Before We Talk About the End Times, We Need to Understand the Basics

There’s a lot happening in the world right now.

War is breaking out or intensifying in several parts of the globe—especially in the Middle East. Tensions are rising. The news headlines are getting darker. And many Christians are asking: Is this it? Is this what the Bible warned us about? Is Jesus coming back soon?

Those are valid questions.

As followers of Jesus, we should pay attention to the signs of the times. We should be looking forward to the return of our Lord. And we should care about what’s happening in Israel, the broader Middle East, and the world.

But before we start assigning prophetic significance to today’s headlines, we need to hit pause—and go back to the basics.

There’s More Than One Way Christians Interpret Bible Prophecy

Over the centuries, sincere Bible-believing Christians have disagreed on how to interpret certain passages related to the end times. These disagreements don’t usually involve whether Jesus is coming back. Nearly all Christians believe in the second coming of Christ. But they do disagree on the how and when of certain events surrounding His return.

Let me walk you through the main schools of thought when it comes to eschatology (the theological term for “last things”).

1. Premillennialism – Jesus Returns Before the Millennium

This view teaches that Jesus will return bodily to earth before a literal 1,000-year reign—called the Millennium—spoken of in Revelation 20. There are two major versions of this:

• Pretribulational Premillennialism (often just called “pre-trib”): According to this view, Jesus will rapture the church before a seven-year period of tribulation. After the tribulation, Christ will return and establish His kingdom on earth. This view is popular among many evangelicals and was widely taught in the mid-to-late 20th century and early 21st century through books like The Late Great Planet Earth and the Left Behind series. This view is also called “dispensational premillennialism.”
• Posttribulational Premillennialism: Agrees that Jesus returns before the Millennium, but places the rapture after the tribulation. In this view, Christians will go through the tribulation before being caught up to meet Christ. This view is often closely associated with “historic premillennialism,” since it (or some form of it) was held by many early church fathers.

2. Amillennialism – No Future Earthly Millennium

“Amillennial” literally means “no millennium,” though that’s a bit of a misnomer. This view teaches that the 1,000 years in Revelation 20 is symbolic—not literal—and represents the current church age. Christ is reigning spiritually now, and the “Millennium” refers to His rule in heaven and in the hearts of believers.

Amillennialists believe that when Jesus returns, He will do so at the end of history for final judgment and the establishment of the new heavens and new earth.

3. Postmillennialism – Jesus Returns After the Millennium

In this view, the world will gradually become more Christianized through the preaching of the gospel and the influence of the church. The “Millennium” represents a golden age of peace and righteousness on earth, brought about by the spread of Christianity. After this period, Christ will return.

This was a dominant view among many Protestants in the 18th and 19th centuries, especially during times of revival and missionary expansion. It’s less popular today, but still held by some, and shows signs of making a bit of a resurgence (albeit in different forms).

4. Preterism – Most Prophecies Already Fulfilled

Preterism (from the Latin praeter, meaning “past”) teaches that many of the prophecies in Matthew 24, Revelation, and other “end times” passages were fulfilled in the first century—particularly with the destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70.

• Partial Preterists believe that much of Bible prophecy has already been fulfilled, but still affirm a future second coming, resurrection, and final judgment.
• Full Preterists believe all prophecy—including the second coming—was fulfilled in the first century. This view is considered outside the bounds of orthodoxy by most Christians.

So… Who’s Right?

Good question. I believe there are sincere Christians in each camp.

My personal view is that the strongest arguments support premillennialism (my view) and amillennialism. I strongly reject postmillennialism and preterism (especially total preterism).

What’s not up for debate is that Jesus will return (Acts 1:11), there will be a final judgment (Revelation 20:11-15), and God will create a new heaven and a new earth (Revelation 21:1).

We should live with hope, urgency, and holiness—regardless of which timeline we think best fits the biblical data.

What Comes Next?

In future posts (as well as an upcoming sermon series on eschatology), I’ll look at how current events might relate to these views, and how we can respond biblically and wisely to the times in which we live. But for now, let me encourage you:

Stay in the Word. Stay in prayer. Stay faithful.

Don’t let fear drive you. Let faith anchor you.

Jesus is coming again. That much is certain.

Let’s be ready.

Thank you for Reading!
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