Understanding the End Times, Part One: The Kingdom of God

 

Remember the former things long past,

For I am God, and there is none other;

I am God, and there is no one like Me,

Declaring the end from the beginning,

And from ancient times things which have not been done,

Saying, “My purpose will be established,

And I will accomplish all My good pleasure.” – Isaiah 46:9-10

There is significantly more to the end times issue than the popular focus on matters of when and how end-time events will take place. The question of “Why?” is also extremely important. We have to understand why this period of history is coming, what it is designed to achieve. Nor can we restrict our study of scripture to what is specifically said concerning the end. No, if we want to fully understand the end, it’s essential that we go back to the beginning, for all of human history has been steadily leading up to this time.

God created human beings to be his imagers—that is, to reflect and represent him—and he gave us the task of caring for this planet. In other words, mankind was to act as God’s regent or viceroy on the earth, ruling over the world on his behalf. Ultimately, Adam and Eve—the father and mother of the Adamic race—chose to rebel, seeking the knowledge to live without the guidance of God. They chose their own will over God’s will, and this unfortunate choice soon became the defining characteristic of the human race: the gratification and exaltation of self. As a result of their rebellion, Adam and Eve were cast out of the place of privilege and blessing that God had prepared for them, doomed to labor for their sustenance and, eventually, to die. Yet, even in the midst of judgment, God showed them mercy and promised a redeemer.

In the centuries that followed, God worked through various individuals who were willing to be led by him. One of the most prominent of these was a man named Abraham, with whom God entered into a covenant, which is a solemn agreement based upon promises (marriage is a type of covenant). In his covenant with Abraham, God promised several things, including:

1. He would have descendants as numerous as the stars of heaven.
2. He and his descendants would possess a great land inheritance encompassing the territory between the Nile and Euphrates rivers.
3. He would become a blessing to all nations.

Abraham’s descendants multiplied greatly and eventually became the nation of Israel, which was named for Abraham’s grandson, Jacob, whose name God changed. In time, God established a covenant with Israelites in order to establish them as a holy people, meaning a people set apart to himself, so that he could bless them for Abraham’s sake and bring them into the land he had promised. This covenant became known as the Mosaic Covenant or the Law of Moses in that it was given to Israel through Moses after the Israelites were freed from a period of bondage in Egypt. In this covenant, God promised Israel many blessings, but he also sternly warned them that these blessings (including the privilege of living in the land they inhabited) were conditional on their loyalty to him. If they departed from him and served other gods like the nations around them, God promised to visit many different types of judgments upon them and to evict them from the land.

Israel started off well under Moses and his successor, Joshua. They established the civil and ceremonial law that God had commanded, and they took the land of Canaan from the various tribes living in it and became prosperous. In time, however, many of them left off serving God in favor of worshiping pagan gods and adopting the religious practices of the nations around them, such as child sacrifice. Time after time, God warned and judged his people for their idolatry, often by sending foreign conquerors to rule over them; and, time after time, the Israelites repented and turned back to God, who then delivered them through a host of judges and prophets.

This cycle continued until the people finally demanded a king to rule over them, just as the nations around them had kings. God warned them of how a king would tax and otherwise oppress them, but the people were insistent, so God set a man over them named Saul. Saul was effectively the nation of Israel in a microcosm. He started off well, just as Israel had in the day s of Moses and Joshua, but he became proud and stubborn and disobeyed God repeatedly. God then revoked the kingship from Saul and chose another man, a young man named David. David was by no means perfect, but he was a man after God’s own heart. He remained loyal to God throughout his life, and while he was king over Israel the people worshiped and served God as the Law of Moses prescribed. God entered into a covenant with David as well, promising that his family would retain the throne forever.

After David and his son Solomon passed off the scene, ten of Israel’s twelve tribes rebelled against David’s grandson Rehoboam and broke away, becoming known as Israel or “the Northern Kingdom.” The remaining two tribes became known as “Judah” or “the Southern Kingdom.” The Northern Kingdom became steeped in idolatry and paganism early on, and had no really good kings at all apart from a man named Jehu, and even he tolerated idolatry in the land to a degree. Eventually, the Northern Kingdom was destroyed and its people were taken into captivity by the Assyrian Empire. For its part, the Southern Kingdom remained loyal to the house of David and produced some good kings, but it also had some kings who gave themselves wholeheartedly to the service of pagan gods. As a result, the Southern Kingdom outlasted the Northern Kingdom but eventually fell to the Babylonian empire under Nebuchadnezzar and its people were carried off into exile for seventy years.

As he had in the days of the judges, God sent one prophet after another to Israel and Judah, warning of impending judgment and calling on them to repent and return wholeheartedly to their God. Even as they prophesied of overthrow and captivity, however, a number of these men also foretold a time when God would restore the fortunes of his people, defeat their enemies, and re-gather them in their own land, establishing an everlasting kingdom. In this kingdom, justice and righteousness would reign supreme, and God himself would dwell among men as he had not since the beginning. The kingdom would be centered on Jerusalem, which the prophets commonly referred to as Mount Zion, and the land of Israel would become a place of peace and particular blessing, just as the Garden had once been. God also promised to inaugurate a new covenant with both Judah and Israel, and to write his laws in their hearts so that they would never stray from him again.

This covenant and kingdom would be established and ruled over by a descendant of David known as the Messiah. Messiah is a title taken from the Hebrew word Mashiach, meaning “anointed one,” after the ancient practice of anointing kings with oil. In the Greek language, it is Christos: Christ or “the Christ”. Thus, Messiah was to be both deliverer and king, and it was prophesied that even the gentile nations would come to revere him.

Yet, the prophets also warned that the coming of the kingdom would involve a time of great calamity for Israel. The nation’s enemies would rise up against it, intent on destroying it. God would eventually intervene and stop this, but it would be a terrible time for humanity as a whole. Judgment would fall on those who hated Israel as well as those who hated God and refused to acknowledge him and honor Christ as king.

Eventually, in what the Bible calls “the fullness of time,” God sent his Son, Jesus of Nazareth, into the world. When he began his public ministry, the Bible tells us that Jesus came preaching: “Repent, for the kingdom of God is at hand!” (Matthew 4:17), which effectively means: “Turn from your rebellion against God, because the Kingdom of God is coming and judgment is coming with it.” The Jews of Jesus’ day knew very well what this reference meant: the time of Israel’s prophesied restoration was near, and they began to openly debate whether Jesus was the expected Messiah, the Christ. Yet, Jesus refused to openly proclaim himself as such, and he would not allow others to prematurely put him in that position. Instead, he taught the people, healed them, freed them from spiritual oppression, and even raised the dead back to life. In so doing, he fulfilled Old Testament prophecies concerning the work of the Messiah, and he exemplified the blessings of the coming Kingdom age, in which disease, the oppression of evil, and even death itself would be overcome. In other words, he showed himself—and those who followed him and did the same works as he did—to be the living Kingdom of God among them: the very personification of the Kingdom and the proof that it was in fact on its way, with both blessing and judgment.

 “I AM the bread of life…” – John 6:35

“I AM the light of the world…” – John 8:12

“I AM the gate for the sheep…” – John 10:7

“I AM the good shepherd…” – John 10:11

“I AM the resurrection and the life…” – John 11:35

“I AM the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” – John 14:6

“I AM the true vine…” – John 15:1

In a nutshell, the ministry of Jesus Christ was a ministry of reconciliation. Everything he did was geared toward restoring what humanity had lost when it lost access to God and the blessings of Eden: peace, health, and life in all of their various dimensions. He set right all that had been made wrong in human experience. In healing the sick and lame, he restored people’s bodies to their proper function. In raising the dead, he restored life that had been lost. In teaching, he restored truth where it had been clouded or distorted. He came to bring restoration, and he was the very embodiment of it.

Yet, not all accepted him or recognized him for who he was. From the very beginning, Jesus called out a select few to follow him and learn from him intimately. These people—both men and women—became his disciples. The closest of these were twelve men whom Jesus called “apostles.” It was specifically these that he trained to carry on his ministry, for he knew that he would not continue with them for long. Those who were jealous of him and hated him were conspiring to kill him. This, too, had been prophesied in the Old Testament, although the prophecies were not well understood. They told of one who would come and carry away the sicknesses and diseases of the people, who would bear the burden of sin to make atonement, and who would be put to a shameful death. Jesus warned his disciples that this was coming, but he also promised that it was not the end: after he had suffered and died, he would rise again; and as he lived, they would live also.

Jesus inaugurated the promised new covenant with his disciples the night before his death; and when he was raised from the dead, he commissioned them to go and preach what he called “the Gospel of the Kingdom” throughout the world. The word “gospel” is from a Greek word meaning “good news.” The Kingdom of God is indeed good news—even with its prophecies of judgment—if you view it the way God views it, for it represents the end of evil’s domination of this world. From that time forward, true justice and righteousness will reign supreme, and the old, corrupt regimes of this world will never come to power again.

In his ministry of reconciliation, the New Testament calls Christ “the last Adam.” Why? Because he is the embodiment of what man was meant to be under God. He is the first—not of a new race, but of a renewed race of man—in perfect fellowship with God. Where Adam failed, choosing to follow his own will and effectively be God to himself, Christ succeeded, remaining faithful to God and doing his will perfectly and consistently. He is the perfect image of God.

“If you have seen me, you have seen the Father.” – John 14:9

“For in him, all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form.” – Colossians 2:9

All of this brings us back to the time of the end.

The purpose of the end times is to bring in the Kingdom of God with Christ at its head, to do away with everything that is contrary to the will and character of God, and to establish eternal righteousness and blessing with man restored in perfect, eternal fellowship with his creator. In the words of the angel Gabriel as recorded by the prophet Daniel:

“…to finish the wrongdoing, to make an end of sin, to make atonement for guilt, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up vision and prophecy, and to anoint the Most Holy.” – Daniel 9:24

Just as the events of the creation in Genesis prepared the world to be handed over to the government of humanity, which was made in the image of God to represent him in the world but fell into rebellion, so the events of the end times are to prepare the world to be handed over to the government of Jesus Christ, who is the perfect, unfailing image of God and will reign in eternal righteousness. He has indeed declared the end from the beginning.

As they say, “That’s what it’s all about.”

“Then the seventh angel sounded; and there were loud voices in heaven, saying, ‘The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ; and he will reign forever and ever.’” – Revelation 11:15

Understanding the End Times - Introduction

For 2,000 years, Christians have been expecting the “the last days,” “the end of days,” and “the end of the age.” Even Christ’s own disciples lingered on the Mount of Olives for awhile after his ascension, as if expecting him to turn around and come right back. Since that time, every new war, outbreak of disease, upheaval in the church, an unprecedented social trend, has brought with it a renewed flood of speculation about the end.

I grew up in the heyday of the imminent pretribulation rapture movement, when books like The Great Late Planet Earth and speakers like Jerry Falwell and Hal Lindsey had many believers thinking that the end of the world was right around the corner. I remember some pastors teaching that, at virtually any time, the United States would be taken over by a communist dictatorship and Christians would be herded off to concentration camps. I was an anxious kid, and my mind often turned to end-time scenarios as preachers and Bible teachers I heard commented on items in the news. I also struggled with assurance of salvation issues, and our church taught that if you weren’t taken in the rapture you had forfeited your chance for salvation. As you might imagine, these two elements made for an interesting mental mixture at times.

I remember an occasion when my parents went out and were several hours later coming back than they had said they would be (remember that this was the era before cell phones). Meanwhile, a terrible thunderstorm broke out, turning the sky an ugly yellow color. I was filled with a very real dread that the rapture may have happened and I had been left behind. Close to a state of panic, I called my pastor (who I was reasonably sure was a saved person, if anyone was), just to see whether he would answer the phone. He did, and my blood pressure slowly returned to normal. Meanwhile, I’m sure he was confused as to why a kid who had been attending the church longer than he had would suddenly call and ask to verify the Wednesday night service time…

It’s interesting now to look back on all of the failed rapture/second coming/end time predictions now (anyone remember 88 Reasons Why the Rapture Will Be in 1988? – check out the reviews on Amazon for some interesting commentary). Prophecy teachers who thought they had everything figured out turned out to be totally wrong. For instance, none of them predicted the collapse of the Soviet Union. Undaunted by this miserable track record, however, more prophecy teachers have since arisen with brand new theories or tweaked variations on the old ones, and more embarrassments have resulted (the Harold Camping/Family Radio debacle in 2011 being a particularly prominent and unfortunate one).

The newest end-time theory I’ve seen relies on a teaching that was common in the early church, namely that the six creation days of Genesis represent six successive 1,000-year ages of human history, with the seventh day representing the Millennial Reign of Christ. According to this theory, 2032 will mark the end of the sixth age and the beginning of the seventh, as it is generally believed that Christ died in AD 32. Pretribulationists who hold to this theory are now speculating that the rapture will take place in the fall of 2025, likely coinciding with the Jewish holiday of Rosh Hashanah. Further, they speculate that the near-earth asteroid Apophis (scheduled to make a close flyby of the earth in 2029) is the “Wormwood” object referenced in Revelation. This Wormwood connection is fueled, not only by the fact that 2029 is midway between 2025 and 2032, but also by the fact that Apophis is the Greek name for the Egyptian serpent demon Apep, who was seen as a god of chaos and destruction. Pretribulationists are not the only ones looking at these dates, however. I also know of one posttribulationist group that is also interested in this timeline, as they place a heavy emphasis on the teachings of the early church fathers.

So…what about it? What do we really know about the biblical End of Days?

This has been an area of interest and study for me for quite some time. I’ve written articles and made videos on various aspects of the subject, and used to frequently discuss and debate it online. My intention here is to write a series of posts touching on various aspects of the End Times question, with the goal of passing along what I’ve learned. I don’t pretend to have everything figured out, by any means, but I do believe I have a much clearer understanding of biblical eschatology (End Times studies) than I used to. Further, I have found that these understandings dovetail nicely with the broader tapestry of biblical teaching.

I pray that at least some of you will find these studies of use, and that the Lord will receive glory as I try to share what I believe he has taught me.

The Rapture and the Church in Revelation, Part Five: Who are the Heaven-Dwellers?

This is part five in a series of articles examining pretribulationist arguments concerning the church in the book of Revelation as put forth by Dr. Robert Gromacki. See previous installments at the following links:

Part One: The Missing Church
Part Two: The Chronology of Revelation

Part Three: Who are the Twenty-four Elders?
Part Four: "Whoever has Ears to Hear..."

The “Heaven-Dwellers”

Gromacki writes:

The beast, that great political-military leader of the end time, will open his mouth “in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme His name, His tabernacle, and those who dwell in heaven” (Rev. 13:6 NKJV). Who are these heaven-dwellers? They are contrasted with earth-dwellers (12:12; 13:8, 14). The earth-dwellers are both human and unsaved. Thus the heaven-dwellers appear to be human and saved. The verb “dwell” (skenountas) is the same word used for Jesus Christ’s incarnation: “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us” (John 1:14 NKJV). A similar word (skenos) is used to describe the believer’s present body as a “tent” (2 Cor. 5:1, 4). The verb (“to dwell”) or the noun (“tent”) is never used of angelic activities or bodies.

Gromacki’s exegesis is another example of theological confirmation bias in operation.

Were the rapture not an issue here, I doubt that Gromacki would have any issue whatsoever with the concept that angels “dwell in heaven.” No, the Bible does not specifically use those words, but it is nonetheless clear in scripture that they come from heaven, that it is their home as much as Earth is humanity’s home. They are referred to a number of times in scripture as “the host of heaven” and “the heavenly host” (I Kings 22:19, II Chronicles 18:18, Luke 2:13). To argue that angels should not be considered “heaven-dwellers” is really rather extraordinary, and seems forced upon this passage as a means of creating another artificial comparison/contrast to support pretribulationism.

In fact, Gromacki is setting up a direct parallelism that is not supported by the text. Note how he does this:

“The earth-dwellers are both human and unsaved.” – So far, so good. This is a natural assumption from the text. Humans dwell on the earth and those who are blaspheming against heaven cannot be saved individuals.[1]

“Thus the heaven-dwellers appear to be human and saved.” – Here is the false comparison. Simply because we’re dealing with humans on earth, why should we automatically assume that we’re dealing with humans in heaven, especially given that they do not naturally dwell there? Gromacki makes this assumption because he believes that they have been transported there by a pretribulation rapture, but it’s important to note that the text neither states nor even implies such.

This is undoubtedly why Gromakci focuses on the Greek word translated as “dwell” (skenoo/skenountas). His comments indicate that he sees this word as implying a temporary state of affairs, as in the believer’s temporary mortal body and Christ’s temporarily dwelling among men.[2] Pretribulationists would see this as significant given that their theology places the church in heaven for a period of seven years, after which it returns to the earth with Christ. Thus, they would see the “tent” reference as an appropriate comparison to the church’s temporary stay in heaven during the Great Tribulation period.

Strong’s defines skenoo/skenountas as meaning: “to tent or encamp, i.e. (figuratively) to occupy (as a mansion) or (specially) to reside (as God did in the Tabernacle of old, a symbol of protection and communion):—dwell.” The term appears five times in the New Testament, once in the gospel of John (John 1:14, as Gromakci states), and four times in Revelation. Here are its occurrences in Revelation:

• “For this reason, they are before the throne of God; and they serve Him day and night in His temple; and He who sits on the throne will spread His tabernacle [dwelling] over them.” – Revelation 7:15. This is a reference to the great multitude that comes out of the Great Tribulation. The KJV and NKJV render “spread His tabernacle over them” as “dwell among them.” Other translations, including the NIV, NLT, and ESV render this as “shelter them” or “shelter them with his presence.” The context and various related passages make it clear that this dwelling, tabernacling, or sheltering will be a permanent state of affairs.

• “For this reason, rejoice O heavens and you who dwell in them. Woe to the earth and the sea, because the devil has come down to you, having great wrath, knowing that he has only a short time.” – Revelation 12:12. Most translations render skenoo/skenountas here as “dwell,” although the NET Bible renders it “reside.” The context is the aftermath of a war in heaven, in which John saw Satan and his angels defeated and cast down to the earth. John describes a proclamation coming out of heaven in celebration of the fact that Satan can no longer accuse the saints before God as he once did, and that the saints have overcome him. It is then that the call for rejoicing goes forth. This call makes much more sense in an angelic than human context here, as it was the angels who defeated Satan and his forces.

• “And he [the Beast] opened his mouth in blasphemies against God, to blaspheme His Name, and His Tabernacle, that is, those who dwell in heaven.” – Revelation 13:6. This is the verse Gromacki quoted.

• “And I heard a loud voice from the throne, saying, ‘Behold, the tabernacle of God is among men, and He will dwell among them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself will be among them, and He will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there will no longer be any death; there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away.” – Revelation 21:3-4. As with Revelation 7:15, this tabernacling or dwelling of God among men is promised as a permanent state of affairs.

The uses of skenoo/skenountas in these examples (including from John 1),[3] strongly relate to the idea of dwelling in the manifest presence of God. In considering this, I’m reminded of what Jesus says in Matthew 18:10: “See that you do not despise one of these little ones, for I say to you that their angels in heaven continually see the face of My Father who is in heaven.” Here we have a contrast drawn between angels and men by Christ himself, and a corresponding reminder that angels are heavenly beings.

We see another particularly interesting reminder of this in Jude 1:6, where Jude refers to the judgment of angels: “And angels who did not keep their own domain, but abandoned their proper abode, He [God] has kept in eternal bonds under darkness for the judgment of the great day.” The word “abode” is translated from the Greek term oiketerion. Strong’s defines this word as meaning “a residence (literally or figuratively):—habitation, house.” Vines Expository Dictionary comments on it as follows: “a habitation” (from oiketer, “an inhabitant,” and oikos, “a dwelling”), is used in Jude 1:6, of the heavenly region appointed by God as the dwelling place of angels.” Here the Bible tells us plainly that angels are specifically appointed to live in the heavens. By this token, there is a substantial burden of proof required to argue that we should not naturally assume a reference to “heaven-dwellers” to mean humans, who were not created to live in heaven, rather than angels, who most certainly were created to live in heaven. In my opinion, Gromacki’s evidence does not meet that burden of proof.

Of further interest on this topic, the revelation makes numerous mentions to God, Christ, and the tabernacle of God coming to earth from heaven, but beyond the two witnesses being taken up following their resurrection (see Revelation 11:1-13), it says nothing whatsoever about humans going to heaven.[4] Note the following references:

• “Behold, He is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see Him…” – Revelation 1:7
• “I am coming quickly…” – Revelation 3:11
• “Behold, I am coming like a thief…” –Revelation 16:15
• “And I saw heaven opened, and, behold, a white horse, and He who sat upon it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and wages war…and the armies which are in heaven…were following Him.” – Revelation 19:11, 14
• “And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God...And I heard a loud voice from the throne, saying, ‘Behold, the tabernacle of God is among men, and He will dwell among them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself will be among them…” – Revelation 21:2-3
• “And, behold, I am coming quickly…” – Revelation 22:7
• “Behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to render to every man according to what he has done.” – Revelation 22:12
• “He who testifies to these things says, ‘Yes, I am coming quickly.” Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.” – Revelation 22:20

These repeated references to God coming to dwell among men hearken back strongly to the kingdom preaching of Christ and his apostles, and in particular to the kingdom parables in the gospels. According to these consistent witnesses from scripture, the believer’s expectation is “the coming,” whereas pretribulationists have turned that expectation into “the going.”

For one last consideration on this subject of the “heaven-dwellers,” let’s take a look at the word translated “blaspheme” in Revelation 13:6, where we are told that the Beast blasphemes against them. In this instance, “blaspheme” is translated from the Greek word blasphemeo, which appears numerous times in scripture and, on a few occasions, is translated as “slandering,” “evil speaking,” “railing,” “hurling abuse,” and related terms. Strong’s defines as it as meaning: “to speak reproachfully, rail at, revile, calumniate, blaspheme, to be evil spoken of, reviled, railed at.” It is usually associated with evil speech directed toward God, but there are exceptions to this.

In II Peter 2:10-11, the apostle Peter provides us with some of the characteristics of those who will fall under God’s judgment:

“Daring, self-willed, they do not tremble when they revile [blasphemeo] angelic majesties, whereas angels who are greater in might and power do not bring a reviling [blasphemos] judgment against them before the Lord.”

Here is a clear witness from scripture that it is possible to “blaspheme” against angels. It is also possible to blaspheme (speak evil against) men, however, as II Peter 2:11 indicates in the above quotation,[5] so the use of the term does not rule out the presence of humans in heaven in the context of Revelation 13:7. That said, however, the Beast has more of an evident motive to blaspheme against angels than against humans.

Think back to the three angels that John sees flying in mid-heaven in Revelation 14:6-7, and 9-12. These angels proclaim the gospel, encourage the saints, and prophesy divine wrath against the Beast and his followers. They are openly challenging the Beast and proclaiming the message of God, thus furnishing the Beast with a tremendous incentive for blaspheming against them as he also rails against God. By contrast, if there are humans in heaven at this time, Revelation does not tell us of anything they might be doing that would draw the open ire of the Beast. In my view, this is yet more evidence that the “heaven-dwellers” are indeed angels and not human beings.

* All scriptures are taken from the NASB.
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[1] We should be careful to note here that, like other such references in scripture (see Luke 2:1), this does not literally refer to every single individual on planet Earth, but rather, to what is characteristic of the majority of people at the time. Even pretribulationists acknowledge that there will be saved individuals on earth at the time, although they insist that these people will not be part of the church.

[2] While it may seem that I’m nitpicking here, Gromacki’s reference to the incarnation is another example among several we’ve seen in this study as to his lack of careful exegesis. In the phrase, “the Word became flesh and dwelt among us,” the words that refer to the incarnation are “the Word became flesh,” and these are translated from the Greek words logos sarx ginomai. The phrase “and dwelt among us” does not refer to the incarnation; it refers to the posture Christ assumed with respect to humanity after his incarnation. He was “made flesh” and dwelt among beings of flesh. Thus, skenountas, “to dwell,” does not refer to the incarnation—the taking on of flesh—at all. Further, the incarnation does not help Gromacki’s case because it was not a temporary state of affairs. Scripture is clear that Christ continues in the flesh (see Luke 24:38-40, 1 John 4:2), although his is a glorified, immortal body.

[3] One of Christ’s titles is “Immanuel,” meaning “God with us.”

[4] John being “caught up” in Revelation 4 is not part of the revelation, and, as noted previously, likely did not take place physically. I’m talking about the revelation itself here, as opposed to the Book of Revelation.

[5] For another example, see Acts 6:11.

The Rapture and the Church in Revelation, Part Four: "Whoever has Ears to Hear..."

This is part four in a series of articles examining pretribulationist arguments concerning the church in the book of Revelation as put forth by Dr. Robert Gromacki. See previous installments at the following links:

Part One: The Missing Church
Part Two: The Chronology of Revelation

Part Three: Who are the Twenty-four Elders?

"Whoever has Ears to Hear..."

Dr. Gromacki observes the following:

All seven letters to the churches end with this admonition by Christ: ‘He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.’ (NKJv) Each individual person in each individual local church was to hear and apply the truth that Christ gave to all of the local churches. For example, a believer in the church at Ephesus could profit spiritually from what the Savior said to the churches at Pergamos or at Philadelphia

Gromacki goes on to point out an apparent inconsistency in the use of this terminology after the rise of the Antichrist:

[In Revelation 13:8] John recorded this truth about him: ‘All who dwell on the earth will worship him, whose names have not been written in the Book of Life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world’... At this point, John records the warning: ‘if anyone has an ear, let him hear’ (13:9). Period! There is no mention of “saying to the churches,” a phrase which is repeated seven times in the seven letters. If the previously mentioned churches (Rev. 1-3) could possibly be in the seven-year period to face the wrath of the beast, then why wasn’t the admonition addressed to them? The obvious answer is that they won’t be on earth at that time. There is mention of “saints” in the context (13:7,10). These saints, however, are those who get saved during the seven years after the true church has been taken into heaven.

As you can see, Gromacki insists that the saints who are referenced in Revelation 13 are not of the church but belong to a separate class of individuals who will become believers during the Great Tribulation. He states this as if it were an indisputable fact, but in reality it’s an assumption. Gromacki considers a pre-tribulation rapture of the church to be a fact; therefore, he must account for the presence of saints on the earth following the rapture. The only way to do so is to invent a new category of believers: hence, “tribulation saints.” As I’ve already pointed out, however, the term “saints” is applied to believers of the church throughout the New Testament and is carried over, without qualification, into the book of Revelation. Why should we assume that it must mean something entirely different in Revelation than it means everywhere else it’s used in the New Testament? Gromacki isn’t proving anything here; he’s simply restating his assumptions.

Remember what we have already seen in regard to how the structure of the book of Revelation changes between chapters 3 and 22. The churches are directly addressed as local congregations in chapters 2 and 3, whereas “the saints” (the holy, consecrated ones) are mentioned afterward because believers will not overcome the Antichrist as local congregations but as individuals, and it is clear that not all of those in the seven churches were holy, consecrated, and ready to be overcomers. Indeed, it is unlikely that church congregations will even be able to assemble once persecution begins in earnest and some believers turn on others, as Jesus warned us they will (Matthew 24:9-11).

Now let’s go back and look at Revelation 13:9 in context:

“It was also given to him [the Beast] to make war with the saints and to overcome them, and authority over every tribe and people and tongue and nation was given to him. All who dwell on the earth will worship him, everyone whose name has not been written in the book of life of the Lamb who has been slain. If anyone has an ear, let him hear. If anyone is destined for captivity, to captivity he goes; if anyone kills with the sword, with the sword he must be killed. Here is the perseverance and the faith of the saints.” – Revelation 13:7, 9-10

I think it likely that this admonition may not apply solely to the saints—those who already know the Lord; it may also be an admonition to those who are coming to faith at the time, letting them know that they will be expected to stand firm against the Beast in Christ’s service. This idea is supported by the angelic messages we see in the very next chapter.

“And I saw another angel flying in midheaven, having an eternal gospel to preach to those who live on the earth, and to every nation and tribe and tongue and people; and he said with a loud voice, ‘Fear God, and give Him glory, because the hour of His judgment has come; worship Him who made the heaven and the earth and sea and springs of waters.” – Revelation 14:6-7

A second angel follows, proclaiming the fall of “Babylon the great,” and then a third angel comes bearing this message:

“Then another angel, a third one, followed them, saying with a loud voice, ‘If anyone worships the beast and his image, and receives a mark on his forehead or on his hand, he also will drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is mixed in full strength in the cup of His anger; and he will be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb. And the smoke of their torment goes up forever and ever; they have no rest day or night, those who worship the beast and his image, and whoever receives the mark of his name.’ Here is the perseverance of the saints who keep the commandments of God and their faith in Jesus.” – Revelation 14:9-12

Note how John tells us that the first angel is preaching the gospel message to all of mankind with a loud voice. Two more angels then follow, also making proclamations—the third with a loud voice, just like the first. The audience does not appear to change between these angelic proclamations. Note also how the proclamation of the third angel is so similar in its content to what we see in Revelation 13, including how it ends in such a similar manner:

“Here is the perseverance and the faith of the saints.” – Revelation 13:10

“Here is the perseverance of the saints who keep the commandments of God and their faith in Jesus.” – Revelation 14:12

Both passages are painting the same picture: The Beast will be given power to make war on God’s people and will kill many of them. He will rule over all who accept his mark and worship his image, and anyone inclined to do so is warned that they will suffer the wrath of God in its full fury. The saints, on the other hand, must keep their faith in Christ and obey the commandments of God even to the point of death. These are general proclamations to all of mankind, but only those “with ears to hear” will receive them.

As you think on this, reflect on how Christ taught the multitudes during his ministry. While he taught all who came to him, he knew that not all would keep and apply his teachings, which is why he continually said, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.” Those who truly “hear” are those who take heed to what Christ has to say and continually put it into practice. These individuals constitute the “good soil” described in the Parable of the Sower:

“But the seed in the good soil, these are the ones who have heard the word in an honest and good heart, and hold it fast, and bear fruit with perseverance.” – Luke 8:15

In Revelation, as in the gospels, the warnings and admonitions are a type of seed being sown with the good soil in mind, as it is only the good soil that will benefit the kingdom, bearing fruit “with perseverance.”

The warning concerning perseverance is also consistent with Christ’s admonition that anyone who wants to come to him must “count the cost” of discipleship:

Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple. For which one of you, when he wants to build a tower, does not first sit down and calculate the cost to see if he has enough to complete it? Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation and is not able to finish, all who observe it begin to ridicule him, saying, ‘This man began to build and was not able to finish.’ Or what king, when he sets out to meet another king in battle, will not first sit down and consider whether he is strong enough with ten thousand men to encounter the one coming against him with twenty thousand? – Luke 14:27-31

As a dispensational pretribulationist, Dr. Gromacki believes that the church will already be complete by the time the Great Tribulation begins, but posttribulationists believe that the church will continue to be built right up until the second coming and that all saints are part of the same bride of the Lamb. The term “church” is translated from the Greek word ekklesia, meaning “a called-out assembly.” Here, in Revelation chapters 13 and 14,[1] we see that the “calling out” continues, and on the same basis as it has since Christ first began building his church: with an appeal to those “who have ears to hear” to heed his word and continue in it to the end, even upon pain of death. In Revelation chapter 6, we see a great multitude that is said to have come out of the Great Tribulation and is described in terms that are very much in line with the promises made to the churches in chapters 2 and 3.

Only by reading doctrinal assumptions into scripture can one justify separating these so-called “tribulation saints” from the called-out assembly of Jesus Christ.

Click here for part five.

* All scriptures are taken from the NASB.
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[1] Also see Revelation 18:4 – “I heard another voice from heaven, saying, ‘Come out of her, my people, so that you will not participate in her sins and receive of her plagues.’”

Did Jesus Really Say He Was "Coming Soon"?

"Jesus is coming soon!" is a common expression in the evangelical church; but given that it has been 2,000 years since He left, skeptics frequently throw this expression out and ask "What gives?" Even stand-up comics sometimes use this in their routines to make fun of Christians and the Bible.

So what's going on? Is the Bible wrong? Is the Second Coming of Christ just another empty religious prophecy? Or is there another answer?