THE AFTERLIFE THE RAPTURE, THE MILLENNIUM, AND THE NEW EARTH AND THE NEW HEAVEN PAUL ON THE AFTERLIFE

Read 1 Thessalonians 5:1-11 There are three divisions 1.A sudden, and for some, unexpected coming of the Lord when unbelievers will be judged. 2.Preparation of believers for that day 3.The necessary faithfulness of God’s people and their encouragement of each other

Read Romans 13:11-14 for comparison. Romans was written after Corinthians Both refer to the one and only return of Christ Romans says that the clock is ticking and the end may be nearer than we think

How do you feel about the idea that there is only ONE coming of Christ at the end and no secret coming?

Both of these passages indicate Paul is speaking of the one and only second coming of Christ. Corinthians examines the second coming from the angle of coming to rescue the believers. Romans examines the same event from the perspective of judgment on unbelievers

People have been waiting on the second coming of Christ for almost 2000 years. Each generation has pointed to signs that indicate that their generation is the last. What signs would you point to that would make one believe that our generation will be the last?

The timing has not been revealed. No one knows the timing of this event. Read Mark 13:32 What is an advantage of not knowing the exact time?

The author says that all of this speculation about the pointless speculation about the timing of the rapture is futile since there is no rapture. How do you feel about this comment? So suppose there is no rapture, only the second coming, what would be your idea of what this would look like for both believers and unbelievers?

1 Thessalonians 5:2 tells us not when, but how, Christ will return. It stresses the suddenness of it, the unexpectedness of it, the unknown timing, and it gives somewhat of a threat to those who are not prepared. Have you ever had your house burglarized while you were out? Did you change any preparations after it happened?

Parousia - The main use is the physical presence of a person, which where that person is not already present refers to the prospect of the physical arrival of that person. Paul uses the Day of the Lord as the same as parousia and as a day of judgment. In Thessalonians, Paul contrasts between believers and non-believers using light and darkness metaphors.

How does the second coming compare to the days of Noah? The author says: ”There is no theology of the rapture to be found in the New Testament anywhere, never mind the term itself. If there is no rapture, much of the current popular speculation about the second coming falls down like a house of cards. How do you feel about this statement?

With no rapture, the church of the last generation will go through tribulation just as every other generation of Christians has had to do. Revelation 12:1-6 Remember that preterism refers not to the last days of planet Earth or the last days of humankind, but rather to the last days of the mosaic covenant. How do you view these verses in terms of preterism?

There will be no “beam me up Scotty for the last generation of Christians. There will be suffering and martyrdom just as there was in John’s time. Revelation 20 is about the millennial reign of Christ. The early church prior to Augustine (around 400CE) knew this. The end times will not involve a pre-tribulation or mid-tribulation rapture.

THE MILLENIUM Revelation shows that the millennium will be followed by a final judgment of Satan and the unbelievers which is followed by the new heaven and the new earth.

Revelation 20 refers to a reign of Christ on earth prior to the end and prior to the new heaven and the new earth. Writers like Eusebius (300CE) and Augustine (400BC) changed the way such texts were read. This in turn changed the way of reading these texts in the Middle Ages and after. But there were problems with this interpretation.

Augustine was the first theologian to systematically expound a doctrine of amillenialism. The amillennial view holds that the thousand years mentioned in Revelation 20 is a symbolic number, not a literal description and the millennium has already begun and is identical with the current church. For preterists, it ended in 70CE.

Amillennialism holds that while Christ's reign during the millennium is spiritual in nature and at the end of the church age, Christ will return in final judgment and establish a permanent physical reign.

Read Revelation 20:1-4 Here John tells us that Satan will be confined for 1000 years and not deceiving us as he does today. This pretty much goes against what the amillennialists say.

Read Romans 11: Here we see when Christ comes again, many Jews will accept Him and be saved. Jews and Gentiles are united in Christ.

When Christ returns, only the believers arise. Read John 5:21-24 Believers do not come into the judgment of eternal life versus perish

After the millennium, the unbelievers are resurrected. Resurrection always refers to something happening to the body. Since this leaves no one dead, death has been destroyed. The unbelievers are judges and cast into the lake of fire along with Satan.

Finally, there is a new heaven and and new earth. Let’s look at what the Bible says about them.