Part I<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Introductory Material<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Chart #1<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u05d0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
ONE<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Introduction<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This book is a study of prophecy. More specifically, it is a study of eschatology, the study of the last days.
\nThis work will examine prophecy chronologically; it will deal with the sequence of events as they are revealed in Scripture. It will deal with the prophecies that are being fulfilled at the present time and with the sequence of events as they unfold in the Tribulation and the Millennium culminating in the Eternal Order.
\nHowever, before the specifics can be dealt with, it is first necessary to take up some matters of introduction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A. The Rules of Interpretation<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The first matter of introduction concerns the rules of interpretation, especially those by which the author was guided in formulating this study. All too often Bible expositors have had one set of rules for the interpretation of non-prophetic passages, but have been unable, or refuse, to apply that same set of rules to prophetic passages. In this way prophecy has often suffered at the hands of its enemies; but prophecy has also suffered at the hands of its friends. Even when the same set of rules is applied to prophecy as to other passages, there has often been an inconsistency in the application of the rules, giving way to a tendency to spiritualize and\/or sensationalize parts of a passage. This has been done even by those who insist on literal interpretation. Prophecy has thus suffered at the hands of its friends, which in turn has often given prophecy a bad name.
\nBecause this is a book on eschatology and not on hermeneutics, it is impossible to deal with all the rules of interpretation found in a textbook of hermeneutics. Hence, it will be necessary to limit this study to those rules which are especially relevant to prophecy.
\nThere are four basic rules of interpretation which are keys to understanding the prophetic word. The first is called The Golden Rule of Interpretation:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
When the plain sense of Scripture makes common sense, seek no other sense; therefore, take every word at its primary, ordinary, usual, literal meaning, unless the facts of the immediate context, studied in the light of related passages and axiomatic and fundamental truths, indicate clearly otherwise.<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\nSimply put, this law states that all biblical passages are to be taken exactly as they read unless there is something in the text indicating that it should be taken some way other than literally. If this law is applied consistently, much of the present-day tangents and \u201cnewspaper exegesis\u201d can be avoided, as well as other errors, such as Amillennialism. So when the plain sense of Scripture makes sense, no other sense needs to be sought. As in any language, literal or normal interpretation does not rule out figures of speech, but even these have a literal background. The key point is that the Bible should not be approached on the assumption that it is loaded with symbols and hence hard to understand. It is not. The Bible should be approached with the assumption that this book can be understood just like any other book that is taken literally. Besides figures of speech, the Bible does use symbols, but the symbols are usually explained, and they are explained by the usage of literal words. Unless the text indicates clearly that it should be taken symbolically, the passage should be understood literally. This Golden Rule of Interpretation is the first of four basic rules of interpretation and by far the most important. It lays the foundation for the other three.
\nThe second law is called The Law of Double Reference. This law observes the fact that often a passage or a block of Scripture is speaking of two different persons or two different events that are separated by a long period of time. In the passage itself they are blended into one picture, and the time gap between the two persons or two events is not presented by the text itself. The fact that a gap of time exists is known because of other Scriptures, but in that particular text itself the gap of time is not seen. A good example of this law is some of the Old Testament prophecies regarding the First and Second Comings of Messiah. Often these two events are blended into one picture with no indication that there is a gap of time between the First and Second Comings. Zechariah 9:9\u201310 is a good example of The Law of Double Reference. Verse nine is speaking of the First Coming, but verse ten is speaking of the Second Coming. These two comings are blended into one picture with no indication that there is a separation of time between them. Another example is Isaiah 11:1\u20135. Verses 1\u20132 speak of the First Coming, while verses 3\u20135 speak of the Second Coming. Again, the two are blended into one picture with no indication of a gap of time between the two. Because many prophetic passages follow the principle of The Law of Double Reference, this is an important law to know.
\nThis law should not be confused with another law often called double fulfillment. This author does not accept the validity of the principle of double fulfillment. This law states that one passage may have a near and far view; hence, in a way, it may be fulfilled twice. Isaiah 7:14 is often used as an example of this view. The near view would be a reference to a child being born in Ahaz\u2019s day; but the far view is that of a virgin-born child, which is the birth of Messiah. This author, however, does not believe that there is such a thing as double fulfillment. A single passage can refer to one thing only, unless stated otherwise, and if it is prophecy, it can have only one fulfillment unless the text itself states that it can have many fulfillments. The Law of Double Reference differs from the law of double fulfillment in that the former states that while two events are blended into one picture, one part of the passage refers to one event and the other part of the passage to the second event. This is the case in Zechariah 9:9\u201310. Verse nine refers only to the First Coming, while verse ten refers only to the Second Coming; but there is no double fulfillment of both verses. There are not two fulfillments of verse nine and two fulfillments of verse ten. Isaiah 7:14 must either refer to a child in Ahaz\u2019s day or to the birth of the Messiah. It cannot refer to both. Isaiah 7:13\u201317 could be better explained if it is taken as following The Law of Double Reference rather than the principle of double fulfillment. Verses 13\u201314 refer to the virgin birth of the Messiah only. These verses are addressed to the House of David in general, as can be seen by the usage of plural pronouns in these two verses in the Hebrew text. Verses 15\u201317 refer to a child in Ahaz\u2019s day because the address is to Ahaz alone, as can be seen in the shift to singular pronouns in the Hebrew text. This child is probably Shear-Yashuv of verse three. Hence, the double reference speaks of two persons separated by a period of time. It avoids the pitfalls of double fulfillment. If the verse could refer to a non-virgin birth, then there is no real evidence or prophecy for a real virgin birth in the Old Testament.
\nThe third law is The Law of Recurrence. This law describes the fact that in some passages of Scripture there exists the recording of an event followed by a second recording of the same event giving more details to the first. Hence, it often involves two blocks of Scripture. The first block presents a description of an event as it transpires in chronological sequence. This is followed by a second block of Scripture dealing with the same event and the same period of time, but giving further details as to what transpires in the course of the event.
\nAn example of The Law of Recurrence in a prophetic passage is Ezekiel 38:1\u201339:16. Ezekiel 38:1\u201323 gives a complete account of the invasion of Israel from the north and the subsequent destruction of the invading army. This is followed by the second block of Scripture, Ezekiel 39:1\u201316, which repeats some of the account given in the first block and gives some added details regarding the destruction of the invading army. Another example is in Isaiah 30\u201331. Isaiah 30 gives a complete account of the fall of Judah\u2019s alliance with Egypt. Chapter 31 simply repeats the prophecy, adding more detail. An example found in a non-prophetic passage is Genesis 1:1\u20132:25. Genesis 1:1\u20132:3 records the seven days of creation in strict chronological sequence. The passage ends on the seventh day. Then the second block of Scripture, Genesis 2:4\u201325, in keeping with The Law of Recurrence, goes back to the sixth day to provide added details as to the manner by which Adam and Eve were created. This law also functions in the Book of Revelation. Chapters 6\u201316 detail the chronological sequence of the events of the Tribulation, ending with Armageddon and the Second Coming. Then chapters 17\u201318 follow The Law of Recurrence: Chapter 17 provides more detail about the first half of the Tribulation and chapter 18 about the second half.
\nThe fourth law is The Law of the Context, which states: A text apart from its context is a pretext. A verse can only mean what it means in its context and must not be taken out of its context. When it is taken out of its context, it is often presented as meaning something that it cannot mean within the context. A good example of this is Zechariah 13:6. This verse is often used as a prophecy of the Messiah. Pulled out of its context, it does indeed sound like it refers to Jesus. But the context (Zech. 13:2\u20136) is speaking of false prophets. Verse six cannot refer to Jesus unless Jesus is taken to be a false prophet. This is the danger of studying a verse by itself rather than in its context. The common saying, \u201cYou can prove anything by the Bible,\u201d is only true when this law is violated.
\nThese are the four basic rules which, if followed, will help in the study of the Scriptures in general and prophecy in particular. In these four principles lies the understanding of the prophetic word as well as the whole Bible. While most expositors apply these laws to non-prophetic passages of the Bible, they often fail to apply them to prophetic portions. This has led to some gross error. The principles of interpretation should be applied consistently to the whole Bible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
B. The Outline of Eschatology<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The second thing by way of introduction involves the basic outline of eschatology (see Chart #1). Eschatology proper begins with the sixth dispensation. The cross, which ended the fifth dispensation, the Dispensation of the Law, also began the sixth, the Dispensation of Grace. The Dispensation of Grace is divided into two ages. The first is the Church Age (see Chart #3). Viewed from the standpoint of the visible church, it began at Pentecost and will continue until the beginning of the Tribulation period. Viewed from the standpoint of the invisible Church, it began at Pentecost and will continue until the Rapture. The second age is the Great Tribulation, which will last for seven years, and will be the last seven years of the Dispensation of Grace (see Charts #4, 5 and 6).
\nAfter a short interval following the Tribulation, the last seven years of the Dispensation of Grace will be the seventh dispensation, the Dispensation of the Messianic Kingdom for one thousand years (see Chart #9). Following the Kingdom there will be an aftermath period during which several things occur. Finally, there will be the Eternal Order: eternity. This is eschatology in its basic outline. The particulars, along with detailed charts, will be taken up in this study.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
C. The Book of the Revelation<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A third matter by way of introduction concerns the Book of the Revelation itself. The purpose of this work is to study the whole scope of Bible prophecy, which involves much more than just the Book of Revelation, but the Book of Revelation will serve as a base. Other portions of Scripture will be brought in at appropriate times as needed to develop the areas chronologically. Hence, as far as this study is concerned, the Book of Revelation will serve as the primary background, and other parts of the Bible will be studied in their appropriate place and order.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
- The Outline of the Book of Revelation<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n
The outline of the Book of Revelation is given by the book itself in 1:19:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Write therefore the things which you saw, and the things which are, and the things which shall come to pass hereafter; \u2026<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\nThe verse divides the Book of Revelation into three sections: the things that John saw; the things which are; and the things which must come to pass hereafter. Using this threefold division, the Book of Revelation can be outlined as follows:
\nIntroduction\u20141:1\u20133
\nSalutation\u20141:4\u20138
\n I. The Things That John Saw\u20141:9\u201320
\n A. The Glorified Son of Man\u20141:9\u201311
\n B. The Revelation\u20141:12\u201316
\n C. The Interpretation\u20141:17\u201320
\n II. The Things Which Are\u20142:1\u20133:22
\n A. Ephesus\u20142:1\u20137
\n B. Smyrna\u20142:8\u201311
\n C. Pergamum\u20142:12\u201317
\n D. Thyatira\u20142:18\u201329
\n E. Sardis\u20143:1\u20136
\n F. Philadelphia\u20143:7\u201313
\n G. Laodicea\u20143:14\u201322
\n III. The Things Which Must Come To Pass Hereafter\u20144:1\u201322:21
\n A. Events in Heaven Preceding the Great Tribulation\u20144:1\u20135:14
\n 1. The Throne of God\u20144:1\u201311
\n 2. The Lamb and the Seven-Sealed Scroll\u20145:1\u201314
\n B. The Great Tribulation\u20146:1\u201318:24
\n 1. The First Half\u20146:1\u20139:21
\n a. The Seal Judgments\u20146:1\u201317
\n b. The 144,000 Jews and the Worldwide Revival\u20147:1\u201317
\n c. The Trumpet Judgments\u20148:1\u20139:21
\n 2. Events of the Middle of the Tribulation\u201410:1\u201314:20
\n a. The Little Book\u201410:1\u201311
\n b. The Tribulation Temple\u201411:1\u20132
\n c. The Two Witnesses\u201411:3\u201314
\n d. The Seventh Trumpet\u201411:15\u201319
\n e. Israel in the Tribulation\u201412:1\u201317
\n f. The Beast from the Sea\u201413:1\u201310
\n g. The Beast from the Earth\u201413:11\u201318
\n h. Midtribulation Announcements\u201414:1\u201320
\n 3. The Second Half\u201415:1\u201316:21
\n a. The Prelude\u201415:1\u20138
\n b. The Bowl Judgments\u201416:1\u201321
\n 4. Recurrence: The Two Babylons\u201417:1\u201318:24
\n a. Ecclesiastical Babylon (First Half)\u201417:1\u201318
\n b. Political Babylon (Second Half)\u201418:1\u201324
\n C. The Second Coming and the Aftermath\u201419:1\u201320:3
\n 1. Prelude to the Second Coming\u201419:1\u201310
\n 2. The Second Coming\u201419:11\u201318
\n 3. The Campaign of Armageddon\u201419:19
\n 4. Antichrist and the False Prophet\u201419:20
\n 5. The Gentiles\u201419:21
\n 6. The Binding of Satan\u201420:1\u20133
\n D. The Messianic Kingdom\u201420:4\u20136
\n 1. The Reign of Messiah\u201420:4
\n 2. The First Resurrection\u201420:5\u20136
\n E. The Aftermath\u201420:7\u201314
\n 1. The Last Revolt\u201420:7\u201310
\n 2. The Great White Throne Judgment\u201420:11\u201314
\n F. The Eternal Order\u201421:1\u201322:5
\n 1. The Passing of the Old Order and the Creation of the New\u201421:1\u20138
\n 2. The Eternal New Jerusalem\u201421:9\u201322:5
\n a. The Establishment of the City\u201421:9\u201310
\n b. The Description of the City\u201421:11\u201322:5
\nConclusion\u201422:6\u201321
\n A. The Authentication\u201422:6\u20139
\n B. Declarations in the Light of the Revelation\u201422:10\u201315
\n C. The First Affirmation\u201422:16
\n D. The Invitation\u201422:17
\n E. The Warning\u201422:18\u201319
\n F. The Second Affirmation\u201422:20
\n G. The Benediction\u201422:21<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This is the outline of the Book of Revelation that will be followed in this study.
\nThe author of the Book of Revelation is the Apostle John who also authored the Gospel of John and the three Epistles of 1, 2, and 3 John.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
- Old and New Things in the Revelation<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n
What is really new in the Revelation? And how much of it is really old, that is, already found in the Old Testament?
\nThe Book of Revelation has no direct quotations from the Old Testament, but it has about 550 references back to the Old Testament. The majority of the things found in the first twenty chapters of the Book of Revelation are found elsewhere in the Old Testament. Only the last two chapters deal with things totally new.
\nIf this is true, what is the importance and contribution of the Book of Revelation? The Old Testament prophecies are scattered throughout the Books of Moses and the various Prophets and Writings. It would have been impossible to develop these prophecies into any chronological sequence of events. The value of the Book of Revelation is not that it provides a lot of new information, but rather that it takes the scattered Old Testament prophecies and puts them in chronological order so that the sequence of events may be determined. This book provides a framework for the understanding of the order and the sequence of events found in the Old Testament prophecies. This is the reason for so many references to the Old Testament.
\nHowever, the material found in the last two chapters is totally new material which describes the Eternal Order. The Old Testament prophets never foresaw anything beyond the Messianic Kingdom. Indeed, the Kingdom was the high point of Old Testament prophecy and no prophet ever saw anything beyond that. But the Eternal Order is the high point of New Testament prophecy, and Revelation 21 and 22 provide new information, as they describe the Eternal Order.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
- The Usage of Symbols in the Revelation<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n
Another important preliminary area is the matter of symbols. The Book of Revelation uses many symbols. The existence of these symbols has led to two extremes. One extreme states that the existence of these symbols shows that this book cannot be understood and must simply be interpreted in terms of a general conflict between good and evil, the good winning out in the end. Beyond this, they say the book is not to be understood in any great detail. This is how the book has suffered from its enemies.
\nIn the second extreme, the symbols are used for unchecked speculation, sensationalism, and all kinds of guesswork in trying to interpret these symbols in terms of current events. Such speculation has resulted in farfetched interpretations, and changes are made as current events change. It has also led to date-setting. In this area, the Book of Revelation has suffered at the hands of its friends.
\nThere is a balance between the two extremes. While the Bible does use many symbols, it is consistent in its usage of symbols. A specific symbol will mean the same thing throughout the Old and New Testaments in the vast majority of cases (though not all).
\nFor this study, the symbols will be examined in accordance with The Golden Rule of Interpretation. While recognizing the existence of the symbols, there will be no resorting to guesswork. Rather, this study will proceed on the premise that all the symbols in the Book of Revelation are explained elsewhere: either in a different part of the Book of Revelation or in some other part of the Bible. There are symbols, but the Bible itself will explain what these symbols mean either by direct statement or through a comparison of the usage of the symbol elsewhere in the Scriptures. The meaning of the symbols will not be determined by speculation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
- The Introduction to the Revelation\u2014Revelation 1:1\u20133<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n
Finally, in the area of introductory material, it is necessary to look at the first chapter of the Book of Revelation. This is the first major division of the book, according to 1:19, and it belongs to the realm of the things that John saw.
\nVerses 1\u20133 contain the introduction to the book:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show unto his servants, even the things which must shortly come to pass: and he sent and signified it by his angel unto his servant John; who bore witness of the word of God, and of the testimony of Jesus Christ, even of all things that he saw. Blessed is he that reads, and they that hear the words of the prophecy, and keep the things which are written therein: for the time is at hand.<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\nIt has been customary to call this book \u201cThe Revelation of John,\u201d although the very first verse states that this is The Revelation of Jesus Christ, and only after a process did it reach John. The revelation given to John originated with God the Father and culminates with the believer. First, the source of the revelation is God the Father, Who gave it to God the Son, Jesus the Messiah. Second, from Him it was conveyed to the third person in the progressive transmission, an unnamed angel. Angels were often used in biblical revelation, especially in the revelation of prophecy. Angels were used for the revelation of the Law of Moses (Acts 7:53; Gal. 3:19; Heb. 2:2). They were active in the presenting of prophetic truth to Daniel (7:16\u201327; 8:16\u201326; 9:20\u201327; 10:1\u201312:13) and to Zechariah (1:9; 2:3; 4:1, 5; 5:5; 6:4, 5). Angels were used to announce the birth of John to Zacharias (Lk. 1:11\u201320) and the birth of Jesus to Mary (Lk. 1:26\u201338) and to Joseph (Mat. 1:20\u201321). Since angels were frequently used in the revelation of prophecy, it is not unusual to find angels involved in revealing the events and the contents of the Book of Revelation, the crowning book of prophecy. Angels will play a prominent role in this book, not only in revealing prophecy to John, but also in carrying out the prophecies. From the angel it was given to the fourth person in the progression, the Apostle John, who was commanded to write down the Revelation in a book. John was a recipient of divine inspiration and through the Holy Spirit recorded the words exactly as God desired and free from error as far as the original manuscript is concerned (v. 2). The Revelation has been put into writing in order for it to be conveyed to the fifth person, the believer.
\nVerse one further states that the things that are being revealed must shortly come to pass. This is often misunderstood to mean that all the prophecies of the book were to be fulfilled soon after they were given. Others use this phrase to teach that since these prophecies were not fulfilled soon after they were given, it is not necessary to take these prophecies too seriously. However, the word shortly simply means that once the day for fulfillment comes, there will be no delay in its execution.
\nVerse three puts an obligation on the fifth person of the progression, the believer, while at the same time giving a promise. The obligation is for the believer to study this book. The promise is one of blessing. This is the only book in the Bible that promises a blessing to those who study it. There are many blessings of God which are unconditional, and the believer is entitled to them simply by virtue of the fact that he is a believer. However, other blessings of God are conditional, and the blessing of God available to the believer who studies this book is one of them. Studying prophecy gives one a love and longing for the return of the Messiah. Those believers who love and look for His return are promised a special crown, one which will be discussed later. Believers often rob themselves of certain blessings available to them because they fail to take God\u2019s conditional aspects seriously. The promise attached to the study of the Book of Revelation is one of these conditional blessings. While blessings are available for the study of God\u2019s Word in general, a unique blessing is available through the study of this particular book. The reason is easy to understand. Since so much of this book is based on the Old Testament, a proper study of it will require a study of the Old Testament, resulting in a more comprehensive knowledge of the whole Bible.
\nNot only is the blessing to those who read and hear the words of the book, but also to those who keep the things which are written. The word for keep also means watch, the sense in which it should be taken here. The believer, after reading and listening to what the Book of Revelation is teaching, should also be watching for these things to come to pass and be on the alert for the fulfillment of these things. The same admonition to watch is given in the Olivet Discourse, in Matthew 24:42\u201344 and 25:13.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
- The Salutation\u2014Revelation 1:4\u20138<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n
The introduction to the Book of Revelation is followed by the salutation in verses 4\u20138:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
John to the seven churches that are in Asia: Grace to you and peace, from him who is and who was and who is to come; and from the seven Spirits that are before his throne; and from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loves us, and loosed us from our sins by his blood; and he made us to be a kingdom, to be priests unto his God and Father; to him be the glory and the dominion for ever and ever. Amen. Behold, he comes with the clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they that pierced him; and all the tribes of the earth shall mourn over him. Even so, Amen. I am the Alpha and the Omega, says the Lord God, who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\nVerse 4a states to whom this book is being written, especially chapters two and three of the book: the seven churches that are in Asia. John uses the Greek definite article the, indicating totality. However, history shows that there were more than just these seven churches in Asia that are mentioned in the context. One church in Asia not mentioned is the Church at Colossae. Though it was in Asia, it is not listed among the seven. So how are these seven churches with the definite article to be understood? The number seven throughout Scripture signifies completeness. Even in this chapter the number seven will be used again in this way with a different subject. The point here, then, is that this is a message to the whole church. When John addresses himself to the seven churches of Asia, he is signifying that he is writing to the whole church. All believers are to learn from what will be written to the seven churches of Asia.
\nVerses 4b\u20135a indicate again that John was a secondary author. The primary author is the Triune God. The originator was God the Father, in verse one, and is here described as the One who is and who was and who is to come. Mentioned next is the Holy Spirit, Who is the source of revelation and inspiration (2 Pet. 1:20\u201321). The Holy Spirit is described as the seven Spirits that are before his throne. Again, the definite article the is used with the number seven to signify totality and completeness. It is a reference to Isaiah 11:2 where the seven attributes of the Holy Spirit are described. Finally, the second Person in the progression found in verse one is mentioned: and from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth.
\nThen, in verses 5b\u20136, John turns to glorify the Son with praise and thanksgiving to Him because: first, He loved us; second, He loosed us from our sins by His blood; third, He made us to be a kingdom; fourth, He made us to be priests unto God the Father; and fifth, to Him be the glory and the dominion for ever and ever.
\nWhile verse 19 gives the outline of the book, verse seven gives the theme of the book, which is the Second Coming of the Messiah:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Behold, he comes with the clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they that pierced him; and all the tribes of the earth shall mourn over him. Even so, Amen.<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\nThe return of Jesus to this earth is the central theme of this book. It will deal with events leading up to the Second Coming, events accompanying the Second Coming, and events following the Second Coming.
\nFinally, in verse eight, Jesus describes Himself as the Eternal One, encompassing the beginning and the end. He is the over-all sovereign God Who is in control of history and will bring to pass the events described in the Revelation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
- The Things that John Saw\u2014Revelation 1:9\u201320<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n
Verses 9\u201320 comprise the first major section of the Revelation, the things that John saw. What John saw was the glorified son of man. This passage can be subdivided into three sections.
\nFirst: in verses 9\u201311, there is the introduction given to John:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
1 John, your brother and partaker with you in the tribulation and kingdom and patience which are in Jesus, was in the isle that is called Patmos, for the word of God and the testimony of Jesus. I was in the Spirit on the Lord\u2019s day, and I heard behind me a great voice, as of a trumpet saying, what you see, write in a book and send it to the seven churches: unto Ephesus, and unto Smyrna, and unto Pergamum, and unto Thyatira, and unto Sardis, and unto Philadelphia, and unto Laodicea.<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\nIn verse nine, John states that he was on the island of Patmos at the time of the receiving of the Revelation. Patmos is an island off the west coast of present-day Turkey, and it was an island for exiles banished there by the Roman government. This was true in the case of John. Therefore, he identifies himself as a partaker with you in the tribulation. This was the period of the persecution of the church by the Emperor Domitian, and during this persecution John was banished to Patmos. That this was the cause of the banishment is clearly stated: for the word of God and the testimony of Jesus. In verse ten, he describes that on one Lord\u2019s day, or perhaps better translated \u201clordy day,\u201d being under the control of the Holy Spirit, he heard a magnificent voice so great that he compared it to a trumpet. In the Greek, the term translated \u201cLord\u201d is not a noun, but an adjective. It does not refer to a specific day of the week, such as the Sabbath (Saturday) or Sunday. Rather, it was a day in which John was enraptured by prophetic and divine ecstasy and received divine revelation. It was a day in which he fell under the control of the Holy Spirit and was given prophetic inspiration. Thus, for him, it was a \u201clordy day.\u201d In verse 11 is a commission to write what he saw to the seven churches, followed by a list of where these churches were to be found.
\nSecond: in verses 12\u201316, there is the Revelation to John that included the actual things John saw:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And I turned to see the voice that spoke with me. And having turned I saw seven golden candlesticks; and in the midst of the candlesticks one like unto a son of man, clothed with a garment down to the foot, and girt about at the breasts with a golden girdle. And his head and his hair were white as white wool, white as snow; and his eyes were as a flame of fire; and his feet like unto burnished brass, as if it had been refined in a furnace; and his voice as the voice of many waters. And he had in his right hand seven stars: and out of his mouth proceeded a sharp two-edged sword: and his countenance was as the sun shines in his strength.<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\nWhen John turned around to see the owner of the voice, he saw a vision of Jesus that he had never seen before. He saw Jesus as the Glorified Son of Man. The different figures used in describing the Glorified Son of Man all come from the Old Testament. In essence, they describe the Messiah in His third office, that of king. Jesus holds three offices: prophet, priest, and king. However, He does not function in all three offices contemporaneously or simultaneously, but rather chronologically. His first office was that of prophet and He functioned in that office during His First Coming. The second office is that of a priest. He is functioning in that role now, in His present position at the right hand of God the Father as the High Priest of the believer. When He returns, He will begin to function in His third role, that of a king. The Messiah has all three offices, but He does not function in all three roles simultaneously. He has functioned as a prophet in the past. He is now functioning as a priest. In the future He will function in His office as a king. John\u2019s vision of Jesus is that of a king, but a king has many roles, one of which is to serve as a judge. The various figures used here describe Him as a king in His role as a judge, for He is seen as about to come and judge the world at His Second Coming. A sub-theme of this book is judgment; the whole book deals with one judgment after another. Furthermore, Jesus is seen to be among the seven lampstands. Here we find one of the many symbols used in the book. As has been stated earlier, every symbol in this book will be explained either in the book itself or elsewhere in the Scriptures. In this case, the meaning is explained in verse 20, where it states that the seven lampstands represent the seven churches. The picture, then, is of Jesus in the midst of the churches ready to move out in judgment.
\nThird: in verses 17\u201320, John received the interpretation of what he had seen. In verses 17\u201318, there is the identification of Whom he saw:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And when I saw him, I fell at his feet as one dead. And he laid his right hand upon me, saying, Fear not; I am the first and the last, and the Living one; and I was dead, and behold, I am alive for evermore, and I have the keys of death and of Hades.<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\nIn the identification, Jesus identifies Himself as the Eternal One (I am the first and the last) and the Resurrected One (I was dead, and behold, I am alive), and also the conqueror of death and Hell. In verse 19, John received the instruction:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Write therefore the things which you saw, and the things which are; and the things which shall come to pass hereafter \u2026<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\nIn this directive, he received the outline of the book that he was about to write. It is a three-fold division: the things which you saw (1:9\u201320); the things which are (2:1\u20133:22); and the things which shall come to pass hereafter (4:1\u201322:21). The latter are the things that follow the things which are. Then, in verse 20, is an explanation of the things which are:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The mystery of the seven stars which you saw in my right hand, and the seven golden candlesticks. The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches: and the seven candlesticks are seven churches.<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\nThis verse explains two of the figures used earlier. The seven lampstands represent the seven churches. The seven stars of verse 16 are the seven angels appointed to these churches. While the figure of the lampstand is not used elsewhere in the Scriptures, the stars as symbols of angels are. With one exception, wherever the word \u201cstar\u201d is used symbolically, it is always a symbol of an angel. This is true in the Old Testament. This is also true in the New Testament, including the various parts of the Book of Revelation.
\nWith this verse the first major section of the Book of Revelation is completed: the things that John saw.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Chart #2a<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Chart #2b<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u05d1<\/p>\n\n\n\n
TWO<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Times of the Gentiles<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Another area of introductory material needed for the understanding of prophecy involves the understanding of the nature and the course of the Times of the Gentiles. A definition of the Times of the Gentiles can be gleaned from Luke 21:24:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And they shall fall by the edge of the sword, and shall be led captive into all the nations: and Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled.<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\nThe Times of the Gentiles can best be defined as that long period of time from the Babylonian Empire to the Second Coming of the Messiah during which time the Gentiles have dominance over the City of Jerusalem. This does not rule out temporary Jewish control of the city, but all such Jewish control will be temporary until the Second Coming. Such temporary control was exercised during the Maccabbean Period (164\u201363 B.C.), the First Jewish Revolt against Rome (A.D. 66\u201370), the Second Jewish Revolt (the Bar Cochba Revolt) against Rome (A.D. 132\u2013135), and since 1967 as a result of the Six Day War. This, too, is temporary, as Gentiles will yet trod Jerusalem down for at least another 3\u00bd years (Rev. 11:1\u20132). Any Jewish takeover of the City of Jerusalem before the Second Coming must therefore be viewed as a temporary one and does not mean that the Times of the Gentiles have ended. The Times of the Gentiles can only end when the Gentiles can no longer tread down the City of Jerusalem.
\nTo understand the course of the Times of the Gentiles, four passages will need to be studied and then combined. Each subsequent passage builds and elaborates on the previous passage(s).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A. Daniel 2:31\u201345<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The basic content of Nebuchadnezzar\u2019s dream is in verses 31\u201335:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
You, O king, saw, and, behold, a great image. This image, which was mighty, and whose brightness was excellent, stood before you; and the aspect thereof was terrible. As for this image, its head was of fine gold, its breast and its arms of silver, its belly and its thighs of brass, its legs of iron, its feet part of iron, and part of clay. You saw till that a stone was cut without hands, which smote the image upon its feet that were of iron and clay, and broke them in pieces. Then was the iron, the clay, the brass, the silver, and the gold, broken in pieces together, and became like the chaff of the summer threshing-floors; and the wind carried them away, so that no place was found for them: and the stone that smote the image became a great mountain, and filled the whole earth.<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\nAfter a general description of the awesomeness of the image (v. 31), Daniel describes the composition of the image (vv. 32\u201333). The image is described as having a head of gold, the breast and arms composed of silver, the belly and thighs of brass, legs of iron, culminating with the feet and toes of part iron and part clay. Two things should be noted concerning these metals: first, they increase in strength; but second, they decrease in value. The fulfillment will be in the decrease of the character of authority and rule: Babylon was an absolute monarchy with the monarch above the law; with Medo-Persia the monarch was not above the law and he did not have the authority to change his own decrees; the Hellenic kings had no dynastic or royal right to rule, and ruled by force of conquest and personal gifts; and Roman imperialism was a republic which degenerated into mob rule merging with the imperial form of government. Yet there will be an increase in strength of one empire over the other. Then the image is destroyed by a stone, and the stone smites the image on its feet (vv. 34\u201335a). Then, with the image destroyed, the stone becomes a great mountain that fills the entire earth (v. 35b). The stone was cut without hands, emphasizing His divine origin.
\nHaving thus described the awesome image that Nebuchadnezzar dreamed, Daniel proceeded to give the interpretation in verses 36\u201345:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This is the dream; and we will tell the interpretation thereof before the king. You, O king, are king of kings, unto whom the God of heaven has given the kingdom, the power, and the strength, and the glory; and wheresoever the children of men dwell, the beasts of the field and the birds of the heavens has he given into your hand, and has made you to rule over them all: you are the head of gold. And after you shall arise another kingdom inferior to you; and another third kingdom of brass, which shall bear rule over all the earth. And the fourth kingdom shall be strong as iron, forasmuch as iron breaks in pieces and subdues all things; and as iron that crushes all these, shall it break in pieces and crush. And whereas you saw the feet and toes, part of potters\u2019 clay, and part of iron, it shall be a divided kingdom; but there shall be in it of the strength of the iron, forasmuch as you saw the iron mixed with miry clay. And as the toes of the feet were part of iron, and part of clay, so the kingdom shall be partly strong, and partly broken. And whereas you saw the iron mixed with miry clay, they shall mingle themselves with the seed of men; but they shall not cleave one to another, even as iron does not mingle with clay. And in the days of those kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom which shall never be destroyed, nor shall the sovereignty thereof be left to another people; but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever. Forasmuch as you saw that a stone was cut out of the mountain without hands, and that it broke in pieces the iron, the brass, the clay, the silver, and the gold; the great God has made known to the king what shall come to pass hereafter: and the dream is certain, and the interpretation thereof sure.<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\nAfter the declaration of the interpretation (v. 36), Daniel interprets the meaning of the head of gold (vv. 37\u201338) as being Nebuchadnezzar, the head of the Babylonian Empire. It was with this empire that the Times of the Gentiles began, when Nebuchadnezzar destroyed Jerusalem and the Solomonic Temple in 586 B.C. Thus Babylon was the first of the four Gentile empires to dominate Jerusalem. The actual grant given to Nebuchadnezzar included the whole inhabited earth, but he did not choose to exercise this rule. This fact is affirmed by Jeremiah 27:5\u20138 and Ezekiel 26:7\u201314.
\nThe two arms of silver united into the breast of silver represents the two nations of the Medes and the Persians, who established the Medo-Persian Empire (v. 39a). It is declared to be inferior to the Babylonian Empire. It lacked the inner unity of Babylon because the Medes and the Persians, though united, never fused into one people, and the government was not above the mistakes of the law.
\nThe Medo-Persian Empire was followed by the Greek or Hellenistic Empire symbolized by the belly and two thighs of brass (v. 39b), for the third territorially embraced both east and west. The two thighs may also represent Syria and Egypt, which arose out of the Hellenistic Empire and controlled Jewish territory and Jerusalem. Its grant was the same as that of Babylon, but like Babylon, it did not choose to exercise and take that grant.
\nThe rest of the image represents the Fourth Gentile Empire (vv. 40\u201343). This Fourth Empire goes through several stages, three of which are presented in this text. First there is the United Stage (v. 40). But this United Stage gives way to the Two Division Stage (v. 41) which still has the strength of iron. Eventually, however, the Fourth Gentile Empire gives way to a Ten Division Stage, as is seen in the ten toes (vv. 42\u201343) being composed of iron and clay. Part of this Ten Division Stage will be strong and part will be brittle and weak. The lack of cohesiveness is especially evident in the toes. Unity is impossible and the ten divisions take place because the different elements will not coalesce. The Fourth Gentile Empire is unique from all the previous ones. It totally subdues and crushes all that precedes it. It is the Fourth Gentile Empire that is particularly emphasized by the text dealing with the Times of the Gentiles.
\nHowever, the fifth empire, that will follow it, will not be Gentile but Jewish (vv. 44\u201345). Two prominent symbols are used here, but they are consistent with their usage elsewhere. Whenever the word stone is used symbolically, it is always a symbol of the Second Person of the Trinity, God the Son, the Lord Jesus, the Messiah of Israel. Whenever the word mountain is used symbolically, it is always a symbol of a king, kingdom, or throne. Thus, following the Fourth Gentile Empire, God will set up His own Kingdom. The Kingdom is set up during the Ten Division Stage (v. 44a), and this brings to an end the domination of the other kingdoms (v. 44b). In the end the image of Gentile domination will be smashed at the Second Coming. Once Gentile domination is thus smashed by the Messianic Stone, the Kingdom of God is set up, and it is set up by this Stone.
\nTo summarize the first passage dealing with the Times of the Gentiles, this is a period of time when four Gentile empires will follow one another in sequence, with the Fourth Empire going through several different stages. But eventually this will give way to God\u2019s setting up His own Kingdom. While the Gentile empires are of human origin, the Kingdom of the Stone is of divine origin. While the Gentile empires are all temporary, God\u2019s Kingdom is eternal.
\nWhat Daniel two teaches can be charted out as follows:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
1. The Babylonian Empire\n 2. The Medo-Persian Empire\n 3. The Hellenistic Empire\n 4. The Fourth Empire\n a. The United Stage\n b. The Two Division Stage\n c. The Ten Division Stage\n 5. The Messianic Kingdom<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\nB. Daniel 7:1\u201328<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The second passage is Daniel 7:1\u201328. Verses 1\u201314 describe four visions that Daniel saw:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In the first year of Belshazzar king of Babylon Daniel had a dream and visions of his head upon his bed: then he wrote the dream and told the sum of the matters. Daniel spoke and said, I saw in my vision by night, and, behold, the four winds of heaven broke forth upon the great sea. And four great beasts came up from the sea, diverse one from another. The first was like a lion, and had eagle\u2019s wings: I beheld till the wings thereof were plucked and it was lifted up from the earth, and made to stand upon two feet as a man; and a man\u2019s heart was given to it. And behold, another beast, a second, like to a bear; and it was raised up on one side, and three ribs were in its mouth between its teeth: and they said thus unto it, Arise, devour much flesh. After this I beheld, and lo, another, like a leopard, which had upon its back four wings of a bird; the beast had also four heads; and dominion was given to it. After this I saw in the night-visions, and behold, a fourth beast, terrible and powerful, and strong exceedingly; and it had great iron teeth; it devoured and broke in pieces, and stamped the residue with its feet: and it was diverse from all the beasts that were before it; and it had ten horns. I considered the horns, and, behold, there came up among them another horn, a little one, before which three of the first horns were plucked up by the roots: and, behold, in this horn were eyes like the eyes of a man, and a mouth speaking great things. I beheld till thrones were placed, and one that was ancient of days did sit: his raiment was white as snow, and the hair of his head like pure wool; his throne was fiery flames, and the wheels thereof burning fire. A fiery stream issued and came forth from before him: thousands of thousands ministered unto him, and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him: the judgment was set, and the books were opened. I beheld at that time because of the voice of the great words which the horn spake; I beheld even till the beast was slain, and its body destroyed, and it was given to be burned with fire. And as for the rest of the beasts, their dominion was taken away: yet their lives were prolonged for a season and a time. I saw in the night-visions, and, behold, there came with the clouds of heaven one like unto a son of man, and he came even to the ancient of days, and they brought him near before him. And there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all the peoples, nations, and languages should serve him: his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed.<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\nAfter giving the time and location of the four visions (v. 1), in verses 2\u20136 the first vision is described. It begins with a vision of the Great Sea (the Mediterranean), representing the Gentile world (Is. 17:12\u201313; Mat. 13:47\u201350; Rev. 13:1; 17:1, 15), troubled by the four winds (v. 2). The number is the same as the Gentile empires, while the winds themselves point to God\u2019s sovereignty and providence. Suddenly, four beasts arise from this sea, each one different from the other (v. 3). All four are Gentile and all four arise out of the Mediterranean area.
\nThe first beast is eagle-winged and lion-like (v. 4), representing the Babylonian Empire (Jer. 4:7; 48:40; 49:19, 22; 50:17, 44; Ezek. 17:3). The latter part of verse four is probably a reference to Nebuchadnezzar\u2019s experience recorded in Daniel 4:1\u201337. As much as possible that a man could become a beast, Nebuchadnezzar became one; as close as a beast could become a man, so did Babylon eventually lose its beast-like nature. Babylon eventually lost its beast-like nature as it moved from lust of conquest to the building of culture.
\nThe second beast is bear-like and represents the Medo-Persian Empire (v. 5). The bear is lopsided, being raised up on one side; for although the Medes and the Persians were confederate, the Persians were by far the dominant power and it was a lopsided alliance. Furthermore, the bear is found to have three ribs in its mouth, having devoured the flesh. Historically, these three ribs represent the three kingdoms conquered by the Medo-Persian forces giving them their empire status: Lydia, Babylonia, and Egypt. The bear is less majestic than the lion and is bulky and weighty. Medo-Persia conquered by sheer force of numbers.
\nThe third beast is leopard-like, representing the Hellenistic Empire (v. 6). The leopard is also less majestic than the lion and less grand than the bear but is swifter than both. With leopard-like speed Alexander the Great conquered the Medo-Persian Empire and greatly extended the Hellenistic Empire. At his death, however, the empire split into four kingdoms. The four wings represent the four kingdoms rising out of Alexander\u2019s empire, and the four heads represent the four generals who took control of the four kingdoms: Ptolemy over Egypt, Israel and Arabia Petrea; Seleucus over Syria, Babylonia, and as far east as India; Cassander over Macedonia and Greece; and Lysimachus over Thrace and Bithynia.
\nThe second vision, found in verses 7\u20138, describes the fourth beast. Unlike the others, it is nondescript. While the others are given animal-like descriptions, none is given for this one. This fourth beast is described as being diverse, emphatically different from all the others. It completely subdues and breaks in pieces all that precedes it. It appears as far more ferocious than the previous three empires. The fourth beast has ten horns. But while it begins with ten horns, an eleventh horn arises, the little horn, that uproots three of the ten others. Having uprooted the other three, it begins to speak great things. With the uprooting of three horns, seven of the original remain, and the little horn is now an eighth, rather than an eleventh. Once again, as in Daniel two, the uniqueness of the Fourth Empire is emphasized; it is stated that this empire will go through several stages. The interpretation will be discussed later. But for now it is enough to note that the fourth beast does represent a Fourth Gentile Empire.
\nThe third vision is found in verses 9\u201312. This third vision takes place in Heaven. In verses 9\u201310 the vision is of the Throne of God the Father, Who is described under the title of the Ancient of Days. He is viewed as a judge, and the book of judgment is opened. He is surrounded by myriads of angels who will be responsible to carry out these judgments. What is being judged is the Fourth Gentile Empire (vv. 11\u201312). In verse 11, it is the fourth beast, particularly the little horn, that is judged and destroyed. As for the other three (v. 12), two things are stated: first, their dominion was taken away; and second, their lives were prolonged for a season and a time. The exact meaning of this will be discussed under the third passage relating to the Times of the Gentiles. The third vision is of God the Father, ready to move out in judgment against the Fourth Empire.
\nVerses 13\u201314 contain the fourth vision. It describes the setting up of the Kingdom of God following the destruction of the Fourth Gentile Empire. The sequence is that of the Second Coming (v. 13) followed by the Messianic Kingdom (v. 14).
\nHaving described the four visions which he saw, which present essentially the same overview of the four Gentile empires as was found in Daniel two, he now gives the interpretation in verses 15\u201327. The major emphasis will be upon the Fourth Empire:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
As for me, Daniel, my spirit was grieved in the midst of my body, and the visions of my head troubled me. I came near unto one of them that stood by, and asked him the truth concerning all this. So he told me, and made me know the interpretation of the things. These great beasts, which are four, are four kings, that shall arise out of the earth. But the saints of the Most High shall receive the kingdom, and possess the kingdom for ever, even for ever and ever. Then I desired to know the truth concerning the fourth beast, which was diverse from all of them, exceeding terrible, whose teeth were of iron, and its nails of brass; which devoured, broke in pieces, and stamped the residue with its feet; and concerning the ten horns that were on its head, and the other horn which came up, and before which three fell, even that horn that had eyes, and a mouth that spoke great things, whose look was more stout than its fellows. I beheld, and the same horn made war with the saints, and prevailed against them; until the ancient of days came, and judgment was given to the saints of the Most High, and the time came that the saints possessed the kingdom. Thus he said, The fourth beast shall be a fourth kingdom upon earth, which shall be diverse from all the kingdoms, and shall devour the whole earth, and shall tread it down, and break it in pieces. And as for the ten horns, out of this kingdom shall ten kings arise: and another shall arise after them; and he shall be diverse from the former, and he shall put down three kings. And he shall speak words against the Most High, and shall wear out the saints of the Most High; and he shall think to change the times and the law; and they shall be given into his hand until a time and times and half a time. But the judgment shall be set, and they shall take away his dominion, to consume and to destroy it unto the end. And the kingdom and the dominion, and the greatness of the kingdoms under the whole heaven, shall be given to the people of the saints of the Most High: his kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey him.<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\nAfter Daniel requests the interpretation, in verses 15\u201316, he is given a summary interpretation in verses 17\u201318. In verse 17, Daniel is told that these four beasts represent four kingdoms. Nevertheless, it is the servants of the Most High who will possess the kingdom, for whatever will be possessed by the four Gentile empires will be only temporary (v. 18). Whereas earlier the four beasts arose out of the sea, here they arise out of the earth. Coming out of the sea emphasizes their Gentile identity. Arising out of the earth emphasizes their humanity: these are human, not divine, kingdoms.
\nHaving received this summary interpretation, in verses 19\u201322 Daniel requests further interpretation regarding the fourth beast. In making this request Daniel further describes what he saw regarding the fourth beast. In verse 19, its diverseness is pointed out. It is important to note how the diverseness of the Fourth Empire is continually emphasized. For this diverseness Daniel seeks a meaning. He further wishes to know the meaning of the ten horns (v. 20a) and finally the little horn (vv. 20b\u201322). In requesting this, Daniel gives further information regarding the activity of the little horn: he causes three of the ten horns to fall (v. 20b); he speaks great things (v. 20c); he wars against the saints and is allowed to prevail over them (v. 21). But finally he is personally defeated by the coming of the Ancient of Days. Once the judgment is passed on the little horn by the Ancient of Days, he will be done away with and the kingdom will pass over to the saints.
\nHaving made his request, in verses 23\u201326 Daniel is given the interpretation of the fourth beast. As in Daniel two, the Fourth Empire is seen as going through several stages, though not always the same stages as found in chapter two. In verse 23a, the Fourth Empire is seen in its United Stage, and it is in this first stage that its diverseness from the previous three empires is seen. This is followed by the second stage, that of a one-world government, for in verse 23b it states that the Fourth Empire will devour the whole earth. This will be followed by the Ten Kingdom Stage (v. 24a) which, in turn, will be followed by the little horn, or the Antichrist Stage (vv. 24b\u201326). These verses state that he arises after the Ten Division Stage (v. 24b). While the Fourth Empire is diverse from the previous three, the little horn is diverse from the other ten (v. 24c). He eventually puts down three of these kings (v. 24d). Verse 25 again points out his speaking great things as seen here in his speaking against God and against the saints. He seeks to change the times and the seasons, and he will be allowed to rule for only a time, times, and half a time, which from other passages (Dan. 9:27; 12:7; Rev. 11:2, 3; 12:6, 14; 13:5) means 3\u00bd years. But finally his domination is destroyed (v. 26).
\nWith the destruction of the little horn, the Messianic Kingdom is set up for the saints (v. 27). The saints in Daniel refers to righteous Israel, or the Remnant of Israel, and not to the Church. The chapter ends with Daniel\u2019s conclusion regarding his reaction to what he has just seen (v. 28).
\nDaniel seven, then, further develops with greater detail what was given in chapter two, especially in relation to the Fourth Empire. In chart form the information found in chapter seven could be viewed as follows:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
1. The Babylonian Empire\n2. The Medo-Persian Empire\n3. The Hellenistic Empire\n a. The United Stage\n b. The Four Division Stage\n4. The Fourth Empire\n a. The United Stage\n b. The One World Government Stage\n c. The Ten Division Stage\n d. The Antichrist Stage\n5. The Messianic Kingdom<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\nC. Summary and Combination of Daniel Chapters Two and Seven<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In order to clearly understand the Times of the Gentiles, the two chapters of Daniel two and seven must be compared before looking at the two other passages involved. Daniel two and seven describe the four Gentile empires, with an emphasis on the last, which goes through several stages. Outlined side-by-side, the comparison would be as follows:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Daniel Two\nDaniel Seven\n1. The Babylonian Empire\n1. The Babylonian Empire\n2. The Medo-Persian Empire\n2. The Medo-Persian Empire\n3. The Hellenistic Empire\n3. The Hellenistic Empire\n a. The United Stage\n b. The Four Division Stage\n4. The Fourth Empire\n a. The United Stage\n b. The Two Division Stage\n c. The Ten Division Stage\n4. The Fourth Empire\n a. The United Stage\n b. The One World Government Stage\n c. The Ten Division Stage\n d. The Antichrist Stage\n5. The Messianic Kingdom\n5. The Messianic Kingdom<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\nIn most of the features the two passages present the same thing. Both agree that there are to be four Gentile empires, one following the other, culminating with the destruction of the Fourth Empire by the Messiah and the setting up of the Messianic Kingdom. Both passages point out the diverseness of the fourth kingdom and the fact that it goes through several stages. It is in these stages that there is a slight difference between the two texts.
\nDaniel two shows three stages of the Fourth Empire, two of which are mentioned by Daniel seven. Daniel seven mentions four stages of the Fourth Empire, two of which are mentioned by Daniel two. Combining the two charts together, they would be viewed as follows:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
1. The Babylonian Empire\n2. The Medo-Persian Empire\n3. The Hellenistic Empire\n a. The United Stage\n b. The Four Division Stage\n4. The Fourth Empire\n a. The United Stage\n b. The Two Division Stage\n c. The One World Government Stage\n d. The Ten Division Stage\n e. The Antichrist Stage\n5. The Messianic Kingdom<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\n- The Summary of the First Three Empires<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n
The first empire is the Babylonian Empire, which included the head of gold and the lion-like beast. Different aspects of this empire are depicted by Daniel 1:1\u20135:30 and 7:4. The second empire is the Medo-Persian Empire, represented by the arms and breast of silver and the bear-like beast. Different aspects of this empire are described in Daniel 2:39a; 5:31\u20136:28; 7:5; 8:1\u20137; and 10:1\u201311:2. This is followed by the third empire, the Hellenistic Empire, represented by the belly of brass and the leopard-like beast. It started out as a unit under Alexander the Great but split into four divisions at his death. This empire is subject to considerable revelation in Daniel 2:39b; 7:6; 8:7\u201327; and 11:3\u201335.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
- The Fourth Empire\u2014Imperialism<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n
This is followed by the Fourth Empire, which is emphasized as being diverse from all the others. Daniel describes this empire in 2:40\u201343; 7:7\u201312, 19\u201327; 9:27; and 11:36\u201345. It goes through five different stages, with Rome being merely the first of these five stages, for Rome cannot be viewed as the entire Fourth Empire. What made the Fourth Empire, beginning with Rome, different from all the previous empires? The key difference was in the type of government initiated by Rome, which was a government of imperialism. When the Babylonians conquered an area, they did not set up Babylonian rulers, but set up nationals to rule. In its conquest of Judah, Babylon first set up Zedekiah, and later Gedaliah was appointed to rule. Under Medo-Persia the same thing was done, and Jewish governors such as Zerubbabel and Nehemiah ruled. The Hellenists worked in the same way. Instead of sending in Greeks to rule, they allowed the Jewish high priests to rule throughout the period of Greek domination.
\nBut Rome began a new system called imperialism. This is what made the Fourth Empire diverse from all the others. When Rome conquered, Romans were sent in to rule (e.g., Pontius Pilate, Felix, Festus). This was the policy of imperialism. Thus, a better name for the Fourth Empire would be \u201cimperialism\u201d rather than Rome, for Rome was merely the first of five stages of the Fourth Empire of Imperialism. Hence, the Fourth Empire will be referred to as the Imperialistic Empire.
\nBoth Daniel passages make it clear that the Fourth Gentile Empire begins with the end of the third and continues until Messiah comes to set up His Kingdom. The long continuous existence of the Imperialistic Empire is to go through five successive stages, and it is now necessary to study the five stages individually in order to see where history fits in this development.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
a. The United Stage\u2014Rome<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The first stage was the United Stage, which was the Roman Empire. While it has been common to call the Fourth Gentile Empire by that name, it is only true of the first stage of the Gentile Empire of Imperialism. It has become customary to think in terms of a revival of the old Roman Empire, but no such concept is really warranted. It is more consistent to simply follow through the five stages with the Roman Empire being the first stage, or the United Stage, which lasted from 63 B.C. to A.D. 364. Neither of the Daniel passages allows for gaps or for a revival of the Old Roman Empire.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
b. The Two Division Stage<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The second stage of the Empire of Imperialism was the Two Division Stage. This stage was foreseen by Daniel two, but not by Daniel seven. It is a stage that began in A.D. 364 when Emperor Valentinian divided the Roman Empire into an east and west division. From that point on, the Empire of Imperialism was divided into an east-west balance of power. Since then, history continued to develop essentially in an east-west balance of power. It began in A.D. 364 with the Western Roman Empire headquartered in Rome and the Eastern Roman Empire in Constantinople. In the original division of the east-west axis, these two cities controlled the balance of power. Since then the centers of the balance of power have shifted, but it has remained an east-west division.
\nThe eastern division of power remained in Constantinople until 1453, when it collapsed in the Turkish invasion. When Constantinople fell, the political rulers, scribes, and scholars fled northward into Russia and infiltrated the government there, setting up a Roman type of government (imperialism). The rulers called themselves Czars, which is Russian for \u201cCaesar.\u201d After a while, Russia gave herself the official title of the Third Roman Empire. Eventually, the eastern balance of power was centered in the Soviet Union and included the Communist block of nations. With the collapse of European communism, the eastern balance shifted to Russia and the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS). At the time of this writing, things are still shifting, with Islam becoming a major eastern power. However, the shifting is still going on and only time will determine how things will settle in the eastern balance of power.
\nThe western division of power remained in Rome from 364 to 476, when Rome fell. From there it shifted to France, especially with the power gained by Charlemagne in A.D. 800. He called his domain the Holy Roman Empire of the Frankish Nation. In 962, Otto I of Germany defeated the Franks and set up the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation. The leaders named themselves Kaisers, which is German for \u201cCaesar.\u201d Since then, especially after World War I, the western balance of power has been centered in the democratic nations of the west.
\nSo then, in 364 the Two Division Stage began and continues to the present day. The centers of the balance of power may shift again, but it will remain essentially an east-west balance until it gives way to the third stage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
c. The One World Government Stage<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The next three stages of the Empire of Imperialism are all future. At some point the East-West Balance of Power will break down, leading to a one-world government. This stage is seen by Daniel seven, but not by Daniel two. Daniel 7:23 clearly states that at some point the Fourth Empire devours the whole earth. This is something that Rome never did. Some attempt to make this expression mean the \u201cthen-known world,\u201d but it cannot be said that Rome even conquered the then-known world. As soon as one empire conquers up to a certain point of territory, it is very obvious that there is more to follow beyond that. So it is foolish to say that Rome conquered the then-known world. Rome did not even extend as far east as the empire of Alexander the Great. The Greeks went as far as the Indus River in India, and Alexander would have gone further except for the refusal of his generals who wished to go no further. But even the area beyond the Indus River was part of the then-known world. Rome did not even extend that far. Furthermore, Rome never fully conquered the Parthian Empire, and that, too, was part of the known world. The area of Scotland was also part of the known world that Rome did not conquer. Rome had to build the Hadrian Wall in order to keep the nomads of northern Scotland from overrunning that part of Britain controlled by Rome. So by no means did Rome conquer the whole known world. Furthermore, other usages of the word in the Old Testament clearly teach universality (Gen. 8:9; 9:19; 11:1; Is. 6:3; 14:26; 28:22; 54:5; Jer. 15:10; Zech. 4:10, 14). Although in Daniel 2:39 the word is used of the Hellenistic Empire, it only states that such authority was given to it as it was to Babylon in Daniel 2:37\u201338, and neither of these two empires chose to exercise this authority. In the case of the Fourth Empire, the wording states that it will devour the whole earth. The text demands that the Fourth Empire will at some time control the whole world and will devour it. So if literal interpretation is maintained, then the Fourth Empire of Imperialism is yet to control the whole world in the formation of a one-world government, which is something that has not yet been accomplished.
\nFor this reason Rome must not be seen as the totality of the Fourth Empire, but only as the first stage of the Empire of Imperialism. The third stage, which will be the One World Government Stage, will happen at some point when the Two Division (east-west) Stage collapses. The timing of the third stage will be discussed further in Chapter 4, The Sequence of Pretribulational Events.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
d. The Ten Division Stage<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This stage was seen in both Daniel two in the ten toes and in Daniel seven in the ten horns. The Ten Division Stage is clearly stated to come out of the One World Government Stage. For some reason not given by the text, the One World Government will divide into ten kingdoms that will cover the whole world\u2014not merely Europe. It has become common today to refer to the ten kingdoms as being in Europe only, especially the Former Common Market, now the European Union. But the text does not allow for this kind of interpretation. At the very best, the European Union might become one of the ten, but it could hardly become all of the ten. A careful reading of the Daniel passage states that once the Fourth Empire rules the whole world, then this One World Government will split into ten kingdoms. This requires the ten kingdoms to cover the entire world, not just the territory known as Europe. It would be a mistake to make too much of the European Union as being the Ten Division Stage. It would be far more consistent with the text to view it as possibly one of the ten, but not the entire ten. More consistent with Daniel\u2019s prophecy is the recommendation of the Club of Rome that the world be divided into ten administrative districts to avoid a world economic collapse.
\nThe timing of this stage will also be discussed in Chapter 4, The Sequence of Pretribulational Events.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
e. The Antichrist Stage<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It is during the Ten Kingdom Stage that the Antichrist will begin his rise to power. Eventually, he will be strong enough to uproot three of the ten kings, and the other seven will simply submit to his authority. Once the other seven submit their authority to the Antichrist, this will begin the fifth and final stage of the Fourth Gentile Empire, the Antichrist Stage, which is the stage of Absolute Imperialism. In this sense he is diverse from the other ten.
\nThe timing of this stage will be discussed in Chapter 11, The Events of the Middle of the Tribulation.
\nThe combined chart seen earlier on the two chapters in Daniel can now be redone with the added information as follows:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
1. The Babylonian Empire\n2. The Medo-Persian Empire\n3. The Hellenistic Empire\n a. The United Stage\n b. The Four Division Stage\n4. The Fourth Empire\u2014The Empire of Imperialism\n a. The United Stage\u2014The Roman Empire\n b. The Two Division Stage\u2014The East-West Balance of Power\n c. The One World Government Stage\n d. The Ten Division Stage\u2014The Ten Kingdoms\n e. The Antichrist Stage\u2014Absolute Imperialism\n5. The Messianic Kingdom<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\nWith this information in hand, it is now necessary to consider the other two passages dealing with the Times of the Gentiles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
D. Revelation 13:1\u201310<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The third passage is Revelation 13:1\u201310:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And I saw a beast coming up out of the sea, having ten horns and seven heads, and on his horns ten diadems, and upon his heads names of blasphemy. And the beast which I saw was like unto a leopard, and his feet were as the feet of a bear, and his mouth as the mouth of a lion: and the dragon gave him his power, and his throne, and great authority. And I saw one of his heads as though it had been smitten unto death; and his death-stroke was healed: and the whole earth wondered after the beast; and they worshipped the dragon, because he gave his authority unto the beast; and they worshipped the beast, saying, Who is like unto the beast? and who is able to war with him? and there was given to him a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies; and there was given to him authority to continue forty and two months. And he opened his mouth for blasphemies against God, to blaspheme his name, and his tabernacle, even them that dwell in the heaven. And it was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them: and there was given to him authority over every tribe and people and tongue and nation. And all that dwell on the earth shall worship him, every one whose name hath not been written from the foundation of the world in the book of life of the Lamb that has been slain. If any man has an ear, let him hear. If any man is for captivity, into captivity he goes: if any man shall kill with the sword, with the sword must he be killed. Here is the patience and the faith of the saints.<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\nMost of this passage will be discussed at a more appropriate time. At this point it is only necessary to deal with it as it relates to the Times of the Gentiles. In verses 1\u20132 John describes the Beast that comes out of the sea. The sea in Revelation 13 is the same as the one in Daniel seven, which represents the Gentile world. Daniel two surveyed all the four empires. Daniel seven summarized the four empires, and then focused its attention on the Fourth Empire of Imperialism in its various stages. But Revelation 13 is completely focused on the Fourth Empire, emphasizing a particular stage of the Fourth Empire, namely, the fifth stage, the Antichrist Stage.
\nThe Beast that John saw is the same beast that Daniel saw in chapter seven, where it was nondescript. But here the Beast is given a description. In verse one, the Beast has ten horns and seven heads. The ten horns are found in Daniel seven, and they represent the ten kingdoms, which is the fourth stage of the Empire of Imperialism. While the Ten Division Stage gives way to the fifth stage, the ten kingdoms continue to exist to the end. The difference between the two stages is that in the fourth stage the world is divided into ten kingdoms ruled co-equally by ten men, while in the fifth stage the world in all ten divisions is ruled by the Antichrist, and the other kings are subject to him. A new element is introduced by Revelation 13: the Beast has seven heads. The meaning of these seven heads will be explained in the fourth major passage, to be discussed later in this chapter.
\nIn verse two, the Beast has a leopard-like body, bear-like feet, and a lion-like mouth. This, then, is the interpretation and explanation of the verse found in Daniel 7:12:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And as for the rest of the beasts, their dominion was taken away: yet their lives were prolonged for a season and a time.<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\nThe dominion of the first three empires was over, but their lives were prolonged. Their lives were prolonged in that the previous empires left their influence on the Fourth Empire. From the Daniel seven passage it is clear that the leopard-like body represents the Hellenistic influence; the bear-like feet represents the Medo-Persian influence; and the lion-like mouth represents the Babylonian influence. Thus, while their dominion ended, their lives were prolonged.
\nIn verses 3\u201310, the text concentrates on the fifth stage of the Fourth Empire, the Antichrist Stage. The details will be discussed later in a more appropriate place, so a concise summary is all that will be needed here. In verse three, the death and resurrection of the Antichrist is viewed. One of the heads was smitten unto death and the death-stroke was healed. It is the seventh head that is smitten, and the full meaning of the head and heads will be discussed with the fourth major passage dealing with the Times of the Gentiles. In verse four, the worship of the Antichrist is described. In verses 5\u20137, the activities of the Antichrist are described, and they are similar to those recorded in Daniel seven: he speaks great things (v. 5a); he reigns with absolute control for 3\u00bd years (v. 5b); he blasphemes against all Heaven (v. 6); he wars against the saints (v. 7a) and the nations (v. 7b). In verse eight, the worship of the Antichrist is described again. The passage concludes in verses 9\u201310 with a warning to those who do so.
\nThis passage will be discussed in detail in the chapter dealing with the events of the middle of the Tribulation. What is seen in Revelation 13 is the Fourth Gentile Empire of Imperialism in its fifth and final stage, the Antichrist Stage, and his activities in the second half of the Tribulation are described.
\nThe ten horns represent the ten kingdoms of the fourth stage which precede the fifth stage of the Antichrist. But chapter 13 adds the fact that this beast has seven heads, which is not mentioned in any of the previous passages dealing with the Times of the Gentiles. The fourth and final passage will focus on the seven heads.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
E. Revelation 17:7\u201314<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The fourth passage which deals with the Times of the Gentiles is Revelation 17:7\u201314:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And the angel said unto me, Why did you wonder? I will tell you the mystery of the woman, and of the beast that carries her, which has the seven heads and the ten horns. The beast that you saw was, and is not; and is about to come up out of the abyss, and to go into perdition. And they that dwell on the earth shall wonder, they whose name has not been written in the book of life from the foundation of the world, when they behold the beast, how that he was, and is not, and shall come. Here is the mind that has wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains, on which the woman sits: and they are seven kings; the five are fallen, the one is, the other is not yet come; and when he comes, he must continue a little while. And the beast that was, and is not, is himself also an eighth, and is of the seven; and he goes into perdition. And the ten horns that you saw are ten kings, who have received no kingdom as yet; but they receive authority as kings, with the beast, for one hour. These have one mind, and they give their power and authority unto the beast. These shall war against the Lamb, and the Lamb shall overcome them, for he is Lord of lords, and King of kings, and they also shall overcome that are with him, called and chosen and faithful.<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\nFrom verse seven it is clear that the Beast is the same as the one found in Revelation 13 and is the same as the fourth beast of Daniel seven. This beast has ten horns and seven heads. What the ten horns represent was explained earlier: the fourth stage of the Fourth Empire\u2014the ten kingdoms. What is about to be explained is what the seven heads represent. In verse eight, as in Revelation 13, the death and resurrection of the Antichrist is described with the subsequent worship of him. Details of this will be discussed in Chapter 11, The Events of the Middle of the Tribulation.
\nThen verses 9\u201310 explain the meaning of the seven heads. Verse nine states that the seven heads are seven mountains. Unfortunately, too many Bible teachers have stopped here, ignored the following verse, and consequently concluded that the seven mountains represent Rome, for Rome is a city sitting upon seven hills. However, a number of cities in the Middle East claim to sit upon seven hills or mountains. So this is not enough to pinpoint Rome as the place to which this passage refers. But the identification with Rome becomes totally unwarranted if the verse is seen in its complete context. The fact that the seven heads are said to be seven mountains shows that these mountains are to be taken symbolically. As mentioned previously, whenever the word mountain is used symbolically, it is always a symbol of a king, kingdom, or throne. This is the case here. In fact, the very next verse, verse ten, actually interprets the meaning of the seven mountains. Verse nine does not end the sentence, since the sentence continues into verse ten. Having stated that the seven heads are seven mountains in verse nine, he clearly states in verse ten that these seven mountains represent something other than real mountains: and they are seven kings. The meaning of mountains here is quite consistent with its symbolic usage everywhere else in the Scriptures. In verse nine, the seven heads are seven mountains, and in verse ten the pronoun they clearly indicates that these seven mountains are to be viewed as seven kings. It is not Rome the city that is meant, but seven kings. Verse ten further states that of these seven heads-mountains-kings, five were fallen by John\u2019s day, one was present at that time, and one more was yet to come. If this refers to Rome the city, then five hills should no longer be in existence, only one should be there now, with another to arise in the future! Contextually then, this is an impossible interpretation.
\nWhile both the ten horns and seven heads are representative of kings, there is a difference between them. The ten horns are kings that are contemporary with each other. They all rise and reign at the same time. But the seven heads are chronological or sequential. One follows the other in chronological sequence, and no two are ever contemporary. At the time of the writing of the Revelation, five had already gone into history and were no more. The sixth head-mountain-king was present and in control, and there was one more to go.
\nWith this information in hand, what these seven heads represent can be deduced from a study of history. As has already been said, the Fourth Empire is the Empire of Imperialism. This is what was present in John\u2019s day, and hence, imperialism represents the sixth head. It was also the time of the first stage of the Empire of Imperialism, the United Stage or the Roman Empire Stage. Looking at Roman history, it is known that Rome went through five types of governments before it developed into the first stage of the Empire of Imperialism. They are as follows:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Tarquin Kings\n753\u2013510 B.C.\n(The First Head)\nThe Counsulors\n510\u2013494 B.C.\n(The Second Head)\nThe Plebians or Dictators\n494\u2013390 B.C.\n(The Third Head)\nThe Republicans or Decimvers\n390\u201359 B.C.\n(The Fourth Head)\n(Oligarchy of Ten)\nThe Triumvirate\n59\u201327 B.C.\n(The Fifth Head)<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\nThese represent the five heads which are fallen and were a part of history by the time John wrote his book. Before the Fourth Gentile Empire of Imperialism developed, these five types of governments preceded it. The sixth head was the one that was then present, which began in the year 27 B.C. and will continue into the middle of the Tribulation period. So the sixth head includes the first four stages of the Fourth Gentile Empire of Imperialism.
\nThere is one head still to come, that is, the seventh head, which is the Antichrist Stage and the stage of Absolute Imperialism. Once the seventh head is established, he must continue for a little while, namely 3\u00bd years.
\nThus, the seven heads represent a chronological development from the Tarquin Kings to Absolute Imperialism. Five heads are fallen, the sixth head of imperialism now exists, and one is yet to come, the Antichrist.
\nAfter the reference to his death and resurrection, John describes in verse 11 the position of the Antichrist as being an eighth, but of the seven. He is of the seven in that there are seven heads, and the Antichrist is the seventh head. The heads are chronological and sequential, coming one after the other, with the Antichrist being the last to appear in the final period of the history of the seven heads.
\nBut he is also an eighth. In what way is he an eighth? This is seen in his relationship to the ten horns. The ten horns represent the ten kingdoms that come out of the One World Government. It is the fourth stage of the Fourth Gentile Empire of Imperialism. These ten kings are contemporary and rule together. But as was seen from Daniel seven, when the Antichrist begins to take control, he uproots three of the ten horns. He kills three of the ten kings, leaving seven for the remainder of the Tribulation period. The Antichrist is contemporary with these seven, making him an eighth. He is an eighth contemporary king ruling over the other seven kings who have submitted to his authority. Yet he is of the seven, for he is the seventh head of the chronological ruling governments. The term \u201cseven\u201d refers to the heads, while the term \u201ceight\u201d refers to the horns.
\nThe word beast in the Book of Revelation, then, is a reference to the Empire of Imperialism in its final and fifth stage, the Antichrist Stage. Hence, it is proper to view the Beast both as the Fourth Gentile Empire in its final stage as well as personally of the Antichrist himself. In the Book of Revelation, the word will be used in both senses: sometimes it will be used to describe the Fourth Gentile Empire as a whole in its fifth final form, while at other times it will be used to describe the Antichrist personally.
\nIn verses 12\u201313 the ten horns are discussed. In verse 12, the ten horns are stated to be ten kings and to exist in the future beyond John\u2019s time. In verse 13, they surrender their authority to the Antichrist. The details will be studied later. Finally, in verse 14 the Fourth Empire is destroyed by Messiah Himself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
F. Summary of the Four Chapters<\/p>\n\n\n\n
To summarize the four chapters of Scripture dealing with the Times of the Gentiles, three points should be noted.
\nFirst, the entire period of the Times of the Gentiles is to be composed of four Gentile empires: Babylonian, Medo-Persian, Hellenistic, and Imperialistic. Second, the Fourth Empire, the Empire of Imperialism, developed from five previous forms of Roman governments: the Tarquin Kings (The First Head), the Counsulors (The Second Head), the Plebians (The Third Head), the Republicans (The Fourth Head), and the Triumvirate (The Fifth Head). Third, the Fourth Gentile Empire of the Imperialism was to undergo five stages, the first four being the United Stage (Rome), the Two Division Stage (East-West Balance of Power), the One World Government Stage, and the Ten Kingdom Stage. These first four stages are all the Sixth Head. This will be followed by the fifth stage, the Antichrist Stage, the stage of Absolute Imperialism, which is also the Seventh Head.
\nThe details will be discussed more fully in Chapter 4, The Sequence of Pretribulational Events, and Chapter 11, The Events of the Middle of the Tribulation.
\nThe understanding of the course of the Times of the Gentiles is invaluable to the understanding of the course of eschatology itself.
\nCombining all these chapters into outline form, it can be charted as follows:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
- The Babylonian Empire<\/li>
- The Medo-Persian Empire<\/li>
- The Hellenistic Empire
\n a. The United Stage
\n b. The Four Division Stage
\n(Developmental Prelude to the Fourth Gentile Empire)
\n a. The Tarquin Kings\u2014The First Head
\n b. The Counsulors\u2014The Second Head
\n c. The Plebians\u2014The Third Head
\n d. The Republicans\u2014The Fourth Head
\n e. The Triumvirate\u2014The Fifth Head<\/li> - The Fourth Gentile Empire\u2014Imperialism
\nThe
\nSixth
\nHead
\n a. The United Stage\u2014The Roman Empire
\n b. The Two Division Stage\u2014The East-West Balance of Power
\n c. The One World Government Stage
\n d. The Ten Kingdom Stage\u2014The Ten Horns (Ten Kings)
\n e. The Antichrist Stage\u2014The Seventh Head (The Eleventh Horn and then the Eighth Horn)<\/li> - The Messianic Kingdom<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n
Part II<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Course of this Age<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Chart #3<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u05d2<\/p>\n\n\n\n
THREE<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Eschatology of the Visible Church: the Things Which Are\u2014the Seven Churches<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Revelation chapters two and three comprise the second major division of the book. This division is the things which are: the seven churches. It is a description of the Church Age contained in seven short letters to the seven churches.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A. Characteristics<\/p>\n\n\n\n
There are several characteristics found in these seven churches that should be noted. First, these are all messages of Jesus to the churches, and they are His last audible statements given in the Scriptures. Previous to this, the last audible statements were to Paul on the Damascus Road and some other subsequent appearances.
\nSecond, they involve the visible church rather than the invisible Church. The latter is the Body of the Messiah, composed of all true believers since Pentecost. It is sometimes referred to as the Universal Church. But the visible church is the local body or local church, which may have both believers and unbelievers. It includes all professing believers whether they really are or not. While the invisible Church has only believers, the visible church can have both. As it shall be seen, the seven churches contain some of both.
\nA third characteristic is that Jesus has something against five of these churches and nothing against two. Furthermore, He finds something good in six of these churches but nothing good in the seventh church; the seventh church is entirely outside of His favor.
\nA fourth characteristic is that there are four common things in all seven letters. The first thing in common is that every letter has a description of the Messiah taken from the description of the Glorified Son of Man found in chapter one. Then each description is somehow related to what follows in that particular letter. Chapter one gives a complete description of the Glorified Son of Man. Each one of these letters then takes a part of that description and relates it to the content of the individual letter.
\nThe second thing in common is that all seven letters contain the words: I know. Five times it is, I know your works; once, I know your tribulation; and once, I know where you dwell. The point being made is that Jesus is intimately aware of the state of every local church.
\nThe third statement common to all seven letters is: he that overcomes, followed by a promise which is somehow related to the particular nature of that church.
\nThe fourth and final common statement in all seven letters is the statement: he that has an ear let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. It is an admonition to obedience. The churches are responsible to conform to the demands of the letters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
B. Interpretation<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The key question is how these letters are to be interpreted. For one thing, there are statements made in these letters that can be true only of the individual church. On the other hand, there are statements that can hardly be limited to that particular church and that particular local situation and sometimes cannot be true of it at all. These facts have led to a variety of views as to how they are to be interpreted. There are two areas of common agreement. The third area is the point of disagreement. The two areas of agreement are as follows.
\nFirst: these seven churches were seven real churches to whom John was writing. They were seven literal churches existing in John\u2019s day. They were also seven different types of churches that existed at that time.
\nSecond: all seven church types exist throughout the Church Age. No matter what part of church history one may turn to, he will find all seven types of churches. All seven types will continue to exist until the Rapture.
\nWhile there is general consensus on the first two points among premillennial writers, this is not true with the third issue, known as the historical-prophetic interpretation, which states that while all seven types of churches always exist, one type dominates a particular era of church history. Throughout church history all seven types of churches will be present, but one type will tend to dominate a particular period of church history. Thus, these letters present a prophetic picture of the seven historical periods in which the visible church will develop. These letters are being written to the seven churches, representative of the whole. These seven were chosen, first, because of the particular meaning of their names, and second, because the situation of that particular local church will also be characteristic of a future period of church history. Certain statements made to individual churches cannot be true of the strictly local situation, and they must have a far wider meaning.
\nThe question this third perspective raises is: Does this view not violate The Golden Rule of Interpretation and the principle of a literal hermeneutic? If it could be clearly shown that all that was said in a particular letter can be or was true of that particular church or that type of church, then the answer would be: \u201cYes.\u201d But if statements are made that cannot in any way be true of that particular church or only of that church, or only of that type of church, then the answer would be: \u201cNo.\u201d This author would prefer to limit the interpretation to that church only or to that type of church only, but now and then statements are made which render that impossible. One example is the promise to keep the Church of Philadelphia from the hour of trial, that hour which is to come upon the whole earth. The time is long past that this promise could be kept only to that particular church, for that local church no longer exists; nor can this promise be limited to that type of church because other types of churches of these two chapters will also share in the promise. Hence, the historical-prophetic interpretation does have strong merit, though it is not without its problems. While this author is not totally comfortable with this third point, he is still more so with it than without it. Furthermore, it is the literal interpretation of such promises that has moved this author to that position.
\nHowever, this view is not germane to the main issue: that the seven churches of Revelation two and three cover the period of the things which are, the Church Age. Even if the third point is abandoned, it will not affect the basic development of this book, which is concerned with the sequence of prophetic events. As each of these letters will be studied, all three points will be presented. One can proceed to drop those parts applied to a specific point of church history, but the other two points will still remain intact. Thus one can conclude that these seven letters do not actually survey seven periods of church history, but all seven types are here, and at the Rapture, the believing Church is removed while the unbelieving stay behind.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
C. Basic Outline<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The seven letters all follow a basic outline containing six items:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Destination\nDescription of Jesus\nCommendation\nCondemnation\nExhortation\nPromise<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\nNot all seven letters have all six points of the outline, nor are they necessarily in that order. But this is the basic structure of each letter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
D. The Seven Letters<\/p>\n\n\n\n
- Ephesus:
\nThe Apostolic Church (A.D. 30\u2013100)\u2014Revelation 2:1\u20137\nTo the angel of the church in Ephesus write: These things says he that holds the seven stars in his right hand, he that walks in the midst of the seven golden candlesticks: I know your works, and your toil and patience, and that you can not bear evil men; and did try them that call themselves apostles, and they are not, and did find them false; and you have patience and did bear for my name\u2019s sake, and have not grown weary. But I have this against you, that you did leave your first love. Remember therefore whence you are fallen, and repent and do the first works; or else I come to you, and will move your candlestick out of its place, except you repent. But this you have, that you hate the works of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate. He that has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him that overcomes, to him will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the Paradise of God.<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\nThe destination (v. 1a) of the letter is Ephesus, which means \u201cdesired.\u201d It represents the period of the Apostolic Church which began in A.D. 30 and continued to about A.D. 100, the time of the death of the last Apostle, John, the author of the Book of Revelation. Ephesus was the type of church that typified the Apostolic Church.
\nThis is followed by a description of Jesus (v. 1b) taken from Revelation 1:13, 16, and 20. It points to the control He has over the destiny of the churches.
\nThe commendation is found in verses 2\u20133 and 6. First, they are commended for condemning false teachers (vv. 2\u20133). In Acts 20:29\u201331, Paul warned the elders at Ephesus that false teachers would come and despoil the church. By the time Paul wrote the books of 1 and 2 Timothy, the false teachers had arrived and were causing corruption in the church (1 Tim. 1:3\u20134, 18\u201320; 6:3\u201310, 20\u201321; 2 Tim. 2:14\u201318; 4:1\u20134). These false teachers created havoc, and Timothy was somewhat discouraged when Paul gave him some advice as to how to handle the situation. By the time this first letter is written, the Church at Ephesus had overcome the problem and resisted the false teachers, and they are commended for it. Second, they are commended for hating the work of the Nicolaitans (v. 6). In church history there is no record or mention of this group, so clues as to its identity need to be sought elsewhere. The meaning of the word in Greek is \u201crulers of the people.\u201d This meaning may imply that this was an attempt to divide and make an unnatural distinction between the clergy and the laity, creating a division in which the clergy exercised rulership over the laity. Certainly, elders have the biblical authority to determine the policy of that local church. But the authority described here probably went much further than the issues in the local church and may have extended to the personal lives of the members. The Ephesians hated this kind of thing and are commended for it.
\nThe condemnation is found in verse four. They have lost their first love, referring to love of the Messiah and love of the Word. The second generation of believers has grown lax and has become cold. They did not have the fervor of the first generation; hence, there is condemnation. A similar problem is seen in the recipients of the letter to the Hebrews: a group of second generation Jewish believers who, due to persecution, had grown lax and, hence, had lost their first love.
\nThe exhortation is found in verse five. They are urged to remember their first love, repent, and return to it. Failure will result in the removal of their candlestick, the removal of their witness.
\nThe promise is found in verse seven. While the letters are addressed to the churches as a whole, the promises are all to individuals in the church who overcome the problem of the church as a whole. To the one who does overcome and returns to his first love, there is promised the privilege of eating of the fruit of the Tree of Life in the Eternal Order. Eating with someone implies fellowship, so the one who overcomes will fellowship with Him. Since this also involves the Tree of Life, this is a promise of a share in the Eternal Order. Further comment will be reserved until the last chapter of Revelation, where these symbols are found again.
\nThis is the letter to the Church of Ephesus and it is relevant to that particular church. Certain things true of this local church were also true of the apostolic church in the second generation stage. In the historical-prophetic interpretation, this is the type of church that dominated the first period of church history.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
- Smyrna:
\nThe Church of the Roman Persecution (A.D. 100\u2013313)\u2014Revelation 2:8\u201311\nAnd to the angel of the church in Smyrna write: These things says the first and last, who was dead, and lived again: I know your tribulation, and your poverty (but you are rich), and the blasphemy of them that say they are Jews, and they are not, but are a synagogue of Satan. Fear not the things which you are about to suffer: behold, the devil is about to cast some of you into prison, that ye may be tried; and ye shall have tribulation ten days. Be you faithful unto death, and I will give you the crown of life. He that has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. He that overcomes shall not be hurt of the second death.<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\nThe destination is in verse 8a, and it is to the church in the city of Smyrna. Smyrna means \u201cmyrrh,\u201d which is associated with death and embalming (Jn. 19:39\u201340). Thus, in the historical-prophetic interpretation, this church becomes the fitting symbol to represent the second period of church history, that of the Roman persecution from about A.D. 100 to 313.
\nThe description of Jesus is in verse 8b, and it is taken from Revelation 1:17\u201318. He tells the church that He is the First and the Last, and that He Himself died and lived again. Although He died violently, He nevertheless did live again because of the resurrection. Since many of these people will also die violent deaths, this description is given as one of comfort for them, for they, too, will live again by way of resurrection.
\nThe commendation is found in verse nine. First, they are commended for having patience in sufferings. They are good examples of what the writer of the Book of Hebrews tells its recipients that they need: patient endurance. They have suffered fiercely, but they endured it patiently. Second, they are commended for enduring the blasphemy of those who claim to be Jews, but they are not and are of the synagogue of Satan. In the local situation this may refer to a particular incident for which we lack historical confirmation. In church history this may refer to the Romans, who considered themselves to be the people of God with the emperor being a god himself. The believers were thus being persecuted by those claiming to be the people of God, but were not. Believers were often killed on the very grounds that they refused to sacrifice to the emperor.
\nSmyrna is one of the two churches that Jesus had nothing against, and so there is no condemnation.
\nThe exhortation is in verse ten, and concerns three things. First, they are urged not to fear the things that they are about to suffer. Second, he warns them that they are about to suffer persecution for a period of ten days. In all probability, this refers to ten literal days of persecution in the local situation, and there was a ten-day period in which many suffered and died. For this, too, we simply lack the historical confirmation, for we do not have a complete record of church history in this early period of time or of that particular church. From the viewpoint of the historical-prophetic interpretation, some have noted that between the years A.D. 96\u2013313, while there were more than ten Roman emperors, only ten of them actually and officially persecuted the church: Domitian (96), Trajan (98\u2013117), Hadrian (117\u2013138), Antonius Pius (138\u2013161), Marcus Aurelius (161\u2013180), Septimus Severus (193\u2013211), Maximin (235\u2013238), Decius (249\u2013251), Valarian (251\u2013260), and Diocletian (284\u2013305). These ten Roman emperors might be represented in the ten days of persecution. However, in the Book of Revelation, time zones, be they days, months, or years, are always quite literal, and it is best to take these ten days as being the same. Therefore, they refer to a literal ten-day period of persecution suffered by the Church of Smyrna. Even if one accepts the historical-prophetic interpretation scheme, it is best to limit this to those parts that cannot be true of that local church or only that local church. So this church may represent the second period of church history, but the ten days should remain only ten days and not ten periods of time. Third, they are exhorted not to fear death, for if they die as martyrs, then they shall secure the crown of life.
\nThe promise is found in verse 11. Although they may die violently once, they will not die the second time, which is the second death. The nature of the second death will be discussed in detail at a more appropriate time in the course of this study. But the killers who are persecuting them will die the first time and will die a second time as well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
- Pergamum:
\nThe Church of the Age of Constantine (A.D. 313\u2013600)\u2014Revelation 2:12\u201317\nAnd to the angel of the church in Pergamum write: These things says he that has the sharp two-edged sword: I know where you dwell, even where Satan\u2019s throne is; and you hold fast my name, and did not deny my faith, even in the days of Antipas my witness, my faithful one, who was killed among you, where Satan dwells. But I have a few things against you, because you have there some that hold the teaching of Balaam, who taught Balak to cast a stumblingblock before the children of Israel, to eat things sacrificed to idols, and to commit fornication. So have you also some that hold the teaching of the Nicolaitans in like manner. Repent therefore; or else I come to you quickly, and I will make war against them with the sword of my mouth. He that has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him that overcomes, to him will I give of the hidden manna, and I will give him a white stone, and upon the stone a new name written, which no one knows but he that receives it.<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\nThe destination of the letter is in verse 12a, and is said to be to Pergamum, which means \u201cthoroughly married.\u201d It was a major city of idolatry with many temples, one of which was the temple of Esculapius, containing an idol in the form of a serpent. This may be what Satan\u2019s throne refers to. In the historical-prophetic view, it is the church of the age of Constantine that saw the church married to the state. In 313, Emperor Constantine made Christianity the official state religion of the Roman Empire, and thus the church was married to the state.
\nThe description of Jesus in verse 12b is taken from Revelation 1:16. This description is one of judgment, especially of that exercised by the Word of God.
\nThe commendation is in verse 13. They are commended for not denying the faith, singling out one of their faithful members, Antipas, who suffered martyrdom for his witness. Nothing more is known of Antipas, yet this gives us a small hint of what occurred in the local Church at Pergamum. His name means \u201cagainst all\u201d and may indicate that he stood against all satanic worship. The war against their faith was being inspired by satanic opposition. The Pergamum Church is said to be dwelling where Satan himself dwells, where Esculapius, the serpent-son, was worshiped.
\nThe condemnation is found in verses 14\u201315. They are condemned for two things. First, in verse 14, they are condemned for allowing some to hold the teachings of Balaam. Balaam, in Numbers 22\u201324, was a seer of Mesopotamia. He was hired by Balak, the king of Moab, in league with the Midianites, to pronounce a prophetic curse on Israel. Although on four different occasions he tried to curse the Jews, God took control of the seer so that on all four occasions he pronounced a blessing on the Jews instead. With the failure of pronouncing a prophetic curse on Israel, Balaam used a different tactic to have Israel cursed by God. At his recommendation, the females of Moab and Midian were sent out to entice the Jewish men sexually. Part of the enticement included the worship of the gods of Moab and Midian. The plot worked, Israel was cursed, and many died in a plague. However, this scheme later caused the destruction of the Midianites and the death of Balaam himself (Num. 25:1\u201316; 31:1\u201320; Deut. 23:3\u20136). The teaching of Balaam was encouragement of corruption by intermarriage resulting in fornication and idolatry. No doubt in the city of Pergamum intermarriage with the pagan world was a real problem. Because civil and religious life were so intertwined, for believers to accept social engagements probably meant some involvement with paganism. Apparently many believers compromised anyway. In the age of Constantine, the church became married to the state which, eventually resulted in spiritual fornication and idolatry. Now that the church was made a state religion, people all over the Roman Empire were baptized into the church without any regard to personal faith. By simply being baptized, they were able to join the new establishment. As a result, a massive amount of pagans entered the church bringing many of their pagan practices with them. Idolatry entered the church as these people added Jesus to the many other gods that they already had. This led to spiritual fornication and idolatry. It planted the seeds for what later developed into the Roman Catholic Church. Thus, they were rightly condemned for holding to the teachings of Balaam. Second, in verse 15, they are condemned for permitting the teachings of the Nicolaitans. The very group that Ephesus was commended for not tolerating, Pergamum was condemned for tolerating. It was during this period of church history that a distinction began to emerge between the clergy and the laity with different sets of laws and regulations for each group. A priestly order was set up in the church that further corrupted and laid the foundation for what was to follow in the next phase of the Church Age.
\nThe exhortation is found in verse 16. They are exhorted to repent (change their minds) and to clean up the church or it will be judged.
\nThe promise is in verse 17, and it is threefold. First, the one who overcomes is promised hidden manna. Manna in the Old Testament was the food provided for the children of Israel when they departed from the land of Egypt. The person leaving the state church might be deprived of his job and welfare. But in spite of what he may be deprived of, God will provide his sustenance. Second, they are promised a white stone. In the ancient world there were two ways that one received a white stone. One way was when a person was found innocent in a trial; he was given a white stone as a symbol of acquittal. Another way was when a person was to be received into the membership of a private club; he would be given a white stone, which was a symbol of his acceptance. Both elements might be included in this second promise. He will be acquitted of the guilt of that particular church, and it will be a mark of his acceptance by God. Third, the promise is that he will be given a new name written on the stone which only he will know. Often in Scripture a new name was given to a person after he had overcome certain spiritual problems. One example is that of Jacob who was given the name Israel (Gen. 32:22\u201332). Another is Abram, whose name was changed to Abraham (Gen. 17:1\u20138).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
- Thyatira:
\nThe Church of the Dark Ages (A.D. 600\u20131517)\u2014Revelation 2:18\u201329\nAnd to the angel of the church in Thyatira write: These things says the Son of God, who has his eyes like a flame of fire, and his feet are like unto burnished brass: I know your works, and your love and faith and ministry and patience, and that your last works are more than the first. But I have this against you, that you suffer the woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess; and she teaches and seduces my servants to commit fornication, and to eat things sacrificed to idols. And I gave her time that she should repent; and she wills not to repent of her fornication. Behold, I cast her into a bed, and them that commit adultery with her into great tribulation, except they repent of her works. And I will kill her children with death; and all the churches shall know that I am he that searches the reins and hearts: and I will give unto each one of you according to your works. But to you I say, to the rest that are in Thyatira, as many as have not this teaching, who know not the deep things of Satan, as they are wont to say; I cast upon you none other burden. Nevertheless that which ye have, hold fast till I come. And he that overcomes, and he that keeps my works unto the end, to him will I give authority over the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron, as the vessels of the potter are broken to shivers; as I also have received of my Father: and I will give him the morning star. He that has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\nThe destination in verse 18a is the Church of Thyatira, which means \u201ccontinual or perpetual sacrifice.\u201d In the historical-prophetic interpretation, it becomes a fitting description of the Church of the Dark Ages as embodied in the Roman Catholic doctrine of the continual sacrifice in the Mass. In Roman Catholic theology, when the priest consecrates the wafer and the cup, they are said to become the real body and the real blood of Jesus (Transubstantiation), and so He is re-sacrificed. The laity were given only the wafer and were refused the cup because of the belief that the real blood might be accidentally spilled. The cup was for the clergy alone. Thus, the distinction between the clergy and the laity begun by the Nicolaitans had been brought to fruition.
\nThe description of Jesus is found in verse 18b, and is taken from Revelation 1:14\u201315. They are symbols of judgment. It is He Who is the Son of God, and He alone is to be worshiped. There is to be no addition whatsoever.
\nThe commendation is in verse 19. They are commended for their works of love, faith, ministry, and patience, and that these works were increasing. They were characterized by good works and so their external appearance was positive.
\nThis is followed by a lengthy condemnation in verses 20\u201323. In verses 20\u201321, the condemnation involves the toleration of a woman named Jezebel. Conceivably there may have been a woman by that name in the local Church at Thyatira, but this is highly unlikely. The name Jezebel is a Phoenecian name, and by this time the Phoenecians had disappeared as a separate ethnic identity and had become part of the Greek-speaking world. Furthermore, Thyatira was not located in Phoenecia, but in Asia Minor (modern-day Turkey). It is statements like this that lend credence to the historical-prophetic interpretation. Furthermore, when a woman is used symbolically in Scripture, she represents a religious entity. This might be either positive or negative. On the positive side, there is Israel as the Wife of Jehovah and the Church as the Bride of the Messiah. On the negative side, there is the woman with the leaven (Mat. 13:33), the Great Harlot of chapter 17, and here, the woman Jezebel. This is most likely a reference to the Old Testament Jezebel to describe the state of the Church in Thyatira, just as Balaam was used to describe the state of the Church in Pergamum. Jezebel was a Sidonian princess who became the wife of Ahab, the king of Israel (1 Kg. 16:29\u201333). She was responsible for introducing a pagan religion into Israel that surpassed all the previous sins of idolatry in the Northern Kingdom. Idolatry in the Northern Kingdom began with Jeroboam I, the first king. But there was a difference between the sin of Jeroboam and the sin of Baal worship introduced by Jezebel. The sin of Jeroboam was a corruption of the true religion. Jeroboam set up a golden calf in Dan and Bethel, but these golden calves represented the God that brought them out of the land of Egypt. This was idolatry, but it was a corruption of the true Jehovah worship (1 Kg. 12:25\u201333). Furthermore, Jeroboam could cite a precedent in the worship of the golden calf built by Aaron. His words concerning the golden calf in 1 Kings 12:28 are a quotation of Aaron\u2019s words in Exodus 32:4. With Jezebel, it was not merely a corruption of the true religion; a whole new god and system of worship were introduced in Israel (1 Kg. 16:29\u201333). Through Jezebel, Baal worship came into the Land, resulting in more idolatry than ever before. Involved in the worship of Baal was sexual immorality. In the corruption of Jehovah worship morality was still present, but in the worship of Baal there was total immorality. Jezebel thus became a very real picture of what the Roman Catholic Church evolved into during the period of the Dark Ages. It introduced a paganism that resulted in idolatry and spiritual fornication, and it became a new religious system bearing little resemblance to the New Testament church. It was during this period that ten false doctrines were introduced into the church:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
1. Justification by works\u2014Not simply by grace through faith;\n2. Baptismal regeneration\u2014That a person is saved by baptism;\n3. Worship of images;\n4. Celibacy\u2014Forbidding priests to marry, a further distinction between clergy and laity;\n5. Confessionalism\u2014Where sins are confessed to a priest who then declares absolution of those sins;\n6. Purgatory\u2014A place of confinement which is neither Heaven nor Hell, but a place where one has to be refined before going into Heaven, and so sanctification was not complete at death;\n7. Transubstantiation\u2014The concept of the continual and perpetual sacrifice of Jesus;\n8. Indulgences\u2014Where through the giving of money, a person\u2019s time in purgatory could be reduced;\n9. Penance\u2014Involving the torment of one\u2019s body in order to reduce time in purgatory; and\n10. Mariolatry\u2014The worship of the virgin Mary, her elevation as the mother of God, and the declaration of her deity.<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\nAll this led to idolatry and spiritual fornication. Jezebel in Thyatira is the Roman Catholic Church within Christendom of the Dark Ages.
\nIn verses 22\u201323, there is a description of the judgment of Jezebel. In verse 22, the woman is to be cast into the Great Tribulation. This means that unlike the true Church, the Roman Catholic Church will go into the Great Tribulation and will play a role during that time. The nature of that role and the nature of the judgment will be discussed in Chapter 10. For now, it is enough to note that as part of her judgment, the Roman Catholic Church will be cast into the Tribulation period. This is another example of a passage that simply cannot be limited to the local situation. If there really was a specific woman named Jezebel in Thyatira, she would by now be long dead and, therefore, would not be cast into the Great Tribulation. Yet the prophecy is very specific: she and her children will be cast into it. Only if Jezebel is representative of a system can this be true. And again, when a woman is used symbolically, it symbolizes a religious system or entity. In verse 23, the children of Jezebel, that is, the adherents of the Roman Catholic Church, will suffer physical violence and death as part of God\u2019s judgment on Jezebel.
\nThe exhortation is found in verses 24\u201325. The exhortation involves those who are not part of the Jezebel system and do not know the deep things of Satan. The Roman Catholic Church must be viewed as Satan\u2019s counterfeit. In the exhortation to those who are not involved in Satan\u2019s counterfeit, they are told to hold fast to that which is pure. They are told to hold fast to the New Testament truth as over against the Roman Catholic Church system. While this may not sound like a major obligation, in the context of the Dark Ages, it took tremendous spiritual courage and energy.
\nFinally, in verses 26\u201329, there is the promise which is twofold. First, the one overcoming will have a part in the Messianic Kingdom. In contrast to the false authority of the Roman Catholic Church, they will have true authority over the nations during the Messianic Kingdom. Second, they will have the Morning Star. Here another figure is being used in the Book of Revelation, but no speculation is needed. In Revelation 22:16, Jesus Himself is declared to be the Morning Star. Thus, they will possess Jesus. The possession of the true faith presupposes a possession of the Person of the Messiah.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
- Sardis:
\nThe Church of the Reformation (A.D. 1517\u20131648)\u2014Revelation 3:1\u20136\nAnd to the angel of the church in Sardis write: These things says he that has the seven Spirits of God, and the seven stars: I know your works, that you have a name that you live, and you are dead. Be you watchful, and establish the things that remain, which were ready to die: for I have found no works of yours perfected before my God. Remember therefore how you have received and did hear; and keep it, and repent. If therefore you shall not watch, I will come as a thief, and you shall not know what hour I will come upon you. But you have a few names in Sardis that did not defile their garments: and they shall walk with me in white; for they are worthy. He that overcomes shall thus be arrayed in white garments; and I will in no wise blot his name out of the book of life, and I will confess his name before my Father, and before his angels. He that has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\nThe destination of the fifth letter in verse 1a is Sardis, which means \u201cthose escaping.\u201d In the historical-prophetic interpretation, it represents the Church of the Reformation, which began in 1517 with Martin Luther\u2019s posting of his Ninety-Five Theses and ended in 1648 with the signing of the Peace of Westphalia. It could also be approximated as ending about 1700.
\nIn verse 1b, there is the description of Jesus taken from Revelation 1:4, 16, and 20. It is a reference to the seven Spirits of God as over against a church without spirit.
\nThen, in verse 1c, is the condemnation. They have a name that lives, but actually they are dead. This is a valid description of the church of the Reformation as it developed in its later stages. They had a name that lived: the Reformation resulted in much doctrinal correction and good creeds. Much of the wrong done and the doctrines promulgated by the Roman Catholic Church were corrected by the Reformation. The different churches developing in the Reformation had good creeds and solid biblical doctrine. Nevertheless, they were dead; there was no spiritual vitality. They became dead because they failed to rectify the basic problem which was the unity of church and state. After they broke away from the Roman Catholic Church, they too became state churches. In Germany and Scandinavia, the Lutheran Church became the state church; in England, it was the Anglican Church or Church of England; in Scotland, the Presbyterian Church; in one part of Switzerland, the Calvinists or Reformed Church; in another part of Switzerland, the Zwinglian Church. The Reformation failed to correct the problem of church and state unity. Therefore, it eventually became a dead church. What corrupted Pergamum also corrupted Sardis. Because of the existence of state churches, children who were born in a given locality were simply baptized and by this means became members of the church. Personal faith had little or nothing to do with becoming a member of the church. In a matter of time, the greater part of the church was composed of unregenerate members. The churches all had good, solid creeds (except that they were still bound to Replacement Theology), and so it appeared that they were living churches. But they were dead. There was no spiritual life because of the lack of personal faith, and a great part of each church was composed of unbelievers. Even to this day there are state churches in Europe which have good doctrinal creeds, and they are composed of people who are spiritually dead.
\nThe exhortation is found in verses 2\u20133. In verse two, they are exhorted to resurrect that which is about to die, that is, to go back to spiritual life as well as good doctrinal creeds. Spiritual life is impossible without good doctrine. But good doctrine without spiritual life is dead. Both are, therefore, necessary. In verse three, the point is made that deadness will result in Jesus\u2019 coming unexpectedly. A church with spiritual life will not be surprised when Jesus returns for the Church. But a dead church will be caught unaware because they will not be expecting Him. And as unbelievers, they shall be left behind.
\nIn verse four, there is the commendation to \u201cthose escaping.\u201d Their garments are undefiled and white. Hence, these are the ones who have exercised faith, who do have spiritual life, and who have overcome the deadness of the church.
\nThe promise in verses 5\u20136 is threefold. First, they will have white garments. The symbol used here is explained in a different part of the Revelation. Revelation 7:14 states \u2026 and they washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. Thus, the white garments are a symbol of salvation. The first promise to those escaping is salvation, because for them the good doctrine is not dead, but alive in Jesus. A second promise is that their names will not be blotted out of the Book of Life. The Book of Life will be discussed at a more appropriate place. But this promise also involves their salvation, which will be eternally secure, because their names will not be blotted out. It is a promise of eternal security. Then, third, the name of the believer will be confessed by Jesus before the angels.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
- Philadelphia:
\nThe Church of the Great Missionary Movement (A.D. 1648\u20131900)\u2014Revelation 3:7\u201313\nAnd to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write: These things says he that is holy, he that is true, he that has the key of David, he that opens and none shall shut, and that shuts and none opens: I know your works (behold, I have set before you a door opened, which none can shut), that you have a little power, and did keep my word, and did not deny my name. Behold, I give of the synagogue of Satan, of them that say they are Jews, and they are not, but do lie; behold, I will make them to come and worship before your feet, and to know that I have loved you. Because you did keep the word of my patience, I also will keep you from the hour of trial, that hour which is to come upon the whole world, to try them that dwell upon the earth. I come quickly: hold fast that which you have, that no one take your crown. He that overcomes, I will make him a pillar in the temple of my God, and he shall go out thence no more: and I will write upon him the name of God, and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem, which comes down out of heaven from my God, and my own new name. He that has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\nThe destination (v. 7a) is the church in the city of Philadelphia, which means \u201cbrotherly love.\u201d In the historical-prophetic interpretation, it is a fitting symbol of the church during the great missionary movement from 1700 through 1900. It was a period of great missionary names like Hudson Taylor, Adoraim Judson, William Carey, and others.
\nThe description of Jesus in verse 7b is taken from Revelation 1:18, picturing Him as the One with authority to open and close doors.
\nThis is the second church for which there is no condemnation. Like Smyrna, Jesus finds nothing against this church and is satisfied with it.
\nThe commendation is found in verse eight. They are commended for making use of the open door. It is Jesus Himself Who opened the door, and the Philadelphians were faithful in making use of the open door. During the period of 1700\u20131900 there was virtually no place where a missionary could not go. Every place was open to them. Today, more and more countries are closing their doors to missionaries. But during those two centuries there were virtually no limitations, and this church took advantage of it. They had little power; it was a minority supporting these missionaries. Yet, the little power was used to accomplish great things. They are commended for it.
\nThe promise found in verses 9\u201310 and 12\u201313 is fourfold. First, in verse nine, they are promised fruit from those who claim to be Jews or the people of God and are not. It is still the period described by Hosea (1:8\u20139; 2:23) when Israel is on the sideline of God\u2019s program and considered to be not my people. But in the future they will again become my people (Hos. 1:10\u20132:1; 3:5). It is interesting to note that it is during this time that Jewish missions came into its own, and by 1900 some 250,000 Jews became believers. Jewish missions first began in Germany, took root in England, and finally came to fruition in the United States. It was a time when many of the natural branches were regrafted into their own Olive Tree. However, it is more likely that this verse deals more literally with those who claim to be Jews, but they are not. This is also the period that saw the rise of cults, such as Mormonism, Jehovah\u2019s Witnesses, Christian Science, and others. One common element among cults is to claim to be the \u201creal\u201d Jews by declaring themselves to be the 144,000 Jews or the ten lost Tribes of Israel. Nevertheless, the Philadelphia Church will win converts among these as well. The second promise is in verse 10: they will not go into the Great Tribulation period. This verse will be discussed in more detail in the chapter dealing with the Rapture (Chapter 6), but for now, suffice it to say that this church is promised deliverance from the Great Tribulation period. The Jezebel element in the Thyatira Church will go through the Tribulation, but the Church of Philadelphia will not. This is not a promise that can be limited to Philadelphia, or at all, since this church has long passed away. This fact also supports the historical-prophetic interpretation. The third promise, in verse 12, is that they will serve as a pillar in the Temple of God. On one hand, this may be a reference to being a part in the Temple of God as is seen in the invisible Church. On the other hand, it may also refer to the Millennial Temple; the promise then would be that they will have a share in the Millennial Temple during the Messianic Age. The fourth promise (v. 13) is that they will have on them three new names: the name of God, the name of Jerusalem, and the new name of Jesus.
\nThe exhortation is in verse 11. It is for them to continue to do as they are doing, for they are doing well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
- Laodicea:
\nThe Church of the Apostasy (A.D. 1900\u2013present day)\u2014Revelation 3:14\u201322\nAnd to the angel of the church in Laodicea write: These things says the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God: I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot: I would you were cold or hot. So because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spew you out of my mouth. Because you say, I am rich, and have gotten riches, and have need of nothing; and know not that you are the wretched one and miserable and poor and blind and naked: I counsel you to buy of me gold refined by fire, that you may become rich; and white garments, that you may clothe yourself, and that the shame of your nakedness be not made manifest; and eyesalve to anoint your eyes, that you may see. As many as I love, I reprove and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent. Behold, I stand at the door and knock: if any man hear my voice and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me. He that overcomes, I will give to him to sit down with me in my throne, as I also overcame, and sat down with my Father in his throne. He that has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\nThe destination of the letter, in verse 14a, is Laodicea, which means \u201cpeople ruling.\u201d This is set in contrast to God\u2019s ruling in the church. It is a church entirely ruled by men, for the Holy Spirit is not present and doing His ministry of guiding. In the historical-prophetic interpretation, this becomes an avid description of the Church of the Apostasy which began in the early 1900s and continues to the present day.
\nThe description of Jesus is in verse 14b, and is taken from Revelation 1:4, 6, and 7. He is described as the faithful and true witness, whereas this church is neither faithful nor true to the Word.
\nAll six of the previous churches had at least one word of commendation, but this church has none. There is nothing commendable in this church, as it is entirely an unsaved church.
\nHence, the text continues to the condemnation, in verses 15\u201317. In verses 15\u201316, they are characterized by lukewarmness. The distinctions between hot, cold, and lukewarm can be determined by the overall context. The hot are the truly saved believers. The cold are those who are not believers and do not claim to be believers. The lukewarm are those who do claim to believe in Jesus, but are not truly regenerate believers. In verse 17, they are characterized by richness in worldly goods, but also self-deception, for they are spiritually poor, blind, and naked. This is a very good description of the Apostate Church. For all these traits, they are condemned.
\nApostasy can be defined as the departure from the truth that one professed to have. It does not mean that they actually possessed the truth. Seldom do apostates actually possess the truth. Rather, it is a departure from a truth they professed to have because of an affiliation with a particular church. For example, a minister of a Baptist, Presbyterian, or Methodist Church is professing by virtue of his very position to believe the doctrines of the Baptist, Presbyterian, or Methodist Churches respectively. But actually the apostate denies these doctrines and has departed from the truth that he professes to have. This has indeed been the characteristic of the visible church of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries.
\nThat there would be an apostasy of the church in the latter days was clearly predicted in two New Testament passages. First, in 2 Thessalonians 2:1\u20133, Paul wrote:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Now we beseech you, brethren, touching the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and our gathering together unto him; to the end that ye be not quickly shaken from your mind, nor yet be troubled, either by spirit, or by word, or by epistle as from us, as that the day of the Lord is just at hand; let no man beguile you in any wise: for it will not be, except the falling away come first, and the man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition.<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\nThis text will be dealt with in Appendix II. For now it is only necessary to show its connection with the problem of apostasy. As will be shown in Chapter 8, the term Day of the Lord is always a reference to the Tribulation period. In this passage two things are to occur before the Tribulation can begin, one of which is the falling away. The Greek word here is apostosia, which can be translated as \u201cthe apostasy.\u201d Before the Tribulation is to begin, the apostasy must come first. Thus, it was inevitable that the church would become apostate in the closing days of its history.
\nThe second passage is 1 Timothy 4:1:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But the Spirit says expressingly, that in later times some shall fall away from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits and doctrines of demons.<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\nAgain, the prophetic word declares that there would be a falling away or an apostasy from the faith. The Laodicean Church is a description of the apostasy of the last days.
\nIn three New Testament passages there is a description of the character of the apostasy. The first is found in 1 Timothy 4:1\u20133:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But the Spirit says expressly, that in later times some shall fall away from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits and doctrines of demons, through the hypocrisy of men that speak lies, branded in their own conscience as with a hot iron; forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from meats, which God created to be received with thanksgiving by them that believe and know the truth.<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\nThis passage declares that the source of apostasy is demons, for apostates have essentially given in to seducing spirits and are preaching a system of doctrine which is a doctrine of demons. Furthermore, they speak lies through hypocrisy, and their conscience has become insensitive. Part of this demonic doctrine involves an attack on the believer\u2019s liberty characterized by the forbidding to marry and the instructing to refrain from eating meats. Such legalistic apostasy will increase as church history unfolds throughout the last days. These elements will become more prevalent in the visible church.
\nThe second passage relating to the character of the apostasy is found in 2 Timothy 3:5:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Holding a form of godliness, but having denied the power thereof: from these also turn away.<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\nIn verses 1\u20134, there is a description of the general character of the world during the last days, and it can hardly be denied that these elements are true in this present day. Verse five centers on the religious front, where the last days will be characterized by men having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof. Apostate ministers, retaining the clerical garb and church titles, have a form of godliness. But they have denied the power thereof, for they have denied the true power of godliness.
\nThe third passage is found in 2 Peter 2:1\u201322:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But there arose false prophets also among the people, as among you also there shall be false teachers, who shall privately bring in destructive heresies, denying even the Master that bought them, bringing upon themselves swift destruction. And many shall follow their lascivious doings; by reason of whom the way of the truth shall be evil spoken of. And in covetousness shall they with feigned words make merchandise of you: whose sentence now from of old lingers not, and their destruction slumbers not. For if God spared not angels when they sinned, but cast them down to hell, and committed them to pits of darkness, to be reserved unto judgment; and spared not the ancient world, but preserved Noah with seven others, a preacher of righteousness, when he brought a flood upon the world of the ungodly; and turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah into ashes condemned them with an overthrow, having made them an example unto those that should live ungodly; and delivered righteous Lot, sore distressed by the lascivious life of the wicked (for that righteous man dwelling among them, in seeing and hearing, vexed his righteous soul from day to day with their lawless deeds): the Lord knows how to deliver the godly out of temptation, and to keep the unrighteous under punishment unto the day of judgment; but chiefly them that walk after the flesh in the lust of defilement, and despise dominion. Daring, selfwilled, they tremble not to rail at dignities: whereas angels, though greater in might and power, bring not a railing judgment against them before the Lord. But these, as creatures without reason, born mere animals to be taken and destroyed, railing in matters whereof they are ignorant, shall in their destroying surely be destroyed, suffering wrong as the hire of wrong-doing; men that count it pleasure to revel in the day-time, spots and blemishes, revelling in their deceivings while they feast with you; having eyes full of adultery, and that cannot cease from sin; enticing unstedfast souls; having a heart exercised in covetousness; children of cursing; forsaking the right way, they went astray, having followed the way of Balaam the son of Beor, who loved the hire of wrongdoing; but he was rebuked for his own transgression: a dumb ass spoke with man\u2019s voice and stayed the madness of the prophet. These are springs without water, and mists driven by a storm: for whom the blackness of darkness has been reserved. For, uttering great swelling words of vanity, they entice in the lusts of the flesh, by lasciviousness, those who are just escaping from them that live in error; promising them liberty, while they themselves are bondservants of corruption; for whom a man is overcome, of the same is he also brought into bondage. For if, after they have escaped the defilements of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, they are again entangled therein and overcome, the last state is become worse with them than the first. For it were better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than, after knowing it, to turn back from the holy commandment delivered unto them. It has happened unto them according to the true proverb. The dog turning to his own vomit again, and the sow that had washed to wallowing in the mire.<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\nReading through the passage, one does not see Peter displaying any attitude of love or tolerance toward the apostates. The Bible is not tolerant toward apostasy and it castigates it very severely, as these verses clearly show.
\nHaving described the character of apostasy, another question involves their teachings. What, after all, is the mark of the apostate? In 2 Peter 2:1, their teachings are portrayed as destructive denials:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But there arose false prophets also among the people, as among you also there shall be false teachers, who shall privately bring in destructive heresies, denying even the Master that bought them, bringing upon themselves swift destruction.<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\nThe teachings of the apostates are called destructive heresies. The content entails denying even the Master that bought them. In other words, the content of apostate teaching involves the denial of the Person (the Master) and work (bought them) of the Messiah. Other New Testament passages provide more specific aspects of this denial. First, a denial of the Trinity is dealt with in 1 John 2:22\u201323:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Who is the liar but he that denies that Jesus is the Christ? This is the antichrist, even he that denies the Father and the Son. Whosoever denies the Son, the same has not the Father: he that confesses the Son has the Father also.<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\nSecond, 1 John 4:2\u20133 comments on a denial of the Incarnation:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God: and every spirit that confesses not Jesus is not of God: and this is the spirit of the antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it comes; and now it is in the world already.<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\nThe same is true in 2 John 7:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For many deceivers are gone forth into the world, even they that confess not that Jesus Christ comes in the flesh. This is the deceiver and the antichrist.<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\nThird, the denial of the Second Coming of the Messiah is the concern of 2 Peter 3:3\u20134:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Knowing this first, that in the last days mockers shall come with mockery, walking after their own lusts, and saying, Where is the promise of his coming? for, from the day that the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation.<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\nThus, the teachings of apostasy involve the destructive denials of the Person and work of the Messiah, especially with regard to His place in the Trinity, His deity, His incarnation as the God-Man by means of the Virgin Birth, and the fact that He is coming back physically. Basic to all these denials, of course, is the denial of the inspiration of the Scriptures themselves. Once a person moves away from the acceptance of the authority of Scripture, there is no longer any safeguard for other crucial doctrines.
\nIn Jude 17\u201319, the deeds or types of actions preferred by apostates is given:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But ye, beloved, remember ye the words which have been spoken before by the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ; that they said to you, In the last time there shall be mockers, walking after their own ungodly lusts. These are they who make separations, sensual, having not the Spirit.<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\nOne type of deed that will be performed by apostates is mockery (vv. 17\u201318). They will mock the fundamentals of the faith such as the verbal inspiration of the Scriptures, the Virgin Birth, the substitutionary death of the Messiah, and His physical resurrection from the dead. Second Peter 3:3\u20134 states that they will also mock the doctrine of the Second Coming. A second deed is that of creating schisms or separations (v. 19). Because they begin denying some of the fundamentals of the faith, they convince some but not others. In the course of time, the two factions develop into a split within the church. The process begun by mockery results in a division of the church. Throughout this age of apostasy there has been schism after schism. Church after church and denomination after denomination have split over the destructive denials of the Trinity, the incarnation, and the Second Coming.
\nThese characteristics, heretical teachings, and deeds of separations have become more prevalent as church history has progressed from about 1900 to the present day. This is the age of the Church of the Apostasy.
\nThe roots of the present Age of Apostasy began in Europe, particularly with German rationalism, where the inerrency of the Scriptures was denied with the development of biblical criticism and the documentary hypothesis. If the present Age of the Apostasy had a definite beginning (and this is impossible to determine), for the United States, it might well have been January 20, 1891. On that day, a man named Charles Augustus Briggs gave his inaugural address at the Union Theological Seminary in New York City. At that time, Union was a Presbyterian seminary training ministers for Presbyterian pulpits. In his inaugural address, Briggs made six points, some of which involved destructive heresies: First, there are three great fountains of truth: the Bible, the church, and reason, thus, reason and the church became equal in authority with the Scriptures; second, not only were some of the Old Testament prophecies not fulfilled, but they were also reversed; third, he questioned the Mosaic authorship of the five books of Moses; fourth, he questioned the unity of Isaiah; fifth, he stated that those who died unsaved would have a second chance; and sixth, sanctification is not complete at death.
\nBriggs was not the first Modernist, but this address was the first public affirmation of Modernism in a theological seminary in the United States. Charges were brought against Briggs by the New York Presbytery on two occasions (1891 and 1893), but the charges were dropped, mainly to preserve the unity of the church rather than to deal with what was actually said. When the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church put Briggs on trial in 1893, he was suspended from the Presbyterian Church. As a result, Briggs became an Episcopalian, and the Union Theological Seminary withdrew from the Presbyterian Church and became independent. However, although the Union Theological Seminary became independent, they still continued to train ministers for the Presbyterian Church and for their pulpits. This set the stage for the way the apostasy would develop in the course of the twentieth century. Apostasy would first begin in a denominational school and thus affect the training of ministers who were to fill the pulpits of the churches for those denominations. Eventually, more and more liberals took over the pulpits, and more and more churches became liberal themselves.
\nSo throughout the first two decades of the twentieth century, apostasy took over the schools and trained ministers for the denominational churches. In an effort to stem the tide, in 1910 the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church issued the Five Fundamentals of the Faith, which included: first, the inspiration of Scriptures; second, the Virgin Birth; third, the substitutionary atonement; fourth, the resurrection of Jesus; and fifth, the miracles of Jesus. Those who subscribed to these five points were labeled \u201cFundamentalists,\u201d and so a new word was coined. Those who denied these fundamentals were called Modernists or Liberals. The General Assembly issued these in 1910 and reaffirmed them in 1916 and 1923.
\nThe decade of the 1920s was characterized by the great Modernist-Fundamentalist battles. There were many attempts to fight Modernism from within the church. But toward the end of the decade, it became apparent that the Modernists were firmly in control of both the denominational church positions (this included all the major denominations except the Southern Baptist Convention) and their schools.
\nThis led to the separatist movements of the 1930s as the Fundamentalists pulled out of denominations either by starting new denominations or by forming independent churches. Emerging from the United Presbyterian Church of the United States of America was a group led by J. Greshem Machen, which unfortunately split into three separate denominations (Orthodox Presbyterians, Bible Presbyterians, and the Evangelical Presbyterians) due to internal struggles. Out of the American Baptist Convention came the General Association of Regular Baptists (GARB). Out of the United Methodist Church came the Evangelical Methodists. The schisms that the Bible predicted would occur as a result of the apostasy began to occur in the separatist movements of the 1930s.
\nThe 1940s to the present day have been characterized by ecumenical movements. In 1948, the World Council of Churches was organized on two principles: First, the unity of all churches on the basis of liberal tenets; and second, the unity of all religions. In 1950, the old Federal Council of Churches was reorganized into the National Council of Churches, again attempting to unify all the churches in the United States along liberal tenets. Consequently, the visible church is primarily apostate today. Even among conservative denominations, some can already see the threat of apostasy in the taking over of the schools and the supplying of liberal ministers for the pulpits. Even the once strong Southern Baptist Convention has not escaped this trend. However, to their credit, there was a reversal of this trend in the decade of the nineties.
\nIn more recent times, a whole new phase has entered the apostasy. The old phase was characterized by destructive denials. The new phase claims to affirm the fundamentals of the faith, but they have made a paradigm shift in that the Bible is no longer the final authority in determining divine truth, but experience is equally valid. In actual practice, the experience takes priority over the Scriptures. If the Bible contradicts the practice, then the practice is justified as being \u201ca new move of the Spirit\u201d and, therefore, what the text of Scripture actually says can be contradicted by a new experience. This is a far more \u201cspiritual\u201d way of denying the truth of God and, therefore, far more deceptive. The old apostasy was marked by verbal \u201cdestructive denials.\u201d The new apostasy is marked by practical \u201cdestructive denials.\u201d This, in turn, has led to many strange and divers doctrines, causing many to be truly tossed to and fro by every wind of doctrine and resulting in total spiritual instability, as Paul warned would happen in Ephesians 4:8\u201316. They may affirm the authority and inspiration of Scripture, but it is only their experience that determines the meaning of the text in particular and truth in general. The new apostasy has produced the same fruit as the old apostasy. They mock those who will not join the \u201cnew wave\u201d (or is it being caught in the undertow?) and they have caused schisms dividing both churches and families.
\nThe proper way of determining truth is to go to the Word of God first and not rely on the experiences of other people. Furthermore, the Bible must be the final and only authority on all matters of both faith (what we believe) and practice (actions and experiences, etc.). Unfortunately, what has happened in recent years is that a new experience or phenomenon breaks out in some part of the church, and then people simply try to find verses to justify the activity rather than be willing to admit that the experience\u2014no matter how wonderful or supernatural it felt\u2014was simply not of God. Most of the proponents defend the practice, not on the basis of Scripture, but on the basis of their own experience. The most common evidence is that it makes them feel happy and joyful, though this does not take into account that any kind of emotional release of this nature will make one feel better. Even unbelievers can have this same experience. Furthermore, Satan would not be a very good deceiver if he made one feel badly, would he? Satan can give people joyful and happy experiences, and doing so would be in his best interest if that\u2014rather than the Word of God\u2014becomes the final authority for determining spiritual truth.
\nIsaiah 8:16, 19\u201320 states:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bind you up the testimony, seal the law among my disciples.\u2026 And when they shall say unto you, Seek unto them that have familiar spirits and unto the wizards, that chirp and that mutter: should not a people seek unto their God? on behalf of the living should they seek unto the dead? To the law and to the testimony! If they speak not according to this word, surely there is no morning for them.<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\nOne of the motifs of the Book of Isaiah is the contrast between the Remnant (Jews who believe) and the non-Remnant (Jews who do not believe). In verse 16, one crucial difference between the two groups is the place that the Scriptures have in their lives. The law is the Law of Moses, and the testimony is the words of the Prophets. What distinguishes the Remnant is that they believe that which Moses and the Prophets declared: that is the foundation of their faith, and this is also their authority. The non-Remnant rejects the Scriptures as the final authority and seeks to make God more \u201creal in their experience\u201d by going toward idolatry and looking at gods and goddesses that they could see, feel, and touch, creating a more visual picture while they worship. In verse 19, Isaiah issues a warning that they are not to go after counterfeit spirits and teachers that chirp and that mutter. In other words, Isaiah is warning people not to pursue supernatural things that cause them to make the strange sounds of chirping and muttering, for while these experiences might come from the supernatural, not all that comes out of the supernatural is of God, as verse 19 clearly shows. Indeed, those who go after those that chirp and that mutter could well come out with great testimonies of experiencing the supernatural and feeling joyful and great. But Isaiah would not accept any of that as valid testimony. The only valid testimony is what he declares in verse 20: To the law and to the testimony! In other words, \u201cBack to the Law and the Prophets,\u201d back to the Scriptures, as the only final authority. And the closing phrase should not be missed: if they speak not according to this word, surely there is no morning for them. Isaiah makes it quite clear: Regardless of the supernatural experiences the others may have, it does not align with the written Word of God that was already present in Isaiah\u2019s day, and so there is simply no morning light for them.
\nLater, Isaiah declared in 29:9\u201314:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Tarry ye and wonder; take your pleasure and be blind: they are drunken, but not with wine; they stagger, but not with strong drink. For Jehovah has poured out upon you the spirit of deep sleep, and has closed your eyes, the prophets; and your heads, the seers, has he covered. And all vision is become unto you as the words of a book that is sealed, which men deliver to one that is learned, saying, Read this, I pray you; and he says, I cannot, for it is sealed: and the book is delivered to him that is not learned, saying, Read this, I pray you; and he says, I am not learned. And the Lord said, Forasmuch as this people draw nigh unto me, and with their mouth and with their lips do honor me, but have removed their heart far from me, and their fear of me is a commandment of men which has been taught them; therefore, behold, I will proceed to do a marvellous work among this people, even a marvellous work and a wonder; and the wisdom of their wise men shall perish, and the understanding of their prudent men shall be hid.<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\nIsaiah introduces his comments, prophesying how people will become spiritually blind and, therefore, will stagger in spiritual blindness (v. 9). They will certainly stagger as if they were drunk, but not with alcohol. People have become spiritually blind and are groping in their spiritual darkness, having no spiritual sight to see. Isaiah points out that this has all happened because of divine judgment and is not merely accidental or coincidental (v. 10). What has happened is that because they refused to follow Isaiah\u2019s earlier admonition (8:20), they have now been confirmed in their spiritual darkness and, therefore, have fallen into a spiritual sleep so that now they have no capacity to understand the prophets. As a result, all of the prophecies of Isaiah and the prophets that came before him have become to the populace as a book that is sealed (v. 11). When they are presented to someone who is learned, although he has had the capacity and training to understand these things, because he chose to pursue that which chirp and mutter, even for the learned one, the prophecies have become like a sealed book that he can no longer understand. Insofar as understanding spiritual truth, he has become like the one who is not trained or learned (v. 12), and the trained and learned one has the same incapacity and inability to understand the Word of God as the one who is untrained and unlearned. However, it is then made clear that outwardly these people appear both religious and spiritual (v. 13). They do continue drawing unto God with their mouths and they do honor God with their lips, but their hearts are far away from God. What makes their hearts far away from God is that whatever fear they have of the Lord is based upon man-made doctrines, commandments, and traditions, rather than that which God Himself had said and taught in the Scriptures. Thus today, the validity of a movement is based on the external. It is based on verbal pronouncements, such as \u201cPraise the Lord\u201d or \u201cPraise Jesus,\u201d or some similar-sounding phrase that is consistently repeated. What the Bible-based observer must realize is that this is merely a formula, much like those who recite a mantra in eastern religions. Simply verbalizing the name of Jesus over and over again does not by itself prove anything. In fact, it fits this verse quite well: \u2026 and with their mouth and with their lips do honor me, but have removed their heart far from me (v. 13b). Their heart is far from God in reality for the same reason: they have learned to fear God on the basis of man-made and man-induced experiences, rather than on the basis of the Word of God (v. 13c). They are following these new man-made doctrines and repeat phrases they have been trained to repeat, believing that this repetition is what makes them spiritual. As a result, more time is spent on seeking further experiences than on actual study of the Word of God in its own context. The result is a further judgment where both wisdom and understanding begin to perish (v. 14). More and more, as people seek deeper and deeper experiences, they spend less and less time actually in the discipline of studying the Word of God, and they reach a point where they begin to totally lack understanding of the Word of God. While they can regularly do \u201cGod-talk\u201d and \u201cJesus-speak,\u201d when they begin to deal with the concrete details of the Word of God, they are at a total loss. The more experiential they become, the less they understand of the Word of God.
\nWhat the Scriptures emphasize is that the final authority must be the Scriptures, the written Word of God, and not anyone else\u2019s experience. Certainly, the Apostles could have related a great deal of their own experiences with Jesus in trying to defend their preaching about Jesus. One thing the Book of Acts keeps reemphasizing is that Paul, Silas and the others always made their final authority the Word of God and not their own experiences, as great as they were when they were personally with Jesus. One example is Acts 17:1\u20134:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Now when they had passed through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica, where was a synagogue of the Jews: and Paul, as his custom was, went in unto them, and for three sabbath days reasoned with them from the scriptures, opening and alleging that it behooved the Christ to suffer, and to rise again from the dead; and that this Jesus, whom, said he, I proclaim unto you, is the Christ. And some of them were persuaded, and consorted with Paul and Silas; and of the devout Greeks a great multitude, and of the chief women not a few.<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\nBy and large, one does not find Paul using his personal experiences, especially his key experience on the Damascus Road, as a tool for evangelizing. For Paul, the final authority had to be the Scriptures and not his own experience or testimony and, therefore, that was the focus of his evidence and that is what convinced so many. Those who came to believe (v. 4) did not do so because of any signs and wonders they saw Paul perform, but rather because of how he expounded the written Scriptures and showed how Jesus fulfilled the necessary Scriptures. The two times recorded where Paul does give his personal account as to how he became a believer on the Damascus Road is used as part of his defense when he is on trial. One does not find him using it in a situation where his goal was evangelism. There is a proper place for personal testimonies, but personal testimony can never be a final authority. Furthermore, people who have converted to other religions or cults\u2014be it Mormonism, Jehovah\u2019s Witnesses or Christian Science\u2014may also give powerful testimonies of how their lives have changed. That is why, here again, the final authority and criterion has to be the written Word of God. Testimonies can never be the final evidence of the authenticity of one\u2019s claims or beliefs.
\nAnother example is Acts 18:28:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For he powerfully confuted the Jews, and that publicly, showing by the scriptures that Jesus was the Christ.<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\nThis is speaking of Apollos; all that he had to say was also based on that which was written. The refutation of the unbelievers was not based upon signs and wonders, but on Scripture.
\nOne more example can be found in Acts 28:23\u201324:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And when they had appointed him a day, they came to him into his lodging in great number; to whom he expounded the matter, testifying the kingdom of God, and persuading them concerning Jesus, both from the law of Moses and from the prophets, from morning till evening. And some believed the things which were spoken, and some disbelieved.<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\nHere again, what Paul used was not experience or signs and wonders. What he used was the Scriptures. His whole focus was on the Law and the Prophets, the written Scriptures of that day, to authenticate what he was teaching and preaching. The response was that some believed and some disbelieved, but those who did believe came to believe on the basis of the exposition of the written Word of God.
\nBesides the testimony of the Book of Acts, a good example where the focus was on the Scriptures and not on experience is what Peter says in 2 Peter 1:16\u201321:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For we did not follow cunningly devised fables, when we made known unto you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty. For he received from God the Father honor and glory, when there was borne such a voice to him by the Majestic Glory, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased: and this voice we ourselves heard borne out of heaven, when we were with him in the holy mount. And we have the word of prophecy made more sure; where unto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day-star arise in your hearts: knowing this first, that no prophecy of scripture is of private interpretation. For no prophecy ever came by the will of man: but men spoke from God, being moved by the Holy Spirit.<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\nPeter describes his experience at the Transfiguration when he saw the brightness of the Shechinah Glory manifested through the Messiah and heard the voice out of Heaven saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased (vv. 16\u201318). Indeed, Peter\u2019s experience on the Mount of Transfiguration was one of the highlights of that period of his life when he was with Jesus as a disciple. As convincing as the Transfiguration experience might have been to Peter, he points out that a far more authoritative base for believing that Jesus was the Messiah (and that this was not cunningly devised fables) is the Scriptures (vv. 19\u201321). Therefore, the written Scriptures themselves are what really made Peter\u2019s faith more sure. Peter does not encourage his readers to focus on Peter\u2019s experience on the Transfiguration, but rather on the Word of God, and it is the Scriptures, he says, that ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a lamp shining in a dark place. What makes the Scriptures truly the final authority and the basis for more sure doctrine than experience is the fact that the Scriptures were not produced by the will of man, but were the product of the Holy Spirit Who moved the Scripture writers to write exactly what He wanted them to record. Because the written Word of God is the product of the Holy Spirit, that is, indeed, the word of prophecy made more sure. Neither Peter\u2019s great experience at the Mount of Transfiguration, nor Paul\u2019s great experience on the Damascus Road, ever became the final authority for the faith of either. The final issue for both men was the written Word of God.
\nThe response of some is: Isn\u2019t the manifestation of the supernatural the evidence that this is a work of God, even if it is not found in Scripture? And are not signs and wonders the evidence of the work of God, even if the specific signs and wonders are not found in Scripture? Here, again, the answer is a decisive \u201cno,\u201d as the following two Scriptures again show. The first is Matthew 7:22\u201323:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy by your name, and by your name cast out demons, and by your name do many mighty works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\nOne should notice what these false teachers were able to do in the name of a counterfeit Jesus. Obviously, when they say they did it in your name, it means that they did use the name of Jesus and probably used it quite frequently. No doubt, it was their frequent use of Jesus\u2019 name that deceived so many. Furthermore, they were able to do three specific things: prophesy events which did come to pass; cast out demons; and do many mighty works, such as miracles of healing and other signs and wonders. Yet, in that day, Jesus will say to them: I never knew you. Here one has all the ingredients of some of the things that are happening in the new wave of apostasy. The name of Jesus is heavily used in almost ritual-mantra style, all kinds of signs and wonders are claimed to occur, and yet, by themselves these things do not prove anything because Satan can duplicate these. Here, again, it is important to get back to the written Word of God as the final criterion, the final source of authority, and the final foundation for all matters of faith and practice.
\nAnother example of this same area is 2 Corinthians 11:3\u20134 and 13\u201315:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve in his craftiness, your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity and the purity that is toward Christ. For if he that comes preaches another Jesus, whom we did not preach, or if ye receive another spirit, which ye did not receive, or another gospel, which ye did not accept, ye do well to bear with him.\u2026 For such men are false apostles, deceitful workers, fashioning themselves into apostles of Christ. And no marvel; for even Satan fashions himself into an angel of light. It is no great thing therefore if his ministers also fashion themselves as ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works.<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\nPaul emphasizes the fact that just as Satan was able to deceive Eve, even the believers of the Corinthian Church can also be deceived by Satan, perhaps not directly by Satan as Eve was, but certainly by Satan\u2019s ministers (v. 3). It should be kept in mind that the Corinthian Church was highly involved in sensationalism, signs and wonders, and the experiential. Because the Corinthian Church based so much about its life on experience and the supernatural, that is what opened it up for deception by false teachers. Paul labels three things by the word another (v. 4): another Jesus, another gospel, another spirit. The Greek, however, has two different words here, both of which mean \u201canother,\u201d but they carry a slightly different shade of meaning. The first term means, \u201canother of the same kind\u201d; the second term means, \u201canother of a different kind.\u201d Rendering verse four a bit more literally from the Greek, it would read as follows:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For if he that comes preaches another Jesus of the same kind, whom we did not preach, or if ye receive another spirit of a different kind, which ye did not receive, or another gospel of a different kind, which ye did not accept, ye do well to avoid him.<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\nWhat Paul is saying is that the gospel being presented is another gospel of a \u201cdifferent kind,\u201d and the source is another spirit of a \u201cdifferent kind.\u201d However, the Jesus being presented is another Jesus of the \u201csame kind\u201d; a Jesus that sounds like and seems like the Jesus of the New Testament, but is a carefully disguised counterfeit. It should be noted that the name being used to foster the work of deception is the name of Jesus. It is a counterfeit Jesus, but it is a carefully disguised counterfeit, so that one who does not judge by the Word of God is very easily deceived. Paul makes it clear that those who are propagating another Jesus are false apostles (v. 13); however, that is not the way they appear because they fashion themselves to sound like, seem like, and act like real ministers of the Messiah. By so doing, they are reflecting their true lord, Satan, who is the angel of this darkness (Eph. 6:12) and who fashions himself to appear as an angel of light (v. 14). Paul says that this should not be surprising, for if Satan will fashion himself to appear as an angel of light, certainly his own ministers will fashion themselves to appear as ministers of righteousness, but in the end, they will receive their judgment (v. 15). Again, Satan would not be very successful in his work of deception, especially with believers, if his ministers were clearly and without question \u201cout in far left field.\u201d To carry out the work of deception, they must certainly focus on the name of Jesus and not on some other name. But the mere usage of the name \u201cJesus,\u201d even in the context of words like \u201cpraise,\u201d \u201cglory,\u201d etc., does not and should not authenticate anyone\u2019s ministry. Here, again, the final authority must be the Scriptures and not experience, signs and wonders, unusual activities, or strange noises.
\nThe strange phenomena that have infiltrated the church should not have surprised people who are truly into the Word, for in 1 Timothy 4:1, Paul declared:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But the Spirit says expressly, that in later times some shall fall away from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits and doctrines of demons, \u2026<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\nThere is, of course, biblical doctrine; but here, Paul is talking about the fact that Satan has his own system of doctrine, referred to as doctrines of demons. Those who become enamored with doctrines of demons end up giving heed to seducing spirits. What are these doctrines of demons? They are such doctrines that find no basis in the written Word of God and are only based on teachers\u2019 claiming to have received special, divine revelation from God that, therefore, must be accepted as new truth. Those who involve themselves in such doctrines of demons end up being seduced by demonic spirits. Again, there are those who will come and defend these actions based upon how happy, good, or joyful they feel, assuming that such good feelings must be of the Lord. But all this shows is that they have, indeed, been seduced by demons. Again, Satan would not be very successful in his program of deception if his strategy was to make people feel badly. That is not going to attract much of an audience. What will attract an audience is people who can do things to make one feel good, even if the feeling is nothing more than an emotional release; but if the feeling can be ascribed to a supernatural work of God, the recipient has been deceived.
\nThe Bible itself has given the major admonition by which one must judge all that claims to be of the Lord: the written Word of God. First Corinthians 4:6 states:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Now these things, brethren, I have in a figure transferred to myself and Apollos for your sakes; that in us ye might learn not to go beyond the things which are written; that no one of you be puffed up for the one against the other.<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\nAgain, it should be emphasized that Paul is saying this to a church which had a strong tendency to move towards the sensational and the experiential. But the focus on the experiential only showed that they were not spiritual, but carnal (1 Cor. 3:1\u20133). Paul must especially admonish a church of this nature not to go beyond the things which are written. That which is written, of course, is the Holy Scriptures. For any new manifestation or phenomenon, they must go back and test it by the Word of God. If it is something that goes beyond that which is written, then it must be rejected out of hand. It is sufficient to know that if it is not in Scripture, they have gone beyond that which is written and, therefore, it is already evident that this thing is not of God. What happens to those who do go beyond that which is written? Paul declares that they become puffed up for the one against the other. They develop a spiritual pride that is evident when they go around claiming to be able to judge the Word of God by their experience.
\nThere is one more Scripture that must be dealt with in this discussion, and that is 2 Timothy 3:12\u20134:4:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Yea, and all that would live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution. But evil men and imposters shall wax worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived. But you abide in the things which you have learned and have been assured of, knowing of whom you have learned them; and that from a babe you have known the sacred writings which are able to make you wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. Every scripture inspired of God is also profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for instruction which is in righteousness: that the man of God may be complete, furnished completely unto every good work. I charge you in the sight of God, and of Christ Jesus, who shall judge the living and the dead, and by his appearing and his kingdom: preach the word; be urgent in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching. For the time will come when they will not endure the sound doctrine; but having itching ears, will heap to themselves teachers after their own lusts; and will turn away their ears from the truth, and turn aside unto fables.<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\nPaul gives a simple message that is largely ignored by much of the modern movements today: those who seek to live godly lives will suffer persecution (v. 12). The truth is that health and wealth are not signs of divine favor or spirituality. Rather, it is being persecuted for the faith that is a sign of a truly godly person.
\nPaul, then, issues a warning that as time goes on there will be more and more false teachers who are truly imposters and who will go around deceiving others, many of whom will be deceived themselves (v. 13). They may well believe that they are \u201cGod\u2019s anointed\u201d and keep repeating it to their critics, but the fact remains that they have become deceived themselves and, therefore, proceed to deceive others as well.
\nSo what is it that will protect Timothy from being deceived by all these false teachers? Paul answers that question in verses 14\u201317. Timothy is encouraged to continue in what he has learned (v. 14), and what he has learned is that since he was a child, he has been trained in the sacred writings (v. 15). Notice that the same emphasis found in 1 Corinthians 4:6 is found here: the written Word of God, the sacred writings. There are two things that will keep Timothy from being deceived: his knowledge of the sacred writings, and his continuing to abide in the sacred writings. The word abide has the basic meaning, \u201cto make your home.\u201d He is to make his home in the sacred writings. His focus is not to be on any personal experiences, no matter how supernatural they may be; as already seen in Matthew 7:22\u201323, his focus should not be on signs and wonders that can lead to deception as well, but he must abide in the written Word of God. What Peter said in 2 Peter 1:20\u201321, Paul says in verse 16 that the Scriptures are the inspired Word of God and, therefore, are profitable in all areas. Just how profitable are the written Scriptures? Paul answers that question, saying that the Scriptures can make the man of God to be complete himself, while also making him furnished completely unto every good work (v. 17). What this verse is teaching must not be missed. The Scriptures are sufficient to make one thoroughly complete. The written Scriptures are able to thoroughly complete one and furnish one for every work that one needs to do. One can become spiritual and mature in the faith through the Scriptures alone. However, this will take the discipline of studying the Word of God, spending hours, days, weeks, and years of a lifetime to comprehend more and more of the Word of God. But in this technological age, people have become lazy and, therefore, seek the \u201cinstant breakfast\u201d approach to spirituality, sometimes even feeling they have become a god themselves. According to this passage, such experiences will not lead to spirituality, but instead will lead to being deceived and then continuing to deceive others as well.
\nBecause Timothy is knowledgeable of the Scriptures, because the Scriptures are able to thoroughly furnish him for every good work, Paul then admonishes Timothy to go ahead and do the work of the ministry\u2014reproving, rebuking, exhorting, and teaching (4:1\u20132). But this teaching is not done by any divine revelation outside of Scripture; rather, this is done by the written Word of God, as Paul already stated in 3:16.
\nThen, Paul again declares what will happen in the latter days and, unfortunately, what Paul described has, indeed, finally happened (vv. 3\u20134). Paul states that a day will come when believers will no longer be able to endure the sound doctrine (v. 3). What is sound doctrine? In contrast to the doctrines of demons (1 Tim. 4:1), which are doctrines based upon the experiential and the supernatural which go beyond that which is written, sound doctrine is that which is based upon and comes from the sacred writings. Indeed, we are living in a day when the majority of believers in our churches simply cannot endure sound doctrine. In place of expository teaching of the Word, there are, instead, \u201cChristian amusements parks\u201d and Christian talk shows that carry little, if any, doctrinal substance. A speaker who causes people to become hysterical or act like animals or fall down, can fill up entire stadiums with thousands upon thousands of people who will eventually be asked to empty their pockets for the offering. But one who comes to expound the Word of God, to impart an understanding of the Scriptures and sound doctrine, will draw a relatively tiny audience. Indeed, the time and day have arrived when men cannot endure sound doctrine. How will they try to meet their spiritual needs? Paul goes on to explain that they will heap to themselves teachers after their own lusts. In other words, they will pursue teachers who will tell them what they want to hear and not what they really need to hear (being persecuted for godly living is not something believers want to hear about); they will pursue teachers who will promise them supernatural experiences; they will pursue teachers who will promise them health and wealth by merely using a formula; teachers who promise materialism in a spiritually-wrapped package are the ones they will pursue. But they will strongly avoid having to sit through in-depth teaching of the Word of God. Indeed, that day has finally arrived. Most mega-churches today were not built up through expository teaching, but through entertainment. Church programs are based on what people want, not what they need. Paul tells us the result of not enduring sound doctrine and pursuing false teachers (v. 4): first, they will turn away their ears from the truth, and second, they will turn aside unto fables. Fables are teachings and doctrines outside of Scripture. As seen earlier, Peter said he did not follow cunningly devised fables, because what he was teaching and preaching was based upon the written Word of God, inspired by the Holy Spirit. The reason Timothy will not be swept aside to follow fables is because he is basing his entire life, teaching, and ministry on the sacred writings. Those who go beyond the things which are written will end up following after fables. Again, fables are teachings that are not found in Scripture, and therefore either originate with man or with the demonic world, and thereby become doctrines of demons. Fables are the false postulations of experiences and actions that are found nowhere in Scripture.
\nReturning to our original passage, the exhortation in Revelation 3:18\u201320 is a call to salvation. First, they are urged to seek spiritual wealth in the Messiah. Secondly, because they are spiritually naked, they are urged to receive the white garments of salvation from Jesus. Throughout the book of Revelation the white garments represent and symbolize salvation. In Revelation 3:4 these garments are on people considered worthy; in 3:5 they are coupled with not being blotted out of the Book of Life; in 6:11 they are seen as the garments of the saints in heaven; in Revelation 7:9, 13, and 14, the garments are white because they have been washed in the blood of the Lamb. The key problem in the Laodicean church is that they are spiritually naked and lack salvation. Therefore, they are urged to appropriate it from Jesus. Thirdly, because they are spiritually blinded, they are urged to seek Messiah\u2019s eye salve so that they can begin to see spiritually. There is no indication that this is a saved church. While all the other churches have had at least a small saved element in it, this church has none whatsoever. Hence, there is a complete absence of commendation for it.
\nVerse 20 emphasizes that the Messiah is outside this church, knocking. Jesus is not in any way within this church, for it is a totally unsaved church. The exhortation is to any individual in the apostate church to hear Messiah\u2019s voice and open his heart to Him, and then Messiah will enter and they will have fellowship. It is another exhortation to salvation.
\nThe promise is in verses 21\u201322. The one who overcomes the problem of apostasy and accepts Jesus is promised a share in the Messianic Kingdom.
\nWhat are the responsibilities of believers in the face of apostasy? First, believers are not to fellowship with apostates. On this point there has been too much extremism. It must be kept in mind that an apostate is not merely an unbeliever, nor is he merely a member of an apostate church. The apostate is one who is actively propagating within the local church the destructive denials of the Trinity, the Virgin Birth, the deity of the Son, and the Second Coming. The apostates about whom the Bible talks are not mere unbelievers, but are teachers of apostate doctrines who propagate their destructive denials. That the believer is not to fellowship with such an individual is spelled out in 2 John 7\u201311:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For many deceivers are gone forth into the world, even they that confess not that Jesus Christ came in the flesh. This is the deceiver and the antichrist. Look to yourselves, that ye lose not the things which we have wrought, but that ye receive a full reward. Whosoever goes onward and abides not in the teaching of Christ; has not God: he that abides in the teaching, the same has both the Father and the Son. If any one comes unto you, and brings not this teaching, receive him not into your house, and give him no greeting: for he that gives him greeting partakes in his evil works.<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\nThe second obligation concerns the apostate that is in the local church. If a member is found proclaiming a destructive denial, he is to be ousted from the church, as Paul stated in Galatians 1:8\u20139:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But though we, or an angel from heaven, should preach unto you any gospel other than that which we preached unto you, let him be anathema. As we have said before, so say I now again, if any man preaches unto you any gospel other than that which ye received, let him be anathema.<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\nThe third area of responsibility concerns the situation where apostates are in control of the leadership of the church and cannot be ousted. What should a believer do in this case? The obligation here is separation from the church, for he is to be separated from apostasy. In 2 Timothy 3:5, after characterizing apostates as having a form of godliness but denying the power thereof, Timothy is admonished: from these also turn away. Timothy was urged to separate himself from such apostasy.
\nA more extended treatment of this problem is found in 2 Corinthians 6:14\u20137:1:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Be not unequally yoked with unbelievers: for what fellowship have righteousness and iniquity? or what communion has light with darkness? And what concord has Christ with Belial? or what portion has a believer with an unbeliever? And what agreement has a temple of God with idols? for we are a temple of the living God; even as God said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. Wherefore come ye out from among them, and be ye separate, says the Lord, and touch no unclean thing; And I will receive you, And will be to you a Father, And ye shall be to me sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty. Having therefore these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all defilement of flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\nThis is an important passage, for it admonishes the believer to separate himself from the apostates and not to continue to worship with them in the assembly. Verse 14a has usually been used to refer to marriage between believers and unbelievers, but the context is dealing with a worship situation and not marriage. Worshiping with unbelievers is considered an unequal yoke.
\nVerses 14b\u201316a provide the reasons why this is an unequal yoke. It must be kept in mind that this is in a context of worship. Five questions are asked which, in the Greek, demand negative answers. Five terms are given around which the reasons revolve: fellowship, communion, concord, portion, and agreement. There can be no fellowship between unrighteousness and righteousness. Believers are a part of righteousness, whereas unbelievers are a part of iniquity, and there can be no fellowship between the two in the same church. Furthermore, there is no communion between light and darkness. Believers are of the light, but unbelievers are of the darkness. There is no common ground between the two. There can be no concord between Messiah and Satan. They have two separate areas of operation. They have two distinct programs. The believer is part of Messiah\u2019s program, while the unbeliever is part of Satan\u2019s program. The believer has no portion with unbelievers. One is destined for Heaven and the other is destined for Hell. Their two destinies are very different and in worship mutually exclusive. Finally, there is no agreement between the Temple of God and the temple of an idol. The believer is indwelt by the Holy Spirit, but the unbeliever is not. Because there is no fellowship, communion, concord, portion, or agreement in the area of worship, worshiping with an unbeliever is an unequal yoke.
\nIn verse 16b, Paul gives the basis for separation, that is, that we are the temple of God. Since we are the Temple of God, we are not to place ourselves in a worship situation with unbelievers.
\nIn 17a, the command of separation involves three phrases: First, come ye out from among them; second, be ye separate; and third, touch no unclean thing.
\nIn verses 17b\u201318, a promise is given to those who comply and separate themselves. Just as there are three phrases of separation, there are three statements of promises for those who obey: First, I will receive you; second, I will be to you a Father; and third, you will be to me sons and daughters.
\nIn 7:1 the passage concludes, urging the believer, on the basis of these promises, to follow through on his separation from apostasy where necessary.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u05d3<\/p>\n\n\n\n
FOUR<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Sequence of Pretribulational Events<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Great Tribulation is not imminent. The world stage has to be set in a certain way before the Tribulation can actually begin. A number of events are clearly stated to precede the Tribulation period. Some of these pretribulational events are simply prophesied as occurring some time before the Tribulation and are not related to any sequence of events. These will be discussed in the next two chapters. But this chapter is concerned with the chronological sequence of those events which can be traced and lead up to the Tribulation. The Tribulation will not begin until this sequence of events is completely worked out. All together nine such events can be deduced from the Scriptures. On one hand, these events come before the Tribulation; but on the other, they consecutively lead up to the Tribulation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A. World Wars I and II<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A question that is raised so many times in prophetic conferences is: \u201cAre we living in the last days?\u201d Invariably the answer is: \u201cYes!\u201d But when asked, \u201cHow do we know?\u201d, the answers tend to be rather general and usually rest on crises of these present days, and these crises change with the times. Often they are determined on the basis of how these crises affect the United States, as if that is the determining factor of what constitutes the last days. However, the true determination of where history is moving prophetically is not how world events affect the United States, but how they impact Jewish history since Israel is God\u2019s timepiece (Deut. 32:8\u20139). In this area many \u201cnewspaper exegetes\u201d have had a field day, seeing almost every major world event as a partial fulfillment of prophecy and another proof that these are indeed the last days. However, it is very dangerous to spend so much time and so much effort trying to fit so many events into areas of fulfilled prophecy. Prophecy must first be determined from the Scriptures and then applied to current events, rather than current events being taken and forced into some kind of scriptural passage. Only after one\u2019s eschatology has been developed exegetically from the Scriptures should current events be taken into account to see if there are any that are fulfilling prophecy. Only if the current events fit the demands of Scripture perfectly are these events to be identified as a fulfillment of prophecy. But to go to current events first and then, because of possible similarities, begin to identify these as partial fulfillments or as indications of future fulfillments is to engage in \u201cnewspaper exegesis\u201d rather than biblical exegesis.
\nNevertheless, these are the last days because certain pretribulational events have been fulfilled. The first is that of World War I followed by World War II. This is found in the Olivet Discourse in Matthew 24:1\u20138:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And Jesus went out from the temple, and was going on his way; and his disciples came to him to show him the buildings of the temple. But he answered and said unto them, See ye not all these things? verily I say unto you, There shall not be left here one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down. And as he sat on the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of your coming, and of the end of the world? And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man lead you astray. For many shall come in my name, saying, I am the Christ; and shall lead many astray. And ye shall hear of wars and rumors of wars; see that ye be not troubled: for these things must needs come to pass; but the end is not yet. For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; and there shall be famines and earthquakes in divers places. But all these things are the beginning of travail.<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\nThe background to the prophecy is found in verses 1\u20132. Following the denunciation of the Jewish religious leadership in chapter 23, and as a follow up of His statements in 23:37\u201339, in 24:1\u20132 Messiah pronounced doom on the Temple, a prophecy fulfilled in A.D. 70.
\nThis statement aroused questions in the minds of the disciples, and they approached Jesus with these three questions: first, When shall these things be?, i.e., the destruction of the Temple spoken of in verses 1\u20132; second, What shall be the sign of Your coming?; i.e., \u201cWhat is the sign that the Second Coming is about to occur?\u201d; and third, What shall be the sign of the end of the age? The first question is not answered in the Matthew account of the Olivet Discourse, but is found in the parallel passage of Luke 21:20\u201324. The second question is answered in Matthew 24:29\u201331.
\nIt is the third question that is of concern here: What shall be the sign of the end of the age? These are typical Jewish expressions of that time. The rabbis spoke of two ages: this age, and the age to come. \u201cThis age\u201d is the age in which we now live. \u201cThe age to come\u201d is the Messianic Age. Their question is: What is the sign that marks that the end of this age has indeed begun? What is the one single event that will determine that the last days have begun and that we are indeed living in the last days?
\nThis question is answered by Jesus, first negatively and then positively. Negatively, He first told them what will not be the sign that the end of the age has begun. This was followed positively by what the sign will indeed be.
\nVerses 4\u20136 contain the negative answer. He simply described what will be characteristic of this age, and none of these things mean that the end of the age has begun. First, in verses 4\u20135, the age will be characterized by false messiahs. But the rise of false messiahs in no way proves that the end has begun. Furthermore, in verse six, local wars in various parts of the world will also characterize this age. But this, too, does not mean that the end of the age has begun. So neither the rise of false messiahs, nor local wars in any part of the world indicate that the end of the age has begun. These are just general characteristics of this age: for these things must needs come to pass; but the end is not yet.
\nThe positive side of the answer is in verses 7\u20138, where He revealed the single event that will indicate that the end of the age has begun. This sign is said to be when nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. This is to be coupled with famines and earthquakes. It is clearly stated that these things are the beginning of travail. Throughout the prophetic portions of Scripture, the end days are pictured by the word travail, which means \u201cbirth pang,\u201d the pain a woman goes through before giving birth to a baby. Just as a woman goes through a series of birth pangs before giving birth to a child, even so the closing days of this age will go through a series of birth pangs before giving birth to the new age of the Kingdom. The use of the word travail will be noted a number of times as the prophetic Scriptures are studied in this work.
\nThe key factor, then, is to find out the meaning of the idiom, nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. This idiom, taken in the Jewish context of the day when it was spoken, points to a total conflict of the area in view. This idiom is found in two Old Testament passages.
\nFirst, it is found in Isaiah 19:1\u20134:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The burden of Egypt. Behold, Jehovah rides upon a swift cloud, and comes unto Egypt: and the idols of Egypt shall tremble at his presence; and the heart of Egypt shall melt in the midst of it. And I will stir up the Egyptians against the Egyptians: and they shall fight every one against his brother, and every one against his neighbor; city against city, and kingdom against kingdom. And the spirit of Egypt shall fail in the midst of it; and I will destroy the counsel thereof: and they shall seek unto the idols, and to the charmers, and to them that have familiar spirits, and to the wizards. And I will give over the Egyptians into the hand of a cruel lord; and a fierce king shall rule over them, says the Lord, Jehovah of hosts.<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\nIn this passage the land of Egypt is in view and the idiom points to a conflict all over the land of Egypt as the nation is engrossed in civil war.
\nThe second place is in 2 Chronicles 15:1\u20137:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And the Spirit of God came upon Azariah the son of Obed: and he went out to meet Asa, and said unto him, Hear ye me, Asa, and all Judah and Benjamin: Jehovah is with you, while ye are with him; and if ye seek him, he will be found of you; but if ye forsake him, he will forsake you. Now for a long season Israel was without the true God, and without a teaching priest, and without law: but when in their distress they turned unto Jehovah, the God of Israel, and sought him, he was found of them. And in those times there was no peace to him that went out, nor to him that came in; but great vexations were upon all the inhabitants of the lands. And they were broken in pieces, nation against nation, and city against city; for God did vex them with all adversity. But be ye strong, and let not your hands be slack; for your work shall be rewarded.<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\nIn this passage it is the Middle East that is in view, and the idiom points to conflict all over the Middle East. In the Olivet Discourse it is the whole world that is in view, as is clear from verses 14, 21, 30, and 31. Hence, the idiom refers to a worldwide conflict, and this worldwide conflict is the first birth pang, signifying that the last days have begun.
\nIn Jesus\u2019 day, the expression of nation against nation, kingdom against kingdom was a Jewish idiom of a world war preceding the coming of the Messiah. The Bereshit Rabbah states:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If you shall see kingdoms rising against each other in turn, then give heed and note the footsteps of the Messiah.<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\nThe Zohar Chadash states:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
At that time wars shall be stirred up in the world, Nation shall be against nation and city against city; much distress shall be renewed against the enemies of the Israelites.<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\nThe first time that such a worldwide conflict occurred was in the years 1914\u20131918 with World War I. Most historians agree that World War II was really a continuation of World War I. Both had a decisive impact on Jewish history. The events of the First World War provided the impetus for the growth of the Zionist Movement, while the Second World War set the stage for the establishment of the State of Israel.
\nThis worldwide conflict that signaled the beginning of the last days was to be coupled with famines and earthquakes. As far as famines are concerned, during the war years of 1918\u20131919, a pestilence killed 23 million people. In 1920, the Great Chinese Famine occurred, followed by the Great Russian Famine in 1921.
\nThe earthquake factor is even more interesting. According to the Encyclopedia Americana, between the years 63\u20131896 there were only 26 recorded earthquakes. Most of the world\u2019s earthquakes began to occur since 1900. In conjunction with World War I, there were several significant earthquakes: 1905 India\u201419,000 killed; 1906 Chile\u201420,000 killed; 1908 Italy\u201470,000\u2013100,000 killed; 1915 Italy\u201430,000 killed; 1917 Indonesia\u201415,000 killed; 1918 China\u201410,000 killed; 1920 China\u2014200,000 killed; 1923 Japan\u2014143,000 killed.
\nSubsequent and devastating earthquakes include: 1927 China\u2014200,000 killed; 1932 China\u201470,000 killed; 1933 China\u201410,000 killed; 1934 India\u201410,700 killed; 1935 Pakistan\u201430,000\u201360,000 killed; 1939 Chile\u201428,000 killed, Turkey\u201430,000 killed; 1948 Russia\u2014110,000 killed; 1960 Morocco\u201410,000\u201315,000 killed; 1962 Iran\u201412,000 killed; 1968 Iran\u201412,000\u201320,000 killed; 1970 China\u201410,000 killed, Peru\u201466,000 killed; 1974 China\u201420,000 killed; 1975 China\u201410,000 killed; 1976 Guatamala\u201423,000 killed, China\u2014255,000 killed, Philippines\u20148,000 killed; 1978 Iran\u201415,000 killed; 1988 Russia-Turkish Border\u201425,000 killed; 1990 Iran\u201440,000\u201350,000 killed; 1999 Turkey\u201415,600 killed.
\nThere has been a tremendous increase in earthquake activity in conjunction with World War I. The ones listed here are only the major ones with death rate of 10,000 or more. Added to this are a greater number with smaller death rates. One article gave the following figure:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In the first 1000 years after Jesus, there were approximately 5 recorded major earthquakes (although we are sure more occurred in remote locations). However, the trend has been on the increase:\n14th century, there were 157 major earthquakes.\n15th century, there were 174 major earthquakes.\n16th century, there were 253 major earthquakes.\n17th century, there were 278 major earthquakes.\n18th century, there were 640 major earthquakes.\n19th century, there were 2119 major earthquakes.\nNearly 900,000 earthquakes have been recorded thus far in the 20th century. An earthquake every hour!<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\nThe first sign or the first birth pang signifying that the last days of the age have begun was to be a worldwide conflict coupled with famines and earthquakes. This was fulfilled in 1914\u20131918. This also marks the first of the events leading up to the Tribulation period.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
B. The Reestablishment of Israel<\/p>\n\n\n\n
On the topic of the modern State of Israel in Bible prophecy, one will hear four views giving four different perspectives. The author holds to a fifth view.
\nThe first view is the view of Replacement Theology, particularly Amillenialism, which sees the modern Jewish State as purely an accident of history, totally unrelated to any type of Bible prophecy. This first view believes that when Israel rejected the Messiahship of Jesus, God was through with the Jewish people. Therefore, there are no unfulfilled prophecies for the Jewish people and there is no future final restoration. When Israel rejected the Messiah, all of God\u2019s covenantal promises were transferred to the Church; hence it is a theology of transference. Or, put differently, when Israel rejected the Messiah, the Church replaced Israel in God\u2019s standing; hence a theology of replacement. Thus, the Church is fulfilling Israel\u2019s promises. What about all those prophecies that speak of a worldwide regathering of the Jewish people? Their answer: these are not to be interpreted literally, but allegorically of the elect being brought into the Church until the Church is complete. Jews could be saved today, but they simply would be amalgamated into the larger Church; God has no future restoration for Israel as an ethnic people. And so nothing happening with Israel today is in any way related to prophecy. There is no future prophecy for Israel either, and so again the modern Jewish State is nothing but an accident of history.
\nThe second view takes the opposite view in that they do believe there will be a final restoration of Israel. They take these prophecies literally and believe that there will be a future final restoration of the Jewish people to the Promised Land. However, when they look at the modern Jewish State, they have a hard time fitting the modern Jewish State into Bible prophecy. The reason is that these prophecies describe the final regathering of Israel as a believing nation in the Messiah. The chronological sequence of these prophecies is: national repentance followed by national restoration. When they look at the present Jewish State, the vast majority are unbelievers in the Messiah; in fact, of the 5.1 million Jews in the Land today, only about four to five thousand, maximum, are Jewish believers. To make it worse, the vast majority of Israelis are not even Orthodox; they would class themselves quite secularly, either as atheistic or agnostic. This does not fit these prophecies as they read. These prophecies include: Deuteronomy 30:1\u20135; Isaiah 27:12\u201313; Ezekiel 39:25\u201329, et al. These prophecies clearly speak of a national salvation prior to a national restoration to the Land. So they disagree with the first view in that they do believe there will be such a future, final restoration. But they would agree with the first view that the modern Jewish State is an accident of history; it is not relevant to Bible prophecy at all.
\nThe third view claims that what is happening today is the final restoration of Israel; this is the beginning of the fulfillment of all those prophecies. There will be more and more Jews going back to the Land until all are back. At some point, they will undergo a national regeneration and salvation, and the Messiah will return. When asked about the prophecies that speak of a period of divine wrath and tribulation preceding this time, they would say that the Tribulation prophecies have already been fulfilled in the Holocaust. The Nazi Holocaust fulfilled all the prophecies about the Tribulation, and so there is no future Tribulation to come. It has already passed, and what we are seeing today is the final restoration. Emissaries of this third view are traveling around the world encouraging Jews to return. They also go to groups of Jewish believers, messianic fellowships and congregations, laying guilt trips on Jewish believers claiming that if they do not go back to Israel right away, they are living in sin. God is now calling all Jews, particularly Jewish believers in the Messiah, back to their Land. To live outside the Land, such as \u201cthe flesh-pots of America,\u201d would be living in sin. When asked for biblical passages to prove it, they refer to those prophecies where the prophets called the Jews to leave Babylon. They interpret these passages on Babylon not to be real Babylon past or future, but Babylon represents the United States of America. When one points out that these prophecies mention the Euphrates River, which is in Babylonia, they claim that the river is not really the Euphrates; it is the Hudson River in New York City! That would surprise prophets like Jeremiah, among others. And so, in this third view, this is the final restoration; this is the fulfillment of those prophecies, at least in the initial stages.
\nThe fourth view will be discussed later in this section.
\nWhat the first three views fail to observe is that when the Bible speaks of a worldwide regathering of the Jewish people, it actually speaks of two distinct worldwide regatherings. This is the fifth perspective. First, there is to be a worldwide regathering in unbelief in preparation for judgment; specifically, the judgment of the Tribulation. That is to be followed by a second worldwide regathering in faith in preparation for blessing, specifically, the blessing of the Messianic Kingdom.
\nThe prophecies that speak of the worldwide regathering in faith in preparation for blessing are discussed in chapter 19 on \u201cIsrael in the Messianic Kingdom.\u201d This section will focus on those prophecies that clearly speak of a worldwide regathering in unbelief in preparation for judgment. Once it is recognized that the Bible speaks of two such regatherings, it is easy to see how the present State of Israel fits into prophecy.
\nOne passage clearly dealing with a return in unbelief in preparation for judgment is found in Ezekiel 20:33\u201338:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
As I live, says the Lord Jehovah, surely with a mighty hand, and with an outstretched arm, and with wrath poured out, will I be king over you: and I will bring you out from the peoples, and will gather you out of the countries wherein ye are scattered, with a mighty hand, and with an outstretched arm, and with wrath poured out; and I will bring you into the wilderness of the peoples, and there will I enter into judgment with you face to face. Like as I entered into judgment with your fathers in the wilderness of the land of Egypt, so will I enter into judgment with you, says the Lord Jehovah. And I will cause you to pass under the rod, and I will bring you into the bond of the covenant; and I will purge out from among you the rebels, and them that transgress against me; I will bring them forth out of the land where they sojourn, but they shall not enter into the land of Israel: and ye shall know that I am Jehovah.<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\nIn these verses, Ezekiel draws a simile with the Exodus when, under Moses, God brought the entire nation of Israel out of the land of Egypt, and brought them into the wilderness of the Sinai Peninsula. God\u2019s plan and program for Israel at Sinai was to accomplish two things: first, they were to receive the Law of Moses; and second, they were to build a Tabernacle through which much of the Law could then be maintained. With these two things accomplished, they were to press on and enter into the Promised Land itself. But because of a series of rebellions and murmurings against God\u2019s revealed will, finally at the Oasis of Kadesh Barnea, which was right on the border of the Promised Land, God entered into judgment with His people. The divine judgment was that those who came out of Egypt would now have to continue wandering throughout the wilderness for forty years. During those forty years, all those who came out would die out, except for two righteous spies, and those below the age of twenty. So forty years later it was a new nation that was allowed to enter the Land under Joshua, a nation that was born as free men in the wilderness, not as slaves in Egypt. That historical frame of reference is the backdrop for the future. But this time, Ezekiel prophesies, God will regather His people from all parts of the world. It should be noted that it is a regathering out of wrath, and a gathering for wrath. They were gathered out of the wrath of the Holocaust. The events of the Nazi Holocaust, when six million Jewish people died, created the world stage for Israel to become a state, for the regathering in unbelief. That this gathering is not in faith, but in unbelief, is seen from the fact that this gathering is with a mighty hand, and with an outstretched arm, and with wrath poured out. This phrase is repeated twice and is found in verses 33 and 34. God\u2019s goal is that of Messianic Kingship, but the means of attaining it will be by wrath and judgment. This is a gathering both out of wrath and for wrath. This regathering in unbelief occurs after wrath has been poured out on the people. But because it is a regathering in unbelief, it is a regathering for a future time of wrath. In that future time of wrath, God will once again enter into judgment with His people, and will purge out the rebels among them. Those who remain will turn to the Lord; they will be brought into the bond of the covenant; specifically, the bond of the New Covenant (Jer. 31:31\u201334). They will be brought into national salvation. Then it will be a new nation, a regenerate nation, that will be allowed to enter the Land under King Messiah for the final restoration. In these verses, Ezekiel clearly describes a worldwide regathering in unbelief, from wrath and for wrath, in preparation for a specific period of judgment that will then lead to a national salvation, and in turn to their final restoration.
\nAnother passage making the same point is found in Ezekiel 22:17\u201322:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And the word of Jehovah came unto me, saying, Son of man, the house of Israel is become dross unto me: all of them are brass and tin and iron and lead, in the midst of the furnace; they are the dross of silver. Therefore thus says the Lord Jehovah: Because ye are all become dross, therefore, behold, I will gather you into the midst of Jerusalem. As they gather silver and brass and iron and lead and tin into the midst of the furnace, to blow the fire upon it, to melt it; so will I gather you in my anger and in my wrath, and I will lay you there, and melt you. Yea, I will gather you, and blow upon you with the fire of my wrath, and ye shall be melted in the midst thereof. As silver is melted in the midst of the furnace, so shall ye be melted in the midst thereof; and ye shall know that I, Jehovah, have poured out my wrath upon you.<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\nAgain, Ezekiel describes a regathering, this time focusing upon the City of Jerusalem. Jerusalem becomes the furnace of affliction, a common figure pointing to Israel\u2019s need for refining (Is. 1:22, 25; 48:10; Jer. 6:27\u201330; 9:7; Zech. 13:9; Mal. 3:2\u20133). Furthermore, it is also a regathering in unbelief because they are filled with the impurities of brass and iron and lead and tin. They are also regathered for a future time of wrath, when the wrath of God will be poured upon them for the purpose of melting them and to purify them. As a purified, believing nation, they will then turn to the Lord. Here again he speaks of worldwide regathering in unbelief in preparation for a specific future judgment, but the purpose of the judgment is to bring them to national repentance. Only then will they experience the final worldwide restoration in faith.
\nWhile primarily dealing with the regeneration of Israel, Ezekiel 36:22\u201324 nevertheless makes it clear that a regathering takes place before the regeneration:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Therefore say unto the house of Israel, Thus says the Lord Jehovah: I do not this for your sake, O house of Israel, but for my holy name, which ye have profaned among the nations, whither ye went. And I will sanctify my great name, which has been profaned among the nations, which ye have profaned in the midst of them; and the nations shall know that I am Jehovah, says the Lord Jehovah, when I shall be sanctified in you before their eyes. For I will take you from among the nations, and gather you out of all the countries, and will bring you into your own land.<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\nAnother passage dealing with the same question is found in Isaiah 11:11\u201312:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And it shall come to pass in that day, that the Lord will set his hand again the second time to recover the remnant of his people, that shall remain, from Assyria, and from Egypt, and from Pathros, and from Cush, and from Elam, and from Shinar, and from Hamath, and from the islands of the sea. And he will set up an ensign for the nations, and will assemble the outcasts of Israel, and gather together the dispersed of Judah from the four corners of the earth.<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\nIn this connection, the fourth view needs to be discussed. This view recognizes that there are two types of regathering prophecies: a regathering in unbelief and a regathering in faith. But then the fourth view goes on to say that we really cannot be sure that the present Jewish State, as we see it today, is a fulfillment of those prophecies that spoke of the regathering in unbelief. Why not? Because they believe that it is possible to have several regatherings in unbelief before there is the specific one that fulfills the prophecies just discussed. But this passage in Isaiah shows that is exactly what cannot be: there cannot be several regatherings in unbelief from the four corners of the earth. The entire context is Isaiah 11:11\u201312:6. In this context, he is speaking of the final worldwide regathering in faith in preparation for blessing. Isaiah numbers the final worldwide regathering in faith in preparation for the Messianic Kingdom as the second one. In other words, the last one is only the second one. If the last one is the second one, how many can there be before that? Only one. The first one could not have been the return from Babylon since that was not an international regathering from the four corners of the world, only a migration from one country (Babylonia) to another (Judea). The Bible does not allow for several worldwide regatherings in unbelief; it allows for one worldwide regathering in unbelief, followed by the last one, the one in faith, which is the second one. This text only permits two worldwide regatherings from the four corners of the earth. Therefore, the present Jewish State is very relevant to Bible prophecy.
\nSo far passages have been shown that speak of a regathering in unbelief in preparation for judgment as over against other passages that speak of a regathering in faith in preparation for blessing. But these passages have not specifically stated that this regathering in unbelief in preparation for judgment will occur before the Tribulation period. However, there are other passages that do pinpoint the regathering in unbelief as occurring before the Tribulation period.
\nOne such passage is Zephaniah 2:1\u20132:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Gather yourselves together, yea, gather together, O nation that has no shame; before the decree bring forth, before the day pass as the chaff, before the fierce anger of Jehovah come upon you, before the day of Jehovah\u2019s anger come upon you.<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\nIn the preceding section of Zephaniah 1:7\u201318, Zephaniah described some features of a time called the Day of Jehovah, or as other translations have it, the Day of the Lord. As will be shown in Chapter VIII, this term always describes the Great Tribulation. It is the most common Old Testament name for the Tribulation. Then in 2:1\u20132, Zephaniah speaks of an event that is to occur before the Day of Jehovah begins. In verse one, the nation of Israel is told to gather together. It is clear from this verse that this is a gathering in unbelief for it is a nation not yet ashamed of her sins. In verse two, the word before is used three times in relation to the preceding passage regarding the Tribulation. One of these \u201cbefores\u201d includes before the day of Jehovah itself. So while other texts speak of a regathering in unbelief in preparation for judgment, this passage clearly states that this regathering in unbelief will occur before the Tribulation actually begins.
\nAnother line of evidence can be mentioned at this point, but will be developed in Chapter 9. It concerns the beginning point of the Tribulation period. The Tribulation begins with the signing of the seven-year covenant (not with the Rapture). This covenant is made between the Antichrist and the leaders of Israel. Therefore, the signing of such a covenant presupposes a Jewish leadership of a Jewish State. Such a Jewish State has to exist before such a covenant is signed. This demands the existence of a Jewish State before the Tribulation.
\nThus, 1948 marked another birth pang of the last days. The restoration of the Jewish State is a fulfillment of those prophecies that spoke of a regathering in unbelief in preparation for judgment. It is another event leading up to the Tribulation and so sets the stage for several other pretribulational events.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
C. Jerusalem Under Jewish Control<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The third pretribulational event involves the Jewish control of Jerusalem. The fact that the Jewish State had to exist before the Tribulation does not necessarily require the total Jewish control of Jerusalem. After the end of the Israeli War of Independence in 1948\u20131949, Israeli forces were in control of West Jerusalem, the newer Jewish section. The Old City of Jerusalem (the biblical city) fell into the hands of the Jordanian Legion and was later annexed into the Hashemite kingdom of Jordan. So Jerusalem became a divided city and remained that way for the next 19 years.
\nNevertheless, prophetically speaking, the Old City of Jerusalem had to fall under Jewish control. This can be deduced from the prophecies dealing with the third Jewish Temple, sometimes known as the Tribulation Temple. There are four passages of Scripture that speak of a specific event in relation to the Tribulation Temple that will occur in the middle of the Tribulation. They are as follows:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And he shall make a firm covenant with many for one week: and in the middle of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease; and upon the wing of abominations shall come one that makes desolate; and even unto the full end, and that determined, shall wrath be poured out upon the desolate. (Dan. 9:27)\n\nWhen therefore ye see the abomination of desolation, which was spoken of through Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place (let him that reads understand). (Mat. 24:15)\n\nLet no man beguile you in any wise: for it will not be, except the falling away come first, and the man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition, he that opposes and exalts himself against all that is called God or that is worshipped; so that he sits in the temple of God, setting himself forth as God. (2 Thes. 2:3\u20134)\n\nAnd there was given me a reed like unto a rod: and one said, Rise, and measure the temple of God, and the altar, and them that worship therein. And the court which is without the temple leave without, and measure it not; for it has been given unto the nations: and the holy city shall they tread under foot forty and two months. (Rev. 11:1\u20132)<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\nAll these passages speak of the third Jewish Temple, namely the Tribulation Temple. More will be said concerning the Tribulation Temple in the next chapter. But for now, suffice it to say that the Jewish Temple will be rebuilt and will begin to function again, for these verses view the Jewish Temple as having been rebuilt and functioning. All these verses also presuppose Jewish control of the Temple Compound, and that presupposes Jewish control of the Old City of Jerusalem.
\nWhile none of these passages spell out a time factor as to when this was to occur, it was clearly fulfilled in the Six Day War and thus became the third birth pang. While the Six Day War itself was never predicted in the Scriptures, what it accomplished certainly was. The Six Day War brought about the fulfillment of the prophecy regarding the Jewish control of the Old City of Jerusalem. This is the third major pretribulational event.
\nWhile the first three of these events have already been fulfilled and are now a part of history, the next six pretribulational events are all future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
D. The Northern Alliance Invasion of Israel\u2014Ezekiel 38:1\u201339:16<\/p>\n\n\n\n
- The Exposition of the Passage<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n
Ezekiel 38:1\u201339:16 describes an invasion of Israel from the north and the subsequent destruction of the invading forces once they reach the area of the mountains of Israel. It will first be necessary to look at the details of this invasion and then deal with the controversial question as to when this invasion will take place. The passage will be approached with the questions of who, where, why, what, how, and when?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
a. The Alliance\u2014Ezekiel 38:1\u20136<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Concerning who, in Ezekiel 38:1\u20136 the prophet named the peoples involved in this invasion:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And the word of Jehovah came unto me, saying, Son of man, set your face toward Gog, of the land of Magog, the prince of Rosh, Meshech, and Tubal, and prophesy against him, and say, Thus says the Lord Jehovah: Behold, I am against you, O Gog, prince of Rosh, Meshech, and Tubal: and I will turn you about, and put hooks into your jaws, and I will bring you forth, and all thine army, horses and horsemen, all of them clothed in full armor, a great company with buckler and shield, all of them handling swords; Persia, Cush, and Put with them, all of them with shield and helmet; Gomer, and all his hordes; the house of Togarmah in the uttermost parts of the north, and all his hordes; even many peoples with you.<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\nIn verses 1\u20134, attention is centered on Gog, leader of the land of Magog. He is the prince of Rosh, Meshech, and Tubal. Who Gog will be can only be determined at the time of the invasion, for \u201cGog\u201d is not a proper name but a title for the ruler of Magog, just as the terms \u201cpharaoh,\u201d \u201ckaiser,\u201d and \u201cczar\u201d were titles for rulers and not proper names. Whoever is ruling this alliance at the time of the invasion will be Ezekiel\u2019s Gog. The identification of Magog, Rosh, Meshech, and Tubal is to be determined from the fact that these tribes of the ancient world occupied the areas of modern-day Russia. Magog, Meshech, and Tubal were between the Black and Caspian Seas, which today is southern Russia. It also includes part of Iran and Turkey. According to some, the tribes of Meshech and Tubal later gave names to cities that today bear the names of Moscow, the capital, and Tobolsk, a major city in the Urals in Siberia. Rosh was in what is now northern Russia. The name Rosh is the basis for the modern name Russia. These names, then, cover the modern territories of northern and southern Russia in Europe and Siberia to the east in Asia. The modern nation of Russia encompasses all these areas of Ezekiel. As if to avoid any further possible doubt, verse six adds that these come from the uttermost parts of the north. This is repeated in 38:15 and 39:2. From Israel the uttermost parts of the north is Russia, with Moscow being almost a straight line due north from Jerusalem. Hence, Russia is the leader of the northern confederacy, with Gog as the leader of Russia. This has also been the rabbinic view. The Artscroll Commentary on Ezekiel states:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Gaonim had a tradition that these controls were indeed located in Russia \u2026 One tradition passed down from the Vilna Gaon states: When the Russian navy passes through the Bospores (that is, on the way to Dardanelles), it will be time to put on Sabbath clothes (in anticipation of the coming of the Messiah).<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\nIn the Gog and Magog war, Messiah the son of Joseph will be killed which will then bring the coming of the Messiah the son of David.
\nBut Russia is not alone in the invasion of Israel. She is part of a confederacy and the leader of it. Other nations involved are listed in verses 5\u20136. Involved in the confederacy is Persia, or present-day Iran. Once, Iran was generally pro-western and pro-Israel; after the Khomeini Islamic revolution, Iran became anti-western and anti-Israel and more within the Russian sphere of influence. At the time of this revision, Israel considers Iran as its most dangerous enemy. Another nation involved is called Cush. There were two places that had that name. One was in Mesopotamia (Gen. 2:13). But all other usages of this word refer to Ethiopia. While looking at current events, it is tempting to identify it with the Mesopotamian countries of Syria and Iraq, consistency with the usage of the word \u201cCush\u201d elsewhere in the Scriptures demands its identification with Ethiopia. Current events must never be the means of interpreting the Scriptures, but the Scriptures must interpret current events.
\nPut is mentioned next, which is not Libya (for which the name Lub would be used), but Somaliland or Somalia. Somalia borders Ethiopia. This is followed by Gomer, located in present-day Germany. This too was the rabbinic view. The Midrash calls Gomer Germania and that is also the way the Talmud refers to Gomer. The last name is Togarmah, which is present-day Armenia. Verse six adds the phrase, even many peoples with you. This phrase may simply define the numbers of the nations already mentioned, or it may include other nations not mentioned. In all probability, it is the former that is meant. In answer as to who is involved in this confederacy, it is Russia and the allied states of Iran, Ethiopia, Somalia, Germany, and Armenia.
\nOne interesting observation is that not a single Arab nation participates in this invasion. While some of the nations listed here are Moslem, they are not Arab. Another observation is that these nations are geographically located both north and south of Israel, but it is Russia that is the controlling nation and allied with Moslem, but non-Arab, states. The invasion itself is from the north. A common error made in previous interpretations of this passage has been the assumption that this was a communist invasion. The fall of communism in Eastern Europe has caused many to abandon the \u201cRussian\u201d interpretation of this passage. But there is no need to do so. It should be noted that the text never describes the type of government when this invasion occurs. It does not indicate whether it is a monarchy, socialistic, communistic, democratic, or dictatorial government. The focus is on the geography, not the type of government. While the names of these geographical areas have changed over the centuries (e.g., Persia to Iran), and may change again, the geography itself remains intact. Regardless of what names they may carry at the time of this invasion, it is these very geographical areas that are involved. Although the leading nation may have once been called the Soviet Union, and more recently the Commonwealth of Independent States, and traditionally Russia, it is this territory\u2014by whatever name it may be called at that time\u2014that will lead this invasion. The Orthodox Jewish commentary Artscroll on Ezekiel 38:2 makes this observation:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYerushalayim Megillah 3:7, which renders Magog as Gutiya (or Gutya, \u2026) the Goths, a group of nomadic tribes who destroyed the Scythians and made their home in Scythian territory.\n\nConsidering that the Goths were a Germanic people, the identification of Magog\u2019s descendants as the Goths in accord with Targum Yonasan to Genesis 10:2, which renders Magog as Geramemia, which in Bereshit Rabbah 37:1 is given as Germanya.\u201d<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\nThe cup of iniquity of Russia is almost full. With this invasion it will overflow, and this will precipitate God\u2019s judgment on Russia. It is God Who is in control; it is He who is bringing the invasion about. Thus, while studying this passage, one should note the sovereignty of God in this invasion. This will be the means by which God will punish Russia for her sins. The key sin is her long history of anti-Semitism, a problem that persists in Russia to this day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
b. The Object of the Invasion\u2014Ezekiel 38:7\u20139<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The next section of this passage, Ezekiel 38:7\u20139, answers the question as to where the invasion takes place:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Be you prepared, yea, prepare yourself, you, and all your companies that are assembled unto you, and be you a guard unto them. After many days you shall be visited: in the latter years you shall come into the land that is brought back from the sword, that is gathered out of many peoples, upon the mountains of Israel, which have been a continual waste; but it is brought forth out of the peoples, and they shall dwell securely, all of them. And you shall ascend, you shall come like a storm, you shall be like a cloud to cover the land, you, and all your hordes, and many peoples with you.<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\nThis passage continues to address Gog as the leader of this confederacy (v. 7). In verse eight, the specific place where the invasion takes place is stated to be the Land of Israel, more specifically in the mountains of Israel. Then verse nine describes the massiveness of the invasion, picturing it as a storm cloud that covers the entire Land. This is another passage that shows the necessity of the establishment of the Jewish State and also a regathering in unbelief. Israel has to be a state before this invasion can occur. Regardless of one\u2019s viewpoint as to when this invasion occurs, each viewpoint does require the preexistence of the Jewish State. Furthermore, Israel in this passage is regathered in unbelief, for only after the invasion do many in Israel turn to the Lord. So yet another passage demands a restored Jewish State in unbelief. Verse eight describes this Jewish State as being first, a land brought back from the sword; second, a land that is gathered out of many peoples; third, a land with mountains that have been a continual waste; and fourth, a land that is brought forth out of the peoples. Ezekiel is not describing an Israel that ever existed in ancient times, but all these statements are true of present-day Israel. This began occurring toward the end of the nineteenth century, culminating with statehood in 1948. Since then, the waste places have been rebuilt and resettled on a more massive scale.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
c. Gog\u2019s Goal\u2014Ezekiel 38:10\u201313<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The next section, in Ezekiel 38:10\u201313, answers the question as to why this invasion takes place on the part of Russia:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Thus says the Lord Jehovah: It shall come to pass in that day, that things shall come into your mind, and you shall devise an evil device: and you shall say, I will go up to the land of unwalled villages; I will go to them that are at rest, that dwell securely, all of them dwelling without walls, and having neither bars nor gates; to take the spoil and to take the prey; to turn your hand against the waste places that are now inhabited, and against the people that are gathered out of the nations, that have gotten cattle and goods, that dwell in the middle of the earth. Sheba, and Dedan, and the merchants of Tarshish, with all the young lions thereof, shall say unto you, Are you come to take the spoil? have you assembled your company to take the prey? to carry away silver and gold, to take away cattle and goods, to take great spoil?<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\nThe key reason for the Russian invasion is the matter of spoil (vv. 10\u201312). Exactly what Israel has that Russia would want is not spelled out in the text. The text simply mentions cattle and goods and silver and gold, but these are general Old Testament references for spoils of war. Much speculation has been involved in what it is that Israel has that Russia would want. One of the more popular reasons given is that of the Dead Sea, which contains 45 billion tons of sodium, chlorine, sulfur, potassium, calcium, magnesium, and bromide. But Russia could also obtain the Dead Sea by invading Jordan. Another reason centers on the oil crisis, with the abundance of oil in the Middle East. The purpose of the invasion might be to gain a solid foothold in the Middle East. A Russian takeover of Israel would give Russia such a foothold without overly upsetting the Arabs, since they would be in favor of the destruction of Israel even if it means a Russian army in the area. However, while it may be true that the Arabs would like to see Israel destroyed, it is not true they would look favorably on a Russian occupation force in the Middle East. There have been other suggestions; however, the text itself is silent as to the content of the spoils. But for the spoils Russia invades. Whatever the publicly stated reasons for this invasion may be, the actual reason will be Russia\u2019s own self interest. It is stated in verse ten that the invasion is premeditated by the Russians, for they devise an evil device and resolve to invade for the purpose of spoils (vv. 11\u201312).
\nIn verse 13, a second group of nations are listed as protesting this invasion, for they recognize it to be an invasion for spoil and for nothing else. Sheba and Dedan are countries in northern Arabia, which shows that at least some of the Arab states will not favor the Russian presence in the Middle East. Another nation named is Tarshish, followed by the phrase with all the young lions thereof. This phrase is a Hebrew idiom meaning nations that have come out of Tarshish. The Revised Standard Version translates the idiom as all its villages and it is close to the mark. But while the idiom is clear, the real issue is the identity of Tarshish from which the other nations come out. Three such places are known in history. One was located on the east coast of Africa, but the exact location is unknown. Nor has that particular area spawned other nations. The second place was in Spain, founded by the city of Tyre. If this is the Tarshish of Ezekiel, the nations spawned would include those of Central and South America, except for Brazil. The third location was in England, and if this is what was meant by Tarshish, it would include the United States of America, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and other present-day western democracies. It might include the British Commonwealth of Nations. If any conclusion can be reached on Ezekiel\u2019s usage elsewhere, the identification would have to be Spain and the Spanish-speaking world of the western hemisphere. Since Spain was somewhat involved in settling and discovering the North American coastline, it could include the United States. But historically, Spain cannot really be credited with the United States as England can. Regardless of the exact identity of Tarshish, it is this group that issues a protest. However, it does not go beyond the protest stage. Russia succeeds in invading, and then the invading army is disposed of with no help from the protestors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
d. God\u2019s Goal\u2014Ezekiel 38:14\u201316<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In Ezekiel 38:14\u201316, the invasion is seen as having begun and further answers the question as to why, but this time it is seen from God\u2019s viewpoint:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Therefore, son of man, prophesy, and say unto Gog, Thus says the Lord Jehovah: In that day when my people Israel dwell securely, shall you not know it? And you shall come from your place out of the uttermost parts of the north, you, and many peoples with you, all of them riding upon horses, a great company and a mighty army; and you shall come up against my people Israel, as a cloud to cover the land: it shall come to pass in the latter days, that I will bring you against my land, that the nations may know me, when I shall be sanctified in you, O Gog, before their eyes.<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\nIn verses 14\u201316a, the invasion begins and the confederate army covers the land like a storm cloud in massive swarms. Hence, there is initial success on the part of Russia. In verse 16b, God\u2019s reason is given for allowing this invasion to occur, as over against Russia\u2019s reasons given in the preceding verses: that He might be sanctified in the eyes of the nations in light of what is about to occur.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
e. The Destruction of the Invaders\u2014Ezekiel 38:17\u201323<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Having described God\u2019s purpose, the answer to the questions of what and how are answered in Ezekiel 38:17\u201323:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Thus says the Lord Jehovah: Are you he of whom I spoke in old time by my servants the prophets of Israel, that prophesied in those days for many years that I would bring you against them? And it shall come to pass in that day, when Gog shall come against the land of Israel, says the Lord Jehovah, that my wrath shall come up into my nostrils. For in my jealousy and in the fire of my wrath have I spoken, Surely in that day there shall be a great shaking in the land of Israel; so that the fishes of the sea, and the birds of the heavens, and the beasts of the field, and all creeping things that creep upon the earth, and all the men that are upon the face of the earth, shall shake at my presence, and the mountains shall be thrown down, and the steep places shall fall, and every wall shall fall to the ground. And I will call for a sword against him unto all my mountains, says the Lord Jehovah: every man\u2019s sword shall be against his brother. And with pestilence and with blood will I enter into judgment with him; and I will rain upon him, and upon his hordes, and upon the many peoples that are with him, an overflowing shower, and great hailstones, fire, and brimstone. And I will magnify myself, and sanctify myself, and I will make myself known in the eyes of many nations; and they shall know that I am Jehovah.<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\nAs to the question of what, with the Russian invasion of Israel, the cup of iniquity is full, for the apple of God\u2019s eye is touched, and the Wife of Jehovah is violated, arousing God\u2019s anger so that He moves out in judgment (vv. 17\u201318) to destroy the invading army. This is followed by the answer to the question of how the invading army is disposed of and destroyed. Several causes are listed: earthquake (vv. 19\u201320); civil war breaking out among the invading soldiers themselves (v. 21); pestilence, blood, flood, hailstones, fire, and brimstone (v. 22). Since these things totally destroy the invading army without the aid of other nations, God\u2019s purpose is seen as succeeding in its objective. God is indeed sanctified in the eyes of many people (v. 23).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
f. The Place of the Destruction\u2014Ezekiel 39:1\u20136<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Ezekiel 39:1\u201316 follows The Law of Recurrence (see Chapter I), giving further details to the information found in chapter 38. In 39:1\u20135 there is a further description of the invasion and its subsequent destruction:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And you, son of man, prophesy against Gog, and say, Thus says the Lord Jehovah: Behold, I am against you, O Gog, prince of Rosh, Meshech, and Tubal: and I will turn you about, and will lead you on, and will cause you to come up from the uttermost parts of the north; and I will bring you upon the mountains of Israel; and I will smite your bow out of your left hand, and will cause thine arrows to fall out of your right hand. You shall fall upon the mountains of Israel, you, and all your hordes, and the peoples that are with you: I will give you unto the ravenous birds of every sort, and to the beasts of the field to be devoured. You shall fall upon the open field; for I have spoken it, says the Lord Jehovah.<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\nThe new information added is found in verses two and four, where the armies are said to fall specifically on the mountains of Israel. They extend the length of the center of the country, beginning at the southern point of the Valley of Jezreel at the town of Jenin in Galilee (biblical Ein Ganim), and continuing south until they peter out at a point north of Beersheba in the Negev. These mountains contain the famous biblical cities of Dothan, Shechem, Samaria, Shiloh, Bethel, Ai, Ramah, Bethlehem, Hebron, Debir, and most importantly, Jerusalem, which seems to be the goal of this invading army.
\nHere is another example where the Six Day War has set the stage for the fulfillment of prophecy. Up to the Six Day War in 1967 all of the mountains of Israel, except for a small corridor of West Jerusalem, were entirely in the hands of the Jordanian Arabs. Only since 1967 have the mountains of Israel been in Israel, thus setting the stage for the fulfillment of this prophecy.
\nAnother thing to notice is the mistranslation found in the King James Version of verse two. The King James Version indicates that one-sixth of the invading army is left alive. This is not found in the Hebrew text and has not been translated that way by subsequent translations. It is not true that one-sixth of the invading army will be left alive. The entire invading army will be destroyed when they invade Israel and nothing will remain, not even one-sixth.
\nIn Ezekiel 39:6 another dimension is added to the Russian invasion:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And I will send a fire on Magog, and on them that dwell securely in the isles; and they shall know that I am Jehovah.<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\nNot only is the Russian and allied army destroyed in Israel, but the land of Russia itself is devastated by the raining of brimstone, causing much destruction in the nation itself. It will cause Russia to cease being a political force in world affairs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
g. The Sanctification of God\u2019s Name\u2014Ezekiel 39:7\u20138<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Ezekiel 39:7\u20138 adds that not only will God\u2019s name be sanctified among the Gentile nations, but in Israel as well:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And my holy name will I make known in the midst of my people Israel; neither will I suffer my holy name to be profaned any more: and the nations shall know that I am Jehovah, the Holy One in Israel. Behold, it comes, and it shall be done, says the Lord Jehovah; this is the day whereof I have spoken.<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\nThus, a revival occurs in Israel, causing many Jews to turn to the Lord.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
h. The Seven Years of Burning\u2014Ezekiel 39:9\u201310<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The rest of the section provides the grand finale of the invasion. In Ezekiel 39:9\u201310 it states that it will take seven years to dismantle all the military equipment left behind, which in turn will be used for fuel:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And they that dwell in the cities of Israel shall go forth, and shall make fires of the weapons and burn them, both the shields and the bucklers, the bows and the arrows, and the handstaves, and the spears, and they shall make fires of them seven years; so that they shall take no wood out of the field, neither cut down any out of the forests; for they shall make fires of the weapons; and they shall plunder those that plundered them, and rob those that robbed them, says the Lord Jehovah.<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\ni. The Seven Months of Burial\u2014Ezekiel 39:11\u201316<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Finally, in Ezekiel 39:11\u201316 there is a description of the burying of the dead for seven months:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And it shall come to pass in that day, that I will give unto Gog a place for burial in Israel, the valley of them that pass through on the east of the sea; and it shall stop them that pass through: and there shall they bury Gog and all his multitude; and they shall call it The valley of Hamon-gog. And seven months shall the house of Israel be burying them, that they may cleanse the land. Yea, all the people of the land shall bury them; and it shall be to them a renown in the day that I shall be glorified, says the Lord Jehovah. And they shall set apart men of continual employment, that shall pass through the land, and, with them that pass through, those that bury them that remain upon the face of the land, to cleanse it: after the end of seven months shall they search. And they that pass through the land shall pass through; and when any sees a man\u2019s bone, then shall he set up a sign by it, till the buriers have buried it in the valley of Hamon-gog. And Hamonah shall also be the name of a city. Thus shall they cleanse the land.<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\nThe burial place will be in one of the valleys east of the Mediterranean Sea (v. 11), which would put it in the Jordan Valley above the Dead Sea, and will be renamed accordingly. It will take seven months to accomplish the job (vv. 12\u201313). Since the armies are destroyed in the mountains of Israel, many of the bodies will fall in crevices where they will not be easily found, and so special details will be employed by the government for the seven months to search out these bodies for burial in the special valley (vv. 14\u201315). Overlooking the cemetery a new city will be built and named Hamonah, which means \u201cmultitude.\u201d (v. 16).
\nThese seven months of burying and seven years of burning are crucial in determining when this invasion occurs. For any view to be correct, it must satisfy the requirements of these seven months and seven years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
- The Timing of the Invasion<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n
The most controversial question is when; when in the chronology of prophecy will this event occur? It is obvious from where the event is placed in this work that the author views the Russian invasion as taking place some time before the Tribulation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
a. Basic Observations<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In determining the issue of when, certain clues are to be found in the text. In 38:8, 11\u201312, and 14, the invasion takes place when, first, Israel is a state again; second, the waste places of past centuries are again inhabited; third, Israel is dwelling in unwalled villages, a good description of present-day kibbutzim; and fourth, Israel is dwelling securely. As will be shown later, nowhere in the entire text does it speak of Israel as living in peace. Rather, Israel is merely living in security, which means \u201cconfidence,\u201d regardless of whether it is during a state of war or peace.
\nThere is nothing in the various descriptions of Israel given in this passage that is not true of Israel today. So, as far as where Israel stands today, she completely fulfills all the requirements given in the description of Israel in this passage. From this standpoint, the invasion can occur at any time, including some time before the Tribulation.
\nFurthermore, there is the problem of the seven years and the seven months which must be taken into account in resolving the issue of when.
\nThere are four major views as to when this invasion will occur. The opposing views will be looked at first along with their bases, followed by the objections against their views. Then, in conclusion, reasons will be given as to why this invasion would best be viewed as occurring before the Tribulation period. Objections to this view will be answered.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
b. The Midtribulation View<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The first view held by some key prophetic Bible teachers puts this invasion in the middle of the Tribulation period. There is a twofold basis for this position. First, the dwelling securely is said to refer to a time of peace resulting from Israel\u2019s covenant with the Antichrist in Daniel 9:27. Second, this invasion is viewed as being the same as that of the king of the north in Daniel 11:40.
\nHowever, there are objections to this view. First, the term to dwell securely, as will be shown later, does not necessarily have to indicate peace. Second, it is hard to see why God would intervene at this point on Israel\u2019s behalf and then immediately allow the events of the second half of the Tribulation to commence, doing a great amount of damage to Israel. Third, it is agreed with those holding this position that the events described in Daniel 11:40 take place in the middle of the Tribulation. But it is wrong to identify the king of the north of Daniel 11:40 with Gog of Ezekiel 38:1\u201339:16. Throughout the Book of Daniel references are made to the king of the south and the king of the north. Consistently, the former is applied to Egypt, including the reference in verse 40. The latter is consistently applied to Syria, except when the exponents of this view come to verse 40; then they ascribe the reference to Russia and so identify it with Ezekiel 38 and 39. However, context and consistency would demand that the reference apply to Syria. The invasion of Daniel 11:40 is distinct from the Ezekiel 38 and 39 invasion. It is inconsistent and faulty exegesis to make the king of the north throughout the Book of Daniel refer to Syria and yet make 11:40 be the one exception in order to connect it with the Russian invasion and put the latter at the middle of the Tribulation. Fourth, this view fails to solve the problem of the seven months and seven years. This view would require that the seven months of burying take place during the second half of the Tribulation, a time when the Jews are in flight and are not able to bury their own dead, let alone those of the Russians. In the chapter dealing with the events of the middle of the Tribulation, the Jewish situation will be discussed in greater detail. The state of the Jews in the middle of the Tribulation will not permit seven months of burial and building a new city, too. Regarding the seven years of burning, this view would require the Jews to be burning weapons during the second half of Tribulation, when Jews are fleeing out of the Land. They would also have to continue burning them for 3\u00bd years into the Millennium, which is inconsistent with Messiah\u2019s cleansing of the Land and the renovation which results. The problems the Jews will face during the second half of the Tribulation would cause them to try to preserve and salvage these weapons rather than to burn them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
c. The Posttribulation\/Armageddon View<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A second major view is that this invasion will take place at the end of the Tribulation period. The key basis of this position is identifying this invasion as the Campaign of Armageddon. Since the Campaign of Armageddon does indeed take place at the end of the Tribulation, and since Ezekiel 38 and 39 are viewed as being part of it by those who hold this view, they have concluded that the Russian invasion will occur at the end of the Tribulation.
\nHowever, there are a number of problems with this view. The key objection lies in the clear distinction between the Ezekiel 38\u201339 invasion and Armageddon. First, in Ezekiel there are definite allies mentioned and they are limited in number, while other nations stand in opposition. In the Campaign of Armageddon, all nations are allied together against Jerusalem without exception. Second, the Ezekiel invasion comes from the north, but the Armageddon invasion comes from the whole earth. Third, the purpose of the Russian invasion is to take the spoil; the purpose of the Armageddon Campaign is to destroy all the Jews. Fourth, in the Ezekiel invasion, there is a protest against the invasion; in the Armageddon Campaign, there is no protest because all the nations are involved. Fifth, the Ezekiel invasion is destroyed through convulsions of nature; the Armageddon invasion is destroyed by the personal Second Coming of Jesus the Messiah. Sixth, the Ezekiel invasion is destroyed on the mountains of Israel; the Armageddon Campaign is destroyed in the area between Petra and Jerusalem. Seventh, the Russian invasion takes place while Israel is living securely in the Land; the Armageddon Campaign takes place while Israel is in flight and in hiding.
\nFurthermore, this view fails to solve the problem of the seven months and seven years, since both would have to continue into the Millennium to be accomplished. Again, this is inconsistent with other revelation regarding the Kingdom, which starts out with a thoroughly cleansed earth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
d. The Interlude View<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A third major view is to put this invasion in the interlude between the Tribulation and the Millennium. The basis of this position is the assumption that there is to be a period of time after the Second Coming and after Israel is restored but before the actual Kingdom is set up.
\nBut there are objections to this view. First, this view is based on the assumption of a period of time between the Second Coming and the establishment of the Millennial Kingdom. The fact that there will be an interlude is easily accepted, since there are a number of things which need to be accomplished before the actual institution of the Millennium, such as the judgment of the Gentiles, the resurrection of the Old Testament and Tribulation saints, etc. There will, indeed, be an interlude. But the problem is that if this view is to be consistent, it must make this interlude seven years long. However, Daniel 12:12 limits the interlude to just 75 days. The second half of the Tribulation is declared to be 42 months or 1,260 days long, which is the same as saying 3\u00bd years. Daniel 12:7 refers to it as a time, times, and a half. Daniel 12:11 states that there will be a total of 1,290 days during which time the Temple will be desecrated. In other words, the Temple\u2019s desecration will extend 30 days beyond the 3\u00bd year period. However, in Daniel 12:12 those who manage to make it to the 1,335th day (an additional 45 days) are promised a unique blessing which could hardly be anything else but the Millennium. That many will not make it to this day is clear from other Scriptures, since they are killed in the interlude. But the interlude is limited to 75 days only, and this is not enough time for all the events of Ezekiel to transpire. Second, the main problem with this view is that it fails to give a satisfactory answer to the problem of the seven months and seven years. Seven months of burial is a total of 210 days. This would mean that the burial would continue for at least 135 days into the Millennium depending on when during the interlude the invasion takes place. This is not consistent with the mass of Scripture describing the Millennium and Israel. Added to this are the seven years of the burning of the weapons which make this view impossible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
e. End of Millennium View<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A fourth major view puts it at the end of the Millennium. The key basis of this view is to identify this invasion as the same as that mentioned in Revelation 20:7\u20139.
\nBut there are two key objections to this view. First, the Ezekiel invasion comes from the north; the Revelation invasion comes from all over the world. Second, this view also fails to answer the problem of the seven months and the seven years. This earth is done away with soon after the invasion mentioned in Revelation, not allowing any time (or place!) for seven months of burial or seven years of burning. It would require the burying and burning to continue into the Eternal Order.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
f. The Pretribulation View<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The fifth major view, which is the view of this author, is that the Russian invasion will occur before the Tribulation actually begins. From the text of Ezekiel 38:1\u201339:16, this view arrives at certain conclusions. First, Israel is established before the Tribulation and is dwelling securely. Second, the Russian confederacy invades Israel during this time of security before the Tribulation. Third, the confederacy is destroyed in Israel before the Tribulation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
(1) Support<\/p>\n\n\n\n
There are several points supporting this view. First, the description of Israel found in this passage fits well with the nation as she is now, established before the Tribulation. Israel is a land brought back from the sword (38:8). After 1900 years, 46 invasions, and the War of Independence, the Land is Jewish again and free from foreign domination. This nation is gathered from many nations and peoples (38:8, 12). The Jews in Israel today come from 80\u201390 different nations. The continual waste places are now inhabited (38:8, 12). The Israelis today are rebuilding the ancient places and turning them into modern towns and cities. They dwell securely (38:11, 14). This has often been misconstrued as meaning a state of peace, but this is not the meaning of the Hebrew root batach. The nominal form of this root means \u201csecurity.\u201d This is not the security due to a state of peace, but a security due to confidence in their own strength. This, too, is a good description of Israel today. The Israeli army has fought four major wars since its founding and won them swiftly each time. Today Israel is secure, confident that her army can repel any invasion from the Arab states. Hence, Israel is dwelling securely. Israel is dwelling in unwalled villages (38:11). This is very descriptive of the present-day kibbutzim in Israel.
\nSecond, Russia today, in spite of the fall of communism, is still a major world power before the Tribulation. Her rise to this position coincided with the reestablishment of Israel following World War II.
\nThird, this view best answers the problem of the seven months and seven years. Putting this invasion in the beginning of the Tribulation presents no real problem with the seven months, but it does have problems with the seven years. This would put it at a time when Israel would be in flight and would not have time to finish the burning of the weapons. The middle of the Tribulation view has problems with both the seven months and the seven years. The seven months would extend into the second half of the Tribulation, a time when Israel has to worry about her own dead, let alone the Russians. The seven years would extend throughout the rest of the Tribulation and 3\u00bd years into the Millennium, making it inconsistent with the biblical view of the Millennium. Furthermore, Israel would need these weapons in the second half of the Tribulation. The end of the Tribulation view has problems with both the seven months and the seven years, since both would extend into the Millennium. The interlude view or beginning of the Millennium view has problems with both the seven months and the seven years, since both would extend into the Millennium due to the fact that the interlude is only 75 days. The end of the Millennium view has problems with both seven months and the seven years. The seven months of burial seem pointless when there is a resurrection after the invasion. The seven years would have to extend into the Eternal Order, an impossibility since there is a whole new earth created. Therefore, the before the Tribulation view is the only one which has no problems with either the seven months or the seven years. The Jews continue to dwell in the Land after this invasion and remain there until the middle of the Tribulation. Hence, the seven months of burial is no problem. The seven years also create no problem since they would begin before the Tribulation and can extend as far as the middle of the Tribulation if at all necessary. According to this view, this invasion must take place at least 3\u00bd years or more before the Tribulation starts.
\nThese are the strengths of this particular view. However, there are objections raised to this particular view, and these will now have to be answered.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
(2) Objections<\/p>\n\n\n\n
One objection states that the Ezekiel 38\u201339 passage is in the restoration section of Ezekiel. The answer is that this is true, but which restoration? the partial in unbelief? or the final in faith? It would seem to be the partial one in unbelief. Faith begins in Israel only after this invasion. The chronology of the Book of Ezekiel would hardly be a problem for this view. The restoration in faith is covered by Ezekiel 40\u201348.
\nA second objection, and the one most commonly used, is that \u201cdwelling safely\u201d or \u201csecurely\u201d as used in the Old Testament always refers to millennial peace and security\u2014something that Israel will not receive before the Tribulation. However, this is an overstatement. While it is true that the term \u201cdwell securely\u201d is used of life in the Millennium, this is true only of the minority of cases and not at all true of the majority. A list of references where this is not true includes: Leviticus 25:18, 19; 26:5; Deuteronomy 12:10; 1 Samuel 12:11; 1 Kings 4:25; Psalm 4:8; 16:9; Proverbs 1:33; 3:23, 29; Isaiah 47:8; Jeremiah 49:31; and Zephaniah 2:15. The Jeremiah reference is particularly significant since it uses the very same phrases that are found in Ezekiel 38:11. This phrase is used more in non-millennial contexts than in millennial ones.
\nA third objection states that this contradicts the doctrine of imminency. However, stating that something must precede the Tribulation is not the same as stating that it must precede the Rapture unless it is further stated that the Rapture begins the Tribulation. However, the act that begins the Tribulation is not the Rapture, but the signing of the seven-year covenant and nothing else. The pretribulation view asserts that the invasion will occur before the signing of the seven-year covenant. This does not destroy any argument of imminency, because the Rapture may still come even before this. This view does not state that this invasion will occur before the Rapture; it only asserts that this invasion will occur before the Tribulation. The Rapture is both imminent and pretribulational. All this means is that the Rapture can occur at any time between now and the signing of the seven-year covenant. It does not mean that the Rapture begins the Tribulation. So then, to say that the invasion takes place before the Tribulation does not negate imminency since it is not the Rapture which begins the Tribulation. Another way of showing this is to use these questions: Could the Rapture have come before 1948? The answer is \u201cyes,\u201d because the Rapture is imminent. However, could the Tribulation have come before 1948? The answer is \u201cno,\u201d because there was no Jewish State and government to sign the covenant which would begin the Tribulation. Believing that Israel had to be established before the Tribulation was never an argument against imminency. Neither is the belief that the invasion comes before the Tribulation an argument against imminency. The author of this book holds to a pretribulation Rapture and believes that the Rapture is imminent. Believing that the Russian invasion also occurs before the Tribulation in no way destroys the argument of imminency for it is not the Rapture which begins the Tribulation.
\nA fourth objection states: How could Israel apostatize so soon again after the nation has had a revival? But the real problem is why this should even be a problem. This was often true in Old Testament history. There was speedy apostasy of Israel following the various miracles of the Exodus and the recognition of God at Sinai. There was speedy apostasy after the revivals of Hezekiah and Josiah. There was a speedy apostasy at Nineveh after the city repented under Jonah. This has happened before, and there is no problem with it happening again.
\nA fifth objection states that this event happens in the latter days and years. But these terms simply apply to the whole period of the end times when prophecy is again being fulfilled, and so it can very easily apply to the closing days of the Church Age as well. However, this objection is really based on the faulty assumption that this view holds to a pre-Rapture position, which is not true. This is a position of a pretribulation invasion, but not a pre-Rapture invasion.
\nA sixth and final objection states that Israel will not gain any title to the Land nor have the right to return till she signs the covenant with the Antichrist. Building on this statement, those who hold this opinion go on to state that this view would have to say that the covenant is signed before the Rapture. The latter is still based on the confusion as to what this view actually states. It has already been shown that this view does not state that the invasion comes before the Rapture. Actually this objection is a little ridiculous. In what possible way could the covenant with the Antichrist give the Jews the right to return that the United Nations did not? Israel already possesses the title of the Land and has possessed it since God made His covenant with Abraham. Furthermore, the United Nations recognized Israel in 1948, and Jews have had the right to return since then. And Jews are returning. Israel\u2019s right to return will not be based on her covenant with the Antichrist any more than it is based on the full recognition by the United Nations. Israel\u2019s title to the Land is based on the Abrahamic Covenant. The Scriptures predict a regathering before the Tribulation in unbelief in preparation for judgment. It is God Who is doing the moving, and it is God Who is bringing the Jews back into the Land, and this is enough for Israel\u2019s right to the Land. A covenant with the Antichrist will hardly give Israel the right to return. Israel is back in the Land before the Tribulation, and hence, this invasion could take place before the Tribulation.
\nSo from all these facts, this author concludes that the pretribulational view is by far the best view. The Russian invasion is another birth pang that will occur before the Tribulation begins.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
E. The One World Government<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The next three events leading up to the Tribulation are to be picked up from the previous study of the Times of the Gentiles. These events are all to be found in Daniel 7:23\u201324:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Thus he said, The fourth beast shall be a fourth kingdom upon earth, which shall be diverse from all the kingdoms, and shall devour the whole earth, and shall tread it down, and break it in pieces. And as for the ten horns, out of this kingdom shall ten kings arise: and another shall arise after them; and he shall be diverse from the former, and he shall put down three kings.<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\nThe fifth birth pang leading up to the Tribulation is the development of a one world government (v. 23). The Fourth Gentile Empire was to continue until it eventually devoured the whole world. The Roman Empire is hardly a fulfillment of this prophecy, nor can refuge be sought in stating that Rome conquered all of the then known world, for this, too, is untrue. Reasons for this were given in Chapter 2.
\nReviewing from the study on the Times of the Gentiles, the Fourth Gentile Empire, the Empire of Imperialism, after the first stage of the Roman Empire, eventually split into an east-west division. The east-west axis is a balance of power. The eastern balance of power is now centered in Russia and the Moslem block of nations, while the western balance of power is with the democracies.
\nBut some day this east-west division will give way to a one world government. In light of Ezekiel 38:1\u201339:16, the eastern balance of power will collapse with the fall of Russian forces and her Moslem allies in Israel and the destruction of Russia itself. With the eastern power destroyed, this will open the way for a one world government.
\nAs to the exact nature of this government, nothing is stated. It will be a form of imperialism, of course, but whether this will be in the form of the United Nations or the form of a select leadership is unknown. But that this one world government will occur and devour the whole world is clear. This will be the fifth birth pang.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
F. The Ten Kingdoms<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This one world government will eventually split up into ten kingdoms, according to Daniel 7:24a:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And as for the ten horns, out of this kingdom shall ten kings arise \u2026<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\nIn recent years much speculation has centered on the European Common Market, and more recently, on the European Union (EU). According to the usual scenario portrayed, there is to be a revival of the old Roman Empire composed of a confederacy of ten European states.
\nEschatology based on \u201cnewspaper exegesis\u201d attempts to prove itself from current events. But the Scriptures do not speak of the Ten Kingdoms in this fashion. Textually, after the world falls under the One World Government, then and only then does the One World Government split up into ten kingdoms. But these ten kingdoms cover the whole world, and not Europe alone. The sixth birth pang will be this division of the One World Empire into ten kingdoms with ten kings who will rule the world. At best, the Common Market or European Union might become one of the ten, but could hardly become all ten.
\nBeginning before the Tribulation, this Ten Kingdom Stage will continue into the middle of the Tribulation, and it will be the sixth birth pang.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
G. The Rise of the Antichrist<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Following the division of the world into ten kingdoms, the Antichrist will begin his rise to power in Daniel 7:24b:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And another shall arise after them; and he shall be diverse from the former, and he shall put down three kings.<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\nThat there was to be a revelation of the identity of the Antichrist before the Tribulation is clear from 2 Thessalonians 2:1\u20133:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Now we beseech you, brethren, touching the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and our gathering together unto him; to the end that ye be not quickly shaken from your mind, nor yet be troubled, either by spirit, or by word, or by epistle as from us, as that the day of the Lord is just at hand; let no man beguile you in any wise: for it will not be, except the falling away come first, and the man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition, \u2026<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\nIn this passage, two events are said to occur before the day of the Lord, which always refers to the Tribulation. The first is the apostasy which was discussed earlier. The second is the revelation of the man of sin and the son of perdition. This revelation as to the identity of the Antichrist will come before the Tribulation, and it will come at the time after the world has been divided into ten kingdoms. It will be the seventh birth pang.
\nExactly how the Antichrist will be identified is not stated. Perhaps it will be determined by the numerical value of his name (to be discussed in Chapter 11) or by some other means. But he will be known. The Antichrist\u2019s rise to power before the Tribulation is a biblical necessity. Since the Tribulation begins with the signing of the seven-year covenant between Israel and the Antichrist, it is necessary for the Antichrist to be in sufficient political power to sign such a covenant.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
H. The Period of Peace and False Security<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Another event leading up to Tribulation is found in 1 Thessalonians 5:1\u20133:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But concerning the times and the seasons, brethren, ye have no need that anything be written unto you. For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so comes as a thief in the night. When they are saying, Peace and safety, then sudden destruction comes upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall in no wise escape.<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\nOnce again, the term the day of the Lord is found, which is a reference to the Tribulation. At a time when men are saying, Peace and safety, the destruction of the Tribulation suddenly hits with devastating force. This fact will require this period to come just before the act that initiates the Tribulation itself. So while all the world is under the Ten Kingdoms and the Antichrist is rising to power, there will be a period of peace and false security. But this will be shattered by the Tribulation. Once again, the travail motif is found in verse three. This is the eighth birth pang leading up to the Tribulation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I. The Seven-year Covenant<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The ninth event leading up to and beginning the Tribulation is the signing of the seven-year covenant between Israel and the Antichrist. This will be dealt with in Chapter 9, but at this point it should be emphasized that it is not the Rapture that begins the Tribulation, but the signing of the seven-year covenant. Keeping this in mind will prevent many misunderstandings concerning the belief in the imminency of the Rapture. It is not the Rapture but the seven-year covenant that will begin the Tribulation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Summary<\/p>\n\n\n\n
These are the nine events leading up to the Tribulation that can be traced in a sequence. There are other events, however, which are also stated to be pretribulational but that cannot at this time be placed in any sequence of events. It is these events that are the concern of the next two chapters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u05d4<\/p>\n\n\n\n
FIVE<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Other Pretribulational Events<\/p>\n\n\n\n
While some of the events stated to be pretribulational can be placed in a chronological sequence of events, others cannot be so placed until they occur. One of these is the Rapture, which will be discussed in a later chapter. This chapter will be concerned with other pretribulational events that cannot at this time be placed in any sequential order.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A. Blackout I<\/p>\n\n\n\n
During the end time period, including the last days of the Church Age, as well as the Tribulation, the Scriptures speak of five blackouts that will occur. A blackout means that the light of the sun, moon, and stars is suddenly blacked out so that the earth is not receiving any light from these sources and is in total darkness. It will be similar to the blackout of Egypt which took place during one of the ten plagues, as described in Exodus 10:21\u201323:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And Jehovah said unto Moses, Stretch out your hand toward heaven, that there may be darkness over the land of Egypt, even darkness which may be felt. And Moses stretched forth his hand toward heaven; and there was a thick darkness in all the land of Egypt three days; they saw not one another, neither rose any one from his place for three days: but all the children of Israel had light in their dwellings.<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\nAnother example of such a blackout happened during the crucifixion, in Matthew 27:45:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Now from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land until the ninth hour.<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\nThe first of these five blackouts is clearly prophesied to occur before the Tribulation in Joel 2:31:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and terrible day of Jehovah comes.<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\nAgain, the term the Day of Jehovah is used, which is always a name for the Tribulation. The first blackout is to take place beforehand. So at some point before the Tribulation, one of these worldwide blackouts will occur.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
B. The Return of Elijah<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Another event clearly predicted to occur before the Tribulation is the return of Elijah, in Malachi 4:5\u20136:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the great and terrible day of Jehovah come. And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers; lest I come and smite the earth with a curse.<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\nVerse five pinpoints the return of Elijah as coming before the Day of Jehovah, namely before the Tribulation. Verse six goes on to describe the nature of Elijah\u2019s ministry when he returns, that of a Jewish family reunion program. The Jewish family unit, strong for so many centuries, has in these last days begun to break down and, according to the prophetic word, will continue to break down. The ministry of Elijah is to restore this unity in preparation for the Second Coming of the Messiah.
\nThere is a great deal of confusion concerning the relationship of Elijah to John the Baptist. It should be kept in mind that the return of Elijah was never promised before the First Coming of Messiah. Elijah was only promised to come before the Second Coming of Messiah and before the Tribulation itself. However, a forerunner was predicted before the First Coming of Messiah in Malachi 3:1:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Behold, I send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me: and the Lord, whom ye seek, will suddenly come to his temple; and the messenger of the covenant, whom ye desire, behold, he comes, says Jehovah of hosts.<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\nThe coming of a forerunner before the First Coming of Messiah was also predicted in Isaiah 40:3\u20135:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The voice of one that cries, Prepare ye in the wilderness the way of Jehovah; make level in the desert a highway for our God. Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be made low; and the uneven shall be made level, and the rough places a plain: and the glory of Jehovah shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together; for the mouth of Jehovah has spoken it.<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\nJohn the Baptist was clearly the fulfillment of these passages, as stated in Matthew 3:1\u20136:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And in those days comes John the Baptist, preaching in the wilderness of Judaea, saying, Repent ye; for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. For this is he that was spoken of through Isaiah the prophet, saying, The voice of one crying in the wilderness. Make ye ready the way of the Lord, Make his paths straight. Now John himself had his raiment of camel\u2019s hair, and a leathern girdle about his loins; and his food was locusts and wild honey. Then went out unto him Jerusalem, and all Judaea, and all the region around about the Jordan; and they were baptized of him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins.<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\nMatthew 11:7\u201310 makes the same point:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And as these went their way, Jesus began to say unto the multitudes concerning John, What went ye out into the wilderness to behold? a reed shaken with the wind? But what went ye out to see? a man clothed in soft raiment? Behold, they that wear soft raiment are in king\u2019s houses. But wherefore went ye out? to see a prophet? Yea, I say unto you, and much more than a prophet. This is he, of whom it is written, Behold, I send my messenger before your face, Who shall prepare your way before you.<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\nThe same is true in John 1:23:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He said, I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness. Make straight the way of the Lord, as said Isaiah the prophet.<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\nBut while John the Baptist fulfilled those prophecies concerning the forerunner before the First Coming of Messiah, he was not Elijah who was promised before the Second Coming. This becomes clear when all the relevant passages are taken into account.
\nOne important passage bearing on this question is found in John 1:19\u201323:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And this is the witness of John, when the Jews sent unto him from Jerusalem priests and Levites to ask him, Who are you? And he confessed, and denied not; and he confessed, I am not the Christ. And they asked him, What then? Are you Elijah? And he said, I am not. Are you the prophet? And he answered, No. They said therefore unto him, Who are you? that we may give an answer to them that sent us. What say you of yourself? He said, I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness, Make straight the way of the Lord, as said Isaiah the prophet.<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\nIn this passage John the Baptist makes it clear that he is not Elijah. He never claimed to be Elijah, and when asked, he denied it. He only claimed to be the fulfillment of the Isaiah prophecy.
\nThe next passage is found in Matthew 17:9\u201313:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And as they were coming down from the mountain, Jesus commanded them, saying, Tell the vision to no man, until the Son of man be risen from the dead. And his disciples asked him, saying, Why then say the scribes that Elijah must first come? And he answered and said, Elijah indeed comes, and shall restore all things: but I say unto you, that Elijah is come already, and they knew him not, but did unto him whatsoever they would. Even so shall the Son of man also suffer of them. Then understood the disciples that he spoke unto them of John the Baptist.<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\nIn answer to the disciples\u2019 question regarding the coming of Elijah, the Messiah first of all states, in the future tense, that Elijah will indeed come to restore all things, which is a strong allusion to his ministry mentioned in Malachi 4:6. But this was a promise in relation to the Second Coming and not the First Coming. Hence, Elijah is yet to come to do the ministry of restoration. The disciples\u2019 confusion at this stage was due to the fact that they did not yet understand the twofold coming of the Messiah and were still expecting Messiah to set up the Kingdom at that time. The parallel passage in Mark 9:9\u201313 adds the point that if Elijah had come before the First Coming and restored all things, then all the prophecies of the sufferings of the First Coming would remain unfulfilled. Elijah will indeed come first, but first before the Second Coming, not before the First Coming. John the Baptist did not accomplish the ministry of restoration Elijah was to accomplish.
\nBut then Messiah adds that in one sense John the Baptist was Elijah. In what sense? Two other passages answer that. The first is in Matthew 11:11\u201314:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Verily I say unto you, Among them that are born of women there has not arisen a greater than John the Baptist: yea he that is but little in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he. And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and men of violence take it by force. For all the prophets and the law prophesied until John. And if ye are willing to receive it, this is Elijah, that is to come.<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\nTo understand what is being said, it should be noted that Messiah is preaching the good news of the Kingdom (vv. 11\u201312). If Israel would receive it, that is, the Kingdom, then John the Baptist would have fulfilled the function of Elijah and would have accomplished the ministry of restoration. But the Kingdom was rejected, and hence, John the Baptist did not fulfill the function of Elijah; thus, Elijah is yet to come to accomplish the work of restoration.
\nThe second passage answering the question as to what way John the Baptist was Elijah is in Luke 1:13\u201317:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But the angel said unto him, Fear not, Zacharias: because your supplication is heard, and your wife Elisabeth shall bear you a son, and you shall call his name John. And you shall have joy and gladness; and many shall rejoice at his birth. For he shall be great in the sight of the Lord, and he shall drink no wine nor strong drink; and he shall be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother\u2019s womb. And many of the children of Israel shall he turn unto the Lord their God. And he shall go before his face in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to walk in the wisdom of the just; to make ready for the Lord a people prepared for him.<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\nIn announcing the coming birth of John the Baptist, the angel declares that he will come in the spirit and power of Elijah.
\nConsolidating what these verses are saying, some time before the Tribulation Elijah the Prophet will return to do his work of restoration. Thus, Elijah will serve as a forerunner of Messiah\u2019s Second Coming in the same way John the Baptist was the forerunner of Messiah\u2019s First Coming. John was a type of Elijah in that he came in the spirit and power of Elijah. If Israel had accepted the message, then John the Baptist would have accomplished the function of Elijah, which was the work of restoration. However, John the Baptist and the Messiah were both rejected, and so Elijah is yet to come to perform the work of restoration before the Tribulation.
\nAs with the first blackout, it is not possible to pinpoint at this time exactly when Elijah will come before the Tribulation. Therefore, it is impossible to place his coming in any sequence of events.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
C. The Third Temple?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This is presented with a question mark because the biblical data is not sufficient to date the rebuilding of the Jewish Temple as before the Tribulation with any certainty. The Tribulation Temple is mentioned in four passages of Scripture. The first is found in Daniel 9:27:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And he shall make a firm covenant with many for one week: and in the middle of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease; and upon the wing of abominations shall come one that makes desolate; and even unto the full end, and that determined, shall wrath be poured out upon the desolate.<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\nThe second passage is Matthew 24:15:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
When therefore ye see the abomination of desolation, which was spoken of through Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place (let him that reads understand), \u2026<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\nThe third passage is found in 2 Thessalonians 2:3\u20134:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Let no man beguile you in any wise: for it will not be, except the falling away come first, and the man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition, he that opposes and exalts himself against all that is called God or that is worshipped; so that he sits in the temple of God, setting himself forth as God.<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\nThe fourth passage is found in Revelation 11:1\u20132:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And there was given me a reed like unto a rod: and one said, Rise, and measure the temple of God, and the altar, and them that worship therein. And the court which is without the temple leave without, and measure it not; for it has been given unto the nations: and the holy city shall they tread under foot forty and two months.<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\nAll four passages describe events which occur in relation to the Jewish Temple. In all of them the events described take place in the middle of the Tribulation, the details of which will be discussed in Chapter 11, The Events of the Middle of the Tribulation. The point to be noted for now is that by the time of the middle of the Tribulation period, the Tribulation Temple is standing and functioning, and it has been functioning for at least a little while before the midpoint of the Tribulation. This requires that the Temple be rebuilt some time before the middle of the Tribulation. This allows for only two options. The Temple must be rebuilt either before the Tribulation or during the first half of the Tribulation. It is impossible with this data to dogmatically state when the Temple will be rebuilt more precisely. Hence, the rebuilding of the Temple before the Tribulation can only be stated as a possibility, for it is also possible that the Temple will be rebuilt during the first half of the Tribulation. What these texts do make clear is that the Temple is built and functioning by the time of the middle of the Tribulation.
\nOnce the Temple is rebuilt, the sacrificial system of the Mosaic Law will be reinstituted. However, this Temple receives no sanction from God. This is clear from Isaiah 66:1\u20136:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Thus says Jehovah, Heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool: what manner of house will ye build unto me? and what place shall be my rest? For all these things had my hand made, and so all these things came to be, says Jehovah: but to this man will I look, even to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit, and that trembles at my word. He that kills an ox is as he that slays a man; he that sacrifices a lamb, as he that breaks a dog\u2019s neck; he that offers an oblation, as he that offers swine\u2019s blood, he that burns frankincense, as he that blesses an idol. Yea, they have chosen their own ways, and their soul delights in their abominations: I also will choose their delusions, and will bring their fears upon them; because when I called, none did answer; when I spoke, they did not hear: but they did that which was evil in my eyes, and chose that wherein I delighted not. Hear the word of Jehovah, ye that tremble at his word: Your brethren that hate you, that cast you out for my name\u2019s sake, have said, Let Jehovah be glorified, that we may see your joy; but it is they that shall be put to shame. A voice of tumult from the city, a voice from the temple, a voice of Jehovah that renders recompense to his enemies.<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\nIsaiah speaks of a house or temple being built for God which He does not sanction. It cannot refer to Solomon\u2019s Temple or the Temple built by Zerubbabel, because God did sanction both of them. Nor can it refer to the Millennial Temple. That one will be built by Messiah, and God will certainly sanction it. Therefore, the only temple that this could refer to is the Tribulation Temple. So Isaiah the Prophet foresees the building of a temple that God will not sanction. What God wants Israel to do at this time is to return to Him in faith, not merely to build Him a house. This passage begins with a protest from God, Who makes it clear that no temple built by Israel at this time will be acceptable, for God will not come and reside in this one (v. 1) as He did in the first Temple. What God will require at this time is not a new temple, but faith (v. 2). He will not accept these reinstituted Levitical sacrifices any more than He would accept human sacrifices, swine, or idolatry in the Old Testament (v. 3). The very fact that they will build this temple shows their failure to listen to God\u2019s word (v. 4) and come to God by faith in Jesus the Messiah. Then Isaiah has a word of encouragement to those faithful Jews who will not participate in the rebuilding of the Temple (v. 5), but are seeking to do God\u2019s will. So there will be a faithful remnant who will not participate in the rebuilding of the Jewish Temple for the Tribulation. Finally, Isaiah states that this new Temple will only end in judgment (v. 6) and not in forgiveness of sin or acceptable worship.
Two other things should be mentioned in regard to the third Temple. First, the Six Day War set the stage for the fulfillment of this prophecy in 1967, for until that time the Temple Compound was under Arab control. During the Six Day War, the Temple area fell into Jewish control. At the time of this writing there are no efforts being made to rebuild the Temple, in spite of much rumor to the contrary. The Six Day War has at least made possible the rebuilding of the Temple, and this possibility exists for the first time in centuries.
A second thing that should be noted about the Third Temple concerns the Tribe of Levi. The Tribe of Levi was the only tribe permitted by Mosaic Law to take care of the Temple and conduct the sacrificial system. It is interesting to note that while all the other eleven tribes have lost their tribal identity since the records were destroyed in A.D. 70, the Tribe of Levi has not. Unless a Jew is a member of the Tribe of Levi, he is unable to know from which tribe he is a descendant. The Tribe of Levi has kept their identity. Jews having names such as Levi, Levy, Levin, Levine, Leventhal, Levinson, Cohen, and other comparable names are members of the Tribe of Levi. For the purpose of conducting sacrifice, only the Tribe of Levi matters. It is not important to know who the members of the other tribes are, but it is very important to know who the Levites are, and the Tribe of Levi is known.
So in every way, the stage is set for the Temple to be rebuilt, and it is possible that it will be rebuilt before the Tribulation. If it is not, then it will certainly be rebuilt during the first part of the Tribulation; by the middle of the Tribulation the Temple must be built and functioning and been in operation for a little while.
In any question dealing with the rebuilding of the Temple, the question of the Moslem Dome of the Rock enters the picture. The Dome of the Rock is in the Temple area, possibly on the spot of the old Temple site of the previous two Temples. In the opinion of some, the Dome of the Rock will have to be removed at some point. In the opinion of others, there is enough room in the Temple Compound to permit the rebuilding of the Jewish Temple without needing to tear down the Dome of the Rock. A novel theory that has arisen in recent years is that the Arabs might give up trying to get Jerusalem back and will simply move the Dome of the Rock to a better locality. The point that is missed by those who think this way is that it is not the Dome itself that is holy to Islam, but it is the site itself that is holy. In Moslem tradition the Dome of the Rock is built over the spot where they say Mohammed ascended into Heaven. It is not the building itself that is holy to Islam, but it is the rock that is holy and is commemorated by the building. Thus, it is rather foolish to think that the Arabs would consent to move the Dome of the Rock. Still another novel theory of recent vintage is that the Temple will be rebuilt completely away from the Temple area. This is also based upon a misunderstanding of Jewish law and Jewish thinking. The Jews would not accept a new Jewish State anywhere but in Israel; nor will the Jews accept a new Jewish Temple anywhere but in the Temple Compound. So the Dome of the Rock remains a problem, and there is much speculation concerning it.
On this question of the Dome of the Rock, the Bible is silent. That the Temple will be rebuilt is the clear teaching of Scripture. Only the passing of history will reveal how and where in the Temple area this will come about.
Also relevant to the Tribulation Temple is the fact that two other things have developed in recent years. One group, based in the Jewish Quarter of the Old City, is in the process of making the furnishings for the next Temple. A second group, located in the Moslem Quarter of the Old City, is training Cohens, descendants of the Aaronic line, in how to perform the sacrificial rites. So while the Temple itself is not yet being rebuilt, other preparations for the Temple are being made.
This chapter, then, has dealt with two events that will clearly come before the Tribulation, with the possibility of a third event, none of which can be put in a chronological sequence of events. However, there is another event that is stated to be pretribulational, but also cannot be placed in a sequence of events. This is the Rapture of the Church, and it is the topic of the following chapter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u05d5<\/p>\n\n\n\n
SIX<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Eschatology of the Invisible Church<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The invisible or Universal Church is composed of all true believers, whereas the visible church can be composed of both unbelievers and believers. The eschatology of the visible church was discussed in a previous chapter. The eschatology of the invisible Church rightly belongs to the study of pretribulational events.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A. Definition<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A definition of what actually constitutes the invisible Church will help to understand exactly who is involved in the Rapture. A clear definition can be deduced from five passages.
\nFirst, in Colossians 1:18, the Church is stated to be the Body of the Messiah:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence.<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\nSecond, the composition of this Body, that is, the Church, is given in Ephesians 2:11\u201316:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Wherefore remember, that once ye, the Gentiles in the flesh, who are called Uncircumcision by that which is called Circumcision, in the flesh, made by hands; that ye were at that time separate from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of the promise, having no hope and without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus ye that once were far off are made nigh in the blood of Christ. For he is our peace, who made both one, and brake down the middle wall of partition, having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; that he might create in himself of the two one new man, so making peace; and might reconcile them both in one body unto God through the cross, having slain the enmity thereby.<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\nThe composition of the Church, the Body of the Messiah, is a combination of Jews and Gentiles united together by faith in Jesus. This passage makes clear that there is no such thing as a Gentile church any more than there is a Jewish one. Until Messiah died, there were only two entities: Israel (Jews) and the Gentiles. But now there is a third entity, the one new man, which is defined as one body, which is the Church. The Church is not Jewish or Gentile, but Jew-Gentile, comprised of believers from Israel and believers from the Gentiles, united into a new entity: the Church. Yet both retain their ethnic identity. This is true unity without uniformity. Thus, the Gentiles are fellow-heirs, and fellow-members of the body, and fellow-partakers of the promise of Christ Jesus through the gospel (Eph. 3:6). The Gentiles are fellow-partakers, but not takers-over. A major purpose of the Church Age is a calling out from among the Gentiles by the gospel, according to Acts 15:14:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Symeon has rehearsed how first God visited the Gentiles, to take out of them a people for his name.<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\nAccording to Romans 11:25\u201327, this calling out of the Gentiles will continue until the full number of Gentiles that God has ordained for the Church has been reached:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For I would not, brethren, have you ignorant of this mystery, lest ye be wise in your own conceits, that a hardening in part has befallen Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in; and so all Israel shall be saved: even as it is written. There shall come out of Zion the Deliverer; He shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob: And this is my covenant unto them, When I shall take away their sins.<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\nSo while God is performing a work among the Gentiles, it has a purpose that is not merely Gentile-oriented, but one that is also related to the Jews, and not apart from them. In fact, one of the purposes for Gentile salvation is to provoke the Jews to jealousy so that during the Church Age many Jews may also come to faith in the Messiah Jesus (Rom. 11:11\u201315). The Gentile believers are enjoying the spiritual blessings of the Jewish covenants and are grafted into a Jewish olive tree that belongs to Israel (Rom. 11:17\u201324), for salvation is from the Jews (Jn. 4:22). The Church is a body composed of Jewish (natural branches) and Gentile (wild olive branches) members united by faith in the Messiah.
\nThird, with the Church being the Body of Messiah and that Body being composed of Jewish and Gentile believers, 1 Corinthians 12:13 explains how one gets into the Body:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For in one Spirit were we all baptized into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, whether bond or free; and were all made to drink of one Spirit.<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\nEntrance into the Body is by Spirit baptism. Every believer is a member of the Body by virtue of having been baptized by the Holy Spirit, a fact that takes place the moment one believes and is saved. Knowing just how one becomes a member of the Body of Messiah helps to determine when the Church began. This, in turn, is important in determining who is involved in the Rapture.
\nFourth, by use of the future tense, Acts 1:5 makes clear that Spirit baptism was still future as of Acts one:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For John indeed baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized in the Holy Spirit not many days hence. (emphasis added)<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\nThe first time the term church is used is in Matthew 16:18, and here also the future tense is used: \u2026 I will build my church. The Church did not exist in the Old Testament, nor did it exist during the period of gospel history.
\nFifth, if Spirit baptism was future to Acts 1:5, the question is: When did it begin? It is generally agreed that Spirit baptism began in Acts two; while this is true, it is impossible to prove this from Acts two because that chapter says nothing about Spirit baptism. Yet, that Spirit baptism did begin in Acts two is clear from Acts 11:15\u201316:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And as I began to speak, the Holy Spirit fell on them, even as on us at the beginning. And I remembered the word of the Lord, how he said, John indeed baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized in the Holy Spirit.<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\nIn verse 15, when Peter says, as on us at the beginning, he is referring to the experience of the Jewish Apostles in Acts two. Then, in verse 16, Peter quotes Acts 1:5 and states that the prophecy of Spirit baptism in 1:5 is what was fulfilled at the beginning when the Holy Spirit came upon the Jewish Apostles in Acts two.
\nSo then, the Church is the Body of the Messiah composed of Jewish and Gentile believers and entrance is by Spirit baptism only. Since Spirit baptism did not begin until Pentecost in Acts two, then the Church could not have existed prior to that time. When Jesus spoke of building His Church in Matthew 16:18, He used the future tense, showing that the Church had not yet begun. A major reason was that both the resurrection (Eph. 1:19\u201320) and the ascension, with the subsequent giving of spiritual gifts (Eph. 4:7\u201312), were necessary prerequisites for the building of the Church. The Church is composed of all true believers from Pentecost in Acts two until the Rapture of the Church. The Rapture excludes the Old Testament saints. It also excludes the Tribulation saints. The only saints who will be raptured are the Church saints. The Rapture passages clearly state that only those who are in Christ will partake of the Rapture. Throughout his writings, Paul uses terms such as in Christ, in Jesus, in Jesus Christ, in Christ Jesus, in Him, in Whom, in the Lord, in a very technical way, referring to those who were baptized by the Spirit into the Body of the Messiah, which only began in Acts two.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
B. The Rapture of the Church<\/p>\n\n\n\n
There are two separate issues concerning the Rapture. The first is the Rapture event itself; the second deals with the timing of the Rapture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
- The Events of the Rapture<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n
Three key passages need to be studied for an understanding of the Rapture. The first is found in John 14:1\u20133:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Let not your heart be troubled; believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father\u2019s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I come again, and will receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\nThis passage does not detail the Rapture event, but does contain the promise of it. In these verses, Jesus promised to return for the believers. Nothing is revealed as to the time or the circumstances, only the fact that there is a coming of Jesus for His saints. This coming especially for the saints is the subject of revelation in the two other passages. This passage does make one key point: this coming for the believers was for the purpose of taking them to where He was then going. Since Jesus was then going to Heaven, this is a coming to take the saints to Heaven and not to the earth. This is important because in Posttribulationism the saints meet the Lord in the air and return with Him to the earth. But this is not the promise here. He is coming to take the saints to Heaven. The passage itself says nothing about the timing of the Rapture, only that the result of it is our entry into Heaven. This fits well with Pretribulationism.
\nThe second passage is 1 Thessalonians 4:13\u201318, which describes the program of the Rapture:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But we would not have you ignorant, brethren, concerning them that fall asleep; that ye sorrow not, even as the rest, who have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also that are fallen asleep in Jesus will God bring with him. For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we that are alive, that are left unto the coming of the Lord, shall in no wise precede them that are fallen asleep. For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven, with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first; then we that are alive, that are left, shall together with them be caught up in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. Wherefore comfort one another with these words.<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\n