The Return

Just as Paul resolved the issues necessary for Christian civilization, John resolved the issues about the ultimate future of the earth. His Apocalypse is a statement of how God will finally eliminate evil from the human system.
Of course in some of Paul’s letters he deals with the end of the age—but most of what he says can be narrowed down into saying that world culture will be unbearably wicked. The rest makes sense along the lines of what John says.
John says that after human culture has become unbearably wicked, there will be great disasters. On the human side, there will be horrible international warfare, famine, and disease; the natural world will experience environmental catastrophes. Polluted water, scorching heat, darkness, and the perhaps large scale extinction will be signs that the end is coming. Two international political leaders (= prophets) will have the power from God to preach God’s will to the entire earth, presumably through the international media.
At some point after this the world economy will collapse (“fallen is Babylon the great”). In conjunction with this or before, a world government will from with global power, at the head of which will be someone (false prophet) who will wield supernatural power, mostly in what he or she says.
It is in this situation that Christ will return. Although Christ’s aim is not to set up his own human government, such a political and economic situation will not be compatible with His purposes. And so there will be a great world war, as Christ and His better people are revealed to the earth, visibly re-entering human history.
The next piece is the first sign of good news. Christ and His people (or the better ones—John says martyrs) wield God’s power to make the earth a peaceful and happy place. The evil institutions which have always ruled human history will be removed. It is the personal presence of God in these people which will make this possible, and most likely they will be spread across the earth.
After a lengthy period, human freedom being as it is there will be a gathered attempt by the earth’s inhabitants to shake of Christ’s government. God’s response to this will be to send all evil persons to a waste place somewhere in the universe. The dead will be judged; human history will be transcended, and in its place will be a massive, properly integrated community of humans and angels who are completely faithful to God. Probably normal human life will continue, under the direction of this community (“the kings of the earth will bring their glory into it”). The triumph of God and his kingdom will be complete.
And then there will be a new beginning—one in which purposes which we cannot conceive of will be executed in a glorious fashion: “and they shall reign through the ages of ages.”
With such things in mind, the reading of the Apocalypse becomes encouraging. And it’s most important function is this: it gives us complete confidence that God’s good ways will, in the end, triumph over evil.