There may not be a subject that confuses or infatuates Christians more than the end times and when Christ will return.
On the one hand, Christians can become completely infatuated and preoccupied with this topic. Oftentimes, those who are infatuated to an unhealthy degree end up interpreting inaccurately, which leads to a lot of infighting among those who call themselves Christians. The other extreme is when Christians feel indifferent or uninterested in learning what is ahead. They may find this topic intimidating or frightening, or after attempting to read the book of Revelation, they close their Bibles with more questions than answers and decide not to engage in further study.
A much better place for us all to land instead of indifference or infatuation is that of being interested, informed, and inspired by this powerful book of the Bible. God is not silent in Scripture on what the future holds for the world, the believer, and the church. Therefore, He does not want Christians to be ignorant or indifferent. But we also cannot spend so much time splitting hairs over the end times that we forget to live for Jesus today.
Today, I want to give you an overview to help you grow in your basic understanding. I cannot unpack and explain every issue related to the end times in just one blog post, but I hope this will give you the confidence to begin studying more on your own. I have also started walking chapter by chapter, verse by verse, through the book of Revelation with my church. You can watch all of my sermons here.
Here are five terms you should know:
The second coming of Christ: This is the sudden, personal, visible, bodily return of Christ from heaven to earth. Jesus has told us that He is coming back. While we do not know exactly when this will happen, we do know for sure that Jesus will return bodily and in power and glory.
The great tribulation: This expression, found in Matthew 24:21, refers to a period of great hardship and suffering that comes before the return of Christ and His thousand-year reign. Based on prophecy in Daniel 9:27 and how the weeks given in this verse add together, the church has affirmed that the great tribulation will last seven years.
The millennium: The millennium, or the millennial reign, is a period of 1000 years mentioned in Revelation 20:4-5 that represents when Christ and His believers will reign over the earth. This thousand-year reign will take place before everything reaches the eternal state, where all souls are consigned to heaven or hell. After the millennial reign, all believers past, present, and future will be with the Lord in a new heaven and a new earth, and all those who have rejected Christ will be condemned with Satan into the lake of fire.
The rapture: This phrase references the “taking up” or “snatching up” of believers to be with Christ when He returns to the earth.
The final judgment: This is the last and ultimate proclamation by Jesus Christ of the eternal destinies of all people, and it takes place after the millennium and the rebellion that occurs at the end of it.
When and how will this all happen? There are people who love Jesus and love His Word, yet they disagree on some of the specifics surrounding this topic. Honestly, that is okay. There is room for discussion around the details. I will share two views that are prevalent among many who love the Lord and His Word, and then I will share where I land.
Pretribulational/Premillennialism is the view that Christ will return secretly before the great tribulation to call believers to Himself, and then again after the tribulation to reign on earth for 1000 years. In other words, the church will not go through the great tribulation. This view also affirms that those left behind can and will continue to be saved because the gospel will be present. The Bible will still be available. People will begin seeking God, and there will be a great revival of those who were not raptured.
Posttribulational/Premillennialism is the view that Christ will return after the tribulation to simultaneously rapture believers and set up His 1000-year reign on earth. In other words, the church will be on earth during the great tribulation. People who are Posttribulational often point to examples where God does not take His people out of suffering. Instead, He walks with His people through suffering.
It is important to note that the views above contain the term Premillennial. The Bible does not teach that the millennial reign has already begun or that the millennial reign is somehow already complete. This cannot be because we have not seen Christ return and rule for a thousand years. The belief that the millennial reign is happening right now is referred to as Amillennialism. Post-millennials believe this reign has already happened.
There is another view that I tend to lean toward. While I would have no trouble fellowshipping with any person who holds one of the views we have discussed, I think there could be a strong argument for what some call Midtribulational/Premillennialism. This view says the church will be allowed to go through some of the tribulation but be raptured at the halfway point.
Sadly, I have seen Christians allow these views to divide them. My encouragement to anyone who finds themself at odds with another believer on this topic would be to keep placing your faith and trust in Christ. Continue to grow in your love for God's Word, studying it diligently. Also humbly recognize that there are portions of the end times that Scripture is crystal clear on, and there are other portions that give us room to interpret as best we can. We should never break fellowship with one another over these views. We also should not allow discussions about the end times to conjure up fear. If you know Jesus as your Lord and Savior, your eternal destiny is secure, and you have already taken care of what is most important. The only person who should be afraid of the end times is the one who is spiritually lost, and we should feel a sense of urgency for the souls who do not yet know Christ as Lord.
What does all of this mean for us today? We are all well aware that we live in a fallen and dying world that often feels chaotic, unsure, and untrustworthy. We can often find ourselves tempted to trust in people, politics, policy, religion, or even our own plans. But ultimately, our confidence must be in the Lord and His imminent return.
We don’t have to be worried, and we don't need to be afraid. Our King is coming.