Wrapping Up The Rapture.... Part II
Contents of Part II
SUMMARIZING
IMMINENCE
ANSWERING
IMMINENCE: A REBUTTAL
WHAT
IS THE GRAND ILLUSION?
THE
ILLUSION CONTINUES TODAY
DESTROYING
THE ILLUSION: THE TEACHINGS OF JESUS
THE
TEACHINGS OF THE DISCIPLES
THE
PAROUSIA OF JESUS
HOW
MUCH TIME IS ENOUGH?
APPENDIX B COMMON
GROUND TOPICS
THE 70TH WEEK OF DANIEL
HOW
MANY IS SEVENTY ‘SEVENS’?
THE
DECREE TO REBUILD JERUSALEM
THIS
MUST BE THAT STRANGE ‘NEW MATH’
UNTIL
THE ANOINTED ONE COMES
AFTER
THE SIXTY-TWO ‘SEVENS’
THE
MYSTERY
THE
70 ‘WEEKS’: A VISUAL OVERVIEW
THE ABOMINATION OF DESOLATION
AS
SPOKEN THROUGH THE PROPHET DANIEL
ANTIOCHUS:
SHADOW OF ANTICHRIST
THE
HISTORY OF THE FUTURE
THE GREAT TRIBULATION
THE
BEGINNING
IN
SEARCH OF AN ENDING
THE
COMMON VIEW
THAT’S
TRUE BUT
THE
CAST OF CHARACTERS
Again there is no compelling reason to believe that it is the ‘saints’ of God who are seen accompanying Jesus. And again it is the angels of our Lord who are seen to be the ones who most likely should fill that role.
[May the Lord bless you and keep you, may the Lord
make his face shine upon you and give you peace throughout the remainder of
your days. Father, even though we find
ourselves at the very doorstep of death, may our devotion be only to you and
our trust only in you. You are the only
way the truth and the light, let your light guide us even in our darkest
hour. In you there is no darkness, and
for you even the darkest of nights is as bright as day. Therefore let our lives be lived by grace
alone, through faith alone, founded on the word alone, because of the sacrifice
of Christ alone, unto the glory of you, our Father, ALONE!! And though all these things are true, let our
hearts often cry out – even so Lord Jesus, come quickly! Amen]
SUMMARIZING IMMINENCE
Though
this writer does not accept the tenets of imminence for reasons to be shown
momentarily, I hope the reader can appreciate how apparently pervasive,
cohesive and compelling the argument can appear. All of the evidence is oriented toward
proving the rapture must occur outside the boundaries of the tribulation
years and many arguments are levied to support this claim. In attempting to support the imminent coming
of Christ I have sought to convince the reader of the concepts listed below, I
hope you will agree I have fairly represented the argument for imminence.
The
language used by both Jesus and the disciples is understood to call the
believer to be constantly waiting and watching for the return of Christ. Several passages explicitly state this return
will be a complete surprise and will come on a day and at an hour that is
unknown to all but the Father.
The
nature of our Lord’s return demands we understand a gap of at least seven years
will intervene between his return for his saints at the rapture, and his return
with his saints at Armageddon. This
position is strongly supported through scripture’s description of several time
consuming events that must transpire in heaven during this interval. Only a pre-tribulation understanding can
reasonably account for such a gap as is made necessary to allow these events to
unfold.
The
nature of the tribulation years insist we understand this time period is
reserved for Israel
alone. Further, we are given to
understand that in order for national Israel to complete the prophetic
plan our Father has set for her, the Church must be removed. Scripture indicates the prophetic plan for Israel’s
redemption will be initiated at the outset of the tribulation and therefore we
should understand the Church must be removed prior to the start of this time.
Finally,
Scripture clearly depicts the tribulation years as being a time when God will
pour out his wrath, anger and judgment upon the entire world. In accordance with scripture’s explicit
promise to the Church that it would be excluded from enduring the wrath of God,
the Church again must be raptured prior to the start of the tribulation.
Each of
these powerful arguments demands we understand the coming of our Lord to
rapture his Church will occur before the time of the tribulation. Further, we are compelled to understand the
coming of our Lord will be unexpected, without warning or sign and could occur
at literally any given moment. In short,
the coming of our Lord to rapture his Church is and always has been
imminent!
ANSWERING
IMMINENCE: A REBUTTAL
The
previous argument in favor of the doctrine of imminence appears to be quite
sound and, I hope you will agree, was very compelling. It had the look and feel of possessing
scriptural authority and incorporated testimony from numerous sources. It poses seemingly difficult questions to
challenge opposing views and possesses a central theme that ties its loose ends
together reasonably well. So, what could
be wrong?
The
answer to that is plenty! The
argument is built on a foundation of erroneous assumption and maintained by way
of misdirection and sleight of hand. In
fact, let me state for the record that the doctrine of imminence is nothing
more than a grand illusion. Smoke and
mirrors, looking for all the world like a solid entity – at least so long as
you don’t leave your seat, come up on stage and actually explore it with more
than just your eyes.
Unfortunately for our
hypothetical magician it’s too late! We
are already on stage and now its time to inspect the pieces of this little
magic show to see just how the grand illusion is performed! To do this we will retrace each step we took
in the creation of the illusion, but this time we will pause to point out some
of the finer points of misdirection and sleight of hand going on just outside
your field of vision.
Let me make something very
clear. I genuinely believe the doctrine
of imminence is nothing more than a grand illusion. However, those who perform this illusion are
generally just as much under the spell of the illusion as the audience for whom
they perform it. That is to say, the
teachers of imminence genuinely believe they are teaching the truth of God and
do not intend to deceive or mislead those whom they teach. Ultimately I suppose that is the mark of a
truly grand illusion; when the magician himself actually begins to believe
there might be some real magic involved.
WHAT IS THE
GRAND ILLUSION?
As with
any good illusion it is important to use the power of suggestion to mentally
prepare your audience to see only what you want them to see. Recall if you will that we began by stating
imminence was “the belief that from the time of the early Church until this
very day, Christ could return quite literally at any moment.” This statement offers the audience the
‘assumption’ that the early Church believed in an imminent return of
Jesus. But note carefully that not one
single explicit piece of evidence from any of the early Church fathers was ever
presented as evidence to support this claim.
The reason for this is that none exist!
So, just
what did the early Church believe? Here
are a few quotations from the earliest of the Church fathers 5. Quotations that few if any pre-tribulation
teachers will venture to answer. Instead
they will tiptoe gingerly around evidence of this type and will attempt to misdirect
your attention from matters such as these that might tend to break the spell.
Justin
Martyr: The man of apostasy [Antichrist] .... shall
venture to do unlawful deeds on the earth against us the Christians. (Trypho
ex)
Barnabas: The final
stumbling-block approaches, concerning which it is written, as Enoch says, ‘For
this end the Lord has cut short the times and the days, that His Beloved may
hasten; and He will come to the inheritance.’
And the prophet also speaks thus: ‘Ten kingdoms shall reign upon the
earth, and a little king shall rise up after them, who shall subdue under one
three of the kings.’ ‘....Take heed,
lest resting at our ease, as those who are the called [of God], we should fall
asleep in our sins, and the wicked prince, acquiring power over us, should
thrust us away from the kingdom of the Lord. (Epistle of Barnabas, chapter iv)
Irenaeus: And they [the
ten kings] .... shall give their kingdom to the beast, and put the Church to
flight. (Against Heresies 5.26.1)
But [John] indicates the number of the name
[Antichrist, 666] now, that when this man comes we may avoid him, being aware
who he is. (Against Heresies 5.30.4)
Hippolytus: Now concerning
the tribulation of the persecution which is to fall upon the Church from the
adversary .... That refers to the one thousand two hundred and threescore days
[the last half of Daniel’s 70th week] during which the tyrant is to
reign and persecute the Church. (Treatise on Christ and Antichrist, pp. 60,61)
Tertullian: That the beast
Antichrist with his false prophet may wage war on the Church of God
.... Since, then, the Scriptures both indicate the stages of the last times,
and concentrate the harvest of the Christian hope in the very end of the world.
(On the Resurrection of the Flesh, xxxv; cf. Scorpiace, xii)
The
Teachings of the Twelve Apostles 16:1-7: Be watchful for your life; let
your lamps not be quenched and your loins not ungirdled, but be ready; for you
know not the hour in which our Lord comes.
And you shall gather yourselves together frequently, seeking what is
fitting for your souls; for the whole time of your faith shall not profit you,
if you be not perfected at the last season.
For in the last days the false prophets and corrupters
shall be multiplied, and the sheep shall be turned into wolves, and love shall
be turned into hate. For as lawlessness
increases, they shall hate one another and shall persecute and betray. And then the world-deceiver shall appear as a
son of God; and shall work signs and wonders, and the earth shall be delivered
into his hands; and he shall do unholy things, which have never been since the
world began.
Then all created mankind
shall come to the fire of testing, and many shall be offended and perish; but
they that endure in their faith shall be saved by the Curse Himself. And then shall the signs of the truth appear;
first a sign of a rift in the heaven, then a sign of a voice of a trumpet, and
thirdly a resurrection of the dead; Yet, not of all, but as it was said The
Lord shall come and all His saints with Him.
The Constitutions of the Holy Apostles: “And then
shall appear the deceiver of the world, the enemy of the truth, the prince of
lies, whom the Lord Jesus “shall destroy with the spirit of His mouth, who
takes away the wicked with His lips; and many shall be offended at Him. But they that endure to the end, the same
shall be saved. And then shall appear
the sign of the Son of man in heaven;” and afterwards shall be the voice of
a trumpet by the archangel; and in that interval shall be the revival of those
that were asleep. And then shall the
Lord come, and all His saints with Him.”
(Constitutions, VII, ii, xxxi, xxxii, emphasis added)
These are
the statements of the early Church. All
of these witnesses come from the first three hundred years after the death of
Christ and some of them can trace their spiritual roots directly to the very
disciples of Christ.
In
answering these witnesses the pre-tribulation teachers often point to passages
from the writings of these same witnesses they claim ‘seem to imply’
imminence. One frequently used example
of such a passage is presented above.
Pre-tribulation teachers quote a portion of the same passage we have
taken from ‘The Teachings of the Twelve Apostles’.
In order to support the
pre-tribulation rapture they choose only to consider the portion stating: “Be
watchful for your life; let your lamps not be quenched and your loins not
ungirdled, but be ready; for you know not the hour in which our Lord
comes.” The rest of the passage is
carefully avoided, and in truth, if this portion is considered in a vacuum it
does indeed ‘seem to imply’ imminence.
However, you have the entire passage presented above, and when this
statement is considered in its proper context it is clear that imminence was
most definitely not its intended focal point.
However,
the teachers of a pre-tribulation rapture are forced to desperately latch onto
these vaguely ‘implied’ statements by the Church fathers and use them to insist
the entirety of their teaching on the subject is ‘confusing’ and
indeterminate. Sadly, their desperate
attempt to misdirect our attention would have us reject the clear and
consistent teaching of our revered spiritual fathers because of a misguided
devotion to a non-scriptural doctrine.
The mere notion is ludicrous and should be immediately rejected!
Let me
make this clear, there were not two opposing points of view regarding these
issues. The early Church fathers spoke
with the voice of unity and you have that voice displayed before you in the
above passages. These passages are not
ambiguous and they are not implied! They
are clear-cut, straightforward and touched the very heart of what the early Church
placed its faith in. Their faith
revolved around a consistent set of beliefs – and those beliefs definitely did
not include the doctrine of imminence.
Even when the evidence of
scripture is presented without the voice of the early Church it demands we
reject imminence. How can we say
scripture presents imminence with a unified voice when there are many passages
and concepts that directly contradict its tenets? How could the Church of the apostolic era
have been expecting the return of Christ at any given moment when scripture
frequently expresses the impossibility of just such a return. The following examples should adequately
illustrate the problems imminence faces even before we begin to examine the
specific evidence in earnest.
The teachings of Jesus: Our Lord taught his followers many things
during his time on earth.
Pre-tribulation rapture supporters would have us understand his
teachings consistently conveyed the concept of his imminent return. This contention is difficult to maintain
however when confronted with the following examples of our Lord’s teachings.
Mat 25:14-30 (NIV) Again it [the kingdom of heaven] will be like
a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted his property to
them. …. 19) After a long time the master of those servants
returned and settled accounts with them. … [brackets and emphasis added]
Luke 19:11-27 (NIV) While they were listening to this, he went on
to tell them a parable, because he was near Jerusalem
and the people thought that the kingdom of God
was going to appear at once. He
said: “A man of noble birth went to a distant country to have himself
appointed king and then to return.
So he called ten of his servants and gave them ten minas. ‘Put this money to work,’ he said, ‘until I
come back.’ …. [emphasis added]
Mat 13:31-32 (NIV) He told them another parable: “The kingdom
of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his field. Though it is the smallest of all your
seeds, yet when it grows, it is the largest of garden plants and becomes
a tree, so that the birds of the air come and perch in its branches.” [italics
added]
Mat 13:33 (NIV) He told them still another parable: “The
kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed into a large amount
of flour until it worked all through the dough.”
Mat 28:18-20 (NIV) Then Jesus came to them and said, “All
authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all
nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the
Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very
end of the age.” [italics added]
The
obvious implication of these teachings is that the kingdom of heaven was not
going to appear in the immediate future.
Instead it would be some time in coming to fruition and the follower of
Christ was to be diligently about the business of his master until such time as
he should return. Since Jesus was
clearly teaching the kingdom
of God was not to be
manifested in the immediate future, it is equally clear the doctrine of
imminence could not have been at all applicable to the newly formed Church.
In all fairness to imminence we
should admit these teachings did not preclude Christ’s coming at some point
well after his death but still within the lifetime of those who heard the
teachings. As such, his coming could
have become imminent at some later point and this ‘possibility’ prevents us
from using these passages to preclude imminence entirely.
However, they do show that
imminence could not have been viable for the infant Church, and therefore the
classic definition of imminence is in error.
They also serve as a strong indicator that Jesus never intended to teach
imminence at all. But more evidence is
required before we can forcefully and with conviction pronounce such a verdict.
The prophesies of Christ: How could the Church have been looking for a
‘signless, any moment’ return of Jesus when Jesus himself promised Peter he
would not die until he reached an old age?
John 21:18-19 “I tell you the truth, when you were younger
you dressed yourself and went where you wanted; but when you are old
you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will dress you and lead you
where you do not want to go.” Jesus said
this to indicate the kind of death by which Peter would
glorify God. Then he said to him,
“Follow me!” [emphasis added]
Two
things should be noted here. First, the
Lord prophesied that Peter would die.
Therefore the rapture could not occur until after Peter’s
death. Otherwise Jesus would be a liar
and a false prophet since if Peter were to take part in the rapture he would
not taste of death. Second, he
prophesied Peter would not die until he was old, therefore quite a few
years would be required to pass before the rapture could in any sense be
imminent! How then could the early Church
have in any wise thought the coming of Christ could occur at any given
moment? Obviously they couldn’t, and the
true record of scripture makes it very clear that Jesus never taught that they
should.
It has
been suggested this prophecy be ignored because of the possibility the early Church
did not know about this particular prophecy until after Peter’s death, and
therefore it would not have hindered their belief in the Lord’s imminent
return. The reader should not accept
this reasoning however for two very good reasons. First, the suggestion the Church had no
knowledge of this prophecy is nothing but pure speculation and is presented
without even a hint of proof. Second, in
the remainder of this passage (John 21:20-23) John lets us know that this
conversation was not only published within the Christian community, but in fact
it had caused quite a stir. It would
seem then that yet another pre-tribulation attempt at misdirection is foiled by
the direct assertion of scripture.
Another
prophecy our Lord made concerned the destruction of the temple in Jerusalem. As it would turn out, the fulfillment of this
prophecy would impact the fate of the entire holy nation of Israel, and
make the imminent return of Christ an impossibility for centuries to come.
Mark 13:1-2 (NIV) As he was leaving the temple, one of his
disciples said to him, “Look, Teacher!
What massive stones! What
magnificent buildings!” “Do you see all
these great buildings?” replied
Jesus. “Not one stone here will be left
on another, every one will be thrown down.”
History
records this prophecy was fulfilled to the last detail in 70 A.D. when the
Romans under Titus completely destroyed the temple compound as they ransacked Jerusalem. It is interesting to note that just as Jesus
had predicted, not one stone was left on another. The unusually complete destruction of the
temple came about as Roman soldiers meticulously pried apart the stones seeking
to acquire the gold from the temple roof that had melted while the building was
aflame!
The
impact this prophecy has on imminence becomes apparent when we consider two
things. First, as already noted, our
Lord’s teachings had already indicated his return would not take place in the
immediate future. In fact, it could not
occur until after the death of Peter, which occurred in approximately A.D.
64-68 only a few years before the destruction of the temple. Second, we should bear in mind the words of
both Daniel and Christ as they relate to the time period connected to the
Lord’s future coming.
Dan 9:27 (NIV) He [Antichrist] will confirm a covenant with
many for one ‘seven.’ In the middle of
the ‘seven’ he will put an end to sacrifice and offering. And on a wing of the temple he
will set up an abomination that causes desolation, until the end that is
decreed is poured out on him. [brackets and emphasis added]
Mat 24:15 (NIV) “So when you see standing in the holy
place ‘the abomination that causes desolation,’ spoken of through the
prophet Daniel – let the reader understand – [italics added]
Notice
the absolutely clear proclamation that the temple must be present and
functional during the time period associated with the return of
Christ! Specifically, it must be present
and functional not later than the mid-pint of Daniel’s 70th week,
which is when the Antichrist will set up the abomination of desolation in the
holy place. Now, as already noted, his
return could not precede the death of Peter, and the temple must be present not
later than the mid-point
of Daniel’s 70th
week. However, only a few years after
Peter’s death the temple was completely destroyed by the Roman army. This particular turn of events places the
imminent return of Christ in very difficult straights indeed for the early Church.
However,
one could press on with imminence by noting these passages do not strictly
forbid the concept of imminence. It
could be argued that all that is necessary for imminence to survive is the
‘possibility’ that the temple could have been rebuilt prior to the mid-point of Daniel’s 70th week.
The
pre-tribulation scenario would then be very much as it is even in this day and
time. For example: Christ returns
unexpectedly to rapture his Church, the 70th week of Daniel begins
and, with the signing of a covenant between Israel and Antichrist, work
immediately begins on a new temple.
While I am no construction expert, it seems quite possible to rebuild
the temple in the intervening 3 ½ years before the mid-point of that ‘week’ is
reached, especially with modern construction techniques. Therefore, one might argue, the concept of
imminence is saved.
There is
one huge problem with this scenario however.
When the Roman army destroyed the temple in 70 A.D., they also
effectively destroyed the Jewish nation.
Israel
ceased to exist as a national entity and her people were scattered throughout
the entire world. This had two profound
effects, both of which severely impact the doctrine of imminence. First, the reader should note very carefully
that between the years of 70 A.D. and May 8, 1948, when Israel was reborn as a nation, there existed
neither a national entity nor representative government of Israel with
whom Antichrist could have confirmed his long anticipated covenant of Daniel
9:27. Therefore, the 70th
week of Daniel could not have been initiated on earth prior to this time.
Second,
when Israel
ceased to exist as a nation she obviously lost all control over the land in the
region. Not until the time of her
rebirth did she regain any measure of control over the land in that area and
not until the 1967 ‘six-day war’ did she regain control over the area known as
the temple mount. Interestingly enough,
following the war Israel
chose to allow the Muslim religious leaders to maintain nominal control of the
temple mount area and such an arrangement exist even until this present time.
The point
here is that until 1948 Israel
did not possess even the remotest opportunity to rebuild the temple. Therefore the coming of Christ could in no
sense have been considered as imminent during this time. This is a far cry different from how those
who teach a pre-tribulation rapture wish us to understand this period. However, the facts of both scripture and history
are starkly clear and unambiguous. While
any generation could have witnessed the rebirth of Israel, and
with that rebirth the opportunity to rebuild the temple, none did.
Therefore,
we can rightfully say that each and every generation since the death of Christ
was able to look hopefully toward the future with a sense of expectancy. Understanding that his/her generation might
well be the one to realize the rebirth of Israel and the return of Christ, only
since that rebirth have we reached a point where we might actually begin to
seriously discuss the possibility of our Lord’s return.
Note
to the reader: Consideration of
the problems associated with the signing of a covenant between Antichrist and
some form of a ‘national Israel’, as well as the need for a functional temple
to be in place not later than the middle of Daniel’s 70th week constitute
a major reason why a few pre-tribulation teachers have postulated that as much
as fifty years might be required to separate the rapture from the start of
Daniel’s 70th week. While
this concept of a lengthy separation between the ‘rapture’ and the start of the
‘tribulation’ period, which pre-tribulation supporters view as the wrath of
God, may seem extreme and at odds with the clear teachings of scripture; it has
been found by supporters of the ‘revised pre-tribulation teaching’ to be
absolutely necessary in order to save and maintain the doctrine of
imminence.
THE ILLUSION
CONTINUES TODAY
More and
more teachers of imminence are gradually recognizing the truth of the things we
have just discussed. In an effort to
save the illusion of imminence they seize upon the final point of our
discussion above. Then, with a little
sleight of hand and the skill of a master magician, they quickly remove the
traditional definition of imminence from sight only to replace it with a new
definition without the audience ever realizing the exchange took place.
This new definition minimizes or
ignores the problems imminence may have encountered in the past. Instead the focus is placed on the here and
now. Any problems associated with the
past are considered unimportant. All
that matters is that no more signs remain to be fulfilled and imminence must
therefore be valid today.
But is imminence valid
today? If those who teach imminence
could have overlooked such blatant errors as we uncovered above, what else
might they have overlooked? How blinded
have they, and indeed we ourselves, become in our determined devotion to the
concept of a pre-tribulation rapture and its inevitable shadow, the doctrine of
imminence. I wonder, if scripture
explicitly declared imminence to be null and void, would we believe it? You probably answered that last question with
a resounding ‘Yes’; well we are about to find out if you really meant it.
DESTROYING
THE ILLUSION: THE TEACHINGS OF JESUS
Earlier
in this work we made the statement that a proper understanding of the day of
the Lord created the crucible wherein error would be ground to dust, and the
truth of God concerning the time of the rapture would be refined to its purest
essence. It is within this same crucible
that we will destroy the illusion of imminence once and for all.
In
performing this unpleasant task we will draw upon the body of work we have
already done earlier in this text. Using
the truths we previously uncovered we will demonstrate that the specific
teachings supposedly supporting imminence are actually directed toward the
coming of Christ to initiate the day of the Lord.
The
supporters of imminence look to the language of Christ and his followers as a
certain indicator of his imminent coming.
Therefore let us look at these same passages and explore the ‘language’
and meaning of these verses. According
to most teachers of imminence when Christ presented Matthew 24:42-51 it was
intended to provide instruction regarding his imminent return. Therefore this would appear to be an
excellent place for us to begin.
However, to avoid the sleight of hand and misdirection perpetrated
during our previous presentation of the grand illusion, we will need to step
back a bit and view the entire passage of scripture as our Lord originally
presented it, beginning at verse 29 of that same chapter.
Mat 24:29-51 (NIV) “Immediately after the distress of
those days ‘the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its
light; the stars will fall from the sky, and the heavenly bodies will be shaken.’
At that time
the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and all the nations
of the earth will mourn. They will see
the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky, with power and great
glory. And he will send his angels with
a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from
one end of the heavens to the other.
Now
learn this lesson from the fig tree: As soon as its twigs get tender and its
leaves come out, you know that summer is near.
Even so, when you see all these things, you know that it is near right
at the door. I tell you the truth, this
generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have
happened. Heaven and earth will pass
away, but my words will never pass away.
No one knows
about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but
only the Father. As it was in the
days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. For in the
days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in
marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark; and they knew
nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all
away. That is how it will be
at the coming of the Son of Man. Two men will
be in the field; one will be taken and the other left. Two women will be grinding with a hand mill;
one will be taken and the other left.
Therefore
keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come. But understand this: if the owner of the
house had known at what time of night the thief was coming, he would have kept
watch and would not have let his house be broken into. So you also must be ready, because the Son
of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.
Who then is the
faithful and wise servant, whom the master has put in charge of the servants in
his household to give them their food at the proper time? It will be good for that servant whose master
finds him doing so when he returns. I
tell you the truth, he will put him in charge of all his possessions. ….
[emphasis added]
This
passage begins by clearly defining the time period under consideration.
According to our Lord we are discussing the events that
will transpire ‘immediately after the tribulation of those days’ when ‘the sun
will be darkened and the moon will not give its light’. As we have previously discovered this is the
time when the day of the Lord will be initiated (see ‘The day of the Lord
begins at the seventh seal’).
That day is heralded by the unique
signs presented by Jesus in verse 29 and mirrored in the sixth seal of
Revelation. That day will actually
commence with the opening of the seventh seal of Revelation, sometime after the
mid-point of Daniel’s 70th week, but at
least five months prior to the end of that week. That period of time contains the wrath of
God, which will be poured out on the nations, and from which our Lord will
rescue his Church by way of the rapture.
However, since we have already extensively explored these truths, let us
continue with our study of this passage so we might see how these things impact
the teaching of imminence.
In verse 30 of this passage we
are told that, “At that time”, when the day of the Lord is
initiated, mankind will witness the return of the Lord, Jesus Christ. Since we have already conclusively proven
this time period should be associated with the opening of the seventh seal (see
also ‘The rapture seen in Matthew 24?), it should be obvious to the reader that
the pre-tribulation contention that this verse be associated with Christ’s
actions at Armageddon must be soundly rejected.
It should be equally obvious that this scene can only be properly
associated with the return of Christ from his heavenly abode for the rapture of
the Church!
This one conclusion is
sufficient to condemn imminence and as of yet this writer has yet to see anyone
even seriously attempt to refute this claim on biblical grounds! I have seen imminence magicians attempt to
sidestep the explicit declarations of scripture concerning this passage. I have seen pathetic attempts to associate
this passage with Armageddon because Christ’s return is visible and ‘we
think’ his return for the rapture ‘might be secret’ (Heb 9:28). But as of yet no one has been willing to
seriously discuss, let alone refute the explicit teachings concerning this
event, its timing and its implications for end-time prophecy. I wonder why?
Anyway, lets move along. In verse 36 of this passage scripture goes on
to state: “No one knows about that day or hour, not even the
angels, nor the Son, but only the Father.”
This again is an obvious reference to that unique day when the sun and
moon will be darkened and we will see the return of Jesus in the clouds. What scripture is telling us is that no one
knows when the day of the Lord will come.
This should hardly surprise us however since scripture has already told
us that ‘the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night’ (1 Thes 5:2,
2 Pet 3:10, see also ‘Peace and safety in the tribulation?’).
Now, as if to reinforce our
understanding that these events should be seen as depicting the rapture,
scripture launches into one of the best and most universally understood
pictorial references to the rapture in all the bible; the story of the
salvation of Noah from the flood! And
scripture is emphatically stating all these things, including the rescue of
God’s faithful by way of the rapture, will occur with the initiation of the day
of the Lord, when the sun and moon will be darkened! How is it that you cannot hear the voice of
the Spirit? Why is it that you struggle
so against the pricks?
Thus far the voice of scripture
is absolutely clear and united as it speaks of and about the unique time
associated with the day of the Lord and the events that will preface the
arrival of that day. Yet this passage
still has more to reveal about that day and that time.
Verse 42 begins the section that
is supposed to convey the teaching of our Lord’s imminent return. What this section really coveys is
instructions from our Lord encouraging believers to remain faithful and alert
during the long period of his absence, and especially during the times of
distress leading up to his return to initiate the day of the Lord.
Mat 24:42 (NIV) “Therefore keep watch, because
you do not know on what day your Lord will come.” [emphasis added]
“Therefore”! Within this one word is embodied the
understanding that – Because of all the things we have just discussed. Because Christ will be coming immediately
after the time of great tribulation that will decimate the ranks of the
Lord’s faithful (see ‘Satan’s great assault’, ‘Filled with fury’, and ‘The
great tribulation’). Because the Church
will not be removed until after the time of Satan’s great assault
(see ‘The rapture according to scripture’).
Because anyone who falls during that assault such that he/she sides with
the beast and takes his mark will be removed from the body of Christ and
assigned a place with the unsaved (see ‘The apostasy/rebellion of
believers’). Because immediately
following the return of Jesus the very wrath of God will be poured out on the
world during the day of the Lord (see ‘The day of the Lord is the time of God’s
wrath’). Because the coming of that day
will be ‘like a thief in the night’, sudden, swift, and completely unexpected
by all but the Lord’s faithful. And
finally but perhaps most importantly, because our Lord loves each of us dearly
and is not willing that any of us should perish.
Because
of all these things “keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord
will come.” But we do know that when he
does come and pronounces judgment upon this world, that judgment will be
final. There will be no ‘do-overs’, no
changing of ones mind, and no chance for a last second shot at the grace and
mercy he distributes so freely in this present time. Once he arrives and removes his beloved Church
all that will be left is to endure his righteous wrath. “Therefore keep watch” you children of the
Lord, “keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come.”
I hope
you will agree this passage teaches many lessons of great value for the
children of the Lord. I hope you will
also agree that an imminent return of Jesus is not one of them. The reader should note these same things are
in mind and are applicable to our Lord’s teaching in Luke 12:35-38. Therefore we will not seek to address this
passage specifically.
Those who
teach imminence also frequently use the parable of the ten virgins to
illustrate the imminent return of Christ.
However, the concept of imminence was not at all what this parable
intended to convey. As we take a closer
look at the parable the reader should first notice how it begins the teaching.
Mat
25:1-13 (NIV) At that time
the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went
out to meet the bridegroom. …. The bridegroom was a long time in coming, and
they all became drowsy and fell asleep.
“At midnight the cry rang out:
‘Here’s the bridegroom! Come out
to meet him!’ Then all the virgins woke
up and trimmed their lamps. The foolish
ones said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil; our lamps are going out.’ ‘No,’ they replied, ‘there may not be enough
for both us and you. Instead, go to
those who sell oil and buy some for yourselves.’
But while they were on their
way to buy the oil, the bridegroom arrived. The virgins who were ready went in with him
to the wedding banquet. And the door was
shut.
Later the others also came. ‘Sir!
Sir!’ they said. ‘Open the door for us!’ But he replied, ‘I tell you the truth, I
don’t know you.’
Therefore keep watch, because
you do not know the day or the hour.”
[italics added]
This
passage follows immediately on the heels of the passage from Matthew 24 we just
finished discussing. Therefore, when
Jesus states, “At that time”, he is letting us know that the following teaching
pertains to the exact same period of time he was already giving instructions
about – the period of time immediately preceding the day of the Lord.
As such, this passage was not meant to teach us that the
coming of our Lord was to be imminent.
Instead, it was again providing instruction and warning to those who
would live to see the dawn of that dreadful time upon this world.
These
considerations not withstanding, it is altogether impossible to see how anyone
could hope to teach an imminent, that is to say signless and without warning,
return of Christ from this particular passage of scripture. Although the teachers of imminence may be
masters of misdirection they aren’t good enough to hide from the careful
student the problems this text raises for them.
Recall
that by the very definition of imminence the return of Christ must be
completely unexpected. It is to be
without any sign or warning of any type.
Yet in the parable of the ten virgins there is a definite warning given
of the bridegroom’s impending arrival; “At midnight the cry rang out:
‘Here’s the bridegroom! Come out
to meet him!’”. This warning is then
followed by an indeterminate, apparently brief, but undeniably real
period of time before he actually arrives!
While
this particular aspect of the parable is minimized and/or ignored by teachers
of imminence for obvious reasons, it fits perfectly into the pre-wrath understanding
of the rapture. In this view the warning
of Christ’s impending arrival is most likely associated with the manifestation
of the herald signs of the day of the Lord.
When these signs are manifested, the wicked of the world will come to
understand their error and will hide for fear of the Lord’s wrath (Rev
6:12-17). However, those who constitute
the body of Christ will know the time of their salvation has come and will
respond accordingly.
Luke 21:27-28 (NIV) At that time they will see the Son of Man
coming in a cloud with power and great glory.
When these things begin to take place, stand up and lift up your heads,
because your redemption is drawing near.
The
teaching of imminence is literally filled with passages of this nature. Virtually all of them refer either to the day
of the Lord, or to nothing specific at all.
I understand this is a bold claim to make. However, since we have gained a reasonable
understanding of the nature and character of the day of the Lord, lets quickly
look at other frequently used passages that supposedly support imminence. You may be surprised to find just how many of
them point directly to the day of the Lord now that we know what to look for.
Luke 17:22-35 Teachers of imminence usually refer only to
verses 30-35 in an effort to show the ‘normalcy’ of life just prior to our
Lord’s return. The error of this
argument is addressed in the section entitled ‘Peace and safety in the
Tribulation?’. Additionally, if we step
back and consider the entire passage what we find is a virtual copy of the text
provided in Matthew 24:26-41.
Both
these passages are irrefutably referring to the same period of time. That period of time is then identified via
the details provided in the passage from Matthew as being associated with the
day of the Lord. Notice in this new
passage that we again encounter the reference to Noah as a type of the coming
rapture. To reinforce this understanding
a second reference to the rescue of Lot is
also provided.
Luke 21:25-36 Again the teachers of imminence attempt to
use only a portion of this passage. They
look to verses 34-36 in an attempt to focus on the idea that the time when our
Lord returns will be a surprise and will catch the unprepared off-guard.
While
this is true, it is also nothing new.
The pre-wrath teaching maintains that the return of Jesus to initiate
the day of the Lord will indeed be ‘like a thief in the night’ and as such will
most certainly take the unprepared by surprise.
By the way, when we step back and review the entire passage we find it
is directly associated with the day of the Lord to include reference to the
herald signs of that day. In fact, this
is a parallel passage to the olivet discourse found in Matthew.
This
completes our consideration of the major and most frequently used teachings of
Jesus to support imminence. Now let us
turn our attention to the teachings of the disciples and the apostle Paul. As we consider these teachings, again we will
discover that the focal point of their witness is not an understanding of
imminence, but the sudden and unexpected return of Jesus for the day of the
Lord. As always, the voice of scripture
is clear, consistent and without contradiction when we listen to what is actually
said rather than what we wish to hear.
THE TEACHINGS
OF THE DISCIPLES
Those who
teach imminence make a major point of the fact that Paul and the disciples
consistently taught their audiences to prepare for the possibility that Christ
might return in their own lifetime. This
writer accepts, applauds and concurs with this observation. In fact, I whole-heartedly agree that every
generation since the death of Jesus has been able to look forward with expectancy
to the possibility that He may return in their own lifetime. However, this writer fails to understand how
this fact has anything whatsoever to do with proving that Christ’s return will
be imminent; that is to say, without warning or sign.
It is a
very different thing to ‘have the hope’ or a sense of ‘expectancy’
that you might witness the return of Jesus in your lifetime than to say that
the return of Christ ‘must’ be without sign or warning. As we consider the arguments used by teachers
of imminence, they consistently ascribe the rationale behind failing to
acknowledge this discrepancy to two bits of ‘evidence’. These are married through logical deduction
in an effort to ‘prove’ the imminent return of Christ. Now, watch this little bit of sleight of hand
very closely or you might miss it!
The evidence: Numerous passages of scripture are
cited. Each encourages the believer to
‘watch’, ‘wait’, ‘be alert’, etc…
samples of such passages are given below to illustrate.
1 Cor
1:7 (NIV) Therefore you do not
lack any spiritual gift as you eagerly wait for our Lord Jesus Christ to be
revealed. [italics added]
1 Thes
1:10 (NIV) and to wait for his Son
from heaven, whom he raised from the dead – Jesus, who rescues us
from the coming wrath. [italics added]
1 Thes
5:6 (NIV) So then, let us not be
like others, who are asleep, but let us be alert and
self-controlled. [italics added]
Phil
3:20 (NIV) But our citizenship is
in heaven. And we eagerly await a
Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ,
[italics added]
1 Tim
6:13b-14 (NIV) I charge you to
keep this command without spot or blame until the appearing of our Lord
Jesus Christ, [italics added]
Each of these passages possesses
two common denominators that are seized upon by the teachers of imminence. First, each passage is giving instructions
that are directed at the audience. That
is, when the passage speaks of the return of Jesus, it is understood his return
may well occur in the lifetime of those hearing the teaching. As such every believer is encouraged to grow
spiritually, remain alert and eagerly await the return of Jesus.
Second (here comes the sleight of
hand), we are shown each of these verses and are asked to carefully note that
none of them instruct us to look for ‘Antichrist’, ‘the day of the Lord’,
‘cosmic signs’ or anything else other than the return of Christ himself (We
were only shown the parts that excluded these ‘signs’. Just like a real magician doing a coin trick,
the parts we weren’t supposed to see were hidden behind his ‘fingers’.). It is therefore concluded that such signs
cannot exist, and that we, and indeed every believer since the moment of
Christ’s death, should expect the return of Jesus to be sudden and without any
signs or warnings preceding it. That is
to say, imminent!
Now, I hope you caught the nifty
bit of misdirection and sleight of hand that was just perpetrated, but in case
you didn’t we will go over it again.
Only this time we will also present the evidence that exist to
contradict the conclusions drawn.
Evaluating the evidence: The first set of observations are essentially
fine. Paul and the disciples did possess
a sense of expectancy that the Lord might return within their own lifetime and
they conveyed this to those who heard them.
I have no problem with this understanding. In fact we mentioned earlier that every
generation should hope and expect the Lord might return before they see
death. As such, every believer of every
generation should remain alert and watchful as he/she grows in the nurture and
admonition of the Lord.
The
second set of observations is highly flawed however, and this is where the
imminence magicians attempt to work their magic. It is claimed that not one single passage of
scripture instructs the believer about anything that must occur prior to the
return of our Lord for the rapture of his Church. Yet several passages of scripture do in fact
warn the believer concerning ‘Antichrist’, ‘the day of the Lord’ and ‘cosmic
signs’. Each of these warnings are
directed to the believer in the context that he/she may be in danger of
encountering these things prior to the return of Jesus. In fact, several of the very passages used to
‘prove’ imminence above are directly focused upon the day of the Lord and
thereby upon the cosmic signs that will precede that day!
Let me
show you now what was hidden behind the magician’s fingers!
1 Cor
1:7-8 (NIV) Therefore you do not lack
any spiritual gift as you eagerly wait for our Lord Jesus Christ to be
revealed. He will keep you strong to the
end, so that you will be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus
Christ. [emphasis added]
All we were allowed to see before was that we should
‘eagerly await’ the coming of our Lord.
What we didn’t see was that while we wait upon his return, he will
strengthen us so we might be found blameless at the time of his arrival, which
is given here as the day of the Lord!
(See ‘Does anyone know what day it is?’ pg 58)
1 Thes
1:10 (NIV) and to wait
for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead – Jesus, who
rescues us from the coming wrath.
[emphasis added, see ‘The day of the Lord is the time of God’s wrath’
pgs 44-50]
The
imminence magicians are quick to point out that we are to ‘wait’ for Jesus to
return from heaven to rescue us. They
don’t even mind discussing the fact he his coming to rescue us from the wrath
of God. What they would rather not
discuss in any great depth is that the time of God’s wrath is contained within
the day of the Lord and they definitely do not want to discuss in any great
depth when that day will begin! Instead,
they usually employ a bit of misdirection and slight of hand by deftly, and
incorrectly, substituting the term ‘tribulation period’ for ‘the day of the
Lord’ whenever possible. (See ‘The day
of the Lord begins at the seventh seal’ pgs 84-149)
1 Thes
5:1-6 (NIV) Now, brothers, about times
and dates we do not need to write to you, for you know very well that the
day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. While people are saying, “peace and safety,”
destruction will come on them suddenly, as labor pains on a pregnant woman, and
they will not escape.
But you, brothers, are not in darkness so that this
day should surprise you like a thief. You are all sons of the light and sons of the
day. We do not belong to the night or to
the darkness. So then, let us not be like others, who are asleep, but let us
be alert and self-controlled.
[emphasis and underline added]
Only the
underlined portion of this passage is normally presented to support the concept
of imminence. However, when we step back
and consider the entire passage we can clearly see it is intimately associated
with the day of the Lord. The intent of
this verse is to encourage believers to continue in the things that accompany
faithful service to Jesus. The truth
here is that if we remain focused on him and the things he has commanded us to
heed, the wrath of God in the day of the Lord will not come upon us
unawares. This is true for two
reasons. First, we will be aware of the
approach of that day, and second the Lord will rescue us from its wrath, by way
of the rapture, just before that day engulfs the world. Just as it is written; “For God did not
appoint us to suffer wrath but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus
Christ.” (1 Thes 5:9)
This is
the manner in which the imminence magicians present their ‘truth’. With smoke, mirrors and a bit of sleight of
hand they can make almost anything ‘seem’ real.
But what about their claim that scripture never warns the believer to
look for anything other than the return of Christ? Lets examine this claim and see if it
accurately reflects the truth of our Father as given in his holy word.
First we
are told the believer is never warned to look for the coming of the
Antichrist. However, it appears
scripture does indeed carry just such a warning, at least if the reader is
willing to receive it.
1 John 2:18 (NIV) Dear children, this is the last hour; and as
you have heard that the Antichrist is coming, even now many Antichrists
have come. This is how we know it is the
last hour. [italics added]
Note that
John’s audience had been instructed on two points of understanding. First, they had been instructed “that the
Antichrist is coming”. Carefully note
that although he warns his audience concerning false teachers and even goes so
far as to call them ‘Antichrists’; his mention of The Antichrist
runs much deeper than any generic ‘spirit of Antichrist’, false teachers who
distort the truth or an anomalous ‘apostasy’.
He was talking about the Antichrist as a specific and
personal entity. Second, they were
instructed to understand that with the arrival of this personal Antichrist
would come the time of the last days of mankind before the judgment of
God. Finally, it should be noted that
John strongly insinuates that his audience should be fully prepared to
encounter this personal and specific Antichrist.
This
understanding harmonizes perfectly with the teachings of the early Church
Fathers. In fact it is particularly
instructional to hear again the testimony of Irenaeus. His testimony is of special interest because
he was a disciple of Polycarp, who in turn was a disciple of John. The same John who penned the above
passage. Therefore, it is highly
reasonable to believe the teachings of Irenaeus closely reflect those of John
himself. As such his teachings might
prove useful in shedding light on how we should understand this passage from 1
John.
Irenaeus: 5
And they [the ten kings] .... shall give their kingdom to the beast,
and put the Church to flight. (Against Heresies 5.26.1)
But [John] indicates the number of the name
[Antichrist, 666] now, that when this man comes WE may avoid him,
being aware who he is. (Against Heresies 5.30.4) [emphasis and brackets added]
Obviously
Irenaeus believed the Church would be present when The Antichrist
appeared on the world scene. In fact he
thought it possible that those whom he taught might encounter this personal
Antichrist themselves.
The reader should be aware that
the writings of Irenaeus, while highly respected, are not scripture. Therefore it would be inappropriate to use
them to ‘prove’ a scriptural truth.
However, his does represent a spiritually respected and highly
knowledgeable voice that should and must be heard.
While the
teachings of Irenaeus are not scripture, those of Paul are, and he was not
silent concerning this issue.
2 Thes 2:1-5 (NIV) Concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus
Christ and our being gathered to him, we ask you, brothers, not to become
easily unsettled or alarmed by some prophecy, report or letter supposed to have
come from us, saying that the day of the Lord has already come. Don’t let anyone deceive you in any way, for that
day will not come until the rebellion occurs and the man of lawlessness
is revealed, the man doomed to destruction.
He will oppose and will exalt himself over everything that is called
God or is worshiped, so that he sets himself up in God’s temple proclaiming
himself to be God. [italics added]
As we have seen throughout this text, scripture
consistently associates the time of the rapture with the beginning of the day
of the Lord. Here, in this passage, Paul
instructs the believer that prior to the inception of that day The
Antichrist will arrive on the world scene and his true nature will be
revealed to believers when he commits the act known as the abomination of
desolation. As such, it is without doubt
that his instructions were intended as a warning to believers of all ages
concerning this coming man of lawlessness who will one day wage war against the
very Church of God, and for a season he will find
success.
Dan
7:24-25 (NIV) The ten horns are ten
kings who will come from this kingdom.
After them another king will arise [the Antichrist], different from the
earlier ones; he will subdue three kings.
He will speak against the Most High and oppress his saints and try to
change the set times and the laws. The
saints will be handed over to him for a time, times and half a time. [brackets added]
Dan 9:27
(NIV) He [the Antichrist] will confirm a
covenant with many for one ‘seven’. In
the middle of the ‘seven’ he will put an end to sacrifice and offering. And on a wing of the temple he will set up an
abomination that causes desolation, until the end that is decreed is poured out
on him. [brackets added]
Mat
24:15-16 (NIV) “So when you see standing
in the holy place ‘the abomination that causes desolation’ spoken of through
the prophet Daniel – let the reader understand – then let those who are in
Judea flee to the mountains.
With
absolute clarity both Daniel and Jesus himself echo the warning of Paul
concerning the abomination of desolation.
When this act is committed it will set into motion the Antichrist’s
final plan to steal both the throne and worship of the living God. It will also inaugurate a period of
unprecedented suffering and persecution for the followers of Jesus.
What is equally clear is that the abomination of
desolation and the time of great tribulation will occur before the
inception of the day of the Lord as has been previously proven. Again, we must recall the clear and
consistent manner in which scripture demands an intimate temporal link between
the rapture and the day of the Lord.
Because of this intimate temporal association we are left with little
option but to once more view the warnings concerning the actions of Antichrist
as being applicable to every believer in Christ Jesus.
The plain and simple fact is that John, Paul, Daniel,
Jesus and the voice of the early Church are and always have been trying to warn
each of us about the coming of the Antichrist.
He poses a threat not just to the nation of Israel or to the ‘tribulation
saints’ as some would have us believe.
Instead, this man of lawlessness poses a threat to the entire Church of God
as well as to the holy nation of Israel.
Those
who would seek to spread comfort with casual assurances that the Church will be
raptured before the Antichrist comes upon the world scene are at odds with the
word of God and the comfort they offer is merely an illusion. The truth of God has been presented clearly,
consistently and pervasively throughout his holy word. Those who seek to find it need only ask, and
our Father is ever faithful to open the eyes of his children.
Tell
me, how is it that someone can view the above passages and then honestly state
that scripture never instructs the believer to watch for and be wary of the
coming Antichrist? Even without
understanding the temporal association between the rapture and the day of the
Lord it seems abundantly clear these passages were meant as stern warnings to
the children of God. Once armed with an
understanding of the intimate relationship between the rapture and wrath of
God, these warnings should indeed become very chilling and extremely personal
to every true believer.
But
what of the day of the Lord itself? I am
certain that many critics will be quick to point out that if the time we call
the day of the Lord were really so incredibly important and seemingly the focal
point of the rapture and so many other end-time events; then surely scripture
would just come right out and tell the believer to be watching and waiting for
that day and its unique herald signs that so clearly warn us of its approach!
After
all, if such an admonition were to exist, and it were specifically addressed to
the children of God then it would spell almost certain doom for the doctrine of
imminence. This is true because if
believers were instructed to watch and/or wait for the day of the Lord, then
the concept of Christ’s coming being ‘without sign or warning’ would be utterly
and irrevocably destroyed. So then, what
does the word of God have to proclaim with regard to the believer’s
anticipation of the day of the Lord?
2 Pet
3:1-16a (NIV) Dear friends, this is now
my second letter to you. I have written
both of them as reminders to stimulate you to wholesome thinking. I want you to recall the words spoken in the
past by the holy prophets and the command given by our Lord and Savior through
your apostles.
First of all, you must understand that in the last
days scoffers will come, scoffing and following their own evil desires. They will say, “Where is this ‘coming’
he promised? Ever since our
fathers died, everything goes on as it has since the beginning of creation.” ….
9) The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise,
as some understand slowness. He is
patient with you not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to
repentance.
But the day of the Lord will
come like a thief. The heavens
will disappear with a roar: the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the
earth and everything in it will be laid bare.
Since everything will be destroyed
in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives
as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming. That day will bring about the destruction of
the heavens by fire, and the elements will melt in the heat. But in keeping with his promise we are
looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, the home of righteousness.
So then, dear friends, since
you are looking forward to this, make every effort to be
found spotless, blameless and at peace with him. Bear in mind that our Lord’s patience means
salvation, just as our dear brother Paul also wrote you
with the wisdom that God gave him. He
writes the same way in all his letters, speaking in them
of these matters. [emphasis
added]
With this passage Peter delivers a lethal blow to
the teaching of imminence. Herein the
believer is strongly encouraged to ‘look forward to’ the day of the Lord and
‘speed its coming’! What’s more, the day
of the Lord is openly equated to the promised ‘coming’ of Jesus!
The reader should carefully note that since the
‘coming’ spoken of in this passage is explicitly stated to be that which ‘he
promised’, there is only one event that we might properly associate this
‘coming’ with – the rapture! It is his
‘coming’ at that unique time about which he promised ‘if I go and prepare a
place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be
where I am.” (John 14:2-3, 1 Thes 4:15).
Therefore, any honest assessment of this passage destroys the doctrine
of imminence! Still there are many who
cannot seem to let go of the teaching of imminence, and they fight doggedly
onward.
Most frequently they attempt to dissociate this
passage from having anything to do with the rapture by focusing on Peter’s
mention of the earth’s destruction and the believer’s anticipation of ‘a new
heaven and a new earth’. These things,
particularly the ‘new heaven and earth’ (see Rev 21) point toward a time beyond
the millennial kingdom of Christ, and therefore beyond the rapture and the
tribulation. Sometimes the defenders of
imminence seek to associate the ‘coming’ of Christ and the day of the Lord with
Armageddon. Either way, it is presumed
this passage has nothing to do with the rapture and even if it does brush upon
the subject it is so unclear and confusing as to be of little relevant value
compared to other, clearer passages.
How foolish we are in our wisdom! The only thing ‘unclear’ about this passage
is how anyone could deny the truth of its message.
Since the ‘coming’ of Christ in this passage is
obviously connected to the coming of the day of the Lord, we can dismiss the
notion that the text is referring to Armageddon. This dismissal is permissible since we proved
earlier in this work that the day of the Lord will commence at least five
months before Armageddon (see ‘Knowing The Season’, pg 110). Therefore it is impossible for the return of
Christ for Armageddon to be linked to the start of the day of the Lord.
Neither should we allow the time of this passage’s
fulfillment to be relegated solely to some point after the millennial
kingdom. While the passage does cast a
glance toward the distant future for the ultimate and final fulfillment of the
prophecy concerning earth’s destruction and rebirth; its primary focus is on
the return of Christ which will initiate the day of the Lord and the destruction
and devastation of earth contained within that time. As such, this passage takes on the familiar
form of a near/far prophecy wherein the ‘near’ fulfillment will occur in the
vicinity of Daniel’s 70th week and the ‘far’ fulfillment will occur
after the millennial kingdom.
It is self-evident the entirety of this passage
cannot be associated with the period following the millennial kingdom since its
stated focal point is the ‘coming’ of Christ which must, by definition, occur before
the millennial kingdom. Additionally, as
previously stated, the coming of Christ is intrinsically linked to the
inception of the day of the Lord. Since
the day of the Lord begins with the opening of the seventh seal of Revelation
it is impossible to place the time of its initiation after the millennial
kingdom!
Ultimately, we are left with only one conclusion
that is supported by either scripture or reason. The ‘coming’ spoken of in this passage must
be associated with the coming of Jesus for the rapture of the Church, and the
initiation of the day of the Lord.
Finally, we should remember the text informs us
that the writings of Paul reflect the same teachings and truths. Therefore we can look to those writings as an
aid in confirming our understanding regarding the matters at hand. Below, the reader may once more view some
familiar passages penned by Paul as he sought to give instruction regarding the
return of Christ and the day of the Lord.
In considering these, the reader will note a single point of truth
repetitively presents itself.
2 Thes 2:1-3 (NIV)
Concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered to him [the
rapture], we ask you, brothers, not to become easily unsettled or
alarmed by some prophecy, report or letter supposed to have come from us,
saying that the day of the Lord has already come. Don’t let anyone deceive you in any way, for
[the day of the Lord] will not come until the rebellion occurs and the
man of lawlessness is revealed, …. [brackets and emphasis added]
1 Thes 4:15- 5:4
(NIV) According to the Lord’s own word [his promise], we
tell you that we who are still alive, who are left till the coming of the
Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord himself will come down
from heaven, ….
5:1) Now, brothers, about times and dates [for the
events surrounding the rapture] we do not need to write to you, for you know
very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the
night, …. 6) But you, brothers, are not in darkness so that this
day [the day of the Lord] should surprise you like a thief. [brackets and emphasis added]
Detail by detail these passages support and compliment
the teaching of Peter. Without question
they both taught the same message, and without question that message did not
include a signless, without warning, any moment, imminent return of our Lord. Both men clearly understood the rapture would
be essentially coincident with the initiation of the day of the Lord. And they both were well aware of the unique
and unmistakable events that would precede and herald the approach of the day
of God’s vengeance.
THE PAROUSIA OF JESUS
Pre-tribulation supporters frequently point toward a
two-stage return of our Lord as definitive ‘proof’ that their position must be
correct. To support this, a long list of
passages is frequently presented that presumably show two vastly different
scenes of our Lord ‘coming’ to this planet.
Next we are shown several things that will supposedly occur in the
interval of time between these ‘comings’ and are told these things mandate a
period of some seven or more years that must separate the two events. However, we are reminded that we should not
view these two events as two separate ‘second comings’ for scripture has
clearly expressed that only one such event exist. Instead, we are to view these separate events
as two ‘stages’ of a single ‘second coming’, separated in time by at least
seven years.
Does all this sound a bit strange to you? It does to me, but I must admit that with God
nothing is impossible and in truth, stranger things have occurred. Perhaps most germane to our current argument
would be a consideration of the 70th week of Daniel. If it can be part of a single prophecy yet
have its parts separated by thousands of years, well then, I suppose a
two-stage ‘second coming’ of Christ constituting a single event could be within
the boundaries of possibility as well.
At least that is what I thought long, long ago, in an understanding far,
far away.
Now my understanding is different. The change came about for two very simple
reasons. First, all the evidence
demanding the rapture occur just prior to the day of the Lord was undeniable,
just as the timing of when that day will commence is also undeniable. Second, yet intrinsically linked to the first
reason, every passage of scripture referring to the future coming of the Lord
in the sense of his ‘parousia’ (this word refers to our Lord’s arrival and
continuing presence) is either directly or indirectly pointed toward the time
of the rapture and the day of the Lord.
That is to say, rather than viewing the time of our Lord’s ‘coming’ as
occurring at two separate points in time; I feel scripture focuses/converges
every reference to his coming/parousia on a single point in time – the time
when he will remove his Church/body and unleash his wrath upon the world in the
day of the Lord. It is on this convergence
of passages toward the rapture/day of the Lord that I would like to focus
the readers attention at this time.
Many passages, one
point in time:
At the very heart of the controversy concerning the
timing of our Lord’s return are some seventeen passages in the New Testament
that employ the term ‘parousia’ in speaking of our Lord’s future arrival. Pre-tribulation supporters look at these
passages and ascribe some of them as being associated with the rapture, and
some of them as being associated with our Lord’s return for Armageddon. However, it is this writer’s contention that
each of these speak of our Lord’s arrival for the rapture and converge toward
that single instant in time. If this is
true, then it becomes impossible to maintain the pre-tribulation position of a
two-stage return of Christ. Before we
begin, lets see where the pre-wrath and pre-tribulation teachings place each of
these passages.
Note: Pre-tribulation data
for this list was acquired primarily from the book “Are we living in the end
times?” by Tim Lahaye and Jerry B. Jenkins 3. The reader should also be aware that not all
forms of the pre-tribulation teaching would agree with this list.
Pre-Tribulation Pre-Wrath
Passage
Rapture Armageddon Rapture Armageddon
Mat
24:3 Yes Yes
Mat
24:27 Yes Yes
Mat
24:37 Yes Yes
Mat
24: 39 Yes Yes
1
Cor 15:23 Yes Yes
1
Thes 2:19 Yes Yes
1
Thes 3:13 Yes Yes
1
Thes 4:15 Yes Yes
1
Thes 5:23 Yes Yes
2
Thes 2:1 Yes Yes
2
Thes 2:8 Yes Yes
Jas
5:7 Yes Yes
2
Pet 1:16 Position Unclear Yes
2
Pet 3:4 Yes Yes
2
Pet 3:12 Yes Yes
1
Jhn 2:28 Yes Yes
Ok, now that we have a working list lets see what will
pop out of it as we consider the different positions associated with the
passages above. First, we should make
note of the somewhat obvious fact that while the pre-wrath position sees each
passage as applicable to only a single point in time – the rapture; the
pre-tribulation position associates each with one of only two possible
points in time – either the rapture or the battle of Armageddon. This simple observation will soon play a
significant role in this debate so the reader is asked to make note of it.
Since the list is laid out in such a neat order, lets
take the straight forward approach and consider each passage in the order presented.
Mathew 24:3 (NIV)
As Jesus was
sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples
came to him privately. “Tell us,” they
said, “when will this happen, and what will be the sign of your coming
[parousia] and of the end of the age?” [italics added]
This passage, in and of itself, has nothing in it that
will allow us to honestly and definitively determine its proper position within
the framework of end-time prophecy. The
pre-wrath teaching attempts to use the overall truth it sees revealed in the
olivet discourse and throughout all of scripture, to claim this passage must be
related to the rapture.
Meanwhile the pre-tribulation teaching claims the
reference is to Armageddon for the following reasons. First, the disciples could not have been
asking about the rapture since that teaching was still unknown to them at this
time (So what? Jesus often gave them
answers to questions that they were not in a position of fully understand. Whether they understood his answer or not has
no impact on the truth or implications of what he told them.). Second, this teaching views the bulk of the
olivet discourse as pointing toward Armageddon, and as such this passage should
be viewed as pointing toward that event also (The truth of the teachings
presented by Christ in the olivet discourse will be made very clear
shortly. At that time each reader may
decide what that truth is and how to apply it.). And finally, many in the pre-tribulation camp
view the olivet discourse, and indeed much or all of the gospel of Mathew, as
being directed primarily toward Israel. As such this section of scripture would have
little or no application to the Church, and therefore should convey little or
no information about the rapture, which is distinctly non-Jewish in its
orientation (This is purely an assumption on the part of those who hold to this
understanding. What’s more, this is a
dangerous assumption that inevitably leads to the question of what other
scriptures do or do not have direct application to the believers who comprise
the Church. Furthermore, the reader will
note this is a ridiculous assumption since the same message given in the olivet
discourse, which supposedly has no direct application for the Church, is echoed
virtually verbatim in the gospels of Mark and Luke, which are supposedly distinctly
gentile in orientation!).
When the smoke finally clears all we can say for
sure about this passage is that based on its own merits we cannot be dogmatic
as to what event it applies to or where to place it chronologically. To determine an answer to this we will have
to explore a bit further.
Matthew 24:27 (NIV)
For as lightning
that comes from the east is visible even in the west, so will be the coming
[parousia] of the Son of Man. [italics
added]
The pre-trib teaching views this passage as referring to
Armageddon. They confidently make this
assertion for three primary reasons.
First, the passage speaks of Christ’s return as
being ‘visible’. Many holding to this
teaching believe his return for the rapture will be a secret known only to
believers. This understanding is driven
almost exclusively by their interpretation of Hebrews 9:28.
Heb 9:28 (NIV) so Christ was sacrificed once to take away
the sins of many people; and he will appear a second time, not to bear
sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him. [italics added]
To understand this passage as suggesting, much
less demanding, a hidden or secret return of Jesus is tenuous at best,
and grossly irresponsible at worst. This
is especially true when we consider the fact that no other passage of scripture
even remotely teaches a hidden/secret return, but instead strongly allude to an
open, public and universally known return of our Lord. For example:
1 Thes 4:16 (NIV)
For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command,
with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God,
and the dead in Christ will rise first.
[italics added]
The description of our Lord’s return given in this
passage, which deals specifically with his return for the rapture, sounds like
anything but a secret/hidden event. As
such it is very difficult to even remotely equate this event with any sort of
‘secret’ rapture as has been suggested.
Once more it seems those who teach a pre-tribulation rapture are
desperately trying to patch the holes in their rapidly sinking theological
ship. Yet for all their efforts no real
evidence can be produced through this argument that might realistically place
this passage in the chronological proximity of the battle of Armageddon.
On the other hand, there is much evidence that lends
itself toward understanding this passage to be connected to the rapture. If the reader will recall the section of
scripture we previously considered in Luke chapter seventeen (pages 159-163) it
becomes very clear that the reference here is not toward Armageddon, but
instead toward the rapture.
Luke 17:22-37
(NIV) …. 23) Men will tell you, “There
he is!’ or ‘ Here he is!’ Do not go running off after them. For the Son of Man in his day will be
like the lightning, which flashes and lights up the sky from one end to the
other. …. 26) “Just as it was in the days of Noah, so also
will it be in the days of the Son of Man. People were
eating, drinking, marrying and being given in marriage up to the day Noah
entered the ark. Then the flood came and
destroyed them all. “It was the
same in the days of Lot. People were eating and drinking, buying and
selling, planting and building. But the
day Lot left Sodom,
fire and sulfur rained down from heaven and destroyed them all.
“It will be just like this on the day
the Son of Man is revealed. …. 34) I tell you, on that night two people
will be in one bed; one will be taken and the other left. Two women will be grinding grain together; one
will be taken and the other left.”
“Where, Lord?” they asked. He replied, “Where there is a dead body,
there the vultures will gather.”
[Emphasis added]
Our Lord’s use of the familiar
imagery surrounding the stories of Noah and Lot
point us unerringly toward an understanding that the information he is
providing concerns the rapture. And it
is about this time, the rapture rather than Armageddon, that he clearly states
his coming will be like ‘lightning’ flashing across the sky.
With regard to this understanding it
must be stated that some teachers believe the above events should be seen as
related not to the rapture, but to Armageddon.
Again, their primary rationale is that the coming of Christ shown above
is visible! They also pair the
visible nature of his return with the ‘proof’ they gather from the passage we
are now studying to insist the reference be to Armageddon.
Such an understanding is neither
reasonable, nor possible. This
contention will be proven when we consider Matthew 24:37 shortly.
Second, pre-tribulation teachers equate this passage with
the time frame of Armageddon because of the visual imagery presented in the
next verse.
Mat 24:28
(NIV) Wherever there is a carcass, there
the vultures will gather.
This understanding has been considered previously in this
work and its shortcomings exposed ( pages 173-176). Also, it should be noted that the passage we
just considered in Luke again associates this imagery with the time of the
rapture rather than with Armageddon.
Finally, the pre-tribulation teaching presents its most
persuasive argument. Scripture’s clear
declaration that this event will occur ‘immediately after’ the period of great
tribulation!
Mat 24:29-31
(NIV) “immediately after the
distress of those days
‘the
sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the
stars will fall from the sky, and the heavenly bodies will be shaken.’
“At
that time the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and all
the nations of the earth will mourn.
They will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky, with power
and great glory. And he will send his
angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect
from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other.” [Italics added]
As we read this passage, we are
immediately struck with the incredible similarities it shares with rapture
passages we have studied. For example,
when comparing this passage to 1 Thes 4:16 we find that: the Lord comes from
heaven, he is accompanied by his angels, there is a loud trumpet call and they
gather his elect from all over the planet.
Though many similarities exist,
pre-tribulation teachers would be quick to point out this cannot possibly be
the rapture because scripture very openly declares this event will not occur
until after the period of great tribulation. In their opinion, this is the same thing as
saying that the event shown above occurs at the very end of Daniel’s 70th
week. They would also be quick to point
out that it is at that same time when the battle of Armageddon will be
fought. Therefore, this passage must
be referring to Armageddon and not the rapture.
One small problem exist with this
understanding however. The scene shown
above absolutely cannot be associated with the end of Daniel’s 70th
week, and therefore with Armageddon no matter how much ‘opinion’ one may wish
to apply to the situation. The reason
for this is obvious and how pre-tribulation teachers can continue to ignore it
without even so much as an attempted explanation is truly a great mystery
indeed. The error of the pre-tribulation
teaching is not in perceiving that this event will occur at the end of the
period of great tribulation, for that much is true. What is not true is the understanding that
the great tribulation will end at the same time that Daniel’s 70th
week draws to a close. Though we have covered this already in this work we will
briefly touch on it again.
Notice if you will that sandwiched
right in between the statement that ‘immediately after’ the great tribulation,
and the scene depicting the return of Jesus is a list of unique signs that will
immediately precede both the return of Christ, and the dawning of the day of
the Lord. As we are already well aware,
that time will see the flood of God’s wrath sweep over the earth, and destroy
the sinners who inhabit the land.
Furthermore, just as scripture is
clear as to what will happen at this time, it is equally clear as
to when these things will occur within the framework of the
chronology of the 70th week of Daniel. Now, consider the following things. Scripture’s account of the events surrounding
the battle of Armageddon, given in Revelation 19 and 20, make it abundantly
clear that this will be one of the final prophetic events to occur before Jesus
establishes his kingdom. But in speaking
of the day of the Lord scripture reveals an entirely different understanding. Revelation 6:12-17 details the opening of the
sixth seal. That seal is primarily
comprised of the manifestation of the herald signs of the day of the Lord. The very same signs given by Jesus in the
above passage. This set of absolutely
unique signs, presented to the world simultaneously, allow all of creation to
know the day of God’s vengeance has arrived.
Fortunately we can gain a general
understanding of the approximate chronological placement of this time within
the framework of Daniel’s 70th week.
This is possible when we realize that after the opening of the sixth
seal, heralding the initiation of the day of the Lord, the entirety of the
seventh seal must still be allowed to unfold.
The seventh seal is comprised of seven trumpet judgments, with the
seventh trumpet judgment itself containing seven additional judgments. It is the manifold judgments of the seventh
seal that comprise the day of the Lord, and the wrath of God that will be
vented upon the earth and all creation.
Now, of particular importance to us
at this time is the fifth trumpet judgment of the seventh seal (Rev
9:1-12). Revelation 9:5 tells us that this
judgment will last for five months.
We are not given to understand how long any of the other judgments
associated with the seventh seal will last, but we do know their combined
duration will not be less than the five months associated with the fifth
trumpet. Therefore, it becomes painfully
obvious that the herald signs of the day of the Lord, seen in Rev 6:12-17 and
Mat 24:29 cannot occur less than five months prior to the end of Daniel’s 70th
week. This also means they, and the
events of Mat 24:26-31, will occur not less than five months prior
to the battle of Armageddon. As such,
the events depicted in Mat 24:27-31 absolutely cannot be associated with
Armageddon, which will occur at least five months later!
So then, if
the ‘coming’ of Jesus shown in Matthew 24:27-31 is not associated with
Armageddon, with what then shall we associate it? It is this writer’s contention the events of
Matthew 24:26-31 should be associated with the return of Jesus to snatch away
his beloved Church. But perhaps the
reader would like a bit more confirmation of that understanding before taking
the leap of faith required to bridge the gap created by years of
indoctrination.
Matthew
24:36-42 (NIV) (Verses
containing ‘Coming/Parousia’ are 37 & 39)
“No
one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the
Son, but only the Father. 37) As
it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming [parousia] of
the Son of Man. For in the days before the flood, people were
eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah
entered the ark; 39) and they knew nothing about what would happen until
the flood came and took them all away. That
is how it will be at the coming [parousia] of the Son of Man. Two men will
be in the field; one will be taken and the other left. Two women will be grinding with a hand mill;
one will be taken and the other left.
“Therefore keep watch, because you do not
know on what day your Lord will come.
[Emphasis, brackets added]
The pre-tribulation teaching views this passage as being
associated with the rapture. And
rightfully so! Both the references to
our Lord’s ‘parousia’ (his arrival and continuing presence) are clearly
associated with a day and hour that are completely unknown to anyone but the
Father. Therefore the ‘coming’ referred
to can only be Christ’s coming for the rapture.
This is plainly true since the timing of his ‘coming’ for Armageddon can
be calculated with great precision and will be known to many during the time of
the tribulation years.
The pre-wrath teaching is in complete agreement on these
matters and wholeheartedly concurs with the pre-tribulation teaching in regard
to this passage.
In short, nearly everyone
agrees this is indeed a direct and undeniable reference to our Lord’s return
for the rapture of his Church! But
one thing should be carefully considered.
I would ask the reader to take a moment to slowly and
carefully read the passage again. Now,
find the passage we just studied in Luke 17:22-37 and read it slowly and
carefully.
The two passages are almost exact duplicates of one
another! They use the same language,
imagery, examples, and are in regard to the same subject, the return of
Jesus. There is absolutely no way anyone
can look at these two sets of scripture and not honestly and definitively
conclude they are speaking of the exact same event – the rapture! Yet if the reader will recall, the
pre-tribulation teaching has done exactly that!
The teaching insists the passage in Matthew is about the rapture, while
the passage in Luke is about Armageddon.
The reason for this is obvious. If one admits the passage in Luke is related
to the rapture, then one must also be willing to admit the passage beginning at
Matthew 24:27 is likewise related to the rapture. Note carefully how the imagery, examples and
subject matter of Luke 17 is again a mirror image reflection of that presented
in Matthew 24:27-28!
From this point it is almost inevitable that one
will conclude that if the events depicted in Matthew 24:27-28 are directly
related to our Lord’s return and the rapture; and the events in Matthew
24:37-42 are directly related to our Lord’s return and the rapture; and the
events shown in Matthew 24:29-36 detail an event that mirrors the scene of our
Lord’s return for the rapture as presented in 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 (except
for when we thought it would occur); well, it quite simply is
impossible not to conclude from the preponderance of circumstantial evidence, not
to mention the reams of scriptural proof presented earlier in this text, that
all these passages are pointing toward the exact same moment in time and
relating details of the exact same event – the rapture!
1 Cor 15:23 (NIV)
But each in his own
turn: Christ, the firstfruits; then, when he comes [parousia], those who
belong to him. [Italics, brackets added]
There is no disagreement on this passage. It is understood the reference here is to the
rapture.
1 Thes 2:19 (NIV)
For what is our
hope, our joy, or the crown in which we will glory in the presence of our Lord
Jesus when he comes [parousia]?
Is it not your? Indeed, you are
our glory and joy. [Italics, brackets
added]
There is no disagreement on this passage. It is understood the reference here is to the
rapture.
1 Thes 3:13 (NIV)
May he strengthen
your hearts so that you will be blameless and holy in the presence of our God
and Father when our Lord Jesus comes [parousia] with all his holy ones
[Hagios]. [Italics, brackets added]
The pre-tribulation teaching views this passage as being
related to Armageddon. The reason for
this comes primarily from the common translation of the Greek word ‘hagios’ in
this passage. This word literally means
‘someone or something that is holy and dedicated to the Lord’. It is regularly used in connection with
‘holy’ objects, people and angels. When
used of living entities the context of its use must be considered in order to
determine whether it should be designating the holy angels, or the holy people,
ie ‘saints’, of God. When the context is
not definitively clear, as is the case in 1 Thes 3:13, the more ambiguous term
‘holy ones’ should be used, as has been done in the NIV version of the
scriptures.
Unfortunately most translations have chosen to use
the most common rendering of this word, which is ‘saints’, in 1 Thes 3:13. It should be noted this has been done in
spite of the fact that there exist no compelling reason to do so. Nonetheless, such is the case, and that
choice of translation is what raises the issues associated with this passage.
Specifically, if we understand ‘hagios’ in this
passage to refer to the ‘holy people’, ie ‘saints’ of Jesus, then the obvious
conclusion is that there must be a ‘coming’ (parousia) of Jesus to this planet
wherein he will return ‘with’ those ‘saints’.
This conclusion inevitably leads one to understand that such a ‘coming’
could only be at Armageddon. But the
question must be raised as to whether or not the whole of scripture will
support such a presumptive and specific translation of ‘hagios’.
In an attempt to support this claim the
pre-tribulation teaching frequently looks to two other passages of scripture it
claims validate the idea of Christ returning with his ‘saints’.
Jude 14-15
(KJV) And Enoch also, the seventh from
Adam, prophesied of these, saying, Behold, the Lord cometh with ten
thousands of his saints [Hagios], To execute judgment upon all, and to
convince all that are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they
have ungodly committed, and of all their hard speeches which ungodly sinners
have spoken against him. [Italics, brackets added]
The translation of this passage suffers from the exact
same problem as the passage we previously considered. Again the Greek word given here is ‘hagios’
and again, for no compelling reason, a choice was made to translate this word
as ‘saints’.
Now, what is really of interest with regard to this verse
is that it reverses the situation found in 1 Thessalonians 3:13. In that verse the NIV translation stood
virtually alone in translating the word ‘hagios’ as ‘holy ones’ rather than as
‘saints’. In Jude 14, it is the KJV
translation that stands in the strong minority as most other versions choose to
translate the word ‘hagios’ as either ‘holy ones’ or ‘angels’!
In point of fact, there is no compelling rationale in
either passage to mandate the specific selection of ‘angels’ or ‘saints’ to
define the more general term ‘hagios’.
Instead, the prudent course would be to allow the broader term of ‘holy
ones’ to stand in these passages and then consult the body of scripture to
perfect our understanding as to the proper identity of the ‘holy ones’ that
will accompany our Lord on that great day.
In the final analysis, this verse does more to
undermine than support the understanding that the ‘saints’ will accompany
Christ when he returns. As such, we can
readily perceive that absolutely nothing has yet been presented to mandate or
even realistically suggest we should view the coming/parousia of Christ
mentioned in 1Thes 3:13 as being associated with Armageddon. With this dilemma weighing heavily, the
pre-tribulation teaching turns to the book of Revelation and its account of the
activity surrounding that battle to validate its contention that the ‘saints’
of God will return at that time with their Lord.
Rev 19:14
(NIV) The armies of heaven were
following him, riding on white horses and dressed in fine linen, white and
clean. [Italics added]
This passage clearly indicates that the ‘armies’ of
heaven accompany Christ into battle at Armageddon. With this in hand it now becomes important to
identify ‘who’ will comprise that army.
In an effort to do this the pre-tribulation teaching
tries to leverage the fact that the army is shown to be ‘dressed in fine linen,
white and clean.’ This fact is then
compared with a description of what the bride of Christ is given to wear at the
marriage supper of the Lamb.
Rev 19:7-8
(NIV) Let us rejoice and be glad and
give him glory! For the wedding of the
Lamb has come, and his bride has made herself ready. Fine linen, bright and clean, was given
her to wear. (Fine linen stands for
the righteous acts of the saints.)
[Italics added]
The obvious conclusion is that since the bride/Church is
dressed in the same manner as the army just seen accompanying Christ into
battle; then the bride/Church must comprise that army!
That’s very nice reasoning, but it’s a bit
premature. This is especially true since
scripture plainly teaches that the angels are also dressed in the same manner!
Rev 15:6 (NIV) Out of the temple came the seven angels with
the seven plagues. They were dressed
in clean, shining linen and wore golden sashes around their chests. [Italics added]
Again there is no compelling reason to believe that it is the ‘saints’ of God who are seen accompanying Jesus. And again it is the angels of our Lord who are seen to be the ones who most likely should fill that role.
This understanding is driven home when we observe that
nowhere in the account of Armageddon or anywhere else in scripture are we ever
given a single explicit reference to the ‘saints’ accompanying Christ at his
coming/parousia! None of the passages we
just reviewed will qualify because it is impossible to definitively identify
the ‘holy ones’ or the ‘armies of heaven’ seen in these passages as either
‘angels’ or ‘saints’. Unfortunately,
this is the best evidence the pre-tribulation teaching can muster.
On the other hand, much more can be said concerning the
role of the angels at the coming of our Lord.
Without doubt they will accompany our Lord both when he raptures the Church
and during the battle of Armageddon. In
fact, the presence of the angels literally permeates each of these end-time
events.
Mat 24:31
(NIV) And he will send his angels with a
loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one
end of the heavens to the other.
Mat 25:31
(NIV) “When the Son of Man comes in his
glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on the throne in heavenly
glory.”
Mark 8:38
(NIV) “If anyone is ashamed of me and my
words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will be ashamed
of him when he comes in his Father’s glory with the holy angels.”
1 Thes 4:16
(NIV) For the Lord himself will come
down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with
the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first.
2 Thes 1:6-7
(NIV) God is just: He will pay back
trouble to those who trouble you and give relief to you who are troubled, and
to us as well. This will happen when the
Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven in blazing fire with his powerful angels.
Rev 19:17
(NIV) And I saw an angel standing in the
sun, who cried in a loud voice to all the birds flying in midair….
The angel’s place in these end-time events is well
documented. It goes without saying that
they will be present and active participants both when our Lord removes his Church
from this world and when he delivers the fatal blow to Antichrist at
Armageddon. The same cannot be said for
the ‘saints’. They will surely be
present at the rapture, but nowhere does scripture invite us to understand they
will be active participants, much less co-combatants at Armageddon. As such, it is readily apparent nothing
exists to hinder our understanding that the reference to the coming/parousia of
Jesus in 1 thes 3:13 could not, and indeed should not be associated with the
rapture of the Church.
1 Thes 4:15 ( NIV)
According to the
Lord’s own word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left till the
coming [parousia] of the Lord,
will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. [Italics, brackets added]
There is no disagreement on this passage. It is understood the reference here is to the
rapture.
1 Thes 5:23 (NIV)
May God himself,
the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept
blameless at the coming [parousia] of our Lord Jesus Christ. [Italics, brackets added]
There is no disagreement on this passage. It is understood the reference here is to the
rapture.
2 Thes 2:1 (NIV)
Concerning the coming
[parousia] of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered to him, we ask you,
brothers, [Italics, brackets added]
Those who teach a pre-tribulation rapture are frequently
at odds as to where this reference to our Lord’s coming/parousia should be
placed in the chronology of end-times.
Some feel it is an obvious reference to the rapture, while others
believe it must be associated with Armageddon.
This writer believes it is an absolute reference to the
rapture. This conclusion is reached for
reasons we have previously considered (See pgs 56-58 & 73-77).
2 Thes 2:8 (NIV)
And then the
lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will overthrow* with
the breath of his mouth and destroy** by the splendor of his coming [parousia]. [Italics, brackets, asterisk added]
2 Thes 2:8
(KJV) And then shall that Wicked be
revealed, whom the Lord shall consume* with the spirit of his mouth, and
shall destroy** with the brightness of his coming
[parousia]: [Italics, brackets, asterisk
added]
2 Thes 2:8
(NASB) Then that lawless one will be
revealed whom the Lord will slay* with the breath of His mouth and bring
to an end** by the appearance of His coming [parousia]; [Italics, brackets, asterisk added]
2 Thes 2:8
(ASV) And then shall be revealed the
lawless one, whom the Lord Jesus shall slay* with the breath of his
mouth, and bring to nought** by the manifestation of his coming
[parousia]; [Italics, brackets, asterisk
added]
This is a fascinating passage of scripture and is great
for gaining an appreciation for the complexity and beauty of the Greek
language. Please note that I have not
and cannot make any claims toward being knowledgeable of the intricacies
associated with Greek. I am a layman and
find my information the same way as most laymen; I search for it in books or on
the internet J! In fact, the information provided for this
study comes from the internet resource ‘WWW.Crosswalk.Com’ and takes advantage
of their excellent resources such as the ‘KJV New Testament Greek Lexicon’. Many thanks to them for this valuable
service. Now, let’s get down to
business.
The pre-tribulation teaching understands this passage,
and its reference to the coming/parousia of Christ to refer to the time of
Armageddon. The reason for this is the
passage’s obvious reference to Antichrist and his ‘destruction’. In fact, a casual reading of the above
translations tends to give one the impression that at the coming/parousia of
Jesus the Antichrist will be slain and destroyed (proof positive that when God
does something its done right! And yes I
know my humor needs work.). At any rate,
this all ties in very nicely to the visual imagery we gain from Revelation
19:20 to create the strong appearance of a connection between the two events.
Rev 19:20
(NIV) But the beast was captured, and
with him the false prophet who had performed the miraculous signs on his
behalf. With these signs he had deluded
those who had received the mark of the beast and worshiped his image. The two of them were thrown alive
into the fiery lake of burning sulfur.
[Emphasis added]
It all seems to make sense, but is this really a valid
relationship or does it just appear to be?
The reader will notice this relationship is founded on the translation
of two words from our reference passage.
Lets take a look at those words and their meanings as given by the ‘KJV
New Testament Greek Lexicon’. Refer to
the words marked with asterisk(s) in our reference passage for the following
definitions. Also note that two Greek
words are commonly associated with the first asterisk and therefore both are
offered for your consideration.
·
*Analisko – 1) To expend, consume, eg.
spend/consume money. 2)To consume, use
up, destroy.
·
*Anaireo – To take away or abolish A) to do away
with or abrogate (to abolish in an authoritative manner), as in customs or
ordinances. B) To put out of the way, to kill/slay a man.
·
**Katargeo – 1) To render idle, inactive,
inoperative. A) To cause a person or
thing to have no further efficiency. B)
To deprive of force, influence or power.
Now, lets look at the word referenced by a
single asterisk (Analisko/Anaireo). Note
that this word has been translated as ‘overthrow, consume, and slay’. Before we decide which is correct, first
re-read Revelation 19:20. Take special
notice of the fact that Antichrist and the false prophet are thrown ‘alive’
into the lake of fire. This allows us to
immediately eliminate definitions involving ‘killing/slaying’ of a man since
Antichrist is specifically depicted as not being killed.
Now, from the word
‘Analisko’ we gain the understanding that our Lord will ‘consume’ and ‘destroy’
Antichrist in much the same way that a person might ‘consume, use up, or
destroy’ money, a roll of paper towels or even another person. The concept seems to be that of a continuing
process wherein the ‘money’ or in this case ‘Antichrist’ is ‘consumed, used up,
or destroyed’ over a period of time rather than all at once. To this, ‘Anaireo’ adds the concept that
Antichrist will be ‘abolished or done away with through authoritative action’.
Putting the two together
seems to engender the understanding that our Lord will authoritatively mandate
the abolition of Antichrist’s position and authority. However, this mandate will be accomplished
through a process of continuing consumption/destruction that will ultimately
see Antichrist’s authority destroyed as completely as if he had been slain.
Now, what word(s) in the
English language should we use to best describe this concept? That’s tough, but after giving this some
careful thought the closest I can come would be to suggest the imprecise but
vivid terminology of ‘methodically annihilate’ to replace the words ‘overthrow,
consume or slay’ in the passage above.
Now, lets look at our second
word, which is referenced with two asterisks (Katargeo). The definition of this word is very
straightforward. It states very plainly
that the Antichrist will be ‘rendered inoperative, made to be ineffective,
and/or deprived of force, influence or power’.
With this understanding it would seem that the word ‘destroy’, while not
wholly inappropriate, does not truly capture the essence of the concept being
conveyed by ‘katargeo’. The NASB, and
ASV appear to have done a far better job of capturing the concept with their
translations of ‘bring to an end’ and ‘bring to nought’. Again, after careful consideration I would
like to suggest the terminology of ‘render ineffective’ for our reference
passage.
Finally, we can place these
new terms into our reference passage and see what, if anything, they might
change with regard to our understanding.
2 Thes 2:8
(Paraphrased) And then the lawless one
will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will [methodically annihilate] with the
breath of his mouth and [render ineffective] by the splendor of his coming [parousia]. [Italics, brackets added]
Granted, I am no authority on language, and our efforts
here hardly constitute pluming the depths of scholarship, but what has been
presented is entirely reasonable and in line with the intent of the text. From this vantage point we can now see that
the relationship that once seemed so clear is now only a distant, hazy mirage.
In its place stands the image and understanding
that a time will come when our Lord will return to this world. At his coming/parousia the Antichrist will be
deprived of much of his power and rendered largely ineffective in his attempts
to carry out the schemes of Satan. The
time when this will occur will be when Christ returns to initiate the day of
the Lord/rapture.
Recall if you will that in speaking of the day of
the Lord scripture has declared that ‘the Lord alone will be exalted in that
day’ (Isa 2:11). And truly from the
moment of its inception the power, influence and authority of Antichrist will
continually decrease as our Lord methodically annihilates him during the day of
the Lord. As each trumpet of the seventh
seal is blown, and as each bowl of God’s wrath is poured out, the world and its
would-be ‘messiah/god’ will understand ever more clearly the nature of true
glory, true power and true Godhood. And
with each successive blow all will understand that the Antichrist, and Satan
whom he serves, represent none of these!
With this understanding available, it again becomes
impossible to insist this passage be viewed as relating to Armageddon. In fact, it seems much more likely that it
too should be viewed as relating to the coming/parousia of Christ so clearly
seen occurring at the inception of the day of the Lord, and thereby at the time
of the rapture.
James 5:7 (NIV)
Be patient, then,
brothers, until the Lord’s coming [parousia]. See how the farmer waits for the land to
yield its valuable crop and how patient he is for the autumn and spring
rains. [Italics, brackets added]
There is no disagreement on this passage. It is understood the reference here is to the
rapture.
2 Peter 1:16 (NIV)
We did not follow
cleverly invented stories when we told you about the power and coming
[parousia] of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of his
majesty. [Italics, brackets added]
The pre-wrath teaching sees no reason why this
passage should not be viewed as relating to Christ’s coming at the
rapture. Also, I am personally unaware
of any clearly defined position regarding this passage by the pre-tribulation
teaching.
2 Peter 3:4 and
3:11b-12a (NIV)
4) They will say, “Where is this ‘coming’
[parousia] he promised? Ever since our
fathers died, everything goes on as it has since the beginning of creation.”….
11b) You ought to live holy and godly lives as you look forward to the day of
God and speed its coming [parousia].
[Italics, brackets added]
This is another passage over which pre-tribulation
teachers sometimes clash regarding the question of how to apply its reference
to our Lord’s coming/parousia. Usually
however, most teachers see at least one of the two references as relating to
Armageddon. I do not believe such is the
case, and would ask the reader to examine the work previously done that
underpins this belief (See pgs 63 & 221 for details).
1 John 2:28 (NIV)
And now, dear
children, continue in him, so that when he appears we may be confident and
unashamed before him at his coming [parousia].
[Italics, brackets added]
There is no disagreement on this passage. It is understood the reference here is to the
rapture.
In reviewing these seventeen references to the future
coming/parousia of our Lord I hope you will agree that not one of them mandates
our understanding that it should be associated with Armageddon. In fact every passage we considered either mandated
an association with the rapture/day of the Lord or at a minimum the
preponderance of evidence weighed in favor of such an association.
As such, I would submit to the reader that all of these
passages should be viewed as relating to a single moment in time. The day when our Lord will return to rapture
his Church and initiate the day of the Lord.
This understanding produces an immediate impact on the pre-tribulation
argument that there will be a coming/parousia of Christ for his saints,
and another coming/parousia of Christ with his saints.
Once we see that each reference to the coming/parousia of
Christ relates to the same time frame, the pre-tribulation argument
vanishes. As for the long list of
supposed differences in the ‘two stages’ of his coming/parousia, they also
disappear and are seen for what they really always were. Simple misunderstandings incorporated into a
well intentioned but misguided teaching.
For example, recall the following from the pre-tribulation argument.
Relative to the
‘first stage’ of Christ’s coming:
Mat 24:36-37 - The Lord
will return on a day and at an hour when we do not expect him.
Relative to the
‘second stage’ of Christ’s coming:
Mat 24:29 - The Lord will
return immediately after the great tribulation.
This apparent incongruity vanishes now that we understand
that each of these events is related to our Lord’s return to initiate the day
of the Lord. That day will be initiated
immediately following the great tribulation, which will be cut short when the
cosmic herald signs of the sixth seal are manifested. The initiation of that time will be
completely unexpected since its exact timing is unknown. All we do know is that it will occur sometime
after the abomination of desolation, but not less than five months before the
close of the seven-year tribulation period (a span of 37 months).
As such, both the above statements are true. Our Lord will indeed return on a day and at
an hour when we do not expect him, and that day will follow immediately on the
heels of the great tribulation! The
final result would appear as follows:
Relative to Christ’s
coming/parousia:
Mat 24: 22-42 The Lord will return on a day and at an hour
we do not expect him. That day will come
when the great tribulation is suddenly and unexpectedly ‘cut short’. It will be cut short by the herald signs of
the day of the Lord. This will occur
somewhere in the 37 month period following the abomination of desolation.
Now, I am sure that someone will object to this
understanding. They will no doubt raise
this objection on the grounds that it violates both the doctrine of imminence
and reason. The doctrine of imminence is
violated because we have mandated ‘signs’ that must occur before the rapture such
as the abomination of desolation and the cosmic phenomena we are calling the
‘herald signs of the day of the Lord’.
Reason is violated because if such an arrangement really did exist, then
surely scripture would have come right out and explicitly told the believer to
look for these signs and expect his deliverance when he/she witnesses them.
Well, I suppose the best response I can make to
this argument is to let scripture alone reply.
Luke 21:25-28
(NIV) “There will be signs in the
sun, moon and stars. On the earth,
nations will be in anguish and perplexity at the roaring and tossing of the
sea. Men will faint from terror,
apprehensive of what is coming on the world, for the heavenly bodies will be
shaken. At that time they will
see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. When these things begin to take
place, stand up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing
near. [Emphasis added]
What more can or need be said? All the other ‘differences’ between the
‘first stage’ and ‘second stage’ of our Lord’s return are likewise resolved;
each of them proving to be simple misunderstandings. Now that the light of truth has been shed
upon them they flee easily into the shadows that spawned them. What we are left with is the firm
understanding that there will be only one coming/parousia of our Lord, and that
will occur when he splits the sky like lightning, raptures his saints and
initiates the day of the Lord.
Before we close this discussion I should make one
thing clear. While there will be only a
single coming/parousia of Christ, that does not mean he will not ‘return’ from
heaven to lead his armies into battle at Armageddon. This event will transpire exactly as
scripture describes it. We must remember
that ‘parousia’ carries with it the concept of the ‘arrival and continuing
presence’ of the person it is speaking about.
Therefore, when we consider Christ’s coming/parousia what we mean is
that once his presence on earth begins, it will continue. During the period of his ‘parousia’ he may be
physically located in heaven, on earth or perhaps he will move between the two
numerous times, who can say? The point
however is that his divine ‘presence’ will remain on earth in an active
capacity from the first moment of his coming/parousia and it will not be
withdrawn.
HOW MUCH TIME IS ENOUGH?
The pre-tribulation teaching
rightfully notes that a number of events must occur between Christ’s coming for
the rapture and the establishment of his kingdom. It then presumes to insist that no other
teaching incorporates a sufficient interval of time (some seven or more years
is supposedly required) between the rapture and the kingdom, and this failure
constitutes a strong endorsement of the pre-tribulation position. But I have to ask; just how much time is
really needed? The answer is not much
at all! Let’s see why, and also
answer some other common questions posed by the pre-tribulation teaching below.
1)
Argument:
The pre-tribulation position points to the bema seat judgment (The
judgment of believers for purpose of rewards, 2 Cor 5:10) and concludes that
some ‘realistic’ quantity of time will be required to judge the countless
multitudes of believers.
a.
Response:
First, it should be noted that scripture never gives us any indication
of the time frame involved with the bema seat.
Any guess on our part as to ‘how long’ it might take is pure
speculation. Second, scripture does give
us an indication as to how long the rapture will take. It will occur in the ‘twinkling of an
eye’. If we recall that the rapture will
involve the exact same ‘countless multitude’ of believers, and it involves an
infinitely more difficult task (resurrection of dead, creation of perfected
bodies, gathering from all over the planet, etc…); then I think it is safe to
‘speculate’ that if the rapture can be performed ‘in the twinkling of an eye’,
then so too can the judgment of the multitude that is raptured.
2)
Argument:
The marriage supper of the Lamb (Rev 19:6-9) will again consume some
realistic quantity of time. The seven
year gap proposed by the pre-tribulation teaching easily accounts for the
passage of this time.
a.
Response:
Again, assignment of any definite duration to this event is pure
speculation since scripture has never commented as to its length. That observation not withstanding; how much
time would you like? A few hours, a day,
or maybe a full week or two to really celebrate? Any way you cut it, seven years seems a bit extreme,
and the five month (minimum) gap proposed by the pre-wrath teaching easily
accommodates this event no matter how you choose to view it.
3)
Argument:
The pre-tribulation teaching insists that should the rapture occur
anywhere in the general vicinity of when the millennial kingdom is established,
then no one would remain to populate the kingdom. For this reason, the teaching strongly
suggests a long interval must surely separate the rapture from the kingdom in
order to allow time for the conversion of ‘tribulation saints’.
a.
Response:
Again, this proposition is pure speculation. The truth of this situation is that it does
not matter when the rapture will occur.
Regardless of whether it is pre, mid, post or pre-wrath the answer to
this question is the same. The kingdom
will be populated by all who have patiently endured the tribulation and have
not taken to themselves the mark of the beast.
Scripture does not emphatically mandate these ‘survivors’ be either Jew
or gentile, saved or unsaved. The only
qualification ‘appears’ to be that they have not sold themselves to Satan
through acceptance of his mark. And
again, regardless of when the rapture occurs, our Father is able to preserve
unto himself a remnant that will never bow to the enemy.
4)
Argument:
If the rapture occurs near Armageddon and takes all the ‘saved’ people
from the earth, then how can there be a separation of ‘sheep’ from ‘goats’ at
that time? This would be impossible
since you can’t separate ‘saved’ from ‘unsaved’ if all you have left is
‘unsaved’. This fact strongly calls for
a pre-tribulation rapture that would allow time for the conversion of
‘tribulation saints’.
a.
Response:
The answer to this question is much the same as before. First, we should point out that the pre-wrath
teaching does in fact allow a long enough interval to convert many to faith in
Christ, therefore we could easily dismiss this argument on those grounds
alone. However, a more correct answer
appears to revolve about an understanding of who will be present on earth when
Jesus performs this separation. Those
present will be 144,000 sealed Jewish witnesses and a mass of both Jews and
gentiles who either have or have not taken the mark of the beast. These will all be available for the ‘sheep
and goat’ separation. How they are
separated will be a matter for our Lord to decide at that time.
5)
Argument:
The Church is not mentioned in the book of Revelation from Rev 4:1 until
she is seen again in Rev 19:7. This
omission argues strongly that the Church must not be present during the
tribulation years separating these events.
This fact correlates precisely with a pre-tribulation rapture.
a.
Response:
The Church is in fact seen after Rev 4:1, at least by anyone willing to
accept it. First, she is present in Rev
7:9 when the great multitude is seen in heaven.
Next she is seen in Rev 12:17 when it is said that the dragon (Satan)
went to make war against those who ‘hold to the testimony of Jesus’. Neither of these groups can be associated
with Israel,
while the Church fits the descriptions given like a glove. Once more we find there is no foundation, and
certainly no proof, for yet another pre-tribulation argument.
6)
Argument:
The tribulation period is a time that has been set aside specifically
for the purpose of dealing with the redemption and restoration of national Israel. As such the Church has no part or place
during this time.
a.
Response:
The reader is asked to review the scriptures associated with the
pre-tribulation argument as well as our initial consideration of dispensational
reasons for the rapture (pages 197-202, and 34-39). During this review, carefully note that it is
not the ‘tribulation’ period that has been set aside by our Lord to deal with
Israel, but the period of time called ‘the day of the Lord’, and it is this
period from which the Church has been excluded.
Once more we see that it is a proper understanding of the day of the
Lord that allows us to distinguish truth from error. Truth would have us understand that the Church
will have no part in the day of the Lord as our Father seeks to purge Israel in the
fire of his wrath. Error attempts to
tell us ‘the day of the Lord’ is the same thing as ‘the tribulation’ period. However, now that we have learned the
difference between these two, error no longer has a hold on us as we do not
live in darkness concerning that coming time of rapture and wrath.
Other arguments such as these exist, but all are
easily answered in a similar manner.
This leaves us to ponder the doctrine of imminence and wonder where is
the scriptural evidence that ‘mandates’ this doctrine? In fact, where is the evidence that even
realistically ‘suggest’ this doctrine?
It is my humble opinion that the doctrine of imminence is not provable,
mandated, nor even strongly suggested within the body of scripture. As such, the doctrine should be rejected as
unfit for consumption by those who constitute the body of Christ.
APPENDIX B
COMMON GROUND TOPICS
The material covered in this section is dedicated to a
few topics of essentially common understanding between the pre-wrath teaching
and others, most notably the pre-tribulation teaching. The information offered concerning these
topics is far from complete. It is only
intended to comprise enough of a general overview of the subject matter to
assist in assimilating and understanding the information in this text as it
pertains to the season of the rapture.
Please understand it is not my intention to ‘prove’ many
of the things stated within this section as doing so could, and in some cases
already has, required an entire book in its own right. Instead, the information is provided only as
a means to familiarize the reader with the fundamental concepts and characteristics
of the selected topic.
Some topics are adequately covered within the body of
this text. In such cases the reader may
be referred to the appropriate section or page(s). In either case, the reader is encouraged to
gain a reasonable understanding of unfamiliar topics as it will serve to
increase understanding and decrease confusion.
THE 70TH WEEK OF DANIEL
Daniel’s prophecy of the seventy weeks is of immense
importance to a proper understanding of end-time events and chronology. In many ways this amazing prophecy might be
thought of as a mathematical construct that provides the chronological key to
the entirety of God’s prophetic plan for man and especially for the nation of Israel, prior
to the inception of Christ’s millennial kingdom.
Before beginning our brief exploration of this prophecy I
would like to take a moment to pay a debt of gratitude to a long dead brother
in Christ, Sir Robert Anderson. It is
from this dear brother’s work entitled, “The Coming Prince”1, that
most of the material in this section is drawn.
With these things said, let us begin our study of Daniel’s prophecy of
the seventy weeks.
According to scripture, Daniel had come to understand the
time of Babylonian captivity was drawing to a close. As such Daniel began to seek wisdom from the
Lord concerning what the future would hold for the people of God and their
beloved city of Jerusalem. The Father saw fit to grant his petition, and
in the process gave Daniel a vision of the future more expansive and complete
than he had asked or could have hoped for.
Read now the words of the vision brought to Daniel by the messenger of
God.
Dan
9:24-27 (NIV) “Seventy ‘sevens’ are
decreed for your people and your holy city to finish transgression, to put an
end to sin, to atone for wickedness, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to
seal up vision and prophecy and to anoint the most holy.
Know and understand this: From the
issuing of the decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem until the Anointed One, the ruler,
comes, there will be seven ‘sevens,’ and sixty-two ‘sevens.’ It will be rebuilt with streets and a trench,
but in times of trouble, after the sixty-two ‘sevens,’ the Anointed One will be
cut off and will have nothing. The
people of the ruler who will come will destroy the city and the sanctuary. The end will come like a flood: War will
continue until the end, and desolations have been decreed. He will confirm a covenant with many for one
‘seven.’ In the middle of the ‘seven’ he
will put an end to sacrifice and offering.
And on a wing of the temple he will set up an abomination that causes
desolation, until the end that is decreed is poured out on him.”
The first verse of this prophecy tells us that a specific
period of time, “seventy ‘sevens’” (the Hebrew word for ‘seven’ was translated
as ‘week’ in the King James version, and it is from this that we get the
familiar and well loved term ‘the 70th ‘week’ of Daniel’), has been
decreed to put an end to sin, bring in everlasting righteousness and anoint the
most holy. These things are generally
understood to form a reference to the coming millennial kingdom of Christ
since it is during the time of his earthly reign when these things are
understood to be fulfilled. But what
should we make of the period of time allotted for these things to be fulfilled
and how long is a ‘seven’?
HOW MANY IS SEVENTY ‘SEVENS’?
The old Jewish calendar contains two groups of ‘sevens’
within it. The first group we are all
very familiar with. It is a group of
‘seven days’, and we call this period a ‘week’.
The second is a group of ‘seven years’ and was given to the nation of Israel by the
Lord when they entered into the promised land.
Lev
25:2-5 (NIV) “Speak to the Israelites
and say to them; ‘When you enter the land I am going to give you, the land
itself must observe a Sabbath to the Lord.
For six years sow your fields, and for six years prune your vineyards
and gather their crops. But in the
seventh year the land is to have a Sabbath of rest, a Sabbath to the Lord.
It is to this second group that the prophecy of Daniel
refers. There is one thing more we
should understand with regard to the ‘years’ we are considering in this
prophecy. As with virtually all
prophecy, time periods measured in months and years are based on ancient
methods of time keeping. In turn, these
were based upon the lunar cycle. In this
system of measuring time, each year is composed of 12 months, and each month is
composed of 30 days. Therefore each year
is three hundred and sixty days in duration rather than the three hundred and
sixty five we are accustomed to in our modern calendar today. When speaking of time in prophecies such as
this it is sometimes helpful to speak of ‘prophetic months’ or ‘prophetic
years’ to help us remember this minor but important distinction.
With this new knowledge we can now evaluate what we have
learned from the first verse of Daniel’s vision. We now know that the Lord has allotted a
period of 490 ‘prophetic’ years (seventy ‘sevens’ or ‘weeks’ of years, 70 x 7 =
490). At the end of this 490 year period
lays the long awaited millennial kingdom
of Jesus. Now, our next job is to determine, if
possible, when this 490 year prophetic clock will begin to tick. Fortunately scripture gives us both a clue
and in another place a direct answer to this all-important question. Let’s look again at verse 25 of the prophecy.
Dan 9:25
(NIV) Know and understand this: From the issuing of the decree to restore and
rebuild Jerusalem until the Anointed One, the ruler comes, there will be seven
‘sevens,’ and sixty-two ‘sevens.’ It
will be rebuilt with streets and a trench, but in times of trouble.
THE DECREE TO REBUILD JERUSALEM
From this
verse we learn the prophetic clock will begin to wind down when a decree to
restore and rebuild Jerusalem
is issued. Only one such decree is known
to have ever been made and scripture is faithful to have recorded the date of
the proclamation for our benefit in Nehemiah chapter two.
According
to Nehemiah, the decree was issued in the month Nissan, in the twentieth year
of the reign of King Artaxerxes. Since
no specific day is pinpointed within the month, Jewish custom understands and
designates the day to be the first of Nissan.
Also, since the dates associated with the reign of Artaxerxes are
extremely well documented by both religious and secular sources, we know the
proper year associated with the decree is 445 BC.
Therefore,
we should now understand that the decree to rebuild the city of Jerusalem was issued on
the first of Nissan, 445 BC. When this
day is transferred over to our modern calendar the date we recover for that
particular year is March 14th, 445 BC. It is from this day our prophetic clock will
begin to count down toward the earthly reign of Christ that should begin
exactly 490 years in the future of that date.
THIS MUST BE
THAT STRANGE ‘NEW MATH’
Now, I
know some mathematically minded readers have already jumped ahead and can
plainly see we appear to have a big problem with our math at this point. No matter how we might try, there is no way
you can start at the year 445 BC, move a mere 490 years in the future from that
point and then claim the millennial kingdom of Jesus will start at that
time. It doesn’t take a genius to figure
out that would mean Christ’s earthly reign began nearly two thousand years
ago. However, we know without a doubt
his kingdom still lies in our future.
How can we possibly reconcile such an obviously impossible
contradiction?
I know
this seems like an insurmountable obstacle.
All I can ask is that you remain patient for a moment and I think you
will be fairly amazed at the awesome way our God and Father is able to mold his
prophetic plans. For now let’s return to
the passage and see the beauty of how this mystery is about to unfold before
our very eyes.
UNTIL THE
ANOINTED ONE COMES
The
prophecy indicates several events will occur prior to its ultimate
conclusion. First, we discover that from
the time of the decree ‘until the Anointed One, the ruler, comes’, exactly
sixty-nine (7 ‘sevens’ + 62 ‘sevens’ = 69 ‘sevens’) of the seventy ‘sevens’
will pass. During this time the city of Jerusalem would be
rebuilt, and at the conclusion of the sixty-ninth ‘seven’ Jesus, the ‘Anointed
One’, would be revealed as the Messiah of Israel.
The prophecy further goes on to
indicate that after the sixty-ninth ‘seven’ Jesus would be ‘cut
off and have nothing’; a clear reference to his crucifixion. To better see this, notice the time period of
the sixty-nine ‘sevens’ is broken up into two distinct groups; seven ‘sevens’
followed by sixty-two ‘sevens’.
Therefore, when referencing the time period following the group of
sixty-two ‘sevens’, this is the same as indicating the time following the
entire group of the sixty-nine ‘sevens’.
These
things provide a means for us to gain a greater understanding of events within
the framework of the prophecy. Of even
greater importance, they provide a means for us to test the overall and
especially the chronological accuracy of the prophecy. Therefore, let us proceed to accomplish just
that.
As noted,
the prophetic clock will begin to tick on March 14, 445 BC. As we move forward in time through the 483
prophetic years (69 x 7 = 483) required until the ‘Anointed One’ comes, we find
we pass through 173,880 days (483 prophetic years x 360 days/year = 173,880
days).
Now we
need to convert this number of days into current calendar years to see where we
would be on our calendar of today. In
doing this we will pass through 476 standard years (476 standard years x 365
days/year = 173,740 days). We must then
adjust this figure by accounting for leap years associated with our modern
cycle of years.
We will encounter one leap year
in every four years with the exception that only one in every four century
years are counted as a leap year. For
example, the years 1700, 1800 and 1900 were common years while the year 2000
was counted as a leap year. With this in
mind, we can readily see we must adjust our number of days to add 116 leap year
days (476/4 = 119 days. 119 days – 3
century days = 116 total leap years).
This will leave a total of 24 remaining days and we will have to move
ahead on our calendar by this many days to complete the period required by the
prophecy. The simplified math and its
results are shown below.
483 prophetic years = 173,880 days (483 x 360 = 173,880)
476 standard years = 173,740 (476 x 365 = 173,740)
Leap years in 476 years =
116 (119 – 3
= 116)
Number of days remaining =
24
Total days = 173,880
Now
that we have achieved this result let's see where that leaves us. From the results we have obtained it will be
necessary to move forward from March 14, 445 BC by 476 years. If we remember that going from BC 1 to AD 1
is only counted as one year since no ‘zero’ year exist, we will find we end up
at March 13, 32 AD. Now we must move
forward the remaining 24 days. In doing
this we will arrive at April 6, 32 AD.
This is the exact date many scholars and theologians believe Jesus
entered Jerusalem in what has come to be known as the triumphal entry, and
serves to explain the significance of the actions and words of Jesus on this
most special and uniquely appointed of days.
Luke 19:38-42
(NIV) “Blessed is the king who comes in
the name of the Lord!” “Peace in heaven
and glory in the highest!”
Some of the Pharisees in the crowd
said to Jesus, “Teacher, rebuke your disciples!”
“I tell you,” he replied, “if they keep quiet, the stones will cry
out.”
As he approached Jerusalem and saw the city, he wept over it
and said, “if you, even you, had only known on this day what would
bring you peace- but now it is hidden from your eyes.” [emphasis added]
The
very stones of the earth would cry out because Almighty God himself had
promised Messiah would be revealed to his people on this particular day, and if
man would not proclaim this truth then nature itself would obey and proclaim
the time of visitation of Messiah the king!
Jesus
wept for Jerusalem and the nation of Israel because
had they responded to his arrival and invitation, only a few short years (the
final seven years of the prophecy) would separate them from the eternal
blessings of their loving God and Father.
Their refusal however sealed their immediate fate and brought upon that
nation great suffering as they were ultimately scattered throughout the world
and even to this day have undergone persecution such as no other nation has had
to endure.
AFTER
THE SIXTY-TWO ‘SEVENS’
Thus
far we have followed the course of Daniel’s prophecy through its first
sixty-nine seven-year periods. These
culminated in the revealing of Messiah to the nation of Israel as Jesus entered Jerusalem during his ‘triumphal entry’. There remains then only one period of seven
years, the 70th and final week of Daniel, until the prophecy’s
conclusion. This seems simple and
straightforward, but as is so often the case, our Father has a little surprise
in store that will confound the wise and show fourth his amazing mercy and
grace toward mankind.
Note
the prophecy is very clear in stating that ‘after’ the revealing
of Messiah, which is to say ‘after’ the sixty-ninth ‘seven’,
several things were to transpire.
First,
Messiah would be crucified, or as the prophecy states, he ‘will be cut off and
will have nothing.’ As we well know,
these things occurred within mere days of the triumphal entry and in precise
accordance with prophetic proclamation, Jesus did in fact have ‘nothing’ at the
time of his crucifixion, no home, no tomb, not even the clothes he had worn
into the city remained in his possession.
Second,
‘the people of the ruler who will come [Antichrist] will destroy the city and
the sanctuary.’ This terrible event
occurred in AD 70 when the Roman general Titus destroyed Jerusalem and the temple; exactly as both
Jesus and Daniel had prophesied.
Now
watch closely and witness the power and provision of our heavenly Father. Notice Jesus was revealed, in exact obedience
to the prophecy, in AD 32. Furthermore
the city and temple were destroyed, also in exact accordance with the prophecy,
‘after’ his revelation and
crucifixion. We know this destruction
took place in the year AD 70. The
prophecy therefore has incorporated a time span between the two events of
thirty-eight years!
This
is incredible! We were expecting the
prophecy to continue its uninterrupted flow.
The seventieth and final period of seven years should have begun at the
conclusion of the sixty-ninth ‘seven’.
Therefore, the millennial kingdom
of Christ should have
begun in AD 39 and yet the prophecy has taken us through the year AD 70 and
still there is no sign of the millennial kingdom. We can know for certain the seventieth
‘seven’ of years has not yet passed since the prophecy returns to fully
consider this period in verse 27.
Dan 9:27 (NIV) “He [Antichrist] will confirm a covenant with
many for one ‘seven.’ In
the middle of the ‘seven’ he will put an end to sacrifice and
offering. And on a wing of the temple he
will set up an abomination that causes desolation, until the end that is
decreed is poured out on him.” [emphasis and brackets added]
Obviously something of great significance has
occurred. The provisions of the prophecy
have been precisely maintained, and yet more years have been allowed to pass
than we expected. Without question the
mercy, power and grace of God have been and continue to be at work creating
‘something’ where before only ‘nothing’ had existed. Let us delve a little deeper into this
mystery and see what it might hold for you and I, members of the body of
Christ.
THE MYSTERY
As we consider Daniel’s prophecy of the seventy ‘weeks’,
it becomes clear our Father has moved in a powerful and unexpected way to
provide for his people. He has planned,
provided both physically and prophetically for, and executed a divine
‘time-out’. He has halted the flow of
prophetic time in much the same way he once halted the progression of the sun
across the sky to allow the Israelites to be victorious in battle. He has created a great ‘parenthesis’ or gap
in prophetic time, and he has done all this out of an abundance of grace and
love for you and I.
When the nation of Israel
rejected Christ, the door was opened to allow for the ‘grafting in’ of the
gentile nations into the plan of God that had previously been reserved for Israel. With this, a new age dawned upon mankind and
a new entity was born. The age is that
which we call ‘the age of grace’ or ‘the Church age’. The entity that was formed in this period we
call ‘the Church’ or ‘the body of Christ’.
The Church
was a mystery, only vaguely alluded to in the Old Testament and while
prophetically predicted by Christ, only understandable after his death and
resurrection.
As for ‘the age of grace’, it is called this because it
is during this age when we may come to know God and enter into a personal
relationship with him by grace through faith alone. We do not need to make an offering of lambs,
bulls or any other living thing; we need only to accept the sacrifice of
Christ, submit ourselves to him, and accept the grace our loving Father extends
to all who would come confessing the truth of Christ and believing in their
hearts.
This time is also called ‘the age of grace’ because
it is only by the grace of our Father that each day goes by without the flow of
prophetic time being allowed to resume.
Rest assured a day will come, perhaps tomorrow, when Jesus will break
open the first seal of Revelation and our Father will release the river of
prophetic time that it might follow its foreordained course. When this happens, the seventieth week of
Daniel will come suddenly upon the world, and the remaining seven years of that
ominous prophecy will be concluded.
The
vast majority of the book of Revelation has been devoted to this final period
of seven years in an attempt to prepare the believer for the difficulties and
struggles that lie in our future. It is
during this time when all the horrors of the infamous ‘tribulation’ period (a
synonym for the 70th week of Daniel) will be loosed upon the
world. It is during this time when the
great tribulation will devastate the faithful followers of Christ Jesus. It is during this time when the members of
the body of Christ, both dead and living, will be perfected and taken to heaven
at the time of the rapture. It is during
this time when the great and terrible day of the Lord will be unleashed to cut
short the time of great tribulation and begin both the destruction of
Antichrist, and the scourging of national Israel. Ultimately the scourging of Israel will
bring repentance and the restoration of that holy nation to their proper place
in the plan of the Father. Amen.
Obviously
the 70th week of Daniel is pivotal in the course of all the history
of all humanity, both in the past and especially in the future. How distant the time of the 70th
week of Daniel might be from where we stand today no one can say for sure. Perhaps the grace of our Father will endure
another thousand years, or perhaps the river of time will be loosed tomorrow. Either way we have a certain hope in our
inheritance, a mandate to work in our Father’s fields, and the salvation
offered in the rapture of the Church to look forward to. Until that time:
[Father, we ask that your grace might rest with each of
us until the day of promise, and that you would allow the blessing of your
enduring strength to be ours should we find ourselves within the boundaries of
that time. Father, give each of us, your
children, the strength to be found waiting, watching and working in that day and
in that hour. Amen.]
THE ABOMINATION OF DESOLATION
The abomination of desolation is a central issue with
regard to end-time events in general and end-time chronology in
particular. Its relevance toward
determining the season of the rapture is indirect but nonetheless quite
significant and it is therefore fitting that we should endeavor to understand
this ominous event.
Jesus himself established the extreme significance of the
abomination of desolation when he clearly indicated it would be the event
heralding the time of ‘great tribulation’.
Mat
24:15-21 (NIV) “So when you see standing
in the holy place ‘the abomination that causes desolation,’ spoken of through the prophet Daniel – let the
reader understand – then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. ….
21) For then there will be great distress, unequaled from the beginning of the
world until now – and never to be equaled again.” [emphasis added]
From the above passage it becomes self-evident that if we
are to understand the nature and character of the abomination of desolation we
must look to the writings of the prophet Daniel as our Lord has advised. A quick survey of the writings of Daniel
reveals this terrible event is directly considered on three occasions in his
prophetic visions and is strongly alluded to in other passages, most notably in
Dan 8:11-13. Two of the direct
prophecies point toward a time located in our future (Dan 9:27, 12:11); within
the period we call the 70th week of Daniel. The other is located in our past (Dan 11:31)
and presented within the context of a near/far prophecy. It is to this near/far prophecy we will first
look in an attempt to understand the nature of the abomination of desolation.
In simple terms, a near/far prophecy is a prophetic
utterance that possesses multiple future fulfillments with respect to its
general theme and major aspects, while the details of the prophecy may apply in
varying degrees to a single or to multiple fulfillments. Though we often fail to notice, near/far
prophecies are actually fairly common in scripture and they serve the believer
in a variety of very valuable ways.
One way near/far prophecies serve the believer is they
tend to shed the light of historical understanding on particularly difficult,
confusing, or important prophetic events.
The abomination of desolation fits into all of these categories and the
near/far prophecy associated with it therefore takes on enormous significance
for those seeking understanding. Let us
now turn our attention toward the prophecies of Daniel as we consider the
abomination of desolation.
AS SPOKEN
THROUGH THE PROPHET DANIEL
Dan
11:29-32 (NIV) At the appointed time he
will invade the South again, but this time the outcome will be different from
what it was before. Ships of the western
coastlands will oppose him, and he will lose heart. Then he will turn back and vent his fury
against the holy covenant. He will
return and show favor to those who forsake the holy covenant.
His armed forces will rise up to
desecrate the temple fortress and will abolish the daily sacrifice. Then they will set up the
abomination that causes desolation. With flattery he will corrupt those who have
violated the covenant, but the people who know their God will firmly resist
him.
Those who are wise will instruct
many, though for a time they will fall by the sword or be burned or captured or
plundered. [emphasis added]
At first glance it would be very easy to assume the
person spoken of in this passage must surely be the future Antichrist. And, in the sense this prophecy will find its
ultimate fulfillment in the person of the coming Antichrist that assumption is
true. In a specific sense however, such
an assumption would be incorrect. This
is the strange nature of near/far prophecies.
On
the one hand, our assumption is true because the above prophecy was designed by
God to give us a general picture of the conditions and actions of the
coming Antichrist and indeed it does so quite nicely. On the other hand, our assumption is
incorrect since some of the specific details of the prophecy do not
precisely fit the future Antichrist, but instead apply to an historical
archetype of the Antichrist who was known as Antiochus Epiphanes. However, because of the nature of the
connection between Antiochus and Antichrist provided through the near/far
prophecy; we find that by understanding the history surrounding the person and
exploits of Antiochus Epiphanes we are afforded a glimpse of what awaits us in
the future at the hands of the true Antichrist.
Therefore, let us briefly explore the history of Antiochus as it relates
to the above near/far prophecy.
ANTIOCHUS:
SHADOW OF ANTICHRIST
After Alexander the Great’s death, his empire was divided
among his four leading generals. The
area encompassing the general region of Egypt fell to Ptolemy and became
the Ptolemaic kingdom (king of the South).
Likewise the area in the region of Syria fell to Seleucus and became
the Seleucid kingdom (king of the North).
Toward the final stages of those kingdoms a new and vile king, whose
life would prophetically pattern the expected course of the true Antichrist,
arose to take power in the Seleucid kingdom.
Antiochus’s rise to power was swift and came through
diplomacy, deceit and treachery rather than the normal course of royal
ascension. He bore no regard for the God
of the Hebrews and only superficial regard for the Grecian pantheon of gods
that were in relative vogue at the time.
Instead, he tended to view himself as the truest form of god and as such
took to himself the title/surname of Epiphanes or ‘manifest one’.
In the year 168 BC, after having enjoyed a brief respite
following a successful military campaign against the Ptolemaic kingdom, the
forces of Antiochus Epiphanes were once more marshaled and began to march south
against their beleaguered foe. However,
this time the outcome would be different.
Before he could engage the Ptolemaic forces in battle he was presented
with orders from Rome
prohibiting his aggression against the Ptolemaic kingdom. He fully understood that to continue meant
certain war with the Roman Empire, and even
Antiochus was not prepared to engage in such a foolish endeavor. As scripture prophetically recorded, “At the
appointed time he will invade the South again, but this time the outcome will
be different from what it was before.
Ships of the western coastlands [Rome]
will oppose him, and he will lose heart.” Dan 11:29-30a.
Frustrated, angry and humiliated, Antiochus withdrew from
Egyptian soil and headed back toward Syria. On the way he decided to vent his anger upon
the Jewish people and the City of Jerusalem. In addition to the release of anger, it has
also been suggested that by conquering the area around Judea
he would acquire an effective buffer zone between himself and the Ptolemaic
kingdom, so perhaps there was more at work than just the rage of a madman.
In either case, it was under a banner of peace that
Antiochus entered the city along with his army of some 250,000. He shrewdly waited until the Sabbath and then
ordered his forces to capture and plunder the city. He met with little resistance due to the
strict observance of the Sabbath laws by the Jews and as such many thousands of
the Hebrews were slaughtered that day.
He placed apostate rulers (Jews who opposed the covenants of God) over
the people who would rule the city and the nation in accordance with his
will rather than the will of God. Again the prophetic eye of scripture captured
the moment in every detail; “Then he will turn back and vent his fury against
the holy covenant. He will return and
show favor to those who forsake the holy covenant.” Dan 11:30b.
Antiochus’s following actions were designed to desecrate
the holy temple itself, thereby humiliating the Hebrew God and paving the way
toward establishment of a new religion in Judea. To accomplish these things he plundered the
temple and refused to allow the Jews to make daily offerings to God. Next he committed what history calls ‘the
abomination of desolation’. This was
accomplished when he erected an altar in the image of Zeus Olympus over the altar of God. He then sacrificed pigs upon
the altar, forced the priest to eat their flesh and sprinkled the swine’s broth
throughout the temple. This action
completed the desecration of that holy place and ensured a lasting end to the
daily sacrificial offerings to Jehovah God.
Again the prophetic eye of scripture captured and preserved the scene,
“His armed forces will rise up to desecrate the temple fortress and will
abolish the daily sacrifice. Then they
will set up the abomination that causes desolation.”
Antiochus
then commanded that everyone was to bow down and worship the idolatrous
image. Many refused and were
slaughtered; many others obeyed, accepted and in many cases even embraced the
new religion and leadership of Antiochus.
As the new religion spread throughout the nation, some refused to accept
the king’s decree and escaped into the wilderness areas. Under the leadership of the priest Mattathias
and his son Judas, they successfully fought a 3 ½ year campaign to free the
land from the clutches of Antiochus.
Scripture and history record the events as follows:
Dan
11:31-33 (NIV) His armed forces will
rise up to desecrate the temple fortress and will abolish the daily
sacrifice. Then they will set up the
abomination that causes desolation. With
flattery he will corrupt those who have violated the covenant, but the people
who know their God will firmly resist him.
Those who are wise will instruct many, though for a time they will fall
by the sword or be burned or captured or plundered.
Josephus,
‘Antiquities of the Jews’ Book XII chapters 5 – 6 9. The king came up to Jerusalem, and, pretending peace, he got
possession of the city by treachery: …. So he left the temple bare, …. He also
emptied it of its secret treasures, and left nothing at all remaining; and by
this means cast the Jews into great lamentation, for he forbade them to
offer those daily sacrifices which they used to offer to God, according to the
law. …. And when the king had built an idol altar upon God’s altar, he slew
swine upon it, and so offered a sacrifice neither according to the law, nor the
Jewish religious worship in that country.
He also compelled them to forsake the worship which they paid their own
God, and to adore those whom he took to be gods; and made them build temples,
and raise idol altars, in every city and village, and offer swine upon them
every day. …. But when those that were appointed by the king were come to
Modin, that they might compel the Jews to do what they were commanded, …. But
Mattathias said that he would not do it; and that if all the other nations
would obey the commands of Antiochus, either out of fear, or to please him, yet
would not he nor his sons leave the religious worship of their country; but as
soon as he had ended his speech, there came one of the Jews into the midst of
them, and sacrificed as Antiochus had commanded. At which Mattathias had great indignation,
and ran upon him violently with his sons, who had swords with them, and slew
both the man himself that sacrificed, and Apelles the king’s general, who
compelled them to sacrifice, with a few of his soldiers. He also overthrew the idol altar, and cried
out, “If,” said he, “any one be zealous for the laws of his country, and for
the worship of God, let him follow me;” and when he had said this, he made haste
into the desert with his sons, and left all his substance in the village. Many others did the same also, and fled with
their children and wives into the desert and dwelt in caves; [italics added]
1
Maccabees 1:41-54 King Antiochus wrote
to his whole kingdom, that all should be one people, and every one should leave
his laws: so all the heathen agreed according to the commandment of the
king. Yea, many also of the Israelites
consented to his religion, and sacrificed unto idols, and profaned the Sabbath. For the king had sent letters by messengers
unto Jerusalem and the cities of Judah that they should follow the strange laws
of the land, and forbid burnt offerings, and sacrifice, and drink offerings, in
the temple; and that they should profane the Sabbaths and festival days: and
pollute the sanctuary and holy people: set up altars, and groves, and chapels
of idols, and sacrifice swine’s flesh, and unclean beast: that they should also
leave their children uncircumcised, and make their souls abominable with all
manner of uncleanness and profanation: to the end they might forget the law,
and change all the ordinances, and whosever would not do according to the
commandment of the king, he said, he should die. …. Now the fifteenth day of
the month Chislev, in the hundred forty and fifth year, they set up the
abomination of desolation upon the altar.
[italics added]
The collective actions of Antiochus Epiphanes give us an
opportunity to understand, anticipate and recognize the actions of the
Antichrist who is yet to come.
Specifically, the abomination of desolation provides us with an
absolutely infallible standard for identifying our chronological placement
within the frame of Daniel’s 70th week, the approaching mortal
danger for all who would serve and worship Jehovah God, and the personal identity
of this vile prince of evil who perpetually stands on our horizon.
THE HISTORY OF THE FUTURE
From the
history of Antiochus, we are afforded a remarkable perspective from which we
might consider the scriptures pertaining to the future Antichrist in general,
and the abomination of desolation in particular. Again, let us turn our attention to the
writings of the prophet Daniel.
Dan 9:27
(NIV) He will confirm a covenant with
many for one ‘seven’. In the
middle of the ‘seven’ he will put an end to sacrifice and
offering. And on a wing of the temple he
will set up an abomination that causes desolation, until the end that
is decreed is poured out on him. [emphasis added]
From this passage we learn the final, or 70th
‘week’ of Daniel will commence with the signing of a covenant between
Antichrist and the ‘many’ of Israel. The length of the covenant will be for “one
‘seven’”, or seven years.
Of
vast importance, we are told that in the middle, or at precisely 3 ½ years
into the final seven years of Daniel’s prophecy, Antichrist will set up the
abomination of desolation in the temple
of God. This fact allows us to pinpoint the
chronological position of the abomination of desolation within the framework of
Daniel’s 70th week. Thereby
we are able to time index passages of scripture touching on the abomination of
desolation such as Matthew 24:15 and correlate passages that use a time index,
such as Revelation 12:14 and Dan 7:25, with the abomination of desolation. This allows us to gain a much clearer
perspective and understanding of the events depicted and the chronological
placement of many difficult passages of scripture.
Mat 24:15-21 (NIV) “So when you see standing in the holy
place ‘the abomination that causes desolation’, spoken of through the
prophet Daniel – let the reader understand – then let those who are in Judea
flee to the mountains. … 21) For then there will be great distress,
unequaled from the beginning of the world until now – and never to be equaled again.
[italics added]
Dan 7:25 (NIV) He [Antichrist] will
speak against the Most High and oppress his saints and try to change the set
times and the laws. The saints will be
handed over to him for a time, times and half a time [3 ½ years].
[italics and brackets added]
Rev 12:14 (NIV) The woman [faithful of Israel] was given the
two wings of a great eagle, so that she might fly to the place prepared for her
in the desert, where she would be taken care of for a time, times and half a
time [3 ½ years], out of the serpent’s reach. [italics and brackets added]
Rev 13:4-5 (NIV) Men worshiped the dragon because he had given
authority to the beast, and they also worshiped the beast and asked, “Who is
like the beast? Who can make war against
him?”
The
beast was given a mouth to utter proud words and blasphemies and to exercise
his authority for forty-two months [3 ½ years]. [italics and brackets
added]
Dan 12:6-12 (NIV) One of them said
to the man clothed in linen, who was above the waters of the river, “How long
will it be before these astonishing things are fulfilled?”
The
man clothed in linen, who was above the waters of the river, lifted his right
hand and his left hand toward heaven, and I heard him swear by him who lives
forever, saying, “it will be for a time, times and half a time [3 ½
years]. When the power of the holy
people has been finally broken, all these things will be completed. … 11) From
the time that the daily sacrifice is abolished and the abomination that causes
desolation is set up, there will be 1,290 days [3 ½ years, plus 30 days].
[italics and brackets added]
2 Thes 2:3-4 (NIV) Don’t let anyone
deceive you in any way, for that day will not come until the rebellion occurs
and the man of lawlessness [Antichrist] is revealed, the man doomed to
destruction. He will oppose and will
exalt himself over everything that is called God or is worshiped, so that he
sets himself up in God’s temple, proclaiming himself to be God [the
abomination of desolation]. [italics and
brackets added]
Rev 13:14 (NIV) Because of the signs he was given power to do
on behalf of the first beast, he deceived the inhabitants of the earth. He ordered them to set up an image in
honor of the beast who was wounded by the sword and yet lived. He was given power to give breath to the
image of the first beast, so that it could speak and cause all who
refused to worship the image to be killed [abomination of desolation]. [italics and brackets added]
With the
new understanding we have gained it is easy to see how each of these passages
are related to one another. Each one
either occurs at, or is directly associated with, the mid-point (3 ½ year
mark), of Daniel’s 70th week and the abomination of desolation which
occurs at that time.
We should also make note of two
implied truths we can glean from this passage.
First, since Antichrist will create or strengthen a seven-year covenant
or treaty of some type, thereby initiating the final seven year period of
Daniel’s prophecy; it is implied that he must hold some sort of position of
authority prior to the creation of that covenant. In essence, he will be a political/religious leader. Again, this mimics the historical record of
Antiochus Epiphanes.
Second, since the abomination of
desolation will be setup/committed in the temple of God, it is implied that the
temple, which currently does not exist, must be at least partially
rebuilt/established prior to the middle of the 70th ‘week’ of
Daniel’s prophecy. Note this does not
mean the temple need exist prior to the start of that ‘week’ since the
possibility exist that the temple could be rebuilt during the first 3 ½
years of that ‘week’. Nonetheless, this
point does cause more than passing interest to be focused on the efforts of the
nation of Israel
to rebuild their long lost temple.
It is my
sincere hope this brief look at the scriptural and historical aspects of the
abomination of desolation will add depth to the readers understanding of
end-time events, especially as they relate to the events connected with the
abomination itself. Further, it is hoped
the reader will use this information to prepare himself/herself for the day
when the world will bear witness to one who will stand in the very temple of God, proclaim himself to be God, and
demand the worship and adoration of all who dwell upon the face of the
earth. When this day comes, and
scripture clearly proclaims that it will, remember that no one who comes into
the temple from upon the face of the earth, no matter how righteous or
deserving they may seem, can rightfully claim the throne of God, nor
deservingly receive the worship of the Lord’s people. Has not Christ himself openly declared the
manner of his coming?
Mat 24:27-28 (NIV) For as lightning that comes from the east is
visible even in the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. Wherever there is a carcass, there the
vultures will gather.
Our Lord
will come to us from heaven clothed not in a rotting carcass of flesh and
blood, but in his divine and perfected glory.
There will be no need for him to stand in an earthly temple to proclaim
his nature and divinity. It will be
immediately obvious to all who bear witness to his advent on that day.
Those who flock about Satan’s
pretender are little more than vultures.
Attracted to the rotting carcass of Antichrist and his deluding promises
of fulfillment. Perhaps for a season
they will find a form of contentment, but in the end each of us will be
required to give an account to our Lord of how we invested our lives. Let us pray we are found faithful in that
day.
THE GREAT TRIBULATION
Questions
abound concerning the unique nature of the time we call the great
tribulation. For our purposes
however, only three of these seem to present themselves as fundamental and
therefore necessary to our limited study.
As such we will endeavor to ascertain when the great tribulation
begins relative to Daniel’s 70th week, when it ends, and the
identity/role of the major participants who live through this perilous
time.
THE BEGINNING
Our Lord
declared the time of ‘great distress’ or ‘great tribulation’ would commence
immediately following the abomination of desolation.
Mat 24:15-21 (NIV) “So when you see standing in the holy place
‘the abomination that causes desolation,’ spoken of through the prophet Daniel
– let the reader understand – then let those who are in Judea flee to the
mountains. … 21) For then there will be great distress, unequaled from the
beginning of the world until now – and never to be equaled again.
From our
previous study we know the abomination of desolation will occur at the mid-point of Daniel’s 70th week (see pgs
250-256). Therefore, it is self-evident
that the great tribulation also begins at this time and extends into the final
3 ½ years of that week. Thus we are very
quickly able to achieve a clear and precise understanding regarding this issue.
IN SEARCH OF
AN ENDING
Unfortunately,
finding the time when the great tribulation will draw to a close is not quite
as clear-cut as finding when it begins.
This is because a very common teaching on the issue holds that the time
of great tribulation will continue throughout the entirety of the final 3 ½
years of Daniel’s 70th week and will draw to a close with the battle
of Armageddon. However, this
understanding is disputed by a large volume of scriptural evidence that sees
the great tribulation drawing to a close long before Armageddon or the end of
the 70th week of Daniel. Our
task therefore becomes to determine which view represents the truth according
to scripture. Although it is the opinion
of this writer that the later view is correct, because of the pervasiveness of
the common teaching it seems prudent to consider both views. Therefore I will attempt to fairly present
the two views on the issue so the reader will be fully informed, and as always
I will pray the Spirit will illuminate the truth of our Father.
THE COMMON
VIEW
The
common view is based on the understanding that the great tribulation starts at
the mid-point or 3 ½ years into Daniel’s 70th week. Since this is true, and we also know the
entire ‘week’ has a duration of seven years, then it becomes obvious that 3 ½
years remain until the completion of the ‘week’.
Next, the
teaching takes into account the scriptural references to the time of the
Beast's and/or Antichrist’s authority and persecution of the saints (Dan 7:25,
Dan 12:7, Rev 12:6, 14).
Rev 13:5-7 (NIV) The beast was given a mouth to utter proud
words and blasphemies and to exercise his authority for forty-two months. He opened his mouth to blaspheme God, and to
slander his name and his dwelling place and those who live in heaven. He was given power to make war against the
saints and to conquer them. And he was
given authority over every tribe, people, language and nation. [emphasis added]
These passages clearly demonstrate Antichrist will be
given authority over the peoples of the earth and to wage a successful campaign
to destroy the saints of God for exactly 3 ½ years. While it is never explicitly stated, it is
clearly and very strongly indicated in scripture the time of Antichrist’s
global authority will begin essentially coincident with the abomination of
desolation. Therefore, it is again
rather obvious that the 3 ½ years of his authority and persecution coincide
with the last half of Daniel’s 70th week and extend until the very
end of that week. It should also be
noted his rampant and unbridled persecution of the saints during this time form
a large portion of the worldwide trauma experienced during those final years.
In addition to the persecution of the saints, the world
will bear witness to the opening of the final seals of Revelation during these
years. With the abomination of
desolation and mankind’s general acceptance of Antichrist’s Lordship, our
heavenly Father will begin to pour out his undiluted wrath upon the earth as he
prepares for the ultimate destruction of Antichrist and his followers. The seventh seal in particular will bring
about unparalleled destruction and suffering as the earth, the sea, and the
very atmosphere are subjected to incredible forces of destruction. Scripture explicitly demonstrates the
destruction resident within these seal judgments will continue until the
authority and rule of Antichrist is terminated at the battle of Armageddon.
In light of these considerations we can readily see two
things that will lead us to an obvious conclusion. First, Antichrist will begin his time of
global authority and persecution at the abomination of desolation and it will
continue for 3 ½ years until the close of Daniel’s 70th week. Second, it is during this final 3 ½ years
that God will visit the greater portion of his wrath upon humanity as the final
seals of Revelation are opened. This
maelstrom of destruction will also continue until the end of Daniel’s 70th
week.
With
the unimaginable magnitude of these two destructive forces, both of which will
be active during those final 3 ½ years, it is no wonder why our Lord would
issue such a grave and imperative warning to his followers concerning the time
of great tribulation. It is also quite
obvious that this time will extend from the abomination of desolation until the
very end of Daniel’s 70th week; a time span of exactly 3 ½ years.
THAT’S TRUE BUT…
The
reader may find it peculiar that even as I seek to disagree with the conclusion
drawn by the common view, I enthusiastically support the facts presented
above. However, some details need to be
added, one very important distinction made and two very errant assumptions
destroyed in order to allow us to arrive at what this writer believes to be the
correct conclusion that must be drawn from these facts.
First, the critically pivotal issue that must be clearly
understood is simply that the time of great tribulation, though encompassed
within, is distinct from and not equivalent to the time of Antichrist’s
authority. Many wonderful teachers
of the word make the fatal mistake of equating these two and thereby fall into
misunderstanding with regard to the duration of the great tribulation. These teachers hear the words of our Lord
when he spoke concerning the time of great tribulation:
Mat
24:22 (NIV) If those days had not been cut short, no one would survive, but for
the sake of the elect those days will be shortened.
They recognize the Greek expression for ‘cut short’ bears
the connotation of bringing to an abrupt or immediate end. Yet they emphatically deny the possibility
that our Lord might have actually meant the time of great tribulation would be
abruptly halted prior to the close of Daniel’s 70th week. They contend that scripture has repeatedly
identified the length of the great tribulation as being 3 ½ years, and
therefore our Lord could not possibly have been suggesting that this time would
be in any way shortened to anything less than the full 3 ½ years that have been
prophetically decreed. They say all
these things in the boldest of confidence and with the utmost of certainty, but
they are absolutely wrong!
They have fallen into the error of ‘assumption’.
Some
have assumed the time of Antichrist authority, which is frequently stated to be
3 ½ years, is synonymous with the time of great tribulation. However, while it is true Antichrist’s
authority will extend throughout the final 3 ½ years of Daniel’s 70th
week, and it is also true that the time of great tribulation will also unfold during
these years, nowhere is it ever written that the time of great
tribulation must have any definite duration! Let me be clear on this. Although the great tribulation begins at the
abomination of desolation, nothing in scripture requires it to last for any
definite period of time. While not
at all likely, we should understand it is within the realm of possibility that
the great tribulation could be brought to a close one-month, or even
one-day after it begins! We should also
understand that regardless of when the great tribulation ends, the prophecies
concerning the duration of Antichrist’s authority shall be fulfilled and
he will exercise his authority for the full 3 ½ years allotted to him. To better understand this, let’s review the
scriptures that touch on the issue most directly.
Dan 7:25
(NIV) He will speak against the Most
High and oppress his saints and try to change the set times and the laws. The saints will be handed over to him for a
time, times and half a time.
Dan
12:7b (NIV) “It will be for a time,
times and half a time. When the power of
the holy people has been finally broken, all these things will be completed.”
Rev
12:13-14 (NIV) When the dragon saw that
he had been hurled to the earth, he pursued the woman who had given birth to
the male child. The woman was given the
two wings of a great eagle, so that she might fly to the place prepared for her
in the desert, where she would be taken care of for a time, times and half a
time, out of the serpent’s reach.
Rev
13:5-7 (NIV) The beast was given a mouth
to utter proud words and blasphemies and to exercise his authority for
forty-two months. He opened his mouth to
blaspheme God, and to slander his name and his dwelling place and those who
live in heaven. He was given power to
make war against the saints and to conquer them. And he was given authority over every tribe,
people, language and nation.
These
passages tells us of a time when Antichrist will wear the mantle of complete
authority for a period of 3 ½ years.
They tell us the source of his authority and power is Satan
himself. They also explain the reason he
will seek the utter destruction of God’s children is because his father, Satan,
will be cast from heaven and in his unfathomable rage he will seek to destroy
that which is precious to the Most High.
Carefully note however they do not ever state nor actually imply the
time of great tribulation – that time period he is allotted to assault God’s
children in an essentially unopposed manner - will encompass the
entirety of the period he is allotted to exercise his authority.
It is true that the time of
Antichrist’s authority will encompass and contain the time of great tribulation,
but we must be careful not to assume the converse of this fact to be true;
namely that the great tribulation will encompass and contain all of the events
depicted, for this is simply not the case.
It is an easy assumption to make, but in the final analysis it is only
an assumption. As we will soon see it is
an assumption that the explicit declarations of scripture emphatically denounce
as false.
Others
come to the conclusion that the great tribulation will last until the end of
Daniel’s 70th week by means of yet another assumption. They assume the horrific destruction
contained within the judgments of the seventh seal should be considered as part
of the great tribulation. Again, their
assumption is wrong!
Scripture flatly declares these judgments will fall outside the
time of great tribulation.
Mat
24:29 (NIV) “Immediately after
the distress of those days ‘the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not
give its light; the stars will fall from the sky, and the heavenly bodies will
be shaken.’” [emphasis added]
Mark
13:24 (NIV) “But in those days, following
that distress, ‘the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give
its light; the stars will fall from the sky, and the heavenly bodies will be
shaken.’” [emphasis added]
Scripture is emphatic and consistent in its declaration
that after the time of great distress/tribulation has been brought to a
close, an incredible set of unique phenomena will be witnesses by those living
on earth. It is the extreme uniqueness
of the phenomena occurring in conjunction that allow us to absolutely identify
them as the herald signs of the day of the Lord, and also as the exact same
signs presented in the opening of the sixth seal of Revelation. There can be neither doubt nor misunderstanding
regarding this point. Scripture is
telling us in no uncertain terms that immediately following the time of great
tribulation the world will witness the herald signs of the day of the Lord as
the sixth seal is opened.
Rev
6:12-17 (NIV) I watched as he opened the
sixth seal. There was a great
earthquake. The sun turned black like
sackcloth made of goat hair, the whole moon turned blood red, and the stars in
the sky fell to earth, as late figs drop from a fig tree when shaken by a
strong wind. The sky receded like a
scroll rolling up, and every mountain and island was removed from its
place. Then the kings of the earth ….
Called to the mountains and the rocks, “fall on us and hide us from the face of
him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb! For the great day of their wrath has come,
and who can stand?”
Now, if the reader is willing to accept this point,
he/she will no doubt immediately see that if the sixth seal is
opened after the time of great tribulation, then it follows that
the seventh seal must also be opened after that
time. Therefore, all the judgments
contained within the seventh seal must fall outside the
boundaries of the great tribulation.
There
remains one final point of understanding we can glean from scripture that will
allow us to refine our understanding of when the great tribulation will
end. If we consider each of the seven
trumpet judgments (recall that all seven trumpet judgments are contained within
the seventh seal judgment), we will find that only the fifth has a definitive
length assigned to it by scripture.
Rev
9:1-12 (NIV) The fifth angel sounded his
trumpet …. Locust came down upon the earth and were given power like that of
scorpions of the earth. …. They had tails and stings like scorpions, and in their
tails they had power to torment people for five months. …. [italics
added]
The reader will no doubt realize that if this judgment
occurs after the time of great tribulation and is to be completed before
the end of Daniel’s 70th week, then the time of great
tribulation must end at least five months before the end of Daniel’s 70th
week! Immediately thereafter the
day of the Lord will dawn upon those who remain, and the wrath of God will be
unleashed throughout the remainder of that ‘week’.
With
the dawning of the day of the Lord several things immediately come into
effect. First, the Church is removed so
it will not experience the wrath of God.
Second, a faithful remnant of the nation Israel is sealed and taken to a
place of safety (Rev 7:1-8). Third, God
begins to assault the power of Satan and his Antichrist. Note carefully that he does not immediately
destroy the authority of Antichrist, that task will ultimately be accomplished
at Armageddon, but once he begins to unfurl the glorious banner of his might
and wrath, there can be little doubt that the days of Antichrist’s authority
are indeed numbered. Meanwhile,
Antichrist will remain in ‘authority’ over this wrath ravaged world and he will
be free to continue his pursuit and persecution of God’s people, if he has time
and if he can find them. But with the
dawning of the day of the Lord, the time of his unopposed assault will come to
an end and the time of his own destruction will begin. For as it is written:
2 Thes
2:8 (NIV) And then the lawless one will
be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will overthrow with the breath of his mouth
and destroy by the splendor of his coming
When our
Lord comes he will remove his people to a place of safety, then he will begin
the process of destroying Antichrist’s authority and overthrowing his rule as
he unleashes the great and terrible day of the Lord. This process will be concluded sometime later
at the battle of Armageddon, but from the moment it begins no one will honestly
be able to doubt its source or its ultimate outcome! With this understanding in hand, let’s move
ahead and determine who the major players are during the great tribulation.
THE CAST OF CHARACTERS
Satan: The master
deceiver. He will be cast from heaven
virtually coincident with the commission of the abomination of desolation. Once cast from heaven he will vent his wrath
against the children of God. His war to
destroy the nation of Israel
and the Christians who hold to the testimony of Jesus is what we commonly call
the time of great tribulation (Rev 12:7-17, see also ‘Satan’s great assault’
and ‘filled with fury’).
Antichrist: The
pretender. This vile individual will
come onto the stage of the cosmic drama and rise to power over a ten-nation
confederation. He will sign a covenant
with the nation of Israel
that will initiate the prophetic events contained within Daniel’s 70th
week. At the mid-point of that week he
will commit the abomination of desolation by stepping into the rebuilt temple of God and proclaiming himself to be God (2
Thes 2:4). Being filled with the power
of Satan, who has now been cast from heaven, he will set out to validate his
claim to deity and deceive the world by means of many wondrous signs and
miracles (2 Thes 2:9-12). Simultaneously
he will seek to do the will of his evil father as he attempts to completely
destroy the children of God.
The Restrainer: The silent
protector. Michael the archangel is the
one whom scripture calls ‘the restrainer of lawlessness’ (see ‘The
Restrainer’). Scripture records that Michael
shall cease his ministry of restraining Satan at the mid-point of Daniel’s 70th
week, leaving the children of God all but defenseless against the demonic power
of the enemy. This will set the stage
for the period of time we call the great tribulation. Many object to this understanding as they
recall the promise of Jesus that he would never leave us nor forsake us. Rest assured, his promise is true and he will
be with us at all times. Any suffering
we endure, he will endure with us, any trial we encounter, he will be at our
side. However, the reader must be aware
he never promised us complete protection from the fury and schemes of Satan,
only that he would always be with us even in the darkest of times. I’m sure Peter, Paul, Stephen, and the host
of believers whom Nero persecuted could explain this concept much better than
I, but then they have all passed beyond the veil of death, killed by the
vengeful hand of our enemy and tormentor, Satan. However, were they here, they would certainly
testify that even in their final moments; no, especially in their
final moments it was Jesus who brought them comfort and the strength to endure
to the very end. Even so, let us each be
found, if necessary, faithful unto death!
The Children of God: The persecuted. The time of great tribulation will bring
crises and calamity upon the hapless children of God. Their angelic defenders will cease to
restrain the forces of Satan when Michael will ‘amad’ (Heb. = stand still, Dan
12:1). This will happen at the same time
Satan is cast from heaven. Unrestrained
by the angelic host of heaven, the dark angel will begin his campaign to
destroy all who cling to God or hold to the testimony of Jesus. Using every means at his disposal, including
the economic pressure introduced through the ‘mark of the beast’, he will meet
with unprecedented success and many of our brothers/sisters in Christ may fall.
The faithful who are Christians will be able to look
forward to the blessed hope of Christ’s return and the salvation of the
rapture. This will occur at the
inception of the day of the Lord. Those
of the Jewish faith will be required to endure not only the calamity of the
great tribulation, but also the terror of the day of the Lord. The combined pressure of these two forces
will serve to ‘break the power of the holy people’ (their pride and misplaced
devotion to ‘religion’ rather than ‘relationship’ with God) and prepare them to
fully accept the Messiah they rejected so long ago.
The Followers of
Antichrist: The deceived.
These poor souls will be constituted from the unregenerate masses of the
world, those who have worshipped other gods, have never known Christ, have
‘pretended’ faith in him, and those who possessed genuine saving faith but have
chosen to trade their heavenly birthright, via the ‘mark of the beast’, for the
morsel of meat the Antichrist offers them.
Each of these who have fallen into the web of deception and illusion
woven by Antichrist, will believe themselves to be righteous and serving the
greater good.
Antichrist
will be their god, and they will likely perceive him to be Jesus or the long
awaited ‘true’ Messiah. In his name and
at his command they will gladly take up the struggle against those who refuse
to accept his deity and his ‘mark’. Those
who resist will be seen as wicked, rebellious, sinful and worthy of the death
and destruction their ‘lord’ will mandate for them.
For
a season they will think themselves to be the redeemed of the world. Living in the illusion of peace and safety,
they will begin the process of rebuilding their war-ravaged world. For a time they will rest in the shadow of
their chosen ‘lord’ and they will think ‘who is like our lord and who can make
war with him’? For a short while they
will wonder these things. Then, as the
sky is split by the brilliant glory of Christ’s return, they will learn the
answer and all will mourn.
These
are the characters occupying the roles of greatest immediate significance to
our limited study of the time of great tribulation. It is hoped this brief consideration of the
issue will aid the reader in gaining a broader, more complete perspective of
the material presented within the body of this work.
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