom severely persecuted Christians, were thought by many to be the antichrist. (Many Roman emperors, including these two, claimed deity for themselves and demanded to be worshiped.) In more recent times Adolf Hitler was commonly thought to be the antichrist, as was Joseph Stalin. On the other hand, many Protestants since the Reformation, especially those who were persecuted by the Catholic Church, have thought that one or another of the popes was the antichrist.

But all of these identifications have proved false, and it is likely that a yet worse “man of lawlessness” will arise on the world scene and bring unparalleled suffering and persecution, only to be destroyed by Jesus when he comes again. But the evil perpetrated by many of these other rulers has been so great that, at least while they were in power, it would have been difficult to be certain that the “man of lawlessness” mentioned in 2 Thessalonians 2 has not yet appeared. Once again, it is unlikely but possible that this sign has been fulfilled.

p 1104 f. The Salvation of Israel: With regard to the salvation of the fullness of Israel, again it must be said that Romans 9–11 seems to indicate that there will be a yet future massive ingathering of the Jewish people as they turn to accept Jesus as their Messiah. But it is not certain that Romans 9–11 predicts this, and many have argued that no further ingathering of the Jewish people will occur beyond the kind that we have already seen through the history of the church, since Paul gives himself as a primary example of this ingathering (Rom. 11:1–2). Once again, it is unlikely but possible that this sign has already been fulfilled.

g. Conclusion: Except for the spectacular signs in the heavens, it is unlikely but possible that these signs have already been fulfilled. Moreover, the only sign that seems certainly not to have occurred, the darkening of the sun and moon and the falling of the stars, could occur within the space of a few minutes, and therefore it seems appropriate to say that Christ could now return at any hour of the day or night. It is therefore unlikely but certainly possible that Christ could return at any time.

But does this position do justice to the warnings that we should be ready and that Christ is coming at a time we do not expect? Is it possible to be readyfor something that we think unlikelyto happen in the near future? Certainly it is. Everyone who wears a seatbelt when driving, or purchases auto insurance, gets ready for an event he or she thinks to be unlikely. In a similar way it seems possible to take seriously the warnings that Jesus could come when we are not expecting him, and nonetheless to say that the signs preceding his coming will probably yet occur in the future.

This position has positive spiritual benefits as we seek to live the Christian life in the midst of a rapidly changing world. In the ebb and flow of world history, we see from time to time events that could be the final fulfillment of some of these signs. They happen, and then they fade away. During the blackest days of World War II, it seemed very likely that Hitler was the antichrist. During times of p 1105 persecution against the church, it can seem more likely that Christians are in the middle of the great tribulation. When we hear of earthquakes and famines and wars, it makes us wonder if the coming of Christ might not be near. Then these events fade into the background and world leaders pass off the scene, and the tide of events leading to the end of the age seems to have receded for a time. Then once again a new wave of events will break on the world scene, and once again our expectation of Christ’s return is increased. With each successive “wave” of events, we do not know which one will be the last. And this is good, because God does not intend us to know. He simply wants us to continue to long for Christ’s return and to expect that it could occur at any time. It is spiritually unhealthy for us to say that we know that these signs have not occurred, and it seems to stretch the bounds of credible interpretation to say that we know that these signs have occurred. But it seems to fit exactly in the middle of the New Testament approach toward Christ’s return to say that we do not know with certainty if these events have occurred. Responsible exegesis, an expectation of Christ’s sudden return, and a measure of humility in our understanding, are all three preserved in this position.

Then if Christ does return suddenly, we will not be tempted to object, saying that one or another sign has not yet occurred. We will simply be ready to welcome him when he appears. And if there is great suffering yet to come, and if we begin to see intense opposition to the gospel, a large revival among the Jewish people, remarkable progress in the preaching of the gospel through the world, and even spectacular signs in the heavens, then we will not be dismayed or lose heart, because we will remember Jesus’ words, “When these things begin to take place, look up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near” (Luke 21:28).[2]

The Millennium: What is it? When is it? Will Christians go through the Great Tribulation?

The word millennium means “one thousand years” (from Lat. millennium“thousand years”). The term comes from Revelation 20:4–5

Revelation 20:4–5 NKJV

4 And I saw thrones, and they sat on them, and judgment was committed to them. Then I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for their witness to Jesus and for the word of God, who had not worshiped the beast or his image, and had not received his mark on their foreheads or on their hands. And they lived and reigned with Christ for a thousand years. 5 But the rest of the dead did not live again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection.

where it says that certain people “came to life, and reigned with Christ a thousand years. The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were ended.” Just prior to this statement, we read that an angel came down from heaven and seized the devil “and bound him for a thousand years and threw him into the pit, and shut it and sealed it over him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years were ended” (Rev. 20:2–3).[3]

• Dispensational Premillennialism: Christ’s return and rapture are separate events.

• Historical Premillennialism: Christians endure the tribulation.

• Amillennialism: No literal thousand-year rule.

• Postmillennialism: Christ returns after the millennium

The Final Judgment and Eternal Punishment: Who will be judged? What is hell?

The New Heavens and New Earth: What is heaven? Is it a place? How will the earth be renewed? What will it be like to live in the new heavens and new earth?