The set of doctrines surrounding the consideration of the end of time, particularly with regard to the fate of humanity and the resolution of human history, is the subject known as eschatology. Within the Christian consideration of these concepts, theologians and believers tend to emphasize heaven, hell, death, resurrection and the return of Jesus Christ to this plane. Indeed, such subjects as the rapture of the believers and the last judgment receive considerable attention (Jorgenson 115). Three facets of eschatology --- the Second Coming, the Rapture and the Judgment – come under consideration in this paper, as do the perspectives of several individuals from the Bible. What is clear is that the Second Coming, the Rapture and the Judgment combine to change the world from its sinful state to a place in which righteousness rules and evil has been banished.
The idea that Jesus Christ will return to Earth is an element that sets Judeo-Christian beliefs apart from the vast majority of religious systems. The Second Coming refers to the time when Jesus returns to make all of the prophecies and promises of God whole. Jesus taught this about his return: “At that time the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and all the nations of the earth will mourn. They will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky, with power and great glory” (Matthew 24:30). The implication here is that heaven has opened so that Jesus can return. This passage also makes reference to a rider wearing multiple crowns but whose name is unknown. The implication from this reference is that judgment is coming and is an essential part of the Second Coming.
An intriguing part of the discussion of the Second Coming in the Bible is the different responses to Jesus with regard to the prophecies about the Messiah. The majority of the Old Testament prophets do not take the time to make a sharp distinction between the birth of Christ and his return in the end times. There are some theologians who assert that Jesus was not the Messiah at all because he did not complete all of the prophecies that appear in the Old Testament. Isaiah asserts that the initial coming was for the purpose of Jesus taking the penalties for humanity’s sin and that the Second Coming will result in the defeat of sin for all time (Isaiah 9:6-7).
There are some believers who confuse the Second Coming with the Rapture. While the Second Coming refers to the return of Jesus to Earth, the Rapture refers to the removal of believers from Earth (McKim 261). Multiple perspectives have emerged on the nature and the timing of the Rapture over time, but it is a distinct event from the Second Coming (Hays, Duvall and Pate 692). The beliefs on the exact timing differ somewhat, depending on the theologian and the tradition, but the majority of perspectives agree that the Rapture of the believers occurs before a period of tribulation, in which the remainder of the population of the world has time to come to belief. After that time, the Second Coming (and then the subsequent judgment) take place (McKim 261).
The Second Coming appears in Scripture as a prophecy of hope for all believers, indicating that God has established control of all things that take place in the cosmos. Indeed, there is also the strong belief that God remains faithful to all of the promises that he made in the Old and New Testaments. The fact of the Second Coming makes his promises real and effective for believers. It is true that the First Coming (from birth to death, resurrection and ascension) fulfilled many of the promises of the Messiah. However, there were quite a few prophecies not fulfilled during the life and ministry of Jesus, and the Second Coming purports to be the time when the remainder of those prophecies will be fulfilled. The majority of Jesus’ time during the First Coming was life as a servant, suffering immensely. In the Second Coming, he will be a King who has conquered the world and fulfilled God’s promises. Jesus came to Earth in the most humble of settings the first time, born as a baby in a stable; his return will be much more glorious, flanked by angels at his side (Long 565).
The Second Coming involves more than just the return of Jesus to Earth. It also involves the judgment of the people from all of history. There is a clear separation between those who are considered righteous and those who are considered evil (Matthew 25:31). Once the separation between the two groups has taken place, John reports, “I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God” (Revelation 20:4). The purging of evil from the planet is another element of the Second Coming. The return of Jesus Christ happens with mighty power and force; he burns all things that are corrupt and praises the righteous for the good things they have done. This shows Jesus’ desire to eliminate all evil so that the entire planet can return to a state of wholeness and righteousness.
Many people have debated the topic of the Millennium, a thousand-year period during which Jesus rules Earth after the Second Coming has taken place. The purpose of this millennial reign is to instill a regime of perfection and God’s power on the planet (Revelation 20:1-6). When all evil things are taken away, those who are righteous finally receive their place of priority within society. The initial resurrection of the dead takes place during this time. Ultimately, this is the time when Jesus takes the power that is suggested during the First Coming but that he does not take on in fullness. This is where the idea of a new glory becomes important. Because the Second Coming of Christ destroys the rule of wickedness in the world, there are only great things coming for humanity. People either enter this new and powerful kingdom or enter the darkness with Satan (Long 566). Now that Jesus has assumed his rightful place as King of Kings, he will be in place to rule for 1000 years.
The fact that Jesus returns in his full glory at the Second Coming makes him more compelling in terms of belief. The First Coming did not reflect his full power; as stated earlier, he entered existence in some of the most humble conditions imaginable. This is one reason why so many people who encountered Jesus during the First Coming dismissed his teachings and even his miracles, asking “Is this not the carpenter’s son?” (Matthew 13:55). The idea was that Jesus had grown up among the people of Nazareth, rather than coming in glory as the Jews of that time had been expecting from their Messiah. During his time on Earth, Jesus’ disciples see him with Moses and Elijah and hear the voice of God verifying his status as the real Messiah at the transfiguration (Matthew 17:1-13). However, that declaration does not take place on a wider scale, which means that the disciples are ultimately left to spread that word in the apostolic era after the ascension of Christ. So those who heard and believed at that time (and in this age as well) believe and will take their place in heaven. When the Second Coming takes place, Jesus will return in his full power and glory, as this return will emphasize all of his powers, rather than the humility needed to believe in such a God.
It is difficult to imagine people simply disappearing from their daily lives on Earth, vanishing in an instant as God calls them home. However, that is what the Bible describes as happening near the end times, and theologians have developed the term “Rapture” to refer to that event. This happens when God removes Christians from Earth for protection, in the early stages of the Second Coming. The word comes from the Latin word “rapatare,” which means “to be snatched or caught” (Baker 101). There are some believers who consider the Rapture to be the actual end of time because it indicates that this is the beginning of Jesus Christ’s return for his Church. The resurrection, which will take place after the Rapture, each believer has the chance to receive his or her resurrected body.
Many people have made claims that they have known when the Rapture will take place, and they have even gone so far as to write books, rent billboards or make declarations in other ways as to that time. The Bible itself is silent on the timing of the Rapture. Paul indicates that the Rapture will happen quickly and without prior preparation. Rather than prepare people for a specific point in history, the teachings of Scripture indicate that it is important for believers to be watchful and to live constantly as though the Rapture is coming. Matthew indicates that believers do not know the day when Jesus will return. This means that believers should prepare, living righteously and working for the good of the Kingdom so that as many people as possible have heard and believed the Gospel before the end times begin.
Considerations of the timing of the Rapture have caused a considerable amount of controversy within the faith. Many people are unsure whether the Rapture will take place before after the period of tribulation, while others claim that the Rapture might actually happen during the tribulation. One thing that appears constant is that the tribulation lasts seven years and takes place directly before the Second Coming. This means that the tribulation takes place before the holy kingdom is established, before it lasts for 1,000 years. This first period of tribulation is considered as a time of glorified dignity and peace among all believers. After that, a catastrophe is likely to occur because there is a strong chance that an Antichrist will try to take power and rule the Earth. Indeed, the Antichrist is likely to claim that he is God and that people should only worship him, instead of Jesus (Baker 102). The people who follow the Antichrist will likely bring a great deal of ruin to the planet because of the nature of his teachings.
In general, the primary discussion about the Judgment does not cover the particulars of the event itself. Instead, the primary discussion has to do with the time when the event is going to take place. Some believers think that the judgment will take place before the tribulation, while others believe that it will take place later. The Bible has this to say: “For with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and the trumpet of God, the Lord Himself will descend from Heaven, and those who died in Christ will rise first. Afterward we, the living who remain, will be caught p along with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we shall forever be with the Lord” (1 Thessalonians 4:16). The power of this passage comes more from its imagery than from anything specific about the nature and the timing of the Judgment. The purpose is to show the believer the majesty of the return of God, rather than to provide a timeline of the actual events themselves.
The term “Rapture” does not appear within the scripture itself but is instead a term that theologians developed later on in discussion of the end times. The term distinguishes the believers who will be drawn up in fellowship with Christ at that particular time in history. There is also an indication that some believers will remain behind with the rest of humanity and that nothing will change on the planet. God will continue to deliver judgment to people who are considered non-believers. During this period of tribulation, there will be a lot of unrest and mayhem. Some believe that the period after the Rapture will include an increase in crime and a period of lawlessness (Baker 103). There are others who believe in a partial Rapture. This implies that some believers will be able to rise up to see Jesus in that initial phase of tribulation. As time goes by, more believers will be able to meet Jesus. The end of the Rapture marks the start of the time of ultimate peace and love on Earth, as Jesus will start his thousand-year reign, and there is a strong hope that a new heaven will come into being on the planet.
While there is some disagreement as to the nature and timing of the Rapture, the idea that the Rapture will come swiftly and without warning seems fairly certain from scripture. Paul writes, “But of the times and the seasons, brethren, ye have no need that I write unto you. For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night. For when they shall say, Peace and safety, then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape. But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief. Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness” (1 Thessalonians 5:1-5). The purpose behind this verse is twofold here: first, to show that the Rapture will come suddenly and at an unexpected time, and second, to show that it will come at a time when the wicked will think that they are safest from judgment and destruction.
Overall, the purpose of the Rapture is to bring a new harvest to the planet, no matter when it occurs. The Bible uses the metaphor of the harvest for the souls of believers because the reaping of those positive tendencies takes a long time. People do not simply just believe in Christ and then find themselves sanctified and holy right away; the process takes years, even decades. The salvation of the world is something that God cannot do instantaneously because he does not want to override free will. Instead, he uses the course of history to allow as many people as possible to find their way to faith and belief. The purpose of the Rapture is to provide an initial gathering of the believers; the purpose of the tribulation is to point as many people as possible toward the hope of the Second Coming – and into faith as well.
The final judgment day is one of the most divisive topics within Christianity. There are some who find the idea of a literal hell to be an important element of their eschatology as it shows the importance of obedience. There are others who do not consider hell to be an actual place, or t least an actual final destination, arguing that Jesus continues to make journeys into that place of separation even after the end times, working until everyone comes with him (Bell 112). No matter which end of this spectrum a believer is on, Jesus Christ is viewed as a mediator between humanity and God, and he is the public manifestation of the process of salvation coming to believers. The purpose of the judgment is to render an overthrow of all of the enemies of God, allowing people to live out infinity in a state of ultimate righteousness. The Scriptures teach that God will judge each person on the planet as part of the Second Coming. During the early development of Christian theology, Jesus was portrayed as the final judge, and there was a distinct separation between those who are condemned and those who are not – this was an early sign of the existence of heaven and hell as two distinct places (Jorgenson 117).
One of the intriguing elements of Christianity is the fascination with which so many believers view the judgment times. As time has gone by, people have been able to imagine increasingly vivid (and horrific) visions of the Last Judgment. Art over time has shown this progression; in some renditions, Jesus appears with a sword and has a very stern face. Surrounding him, one commonly sees four entities, portrayed as a lion, a winged man, an ox and an eagle (Jorgenson 117). This indicates the distinction between heaven and hell, as the differences among the creatures surrounding Christ indicate. There are other renditions that surround Jesus with lambs and birds or other peaceful creatures. In some renditions, he still has the wounds from the crucifixion in his hands, often taken as a sign that the resurrection must come quickly. The commonality among all of these representations is that Jesus is coming, and that his arrival will bring change. For those who are not righteous, that change will appear as the worst sort of judgment; for those who are righteous, that change will be the fulfillment of all of their truest hopes and dreams.
The key to avoiding the wrath of judgment is to lead a life of righteousness and faith, free of malice and greed. The Bible indicates that people have free will when it comes to choosing their way that they live. Avoiding a life of greed and surrender to temptation allows people to avoid the judgment.
The purpose of the Second Coming, the Rapture and the Judgment is to take the lost world and transform it into God’s Kingdom, with those who have lived their lives in faith being finally rewarded with fellowship with God. Despite the fact that there are so many differing perspectives about these three events within Christian theology, the consideration of eschatology has to do with the ways that God will make the world, once and for all, into his own image.
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