Intro to the End Times is a series walking through some of the key themes of the story of Jesus’ return from a historic premillennial perspective, with special focus on knowing the heart of Jesus as we partner with God through the most dramatic chapter of human history.

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Revelation of Jesus Christ

Studying the end times is first and foremost about knowing Jesus– the “man behind the plan.” Revelation 1:1 introduces itself as the “revelation of Jesus Christ”, not the revelation of the antichrist or judgment or anything else. This is absolutely key because if we memorize facts and timelines and can argue eschatology inside and out, but don’t know the heart of Jesus in it (“but have not love,” as 1 Corinthians 13 would say), we’ve missed the whole point.

Without being anchored in the character of God, we’ll be positioned to fall prey to the twin dangers of deception and offense and give the enemy a foothold to accuse the heart of God to us. Only a true revelation of Jesus will hold us steady. If we don’t know Him, we will be tempted to be fearful, offended, and angry when He acts in a way our theology didn’t prepare us for.

I’m passionate about equipping the church with biblical understanding of the end times because I don’t want us to be surprised and offended. It’s the entire reason I’m writing this series and just shared a post on the timeline of events. However, more than timelines and details, I care most that the Church knows and loves Jesus as He truly is, so that even if the drama of the end times unfolds a little differently than some expect, we can cling tightly to Jesus and agree with Him no matter what He’s doing.

In the final generation, the Holy Spirit is going to especially highlight these three aspects of Jesus’ nature and personality: who He is as bridegroom, king, and judge. These all overlap and play into each other, and all three are essential, otherwise we could easily fall into an unbalanced view of the character of Jesus.

Bridegroom

“as the bridegroom rejoices over the bride, so shall your God rejoice over you.”
(Isaiah 62:5)

“The one who has the bride is the bridegroom. The friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly at the bridegroom’s voice.”
(John 3:28-29)

“The Spirit and the Bride say, ‘Come!’”
(Revelation 22:17)

Throughout the Bible, God describes Himself as the “husband” of Israel (Isa. 54:5, 62:4-5; Je. 31:32; Ez. 16:32; Ho. 2:19-20). In the gospels, it becomes more clear that Jesus specifically is the bridegroom of His people (Mt. 9:14-17, Jn. 3:27-30) and the writings of the apostles confirm this (2Co. 11:2, Eph. 5:31-32). Our bride/bridegroom relationship with Jesus is one of fiery, jealous love, enamored delight, wholehearted loyalty, and intimate partnership. (For more on what it’s like to love Jesus as our Bridegroom, download my message on The Story of the Song of Solomon!)

In the end times, this aspect of who Jesus is comes front and center as the Church sees herself primarily as His bride waiting for the return of her bridegroom (Re. 22:17), who is coming to marry her and join her to Himself in intimate partnership forever. (Of course, we never want to let our thinking about this relationship become sensual in any way; our marriage with Jesus is spiritual, not physical, but no less real.)

In Revelation, we see that New Jerusalem, representing the church, is prepared as a bride adorned for her husband (Re. 21:2). It’s the imagery of a bride walking down the aisle with her long white dress, makeup and accessories perfect, shining with love as she comes to say her “I do.” The wedding feast that Jesus talked about in Matthew 22 has finally come (Re. 19:7).

The climax of the history has always been this great wedding day. From the dawn of creation, when God said, “It is not good for man to be alone” (Ge. 2:18), He was looking forward to the Day when the Son would be joined to His bride. This is “the day of the gladness of His heart” (SS. 3:11). When we think about Jesus as our bridegroom, we encounter His burning desire for us, and we burn with desire to be near Him and joined to Him forever. That’s when we join in the cry, “The Spirit and the Bride say, ‘Come!'” (Re. 22:17)

King

“The LORD is king forever and ever; the nations perish from his land.”
(Psalm 10:16)

“Of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end, on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time forth and forevermore.”
(Isaiah 9:7)

“Why do the nations rage and the peoples plot in vain?… the Lord… will speak to them in his wrath… ‘As for me, I have set my King on Zion, my holy hill… You are my Son… Ask of me, and I will make the nations your heritage, and the ends of the earth your possession.”
(Psalm 2:1-8)

You may have heard the theological idea of the “already and not yet” of the kingdom of God. Both dynamics are equally real, and we need to hold both in tension when we think about Jesus being king. Yes, the kingdom is here among us and within us even now (Lk. 17:20-21)–but at the same time, it’s not here in its fullness (Ac. 1:6). The fullness will only come when Jesus returns.

At the time of Jesus’ first coming, many people missed what was happening because they were expecting an earthly king (Jn. 6:15). It’s easy for us now to look back and shake our heads at their ignorance, but the reality is that they weren’t totally wrong–they were a little confused, but they got the spirit! God really did promise Israel a physical, human king who would rule the nations from Jerusalem and restore the earth to the worship of the Lord; they just didn’t realize that there was a Phase 1 and a Phase 2 of this plan.

When Jesus returns and initiates the Millennial Kingdom, He will set up Jerusalem as the capitol of the world and will actually do the tangible, governmental things of rulership (Isa. 9:6-7). He will make perfectly equitable laws and reform corrupt systems. He’ll institute brilliant new methods of education and economics. He will do everything the Scriptures have ever promised the Messiah will do, and He’s the only human in existence who could ever fulfill every promise and do it perfectly.

In the meantime, we press into the “already” of the kingdom and intercede for His power to manifest in our world today. As a king with all authority, He releases His supernatural power in response to our prayers. So much is available to us now, much more than we usually realize– but every miracle and glimpse of the kingdom is only a down payment of the fullness that’s coming.

Judge

“Gird your sword on your thigh, O mighty one, in your splendor and majesty! In your majesty ride out victoriously for the cause of truth and meekness and righteousness; let your right hand teach you awesome deeds!”
(Psalm 45:3-4)

“Then shall all the trees of the forest sing for joy before the LORD, for he comes, for he comes to judge the earth. He will judge the world in righteousness, and the peoples in his faithfulness.”
(Psalm 96:12-13)

“Salvation and glory and power belong to our God, for his judgments are true and just, for he has judged the great prostitute who corrupted the earth…”
(Revelation 19:2)”

Jesus is zealous to intervene and remove everything that hinders love, as He confronts all oppression instead of ignoring it (Zc. 1:14, 8:2; Ez. 38:18-19; Re. 19:2). Creation has been groaning under the weight of sin, oppression, and injustice, and Jesus will dramatically address it all, like He once flipped the tables in the temple (Mt. 21:12). He’s coming as a warrior on a horse with a sword (Ps. 45:3-5, Re. 19:11-16), and He really will use that sword to kill wicked people (Isa. 63:1-6).

That’s a pretty shocking idea to most people, so if you’re a little uncomfortable, you’re not alone! A few helpful points: one, by the time in the story He’s actually on the ground swinging a sword, those people are 100% dead set against Him. They’ve taken the mark of the beast, fully sworn their allegiance to the antichrist, and are knowingly coming to fight against Jesus. (Check out my last post on the timeline of the story.)

Two, the goal is always, always, mercy before judgment (Ja. 2:13). Every time God releases a judgment, it’s with the goal of shaking people awake to draw them to repentance. He would much rather pour out mercy than judgment, and that’s why He’s been so gracious and patient up to this point in history so far (2Pe. 3:9).

Three, many of us in the West haven’t experienced enough injustice to really recognize the need for swift and sure justice. Those in war-torn countries suffering under oppression and persecution generally have an easier time recognizing the need for dramatic intervention to deliver and repay.

Loving Jesus in His role as judge is so precious and beautiful to me because it’s such a deep thing in His heart that He’s been mostly restraining for generations (Isa. 63:4, Isa. 42:14). It’s uncomfortable for many, and therefore few push past their discomfort to gaze into the beauty of this warrior in red, with robes dripping in His enemies blood (Isa. 63:1-6). And yet when we gaze, we find stunning beauty in His uncompromising zeal for righteousness and His passion to personally defend the oppressed and avenge the blood of the innocent. Only He could do these things with a perfectly pure and holy heart.

The Importance of All Three

There is no contradiction between the three: Jesus is simultaneously a bridegroom, king, and judge. He never suspends one attribute in order to display another; in other words, He wears all three hats at the same time, so to speak. The Jesus who pours out wrath and judgment against the kingdom of darkness is the same Jesus who tenderly woos His bride and desires to fight on her behalf. It all comes from the exact same place in His heart. We must resist misunderstanding of Jesus’ character by emphasizing all three; these three aspects of Jesus’ character belong together.  We get into dangerous territory when we emphasize one to the exclusion of the others.

To understand Jesus as the bridegroom only without seeing Him as the king and judge may lead to emotional fluff and empty sentimentality. It’s important to remember that His jealous desire for us demands our full obedience and agreement with His plans. He wants all of us, not just the warm fuzzies, and He has no tolerance for anything that stands in the way of love. Remember, His love is a consuming fire (SS. 8:6, De. 4:24); Proverbs even says, “jealousy is a husband’s fury; therefore he will not spare in the day of vengeance.” (Pr. 6:34)

To understand Jesus as the king only without seeing Him as the bridegroom and judge may lead to an authoritarian view of God or to a misunderstanding of why God releases His power through us. We love when He displays the power of His kingdom in our lives, but God is not an omnipotent vending machine who can be manipulated into dispensing miracles on command (think of Simon the magician in Acts 8:18-20!)— He has a heart and desires, and His goal is First Commandment love in us.

To understand Jesus as the judge only without seeing Him as the bridegroom king may lead to a harsh view of God or to a misunderstanding of why God releases His judgments. If we focus on God’s judgments without knowing Him as the bridegroom king, then we become scary condemning doomsday preachers. The reason He’s been delaying His judgments for so long is His patience and mercy (2Pe. 3:9).

Loving Jesus for All of Who He Is

My favorite passage for meditating on Jesus as bridegroom, king, and judge is Psalm 45, which I have referenced several times in this post. This chapter reads like a collision between Revelation and the Song of Solomon. It extols the beauty of Jesus and then flows seamlessly into a dramatic picture of Him as a warrior king, bringing judgment against His enemies. It then moves into a wedding scene, showing His glorious bride who gives up everything to be with Him. I believe this chapter is parallel to the end-time scenario in Revelation 19 and Isaiah 63, among others.

My prayer is that Jesus’ bride will burn with desire to know and love Him for all of who He is, not just the aspects that easily fit our frame of reference. He deserves a people who say yes to all of Him, so that when He bursts out and does the things He longs to do, we would burst out with love for Him and say, “Yes! You are perfect and beautiful in all of Your ways!”