The End Times

The end times either happens to us when we die or when Jesus comes in the final judgment at the end of times and the creation of a new heaven and new earth. (Revelation 21:1-4) Are you ready to face Jesus and give an account of what you did with the gift of God in Christ Jesus? Eternity is a long time. We will either live in a state of the absence of sin and evil and the absolute fullness of the goodness of God to eternity, or we will be cut off from God and all goodness and be surrounded by evil in hell forever. The choice is yours and the power to raise you to new life is God’s. (John 3:3) God is the only one that can regenerate you to spiritual and eternal life.

There are four basic views of the end times among evangelical Christians. The first view is the Historical view. This view believes that the prophecies about the end times, especially the book of Revelation is a description of the history of the world. The second view is the Idealist view. This view sees the book of revelation and other apocalyptic literature to be primarily symbolic and is picture of the battle of good and evil in the world. The third view and it is probably the most popular view today is the Pre-tribulation Rapture Theory of the Premillennialist. This view believes Christians will be raptured to heaven, before a great tribulation and there will be a literal 1000 years and then Christ will return to judge the world. There are also a few variations of this view. The fourth view is the Preterist view. In this camp are the full Preterist and the partial Preterist. Preterist means already fulfilled.

I believe in the Partial Preterist view. Much of the book of Revelation has been fulfilled in A.D. 70, as also prophesied by Jesus in Matthew 24. This also means that the Bible was written as was the book of Revelation before A.D. 70, when Jerusalem was destroyed by the Romans and the altar desecrated. The book is about the surrounding events of the destruction of Jerusalem which would have been devasting to Jewish Christians in the midst of all of this that book of Revelation reveals that God is still working, is victorious and will be victorious and His Kingdom will advance. The great tribulation occurred during the reign of Nero. The last two chapters of Revelation are yet to be fulfilled.

There are also three main views of the Millennial or 1000 years as described in Revelation 20:2. There is the Premillennial view which believes in a literal 1000 years. The is the post-millennial which describes the increasing spread of Christianity, which is described symbolically. There is the A-Millennial which describes the millennial in symbolic terms of the present time until the end of times. There are various specifics among Christians on these various views.

Among the group of Baptists, I identify with there is not just one view of Revelation that is acceptable. However, in some Baptist groups and other Evangelicals this is an issue of fellowship as stated in their statement of faith. It should not an issue of fellowship or full participation in fellowship, as in the cancel culture of the world. As has been wisely stated, “In essentials unity, in non-essentials diversity and in all things charity.” The exact details of the coming of the Lord are not that clearly interpretated because of the uniqueness of Apocalyptic literature. What is very clear is that Jesus is coming in Judgement of the non-Christian and reward of Christians. Jesus is coming and that will be the end and the beginning of eternity for us. (Ecclesiastes 3:11)

To correctly interpret the Bible is to be a Theologian and a Theologian who prays. It is important to have a view of the end times as it does influence your life and your relationship with the Lord and your understanding of God’s word, but it is not an issue worth fighting about or the breaking of fellowship over and ridiculing people like the world, if people don’t believe as you do on this issue and some other non-essentials. There certainly is room for diversity on the view of interpreting the scripture on the end times.

The view that I have at this time is the partial Preterist with perspective of the Idealist view which emphasizes recurring patterns, and I also hold A-Millennial view with a positive slant on the mighty power of God and His Providence.” Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth” (1 Timothy 2:15).

For Further Study

R.C. Sproul, ------------The Last Day According to Jesus.

Kenneth Gentry-----Navigating the Book of Revelation.

-----Before Jerusalem Fell.

-----The Beast of Revelation.

Jessie E. Mills, Jr.----Daniel: Fulfilled Prophecy

Craig Koester, ------Revelation and The End of All Things. (Idealist)

------Revelation: A New Translation with Introduction and Commentary.