Of
all the topics that we have covered our series here on doctrine these two, the
tribulation and the millennium, are without a doubt the ones that historically
have generated the most diverse range of interpretations and opinions. In this
context, “tribulation” refers to the Great Tribulation, a time of great trouble
and distress described by Jesus in what is called his Olivet Discourse in
Matthew, Mark, and Luke. A “great tribulation” is also referred to in
Revelation. Some interpreters also claim a connection with the “seventy weeks”
mentioned in Daniel 9 and with various other passages mentioning God’s judgment
on the earth.
The
“millennium” refers to one thousand years of Christ’s reign on earth, mentioned
specifically only in Revelation 20, though, here again, some interpreters read
it into other passages. So we can certainly agree that these two topics are
Biblical and that at some point in history they will happen (or have happened
or are happening, according to some). However, what they will look like and how
they will fit together with other events prophesied in the Bible is not explicit.
Should these passages be taken literally or figuratively? Can we say with
certainty how long each event will last? More importantly, why should we care
about them? What is the significance of the tribulation and the millennium?
Despite
the lack of a clear timeline in the Bible, countless people over the last
almost 2000 years have tried to state definitively how the tribulation and the
millennium should be understood. As I looked online, I came across literally
dozens of different views of these subjects. I’m not going to try to list them
all. It would take hours to explain them and show which verses they use to
support their ideas. How many of you have heard of the pretribulation,
premillennial rapture of believers? Carl might call it the PPROB at TEOTWAWKI.
This viewpoint seems to be the most detailed in its descriptions – and may be
the most passionately held view at the present time. Some churches insist that
you hold this view in order to be a part of their church. Did any of you see
the “Left Behind” movie that came out a year or two ago? It came out of this
perspective. I gather that the movie took some liberties with what the Bible
actually says. However, many dispensationalists have pored over every verse in
scripture that speaks of the last days and have come up with an explanation of
how it could all fit together. One fellow in particular, by the name of
Clarence Larkin, who lived from 1850 to 1924, came up with dozens of really
cool pictures to explain things.
Some
people take comfort in having everything all figured out. The only problem is,
if you look at the interpretations of certain obscure verses and the
connections made between apparently unrelated Bible passages you will see how
dubious some of their dogmatic statements really are. “These two numbers are
the same; therefore these two verses must be referring to the same thing.” The
argument is literally that tenuous at times.
Like
I said, there is no way that I can do justice to all the various viewpoints
within the constraints of one message. However, let me briefly describe four of
the main schools of thought, just so you are familiar with the terminology.
Pretribulational premillennialism is what we have already mentioned. Jesus will
return (sort of) and rapture all his followers currently on the earth and
believers who have already died. Then there will be the period of the
tribulation. Jesus will return to earth with the church (the actual second coming)
and begin his 1000-year reign, followed by the last judgement. The post-trib
view (also called historic premillennialism) is that Jesus will only come back
once. The second coming is therefore combined with the rapture and followed by
the literal millennium. So the tribulation is going on right now.
Postmillennialism puts the second coming and last judgment after the millennium
and does not assign the tribulation to a particular time period. The Church
will continue to grow and bring in the millennial reign of Jesus on earth.
Amillennialism is similar except that it takes the 1000-year reign only
figuratively: Jesus reigns now in the hearts of believers. Tribulation is going
on but may increase before Jesus returns.
So
what is the right answer? What is going to happen? Here is my definitive
response in one sentence: IDKBGD. I don’t know, but God does. Let’s read some
of the related passages (I’ll be using the ESV), and you can see what kind of
impression they make on you. We don’t all have to come up with the same answer
on these kinds of issues – and your answer could even change over time.
Let’s
start with the prophecy from Daniel 9 about the seventy weeks:
“Seventy weeks are
decreed about your people and your holy city, to finish the
transgression, to put an end to sin, and to atone for iniquity, to
bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal both vision and prophet,
and to anoint a most holy place. Know therefore and
understand that from the going out of the word to restore and build
Jerusalem to the coming of an anointed one, a prince, there shall be
seven weeks. Then for sixty-two weeks it shall be built again with
squares and moat, but in a troubled time. And after the sixty-two weeks,
an anointed one shall be cut off and shall have nothing. And the people of
the prince who is to come shall destroy the city and the
sanctuary. Its end shall come with a flood, and to the end
there shall be war. Desolations are decreed. And he shall make a strong
covenant with many for one week, and for half of the week he shall put an end
to sacrifice and offering. And on the wing of abominations shall come one
who makes desolate, until the decreed end is poured out on the desolator.”—Daniel
9:24-27
Does
that sound like the Great Tribulation, the judgments on the earth recorded in
Revelation? To some people it does. This is a key passage for the
dispensationalists. How about Daniel 12?
And someone said
to the man clothed in linen, who was above the waters of the stream, “How
long shall it be till the end of these wonders?” And I heard the man
clothed in linen, who was above the waters of the stream; he raised his
right hand and his left hand toward heaven and swore by him who lives
forever that it would be for a time, times, and half a time, and that when
the shattering of the power of the holy people comes to an end all
these things would be finished. I heard, but I did not understand.
Then I said, “O my lord, what shall be the outcome of these things?” He
said, “Go your way, Daniel, for the words are shut up and sealed until the
time of the end. Many shall purify themselves and make themselves white
and be refined, but the wicked shall act wickedly. And none of the wicked
shall understand, but those who are wise shall understand. And from
the time that the regular burnt offering is taken away and the
abomination that makes desolate is set up, there shall be 1,290 days. Blessed
is he who waits and arrives at the 1,335 days. But go your way till the
end. And you shall rest and shall stand in your allotted place at the
end of the days.”—Daniel 12:6-13
This
is the source of the theory that the Great Tribulation will last a literal 3.5
years. But let’s consider a passage that actually mentions the Great
Tribulation, reading from Matthew’s version of the Olivet discourse, starting
at the beginning of chapter 24:
Jesus left the temple
and was going away, when his disciples came to point out to him the buildings
of the temple. But he answered them, “You see all these, do you not?
Truly, I say to you, there will not be left here one stone upon another
that will not be thrown down.”—Matthew 24:1-2
As he sat on the
Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately, saying, “Tell
us, when will these things be, and what will be the sign of
your coming and of the end of the age?” And
Jesus answered them, “See that no one leads you astray. 5 For many
will come in my name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and they will lead many
astray. And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See
that you are not alarmed, for this must take place, but the end is not
yet. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against
kingdom, and there will be famines and earthquakes in various
places. All these are but the beginning of the birth pains. —Matthew 24:3-8
“Then they will
deliver you up to tribulation and put you to death, and you will be
hated by all nations for my name's sake. And then many will fall
away and betray one another and hate one another. And many false
prophets will arise and lead many astray. And
because lawlessness will be increased, the love of many will grow
cold. But the one who endures to the end will be saved. And
this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole
world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come. —Matthew
24:9-14
“So when you see the
abomination of desolation spoken of by the prophet Daniel, standing
in the holy place (let the reader understand), then let
those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. Let the one who is on the
housetop not go down to take what is in his house, and let the one who is
in the field not turn back to take his cloak. And alas for women who
are pregnant and for those who are nursing infants in those days! Pray
that your flight may not be in winter or on a Sabbath. For then there will
be great tribulation, such
as has not been from the beginning of the world until now, no, and never will
be. And if those days had not been cut short, no human being would be
saved. But for the sake of the elect those days will be cut short. Then
if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ!’ or ‘There he is!’ do not
believe it. For false christs and false prophets will arise
and perform great signs and wonders, so as to lead astray, if
possible, even the elect. See, I have told you beforehand. So,
if they say to you, ‘Look, he is in the wilderness,’ do not go out. If
they say, ‘Look, he is in the inner rooms,’ do not believe it. For as the
lightning comes from the east and shines as far as the west, so will
be the coming of the Son of Man. Wherever the corpse is, there the
vultures will gather. —Matthew 24:15-28
“Immediately
after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the
moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from heaven, and the
powers of the heavens will be shaken. Then will appear in
heaven the sign of the Son of Man, and then all the tribes of the
earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of
heaven with power and great glory. And he will send out his
angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect
from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other. —Matthew
24:29-31
“From the fig tree
learn its lesson: as soon as its branch becomes tender and puts out its leaves,
you know that summer is near. So also, when you see all these things, you
know that he is near, at the very gates. Truly, I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these
things take place. Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words
will not pass away. —Matthew 24:32-35
“But concerning that
day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the
Son, but the Father only. For as were the days of Noah, so will
be the coming of the Son of Man. For as in those days before the flood they
were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the
day when Noah entered the ark, and they were unaware until the flood came
and swept them all away, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. Then
two men will be in the field; one will be taken and one left. Two women
will be grinding at the mill; one will be taken and one left. Therefore, stay
awake, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming. But know
this, that if the master of the house had known in what part of the
night the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and would not have
let his house be broken into. Therefore you also must be ready,
for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect. —Matthew 24:36-44
The Great Tribulation is also mentioned in Revelation
7:
After this I looked,
and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every
nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne
and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in
their hands, and crying out with a loud voice, “Salvation belongs to our
God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!” And all the angels were standing
around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures, and
they fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, saying,
“Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and
might be to our God forever and ever! Amen.”—Revelation 7:9-12
Then one of the elders
addressed me, saying, “Who are these, clothed in white robes, and from
where have they come?” I said to him, “Sir, you know.” And he said to me,
“These are the ones coming out of the great
tribulation. They have washed their robes and made them
white in the blood of the Lamb.—Revelation 7:13-14
Do
these passages indicate that we will be raptured before the Great Tribulation?
You will have to decide for yourself. Now how about the millennium? Here is the
relevant part of Revelation 20:
Then I saw an angel
coming down from heaven, holding in his hand the key to the
bottomless pit and a great chain. 2 And he
seized the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the devil and Satan,
and bound him for a thousand years, 3 and
threw him into the pit, and shut it and sealed it over him, so
that he might not deceive the nations any longer, until the thousand years
were ended. After that he must be released for a little while.—Revelation 20:1-3
Then I
saw thrones, and seated on them were those to whom the authority to
judge was committed. Also I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded
for the testimony of Jesus and for the word of God, and those who had not
worshiped the beast or its image and had not received its mark on their
foreheads or their hands. They came to life and reigned with Christ
for a thousand years. The rest of the dead did not come to life until the
thousand years were ended. This is the first resurrection. Blessed and
holy is the one who shares in the first resurrection! Over such the second
death has no power, but they will be priests of God and of Christ, and
they will reign with him for a
thousand years. .—Revelation 20:4-6
And when the thousand
years are ended, Satan will be released from his prison and will come
out to deceive the nations that are at the four corners of the
earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them for battle; their number is like
the sand of the sea. And they marched up over the broad plain of the earth
and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city,
but fire came down from heaven and consumed them, and the
devil who had deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and
sulfur where the beast and the false prophet were, and they will be
tormented day and night forever and ever. .—Revelation 20:7-10
The
passage doesn’t actually specify where the 1000-year reign will take place. The
people reigning with Jesus are specified as those who had been beheaded for his
sake. The reason I included the part describing what happens after the 1000
years have ended is that I was reminded of what Carl said when he was teaching
this passage during our study of Revelation. I had not considered what this
would look like if Jesus had been reigning on our physical earth for a thousand
years with those included in the first resurrection. Satan is released and
comes out to deceive again? Faced
with the glory of the risen Christ for a thousand years – and the nations would
still prefer to follow Satan. No one will be able to blame God if they end up
in the lake of fire.
I’m
afraid we don’t have time to read all the passages about the end times. As Carl
indicated, they make up a sizable part of the New Testament, as well as
reference many Old Testament prophecies. Many books have been written on this
subject, including books to refute other books. You may find it helpful to be
familiar with all the major theories. Each view tends to emphasize certain
verses and sweep others under the rug. None is completely literal about every
verse. That is just not possible. Every one includes a measure of
interpretation and human opinion. For some reason God has chosen to not make
the “right answer” explicit in his word. This may be to keep us humble and
willing to live in harmony with each other as believers, even when we have a
difference of opinion.
So
why does it matter what we believe? Well, how does it affect our actions? And
how does it affect our attitude toward God? I had friends in college who were
so confident of the rapture that they were convinced they would not have to
endure any major tribulation on earth. That seems a little risky to me.
Sometimes they could come across as obnoxious and uncaring. How does our
end-times theology motivate our involvement in the world? Do we disengage because
we think it will all be burned up in the tribulation anyway? Do we feel like it
is the responsibility of the church to usher in the millennial reign of Jesus? One
aspect of millennium theology that I have not discussed is how it relates to
the role and position of the nation of Israel. Some dispensationalists expect
the millennium to be a time of Jewish domination of the earth. How does that
relate to international political positions that we take now? That is a very
complicated subject – worth a sermon on its own. Probably more importantly, does
the imminent return of Jesus motivate us to fulfill the Great Commission? What
we say we believe is less important than how we act.
So
what can we know with certainty about the end times? There is and will be tribulation
on the earth, and if we are true followers of Jesus we will be persecuted. But
someday Jesus will return unexpectedly and take us to be with him forever – in
a place with no more sin, sickness, death. We look forward to that glorious
hope, trusting in the Holy Spirit who is present with us now to strengthen,
encourage, and guide us. As Jesus promised in John 16:33
“I have said these
things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will
have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.”
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