Why bother talking about
the end times
and the second coming of
Christ?
“If we aren’t acquainted
with the end of the script,
we can grow fearful or
complacent in the play”
Max Lucado
Both the Bible and Jesus
give a high priority to talking about
the end of the age and
the second coming of Christ.
In fact, His return is called
“the Blessed Hope”.
(Titus 2:13)
Did you know?
• That one out of every 30 verses in the Bible
addresses the subject of the end times or
Christ’s return.
• For every prophecy of His first coming, there are
about seven of His second coming.
• There are 300 references in the New Testament
to His second coming.
• One-twentieth of N.T. devoted to 2nd coming.
Could we possibly be the
generation that sees His return?
What are the Biblical Signs
of the End of the Age?
Is Jesus coming back for sure?
(remember, for every prophecy of His first coming, there are 7 of His second!)
Many Scriptures where Jesus makes the promise:
“I’ll be back”!
Today, we are going to wrestle a bit with these
challenging questions:
• What’s this thing called the millennium?
• What about the seven year tribulation?
• What does the Bible say about the Rapture?
• Are things going to get better and better or
worse and worse? OR Both?
• How should we then live?
Important prayer:
“Lord,change my mind on every issue in
which You and I do not see eye to eye”
In Revelation Chapter 20,
the apostle John speaks six times of
a thousand year period
when Christ reigns
on the earth.
How does that fit into the second coming?
Various Views of the Second Coming
in relation to the 1000 year Reign
• Latin word for 1000 years = Millennial
• A- millennial = NOT literal 1000 years
(symbolic period of time)
Various Views of the Second Coming
in relation to the 1000 year Reign
The view that Christ returns to earth
BEFORE His literal 1000 year reign
is called
“PRE-millennial”
Various Views of the Second Coming
in relation to the 1000 year Reign
The view that Christ returns
AFTER a literal 1000 years
is called “Post-millennial”
Various Views of the Second Coming
in relation to the 1000 year Reign
_____________________________
I
I
A-millennialism
(not literal)
literal 1000 year reign
I
_______I___________
I
I
Pre- Millennialism
(Christ returns Before
1000 year reign)
Post –Millennialism
(Christ returns After
1000 year reign)
Amillennialism
(no literal 1000 year reign)
Christ returns
-
--Church Age---
Eternal state
= Millennium
resurrection,
judgment,
new heaven & earth
(began with St. Augustine, 5th century
& held by much of the Roman Catholic Church,
-
Post-millennialism
(Christ returns After 1000 year reign)
Christ returns
+------church age---------------------
eternal state
gospel spreads--------
Millennium
resurrection
(this optimistic view was popular during the
Great Awakening, Puritan & missionary movements
of 18th and 19th centuries)
Historic Pre-millennialism
(Christ returns Before 1000 year reign)
Christ returns
meet Him in
the air, return to earth with Him
+Church Age
Millennium
tribulation resurrection
(earliest held view)
“historic pre-mill”
Eternal State
judgment
new heaven
and earth
Most folks who hold the Pre-millennial view
believe there will be a literal
seven year Great Tribulation period.
But Pre-millennial View
has 5 options regarding the Tribulation
(Rapture before……..in middle………….after tribulation)
PUBLIC
3 1/2
3 1/2
SECOND
I
___________________________________________________
T R I
B U L A T I O N
COMING
MILLENNINUM
1. Pre-tribulation 2. Mid-trib. Post-tribulation
3. Partial rapture of faithful
(pre-trib or mid-trib rapture)
(go to heaven for 3 ½ or 7 years)
4. Historic
5. Apostolic
(meet in air, return to earth)
The Rapture
• Read: 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18
“…will be “caught up” with them in the clouds
to “meet” the Lord in the air”.
• “caught up” = to seize, snatch, rapture
• (not only will we be forever with the Lord, but we
get new and improved glorified bodies!)
• Before we address the question of WHEN will the Rapture happen before, during, or after the 7 year tribulation, we need to look at
the Nature or purpose of the Rapture.
Purpose of the Rapture
• 1 Thess. 4:17
“will be caught up with them in the clouds
to MEET the Lord in the air.”
• “to meet”, word is “apantesis”, used 4 times,
Matt. 25:1, 6; Acts 28:15; 1 Thess. 4:17
• Refers to going out to meet a dignitary and
then escorting them back to their destination
3 Phases to the End Times
1. “Beginning of sorrows”
(labour pains, Matt. 24:7-8)
Time of increasing military conflict,
terrorism, natural disasters, famines,
economic turmoil
(may have been triggered when Israel
became a nation in 1948?
Or when acquired Jerusalem in 1967?)
3 Phases to the End Times
1. “Beginning of Sorrows” (for decades)
(followed by Daniel’s prophetic week of seven years)
2. Time of counterfeit peace & safety
for 3 ½ years
(1 Thess. 5:2-3; Dan. 9:27)
A political leader makes a peace treaty with
Israel & other other nations for seven years.
He provides global solutions to global problems.
3 Phases to the End Times
1. “The Beginning of Sorrows”
2. Period of Peace and Safety (3 ½ years)
3. the Great Tribulation
•
•
•
•
(hard labour pains, 3 ½ years)
The Antichrist breaks the peace treaty, goes forth
to conquer nations (the first Seal), persecutes Jews & Christians.
Great revival, apostolic power, harvest,
Jesus unleashes the 7 seals, 7 trumpets, 7 bowls of judgment
on the antichrist, his evil armies and the wicked.
Jesus returns in the sky in spectacular fashion, gathers His own
(rapture), travels to Jerusalem, defeats antichrist, rescues the
captives, sets up His true One World Government on the earth.
(Mt. 24:21; Isa. 28:14-18; Dan. 9: Rev. 13:5-8; Rev. 6:2)
Pre-tribulational Pre-millennialism
(Christ comes Before tribulation & Before 1000 year reign)
Christ returns (in 2 stages)
secret rapture public return
(in heaven 3 ½ or 7 years)
Church Age Tribulation 1000 yrs Eternal State
resurrection
judgment
of believers
new heaven
and earth
(teaching developed around 1830, very popular in North America)
Good news:
“For God did not appoint us to suffer wrath
but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ…Therefore
encourage one another…” 1 Thess.5:9-11
Wrath vs. tribulation
God’s wrath/anger is towards the unrighteous
Tribulation almost always refers to the persecution and
suffering of Christians
5. Apostolic post-tribulation pre-mill.
Christ returns
tribulation &revival
+-church age--end of age-
1000
eternity
Belief that we are coming into the best of times and the
worst of times (Isaiah 60:1-3).
Great trouble AND end-time apostolic power, revival
and harvest before Christ returns.
The Bible speaks of
the
Great
and Dreadful
Day of the Lord.
(Joel 2:31;Malichi 4:5; Acts 2:20)
(it refers not only to the day Jesus shows up,
but to these last 3 ½ years)
Partial-Preterist View
Preterist = Past,
believes Bible prophecies
(Mt. 24, Rev.)
mostly fulfilled in the past (1st century)
• wars, famines, earthquakes,
• persecution by Nero (antichrist)
• “abomination of desolation” = Temple and
Jerusalem destroyed in 70AD (Luke 21:20)
• No Great Tribulation, no antichrist at end of age
• Christ’s Kingdom operative when He sat down at the
Father’s right hand.
• Kingdom is now, victorious apostolic church.
My Response to this view
of partial-preterist
1. Yes, many of the Signs were fulfilled in 1st century, but
are yet to be fulfilled again in the future on a global scale:
earthquakes, famines, wars, tribulation, global dictator/government.
2. Yes, the Kingdom is here now, but Scripture is clear it is
not yet fully here. In times of revival & end times
the Kingdom increases.
At the Second Coming the Kingdom will be consummated
3. Yes,we will have a victorious, apostolic church & revival
before end!
My concerns for those of the Partial-preterist and
Pre-tribulation Rapture views:
• 1. Neither group are preparing to go through
great trouble, tribulation and persecution.
• The first group believes all that already
happened in the past and things will just get
better and better.
• The second group believes it is still in the
future but will be raptured out before it gets
real bad. (false sense of security, potential offense at God, eg. China)
A further concern regarding those who hold
the pre-tribulation view:
2. Most don’t expect nor are prepared for the
coming apostolic age of great revival and harvest.
They think things will just get worse & worse.
And so there’s a tendency to be passive and
disengaged from partnering with God for
Kingdom transformation of culture and nations.
Regarding the end of the age and
His return, Jesus repeatedly warns us:
do not be deceived, do not get offended,
do not be alarmed or freaked out,
do not be passive, disengaged and asleep.
But rather:
keep watch, pray, be alert,
be prepared,
keep your lamps filled with oil,
be about my Father’s business,
occupy until I come,
persevere, faithfully endure,
be radiantly confident and expectant,
be an overcomer
How much more urgent are these warnings of
Jesus if we are the generation
that experiences all the drama at the end of the
age, including Christ’s spectacular return?
Our loyalty to Jesus will be tested.
Loyalty is: “an unswerving allegiance, rooted in
faith and love, that binds hearts together in
common purpose”
(Bob Sorge)
• We are in for the most exciting adventure of
any generation!
• The ride is about to get very turbulent but
exhilarating!
• Everything is being shaken. Only the unshakeable
Kingdom will remain.
• “the kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our
Lord and of his Christ, and he will reign for ever and ever.”
Rev. 11:15
• We will have the privilege of overcoming, of thriving with
unshakable hope and bringing our God of hope and His
divine solutions to others living in a very shakable world.
“No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no
mind has conceived what God has
prepared for those who love Him”!!!
(1 Cor. 2:9)
“Look, he is coming with the clouds,
And every eye will see him”
(Rev. 1:7)