Revelation Revealed Pt 1
Revelation Revealed
Pt 1
Text: Matthew 24:3-25:46, Revelation 20:4-8
The study of end times is ESCHATOLOGY.
Terms To Know:
There are three main positions regarding the Second Coming:
Covenant Theology -
The church has not replaced Israel. Though there is a national identity as a nation, Israel, the church and Israel are united as one.
Futurist - those who believe that all of the prophecy of Matthew 24 are going to occur in the future. Theses event are yet to happen. Almost none of Revelation has happened yet.
Partial Preterist - those who believe that Matthew 24 has already taken place (AD 67-70), but believe in a premillennial Second Coming.
Josephus -
Progressives Dispensational Camp
Bible-believers all agree that at some future time Jesus Christ will appear openly and bodily to the world in the Second Coming and will begin visibly to reign. But they do not all agree on the order of events preceding and following the Second Coming, or who will fulfill what.
Introduction/Background: Left Behind Series, 88 Reasons Why The Rapture Will Be In 1988, etc.
This pre-trib rapture doctrine places the American church at the crossroads of the church of Laodicea, the rise of the Anti-Christ, the decoding of 666 and the laying out of what will happen when we are “out of here.”
This obsession with the pre-trib rapture hope and trying to figure it all out left the American church destine to fail and lose its effect.
The Church started sitting around waiting on Jesus to come back.
Celebrating that we are going to miss any trial or tribulation because we are going to be in Heaven worshipping while those that rejected Jesus suffer here on earth.
Yes, Jesus is coming back! There will be opposing views as to when.
I am not going to try to convince you one way or the other. I want us to look at the evidence and then we can hope for a pre-trib rapture but plan for a post-trib rapture and plan for a mid-trib rapture.
Either way, we occupy until He comes and believe that the Kingdom of God will grow and see revival.
What We Know: Zechariah 14:4 - the Eastern gate was sealed in AD 1540-41. Many believe the reason for the gate being closed off was to prevent the Jewish Messiah from gaining access to Jerusalem.
Jewish tradition states that the Messiah will pass through this gate when He comes to rule and reign.
Suleiman the Magnificent, a devout Muslim, is the one that ordered the gate to be sealed with 16 feet of cement. It has been sealed for 500 years. The Muslims also put a cemetery in front of the East Gate. It is Islamic belief that the Jewish Messiah would not enter a cemetery.
Matthew 24:3-25:46
In verse 3 the disciples asked Him three questions…..
- in AD 70 Jerusalem was destroyed. 40 years of Jesus declaring this. (generation)
- 20,000 Roman soldiers surrounded the city and cut off all supplies so the people would starve.
- The soldiers came into the city and killed more than one million Jews. They set the Temple on fire and took 97,000 Jews captive.
- about 130-135 the began to reassemble to some level to be able to try to fight the Romans.
- after a few years the Romans attacked them again killing 580,000 Jews. After that time, Israel was no longer recognized as a nation, until 1948.
- The Romans demolished the Temple.
- After Jesus died many came claiming to be the Messiah. The Jews were still looking.
- “wars and rumors of war” - in an 18 month period, wars broke out, 4 emperors in Rome were murdered.
- in AD 66, 50,000 Jews were killed in Alexandria, 50,000 were killed in Seleucia and 20,000 were killed in Caesarea.
- severe famine - Acts 11:28.
- birth pangs.
- persecutions.
- great persecutions - in AD 64 one-third of the city of Rome burned to the ground. This would have been far more devastating that the Twin Towers falling in 2001.
- Nero, the emperor at the time, blamed the Christians for the fire. The led to “The Great Persecution” of the church.
- Nero, would capture Christians, cover them in animal skins and let dogs tear them apart, nail them to crosses or cover them in tar and light them on fire to illuminate Nero’s garden as he entertained guest.
- 24:14 - oikoumene - “civilized world”.
- “then the end will come.” What end? The Temple destroyed.
- babies cutting half to eat, people cut open at the stomach, searching for hidden treasures.
- Romans soldiers would cut of the the hand of men trying to escape. The eventually entered the city and took 500 men per day.
- They beat them, tortured them And crucified them. Crucifixion was commonplace.
- They killed all but 97,000 Jews, who were taken to be slaves in Egypt.
- During the Holocaust, six million Jews were killed over a six year period of time - labor camps and killed poisonous gas.
- During the attack in AD 70, more than one million Jews were starved, tortured, crucified and killed in a four month period.
The destruction of the temple finalized the end to the old religious system.
- The disciples were Jews. They were looking for God to send a Messiah. They were asking, “When will You step into Your Kingdom and reveal Yourself as King?”
- Perhaps, Jesus is say that as some as this destruction takes place, they would understand that He came into His Kingdom. - Matt. 24:29 - “immediately”
- Temple Institute trying to rebuild the temple.
- two second coming views - He comes back, but doesn’t touch earth. Then, he comes back to reign.
- This would point to a post-trib/premillennial view.
We are not going to focus on the rapture. I want us to look at the evidence and then we can hope for a pre-trib rapture but plan for a post-trib rapture and plan for a mid-trib rapture.
In Scripture, there are principles or teachings about things that are happening already, but yet there is a greater future reality for those things.
He is coming back! When this life is over we will spend eternity in one of two places.
The study of end times is ESCHATOLOGY.
Terms To Know:
There are three main positions regarding the Second Coming:
- Premillennialism
- (1) The present age continues to be a mixture of good and evil, believers and unbelievers.
- (2) Christ returns (the Second Coming). Christians living and dead receive resurrection bodies. There is a judgment on the unbelievers who are alive.
- (3) Christ begins a visible reign over the nations, a time of great peace and prosperity lasting for 1000 years.
- (4) Shortly before the end of this period, Satan deceives people and instigates a great rebellion (described in Rev 20:7-10).
- (5) God puts down the rebellion, and there is a final judgment of those alive and of the wicked dead.
- (6) The eternal reign of God begins.
- Generally speaking, premillennialist tend to be in the pre-trib camp.
- Dispensational premillennial view -
- Amillennialism
- (1) The present age continues with a mixture of good and evil.
- (2) Satan instigates a final rebellion near the end of the age.
- (3) Christ returns (the Second Coming). Christ judges all people, living and dead. Believers receive resurrection bodies, and unbelievers are cast into hell.
- (4) The eternal reign of God begins (the consummation).
- Postmillennialism - most often full Preterist
- Believes Jesus is returning at the end of the 1,000 year reign.
- The fulfillment of Matthew 24 was fulfilled in AD 67-70.
- (1) The present age becomes better and better as more people become Christians and the blessing of God is poured out on them. There will come a future age of spiritual prosperity when Christian faith will dominate in this world.
- (2) Christ returns (the Second Coming). Christ judges all people, living and dead. Believers receive resurrection bodies, and unbelievers are cast into hell.
- (3) The eternal reign of God begins (the consummation).
Covenant Theology -
The church has not replaced Israel. Though there is a national identity as a nation, Israel, the church and Israel are united as one.
Futurist - those who believe that all of the prophecy of Matthew 24 are going to occur in the future. Theses event are yet to happen. Almost none of Revelation has happened yet.
Partial Preterist - those who believe that Matthew 24 has already taken place (AD 67-70), but believe in a premillennial Second Coming.
Josephus -
Progressives Dispensational Camp
Bible-believers all agree that at some future time Jesus Christ will appear openly and bodily to the world in the Second Coming and will begin visibly to reign. But they do not all agree on the order of events preceding and following the Second Coming, or who will fulfill what.
Introduction/Background: Left Behind Series, 88 Reasons Why The Rapture Will Be In 1988, etc.
This pre-trib rapture doctrine places the American church at the crossroads of the church of Laodicea, the rise of the Anti-Christ, the decoding of 666 and the laying out of what will happen when we are “out of here.”
This obsession with the pre-trib rapture hope and trying to figure it all out left the American church destine to fail and lose its effect.
The Church started sitting around waiting on Jesus to come back.
Celebrating that we are going to miss any trial or tribulation because we are going to be in Heaven worshipping while those that rejected Jesus suffer here on earth.
Yes, Jesus is coming back! There will be opposing views as to when.
I am not going to try to convince you one way or the other. I want us to look at the evidence and then we can hope for a pre-trib rapture but plan for a post-trib rapture and plan for a mid-trib rapture.
Either way, we occupy until He comes and believe that the Kingdom of God will grow and see revival.
What We Know: Zechariah 14:4 - the Eastern gate was sealed in AD 1540-41. Many believe the reason for the gate being closed off was to prevent the Jewish Messiah from gaining access to Jerusalem.
Jewish tradition states that the Messiah will pass through this gate when He comes to rule and reign.
Suleiman the Magnificent, a devout Muslim, is the one that ordered the gate to be sealed with 16 feet of cement. It has been sealed for 500 years. The Muslims also put a cemetery in front of the East Gate. It is Islamic belief that the Jewish Messiah would not enter a cemetery.
Matthew 24:3-25:46
In verse 3 the disciples asked Him three questions…..
- When will these things happen? Matt. 24:4-28
- in AD 70 Jerusalem was destroyed. 40 years of Jesus declaring this. (generation)
- 20,000 Roman soldiers surrounded the city and cut off all supplies so the people would starve.
- The soldiers came into the city and killed more than one million Jews. They set the Temple on fire and took 97,000 Jews captive.
- about 130-135 the began to reassemble to some level to be able to try to fight the Romans.
- after a few years the Romans attacked them again killing 580,000 Jews. After that time, Israel was no longer recognized as a nation, until 1948.
- The Romans demolished the Temple.
- After Jesus died many came claiming to be the Messiah. The Jews were still looking.
- “wars and rumors of war” - in an 18 month period, wars broke out, 4 emperors in Rome were murdered.
- in AD 66, 50,000 Jews were killed in Alexandria, 50,000 were killed in Seleucia and 20,000 were killed in Caesarea.
- severe famine - Acts 11:28.
- birth pangs.
- persecutions.
- great persecutions - in AD 64 one-third of the city of Rome burned to the ground. This would have been far more devastating that the Twin Towers falling in 2001.
- Nero, the emperor at the time, blamed the Christians for the fire. The led to “The Great Persecution” of the church.
- Nero, would capture Christians, cover them in animal skins and let dogs tear them apart, nail them to crosses or cover them in tar and light them on fire to illuminate Nero’s garden as he entertained guest.
- 24:14 - oikoumene - “civilized world”.
- “then the end will come.” What end? The Temple destroyed.
- babies cutting half to eat, people cut open at the stomach, searching for hidden treasures.
- Romans soldiers would cut of the the hand of men trying to escape. The eventually entered the city and took 500 men per day.
- They beat them, tortured them And crucified them. Crucifixion was commonplace.
- They killed all but 97,000 Jews, who were taken to be slaves in Egypt.
- During the Holocaust, six million Jews were killed over a six year period of time - labor camps and killed poisonous gas.
- During the attack in AD 70, more than one million Jews were starved, tortured, crucified and killed in a four month period.
The destruction of the temple finalized the end to the old religious system.
- What will be the signs of Your coming? Matt. 24:29-35
- The disciples were Jews. They were looking for God to send a Messiah. They were asking, “When will You step into Your Kingdom and reveal Yourself as King?”
- Perhaps, Jesus is say that as some as this destruction takes place, they would understand that He came into His Kingdom. - Matt. 24:29 - “immediately”
- What about the end of the age or “world”? Matt. 24:36-25:46
- Temple Institute trying to rebuild the temple.
- two second coming views - He comes back, but doesn’t touch earth. Then, he comes back to reign.
- This would point to a post-trib/premillennial view.
We are not going to focus on the rapture. I want us to look at the evidence and then we can hope for a pre-trib rapture but plan for a post-trib rapture and plan for a mid-trib rapture.
In Scripture, there are principles or teachings about things that are happening already, but yet there is a greater future reality for those things.
He is coming back! When this life is over we will spend eternity in one of two places.
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