When movies are released or new products are announced,
marketing folks like to publicize the event to achieve maximum impact. Christians
believe that Jesus could care less about publicizing his return. He isn’t going
to send out an advance team to appear on Larry King Live, put a press release
on the wire, or host a sneak preview Web site – he already foretold his return.
Instead, the Bible says that he’s going to come like a thief in the night (1
Thessalonians 5:2, Matthew 24:42-44), when people least expect it.
Exactly when Christians believe this will occur is anyone’s
guess. Every year or so, you hear about some so-called expert who looks at
current events with an eye on the Bible and predicts the date of Jesus’ return.
And yet, these dates come and go, leaving the one who predicted the date with
nothing more than egg on his or her face. The simple fact is that no Christian knows
when Jesus will return, and the Bible says that only the Father does (Matthew
24:36), so guessing is pointless.
Resurrecting the dead
The Resurrection of the dead will also occur at the time of
the Second Coming. The Bible says that all Christians who’ve died before Jesus
comes to earth again will be resurrected first, and then the living Christians will
join them (1 Thessalonians 4:14-18). However, the Gospel of John tells that not
only will believers be resurrected, but nonbelievers will, as well (John
5:28-29). The believers will rise to go on to eternal life, and the
nonbelievers will rise to be condemned (see the section “Going to Hell:
Considering the Underworld,” earlier in this chapter). Whether the resurrection
of believers and nonbelievers will occur at the same time is a subject of
debate.
Enjoying the Millennium: Peace on earth
The Apostle John writes in Revelation 20 about a period of
1,000 years during which Jesus Christ will temporarily harness Satan (find out
about Satan in Chapter 4), prevent him from tempting people, and rule the earth
in peace and justice. Yet, at the end of the period, John says that Satan will
be released and evil will finally be disposed of. Christians, however, have
different perspectives on what will actually happen during the millennium:
Held by many Protestants, the premillennialist view is that
what is written in Revelation 20 is exactly what is going to happen: Christ
will come, martyrs will join him to help rule the earth, and in the end, Satan
will be released and tempt the peoples of the world once again, calling them to
rise up together against God. But Satan and his forces will be quickly defeated
by Jesus Christ and thrown into the lake of fire (often associated with hell).
Premillennialists see the purpose of the millennium as
showing non-Christians what God’s rule is like apart from Satan’s tempting
influence. And, in spite of Satan being removed, they continue to rebel against
God due to their sinful nature (see Chapter 4), leaving them without excuse
when the final judgment occurs.
The amillennialist viewpoint, held by Catholics, Orthodox Christians,
and many Anglican, Lutheran, and Reformed Protestants, say that John wasn’t
speaking of a literal millennium in Revelation, but rather of the time period
between the first and second coming of Jesus. So, when John speaks of Satan
being bound, what he means is that Satan is prevented by God from working in
the lives of Christians. Also, amillennialists see the reign of Christ that
Paul talks about as a symbol of the work Jesus Christ is presently doing in the
lives of Christians living on earth.
The postmillennialist view, held by a smaller number of
Protestants, claims that the situation described by John will be accomplished
by a gradual transformation of the world by Christians. Through the process of
evangelism, the entire world will eventually turn to Christ.
Facing final judgment
The final event that Christians believe will occur and close
out history as this earth knows it is the final judgment. The purpose of the
final judgment (also called Judgment Day) will be to reveal an individual’s
character and hand out his fate: heaven or hell (Matthew 25:31-46, Revelation
20:11-15). God will judge each nonbeliever according to what he or she knew
about right and wrong (Romans 2:15). The Lord will reveal nonbelievers’ guilt
and will sentence those who didn’t accept his grace to condemnation.
The Bible says that Christians are saved from punishment,
but they will undergo a separate judgment, as well. Eternal life isn’t at stake
in their judgment, but rather Christians will give individual accounts of what
they did with the time that God gave them on earth (Matthew 6:20, 2 Corinthians
5:9-10). Did they use it by serving others, bringing glory to God, and living
lives of eternal significance? Or did they live self-serving lives that had no
impact whatsoever on eternity? God will use the accounts to determine the
extent of the reward he’ll grant each person in heaven (Ephesians 6:8).
Frolicking around the new heaven and new earth
Christians believe their ultimate habitat will be a new
heaven and new earth that will be created by God, replacing the old, sin-laced
world that God originally created. Revelation 21:1-3 describes it:
I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and
the first earth have passed away, and the sea is no more. I saw the holy city,
New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, made ready like a bride
adorned for her husband. I heard a loud voice out of heaven saying, “Behold, God’s
dwelling is with people, and he will dwell with them, and they will be his
people, and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away from
them every tear from their eyes. Death will be no more; neither will there be
mourning, nor crying, nor pain, any more. The first things have passed away.”
Isaiah 65:17-19 adds to the picture:
For, behold, I create new heavens and a new earth; and the
former things shall not be remembered, nor come into mind. But be you glad and
rejoice forever in that which I create; for, behold, I create Jerusalem a
rejoicing, and her people a joy. I will rejoice in Jerusalem, and joy in my
people; and there shall be heard in her no more the voice of weeping and the
voice of crying.
Both passages describe this new creation as a place that’s
completely new and wonderful and that will have a never-ending balance of love,
peace, security, and adventure. See the section “Enjoying Heaven for Eternity,”
earlier in this chapter, for more.
Many Christians believe that a literal new heaven and earth
will be created at that time. (Heaven, in this case, refers to the earth’s
atmosphere.) In other words, God is going to destroy the old earth and create a
new one that may be similar to the existing earth that we inhabit today, but
with a huge difference – it will be without sin and its harmful effects. This new
earth might be very much like what it was before Adam and Eve sinned in the
Garden of Eden (see Chapter 4).
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