End Of Time
Introduction
For thousands of
years, people have been amazed at the accuracy of the ancient Bible
prophets. They have predicted names and events within the lives of
people who's parents were not yet born. They have predicted the fall
of well-fortified cities, and details of the assaults. In some cases,
they have even predicted the times at which these events were to
occur. Many honest skeptics have had their lives changed by studies
of these ancient words and the ensuing history.
These prophets did
not work on a law of averages like the psychic practitioners of
today; the accuracy of the Biblical ancients was one hundred percent.
(The Bible does record some of the contemporary false prophets, but
they were clearly identified as such within their own lifetimes.)
Some of the prophecies written
thousands of years ago relate to our current day. We have seen some
of these fulfilled within modern history, but some very exciting
world-wide events are still in the making. In view of the attention
given to end-times prophecies in the Bible, they are certainly worthy
of prayer-full study.
To insure the best
understanding these things, consider: (1) In most cases, a valid
interpretation will be a recurring theme that may be found and
confirmed in several different parts of the Bible. (2) The
interpretation must be consistent with its immediate context. (3)
Although there is a strong temptation to force all of the end-times
teachings into a unified scenario, we must maintain the humility to
accept the fact that we do not know everything. We need to let the
teachings of each theme stand by them selves, and not be biased by
popular opinions.
Where I come from
I was brought up
under a set of teachings popular among most evangelical Christians.
When I had questions about how certain scriptures fitted in, I was
told that they had to be interpreted a certain way so they would fit
in with the rest of the story. The teachings go something like this:
We have seven years yet to be
accounted for in the seventy weeks of Daniel (Dan.9:24).
This is broken into two sections:
The “petite” tribulation and the “great”
tribulation.
At the outset of the petite
tribulation the Antichrist is revealed.
Also at this point, Jesus returns
and all believers are raptured to heaven.
3-1/2 years later the Antichrist
stops sacrifices, and horrific plagues and destruction ensue.
After the full seven years Jesus
does a general recall of planet earth, and everyone – living
or dead – is judged.
There are a few more
features such as Babylon, the millennial kingdom, etc., but the above
are the macro's we'll deal with here. We'll refer to this as the
“pre-trib” scenario, in that the rapture takes place
before the seven years of tribulation.
Brand Other
As an adult, I was
shocked to find that not everyone agreed with this scenario. I even
encountered one group with a totally different perspective on things.
Finally, I told everybody to shut up and leave me alone (but I kept
studying).
The first thing I
discovered was that there is no seven year period mentioned in the
book of Revelation! There are several references to 3-1/2 year
periods, but not a single reference to seven years. The pre-trib
folks explained it to me by gluing two 3-1/2 year periods together,
but if you do that to all of them, you come up with a whole lot more
than seven years. I am a technical person, and arbitrary adjustments
make me nervous.
I then went to
Daniel, and when I found myself believing a certain passage referred
to Jesus, when my background said it referred to the Antichrist, I
knew that I had become a serious heretic. At this point I learned to
say one of the most important things I have ever learned: “I
don't know!”
This began a period of ignoring such
teachings altogether. Another excuse for ignoring these teachings was
verses such as Daniel 12:4, where it says "But as for you,
Daniel, conceal these words and seal up the book until the end of
time......" Clearly, there are some things that will not be
understood until history or later anointing reveals them.
For the next couple
of years I professed to know absolutely nothing about the subject,
but came up with a few guidelines I was determined to use in any
bible study.
Context
Patterns and related scriptures
Definitions of words in original
text
A willingness to live with
unanswered questions
Tiny problem: My
personal Bible studies continued to encounter verses that clearly
referred to the final days. As I finally began a cautious reentry
into this subject, important scriptural patterns began to emerge. As
additional scriptures began to confirm these patterns rather than
conflict with them, my interest gained momentum.
The best I can do is
offer a challenge: Let the scriptures and actual events do the
talking, and accept unanswered questions until they do. The following
links provide greater detail on various topics.
The
seven-year period (Seventieth week)
The seven-year period
of tribulation hinges entirely upon an interpretation of verses in
Daniel 9. The only seven-year period mentioned in the entire New
Testament was in reference to a widow in the Gospels. This look at
the seventieth week brings it into harmony with multiple references
in the Old and New Testaments.
God's
judgment
In every case in the
Bible where God's judgment was poured out, it was upon God's enemies
in the presence of His people. The effect in every case was to the
benefit of His followers. Why will the final period of tribulation be
different?
The
rapture and when
If the scriptures are
studied in their context, without force-fitting them into cherished
dogmas, clear and consistent patterns arise.
Revelation
chapter 12
Babylon
The
abomination of desolation