End Times, End of the World, the Rapture, millenialism, Apocalypse - How can we sort it all out?

Most Christians have a different view of the End Times than this...

When it comes to End Times views, most Christians leave the rapture behind

Despite the cultural phenomenon that is the "Left Behind" books, the majority of Christians throughout history have not believed such a view of the End Times.  In fact, until the mid 1800s no Christian believed in an invisible return of Jesus to snatch believers away unexpectedly, leaving behind bewildered friends, loved ones, fellow passengers, wombs or cribs. 

This view of the End Times finds its roots in the 19th century grassroots theology created by British pastor John Nelson Darby, and subsequently popularized by such figures as C.I. Scofield, D.L. Moody, Charles Ryrie and John Walvoord.  Known as "Dispensationalism", this view became dominant among Fundamentalists and Evangelicals through the establishment of Bible colleges, revival preaching and early study Bible notes (such as the Scofield, Dake and Ryrie study Bibles).

However, Christian scholars and theologians have almost universally rejected Dispensationalism--particularly its claims of a rapture of believers into Heaven before, during, or after (depending on whether they are Pre-, Mid-, or Post-tribulationists) a 7-year period of suffering on earth known as the Great Tribulation.

Instead, Christains have largely held to one of three basic views of the End Times:  Historic Premillennialism, Post Millennialism, or Amillennialism.  All of those have been widely held by top Christian thinkers over the centuries (though Postmillennialism really only enjoyed widespread acceptance during the 1700-1800s with the rise of Modernism...and was largely abandoned once the grim realities of the 20th century brought such optimism to an end). Their respective teachings can be summed up as follows:

Historic Premillennialism - Rather than a "rapture", passages such as 1Thessalonians 4:13-17 are describing the return of Jesus to establish an era of worldwide peace as reigning Messiah known as the "Millennium" and described essentially (though not literalistically) in Revelation 20's description of "the 1,000 years."  After this period, Satan will rally forces of evil for one final attempt at destroying God's people.  He will be destroyed by God and then the Resurrection of the dead and Final Judgment will take place, ushering in the New Creation described in Revelation 21-22.  Noteable Historic Premillennialists include: Irenaeus, Tertullian, Justin Martyr, George Ladd, Wayne Grudem, Ben Witherington and Walter Kaiser

Postmillennialism - This view sees Revelation 20's "1,000 year" reign of Christ as being a prophetic description of the world once the Gospel has spread completely and all (or almost all) nations essetially become Christian.  After this period, which is at some point in the future when the world is completely evangelized, Jesus will return and God will raise the dead and issue the Final Judgment followed by New Creation.  Postmillennialism is the least-held of the three main views due to it being more culturally-, rather than Biblically-based.  Noteable Postmillennialists include:  Jonathan Edwards, Adam Clarke, John Wesley (though he never stated his view definitively) and John Jefferson Davis.

Amillennialism - Amillennialists, recognizing the genre of Revelation as apocalyptic (where images and numbers are used to portray reality in a symbolic and non-literal manner), see the "1,000 years" of Revelation 20 as a prophetic-ironic depiction of the true reality of those who are in Christ.  Thus despite it looking like Jesus' followers throughout history (including during the 1st century when Revelation was written) are suffering persecution and are powerless, from the apocalyptic vantage point of Heaven, Christian are actually reigning with Christ and Satan is bound from stopping the proclamation of the Gospel to the nations.  Amillennialists, like Historic Premillennialists see the "rapture" passages as descriptions of Jesus' return once and for all, rather than to snatch believers away from a world spiraling into a hellish "Great Tribulation."  Noteable Amillennialists include: Polycarp, Clement, Augustine, John Calvin, Charles Hodge, Greg Beale, Richard Bauckham, R.C. Sproul, G.B. Caird and N.T. Wright

Though Dispensationalism has become the default view among North American Evangelicals, it is not held by the larger community of Christians worldwide--Catholic, Orthodox or Protestant.  Nor was it ever believed by any Christian before the 19th century.  This alone should give one pause before looking to such teachers as Hal Lindsay, Tim LaHaye, John Hagee, David Jeremiah, Jack Van Impe, Pat Robertson, or Rod Parsley for accurate Biblical teaching on the End Times.  When it comes to the End Times scenarios of Christians being snatched out of the world via an invisible "rapture", it's best that such nonbiblical notions be "left behind."

[Note: Recently some within Dispensationalist circles have begun moving away from the errors contained in it, yet still consider themselves within the tradition.  They are known as "Progressive Dispensationalists" and have much in common with Historic Premillennialists and Amillennialists alike.  Darrell Bock is an example of a prominent Progressive Dispensationalist.]