In Matthew 24:36 Jesus said

“But concerning that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only."

So why do you waste your valuable time?

1 Thessalonians 5:2 Paul said 

"For you yourselves are fully aware that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night."

In Revelation 3:3 John quotes The Lord

"Remember, then, what you received and heard. Keep it, and repent. If you will not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what hour I will come against you.

Revelation 16:15 John quotes The Lord

“Behold, I am coming like a thief! Blessed is the one who stays awake, keeping his garments on, that he may not go about naked and be seen exposed!”

Matthew 24:37-44  

Reinforces the idea that the community must “be ready.” In this context, to “be ready” is to continue to do what Jesus taught in the Gospel of Matthew.

For as were the days of Noah, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day when Noah entered the ark, and they were unaware until the flood came and swept them all away, so will be the coming of the Son of Man.  Then two men will be in the field; one will be taken and one left.  Two women will be grinding at the mill; one will be taken and one left.  Therefore, stay awake, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming.  But know this, that if the master of the house had known in what part of the night the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and would not have let his house be broken into.  Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.

“Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom his master has set over his household, to give them their food at the proper time? Blessed is that servant whom his master will find so doing when he comes.

Matthew 28:18-20, makes our be-ready-focus clear:

And Jesus said to them “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.  Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

Apocolypse is a term misued by Hollywood.  Apocolypse is NOT a major battle or cataclysmic event.  Apocolypse means unveiling or revelation ... making things clear.  This website is an apocolypse.  The book of Revelation is an apocolypse ... making things clear ... a summary of the spiritual battles and trials that faced Israel recorded at the end of the Bible.

Dispensationalism is a theological framework for interpreting the Bible that history is divided into multiple ages called "dispensations" in which God interacts with his chosen people in different ways. It is often distinguished from covenant theology.  These are two competing frameworks of Biblical theology that attempt to explain continuity in the Bible.

Dispensationalists use a literal interpretation of the Bible and believe that divine revelation unfolds throughout the Bible. They believe that there is a distinction between Israel and the Church, and that Christians are not bound by Mosaic law. They maintain beliefs in premillennialism, Christian Zionism, and a rapture of the Church that will happen before the Second Coming of Christ, generally seen as happening before a period of tribulation.

Eschatology - the study of end times and the final judgement.

Fundamentalists / Literalists - a term used to describe mostly Baptists, Brethrens and Pentecostals who rely on verses, often taken out of context, from a literal reading of the King James Version of the Bible.  The KJV came through multiple translation steps from Hebrew, Greek and Aramaic to Latin, Latin vulgate (street/common latin) and into middle English (1611) and lacks some of the dead-sea scroll accuracy.  It's hard to fault lieralist's zeal, but their theology and epistomology is sometimes flawed.

Millenialism is a Messianic era of 1,000 years when God's Kingdom will be established on earth before the final judgement. 

Preterism is a hermeneutical interpretation that SOME (partial preterism), or ALL (full preterism), prophecies of the Bible have already been fulfilled in history. Preterists interpret the prophecies in the Book of Daniel as referring to events that pointed to Jesus first coming. Those events happened from the seventh century BC until the first century AD.  

Preterists (and many Biblical scholars) view Revelation chapters 4-19 as a recap of history in a series of metaphors until chapters 20-21.  The final chapters of Revelation do point to future events.  Preterism holds that ancient Israel finds its continuation or fulfillment in the Christian church through the gift of the Holy Spirit and the destruction of the physical temple in Jerusalem in AD 70. 

Rapture - a "modern" American hypothesis dating back to 1830 that Jesus will come again twice.  Once to take Christians out of the world to avoid the great tribulation and a third time to restore his kingdom here on earth. Margaret MacDonald, a Scottish Penetecostal, is attributed with the vision of the rapture. Interestingly, Margaret's utterances suggest a post-tribulation rapture after the fiery trial, rather than a pre-tribulation rapture ... fueling a 20C debate about pre, mid or post tribulation.

Second Coming of Jesus - Jesus promised in Matthew 24:30 that he will come again. 

"All the people will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory."  

Paul addresses Jesus second coming in several of his letters.  (1 Corinthians 15, 1 Thessalonians 4, ) 

John offers more detail in Revelation and speaks to the new heaven, the new earth, the new Jerusalem in the final chapters. BUT John makes it very clear that Jesus is coming back to this earth to make all things new. 

"Behold the dwelling place of God is with man.  He will dwell with them and they will be his people and God himself will be with them as their God."

Tribulation is a generic term for periods of trial as well as a specific period of seven years when either the Nation of Israel, or the Christian church, or both, are subject to extraordinary persecution.

The first century church faced extraordinary persecution at the hands of "Nerone" Ceasar (gematria 666) prior to the destruction of the temple.

Also known as "Nero" Ceasar (gematria 616), he was knick-named "The Beast" ... and insisted that he be worshipped as God ... who's head was on all the coins used in trading ... who subjected the Christians in AD 67-70 to brutal treatment before destroying the second temple in AD70.  Among the many attrocities he impaled Christians on posts and set them alight for street lighting at night.

History points to extraordinary persecution of God's chosen people and the church over the last 2,000 years.  eg. Israel, Russia, China, Nigeria, Syria, Turkey and the German world wars WW1 and WW2. 

Tribulationists base their hypothesis on Daniel 12 breaking a tribulation into 2 x 3.5 year periods totalling 7 years.  The interpretation is fraught with assumptions.  The linkage to Christ's second coming is tenuous.  It's more likely the passage speaks to Jesus first coming and the persecution of the 1st century church.

Pre-Tribulation. Some dispensationalists believe that Jesus will extract His church out of creation before the great tribulation begins.

Mid-Tribulation. Some believe Jesus will extract His church out of creation 3.5 years through the tribulation.

Post-Tribulation.  Some believe Jesus will extract His church out of creation at the end of the great tribulation.

My simplified conclusion?  

The church has gone through and will go through many tribulations.  We can expect more.  God (Father, Son and Holy Spirit) will sustain us through each tribulation.  When Jesus does return, He will do so once and once only to establish His Kingdom, as orginally intended, here on a remodelled/renovated earth.

End-times hypotheses fall into three main groupings with lots of subtle variations to avoid uncomfortable or contradictory texts.

1.  Futurists / Dispensationalists / Pretribulationists

~ believe and teach the vision of the Scottish pentecostal Mary Macdonald (c 1830).  Mary stated the church would be raptured after the tribulation.  

Pretribulationists believe the church will be spared the tribulation and taken out of the world prior to the tribulation. 

This view turns a blind eye to the extreme persecution of the church and God's chosen people throughout history. eg. Assyrians, Babylonians, Romans (Antiochus, Julius Ceasar, Nero Ceasar), China, the Islamic Crusades, WW1 and WW2 to name a few big ones.

Futurists effectively hold that there are two more comings of Jesus Christ.  Once to rescue his Church in "the rapture" and a third time to restore His Kingdom here on earth.

Pretribulationinsts link Matthew 24, 1 Thessalonians 4, Daniel 12 and Revelation to make their "rapture" story.

2.  Preterists

Propose that the the O.T. prophecies of Daniel and Isaiah point to the first coming of Jesus Christ to die for our sins and take back the keys of hades.

Preterists propose that most of Revelation has had its fullfillment in the events of the first century. Nero, "The Beast", who wanted to be worshipped as God, whose face and name was on all coins, brutally persecuted Christians for their beliefs. Only Revelations 20, 21 and 22 speak to future events.

3.  Historicists

Historicists also see Revelation chapters 4-19 in the context of history, identifying figures and passages with past historical people and events.  Historicists include John Wycliffe, Joachim Fiore, Martin Luther, John Calvin, John Wesley, Isaac Newton et.al.

Revelation 20 speaks to a future judgement.

Revelation 21 speaks to the coming of the New Jerusalem onto a new/revamped earth:

And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.  And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God.  He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”  And he who was seated on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.”

Paul reminds the Thessalonians to test everything (1 Thessalonians 5:21) and hold to what is good. 

John likewise encourages his readers not to believe every spirit but to test them to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world (1 John 4:1).

It's very important to note that people's views on the end times should NOT be used as a measure of their salvation.  That's taking theological differences way too far.  Some people are influenced by malicious false teaching, some by unintentional erroneous teaching, some by their wish to escape responsibility for their current life ... something that intelligent evil (Lucifer et.al.) has used for millenia.  What is important is that we understand what the Bible actually says and get back to the business of making disciples.   

We all agree ...  

• God created heaven and earth.

• God speaks into His creation in three persons/roles as:
    -  God the Father, the God Most High, El Elyon
    -  God the Son, the Son of Man, Yeshuah, Jesus
    -  and God the Holy Spirit, Ruarch ha Kodesh, the teacher.

• God created man to be fruitful, multiply, dress, till and keep the earth AND to have dominion over it.

• Intelligent evil, a.k.a. the Nacash/Serpent, interfered with God's plans to dwell with His people and disobedience/chaos/sin entered creation.

• Intelligent evil tried repeatedly to usurp God's authority.

• Psalm 82 introduces God's Divine Council and multiple sons of God (Jesus distinguished himself as the Son of Man).  Some are obedient to the God Most High, some are disobedient/rebellious. The rebellious ones are condemned to death.

• Disobedient sons of God bread with the daughters of man and produced nephilim; giants; the mighty men of renown, (Genesis 6:1-4), whose descendants had to be erradicated from Caanan, the promised land, before Israel could take possession. Deuteronomy 1:30-31

• The nephilim were hybrid human/spiritual beings; designated unclean; and disembodied by the flood.  Their spirits went on to become the evil spirits / demons we know today that have nothing better to do than mess with God's creation.

• The Sons of God were divided among the nations (Deuteronomy 32:8-9) at Babel (Genesis 11).  They failed in their duty to steward their assigned people and will die as a consequence. (Psalm 82:6-7)

• God entered into creation as Jesus/Yeshuah "the Son of Man" to reclaim all His creation and establish a new covenant with us, conquering death and re-establishing a connection through His Holy Spirit.

• Jesus was born to a virgin named Mary. He lived, taught, made disciples, was crucified, died, conquered death and rose again. He then ascended into heaven to sit at the Father's right hand until the second coming.

• God's Spirit was gifted at Pentecost to lead us into His truth.

• God no longer needs a physical temple or tabernacle; he indwells us through His Holy Spirit.

• God's Spirit bestows upon us spiritual "gifts".  The gifts are manifest in our lives to build up the church and bring glory to Him.

• The gift of tongues was given at Pentecost.  The 70 were subsequently sent out with their gift to reclaim the 70 nations of Genesis 10.

• Paul was chosen to proclaim the message to the Gentiles that God's grace was available to them.

• A life spent in communion with God also produces spiritual "fruit" ... love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, humility and self control.

• God has gone out of His way to restore a relationship with His creation and invites us to rejoin His family.
  
  

Jesus warns his disciples in Matthew 24:4+

And Jesus answered them, “See that no one leads you astray.  For many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and they will lead many astray.  And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not alarmed, for this must take place, but the end is not yet.  For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines and earthquakes in various places.  All these are but the beginning of the birth pains.

“Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and put you to death, and you will be hated by all nations for my name's sake.  And then many will fall away and betray one another and hate one another.  And many false prophets will arise and lead many astray.  And because lawlessness will be increased, the love of many will grow cold.  But the one who endures to the end will be saved.

John warns readers in 1 John 4:1-3

My dear friends, many false prophets have gone out into the world. So do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see if they are from God.  This is how you can know God’s Spirit: Every spirit who confesses that Jesus Christ came to earth as a human is from God.  And every spirit who refuses to say this about Jesus is not from God. It is the spirit of the enemy of Christ, which you have heard is coming, and now he is already in the world.

James warns teachers in James 3:1

Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers, for you know that we who teach will be judged with greater strictness.

Many analytical, left brain theologians pray in tongues.  It's not the exclusive domain of Pentecostals.

N.T.Wright prays in tongues.

John Wesley prayed in tongues

John Wycliffe prayed in tongues

I've prayed in tongues.  My "warden" prayed in tongues.  Many people in my left-brain, Sydney Anglican Church prayed in tongues ... but we were very careful to test any prophecies against scripture.

Praying in tongues is quite familiar to people who emerse themselves in the truth of God's word.

1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 reads ...

"But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope.  For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep.  For this we declare to you by a word from the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep.  For 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. And the dead in Christ will rise first.  Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord.  Therefore encourage one another with these words."

The passage says nothing about a rapture or a tribulation.  Nothing.

The passage was written by Paul to address the question of those who fall asleep before the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ to rule over the earth.  It's given as reassurance that the dead won't miss out.  The dead will rise first and then the living to meet the returning King in the clouds ... in the air ... not in heaven.

The passage uses a familiar event described by the word "parousia" ... the practice of going out to meet the King on his return to a town, city or country.  It was common for people to line the highway when the King came to town.  

Are we going out to greet the coming King on His return to His creation?

The raising-the-dead subject was echoed and extended in 1 Corinthians 15:51-52 with the discussion of a resurrection body.

I tell you this, brothers: flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable.  Behold! I tell you a mystery. We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed.

Those of us who die before Jesus' returns will rise to meet Him with a new body.

In Matthew 24:37-44

“But concerning that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only.  For as were the days of Noah, so will be the coming of the Son of Man.  For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day when Noah entered the ark, and they were unaware until the flood came and swept them all away, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. Then two men will be in the field; one will be taken and one left.  Two women will be grinding at the mill; one will be taken and one left.  Therefore, stay awake, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming.  But know this, that if the master of the house had known in what part of the night the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and would not have let his house be broken into.  Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.

Matthew 24:37-44 is a small extract from a longer chapter on the "end times".  Some of the chapter speaks to the final days, some speaks to the trials ahead of the disciples during Jesus crucifixion, resurrection and after his departure.  

Jesus makes it clear that no one knows the day or the hour of his coming again. No one.  Not even Him. But he does warn that two will be working, one will be taken and one will be left behind.  Rapturists assume the believers will be taken, but note, Jesus preceded his comment with "For as were the days of Noah, so will be the coming of the Son of Man."

Noah was not taken out of the land.  Noah was left behind to fulfill the orginal job given to Adam ... to be fruitful and multiply and replenish the earth.

The sinners were taken out of God's creation, not the believer/s.

Jesus foretells the destruction of the Temple  (in AD70)

(1)  Jesus left the temple and was going away, when his disciples came to point out to him the buildings of the temple.  But he answered them, “You see all these, do you not? Truly, I say to you, there will not be left here one stone upon another that will not be thrown down.”

Signs of the End of the Age

(3) As he sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately, saying, “Tell us, when will these things be, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?” And Jesus answered them, “See that no one leads you astray.  For many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and they will lead many astray.  And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not alarmed, for this must take place, but the end is not yet. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines and earthquakes in various places.  All these are but the beginning of the birth pains.

(9) “Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and put you to death, and you will be hated by all nations for my name's sake. And then many will fall away[a] and betray one another and hate one another.  And many false prophets will arise and lead many astray.  And because lawlessness will be increased, the love of many will grow cold.  But the one who endures to the end will be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.

The Abomination of Desolation

(15) “So when you see the abomination of desolation spoken of by the prophet Daniel, standing in the holy place (let the reader understand), then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. Let the one who is on the housetop not go down to take what is in his house, and let the one who is in the field not turn back to take his cloak. And alas for women who are pregnant and for those who are nursing infants in those days!  Pray that your flight may not be in winter or on a Sabbath. For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been from the beginning of the world until now, no, and never will be.  And if those days had not been cut short, no human being would be saved. But for the sake of the elect those days will be cut short. Then if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ!’ or ‘There he is!’ do not believe it. For false christs and false prophets will arise and perform great signs and wonders, so as to lead astray, if possible, even the elect.  See, I have told you beforehand.  So, if they say to you, ‘Look, he is in the wilderness,’ do not go out. If they say, ‘Look, he is in the inner rooms,’ do not believe it. For as the lightning comes from the east and shines as far as the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. Wherever the corpse is, there the vultures will gather.

The Coming of the Son of Man

(29) “Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken.  Then will appear in heaven the sign of the Son of Man, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.  And he will send out his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.

The Lesson of the Fig Tree

(32) “From the fig tree learn its lesson: as soon as its branch becomes tender and puts out its leaves, you know that summer is near.  So also, when you see all these things, you know that he is near, at the very gates.  Truly, I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place.  Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.

No One Knows That Day and Hour

(36) “But concerning that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only.  For as were the days of Noah, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day when Noah entered the ark, and they were unaware until the flood came and swept them all away, so will be the coming of the Son of Man.  Then two men will be in the field; one will be taken and one left.  Two women will be grinding at the mill; one will be taken and one left. Therefore, stay awake, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming. But know this, that if the master of the house had known in what part of the night the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and would not have let his house be broken into. Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.

(45) “Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom his master has set over his household, to give them their food at the proper time? Blessed is that servant whom his master will find so doing when he comes. Truly, I say to you, he will set him over all his possessions. But if that wicked servant says to himself, ‘My master is delayed,’ and begins to beat his fellow servants[d] and eats and drinks with drunkards, the master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he does not know and will cut him in pieces and put him with the hypocrites. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

Jesus foretells the destruction of the Temple

(1) And as he came out of the temple, one of his disciples said to him, “Look, Teacher, what wonderful stones and what wonderful buildings!”  And Jesus said to him, “Do you see these great buildings? There will not be left here one stone upon another that will not be thrown down.”

Signs of the End of the Age

(3) And as he sat on the Mount of Olives opposite the temple, Peter and James and John and Andrew asked him privately,  “Tell us, when will these things be, and what will be the sign when all these things are about to be accomplished?”  And Jesus began to say to them, “See that no one leads you astray.  Many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am he!’ and they will lead many astray.  And when you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be alarmed. This must take place, but the end is not yet.  For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be earthquakes in various places; there will be famines. These are but the beginning of the birth pains.

“But be on your guard. For they will deliver you over to councils, and you will be beaten in synagogues, and you will stand before governors and kings for my sake, to bear witness before them.  And the gospel must first be proclaimed to all nations.  And when they bring you to trial and deliver you over, do not be anxious beforehand what you are to say, but say whatever is given you in that hour, for it is not you who speak, but the Holy Spirit.  And brother will deliver brother over to death, and the father his child, and children will rise against parents and have them put to death. And you will be hated by all for my name's sake. But the one who endures to the end will be saved.

The Abomination of Desolation

(14) “But when you see the abomination of desolation standing where he ought not to be (let the reader understand), then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains.  Let the one who is on the housetop not go down, nor enter his house, to take anything out,  and let the one who is in the field not turn back to take his cloak.  And alas for women who are pregnant and for those who are nursing infants in those days!  Pray that it may not happen in winter.  For in those days there will be such tribulation as has not been from the beginning of the creation that God created until now, and never will be.  And if the Lord had not cut short the days, no human being would be saved. But for the sake of the elect, whom he chose, he shortened the days.  And then if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ!’ or ‘Look, there he is!’ do not believe it.  For false christs and false prophets will arise and perform signs and wonders, to lead astray, if possible, the elect.  But be on guard; I have told you all things beforehand.

The Coming of the Son of Man

(24) “But in those days, after that tribulation, the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light,  and the stars will be falling from heaven, and the powers in the heavens will be shaken.  And then they will see the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory.  And then he will send out the angels and gather his elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of heaven.

The Lesson of the Fig Tree

(28) “From the fig tree learn its lesson: as soon as its branch becomes tender and puts out its leaves, you know that summer is near.  So also, when you see these things taking place, you know that he is near, at the very gates.  Truly, I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place.  Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.

No One Knows That Day or Hour

(32) “But concerning that day or that hour, no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.  Be on guard, keep awake.  For you do not know when the time will come.  It is like a man going on a journey, when he leaves home and puts his servants in charge, each with his work, and commands the doorkeeper to stay awake.  Therefore stay awake—for you do not know when the master of the house will come, in the evening, or at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or in the morning— lest he come suddenly and find you asleep.  And what I say to you I say to all: Stay awake..

The Destruction of the Temple and Signs of the End Times

(5)  Some of his disciples were remarking about how the temple was adorned with beautiful stones and with gifts dedicated to God. But Jesus said,  “As for what you see here, the time will come when not one stone will be left on another; every one of them will be thrown down.”

(7)  “Teacher,” they asked, “when will these things happen? And what will be the sign that they are about to take place?”

(8)  He replied: “Watch out that you are not deceived. For many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am he,’ and, ‘The time is near.’ Do not follow them.  When you hear of wars and uprisings, do not be frightened. These things must happen first, but the end will not come right away.”

(10)  Then he said to them: “Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be great earthquakes, famines and pestilences in various places, and fearful events and great signs from heaven.

(12)  “But before all this, they will seize you and persecute you. They will hand you over to synagogues and put you in prison, and you will be brought before kings and governors, and all on account of my name. And so you will bear testimony to me. But make up your mind not to worry beforehand how you will defend yourselves. For I will give you words and wisdom that none of your adversaries will be able to resist or contradict. You will be betrayed even by parents, brothers and sisters, relatives and friends, and they will put some of you to death.  Everyone will hate you because of me.  But not a hair of your head will perish.  Stand firm, and you will win life.

(20)  “When you see Jerusalem being surrounded by armies, you will know that its desolation is near.  Then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains, let those in the city get out, and let those in the country not enter the city.  For this is the time of punishment in fulfillment of all that has been written.  How dreadful it will be in those days for pregnant women and nursing mothers! There will be great distress in the land and wrath against this people.  They will fall by the sword and will be taken as prisoners to all the nations. Jerusalem will be trampled on by the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.

(25)  “There will be signs in the sun, moon and stars. On the earth, nations will be in anguish and perplexity at the roaring and tossing of the sea.  People will faint from terror, apprehensive of what is coming on the world, for the heavenly bodies will be shaken.  At that time they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory.  When these things begin to take place, stand up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.”

(29)  He told them this parable: “Look at the fig tree and all the trees.  When they sprout leaves, you can see for yourselves and know that summer is near.  Even so, when you see these things happening, you know that the kingdom of God is near.

(32)  “Truly I tell you, this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened.  Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.

(34)  “Be careful, or your hearts will be weighed down with carousing, drunkenness and the anxieties of life, and that day will close on you suddenly like a trap.  For it will come on all those who live on the face of the whole earth.  Be always on the watch, and pray that you may be able to escape all that is about to happen, and that you may be able to stand before the Son of Man.”

(37)  Each day Jesus was teaching at the temple, and each evening he went out to spend the night on the hill called the Mount of Olives,

Behold! I tell you a mystery. We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed,  in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed.  For this perishable body must put on the imperishable, and this mortal body must put on immortality.  When the perishable puts on the imperishable, and the mortal puts on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written:

“Death is swallowed up in victory.”
“O death, where is your victory?
O death, where is your sting?”

The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law.  But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain..

(1)   But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty.  For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy,  heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good,  treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power. Avoid such people.

David Jeremiah

After The Rapture - An End Times Guide To Survival

Agents of the Apocalypse - A Riveting Look at the Key Players of the End Times

Dr Michael Youssef

Is The End Near? - What Jesus Told Us About The Last Days

End Times and Secrets of the Mahdi

George Elden Lad 

The Last Things - An Eschatology for Laymen

The Presence of The Future - An Eschatology of Biblical Realism

Tim Lehaye

Charting End Times

The Book of Revelation Made Clear

The Left Behind Collection  (fiction)

Each end-times hypothesis is brought undone by contradictory passages.

If you want to argue for one hypothesis over another, then be aware that you are selectively misrepresenting the word of God.  You have to ignore some verses, bend some and string others together that don't belong.  Tread very carefully my friend.

I don't believe we are meant to know when Jesus is coming back.  God doesn't want us or the demons to know ... just like he didn't want them to understand the implications of Jesus' death and resurrection until after it happened.

Jesus doesn't know when he's coming back ... and he's very smart.

Only the Father knows.

End-times and left-behind movies were the money-making, evangelistic tools of the 1970s and 1980s used to scare people into making decisions for Christ.  Fear based "conversions" were not always followed up with quality teaching and discipleship. 

Hollywood always has, and always will use senstionalism, violence and fear to sell bums on seats.  Sadly we have a widespread fascination with violence and diabolical evil at the expense of the the beauty of the final vision of the new heaven and new earth.

The end-times are about God coming to earth to dwell among us and re-establish his Kingdom here on Earth.  Yes, there will be rumours of wars and wars.  Yes there will be periods of great trial BUT God is triumphant through all that, He stands with us, He protects us and is victorious over the evil ones.  

Jesus is coming again.  Jesus is coming back to establish His Kingdom here on earth ... just as He originally intended before the rebellious sons of God hijacked His story ... It will be the evil-free revampled/renewed/refreshed creation.

Stop wasting time!

Jesus' parable of the 10 virgins reminds us to be vigilant, keep our our lamps primed and be ready for the return of the bridegroom.  

However, some people waste too much time trying to fit the news of the day into their end-times hypothesis.

Our preoccupation with our hypothesis takes our focus off our calling to make disciples and win
back the spiritul battle ... one person at a time.

Yes. We are living in the end times. 
Mankind has been for 2,000 years.
So get on with job Jesus gave you to do!

Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom his master has set over his household, to give them their food at the proper time?  Blessed is that servant whom his master will find so doing when he comes.  Matthew 24:43

And Jesus said to them “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.  Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”  Matthew 28:18-20