End Times?

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Does the Catholic Church take a stance on the teaching of end times? If so, what is it? I’ve been asked by Protestants and I honestly don’t know. Any information would be helpful. 😉
 
mrs_abbott said:
Does the Catholic Church take a stance on the teaching of end times? If so, what is it? I’ve been asked by Protestants and I honestly don’t know. Any information would be helpful. 😉
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I’m in the middle of a series on the end times in my apologetics class, and we’re using Beginning Apologetics 8: The End Times - What Catholics Believe about the Second Coming, the Rapture, Heaven, Hell, Purgatory, and Indulgences.

In short - the pre-millennial, pre-tribulation rapture idea is unscriptural.
 
Here is what the Church teaches.

When each of us dies, our souls are immediately judged by God. This is called the Particular Judgment. At this point we begin our eternal destiny. If we are going to hell, our souls go directly there. If we are deemed worthy of heaven, our souls will go directly to heaven, or if we are going to heaven but are in need of purification, we may go to Purgatory first for a while (everyone in Purgatory will eventually go to heaven). Whatever our fate, our souls will stay there (heaven or hell) until the end of time, at which time the Second Coming will occur.

At the **Second Coming **at the end of time, those Christians still alive and who are in a state of sanctifying grace will be taken to heaven (what some Protestants think of as of the rapture). Then will occur the General Judgment. At that time the souls of the living and the dead will be reunited with their bodies and brought together in God’s presence and judged before all. Those who have already been judged in the Particular Judgment will be brought from wherever their souls were -heaven, hell or Purgatory-- and have their judgment confirmed before all, so that both the justice and mercy of God will be manifest to all.

After this, time and Purgatory will be no more and all will enter with their souls and bodies into their eternal destiny, either hell or heaven.

This is an extremely bare-bones sketch, so if you want to get the details, see the five articles I linked below:

rosary-center.org/ll57n1.htm
rosary-center.org/ll57n2.htm
rosary-center.org/ll57n3.htm
rosary-center.org/ll57n4.htm
rosary-center.org/ll49n6.htm

In addition, you have to learn to recognize erroneous teachings about the End Times popularized by fundamentalists. In other words, toss out the “Left Behind” and “Late, Great Planet Earth” baloney. Here are some resources to help you develop some discernment in these areas:

catholic.com/library/rapture.asp
catholic.com/thisrock/2000/0011fea2.asp
catholic.com/library/false_profit.asp
catholic.com/thisrock/2002/0211fea3.asp
catholic.com/thisrock/2000/0001fea1.asp
catholic.com/thisrock/1995/9510ntg.asp
catholic.com/thisrock/2002/0209fea5.asp
catholic.com/thisrock/1998/9812chap.asp
catholic.com/thisrock/2003/0304bt.asp
catholic.com/thisrock/1997/9705chap.asp
catholic.com/thisrock/1994/9409fea4.asp
catholic.com/thisrock/1994/9410fea2.asp
catholic.com/thisrock/2000/0009bite.asp

Finally, here are some resources to help you develop a well-balanced Catholic understanding of the Book of Revelation, biblical prophecy, and eschatology. All of these are HIGHLY recommended:

The Navarre Bible Commentary on the Book of Revelation
The Navarre Bible Commentary on the Major Prophets
The Navarre Bible Commentary on the Minor Prophets
amazon.com/gp/search/ref=…=navarre+bible

The End: The Book of Revelation, tape/CD series and Study Guide by Dr. Scott Hahn.
saintjoe.com/more-info.ph…&Title=The-End

Will Catholics Be "Left Behind”? by Carl Olsen
ignatius.com/ViewProduct…D=260&AFID=12&

The Rapture Trap: A Catholic Response to “End Times” Fever,by Paul Thigpen
amazon.com/Rapture-Trap-C…/dp/0965922820

The Lamb’s Supper, by Dr. Scott Hahn.
amazon.com/gp/product/038…Fencoding=UTF8

Rapture: The End Times Fiction that Leaves Truth Behind, by David Curie
amazon.com/Rapture-End-Ti…8139548&sr=1-1

Revelation Revealed, tapes/CD series by Michael Barber
saintjoe.com/more-info.ph…ation-Revealed

Coming Soon, a book on this same topic by Michael Barber
amazon.com/Coming-Soon-Un…/dp/193101826X

Introduction To Prophecy, CD set by Steve Wood
familylifecenter.net/cart…ail.cfm?Id=613

Hope that helps.
 
mrs_abbott said:
Does the Catholic Church take a stance on the teaching of end times? If so, what is it? I’ve been asked by Protestants and I honestly don’t know. Any information would be helpful. 😉
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There is a group of us speculating on endtimes in the back fence section of the fourms the thread is called end times speculation III , the first thread has links to part I & 2 of the thread [a lot of reading to get up to #3 thread but well worth it , lots of scripture references incl.] 👍
 
djrakowski said:
I’m in the middle of a series on the end times in my apologetics class, and we’re using Beginning Apologetics 8: The End Times - What Catholics Believe about the Second Coming, the Rapture, Heaven, Hell, Purgatory, and Indulgences.

In short - the pre-millennial, pre-tribulation rapture idea is unscriptural.
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I was given the first Beginning Apologetics book a LONG time ago as a gift. Where can I go get the complete series of them? Would any Christian store have them?
 
mrs_abbott said:
I was given the first Beginning Apologetics book a LONG time ago as a gift. Where can I go get the complete series of them? Would any Christian store have them?
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You can get them from Catholic Answers, Amazon.com, and probably your local Catholic bookstore.
 
As my understanding goes, the Catholic position on end times is based largely on Jesus’s discourse in the Book of Matthew 24.

Basically: the Thousand Year “Millenium” is the age of the Church. (A position known an amillenialism as opposed to protestant fundamentalist pre-millenialism) As such, many of the earlier events and tribulations of the Book of Revelation have already occurred, although there is no official interpretation of precisely which historical events match those foretold in the bible.Matt 24 v7 forewarns that the early tribulations are only the beginning of the first pains of rebirth.

False prophets will appear, and there will be a great falling away from the Church (v 11-12). verses 17-20 warn of the great tribulation. Christians will not be wafted away from earth to escape this tribulation. V22 states that God will shorten the Tribulation for the sake of his chosen. Jesus will not appear or return secretly (v 26). In fact (v29-30) There will be a period of utter darkness before Jesus coming. In the old days it was taught by the Church that there would be three days of utter darkness, with no light whatsoever. Then Jesus will appear in Glory for all to see.
 
Axion said:
In fact (v29-30) There will be a period of utter darkness before Jesus coming. In the old days it was taught by the Church that there would be three days of utter darkness, with no light whatsoever. Then Jesus will appear in Glory for all to see.
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I’ve heard of something like that before and it was just called “the three days of darkness” but they took it a step further saying that during that time, there would be a battle on earth between God and Satan. During that time, we are supposed to stay in our homes, not look outside and light candles and pray constantly.
Is that kinda what you’re referring to?
 
Prophetic Warnings for the last days of the Returning of Jesus Christ

The last days will be like as in the days of Noah, Lot. Jesus said that the last days would be preceded by several things: many false Christs would come, deceiving many; we would “hear of wars and rumors of wars”; and there would be an increase in “famine.
Genesis 8:22 makes it clear that the preceding must be the final, last signs which usher in Jesus’ appearance on the last day, for God has promised that day and night and the seasons will not cease until the very end, which the destruction of the sun and universe will bring to an end

1 Corinthians 15:22 For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all will be made alive.

1 Timothy 4:1 Now the Spirit explicitly says that in later times some will fall away from the faith, following deceitful spirits and doctrines of demons,

1 Timothy 4:2 by means of the hypocrisy of men who speak lies, who have been seared in their own conscience with a red hot branding iron.

2 Thessalonians 2:1 Now we request you, brothers, concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to him,

2 Thessalonians 2:2 that you not be quickly shaken from your composure, nor be disturbed either by a spirit or by a message or by a letter as to have come from us, that the day of the Lord has come.

2 Thessalonians 2:3 Not anyone should deceive you in any way, because that day will not come unless the apostasy should come first and the man of lawlessness should be revealed, the son of destruction

2 Thessalonians 2:7 For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only he who is restraining him now will do so until he should be taken out of the way.

2 Thessalonians 2:8 And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will kill with the breath of his mouth and destroy by the appearance of his coming,

2 Thessalonians 2:9 namely, the one whose coming is in accordance with the working of Satan in all power and signs and lying wonders,

2 Thessalonians 2:10 and with all deception of wickedness to those who are perishing, because they did not receive the love of the truth, so that they would be saved.

2 Thessalonians 2:11 And for this reason God sends them a deluding influence, so they believe the lie

2 Thessalonians 2:12 in order that all who did not believe the truth but delighted in the wickedness may be condemned.

Matthew 24:4 And answering, Jesus said to them, “Watch out that no one deceives you.

Matthew 24:7 For nation will rise against nation and kingdom against kingdom, . .

Matthew 24:9 Then they will deliver you up to affliction, and they will kill you, and you will continue being hated by all nations because of my name.

Matthew 24:10 And at that time many will fall away, and they will betray one another, and they will hate one another.

Matthew 24:11 And many false prophets will arise and will deceive many.

Matthew 24:12 And because of the multiplying of lawlessness, the love of many will grow cold

Matthew 24:24 For false Christs and false prophets will arise, and they will perform great signs and w onders, in order to deceive, if that were possible, even the elect

Mark 13:12 And brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child, and children will rise up against their parents and will put them to death.

Mark 13:13 And you will continue being hated by all because of my name. But the one who endures to the end, this one will be saved.

Mark 13:10 And the gospel must first be preached to all the nations.

Mark 13:11 And when they lead you away and hand you over, do not concern yourselves beforehand about what you should say, but whatever may be given to you in that hour – speak this, for indeed you are not the ones who speak but the Holy Spirit.

Mark 13:12 And brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child, and children will rise up against their parents and will put them to death.

Mark 13:13 And you will continue being hated by all because of my name. But the one who endures to the end, this one will be saved.

1 John 2:18 Little children, it is the last hour, and just as you heard that Antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have come. From this fact we know that it is the last hour.

1 John 4:1 Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see if they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world.

1 John 4:2 By this you know the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesses Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God;

1 John 4:3 And every spirit which does not confess Jesus is not from God; and this is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming, and is now already in the world.

2 John 7 For many deceivers have gone out into the world, who do not acknowledge Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh. This one is the deceiver and the antichrist.

1Peter 4:17 For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God?

2 Peter 3:3 Know this first of all, that in the last days scoffers will come with their scoffing, conducting themselves according to their own evil desires

2 Peter 3:4 and saying, “Where is the promise of his coming? For since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue in this manner from the beginning of creation.”

2 Peter 3:10 But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, in which the heavens will disappear with a roar, and the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and the works in it will be burned up

Joel 2:30 And I will give wonders in the heavens and on the earth, Blood and fire and pillars of smoke.

www.freewebs.com/jesus4all
 
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