This is the truth here. This is what i've found too, the early church fathers seemed to got NO CLUE about eschatology, im SORRY to sound so harsh. Maybe its cause we got the whole bible in one single book form complete with chapters and verses that we got the ADVANTAGE when mapping our eschatology as compared to those guys who didnt necessarily even HAVE all the books, let alone chapters and verses and cross-references, maps, historical data, wikipedia to look back on history, etc.
This is found in the earliest Christian document outside the Bible what brother Absolutely just described (YES i called him a brother, lets not get TOO FIRED UP about eschatology guys):
Didache, chapter 16
16:1 Watch concerning your life; let not your lamps be quenched or your loins be loosed, but be ye ready, for ye know not the hour at which our Lord cometh. [IMMINENCY, DONT KNOW WHEN HE RETURNS]
16:4 and because iniquity aboundeth they shall hate each other, and persecute each other, and deliver each other up; and then shall the Deceiver of the world appear as the Son of God, and shall do signs and wonders, and the earth shall be delivered into his hands;
and he shall do unlawful things, such as have never happened since the beginning of the world.
16:5 Then shall the creation of man come to the fiery trial of proof, and many shall be offended and shall perish; but they who remain in their faith shall be saved by the rock of offence itself.
16:6 And then shall appear the signs of the truth; first the sign of the appearance in heaven, then the sign of the sound of the trumpet, and thirdly the resurrection of the dead [EVERYONE CAN TELL BY THESE SIGNS PRECEDING IT]
THANKS didache........ FOR NOTHIN!
This is found in the earliest Christian document outside the Bible what brother Absolutely just described (YES i called him a brother, lets not get TOO FIRED UP about eschatology guys):
Didache, chapter 16
16:1 Watch concerning your life; let not your lamps be quenched or your loins be loosed, but be ye ready, for ye know not the hour at which our Lord cometh. [IMMINENCY, DONT KNOW WHEN HE RETURNS]
16:4 and because iniquity aboundeth they shall hate each other, and persecute each other, and deliver each other up; and then shall the Deceiver of the world appear as the Son of God, and shall do signs and wonders, and the earth shall be delivered into his hands;
and he shall do unlawful things, such as have never happened since the beginning of the world.
16:5 Then shall the creation of man come to the fiery trial of proof, and many shall be offended and shall perish; but they who remain in their faith shall be saved by the rock of offence itself.
16:6 And then shall appear the signs of the truth; first the sign of the appearance in heaven, then the sign of the sound of the trumpet, and thirdly the resurrection of the dead [EVERYONE CAN TELL BY THESE SIGNS PRECEDING IT]
THANKS didache........ FOR NOTHIN!