End Time Insights

Jesus compared the final years before his return to the days leading up to the Great Flood. “ Just as it was in the days of Noah, so shall it be ” when the “ Son of Man ” returns. Some commentators take this as a prediction of the return of the same conditions existing in Noah’s day, the repetition of the moral anarchy and violence that prompted God to send the floodwaters.

Some members of the Corinthian congregation denied the future bodily resurrection. The Apostle Paul responded not only by stressing the necessity for it but also by appealing to the past resurrection of Jesus, which was and remains the precedent for the resurrection of believers. His disciples will be raised bodily from the dead when he “arrives” at the end of the age, and his appearance will result in the termination of Death itself.

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 .

Jesus did not teach that his followers must know end-time chronologies, the “ times and seasons .” He did not provide them with specific “signs” by which they could decipher the day, the hour, or the “ season ” of his return or otherwise decode God’s prophetic timetables. Instead, he warned that many deceivers would come and “ deceive many ,” false prophets who perform “ signs and wonders ” and thereby misdirect and mislead the “ elect .”

Key phrases from Daniel’s vision of four beasts “ ascending from the Sea ” and the “ one like a Son of Man ” are applied in the New Testament to the future coming of Jesus and descriptions of the Kingdom of God and the sovereignty of the Messiah. What follows is a handful of examples.

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.

In writing to the Corinthians, Paul outlines the events that will occur at or shortly before the “ arrival ” or ‘ Parousia ’ of Jesus on the “ Day of Christ .” ‘ Parousia ’ is one of several Greek terms applied by the Apostle to the future coming of the Lord. Regardless of which term is used, he always refers to one “ coming ,”  “ appearance , ”  “ revelation ,” or “ appearance ” of Jesus at the end of the age, never two (or more).

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.

There is coming a final gathering when the saints will be assembled before Jesus in glory, but the wicked will be collected and cast from his presence .  The New Testament portrays the coming day when both the righteous and the unrighteous are “ gathered ” before Jesus, the former for vindication, and the latter for condemnation. And consistently, this event is linked to the “ arrival ” of Jesus at the end of the age and the resurrection of the dead.

According to Jesus, the “ Son of Man ” will arrive “ upon the clouds with great power and glory ” at the end of the present age. At that time, he will dispatch his angels to gather his elect, and he will “ render to each man according to his deeds .” And to those he finds worthy, he will declare, “ Come, you blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world ” – (Matthew 24:27-28).

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.”

The return of Jesus at the end of the age will be an event of great glory, victory, and finality .  In the New Testament, the return of Jesus at the “ end of the age ” is an event of great finality. His “ arrival ” in glory will be accompanied by celestial and terrestrial upheaval, the New Creation, the resurrection of the righteous, the judgment of the ungodly, the “ gathering of his elect ,” and the cessation of death. Nothing will ever be the same again!

Paul responded to concerns about the dead in Christ by pointing to the resurrection that will occur when Jesus arrives from Heaven .  In his first Letter to the Thessalonians, Paul reassured the congregation concerning the participation of saints who die before the ‘ Parousia ’ in the glories of that day. According to him,  BOTH  dead and living saints will assemble and “ meet ” the Lord as he descends from Heaven. Thereafter, they will be with Jesus “ forevermore .” He wrote these words in response to believers who were sorrowing over the deaths of fellow saints.

The “ day of the Lord ” will not commence until the “ Lawless One ” is “ revealed in the sanctuary of God .” His arrival coincides with the “ apostasy ,” and he will be characterized by his ability to deceive, especially with “ lying signs and wonders .” Satan himself will equip him to destroy as many saints as possible.

Jesus will deal with the “ Lawless One ” at his “ arrival ” or  Parousia . In describing this, Paul employs language from Daniel’s vision of the “ little horn speaking great things ,” originally, an image representing the Seleucid ruler who attempted to destroy the Jewish faith and nation through deceit and persecution.

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.

When Jesus “appears,” faithful believers will rejoice exceedingly and participate fully in the glories of that day .  In his first epistle, John exhorted his congregations to “ abide ” in Jesus so that “ when  he appears , we may have boldness and not be shamed away from him at his  arrival .” John was summoning believers to holy living in consideration of the inevitable “ arrival ” of Jesus and the rewards that he will bring with him – ( 1 John 2:28–3:3 ).