Chapter 4 - An Examination of the End Times
The word ‘eschatology’ comes from the Greek ‘éschatos’,[1] meaning from the extreme or most remote place, the last number, or simply the end. In reference to time, the end of a time period, or the end of time. When defined, publishers of dictionaries often inject their opinion instead of defining, using terms like death, judgment, and final destiny. In theology the term refers to the study of end times, but not the end of humanity. It is the study of the end of this period (life with sin) and the beginning of eternal life with Jesus. For Christians it should be viewed as a transition and not an end. But, for those that had not accepted Jesus’ free offer of salvation, this is the end where death and judgment will occur and eternal torment will begin.
Nearly every religion and theology developed have some form of eschatology. Some very detailed and complex, while others are simple and straightforward. In this review of eschatology we are only examining the Christian viewpoint as presented in the Bible. To some degree Christian eschatology is less convoluted than some but is certainly not free of interpretive variance, and therefore is the subject of debate and a source of division. Since various Christian eschatological viewpoints can be emotionally stirring and defended, as mentioned above,[2] again please pray for discernment before proceeding.
Perhaps stating that there are ‘varied viewpoints’ is an understatement, the reality is that there are variations of variations and certainly more than a few viewpoints. This review will not be exhaustive as there will be undoubtedly several interpretations that will not be listed.
Amillennialism - The belief there will not be a specific one-thousand year period (see Revelation 20:1-7), that the language was figurative and should not be interpreted as a literal 1,000-years. Amillennialism also includes the belief that we are currently in this period of time. In addition those that embrace this belief also deny that the event known as the rapture will occur.
Futurism - The belief that the prophecies that Jesus told of the destruction of the Temple and Jerusalem will yet occur.
Historicism - Belief that the events referenced by the Old Testament prophets, the Olivet Discourse, and Revelation are a series of events that have been unfolding in time, not necessarily at any specific time. Some events would already be fulfilled, while others could still be yet-future.
Idealism - An interpretation that connects the symbolism of prophecy to general or typical events, not specific or unique events.
Premillennialism - Belief that the Rapture and the Tribulation will occur before the thousand-year period (see definitions for these terms under ‘Eschatological Terms’ below). Some premillennialists do not believe there will be a Rapture (referred to as Post-tribulational Premillennialism).
Postmillennialism - The basic belief that Jesus will return after the Millennium. Several variations have been proposed.
Preterism - The belief that the prophecies that relate to the destruction of the Temple and Jerusalem had already occurred in history. There are several variants to preterism, the two most popular being ‘partial’ (all “judgment coming” prophecies have occurred) and ‘full’ (the destruction of Israel fulfilled all ‘eschatological’ events, including Jesus’ second coming, most of which are amillennialists as well).
The variation of end-time interpretations has also created a diverse number of unique terms. Some definitions are universal across the various points of view, but the majority of these terms are not, to some readers they will seem like a different language.
Amillennialist - A believer that there will not be a specific one-thousand year period, that the language was figurative and should not be interpreted as a literal 1,000-years.
Armageddon - The last battle to take place on earth, believed to be a reference to the valley below Mount Megiddo in Northern Israel. Revelation states that this battle will be between Jesus and those that know that He is God (see Revelation 16:12-16).
Day of the Lord - A phrase used to refer to any time when God will do something He promised (typically intervene supernaturally), primarily referring to an end-time judgment period, most often a reference to the period between the Tribulation and the start of Jesus’ millennial reign. However, some Old Testament references have already been fulfilled (see Isaiah 13:6-22; Ezekiel 30:2-19; Joel 1:15; 3:14; Amos 5:18-20; Zechariah 1:14-18), others have yet to be fulfilled (for example, see Joel 2:30-32; Zechariah 13:1; Malachi 4:1, 5).
Dispensational - This is not necessarily an ‘end time’ word, as it describes a method to interpret time segments (or intervals) in the Bible. It divides Scripture into periods that relate to how God interacts with His people. Since Dispensationalists have created a number of variations, the term has largely lost meaning. Regarding eschatology most dispensational models include a literal 1,000-year Millennial Kingdom.
Futurist - A person who believes the prophecies that Jesus spoke about the destruction of the Temple and Jerusalem will yet occur. One who believes in Futurism.
Great Tribulation - see The Tribulation
Harpazō[3] - Greek word meaning to seize, snatch or take away, translated as ‘rapiemur’ in the Latin Vulgate version of the Bible[4] often believed to be the root for the word ‘rapture’.
Historicist - A person who believes that prophecy has been unfolding in history, not necessarily at any specific time. A believer in Historicism.
Idealist - A person who believers that prophecy should be interpreted using symbolism without being tied to specific or unique events. A believer in Idealism.
Judgment Day - A period of time when Jesus judges those that did not accept His plan of salvation (see Revelation 20:11-15).
Mid-Tribulation (Mid-Trib) - See Rapture
Millennium - A literal one-thousand year period that begins after the Tribulation and starts with the arrival of Jesus (see Second-coming of Jesus). Also known as Jesus’ millennial rule as He begins His reign as King (see Micah 4:2-4; Luke 1:32-33). At the end of the thousand years the remaining dead will rise (see Revelation 20:5) and the Great White Throne Judgment will take place (see Judgment Day).
Premillennialist - A person who believes that the Rapture and the Tribulation will occur before the thousand-year period.
Preterist - A person who believes that the prophecies that Jesus told of the destruction of the Temple and Jerusalem had already occurred.
Pre-Tribulation (Pre-Trib) - See Rapture
Pre-Wrath (Before the Wrath) - The belief that believers will experience the first six seal judgments listed in Revelation chapter six, then before “the great day of their wrath” (starting with the seventh seal) all believers (the church) will be ‘raptured’. See Rapture.
Postmillennialist - A person who believes that Jesus will return after the Millennium.
Post-Tribulation (Post-Trib) - See Rapture.
Rapture - As listed above as a yet-future event, Jesus meets all currently-living believers in “the clouds” to take them to heaven with Him (see 1 Thessalonians 4:17; see also 1 Corinthians 15:51-53). This is not considered to be Jesus’ second-coming. There is a disagreement among believers of the Rapture as to when it will occur. The four main viewpoints are: 1) Pre-tribulation rapture (also known as “Pre-Trib”), the belief that the rapture will occur before the beginning of the Tribulation; 2) Mid-tribulation rapture (AKA “Mid-Trib”), belief that the rapture occurs between the two halves; 3) Post-tribulation rapture (AKA “Post-Trib”), the belief that the rapture will occur after the Tribulation (see also Postmillennialism); and 4) Pre-Wrath rapture (AKA “Before the Wrath”), a view that is often confused with pre-tribulation rapture as both imply the removal of believers before the wrath of God begins (a pre-trib believer believes that they will be removed before the period of the tribulation begins, while the pre-wrath believer believes that the rapture will occur after the first six seal judgments).
Second-coming of Jesus - Jesus returns to earth riding a white horse (see Revelation 19:11-21).
The Tribulation - As mentioned above,[5] and will be discussed several more times in this book, the Tribulation is a seven-year period that is typically divided into two halves (see Deuteronomy 4:30; Jeremiah 30:7; Daniel 9:24-27; 12:1, 11-12; Zephaniah 1:1, 15; Revelation 11:2-3). The last half (three and a half-years) is called by Jesus the “Great Tribulation” (see Matthew 24:21).
Even though the near-end of days are often referred to as “the time of the signs,” we need to be careful not to see ’signs’ where there are no signs. Let’s start with the fundamental question of, “What is a sign?” A sign is something that might be best described as something arbitrarily selected and appointed to represent something else. The letters of the alphabet, for example, represent sounds and meaning. There is no relation between these representations or ‘signs’ and the things they signify, except that people have agreed to employ them for these purposes. As proven by the fact that you can read this text. This is essentially true with all forms of ‘signs’, including stop signs, traffic signals, price tags, all the way to those funny little icons on your car’s dashboard. Typically, you must know what the sign means before you can determine what it represents.
When Moses said that the swarm of flies should be a ‘sign’ to the Egyptians (see Exodus 8:23), there was nothing in the nature of the swarm to show what was signified, except that it was supernatural. Isaiah’s walking barefoot had no natural connection with the Syrian conquest of Egypt (see Isaiah 20:3), and yet this was to be “a sign” of that fact. And in Genesis 1:14, God said of the celestial lights, “and let them be for signs and for seasons.” Was that a reference to daily occurrences, such as the beginning and ending of a day? Or is there something else attached to the meaning? If so, what? Remembering, of course, a sign is only a sign if it is understood.
When the Hebrew word ‘ôt’[6] or the Greek ‘sēmeíon’[7] are translated as ‘sign’, they typically refer to a miraculous sign or wonder that clearly demonstrates God’s supernatural involvement. Throughout the Old Testament, God’s people have been guided by His signs, so it is appropriate that we watch for signs to guide us to do the right thing at the right time. But they cannot be assumed or guessed, there must be a Biblical correlation or understanding prior to their arrival. Much like a modern automobile driver looks for the right street sign to get to a destination.
During a discussion with His disciples about how magnificent the Temple was, Jesus told them about its destruction. He was asked when that would occur. In His response He noted that, “Jerusalem will be trampled underfoot by the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.” (Luke 21:24b) To understand what that means and identify the time period we need to first look at the words. In both the Hebrew and Greek languages the words that are most often translated as ‘Gentiles’ in the Bible can also be translated as ‘nations’, referring to all other people groups (non-Jews), nations or kingdoms on earth, we can see why the phrase “Times of the Gentiles,” can be and has been interpreted in a number of ways. Speaking of a future event, Jesus said that Jerusalem will be trampled underfoot by the Gentiles until the “Times of the Gentiles” are fulfilled. The Greek word ‘patoumenē’,[8] translated here as “trampled underfoot,” means to tread on a path, to trample like a winepress. Since the Jews were again being disobedient to God (see Deuteronomy 28:15-68; 2 Kings 17:1-23), the land was going to be taken from them and continued to be subjected to Gentile rule (and to some degree, abuse), until the ‘times’ of the ‘Gentiles’ are fulfilled (Greek ‘plērōthōsin’,[9] to make full).
Some question, when did the “times of the Gentiles” begin? While the Old Testament does not use the same phraseology, there are some clues that the period may extend all the way back to the time of the Babylonian captivity. Reviewing Nebuchadnezzar’s image of a man in his dream representing four Gentile kingdoms (see Daniel 2:31-45); Daniel’s vision of four beasts depicting four Gentile nations (see Daniel 7:1-27); and Daniel’s subsequent vision of the ram and the goat that offers additional information (see Daniel 8:1-26), each speaking of Gentile dominion over the world and the Jews, for a time. But then God will ultimately subdue each one and establish His own kingdom over them all. The period known as the “times of the Gentiles” likely extends from the Babylonian Empire through to Jesus’ return, which is the subject of the next lesson of Jesus in Luke chapter 21, often referred to as the “Olivet Discourse.” An important discourse regarding future events recorded in Matthew 24:1-25:46; Mark 13:1-37; and Luke 21:5-36, however Luke’s account varies slightly from the other two (see “Olivet Discourse” below for more details).
Similar to the above wording where Jesus referred to the “Times of the Gentiles” (see Luke 21:24), the apostle Paul writes in Romans 11:25, “Lest you be wise in your own sight, I do not want you to be unaware of this mystery, brothers: a partial hardening has come upon Israel, until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in.” Essentially the same line in reverse, here Paul is explaining to the Jews[10] that until all Gentiles that will come to accept Jesus, have indeed come to accept salvation through Him, there is a hardening that exists which is affecting their hearts, a ‘blindness’ towards acceptance of Jesus being the Messiah. Since God, and God alone, knows who is going to accept His Son’s free offer of salvation, He also knows when the last person prior to the end times that will receive the free gift. When that last person says ‘yes’ to Jesus and the final number is achieved, the hardening will end, and the end times begin. It is important to note that people can still accept Jesus’ offer during this period.
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[1] Strong’s Greek 2078, from the word ‘ek; meaning ‘from’, Strong’s Greek 1537.
[2] In End Times section of Primary Subjects of Prophecy.
[3] Strong’s Greek 726.
[4] Biblia Sacra juxta Vulgatam Clementinam. (Ed. electronica, 1 Th 4:17). (2005). Logos Bible Software.
[5] See End Times in “Primary Subjects of Prophecy.”
[6] Strong’s Hebrew 226.
[7] Strong’s Greek 4592.
[8] Strong’s Greek 3961.
[9] Strong’s Greek 4137.
[10] Paul inserts a powerful message to the Jews in Romans chapters 9-11, explaining that God has not forgotten about them.