HOW WE CAN KNOW THESE ARE THE LAST TIMES

Are we living in the last days? Is this the last generation before the return of Jesus Christ? Can we know? Does it matter?

Every generation thought that they might be the people who would see the return of Jesus Christ. Even the disciples and the early church expected to see His return. Through the years many people have set forth teachings proving beyond a shadow of a doubt exactly when the Lord would return. They have all been wrong. Church history is littered with tales of people who made precise predictions, set specific dates, and sat waiting in breathless expectancy for their Lord’s return. Recently I even saw an ad on a Christian site promoting a tour to Israel on a specific future date so that the fortunate folks on the tour could be next to the Mount of Olives in a front row seat to watch the action unfold.

Obviously one generation will see Jesus’ return. Can we know what generation that will be? Why were all the previous generations wrong? How can we know that we are right in making the statement that we are officially in the end time? We will examine three specific signs that are being fulfilled in this generation that were never fulfilled in any previous generation, nor could they be.

I believe that we are seeing Scripture fulfilled before our eyes, and that we can know that we are living in the final days before the return of the Lord. The Bible clearly teaches that no one knows the day or the hour and it is foolish to attempt to set dates that precisely. Yet Jesus gave many indicators to watch for and said that we would be able to read the signs of the times. He advised us to watch and wait for His return. But at the same time, he admonished that He would return in a time people were not expecting him (Matthew 24:44). How could that be?

As to the day and hour no one knows that except the Father, but there are many reasons to believe that we have entered into the final generation.

Why don’t we hear more about that, and why don’t more Christians act like they are aware of it, much less concerned? There are several explanations for that.

People look at all the evil abounding around them and say that these are the last days, but when pressed they retreat. Many people have a vague sense that something in the world around us has changed, but they can’t point precisely as to what it may be.

Most folks these days don’t seem to be interested in prophecy, which is somewhat strange since they are living in some of the most prophetically important days in the history of man’s time on this planet. Even most churches don’t teach much, if anything about it. It is too confusing and controversial. Many take the position that since the Bible tells us that no man would know the day or the hour, any attempt at looking into the timing of our Lord’s return is somehow off base and irrelevant. There are so many theories out there, no two exactly alike, so who can know? That, at least, is a valid point.

If we are living the way we are supposed to, then what does it matter? We will be ready when that day comes. It is important for many reasons. Many professing Christians will fall to the wayside in the travails that precede the Lord’s coming because they were not prepared. Many will feel deceived when they realize that they may have been sold a bill of goods regarding the second coming. Many will have to go through some hard times and make difficult, life changing decisions for themselves and their families, because they did not see the need to prepare. It is important to recognize the time in which we have been chosen to live.

Years ago when I lived in another state, my pastor at the time, who was an outstanding teacher of the Word, felt entirely ill-equipped to teach on the end times. He taught on everything else he found in the Bible, but when he was led to deal with end time issues, he turned to a nationally recognized expert on the subject, complete with several books and tapes for sale in the lobby and a tour to the Holy Land, and set aside a three day weekend for special services – and, indeed, with all the contortions needed to make certain square doctrines fit into round holes, sometimes a rocket scientist is needed. Fortunately, the Scriptures themselves are much plainer and simpler if people would learn to just read it for themselves.

In the Christian world, the primary reason people do not see the times we are living in is it does not fit their doctrine. Sometimes people are more interested in defending their beliefs than they are in considering whether or not that doctrine is correct. This seems especially true in the two most prominent doctrines espoused today in Christian churches: amillennialism and dispensational premillennialism.

I am not going to fully detail all the beliefs of these two positions or any other. There is a wealth of information available that any interested person can check out for themselves. I am not trying to step on any doctrinal toes. I have read extensively on end time scenarios. I have read premillennial, postmillennial, amillennial, pretribulational, posttribulational, midtribulational, dominionist, historicist, preterist, and other viewpoints, and variations of each, all proved without a shadow of a doubt from the Scriptures and all written by people who love the Lord and felt they were doing His will in expounding on their viewpoints. Yet they cannot all be right. At best only one can be entirely correct. In fact perhaps none of them are precisely correct. Then why is it important? It is important because the final generation before Jesus’ return is going to face times unique in the history of man – and unfortunately, much of what we have been taught, if anything, on the subject, is wrong. Proponents of the two most prevalent positions today seem to be unaware of the times in which we live.

Following are general summaries of the basic positions. They are not intended to be all encompassing, and I am well aware of the seemingly endless variations on these and the other end time doctrinal positions.

AMILLENNIALISM

Amillennialists believe that God is done dealing with the physical nation of Israel. They believe that the church is spiritual Israel, and physical Israel has no relevance anymore. They tend to stress the New Testament as the interpreter of the Old Testament and to regard Old Testament prophecy as being figurative in nature. Many of them also believe that all scripture was fulfilled by around 70 A.D., and that we have been living in the end times ever since. There is no more scripture to be fulfilled before the second coming. There is no seven year ‘Great Tribulation’ period. There is no literal thousand year millennium where Jesus Christ will actually sit on a physical throne in Jerusalem while the saints rule the nations with Him. When Jesus comes again, that will be it. People will spend eternity in heaven or hell depending on what decision they made regarding accepting Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.

Because of their doctrine, the amillennialists do not see prophecy being fulfilled right before their eyes in this generation. How could it be since all prophecy was fulfilled almost two thousand years ago? Why would the re-establishment of the nation of Israel have any relevance? Why would anyone believe that the Jewish people still mattered? They blew their chance. They were divorced from God and broken off out of the olive tree, so to speak. There is no longer any Jew or Gentile in the gospel age. All believers are equal and all are new creations in Christ Jesus.

Although they are sincere in their beliefs, and there is much good in them, their doctrine keeps them from seeing scripture being fulfilled in the world around them. It is true that the believing church is spiritual Israel, but there are too many scriptures that prove God is not done with physical Israel, confirmed by the events that we have seen right before our eyes in recent history, to believe that they are not part of the end time scenario. The Apostle Paul deals with this subject thoroughly in Romans chapters 9 through 11. He covers it in detail in plain language. It is not taken out of context and is a lengthy, specific exposition. I do not see how people can misunderstand what he is saying, but many do.

DISPENSATIONAL PREMILLENNIALISM

The dispensational, or pretribulation premillennialists, believe that Christians are going to be raptured, or removed, from the earth prior to the Great Tribulation. They believe that we will not be here to experience end time travails. During the seven years of the Great Tribulation, the Antichrist will have his way for about three and a half years, exalting himself as supreme and waging war and oppressing all who oppose him. He will force everyone to take the mark of the beast or be killed. In the second half of the tribulation period, God will pour out his judgments on the earth. At the end of the Great Tribulation, Jesus will return with the saints for the great battle. Satan will be defeated and bound for a thousand years. In that period, called the millennium, Jesus will reign on a throne in Jerusalem. Some even teach that He will preside over the daily sacrifices in the temple. At the end of the thousand years, Satan will be released from his prison to once again go out throughout the earth to deceive the nations and gather an army as numerous as the sand on the seashore to once again wage war against Jesus and the saints. He will be defeated in the final great battle, and Jesus will present the kingdom to the Father and we will enter into eternity.

If the dispensationalists are wrong, and I believe the scriptures clearly say that they are, then they also will not see end time prophecies being fulfilled right in front of them. Worse, they will not realize until it is much too late for them to prepare, that we have actually entered into the end time. Many will likely feel deceived and fall away as a result. Not surprisingly, the dispensational viewpoint is a Western phenomenon. As a result, no matter what they see on the news: earthquakes, pestilence, famines, wars, it cannot be the tribulation because we are not supposed to be here for it. People in Africa, where parts of that continent have been so ravaged by famine, pestilence and oppression, that some regions do not have enough healthy adults to maintain societal infrastructure, might disagree.

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THREE SPECIFIC SIGNS THAT ARE BEING FULFILLED NOW THAT NEVER COULD HAVE BEEN FULFILLED AT ANY PREVIOUS TIME IN HISTORY:

SIGN #1: THE GOSPEL OF THE KINGDOM IS BEING PREACHED IN ALL THE WORLD.

And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come. Matt. 24:14.

Today the potential to reach the entire world with the gospel of Jesus Christ exists in ways previous generations could not have imagined. The internet makes it possible to take the message anywhere there is internet access. Satellite technology makes instantaneous communication possible almost anywhere in the world. Modern transportation makes anywhere on the globe potentially accessible. The technology is now in place, for the first time in history, to take the gospel anywhere, anytime.

I read recently that the 1990 edition of the Christian Almanac said that the gospel had been preached in every nation in the world as of that date. I do not know how they were able to determine that, but it is apparent that the technology, communication and transportation systems now exist to literally fulfill that sign. I do not have definitive information regarding this, but I do not know of a nation on the planet where the gospel has not been presented in one form or another. That tells us that we are at the time of the end and near the return of Jesus Christ. The scripture does not say that everyone will accept that gospel, only that it will be presented as a witness throughout the world. Do you know of any nation on the planet where the gospel has not been presented? Even in communist dictatorships and closed Muslim societies, the gospel of Christ is being presented, often at great personal sacrifice to those saints who have been compelled to share the good news.

SIGN #2: THE TIMES OF THE GENTILES ARE BEING FULFILLED IN THIS GENERATION.

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. Luke 21:24.

Less than forty years after Jesus said this, the Roman army destroyed Jerusalem and effectively ended the nation of Israel. The Jewish people were dispersed throughout the world. Then, after 1900 years, a most remarkable thing happened. In May of 1948, the nation of Israel was reborn, seeming to fulfill the prophecy contained in Isaiah 66:8:

Who hath heard such a thing? Who hath seen such things? Shall the earth be made to bring forth in one day? Or shall a nation be born at once? For as soon as Zion travailed, she brought forth her children.

The nation of Israel was literally re-established in a single day. It is doubtful that the powers in the United Nations knew that they were helping to fulfill ancient prophecies.

But even then, Israel did not control Jerusalem. That changed in 1967 in the Six Day War. Another prophecy that seemed symbolic through much of the past two thousand years of history was literally fulfilled. According to Jesus, this is a primary sign that the times of the Gentiles are ending.

Paul uses much the same language in Romans 11 as Jesus did. He refers to the ‘fullness of the Gentiles’.

For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fullness of the Gentiles be come in. Rom. 11:25.

Tying the statements of Jesus and Paul together, the significance is this: the Jewish nation regaining control of Jerusalem marks a turning point, an important mile marker, in world history. One age is ending and we are entering another.

So what are the ‘times of the Gentiles’ and what is their significance? Using the two statements of Jesus and Paul, we can determine that:

From a physical viewpoint, the times of the Gentiles can be defined as the period in between the time when the nation of Israel was destroyed and when it was reborn. Gentile powers ruled supreme throughout this period, but that time is ending.

From a spiritual viewpoint, using Paul’s message in Romans chapters 9-11, it marks the end of the Church Age. The Jewish nation lost their rightful place as a result of their rejection and crucifixion of Jesus. The gospel was opened to the Gentiles. But in Romans 11, Paul warns Gentile believers not to boast against the ‘natural’ branches. If we Gentiles were grafted into the olive tree, how much more would God be able to re-graft the natural branches back into the tree. That is the mystery, according to Paul. That happens at the conclusion of the ‘fullness of the Gentiles’. Exactly how He will accomplish that is the subject of much debate and beyond the scope of this paper. Our focus in this writing is to verify the day in which we are living. Jesus tells us that the times of the Gentiles are wrapping up. Paul tells us that God is turning His attention once again toward Israel.

Even some of the staunchest amillennialists have to admit that the Jewish people keeping their identity as a people after being scattered throughout the nations of the earth for almost two thousand years and enduring sometimes unimaginable horrors at the hands of their enemies, seems to be a miracle. They managed somehow to keep their identity, and to survive attempts to exterminate them as a people.

SIGN #3: KNOWLEDGE HAS BEEN INCREASED.

But thou, O Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book, even to the time of the end: many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased. Daniel 12:4.

“Many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased.” Can there be any doubt that prophecy applies to this age? We live in the Information (or Knowledge) Age.

Eighty percent of the scientists who have ever lived are living now. They contribute millions of pages of new knowledge each year. I have seen estimates that half the knowledge in the history of the world has occurred in the past fifteen years, and upwards of ninety eight percent of all knowledge has taken place since the beginning of the twentieth century.

When George Washington made the trek to Washington for his inauguration as president of our nation, we read that the two hundred mile trip took him eight days. That would not have been considered unusual at any time in recorded history. The means of transportation were basically the same for all previous generations. It would have taken people in the time of Moses or Julius Caesar about the same amount of time.

Now anyone could make that trip in a few hours by automobile, and in minutes by air. Meanwhile, folks could watch Mr. Washington’s inauguration live via satellite technology, all the while talking about it on a cell phone with friends halfway around the world who were also watching it live. We live in the age when men are running to and fro, and knowledge has been increased.

People nowadays think nothing of traveling thousands of miles for a week long vacation. In previous generations, that would have likely been a one way trip. For example, when our nation’s early settlers moved westward, they knew that it was a permanent trip. They would never again see the loved ones they were leaving behind. The arduous trip would take months to accomplish, and many people died in the attempt.

We live in an age where a person can find information in an instant on almost any subject, no matter how obscure. All previous generations would have been in awe of the times that we take for granted. The best libraries in the world could not match the content of the internet that we have at our fingertips – and for the ones that would have come the closest, they would have only been available to a select number of people in a specific location. What generation prior to the twentieth century could have imagined driving to and from stores and jobs miles away from their homes on a daily basis, or taking weekend trips, or vacations across the country or even the world?

UNMISTAKEABLE SIGNS

The above three signs - the gospel being preached throughout all the world; the times of the Gentiles being fulfilled with the nation of Israel being re-established and the Jewish people regaining control of the city of Jerusalem; and the knowledge explosion - were never fulfilled at any time in history, and the last two could not have been fulfilled by any previous generation. They clearly tell us that these are the last days. Previous generations expecting the return of Christ in their day understandably overlooked these signs. For the most part they regarded parts of them as symbolic. After all, Israel had been destroyed and the Jewish people dispersed throughout the nations of the world for hundreds of years. How could that Scripture have a literal fulfillment? But, as we have seen in this generation, it has been fulfilled right in front of us, if we have eyes to see and ears to hear.

OTHER SIGNS

The three aforementioned signs are specific to the time in which we live. There are, of course, many other end time signs and prophecies, but people in many previous generations could understandably have thought that those prophecies applied to their time. Some of the other more general signs (this is not an all-inclusive list) are listed below. Judge for yourself how many are being fulfilled in this day.

Society. Paul writes to his helper Timothy:

This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasure more than lovers of God; having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof. 2 Timothy 3:1-5.

When you look around at the world around you, would you agree that seems to be applicable to our day?

Earthquakes. This is a sign that is typically used by most end time writers. On their website the USGS says there is no evidence that earthquakes have been increasing. They say they get this question frequently. Their response is that in 1931 there were only 350 earthquake reporting stations, while today there are over 4,000, so that what seems to be an increasing frequency is likely just better technology and reporting methods. (1) Whatever. The Bible says that there would be earthquakes in diverse places and we are seeing that.

Year Number of earthquakes (from USGS website)

1990 16,590

1995 21,007

2000 22,256

2005 30,458 (down from 2003 and 2004)

Famine, pestilence. According to some estimates, about one billion people suffer from malnutrition. Thousands of people die every day due to hunger or hunger related diseases. Most of those dying are children. In 1999 here in the U.S. there were about 31 million people labeled as ‘food insecure’, meaning that those people were not sure of where they were going to be able to get food. (2)

In the developing world, 1.2 billion people live on less than $1 a day. In many parts of sub-Saharan Africa, per capita economic growth is falling every year, much of it due to HIV/Aids. In 2003, there were 12 million new orphans in southern Africa as a result of the aids epidemic. 25 million people have died from aids, and over three million die each year from it. (3)

Wars, rumors of wars. There are more than 30 wars being waged around the globe. After Waterloo in the 19^th century to the end of that century, there were two wars in the world where deaths amounted to more than a million. In the first half of the 20^th century, there were four wars in which mortalities totaled more than one million. But since the last half of the 20^th century to the current day, that number has jumped to ten wars that have produced at least a million deaths. (4)

There are many other things going on in our present day that could be referenced as well, such as the way certain nations and groups are forming alliances, and specific issues in the church and society. But for the purposes of this discussion, the above signs should suffice to demonstrate that we are living in the last days. I do not ask you to agree with my conclusions. I just ask that you prayerfully consider them.

Does it matter? That is a question that is asked sometimes. After all, if we are living for Christ, it doesn’t matter when he comes, does it? Whenever he comes, and no matter which of the end time scenarios turns out to be correct, if any, we will be going to heaven, correct?

It matters for several reasons. Even though we are warned not to set times and dates, we are advised to be watchful and expectant. Moreover, I think if believers were truly cognizant of the times in which they live, there would be a much greater sense of urgency in reaching the lost with the gospel. If you truly believed that Jesus might return within the next year or two, would that change how you interacted with your friends and family? Would you possibly be a little more bold and more direct with them, a little more persistent? Would you watch what you watch on television and the movies? Would you spend your time in a different way than you do now? Would you handle your finances differently? Would you perhaps make physical preparations to help your family and others through times when food may be in short supply?

Further, if dispensational premillennialism turns out to be incorrect, it will likely be devastating to many people, both spiritually and physically. There is the likelihood of many people falling away from the faith altogether. If they feel like they have been misled on the rapture doctrine, perhaps they will question everything else they believe as well, especially if they are undergoing times of intense tribulation, and did nothing to prepare for those times since they believed they would have already been snatched away.

As for the amillennialists, they tend to symbolize Bible prophecies to the extent that they miss the significance of literal events that are unfolding right before their eyes every day, and they also have little incentive to make anything other than spiritual preparations for the times that may be coming on our world and on our nation.

We read that in the last generation it will be as in the days of Noah. We immediately grasp the implications of the general apostasy and evil on all sides. But we may miss another point. God told Noah to prepare an ark. He did not instruct Noah to sit around just believing and waiting. There was work to do, preparations to be made. He also advised that there would be buying and selling, marrying and being given in marriage, right up until the last day. In other words, many people would just be living their every day lives, oblivious to the prophetic importance of their day. Also note that Noah was not rescued seven years before the day. On the very day that he entered the ark, the floods started.

Bible prophecy and end time scenarios are difficult to understand and there is obviously room for legitimate differences of opinion. Otherwise, our Father would have been more definitive. He does not lay out specific timelines anywhere in the Scriptures. The difficulty is further compounded by the fact that many of the books that seem to be the most prophetical also contain the most symbolism, so there is the added problem of deciding which passages are literal, or symbolic, or both, and determining where and how they apply. Both the amillennialists and the dispensationalists make many decisions in their doctrines regarding which Scriptures are literal and which are symbolic, whether they would like to admit that or not. There are some Scriptures that are symbolic in nature, whether one is a literalist or not, and there are other Scriptures that may have both symbolic and literal fulfillments.

Dispensationalists tend to be more literal minded. Some of their leading proponents advise taking all scripture literally at face value the same as you would any other information, unless it cannot be understood literally. Some of them are still expecting an army of 200 million horsemen, even in this day and age of modern transportation, because they take that scripture literally. On the other hand, even though they think the passages in Ezekiel relate to still to come wars, they ignore the parts in those passages about bows and arrows being used in the battles.

Amillennialists, on the other hand, use those very things, the literal 200 million man army mounted on horseback, and the war being waged with bows and arrows, to throw out those scriptures as not having any literal fulfillment, only having value as symbolism to teach deeper truths.

There is a wealth of material available for anyone who wants to fully explore the various end time scenarios. If you have read the Left Behind series of books or seen the movies, you know the dispensational argument. Hal Lindsey is probably the best known of the dispensational writers. Several of his books have been on the New York Times bestseller lists, and can be found in many bookstores and secondhand shops. The majority of the best known televangelists seem to be dispensational premillenialists, so there is no shortage of information available on that viewpoint.

You might have to look a little harder to find mainstream amillennial material, but it is out there. Any internet search can provide a wealth of links for any of the major doctrines.

Two books that I have found particularly useful in my own studies are Israel’s Sure Tomorrow by James Blackstone, and Renewal Theology, Volume Three, The Church, The Kingdom, and Last Things by J. Rodman Williams. Dr. Blackstone writes from a unique perspective in that he is the grandson of one of the most influential early dispensational writers, William E. Blackstone, although James Blackstone refutes almost everything his more well known grandfather set forth. Dr. Williams, at the time of the publication of his book, was professor of Theology at Regent University.

Dr. Williams’ works were particularly helpful to me. My father was a minister and I was trained in the amillennialist doctrine from early childhood. My father had the slogan, “Read the Bible for yourself.” He was a great man of God and I still miss him dearly.

But when I read the Bible for myself, I did not see it the same way as I had been taught. Romans chapters 9 through 11 always made me wonder, since I read them completely differently. I finally had a thorough discussion of those chapters with another outstanding amillennial Bible teacher. I approached it without any intention of being argumentative. I was honestly trying to find out why those chapters did not say what I thought they did. We went over those three chapters verse by verse, but the teacher could not explain my error. The teacher’s final conclusion, when pressed, was that “I can not go back on something that I feel that the Lord has given me.” That was the end of it from the teacher’s perspective.

Perhaps I should not have, but I expressed my frustration with that conclusion, although I tried to do it with love. “Sometimes I think that you look so deeply beneath the surface of the scriptures trying to find spiritual nuggets that you miss what is right there on the page in black and white. If you were reading a newspaper or magazine, you would understand what Paul is saying. He is stating his case clearly. But because it is the Bible and it doesn’t fit your doctrine, you don’t accept what is being stated, but have to ‘interpret’ it.”

My wife was raised in a dispensational household and was trained in that doctrine from childhood. So I have had an extensive background in the two leading doctrines being put forth today by Christian leaders. I have read pretty much everything I could get my hands on regarding the different end time scenarios, since I have always been interested in Bible prophecy. At the same time, I certainly do not consider myself an expert. I have changed my mind over the years about many things, and expect that I will change my current thinking about various issues in the future. I also do not want to be guilty of adding to, or taking away from, anything that the Lord wants presented. And, as I said before, logically there can only be one end time scenario that is entirely correct, if any of them are. And when mine is somewhat different than any other I have come across, that is not comforting. There have been many people with better minds and better training who have expounded on end time scenarios. At the same time, I also feel led to set forth some viewpoints.

Because what I was reading through my childhood and early adult years seemed to be so different than what I was taught, I mostly kept my viewpoints to myself. I was surrounded by people who knew the Scriptures inside and out, and saw it different than I did, so better to keep one’s mouth shut and be thought a fool, rather than to open it up and remove all doubt. At the same time, I have always thought for myself, and I have never been able to believe something just because everyone else believed it. Once I have studied it for myself, I draw my own conclusions. I also ask the Lord for wisdom on all these things, as I am sure that sincere believers who would disagree with my beliefs and opinions, also do that. Thank the Lord for His mercies.

In later years as I more thoroughly studied other viewpoints, and especially dispensational premillennialism, I found so many contradictions in those theories that I could not accept them either. It always seemed to me that it took some torturous gymnastics and manipulations to make the storyline fit, and one was always in doubt about which scripture referred to the Rapture and which referred to Jesus’ second coming.

That is why coming across Dr. Williams works were so important to me. Although I do not agree with everything he believes either, I finally found a system of thought and reasoning from someone with eminent credentials that largely matched my own conclusions from my years of study. Since then I have come across several others whose studies have reached conclusions somewhat similar to the ones that I have reached.

Just as I have never been able to see exactly how the amillennialists can ignore so many clearly stated scriptures, when I read dispensational dogma, I also have always had problems with what seem to me to be obvious contradictions.

For example, aren’t they really teaching two more returns for Jesus, one at the Rapture and the other at the time of the final battle at the end of God’s outpouring of wrath? I have heard this explained away in a variety of ways. Some teach that the Rapture is a secret coming, so it doesn’t count as the second coming. Others teach that Jesus will not set forth His foot on earth at the Rapture. He will stop in mid air, gather the saints to Himself, then return to heaven, so that also does not count as a return.

Another problem as I see it with the dispensational premillennialist doctrine, is what happens at the end of the literal thousand year reign of Jesus and the saints. As the teaching goes, Satan will be released from his prison to once again go out throughout the world to deceive the nations. He will gather a huge army to fight against Jesus. A question that has always occurred to me is this: After a thousand years of the earth being ruled by Jesus and the saints, how is Satan able to muster an army as numerous as the sand on the seashore? Further, after the earth had already experienced God’s outpouring of wrath and Satan had already been defeated and bound a thousand years ago, why is it necessary for it all to happen again?

The dispensational argument seems to point to second and third comings for Jesus, and two final battles – and it seems to take many tortured explanations to get around these, and several other, logical arguments.

Yet another problem with premillennialism in general, in my opinion, is the teaching espoused by some that Jesus will preside over daily sacrificial offerings in the temple. Even if you believe that Jesus is going to sit on a literal throne in the city of Jerusalem and accept a kingship He rejected in the past, and there is a lot of scripture for the premillennialists to point to in that regard, why would He, the perfect sacrifice that was given once and for all and for all time, preside over the daily sacrifices of animals, sacrifices that were insufficient when they were offered, and were done away by His death and resurrection?

A note on the difference between premillennialism and dispensational premillennialism is appropriate here. All dispensationalists are premillenialist, but not all premillenialists are dispensational. Some dispensational writers go apoplectic at the notion that their doctrine was not taught in the early church.

Premillennialism was indeed believed and taught by some people in the early church, though certainly not all. On the other hand the dispensational teachings about the pretribulation rapture were not taught in the early church. Those teachings did not come about until the 19^th century, though they have become so prevalent in the church today that many folks believe they were original teachings. The teachings were popularized in the 19^th century by J. N. Darby of the Plymouth Brethren, and brought mainstream into the modern church largely with the help of the Scofield Bible.

More on all that later. For now, I find the teaching of Jesus regarding the end time scenario to be clear – and I don’t seen any reference to a Rapture or a third coming – and it appears from this reading that the elect will not be gathered until after the tribulation of those days.

“Take heed lest any man deceive you: For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many.

And when ye shall hear of wars and rumors of wars, be ye not troubled: for such things must needs be; but the end shall not be yet.

For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be earthquakes in divers places, and there shall be famines and troubles: these are the beginnings of sorrows. But take heed for yourselves: for they shall deliver you up to councils; and in the synagogues ye shall be beaten: and ye shall be brought before rulers and kings for my sake, for a testimony against them.

And the gospel must first be published among all nations.

But when they shall lead you, and deliver you up, take no thought beforehand what ye shall speak, neither do ye premeditate: but whatsoever shall be given you in that hour, that speak ye: for it is not ye that speak, but the Holy Ghost.

Now the brother shall betray the brother to death, and the father the son; and children shall rise up against their parents, and shall cause them to be put to death. And ye shall be hated of all men for my name’s sake: but he that shall endure to the end, the same shall be saved.

But when ye shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing where it ought not, (let him that readeth understand,) then let them that be in Judaea flee to the mountains: And let him that is on the housetop not go down into the house, neither enter therein, to take any thing out of his house: And let him that is in the field not turn back again to take up his garment. But woe to them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days!

For in those days shall be affliction, such as was not from the beginning of the creation which God created unto this time, neither shall be.

And except that the Lord had shortened those days, no flesh should be saved: but for the elect’s sake, whom he hath chosen, he hath shortened the days.

And then if any man shall say to you, Lo, here is Christ; or, lo, he is there; believe him not: For false Christs and false prophets shall rise, and shall shew signs and wonders, to seduce, if it were possible, even the elect.

But take ye heed: behold, I have foretold you all things.

But in those days, after that tribulation, the sun shall be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars of heaven shall fall, and the powers that are in heaven shall be shaken.

And then shall they see the Son of man coming in the clouds with great power and glory.

And then shall He send His angels, and shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from the uttermost part of the earth to the uttermost part of heaven.

Now learn a parable of the fig tree; When her branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is near:

So ye in like manner, when ye shall see these things come to pass, know that it is nigh, even at the doors.

Verily I say unto you, that this generation shall not pass, till all these things be done. Heaven and earth shall pass away: but my words shall not pass away.

But of that day and that hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels which are in heaven, neither the Son, but the Father.

For the Son of man is as a man taking a far journey, who left his house, and gave authority to his servants, and to every man his work, and commanded the porter to watch.

Watch ye therefore: for ye know not when the master of the house cometh, at even, or at midnight, or at the cockcrowing, or in the morning: Lest coming suddenly he find you sleeping.

And what I say unto you I say unto all, Watch.

Mark 13:5-37.

Although this passage speaks clearly, comment is needed on a couple of areas where the amillennialists and dispensationalists draw ammunition from this passage and others in their arguments against people who would question their doctrine.

For example, amillennialists look at verses 2 and 14 and say that those verses have already been fulfilled, so why would you look at any further interpretation for yet another future fulfillment?

Many scriptures operate on more than one level simultaneously. Some have both literal and symbolic meanings, and deal with more than one situation in the same verse. To illustrate, when Jesus was explaining to the apostles the things that were going to happen to Him, Peter basically said, “No way. We’ll fight to the death for you.”

Jesus said to him, “Get thee behind me, Satan.” Although he was speaking to Peter and addressing his specific complaint, He also was using the same sentence to speak to the real adversary on another level entirely.

Dispensationalists might argue that the elect referred to in these scriptures are not the church, but are future saints who turn to the Lord during the during the seven years of tribulation. Why doesn’t Jesus talk about a secret rapture then? Why is there only one mention of the angels gathering the elect.

Further, Paul says in 1 Corinthians 15:51-52: “Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, 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.”

If that occurs at the last trumpet, then what do we do with the last trumpet in Revelation? Isn’t a last trump a last trump? If it is the last trump, how can there be another? And if we are changed at the last trump, then what about the Rapture teaching that we were changed seven years before?

Also, amillennialists point to verse 30 as another argument that this scripture has already been fulfilled once and for all. But it is important to point out many folks have read that same verse to mean that there would be one generation that would see all the signs fulfilled in their lifetimes. Once again, we can go back to the illustration with Peter to show that Jesus could be speaking to two different situations, the one that would be fulfilled in thirty some years in Jerusalem, and yet again to another generation that would be living at the end of the Gentile era.

In any event I wonder why so many people are unconcerned about the last order of Jesus in Mark 13. “And what I say unto you I say unto all, Watch.”

Shouldn’t we be watching?