End Time Insights

In Revelation , John saw countless followers of the “ Lamb ” exiting the “ Great Tribulation ” after persevering through it. This striking image is central to his vision of the “ Innumerable Multitude ,” the men from every nation and people who were redeemed by the blood of Jesus. Having “ overcome ,” John saw them standing triumphantly in worship and celebration before the “ Lamb ” and the “ Throne ” in the “ Holy City, New Jerusalem .”

In 2 Timothy , Paul discusses the future resurrection of believers as he responds to denials of this “ sound teaching ” by deceivers who were disrupting the Assembly, denials he treats as little more than idle chatter .  In doing so, he demonstrates that his later theology remains well within the Apostolic Tradition and the teachings of his earliest letters. From the beginning, belief in the resurrection was central to the doctrine of salvation taught by Jesus, his Apostles, and the early Church.

The description of the outpouring of the Spirit on the Day of Pentecost stresses the theme of fulfillment. On that day, what was foreshadowed by the ancient feast began to receive its promised substance. The bestowal of the Spirit was an epochal event that marked the start of the Age of the Spirit, and the Gift of the Spirit fulfilled what the annual Levitical feast symbolized.

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 the Gospel of John , Jesus is the Logos , the “ Word become flesh ” in whom the “ Glory of God ” resides. He is the Greater Tabernacle foreshadowed by the Tent carried by Israel in the wilderness, the place where the Glory of Yahweh was seen. John’s declaration anticipates his later passages that link him to the Father. Thus, the man who gave his life for all humanity on the Cross is the true and full manifestation of the Glory of the Living God who created all things.