The coming of Christ...

The events prior to the return of the Messiah will be turbulent. The succession of any Kingdom is not without its troubles and the coming of the Kingdom of God will be no different. A generation will be here on earth during this who were made for just such a time as this.

succession

noun

1 a succession of exciting events: sequence, series, progression, chain, cycle, round, string, train, line, run, flow, stream.

2 his succession to the throne: accession, elevation, assumption.

Eschatology The study of the end times, including death, the intermediate state, the afterlife, judgment, the millennium, heaven, and hell. Also refers to the time of Jesus’ second coming. The word eschatology comes from a combination of Greek words meaning “the study of last things.”

Eschatology in the Old Testament may be said to begin with the garden of Eden, where God is in full presence with Adam and Eve. After the fall, humanity fell out of relationship with God. The remainder of the Old Testament and New Testament tell the story of God’s plan to restore His holiness among a holy people. For example, in Exodus 25:8, He commands the Israelites to build a sanctuary so that His presence may rest with them wherever they go. In the last chapter of Revelation, John the Apostle illustrates God walking once again with His people in holiness at the end of the age.

To a great extent, apocryphal and other ancient Near Eastern writings parallel the ideas of eschatology presented in the Old Testament. For example, the deuterocanonical book Sirach presents the idea that those who will give praises to God are the persons who have lived a righteous life, but the one who is dead ceases to praise God (17:27–28).

The pseudepigraphal book of 1 Enoch records the author’s vision of שְׁאוֹל (she'ol) as divided into four sections (chapters 17–26).

1. The Bosom of Abraham, where the saints await entrance to heaven.

2. Where the morally good person awaits reward.

3. Where the wicked are punished and will eventually have their judgment at the resurrection.

4. Where the wicked who do not have any hope of resurrection are tormented.

The New Testament writers examined both personal and corporate eschatology that centered on God’s people being reconciled into God’s presence in the New Jerusalem, thereby symbolically returning to the garden of Eden.

The eschatology in the Gospels centers on the breaking in of the kingdom of God. Opposition to God’s kingdom builds in the Passion Narratives, and Jesus foretells the destruction of the temple in Jerusalem and the “end of the age” in His Olivet Discourse (Matt 24:3–25:46; Mark 13:3–37; Luke 21:5–36). This continues the temple analogy started in the Old Testament as a symbol of God’s presence with His people. 

Since God’s judgment was pronounced on the temple system, the fate of the temple in Jesus’ time was sealed. The judgment on the temple was not “the end” by any means. Rather, it was the beginning of God’s purposes now being centered upon Jesus and the Church.

In the Gospels, more words are used for the description of שְׁאוֹל (she'ol) and heaven. The word γέεννα (geenna) (Matt 5:22, 29; 10:28; 18:9, for example) originally denoted a valley near Jerusalem, the “Valley of [the sons of] Hinnom,” which was associated with idolatry and child sacrifice (2 Chr 28:3; 33:6; Jer 19:5–6; 32:35). However, in New Testament passages, it is used to describe separation from God’s presence. Those who are separated from the presence of God are described as experiencing a punishing fire (Matt 5:22; 18:9; Mark 9:43).

Paul’s Letters develop personal and corporate eschatology even further. He uses phrases such as “fallen asleep” to describe believers who have died but still await the return of Christ (1 Cor 15:18). At the same time, he speaks about the imminent return of Christ. Paul develops the theme that the kingdom of God is here now, but that Christ still is yet to come (1 Cor 15:24). Believers live within the tension and wait anxiously for the return of Christ. Paul encourages Christians to be ready for the day of Christ’s return, though they do not know the exact day or hour (1 Thess 4:13–18). Until the time of Christ’s return, the temple is no longer in Jerusalem but rather in the heart of the believer (Eph 2:22).

The book of Revelation culminates in chapters 21 and 22, where John speaks of his vision of the new Jerusalem. The description of the new Jerusalem echoes the garden of Eden in its statement of God’s dwelling among people (Rev 21:3) and its inclusion of the tree of life (Rev 22:2; compare Gen 2:9).

A clearer picture of both personal and corporate eschatology appears by the end of the New Testament. The concept of the Old Testament שְׁאוֹל (she'ol) are broadened and deepened to include a vivid description of the eternal destinies of believers and nonbelievers. 

The coming of the kingdom of God begun with the ministry of Jesus finds its fulfillment in the restoration of God’s people, who live in God’s presence at the end of the age.