If you’re a Premil, wether historic or dispensationalism Premil you have to believe that death continues after the second coming of Jesus. Under that frameowork you believe people will physically die in that millennium. You have to believe that the new heaven and the new earth won’t happen for 1000 years after the second coming of Christ. The New Testament doesn’t allow for any of these ideas. When Christ comes back death is swallowed up, its the end of all physical death. The natural creation is redeemed and delivered from the curse, new Heaven and new earth come simultaneously with the second coming of Jesus. All opportunity of saving faith ends at the second coming of Christ, people cant come to faith after he comes back. The resurrection of believers and judgment of non believers all happen simultaneously.
Matthew 24. The primary misconception is that people think Jesus is talking about the end of the current church age, but he’s not. He’s talking about the end of the Jewish age that was consummated with God’s judgement against Israel with the destruction of the temple and city in 70AD. This is evident in this passage, when we read Matthew 24, we see them leave the temple, sit on the Mount of Olives, look at the temple and Jesus says “here there will not be one stone left”. He’s clearly talking about the temple, the temple they just came from. He then gives signs of things that will come from his death to 70AD when it is destroyed. In the next verses the disciples clearly took the destruction of the temple as a sign of the millennium by asking Jesus when the destruction will happen and what will be the sign for the end of the age. (v3) People project this into the future because of verses like v14 “the whole world” but biblically “the whole world” often describes just the inhabited empire. We see this in Luke’s gospel when the “whole world” is going to be taxed, clearly its talking on the Roman Empire. In the midst of the first century the whole world to them was the inhabited or known earth. In short, Matthew 24 is saying that prior to the destruction of Jerusalem and the temple to gospel would spread to gentile nations surrounding Israel and then the end would come, not the end of the world, but the end of the Jewish age, end of the temple, Gods unique relationship to Israel as his sole covenant people.
The Olivet discourse
Matthew 24:30 – the main rapture verse. Is this of the second coming or the vindication of Jesus? “They see the son of man coming on the clouds of heaven” this is a quote from Daniel 7. People hear the language “coming on the clouds” and they think it’s a decent from heaven to earth, but in Daniel 7 it’s describing the son of man going to the ancient of days in heaven to receive glory and power and the authority to rule his kingdom.
Is it possible the same language can be used for his second coming at the end of time to consummate his kingdom? Yes, it’s possible. But the primary reference is what the destruction of the temple in Jerusalem indicated in terms of the vindication that the claims of Christ ring true to who he said he is.
It’s like when he was on trial and he told the high priest “You will see the son of man coming in power with great glory” they understand what he was claiming there, they knew Daniel 7 by heart. He’s basically saying there he is the son of man, he will be vindicated and they will be alive to see it. In Matthew 26 Jesus says “from now on you will see the son of man coming on the clouds” he’s literally saying it’s happening.
Satan still seems to be deceiving – Matthew 12 says the strongman must be bound, Colossians 2 Jesus disarms the principalities, The serpents head was crushed at the cross, so how is he bound? Satan is prowling around like a roaring lion; there is still spiritual warfare. But he’s on a leash, there’s certain things God won’t permit him to do. So how can we say Satan and demons are active but at the same time he’s bound. – let’s read revelation 20:3 Satan gets thrown into a pit and it’s sealed, why did he get thrown in the pit? V3 “so that he might not deceive the nations any longer, until the thousand years were ended, after that he must be released for a little while” the sole purpose for the binding is that he might not deceive that nations until the millennial reign is over, well deceive them in what sense? We’re told that in V7 and 8 “And when the thousand years are ended, Satan will be released from his prison and will come out to deceive the nations that are at the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them for battle; their number is like the sand of the sea.” So with respect to what is Satan bound? What is he absolutely prevented from doing? The answer is he is prevented and prohibited from deceiving the nations to a pre mature Armageddon. How do we know that? Because when he’s released that’s exactly what he does, he goes out and deceives the nations to “gather them for battle”. John does not say Satan is bound and shut off from tempting people or attacking people. He is prevented from a global attack on the people of God until the millennial kingdom is over.
The Matthew 24 great tribulation has already come and gone. It’s a fact of history. It was the period of 33-70 AD, primarily the last 3 years 66-70AD when Jerusalem was destroyed the temple was leveled. But also, the entire church age is a period of great tribulation. The same scenarios in the first century are unfolding in the church age now but the great tribulation is already something that’s come and gone but great tribulation is yet to come, and the people of God will suffer,
This idea that there of this literal 7 year period is a western society idea, because if you and I were to talk to our brothers and sisters in Christ across the world, North Korea, Iran, Sudan, Ethiopia, India etc and we talk to them about this great tribulation coming they would look at us like we’re crazy. We have no idea what our brothers and sisters have been suffering and our suffering now. It could not get any worse for them than it already has been. The United States church feels as if they’re entitled this idea that it’s going to get bad for us, then Gods going to take us up, it’s so offensive to the parts of the world who have suffered horrific lily at the hands of the non believers. So this idea that there is going to a be a great tribulation, go to north korea and ask them what they’ve been suffering for the last several decades.
The persecution has come and it’s been here for 2,000 years
The worst thing the United States church has gone through is getting closed down for COVID. And the church couldn’t even stand up to the government in order to still meet for services and you think we’re ready for true prosecution? The United States church should beg God that it does not come to us soon because I promise you, we will not withstand it because we are a very weak, entitled church.
Leave a Reply