As of a 2010 Pew Analysis survey, 58 p.c of white, evangelical Christians in the U.S. For those who suppose that’s a fringe position, Pew says that forty one p.c of all People (not simply evangelicals) consider that the Second Coming is just not solely real, but that it’ll happen by 2050 – in other phrases, of their lifetime. Attempts to determine the Antichrist have at all times been an enormous a part of predicting the timing of the Second Coming. For the previous 2,000 years, individuals have been predicting a date for the end of the world and/or Christ’s return (Wikipedia has a very lengthy listing of predictions). The Second Coming refers to a bunch of biblical prophecies foretelling Jesus Christ’s triumphant return to Earth to defeat the forces of evil and set up a 1,000-12 months reign of peace before the final Judgment of all mankind. Even because the promised day failed to appear, early Christian writers like Clement of Rome and Tertullian held to the premillennial perception that Jesus would return in person to conquer evil and reign because the prophesied “King of Kings.” Regularly, although, that belief faded and a new interpretation of the timing of the Second Coming was popularized by the fourth-century theologian Augustine of Hippo. In his best-identified work, “The city of God,” Augustine argued that the Millennium had already begun (postmillennialism), or extra precisely, says Kyle, that the 1,000-year reign of Christ was a “spiritual kingdom” somewhat than a physical kingdom. The most important sticking level in Christian eschatology is the timing of the Second Coming. In the 1840s, the Millerites offered their Earthly possessions ahead of William Miller’s chosen date of Oct. 22, 1844. “Some went as far as to climb up into bushes to be closer to heaven when the Second Coming came,” says Kyle. Darby taught a fiery premillennial doctrine that Christ would undoubtedly return in particular person to vanquish the Antichrist, bind Satan and reign over his Earthly kingdom for 1,000 years. The ebook, written by Hal Lindsey, was one in all the primary to link biblical prophecies of the Second Coming explicitly to present world events like the Cold Warfare and the restoration of the Jewish state of Israel. When the prophecy did not materialize, Miller’s followers continued on as Seventh-Day Adventists. Augustine’s symbolic studying of the Second Coming dominated the Church for nearly 1,500 years, but then came a 19th-century preacher named John Nelson Darby. Throughout historical past, many generations have believed within the imminent return of Christ, with differing interpretations and beliefs amongst Christians. Particularly, will Christ return to Earth earlier than the Millennium or after it? Among white, evangelical Christians within the United States, 58 p.c imagine that Jesus Christ will return to Earth by the year 2050, in line with a 2010 Pew Research survey. Some theologians name Augustine’s method “amillennialism” as a result of it ditches a literal reading of Revelation, Daniel and Matthew, and interprets the prophecies as figurative language describing how Christ works by way of his Earthly Church to prepare the world for His triumphant return. Does the Bible Give a Time frame for the Second Coming? How do different Christian denominations interpret the timing of the Second Coming? Interpretations vary, with premillennialists anticipating Christ’s return before a thousand-yr reign, and postmillennialists believing it can comply with an era of peace established by the Church. The trendy Christian conception of the Second Coming is a mixture of snippets from Daniel, Revelation and Jesus’ personal prophecies of the last days as recorded within the Gospel of Matthew. More than 35 million copies of “The Late Nice Planet Earth” have been offered, a powerful indication of the continued urgency and resonance of the Second Coming with modern Christians. What trendy Christians could not know is that countless different generations have believed that the world was ending of their lifetimes and that Christ’s return was due to this fact imminent. But first, the righteous and faithful can be “caught up” to heaven in the course of the “Rapture,” an occasion prophesied in the brand new Testomony e book of 1 Thessalonians 4:15-17. Darby’s artistic interpretation of the Second Coming and finish of days grew to become often known as “premillennial dispensationalism” and ultimately got here to rule the apocalyptic worldview of evangelical Christianity. Jesus and his fellow Jews would have additionally been familiar with the guide of Daniel, essentially the most apocalyptic textual content in the Hebrew Bible (recognized to Christians as the Outdated Testomony). After the Millennium, Satan can be released for one ultimate fruitless rebellion earlier than the ultimate Judgment. In his literal reading of the Bible’s apocalyptic texts, Darby found that God’s creation was divided into seven distinct ages or “dispensations,” the final one being the Millennium. The e book of Revelation in the brand new Testament is the primary supply of prophecies regarding the Second Coming, however it’s not the one apocalyptic textual content within the Bible (an “apocalypse” is a divinely revealed vision of issues to return). Kyle says that for the first century after Jesus’ crucifixion, resurrection and ascension to heaven, most Christians had been premillennialists who believed that his Second Coming was close at hand. What are the important thing scriptural sources for the Second Coming doctrine? Key sources embody the Ebook of Revelation, the Ebook of Daniel and the Gospels, notably Matthew, which all describe prophetic visions of Christ’s return. The bestselling “Left Behind” collection by Jerry B. Jenkins, which fictionalized the Rapture in our day, is further proof that the Second Coming is alive and nicely in the Christian imagination. 1970 that popularized Darby’s system for a brand new era of Christians. During that 1,000-12 months interval of peace, known because the Millennium (from the Latin mille for “thousand”), Christ himself will rule on Earth within the “Golden Age” of peace and prosperity long awaited by the Jews. In the Bible, when the Apostles ask in regards to the timing of Christ’s return, Jesus famously answers, “Nobody knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, however only the Father” (Matthew 24:36). That hasn’t stopped generations of Christians from guessing, though. When Jesus lastly returns, in line with Revelation, he and his military of angels will defeat the Antichrist and lock up Satan for 1,000 years. Does the Bible Give a Timeframe for the Second Coming? The Irish reformer was satisfied that the Church was in ruins and that the top instances were upon us.