![]() Specifically, will Christ return to Earth before the Millennium or after it? Those who believe that Jesus will come back before the Millennium and personally reign over the 1,000 years of peace are called "premillennialists." Those who believe Christ will only come back after his Church has created a Golden Age on Earth are called "postmillennialists." The biggest sticking point in Christian eschatology is the timing of the Second Coming. After the Millennium, Satan will be released for one final fruitless rebellion before the Final Judgment.ĭoes the Bible Give a Time Frame for the Second Coming? ![]() During that 1,000-year period of peace, known as the Millennium (from the Latin mille for "thousand"), Christ himself will rule on Earth in the "Golden Age" of peace and prosperity long awaited by the Jews. When Jesus finally returns, according to Revelation, he and his army of angels will defeat the Antichrist and lock up Satan for 1,000 years. "The Antichrist is a sneaky guy who comes across as being OK, but halfway through this seven-year tribulation, he shows his true colors." "Anytime you get a highly undesirable figure in history, obviously the Hitlers and the Mussolinis, they're at least seen as servants of the Antichrist," says Kyle. The modern Christian conception of the Second Coming is a combination of snippets from Daniel, Revelation and Jesus' own prophecies of the last days as recorded in the Gospel of Matthew.įrom Daniel, it's understood that the Messiah will only come after a seven-year period of "tribulation." In Matthew, Jesus describes this tumultuous period as being dominated by "wars and rumors of wars," plus "famines, and pestilences and earthquakes, in divers (sic) places." The " Antichrist" will also make himself known halfway through the period of tribulation, a false prophet who, according to Jesus, "shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ and shall deceive many."Īttempts to identify the Antichrist have always been a big part of predicting the timing of the Second Coming. Jesus and his fellow Jews would have also been familiar with the book of Daniel, the most apocalyptic text in the Hebrew Bible (known to Christians as the Old Testament). The book of Revelation in the New Testament is the main source of prophecies concerning the Second Coming, but it's not the only apocalyptic text in the Bible (an "apocalypse" is a divinely revealed vision of things to come). Seven Years of Tribulation, 1,000 Years of Peace Indeed, Matthew 16:28 ends with Jesus saying to his disciples, "There be some standing here, which shall not taste of death, till they see the Son of man coming in his kingdom." (There are differing interpretations on what this passage really means.) What modern Christians may not know is that countless other generations have believed that the world was ending in their lifetimes and that Christ's return was therefore imminent. If you think that's a fringe position, Pew says that 41 percent of all Americans (not just evangelicals) believe that the Second Coming is not only real, but that it's going to happen by 2050 - in other words, in their lifetime. Dennis Jarvis/Wikipedia/CC BY-SA 2.0Īmong white, evangelical Christians in the United States, 58 percent believe that Jesus Christ will return to Earth by the year 2050, according to a 2010 Pew Research survey. It depicts the Second Coming of Christ and the Apocalypse. "The Last Judgment" by Michelangelo resides on the altar wall of the Sistine Chapel.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
Details
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |