End Times & Eschatology

The Promise of Christ's Return

⊕ John 14:2-3
[2] In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. [3] And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.

⊕ Acts 1:11
Which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven.

⊕ Revelation 22:20
He which testifieth these things saith, Surely I come quickly. Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus.

Jesus personally promised to return for His own. He has gone to prepare a place for us and will come again to receive us to Himself. At the ascension, angels declared He will return in the same visible, bodily manner in which He went. The risen Christ repeatedly affirms, 'Surely I am coming quickly'—His return is certain, imminent in the sense that nothing else must precede it, and intended to anchor the church’s comfort and vigilance.

The New Testament uses the term parousia (παρουσία, "presence/arrival") to describe His coming—not merely a momentary appearance but the arrival of a King to dwell with His people. His return is the blessed hope that sustains perseverance, tempers fear, and keeps the church watchful, holy, and mission-minded.

The Rapture of the Church

⊕ 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17
[16] For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: [17] Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.

⊕ 1 Corinthians 15:51-52
[51] Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, [52] In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.

At the catching away of the church, the Lord will descend from heaven with a shout, the voice of the archangel, and the trump of God. The dead in Christ will rise first; then living believers will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. This transformation is instantaneous—in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye—and completes the redemption of our bodies, uniting the whole church to Christ forever.

The verb harpazō (ἁρπάζω, "to seize, snatch away") underlies "caught up" and stresses God’s sovereign action in delivering His people. Paul calls this change a mystery: mortality will put on immortality, corruption will put on incorruption. This hope comforts grieving believers and assures the reunion of the entire body of Christ, living and dead, around the Lord Himself.

The Tribulation

⊕ Matthew 24:21
For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.

⊕ Revelation 7:14
And I said unto him, Sir, thou knowest. And he said to me, These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.

⊕ Daniel 9:27
And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate.

The tribulation is a future period of unprecedented distress and divine judgment, unequaled from the beginning of the world. Scripture calls it thlipsis (θλῖψις, "pressure, affliction"), often linked to Daniel’s seventieth week. It spans a seven-year epoch marked by seals, trumpets, and bowls of wrath. Saints are purified, rebels judged, and God’s covenant purposes advanced toward consummation.

Debate continues over the church’s relationship to this period (pre-, mid-, post-tribulational views), but all faithful interpreters agree God will vindicate His holiness, expose false worship, and prepare the stage for Messiah’s public reign. The man of sin, the abomination of desolation, and global deception make this an hour requiring discernment, endurance, and unwavering loyalty to the Lamb.

The Second Coming

⊕ Matthew 24:30-31
[30] And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. [31] And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.

⊕ Revelation 19:11-16
[11] And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war. [12] His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself. [13] And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God. [14] And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean. [15] And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. [16] And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.

⊕ Zechariah 14:4
And his feet shall stand in that day upon the mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east, and the mount of Olives shall cleave in the midst thereof toward the east and toward the west, and there shall be a very great valley; and half of the mountain shall remove toward the north, and half of it toward the south.

Christ will return bodily, visibly, and gloriously with His holy angels. Every eye will see Him; He comes as King of Kings and Lord of Lords to judge the nations, overthrow evil, and establish His righteous rule. His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, fulfilling prophecy and signaling the dawn of His kingdom’s public manifestation.

Scripture speaks of His epiphaneia (ἐπιφάνεια, "appearing") and parousia (arrival/presence): He comes not in humiliation but in unveiled majesty. The sign of the Son of Man will appear, tribes will wail, and He will gather His elect. Heaven opens, the Rider on the white horse executes righteous judgment, and all opposition is crushed under the scepter of the true King.

The Millennium

⊕ Revelation 20:1-6
[1] And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. [2] And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years, [3] And cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled: and after that he must be loosed a little season. [4] And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years. [5] But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection. [6] Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years.

⊕ Isaiah 11:6-9
[6] The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them. [7] And the cow and the bear shall feed; their young ones shall lie down together: and the lion shall eat straw like the ox. [8] And the sucking child shall play on the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put his hand on the cockatrice' den. [9] They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain: for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea.

Christ will reign on earth for a thousand years—a period of peace, justice, and restored creation. Satan will be bound, unable to deceive the nations. The martyred and faithful saints will be resurrected to reign with Christ. The curse’s effects are rolled back; peace and knowledge of the Lord cover the earth as the waters cover the sea.

This thousand-year reign (chilia, χίλια) fulfills promises to Israel, vindicates the righteousness of God before the nations, and previews the harmony of the coming eternal state. Creation’s groaning is relieved: swords become plowshares, predator and prey dwell safely, and the earth is filled with the knowledge of the Lord.

The Final Judgment

⊕ Revelation 20:11-15
[11] And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them. [12] And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works. [13] And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works. [14] And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. [15] And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.

⊕ 2 Corinthians 5:10
For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad.

⊕ Romans 14:10-12
[10] But why dost thou judge thy brother? or why dost thou set at nought thy brother? for we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ. [11] For it is written, As I live, saith the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God. [12] So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God.

All will stand before God’s judgment seat. The unrighteous dead will face the great white throne and be cast into the lake of fire; this is the second death. Believers, already justified by grace through faith, will appear before Christ’s judgment seat (bēma) to give account for their works and receive reward or loss of reward. God’s judgment (krisis) is impartial, perfect, and final.

Books are opened; nothing is hidden. The book of life reveals those united to Christ. This sober reality sobers the church’s mission and comforts the oppressed—justice delayed is not justice denied. God will right every wrong, vindicate His truth, and display the glory of His grace and holiness.

New Heaven and New Earth

⊕ Revelation 21:1-4
[1] And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea. [2] And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. [3] And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God. [4] And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.

⊕ 2 Peter 3:13
Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness.

⊕ Isaiah 65:17
For, behold, I create new heavens and a new earth: and the former shall not be remembered, nor come into mind.

God will create new heavens and a new earth where righteousness dwells. The New Jerusalem will descend, and God will dwell with His people in immediate fellowship. Every tear will be wiped away; death, sorrow, and pain will be no more. The former things will pass away, replaced by an eternal order of glory, communion, and unending joy in God’s presence.

The word for "new" is kainos—new in quality, not merely recent. The holy city, radiant as a bride, becomes the dwelling of God with man. No temple is needed; God and the Lamb are its light. Creation’s story ends not with annihilation but with consummation and renewal under the direct, delightful presence of God.

Living in Light of His Return

⊕ 1 John 3:2-3
[2] Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is. [3] And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure.

⊕ Titus 2:13
Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ;

⊕ 2 Peter 3:11-14
[11] Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness, [12] Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat? [13] Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness. [14] Wherefore, beloved, seeing that ye look for such things, be diligent that ye may be found of him in peace, without spot, and blameless.

Our blessed hope is the appearing of our great God and Savior. This hope purifies: whoever has this hope in Christ purifies himself as He is pure. Knowing all will be dissolved, we pursue holiness, godliness, and diligent readiness, looking for and hastening His coming. Eschatology fuels ethical living, steadfast hope, and urgent mission.

Because Christ will return, we live soberly, righteously, and godly in this present age—investing our gifts, resisting worldliness, and loving the church. Hope does not breed escapism but energizes faithfulness: stewardship of time, zeal for evangelism, patience in suffering, and refusal to set dates while remaining watchful. We look up, work faithfully, and long for the day when faith becomes sight.