End Times

End Times

There are few topics of greater interest and greater confusion than discussing the timing and elements that make up the end times. Many Believers are comfortable thinking that this topic is so cryptic that it is perfectly fine not to know any of the details. The End Times has been the subject of many books and movies, and so based on this media, countless Believers have formulated an understanding more oriented in fiction than fact.

The truth is that there are many things that can be known about the end times. Moreover, these things should be known so that God’s people can be prepared for what may happen in the not-to-distant future. Consider these words from Revelation 1:3 - Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear it and take to heart what is written in it, because the time is near. There are no other words in Scripture that promise a blessing for reading or hearing the text, so these words carry a unique significance. Also, even for those who might seek to discount the writing of Revelation, the story of the end times is found in many other places in Scripture, from the prophets in the Old Testament to Jesus’ own description in Matthew 24.

It is important to clarify what the Scripture states objectively, and what we must infer based on the context. It is also important to set aside pre-conceived notions of what seems “right” or “makes sense” to us as we study this topic. Let us simply see what God tells us in His Word.

Overview of the End Times

The study of End Times can be as exciting as it is exhausting. It is also known as the “Second Coming” because the time leads up to the arrival of Jesus Christ. There are prophecies to consider, historical references, figurative language and a lack of specifics in some areas. On the other hand, it is some of the most interesting Scripture in the entire Bible. While there may be some elements of the end times that are complicated to understand, the basic time-table of the last seven years can be understood quite clearly when taking Scripture at face-value. The basic overview includes:

The seven-year period, known as the 70th Week of Daniel, begins when Israel signs a peace treaty with the Antichrist. (Dan 9:27)

The first 3½ years of the 70th Week of Daniel are characterized as beginning birth pangs. (Matt 24:8)

The mid-point of the 70th Week of Daniel is marked by the Antichrist declaring himself to be God and demanding worship, what Daniel calls the Abomination of Desolation. (Dan 9:27, Matt 24:15)

The period of time from the mid-point of the 70th Week of Daniel until the rapture is known as the Great Tribulation, a time when the Antichrist seeks to destroy Israel and believers. (Matt 24:21)

The rapture of the church cuts short the wrath of the Antichrist and commences the Day of the Lord. (Matt 24:22)

The Day of the Lord is God’s judgment upon the Antichrist and those who follow him. (Rev 19:20)

The Day of the Lord is climaxed and ended by the battle of Armageddon when God destroys the armies of the earth. (Rev 16:13-16, Rev 19:19-21)

God throws the Antichrist and the false prophet into the lake of fire. (Rev 19:20)

Satan is bound and thrown into a pit. (Rev 20:1-3)

A thousand years pass as Christ reigns over the people on the earth that survived the tribulation. (Rev 20:4)

Satan is released, he attempts to overthrow God, and he is thrown into the lake of fire. (Rev 20:7-10)

The story ends describing a time of eternity with beautiful promises of a Christ-focused life for the elect. (Rev 21)

Now, let’s go back and explore some of the events of this 7-year period and afterward.

The Tribulation (70th Week of Daniel)

Scripture describes a seven-year period that immediately precedes the thousand-year reign of Christ. This seven-year period of time is popularly called the Tribulation period or the 70th week of Daniel. Gabriel told Daniel in chapter 9, verse 24 through 27 that “70 weeks” had been decreed for the Jewish people until their nation, Israel, was established as God’s final kingdom. Gabriel then broke down the 70 weeks into time increments. Each “week” referred to a 7-year period. He said that “69 weeks” would pass from the time the Jewish people were released from captivity and rebuilt Jerusalem until their Messiah came (verse 25). After 69 weeks, the Messiah would be “cut off” and Jerusalem and the temple would be destroyed. This would be followed by a gap of time characterized by wars and desolations (verse 26). Then the “prince who is to come” (the Antichrist) would strengthen a covenant with “many,” including Israel, for “one week”, the 70th week. So, when people talk about “end times”, they are often referring to the Tribulation period, or the 70th Week of Daniel.

The Rapture

The words raptured, snatched, or caught up have come to be used interchangeably. They are used to describe the initial phase of the second coming of Christ, who, by the Word of His power, will snatch, catch up, or rapture His true church out of the gravitational pull of this planet to meet Him in the clouds and to remain forever with Him.

The question is, at what point during the 70th Week of Daniel will this rapture of the church occur? There are four popular views:

The Pretribulation Rapture: represents the belief that Christ will rapture true believers before the Tribulation period or seventieth week of Daniel begins.

The Midtribulation Rapture: the catching away of the church will occur three and one-half years into the Tribulation period, or the mid-point, immediately prior to the Great Tribulation.

The Posttribulation Rapture: is the position that the church will go through the entire seven-year Tribulation period. At the end of that time of wrath, Christ will return to the earth. This view, unlike pretribulationism and midtribulationism does not exempt the church from the time of God’s wrath.

The Pre-Wrath Rapture: This position holds that the church will be raptured sometime during the second half of the 70th week, when Christ returns to cut short the great tribulation under the Antichrist and to pour out the wrath of God upon unbelieving humanity. (Rev 7:9-17) In my opinion, this view is the one that best harmonizes all the relevant Scripture on the topic.

The Great Day of the Lord

The primary purpose of the day-of-the-Lord wrath will be to destroy the kingdom of darkness, giving specific attention to the final beast empire of Satan which will then dominate the world. It will begin on the same day that the Rapture occurs, cutting short the great tribulation by Antichrist, sometime during the second half of the seventieth week. It will be announced with a sign divinely displayed in the heavens. (Zephaniah 1:14, Rev 8)

The day of the Lord’s wrath is composed of two major parts. The first is the series of God’s trumpet judgments against the earth’s wicked, including unsaved Israel, that will occur while the seventieth week is in progress. The second part is the series of bowl judgments, “which are the last, because in them the wrath of God is finished.” These will begin after the seventieth week is complete, after the surviving remnant of Israel is saved and the Lord has hidden them for protection. The day of the Lord will be climaxed and ended at the battle (or campaign) of Armageddon.

Overview of the Millennium

The term “millennium” refers to the thousand-year reign of Christ on earth (Rev. 20:1-7). A natural reading of the text appears to support the idea that Christ returns and rules on earth during the one thousand years, but theologians have debated this issue. There are three main views of when and how Christ rules during this time:

The Premillennial View, Christ will return to the earth before (pre) the Millennium begins to inaugurate and reign over it.

The Amillennial View, Between His two comings Christ rules over a spiritual kingdom in the hearts of mankind.

The Postmillennial View, Man will bring in the Kingdom through the spread of the gospel. Christ will return after (post) its universal acceptance to sit upon His throne.

There are a number of events that occur during the first day of the Millennium. Chapters 20 and 21 of the book of Revelation record these events. It is apparent from John’s description that these events occur in succession, one right after the other - see Rev. 20:1-4; 21:1-2.

Satan is Bound

When Christ receives absolute, divine, sovereign control over the earth as King, His first order of business will be to deal directly with Satan.

Although Satan’s forces under Antichrist will have been totally destroyed at Armageddon, Satan himself will still be alive and on earth (Rev. 12:9). Because God’s plan is not to send him eternally into the lake of fire until after the Millennium (Rev. 20:10), Christ will have to neutralize him for that thousand years. Consequently, as John saw in his vision, an angel “laid hold of the dragon, the serpent of old, who is the Devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years, and threw him into the abyss, and shut it and sealed it over him, so that he should not deceive the nations any longer, until the thousand years were completed; after these things he must be released for a short time” (Rev. 20:2-3). Because Satan will be bound for a thousand years, he will, of course, have been bound immediately after the Millennium begins – that is, in the first event of the first day, as suggested by Revelation 20:1-2.

The Sheep and Goat Judgment

The first event at the beginning of the Millennium, as we have just seen, is the binding of Satan for a thousand years. The next task is to eliminate all the Gentile “children of wrath” (Eph. 2:2) who survived the day of the Lord. This will take place at the Sheep and Goats judgment, which will be the very next event on the first day of the Millennium. This separation process is described in Matthew 25:31-40.

From this passage many things are evident. First, the Lord makes clear that He will personally conduct the judgment from His throne. Second, “all the angels [will be] with Him” (v. 31). Third, “all the nations [peoples] will be gathered before” Christ to undergo judgment (v. 32).

The Sheep and Goat judgment will be based upon two issues. The first issue is whether or not the non-Jewish survivors of the day of the Lord have worshipped the beast or his image or have taken his mark (Rev. 16:2; 14:9-11). The second basis of judgment will be their individual treatment of Israel—that is, their treatment “of these brothers of Mine” (Matt. 25:40). In other words the way in which the “nations” treat the Jews will be considered the same as their treatment of Christ Himself (Matt. 25:40, 45; cf. Gen. 12:2, 3).

“Beheaded” Martyrs Resurrected

After Satan is bound and after the judgment thrones appear, the souls of those who have been “beheaded” during the great tribulation by Antichrist will be resurrected - see Rev. 20:4-5.

It is likely that these martyred souls are those who have died by “beheading” and are seen under the throne of God at the fifth seal. They are the faithful seventieth-week witnesses who were “slain because of the Word of God, and because of the testimony which they had maintained” (Rev. 6:9).

New Heavens and New Earth

At some point early in the thousand years, God prepares for the eternal state. The creation of a new heavens and a new earth is among the most beautiful promises in God’s Word. More than twenty-five hundred years ago the Lord proclaimed through the prophet Isaiah: “For behold, I create a new heavens and a new earth; and the former things shall not be remembered or come to mind. But be glad and rejoice forever in what I create”

(Isa. 65:17, 18a).

Why will the Lord create a new heavens and a new earth? The earth will be in a state of devastation when the battle of Armageddon is over and the day of the Lord is completed. The destruction of the heavens and earth will be so devastating that a new heavens and new earth will have to rise from the ashes. In other words, the heavens and earth will be remade and perfected by Christ into a splendid new and uncorrupted form.

The New Jerusalem

In this event something beyond our comprehension will happen. The New Jerusalem, the heavenly mansions prepared for the bride of Christ (John 14:2), in brilliant beauty beyond anything we can imagine, will descend from heaven. And within this holy city the Old and New Testament saints – those taken to heaven together, and rewarded together at the bema seat – will now descend together adorned in resplendent garments as Christ’s own bride.

John’s vision of the New Jerusalem is recorded in Revelation 21:1-7. While this passage has a number of important truths contained within it, one of the most important is that there will be “no temple in [the New Jerusalem], for the Lord God, the Almighty, and the Lamb, are its temple” (Rev. 21:22). When the New Jerusalem descends from heaven, it will hover directly above the earth, with its center encompassing the newly built Temple on top of Mount Zion, their bases adjoining at the same elevation on the summit of Mount Zion. The Temple of God will therefore be the focal point both of the New Jerusalem and of the entire earth. In other words, Christ will rule over earth from His throne room in the new Temple, which will be an inseparable part of the New Jerusalem.

The Lord describes a place where the “river of the water of life [flows] clear as crystal” (22:1), where the “tree of life” bears eternal fruit (v. 2), where the curse is forever gone (v. 3). The bride of Christ will dwell in the heavenly New Jerusalem in the presence of the Lamb, and John proclaims the beautiful promise that God “shall wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there shall no longer be any death; there shall no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed. . . Behold, [God will make] all things new” (21:4, 5a).

This time in history is not clearly detailed in Scripture. Consequently, there are some who favor a different time that the new heaven and earth and New Jerusalem arrive. A basic reading of the text in Revelation might reveal the idea in chapter 21 that the things John is “seeing” happen chronologically after the things he reported seeing in chapter 20. The trouble with this is that verse 27 of chapter 21 refers to unclean things or those not in the Lamb’s book of life who are unable to enter the New Jerusalem. This implies that there are unclean things that could enter, and unclean things would not be in existence during the time after the millennium. Further, the verses preceding 27 speak of the nations and the kings of the earth, another reference to the Kingdom Age, or the Millennium. It is likely that John’s description of what he sees is not chronological, but is descriptive of what he is being shown at the time.

This brings up an important point for Believers to consider. Some may become passionate about an aspect of the timing of these end-time events. Jesus intended the words of Revelation to stimulate us to living a life dedicated to serving Him, and millennial events occur long after we can affect any changes. It is not a cause to break fellowship or split friendships. This kind of discord is a Spiritual attack on Believers, designed to get us to mistrust Scripture and avoid studying the Bible. Satan knows that the more confident we are in our belief, the more likely we will be to live according to the teaching of Scripture and turn from his tempting ways. If you prefer a different interpretation of Scripture, attempt to support your thoughts with the entirety of God’s Word.

Living During the Millennium

Life during the Millennium is difficult to describe accurately. Scripture does not offer too many specifics on the quality of life during this time, however we know several things.

Humans will inhabit the earth. Revelation 19:11-21 does not tell us that all humans are destroyed with the destruction of the nations. Matthew 25:31 teaches that people will be left who are the “sheep” of the sheep and goat judgment. Further, Isaiah 65:17 tells us that there will be great increase in the numbers of humans on the earth during the millennium.

Christ is in charge. With Satan bound and captive in a pit and all his demons in the lake of fire, there is no Spiritual war being waged on the earth. This will be a time of increased prosperity as Christ rules with an iron scepter. Those who love Christ will enjoy nearly all aspects of life in the Millennium, particularly the opportunities for worship.

Many Believers ask: “What happens to the saints during the Millennium?” It is likely that saints, that is, those raptured from the church and those Believers who died in Christ, will rule with Christ. The actual process for this is unclear, but imagine for a moment that there are more people living on the earth than currently live there now and most of the nations of the earth exist in their current general locations. Though Christ is in charge, it is consistent with Scripture that the saints will be given leadership roles within the nations and in the Holy City to assist Christ during this time. We will “live” in the New Jerusalem and probably work on the earth as needed. We will have the ability to move from the earth to the New Jerusalem at will, but humans will be limited to life on earth.

Some will rebel. Those who are alive will be in their natural bodies and will be able to have babies who will populate the earth. Some of these children will choose not to follow Christ. Zechariah 14:16-19 describes what happens to the families that choose not to worship the King, and despite this treatment, many choose to live apart from the rule of Christ and defy Him. At the end of the thousand years, though many of us might find it hard to believe, the numbers of those who are hostile to Christ number “like the sand of the seashore”, describing an extremely large number of people.

There is a final battle. Revelation 20:7-8 tells us that Satan is released from his prison and he is freed to come and deceive all those people again and gather them to fight against Christ. With very little pomp and circumstance, Revelation 20:9 describes that they gather together, surround the camp of the saints and then fire comes from heaven and devours them. Following this event, Satan is thrown into the lake of fire and never again bothers mankind.

While putting an end to the rebellion of Satan, this battle also puts an end to the false theory that man, under a perfect environment, will willingly serve the God who created and redeemed him. Even in the ideal situation of the millennial reign of Christ, many immediately respond to the first temptation to rebel. This is the end of the road for the nations who rebel against God as well as for the career of Satan.

There is final judgment. After crushing the rebellion at the end of the millennium all unsaved mankind are dead (Rev. 20:9), their spirits are confined in Hades, and their bodies are in various places throughout the earth (Rev. 20:13). They are raised from the dead in the bodies in which they lived, bodies that can be hurt by the second death (Rev. 20:6, 12-13). This is the final resurrection (I Cor. 15:24; Rev. 20:5).

The appearance of the great white throne and its Occupant is awesome. The dazzling whiteness of the throne speaks of the purity of Christ, and also of the unyielding justice of the judgment. The destiny of those who live in darkness has been sealed. It only remains to determine the degree of punishment. The book of life is present to confirm the fact that they are lost and deserve to be at this throne, because their names are not recorded in it (Rev. 20:12, 15).

The judgment proceeds against every man, according to his works (Rev. 20:12-13). While the identity of these books is uncertain, what we do know is that there is an indelible and an inescapable record of the deeds of every man.

The temporary abode of the wicked, Hades, is merged with the lake of fire (Rev. 20:14), so that at last there is just one place of confinement. The wicked are cast into this place (Rev. 20:15) along with Satan and his demons (Rev. 20:10, 15; 21:8; Matt. 25:41; Luke 8:30-31). This is the second death: a death in which the spiritual aspect of separation from God is made permanent (II Thess. 1:8-9).

The Millennial kingdom is really a fulfillment of God’s promise to Israel. Though they forfeited their blessing due to disobedience, they fully realize God’s blessing and provision in the Millennial kingdom. The nation of Israel and all others will enjoy a period of harmony, justice, and peace far superior to anything they have ever experienced. (Isa 9:7)

Eternity

Several scriptures give us a glimpse into what Eternity will be like. Essentially, eternity will be a continuance of the Millennium, with no resurgence of evil or rebellion. For the believer, these include some of the most wonderful promises in the Bible. When we read promises such as these from God’s Word the only response of those who truly know the Lord is to be filled with hope and joy and awe! The church today lives at a time in history when these promises could be fulfilled in our lifetime!

Questions?

If you have completed the chapters in the book thus far, congratulations! You now likely recognize that you know more than you did when you started, but that there are many more issues and truths yet to understand. If you take the time to answer the questions in the final evaluation, you will have a measure of how comfortable you are answering some of the basic issues in the Christian faith. It is entirely possible that you have additional questions about things that were not addressed in this book, and I want to offer a place where you can ask those questions and get answers. A website has been established at www.foundationsonline.org for this purpose. On this site, you can read questions and answers offered by some of today’s leading Christian thinkers with experience in the issues facing us. You can also enter your own question for evaluation. You will get a timely response, and your question may even be added to the collection on the website to encourage others.

The millennium refers to:

The Tribulation refers to:

The Rapture occurs when:

Why is it necessary for God to usher in a new heaven and a new earth?

What does Satan do after he is released following the millennium?

How does God deal with Satan ultimately?

Who is judged at the Great White Throne judgment?