End times
End times is a popular term used when referring to various interpretations of the Book of Revelation and other prophetic parts of the Bible, such as the Book of Daniel and various sayings of Jesus in the Gospels concerning the timing of Christ's Second Coming and the establishment of his kingdom. There are various views concerning the order of events leading up to and following the return of Jesus and the significance of these events.
The "end times" is thought to be the time leading up to the return of Christ. The end times will include the "birth pains" Jesus referred to in the Olivet Discourse (Matthew 24:1 - 25:46) and, many believe, the seals, trumpets and bowls of the book of Revelation. Some believe that the end times will be a separate and shorter time than the "last days" which include the time from Christ's First Advent to the end of the 1,000 year reign of Christ on earth. However, the historical view, argued by many scholars today such as Greg Beale and D. A. Carson, is that that the end times were inaugurated at the death and resurrection of Jesus, yet the complete fulfillment of the end times remains future, with a tension between that which has already and not yet come to pass.
The study of "end times", known as eschatology (from the Greek eskhatos meaning last things), is a subject that includes such topics as death and the afterlife, the Second Coming of Christ, the Millennial Kingdom, the end of the world, resurrection of the dead, Heaven and Hell, and new creation.
Multimedia
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Where are we heading? Armageddon or Apocalypse?, (MP3) Lecture by Mike Reeves
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NT Wright answers Questions about Heaven, Hell & Resurrection (series of YouTube videos)
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Forum on Eschatology (MP3) - panel at Boyce College with Tom Schreiner, Chad Brand, and Bruce Ware; moderated by Denny Burk
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Why Do You Believe What You Believe About End Times? (video + slides), by Michael Heiser
Views
- Inaugurated eschatology
- Realized eschatology
See also
External links
- Eschatology: End Times, by Greg Herrick (bible.org)
- Eschatology in Church History, by Michael J Vlach
- Biblical studies of the End Times
- Eschatology - Doctrine of the End Times by Gary Gilley at www.svchapel.org
- Who Will be Left Behind: Rethinking the Meaning of Matthew 24:40-41 and Luke 17:34-35, by Benjamin L. Merkle - WTJ 72 (2010): 169-79