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In our last session, we concluded our brief review of church history, bringing us up to the current time. We concluded that we each have a responsibility to fellowship within a local body.
Heb.10:25 "Not forsaking the assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more as you see the day drawing near".
We also pointed out that the books of 1st and 2nd Timothy give us the best view of the ideal, "New Testament" church as Paul gave instruction on just that to his disciple, Timothy. In addition, Paul tells him that,
"...in later times some will fall away from the faith, paying attention to deceitful spirits and doctrines of demons". I Tim. 4:1.
"But realize this, that in the last days difficult times will come. For men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, revilers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, unloving, irreconcilable, malicious gossips, without self control, brutal, haters of good, treacherous, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God; holding a form of godliness, although they have denied its power; and avoid such men as these." II Tim.3:1-5.
What a description of much of what passes for "Christianity" in our day!
This should encourage us to examine the scriptures to learn more about the day we live in and what it says is in store for us in the future.
The study of Biblical prophecy is disdained by many in the church. This is partly because cults and some opportunists have made a shambles of such studies. They have overstepped and set dates on the "end of the world" etc.
It is also due to the approach of most of the traditional, "main-line" denominations to such studies. They hold to a position of interpretation that results in confusion rejecting the "literal" interpretation that was obviously held by New Testament writers. So, they discourage such investigation and consider it completely off limits for private study. Only the extremely gifted teacher and speaker can present this vague doctrine. clearly, holding the audience's interest.
In reality, the only book of the Bible that promises a "blessing" to those who hear and heed its writings is The Revelation of John, the most prophetic book of all!
Rev. 1:3 "Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of the prophecy, and heed the things which are written in it; for the time is near."
How did this attitude of neglect and disdain come about in the church?
The New Testament writers were looking for the early return of our Lord. Revelation ends with;
"Yes, I am coming quickly. Amen. Come Lord Jesus".
Matt. 24:42 "Therefore be on the alert, for you do not know which day your Lord is coming".
The early church fathers (first through the third centuries), also looked for His early return. W.E.B. Jesus is Coming, p66-68, furnishes numerous quotes demonstrating that they were expecting Jesus to return ahead of the millennial (1000 year) reign on earth.
The book of Revelation tells of a 1000 year reign when there will be peace on earth. Old Testament books also reference this time without spelling out the 1000 year period.
However, with the success of the church in the third century, as emperor Constantine made it the official state religion of the Roman Empire, a different look to things settled in.
Church men began to visualize the current period as having the prospects of actually becoming this millennial time, preparing the world for the victorious return of Christ.
This describes the two major prophetic doctrines. Premillennial meaning that Christ may return at any time ahead of His millennial reign. Postmillennial meaning that Christ will return after the millennial reign, which is a church "authored and ruled" time.
The life and times of the Roman church and the papacy would naturally give encouragement to such a view. A significant point of this position was the belief that when the Jews, as a whole, rejected Jesus, as the Messiah, they were in turn rejected by God. And the many promises to Israel of the Old Testament, were determined to belong to the church.
Even though the dark, middle ages would seem to make such a position untenable, it was held, even by the reformers, almost universally, until near the end of the 19th century. (An important side note to this is that this belief encouraged the church in its wrongful persecution of the Jews through the centuries that culminated in the Nazi holocaust in Germany).
Then, beginning about the 19th century, a few Bible students began to return to the original position of the 1st century church. They were really a lonely voice.
The church as a whole was very excited about the Renaissance, the new wealth of the New World, the Industrial Revolution, the expansion of education, travel etc.etc.
World War I would have been a terrible setback except that it was declared to make the world safe for democracy. So postmillennialism continued popular up until World War II.
With the development of atomic energy and the use of the atomic weapons to end that conflict, along with the rise of world communism, worldwide racial unrest etc., even the most optimistic of the church men began to see "no millennial" reign being ushered in by the church ahead of the return of Christ.
However, rather than to return to the literal acceptance of the Bible, they invented a new doctrine called Amillennialism, meaning "no millennial kingdom"!
This allowed them to continue to spiritualize references that spoke plainly of the blessings to eventually be conferred upon the Jews, applying them to the church. All the graphic descriptions of the restored earth promised to Israel in the prophets, (Isaiah chapters 40 -66 etc.) are twisted to mean spiritual blessings for the "church" out in eternity.
Now through the early part of the 20th century, conservative students of the scripture, began to see the truth of the pre-millennial position and it has gained ground, while most of the "mainline" churches and seminaries hold the amillennial doctrine.
Since a justification of amillennialism forces one to spiritualize what would otherwise be literal promises and events, it takes a skilled debater to effect a defense. As a rule, a- millenialists, because of this, avoid many prophetic passages (which bypasses much scripture). Many of their following are discouraged to do much with them. They, of course, also tend to discredit prophetic studies.
Here is an excellant website that defines all approaches to prophetic interpretation with many study helps: http://www.tribulationforces.com
Outline of Prophetic Studies
| Introduction to Prophetic Studies |
| 1st Century Church Position |
| Changes Introduced by State Religion |
| Changes Maintained by Reformers |
| Changes Encouraged by Secular Developments |
| Small Minority Return to 1st Century Position |
| Disillusioned by World War II |
| New Position Assumed by Mainline Christianity |
| Proper Position of the Nation Israel is Foundational |
| Covenant with Abraham Gen. 12:1-3 |
| Covenant with Israel Jer. 31:31-37 |
| Covenant with David Jer. 33:14-22 |
| O.T. Descript of Future Kingdom Isa. 65:18-25, 11: |
| .....Zech. 8:9-23, Mic. 4:1-5, Zech. 2:10-13 |
| Covenants Clearly Restated in Rom. 11:1-36 |
| Selected Studies from Old Testament Writings |
| Ezek. 38, 39, Daniel 7,8&9:24-27, 10:14-21, .....11:36-12:13 |
| Jesus' Teaching |
| Matthew 24:3-44, Mark 13:1-37, Luke 17:20-37 |
| .....John 14:1-6, Acts 1:6-9 |
| Paul's Teaching |
| I Cor. 15:51-52, II Cor. 12:2-4, I Thess. 4:13-5:11 |
| .....II Thess. 2:1-12, I Tim. 4:1-5, II Tim. 3:1-7 |
| Peter's Teaching |
| II Pet. 3:1-13 |
| John's Teaching |
| Rev. 1:1-22::21 |
| Outline of Revelation |
| Illustrative Churches Rev. 1-3 |
| ...(Chuch not mentioned again until after the Tribulation) |
| John's Vision as from Heaven Rev., begins chap 4 |
| The Great Tribulation Rev. 5-19 |
| .....The Antichrist Rev. 13 |
| .....The Apostate Church Rev. 17 |
| .....Persecution of Israel Rev. 12 |
| .....War in Heaven Rev. 12 |
| .....Return of Christ to Earth Rev. 19 |
| .....Satan Bound Rev. 20 |
| .....1000 Year Reign Rev. 20 |
| .....Satan Lossed Rev. 20 |
| .....Final Victory Rev. 20 |
| .....Great White Throne Judgment Rev. 20 |
| ..... New Heaven & New Earth Rev. 21-22 |
Proper Position of Nation the Israel is Foundational
As we pointed out in our previous session, the mainline church has for the most part held a faulty position regarding the Nation Israel. They hold that since the Jews rejected Christ, God has rejected them and as a result they "spiritualize" the Scriptural promises God made to Israel, assigning them to the church.
Covenant with Abraham
These promises started with the call of Abraham, Gen.12:1-3 when God promised to make a great nation of him and would bless him and those who also blessed him. He would curse those who cursed him.
Covenants with Israel and with David
These promises were restated through the early history of the nation. When the nation turned from God to idolatry, would have been the time one would expect God to waver in His commitment to them. However, He restated this commitment again in the strongest language possible in Jeremiah 31:31-37 & 33:14-22. He said that as long as the heavens fixed order stands He will never forsake the nation Israel and only if the heavens can be measured will he break His covenant with David!
Now, it was also true that if they did disobey His commands,(as they indeed did), God would scatter them into all the nations of the earth and bring great trouble upon them. Deut.28:58-68. At that same time He promised to regather them from the ends of the earth when they repented and returned to Him. Deut.30.
Old Testament Descriptions of Kingdom
This earthly kingdom has been "spiritualized" to be a "kingdom within the heart of the Christian" by these churchmen who have given up on Israel and on the literal millennial (1000 year reign of Christ's Kingdom).
There are many references to "the Kingdom of Heaven" and "the Kingdom of God" in the scriptures which may not be referring to the kingdom here on earth that was promised to Israel. This earthly kingdom is described in definite earthly terms in Isaiah 65:18-25 and Zechariah 8:9-23, for instance and needn't take a thing away from the spiritual elements of God's kingdom.
It helps to align our thinking on this subject, to realize that when the kingdom age or 1000 year reign of Christ here on earth, takes place, the Christians of this age, (the church), will not be there in "earthly form". We will have been resurrected (raptured) to be with Christ ahead of the establishment of this kingdom.
Covenants Clearly Restated in Romans
The 9th, 10th and 11th chapters of Romans deals with the past, present and future of the Nation Israel. Paul acknowledges that we (Christians) are spiritual children of Abraham, 9:6-8. But, he clearly states in 11:1 that "God has not rejected His people. And he concludes that there is a time when "all Israel will be saved".
He uses the analogy of a natural olive tree having some of it's branches broken off (Israel) and then having some wild olive branches grafted in (us, the Church). We the wild branches should not be "arrogant". And when the natural branches (Israel), turn from their unbelief, "God is able to graft them in again".
All this background on the correct position of the Nation Israel in God's program will help us immensely in our grasp of future events.
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In our last session we read several Old Testament passages that told of the coming reign of our Lord here on earth. The description of this time is in more detail than when it is given to us in the 20th chapter of Revelation.
Now the Old Testament has many references to the coming judgment in the "Day of the Lord" or "in that day". Isaiah 60:1-6, Isa 13:6-16, Isa 17:4-11, Jer 4:9-13. These are speaking of a time of final judgment on earth, when God finally sets things right.
This time of judgment and the righteous reign of Christ are "lumped together" and now known as the "second coming" of our Lord.
Then again the Old Testament makes reference to a time when Christ would come and be rejected. Isa 53:1-12 is the best known of such references. This is known as the "first coming" of our Lord.
When these prophecies were given, and on into the time of Christ, the men of God could not really distinguish them as two separate events or periods. They must have seemed as all coming at about the same time. Its been illustrated, as if one were looking at a distant mountain range and 2 mountains seemed to be almost side by side. Then when one got close to one of the mountains he sees that the other one is separated from the first by a wide valley. This valley was not apparent from a distance.
So, the disciples knew of the kingdom to come that would be ruled by a son of David. Up until the crucifixion, they expected Jesus to bring in the kingdom. They thought this even though Jesus had regularly told them of His soon rejection and death. Matt 20:17-19, 28.
Then as the week of the Passover Feast came and Jesus knew the crucifixion was upon Him, He began to explain about His second coming. This discussion is recorded in Matt 24-25, Mark 13:1-37 and Luke 17:20-37, John 14:1-6. This last, in John doesn't give much detail, but what is given is of great encouragement.
He tells them to not let their hearts be troubled, that He was going to His Father's house where there were many mansions. And that He was going to prepare a place for them, so that they could eventually be with Him!
Then He replied to Thomas'question asking how they would know the way to where He was going, He said one of His most important statements,
"I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father, but through me". John 14:6
After His resurrection, just before He ascended to heaven, He spoke briefly of it again, when they asked if this was the time He was going to restore the kingdom to Israel? He said,
"It is not for you to know times or epochs which the Father has fixed by His own authority; but you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth". Acts 1:7-8.
With that He was lifted up into heaven and two angels appeared telling them:
"...This Jesus, who has been taken up from you into heaven, will come in just the same way as you have watched Him go into heaven". verses 10-11.
So, the Matthew account in chapter 24-25 gives the most detail of Jesus' account to the disciples ahead of His crucifixion and states these facts and events
"...what will be the sign of Your coming and of the end of the age?"
1. Many will come in His name and will mislead many.
2. There will be wars and rumors of war, but not to be frightened for this is not yet the end.
3. Nation will rise against nation and there will be famines and earthquakes.
"But all these these things are merely the beginnings of birth pangs".
4. Then:
"they will deliver you up to tribulation and will kill you, and you will be hated by all nations on account of My name".
5. Many will fall away and many false prophets will arise.
6. Lawlessness is increased and most people's love will grow cold. But the one who endures to the end shall be saved.
7. "And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in the whole world for a witness to all the nations, and then the end shall come."
This takes His account down through verse 14 and seems to be a complete broad outline of the events. Then verses 15-31 appear to be a re-statement with more detail. (It should be noted that all of chapter 24 and 25 are Jesus' answer to their question, of 24:3, asked as Jewish believers, before the formation of the church in Acts. This description, of the great tribulation and it's impact along with parallel passages in Mark and Luke, is in reference to Israel. We will find the church's relationship to Christ's second coming in Paul and John's writings).
Verse 15 tells of "The Abomination of Desolation spoken of through Daniel", this speaks of the Antichrist who desecrates the temple, probably in the midst of the tribulation.
Daniel 9:24-27, tells of the 1st coming of the Messiah, forecasting accurately the number of "weeks" (7 year periods) till the time of Christ's 1st coming, when He is cut off.
Then verse 27 continues, speaking of the Antichrist, "the prince who is to come" who will make a covenant for 1 week (7 years), but in the middle of the week, he will put a stop to sacrifices and offerings, with an abomination that makes desolate in The Holy Place.
(This final week of Daniel is disconnected from the first 69 weeks of verse 25 and is separated by the church age which has run for approximately 2000 years. This final week (of 7 years) is the time of The Great Tribulation further described in verses 16-26).
The fact that sacrifices and offerings will be stopped, implies that the Jewish Temple, destroyed in 70 A.D., will have been rebuilt in Jerusalem.
The Jews will have accepted the Antichrist with his peace treaty, as the "messiah". When he turns on them they will finally realize that Jesus was and is indeed the promised Messiah!
The Jews will suffer great persecution as outlined in verses 16-22. And they are here warned that there will be confusion about when Christ will return to end the tribulation period. They are not to wonder, for when He comes this time it will be in "power and great glory" verse 30.
Jesus' return will be so impressive that all will know He is the King. See Rev. 19:11- 21 for a more detailed description of His return to earth.
And then He will send His angels to gather them from the four winds where they have been scattered. verse 31.
This gathering of the Jewish believers at the end of the tribulation is described in 24:36-44.
He is warning them to be alert and ready for His return with His bride. The parable of the 10 virgins in chapter 25 re- enforces this. The 5 wise virgins (believing Jews), with oil (symbolizing spiritual life) are ready for the return of the bridegroom who met His bride (the church) in heaven where the marriage feast was celebrated. Rev 19:7-9.
The parable of the stewards 25:14-30 again emphasizes readiness and faithfulness.
The judgment scene described in 25:31-46 is a separate judgment of the Gentile nations regarding how they treated the King's "brothers" (Israel) during the tribulation.
(This judgment is not to be confused with The Great White Throne judgment that takes place 1000 years later, Rev. 20:11-15, where a final resurrection of the dead occurs, and individuals and not nations, are judged for their deeds. If they do not appear in the Lamb's Book of Life they are cast into the lake of fire. Believers will not have a part in this judgment).
Those nations that aided Israel are admitted into the millennial kingdom. Those who did not are dismissed into everlasting punishment.
We mentioned earlier that the part the church plays in the last days is covered in Paul and John's writings. Briefly, 1Cor. 15:51-52 and 1Thess. 4:13- 18 tell us that those believers, who have died in Christ, will be resurrected. Those believers who are alive at His coming, will be "caught up together (with the resurrected believers), in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and thus we shall ever be with the Lord."
It's at this point when all those who are raptured will receive their glorified bodies.
The Lord does not touch down on the earth at this time.
This event is called the "rapture" and occurs sometime in the course of the events surrounding the 7 year tribulation period. Christians vary on the exact placement. We will deal with it in detail in the next session.
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Jesus' teaching in the gospels dealt with the future events that would impact the nation Israel. We look to Paul and John for how the church will be handled in the end times.
In 1Cor. 15, the great chapter on the resurrection, he concludes in verses 51- 58, telling us;
"that not all will sleep (die), but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet; for the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall all be changed."
Now he is of course referring to the ones who are saved. The term "imperishable" and the entire context assures us of this. He gives more detail in 1Thess. 4 and we will review that later.
This scripture deals with a time when all the believers of the past (except those Old Testament believers who were resurrected at the crucifixion, Mt. 27:50-53), will receive their new glorified bodies. 1 Cor. 15:42-44 tells us that these will have new glorified, spiritual bodies.
(We assume this body will be like the body that Christ demonstrated after He arose from the dead. He was able to appear in a locked room and yet could be touched and handled and ate food. Luke 24:36-43. We feel confident of this since 1Cor. 15:20-23 refers to Christ's raising as the "first fruits" of those who are "asleep" and "those who are alive at His coming").
From this, we see that believers who have died, are now with the Lord awaiting their new glorified bodies. Paul spoke of this when he was puzzling whether it was best to remain or to go to be with the Lord, in II Cor. 5:6-11 where he says:
"prefer rather to be absent from the body and to be at home with the Lord".
He does conclude that whether absent or present, it is his desire to be pleasing and serving the Lord. He here tells that we (believers) will, some day, after the resurrection, face our Lord at
"the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may be recompensed for his deeds in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad. Therefore, knowing the fear of the Lord, we persuade men...".
This is not a judgment of "condemnation", (Romans 8:1, assures of this, Christ took this judgment upon Himself for us!), it is for our works, and many of us will be disappointed as we face Him. For this reason, among others, in Rev. 21:4 it says,
"and He shall wipe away every tear from their eyes", when it talks of the new heaven and new earth and on into eternity."
In 1Thess. 3:13 Paul refers to a time when our Lord Jesus is coming with all His saints. Then he goes on with instructions for us to prepare, "abstaining from sexual immorality", to "make it your ambition to lead a quiet life". What a timely bit of advice in the days we live in! Before He can "come with all His saints" He must of course gather them all in. And that is just what comes next in this account in 1Thess. 4:13-5:11. Much as in 1Cor. 15, he tells them that;
"those who are asleep (died) in Jesus" will rise first and then we who remain "will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and thus we shall always be with the Lord".
Praise God!
This is describing what is called "the rapture of the church". And now Paul talks about the "when" of this event. He distinguishes between the believers and "others" or "they". The "others" or "they" of 1Thess. 5:3 are going to be surprised by this event. They will have been "scoffing" about the Lord's return, (see II Pet 3:3-10), and it will catch them as a "thief in the night". And it will come when they are saying "Peace and Safety", 1Thess. 5:3.
On the other hand we, believers, are "not in darkness, that the day should overtake you like a thief". We should be experiencing faith, love and hope of salvation, verse 8. And, further, in verse 9:
"God has not destined us for wrath, but for obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ".
This is a very key promise, giving us the assurance that we will be raptured ahead of the wrathful judgment that awaits the world during the Great Tribulation. So from this it seems we are expected to be alert, looking for the approximate time or season of this first event of the Lord's second coming. We can't know precisely but we should be expectant and sense His nearness.
Now in II Thess. 2, Paul responds to some false teaching they had heard that this rapture had already happened and passed them by! Here, in verse 1 he calls it "our gathering together to Him" and in verse 3 says:
"it will not come unless the apostasy comes first and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction".
He is definitely talking of the Antichrist, the one described in Daniel 9 and 11. Recall that in the last session, in Matt 24:15, Jesus referred to "the abomination of desolation", and Dan 9:27 identified this as being when the Anti-christ will "stop the sacrifice and grain offering" in the middle of the 70th week (7 year tribulation period). Dan. 11:36-45 gives more detail of this.
Back to II Thess. 2:3-14. This Antichrist is a personal being, (not a spirit or attitude of many antichrists as mentioned in 1Jn. 2:18), and he will be "revealed", verse 3 & verse 8, having much to do with "peace and safety" of 1Thess. 5 and the "temple of God, verse 4, (yet to be built), about the middle of the 70th week of Daniel 9. He will have made a firm covenant but will break it in the middle of that week, stopping the sacrifice etc.
So, all of this seems to place the rapture of the church, (or as Paul called it, "our gathering together to Him"), at the start of the great tribulation.
Conservative students, who hold to the premillennial approach to His second coming, vary in their placement of the rapture. Some ahead of, some in the middle of and some at the end of the Great Tribulation.
Since we are "not destined" for God's wrath, 1 Thess. 5:9, it seems the rapture must occur ahead of, or in the middle of, that period, ahead of the terrible judgment upon the world, described in Rev 5-19. See our discussion regarding the battle of Ezekiel 38 and 39 in the next section, under the heading, "Three Great Future Wars".
(Enoch in Gen.5 was raptured ahead of the wrath of the flood and is seen as a type of the church. While Noah was protected through the flood and is seen as a type of the nation Israel who must go through the tribulation, some of them, (144,000), are sealed and protected as worldwide witnesses).
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Why Study Prophecy? A Blessing and a Warning!
There are 17 prophetic books in the Old Testament. Only one in the New Testament. Prophecy is often avoided because it is unclear and requires considerable study to grasp it at all.
Even then, it sometimes leaves one with a foggy view. This of course does not justify ignoring it or worse yet "putting it down" as is frequently the case. Since so much of Scripture is devoted to prophecy, we should come to grips with it.
Revelation is the only book of the Bible which opens with a blessing for the ones who will read, hear and heed the contents!
Rev. 1:3 "Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of the prophecy, and heed the things which are written in it; for the time is near."
ALL scripture is inspired by God:
II Tim. 3:16 "All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness;"
Revelation also is the only book in the Bible that closes with a strong warning against tampering with the contents! Chapter 22:18-19
"I testify to everyone who hears the prophecy of this book: if anyone adds to them, God shall add to him the plagues which are written in this book; and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part from the tree of life and from the holy city, which was written in this book."
Why Do We Ignore Scripture?
Suppose a new discovery of God's word was suddenly located and was of such remarkable authenticity that we all knew it to be truly a new message to us and it especially dealt with the times of the "end". I'd expect a literal "run" on such a book. Our interest would be extremely high.
As Bible believing Christians, we should have a similar excitement for the Bible and for the prophetic sections of it! Now if we are not "Bible believing" there is some basis for our indifference. I guess that is the root problem in many cases.
One could ask "Why is so much of the Bible, so hard to understand? Why doesn't it read easy like Time magazine etc?" I think the answer is in two parts:
1. Much of the Bible is easy to understand! John 3:16 is a classic in clarity and simplicity dealing with the most profound truth! The question really exposes our laziness, or indifference or unbelief or some of all three.
2. Some of it is hard to understand. This is partly due to the "scales" or blindness that Satan uses on all of us. Yes, believers too. We need to pray for God's Spirit to help us understand not give up.
II Cor. 4:4 "the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelieving, that they might not see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God."
This, to some extent, also applies to the "carnal" believer who is living in the strength of the flesh. Such a person is to some extent "unbelieving".
Also, I think that the Scripture is less than crystal clear to strengthen our faith.
Of course God could have given it to us so clear that it could not be missed. He chose to make it somewhat obscure. If there were no question at all, it would remove the element of faith. So, we should frankly, praise God for the degree of toughness that He has allowed, pray for help and dig in! It will always be "hard" for the unbeliever. Mt. 13:10-17 tells of Jesus' reasons for speaking in parables to communicate truth to His followers while deliberately withholding from the unbelievers.
An attitude of trust and faith really helps. If one can accept that the scripture is of God even though we don't understand it, and give it honor by our attitude I am sure that God will further help us understand. If we "give up" on sections and actually discredit it by our attitude, I'm equally sure that God will continue to leave us in the dark on those sections.
Advantages of a Literal Approach:
Some teachers are extremely quick to treat any difficult section as "symbolic". They "spiritualize" the passage saying that it symbolizes something or other. Usually a "something" that is a "pet" that they wish to reinforce. This is especially true of prophetic scripture. Now, I know that we have to accept that symbolism truly exists in scripture, but if I can take the direct meaning of it at all, I will, and then attempt to get the symbolic meaning if necessary.
The old basic rule of interpretation applies:
"When the plain sense of scripture makes common sense, seek no other sense! Therefore take every word at it's primary, ordinary, usual, literal, meaning unless the facts of the immediate context, studied in the light of related passages, indicate clearly otherwise".
If a person follows this rule, he will never go wrong; if he fails to follow it he will never go right.
Start with the BASICS:
One will surely bog down in any comprehensive subject if he fails to start with the basics. Imagine studying algebra or geometry without a basic knowledge of general math!
So, in similar fashion, to understand the Bible, one starts in the Gospels to obtain the huge advantage of becoming one of the family. John is probably the best place to start. When one becomes a "new creature", yes, "born again", this should create the desire to learn and lead into other basic sections.
Grasp the Old Testament, Accept It's Judgment and Wrath.
Basic to an overall grasp is a Faith Knowledge of the Old Testament. I said "faith", because there are hard sections there! It has become popular to treat much of it as fables or folklore. If you do this, don't expect God's blessing on your studies! I take the stance that it is ALL true. I may not understand it but it is TRUE! God did express his judgment and wrath in some very graphic and hard ways in the Old Testament as a prelude to His greatest act of wrath in the New Testament. This is not a popular position.
God's Greatest Expression of His Wrath Was also His Greatest Act of Love.
What is the greatest expression of God's wrath? When Christ was judged on the cross for our (my) sins. That's what! Nothing could be a greater expression.
The creator God allowed, offered Himself to be tortured, and killed by His creatures, taking ALL the sin of the whole world upon Himself, so that those of us who believe and accept may be forgiven and become His children!
Now He was so submissive and serving, that we have overlooked that He is still the Creator, the King of the universe AND He is going to JUDGE the Christ rejecters in great wrath! The Old Testament judgments pale in comparison to the book of Revelation!
This "quick" review of the entire Bible helps us to grasp the book of Revelation.
We would be better prepared if we have a study of the covenants of God, the book of Romans behind us.
Prophecy is Impossible to Understand If You Ignore God's Special People, Israel.
One of the foundational truths we have discovered is that God, all the way from Genesis to Revelation, deals with three basic groups of people. Israel, the Church and the Gentile nations. If this distinction is ignored very little makes sense.
God has different destinies for these groups. He has many promises in the Old Testament that we commonly claim as belonging to us, the church. Perhaps in some symbolic sense we can apply blessings for Israel to the church, but we are NOT Israel, Zion, Jerusalem, Judah, Jacob etc.
The church, the Bride of Christ has a heavenly destiny while Israel has an earthly destiny. Why can't we grasp that??
Just because Israel rejected Christ as the Messiah, we cannot, must not, try to displace her. This has been a costly mistake of the church through the ages. It flies in the face of Jeremiah 31:31- 37, which says in part,
"Behold the days are coming", declares the Lord, "when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah, not like the covenant which I made with their fathers in the day I took them by the hand out of the land of Egypt, - - - - -But this covenant which I will make with the house of Israel after those days," declares the Lord, "I will put My law within them, and on their heart will I write it; and I will be their God and they shall be My people- - - - Thus says the Lord, If the heavens above can be measured, and the foundations of the earth searched out below, then I will also cast off all the offspring of Israel for all that they have done- - -."
This was written after Israel had rejected God, during the last days of Judah who was living in terrible idolatry, just before the capture by Babylon.
Again, God, speaking through Paul, in Romans chapters 9-11 guarantees their ultimate future. They are to be restored to a warm relationship with Himself. This, after they rejected Christ as the Messiah.
Rom. 11:1 "I say then, God has not rejected His people, has He? May it never be! For I too am an Israelite, a descendant of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin. God has not rejected His people whom He foreknew."
We'll see that this basic distinction between Israel, the church and the Gentile nations is important to understand Revelation.
There are Four Systems of Interpretation of the Book.
1. The Preterist interpretation holds that all of Revelation has been fulfilled in the past. This method holds that Revelation describes the persecution of the Apostle John's day under Nero and Domitian.
2. The Historical interpretation is that the fulfillment of Revelation is going on continuously from the Apostle John's day to the present.
3. The Historical-Spiritualist interpretation. This holds that the book has largely been fulfilled and contains only spiritual lessons for the churc h today. The system we know as Amillennialism has for the most part adopted this position.
4. The Futurist interpretation is the one held by all premillennialists and the one held by your teacher. It sees the book as primarily prophetic.
A very simple and obvious test of a scripture is to determine if what it is talking about has yet happened. There is a ton of stuff in Revelation that has not happened yet! Period. There are tons of other scriptures scattered through the other books that are either fulfilled prophecy or unfulfilled prophecy. Much of this helps to understand Revelation. Just applying this simple test and relating the event to known history or current events will often clear up a meaning. It seems to me that when one is dealing with God's message, one should expect it to contain much about unfulfilled future events. I'm comfortable with that outlook.
The "higher critics" who study the Bible to disprove it, even though many of them pose as spiritual leaders, literally hate the prophetic character of the Bible. They will challenge the authorship, try to move the writing forward in time to overcome the futuristic nature etc. And in the process try to make those of us who are simple believers (in the full Word, as well as in Christ) appear as country bumpkins and Bible thumpers. In the long run, they are doomed, literally, and will be unsuccessful. In the short run, they pick up a large following, who don't want to be identified with country bumpkins and Bible thumpers, etc.
Their primary success has been to keep well-meaning people off balance with no confidence to present great sections of the Word that is salted with prophetic truths. When one turns unfulfilled prophecy into history or completely spiritualizes it, one must be a silver tongued orator to avoid congregational sleeping sickness! Many such mislead, well meaning persons are the teachers in most of the main line church seminaries. And that is also where the "higher critics" reside for the most part!
The Futurist Interpretation is NOT a New Position.
The opponents of the futurist system of interpretation have noted the upsurge of literal acceptance of the prophetic word in the last century and mistakenly think (or claim) it to be a "new" position.
Most such opponents of the distant past were postmillennialists who believed that the church would convert the world having the 1000 year reign ahead of the return of Christ.
This of course became untenable in the past 75 years experience. WW I, WW II, Hitler's Germany, atomic fusion, Stalin, declining church membership, world wide communism, at least 50 wars going on continually, upsurge of Muslims etc. all combine to make that position rediculous. So now most opponents are now, amillennialists, This is a truly new approach, whose adherents disbelieve in the 1000 year reign completely by the simple expedient of treating it "spiritually".
Of course, the futurist position has been clarified and strengthened in the last century! When thinking people look at all the above proof of the failure of humankind, the church at large, they can see that the prophetic message of the Bible, much of which deals with God's judgment, is being set up for fulfillment!
The Miracle of the Rebirth of the Nation Israel!!
In addition to the tragic state of world conditions in general, which fit into the futurist position, the Biblical prophecies regarding the Nation Israel are being fulfilled currently before our very eyes! What more do we need!
Constantly underlying both post and amillennial positions is the rejection of the place God has for His people Israel. Simply removing Israel from the scene by the technique of "spiritualization"- - - Taking His promises to Israel and applying them to the church. This has led to actual anti-Semitism in the church over the centuries! It has made a significant contribution to the persecution of the Jewish people! We all should frequently reread Gen 12:1-2:
"And I will make you a great nation, And I will bless you, And make your name great; And so you shall be a blessing; And I will bless those who bless you, and the one who curses you I will curse."
The Early church leaders held to the soon return of Christ ahead of the 1000 year reign of Christ, plainly stated in Rev. 20.
Now, the early church didn't have all the evidence of fulfilled prophecy that we have today, nevertheless, many held some form of the futurist position:
Following are interesting quotations supporting their belief that the Lord would return ahead of the millennium (the 1000 year reign of Christ).
"The true Sabbath is the 1000 years...when Christ comes back to reign." Barnabas the co-worker of Paul the Apostle
"Let us every hour expect the Kingdom of God...we know not the day." Clement (A.D. 96), Bishop of Rome
"There will be one thousand years...when the reign of Christ personally will be established on earth." Papias (A.D. 116) Bishop of Hierapolis. According to Irenaeus, Papias saw and heard the Apostle John.
"I and all others who are orthodox Christians, on all points, know there will be a thousand years in Jerusalem...as Isaiah and Ezekiel declared." Justin Martyr (A.D. 150)
Commenting on Jesus' promise to drink of the fruit of the vine in His Father's Kingdom, "That this...can only be fulfilled upon our Lord's personal return to earth." Irenaeus, (A.D. 175) Bishop of Lyons
"We do indeed confess that a Kingdom is promised on earth." Tertullian (A.D. 200)
"Let us not think that the coming of Christ is far off." Martin Luther
Postmillennialism had its roots in the "success" of the Roman church as it visualized it's kingdom on earth. The whole concept of the Papacy supported the idea that the church would convert the world, usher in the 1000 years of peaceful worldly rule by the church leaders, and then finally, Christ would return.
It was boosted along by the excitement of the reformers and their successes. The missionary movement of the past 200 years also gave it some momentum, even though the vast majority of the missionaries themselves were premillennial in their belief. (Effective evangelism, is strengthened by the literal acceptance of God's Word, looking for the momentary return of Christ).
The First Three Chapters of Revelation
Chapter 1
Introduction. This is a great declaration of the position of Jesus Christ, the ruler of all the kings of the earth. With the promise of the Lord's return when all the tribes of the earth will mourn over Him. We believers will rejoice and praise Him.
John's experience on the Isle of Patmos begins. He was the one most intimate with the Lord during His time on earth and John came unglued at the sight of Him as the King of Kings! He fell at His feet as a dead man. And Jesus said "Do not be afraid". Glory!
Christ gave us a simple outline of the book in 1:19. He told John to write of the things which he had seen (past), the things which are (present) and the things which shall take place (future). This breaks it down "past" being chapter 1, the vision that had occurred, "present", the churches of chapter 2 and 3 and the balance is "future". The 4th chapter tells of the church in heaven and that is the last it is mentioned until it is called the "bride" in chapter 19. This suggests that the church is raptured ahead of chapter 4, ahead of all the judgments of the following chapters.
Chapter 2 and 3
The seven churches of chapters 2 and 3 are one of seven 7's in the book. In scripture the number 7 has the meaning of completeness. It is seen frequently. There are 7 churches, 7 seals, 7 trumpets, 7 personages, 7 vials, 7 dooms, and 7 new things.
These seven churches were historical churches that existed during the ministry of John. This was at the close of the Apostolic period near 100 AD. The conditions described were currently taking place.
The churches also represent the progressive condition of the church looking forward over the church age.
They also represent or describe the condition of various churches at any particular time. John had been the pastor of the church at Ephesus prior to his banishment to the Isle of Patmos. He probably had some contact with some of the other churches.
As Jesus gave these messages to John to write to the churches, He followed a pattern of stating the strengths and then the warnings or judgments. Only two of the seven escaped with no warning.
Outline of the Seven Churches Showing Their Characteristics:
| Church | Strengths | Warnings |
| This church symbolizes the church at the end of the Apostolic period. |
| Ephesus | Works, Labor, Patience, Tests for false apostles | Loss of their first love |
| This church symbolizes the period of great persecution to 316 A.D. |
| Smyrna | Works, Tribulation, Poverty |
| This church symbolizes the period from the conversion of Constantine to the end. |
| Pergamos | Works, Hold fast to Christ's name, not denied the faith | Doctrine of Balaam, Nicolaitines (Nikao=conquer Laos=laity) |
| This church symbolizes the Papacy, the triumph of Baalism, (worldliness) and Nicolaitanism, 500 A.D. to 1500. A believing remnant is included. |
| Thyatria | Works, Charity, Service, Faith | Mixing doctrine with pagan |
| This church symbolizes the Protestant Reformation, with a believing remnant. |
| Sardis | Works | Dead. name not fulfilled |
| This church sysmolizes the true church within the professing church. 1800 A.D. on. Results in the modern missionary movement. |
| Philadelphia | Works, Open door, kept the Word, not denied Christ's name |
| This church symbolizes the apostate church, on to the end, seen as the harlot of Revelation, chapter 17. |
| Laodicea | Rich, Self satisfied, actually is poor, wetched and blind |
Christ's warm invitation to all from any of the churches is:
"Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if any one hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him, and will dine with him and he with Me. He who overcomes, I will grant to him to sit down with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne." Rev 3:20-21
Jesus' message to the churches also applies to each individual. He repeats, over and over, "He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes... ".
One or more of the seven churches describes our personal situation. We need to accept and apply the warnings. Our eternal salvation may be at stake!
Literally millions of people today are depending upon "church membership" for their salvation. Many in "Laodicean" churches and are living "Laodicean" personal life styles. Jesus is pleading for them to personally, open the door of their hearts and accept Him as Savior. He obviously is not impressed with much of "church membership"!
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In our introduction to the book, we covered the first 3 chapters dealing with the seven churches. We proposed that we would next develop a list of major players and events as a means of taking a broad look at the book.
| Major Players | Events | |
| ......... Chapter 1 | ||
| John | Vision of 7 lamp stands | |
| ..... Chapters 2 & 3 | ||
| Jesus | Msgs to 7 churches | |
| 7 churches | ||
| No more mention of the church until chapter 19 where the "marriage supper of the Lamb" takes place in heaven. This supports the belief that the church is raptured ahead of the severe tribulation judgment which appears to start about chapter 5. |
| Major Players | Events | |
| .......... Chapter 4 | ||
| John, 24 Elders, 4 Living Creatures around the throne, God onthe throne, Lamb of God | The church is not seen again in Revelation until chapter 19 | In heaven observing actions on earth, chapters 4 through 22:7 |
| ........ Chapter 5 | ||
| Angel, Elders,The Lamb, 4 Living Creatures | Opens the Book with 7 seals | |
| ........ Chapter 6 | ||
| Lamb of God, Anti-christ on white horse, red horse, black horse, pale horse, Saints to be slain | Lamb opens the seals | |
| ........ Chapter 7 | ||
| 4 Angels, 144,000 12,000 sealed from each tribe, Great multitude Trib Saints | ||
| Lamb of God, 7 angels | ........ Chapter 8 | 7th seal opened, 7 trumpets introduced, 1-4 trumpets sounded |
| ........ Chapter 9 | ||
| Satan (star fallen from heaven), Locusts, 4 Angels released to kill 1/3 of mankind, armies, 200,000 | Given key to the bottomless pit, which he opens, released from pit, 6th trunpet sounds | |
| ........ Chapter 10 | ||
| 7 peals of thunder | 7th trumpet prepared, 10:7, indicates completion of the judgment period. |
| This completes the broad outline of the events of the Great Tribulation - - Chapter 11-19 fill in more detail of what transpires. |
| Major Players | Events | |
| ........ Chapter 11 | ||
| The 2 witnesses, The 24 Elders | They prophesy for 3 1/2 years, are killed & viewed for 3 1/2 days. They come to life and go up into heaven, 7th trumpet sounds worship & praise God as judgment ends, reign begins | |
| ....... Chapter 12 | ||
| The woman representing Israel, Dragon and his angels, Michael and his angels | She is persecuted by the Dragon, War in Heaven, Satan cast down to earth | |
| ........ Chapter 13 | ||
| The Beast from the sea (the Anti-christ), Another Beast from the sea (False Prophet) | Wages war against the Saints, Erects image, gives mark of the beast | |
| ........ Chapter 14 | ||
| The Lamb of God, 144,000 | Description of Christ's coming victory | |
| ........ Chapter 15 | ||
| One of the 4 Living Creatures, 7 angels, Victorious Saints | Giveb the Bowls of final judgment, Saints sing praises | |
| ........ Chapter 16 | ||
| 7 Angels | 7 bowls of judgment poured out | |
| ........ Chapter 17 | ||
| Spiritual Babylon, the great harlot, (apostate church, v9 implies Rome) the great 10 "horned" kingdom | The harlot defeated by the 10 horned kingdom | |
| ....... Chapter 18 | ||
| Commercial Babylon, (financial leadership & "my people" of v4 (Jews), could imply NYC USA | Destroyed in 1 hour | |
| ........ Chapter 19 | ||
| 24 Elders, Saints, God and the Lamb, Christ on white horse, Armies of heaven, The Anti-christ and False prophet | Marriage Supper of the Lamb, Battle of Armageddon, Satan defeated, these 2 were thrown into lake of fire | |
| ........ Chapter 20 | ||
| Satan, the Abyss, Milennial Kingdom, Christ, Saints, Gog & Magog, Final rebellion, Great White Throne Judgment, Lamb's Book of Life | Bound for 1000 yrs, Christ reigns w/Saints 1000 yrs, Satan loosed for final rebellion (possible Ezk 38-39), Christ judges the lost, John 5:22-23 | |
| ........ Chapter 21 | ||
| New Heaven, New Earth, New Jerusalem, Christ, The Father, Saints, Unbelievers, Lake of Fire, Nations of the Earth | Christ makes all things new, wipes away tears, Unbelievers cast into lake of fire, Nations will walk by light of the city |
| ........ Chapter 22 |
Continues the description of the New Heaven through 22:7. Then John (in his vision), is returned to Patmos where the vision commenced. 22:8-21 is a wrap-up of the book |
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Any serious study of the book of Revelation will call attention to the "Battle of Armageddon" of chapter 19, and the final battle at the end of the millennial reign of Christ in chapter 20.
By the time one has gotten that far, there probably is also an awareness of the great future war of Ezekiel chapters 38 and 39.
Lets start with what may be rather easily identified and positioned.
The Battle of Armageddon is described in Rev 19:11-18 as the conclusion of the Great Tribulation. It is also described in Zechariah 14.
Rev. 19:11-16 "And I saw heaven opened; and behold, a white horse, and He who sat upon it is called Faithful and True; and in righteousness He judges and wages war. And His eyes are a flame of fire, and upon His head are many diadems; and He has a name written upon Him which no one knows except Himself. And He is clothed with a robe dipped in blood; and His name is called The Word of God. And the armies which are in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, were following Him on white horses. And from His mouth comes a sharp sword, so that with it He may smite the nations; and He will rule them with a rod of iron; and He treads the wine press of the fierce wrath of God, the Almighty. And on His robe and on His thigh He has a name written, "KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS."
This is when Christ returns to the earth with the armies of heaven, (made up of resurrected believers and probably His angels), to defeat the Antichrist and the kings of the earth who are arrayed in battle against God!
(This is a separate appearance from the earlier time when He raptures His believers from the earth, meeting them in the air, 1Thess. 4:13-5:11)
This battle is also described in some detail in Zechariah 14. Both the Revelation and Zechariah passages position the battle at the close of the tribulation and the beginning of the millennial reign of Christ.
Zech. 14:1-4 "Behold, a day is coming for the Lord when the spoil taken from you will be divided among you. For I will gather all the nations against Jerusalem to battle, and the city will be captured, the houses plundered, the women ravished, and half of the city exiled, but the rest of the people will not be cut off from the city. Then the Lord will go forth and fight against those nations, as when He fights on a day of battle. And in that day His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, which is in front of Jerusalem on the east; and the Mount of Olives will be split in its middle from east to west by a very large valley, so that half of the mountain will move toward the north and the other half toward the south."
Zechariah continues describing the "plague" of the battle with language very similar to the way we are now being told how neutron explosions effect soft tissue! It instantly rots soft tissue without destroying solids!
With the battle of Armageddon placed, we can also see a final rebellion described in Revelation 20:7-9:
"And when the thousand years are completed, Satan will be released from his prison, and will come out to deceive the nations which are in the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together for the war; the number of them is like the sand of the seashore. And they came up on the broad plain of the earth and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city, and fire came down from heaven and devoured them."
This leaves the future war of Ezekiel 38 & 39 to be positioned:
Many Bible students see this war taking place prior to or during the Great Tribulation. The usual scene is that Russia (Rosh, Meshech etc,), and an alliance of Arab nations attempt to conquer Israel.
These students seldom see Ezekiel 37-39 applying to the Battle of Armageddon at the close of the Tribulation. As stated before they see it taking place ahead of or during the first part of the Tribulation period,
The former Soviet Union and now Russia and the Muslim republics of the former Soviet Union, have continually been opposed to Israel and have hungered for a warm water port to the south. Such an alliance warring with Israel is expected to encounter opposition from the forces of United Europe under the rule of the Antichrist.
These two chapters could be describing nuclear war. Clearly, the war concludes with the alliance defeated when the Lord God intervenes:
Ezek. 38:18-23 "And it will come about on that day, when Gog comes against the land of Israel," declares the Lord God, "that My fury will mount up in My anger. "And in My zeal and in My blazing wrath I declare {that} on that day there will surely be a great earthquake in the land of Israel. "And the fish of the sea, the birds of the heavens, the beasts of the field, all the creeping things that creep on the earth, and all the men who are on the face of the earth will shake at My presence; the mountains also will be thrown down, the steep pathways will collapse, and every wall will fall to the ground. "And I shall call for a sword against him on all My mountains," declares the Lord God. "Every man's sword will be against his brother. "And with pestilence and with blood I shall enter into judgment with him; and I shall rain on him, and on his troops, and on the many peoples who are with him, a torrential rain, with hailstones, fire, and brimstone. "And I shall magnify Myself, sanctify Myself, and make Myself known in the sight of many nations; and they will know that I am the Lord."
Current events seem to lend weight to Ezekiel 38-39 being fulfilled in the near future. However, there are positioning problems within the text. These along with similarities in the names of the participants in Ezekiel 38:1-6 and Rev. 20:7-9 cause some to disagree with this usual conclusion.
There are "positioning" passages in the Ezekiel account that imply that it is a "final" war, concluding with Israel at peace with the world and God!
Ezek. 39:7 "And My holy name I shall make known in the midst of My people Israel; and I shall not let My holy name be profaned anymore. And the nations will know that I am the Lord, the Holy One in Israel."
Ezek. 39:22 "And the house of Israel will know that I am the Lord their God from that day onward."
Ezek. 39:26 "And they shall forget their disgrace and all their treachery which they perpetrated against Me, when they live securely on their own land with no one to make them afraid."
These passages don't describe the situation that would follow the war if it occurred before or during the Tribulation.
The Jews will suffer intense persecution during the last half of the tribulation and will flee into the mountains when the Antichrist desecrates the temple and turns on them:
Mt. 24:15-18 "Therefore when you see the abomination of desolation which was spoken of through Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place (let the reader understand), then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains; let him who is on the housetop not go down to get the things out that are in his house; and let him who is in the field not turn back to get his cloak."
If Ezekiel is describing the Battle of Armageddon at the close of the tribulation, then Israel would be accurately described at that time with Christ's victory, at peace with God and the world, going into the millennial reign of Christ.
But, on the other hand, Ezekiel describes Israel as being "at rest" and "secure" when the attack starts. This is not Israel's condition at the beginning of the Battle of Armageddon. By this time Israel has turned to Christ and is under heavy persecution by the Anti- christ:
Ezek. 38:10-12 "Thus says the Lord God, "It will come about on that day, that thoughts will come into your mind, and you will devise an evil plan, and you will say, 'I will go up against the land of unwalled villages. I will go against those who are at rest, that live securely, all of them living without walls, and having no bars or gates, to capture spoil and to seize plunder, to turn your hand against the waste places which are now inhabited, and against the people who are gathered from the nations, who have acquired cattle and goods, who live at the center of the world."
This might describe Israel's position during the false "peace" before the Anti-christ turns on them at the mid point of the tribulation, but certainly not how they would be seen just ahead of the Battle of Armageddon.
If we can't place the Ezekiel war at the front, middle or end of the tribulation, we are left with two alternatives:
1. The Ezekiel account may be a "double reference" describing a near-term battle as well as a distant one at the close of the 1000-year reign of Christ. Some descriptions applying to one battle and some descriptions are applying to the other.
This proposition has a couple things going for it: World conditions could progress along toward a false peace and quiet that would be required at the time of the rapture of the church described in 1st Thess. 4:13 - 5:9. This has the rapture a total surprise to the world, coming "as a thief in the night", while they are saying "Peace and safety". Such peace and safety is sure to be greatly disturbed by the impact of the rapture. The confusion and chaos caused by the instant removal of all the believing Christians would not be described as "peace and safety" for a long time!
However, the Ezekiel war could occur immediately on the heels of the rapture, in the same time window, described in Ezek. 38:11 when Israel is "at rest", living securely. Russia and the Islamic nations who are to be allies with her will not be as impacted by the chaos of the rapture, having a smaller percentage of believers. She could see the confusion and chaos of the USA, Britian and the European Union as a good opportunity to make the invasion of Israel. This confusion could be the "hooks into your jaws" of 38:4 where God draws them into invasion of Israel.
Of course, what is described here could take place at the begimming of the 7 year tribulation or at the middle when the Anti-christ desecrates the Jewish temple.
But, if the Ezekiel war were to take place at mid point, the Anti-christ would definitely have been revealed.
This would greatly reduce the "surprise element" of the rapture. Even many of the unbelievers would be aware that the Christians believed, and no doubt were talking about, the certainty of the Anti-christ desecrating the temple would unleash the "wrath" that we were promised we would be spared from by the rapture. So, in shrinking window, less than 3 years at maximum, as the false peace developed and progressed, we would expect the rapture. Our growing excitement would not be totally lost on the unbelieving world.
Having said all this, with world conditions being what we are now experiencing, it seems that the rapture and the Ezekiel war are apt to occur almost simultaneously. and soon!
2. However, the Ezekiel account may be describing only the final rebellion of Revelation chapter 20 where Israel would truly be living in peace under Christ's earthly rule. When Christ puts down this final rebellion, Israel would literally go on into the future totally secure and in complete fellowship with their Lord as seen in Ezekiel 39:
Ezek. 39:7 "And My holy name I shall make known in the midst of My people Israel; and I shall not let My holy name be profaned anymore. And the nations will know that I am the Lord, the Holy One in Israel."
Ezek. 39:22 "And the house of Israel will know that I am the Lord their God from that day onward."
Some object to placing the Ezekiel war at the close of the millennium since it describes the enemy dead being buried, while Revelation chapter 20 says they are "consumed".
If the Ezekiel war is placed at the end of the 1000 years, the rapture must be the very next event, ahead of the revelation of the Anti-christ, to maintain the surprise element.
So, in conclusion, there seems to be no way to position Ezekiel's war without some problem. Our preference, however is to place it just ahead of the tribulation, probably almost simultaneously with the rapture of the church.
It appears to this writer that as stated before, there will continue to be disagreements about it's placement with some support for several conclusions.
All scripture references are from The New American Standard Bible.
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A Timeline Chart, from Eternity Past to Eternity Future, Featuring Biblical Despensations
Clearly God is unchangeable, the same "yesterday, today and forever", Heb. 13:8. However, He clearly has dealt differently with mankind in different times of history. While the bible does not use the term "dispensation", it does speak of "ages". It has been helpful to identify the periods when God seems to deal differently with man. So these periods have been identified as dispensations. They have been labled to reflect God's varied emphasis with mankind in these periods. Some periods are more easily defined than others, ie. Law and Grace. Some of the periods may overlap to some extent. Nevertheless, we find the concept helpful. The following chart helps one to place significant events. The chart is not laid out to accurate scale.
A Timeline Chart that Features the Biblical Covenants
The covenants that God has established with mankind, particularly with His chosen people, Israel and with His Church make a profitable study. This chart identifies each of these covenants, noting the time when they were established and their duration. Some are conditional, based upon the faithfulness of the people involved. God said that the covenant would hold if the people would maintain their side of the agreement. Others are unconditional and are based on the solid promise and character of God and thus are irreversible.
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A Quick Trip Through the Bible on into the Future- -get easy, clear, practical Biblical understanding, Church history, future predictions, life solutions
Last revised: July 07, 2008.
