I am doing a series of messages called BlackOut - Understanding The End Of The Age and this is Part 2. If you have not listened to Part 1 I encourage you to do that before you start this lesson. I’m calling this series of messages BlackOut basing it on a scripture in Isaiah chapter 60 verse 2 which says: “Behold, darkness shall cover the earth and thick darkness the peoples; but the Lord will arise upon you, and his glory will be seen upon you”. The scripture describes a darkness over the earth and a thick darkness upon its inhabitants. However, in the midst of great darkness we have the promise that the glory of God will be seen upon us
What I am hoping to do through this series is to help give you a framework for understanding our times in light of the word of God. It’s a view that has helped me navigate some complex topics throughout the years up to the present. It’s what compels me to do this series of messages because this series of messages titled “Blackout” is about deception.
Deception has become so widespread that it affects all of us today.
In a world of confusion, distortion of facts, extremism and outright falsehood the church is supposed to be a place of sound truth. It’s why we need a basic framework for understanding the times in which we live to keep us out of the ditches of extremism. Paul in I Timothy chapter 3 verse 15 called the church “a pillar and foundation of the truth”. I hope these messages will help you give a clear focus on how to walk in these times and grow closer to God.
What I call the American Mc Gospel has produced and promoted celebrity, prosperity and fame. It’s produced many times a gospel that feeds the selfish nature of man instead of the humility of the cross. The glory of God is going to rest upon the church, but it's only going to rest upon humility, transparency and those who willingly lay down their lives for the king of Glory. The first sin was pride and the root of deception is pride. It’s putting self first.
Pride blinds you and darkens your understanding.
We live in an age of cultural, political, economic and theological extremes. If you are like me then you are many times confused due to the great amounts of information flowing towards you daily. It’s what I call information overload. It’s like a power circuit that can’t handle the electricity flowing through it so it shuts down before it creates a fire. Instead of creating a fire it creates a blackout. I think that’s what happens to us today so many times; we are overwhelmed and we just shut down because we’re confused. I’m hoping that through this series you are illuminated so that you can shine in the midst of a dark and confused world.
I am attempting to make the complex subject of prophecy as simple as I can. One Jewish method of interpretation concerning prophecy is called Midrash: To the ancient Jewish mind, prophecy was a pattern which keeps repeating, a prophecy having multiple fulfillments with each fulfillment, each cycle, teaching something about the ultimate fulfillment. It’s the concept that history repeats itself. If you have ever opened up an onion then you’ll see there are layers. Prophecy is like that in how God fulfills them.
One of the main things that blinded many of the Pharisees was pride.
The Pharisees searched the scriptures for their coming Messiah, but couldn’t see the very essence of truth; God manifested in human flesh. Jesus taught, performed miracles and demonstrated the love of the Father right in front of them for three and a half years, but they missed their day of visitation. He did not fit in the boxes of their preconceived ideas. It’s because they thought they had it all figured out.
I’ve seen that when you think you have it all figured out, God peels back a layer of the onion. It’s why you are going to hear me talk about humility of heart throughout this series because humility is a key to living in the truth and walking in the light. Truth is not always having everything figured out. Truth is learning to abide in Christ, the one who knows the end from the beginning.
One of the layers of the ‘fullness of times’ is that God stepped into history at the right time.
It was by the predetermined plan and purpose of the heavenly counsel that Christ was to step into time as the God-Man and he did it during the rule of the Roman Empire. The Roman Empire at the time was connected by what has come to be known as the Roman Roads. The light of the gospel spread like a wildfire throughout the known world as the disciples obeyed the command of the risen Christ to take his message to the ends of the earth.
It was the unseen hand of God bringing to pass his predetermined plan to deliver, redeem and restore his creation.
God had promised that a Redeemer would come, who would reunite Mankind with Him by His sacrificial death. The Old Covenant, written over a 1,000-year period, contains 332 distinct predictions of the promised Redeemer. In his life, death, burial, resurrection and ascension Jesus the Christ; the son of the Living God has fulfilled 300 of those prophecies. The rest of those prophecies will be fulfilled when he returns to this earth as the ruling king of Kings.
As you look at how to interpret the book of Revelation there are two main contradictory views which are the Preterist and Dispensational methods. In theological circles you have two main ways to interpret the Bible from Genesis to Revelation which are Covenant Theology and Dispensational Theology. As I said in Part 1 of this series when I got delivered from addiction at the age of 19 and I was immediately thrust into this debate concerning the last days. I started my journey of faith 35 years ago in the late 1980’s and spiritual warfare along with a real focus on the end times was all the rage.
I was hungry to know the truth so I found what was considered the best books at the time on these subjects. We are talking about pre-internet days so I had to go to a bookstore. I ordered Clarence Larkin’s book ‘Dispensational Truth’ written in 1918 and consumed it in a matter of days front to back. It really was very well written, documented and convincing. Clarence liked to write with pictures and illustrate the truth he was trying to convey. I liked the pictures and graphs because it did help you understand; although I don’t agree with all of his timelines and charts. The book was very informative and definitely helped me grow in my understanding of Biblical history and how the unseen Hand of God has moved through time, through differing nations along with the different ages.
I then ordered David Chilton’s book written in 1987 called ‘The Days of Vengeance: An Exposition of the Book of Revelation’. It was a very thick book so it took me several weeks to read. At that time David Chilton was the premier scholar writing from the preterist view and he used a lot of big words which made it a long hard read. He thoroughly documented his views with tons of source material and it was a very compelling viewpoint. In the end I was left with whiplash.
The two books could not have been more contradictory in their interpretation of the book of Revelation and the way to interpret scripture. I was 20 years old at the time and was trying to understand how you could come up with two completely different views of the same book? I found both books to be helpful in growing in my faith and both gave me understanding that I did not have before I read them.
It’s been 35 years since I read those two books and so much has changed yet so much has also remained the same. I don’t consider either of these authors who are now deceased to have been heretics, which is the label that is thrown around so quickly just because you disagree with someone's viewpoints. I think they were both sincere in their beliefs and both presented a clear portrayal of faith in the risen Christ. However, both could not be correct in how they interpreted the book of Revelation. The dilemma that faced me was that both views could not be correct.
I was convinced that understanding this subject was important so I had to figure out how to find my way forward in understanding Biblical Prophecy.
What I discovered was what Paul taught us in the love chapter of the Bible. In I Corinthians chapter 13 verse 9 he says, “we know in part and we prophesy in part”. Prophecy is many times an enigma and it’s meant to be. It is mysterious, puzzling and many times difficult to understand so you have to walk by faith and you have to walk in the light that you have; you simply are not going to have everything figured out.
Humility of heart is a must so you have to be careful with prophecy because it’s in God's hand and he brings it to pass.
The dogmatic prideful attitude thinking you have it all figured out and you have all the answers is what blinds you. His ways are not our ways therefore humility of heart is a necessity to truly understand. Extremism develops when we try to carry to logical conclusions that which God has only revealed in part.
I could see valid positions to both views and I could see flaws in both views. However, it’s been my desire and search for the truth which has helped to mold my current views. I’m going to end this series covering the four main views used to interpret the book of Revelation because I think it's important for us to be informed.
As I was doing my Master’s degree in Theology I had to figure out the language they were using. If you are studying for example to be a medical doctor there is a certain vocabulary that the medical community speaks and writes in. It's medical terminology used to describe anatomical structures, procedures, conditions, processes and treatments in the medical field. It’s the same way with Theologians who have developed their own theological terminology.
Like the Pharisees and even medical doctors today, Theologians tend to argue among themselves.
Books and papers are written trying to prove who has the correct interpretation of scripture. A Theological language develops because they are writing among themselves. I’ve come to realize most people don’t understand the big Theological words used by Theologians. One of my goals is to produce material that is simple, attainable and applicable. I want to help you understand so that what you are learning actually affects your day to day life. Knowledge is good, but applied knowledge is even better because that’s the wisdom to live life.
Over the years I’ve developed some fixed positions concerning the end of the age along with the book of Revelation which I will share with you during this series. I have some flexible positions waiting for a more clear picture to develop in regards to the fulfillment of Biblical prophecy. In saying that I don’t have it all figured out. If you are looking to me for all the answers then you are going to be disappointed.
I am on a journey of faith with an open humble heart to learn as I walk and I’m inviting you to walk with me.
I hope that I am simply giving you some light so that you can finish your race and not wind up in the ditch; being taken off track due to extreme views. We live in days when there are a lot of obstacles and confusion on the road to sound Biblical truth.
John opened up the book of Revelation saying; “Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear, and who keep what is written in it, for the time is near”. It is clear from scripture that the apostolic writers viewed themselves in the last days, last hour and end of the ages. It is one of the main arguments that the Preterists emphasize to validate how they interpret the book of Revelation. It is one of the main reasons I had a hard time disagreeing with their viewpoint.
You have different degrees of Preterism, but the basic belief is that much of the book of Revelation has already happened and the prophecy Jesus gave in Matthew 24 has been fulfilled. I agreed with the Preterist position for many years and would still be one had it not been for a few texts that I just could not cut out of the Bible. The texts that refused fit in their puzzle of interpretation were: Jesus' prophecy in Matthew chapter 24, then his last words to the apostles in Acts chapter 1 and Paul’s discussion to the Romans in chapters 9 and 11.
It was these specific scriptures that convinced me that the Preterists’ view had some gaping holes that none of them could reconcile for me nor adequately explain.
I do consider myself a Covenant Theologian who takes a historic premillennial view of the thousand year reign of Christ upon this earth. I have a post-tribulation view of the second coming of Christ and the catching away of the living saints at that time. I see the rapture and resurrection of the dead righteous believers as simultaneous events. Yes, that's a mouthful if you are not used to any of those terms and by the end I will teach you some Theological terminology. You will find I am not dogmatic on such complex issues and will give you other views so you can decide for yourself.
What you will find out about me is I don’t have a Theological camp I am trying to defend. I’m simply trying to understand to the degree that I can understand so that I can live my life to the fullest. I simply want to fulfill the will of God for my life and share it with others. We will all stand before Christ one day and give an account. I simply want to be a faithful steward over all that I have been given and that’s what motivates me. Hopefully, I set an example that motivates you to do the same. If you have not been through the Foundation Publications School of Discipleship Lesson 33: Stewardship I fully cover this subject.
Let’s take a quick look at the words of Christ on the temple Mount as he prophesied in Matthew Chapter 24 concerning the end of the age. In Matthew 24 while Jesus was on the Mount of Olives, he made a series of predictions concerning the ‘end of the age’.
He spoke of things that were about to happen and things that were far off in the future. Earlier I said, prophecy is like an onion, that you peel off in layers.
Just prior to Jesus' crucifixion it is recorded in John’s gospel that Jesus cleansed the Jewish temple due to the leadership corrupting Israel’s worship for power and profit. The Jewish leaders, being upset about this act of exposing their fraud said to him, “What sign do you show us for doing these things? Jesus answered them, destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up. The Jews then said, it has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and will you raise it up in three days?” But he was speaking about the temple of his body.”
Now in Matthew’s gospel chapter 24 verse 1 thru 2 it records a conversation between Jesus and his disciples. “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”.
In 70 AD some 40 years later the city of Jerusalem was overthrown and the temple was completely destroyed by the Roman armies. The Jews were scattered and the nation of Israel ceased to exist. Jesus’s prediction was fulfilled and it was a ‘day of judgment’ upon the nation of Israel.
The Preterist interpretation of these events saw this as a fulfillment of the ‘day the Lord’. The Latin word for Preterist means past and it’s a view that sees the book of Revelation as having already been fulfilled except for the Second Coming of Christ, Final Judgment, Resurrection of the dead along with the New Heavens and New Earth.
I do not agree with their view, but I do see the events of 70 AD as a peeling back of the layer of the onion when it comes to prophetic events.
Jesus was God, but he was also a prophet. Paul explains in the book of Ephesians where he unveils the mystery of the church that when Christ ascended he gave gifts. Jesus was the apostle, prophet, evangelists, teacher and shepherd. He demonstrated in his life and ministry these five gifts. He then distributed these gifts when he ascended so his ministry would carry on in this world.
At his second coming he will return to the Mount of Olives in Jerusalem which can be found in Zechariah chapter 14 verse 4. In Matthew chapter 24 we are seeing Jesus the prophet. Jesus' prophecy was speaking about both present and future events blending them together. The judgment upon Israel in 70 AD and the end of the age when God comes to judge the nations have quite a lot in common.
The Old Testament prophets used a common phrase the ‘day of the Lord’. The ‘day of the Lord’ which the prophets spoke of was to be a time when the full restoration of Israel, the earth, the heavens and the resurrection of the dead would occur under a Messianic figure. It was also to be a time when the nations of the earth would be judged and justice would reign under a messianic king like David. This was the dream the Zealots had of Jewish nationalism. The Jewish concept of the kingdom of God explains why the Jews tried to make Jesus king by force during the early part of his ministry because they wanted him to lead them out from Roman oppression and establish a political kingdom greater than David’s.
The Bible is the story of redemptive history in time through the Hebrew people, remedying Adam and Eve’s decision to disobey, resulting in the corruption of all creation.
It is the story of how God is going to vindicate his own righteousness and judge the sins of humanity. He will fix what we have broken and he will correct what we have corrupted. The deep longing for creation to be made right is the driving force behind the scriptures. The Bible is essentially prophetic in nature “declaring the end from the beginning” as it says in Isaiah chapter 46 verse 10.
The prophets looked forward to the full restoration between God and man along with a renewal of creation itself.
The term ‘day of the Lord’ becomes the focal point of prophetic declaration with similar terms like ‘that day,’ ‘the day of,’ and ‘the day when,’ appearing nearly 200 times in the writings of the Hebrew Prophets. In the prophetic writings there is an expectation that God will reveal himself and set right that which humanity has made wrong through sin. It’s what lies at the heart of the ‘day of the Lord’ concept developed in prophetic literature. Such an example is seen in the book of Isaiah chapter 2 verse 12 when he declares, “For the LORD of hosts has a day against all that is proud and lofty, against all that is lifted up—and it shall be brought low. . . . The haughtiness of man shall be humbled, and the lofty pride of men shall be brought low, and the LORD alone will be exalted ‘in that day’.” This humbling of humanity’s sin and pride is spoken of in the context of God’s coming judgment on Israel, the nations and will affect even creation itself.
It was very similar terminology used by John the Baptist preparing the way for Jesus.
John said to the crowds: “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Bear fruits in keeping with repentance. And do not begin to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ For I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children for Abraham. Even now the axe is laid to the root of the trees. Every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.”
Paul says it this way in Philippians chapter 2 verses 9 thru 11: “God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”
Christ stepped into time as God and when He did it opened the door of the ‘day of the Lord’.
His arrival was declared by the heavens and the prophetic scriptures were fulfilled one after another. His death, burial and resurrection gave him the keys of the kingdom to unlock the doors of death and Hades. At his death the heavens made a declaration as the sun did not shine for 3 hours and an earthquake took place with creation itself groaning. Over 300 prophecies concerning his coming were fulfilled.
The Hebrew prophets had been vindicated and shown to be servants of the living God.
Jesus' ascension to the right hand of the Father and outpouring of the Spirit was the opening act of the ‘day of the Lord’. Peter in preaching the first sermon of the Messianic age speaks of the ‘day of the Lord’. He explains that the promised outpouring of the Holy Spirit was a result of Jesus being seated on the throne of God and an extension of his rule connecting heaven to earth.
Jesus is seated in the heavens with all power and authority both in this age along with the age to come. The Messianic age has dawned as the prophetic writings declared, but not in its fullness. The apostles describe this age where God has stepped into our time as simply a taste of the ‘age to come’—its fullness awaits the culmination of the ages; at the return of Christ.
Christ opened the door for the ‘day of the Lord’ and is ruling from heaven now over his body in the earth; the church. It’s a rule over the hearts of those from all nations who will submit to his rule.
Preterism fails to recognize this ‘now and not yet’ fulfillment of Biblical prophecy, but it is prevalent throughout the prophetic scriptures. The fulfillment of prophecy comes ‘in stages’ like the analogy of the onion I used. Today we are living in an overlap of the ages. What the prophets prophesied concerning the Messianic age has arrived, but only in its inaugurated form—its fullness awaits the consummation when the king of glory returns.
History is moving towards this climatic event.
The Temple curtain of the Old Covenant was ripped from top to bottom signifying the end of the Mosaic age of Law. The Torah law was simply a tutor to lead us to the Messiah who has opened up the door and invites us to partake of the age to come. The final curtain dropping event of this age will be the fullness of the ‘day of the Lord’ when Christ returns in judgment; taking us into the age to come. The birth pangs of the new age will be complete when he sets his feet upon the Mount of Olives to begin his rule upon this earth.
Paul told us in Ephesians chapter 1 verse 10 that in the ‘fullness of time all things in heaven and things on earth’ would be united and restored in Christ. It’s what Peter referred to as the ‘restoration of all the things’ about which God spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets long ago. The restoration started through the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost when the body of Christ was brought to birth. In verses 20 thru 23 of this same chapter it says that when Christ rose from the dead and ascended into the heavenlies then he was seated at the right hand of the Father. He is “far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come. And he put all things under his feet and gave him as head over all things to the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all.”
Paul reveals to us that Christ's rule is first about an inward transformation and restoration in the hearts of all who call upon the name of Jesus. Paul referred to this time as ‘the mystery’.
G.H. Lang in his book ‘The Parabolic Teaching of Scriptures’ says that: Neither John nor Christ said that the kingdom ‘is at hand’, in the sense that the kingdom of glory or physical rule of Christ upon this earth could be ushered in at once. The Greek perfect tense cannot be translated by the English present tense. They said that ‘the kingdom has drawn near,’ in the sense that a king is the essence and embodiment of his kingdom. So, when the king visits a region then the kingdom and the authority the king represents, is present in the person of the king. This, then, was the inclusive theme of John and Christ. All their teaching was concerned with this kingdom of God and heaven, which is the case with their pictures and parables. Only there were two aspects and periods of this kingdom, as foretold by the prophets and was the necessity of the case: an inward and an outward kingdom.
The inward kingdom was spiritual in the hearts of men. The outward kingdom would deal in human affairs and the latter must wait for the former.”
Let me repeat the last two sentences because they are very important to remember. There were two aspects and periods of this kingdom, as foretold by the prophets and was the necessity of the case: an inward and an outward kingdom. An inward kingdom in the hearts of men. Then an outward kingdom which will affect human affairs, when Christ judges and rules over the nations. Getting this concept correct has greatly aided me in my understanding of what the Bible teaches.
The defining event of redemptive history is what the prophets called the ‘day of the Lord’. It’s the icing on the cake of all the prophets foretold. It’s the Jewish view of redemptive history with the arrival of the Messiah inaugurating the 'day of the Lord', splitting time between this age and the age to come. It’s the primary message that ties together the Old Testament prophets and the New Testament apostles. It’s the cohesive message of God’s redemptive history spoken through the Hebrew prophets and understood through the apostles.
The prophets of old and the apostles both taught inheriting the kingdom of God, the restoration of Israel, a resurrection of the dead, a judgment of the nations and the glory of God filling the earth; along with a final restoration of the heavens and the earth. The prophets saw the 'day of the Lord' as a future event. The apostles taught that ‘the day’ had already started, as a result of the Messiah suffering and entering into glory, ascending to the right hand of the Father. Peter started his first epistle saying, “concerning this salvation, the prophets who prophesied about the grace that was to be yours, searched and inquired carefully, inquiring what person or time the Spirit of Christ in them was indicating the sufferings of Christ and the subsequent glories”.
As you are looking through the view of redemptive history, ‘the day of the Lord, gives you what I call double vision.
What I mean is that the prophets saw the high points, but did not understand the valley and space of time between these two events. It’s what Paul called ‘the mystery’. Peter in his second epistle chapter 3 verses 8 and 9 says “do not overlook this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance, but the ‘day of the Lord’ will come.” He seemed to have a glimpse into this valley between Christ first and second coming, but he still expected Christ to return in his lifetime. Paul, who wrote two thirds of the New Testament epistles, seemed to have an idea about this valley when he spoke about ‘the mystery’ in the book of Ephesians. However, he along with Jude, James and John all lived with an expectation of Christ's imminent return.
We like to think of the apostles as demi-gods, but they were simply men just like us.
I can’t believe that any of them could have imagined that I’m sitting here in 2024 writing on an electronic book in real time. I’m then going to take the message that I wrote and record it. I’ll then push a little button and have the ability to transmit this message to the world instantly.
I like to look at it this way because it helps me understand. The apostolic writers walked through the front door of the ‘day of the Lord’, last days and end of the ages. The times that we live in are closer to the back door; getting ready to step into the age to come at Christ second coming.
Jesus began his rule on this earth on the day of Pentecost. However, it’s only a rule over those whose hearts submit to the king of glory.
It’s an inward rule over the hearts of those from all nations who receive his message of redemption, justification, reconciliation and restoration. He has begun the restoration of all things through his body, but it’s only a taste of what’s going to happen upon his return to this earth.
The prophets saw the first and second coming of the Messiah as one event. I put a picture up to explain what I’m saying. On one mountain, you have the first coming of Christ as the suffering servant and on the other mountain, you have the second coming of Christ as the ruling King. It’s why the Pharisees had such a hard time reconciling these two aspects of the Messiah in one man.
It was the apostles, who accurately interpreted what the prophets had declared, concerning the ‘day of the Lord’. The one thing that the teachers of Israel failed to understand was that the Messiah first had to suffer as the 'Lamb of God' before He could deliver them from their enemies as the ruling king. The period of overlap between an already ‘day of the Lord’ and a future ‘day of the Lord’ is what Paul called ‘the mystery’ that was hidden.
In Christ’s first coming, the ‘day of the Lord’ has intruded in this present age and the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, initiating the new creation within the heart of man. Nevertheless, we are still waiting for our blessed hope, the appearance of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, when our bodies will become like His resurrection body, he raises the dead, he completely subdues his enemies and restores the kingdom to Israel. The culmination of the ‘day of the Lord’ is going to be about the cleansing fire of God’s judgment transforming creation itself.
The next great event on the calendar of redemptive history is the second coming of Christ which is going to wrap up this present age.
Let me share two more scriptures that have helped me to form my ideas. After Jesus' resurrection he utters some of his final words in Matthew chapter 28 verses 18 through 20. Jesus said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
The Great Commission should be our primary focus until he returns. However, Jesus' last conversation with his disciples on the Mount of Olives is the icing on the cake validating the nation of Israel’s place in the events wrapping up this current age. Right before Jesus ascended to the Father the disciples asked him a question regarding Israel. Acts chapter 1 verses 6 and 7 says when they had come together, they asked him, “Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?” He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or seasons that the Father has fixed by his own authority.”
Jesus didn’t say. Hey guys you have it all wrong. I’m done with Israel, the church is Israel’s replacement.
Instead he said it is not for you to know the times and seasons the Father has fixed. He said let the Father take care of Israel. You need to focus on the mission I’ve given you. He then once again defines our mission as his body. He says, “you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth. And when he had said these things, as they were looking on, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight. And while they were gazing into heaven as he went, behold, two men stood by them in white robes, and said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven? This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven.”
Two things I want to emphasize about this portion of text. Number one is that our main focus should be a complete focus on the Great Commission of making disciples. Number two is that Jesus is going to restore the kingdom to Israel when he returns to this earth and he is going to return to this earth in the same location that he left. It is also the same location that he gave his final prophecy in Matthew chapter 24 concerning the end of the age which is the Mount of Olives.
Jesus stepped into time at the right time in human history during the reign of the Roman Empire; it is one of the meanings behind Paul's usage of the term fullness of times. The prophetic conditions had come to full maturity for the Messiah to step into time and fulfill that which was spoken by the Hebrew prophets.
I find it extremely interesting that at the end of WWII the nations of the earth were realigned in dramatic fashion with the rise of the American Empire. Two things happened simultaneously. 1947 is marked as the opening of the Third Industrial Revolution, the Information Age and 1948 was the restoration of the Jewish state that had not existed for almost 2,000 years. I don’t think those two events are coincidences and I do think those two events have created a context for the text of Matthew chapter 24 to be fulfilled in a whole new layer of understanding; concerning the prophecy that Jesus gave in regards to the end of this present age.
Let me go off on a little side note as I start concluding this lesson. As an American and one who served as a missionary from my mid 20’s to my late 30’s I want to give my perspective. Americans tend to think the world revolves around them. I understand it because we live in a vacuum of world history to where in our lifetimes we have only known a world that has gravitated around American world power. Any honest observer can see that our power has been a double edged sword. Just as Rome we have yielded that power for good and evil.
As American Christians we have a tendency to think we are at the center of all that God is doing on the earth.
Now I do think that America has had a unique place in being a vehicle to shape world events concerning the end of the age. Just as God used Rome and the Roman Roads during the infancy of the church. In like manner; the American world order which increased the free flow of travel and technology has played a part in facilitating the free flow of the Christian missionary movement in the 20th century.
The church in America has played an important role since the 1900’s taking the gospel to the ends of the earth. Sure it's been a mixed bag, but overall the church in America has had a positive impact in spreading the gospel. Especially after WWII with our abundant resources, free flow of thought, free flow of travel and a home base being a government that protected freedom of religion along with a population that was supportive.
A lot has changed since WWII in America.
It’s my perspective that the day of America being a mission base to reach the rest of the world is coming to a conclusion.
I could go through a list of reasons why I feel the way I do, but quite simply one of the main reasons is technology. The "Roman roads" of today are the Internet, the smartphone and the technology advancements to be able to communicate instantly all over the world. The vast majority of the world doesn’t want nor do they need American missionaries. It’s my opinion that it's America who is in need of a missionary movement.
What is America’s place at the end of the age? It’s a good question because America is not in the Bible and not in the book of Revelation. I spent time in my late 20’s during the mid 1990's working with a church planting team in New York City starting a church in Queen’s, NY.
During this period I would go once a week to Yonkers, NY teaching at a Christian Rehabilitation Center. On Friday night’s I would go to Times Square Church helping them do outreach to the New York homeless. The famous Pentecostal preacher David Wilkerson founded the Times Square Church in 1987 which is located in the Theatre District of Manhattan. He was also the founder of Teen Challenge which has become a nationwide Christian rehabilitation program.
I’m mentioning this because David had a very American perspective of the book of Revelation. He identified America and particularly New York City as being the ‘mystery Babylon’ spoken of in the book of Revelation in chapters 17 and 18. I don’t agree with his interpretation, but he was definitely a prophetic voice to the American Church. Like Luther and many of the Protestant Reformers who believed the Catholic Church was the ‘mystery Babylon', I think they were both correct for their times. However, I think they were both wrong when it comes to the ultimate fulfillment and interpretation of the ‘mystery Babylon’ spoken of in chapter 17 and 18 of the book of Revelation.
Martin Luther was addressing the corruption of his time in both the church and world. David Wilkerson was addressing the corruption of the American church and particularly the prosperity gospel with its excessive extravagance along with the corruption of an American society that had made money its god.
I do think the Babylon of Revelation chapter 17 and 18 is going to be a literal, powerful city with worldwide influence during the last days of this age.
If you are interested in further studying this subject I recommend Frontier Alliance International videos on this subject. The link is a video produced titled: Is The United States Mystery Babylon? On the subject of interpreting the book of Revelation I most closely align with the views presented by Frontier Alliance International and have gleaned a tremendous amount of information from them.
The Bible does not mention America and I’m not going to assume what that silence means. The last days will focus on all nations being shaken, sifted and deception will be like deep darkness during the harvest of the end of the age. The land of Israel along with its people will also be front and center. Israel will have both the nations and the Father’s attention placed directly upon it.
I want to end this message discussing Jesus' parable about the wheat and tares. In Matthew chapter 13 verse 29 Jesus is explaining his parable about the wheat and tares to his disciples saying: “the harvest is the end of the age.” In Israel after they harvested their crops, at the end of the growing season they took the wheat to a threshing floor. The threshing floor is where the wheat and tares were separated. I find this a very interesting study and there is so much to be said about this subject.
Do you know where the Temple foundations were laid?
The Temple built by Solomon, the second temple destroyed in 70 A.D. and now where Islam’s Dome of the Rock sits were all built in the same location. In the last chapter of II Samuel the prophet Gad came to king David and said: “Go up and build an altar to the Lord on the threshing floor.” David obeyed and bought the threshing floor. He then built an altar to the Lord there and presented sacrificial offerings. Do you know this is the same place that Abrham had offered Isaac some 700 years earlier? It’s also the same place that Jesus prophesied which is recorded in Matthew chapter 24 some 950 years after David. It’s also the same location that Jesus ascended from and where he will return as the conquering King.
The threshing floor theme is woven throughout the Bible and something Jesus' disciples would have understood because it was a part of Israel’s culture at the time. The difference between wheat and tares in their infancy is indistinguishable. It’s not until the wheat begins to produce fruit that it begins to bend over while the tares remain standing straight and tall which distinguishes the wheat from tares. You couldn’t go through the field and pick out the tares or you would destroy the wheat too, you had to wait till harvest. At harvest you cut the field and brought it to the threshing floor.
Threshing floors were upon flat hills where the winds blew.
You would put your harvest on the threshing floor and either an ox would trample the stalks or workers would beat them with sticks. As the wind blew it would separate the wheat from the tares.
The threshing floor was a place of sifting, crushing and shaking. The foundations of the Temple were built upon a place of separation and refinement.
John the Baptist's, in Matthew chapter 3, clearly defined Christ's mission saying, “He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor and gather his wheat into the barn, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.”
It was this picture that Jesus gave explaining that the end of the age is going to be a harvest of both wickedness and righteousness. He showed us that if we want to be sons of the light then we must bow in humility with a single focus of devotion to the risen Christ.
As I studied the preterist and dispensationalist views I was left with two choices. Number one as Preterists I had to view the church as taking over and transforming the world’s systems emphasizing a theology of dominion. Number two as a dispensationalist I had to view the church as a small remnant barely holding on to the faith where most will completely fall away from the faith. Yes I’m painting in broad brush strokes, but that pretty much sums up the two contradictory viewpoints.
I do think there is a third way to look at things. If the end of the age is about harvest then couldn’t we have both an apostasy with many falling away from the faith and revival with multitudes coming to Christ at the same time? Personally, I think that’s the picture of the end of the age. It will be the ultimate valley of decision with the divide between light and darkness clearly evident.
The winds of God will be blowing forcefully upon the threshing floor separating the wheat from the chaff.
It’s the same message as the bride preparing to meet the coming bridegroom. Remember the story of Ruth and Boaz which brings together these two ideas in redemptive history? The threshing floor is about worship and the end of the age is going to be about who you are going to worship? The book of Revelation is a worship book clearly laying out a decision between worshiping the Lamb slain before the foundation of the world or worshiping the beast.
Israel had three feast: Passover, Pentecost and Tabernacles. Jesus is our Passover Lamb. Pentecost brought to birth the church with the outpouring of the Spirit. It was also called the feast of the ‘first fruits’. The feast of Tabernacles was the harvest feast at the end of the growing season. Dispensationalist will put the fulfillment of the feast of Tabernacles as being strictly in the millennial reign of Christ upon the earth after Christ returns, but let me pose a question.
If the Feast of Passover was fulfilled in this age and the Feast of Pentecost which birthed the church was fulfilled in this age. Then surely the Feast of Tabernacles will be fulfilled in this age? Surely it will be fulfilled prior to Christ's second coming?
I take the position that it will be and we are going to see God’s wind blowing, shaking, crushing and sifting the nations. It’s going to be a great harvest consummating, wrapping up this age and inaugurating king Jesus' reign upon this earth. The backdoor of the ‘day of the Lord’ is going to open and Christ is going to step back into time as the ruling king and an all consuming fire judging the nations with justice.
One analogy that Jesus used in the prophecy he gave in Matthew chapter 24 was comparing the events that would take place prior to his coming as to a ‘woman in labor’. Let me read this scripture to you: And Jesus answered them, “See that no one leads you astray. 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 birth pangs.”
Jesus specifically mentions deception and warns us to let no one lead us astray. He then mentions three specific types of disasters that are going to be shaking the nations. He said nation will rise against nation then he mentions wars, earthquakes and famines. The list is not exhaustive. You will see that many others are mentioned in the book of Revelation—for example, polluted rivers and oceans, outsized hailstones. The ‘four horsemen of the apocalypse’ cover expanding wars and the bloodshed that follows along with famine, disease and death.
I hear the argument that since the beginning of time all of these calamities have occurred and I would agree with that. However, what many do not take into account is that their frequency and intensity are accelerating. Just as I talked to you about the increase in knowledge and travel exponentially accelerating since the 1800’s so have wars, earthquakes and famines. Wars and rumors of wars have been happening since the day of Jesus' prediction, but the 20th and 21st centuries has seen an increased death toll worldwide as a result of war. WWI it’s estimated that 17 million people died and that’s not even including the millions that died from the Spanish flu in that same time period.
In WWII there were 80 million dead. You had 6 million Jews annihilated not to mention the communist revolutions in Russia and China where their populations were decimated by the millions through starvation, execution and slave camps. There have been over forty international conflicts since World War II alone. At the moment of this recording the nation of Ukraine is being destroyed through war with Russia. Israel is embroiled in a major conflict. In addition to war, America specifically has had major civil disturbances like the riots of Black Lives Matter during 2020 and the January 6th 2021 assault on the United States capital in Washington D.C.
I expect this trend to continue and escalate due to the extreme polarization in the political, social and economic structures of the world. These polarizing winds will be blowing not just in America, but worldwide.
The number of earthquakes has been doubling in number every ten years. Famine has been widespread in Africa and even looking like a possibility in other parts of the world. How long can this continue and how much worse can it get? We don’t know, but Jesus called these signs just the beginning of birth pangs.
Talk to any mother who has experienced the progression of labor and natural childbirth. The first pang of birth can be subtle and almost unnoticeable. From the time of the initial pang to the delivery of the child, hours and even days can pass. However slow the progression, birth pangs will always increase in frequency and intensity as the delivery draws nigh.
The end of the age is compared to the birth pangs of a new age and just like natural birth, it’s going to be bloody and painful. Just like a woman in labor we will continue to see these events grow closer together in frequency. The main thing women are taught to do through the process of pain during the birthing process is to stay focused. It’s of utmost importance that we don’t focus on the waves, turmoil and confusion as these events happen more frequently, but focus on the mission.
As we grow closer to the end of the age, winds of confusion will be blowing strongly. That's why Jesus warned us to not let anyone lead us astray because there will be many deceptive messages, calamities and distractions. On the threshing floor of the last days we are going to see apostasy, falling away from the faith and revival, multitudes coming to Christ happen simultaneously.
Just as the church was birthed through a great outpouring of the wind of the Spirit in Jerusalem opening up the day of Christ reign from heaven through the church. In like manner, the church age will be consummated with the winds of the Spirit sweeping the entire globe bringing in the harvest of the end of the age consummating ‘the day of the Lord’. Christ the foundation will clearly be revealed. It will be the unveiling of the risen Christ and the unveiling of the Antichrist. The inhabitants of the earth will have to choose between light and darkness. It will be a choice between the truth that is found only in Christ or the deceptive lives of man living independent of God following the Antichrist.
The end of the age is about a return to foundations.
If the body of Christ is to fulfill its intended purpose then it must return to a single focus on being devoted to Christ and worshiping him with our whole lives. The wheat will those who bow in humility to the king and the glory of the coming king will rest upon them. To those who refuse to bow, but want to live their own lives, darkness and the coming judgment will be their portion.
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