WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:08.300 Good morning, everybody, and again, thank you to all of you who are coming early and putting in hours throughout the week. 00:00:08.480 --> 00:00:17.120 As we settle into our new space, we continue to be tremendously thankful for this space and what it's allowed us to do in terms of the life of our church. 00:00:19.620 --> 00:00:21.740 There we go, just not going to touch that again. 00:00:23.900 --> 00:00:25.460 So let me ask you some questions. 00:00:26.380 --> 00:00:30.920 Why do some Christians believe in a rapture and others do not? 00:00:32.439 --> 00:00:33.380 Have you ever wondered that? 00:00:33.439 --> 00:00:34.340 Have you ever thought about that? 00:00:34.439 --> 00:00:40.899 You maybe have friends or maybe yourself, you grew up in a church where something that was talked about a lot was the idea of a rapture. 00:00:42.120 --> 00:00:47.120 And why do some Christians believe in that and think a lot about it and others have maybe never thought about it before? 00:00:47.939 --> 00:00:54.960 Why do some Christians think of the United States as God's chosen country? 00:00:55.460 --> 00:00:58.700 This is the place that God has chosen. 00:00:58.859 --> 00:00:59.920 It's a city on a hill. 00:01:00.000 --> 00:01:01.020 It's a light for the world. 00:01:01.340 --> 00:01:03.899 And other Christians would vehemently reject that idea. 00:01:03.899 --> 00:01:16.120 Why are some Christians passionately supporters of Israel, the state of Israel, and other Christians not so much? 00:01:16.120 --> 00:01:31.040 A lot of this flows from eschatology, which is the word that means all of the various beliefs that Christians have about the end times. 00:01:31.680 --> 00:01:33.480 What's going to happen at the end of time? 00:01:33.560 --> 00:01:34.780 Where is all this headed? 00:01:34.920 --> 00:01:39.800 And there's a lot of disagreement over exactly how that's going to play out. 00:01:39.799 --> 00:01:48.219 And much of the disagreement is rooted in the passage that we're going to be looking at this morning, Revelation chapter 20, verses 1 through 10. 00:01:48.620 --> 00:01:50.679 There's a number of things happening here. 00:01:51.799 --> 00:01:59.759 For instance, an angel of the Lord comes down and chains up, binds Satan, and throws Satan in a pit. 00:01:59.760 --> 00:02:06.320 There's also a period that is described as a period of 1,000 years. 00:02:06.760 --> 00:02:08.599 A lot of people refer to this as the millennium. 00:02:09.300 --> 00:02:12.860 There's a period of 1,000 years where Jesus and his saints rule. 00:02:12.860 --> 00:02:19.260 And then we see that Satan is at some point released and things get bad again. 00:02:20.140 --> 00:02:23.800 And there's a kind of army gathered from the ends of the earth. 00:02:25.100 --> 00:02:27.200 But that army is soundly defeated. 00:02:28.180 --> 00:02:32.800 And ultimately Satan is defeated and thrown into a lake of fire. 00:02:33.160 --> 00:02:38.960 And again, like a lot of Revelation, we read this and it just sounds fantastic. 00:02:39.220 --> 00:02:40.780 It sounds like something out of a movie. 00:02:40.780 --> 00:02:44.520 But the questions that arise are manifold. 00:02:44.759 --> 00:02:46.460 You know, what exactly is being described? 00:02:48.140 --> 00:02:50.099 When are these things going to take place? 00:02:50.920 --> 00:02:52.219 Who's going to be involved? 00:02:53.120 --> 00:02:58.139 Is this just around the corner or is it, you know, thousands and thousands of years away? 00:02:58.500 --> 00:03:03.479 Is there any way that we can tell when we're getting close so that we can prepare? 00:03:04.159 --> 00:03:06.300 These are all the questions that people ask. 00:03:06.300 --> 00:03:10.939 And so we're going to dive into that this morning. 00:03:11.740 --> 00:03:15.120 And, you know, 2,000 years of Christian debate. 00:03:15.260 --> 00:03:16.880 Hopefully we're just going to clear all of it up. 00:03:17.600 --> 00:03:19.540 And we'll answer all the questions. 00:03:20.180 --> 00:03:23.200 And so I'll say that this is not going to be like a normal Sunday. 00:03:23.360 --> 00:03:24.340 I apologize for that. 00:03:24.420 --> 00:03:29.140 This is not going to be so much a time of preaching, which it normally is, as it is going to be a time of teaching. 00:03:29.139 --> 00:03:34.239 And we're going to put some stuff on the screen, which we don't ever do. 00:03:34.719 --> 00:03:37.079 But the reason that we're doing this is a couple of reasons. 00:03:37.199 --> 00:03:43.599 One, I think if you're here and you're a Christian, for many of us, this is probably something that we have an inkling of. 00:03:44.259 --> 00:03:50.239 And yet it's very possible to grow up and spend your entire life as a Christian and never have any understanding of eschatology. 00:03:50.240 --> 00:03:53.920 You know, a lot of people grow up and they have no idea what their church believes. 00:03:54.040 --> 00:03:58.120 They have no idea why some people believe one thing and other people believe another thing. 00:03:58.420 --> 00:03:59.400 And so we're going to dive in. 00:03:59.460 --> 00:04:04.320 And hopefully you're going to leave today with more clarity than when you arrived. 00:04:04.820 --> 00:04:10.660 And my hope is actually you'll have more of a sense of where you fall within all these questions. 00:04:10.960 --> 00:04:14.980 And then if you're here and you're not a Christian, you may be thinking, oh, my gosh, you know, of all the weeks. 00:04:14.979 --> 00:04:24.360 But I would invite you, as we're talking about this, I would invite you to actually reflect on what you believe about the end of the world. 00:04:24.819 --> 00:04:26.620 What you believe about life after death. 00:04:27.399 --> 00:04:29.599 Because everybody has an eschatology. 00:04:30.719 --> 00:04:30.819 Right? 00:04:30.899 --> 00:04:32.300 Everybody believes something. 00:04:33.060 --> 00:04:36.579 And we're going to be talking a little bit about why Christians believe the things that we believe. 00:04:36.639 --> 00:04:39.459 And I'd invite you to consider why do you believe the things that you believe? 00:04:39.500 --> 00:04:41.000 What's the foundation of those beliefs? 00:04:41.000 --> 00:04:45.660 And we're going to be looking at, again, Revelation chapter 20 verses 1 through 10. 00:04:45.759 --> 00:04:46.540 Here's our outline. 00:04:46.660 --> 00:04:48.779 Number one, why do people have different views? 00:04:49.579 --> 00:04:50.399 Why do we disagree? 00:04:50.879 --> 00:04:52.819 Number two, what are the major views? 00:04:52.860 --> 00:04:54.160 That's going to be the bulk of our time. 00:04:54.819 --> 00:04:57.000 And then number three, what matters most? 00:04:57.699 --> 00:05:01.279 In all of this, what are the most important primary things that we need to focus on? 00:05:01.639 --> 00:05:03.139 So let's pray and then we'll dive in. 00:05:06.439 --> 00:05:08.079 Lord, we thank you for your word. 00:05:08.079 --> 00:05:16.939 Lord, and we thank you for the parts that are clear and straightforward and rationally laid out. 00:05:17.699 --> 00:05:24.159 And we thank you for the parts that are mysterious and beautiful and challenging. 00:05:24.839 --> 00:05:30.759 Lord, especially those places in Scripture that are hard to understand, they remind us of our dependence on you. 00:05:30.759 --> 00:05:39.639 Lord, that our faith is not about us getting everything right, figuring out which box everything goes in and systematizing our beliefs. 00:05:39.800 --> 00:05:41.159 Our faith rests in a person. 00:05:42.199 --> 00:05:45.560 And Lord, sometimes relationships are messy and sometimes relationships are complicated. 00:05:45.560 --> 00:05:52.980 We pray that you would help us understand more of what you have to say about these end times. 00:05:53.639 --> 00:05:56.839 Not so much that we can put it on a chart, but so that we can love you more. 00:05:57.420 --> 00:06:02.579 So that we can be blown away by the majesty and the glory of the works of your hands. 00:06:03.240 --> 00:06:05.560 And it's in the name of your Son, Jesus Christ, that we pray. 00:06:06.279 --> 00:06:06.620 Amen. 00:06:06.620 --> 00:06:06.740 Amen. 00:06:07.939 --> 00:06:14.800 So let's first spend a few minutes asking ourselves, why do Christians disagree and have different views on this? 00:06:14.819 --> 00:06:21.660 And I would say there's a few things that will help determine where you fall in terms of your eschatology. 00:06:22.780 --> 00:06:24.600 So number one, how do you read Scripture? 00:06:25.980 --> 00:06:27.300 What's your approach to Scripture? 00:06:28.079 --> 00:06:32.920 Do you read everything in a very straightforward, literal way? 00:06:32.920 --> 00:06:35.860 The plainest meaning of the text is what it's saying? 00:06:36.800 --> 00:06:40.340 Or do you allow for the fact that there are genres in the Bible? 00:06:41.240 --> 00:06:45.200 That we would read historic narrative differently than we might read poetry? 00:06:45.600 --> 00:06:52.400 That we would read prophetic writing or apocalyptic writing differently than we would read poetry? 00:06:53.379 --> 00:06:56.980 Do you account for the fact that sometimes the Bible might use figurative language? 00:06:57.620 --> 00:06:57.780 Right? 00:06:57.920 --> 00:06:58.680 So that's one thing. 00:06:58.740 --> 00:06:59.580 How do you read the Bible? 00:06:59.800 --> 00:07:02.340 Number two, what is your starting point? 00:07:03.680 --> 00:07:08.520 See, everybody's eschatology is rooted in some starting point in Scripture. 00:07:08.640 --> 00:07:10.840 In other words, where do you go in the Bible? 00:07:11.240 --> 00:07:14.080 What passage do you go to and say, this is my framework? 00:07:14.960 --> 00:07:20.460 And then I'm going to read everything else in the Bible that has to do with the end times through the lens of this framework. 00:07:21.740 --> 00:07:22.139 Right? 00:07:22.240 --> 00:07:26.080 So if you are, and we'll get into what these mean, if you're a premillennialist, 00:07:26.460 --> 00:07:30.939 you're probably going to start with Revelation chapter 20 or Daniel chapter 9. 00:07:30.939 --> 00:07:36.699 If you are a postmillennialist, again, we'll get into this, you're going to start in a different place, 00:07:36.779 --> 00:07:38.639 maybe somewhere like Matthew chapter 28. 00:07:39.500 --> 00:07:43.199 And you're going to start there and you're going to say, this is the foundation, this is the framework, 00:07:43.339 --> 00:07:45.680 and I'm going to read everything else through that lens. 00:07:46.000 --> 00:07:47.100 So where's your starting point? 00:07:47.100 --> 00:07:52.020 And then number three, what determines our eschatology? 00:07:52.740 --> 00:07:54.480 Social and political factors. 00:07:56.000 --> 00:07:57.400 You know, what is your disposition? 00:07:57.660 --> 00:08:00.460 Are you the kind of person who tends to be an optimist? 00:08:01.700 --> 00:08:03.080 Do you tend to be a pessimist? 00:08:03.079 --> 00:08:07.779 You know, when you look at the world, do you think that things are getting better over time? 00:08:08.439 --> 00:08:11.060 Do you think that things are getting worse and falling apart? 00:08:11.659 --> 00:08:14.439 That's going to influence your eschatology. 00:08:14.680 --> 00:08:16.339 So what's your approach to scripture? 00:08:16.659 --> 00:08:18.000 What's your starting point? 00:08:18.719 --> 00:08:24.680 And then what are the social and political factors that shape your perception of the world and where all this is headed? 00:08:24.779 --> 00:08:27.819 All that's going to determine where you're likely to land. 00:08:27.819 --> 00:08:35.439 Now, we're going to get into the major views, and what I want to do is I want to lay these views out, 00:08:35.659 --> 00:08:41.620 and it's going to be a bit artificial because a lot of these views agree on a lot of things. 00:08:41.879 --> 00:08:45.299 So when you lay it out on a chart, it makes it look like they're completely different. 00:08:45.379 --> 00:08:51.379 So I want to emphasize, number one, the four views that we're going to look at have a lot of overlap with one another. 00:08:51.580 --> 00:08:53.360 There's just a few key areas that they disagree on. 00:08:53.500 --> 00:08:55.939 I'm going to emphasize those for the sake of clarity, okay? 00:08:55.940 --> 00:09:03.040 And number two, I'm going to share my opinion along the way, some of the things that I think. 00:09:03.400 --> 00:09:07.060 I'm going to share where I think the most credible view lies. 00:09:07.640 --> 00:09:19.560 But I want to emphasize that all four views that we're going to talk about are held by faithful, Jesus-loving, Orthodox Christians. 00:09:20.240 --> 00:09:25.240 And so this is not an opportunity for us to bash brothers and sisters in the church. 00:09:25.240 --> 00:09:29.460 This is an opportunity for us to learn about an area where we really disagree. 00:09:30.460 --> 00:09:35.600 And the great news that we come back to again and again and again in the life of our church is this, 00:09:35.840 --> 00:09:40.379 that our salvation and our hope does not hinge on our eschatology. 00:09:41.519 --> 00:09:43.240 It hinges on Jesus Christ. 00:09:44.100 --> 00:09:49.580 And so it's in that hope and faith that we're going to explore some differences within the Christian family. 00:09:49.580 --> 00:09:52.540 So what are the major views? 00:09:52.680 --> 00:09:59.360 The first one we're going to start with is called historic premillennialism. 00:09:59.720 --> 00:10:04.440 And I have this fancy pointer, and I'm hoping it's going to work for us. 00:10:04.620 --> 00:10:05.180 There we go. 00:10:06.020 --> 00:10:10.040 Okay, so the first view we're going to start with, and if this looks complicated, it is. 00:10:10.800 --> 00:10:12.780 We're going to look at historic premillennialism. 00:10:12.779 --> 00:10:17.860 Now, we call it historic premillennialism because it has a lot of history. 00:10:18.019 --> 00:10:21.079 It goes back at least to Irenaeus in the second century. 00:10:21.559 --> 00:10:25.839 And versions of this eschatology have been held since the earliest days of the church. 00:10:26.980 --> 00:10:29.299 So that's why we call it historic premillennialism. 00:10:29.819 --> 00:10:37.600 And then we call it premillennialism because this belief holds that Jesus is going to come back 00:10:37.600 --> 00:10:42.680 before the millennium that we read about in Revelation chapter 20. 00:10:42.680 --> 00:10:48.180 So premillennium, Jesus returns before the millennium of Revelation 20. 00:10:48.300 --> 00:10:51.580 So let's just walk through this very briefly. 00:10:51.720 --> 00:10:53.180 We have Jesus' birth. 00:10:54.139 --> 00:10:55.540 The kingdom of God is manifest. 00:10:56.600 --> 00:10:57.420 He lives. 00:10:57.560 --> 00:10:59.139 He is crucified, died. 00:10:59.300 --> 00:11:01.259 He rises from death. 00:11:01.580 --> 00:11:03.060 He ascends to the throne of heaven. 00:11:03.540 --> 00:11:05.620 And then there's this period of time here. 00:11:05.620 --> 00:11:10.539 The kingdom of God remains spiritually, but Jesus is in heaven. 00:11:11.279 --> 00:11:12.379 And we're waiting. 00:11:12.580 --> 00:11:14.379 We're waiting for Jesus to come again. 00:11:15.279 --> 00:11:21.240 And in this view, things are going to progressively get worse and worse and worse, right? 00:11:21.539 --> 00:11:26.060 Individual sin, systemic sin, institutional sin, government corruption. 00:11:26.259 --> 00:11:29.200 The world is going to progressively fall apart. 00:11:29.759 --> 00:11:33.379 Then there's going to be a time of apostasy and tribulation. 00:11:33.379 --> 00:11:36.639 And then we're going to have the return of Christ. 00:11:37.399 --> 00:11:43.419 And at that time, the saints, all those who put their faith in Jesus, are going to rise from death. 00:11:44.539 --> 00:11:46.559 And then the millennium is going to start. 00:11:46.659 --> 00:11:49.419 So see, Christ returns, then the millennium. 00:11:50.299 --> 00:11:53.399 Some people in this view believe that it's a literal thousand years. 00:11:53.559 --> 00:11:57.919 Others hold that it's a more symbolic time, a long time. 00:11:57.919 --> 00:12:01.799 But the point is, the millennium starts after Jesus returns. 00:12:02.839 --> 00:12:04.599 During that time, Satan is bound. 00:12:04.979 --> 00:12:07.039 The kingdom of God is consummated. 00:12:07.139 --> 00:12:08.759 The saints and Jesus rule. 00:12:09.639 --> 00:12:12.599 And then at the end of the millennium, Satan is released. 00:12:13.099 --> 00:12:14.939 There's a massive final battle. 00:12:15.599 --> 00:12:16.579 Satan is defeated. 00:12:16.580 --> 00:12:22.660 Then we have the second resurrection, where everybody else rises from death. 00:12:23.840 --> 00:12:26.500 Jesus judges all the nations. 00:12:27.440 --> 00:12:33.080 And then we move into the time of the new heavens and the new earth, and eternity ensues. 00:12:33.200 --> 00:12:34.940 So this is the first view. 00:12:35.420 --> 00:12:37.740 And the rationale is pretty straightforward. 00:12:38.020 --> 00:12:42.040 This view is based on a chronological reading of Revelation. 00:12:42.039 --> 00:12:42.599 Right? 00:12:42.879 --> 00:12:47.379 Reading, you know, the order of the chapters is determining the order of events. 00:12:47.839 --> 00:12:50.860 So you say, well, why would you say that Jesus comes before the millennium? 00:12:50.959 --> 00:12:55.139 Well, quite simply, it's because chapter 19 comes before chapter 20. 00:12:56.339 --> 00:12:56.759 Right? 00:12:56.819 --> 00:12:59.659 So in chapter 19, Jesus comes on a white horse. 00:12:59.980 --> 00:13:02.559 Chapter 20, millennium, Jesus comes. 00:13:02.759 --> 00:13:03.719 And then we have the millennium. 00:13:04.159 --> 00:13:04.860 Pretty straightforward. 00:13:05.259 --> 00:13:08.399 So you can see why a lot of people would adopt this view. 00:13:08.399 --> 00:13:13.179 And a lot of people in contemporary times who I greatly respect still hold to this view. 00:13:14.799 --> 00:13:23.679 Now, in the mid to late 1800s, around the turn of the century, you know, early part of the 20th century, 00:13:24.279 --> 00:13:28.980 there was a view that arose that was an offshoot of historic premillennialism. 00:13:29.459 --> 00:13:31.799 There are several different ways we can refer to it. 00:13:31.799 --> 00:13:39.620 I have it here titled as dispensationalism, but you can also refer to this as dispensational premillennialism. 00:13:39.779 --> 00:13:43.679 Or you can refer to it as pre-tribulational premillennialism. 00:13:44.839 --> 00:13:46.240 I'll wait for you to write that down. 00:13:47.299 --> 00:13:49.879 It's not going to be on the test, but I just want you to know that. 00:13:52.120 --> 00:13:57.879 Dispensationalism is similar to historic premillennialism with a few key differences. 00:13:57.879 --> 00:13:58.360 Okay? 00:13:58.720 --> 00:14:02.419 So it's similar in that we believe Christ is here. 00:14:02.580 --> 00:14:04.820 There's this age of grace, the church age. 00:14:05.179 --> 00:14:08.360 Then we do believe that Jesus comes before the millennium. 00:14:08.460 --> 00:14:11.259 Here's the millennium, the nation's revolt, final judgment. 00:14:11.639 --> 00:14:14.100 The overall framework is roughly the same. 00:14:15.200 --> 00:14:16.139 Few key differences. 00:14:17.139 --> 00:14:23.860 Number one, dispensationalists believe in a rapture, which is this right here. 00:14:23.860 --> 00:14:29.340 They believe that we are in the age of grace now, that at some point there will be signs of the end times. 00:14:29.460 --> 00:14:31.919 Things are going to get worse and worse and worse and worse and worse. 00:14:32.820 --> 00:14:35.500 And then there's going to be a kind of secret rapture. 00:14:36.680 --> 00:14:39.720 And this is based on a word that means to be snatched away. 00:14:39.840 --> 00:14:41.720 It's not like emotional rapture. 00:14:42.139 --> 00:14:47.159 It's the idea is that in a moment people are going to cease to exist. 00:14:47.539 --> 00:14:53.220 It's kind of like the end of Avengers Infinity Wars, where people just, you're walking along and then all of a sudden they're gone, 00:14:53.220 --> 00:14:55.300 only they're not vaporized, they go to be with Jesus. 00:14:56.200 --> 00:15:00.779 And I was trying to think of a good visual, and there's very few good visuals, 00:15:00.860 --> 00:15:03.700 and I don't know how many people have actually seen the movie Left Behind, 00:15:03.840 --> 00:15:09.060 but this happens in the movie Left Behind, where you just wake up one day and half the planet is gone. 00:15:10.100 --> 00:15:14.399 And this has inspired a lot of wonder, but also a lot of fear in people. 00:15:14.399 --> 00:15:19.259 But there's a rapture, and all the Christians are taken away. 00:15:19.259 --> 00:15:24.419 And then there is a seven-year period of tribulation for everybody who is left behind. 00:15:24.620 --> 00:15:29.879 So, right, Tim LaHaye, the Left Behind series, the movie, all of that was inspired by this. 00:15:30.139 --> 00:15:33.200 There's seven years of tribulation for everybody left on the earth. 00:15:33.659 --> 00:15:37.200 During this time, a lot of Jews are going to supposedly come to faith. 00:15:38.240 --> 00:15:41.480 Then Jesus comes back in his bodily form, 00:15:41.480 --> 00:15:47.279 and then we have the beginning of a literal thousand-year millennium. 00:15:47.920 --> 00:15:49.259 Literal thousand-year millennium. 00:15:49.480 --> 00:15:50.840 Now, here's the other key difference. 00:15:51.519 --> 00:15:56.060 In the dispensationalist view, God has two separate programs. 00:15:56.820 --> 00:16:00.279 One for Israel and one for the Gentile church. 00:16:00.920 --> 00:16:05.580 God's plan was to establish Israel as the kingdom of God, 00:16:05.680 --> 00:16:09.259 a nation-state with the kingdom of God centered in Jerusalem. 00:16:09.259 --> 00:16:15.580 God presented the opportunity to have a messianic kingdom to the Israelites in the ancient times. 00:16:15.860 --> 00:16:16.679 They rejected it. 00:16:17.500 --> 00:16:19.919 And that kind of put God's plan on hold. 00:16:20.679 --> 00:16:22.899 And then God had to deal with all the Gentiles. 00:16:23.700 --> 00:16:27.399 And so the Gentiles, in this view, are kind of, and that would be most of us in this room, 00:16:28.259 --> 00:16:32.120 are kind of like a parenthesis within God's plan for Israel. 00:16:32.220 --> 00:16:35.240 It's kind of like we pause it, we deal with the Gentiles, 00:16:35.319 --> 00:16:37.200 and then at some point we're going to come back to the Jews. 00:16:37.200 --> 00:16:38.759 So that's what's happening here. 00:16:39.259 --> 00:16:41.919 God presses pause on Israel. 00:16:42.220 --> 00:16:43.200 He deals with the Gentiles. 00:16:43.299 --> 00:16:44.200 He raptures them. 00:16:44.779 --> 00:16:46.139 Then they all come back. 00:16:47.159 --> 00:16:49.819 Then during the millennium, God resumes His plan. 00:16:50.860 --> 00:16:56.460 During the millennium, God establishes Israel as the kingdom on earth, 00:16:56.980 --> 00:16:58.000 centered in Jerusalem. 00:16:58.799 --> 00:17:02.559 And there will be a kind of theocratic rule for a thousand years. 00:17:02.559 --> 00:17:05.619 And then the nations will revolt. 00:17:05.619 --> 00:17:06.539 They will be defeated. 00:17:06.539 --> 00:17:08.119 We'll have a final judgment. 00:17:08.119 --> 00:17:11.599 And then we'll enter the eternal state. 00:17:11.819 --> 00:17:14.259 So again, a few key differences. 00:17:14.259 --> 00:17:23.980 If you've ever wondered why some American evangelicals are passionately pro-Israel in their politics, 00:17:24.720 --> 00:17:28.019 some of that flows out of this eschatology. 00:17:28.660 --> 00:17:35.319 Because this eschatology has had a lot of profound impact, particularly on American evangelicals. 00:17:35.879 --> 00:17:38.579 We'll talk a little bit more about why down the road. 00:17:38.579 --> 00:17:43.199 So, for instance, in 1948 when the state of Israel was established, 00:17:43.899 --> 00:17:48.980 many American evangelicals saw this as a sign of the fulfillment of biblical prophecy. 00:17:49.799 --> 00:17:52.759 This is a sign that these events are starting to happen. 00:17:53.039 --> 00:17:56.980 And people have started to get geared up and excited that the end times were upon us. 00:17:56.980 --> 00:18:00.380 Now, I told you I'd share my opinion. 00:18:00.559 --> 00:18:01.980 I'll share briefly here. 00:18:02.059 --> 00:18:03.000 Again, this is my opinion. 00:18:04.079 --> 00:18:08.200 I think that there's a big difference between historic premillennialism, 00:18:08.259 --> 00:18:11.980 which we looked at a moment ago, and dispensational premillennialism. 00:18:12.940 --> 00:18:17.920 The first view, I think, has a pretty good biblical case behind it. 00:18:18.339 --> 00:18:20.079 And it has a lot of history behind it. 00:18:20.099 --> 00:18:22.240 It's been held back to at least the second century. 00:18:22.720 --> 00:18:23.960 So you look at something like that and you say, 00:18:24.019 --> 00:18:25.720 well, there's a lot of credibility, right? 00:18:25.720 --> 00:18:32.779 On the other hand, I think that dispensational premillennialism is on shaky ground. 00:18:33.240 --> 00:18:37.039 And quite frankly, I think of all of the views, this is probably the weakest. 00:18:37.839 --> 00:18:40.600 And there's a few concerns that I have with this view, 00:18:41.079 --> 00:18:43.259 and I'll just share a couple of them. 00:18:43.579 --> 00:18:47.539 My first concern with dispensationalism is that it fails to account 00:18:47.539 --> 00:18:50.360 for all of the various genres found in the Bible. 00:18:51.039 --> 00:18:54.180 So this view assumes that if you're reading something in the Bible, 00:18:54.180 --> 00:18:58.759 regardless of where it is, that you should take the plain, straightforward meaning. 00:18:59.480 --> 00:19:01.700 And yet we know that there are different genres in the Bible. 00:19:01.799 --> 00:19:05.480 We know, for instance, that in the Psalms, in Psalm 22, 00:19:05.720 --> 00:19:08.340 when David says, I'm a worm and not a man, 00:19:09.460 --> 00:19:12.440 that we're not to infer from that a theological doctrine of David 00:19:12.440 --> 00:19:14.320 that David is, in fact, a talking worm. 00:19:14.500 --> 00:19:17.420 We know that he's using figurative language. 00:19:17.420 --> 00:19:21.200 And we know that there are different places in the Bible that have different genres 00:19:21.200 --> 00:19:23.519 and that they need to be read accordingly, right? 00:19:23.940 --> 00:19:29.500 So in my view, this isn't accounted for enough. 00:19:30.460 --> 00:19:34.580 Number two, a little more concerning, I see this having a negative impact on Christians. 00:19:35.279 --> 00:19:38.400 When I talk to Christians who come from this background, 00:19:38.400 --> 00:19:44.759 you often find that people can, because there are signs of the end times right here, 00:19:45.900 --> 00:19:50.060 a lot of people can get really fixated on trying to figure out what those signs are. 00:19:51.000 --> 00:19:54.240 And so, for instance, when the European Union is formed, 00:19:54.780 --> 00:19:57.200 there are Christians who will say, well, this is obviously the beast. 00:19:58.060 --> 00:20:00.360 The EU is the beast, and this is a sign. 00:20:00.519 --> 00:20:04.540 And there are lots of predictions that are made about exactly when all this is going to play out, 00:20:04.539 --> 00:20:11.339 despite the fact that Jesus very clearly instructs us not to try to discern the times when all this will take place. 00:20:12.079 --> 00:20:14.240 So it can create a kind of paranoia. 00:20:14.920 --> 00:20:17.139 Also, I have found that the idea of rapture, 00:20:17.579 --> 00:20:20.619 and I meant no disrespect with the illustration earlier, 00:20:20.759 --> 00:20:24.480 but that idea has, I think, inspired a lot of fear. 00:20:24.980 --> 00:20:27.680 I think there are a lot of kids who grow up learning about the rapture, 00:20:28.000 --> 00:20:30.879 terrified that if they're not right with God when they go to bed, 00:20:31.079 --> 00:20:33.440 they're going to wake up and their whole family is going to be gone. 00:20:33.440 --> 00:20:36.259 And the eggs are still going to be sizzling on the stove. 00:20:36.779 --> 00:20:37.920 And they're going to be alone. 00:20:38.140 --> 00:20:40.279 And there's going to be planes dropping out of the sky 00:20:40.279 --> 00:20:43.860 and cars running into lampposts because their drivers are gone. 00:20:44.000 --> 00:20:45.500 So I think this creates a lot of fear. 00:20:45.600 --> 00:20:49.539 And I think one of the things the Bible is clear on is that when Jesus comes again, 00:20:50.180 --> 00:20:54.400 for Christians, it is going to be a time of great joy and great celebration. 00:20:55.360 --> 00:20:57.380 That last trumpet blast when Jesus comes, 00:20:57.420 --> 00:21:01.700 this is going to be a time of global celebration for all of those who follow Jesus. 00:21:01.700 --> 00:21:06.500 So I don't think that any view should inspire fear in the hearts of believers. 00:21:07.019 --> 00:21:09.279 Number three, maybe most concerning of all, 00:21:10.500 --> 00:21:13.900 the idea that God would have a separate plan for Israel 00:21:13.900 --> 00:21:19.240 and another separate plan for the church or for the Gentiles, 00:21:19.640 --> 00:21:22.840 to me seems utterly incompatible with much of the New Testament. 00:21:23.620 --> 00:21:25.600 You know, as Paul very clearly says, 00:21:25.599 --> 00:21:30.899 Jesus overcame the dividing wall between Jews and Gentiles, 00:21:30.980 --> 00:21:32.419 the dividing wall of hostility. 00:21:33.219 --> 00:21:36.719 Jesus came to make one family out of all the nations of the earth. 00:21:37.599 --> 00:21:43.519 And he says very clearly that Gentiles become children of Abraham by faith. 00:21:44.480 --> 00:21:46.399 And so when I read much of the New Testament, 00:21:47.399 --> 00:21:51.619 I think it's pretty clear that there's not two programs at work here. 00:21:51.619 --> 00:21:57.179 There is one gospel, one set of promises, one faith, one people. 00:21:58.839 --> 00:22:03.299 But again, this is a view that is held by Orthodox faithful Christians. 00:22:03.759 --> 00:22:04.639 That's my opinion. 00:22:04.779 --> 00:22:06.739 If there are those in this room who come from this background, 00:22:06.879 --> 00:22:09.219 again, I mean no disrespect, but as a pastor, 00:22:09.559 --> 00:22:12.199 I feel that I need to at least share my concerns. 00:22:12.979 --> 00:22:15.579 So those are the two pre-millennial views. 00:22:16.179 --> 00:22:18.919 The views that hold that Jesus comes before the millennium. 00:22:18.920 --> 00:22:21.100 The last two are a bit different. 00:22:23.100 --> 00:22:27.660 The first two views assume that things are going to get worse and worse and worse and worse. 00:22:28.380 --> 00:22:30.460 Post-millennialism is the opposite. 00:22:30.920 --> 00:22:33.720 This is the view that says things are going to get better. 00:22:34.580 --> 00:22:36.900 So post-millennialism, hopefully you can figure out by now, 00:22:36.980 --> 00:22:40.200 this is the view that Christ comes after the millennium, 00:22:40.860 --> 00:22:42.440 talked about in Revelation chapter 20. 00:22:43.560 --> 00:22:46.220 In other words, we have the start of the millennium, 00:22:46.539 --> 00:22:47.519 which is debatable. 00:22:47.519 --> 00:22:48.000 Right? 00:22:49.059 --> 00:22:50.259 So we're in the church age now, 00:22:50.319 --> 00:22:53.740 and at some point, this view says the millennium will start. 00:22:54.700 --> 00:22:56.220 And when that millennium starts, 00:22:56.519 --> 00:22:59.759 there will be a time of tremendous expansion of Christianity. 00:23:00.500 --> 00:23:04.420 There's going to be a time of increased peace and prosperity in the world. 00:23:05.519 --> 00:23:09.299 Large numbers of ethnic Jews are going to come to faith in Jesus Christ. 00:23:09.400 --> 00:23:13.259 In other words, this is the view that says it is up to us, 00:23:13.779 --> 00:23:14.819 it is up to you and me, 00:23:14.819 --> 00:23:17.220 to usher in the kingdom of God. 00:23:17.779 --> 00:23:20.879 It's our job to spread the gospel to the four corners of the earth, 00:23:21.039 --> 00:23:26.859 to bring all other religions and all other nations under the lordship of Jesus Christ. 00:23:27.399 --> 00:23:28.679 When that happens, 00:23:29.359 --> 00:23:31.079 only when that happens, 00:23:31.779 --> 00:23:32.939 will Jesus come back. 00:23:32.940 --> 00:23:35.559 And so this is a view that, 00:23:35.680 --> 00:23:35.920 again, 00:23:36.059 --> 00:23:37.400 has some history to it. 00:23:37.980 --> 00:23:39.480 And if you've ever wondered, 00:23:41.259 --> 00:23:41.559 you know, 00:23:41.600 --> 00:23:44.840 if you look back in the kind of founding of our country 00:23:44.840 --> 00:23:48.940 and all of the people that write about the new world 00:23:48.940 --> 00:23:51.299 and this kind of emerging country, 00:23:51.420 --> 00:23:52.279 the United States, 00:23:52.500 --> 00:23:56.680 there's a lot of language that's used about this being a city on a hill, 00:23:56.680 --> 00:23:58.240 God's chosen nation, 00:23:58.799 --> 00:24:00.700 God's holy people, 00:24:01.140 --> 00:24:02.799 God's special elect, 00:24:03.900 --> 00:24:04.100 you know, 00:24:04.160 --> 00:24:08.200 all of that is coming right out of post-millennial eschatology. 00:24:09.240 --> 00:24:12.920 This is a view that was very popular among many of the Puritans 00:24:12.920 --> 00:24:17.400 who were a part of establishing the culture that our country was founded in. 00:24:17.400 --> 00:24:19.580 So that Puritan post-millennial culture 00:24:19.580 --> 00:24:22.200 very much viewed the United States 00:24:22.200 --> 00:24:23.240 as the kind of, 00:24:23.440 --> 00:24:24.700 you know, 00:24:24.740 --> 00:24:25.740 the kind of flagship 00:24:25.740 --> 00:24:28.120 of the millennium, 00:24:28.220 --> 00:24:29.580 of the expansion of Christianity 00:24:29.580 --> 00:24:32.860 that was going to result in the second coming of Jesus Christ. 00:24:33.940 --> 00:24:37.080 And this is a view that's held by some of my great heroes. 00:24:37.240 --> 00:24:39.780 People like Jonathan Edwards and Charles Spurgeon 00:24:39.780 --> 00:24:41.160 were post-millennialists. 00:24:41.259 --> 00:24:44.580 It's a view that continues to have wide support today 00:24:44.580 --> 00:24:46.759 among even a lot of brothers and sisters 00:24:46.759 --> 00:24:49.240 in my own theological tradition of Reformed theology. 00:24:49.379 --> 00:24:53.259 A lot of people are post-millennial in their eschatology. 00:24:54.079 --> 00:24:55.740 And then, of course, though, 00:24:56.440 --> 00:24:57.779 it had kind of a heyday 00:24:57.779 --> 00:24:59.339 in, you know, 00:24:59.400 --> 00:25:01.019 around the kind of founding of our country. 00:25:01.379 --> 00:25:02.799 But then a few things happened, right? 00:25:02.799 --> 00:25:05.160 We had the Civil War, right? 00:25:05.200 --> 00:25:06.440 We had the Great World Wars. 00:25:07.420 --> 00:25:08.680 We had things like Vietnam. 00:25:09.759 --> 00:25:11.079 We had the Cold War 00:25:11.079 --> 00:25:11.700 where, you know, 00:25:11.720 --> 00:25:14.680 some of us who are older and remember this 00:25:14.680 --> 00:25:17.340 were doing drills in case the nukes were launched. 00:25:18.100 --> 00:25:18.320 You know, 00:25:18.400 --> 00:25:21.220 and there was a sense during the Cold War 00:25:21.220 --> 00:25:23.779 that we were on the precipice of nuclear holocaust. 00:25:24.779 --> 00:25:27.019 And so with all of those things happening, 00:25:27.160 --> 00:25:28.660 it became increasingly difficult 00:25:28.660 --> 00:25:30.220 to justify the idea 00:25:30.220 --> 00:25:31.900 that the world was becoming a better place. 00:25:32.160 --> 00:25:33.880 It just didn't seem to fit with reality. 00:25:34.680 --> 00:25:36.180 And so around that time, 00:25:36.779 --> 00:25:37.960 between the Civil War, 00:25:38.100 --> 00:25:39.120 going through the World Wars, 00:25:39.119 --> 00:25:41.599 a lot of evangelicals in our country 00:25:41.599 --> 00:25:44.239 shifted away from postmillennial eschatology 00:25:44.239 --> 00:25:46.819 and they adopted a more premillennial view, 00:25:47.259 --> 00:25:49.959 including a dispensationalist premillennial view. 00:25:50.439 --> 00:25:52.239 But this is postmillennialism. 00:25:53.179 --> 00:25:54.000 Now, as I said, 00:25:54.039 --> 00:25:55.139 I think all of these views 00:25:55.139 --> 00:25:56.299 have strengths and weaknesses, 00:25:56.699 --> 00:25:57.939 and I don't think that we can prove 00:25:57.939 --> 00:26:00.539 that one is absolutely true 00:26:00.539 --> 00:26:01.939 over and above all the rest. 00:26:02.319 --> 00:26:04.439 The one that I tend to preference 00:26:04.439 --> 00:26:07.379 is what is termed the amillennial view. 00:26:08.320 --> 00:26:09.240 That's this view. 00:26:09.660 --> 00:26:12.060 Now, I actually don't like the term amillennial. 00:26:12.400 --> 00:26:13.360 I think it's a bit misleading. 00:26:14.300 --> 00:26:16.480 Amillennial simply means no millennium. 00:26:17.180 --> 00:26:18.480 But that's a little misleading 00:26:18.480 --> 00:26:19.480 because this view doesn't say 00:26:19.480 --> 00:26:20.460 that there's no millennium. 00:26:20.980 --> 00:26:22.440 It just says that the millennium 00:26:22.440 --> 00:26:23.620 is a figure of speech. 00:26:24.740 --> 00:26:25.000 Right? 00:26:25.080 --> 00:26:27.140 That when we talk about a period of a thousand years 00:26:27.140 --> 00:26:28.100 and the Bible says that, 00:26:28.220 --> 00:26:29.560 it's simply a figure of speech 00:26:29.560 --> 00:26:31.240 like much of Revelation. 00:26:32.160 --> 00:26:33.780 And so there are other places in the Bible 00:26:33.780 --> 00:26:34.960 that use this number, right? 00:26:34.960 --> 00:26:38.400 Psalm 50 talks about God owning cattle 00:26:38.400 --> 00:26:39.500 on a thousand hills. 00:26:40.460 --> 00:26:41.200 Now, we're not going to say, 00:26:41.279 --> 00:26:42.460 well, that must have been, you know, 00:26:42.500 --> 00:26:44.120 one, two, three, four. 00:26:44.200 --> 00:26:45.180 That's not how we read it. 00:26:45.420 --> 00:26:47.559 We read it as a lot of hills, 00:26:48.200 --> 00:26:48.940 a lot of cattle. 00:26:49.819 --> 00:26:50.900 In the same way, 00:26:51.200 --> 00:26:54.140 1 Chronicles 16 talks about God being faithful 00:26:54.140 --> 00:26:55.700 for a thousand generations. 00:26:55.960 --> 00:26:56.759 We don't start and say, 00:26:56.980 --> 00:26:57.819 this is the first generation, 00:26:57.900 --> 00:26:58.680 the second generation, 00:26:59.400 --> 00:27:00.440 a lot of generations. 00:27:01.100 --> 00:27:04.120 God is faithful for a long, long, long, long time. 00:27:04.240 --> 00:27:04.960 And so in the same way, 00:27:05.019 --> 00:27:06.580 when we read a thousand years, 00:27:07.019 --> 00:27:08.080 we simply read it as, 00:27:08.279 --> 00:27:09.279 this is going to be a long time. 00:27:09.720 --> 00:27:12.160 It could be multiple millennia. 00:27:12.480 --> 00:27:13.779 It could be thousands upon thousands 00:27:13.779 --> 00:27:14.900 upon thousands of years. 00:27:15.080 --> 00:27:16.039 It's a long time. 00:27:16.380 --> 00:27:18.039 And this is the view that goes back 00:27:18.039 --> 00:27:18.920 to St. Augustine. 00:27:19.500 --> 00:27:21.460 It's the view that was held by Thomas Aquinas. 00:27:21.820 --> 00:27:22.740 It's the view that's held 00:27:22.740 --> 00:27:24.279 in the Eastern Orthodox Church, 00:27:24.400 --> 00:27:25.500 the Roman Catholic Church, 00:27:25.980 --> 00:27:27.600 swaths of the Anglican Church, 00:27:27.680 --> 00:27:28.779 and other Reformed churches. 00:27:28.779 --> 00:27:33.819 So, this approach basically says 00:27:33.819 --> 00:27:35.660 that because Revelation 00:27:35.660 --> 00:27:37.359 is apocalyptic literature, 00:27:37.839 --> 00:27:41.259 it's full of symbolic, figurative language. 00:27:41.519 --> 00:27:42.539 And so we read it that way. 00:27:42.940 --> 00:27:43.859 And if you've been tracking 00:27:43.859 --> 00:27:44.980 with our series in Revelation, 00:27:45.299 --> 00:27:47.019 you know this has been our approach 00:27:47.019 --> 00:27:47.940 to Revelation. 00:27:48.139 --> 00:27:49.420 So one of the big differences is, 00:27:50.059 --> 00:27:52.279 we don't read Revelation chronologically. 00:27:52.819 --> 00:27:54.099 Just because chapter 20 00:27:54.099 --> 00:27:55.279 comes after chapter 19, 00:27:55.639 --> 00:27:56.759 we don't think that the events 00:27:56.759 --> 00:27:58.460 of chapter 20 come after 00:27:58.460 --> 00:27:59.759 the events of chapter 19. 00:28:00.619 --> 00:28:02.480 So, we read Revelation 00:28:02.480 --> 00:28:03.640 recognizing that I think 00:28:03.640 --> 00:28:04.539 there's a pretty clear 00:28:04.539 --> 00:28:06.720 literary structure to this book. 00:28:07.680 --> 00:28:08.740 The literary structure 00:28:08.740 --> 00:28:10.799 is that it's structured 00:28:10.799 --> 00:28:12.200 in sequences of seven. 00:28:12.940 --> 00:28:14.200 There are seven seals 00:28:14.200 --> 00:28:15.140 that are broken. 00:28:15.319 --> 00:28:17.319 There are seven trumpet blasts. 00:28:17.379 --> 00:28:18.740 There are seven bowls 00:28:18.740 --> 00:28:19.619 that are poured out. 00:28:19.660 --> 00:28:20.879 And these sequences of seven, 00:28:21.599 --> 00:28:22.720 I think, are patterned 00:28:22.720 --> 00:28:24.259 after the seven days of creation. 00:28:24.259 --> 00:28:26.099 And so what you see there 00:28:26.099 --> 00:28:28.240 is a story is being told 00:28:28.240 --> 00:28:30.259 and retold and retold 00:28:30.819 --> 00:28:32.539 again and again and again 00:28:32.539 --> 00:28:33.680 with each sequence, 00:28:33.879 --> 00:28:34.680 which is the way 00:28:34.680 --> 00:28:35.680 we've laid this out. 00:28:36.420 --> 00:28:37.740 And I think this is 00:28:37.740 --> 00:28:38.619 the story of the church. 00:28:39.200 --> 00:28:40.379 So I think every time 00:28:40.379 --> 00:28:41.420 the sequence starts over, 00:28:41.500 --> 00:28:42.339 you're starting at the birth 00:28:42.339 --> 00:28:43.039 of the church again. 00:28:43.599 --> 00:28:44.879 And then we tell the whole story 00:28:44.879 --> 00:28:45.819 of the life of the church 00:28:45.819 --> 00:28:48.119 all the way until Jesus comes again 00:28:48.119 --> 00:28:50.140 and all of creation is consummated. 00:28:50.740 --> 00:28:52.359 And so when we read it this way, 00:28:52.359 --> 00:28:53.619 we recognize that Revelation 00:28:53.619 --> 00:28:55.379 is partly about the past, 00:28:55.919 --> 00:28:57.240 it's partly about the present, 00:28:57.799 --> 00:28:59.059 and it's partly about the future. 00:29:00.119 --> 00:29:00.259 Right? 00:29:00.359 --> 00:29:01.879 See, if you're a premillennialist, 00:29:02.579 --> 00:29:03.699 either variety, 00:29:04.359 --> 00:29:04.859 and by the way, 00:29:04.879 --> 00:29:05.779 there are many subtypes 00:29:05.779 --> 00:29:06.539 to all these views, 00:29:07.359 --> 00:29:08.539 either variety of premillennialists, 00:29:08.659 --> 00:29:09.479 you're reading Revelation 00:29:09.479 --> 00:29:11.159 as primarily about future events. 00:29:11.979 --> 00:29:13.159 This is distant future 00:29:13.159 --> 00:29:14.419 or maybe near future, 00:29:15.139 --> 00:29:16.439 but most of what we read 00:29:16.439 --> 00:29:16.839 in Revelation, 00:29:17.019 --> 00:29:17.159 you know, 00:29:17.219 --> 00:29:18.539 the tribulation, 00:29:19.159 --> 00:29:20.619 according to a premillennialist, 00:29:20.619 --> 00:29:22.339 starts at around chapter 4 00:29:22.339 --> 00:29:22.819 of Revelation, 00:29:22.979 --> 00:29:23.979 goes through chapter 19. 00:29:24.239 --> 00:29:25.579 So all that crazy stuff 00:29:25.579 --> 00:29:26.119 that's happening, 00:29:26.479 --> 00:29:27.659 all that is the tribulation. 00:29:28.679 --> 00:29:29.139 Right? 00:29:29.199 --> 00:29:30.399 That's if you're a premillennialist. 00:29:30.959 --> 00:29:32.819 If you're an amillennialist, 00:29:33.299 --> 00:29:34.339 you would say, 00:29:34.399 --> 00:29:34.599 you know, 00:29:34.639 --> 00:29:36.939 some of this happened in the past. 00:29:38.079 --> 00:29:39.059 Persecution of Christians 00:29:39.059 --> 00:29:39.739 under Nero, 00:29:40.459 --> 00:29:41.859 the destruction of the temple 00:29:41.859 --> 00:29:42.759 in 70 AD, 00:29:43.339 --> 00:29:45.679 these are analogous to events 00:29:45.679 --> 00:29:46.339 that are described 00:29:46.339 --> 00:29:47.359 in the book of Revelation. 00:29:47.479 --> 00:29:48.439 So some of it is in the past, 00:29:48.440 --> 00:29:51.200 but also we see patterns emerge. 00:29:51.779 --> 00:29:52.559 A lot of what we read 00:29:52.559 --> 00:29:53.240 in the book of Revelation 00:29:53.240 --> 00:29:55.140 describes ongoing, 00:29:55.500 --> 00:29:57.080 recurring themes 00:29:57.080 --> 00:29:58.140 and challenges 00:29:58.140 --> 00:30:00.080 that Christians will have to face 00:30:00.080 --> 00:30:02.519 again and again and again 00:30:02.519 --> 00:30:03.779 until Christ comes. 00:30:04.100 --> 00:30:05.240 So a lot of it is about the present. 00:30:06.240 --> 00:30:07.440 And then there are also things, 00:30:07.580 --> 00:30:09.080 specifically the last couple of chapters 00:30:09.080 --> 00:30:09.660 of Revelation, 00:30:10.039 --> 00:30:11.180 that are very clearly 00:30:11.180 --> 00:30:13.220 about the ultimate future, 00:30:13.400 --> 00:30:14.039 the new heavens 00:30:14.039 --> 00:30:15.039 and the new earth. 00:30:15.039 --> 00:30:17.080 That's very clearly describing, 00:30:17.380 --> 00:30:17.980 in my opinion, 00:30:17.980 --> 00:30:19.380 something that will happen 00:30:19.380 --> 00:30:20.799 at the end of time. 00:30:21.019 --> 00:30:21.539 But you see, 00:30:21.620 --> 00:30:22.759 the layout is pretty simple. 00:30:23.140 --> 00:30:24.200 And one of the reasons 00:30:24.200 --> 00:30:25.860 that I like this layout 00:30:25.860 --> 00:30:27.640 is because I think 00:30:27.640 --> 00:30:28.880 that it aligns 00:30:28.880 --> 00:30:29.720 and resonates 00:30:29.720 --> 00:30:31.099 with other scripture. 00:30:31.720 --> 00:30:31.860 Right? 00:30:31.900 --> 00:30:32.980 So my starting point, 00:30:33.200 --> 00:30:34.339 I said everybody has a framework, 00:30:34.620 --> 00:30:36.160 this is where my bias comes from, 00:30:36.680 --> 00:30:38.120 is I start with 00:30:38.120 --> 00:30:39.240 the letters of Paul. 00:30:39.759 --> 00:30:40.620 Because I think that 00:30:40.620 --> 00:30:41.339 when I read scripture 00:30:41.339 --> 00:30:42.259 and I think about genre, 00:30:42.920 --> 00:30:44.039 the one place in scripture 00:30:44.039 --> 00:30:47.319 that is written to teach, 00:30:47.319 --> 00:30:47.859 in other words, 00:30:47.919 --> 00:30:49.599 it's written to give us doctrine, 00:30:50.679 --> 00:30:51.500 would be the epistles. 00:30:52.399 --> 00:30:53.759 So I look at Paul's epistles, 00:30:53.879 --> 00:30:54.939 I look at Peter's epistles, 00:30:55.179 --> 00:30:56.379 and I look at what they say 00:30:56.379 --> 00:30:57.339 about the end times. 00:30:57.859 --> 00:30:58.899 And then I try to map 00:30:58.899 --> 00:31:00.039 how I read Revelation 00:31:00.039 --> 00:31:01.279 onto their framework. 00:31:02.039 --> 00:31:03.579 And so we see Jesus is born, 00:31:04.779 --> 00:31:06.240 Jesus lives and ministers, 00:31:07.339 --> 00:31:08.519 he dies on the cross, 00:31:09.119 --> 00:31:09.939 he's resurrected, 00:31:10.139 --> 00:31:10.839 he ascends. 00:31:10.839 --> 00:31:13.279 And then at that point, 00:31:13.359 --> 00:31:15.099 the church is born at Pentecost, 00:31:15.480 --> 00:31:16.679 and that is the beginning 00:31:16.679 --> 00:31:17.379 of the millennium, 00:31:17.459 --> 00:31:18.599 which is not a literal millennium, 00:31:18.659 --> 00:31:20.039 it's just this present age. 00:31:20.539 --> 00:31:21.379 But what we would say 00:31:21.379 --> 00:31:22.740 is that Christ is presently 00:31:22.740 --> 00:31:23.459 reigning in heaven. 00:31:24.639 --> 00:31:25.779 That there is triumph 00:31:25.779 --> 00:31:27.659 of the spiritual kingdom, 00:31:27.819 --> 00:31:29.019 even in the midst of the rise 00:31:29.019 --> 00:31:30.679 of evil in opposition to Christ. 00:31:31.299 --> 00:31:32.819 And that all of the promises 00:31:32.819 --> 00:31:33.659 made to Abraham 00:31:33.659 --> 00:31:35.119 and Israel and David 00:31:35.119 --> 00:31:36.939 are fulfilled by Christ 00:31:36.939 --> 00:31:38.059 or his church. 00:31:38.059 --> 00:31:38.399 So again, 00:31:38.460 --> 00:31:39.559 not two separate programs. 00:31:40.319 --> 00:31:41.539 Promises were made to Israel. 00:31:41.980 --> 00:31:42.659 They're fulfilled 00:31:42.659 --> 00:31:43.960 in and through Jesus Christ 00:31:43.960 --> 00:31:45.480 and in his church. 00:31:46.200 --> 00:31:47.039 Then at some point 00:31:47.039 --> 00:31:47.619 in the future, 00:31:48.240 --> 00:31:49.359 Satan will be released 00:31:49.359 --> 00:31:50.720 and defeated. 00:31:51.460 --> 00:31:52.460 We believe that Jesus 00:31:52.460 --> 00:31:53.599 will then come again. 00:31:54.440 --> 00:31:55.179 There will be one 00:31:55.179 --> 00:31:56.119 general resurrection, 00:31:56.319 --> 00:31:57.359 not two resurrections. 00:31:57.839 --> 00:31:58.419 So you say, 00:31:58.500 --> 00:31:59.980 well, what's up with that place 00:31:59.980 --> 00:32:00.759 where it talks about 00:32:00.759 --> 00:32:02.019 this is the first resurrection 00:32:02.019 --> 00:32:03.279 and blessed are those 00:32:03.279 --> 00:32:04.179 who go through 00:32:04.179 --> 00:32:05.000 the first resurrection? 00:32:05.179 --> 00:32:06.759 Well, and that comes 00:32:06.759 --> 00:32:07.879 from Revelation chapter 20. 00:32:08.919 --> 00:32:09.759 We would believe 00:32:09.759 --> 00:32:11.599 that as Paul says 00:32:11.599 --> 00:32:12.659 that when you are baptized, 00:32:13.099 --> 00:32:14.339 it is a death and resurrection, 00:32:15.220 --> 00:32:16.259 that when you are baptized 00:32:16.259 --> 00:32:18.259 and you enter the church, 00:32:18.319 --> 00:32:19.500 that is the first resurrection. 00:32:19.960 --> 00:32:20.819 From that point on, 00:32:20.879 --> 00:32:22.079 you are one with Christ. 00:32:22.200 --> 00:32:23.159 You are with Christ. 00:32:23.240 --> 00:32:24.299 You are in Christ. 00:32:25.119 --> 00:32:26.740 And then the second resurrection, 00:32:26.919 --> 00:32:27.519 so to speak, 00:32:28.279 --> 00:32:29.259 would in this view 00:32:29.259 --> 00:32:31.419 simply be the general resurrection. 00:32:31.579 --> 00:32:32.339 This is when everybody 00:32:32.339 --> 00:32:33.119 who has died 00:32:33.119 --> 00:32:34.720 is brought back 00:32:34.720 --> 00:32:37.160 and then Christ judges 00:32:37.160 --> 00:32:39.480 and then renews 00:32:39.480 --> 00:32:40.700 the heavens and the earth. 00:32:40.819 --> 00:32:43.319 So that's this timeline. 00:32:43.920 --> 00:32:45.240 Now there's one other reference, 00:32:45.360 --> 00:32:45.720 I think, 00:32:45.819 --> 00:32:46.920 in Revelation 20 00:32:46.920 --> 00:32:49.720 that we have to kind of address 00:32:49.720 --> 00:32:51.380 and that is the binding of Satan. 00:32:51.839 --> 00:32:51.980 You know, 00:32:52.000 --> 00:32:53.900 if all of this is figurative language, 00:32:54.259 --> 00:32:55.660 then what do we do 00:32:55.660 --> 00:32:56.799 with the beginning of the chapter 00:32:56.799 --> 00:32:57.740 that talks about 00:32:57.740 --> 00:32:59.559 God binding Satan 00:32:59.559 --> 00:33:00.220 with chains 00:33:00.220 --> 00:33:01.360 and throwing him in an abyss? 00:33:01.359 --> 00:33:02.079 Again, 00:33:02.259 --> 00:33:03.119 I think this is somewhat 00:33:03.119 --> 00:33:04.019 figurative language, 00:33:04.579 --> 00:33:05.579 but I think it's describing 00:33:05.579 --> 00:33:06.519 something real. 00:33:08.000 --> 00:33:08.819 It's interesting 00:33:08.819 --> 00:33:10.079 when Jesus, 00:33:10.539 --> 00:33:11.699 in Mark chapter 3, 00:33:11.899 --> 00:33:13.459 is casting out demons 00:33:13.459 --> 00:33:14.459 and healing people 00:33:14.459 --> 00:33:16.539 and the scribes 00:33:16.539 --> 00:33:17.579 and the religious leaders 00:33:17.579 --> 00:33:18.000 come 00:33:18.000 --> 00:33:19.199 and they accuse Jesus 00:33:19.199 --> 00:33:21.419 of doing the work of Satan. 00:33:22.219 --> 00:33:23.079 This is demonic, 00:33:23.219 --> 00:33:23.659 they say. 00:33:24.199 --> 00:33:25.279 And what does Jesus say? 00:33:26.579 --> 00:33:27.719 If I was doing 00:33:27.719 --> 00:33:28.459 the work of Satan, 00:33:28.579 --> 00:33:29.279 then a house would be 00:33:29.279 --> 00:33:30.240 divided against itself. 00:33:30.240 --> 00:33:31.120 This would be Satan 00:33:31.120 --> 00:33:32.099 combating Satan. 00:33:32.559 --> 00:33:32.859 Obviously, 00:33:32.980 --> 00:33:34.220 that's not what's going on. 00:33:34.559 --> 00:33:35.059 And then he tells 00:33:35.059 --> 00:33:35.980 this strange parable. 00:33:36.700 --> 00:33:37.140 He says, 00:33:38.220 --> 00:33:38.960 if you want to plunder 00:33:38.960 --> 00:33:40.240 a strong man's house, 00:33:40.500 --> 00:33:41.599 the first thing you have to do 00:33:41.599 --> 00:33:42.620 is bind the strong man. 00:33:43.039 --> 00:33:43.839 And only when you have 00:33:43.839 --> 00:33:44.740 bound the strong man 00:33:44.740 --> 00:33:45.859 can you plunder his house. 00:33:45.960 --> 00:33:46.079 You say, 00:33:46.140 --> 00:33:46.259 well, 00:33:46.380 --> 00:33:47.380 what's he talking about there? 00:33:47.440 --> 00:33:48.819 What's the exact same language 00:33:48.819 --> 00:33:49.920 that's used here? 00:33:50.599 --> 00:33:52.140 What I think this shows us is 00:33:52.140 --> 00:33:53.700 that when Jesus came, 00:33:55.019 --> 00:33:56.339 when Jesus came 00:33:56.339 --> 00:33:58.880 and when Jesus announced 00:33:58.880 --> 00:33:59.500 his ministry, 00:33:59.500 --> 00:34:00.319 the kingdom of God 00:34:00.319 --> 00:34:00.960 is at hand, 00:34:01.819 --> 00:34:03.420 part of what he was announcing 00:34:03.420 --> 00:34:04.660 is that Satan 00:34:04.660 --> 00:34:05.500 has been bound. 00:34:06.940 --> 00:34:08.000 And because Satan 00:34:08.000 --> 00:34:08.960 has been bound, 00:34:09.780 --> 00:34:10.500 Jesus is now 00:34:10.500 --> 00:34:11.679 plundering his house. 00:34:12.480 --> 00:34:12.699 Right? 00:34:12.719 --> 00:34:13.340 He's giving sight 00:34:13.340 --> 00:34:13.940 to the blind. 00:34:15.079 --> 00:34:17.019 He's making the lame walk. 00:34:17.920 --> 00:34:19.039 He's raising people 00:34:19.039 --> 00:34:19.619 from death. 00:34:20.219 --> 00:34:21.559 He's casting out demons. 00:34:22.099 --> 00:34:23.519 He's forgiving sins. 00:34:23.719 --> 00:34:24.659 And in all of these ways, 00:34:24.739 --> 00:34:25.500 he's plundering 00:34:25.500 --> 00:34:26.519 the strong man's house. 00:34:26.519 --> 00:34:28.099 Because Satan's power 00:34:28.099 --> 00:34:28.840 has been limited. 00:34:29.900 --> 00:34:30.679 And I think that this is 00:34:30.679 --> 00:34:32.179 the call upon the church 00:34:32.179 --> 00:34:32.679 as well. 00:34:33.780 --> 00:34:34.980 That the good news is 00:34:34.980 --> 00:34:36.380 Satan has been bound. 00:34:37.320 --> 00:34:38.639 Jesus reigns on the throne 00:34:38.639 --> 00:34:39.699 of heaven with the saints. 00:34:40.059 --> 00:34:40.800 And the church, 00:34:40.920 --> 00:34:41.699 like this church, 00:34:42.259 --> 00:34:43.759 we have spiritual authority 00:34:43.759 --> 00:34:46.019 to plunder the strong man's house. 00:34:46.759 --> 00:34:47.639 And so all of the work 00:34:47.639 --> 00:34:48.900 we do proclaiming the gospel, 00:34:49.440 --> 00:34:50.360 all of the work we do 00:34:50.360 --> 00:34:52.139 seeking justice and mercy 00:34:52.139 --> 00:34:53.880 and reconciliation in our city, 00:34:53.880 --> 00:34:55.559 all of that is plundering 00:34:55.559 --> 00:34:56.880 the strong man's house. 00:34:57.039 --> 00:34:58.420 It is setting captives free. 00:35:01.059 --> 00:35:02.519 So now that we've laid out 00:35:02.519 --> 00:35:03.740 all of the various views, 00:35:03.820 --> 00:35:04.539 I just want to draw 00:35:04.539 --> 00:35:05.420 all this together 00:35:05.420 --> 00:35:07.980 and say a few concluding remarks. 00:35:09.240 --> 00:35:10.000 Number one, 00:35:10.579 --> 00:35:10.760 okay, 00:35:10.880 --> 00:35:12.180 what do I take away from this? 00:35:12.920 --> 00:35:13.099 Okay, 00:35:13.140 --> 00:35:14.019 what's going to be on the test? 00:35:14.099 --> 00:35:14.740 Here's the first thing 00:35:14.740 --> 00:35:15.559 that's going to be on the test. 00:35:16.780 --> 00:35:17.780 All of these traditions 00:35:17.780 --> 00:35:18.380 have value. 00:35:19.940 --> 00:35:21.680 I think that every single person 00:35:21.679 --> 00:35:22.399 in this room 00:35:22.399 --> 00:35:23.699 would do well 00:35:23.699 --> 00:35:26.099 to have the biblical devotion 00:35:26.099 --> 00:35:28.639 of the dispensationalists 00:35:28.639 --> 00:35:30.239 who hold God's word 00:35:30.239 --> 00:35:30.940 above all else. 00:35:31.940 --> 00:35:33.699 I think everyone in this room 00:35:33.699 --> 00:35:34.659 would do well 00:35:34.659 --> 00:35:36.019 to have the endurance 00:35:36.019 --> 00:35:38.319 of the historic premillennialists 00:35:38.319 --> 00:35:39.919 who are ready 00:35:39.919 --> 00:35:40.819 to face tribulation. 00:35:42.019 --> 00:35:42.839 They're ready 00:35:42.839 --> 00:35:45.079 because they want to follow Jesus 00:35:45.079 --> 00:35:46.119 no matter what it costs them. 00:35:46.579 --> 00:35:47.719 I think everybody in this room 00:35:47.719 --> 00:35:48.159 would do well 00:35:48.159 --> 00:35:49.199 to have the zeal 00:35:49.199 --> 00:35:50.419 of the postmillennialists 00:35:50.420 --> 00:35:52.900 who desire to see the gospel 00:35:52.900 --> 00:35:54.019 spread to the four corners 00:35:54.019 --> 00:35:54.840 of the earth. 00:35:54.920 --> 00:35:55.300 And by the way, 00:35:55.500 --> 00:35:56.260 this is what drove 00:35:56.260 --> 00:35:57.900 many of the early missionary movements. 00:35:59.000 --> 00:36:00.360 The gospel needs to go everywhere, 00:36:00.880 --> 00:36:01.539 which is true. 00:36:01.680 --> 00:36:02.340 Jesus said it. 00:36:03.740 --> 00:36:05.119 And I think everybody here 00:36:05.119 --> 00:36:05.579 would do well 00:36:05.579 --> 00:36:06.700 to have the boldness 00:36:06.700 --> 00:36:07.900 of the amillennialist 00:36:07.900 --> 00:36:08.680 who believes 00:36:08.680 --> 00:36:10.059 that Satan has been bound. 00:36:10.519 --> 00:36:12.000 The church has spiritual authority 00:36:12.000 --> 00:36:13.260 and it is our calling 00:36:13.260 --> 00:36:14.780 to plunder the strong man's house 00:36:14.780 --> 00:36:16.539 and set captives free. 00:36:16.680 --> 00:36:18.420 So all of these traditions 00:36:18.420 --> 00:36:19.539 have value. 00:36:20.820 --> 00:36:21.820 And at the end of the day, 00:36:21.900 --> 00:36:22.940 all of these views agree 00:36:22.940 --> 00:36:24.400 on the most important things. 00:36:24.519 --> 00:36:25.019 Number one, 00:36:25.400 --> 00:36:26.720 Jesus is our only hope 00:36:26.720 --> 00:36:28.720 in life and in death. 00:36:29.820 --> 00:36:31.200 He gave his life on the cross 00:36:31.200 --> 00:36:32.519 to reconcile us to God. 00:36:33.720 --> 00:36:34.400 Number two, 00:36:34.539 --> 00:36:35.800 Jesus is coming back. 00:36:37.280 --> 00:36:37.720 He's coming. 00:36:37.800 --> 00:36:38.579 All these views agree. 00:36:38.800 --> 00:36:39.659 He's coming back. 00:36:40.659 --> 00:36:41.320 Number three, 00:36:41.539 --> 00:36:43.220 Satan and all of the injustice 00:36:43.220 --> 00:36:44.300 and evil and oppression 00:36:44.300 --> 00:36:45.460 and suffering in the world 00:36:45.460 --> 00:36:46.860 will be eradicated 00:36:46.860 --> 00:36:47.639 once and for all. 00:36:48.420 --> 00:36:49.400 We all agree on that. 00:36:50.460 --> 00:36:51.159 And number four, 00:36:51.420 --> 00:36:52.199 this world, 00:36:53.220 --> 00:36:54.619 this heavens and this earth 00:36:54.619 --> 00:36:57.220 will be completely renewed. 00:36:59.920 --> 00:37:01.559 And if this all sounds 00:37:01.559 --> 00:37:02.800 a little abstract 00:37:02.800 --> 00:37:03.559 and irrelevant 00:37:03.559 --> 00:37:06.460 and like you just mistakenly 00:37:06.460 --> 00:37:07.760 walked into a seminary class 00:37:07.760 --> 00:37:08.679 or something like that, 00:37:09.639 --> 00:37:10.619 I just want us 00:37:10.619 --> 00:37:11.519 to reflect on this. 00:37:11.519 --> 00:37:14.039 If any of this is true, 00:37:15.599 --> 00:37:18.639 if some such future reality 00:37:18.639 --> 00:37:19.900 as we have described 00:37:19.900 --> 00:37:21.940 is actually awaiting us, 00:37:22.179 --> 00:37:23.820 how does that change 00:37:23.820 --> 00:37:24.679 our priorities? 00:37:26.559 --> 00:37:26.780 Right? 00:37:26.860 --> 00:37:28.619 Are we living for 00:37:28.619 --> 00:37:30.719 and investing in 00:37:30.719 --> 00:37:33.599 things in a way 00:37:33.599 --> 00:37:34.159 that reflects 00:37:34.159 --> 00:37:34.800 that we believe 00:37:34.800 --> 00:37:36.019 this is all there is? 00:37:37.480 --> 00:37:39.480 Or are we living for 00:37:39.480 --> 00:37:40.760 and investing in 00:37:40.760 --> 00:37:43.440 things that reflect 00:37:43.440 --> 00:37:44.340 our understanding 00:37:44.340 --> 00:37:47.099 that this is just 00:37:47.099 --> 00:37:48.019 a foretaste 00:37:48.019 --> 00:37:49.559 and everything 00:37:49.559 --> 00:37:50.860 that really matters 00:37:50.860 --> 00:37:52.440 is yet to come? 00:37:53.119 --> 00:37:54.980 Everything that really matters 00:37:54.980 --> 00:37:56.579 will last into eternity. 00:37:58.780 --> 00:37:59.559 Let's pray. 00:38:03.639 --> 00:38:04.659 Lord, we thank you 00:38:04.659 --> 00:38:05.360 for your word 00:38:05.360 --> 00:38:06.300 and again, 00:38:07.519 --> 00:38:08.240 our hope, 00:38:08.340 --> 00:38:09.400 our singular hope, 00:38:09.480 --> 00:38:10.699 is in you, 00:38:10.820 --> 00:38:11.400 Jesus Christ. 00:38:12.500 --> 00:38:12.860 And Lord, 00:38:12.900 --> 00:38:13.719 I pray that 00:38:13.719 --> 00:38:15.699 having a little more clarity 00:38:15.699 --> 00:38:18.240 on these varying views 00:38:18.240 --> 00:38:19.500 would not lead us 00:38:19.500 --> 00:38:20.599 to greater division 00:38:20.599 --> 00:38:22.320 or greater confusion, 00:38:22.940 --> 00:38:24.300 but that ultimately 00:38:24.300 --> 00:38:25.059 they would give us 00:38:25.059 --> 00:38:26.199 a greater sense of hope 00:38:26.199 --> 00:38:27.719 that Lord, 00:38:27.800 --> 00:38:28.300 you're coming, 00:38:29.099 --> 00:38:30.139 that you hate evil 00:38:30.139 --> 00:38:30.760 and brokenness 00:38:30.760 --> 00:38:31.800 more than we do, 00:38:32.280 --> 00:38:33.139 and that your plan 00:38:33.139 --> 00:38:34.340 is to put the world right. 00:38:35.019 --> 00:38:35.980 And it's in that hope 00:38:35.980 --> 00:38:36.579 that we place 00:38:36.579 --> 00:38:37.820 our hope, Lord, 00:38:37.820 --> 00:38:39.220 and may we be faithful 00:38:39.220 --> 00:38:39.860 to our calling 00:38:39.860 --> 00:38:40.600 as your people 00:38:40.600 --> 00:38:42.640 until you come again. 00:38:43.000 --> 00:38:43.880 In your son's name, 00:38:44.039 --> 00:38:44.240 amen. 00:38:44.240 --> 00:38:44.380 Amen. 00:38:44.380 --> 00:38:44.920 Amen. 00:38:44.920 --> 00:38:46.119 Amen. 00:39:00.460 --> 00:39:00.480 Amen. 00:39:00.480 --> 00:39:00.940 Amen. 00:39:02.920 --> 00:39:03.800 Amen. 00:39:05.980 --> 00:39:06.380 Amen. 00:39:10.740 --> 00:39:12.680 Amen.