(1Co 11:1)
Quick Disclaimer: I am about to say a few things that will
conflict with what 90 to 95% of the church believes, I myself believed them for
many years solely because that is what I heard taught. I eventually found
myself questioning these beliefs when I recognized how many times God says in
the Bible to “fear not.” As such, I found that a whole belief system that
raises fear in those who believe it should bear closer scrutiny. These are
conclusions I came to after examining and weighing the relevant scripture. My
own views on the Bible do play a factor in what I am about to say, so let God
lead you in what you make of this or any paper.
So for those who do not know, dispensationalism, or
dispensational theology is a complex theological system started by a man named
John Nelson Darby from Ireland in 1830. The system was later brought to America
by Cyrus Scofield, who also re-published Darby’s biblical interpretations as
the Scofield Reference Bible. In essence, dispensationalism states that God
communicates with us in secret words and codes. It has a huge influence on the current
beliefs of many Christians pertaining to the end times.
I think this theology is biblically unsound. Whenever God
spoke to people in the Bible (and during creation), He uses clear, concise
language that is readily understood. God created us for relationship with Him,
and clear communication is an essential part of any relationship. To further
illustrate this, suppose I went to a restaurant where you work, and you ask me
what I want to eat, and I reply: “the cow makes a noble sacrifice in the land
of Idaho.” I’m sure you wouldn’t know what I’m talking about, though you may guess
“steak and a baked potato” or “roast beef with mashed potatoes.” Yet in the
same scenario, if I change my response to “A burger and fries,” you would
understand what I am communicating clearly.
There is another method of biblical interpretation based on
the idea that God communicates with us clearly. I don’t know of any official
name for it, but for the sake of simplicity I call it Literalism. This view
says that God communicates like we do and the plain meaning of the text is
emphasized, and even the non-literal portions of the text, like idioms, figures
of speech, or stories communicate clearly. Through this view, the cultural differences
between the time of the Bible and the present provide the greatest difficulty
in the interpretation and can give the appearance of a coded message.
·
My conclusions on the Second Coming:
The “literalist” view of the second coming of Christ comes
from several scriptures where Jesus was asked about the second coming, and
certain epistles that directly reference this event. A good place to start
would be the parable of the sower in Matthew 13:
Mat 13:24-30 Another parable put he forth
unto them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is likened
unto a man which sowed good seed in his field: (25) But while men slept,
his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went his way. (26) But when the blade
was sprung up, and brought forth fruit, then appeared the tares also. (27) So the servants of
the householder came and said unto him, Sir, didst not thou sow good seed in
thy field? from whence then hath it tares? (28) He said unto them, An
enemy hath done this. The servants said unto him, Wilt thou then that we go and
gather them up? (29) But he said, Nay; lest while ye gather up the tares, ye root
up also the wheat with them. (30) Let both grow together until the harvest: and in the time of
harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather ye together first the tares, and bind
them in bundles to burn them: but gather the wheat into my barn.
Assuming that the time of the harvest referred to in the
parable is the second coming, then all that we can really discern from this
parable is that God will take the entire field (world) and separate the tares
(unrighteous) from the wheat (Christians). Seems simple enough, so let’s go to
the next reference later in the same chapter:
Mat 13:45-50 Again,
the kingdom of heaven is like unto a merchant man, seeking goodly pearls: (46) Who, when he had
found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had, and bought it. (47) Again, the kingdom of
heaven is like unto a net, that was cast into the sea, and gathered of every
kind: (48) Which, when it was
full, they drew to shore, and sat down, and gathered the good into vessels, but
cast the bad away. (49) So shall it be at the end of the world: the angels shall come
forth, and sever the wicked from among the just, (50) And shall cast them
into the furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth.
Here, we have the events explained a bit more clearly, angels
will come and take the wicked from the just and cast them into the fire.
Mat 24:35-39 Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my
words shall not pass away. (36) But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels
of heaven, but my Father only. (37) But as the days of Noah were,
so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. (38) For as in the days
that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving
in marriage, until the day that Noah entered into the ark, (39) And knew not until
the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of
man be.
This adds the amount of warning we can expect when this all
happens: virtually none. Again, this is a fairly straightforward passage, no
one knows when the second coming will be except God. Like the days of Noah, we
have eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, all very common
events. It gives the impression that the second coming will come out of the
blue with no warning. (dispensational theology commonly has many warning signs,
and even a second chance at salvation after the rapture.)
Mat 25:30-34 And cast ye the unprofitable servant into
outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. (31) When the Son of man
shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit
upon the throne of his glory: (32) And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall
separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats: (33) And he shall set the
sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left. (34) Then shall the King
say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the
kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:
A re-iteration of a previous passage, this gives a little
bit more detail about this event. Here we see what happens to the believers
after this harvest, they are invited to inherit the Kingdom of Heaven.
1Co 15:51-58 Behold, I shew you a mystery;
We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, (52) In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at
the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised
incorruptible, and we shall be changed. (53) For this
corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. (54) So when this corruptible shall have put on
incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be
brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in
victory. (55) O death, where is
thy sting? O grave, where is thy
victory? (56) The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is
the law. (57) But thanks be
to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. (58) Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye
stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye
know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.
These are verses that are commonly used to support the idea
of the Rapture, but if you take them in context with the scripture already
referenced in this post, this block from 1st Corinthians becomes a
more detailed description of the resurrection of the church. While the believers are the only group
referenced in this block, it does not disprove the resurrection of the
unbelievers. Paul is using this group of verses to respond to inquiries about
what would happen to the church at the second coming, the unbelievers are not
mentioned because they were not asked about.
Joh 5:25-29 Verily,
verily, I say unto you, The hour is coming, and now is, when the dead shall
hear the voice of the Son of God: and they that hear shall live. (26) For as the Father hath
life in himself; so hath he given to the Son to have life in himself; (27) And hath given him
authority to execute judgment also, because he is the Son of man. (28) Marvel not at this:
for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his
voice, (29) And shall come forth;
they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have
done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation.
This section from John reinforces what we have already been told
about the second coming, again it is a simple, straightforward explanation.
This, and some of the preceding passages also imply that all men, both
righteous and unrighteous, will be resurrected and judged at the same time.
Act 1:6-11 When they therefore were come
together, they asked of him, saying, Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again
the kingdom to Israel? (7) And he
said unto them, It is not for you to know the times or
the seasons, which the Father hath put in his own power. (8) But ye shall receive
power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses
unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the
uttermost part of the earth. (9) And when
he had spoken these things, while they beheld, he was taken up; and a cloud
received him out of their sight. (10) And while
they looked stedfastly toward heaven as he went up, behold, two men stood by
them in white apparel; (11) Which
also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same
Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as
ye have seen him go into heaven.
This section about Jesus’ ascension into Heaven, also gives
us the idea that we will not know when He returns. We are also given an idea of
how he will return to earth, the same way He left.
Now we will look at what the Apostles have to say about the
second coming:
2Ti 4:1-8 I charge thee therefore before God, and the Lord Jesus
Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and his
kingdom; (2) Preach the word; be instant in season, out of
season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine. (3) For the time will come when they will not
endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves
teachers, having itching ears; (4) And they
shall turn away their ears from the
truth, and shall be turned unto fables. (5) But watch
thou in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, make full
proof of thy ministry. (6) For I am
now ready to be offered, and the time of my departure is at hand. (7) I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith: (8) Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of
righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day:
and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing.
Here, we again get a little more detail about the end times,
Paul is talking about the judgment of all mankind at the second coming, and
that the believers will receive a crown of righteousness at that time.
Heb 9:27-28 And as it is appointed unto
men once to die, but after this the judgment:
(28)
So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that
look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation.
This makes a concise point about the fate of mankind, die
and be judged. It also gives a clearer account of how many times Christ will
return to earth, once. Note in verse 28 it says THE second time, implying that
there will be only one second coming of Christ.
2Pe 3:10 But the day of the Lord will
come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a
great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and
the works that are therein shall be burned up.
This verse again makes a reference to a singular second
coming of Christ, as well as what will happen to the earth at this time. From
the description here, it sounds like there won’t be anything left to beset with
plagues, desolate, or rule. This verse also tells us that the second coming
will come as a thief in the night, I don’t know about you, but I can’t think of
any thieves that warn you ahead of time that they are going to rob you, you
just wake up in the morning and find your stereo missing. So this could mean
that there will be no warning before the Second Coming, and when you also take
into account the verses from Matthew 24, this argument is reinforced.
·
My Conclusions concerning the “end times”
prophecies:
So what about prophecy? Dispensational theologians often use
the prophecy from Daniel 9 to support their view of the end times:
Dan 9:24-27 Seventy weeks are determined
upon thy people and upon thy holy city, to finish the transgression, and to
make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in
everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to
anoint the most Holy. (25) Know
therefore and understand, that from the
going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto the
Messiah the Prince shall be seven weeks,
and threescore and two weeks: the street shall be built again, and the wall,
even in troublous times. (26) And after
threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself: and the
people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary;
and the end thereof shall be with a
flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined. (27) And he shall confirm the covenant with many
for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the
oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and
that determined shall be poured upon the desolate.
This is what many of you may know as the ‘gap’ prophecy,
meaning that after the 69 weeks of years (and almost all biblical theologians
agree on the weeks being weeks of years) the prophecy just stops for an
indeterminate amount of time until the rapture and Great Tribulation which will
last for 7 years, or the final ‘week’ of the prophecy.
I take issue with the gap concept alone, when in the history
of prophetic fulfillment in the Bible, has God ever used a gap in the middle of a timetable? In Genesis 7, God
gave Noah the prophecy of the great flood He would use to destroy the earth.
This had a specific timetable with it that the rain would last for 40 days and
40 nights. When Noah finished the ark and God flooded the earth, He was
faithful to the timetable he gave Noah, the rain did not stop until the 41st
day, at the end of the timetable. God did not have it rain 39 days, stop the
prophecy for an indeterminate amount of time, and then resume it for the last
day. Noah knew that God would do as He said, and have the rain last 40 days and
40 nights.
In Old Testament times, people expected God’s timing to be
literal and proved it by their actions. Here are two examples:
Jon 3:4 And Jonah began to enter into
the city a day's journey, and he cried, and said, Yet forty days, and Nineveh
shall be overthrown.
This prophecy gave the Ninevites 40
days before He would destroy their city. The only reason this did not happen
was that the Ninevites believed the prophecy and repented before God. In fact,
Jonah was so convinced of the literal time of 40 days that he was waiting to
see the destruction on the 41st day and only questioned when it didn’t
happen, because he believed in God’s timing:
Jon 3:10 And God saw their works, that
they turned from their evil way; and God repented of the evil, that he had said
that he would do unto them; and he did it
not.
Again, no gap. God stopped the
prophecy altogether, He did not pause it in the middle for an indeterminate
amount of time, but stopped it altogether.
The second example involves Daniel and
the prophecy given to Jeremiah about the end of the Babylonian exile:
Jer 29:10-14 For thus saith the LORD, That
after seventy years be accomplished
at Babylon I will visit you, and perform my good word toward you, in causing
you to return to this place. (11) For I
know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace,
and not of evil, to give you an expected end.
(12)
Then shall ye call upon me, and ye shall go and pray unto me, and I will
hearken unto you. (13) And ye
shall seek me, and find me, when ye
shall search for me with all your heart.
(14)
And I will be found of you, saith the LORD: and I will turn away your
captivity, and I will gather you from all the nations, and from all the places
whither I have driven you, saith the LORD; and I will bring you again into the
place whence I caused you to be carried away captive. (emphasis added)
This is God’s promise to Jeremiah that
He would bring the Israelites out of captivity after 70 years.
Dan 9:2-3 In the first year of his reign
I Daniel understood by books the number of the years, whereof the word of the
LORD came to Jeremiah the prophet, that he would accomplish seventy years in the desolations of
Jerusalem. (3) And I set my face unto the Lord God, to seek
by prayer and supplications, with fasting, and sackcloth, and ashes: (emphasis
added)
Daniel understood that when God told
Jeremiah 70 years, He meant 70 years. Daniel waited until the 69th
year to start praying for the deliverance of Israel because he knew that God
meant what He said when He said 70 years.
So we have established that God does
not use gaps in timetable prophecies, so why should Daniel’s 70 weeks be any
different? So if the 70 weeks are not referring to the end times, what do they
refer to?
Daniel 9:24 lists many things:
To finish the transgression- Sounds
like Christ’s payment for our sins on the cross.
To make an end of sins- Again, the
cross.
To make reconciliation for iniquity-
Still the cross.
To bring in everlasting righteousness-
We now have access to this after the cross.
To anoint the Most Holy- Another
consequence of the cross.
To seal up the vision and the
prophecy- I deliberately put this one last because I think it needs the most explanation.
In biblical prophecy, God sometimes told the prophet to ‘seal up’ the prophecy,
which meant that the prophecy was not for that time, but would be fulfilled
later. In this case, the prophecy is to be ‘sealed up’ until the command goes
forth to rebuild Jerusalem. (mentioned in Daniel 9:25) When Artexerxes sent out
the decree to rebuild Jerusalem, the prophecy was fulfilled like
clockwork. After 69 weeks, Jesus began
his ministry on earth, was crucified, rose from the grave after 3 days, and
ascended back to Heaven.
The end of the prophecy in Daniel 9 mentions
the Abomination of Desolation, which is what precisely happened at the end of
the 70 weeks. In the traditional end-times teaching, it is taught that this is
when the Antichrist will declare himself as God. If there is no gap, however,
then there must be another explanation. If Christ’s crucifixion marked the end
of the old covenant with God, then that would indicate that animal sacrifices
were no longer needed to obtain forgiveness of sin. I believe the abomination
was the continuation of animal sacrifices in the temple after Christ’s final
sacrifice on the cross. The word desolate means ruined or empty, so I believe
that the desolation of the temple was a result of God leaving His temple to
come live in Christians as part of the new covenant. This is the event that
falls in line with the end of the 70th week if there is no gap.
Another prophecy that is commonly referred to in
dispensational teaching is Matthew 24, also known as the Olivet Discourse. This
takes place after Jesus finished telling
his disciples about what would happen to
the Pharisees for their hypocrisy, this is also known as ‘the woes’ to biblical
scholars. The chapter starts with Jesus leaving the temple:
Mat 24:1-3 And Jesus went out, and
departed from the temple: and his disciples came to him
for to shew him the buildings of the temple.
(2)
And Jesus said unto them, See ye not all these
things? verily I say unto you, There shall not be left here one stone upon
another, that shall not be thrown down.
(3)
And as he sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him
privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end
of the world?
I stop here because I want to clarify the context of this
passage; in verse 1, Jesus just left the temple after prophesying doom to the
Pharisees, and then declared that the temple would be destroyed. So it would
logically follow that His disciples would be asking about the destruction of
the temple when they ask in verse 3, “When shall these things be?” If you look
at the rest of the verse, the second question, taken in context, relates to the
first question. Also, the word at the end of verse 3 is translated ‘world’ but
the Strong’s reference is G165; aion, meaning an age or period of time. Based
on what Jesus was talking about in the temple, it is more logical that the
disciples are talking about the end of the Old Covenant with God than the
destruction of the world in this instance.
Jesus then begins to answer the disciples question in
verse 4 all through the rest of the chapter. I won’t post this portion due to
its length, but you can read the rest for yourself. During this response, Jesus
warns the disciples not to be deceived by false Christs and false prophets, He
gives many signs to look for, He makes a direct reference to the Daniel 9
prophecy in verse 15,
(Mat 24:15) When ye therefore
shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand
in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand:)
and then in
verse 34, He states the following:
Mat 24:34 Verily
I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be
fulfilled.
While the word that is translated ‘generation’ (G1074;
genea) can also be translated ‘age,’ the period of time referred to in all
definitions of the word is that of a single lifetime, so Jesus was saying that these
events would happen within the lifetime of the current generation. Jesus would not have said verse 34 unless He
spoke truthfully, so I believe that this
part of the chapter refers to the destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70 as opposed
to events that are thought to happen during a final seven year period at some
unknown point in the future. There is a book called “The Wars of the Jews” by
Titus Flavius Josephus that gives a firsthand account of the destruction of
Jerusalem. This book is free to read on Google Books, and it is easy to find
many similarities between Matthew 24 and this account. The accuracy of the
prophecy to this event and its literal timing of 70 weeks of years convinces me
that this is the fulfillment of the prophesy.
Other Passages that refer to the destruction of Jerusalem
include:
Dan 9:12 And he hath confirmed his
words, which he spake against us, and against our judges that judged us, by
bringing upon us a great evil: for under the whole heaven hath not been done as
hath been done upon Jerusalem.
In “The Wars of the Jews,” Josephus mentions that after the
battle was over, it was impossible to tell that a city even existed on the site
because the destruction was so great.
Eze 5:9-17 And I will do in thee that
which I have not done, and whereunto I will not do any more the like, because of
all thine abominations. (10) Therefore
the fathers shall eat the sons in the midst of thee, and the sons shall eat
their fathers; and I will execute judgments in thee, and the whole remnant of
thee will I scatter into all the winds. (11)
Wherefore, as I live, saith the
Lord GOD; Surely, because thou hast defiled my sanctuary with all thy
detestable things, and with all thine abominations, therefore will I also
diminish thee; neither shall mine eye
spare, neither will I have any pity. (12) A third
part of thee shall die with the pestilence, and with famine shall they be
consumed in the midst of thee: and a third part shall fall by the sword round
about thee; and I will scatter a third part into all the winds, and I will draw
out a sword after them. (13) Thus
shall mine anger be accomplished, and I will cause my fury to rest upon them,
and I will be comforted: and they shall know that I the LORD have spoken it in my zeal, when I have accomplished my fury
in them. (14) Moreover I will make thee waste, and a
reproach among the nations that are
round about thee, in the sight of all that pass by. (15) So it shall be a reproach and a taunt, an
instruction and an astonishment unto the nations that are round about thee, when I shall execute judgments
in thee in anger and in fury and in furious rebukes. I the LORD have spoken it. (16) When I
shall send upon them the evil arrows of famine, which shall be for their destruction, and
which I will send to destroy you: and I will increase the famine upon you, and
will break your staff of bread: (17) So will I
send upon you famine and evil beasts, and they shall bereave thee; and
pestilence and blood shall pass through thee; and I will bring the sword upon
thee. I the LORD have spoken it.
This is a truly horrifying prophecy and Josephus makes a
similar observation about the Siege of Jerusalem right before its destruction.
He noted that food became so scarce that toward the end, the people began to
eat each other- including their own children. (v.10) Josephus also noted that
before the attack, the Jewish population of Jerusalem was 1.2 million. After
the city was destroyed, Josephus noted that there were around one hundred
thousand Jews that survived to scatter around the earth.
Luk 21:20-27 And
when ye shall see Jerusalem compassed with armies, then know that the
desolation thereof is nigh. (21) Then let them which are in Judaea flee to the mountains; and
let them which are in the midst of it depart out; and let not them that are in
the countries enter thereinto. (22) For these be the days of vengeance, that all things which are
written may be fulfilled. (23) But woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give
suck, in those days! for there shall be great distress in the land, and wrath
upon this people. (24) And they shall fall by the edge of the sword, and shall be
led away captive into all nations: and Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the
Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled. (25) And there shall be
signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth
distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring; (26) Men's hearts failing
them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the
earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken. (27) And then shall they
see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory.
Part of this passage also refers to the utter devastation of
the Jews, but it also has a warning- where to run when the city is surrounded.
Josephus noted that there were some Jews who took this warning to heart and
escaped when they saw the armies. These people were saved from the destruction
and suffering because they believed Jesus’ warning.
I have often heard people asking me if this means that I no
longer believe the book of Revelation is biblical. My answer is an emphatic NO!
I do believe Revelation still belongs in the bible; however, I have a different
take on it than most. I believe that much of Revelation has to do with the
Destruction of Jerusalem rather than the end of the world. Just look at
Revelation 22:10;
Rev 22:10 And he saith unto me, Seal not
the sayings of the prophecy of this book: for the time is at hand.
Remember the prophecy from Daniel 9 where God told him to
‘seal the vision’ because it was not yet time for the prophecy to begin? He
tells John the opposite here, saying not to seal the prophecy because the
predicted events were about to happen. In fact, Revelation is believed to have
been written in AD 70, the same year that Jerusalem was sacked and destroyed. I
also believe that the 144,000 referred to in Revelation 14:3 indicate the
survivors of the attack;
Rev 14:3 And they sung as it were a new
song before the throne, and before the four beasts, and the elders: and no man
could learn that song but the hundred and
forty and four thousand, which were
redeemed from the earth.
The word ‘earth’ (G1093, ge) means region or area, not the
actual planet.
·
My Conclusions about other end times terms:
I will now look at key prophetic themes used in end times
teaching, more specifically, the ones I have not mentioned yet.
Tribulation/Great Tribulation- According to end times
teaching, this is a period of seven years where the forces of evil will reign
and Christians everywhere will be greatly persecuted. A passage from Matthew 24
gives seeming credence to this;
Mat 24:21-22 For
then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the
world to this time, no, nor ever shall be. (22) And except those days
should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect's sake
those days shall be shortened.
This is from Jesus warning about false prophets and predictions
about Jerusalem, the history of the Christian church is full of tribulation and
persecution. This leads me to believe that this is an ongoing prophecy because even
today, there are Christians in parts of the world that are still being tortured
and killed for the sake of Christ. Christ Himself suffered tribulation on the
cross:
Mat 27:36-39 And sitting down they watched
him there; (37) And set up over his head his accusation
written, THIS IS JESUS THE KING OF THE JEWS.
(38)
Then were there two thieves crucified with him, one on the right hand,
and another on the left. (39) And they
that passed by reviled him, wagging their heads,
Antichrist- this is the supposed incarnation of Satan that
is supposed to rule during the Great Tribulation. Revelation 13 is the main
basis for this belief:
Rev 13:16-18 And he causeth all, both small
and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand,
or in their foreheads: (17) And that
no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast,
or the number of his name. (18) Here is
wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it
is the number of a man; and his number is
Six hundred threescore and six.
I will address the mark later, for now, we will look at the
term Antichrist, and see what the rest of the bible says about it:
1Jn 2:18 Little children, it is the
last time: and as ye have heard that antichrist shall come, even now are there
many antichrists; whereby we know that it is the last time.
The word ‘antichrist’ is actually mentioned here, but the
actual word used (G500, antichristos) means simply an opponent of the Messiah,
of which there are many. In fact every mention of the word antichrist describes
someone who is opposed to the gospel of Christ. (see 1John 2:22, 4:3 and 2John
7 for more examples)
The Third Temple- It is believed that another Temple of God
must be built in Jerusalem before the Great Tribulation can start. Revelation
11 is where we find this reference:
Rev 11:1-2 And there was given me a reed
like unto a rod: and the angel stood, saying, Rise, and measure the temple of
God, and the altar, and them that worship therein. (2) But the court which is without the temple
leave out, and measure it not; for it is given unto the Gentiles: and the holy
city shall they tread under foot forty and
two months.
There is another area that stood out to me in the end times
teaching. If we as Christians were now the Temple of God after the cross, why
would there be a need for another physical temple?(see John 4:19-26, Heb 10:29,
Heb 8:5, and 1Cor 3:16) The churches I attended continually told me that God
had a different plan for the Jews than the rest of us, and that is why there
was a need for a third physical temple. but Galatians 3:28 caught my attention.
Gal 3:28 There is neither Jew nor
Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye
are all one in Christ Jesus.
God’s preference toward the Jews ended with the Old Covenant
and Jesus’ death and resurrection. The sacrifice of the cross made all us
humans equal in the eyes of God, and He expected the Jews to accept the
sacrifice of Christ and the New Covenant just as He expected everyone else to.
So again I argue, why do we need a third temple of God if we are the Temple of God?
Mark of the Beast- This one is a doozy. It is believed that
this will be a secret mark of allegiance that the end times Antichrist will
somehow trick Christians into taking, thereby causing them to go to hell. Here
is the passage this belief comes from:
Rev 13:17-18 And that no man might buy or
sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his
name. (18) Here is wisdom. Let him that hath
understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and
his number is Six hundred threescore and six.
The number seemed significant, so I looked for the number
elsewhere in the Bible, I found it in 1Kings after the Queen of Sheba leaves
Solomon:
1Ki 10:14 Now the weight of gold that
came to Solomon in one year was six hundred threescore and six talents of gold,
This is the verse that starts to mark the downfall of
Solomon. He takes this gold and makes all sorts of ornate decorations for his
palace and throne. Right after this, Solomon is mentioned to have many wives
from other nations, which was directly against God’s command at that time that
the Jews remain a people set apart. Soon after, Solomon turns from God and
starts following the religions of his wives. The number given to the mark of
the beast signifies the apostasy of Solomon, and compares it to men.
The significance of
where the mark is placed comes from Exodus:
Exo 13:9 And it shall be for a sign
unto thee upon thine hand, and for a memorial between thine eyes, that the
LORD'S law may be in thy mouth: for with a strong hand hath the LORD brought
thee out of Egypt.
The forehead and hand were spots where God would place a
mark telling the world that they belonged to Him and that they followed His
law. The mark in Revelation signifies that man had placed another mark on
himself, giving himself to another master.
Armageddon- This is another big one. The end times teachings
say that this will be the final battle between good and evil, mentioned here:
Rev 16:16 And he gathered them together
into a place called in the Hebrew tongue Armageddon.
Like the number of the beast, I decided to look for other
places in the bible that mentioned Armageddon:
2Ki 9:27 But when Ahaziah the king of
Judah saw this, he fled by the way of
the garden house. And Jehu followed after him, and said, Smite him also in the
chariot. And they did so at the going up
to Gur, which is by Ibleam. And he fled
to Megiddo, and died there.
The name Armageddon comes from two words, Har, meaning
mountain, and Megiddo, meaning place. The previous passage tells of a king of
Judah that died there. Ahaziah was considered to be an evil king, but the saga
of Armageddon does not end there:
2Ch 35:21-24 But he sent ambassadors to
him, saying, What have I to do with thee, thou king of Judah? I come not against thee this day, but against the
house wherewith I have war: for God commanded me to make haste: forbear thee
from meddling with God, who is with me, that he destroy thee not. (22) Nevertheless Josiah would not turn his face
from him, but disguised himself, that he might fight with him, and hearkened
not unto the words of Necho from the mouth of God, and came to fight in the
valley of Megiddo. (23) And the
archers shot at king Josiah; and the king said to his servants, Have me away;
for I am sore wounded. (24) His
servants therefore took him out of that chariot, and put him in the second
chariot that he had; and they brought him to Jerusalem, and he died, and was
buried in one of the sepulchres of his
fathers. And all Judah and Jerusalem mourned for Josiah.
Unlike Ahaziah, Josiah was one of the most godly kings Judah
ever had. God had sent Necho, the pharaoh of Egypt to destroy another country,
but Necho had to pass through Judah in order to get there. God warned Josiah
not to get involved and let the army pass. Josiah ignored the warning and went
to fight with Necho disguised as a soldier. In the valley of Megiddo, Josiah
was shot by archers and died from his wounds. This event made the word
Armageddon synonymous with Pearl Harbor or 9/11 to the Jews. I believe the previous
passage indicates a similar tragedy would occur in AD 70.
In conclusion, I would ask you not to believe something just
because “an authority” says it is true. Again, I confess that for many years, I
believed all the things that I have disputed here simply because I was told by
church “experts” that they were true. Also, I admonish you not to believe my
arguments just because I believe them to be true. Ask God to reveal the
truth to you and study my claims for yourself. Agreeing with this
teaching or not will not matter in the big scheme of things if you are a
Christian, but I will say that since I stopped believing in them, I feel like a
big burden has been lifted from my shoulders because I no longer worry about
these things. When God says “do not
worry about tomorrow” and that He will provide for me and keep me safe, I believe He means it!
God Bless,
Bryce
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