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The end of the story

What Scripture says about the last days, the return of Yeshua and the world to come, where Bible students agree and where they differ.

The Bible begins in a garden and ends in a city, with the tree of life in both Genesis 2:9; Revelation 22:2. In between, the prophets, Yeshua and the apostles tell us how the story ends: the Messiah returns, the dead are raised, evil is judged, and God dwells with His people. We saw in The way home: Yeshua that the way home leads all the way back to the beginning.

In this section we try to let Scripture speak first. Some promises here are clear; many details are not. Where faithful students of the Bible read a passage differently, we say so and show the main views. Where we give our own understanding, we label it as ours. And we set no dates: "of that day and hour no one knows" Matthew 24:36.

The goal isn't to win arguments about the end. It's to be ready for it. Yeshua said, "Watch therefore, for you do not know what hour your Lord is coming… Therefore you also be ready" Matthew 24:42-44. Paul wrote, "But you, brothers, are not in darkness, so that this Day should overtake you as a thief… Therefore let us not sleep, as others do, but let us watch and be sober" 1 Thessalonians 5:4-6.

Lessons

  • The order of events: From the first coming to the New Jerusalem, step by step. Some steps are stated plainly; others are interpretations, and we mark them.
  • The gathering of believers (the "rapture"): Scripture clearly promises that believers will be caught up to meet the Lord. When it happens is where Bible students differ. Here is what's clear, the main views, and our understanding.
  • The first and the second resurrection: Scripture says both the righteous and the wicked will be raised, "each one in his own order." Revelation speaks of a first resurrection and a second death.
  • The thousand-year reign: The prophets describe the Messiah reigning over the earth, the Torah going out from Zion, and the nations keeping Sukkot (Feast of Tabernacles). How literally to read it has been discussed since early times.
  • The man of sin, the false prophet and the two witnesses: Scripture describes a lawless ruler, a false prophet who points people to him, and two witnesses who speak for God. We stay with what the text says, and we name no one.
  • New heavens, a new earth and the New Jerusalem: The story ends where it began: God living with His people, and the tree of life. The city's gates bear the names of Israel's tribes, and its foundations the names of the apostles.

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