TEACHING NOTES Introduction In this session we’re going discuss eschatology—the study of end times. Our purpose is not to come to a definitive conclusion, but to survey what Christians have believed throughout church history. Although many Christians in history have written on this subject, it is extremely difficult to discern exactly what they believed. What is clear is that there was a variety of interpretations in nearly every century. ‌ Outline: ‌1. Relevant Scriptures ‌2. Terms and Issues ‌3. Historical Survey ‌4. Conclusions ‌ Relevant Scriptures Daniel’s 70 Weeks (Dan. 9:24-27) The Olivet Discourse (Matt. 24; Mark 13; Luke 21) Paul (1 Thess. 4:13-5:11; 2 Thess. 1:5-2:12) The Revelation of John (Rev. 1-22) ‌ Daniel 9:24–27 ESV 24 “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. 25 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. 26 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. 27 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.” ‌ Basic Timeline of Daniel’s 70 Weeks: ‌ 7 Weeks (49 yrs) = Ezra/Nehemiah rebuild Jerusalem ‌ 62 Weeks (434 yrs) = Jerusalem destroyed and rebuilt again ‌ 1 Week (7 yrs) = Messiah’s covenant, death, abominations continue ‌ Afterward, “on the wing [edge] of abominations” one will come to desolate Jerusalem. ‌ Revelation 20:1–6 ESV 1 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. 4 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. 5 The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were ended. This is the first resurrection. 6 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. ‌ Note: Because this passage occurs toward the end of Revelation, it is often assumed that the millennium is in the future. However, Revelation is not written in chronological order. For example, Rev. 12 is a vision of the birth of Jesus but occurs around the middle of the book. The seven seals, trumpets, and bowls clearly overlap or are parallel events. Revelation is a collection of John’s visions, but they are not in chronological order. ‌ Terms & Issues ‌ Eschatology: the study of the end (end times) ‌ The Second Coming: the return of Christ to earth The Bible never uses the term “second coming” nor “return” but simply speaks of Christ’s “glorious appearing” or “coming.” The apostles did not believe that Christ was “gone” but that He is still present through the Spirit and will appear bodily again. ‌ The Millennium: the “thousand-year” reign of Christ (Rev. 20) Most modern debates on the end times are usually about the millennium and whether Christ will return before or after the millennium. The nature and timing of the millenium is also debated. Interestingly, Rev. 20:1-7 is the only passage that mentions a thousand year reign. ‌ Premillennialism: Christ will return to setup an earthly kingdom in Jerusalem for a thousand years. After the millennium the dead are raised to be judged. The premillennial view is often pessimistic, meaning that the world will get exceedingly worse before Christ returns. ‌ Postmillennialism: The “thousand years” is not necessarily literal, but represents the time when the world will experience increasing peace, prosperity, and conversion until Christ’s return. During this time the Great Commission will be completely fulfilled and the world will gradually improve until Christ returns. ‌ Amillennialism: The “thousand years” is not a definite time period but represents a long period of time. The reign of Christ began at His ascension to the throne in heaven where He reigns and is slowly putting His enemies under His feet. When Christ returns to earth He will destroy all evil, judge humanity, and bring in the new creation. ‌ The Rapture: believers “caught up” to meet Christ Paul tells us in 1 Thess. 4:13-18 that believers who are still alive when Christ returns will be “caught up” to meet the the Lord in the air as He is coming down. According to Paul, believers are “caught up” as Christ returns to earth. Therefore, the rapture and the second coming occur at the same time, not years apart. ‌ The Great Tribulation: period of distress on earth The phrase “great tribulation” only occurs three times in the New Testament (Matt. 24:21; Rev. 2:22; 7:14). In modern eschatology, the tribulation is often described as a seven-year period. This idea is based on a modern interpretation of Daniel 9:24-27. Revelation states repeatedly that the tribulation is three and a half years. ‌ Eternal State: our existence after the end Many modern Christians do not realize that our eternity is not spent in heaven, but on a new earth. Revelation is clear that the new earth or new creation is final home for believers. ‌ Methods of Reading Revelation ‌ Futurist: All or most events in Revelation refer to events in our future. ‌ Historicist: The events in Revelation refer to events throughout history. ‌ Idealist: The events in Revelation refer to repeating cycles of events in history. ‌ Partial Preterist: Most of the events in Revelation occurred in the past, except for the return of Christ, resurrection, and new creation. ‌ Full Preterist: All events in Revelation occurred in the past. ‌ Eschatology in Church History ‌ The First Century (AD 1–100) When Jesus arrives, the Jews view the Messiah as a political warrior who will defeat the Romans and restore the kingdom of God to Israel. They believed that the Messiah would rule for a thousand years in Jerusalem. Jesus taught against this view by connecting the Messiah to the Son of Man (Dan. 7) who rules from heaven over all nations. ‌ Early Church Fathers (AD 100-400) The early church writers show a diversity of interpretations. As the church became less Jewish, it seems that interpreting Revelation and other Jewish apocalyptic literature in the Bible became more difficult. Although there was diversity in their views, there seemed to be consensus against the chiliasts or millenarians (the millennium is a literal earthly kingdom). ‌ Early writers like Papias (AD 60-130), Irenaeus (AD 130-202), and Justin Martyr (AD 100-165) seem to advocate for a literal one thousand year kingdom where Jesus reigns from Jerusalem. This view was called “chiliasm” and was not the dominate view. However, Justin Martyr indicates that other faithful Christians held a different view. ‌ The idea of a literal and political 1,000-year rule of Christ in Jerusalem likely came from the Jewish perspective of the Messiah. The Jews expected the Messiah to destroy the Romans and restore the kingdom of God to Israel. We see Jesus arguing against this idea repeatedly during His ministry. The apostles were still misguided on this point at Jesus’ ascension (see Acts 1:6-11). Jesus directs their attention away from Israel and to all the nations. ‌ Clement of Alexandria (AD 230s) wrote that Daniel’s 70 weeks and many of the events in Revelation were fulfilled in AD 70. Clement also says that John wrote Revelation when Nero was emperor of Rome (AD 54-68). ‌ Victorinus wrote a commentary on Revelation and argues against an earthly reign of a thousand years. While a few earlier writers seemed to believe in a literal earthly reign of Christ from Jerusalem, the majority disagreed. ‌ “They are not to be heard who assure themselves that there is to be an earthly reign of a thousand years. They think like the heretic Cerinthus. For the kingdom of Christ is already eternal in the saints—even though the glory of the saints will be manifested after the resurrection.” — Victorinus (AD 280), 7.360 ‌ Eusebius of Caesarea (AD 260-340) wrote that the chiliasts were misguided in their interpretation of Revelation 20 and that most of the church quickly rejected that view of the millennium. ‌ Augustine of Hippo (AD 354-430) Augustine believed that much of Revelation was fulfilled in AD 70. Rev. 20 (millennium) refers to the current reign of Christ in heaven and through the church. ‌ The Prevailing View AD 230—1100s While a few early writers were chiliasts, the prevailing view for about a thousand years was Amillennialism/Postmillennialism. The “thousand years” in Rev. 20 began at Christ’s ascension and continues until His return. Daniel’s 70 weeks (Dan. 9:24-27), the Olivet Discourse (Matt. 24; Mark 13; Luke 21), and Revelation 1-18 are all describing events fulfilled in AD 70. ‌ The Middle Ages ‌ Joachim of Fiore (1135-1202) The Historicist View of Revelation: The “1,260 days” mentioned in Revelation are actually 1,260 years that represent church history. The events detailed in Revelation take place over a period of 1,260 years. ‌ Nicolas of Lyra (1270-1349) Nicolas followed Joachim’s historicist view and developed an elaborate approach connecting events in Revelation to historical periods. For example, Nicolas saw the seals of Rev. 6 as referring to the reign of Domitian (AD 81-96) with the trumpets and bowls representing later periods of history. ‌ Protestant Reformation (1500s) The Historicist View of Revelation: The Reformers believed that the events in Revelation are being fulfilled gradually in history. This led to attempts by Christian theologians to connect parts of Revelation to current events. The Reformers also taught that the Catholic Pope was the Antichrist and the Catholic Church was the “prostitute” of Rev. 17. ‌ Martin Luther on Revelation “About this book of the Revelation of John, I leave everyone free to hold his own opinions. I would not have anyone bound to my opinion or judgment. I say what I feel. I miss more than one thing in this book, and it makes me consider it to be neither apostolic nor prophetic…I can in no way detect that the Holy Spirit produced it…Christ is neither taught nor known in it.” ‌ John Calvin (1509-1564) Calvin wrote commentaries on every book of the Bible except for Revelation. In his writings there are very few references to Revelation. However, Calvin followed Augustine’s view that most of Revelation’s content refers to events in the first century AD, but still provides hope and comfort to persecuted Christians in every age. But Calvin also believed that the Pope was the Antichrist. ‌ Early American Eschatology The Historicist view was the prevailing approach to Revelation in the early history of America. The Puritans, John Wesley (founder of the Methodist Church), and Jonathan Edwards followed the historicist view and taught that the Pope was the Antichrist. The Seventh-Day Adventists also take the Historicist view. ‌ John Nelson Darby (1830s) Created “Dispensationalism” after attending a pentecostal-like conference in 1831. At the conference, Darby heard a sermon by Edward Irving where he described a prophetic vision by Margaret MacDonald. In this ecstatic vision Margaret sees a “secret rapture” of the church before the Great Tribulation. Darby loved this new idea and developed an entire system of theology as a result. ‌ Darby’s views were not limited to the end times, but also included dividing periods of history into seven “dispensations” where God changes how He deals with humanity in each era or age. For example, the period of Moses to the New Testament is called the “Dispensation of Law” and the Church Age is called the “Dispensation of Grace.” Darby used each dispensation as a kind of lens through which to interpret Scripture. ‌ Darby’s New Ideas: ‌ Israel & The Church - Darby taught the Israel and the Church are two completely separate groups of God’s people. The Church is seen as a parenthesis in God’s plan for Israel. Since Israel rejected Jesus, God began to seek the Gentiles as a kind of backup plan. When the church is raptured, God will resume His covenant with Israel—complete with a new temple and sacrifices. ‌ Daniel’s 70 Weeks - Darby taught that the 70th week is the Great Tribulation that would last seven years. When the Jews had Jesus killed, the “prophetic clock” of the 70 weeks stopped and will restart when the rapture occurs. So Darby added a gap between the 69th and 70th week and claimed that this gap was not revealed to Daniel. The church would be raptured before the 70th week begins. The “anointed one” or the “prince” of Dan. 9:26 is not the Messiah but is actually the Antichrist. ‌ The Millennium - Darby taught that the “thousand years” in Rev. 20:1-6 is the earthly kingdom of God, where Jesus reigns from Jerusalem. Darby believed that the kingdom of God does not exist on earth at all until the millennium. He also taught that Jesus’ teachings in the Gospels are not for Christians, but for Jews during the millennium. ‌ Review While there was some diversity about the millennium early on, most Christians for the first thousand years believed that Christ’s reign began at His ascension. ‌ No one had ever heard of a “secret rapture” before a 7-year tribulation until Darby popularized that idea in the 1830s. Christian writers before 1830 believed that the church is “caught up” at the return of Christ. ‌ What does the Bible teach? ‌ Daniel’s 70 Weeks There is no indication in Dan. 9 of a huge gap of thousands of years before the 70th week. There is no indication that the Messiah/Prince is the Antichrist. It is the “people of the prince” (Israel) that begin the abominations and destruction. Then the “one who makes desolate” (Roman Emperor) finishes the destruction. ‌ The Olivet Discourse (Matt. 24-25) ‌ In Matt. 24:1-35, Jesus is referring to near-term events that would occur in Jerusalem during the lifetime of the apostles (“this generation”). There would be many “signs” to warn Christians to leave Jerusalem. This is about the destruction of Jerusalem and the temple, not about a future 7-year tribulation. ‌ In Matt. 24:36-25:46, Jesus shifts to talking about a single day (“that day”) that no one knows the day or hour and for which there are no signs of warning. This is about the final return of Christ and day of judgment. This event is still in the future. ‌ 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17 “16 For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord.” ‌ Paul clearly states that believers are “caught up” at Christ’s return. There is no indication in the text that the catching up is an earlier and separate event. ‌ 2 Thessalonians 2:1–4 “1 Now concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered together to him, we ask you, brothers, 2 not to be quickly shaken in mind or alarmed, either by a spirit or a spoken word, or a letter seeming to be from us, to the effect that the day of the Lord has come. 3 Let no one deceive you in any way. For that day will not come, unless the rebellion comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction, 4 who opposes and exalts himself against every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, proclaiming himself to be God.” ‌ Paul wrote this before AD 70. When the Roman general Titus defeated Jerusalem, he entered the temple. The Romans setup their idols in the temple, sacrificed to their gods, and declared Titus as emperor and god. ‌ Revelation John is likely describing Jesus’ Olivet Discourse in more detail. Rev. 1-18 describe events in the past up to AD 70. Rev. 20:1-6 describes Christ’s rule from heaven. Rev. 20:7-10 describes a final battle against the church, which Jesus will win and this will be the end of this age. Then comes judgment day and the new creation. ‌ Conclusion Eschatology is not essential to salvation. Christians can disagree and remain in fellowship. ‌ No matter which view we take, faithfulness to Jesus and praying for His return must be central. ‌ Revelation 22:20–21 “20 He who testifies to these things says, “Surely I am coming soon.” Amen. Come, Lord Jesus! 21 The grace of the Lord Jesus be with all. Amen.”