10 - Upon Whom the Ends Have Come | Allusions, Images, Symbols

The seven annual feasts in the sanctuary show the end of the redemption process: beginning with Christ's death on the cross and ending with his return at the Feast of Tabernacles. Personally, it looks like this: we die on the cross with Jesus, apply forgiveness and deliverance through faith, and are ultimately judged according to whether our hearts are righteous. The Feast of Tabernacles symbolizes the transformation into new life at Jesus' return as King.

We are still in the time of grace today, on the Day of Atonement, but this will soon end, and Christ will come as King – which means we are living in the end times. We distinguish between three aspects of the end times: the personal (life and time of grace), the global (end of evil), and the divine (timing, criteria, judgment).

Important questions are: Are we really in the end times? What are the signs? Will God's wrath be as described in Revelation? Can God in His love really bring about such terrible events? In answering these questions, we discuss whether love and justice are mutually exclusive. We also consider biblical judgments such as the Flood and future end-time judgments.

Matthew 24 describes the surprise at Jesus' return: Many Christians mistakenly believe that they will still have time to prepare after certain events – but the return will be unexpected for many. In the tenth part of our series “Allusions, Images, Symbols,” we take a closer look at what this means.