What We Know About End Times

What We Know about “End Times”  
  
Though there is much we do not know about the “end times” there are three truths from the Bible that we can know for certain:
  
1.       Christ will return. In 1 Thess. 4:16-17 we are told that Christ himself will descend and summon to himself the bodies of believers who have died, whereupon they will be united to Christ. The timing of this return is unknown but will be sudden and will be the ultimate revealing of Christ as King over all creation.
2.       Christ will judge. Upon his return Christ will judge both believers and unbelievers. This will apparently happen after a period of 1,000 years (it is debated whether this period is literal or metaphorical). Regardless, all those who have rejected Christ will be sentenced to eternal separation from the Lord (Rev. 14:9-11). Those whose faith is in Christ will be received into eternity with the Lord based solely on Christ’s righteousness that has been imputed to them (Philippians 3:8-10). Furthermore, rewards will be given to those who proactively stewarded their lives for God’s purposes (1 Cor. 3:11-15).  
3.       Christ will create. In setting up his eternal kingdom, Christ will create a new heavens and new earth where he will dwell with his people forever (Rev. 21:1-4). Free from the brokenness of sin, those who inhabit this new perfected creation will engage in working, playing, worshiping, etc. in perfect relationships with new perfected bodies.

Paul’s first letter to the Thessalonians addresses many questions we may have about the “end times.” He tells them two different times that the goal of learning about the “end times” is to be encouraged in their faith (4:18, 5:11). May we not chase endless speculations about the “end times”, but rather be content with what the Bible says and does not say, so that we may place our faith in Christ and be encouraged to endure and persevere in that faith until he returns.