Recognizing the Day of the Lord

How can we recognize whether the Last Days are at hand? Numerous millenarian movements have appeared in history proclaiming the Lord’s coming, often leaving their followers disappointed when the appointed hour came and went without seeing the expected event. Part of the problem turns on the nature of what is expected: will it be a supernatural cataclysm with the Lord riding in on the clouds, or a natural process occurring over months and years like a change of seasons?

Some scripture passages discourage such speculation, saying that it is not for humans to know the details of God’s plan. They caution us not to believe easily in rash claims, otherwise ‘false Christs’ might lead many credulous people astray. Other passages call for faith and patience, warning that only those who have prepared well will remain standing to greet the returning Lord.

Another group of passages have been widely interpreted as a basis for calculating the date of the Messiah’s coming. Among them, we have selected passages from Christian and Jewish sources that speak of a Seventh Millennium, a millennium of Sabbath rest, as these are in agreement with Father Moon’s teaching about the millennial age, the ‘Completed Testament Age,’ that is to begin at the end of 6,000 years of biblical history since Adam.

Finally, we look at Father Moon’s teaching about the world-historical changes of the twentieth century that presage the Second Coming, rooted in the Bible’s teaching that the end will not come until the Gospel has been preached to all nations.