The Tapestry of Eschatology

The First Scene

As the old man huddled over the scroll something sparked his interest.

It had been 67 years since he had left his beloved city as a youth. He had not left for fortune and fame, but in captivity and uncertainty, thrown out of Jerusalem by God himself, not likely to ever return. Regardless, he made up his mind to stay faithful, and God had been gracious through it all. Now, huddled over that scroll, nearing the final stretch of his days, his melancholy could not be masked. How he ached for the Jews and Jerusalem: God's chosen people, God's chosen city, would both be abandoned forever?

From the barren ground of such longing, unexpectedly, hope sprang forth from the words of Jeremiah: just 70 years had been assigned for the desolations of Zion. Restoration was soon to come, really, just around the corner. Daniel began to pray for the Jews and Jerusalem.

In answer to Daniel's confessions and supplications for the future of the Jews and Jerusalem, the angel Gabriel was dispatched with God's response to Daniel's pleas. In typical God-like fashion, the answer went beyond what Daniel thought or asked. In a nutshell, God said to Daniel, "I'm not done with the Jews or Jerusalem, I have fantastic plans for both. In fact, it will take 490 years for me to complete my work with and in them."

For all of us studiously scouring what was given to Daniel for clues as to how it will all end, we can never lose sight of the most salient feature of this vision: it's not that there are 70 weeks that is of utmost importance, but that those 70 weeks were decreed for the Jews and Jerusalem. If one does not understand this critical point, there is no way that one will ever arrive at a biblically coherent eschatology.

The Second Scene
An old man walks across the rocky landscape of his island abode alone.

Though he's not paying attention to where he walks, he navigates perfectly, lost in thought in God's presence. He remembered all that had transpired since his days as a youth traveling with Jesus. So much had happened since then: the gospel had spilled out of Judea and Jerusalem and was now well on its way to the four corners of the earth. Every kindred, tribe and tongue drawn into its net as it trawled the waters of humanity. All the old gang had died and were buried, martyrs for the cause, and John, himself, the last eyewitness of Christ, walked these isolated crags in exile. Perhaps, Truman-like, he wondered how it all would end?

A trumpet blast, heralding the appearance of the First and Last, shattered his ruminations. The Lord, himself, arrived at just the right moment with some awe striking answers. In the prologue of the Apocalypse, we are told those answers were not just to satisfy John's curiosity, but also yours and mine, any who are Christ's servants. The salient, but oft overlooked, feature of this prophecy is its stated purpose of telling what soon must take place. In fact, it is reiterated at least twice (Revelation 1:3 and 22:10) that its coming is near. No one could argue, at least not without doing injustice to the text, that the Revelation covers a lengthy period of time, one that actually extends into eternity, and yet the initiation of the period was to be near 95 AD.

The Common Thread
What we have in the figures of Daniel and John are two handpicked messengers of God who were both given a vision, at a critical time of transition, of what would happen from their time to the end of time for the people on their heart. Daniel's concerns were about the Jews, so God's revelation to him was specifically about the Jews. John's concerns were for the church (which encompassed every tongue, kindred and tribe) so God's revelation dealt both with the Gentile church age and the last 7 years of Daniel.

From Daniel's time to the end of time, God would work specifically with the Jews for a total of 490 years to bring them to redemption. The only proviso not readily apparent is that 483 of those years would pass in succession, but the last seven would be split off and follow much later than the rest at the very end of time. From John's time to the end of time, God would work through a series of periods which would culminate in the removal of the Gentile church and the final seven years of Daniel, and then the millennium and eternity.

What these two figures represent are parallel tracks of a singular story. They are tied together, but are absolutely distinctive. To tangle the threads is a recipe for disaster which will turn one's eschatology into a confusing wad of uncertainty. That's not what God gave us those stories for, so come with me on a journey to untangle the mess and see the Tapestry of Eschatology in its stunning beauty  and clarity.

A Rapture? Actually, There's Three

What I'm about to share with you I'd wager you've never heard anywhere else before. Don't let that scare you, though you may suspect I'm a Gentile short of the full number before it's over.

Before we go any further, let's define an important term: rapture. The word itself is generally considered to be a non-biblical term, but that is not quite true. It is a fair translation of the Koine, harpazó, found in 1 Thessalonians 4:17, as the dictionary clearly demonstrates. For the sake of accuracy, let me define rapture in this way: an event in which God translates the body of a believer not only from its earthly location to a heavenly one, but also, and more importantly, transforms it from its earthly form to its eternal one. Both the living and the dead are included, and the fullest treatment of the circumstance is found in 1 Corinthians 15:50-57.

The most important consideration, quite apart from all that, is whether or not the term does justice to biblical thought, and that it does quite well!

If you've been a Christian for a minimum of 5 minutes, you've probably been assaulted by the arguments as to the timing of this event. Although there are those who would argue against the existence of the event at all, that perspective is so out of harmony with scripture, it's not worth the words it would take to refute it. That aside, there are pre-, mid-, and post-tribulationists who subscribe to the event but differ as to its timing. There are even so-called pan-tribulationists, cheeky monkeys who say they could care less, figuring it will all pan out in the end.

What I can say in regard to this question, that may be unique and is definitely outre, is that they're all right! 

Haven't I said in prior articles that the Gentile church was raptured out at the beginning of the 70th week? Yes, but let me say here that each of the viewpoints (pre, mid and post) can cite solid scriptural references to back up their viewpoints. For each view, those that hold the others can shoot holes in their arguments. Why? They are, in fact, all right, they just don't realize it. What the Bible actually teaches is that the rapture has a pre-, mid-, and post-tribulational component. What!?! Yup, all three pre-millenial rapture theories are correct, but not exclusively so, whereas post- and a-millenialism are out to lunch.

I lay out the pretribulational rapture of the Gentile church in another post, so let me lay out the rest for you. 

In Revelation 7 we are introduced to 144,000 Jews who believed in Christ at the beginning of Daniel's 70th week. They are sealed and protected from the wrathful events falling upon earth at that time for three and a half years. Their time on earth during the 70th week runs concurrently with the two prophetic witnesses mentioned in Revelation 11. Those witnesses are killed at the midpoint of the Tribulation and left unburied on the streets of Jerusalem for three and a half days. At that point, God calls for them from his abode and they rise from the dead and ascend into heaven. 

That experience for those two witnesses most certainly fits the definition of Rapture. As it so happens, the next mention of the 144,000 is in Revelation 14, but, quite noticeably, their location then can no longer be said to be clearly on earth. They're with the Lamb, singing a special song before the throne and the elders. How did they get there? They were raptured, like any other humans who get there, along with the two witnesses. And smack dab in the middle of Daniel's  70th week!

What about the post- component?

That's found in Revelation 20, where we discover that those (they will be Jews) who were executed in the last three and a half years of the 70th week, will be raised from the dead and join the ranks of those ruling and reigning with Christ. Rather than buy into THE lie and take the mark of the beast, they stayed true to Christ and paid the price with their lives. They will find the same reward as all who have done similar before them. And, it meets the definition of Rapture!

There you have it. The completion of the first resurrection-- a rapture for sure, but in three distinct, biblically attested phases.

The Rapture: The Secret's Out

The idea of a "secret" gathering of the Gentile church in the air to meet Christ, while the world descends into tribulation, is a difficult one for many. The concept is relatively new to the church, first proposed, as near as I can tell, in 1812 and not popularized until about 1830 (by Irving and Darby). My own hermeneutical guidepost is that what someone has said or not said about the Word, regardless of how long ago they lived and wrote, is not really the issue. Whether or not the Word itself actually bears out the interpretation behind the teaching is what matters.

So, does the Bible actually bear out this teaching of a pre-tribulational Rapture? Yes, resoundingly, yes!

Let me offer you an annotated list of scriptural citations which support the concept:

1) Revelation 7: note that the 144,000 are described in earthly terms, whereas the Gentile saints are described in heavenly ones; 

2) Matthew 24:32-51: note that despite referencing the signs of the end, Jesus teaches the sudden, unexpected taking away of those that were ready;

3) Luke 21:36: note that the "escape out from all these things" is associated with standing before the Son of man;

4) 2 Thessalonians 2:1-5: note that the Thessalonians had thought they missed it all, not only the gathering of the saints to Christ, but the coming of our Lord. The reference only makes sense if they were expecting a "secret rapture." Paul reassures them by reiterating that the coming will not be secret, even though the gathering is; 

5) Revelation 3:7-13: note that there is a Jewish/Gentile divergence referenced and that the church in Philadelphia was promised to be kept out from the hour (a short period) of trial coming upon the whole earth; 

6) Luke 17:26-36: Note that the rescue in the ark was followed by wrath on the earth, which makes perfect sense in light of 1 Thessalonians 5:9; 

7) Revelation 12:1-6: this will actually take some words to develop, so please read on.

Perhaps no chapter of scripture is more helpful eschatologically than Revelation 12. Once one properly understands the symbols, the end-time scenario clarifies and the timing of end-time events settles into place. The imagery of the woman clearly hearkens back to Joseph's dream, the figure is obviously Jewish. That she was pregnant brings into focus two thoughts:

1) She would give birth to something like her, and 

2) While in the womb that something was expected but hidden. If one sees the woman as a corporate symbol (like the nation of Israel), rather than an individual (like Mary), then the infant must taken the same way.

Interpreting Revelation 12

The woman is the messianic Jewish community, the baby in her womb is the Gentile church. The church is in the womb because it was hidden from sight from the former prophets, secreted in between Daniel's 69th and 70th week (despite the Jews being prophesied as having an effect on all nations). Though hidden, it grows and develops until it has attained its full gestation (Romans 11:25, full number), at which point, its time in utero is complete and the baby is born. 

Immediately, the child is raptured (Koine: harpazo) into the heavenlies. We should recall at this point that the church is the body of Christ and that we will rule and reign with him. The Jewish mother is left, protected on earth for three and a half years. That equates symbolically quite well with the description of the 144,000. Her other offspring, who become subject to the animosity of the dragon, are the Jews who will be coming to Christ as a result of the testimony of 144,000 and the two witnesses (but that's for another article).

So, the Bible does teach a sudden and escaping translation of the Gentile church to heaven at the close of the Age of the Gentiles and the beginning of the 70th Week of Daniel. Though often pejoratively referred to as the Secret Rapture, all I can say is that the secret's out!

The Prophetic Hermeneutic

What is the most important prophecy in the scriptures?

For as many students of the Word as there are, there will be that many answers to such a question. Genesis 3:15 or Isaiah 53 would definitely have to be considered as possible contenders, but I think there is another that is more practical in relating the present as we experience it to prophecy in the Bible. It may be a bit obscure, but Amos 3:7 turns out to be eminently practical in relating biblical predictions about what would happen to what actually is happening.

It's a prophecy about prophecy. In fact, Amos 3:7 is a hermeneutical powerhouse!

I take this passage to mean that if something will occur that is significant to God's redemptive plans for the human race, God will reveal those events to his prophets prior to their happening. Occurrences which have significance to God's plan are not going to pass by without mention, without notice from him to the faithful. The practical aspect of this reality is that when significant events happen to Israel or in the world which Christ is in the midst shepherding toward an end, those events will be found to have been foretold by one of God's writing prophets. 

Such a supposition helps unfold our understanding of redemption history during the Church Age. For instance, events like the disintegration of the Pax Romana with its long-term impact on European, and therefore church development; or the pandemic of Bubonic plague in the 1340's with its worldwide jolt to population and culture; or the rise of Adolf Hitler and the Holocaust, beyond doubt, had effecst on redemption history. Therefore, we should anticipate such events to be foretold by prophecy in the Bible.

If this is so, one has to wonder where in the Bible might the earth-shattering events that have befallen mankind during the Church Age be prophesied. I think the most likely place to look is in the prophecies found in the New Testament. The very last prophetic revelation, the Apocalypse, is generally supposed to have been inspired in 95 CE. It makes "Amos 3:7 sense" that the Lord would show his servants, the New Testament Apostles, those plan-of-redemption affecting events that would happen during the Church Age.

What doesn't make sense is thinking that God would have only commented about the last 7 years of time in these prophecies and remained quiet regarding all those earth-shattering events that have happened in the mean time.

If we see Amos 3:7 as a prophetic hermeneutic, it allows us to interpret New Testament prophecy in a broader light than has been generally accepted. Doing so leads us to the discovery that God has not left us in the darkness concerning what's been going on these last 2000 years. But let me add a couple of corollaries:

1) if the prophesied event occurred within the time frame during which biblical writing was inspired, its fulfillment will be recorded in the scriptures dealing with that period; and 

2) if a prophecy interprets the past (as it certainly does in parts of the Revelation) it's fulfillment in the past will be recorded in the scriptures dealing with that period.

These principles of interpretation may not be found in any standard, evangelical approach to hermeneutics, but then again, would I be writing this if those techniques actually produced coherent, internally consistent expositions, that successfully interpreted eschatological prophecy!

These principles are essential in properly interpreting the Seven Seals as well as the Eight Kings of chapter 17. If one is left scratching his or her head, trying to understand why there wasn't a word from God when a quarter of the earth's population was killed within a few short years (the Black Death), or why a frivolous book like Esther was ever recorded in scriptures, he or she should remember this hermeneutic. The Holy Spirit inspired the recording of things he did for reasons, though sometimes those reasons don't become apparent until generations afterward.

Hopefully, they'll be apparent to you as we continue with the prophetic seals.

Be Like Jesus

Distractions are some of our greatest enemies. They do not confront us with malice frontally, their blows, if they land at all, are only glancing. They don’t have to be dangerous or even lethal-- a butterfly on the windshield wiper can be just as distracting to our drive as a bee in the car. Like the old saw which says that a man may be the head of the family, but the wife is the neck, so distractions seek to turn our attention from where we were going.

The Bible warns us about distractions. Most of them are not intrinsically evil, but some of them are. A family will be a distraction, it's unavoidable, and not evil in the least (quite the opposite in fact). An unrelenting drive for "success" and status is distracting, particularly from trying to achieve our point in being here, and is evil at the core. Oddly, benign or evil distractions can stop ministry in its tracks.

Multiple choice exams, in order to add a degree of difficulty, often instruct their takers to choose, not the answer, but the best answer. A response can be wrong, not because it isn't true, but because it isn't full. When tolerances are high, quality control is a cinch: when the fit is tight, we have to be more choosy. I wonder how much of what we teach and practice in the church settles for something in the ballpark, but actually misses being in the game? The church at Ephesus certainly has some lessons to teach us in this regard.

Even the litany of discussions about the church seems somewhat distracting to me. So many are writing and reading about, mostly, what has already been said by someone at some time. Mention anything to a brother or sister today and you're likely to hear, "have you read so and so's book/article/blog about ..." So much information, so many concerns, too many choices, urgencies everywhere, the flesh in the midst of it all, excuses overflowing. So much effort in planning and prospecting and trying to get ahead.

Can it be that hard to just be like Jesus? 

Maybe it's time to just do that!