Chapter 7. Eschatology (End Times Prophecy)
<In the twenty-fifth year of our exile, at the beginning of the year, on the tenth of the month, in the fourteenth year after the city was taken [Lit struck], on that same day the hand of the LORD was upon me and He brought me there...and behold, there was a man whose appearance was like the appearance of bronze, with a line of flax and a measuring rod [Lit reed] in his hand; and he was standing in the gateway. The man said to me, “Son of man, see with your eyes, hear with your ears, and give attention to all that I am going to show you; for you have been brought here in order to show [it] to you. Declare to the house of Israel all that you see.” -- Ezekiel 40:1-4; portions
At the end of the visions of Ezekiel we see the man of metal once again, although now he is no longer glowing. In the book of Revelation there is a sea near the throne of God, reminiscent of the bronze laver that was found at the Temple to ceremonially wash...
<...And [there were] seven lamps of fire burning before the throne, which are the seven Spirits of God; and before the throne [there was something] like a sea of glass, like crystal... -- 4:5-6
At one point in Revelation, at the fullness of God’s fury, this sea took on a different form...
<Then I saw another sign in heaven, great and marvelous, seven angels who had seven plagues, [which are] the last, because in them the wrath of God is finished. And I saw something like a sea of glass mixed with fire, and those who had been victorious over [Lit from] the beast and his image and the number of his name, standing on the sea of glass, holding harps of God. -- 15:1-2
In Ezekiel 40 the metal-man is no longer glowing because the LORD of Glory is no longer angry. His wrath having been justly vented and his righteousness perfectly vindicated, he is ready to reinstate his worship from Jerusalem. Before we get to this point however there are times of trouble to endure, which prophets have warned us about from the dawn of time; moreover, out of the midst of the trouble shall sprout eternal life for many. This is why there’s a special blessing promised to those who read the book of Revelation. It will be a future key to unlock the hearts of multitudes.
If you don’t have time to read the rest of this book, which walks through Revelation, at least read the following list of mega-signs that God has given us in his Word to confirm the veracity of his reality and of his revealed truth.
1. The rapture of the church. Millions of people will disappear in the blink of an eye as Christians are taken to Heaven before the last years of tribulation come to pass (Revelation 3:10; 1 Thessalonians 4:16-18; 1 Corinthians 15:51-52; Job 36:20; Isaiah 57:1; Psalms 12:1, etc.). This doctrine is hated by just about everyone these days, including sound Christians; it is a necessary event however to understand the epochs of God, as we’ll discuss later.
Now the rapture is such a great sign that it would seemingly convert the world, yet such will not be the case. One of the major stumbling-blocks will probably be that many people who don’t appear to be saved will be raptured. It’s possible to call on Christ for salvation with no one knowing and to afterwards backslide and live a fairly carnal life.
Moreover, I don’t think children will be raptured, although most dispensationalists teach that they will; that could add to the confusion. Ultimately, there are numerous other culprits that could be blamed for the disappearances, such as UFOs, terrorism, radiation, or large scientific experiments gone wrong (plus based upon Isaiah 28:9 and Leviticus 19:9 I've wondered if some Christians will be allowed to remain behind).
2. Israeli wars. These may even precede the rapture. They will probably involve Lebanon and Syria first (Isaiah 17), and then probably Libya, Turkey, Sudan, and Iran (Ezekiel 38-39). It is my belief that Isaiah and Ezekiel describe two separate skirmishes although some reject this. Also some teach that the war described in Ezekiel is actually synonymous with Armageddon, although I strongly doubt it.
3. Europe will arise as the world superpower, taking its first final form as a ten-nation federation (Daniel 2:40-43, 7:7; some try to flake and form the modern E.U. to fit the prophecy, but I think there will be a new alignment in the future).
4. An eleventh ruler will come along, the Antichrist, and depose three of the ten rulers (Daniel 7:8).
5. The Antichrist will sign a covenant that includes the nation of Israel (Daniel 9:27).
6. A Temple/Tabernacle will be built in Jerusalem (Revelation 11:1-2).
7. There will be lots of famines, earthquakes, and pestilences (Matthew 24:7; Revelation 6).
8. There will be a religious leader (or two) who will fool the world with false signs in order to glorify the Antichrist (Revelation 13:11-16).
9. A new economic system will be put in place where people will have to get a mark on their hand or forehead to conduct business transactions. The growth of such things as implantable computer-chips and the move towards a cashless society are stark reminders that the prophetic future is moving closer to being realized (Revelation 13:16-18; many squabble over the Greek preposition, wondering if the mark will be “on” or “in;” I don’t think there’s much of a difference, for anything implanted or etched will be under the skin yet near the surface).
10. There will be a monstrous world church/religion that shall lead in the satanic deceptions (Revelation 17:1-6).
11. The Antichrist will recover from a head injury and become the ruler of the world (Revelation 13:1-8; although I believe the Antichrist will rise from the dead before the seven-year period begins, most place it towards the middle).
12. The Antichrist will break his covenant with Israel and set up an abomination in the Temple/Tabernacle (Daniel 9:27; Matthew 24:15-22; although the more I study the rest of Daniel 8-12 the less I see animal sacrifices and the more I see Gospel proclamation; point being, animal sacrifices this side of the Second Coming will not please God, regardless of the weird trends among dispensationalists who have made the Antichrist into a Muslim and the witnesses into Temple builders).
13. An asteroid (or whatever is the proper scientific name depending on its consistency) or two will fall to the earth (Revelation 8).
14. Strange demonic creatures will terrorize the people of earth (Revelation 9; some faithful expositors think much of the language is allegorical for warfare, but I don’t think such fits the pattern of increasing severity).
15. All the waters of the planet will turn to blood (Revelation 16).
16. The world’s armies will converge on Jerusalem (Zechariah 14:1-5).
17. The Lord Jesus will return and slaughter the warriors at the Battle of Armageddon (Revelation 19:11-21; note that the Messiah from Heaven fights his own wars, and not his servants).
1. “All Scripture is…Profitable”
[Throughout the rest of the book the mYLT is used for the Old Testament and the ALT3 is used for the New Testament unless otherwise stated.]
A. The Disclosure of the Future
<[The] revelation of [or, disclosure from] Jesus Christ, which God gave to Him to show to His slaves what [things are] necessary to occur with quickness. And He made [it] known, having sent through His angel [or, messenger, and throughout book] to His slave John, who testified to the word of God and to the testimony of Jesus Christ, as many [things] as he also saw. Fortunate [or, Blessed] is the one reading aloud [to the assembly] and the ones hearing the words of the prophecy and keeping [or, obeying] the [things] having been written in it, for the time [is] near! -- Revelation 1:1-3
In the book of Ecclesiastes, Solomon, the wisest man who ever lived, wrote the following…
See, this alone I have found, that God made man upright, and they -- they have sought out many devices. -- 7:29
Never have his words proved truer than when considering the various modes of interpretation expositors have proposed while handling the book of Revelation. It’s clear that the Torah books are histories, that the Psalms are songs, that the Epistles are letters written to assemblies, etc.; so why can’t the book of Revelation simply be what it claims to be?
Fortunate [or, Blessed] is the one reading aloud [to the assembly] and the ones hearing the words of the prophecy... -- 1:3
And listen! I am coming quickly! Fortunate [is] the one keeping the words of the prophecy of this scroll. -- 22:7
And he says to me, “Do not seal the words of the prophecy of this scroll, for the time is near.” -- 22:10
I testify to everyone hearing the words of the prophecy of this scroll, if anyone shall add to them, God [is prepared] to add to him the plagues, the ones having been written in this scroll. And if anyone shall take away from the words of the scroll of this prophecy, may God take away his part from the tree of life and from the holy city, the [things] having been written in this scroll. -- 22:18-19
Also, in case anyone is to be contentious over what the word “prophecy” means, it’s clear that the focal point throughout is nothing short of the second coming of the Messiah:
“Look! He is coming with the clouds,” [Dan 7:13] and “every eye will see Him, even [the ones] who pierced Him, and all the tribes of the earth will beat their breasts [fig., mourn] because of Him.” [Zech 12:10] Yes indeed! So be it! -- 1:7
I am coming quickly! Be holding fast what you have... -- 3:11
And the angel whom I saw having stood on the sea and on the land, lifted up his right hand to heaven and took an oath by the One living into the ages of the ages [fig., forever and ever], who created heaven and the [things] in it, and the land and the [things] in it, and the sea and the [things] in it, that [there] will be time [fig., delay] no longer. -- 10:5-6
Listen! I am coming like a thief! Fortunate [is] the one keeping watch and keeping his clothes, lest he be walking about naked, and they shall be seeing his shame. -- 16:15
Listen! I am coming quickly! And My reward [is] with Me, to render [or, to repay] to each as his work will be [fig., according to his deeds]. I [am] the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and End. -- 22:12-13
And the Spirit and the bride say, “Be coming!” And the one hearing, let him say, “Be coming!” And the one thirsting, let him come. The one desiring, let him take [the] water of life without cost…The One testifying to these things says, “Yes, I am coming quickly!” So be it! Yes, be coming, Lord Jesus! -- 22:17, 20
Yet despite all the internal evidence, some claim this is just a history lesson, an encouraging commentary on current events in the time of the early church.
God could have included a world of books in the canon of Scripture, yet he chose just 66. Why wasn’t the authentic book of Enoch as mentioned by Jude preserved (see Jude 1:14-15)? What of “the book of the Upright” referenced in Joshua 10:13? What of Paul’s letter to the Laodiceans (Colossians 4:16), or of his missing Corinthian writing(s)? Why were only a few weeks of the life of the Messiah recorded?
The canonical books were chosen because of their special inspiration and purpose, and thus they are bound to have an intentional timeless relevance to the assembly of the LORD. Those who propose that Revelation was only fully discernible to the early Christians are either stating a lack of belief in divine providence or a lack of belief in divine common sense.
B. The Time of the End
A more difficult falsehood to dispute is the belief that Revelation is a prophecy which stretches out over a vast expanse of time, as opposed to describing an apocalypse [using the term in its “cataclysmic” sense throughout] just prior to the Lord’s return. There are many small things within the book that argue against this, but just a couple of the larger points of evidence shall be covered at this time.
(1) Tick-Tock
The book of Revelation comes equipped with a concrete chronology:
And leave out the court, the [one] outside of the temple, and do not measure it, because it was given to the nations [or, Gentiles], and they will trample the holy city forty and two months [i.e., 3½ years]. -- 11:2
And I will give [power] to My two witnesses, and they will prophesy a thousand, two hundred [and] sixty days [i.e., 3½ years], having been clothed with sackcloth. -- 11:3
And the woman fled into the wilderness, where she has there a place having been prepared by God, so that there they shall be nourishing her a thousand, two hundred [and] sixty days [i.e., 3½ years]. -- 12:6
And a mouth was given to it speaking great [things] and blasphemy, and authority was given to it to make war forty-two months [i.e., 3½ years]. -- 13:5
These times wouldn’t seem to describe a long or indefinite period, if God’s Word means anything. Also, the significance of the above numbers will come into play again in the next point…
(2) Daniel the Prophet
If the Bible consisted of ninety-nine beatitudes and one small prophecy, then perhaps the prophecy wouldn’t be what it seems. The Bible however consists of many different genres of writing and countless prophecies, many of which find their match in the book of Revelation. The closest brother to the book of Revelation is the book of Daniel.
Because the book of Daniel is such a powerful testimony to the reality and power of God, in that it gives so many precise predictions that have proven true with the passing of time, it is an object of revulsion among liberal scholars. They say the book was written after the era of Daniel by several hundreds of years, its purpose being to encourage the Israelites during a time of hardship (sound familiar?). This is worthless conjecture, and for true Christians, it is also of a blasphemous nature, for such speculation directly contradicts the words of the Lord Jesus Christ:
<Therefore, when you* see the ‘abomination of the desolation’ [or, the ‘detestable thing that causes desecration’ - Daniel 8:13, LXX; 9:27, LXX; 12:11] {also 11:31}, the one having been spoken [of] through Daniel the prophet, having stood in [the] holy place (the one reading, let him be understanding [or, be paying attention]), then the [people] in Judea must be fleeing to the mountains. -- Matthew 24:15-16
The Lord Jesus called Daniel a prophet, and spoke of him as being the author of the book, even its latter parts. The details of the “70 weeks” prophecy was recounted earlier, but it’s so important that it needs to be reviewed.
Gabriel visited Daniel and told him that seventy weeks would transpire to bring in everlasting righteousness and redemption. Sixty-nine weeks (or “sevens,” indicating a seven-year period) expired right when the Messiah came; the last week will commence when the Little Horn makes a covenant with Israel, which he breaks halfway through. This would seem to be the obvious explanation for the references to three-and-a-half years in Revelation {although I’ve toyed with the idea that three periods are described in Revelation, one period being a forerunner, thus giving ten years/the Days of Awe; time will tell, as with all our poor attempts of prediction; the important thing is that the prophetic variables are being made known, even if we’re not completely sure of their value or where they fit into the equation}. There will be three-and-a-half years of relative peace under the Antichrist; then he betrays his pact and proclaims himself to be God (2 Thessalonians 2). After this there are three-and-a-half years of great distress throughout the entire world...
<At that time shall arise Michael, the great prince who has charge of your people. And there shall be a time of trouble, such as never has been since there was a nation till that time. But at that time your people shall be delivered, everyone whose name shall be found written in the book. And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt…But you, Daniel, shut up the words and seal the book, until the time of the end. Many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall increase…And from the time that the regular {[}burnt offering{]} is taken away and the abomination that makes desolate is set up, there shall be 1,290 days… -- Daniel 12:1-2, 4, 11 [ESV]
2. The Throne
A. The Consummation of Redemption
<After these things I saw, and look!, a door having been opened in heaven, and the first voice which I heard [was] like a trumpet-blast speaking with me, saying, “Come up here, and I will show to you what must occur after these [things].” And immediately I came to be in spirit [or, in [the] Spirit]. And look! A throne was standing in heaven (and [Someone was] sitting on the throne), similar in appearance to a jasper stone and to a sardius, and [there was] a rainbow around the throne, likewise [there was the] appearance of emeralds. And around the throne [were] twenty-four thrones, and on the thrones the twenty-four elders [were] sitting, having been clothed in white garments, and on their heads [were] golden victor’s wreaths...And I saw in the right hand of the One sitting on the throne a scroll having been written inside and outside, having been sealed with seven seals. And I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice, “Who is worthy to open the scroll and to break its seals?” And no one in the heaven above nor on the earth nor under the earth was being able to open the scroll, nor to be looking at it. And I began weeping greatly, because no one was found worthy to open the scroll, nor to be looking at it. And one of the elders says to me, “Stop weeping! Listen! The Lion overcame, the One from the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, the One opening the scroll and its seven seals.” And I saw in [the] middle of the throne and of the four living creatures, and in [the] middle of the elders, a Lamb having stood as if having been slain [i.e., Jesus, cp. John 1:29], having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven spirits [fig., which is the seven-fold Spirit] of God being sent into all the earth. And He came and has taken out of the right hand of the One sitting on the throne. -- Revelation 4:1-4, 5:1-7
On the sixth day of creation God made man from the dust of the earth and charged him to have dominion over all (Genesis 1:27-28). He then put this first man, Adam, in the Garden of Eden, and caused him to be a keeper of this special place of communion between the human race and God (Genesis 2). The man would not fulfil his duties however; the creation (i.e., Eve and the serpent) ruled over him to everyone’s demise, and the place of the communion of the Lord quickly became the place of the curse. But God did not give up; he promised that a child would one day be born through whom redemption would come (Genesis 3:15). Thus there began two great thoughts that echoed throughout the pages of the Old Testament: the promised offspring and the act of redemption.
The problem with the redeeming of the earth and the restoration of intimacy between God and mankind was the lack of a perfect son of Adam. The blessing was forfeited with the first transgression; therefore someone with moral perfection was needed to qualify as an adequate heir (and propitiation was needed to satisfy the meted punishment). This is where the promised seed comes in.
Apart from Genesis 3:15 (which was actually directed to the serpent), Abraham was the first man to receive the promise of being a progenitor of this perfect descendant, with Isaac and Jacob being given the same word of blessing…
<{God speaking to Isaac}...Sojourn in this land, and I am with you, and bless you, for to you and to your seed I give all these lands. And I have established the oath which I have sworn to Abraham your father; and I have multiplied your seed as stars of the heavens, and I have given to your seed all these lands. And blessed themselves in your seed have all nations of the earth. -- Genesis 26:3-4
A further oath of exclusive kingship would be given to the tribe of Judah and then specifically to the House of David. Thus the Lord Jesus, a distant son of David and Abraham (Matthew 1:1), through his sinlessness, through his complete submission to the will of the Father, even unto the atoning death on a Cross, was fit to receive for mankind the authority that Adam lost at the dawn of the age. This is obvious given his speech upon the morning of his resurrection (see Matthew 28).
Thus it is Christ who has had all things put in subjection to him, and it is Christ who also is able to lead us to the Tree of Life (which is himself, by way of penal substitution, by way of being “hanged on a tree” [Acts 5:30]). These benefits are expressly demonstrated in Revelation by the presence of the twenty-four elders. Various interpretations have been suggested as to their identity, but there is enough evidence to be certain that they are simply representatives of all the men and women justified by faith in the Messiah.
1. They are wearing victor’s wreaths and white robes; the believers in Jesus are promised such crowns (Revelation 2:10) and garments (Revelation 3:5).
2. The number twenty-four appears again in Revelation 21. There the twelve gates of Heaven have the names of the twelve patriarchs of Israel and the wall has the names of the twelve apostles. Implicitly these are synonymous with the twenty-four elders; for the city is literal, but also calls to mind certain groups of God’s saints described elsewhere in the book. For example, the wall is said to measure 144,000 cubits, doubtless in reference to the 144,000 tribulation missionaries of Revelation 7.
3. Israelite rulers in the Old Testament and church officials in the New Testament are called “elders.”
4. In 1 Chronicles 24 the priests were divided into twenty-four courses, represented by twenty-four chiefs. In Revelation 1:6 the saved are said to have been made a kingdom of priests (or “kings and priests”).
5. They would seem to be comparable to the ten world kings who shall support the Beast. In Revelation 17 these are described as kings without a kingdom who reign with the Beast for an hour. The twenty-four elders in contrast have been given an enduring kingdom. Also, the ten kings give their authority to the Beast, just as the twenty-four elders cast their crowns at the feet of the Lord (Revelation 4:10).
6. The twenty-four elders sing of being saved by the Lamb:
<And they sing a new song, saying: “You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals, because You were slain, and You redeemed us to God by Your blood, out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation.” -- 5:9
So with the Lamb taking the scroll he is taking the reins of the kingdom that he alone has the right to, as one of the names given him in Revelation 19 so poignantly declares…
<And out of His mouth proceeds a sharp, double-edged sword, so that with it He should strike down the nations. And He will shepherd them with an iron staff. And He Himself treads the winepress of the wine of the rage of the wrath of God, the Almighty. And He has on the robe and on His thigh a name having been written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS. -- verses 15-16
B. The Seal Judgments
When the dust settles after the rapture of the church and the Middle Eastern wars, mankind will think to have found itself in a most favourable climate, as if it has braved Judgment Day and made it safely through. It shall be ready to form once and for all the “brave new world”....
<Why have nations tumultuously assembled? And do peoples meditate vanity? Station themselves do kings of the earth, and princes have been united together, against Hashem, and against his Messiah: “Let us draw off their cords, and cast from us their thick bands.” -- Psalm 2:1-3
It’s amazing that society is stable at all. There are enough weapons of mass destruction and enough psychotic people willing to use them that the relative tranquillity which many nations enjoy is both a miracle and a gift from God. Many have come to take it for granted. I remember hearing a smarmy atheist stating adamantly that there will never be another European war, that the type of atrocities which the continent faced in the 20th Century are gone forever.
Wake up dreamer! We may now have central heating and satellite television, yet mankind has not evolved. It is the complete and utter grace of God that keeps society together. What would happen if he began to leave us more and more to ourselves?
<Let no one in any way deceive you, for [it will not come] {i.e., the day of the LORD} unless the apostasy [Or falling away from the faith] comes first, and the man of lawlessness {some manuscripts have “sin”} is revealed, the son of destruction, who opposes and exalts himself above every so-called god [Or everyone who is called God] or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God {some manuscripts add, “as God”}, displaying himself as being God. Do you not remember that while I was still with you, I was telling you these things? And you know what restrains him now, so that in his time he will be revealed. For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only he who now restrains [will do so] until he is taken out of the way. 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 [Or presence]; [that is,] the one whose coming [Or presence] is in accord with the activity of Satan, with all power and signs [Or attesting miracles] and false wonders... -- 2 Thessalonians 2:3-9; [NASB]
There’s not another fitting explanation for the above passage other than that it is the Holy Spirit who restrains lawlessness now, and therefore he must be the one to be taken away before lawlessness fully blooms with the man of sin; yet what does this really imply? Many evangelicals have gone astray via this passage as it is a typical oil-slick of dispensationalism. Some have imagined that because the Holy Spirit is taken away then no one can be saved during the apocalypse, or if they are saved, it has more to do with their efforts than of grace, etc. etc. All such talk is nonsense.
Mankind has been the same since Adam, God has been the same from eternity past, and the way of salvation has been the same since the dawning of creation. Nothing regarding the justification of sinners ever changes. It is always based simply upon repenting of being a sinner and accepting the sacrifice of God, his slain Messiah, and receiving the gift of eternal forgiveness, thereby being sealed by the Holy Spirit for redemption, and being filled by the Holy Spirit for guidance and sanctification.
What some Christian teachers fail to grasp is that just because the Holy Spirit is taken away doesn’t mean that he must stay away. There will be a second key outpouring. The first dynamic outpouring happened at Pentecost in the book of Acts. The Lord Jesus ascended to Heaven and ten days later the apostles and their friends received the overflowing presence of the divine person in their midst.
Now it is helpful to understand that there are two aspects of the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. One is the daily sustenance, the daily light from on high we all need to be guided and to grow, comparable to Elijah’s cruse of oil. Every believer from the beginning of time has received this same portion. The other aspect is the powerful, dynamic influence that is characteristic of the Christian dispensation, as described by Joel and in the book of Acts, comparable to Elisha’s overflowing vessels. Don’t get me wrong; there are not two blessings that individual believers must seek in some sort of judicial way. All things are given to the believer for life and for piety at the moment of salvation; yet apart from personal religion, corporate ministries overflowing with divine blessings are something to be sought, just as farmers await rainfall.
So the first Pentecost will expire at the time of the rapture. Before the end times begin in full swing the Lord Jesus will call his people home to be with him, as related in 1 Thessalonians 4:16-18, etc. This will be the “removal” of the Holy Spirit. Yet even right after this time, when people repent and call on Jesus they will be given the “cruse of Elijah” so to speak; they will still be “saved,” sealed and personally filled by the Holy Spirit of God. There may be a season however between the rapture and between the second great Pentecost, the second great outpouring as in Acts.
Actually, the beforementioned passage from Joel denotatively describes this second outpouring. Also note how Jeremiah 16:16 clearly calls for two separate body of evangelizing believers, the “fishers” and the “hunters”...
<Lo, I am sending for many fishers, an affirmation of Hashem, and they have fished them; and after this I send for many hunters, and they have hunted them from off every mountain, and from off every hill, and from holes of the rocks.
Just as two leavened (signifying sin) loaves were waived by the priests at Pentecost (see Leviticus 23:17-20), so are there two assemblies [similar to the two exilic sons of Joseph and Moses]. Since there are two, there must be a divider, and that divider is the end of the parenthesis, the rapture of the church. It is obvious that the first harvest has already commenced:
<Now walking about by the Sea of Galilee, He saw Simon and Andrew his brother, [that is] Simon’s [brother]