End Times - Myths
After the Lord Jesus Christ predicted the destruction of the temple in Jerusalem, his disciples asked, “Tell us, when shall these things be? And what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world?” (Matt. 24:3). They probably had no idea how much discussion Christ’s answers to those questions would generate. Today, the doctrine of eschatology (the study of last things) is controversial. Discussions about the end times are muddied by specific false ideas about the end of this age and the second coming of Christ. In this article, I discuss and refute five myths about the end times—namely, (1) that they are a failed promise, (2) that they were entirely fulfilled in the first century, (3) that in the end times, God will save everyone or (4) that he will annihilate the wicked, and (5) that after the end times, people will live as heavenly spirits. Myth #1: The End Times Are a Failed Promise According to some teachers of theological liberalism, Jesus believed that the kingdom