When your days are complete and you lie down with your fathers, I will raise up your descendant after you, who will come forth from you and I will establish His kingdom. He shall build a house for My name, and I will establish the throne of His kingdom forever. (2nd Samuel 7:12,13)
When I was a small child my grandmother would put me on her knee and tell me stories of how we would one day fly away to an enchanted place and live happily ever after. I could not wait for it to happen as I envisioned it to be soon after she said it. Although it is taking a little longer than I expected, I am now assured that it will happen, because the Bible tells me so as well.
The word "Eschatology" means the theological study of the last things. This includes the study of the consummation of all things relating to the world that we live in and each of us, individually. The Bible has a lot to say concerning eschatology which includes the resurrections of "Believers", the Rapture of the Church, the second advent of Christ, and the Millennium.
Christians sometime disagree on when the order of the things mentioned above will occur, but most agree that just as Jesus Christ resurrected from death, so also will those who die in Christ. In addition, many of us believe that the church will be raptured (removed/caught up) collectively from the earth, followed by a period of great tribulation for 7 years. As believers in the Bible, these "truths" should provide joy to us in the midst of our afflictions.
At the end of the tribulation period, we believe that the "Second coming of Christ" will occur prior to the "Millennium", which will see the establishment of Christ's Kingdom on earth for a period of one thousand (1,000) years.
As mentioned above, Christians of different views may disagree on the timing of these events, but the Good News is that Jesus died for our sins and made it possible for us to have everlasting life with God. Accordingly, we can "look forward to things to come!"
