The End Times, Part 2: The Truths We Hold in Common

During high school, I attended an "end times" revival. The speaker filled the room with charts, headlines, and urgent warnings: heavy metal music, liberal theology, communism, nuclear war, even UPC codes (those barcodes on cereal boxes) were all signs that the tribulation was near. His message was clear: the world was sinking like the Titanic, and the best we could do was scramble for the lifeboats and float until Jesus came back to pull us out.

That was decades ago. Yet here we are in 2025, with Jesus still reigning in heaven and the same questions still hanging in the air.

Headlines still read like prophecy: wars and rumors of wars, persecution, disinformation, AI, biometrics, the rise of surveillance states. We don't need traveling preachers anymore to whip us into a frenzy; the nightly news does it for us. Some believers lean in with excitement. Others feel unease, even dread. Where should we begin?

The best place to begin is not with speculation but with what Christians have confessed across the centuries. Long before denominational divides, the church voiced its shared hope through the Nicene Creed:

He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead, and his kingdom will have no end… We look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come.

These words belong not to one branch of Christendom but to Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, and Protestant alike. Whatever theological disagreements remain about the millennium, the rapture, the tribulation, or other weighty matters, here is bedrock on which those who profess Christ as Lord stand together.

So, what do Christians believe? What do they not believe? Let's take a look.

What Christians Believe

The Return of Christ

Christ will return personally—not as an idea or spiritual metaphor, but as Jesus himself: "This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven" (Acts 1:11). His promise is sure: "I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also" (John 14:3). Paul reassures the Thessalonians that "the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God" (1 Thessalonians 4:16).

Christ will return visibly. His coming will not be hidden or secret. John declares, "Behold, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, even those who pierced him" (Revelation 1:7). Jesus warned His disciples that His coming would be unmistakable: "As the lightning comes from the east and shines as far as the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man" (Matthew 24:27).

Christ will return suddenly. The apostles remind us that His coming will take the world by surprise. Paul writes, "The day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night" (1 Thessalonians 5:2). Jesus himself warns, "Concerning that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only" (Matthew 24:36). The emphasis is not on calculation but readiness: "Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect" (Matthew 24:44).

Christ will return in power and glory. His first advent was marked by humility and obscurity; His second will be marked by majesty. Jesus foretold, "They will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory" (Matthew 24:30). Paul calls this "the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ" (Titus 2:13). John's vision in Revelation portrays the Lord as heaven's warrior-king, "clothed in a robe dipped in blood… and on his robe and on his thigh he has a name written, King of kings and Lord of lords" (Revelation 19:13, 16).

The Destiny of Humanity

The dead will be raised. Jesus declares, "An hour is coming when all who are in the tombs will hear his voice and come out, those who have done good to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil to the resurrection of judgment" (John 5:28–29).

Paul testified before Felix that "there will be a resurrection of both the just and the unjust" (Acts 24:15). The great resurrection chapter, 1 Corinthians 15, assures believers that "as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive" (v. 22).

The living will be transformed. Those still alive at the Lord's coming will not be left as they are. Paul tells the Corinthians, "We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye" (1 Corinthians 15:51–52).

He writes to the Philippians that "our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior… who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body" (Philippians 3:20–21).

All will face judgment. Scripture speaks with one voice: "We must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due" (2 Corinthians 5:10).

Hebrews declares, "It is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment" (Hebrews 9:27). John sees the great white throne, before which "the dead, great and small, [stood]… and the dead were judged by what was written in the books" (Revelation 20:12).

The defeat of evil is just as certain as the fact of judgment. Paul insists that "the last enemy to be destroyed is death" (1 Corinthians 15:26). John envisions Satan cast into the lake of fire, where he will be tormented forever (Revelation 20:10). Death itself is thrown down (Revelation 20:14). Paul assures believers, "The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet" (Romans 16:20).

All will enter an eternal destiny. Scripture gives no room for ambiguity. Jesus makes the stark division plain: "These will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life" (Matthew 25:46). Paul writes of those who "do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus" that "they will suffer the punishment of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord" (2 Thessalonians 1:9).

Yet for the redeemed, the promise stands firm: "We will always be with the Lord" (1 Thessalonians 4:17). Whatever sequence of events one imagines, the end is irreversible: everlasting life with Christ for the redeemed, and final, decisive judgment for those who reject Him.

The Renewal of Creation

The new heavens and new earth will come. Peter writes, "According to his promise we are waiting for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells" (2 Peter 3:13). John sees the vision fulfilled: "Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away" (Revelation 21:1).

God will dwell with His people forever. The climax of Scripture is Emmanuel—God with us. John hears the voice from the throne: "Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people" (Revelation 21:3). Ezekiel foresaw the day when God's sanctuary would be in the midst of His people forever (Ezekiel 37:27–28).

Christ will reign without rival. The angel told Mary that her son would reign on David's throne and that "of his kingdom there will be no end" (Luke 1:33). John hears the heavenly announcement: "The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he shall reign forever and ever" (Revelation 11:15). Paul insists, "He must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet" (1 Corinthians 15:25).

The Posture of the Church

The timing is unknown. Jesus could not have been clearer: "Concerning that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only" (Matthew 24:36). When the disciples asked about the restoration of the kingdom, He replied, "It is not for you to know times or seasons that the Father has fixed by his own authority" (Acts 1:7).

The church must remain watchful and ready. Jesus exhorts His followers, "Stay awake, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming" (Matthew 24:42). He compares His return to a master returning unexpectedly and warns, "What I say to you I say to all: Stay awake" (Mark 13:37). Peter echoes this call: "Prepare your minds for action, and being sober-minded, set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ" (1 Peter 1:13).

Christian hope is certain and centered in Christ. Paul calls it "our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ" (Titus 2:13). This is not a hope grounded in detailed charts or cortisol-fueling headlines but in a Person. The book of Revelation ends with the church's prayer and Christ's promise: "He who testifies to these things says, 'Surely I am coming soon.' Amen. Come, Lord Jesus!" (Revelation 22:20).

What Christians Reject

Scripture not only tells us what to hope for but also warns us against distortions that undermine that hope. By naming what we reject, the church protects believers from false security and groundless fear.

We do not believe that Christ's final, public return has already happened. This was the lie that unsettled some in the early church. It's also a lie that continues in some forms today, a view of the end times that we will discuss in a future post. The apostles insisted that the return of Christ will be unmistakable, not hidden or secret (2 Thessalonians 2:1–3).

We do not believe that history is a meaningless cycle without purpose. Paganism imagined endless repetitions, and modern secularism often echoes the same despair. But Christ's resurrection guarantees that history is moving toward a decisive consummation (1 Corinthians 15:19–20).

We do not believe that evil, sin, or death will somehow be redeemed. God does not make peace with His enemies; He destroys them. "The last enemy to be destroyed is death" (1 Corinthians 15:26). Satan will not be rehabilitated, nor will sin be tamed. They will be cast down forever, never to rise again (Revelation 20:10, 14). This truth assures us that every injustice, sorrow, and grave will one day be undone. He is making all things new (Revelation 21:4–5).

We do not believe that all will be saved regardless of faith. Universalism may sound compassionate and socially agreeable, but it is not faithful to the witness of scripture. Jesus himself spoke of eternal life and eternal punishment in the same breath (Matthew 25:46). Our response to Him matters eternally (John 3:18).

We do not believe that anyone can calculate the exact date of Christ's return. Generations of date-setters have left trails of embarrassment and disappointment, but Jesus told us plainly: "Concerning that day and hour no one knows" (Matthew 24:36). Our call is not to prediction but to readiness.

Finally, we do not believe that heaven means escape from creation. The biblical hope is not evacuation but resurrection, not abandonment but restoration. Creation itself groans, waiting for the day it will be set free from its bondage to decay (Romans 8:19–23). Our hope is the new heavens and the new earth where God dwells with His people forever (Revelation 21:1–5).

Standing Together

By affirming what God has promised and rejecting distortions of that promise, we keep our eyes fixed on Christ. These truths steady us when headlines shake us, humble us when speculation tempts us, and keep Christ himself at the center of our hope:

Christ has died.
Christ is risen.
Christ will come again.

That is the confession of the whole church, across centuries and continents. Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, and Protestant Christians differ on many important things, but here we stand together.

How Then Shall We Live?

So what does this mean for us now? It means we don't live like passengers panicking on a sinking ship. Scripture reminds us that the One seated on the throne is making "all things new" (Revelation 21:5). We live as citizens of a coming kingdom.

The lifeboat mentality my high school revival speaker preached wasn't just wrong about timing; it was wrong about posture. Our hope is not escape but Christ, who says, "Behold, I am making all things new" (Revelation 21:5). We are the firstfruits of resurrection life already begun (1 Corinthians 15:20–23), advancing outposts of a kingdom breaking in. This changes everything about how we live now. The work we do, the justice we pursue, the beauty we create, the relationships we build: none of it is wasted effort on a doomed planet. Paul assures us that "in the Lord your labor is not in vain" (1 Corinthians 15:58), and Peter speaks of "new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells" (2 Peter 3:13). God is not abandoning His creation but redeeming it, gathering every faithful act into His new creation.

If you already belong to Christ: let these truths renew your watchfulness. Stay awake. Press on. The Lord who promised to return is faithful, and your labor in Him is never in vain.

If you're still exploring what it means to follow Jesus: consider that Christianity doesn't offer escape from reality but entrance into the truest reality there is. The question before you is not whether you can decode the times but whether you will trust the One who holds them. He invites you to come home to Him.

And if you're skeptical: if talk of resurrection and judgment sounds like wishful thinking or outdated mythology, please stay curious and open. These aren't claims Christians whisper in the shadows. They're proclamations we've made publicly for two thousand years, staking everything on a risen Savior who will one day return. The story is either the most important truth in the world or the most elaborate fiction ever told. It's worth not rushing to conclusions, but patiently finding out which.

Until that day when every eye sees Him, we live and labor as people who know - as we often sing on Sunday - how the story ends.

This article is Part 2 in our series on the End Times. If you missed the first installment—“Why Talk About the End Times?”—you can read it here. Together, these posts explore not speculation or fear, but the steady hope Scripture gives us in Christ’s return.