Four Views of the End Times
SESSION 2
-Learn to look for common ground-
Session
2 Outline
1.
The
book of Revelation is apocalyptic.
- Genre of
ancient Jewish literature presented in the form of visions that figuratively
pointed to hidden truths for the purpose of assuring God’s people of the
goodness of God’s plans during periods of persecution. The word “apocalyptic” comes from the Greek apokalupsis (“revelation”), a term that
also happens to be the first word in the Greek text of Revelation!
a)
Contains
visions and extravagant imagery
b)
Arose
from the Jewish community
c)
Uses
numbers symbolically
2.
Revelation
is not pseudepigraphical writing
-Writings
ascribed to individuals who could not possibly have written the book. Often times, the ascribed author lived
hundreds of years before the time the book was actually written. The book of Revelation is not pseudepigraphical
because John lived during the time Revelation was written.
3.
Two
times Revelation could have been written:
a)
Emperor
Nero (AD 54-68)
i.
64
AD Rome burned
ii.
Peter
and Paul martyred at this time
b)
Emperor
Domitian (AD 81-96)
i.
All
Roman emperors considered to become divine after they died. Domitian decided he was divine before he was
dead!
4.
The
opening of Revelation
a)
To
the seven churches
i.
The
churches in Asia Minor to which John addresses the book of Revelation. Seven also represents ‘completion’ or “the
whole church”
b)
God
the Almighty (Pantokrator)
- Pantokrator /
Autokrator - The Roman emperor was known as Autokrator (“sole ruler”). Pantokrator means “all ruler” or “almighty.” In Revelation 1:8, John refers to God as pantokrater. John declaring God’s rule even over emperors!
c)
Three key things
in Revelation
i.
Tribulation
ii.
Kingdom
iii.
Patient
endurance
5.
Four
ways Christians view the end of time
a)
Historical
Premillennialism
- Jesus will
return to earth before (“pre-“) the millennium described in Revelation 20, following
a time of tribulation.
b)
Dispensational
Premillennialism
- God will “rapture”
Christians from the world before the great tribulation. Jesus will return to
earth after the great tribulation, before (“pre-“) the millennium described in
Revelation 20.
c)
Amillennialism
- There will be
no (“a-“) physical millennium. The
millennium is the present, spiritual reign of Jesus with his people.
d)
Postmillennialism
- Jesus will
return to the earth after (“post-“) a millennium when the overwhelming majority
of people throughout the world embrace the gospel.
Revelation 1:1-8
In
Revelation 1:1, “soon” may imply that, while some events described in
Revelation remain in the future, many aspects of John’s prophecy occurred soon
after John wrote this text. The word
could also mean “quickly” or “without warning.”
- · Do some research and determine the most appropriate meaning for the word “soon” as it is used in Revelation 1:1.
In
Jewish apocalyptic literature, the number seven almost always pointed to “completeness.” The phrase “seven spirits” (1:4) probably
refers to the completeness or sufficiency of the Holy Spirit. This phrase might be paraphrased as “sevenfold
Spirit” or “all-sufficient Spirit.” The
task of the Holy Spirit is to testify to the truth that is found in Jesus (John
15:26).
- · What does it mean for your daily life to say that the Holy Spirit is “complete” or “sufficient”?
The Themes that Matter Most: Kingdom,
Tribulation, and Patient Endurance
“I, John, your brother and partner in
the tribulation and the kingdom and the patient endurance that are in Jesus,
was on the island called Patmos on account of the word of God and the testimony
of Jesus”
– Revelation 1:9 ESV
- Kingdom
The overwhelming majority of Christians
throughout church history have agreed that God the Father inaugurated a kingdom
in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus.
The good news of Jesus is, after all, the good news of the kingdom!
(Matthew 3:2, 4:17, 23). Another term
for the kingdom of God is “the kingdom of heaven”; when we compare parallel
passages in the Gospels, it is very clear that the kingdom of God and the kingdom
of heaven are two different phases that describe one identical reality (compare
Matthew 8:11 with Luke 13:29, or Matthew 11:11 with Luke 7:28).
- Tribulation
At the same time, Christians recognize
that this Christ-inaugurated kingdom has not yet been realized on earth. God’s people experience persecution,
tribulation, and distress. All creation “groans
together” with the children of God (Romans 8:22). One day, the kingdom that the Father
inaugurated in Jesus will be consummated so completely that, for those who have
taken their stand in Jesus, every form of tribulation will end.
- Patient Endurance
Until the consummation of the kingdom,
Christians wait and work with patient endurance. Patient endurance is very different from
laziness or passive waiting. Patient
endurance means working together to express and to expand the kingdom of Christ
in the lives of people around us while patiently resting in the goodness of God’s
providence here and now.
Why Study the End Times?
As
we study the differences between each perspective of the end times, we will
become more able to distinguish which issues in eschatology really matter most. As we begin to understand each view, we
develop richer and deeper perspectives on how God may consummate his kingdom at
the end of time. Perhaps most important
od all, as we learn to appreciate others’ perspectives, we should find ourselves
focusing less on particular end-times events and more on how each viewpoint
exalts Jesus.
So how and why have Christians developed
such dissimilar perspectives on the end of time? Remember the three themes that we considered
earlier? Kingdom, tribulation, and
patient endurance. On the point of
patient endurance, all four views stand together: Christians should patiently
endure distress. Where the views diverge
is in the precise nature and relationship of the other two themes: Kingdom and Tribulation.
All four viewpoints recognize that God’s
people endure trials and tribulation—but when it comes to the great tribulation
described in Revelation 7 and in Jesus’ end-times discourse with his disciples
(Mark 13), the perspectives begin to differ.
Dispensational premillennialists place the return of Jesus for his
church immediately before a seven-year great tribulation. Other perspectives treat the great
tribulation as a representation of distresses that God’s people have experienced
throughout the ages or as a description of conflicts that happened in the first
century.
People from all
four perspectives agree that the kingdom of God will be fully consummated at
some point in the future. But when it
comes to the millennial kingdom described in Revelation 20, each viewpoint
turns a slightly different direction.
From the perspective of amillennialists and some postmillennialists, the
millennial kingdom is a present, spiritual reality. For historical premillennialists, the kingdom
is both a present experience and a future, physical reality. According to dispensational
premillennialists, the modern state of Israel will still receive all the land
that God promised Abraham.
As we study each
millennial perspective, notice carefully how each one differs when it comes to
the great tribulation and the millennial kingdom. As we
pay attention to these differences, pay even closer attention to how each
viewpoint exalts Jesus.
The themes of
kingdom, tribulation, and patient endurance are as near to us as the events of
this very day. What are you doing to
expand God’s kingdom here and now? How
are you responding to times of tribulation?
And where do you need to learn what it means to endure distress with
patience?
Read chapters 1,
2, and 3 in the book of Revelation. Look
for the themes of kingdom, tribulation, and patient endurance in John’s letters
to the seven churches. Memorize
Revelation 1:9
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