Where Does The Bible Talk About The End Times Animals/disaters

End Times

Millennialism, Premillenialism, Dispensationalism

Churches believe that God has a divine programme ©

Millennialism, premillennialism and dispensationalism are all theories of the end of the world.

Introduction

Many Christian Churches are profoundly concerned almost the ultimate fate of everything in cosmos. They believe that God has a divine plan for the end of everything.

The technical name for the subject of the end-times is eschatology (from the Greek give-and-take eschatos which means terminal).

Many of the theories are inspired past the book of Revelation, the last volume in the Bible.

Much of the writing and teaching nigh the cease times is apocalyptic, frightening and threatening, and it'due south important to remember that many mainstream churches practise not believe that these teachings should be taken literally.

Just you tin find a popular expression of these theories in the best-selling (over 63 meg copies past 2010) Left Backside serial of novels, by Tim LaHaye and Jerry Jenkins, which bring the ideas right up to appointment.

A word of reassurance

Some Christians do believe that the end of everything is going to happen soon. Merely don't panic; throughout recorded history people have believed that the end of the world is almost to happen, and it hasn't happened notwithstanding.

Discussion on end times

Afrikaner Calvinists reflect on the end times

In 2008 Peter Owen Jones met Afrikaner Calvinists in the veldt and discussed what the end of the globe means to them.

Millennialism

Millennialism

Statue of Christ, Sugarloaf Mount, Brazil ©

Millennialism is the belief that Christ will rule the earth for a period of 1,000 years (the Millennium), and that this will be a good fourth dimension when people accept Christ every bit King. At the end of this fourth dimension Christ will judge the living and the dead.

Modern millennialists are not dedicated to a period of 1000 years - the important thought is that there will be a period during which God's volition is actually carried out on earth.

This is a very popular idea. It suggests that the world will exist turned upside down and be taken over past the meek - or at to the lowest degree by the good and the righteous - and that this will be a time of peace and justice.

It as well implies a solution to the trouble of evil (i.east. why does an all-skilful, all-powerful God let evil to flourish unpunished or corrected) by showing that at the stop of time there volition be justice for everyone. Evildoers volition be punished for their behaviour on earth and the good rewarded, as God balances the scales of justice at the cease of fourth dimension.

Millennialism comes in dissimilar flavours:

• premillennialism
• dispensationalism - partly a detail form of premillennialism popularised by J Due north Darby, founder of the Exclusive Brethren. Dispensationalism is also a doctrine of Bible interpretation.
• postmillennialism
• amillennialism

Premillennialism

Premillennialism

Premillennialism is a doctrine especially popular among Evangelical Protestants in North America. Other premillennial groups include Jehovah's Witnesses, the Exclusive Brethren, and 7th-twenty-four hour period Adventists.

Information technology's often mocked equally the belief that "the end of the world is nigh".

Premillennialism is a pessimistic view of the world. It says that things are getting steadily worse on earth and volition keep deteriorating until God has had enough and takes action in a style that volition be catastrophic for humanity.

Premillennialists believe the Second Coming of Christ will happen at the starting time of the Millennium (the g yr menstruation when Christ rules the world). Earlier this catamenia volition come up a fourth dimension of destruction, war and disaster on globe, called the tribulation, which volition exist ended by God defeating evil at the boxing of Armageddon.

Those who follow this doctrine have a very different view of Christ to that held past other Christians. As one church leader (Bob Edgar) put it, "[Premillennialists] see a Messiah who leads an army and kills the bad guys, we see Jesus coming equally a man of peace."

Although premillennialism is sometimes said to be but 200 years old, it'due south more like 2000 years old; early on Christians held very similar beliefs about the Second Coming.

Implications for Christian behaviour

Premillennial beliefs affect the fashion churches and their members behave.

They believe that the important matter for Christians to practise is to gear up themselves for the stop-time and to convert as many people as possible into righteous believers ready for the mean solar day of judgement.

They don't see much point in Christians trying to improve the globe, since God is about to make clean the world of its faults past destroying much of it and then remaking it.

In applied terms premillennialists are in favour of evangelism and missionary work to convert people to belief in Christ, and less enthusiastic near church involvement in politics and social reform.

What practise nosotros do now? ... We get out and win people to Jesus. We get people ready for the second coming. Nosotros practice everything we tin can to make sure that our churches talk about this. You need to preach well-nigh the second coming. You need to preach about heaven. You need to preach most hell.

Professor Republic of chad Brand, Southern Baptist Theological Seminary

Some premillennialists take very reactionary positions on social and political issues. They debate that any endeavour by Christians to reform society is religiously incorrect, every bit information technology would get in the way of God's plan to end the world.

The Great Tribulation

Millions of Christians believe that the tribulation is a period immediately before the Millennium when God's judgement is carried out on the world and humanity endures nifty suffering.

Almost mainstream Christians recollect the doctrine of the tribulation should be regarded every bit a poetic or symbolic way of describing the eternal conflict between good and evil. However there are many millions who believe the doctrine of the tribulation is a literal and truthful description of what will happen onetime in the future.

During the tribulation the antichrist (Satan'due south emissary) will torture humanity, and God volition become to state of war against the antichrist. The tribulation ends subsequently seven years when God defeats the antichrist.

The tribulation has provided the groundwork to many novels and a groovy deal of prophetic writing.

About premillennialists believe that the Church will escape the Tribulation altogether, through the doctrine of the Rapture.

One group of premillennialists (called 'posttribulationists') believe that the righteous believers have to remain on earth throughout the tribulation, just that God keeps them safe.

Dispensationalism, postmillennialism and amillennialism

Dispensationalism

Dispensationalism is a theological conventionalities system devised by J. N. Darby (founder of the Sectional Brethren) that divides human time into dissimilar ages, called dispensations. It aims to prove how God's plans and purposes have changed throughout history non gradually but in large steps.

J. North. Darby, founder of the Exclusive Brethren ©

Each dispensation is a period during which God works in a specific way. In that location is a modify of dispensation when God gives humanity a different revelation of his will to follow.

Another style of looking at it is to consider a dispensation equally a period of authorities. Dissimilar governments bring different means of running a state - in different dispensations the same God runs the world in a different way.

C. I. Scofield, editor of the Scofield Reference Bible, devised the most commonly used dispensational breakup of human history. He listed seven dispensations:

1. Innocence - from the beginning to the fall
2. Conscience - from the fall to Noah
3. Human Regime - Noah to Abraham
4. Promise - Abraham to Moses
5. Law - Moses to Christ
6. Church - the nowadays historic period
7. Kingdom - beginning at the Second Coming of Christ

Scofield wrote most the change from dispensation five to dispensation 6:

As a impunity, grace begins with the expiry and resurrection of Christ...The betoken of testing is no longer legal obedience as the condition of salvation, but acceptance or rejection of Christ, with good works every bit a fruit of salvation.

C. I. Scofield

So in the present impunity God tests us by seeing if we turn down or take Christ. In the previous dispensation God tested us by seeing if we obeyed the law.

For those who take it, dispensationalism provides a manner of interpreting the Bible literally and consistently without contradictions.

Dispensationalists say that in each impunity God is using different revelations and so the Bible only has to exist consequent within a particular dispensation.

So contradictions in the Bible are but contradictions on the surface. If studied properly they turn out not to be contradictions at all, considering different rules operate within each dispensation.

Historical note

Critics say that the idea of dispensationalism is something that Darby fabricated up himself ("concocted in consummate contradiction to all principal Christian traditions", said James Barr), but Darby believed that the idea had been given to him past God.

Dispensationalism wasn't a make new doctrine anyway; Joachim of Fiore had put a similar idea forward in the 12th century CE.

Progressive Dispensationalism

In this version of dispensationalism the dispensations are non rigidly separated at an instant in time but gradually progress from one to some other. In each dispensation it's possible to find early on signs of the dispensation to come up.

Progressive dispensationalists interpret the Bible in a less literal way than other dispensationalists.

Postmillennialists

Postmillennialists believe that the Second Coming of Christ will come at the end of the Millennium and mark the full achievement of the kingdom of God on earth.

They believe that nosotros are already in the Millennium, which began with Christ's resurrection, and that the globe is gradually moving towards the promised time of peace and righteousness. Christ is ruling earth from heaven, through his church and through believers, and his kingdom and rule are steadily growing.

This view can lead to either of these 2 possible practical consequences:

• the church should take a major social and political function in reshaping the world to advance God's Kingdom on earth
• countries should be ruled by theocracies (religious governments) as this is the manner to bring near God's Kingdom

Amillennialism

Amillennialists don't believe in the Millennium as a specific period of 1000 years, and regard Biblical reference to it every bit symbolic.

They believe that the millennium began when Christ was built-in on earth and will end with the second coming. Amillennialists say that Christ is reigning at present, both in heaven, and on the earth in the hearts of believers.

The doctrine, which was made pop by St Augustine, is accepted past the Roman Catholic church and many middle of the road Protestant denominations.

The Rapture

The Rapture

The Rapture is the event in which Christ carries the faithful believers off to sky earlier the Tribulation.

This discussion refers to a "taking up" of Christians, both alive and expressionless, at the return of Christ. The idea is based on one Thessalonians 4.17, which speaks of Christians who are live existence "defenseless upward in the air" at Christ'southward return. Rapture derives from Latin for "to seize" (rapere, besides the root for raptor, a bird of prey).

During the Millennium the believers volition remain in sky, and God will be working on earth with the people of State of israel.

Some Christians believe in the rapture, just disagree about the timing. Some think the rapture will occur at the end of the tribulation period and others believe it will occur in the heart.

Beam me up, Jesus

This doctrine says that Christ will come to world and take all the truthful believers to heaven before the Second Coming.

Christians disagree as to exactly when in the "terminate times" this will happen, and the Bible itself doesn't explicitly say whether information technology will happen before, during or subsequently the great tribulation.

The rapture is described in 1 Thessalonians 4, which says that believers volition exist "raptured" or "defenseless upward" (Latin: rapiemur) in the clouds to meet Christ in the air.

For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet of God; and the dead in Christ shall rise beginning.

Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught upward together with them in the clouds to encounter the Lord in the air, and thus nosotros shall ever be with the Lord.

1 Thessalonians 4

Some Christians have encapsulated the idea of the rapture in the phrase "axle me up, Jesus" because they believe that the fashion the transporter works on Star Trek is the closest thing we take to the way the rapture will work.

Someday, a mean solar day that only God knows, Jesus Christ is coming to have away all those who believe in Him. He is coming to run into all true believers in the air. Without do good of science, space suits, or interplanetary rockets, there will be those who will be transported into a glorious place more than beautiful, more awesome, than we tin can possibly comprehend. World and all its thrills, excitement, and pleasures will exist nada in contrast to this cracking effect.

Hal Lindsey, The Late Bully Planet Globe

Many Evangelical Christians, including the Brethren, follow John Nelson Darby in believing that the rapture volition happen before the neat tribulation, sparing Christians from a terrible experience.

Other Christians believe that the Rapture will occur during the Great Tribulation, or after it, while yet other Christians don't believe it will happen at all.

Darby

Darby added a new element to millennial beliefs when he said that Christ's second coming would come in 3 parts:

• the Rapture
• the Great Tribulation - when the antichrist will rule the globe, and the Jews will be converted and practise God's piece of work. This is expected to be a terrifying fourth dimension for those who remain on earth.
• the Second Coming - when Christ will return with the saints to crush the antichrist and rule the earth for one thousand years.

The antichrist

The antichrist

The antichrist is the enemy of God who appears during the terminal years of the earth's existence and takes over the globe. He is a very powerful and evil ruler who pretends to be God and appears to perform miracles.

Some behavior nearly the antichrist are that:

• he or she is already living in this world and we volition soon observe who he/she is.
  • Throughout history various villains accept been accused of being the antichrist. Popes have been accused by Protestants in the by of being the antichrist; the emperor Frederick Ii was another candidate.
• the antichrist is an institution rather than an individual.
  • So the Papacy itself, rather than individual popes, has been attacked as the antichrist.
  • Post-obit 9/eleven some have accused Islam of being the antichrist.
  • During the cold war the Soviet Marriage was sometimes called the antichrist.
  • The Un, and the League of Nations have both been regarded as the antichrist.
• heretics are the forerunners of the antichrist - this probably derives from the passage in 1 John that says "fifty-fifty now are there many antichrists..."

Some Christians believe that the antichrist will take over the earth at a time in the future and will bring smashing destruction until somewhen overthrown past Christ.

One modern writer (2002) has suggested that the antichrist volition sally as the leader of a European super-state, impose a peace settlement on Israel "and possibly her neighbours," get assassinated and then resurrected, win the Nobel Peace Prize and be named Time's Man of the Year; subsequently these triumphs, he volition set up himself up as God and dominion the earth.

The Christian doctrine of the antichrist is a development of a like Jewish belief, which makes it all the more regrettable that the antichrist doctrine has been used as a weapon of anti-Semitism. The Jewish references are found in the book of Daniel.

Biblical references for the antichrist

The antichrist is merely mentioned in the Bible past that title at 1 John 2:eighteen:

Little children, it is the concluding time: and every bit ye accept heard that antichrist shall come, fifty-fifty now are in that location many antichrists; whereby we know that it is the last time.

1 John two:18

But there are many other New Testament passages that have been regarded as referring to the antichrist. Here are a few of them:

And when they shall have finished their testimony, the beast that ascendeth out of the bottomless pit shall brand war against them, and shall overcome them, and kill them.

Revelation eleven:seven

...Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the ocean! for the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath simply a curt time.

Revelation 12

And I stood upon the sand of the bounding main, and saw a beast rising upwards out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the name of irreverence.

Revelation 13

The beast that one thousand sawest was, and is not; and shall ascend out of the bottomless pit, and get into perdition

Revelation 17

Source: https://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/christianity/beliefs/endtimes_1.shtml

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