The Biblical Story of God, Man, Sin, and Redemption – Part 6: Jesus’ 2nd Coming and End Times

August 29, 2025

by Dennis Christian

(As drawn from the pages of Holy Scripture)

Table of Contents

Part 1 – Overview
Before Creation
God’s decision to create man
God’s purpose required man to be made in His image
The foreseen sin of man an obstacle to God’s purpose for creating him
God’s predetermined solution (the Cross) to the obstacle

Part 2 – Creation
Creation’s beginning:
Creation completes with the addition of man
Possible interpretations

Part 3 – After creation – the first humans
God’s purposes for creation were ready to be fulfilled:
The commandment, which exposed mankind’s vulnerability to sin, Adam and Eve (the Fall):
Paul’s exposition on the Law from Romans 7:
Sin’s impact on creation, mankind:
Paul’s exposition on the Fall from Romans 5 and 8

Part 4 – God’s predetermined plan to rescue sinful man begins, unfolding over time
God’s love for Adam and Eve (mankind) despite their sin
God wants to walk with man, but few will
Enoch, a descendant of Adam’s son Seth, was one of the few.
God’s grief over mankind’s rampant sin
Noah and the Flood
God selects a family, which will become a nation, through whom the Messiah will come:
Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob: God’s chosen people Israel
Joseph a type of the Future Messiah
Israel grows to the size of a nation
Moses and the Exodus, Moses and the Law
Joshua leads the Hebrews into the promised land (Canaan)
The Battle of Jericho
Canaan is divided among the twelve tribes of Israel
Israel ruled by Judges
Saul becomes the first king of Israel
David, slayer of Goliath then becoming a mighty king
Solomon and the peak of Israel’s earthly strength, wealth, and glory
Israel’s failures, but God’s faithfulness

Part 5 – Jesus (the Messiah) comes:
The ministry of Jesus
The Cross – His primary purpose for coming
What the cross did for mankind
How the cross did it
God’s purpose for creating mankind and His purpose for mankind restored for believers
God’s fulfillment of promises to both Jew and gentile – united now as one people, the principal role of His chosen people fulfilled

Part 6 – Jesus’ future 2nd coming and the end times
Uncertainties of the end time events
The rapture and great tribulation
The Day of the Lord
The Millenium
The battle of Armageddon
Judgment
The end state(s) of mankind and all creation

 

Part 6 – Jesus’ 2nd coming and the end times

  • Uncertainties of the end time events: Various scriptures speak to the end time events. These include the prophetic visions in Daniel 7-12, Jesus’ teachings in Matthew 24, the description of the “last days” in 2 Timothy 3:1-5, and passages about Christ’s return in 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18, 1 Corinthians 15, and Revelation. These passages describe signs like wars, famines, and moral decay, the great tribulation, the day of the Lord, the eventual triumph of God’s kingdom, the 2nd coming of Christ, the resurrection of the dead, the rapture of the church, judgment, and the new heaven and earth.
  • The rapture and great tribulation: The word rapture is not actually used but the event is described in 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17 where the dead in Christ shall rise to meet the Lord coming down from heaven and those who are alive will be changed in an instant and join them. Christians are divided on when this happens. Some believe it is before the great tribulation, while others believe it will be during or at the conclusion of the tribulation. The tribulation is described in apocalyptic detail in Revelation 6-19. Jesus describes it in Matthew 24 as the worst time in all of human history, and it is stopped when Christ returns.
  • The Day of the Lord: This phrase is used in scripture to refer to the start of the end time events.
  • The Millenium: There is more division over the understanding of this than any other end time event. It refers to a 1000-year period mentioned in Revelation 20 where its vision is that Satan will be bound for 1000 years and Christ will reign with resurrected martyrs on earth for the same 1000 years, after which Satan will be released for a short period. There is much division in Christendom regarding the 1000 years. Some believe it has yet to come (premillennialism), some believe it is a perfect number symbolizing when time ends and we get to be with our Lord (amillennialism), and some believe it started with the first advent of Christ and will end at His 2nd coming (postmillennialism).
  • The battle of Armageddon: When the Lord returns and defeats Satan and his armies and casts him into the lake of fire forever.
  • Judgment: After Armageddon, when all mankind is judged for their deeds and those whose names are in the Book of Life (believers) will enter heaven and everyone else will be cast into the lake of fire.
  • The end state(s) of mankind and all creation: According to scripture (Revelation 21-22), the current heaven and earth (universe) will pass away and God will create a new heaven and earth and a new Jerusalem to be its capital city. The new heaven, earth, and Jerusalem will be populated with God, Christ, believers (those whose names were written in the Book of Life), angels, and other heavenly beings such as Cherubim and Seraphim. All these will reside there for eternity. There will also be an abyss (hell or lake of fire) where Satan and his demons will be cast. Unbelievers (those whose names are not in the Book of Life) will also be cast into the lake of fire. Satan and his demons will reside there in torment for eternity. Since Jesus mentioned destruction of the soul (Matthew 10:28), there are two views about the end state of unbelievers. The traditional view is that they will reside in hell in torment forever. The second view is that their soul is destroyed after receiving a just amount of torment in hell commensurate with their level of iniquity while on earth (they must pay the penalty for all their sins) followed by destruction of their souls. Their destruction is also a punishment of missing out on the joys of being in heaven and in the presence of God and Christ.