Eschatology in a Nutshell

Eschatology, the study of last things, is a
huge topic. There are a lot of interpretations
out there and it all gets very confusing. Also, all the interpretations seem to focus on their differences
rather than their similarities. So, I’ve attempted to make a brief list of what is commonly accepted by
all (Christian) eschatological theories and some of the key things that differentiate the theories.

Things commonly accepted

Jesus will come back again

Isaiah 13:9-11 Behold, the day of the LORD cometh, cruel both with wrath and fierce anger, to lay the
land desolate: and he shall destroy the sinners thereof out of it. For the stars of heaven and the
constellations thereof shall not give their light: the sun shall be darkened in his going forth, and the
moon shall not cause her light to shine. And I will punish the world for [their] evil, and the wicked for
their iniquity; and I will cause the arrogancy
of the proud to cease, and will lay low the haughtiness of the terrible.

Daniel 7:13-14 I saw in the night visions, and, behold, [one] like the Son of man came with the clouds
of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days, and they brought him near before him. And there was given
him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, should serve him: his
dominion [is] an everlasting dominion, which
shall not pass away, and his kingdom [that] which shall not be destroyed.

Matthew 16:27 For the Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father with his angels; and then he shall
reward every man according to his works.

Matthew 25:31 When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him,
then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory:

Acts 1:11 Which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus,
which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven.

I Thessalonians 4:16 For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of
the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:

II Thessalonians 1:7 And to you who are troubled rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his
mighty angels, 8In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ

End time will be marked by apostacy and rampant sin

Matthew 24:15 And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold.

I Timothy 4:1 Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the
faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils;

II Timothy 3:1 This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. 2For men shall be lovers of their
own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy,
3Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those
that are good, 4Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; 5Having a
form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.

End will come after gospel is preached to entire world

Matthew 24:14 And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness
unto all nations; and then shall the end come.

Nobody can know the exact day that Jesus will come again

Matthew 24:36 But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only.

Dead are raised

Acts 24:15 And have hope toward God, which they themselves also allow, that there shall be a resurrection of the dead, both
of the just and unjust.

John 5:28 Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all
that are in the graves shall hear his voice, 29And shall come
forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that
have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation.

Everyone will be judged – good are rewarded, bad are punished

Matthew 13:37 He that soweth the good seed is the Son of man; 38The field is the world; the good seed are the children of the
kingdom; but the tares are the children of the wicked one; 39The enemy that sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the
end of the world; and the reapers are the angels. 40As therefore the tares are gathered and burned in the fire; so shall it be in the end of
this world. 41The Son of man shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that offend, and them which
do iniquity; 42And shall cast them into a furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth. 43Then shall the
righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Who hath ears to hear, let him hear.

Matthew 25:32 And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from
the goats: 33And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left.

II Corinthians 5:10 For we must all appear before the
judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done
in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be
good or bad.

II Thessalonians 1:8 In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not
the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ: 9Who shall be punished with
everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power;

There will be a new earth

Revelation 21:1 And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the
first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea.

We should always be ready for His return

Matthew 24:42 Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come.
43But know this, that if the goodman of the house had known in
what watch the thief would come, he would have watched, and would not have
suffered his house to be broken up. 44Therefore be ye also ready:
for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh. 45Who
then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his lord hath made ruler over his
household, to give them meat in due season? 46Blessed is
that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing.
47Verily I say unto you, That he shall make him ruler over all
his goods. 48But and if that evil servant shall say in his heart,
My lord delayeth his coming; 49And shall begin to smite
his fellowservants, and to eat and drink with the drunken;
50The lord of that servant shall come in a day when he looketh
not for him, and in an hour that he is not aware of,
51And shall cut him asunder, and appoint him his portion
with the hypocrites: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

Luke 12:37-40 Blessed [are] those servants, whom the lord when he cometh shall find watching: verily I
say unto you, that he shall gird himself, and make them to sit down to meat, and will come forth
and serve them. And if he shall come in the second watch, or come in the third watch, and find [them] so,
blessed are those servants. And this know, that if the goodman of the house had known what hour the thief
would come, he would have watched, and not have suffered his house to be broken through.
Be ye therefore ready also: for the Son of man cometh at an hour when ye think not.

Differences between theories

There are two main things that differentiate all the theories: the view of the Millennium and the view of the Tribulation.

View of the Millennium

Rev 20:1 And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the
bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. 2And he laid hold on the
dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a
thousand years, 3And cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up,
and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the
thousand years should be fulfilled: and after that he must be loosed a little
season. 4And 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, and which had not worshipped
the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon
their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a
thousand years. 5But the rest of the dead lived not again until the
thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection.

	Amillennial	Postmillennial	Premillennial
Binding of Satan	Represents the victory of Christ over the powers of darkness accomplished at the cross	When the successful preaching of the gospel will have effectively reduced Satan’s influence to nothing.	Takes place when Christ returns
1000 years	Symbolic of a long, indeterminate period, corresponding to the age of the church (now)	May or may not be a literal duration	Literal period where Christ will reign in Jerusalem
Loosing of Satan	At the end of the present age	A final attempt on the part of a loosed Satan at the end of the age will get nowhere.	Bring the Millennium to its climax, followed by the resurrection and judgment of the wicked at the Great White Throne.

View of the Tribulation

Matthew 24:21 For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the
beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.

	Futurists			Preterists
	Pre-tribulation	Mid-tribulation	Post-tribulation
Tribulation	Church raptured before tribulation	Also call Pre-wrath. Church raptured in middle of tribulation	Church raptured after tribulation	Tribulation occurred at 70 AD