Introduction: Defining Eschatology

The word “Eschatology” is from the Greek word “eschata”, meaning “last things”, and from “logos”, meaning “word”, the doctrine of last things. It is one of the last Christian doctrines to be developed. Allister E. McGrath observes that “the most important developments relating to Christian understanding of the “last things” have taken place during the period since the Enlightenment.”¹ The term “eschatology” is therefore believed “to have come into general use in the twentieth century.”²

The interest in knowing the future has been found to exist not only found among religious groups, but also among secular organizations. Erickson explains, “There are a number of reasons for the current attention to eschatology. One is the rapid development of technology and the consequent changes in our culture in general. To avoid obsolescence, it is necessary for corporations and public agencies to predict and prepare for the future.”³

Some secular philosophers have criticized the biblical view of the future. Communism or dialectical materialism challenged theologians to refocus the view of the future.⁴ McGrath claims that “[a] more sustained critique of the Christian doctrine of hope was found in the writings of Karl Marx”, which are regarded “as a secularized Christian eschatology.”⁵ On the other hand, the enlightenment view of eschatology also came under criticism from Johannes Weiss and Albert Schweitzer, as well as by Charles H. Dodd (1884-1973).⁶

Unlike other doctrines, eschatology consists of a cluster of themes or events taking place in the final period of the earth’s history. The way these themes have normally been presented, gives an impression that they are isolated or unrelated events. Thus, some have simply called them “great themes,”⁷ or “a network of eschatological issues.”⁸ Richard McBrien calls them “moments or stages in the final manifestation processes.”⁹ This paper prefers to view these themes as “stages” or a “sequence of future events.”¹⁰. These events build up towards “the final manifestation of the reconciling, renewing, and unifying love of God.”¹¹ Thus, they must be viewed as the final stages of the great controversy between Christ with his angels on one hand, and Satan with his evil angels on the other hand (Rev. 12:9-12).

In the study of eschatology, it is important to have a central focus. Some theologians’ focus is on “the last things” themselves.¹² But other theologians insist that eschatology should center “its attention on that aspect of God by which God is the destiny and consummation of all reality.”¹³ Norman Gulley, therefore, preferring that a study of eschatology always be centered on Christ, calls it ‘Christological eschatology.’ He argues that “the study of final events should be more concerned with who is coming than with what is coming. The biblical focus is Christ-centered rather than crisis-centered.”¹⁴ In this way, “[d]octrines define the character of the God we serve.”¹⁵ Eschatology therefore becomes a study of the final stages or last moments of Christ’s work of saving humanity. Such a study must therefore follow the sequence of Christ’s final acts. Before we begin our analysis of each stage, let’s identify what constitutes the last days’ events.

Determining What Constitutes the Last-day’s Events

The doctrine of eschatology consists of a series of events that take place towards the end of the history of the world. In this section, we list the significant events that Christian theologians have identified to constitute the doctrine of eschatology. Our list is however not exhaustive but only demonstrative.

Firstly, there is Ken E. Brower’s list of the Key Elements of Eschatology: (1) Centrality of Christ – He came and will come again; (2) Final Judgment – inaugurated at the first coming, but will confirm the verdict at the final judgment; (3) Victory of God in Christ – martyrs to be vindicated in the millennium.¹⁶ Secondly, Ray C.W. Roennfeldt lists the following: (1) Personal return of Jesus; (2) Restoration; (3) Judgment.¹⁷ Thirdly, we look at Richard Rice’s list of his Four Great Themes: (1) Return of Christ, (2) Resurrection of the dead, (3) Judgment, (4) Restoration of the earth.¹⁸ Finally, we look at the list given by the Seventh day Adventist Church in the book SDA Believes: (1) Christ’s ministry in the heavenly sanctuary, (2) Death and resurrection, (3) The Second Coming of Christ, (4) The Millennium and the end of Sin, (5) The new earth.

Norman Gulley argues for a Christological starting point in any study of the last days’ events. He says, “The study of end-[time] events begin with Christ and not with end-events. We must not begin in the future and read back into the past, starting with events and fitting Christ, and out of an understanding of who He is, spell out final events.”¹⁹ This paper therefore identifies and discusses the following five eschatological events, starting with (1) Christ’s high priestly ministry in the heavenly sanctuary and the pre-advent judgment, (2) the second coming of Christ, (3) death and resurrection, (4) the Millennium and the end of Sin, and (5) the new earth. These events take place during the period from 1844 to the establishment of God’s knew kingdom in the new earth.

The Sequence of the Last Days’ Events

We have seen that Christ is central in God’s plan and ministry of reconciling the world to himself (1 Cor. 5:19). Therefore, we must ask, “Where is Christ now? What is he doing? To help us answer these questions, a brief analysis of the phases of the Old Testament sanctuary services is helpful. Christ’s atoning ministry conducted through his earthly ministry, death and resurrection, continued after his ascension into heaven. Therefore, understanding Christ’s work as our high priest in heaven must be considered the first stage of the doctrine of eschatology.

Christ’s High Priestly Ministry in the Heavenly Sanctuary and the Pre-advent Judgment

As noted above, an Adventist’s understanding of the last days’ events is linked to the biblical understanding of the Old Testament sanctuary services. The biblical records make the connection between the earthly and the heavenly sanctuary very clear (Exod. 25:9, 40; 26:30; 27:8; Num. 8:4). In the New Testament, the “vertical linkage between God’s heavenly and earthly dwellings is affirmed in the book of Hebrews” (Heb. 9:23-24).²⁰ Walter F. Specht also shows that “it is only in the book of Hebrews that our Lord is specifically called both a priest and a high priest.”²¹ Christ’s high priestly ministry in the heavenly sanctuary became crucial for Seventh-day Adventist church pioneers for understanding His role in the final stages of the plan of redemption. Ellen White indicates, “The sanctuary in heaven is the very center of Christ’s work in our behalf. It concerns every soul living upon the earth. It opens to view the plan of redemption, bringing us down to the very close of time and revealing the triumphant issue of the contest between righteousness and sin.”²²

Ellen G. White also shows how the Millerites came to an understanding of what happened in 1844 through their study of the sanctuary services:

The subject of the sanctuary was the key which unlocked the mystery of the disappointment of 1844. It opened to view a complete system of truth, connected and harmonious, showing that God’s hand had directed the great advent movement and revealing present duty as it brought to light the position and work of His people.²³

The services in the first apartment of the earthly sanctuary are understood to have symbolized the ministry of Christ in the heavenly sanctuary from his resurrection and ascension until 1844. The sanctuary services performed on the Day of Atonement symbolize the final phase of Christ’s ministry in the heavenly sanctuary, from 1844 to the final eradication of all evil and the establishment of Christ’s eternal kingdom.

In the Old Testament period, the Day of Atonement was a day of judgment – the cleansing of the sanctuary and the final eradication of sin (Lev. 16). In the New Testament, on the other hand, some Adventist scholars hold the view that the first half of the book of Revelation (chapters 1:1 - 11:18) features the “first apartment symbolism,²⁴ with the action shifting to the second apartment in Revelation 11:19.”²⁵ When these are studied in connection with Daniel 8:14’s prophetic time of 2300, fulfilled between 1844, this becomes the anchor point in determining time for the beginning of the last day message recorded in Revelation 10:11.²⁶ This also marks the beginning of the pre-advent judgment which “must be completed when the saints of the Most High, the faithful followers of God, receive the eternal kingdom at the second coming of Christ.”²⁷ Thus, when Daniel 7:9, 10, 22, 26 are studied together with Revelation 11:15-18, they reveal that a pre-advent judgment of the little horn and of the saints, takes place at the end of the 2300 days.²⁸

It is important to note that Seventh-day Adventists understand God’s judgment not as a one-time event, but a series of events occurring in at least three phases. George Knight indicates: “The events on the Day of Atonement illustrate the three phases of God’s judgment. They are (1) the “premillennial judgment” (or “the investigative judgment”) which is also called the “pre-advent judgment”; (2) the “millennial judgment”; and (3) the “executive judgment” which takes place at the end of the millennium.”²⁹

The pre-advent judgement, therefore is Seventh-day Adventists defined as follows:

The investigative judgment reveals to heavenly intelligences who among the dead are asleep in Christ and therefore, in Him, are deemed worthy to have part in the first resurrection. It also makes manifest who among the living are abiding in Christ, keeping the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus, and in Him, therefore, are ready for translation into His everlasting kingdom. This judgment vindicates the justice of God in saving those who believe in Jesus. It declares that those who have remained loyal to God shall receive the kingdom. The completion of this ministry of Christ will mark the close of human probation before the Second Advent.³⁰

Seeing that this judgment vindicates God before the universe, as well as vindicating his people,³¹ Knight laments how Adventists have somehow distorted their view of the judgment. He says, “The tragedy of Adventism is that we made the pre-Advent judgment a fearful thing The purpose of judgment in the Bible is not to keep people out of heaven, but to get as many in as possible.”³²

In view of this, 1844 marked the beginning of God’s first phase of his judgment, known as the pre-advent judgment. The pre-advent judgment runs up to the close of probation.

Richard Rice explains what is meant by the closing of probation:

The close of probation is not like a door slamming shut, regardless of who is on the outside. Instead, it is God’s recognition of the status that human beings have chosen for themselves It is the recognition that we are fixing our eternal destiny every day of our lives. By our actions and attitudes we decide whether God has our ultimate loyalty or not. The decision need not be a clear-cut, sharply focused experience, but we make it nevertheless. The close of probation simply acknowledges these choices are irreversible. Our eternal destiny is something we ourselves determine.³³

As the close of probation draws near, the condition of things on earth will greatly worsen in fulfilment of the biblical predictions (Matt. 24:3-12; 2 Tim. 3:1-5). Rice states that “the quality of religious, moral, and social life will progressively decline, and the human condition will finally reach a point of unprecedented decay (1Tim 4:1; 2Tim 3-4.³⁴ Rice elaborates further on the worsening condition of things on earth,

According to the biblical description of the end of history, just before Christ returns God’s sovereignty is rejected by humanity in general. He no longer exerts an influence in human affairs. The scene prior to Christ’s return illustrates what happens when God is no longer sovereign. Human beings are at the mercy of the elements; the earth becomes uninhabitable; and the forces of darkness have free reign to torment and destroy.³⁵

Although Revelation 6 ends with a question, “Who is able to stand?” (vs. 17), chapter 7 effectively answers that question in verses 14-17, showing that the church will indeed “come out of the great tribulations” and will finally stand “before the throne of God.”

Around this time, however, according to dispensational premillennialists, the church will be raptured into heaven, just before the second coming of Christ, to escape the time of trouble. They believe that “the church will be raptured away from this earth and spend the millennium in heaven, while a restored Israel under Christ as the Davidic king will fulfil the promises made to Israel in the Old Testament.”³⁶ But this based on a failure to understand that the Old Testament promises to Israel were conditional.³⁷ Gulley challenges the dispensational interpretation of Daniel 9:24-27, saying, “They detach the seventieth week from the other 69 and jump over 2000 years of church history to Israel, after the alleged church rapture. Here again the need to keep Israel and the church separate drives their quest. Such an interpretation of prophecy is anything but normal or usual.”³⁸ Rather, Adventists prefer the following interpretation of Daniel 9:24-27, as presented by William Shea,

The seventieth and last week of the prophecy should be dated from A.D. 27 to A.D. 34. Jesus began His ministry at the beginning of that week, and did not die until “the midst of the week.” He founded the new covenant in His own blood when He died. The use of the verb “to strengthen” (gabar) implies that this covenant was already in existence. The seventieth week also stands in continuity with the other 69 which precede it.³⁹

Then, the last act to take place shortly before the second coming of Christ, according to Daniel 12:2, will be a special resurrection, as Ellen White presents,

All who have died in the faith of the third angel’s message come forth from the tomb glorified, to hear God’s covenant of peace with those who have kept His law. “They also which pierced Him” (Revelation 1:7), those that mocked and derided Christ’s dying agonies, and the most violent opposers of His truth and His people, are raised to behold Him in His glory and to see the honor placed upon the loyal and obedient.⁴⁰

The Second Coming of Christ

The second coming of Christ, which constitutes the second stage of the doctrine of eschatology, takes place after the close of probation. Some Christian theologians believe that the second coming of Christ will take place in two stages: “These two stages are the rapture and the revelation, or “coming for” the saints and the “coming with” the saints. These two events will be separated by the great tribulation, believed to be approximately seven years in duration. Those who hold this view are termed pretribulationists, and most of them are dispensationalists.”⁴¹ Dispensationalists therefore, believe that “at the end of the seven years, the Lord will return again, bringing his church with him in a great triumphal arrival. This will be conspicuous, glorious event universally recognized. Christ will then set up his earthly millennial kingdom.”⁴²

To the contrary, most Christian Bible scholars affirm that Christ’s second coming “will be a single occurrence, a unified event.”⁴³

Revelation 19:11-16 describe Christ’s coming to earth as a worrier. Other biblical descriptions of the second coming of Christ “indicate its glorious character, a sharp contrast to the lowly and humble circumstances of his first coming. He will come on the clouds with great power and great glory (Matt. 24:30; Mark 13:26; Luke 21:27). He will be accompanied by his angels and heralded by the archangel (1 Thess. 4:16).”⁴⁴ Rice says “the arrival of God’s reign will be dramatic and violent. It will disrupt the course of human affairs. History as we know it will come to an end. As God’s reign approaches, resistance to it will reach its strongest point, and then the forces that oppose it will be completely eradicated.”⁴⁵ But for those who are waiting for his appearing, the second coming of Christ is “the blessed hope” (Titus 2:11), and the grand climax of the preaching of the gospel to the world (Matt. 24:14).

Death and the Resurrection

The analysis of human death and resurrection constitute the third stage of the doctrine of eschatology. Our understanding of death and the intermediate state of human existence after death is linked to our eschatological understanding of the resurrection of the dead. Norman Gulley says, “Most Christians expect to live on at death. They say their souls enter another sphere of existence.”⁴⁶ Gulley explains that “the intermediate state has its premise in the concept that souls live on without the body, but that in the Second Advent God will reunite them with the body. Many regard the experiences of those who have been resuscitated as evidence for human immortality.”⁴⁷ But this belief is without biblical support.

Roman Catholic Christians view the human condition in death through their belief in purgatory. McBrien explains,

Purgatory is best understood as a process by which we are purged of our residue selfishness so that we can really become one with God who is totally oriented to others, i.e., the self-giving God. It is also part of that larger process by which we are called out of nothingness into existence, from existence to selfhood, or responsible human existence, from responsible human existence to full and final incorporation into God.⁴⁸

McBrien admits that “for all practical purposes, [there is] no biblical basis for the doctrine of purgatory.”⁴⁹ But although “Augustine emphasized that all the just, not only the martyrs, enter immediately into heaven,”⁵⁰ the interpretation of the “testing fire” mentioned in 1 Corinthians 3:12-15, after the time of Augustine, became “the purgatory fire and appears as an intermediate realm after death.”⁵¹

But Adventist Bible scholar, T. Housel Jemison argues that regarding humanity’s condition in death, “the most concise statement of what happens when a man dies is found in Ecclesiastes 12:7: ‘Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was: and the spirit shall return to God who gave it.”⁵² Gulley also elaborates, “Repeatedly Scripture compares death to sleep. But it is not a soul-sleep, that is, of the soul alone but the sleep of the total person.”⁵³ Death sleep is biblically understood to be an experience for both the righteous and the wicked.

After death, the next stage that all human beings will enter is that of resurrection. Christ declared, “Do not marvel at this; for the hour is coming in which all who are in the graves will hear His voice and come forth – those who have done good, to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of condemnation” (John 5:28-29). Within the context of the last days’ events, Seventh-day Adventists believe in a series of three different resurrections. There is what is called, a ‘special resurrection’ (Dan. 12:2), which takes place just before the coming of Christ as discussed above. Then there is what the Bible calls, the ‘first resurrection’ (Rev. 20:5) of the righteous following Christ’s second advent, and the third resurrection takes place at the end of the one thousand year as will be shown here.

The resurrection of the righteous dead will take place at the second coming of Christ (John 5:28-29; 1 Thess. 4:13-17; Rev. 20:6), signifying that the righteous do not go to heaven individually at the time of their death. Rather, as Gulley rightly observes, “the blessed hope never focuses on individual death, but always on the return of Christ and the resurrection and translation of the saints to meet Him together, at the same time.”⁵⁴ Thus, the righteous living, together with the resurrected saints, “will be caught up to meet the Lord in the air” (1 Thess. 4: 17). It is at that time that the saved will be translated, glorified, and given incorruptible and immortal bodies (1Cor. 15:22,23, 51-57). But the living wicked will die at Christ’s coming (Matt. 25:41-46; 2 Thess. 1:5-10; Rev. 6:14-17), and the wicked dead will remain in their graves for a thousand years (Rev. 20:5).

Amillennialists believe that the first resurrection “is spiritual, [while] the second is either bodily-physical or spiritual.”⁵⁵ Premillennialists, including Seventh-day Adventists, “insist that the two resurrections mentioned in Revelation 20:4-6 are both bodily.”⁵⁶ Merrill C. Tenney explains, “The resurrection body has properties different from the body of flesh; yet it is not ethereal. There was a definite continuity between the physical body of Jesus’ earthly career and the new body since his hands and side still showed the scars that identified him.”⁵⁷ So the resurrected saints will have recognizable, glorified bodies. The second coming of Jesus, the resurrection of the righteous and their ascension into heaven will mark the beginning of the millennium.

The Millennium, the Judgment and the end of Sin

The biblical millennium (Rev. 20:5), is the fourth stage of the doctrine of eschatology. There are three main theological views concerning the biblical millennium. Erickson briefly elaborates on these three views: “An amillennial view takes the position that there will be no earthly reign of Christ. The postmillennial view regards the millennium to be in progress preceding the second coming of Christ. The final view, premillennialism, holds that the second coming will precede the millennium.”⁵⁸ Seventh-day Adventists, who are premillennialists, believe that “the thousand-year reign of Christ begins with his return to earth (Rev 20:4); but they are unique in locating this reign, not on earth, but in heaven.”⁵⁹ The righteous who will be found alive when Christ returns, and the saints who will be found sleeping in their graves, will be resurrected and will together go to heaven with Christ (Matt. 24:31; John 14:3; 1Thess. 4:17).

Peter van Bemmelen, who supports the view that locates Christ and the saints in heaven during the millennium, says:

The immortalized saints will be taken to heaven, and that is where the book of Revelation pictures the innumerable multitude of the redeemed before the throne of God (Rev 7:9-10; 15:2-4). We conclude, therefore, that the thrones on which the resurrected saints of all ages are seated are located in heaven and not on earth. The thousand-year reign of the saints with Christ is a heavenly reign and not an earthly one.⁶⁰

But the wicked, who will be found alive, will be destroyed by the brightness of Christ’s coming (1 Thess. 5:3; 2 Thess. 2:8). These, with all the wicked dead, will remain dead until the thousand years are over (Rev. 20:5). During the millennium, the earth will be desolate, while Satan will be bound and confined to a desolate earth (Rev. 20:1-3). Francis D. Nichol explains the binding of Satan:

The binding of the dragon is symbolic of the restrictions placed upon Satan’s activities. The wicked will have been slain at the second coming of Christ. The righteous will have been transported to heaven. Satan and his angels will be confined to the desolate earth; so there will be not even one member of the human race left alive on earth upon whom Satan can exercise his deceptive powers. It is in this that his binding will consist.”⁶¹

A theological explanation of the loosing of Satan, when viewed from the perspective of the Day of Atonement as indicated in Leviticus 16:21, is presented by Ellen White as follows:

…When the work of atonement in the heavenly sanctuary has been completed, then in the presence of God and heavenly angels and the hosts of the redeemed the sins of God’s people will be placed upon Satan; he will be declared guilty of all the evil which he has caused them to commit. And as the scape goat was sent away into a land not habited, so Satan will be banished to the desolate earth, an uninhabited and dreary wilderness.⁶²

Meanwhile, in heaven, the righteous are enthroned and given authority to judge (Dan. 7:22; Matt. 19:28; Luke 22:2830; Rev. 20:4; 1 Cor. 6:2-3). This is the second phase of God’s final judgment. Van Bemmelen affirms, “The fact that the Revelation 20:6 emphatically states that the resurrected saints ‘shall be priests of God and of Christ,’ and as such shall reign with Christ a thousand years, indicates that during this millennial period they will exercise a priestly function.”⁶³ As overcomers, they sit on the thrones and reign with Christ for a thousand years (Rev. 2:26; 3:21; 20:6). Peter van Bemmelen elaborates on this phase of divine judgment,

Before God will execute the final judgment upon Satan and his angels, and upon the multitudes of lost humanity who have rejected the salvation offered them through Christ’s sacrifice, Christ, together with the saints of all ages, will open the books of heaven and sit in judgment. This is a process that will take time. As priests of God and of Christ the redeemed will be given to judge the world and even the fallen angels (1Cor. 6:2-3).⁶⁴

The Executive Judgment and the New Earth

At the close of the millennium, the New Jerusalem city will descend from heaven with all the saints (Rev. 21:2-3). The wicked dead will be resurrected and Satan will be loosed, and then he will go out to deceive them (Rev. 20:7-10). The devil will mobilize them to attack the city of the saints – the New Jerusalem. Then the executive judgment of the white throne will take place. The wicked will be judged according to what is written in the books of heaven. Ellen White describes this judgment scene as follows:

As soon as the books of records are opened, and the eye of Jesus looks upon the wicked, they are conscious of every sin which they have ever committed. They see just where their feet diverged from the path of purity and holiness, just how far pride and rebellion have carried them in the violation of the law of God. The seductive temptations which they encouraged by indulgence in sin, the blessings perverted, the messengers of God despised, the warnings rejected, the waves of mercy beaten back by the stubborn, unrepentant heart – all appear as if written in letters of fire.⁶⁵

Then, all those whose names are not written in the book of life are thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death (Rev. 20: 09-15). The fire which consumes the wicked, completely destroys all the traces of the effects of sin (Mal. 4:1, 3; 2 Thess. 1:6-9; 2Pet. 3:10-12). This is called an eternal (GK. Aionios) fire because it will burn for an undefined period but not for endless ages (Matt. 24:41; Jude 7; Rev. 14:11). It will be an unquenchable fire because it will burn until it has consumed its substance (Matt. 3:12; Mark 9:43-48). Edward W. Fudge explains this very well,

A careful look discovers that both Old and New Testaments teach instead a resurrection of the wicked for the purpose of divine judgment, the fearful anticipation of a consuming fire, irrevocable expulsion from God’s presence into a place where there will be weeping and grinding of teeth, such conscious suffering as the divine justice individually requires – and, finally, the everlasting extinction of the wicked with no hope of resurrection, restoration or recovery.⁶⁶

The Lord has no pleasure in the death of anyone (Eze.18:32). The fire that consumes the wicked was primarily prepared for the devil and his angels (Matt. 25:41). So those that join the devil in this final destruction will be receiving the reward of their deeds – the wages of sin (Rom. 6:23). Erickson affirms the finality of God’s judgment over the wicked, saying: “It is important to recognize the finality of the coming judgment. When the verdict is rendered at the last judgment, the wicked will be assigned to their final state.”⁶⁷ Erickson highlights the stack contrast between the saved and those who are lost: “Those who are saved will have an unending life; those who are not saved will be eliminated or annihilated. They will simply cease to exist.”⁶⁸ Then God will inaugurate the final stage of his plan of redemption – the new earth.

The new earth constitutes the last stage of the doctrine of eschatology. It marks the beginning of eternity and ushers in a life free of the existence of sin and its effects in the universe. After the fire that consumes the wicked burns out, God will create the earth (2 Pet. 3:13) in a new form. The home of the redeemed is called a country (Heb. 11:13), and a kingdom (Dan 2: 44; Matt. 25:34). God makes all things new (Rev. 21:5), and the righteous inherit the mansions Christ promised to prepare for them (John 14:2-3), and they dwell in the land forever (Psalm 37:29). The Bible gives a brief description of life in the new earth (Isa. 65:17-25; Rev. 21:22). But it clearly says that God will dwell with them (Rev. 21:3). They will know the Lord and they will be known fully (1Cor. 13:12;). They will see his face, and they will serve him and he will take care of all their needs (1John 3:2; Rev. 7:14-17).

In his anticipatory view of heaven and life eternal, Erickson attempts to describe what heaven will be like, and what it won’t involve, when he says: “Heaven, then, will be the completion of the Christian’s pilgrimage, the end of the struggle against the flesh, the world and the devil. There will be work to do, but it will not involve fighting against opposing forces.”⁶⁹ S. S. Smalley adds, “In the future, there will be rejoicing because evil, and opposition to God, will have been finally overcome (Rev. 12:7-12; [21:4; 22:3]); and the church will be presented blameless in the presence of God’s glory, with rejoicing (Jude 24-25).”⁷⁰

The New Jerusalem, the capital of the new earth, is described as being overlaid with pure gold (Rev 21:18-21). It does not need the sun because the lamb will give it light (Rev 21:23; 22:05). The redeemed will not be confined to a limited space for their dwelling. Ellen White gives us a glimpse of the saints’ access to God’s universe,

All the treasures of the universe will be open to the study of God’s redeemed. Unfettered by mortality, they will wing their tireless flight to worlds afar – worlds that thrilled with sorrow at the spectacle of human woe and rang with songs of gladness at the tidings of a ransomed soul. With unutterable delight the children of earth enter into the joy and the wisdom of unfallen beings. They share the knowledge and understanding gained through ages upon ages in contemplation of God’s handiwork. With undimmed vision they gaze upon the glory of creation – suns and stars and systems, all in their appointed order circling the throne of Deity. Upon all things, from the least to the greatest, the Creator’s name is written, and in all are riches of His power displayed.⁷¹

In the new earth, there will also be opportunities for greater responsibilities (Matt. 25:14-30), and fellowship of the saved (Heb. 12:22-24; Isaiah 66:23). Ellen White also describes the wonderful prospects that await the redeemed,

Every faculty will be developed, every capacity increased. The acquirement of knowledge will not weary the mind or exhaust the energies. There the grandest enterprises may be carried forward, the loftiest aspirations reached, the highest ambitions realized; and still there will arise new heights to surmount, new wonders to admire, new truths to comprehend, fresh objects to call forth the powers of mind soul and body.⁷²

Conclusion

This paper has highlighted the fact that biblical eschatology consists of a series of events that take place in the final stages of God’s plan of salvation of humanity and the restoration of the earth. Christian theologians have identified and emphasized different events. These events have often been presented as if they are isolated events. But this paper has, in line with Norman Gulley’s emphasis, presented the last days’ events from a Christological perspective. This helps us to understand the last days’ events from the perspective of Christ’s high priestly ministry in the heavenly sanctuary.

While this paper is written from a Seventh-day Adventist perspective, it recognizes the broader Christian theological context by identifying the prevailing different theological views on these eschatological events. By utilizing a broader scope, it helps Adventist eschatological understanding to be situated within the wider Christian theological context. This broader contextual perspective also highlights the uniqueness of Adventism’s biblical eschatology. Hence it forms a basis for Adventism’s missiological imperative.

The purpose of this paper was not to present new Christian eschatological views. Rather, it was to highlight the importance of studying and obtaining a clear understanding the last days’ events during these final stages of this earth’s history. A proper biblical understanding of the last days’ events will not only protect sincere Christians from being deceived, but will also help in preparing this generation for the soon coming of Christ. Finally, the paper was a contribution towards a unified understanding of Adventism’s doctrine of eschatology.