End Time Insights

While exiled on the Isle of Patmos, John came to be “ in the Spirit ” and found himself “ in the Lordly Day ” where he received visions about the seven congregations of Asia. Though his visions were concerning events that commenced in the first century, they also culminated in the final judgment, the “ Day of the Lord ” when the wicked will be punished and the righteous vindicated in the city of “New Jerusalem.”

In his first letter, Peter addresses congregations under pressure to conform to the expectations and values of the surrounding society. Their situation is not unique. They are members of a worldwide suffering community. A key theme of the Letter is the necessity for believers to persevere in tribulations and remain steadfast in holy living until the “ Day of Visitation ” when Jesus will be “ revealed ” from Heaven.

In his second epistle, Peter addresses the growing weariness of some believers due to the apparent delay in or even the failure of the “ arrival ” of Jesus to materialize, an open door for false teachers and outside critics to exploit. Instead of the predicted terrestrial and cosmic upheaval, daily life was continuing as it always had. The Apostle’s explanation is as relevant today as it was two thousand years ago.

Jesus will return from Heaven at the “ end ” of the present age accompanied by great power and glory. His “ arrival ” or  Parousia  will result in the consummation of the Kingdom of God, the judgment of the ungodly, the resurrection and vindication of the righteous, the unveiling of the New Creation, and the termination of Death. Thus, the coming of the “ Son of Man on the Clouds ” will be an event of  GREAT FINALITY .

Revelation moves inexorably from the death of Jesus to the final day when God judges the wicked and vindicates the righteous . At the conclusion of his ‘ Olivet Discourse ,’ Jesus gave his parable of the Sheep and the Goats. On the day when the “ Son of Man arrives in glory ,” his angels will gather all nations before him for judgment, and he will divide them into two groups. One will receive “ everlasting destruction ,” and the other, “ everlasting life .”

In four separate passages, Revelation refers to a coming “ GREAT EARTHQUAKE ,” each time locating it on the day of “ wrath .” Chaos in the heavens and unimaginable seismic shifts on the earth will mark the arrival of the “ Day of the Lord ,” the Great Dénouement when God vindicates His people and punishes His enemies.

When the seventh seal was opened, a half-hour of “ silence ” ensued before the seven angels began to sound their “ trumpets .” During that interlude, the prayers of the “ saints ” were heard ascending to the throne of God. Now, when the “ seventh trumpet ” sounds, “ loud voices ” declare the triumph of the kingdom and the possession of the nations by the “ Lamb ” as promised in the second Psalm.

The New Testament promises that Jesus will return to the earth at the “ end ” of the present age. His glorious “ arrival…on the clouds ” will result in the judgment of the ungodly, the resurrection and vindication of the righteous, the arrival of the New Creation, and the termination of death. Thus, it will be an event of great finality.

The “ wrath of God ” is NOT synonymous with “ tribulation ,” and it is identical with the “ plagues ” unleashed by the three series of “ seals ,” “ trumpets ,” and “ bowls of fury .” And despite the devastation of these plagues, impenitent men do not repent. “ Wrath ” refers to the judicial sentence of God on His enemies.

In Chapter 5 of  1 Thessalonians , Paul continues his discussion about the “ coming ” or ‘ parousia ’ of Jesus. But now, he addresses the question of its timing, as well as the different ways it will impact believers and nonbelievers. But rather than provide chronological information, he reminds the Thessalonians that the “ DAY OF THE LORD ” will come like a “ THIEF IN THE NIGHT .” No one except God knows its timing, therefore, believers must remain ever vigilant and prepared for its sudden and unexpected arrival.

The men spreading false rumors in Thessalonica about the future were raising false expectations about the imminence of the “ Day of the Lord ” and the “ arrival ” or ‘ Parousia ’ of Jesus. Paul warned the Assembly not to be alarmed by such rumors, especially reports of this kind claiming to be from him or his coworkers.

The coming of Jesus is not a major topic in Paul's letters to the Corinthians though it is in his Thessalonian correspondence. However, he does touch on several aspects of the event, including its identification as the “ Day of the Lord ,” the consummation of God’s kingdom, the resurrection of the righteous, the judgment of the wicked, and the cessation of death.

Several Greek terms are used in the New Testament for the return of Jesus at the end of the present age. These include  Parousia  (“ arrival ”),  erchomai  (“ coming ”), and  epiphaneia  (“ appearance ”). Regardless of which one is used, in each case, it is always singular in number, referring to only one future “ coming .” The term  Parousia  is applied to his return most often in the letters of Paul, though not exclusively so. It denotes an “arrival” rather than the process of someone or something “coming.”

According to the Apostle Paul, the “ Revelation ” of Jesus “ from Heaven ” will result in vindication and reward for his faithful followers, but it will also bring about everlasting loss for all men and women who reject the Gospel, especially for the persecutors of the Body of Christ. The same event will generate the dispensing of “ just judgment ” for the righteous and the wicked.

The Apostle Paul responded to false reports about the “ Day of the Lord ” by pointing to the expected apostasy and the “ Man of Lawlessness .” Jesus would not “ arrive ” to gather his saints until the “ Apostasy ” occurred and the “ Lawless One ” was revealed “ in the Sanctuary of God .” In doing so, he reiterated warnings found elsewhere in Scripture about the “ falling away ” and “ deceivers ” in the “ Last Days ,” including those made by Jesus in his ‘Olivet Discourse’.

In  Second Thessalonians , Paul addresses rumors and claims that the “ Day of the Lord has set in ." False information about the “ arrival ” of Jesus was disrupting the Assembly, and this disinformation was being attributed either to a “ spirit ,” word (l ogos ), or a letter “ as if from ” the Apostle Paul and his coworkers.

The proclamation of the Gospel reveals two forces at work in the world - “righteousness” and “wrath,” and they will produce two very different results - “salvation” for some, and “destruction” for others. In the end, “righteousness” will produce salvation, resurrection, and New Creation for those who embrace the Gospel, but the coming “Day of Wrath and God’s righteous judgments” will mean condemnation and destruction for the men and women who reject the “Good News” announced by Jesus and his Apostles.

In his introduction to First Corinthians, the Apostle Paul describes members of the congregation as those who are “ eagerly waiting for the Revelation of our Lord Jesus ,” an event he connects to the “ Day of the Lord .” In his letters, Paul refers to this glorious event as the ‘ Parousia ’ (“ arrival ”), the ‘ erchomai ’ (“ coming ”), and the ‘ epiphaneia ’ (“ manifestation ”) of Jesus, as well as his “ Revelation ” or ‘ apocalypsis .” By comparing how he applies these several terms, it becomes apparent that the same event is in view in each case, and always he applies whichever noun he uses in the singular number.

Paul provided the Assembly in Thessalonica with instructions on how believers must live in anticipation of the “ Day of the Lord .” It will not overtake them since they “ are not in darkness .” They are the “ Sons of Light ” and the “ Sons of the Day .” Unlike the unrighteous of this fallen age, the watchful believer who lives in the light of the Gospel will not be caught off guard by that Day’s sudden arrival.

In the opening thanksgiving of his  Letter to the Philippians , Paul prepares his readers for one of its key themes:  Going on to perfection in Jesus . The promised bodily resurrection is necessary for the consummation of this process - It is an integral part of the future salvation that believers will receive when Jesus appears “ on the clouds of Heaven .” What God began in the Philippians at their conversion He will continue to perform until that day, “ the Day of Christ .”