Eschatology Honor

Missionary & Community Activities

Requirements

  1. Read Matthew 24:3 to 14. After completing the reading, do research finding at least 20 signs that indicate the nearness of the 2nd coming of Christ that have occurred in the last 5 years.

    Answer: COVID-19 pandemic (2020), wars in Ukraine/Israel-Hamas (2022-23), Turkey/Syria earthquake February 2023, famine in Sudan/Ethiopia, false christs, Christian persecution (Open Doors, 365 million), record global warming, the gospel in 3,700 languages. — Matthew 24 lists wars, famines, earthquakes, pestilences, false christs, the gospel throughout the world, persecution. Wycliffe translates the Bible into 3,700+ languages (>95% of the world population); the IPCC shows 1.5°C of warming; Open Doors records 365M persecuted Christians.

  2. Be able to locate in the Bible, from memory, at least 5 passages different from those found in this Honor that present promises concerning the second coming of Jesus.

    Answer: John 14:1-3 ('I go to prepare a place for you... I will come again'), 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17 ('the Lord shall descend from heaven'), Acts 1:11 ('shall come in like manner'), Revelation 1:7 ('Behold, he cometh with clouds'), and Titus 2:13 ('looking for that blessed hope'). — Other key passages: Hebrews 9:28, Matthew 24:30, 2 Peter 3:10, Daniel 7:13, 1 Corinthians 15:51-52. There are about 1,500 references to the second coming in the OT and 300 in the NT, that is, 1 in every 25 verses of the NT deals with the theme. A central doctrine of the Adventist faith.

  3. Portray one of the biblical parables that deal with the second coming of Jesus, by means of one of the following: music, drawing, poetry, or dramatization.

    Answer: Parable of the Ten Virgins (Matthew 25:1-13): five wise take extra oil, five foolish do not. The bridegroom delays, all sleep; at midnight he arrives and only the prepared ones enter the wedding. Lesson: watchfulness and readiness for the coming of Christ. — Other eschatological parables: the Talents (Mt 25:14-30), the Wheat and the Tares (Mt 13:24-30), the Fig Tree (Mt 24:32), the Watchful Servant (Lk 12:35-48). Oil symbolizes the Holy Spirit. Five and five shows that half of the visible church may be unprepared — a serious warning.

  4. Organize a timeline of at least 1 page listing the main final events that will culminate in the 2nd coming of Jesus. Also add what will happen during the following 1000 years.

    Answer: Pre-advent: Sunday law → decree → 7 plagues → 2nd coming. Millennium: the righteous in heaven, the wicked dead, Satan bound on Earth. After: the New Jerusalem descends, the final resurrection, fire, the eternal Earth. — The Adventist doctrine of the millennium is pre-advent (Christ returns before). Revelation 20 details Satan bound for a thousand years. The righteous take part in the judgment (1 Cor 6:2-3, Rev 20:4). After a thousand years, Satan is loosed and there is the final battle, then fire from heaven (Rev 20:7-15) and the New Earth (Rev 21).

  5. Study the account of Jesus' ascension to Heaven, after His resurrection. Then, make a list of the similarities and differences between this event and His second coming.

    Answer: Similarities: visible, bodily, with clouds, from the Mount of Olives (Acts 1:11 'in like manner'). Differences: the ascension was before few (~120 disciples); the 2nd coming will be seen by every eye, with glory, angels, the resurrection of the righteous, and the judgment of the wicked. — Acts 1:9-11 records two angels promising a return 'in the same manner.' The key difference: the 1st was local and silent; the 2nd will be global, audible ('the voice of the archangel, the trumpet of God'), glorious (every knee shall bow), and collective (1 Thess 4:16-17, resurrection+rapture).

  6. Explain the relationship between the quotation 'I come as a thief' from Revelation 16:15 and 'and every eye shall see him' from Revelation 1:7.

    Answer: There is no contradiction: Christ will come visibly to ALL, but unexpectedly for the wicked. The thief refers to the time (an unknown hour), not the manner (which will be visible, audible, glorious). The prepared wait; the unprepared will be taken by surprise. — Matthew 24:36 and 24:42-44 reinforce: 'you do not know at what hour the Lord comes.' The figure of the thief is temporal, not modal. 1 Thess 5:2-4 clarifies: 'but you, brethren, are not in darkness, that the day should overtake you as a thief.' The faithful will not be taken by surprise.

  7. Read the following passages from the Bible and from the Spirit of Prophecy:
    • 2 Timothy 4:8.
    • Revelation 2:10.
    • Matthew 24:36.
    • Last Day Events, p. 244.
    • Early Writings, pp. 15 and 16.
    • The Great Controversy, pp. 640 to 646.
    • Based on the knowledge gained from studying these and the other passages addressed in this Honor, answer:
    • Why is it possible to state that the Second Coming of Jesus is so near?
    • How can we hasten the return of Jesus?
    • What should our focus be regarding the heavenly crown? The number of stars?
    • Who knows the exact day and hour of the return of Jesus?
    • What will be the first signs seen in the sky, moments before the coming of Jesus?

    Answer: Nearness: fulfilled signs. Hasten: preach the gospel to all (Mt 24:14). Crown: character (not stars). Hour: no one knows (only the Father, Mt 24:36). Signs in the sky: a small dark cloud in the east grows until it takes the form of the Son of Man with glory. — Ellen White (GC 640-646) describes the cloud as initially the size of a hand. EF 244 warns against counting crowns. The focus is sanctified character (2 Tim 4:8, 'the crown of righteousness'). Mt 24:36 denies date-setting. Hasten through mission (2 Pet 3:12, 'hastening the coming').