They were written soon after the bloody destruction of Jerusalem and its sacred temple, and the beginning of the Jewish diaspora. But their horror at the razing of Jerusalem did not dampen their eager anticipation for Christ's triumphant return at the end of the world. We need to rediscover today that Christ's return will not be a time of terror and calamity, but rather the glorious culmination of all of history. Sin will finally yield to love. All that is good and beautiful, all our hard work, will not be destroyed, but glorified.
Evil never gives up without a struggle.
He will dwell with them and they will be his people and God himself will always be with them. They interpret the Bible's vivid apocalyptic images literally, in order to frighten people into joining their sect. The dates they give for Christ's return pass by uneventfully. But many groups, like the Jehovah's Witnesses, have found that combing fear tactics with winning smiles is an effective method for recruiting new members. No one knows when or how it will happen.