Posted by Rick | The End Is Near | newtestamentpattern.net/

Jesus told us that the closing age would be marked by wars, rumors of wars, earthquakes, pestilences and famines. 

You could take these literally, metaphorically or both. 

He also taught his disciples to expect persecution, and persecutions have been the lot of Christians (and Jews) from the first century to this one. 

So, let’s be clear… the more positive note I am about to sound at the end of this article is not one of ignorant optimism.  I am not an optimist.  Neither am I a pessimist.  I pride myself on being a realist. 

And a realist says, even though things are all fine for me today that does not guarantee it will all be rosy for me tomorrow.  But a realist also says, even though I see darkness and decline all around me today that does not guarantee that the whole of the world can only go one way from here on in. 

A realist acknowledges that throughout history, in different places, at different times, things have sometimes got better and other times got worse. 

From time to time I find myself in conversations with Christians on the topic of The ‘End Times’ etc. 

With few exceptions they confidently inform me of “What the Bible says” will happen in the last days.   

The consistent highlights they affirm to me are nearly always:

1. Someone called ‘The Antichrist’ is about to appear on the world stage – any day now.
2. He will be in charge of a one-world government, with a global currency/monetary system (usually coupled with a one-world religion).
3. The aforementioned monetary system will require people to have a chip (or something similar) implanted into them in order to buy or sell anything.
4. This is the “Mark of The Beast” – and, by my reckoning, is presumably accompanied by some kind of denial of Christ.*
   (*No-one usually makes this latter point but if that is not the case then why would it be a mortal sin to receive this ‘mark’?)

I’ll spare the many other details for now but please just note again, the above statements are presented as absolute ‘facts’ – and boldly backed up with, “This is what the Bible says.” 

I hear this stated as ‘fact’ by individuals I converse with and I hear it stated as ‘fact’ from popular Televangelists with universal consistency. 

Christian bookshelves are awash with writings that all attest to these same ‘facts’.

FACTS ... OR ... OPINIONS ...???

Well, I have been reading the Bible fairly thoroughly and consistently for over 42 years now and I can tell anyone reading this right now that you will not find any of the statements made above in the Bible. 

None of the above statements are ‘facts’ – some of the words and phrases are in the Bible but the exact, descriptive conclusions above are all opinions, views, and INTERPRETATIONS. 

Let me illustrate the difference between stated facts and interpretations. 

For the purposes of my illustration I am going to use a passage from Daniel that concerns a statue he saw in a vision (more on this later)…

In Daniel chapter two Daniel saw a vision of a statute (that Nebuchadnezzar had also previously seen).  

The statue had a head of gold, and this head of gold represented king Nebuchadnezzar and his kingdom – this is a bible FACT – it tells us so in Daniel 2:38.

The statue had “breast and his arms of silver” – this is a bible FACT – it tells us so in Daniel 2:32 – The breast and his arms of silver represented a kingdom that would be “inferior” in some way to the previous one – this is a bible FACT – it tells us so in Daniel 2:39. 

This kingdom was the Medo-Persian kingdom that arose and conquered the Babylonian kingdom – this is an INTERPRETATION – nowhere in the Bible are we plainly told this.

The above ‘interpretation’ is commonly held to be the correct understanding. 

I agree, that makes perfect sense to me and anyone else who has studied even the simplest overview of the history of this time.  However… it is still not a Bible FACT it is an INTERPRETATION.

When we continue down that statue we discover that most people interpret the next two kingdoms as being Greece, then Rome.  I agree with the common interpretation about these.  But then we come to the feet and toes – “part of iron and part of clay”.  Popular thought today says that this final kingdom will be a ‘one-world government’.  It may be popular to say this but that is not a Bible FACT that is an INTERPRETATION.

Alternate interpretations say that it represents the old Roman empire, The Roman Catholic Church, The European Union, a combination of the above and/or many other things.  Whatever the viewpoint, whatever the reasoning and regardless of what ‘cross-references’ are used there is one thing that is absolutely sure… these are all INTERPRETATIONS not plainly stated Biblical FACTS!

By now I am pretty sure you see where I am going with this ...

When we voice a personal OPINION we must NEVER state it as a FACT

We CANNOT say 'The Bible Says' when expressing our opinions.

... so that being made clear let's go on from here.

In the next section I will summarize, by means of a very simple outline, the main views of Eschatology (study of end things) and later we’ll return to Daniel’s statue.  

But for now you may ask, where is the promised positivity in this post? 

Well, it’s this – given that ‘one-world government’ etc. is only ‘an interpretation’ not a Biblical fact it might be that this is an incorrect interpretation.

Unless you are claiming that you KNOW, as an absolute fact and have personal revelation from God Himself then could it not be possible that you do not know with 100% certainty all that the future holds? 

Let me put it this way, investments can go up as well as down!  In other words, world history has always had its ups and downs – things have not just gotten worse all over the world century after century.  There have been times and seasons of great light and sincere, humble acceptance of God’s love and mercy.  Situations all over the world have at various times improved – investments can go up as well as down!

So, is it really possibly that the vast majority of ‘experts’ may have misinterpreted the most obscure and difficult passages of Scripture – of course it is! 

In fact, if you are not already aware, then now would be a perfect moment to realize that most of the ‘household names’ in the Christian world (I’ll list some you’ll be sure to know in the next instalment) did not believe in a coming ‘one-world’ government.  This is a more modern interpretation.  Massively ‘popular’ yes, albeit there are still plenty of lesser known folk who hold to quite divergent interpretations.

Whatever the views, all agree at least on one thing – Jesus is definitely coming back again – and that is about as bright as the future can be isn’t it!? 

However, meanwhile, as we eagerly await His return we should all bear in mind that interpreting the future is not a surefire thing.  Whilst we can unfortunately continue to expect that difficult times will come, it might just be possible that The Lord has also planned some good things for His people too.  Be open to hearing what others have to say about the final kingdoms of this world and the end of history (‘His Story’).  I’ll outline the main views in the next article.

First of all, let none of us be hasty in weighing up any matter.  Let us also note that just because we’ve only ever heard one side of a thing, or heard that one view propounded a hundred times, we still need to hear the other side of the argument before we can come to a sound and honest judgement.

 Proverbs teaches us this exact principle…

The first one to plead his cause seems right, Until his neighbor comes and examines him. (Proverbs 18:17 NKJV)
He who answers a matter before he hears it, It is folly and shame to him. (Proverbs 18:13 NKJV)

Speaking frankly, the vast majority of Christians are entirely ignorant of the differing views of eschatology.  On the one hand, there are some who have been indoctrinated into a particular scheme of things and they are full to overflowing with what their teachers have taught them – one view only – stated as ‘fact’. 

On the other hand, there are those who take a line that says, we need not concern ourselves with any of that stuff (for various reasons) – we just concentrate on what’s important.  To the former group I say, it’s great to be enthused about Biblical things but take another look at the proverbs quoted above – and if this is the first time you have ever encountered the ‘Four Views’ don’t make any hasty judgements until you’ve pondered these things quietly before The Lord. 

To the latter group I say, “All Scripture is given of God and is profitable etc.” – a vast chunk of our Bible, Old Testament and New, is dedicated to what The Lord wants to say to His people concerning the ‘latter days’. 

The Gospel (Good News) is not solely about looking back to what Jesus did for us it is every bit as much about looking forward to what He is going to do!

AMEN!

The above being said, I now wish to present to you the simplest of simple summaries of the four very different eschatological views held by various folk down the ages. 

Although there are many shades and complexities and numerous variations within each of these views the following will none-the-less provide a very sturdy framework for all further investigation. 

We’ll start with two views concerning Daniel’s 70 weeks and then we’ll see how these two views affect (or not) the four interpretations of The Book of Revelation.

(IMPORTANT NOTE: This section of Daniel, especially v. 27, contains some very difficult wording.  Bible translations that take an essentially ‘literal’ approach, e.g. KJV, NKJV, ESV, etc. simply translate the wording and leave it to the reader to decide/investigate the meaning.  Some more modern translations, those which take a ‘free paraphrase’ approach, particularly the NLT I have noticed, do not directly translate this passage – they simply adopt the modern view of it and write in their ‘interpretation’ as opposed to a ‘translation’ of the actual wording. 

If in any doubt please check the Hebrew Interlinear version for a straight rendering.)

There are two main views of the meaning and timing of the 70 weeks prophecy in the Book of Daniel. (Please read the relevant portion if you are not wholly familiar with it).  I am only going to summarize these views not examine them. 

But first we must note that both of the following views agree that the 70 ‘weeks’ is actually a reference to 70 periods of 7 ‘years’ – i.e. a total of 490 years is in view (agreement is pretty much universal about this part).

This total time is broken down into three distinct periods but for the purposes of this ultra-simple summary I am going to add the first two periods of time together, which makes 483 years (69 x 7 years).  This leaves the period of the final 7 years, which is where the marked difference between the two following views occurs.

1. THE TRADITIONAL VIEW
The traditional view is that “from the time of the commandment” to the baptism of Jesus is equal to 483 years.

The reference to “causing sacrifice and oblation to cease” is seen as being a reference to CHRIST and His work on the cross.  I.E. God no longer required sacrifice/oblation after Jesus died on the cross.  The seven year period works like this: Jesus is baptized – the seven year period is under way.  Three and a half years later Jesus is crucified (“in the midst of the week”).  For the next three and a half years The Messiah, through the Holy Spirit living and working in His apostles, continues to “confirm the covenant” with the Jewish nation.  That three and a half years culminates in the stoning of Stephen (Acts 7) and after that event the Gospel is no longer exclusively confirmed to the Jews – it starts to be offered to the Gentiles.

I believe I have given a very simple but fair summary of the two very different takes on the 70 weeks.  I have not sought to deal with any of the arguments for and against these views and I shall not add my own comments at this stage. 

For now, I just want the reader to note that, the first view does not, in essence, directly link Daniel’s 70 weeks with the Book of Revelation – those who hold the first view of Daniel’s 70 weeks may hold any of three distinct views (coming below) concerning how they interpret Revelation. 

The second view is absolutely intrinsically tied with the Book of Revelation – and all mentions in Revelation amounting to ‘three and a half years’ are said to be tied directly to the final ‘week’ in Daniel.  Are you still with me?  If not, please review this section again before moving on to the ‘Four Views’ of The Book of Revelation.

The following summary relates to the four ways that interpreters view Revelation – specifically chapters 4-19 are what is in view here:

1. Preterist – It’s mainly about past events – the destruction of Jerusalem and possibly also the destruction of Rome.
2. Historicist – It’s an unfolding of all the major world/church events in history – from the time the book starts until now (and still some to come).
   Well-known adherents to this view include: Martin Luther, John Calvin, John Foxe, Sir Isaac Newton, Matthew Henry, Jonathan Edwards, John Gill, H. Grattan Guinness, Charles Spurgeon, John Wesley, George Whitefield, Charles Finney, The Translation Committee of the King James Bible (read the epistle dedicatory), and many others.
3. Futurist (AKA Dispensationalism) – It’s all concerned with a seven year period and a tribulation yet to come (probably soon).  I.E. this is Daniel’s 70th week.
   Well-known adherents to this view include: John Nelson Derby, Cyrus Schofield, Thomas Newberry, David Pawson, David Wilkerson, Hal Lindsay, Tim LaHaye (Left Behind series), John Hagee, Francisco Ribera, John F. MacArthur, J. Vernon McGee, Charles Caldwell Ryrie, John Walvoord, most modern Televangelists and popular Christian speakers.
4. Idealist (AKA the ‘Spiritual’ interpretation) – It’s mostly not about specific events as such but general repeated cycles of world and church troubles/battles/spiritual principles.

PLEASE NOTE:

1. Each of the four views above have multiple variations within that view.
2. I’ve not included a list of proponents of Preterism and Idealism because I am not aware of well-known (to non-academic Christians) names who have espoused these views (please feel free to furnish me with any such list).
3. I’ve included a list of names under Historicism and Futurism to highlight the fact that well-educated, sincere, respected teachers hold very differing views.
4. For most readers you will find the list under Historicism a little more ‘famous’ than those under Futurism.  You will also notice that the former list includes people from a few hundred years back but the latter list only goes back around 150 years (with the exception of Francisco Ribera) and comes right up to today.  That is because there was a shift away from the Traditional Historic view in favour of Dispensational Futurism after JN Darby published his views around the mid eighteen hundreds.

Concerning note 1 above… When you hear someone say that they believe in ‘pre-tribulation rapture’ and another person says that they hold to ‘post-tribulation rapture’ – these are not two different views of the interpretation of Revelation.  Both of the aforementioned people share the same basic view of Revelation but they differ as to some of the detail.  These are variations WITHIN the same view.

Firstly, I realize that for some readers the above information is about all you can handle for now.  That’s fine.  Just take it as a broad framework to hang things on as you go along.  At the very least it will hopefully help make sense of what you are hearing other people say.  Although you may not be ‘expert’ in the detail of the popular view, which is what you are most likely to hear, you will at least now understand that it is one of four frameworks – and in that knowledge you will probably be ahead of most enthusiasts who are zealously expounding all the details to you!

There is no way that you can come to any kind of firm judgement based on the super-simple summaries that I have given of all these deeply complex matters but I trust it has been of some help if you are keen to study further. 

Remembering our two proverbs quoted above, if you are going to dogmatically hold to a particular view then please make sure that you first hear all of the arguments for the other sides BEFORE you come to a position of unbending entrenchment.

What we do know for sure are the words of our Lord Jesus Christ Himself, promising a bright future with Him ... 

John 14:1-6 " Do not let your heart be troubled; believe in God, believe also in Me.  In My Father’s house are many dwelling places; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you.  If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself, that where I am, there you may be also.  And you know the way where I am going.” Thomas said to Him, “Lord, we do not know where You are going, how do we know the way?”  Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me." 

As True Believers We KNOW we have a bright future, and an unshakable confidence here in this life since we know from personal experience that our God has always been with us, since our day of conversion, and His promises He has always kept.

Our privilege and responsibility is to share the Truth of God's promises and bring others to Christ while it is still day. 

In the next article we’ll move forward to chapter 20 of Revelation and consider the ‘Millennium’.  Once again, there are options!  And once again, how we view something in the Book of Daniel will affect our opinions when interpreting the Revelation.

This page created by Peter Brenner on Thursday, November 2, 2023

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