General Overview

Rethinking the Rapture

by Chuck Colclasure

After completing his undergraduate degree at the University of Missouri, Chuck Colclasure earned Master of Divinity and Master of Theology degrees, both summa cum laude, from Westminster Theological Seminary in Philadelphia. Subsequently, he pursued Ph.D. studies (sans dissertation) at the University of Potchefstroom in South Africa. He now is Professor of World Religions at the University of Phoenix, where he also teaches Critical Thinking. He and his wife reside in San Diego, California.

NOTE: The Author believes that the teachings found in this document are based in the Bible and represent important “correctives” to certain errors found in common, widely-spread contemporary thinking about the topics covered. However, in no way does the Author believe that the acceptance of any of the ideas he presents here affects one’s standing with God, which is determined solely by divine grace and one’s personal trust in Jesus Christ. Believing people of faith and goodwill may continue to disagree on the matters discussed in this paper.

OVERVIEW

The doctrine of the end times advanced in many contemporary Christian circles asserts that just before a supposed future seven-year Tribulation period, the church will be “raptured,” or caught up, and taken out of this world to be with the Lord. Those remaining behind on earth will be left to undergo the terrors of the Tribulation period.

It is taught that at the end of this purported seven-year Tribulation, Jesus will return (in the Second Coming) and inaugurate a 1,000-year period of peace, called the Millennium, during which Jesus will rule the world from Jerusalem. In this scenario, immediately following the Millennium the Final Judgment ensues.

This paper will show that according to the teaching of Jesus and the New Testament writers, the return of Christ, the resurrection of believers, and the judgment of the unbelieving world are not spread out in time over a period of 1,007 years, as the teaching outlined above requires.

Instead, we will see that (1) the appearance of Jesus at the Rapture, (2) the return of Jesus at the Second Coming, and (3) the Final Judgment, are simply three ways of describing a complex of events that will take place on the last day, at the end of the age.

According to the popular but misguided teaching one frequently hears, the usual order of the end-time events is said to be (with some variation):

1. The Rapture, which can occur at any time, without prior warning;

2. The Tribulation, a seven-year period of unprecedented trouble on the earth, which begins immediately after the Rapture;

3. The Second Coming of Christ at the end of the Tribulation, at which time He destroys His enemies and establishes His Kingdom on earth;

4. The Millennium, a 1000-year period of ideal peace during which Jesus reigns over the world from Jerusalem;

5. The Last Judgment (at the “Great White Throne”), when Satan is cast into the lake of fire and believers receive their rewards; and

6. The Re-creation of the world in the form of the New Heavens and New Earth.

The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate from the Bible that the Rapture, the Second Coming, and the Final Judgment are not three distinct occurrences, separated by seven and 1,000 years, respectively. Rather, they will be simultaneous happenings and are, in fact, simply three ways of looking at one and the same occasion, namely, the end of the age.

Questions and Answers Regarding the Rapture

Q.What is the meaning of the word “Rapture?”

A. In religious usage, “the Rapture” commonly refers to the “catching up” of believers, both living and dead, from the earth, to join the Lord in the heavens, just prior to the beginning of a seven-year Tribulation period.

It is important to understand that the word “rapture” is not found in the Bible. Passages commonly thought to teach about the “catching up” of the church use language like: “…in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye…the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed” (1 Corinthians 15:52). And, “we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air…” (1 Thessalonians 4:17). But the word “rapture” itself is not in Scripture.

This fact, in and of itself, is not determinative, either of truth or of error. As an illustration of this point, we might observe that the word “trinity” also is not a Biblical term. Yet, the doctrine of the Trinity has been foundational in church doctrine for centuries. Nevertheless, for the sake of clarity, we must note that the word “rapture” is not a Biblical one.

Q.Where is the doctrine of the Rapture taught in the Bible?

A.Since the word “rapture” is not a Biblical expression, it is better to use Biblical terms whenreferring to this event when believers are “caught up,“ such as “the resurrection day,” the daywhen “the dead in Christ shall rise,” the day when “we will meet the Lord in the air,” the momentbelievers “change in the twinkling of an eye,” or some other explicitly scriptural phrase.

Given this provision that we use Biblical terminology, key passages we should consider include 1 Corinthians 15:51-53, 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17, and Matthew 24:40-42.

Q. Don’t these passages plainly teach that believers will be transformed and caught up into the clouds to be with the Lord forever?

A. Certainly they do. The issue at question here is not whether the church will be caught up to meet the Lord. The question we should answer instead is when this event takes place in relation to the other key eschatological events, such as the Second Coming and the Final Judgment. (“Eschatology” is the study of the “last things,” including the end times.)

But does the Rapture (the resurrection of believers, both living and dead) really take place seven years before the Second Coming, and 1,007 years before the Last Judgment? That is our real concern here.

Q. But wait. Just about every Christian I know believes in the Rapture, the seven-year Tribulation, and the 1,000–year Millennium. How could everybody be wrong about this?

A. Actually, the vast majority of believers in the world today, and throughout Christian history, have not held to the “pre-tribulation rapture” theory. In fact, for the first 19 centuries of church history, not only did no one believe in it—no one had even heard of it!

It wasn’t until the publication of The Scofield Reference Bible in the early 20th century that this newly-conceived view became widespread. In 1909, a Bible student named Cyrus I. Schofield published his doctrinal views in notes at the bottom of the pages of a particular edition of the King James Version of the Bible. This book, with Scofield’s notes, came to be known as The Scofield Reference Bible. Scofield’s notes widely promoted his belief in the “pretribulational” Rapture and other “end times” teachings.

We should emphasize that it is not what the majority of people think that determines Biblical truth. We should make sure we derive our beliefs from the Bible itself, not merely from the latest, most popular best-selling book about the “last days” or the opinions of certain teachers who insert their ideas onto the pages of Bibles in order to advance their theories.

Q. But what about “being changed in the twinkling of an eye,” “being caught up to meet the Lord in the air,” and all the other verses like that?

A. A few minutes of careful Bible reading will enable you to answer this question for yourself.

Read Revelation 11:15-18

What event is described in this passage?

Note that this occurrence takes place at the sounding of the seventh trumpet, and this trumpet is blown when “… the time came for the dead to be judged, and the time to give their reward to Thy bondservants the prophets and to the saints and those who fear Thy name, the small and the great, and to destroy those who destroy the earth” (v.15).

What is happening here? This passage describes the day when both “the righteous and the unrighteous” will face God in judgment. Reward is given to “those who fear [His] name,” and the others are “destroyed.” What occurrence is being foretold in these verses?

There can be no doubt that this is the Judgment Day at the end of the world, when “…those who sleep in the dust of the ground will awake, these to everlasting life, but the others to disgrace and everlasting contempt” (Daniel 12:2).

Note that at the Judgment Day of Revelation 11 there is (1) the sounding of a trumpet and (2) a gathering together of God’s people for reward (and of unbelievers for censure).

Read Matthew 24:29-31

Here we read that “after the tribulation of those days…they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky with power and great glory. And He will send forth His angels with a great trumpet and they will gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of the sky to the other” (verses 29-31).

What great event is being described in this passage? Virtually all will agree that this is the classic description of the Second Coming of Jesus.

Note that at Christ’s Second Coming there are (1) the sounding of a great trumpet and (2) a gathering of God’s people from around the world to receive their reward. And as we shall see, it is also important to note that the New Testament Greek word used to describe this Second Coming in verse 30 is parousia, meaning “arrival.”

Read 1 Thessalonians 4:15-17

This is the passage that begins, “… we who are alive and remain until the coming (parousia) of the Lord shall not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet of God; and the dead in Christ shall rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air …” (vv.15-17).

What is happening on this occasion? Of course, this is one of the classic “Rapture” passages. Note that at this event, we again read of (1) the sounding of the “trumpet of God” and (2) the gathering together of God’s people for their reward. It is especially important to note that exactly the same Greek word, parousia, is used to define both this event and the one described in Matthew 24.

Q. So what does all this mean?

A. You can see that in these passages three future “events” are described: the Last Judgment,the Second Coming, and the Rapture. At each of these “events” we notice that (1) a trumpet is blown and (2) a gathering together of God’s people occurs.

We also see that both the Second Coming (Matthew 24) and the Rapture (1 Thessalonians 4) are called “the parousia.”

Q.But maybe there are three different trumpets and three different gatherings!

A.Fortunately, disputing whether or not there are three different trumpets and three different gatherings is unnecessary. A brief study of 1 Corinthians 15 will resolve the issue for us.

Read 1 Corinthians 15:51-52

“Behold, I tell you a mystery; we shall not all sleep but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet; for the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed.”

What event does this passage envision? Virtually all agree that this transformation of living believers and the raising of the dead in Christ, also described in 1 Thessalonians 4, is commonly called “the Rapture.”

Note that in this description of the Rapture, once again (1) a trumpet is sounded, and there is (2) a gathering together of believers. But in this text, Paul adds a crucial word to enhance our understanding. He says that this event will take place “at the last trumpet.” The last trumpet.

Q. But wait a minute! How can this “Rapture trumpet” be the last trumpet? Isn’t the Rapture supposed to be first, followed by “the Second Coming trumpet,” and after that by “the Final Judgment trumpet?”

A. Yes, some say it is “supposed to be” that way. According to that popular timetable, the Rapture trumpet “should” come first, then seven years later the “Second Coming trumpet,” and then 1,000 years after that the “Final Judgment trumpet.”

So how can 1 Corinthians 15 say that the trumpet announcing the Rapture is the last trumpet?

There is only one way the “first” trumpet can also be the “last” trumpet. That one way is this: The blowing of all “three” trumpets described in these various New Testament passages are not separate soundings but are actually one and the same “trumpet blast!”

And, if the “three” trumpets are really just a single trumpet described in three different ways, then all “three events” that are signaled—the Rapture, the Second Coming, and the Final Judgment—are simply three perspectives of one climactic occurrence at the end of the age.

Think of it this way: (1) From the standpoint of believers in Jesus, we are “caught up” to be with the Lord in the Rapture. (2) From the perspective of Jesus Himself, He returns in His Second Coming. (3) And from the viewpoint of the unbelieving world, it is the Judgment Day. But these three standpoints are simply three angles from which to view the last day, at the end of the age.

Q. Hmmmm, I never thought of it that way. Are there any other passages in the Bible thatplace the Rapture and the Judgment Day together, on the last day?

A. Yes, there are. For example, in chapter 6 of the Gospel of John, Jesus addresses a mixed group of both believers and unbelievers. In describing His mission in the world, He speaks four different times about what He will do “on the last day.”

In John 6:39, Jesus says, “And this is the will of Him who sent Me, that of all He has given Me I lose nothing, but raise it up on the last day.”

In John 6:40, He says, “For this is the will of My Father, that everyone who beholds the Son, and believes in Him, may have eternal life; and I will raise him up on the last day.”

In John 6:44, Jesus says, “No one can come to Me, unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up on the last day.”

In John 6:54, He says, “He who eats My flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life; and I will raise him up on the last day.”

In each of these verses Jesus tells His listeners that those who believe in Him will be raised up (resurrected) by Him on the last day.

John was there on the day when Jesus spoke these words, so let’s use John as our example.

John heard Jesus speak, believed in Him, and then died years later. According to the “usual” Rapture perspective, when would John be expected to be raised up from the dead? It would be on the day of the Rapture, when “the dead in Christ shall rise first” (1 Thessalonians 4:17). This is the day which Jesus calls “the last day.”

But according to the frequently-taught view of the Rapture, John’s raising-up would not be the last day, but would really be 1,007 years before the last day.

Q. But when Jesus says “the last day,” couldn’t He really mean “the last day before the Tribulation begins?”

A. First of all, notice what this question really asks. It asks you to overlook what actually is in the Bible and instead to “read into” the passage something that is not there. This is a very dangerous practice, known in scholarly circles as “eisegesis,” or reading into the Biblical text presupposed teachings that are not truly found there.

But there is a more definite answer to your specific question: No, Jesus could not have meant “the last day before the Tribulation begins.” How can we know that?

In John 12:48, Jesus is concluding his last public sermon, delivered to a crowd of both believers and skeptics. He says to them, “He who rejects Me, and does not receive My sayings, has one who judges Him; the word I spoke is what will judge him at the last day.”

Here Jesus teaches that unbelievers will be judged “at the last day.” In John 6, He teaches that believers will be raised up “on the last day.” What is the inescapable conclusion? Believers are raised up on the same day that unbelievers are judged—on the “last day” at the end of the age.

The day of the Rapture and the day of the Last Judgment are not 1,007 years apart. They take place on the very same day at the end of the age.

Q. But what about the verses that say, “One will be taken, and one will be left?” Don’t they show that Christians will be suddenly “raptured,” leaving the unbelievers behind to facethe Tribulation?

A. No, those verses actually teach quite the opposite.

Matthew 24:40 says, “Two men will be in the field; one will be taken, and the other left.” Some interpret this to imply that believers will be “taken” in the Rapture, thus leaving unbelievers behind to endure the seven-year Tribulation. Popularized films based on these verses have been widely distributed, depicting what the movie-producers think the Rapture and its aftermath might be like.

But a careful reading this passage in Matthew’s Gospel shows that the rapture of Christians is not at all what is being described here.

Beginning in Matthew 24:37, Jesus makes a comparison between (1) the time of Jesus’ Second Coming and (2) the worldly circumstances during days of Noah. “For the coming (parousia) of the Son of Man will be just like the days of Noah.” Jesus then summarizes those days, indicating that in spite of the warnings preached by Noah, the people of that time continued living their lives with a “business as usual” attitude.

Speaking of the unbelieving people who rejected Noah’s warnings, Jesus says “… they were eating and drinking, they were marrying and giving in marriage, until the day Noah entered the Ark, and they did not understand until the flood came and took them all away.

“So will it be at the coming (parousia) of the Son of Man. Then there will be two men in the field; one will be taken, and the other left. Two women will be grinding at the mill; one will be taken, and the other left. Therefore, be on the alert, for you do not know which day your Lord is coming” (Matthew 24:38-42).

In Jesus’ words quoted above, the pronoun references are very important. To whom do they refer? Since Jesus specifically compares the “coming of the Son of Man” to the days of Noah, we should be sure to understand the parallels He uses to tell the story.

Who were “they” who were “eating and drinking … marrying and giving in marriage?” They were not Noah and his family. “They” refers to the unbelievers who refused to heed Noah’s preaching.

Likewise, who were “they” who “did not understand until the flood came …?” It was the unbelievers who did not understand.

Similarly, who were “them” in the phrase, “the flood came and took them all away?” Once again, it was the unbelievers.

Now, remembering the significance of Jesus’ comparison of the time of Noah with the time of “the coming of the Son of Man,” to whom is Jesus referring when He says of the two men in the field, “one will be taken?”

Answer: Just like in the days of Noah, it is the unbeliever who is taken away in judgment.

These verses do not refer to the sudden Rapture of believers. Instead, they describe the sudden judgment that will fall on unbelievers at the Return of Jesus—the parousia—which is also the Day of Judgment and the end of an age, “just like the days of Noah.”

Summary

In this brief paper, we have seen that although a widespread modern teaching says that the Rapture, the Second Coming, and the Judgment Day are three distinct events occurring over a period of 1,007 years, a careful reading of Revelation 11, Matthew 24, 1 Thessalonians 4, and 1 Corinthians 15 shows these “three events” are actually just different viewpoints the happenings of a single moment at the end of the age.

We also have seen that according to the Lord’s teaching in the Gospel of John 6 and 12, Jesus will (1) raise up believers “on the last day” and also (2) judge unbelievers by His word “on the last day.” Thus the “last day” is the time of both the Rapture and the Judgment, which occur together.

Finally, we have seen that the events described in Matthew 24 do not refer believers suddenly being taken away in the Rapture. Instead, they refer to unbelievers being taken away in judgment, at the

The Biblical Tribulation

by Chuck Colclasure

After completing his undergraduate degree at the University of Missouri, Chuck Colclasure earned Master of Divinity and Master of Theology degrees, both summa cum laude, from Westminster Theological Seminary in Philadelphia. Subsequently, he pursued Ph.D. studies (sans dissertation) at the University of Potchefstroom in South Africa. He now is Professor of World Religions at the University of Phoenix, where he also teaches Critical Thinking. He and his wife reside in San Diego, California.

NOTE: The Author believes that the teachings found in this document are based in the Bible and represent important “correctives” to certain errors found in common, widely-spread contemporary thinking about the topics covered. However, in no way does the Author believe that the acceptance of any of the ideas he presents here affects one’s standing with God, which is determined solely by divine grace and one’s personal trust in Jesus Christ. Believing people of faith and goodwill may continue to disagree on the matters discussed in this paper.

OVERVIEW

It is a common feature of some popular end-times teachings that “the Tribulation” is a future seven-year period, supposedly prophesied in the Bible, that will be characterized by worldwide calamity and suffering, and particularly by the emergence of the Antichrist. However, a careful examination of the New Testament shows that this claim lacks Biblical support.

Questions and Answers Regarding the Tribulation

Q. I have always been taught that the Tribulation is a future seven-year period that takes place right after the Rapture. The Antichrist will arise then, right? But where in the Bible does it say that the Tribulation is seven years long?

A. Not a single verse in the entire Bible says that the Tribulation is seven years long.

Some people insist that chapter 9 of the Book of Daniel contains a prophesy regarding this supposed seven-year Tribulation. The fact is, however, that unless you come to the Daniel 9:25-26 passage already believing in this hypothetical seven-year Tribulation (which is, of course, the matter to be proven), you will not find it there.

One would expect that a doctrine said to be as important to the interpretation of the last days would be more evident and easier to find in Scripture. Instead, the origin of the teaching about this hypothetical seven-year Tribulation period is found solely in an admittedly complicated and difficult passage in Daniel 9:25-26. This passage lends itself to a plain interpretation regarding the life and death of Jesus, with no need for fanciful extrapolations about this supposed future seven-year Tribulation.

Even more strangely, in order to “discover” this alleged future seven-year period in Daniel 9, one has to insert an unmentioned 2,000+ year parenthesis in time between the 69th and 70th weeks-of-seven-years of the prophecy.

Thus, the distant 70th week is projected to begin immediately upon the Rapture of the Church and the arising of the Antichrist, who is supposed to rule the world during the seven years in question. But there is no reason or justification for creating and adding this 2,000-year gap into Daniel’s meaning in the passage.

It is true that 70 “weeks” of years are mentioned in Daniel 9, but there is absolutely no hint in the Biblical text that would lead one to postulate a 2000+ year gap between the 69th and 70th weeks, as the “seven-year Tribulation” theory requires. This twisting of the Biblical text is hardly “taking the Bible literally,” as the purveyors of this doctrine claim to pride themselves in doing.

Until about 150 years ago, no Biblical commentator, no theologian, and no church creed in all the world had ever taught or even known of such a doctrine. But if the future seven-year Tribulation is not found in the Book of Daniel, then where in the Bible is it taught?

Q. What verse(s) in the Bible teach that the time of the Tribulation is in the future?

A. The New Testament does not teach that the Tribulation is yet in the future. The writers of the New Testament in the last half of the first century did not regard the Tribulation as some far-off future period.

For them the Tribulation was a daily experience, as the Jews, the Romans, and the evil one sought to destroy the infant church. The New Testament certainly says nothing about the Tribulation being “in the future” from the ancient believers’ perspective. In fact, numerous passages in the Bible show that the Tribulation was already underway at the time of the writing of the books of the New Testament.

Q. What passages teach that the Tribulation is characterized by the emergence of theAntichrist?

A. No passage teaches this specifically. It may surprise some, for example, that the Book of Revelation, which is the supposed source of much of the teaching about the Tribulation, nevermentions “the Antichrist.” The Greek word “antichristos,” (antichrist), appears nowhere in the entirebook of Revelation.

(The word “antichristos” is found solely in the epistles of John in the New Testament. Its essential meaning is “opposed to Christ,” or “instead of Christ.”)

If one of the key teachings of the Book of Revelation concerns a seven-year Tribulation led by the Antichrist, it is curious indeed that the Book of Revelation (1) never mentions the word “antichrist,” (2) never says the duration of the Tribulation is seven years, and (3) never teaches that the Tribulation is future from the perspective of the first century writers and readers.

The burden of proof clearly lies with those who impose these alleged teachings onto the Book of Revelation. It is obvious that such doctrines are taught in a multitude of books sold in Christian bookstores around the U.S. The question is: Where are these teachings found in the Bible itself?

Q. If the Tribulation is not a seven-year period in the future led by the Antichrist, then what isit?

A. The Tribulation is the age-long persecution of God’s people in these “last days,” ultimately motivated and influenced by the spirit of antichrist.

Once the concept of “antichrist” is Biblically understood, it becomes clear that antichrist is present during the Tribulation. The issue is, however, what and when is the Biblical Tribulation?

Q. So antichrist is involved in the Tribulation?

A. The answer is “yes,” so long as we rightly understand the scriptural meanings of “the Tribulation” and“the antichrist.” But how can we rightly discern these meanings?

In the New Testament book of 1 John (believed to be written by the author of the Book of Revelation), John writes to followers of Jesus in the first century: “Dear children, this is the last hour, and as you have heard antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have come. This is how we know it is the last hour.”

And John goes on to write, “This is the antichrist, the one who denies the Father and the Son,” and “Every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming and even now is already in the world” (1 John 2:18; 2:22; 4:3).

Q. But how can John say that in his day it was already “the last hour?” Aren’t the last days still sometime off in the future?

A. Again, we must let the Bible define its own terms. According to the Scriptures, we are now in “the last days” and have been ever since the time of the Apostles,

As we have seen above, the Apostle John taught that in the first century it was already “the last hour.” In Revelation 1:3 he writes that “the time [of the end] is near.” In Revelation 3:10, Jesus warns of “the hour of testing, that hour which is about to come upon the whole world.”

The Apostle Paul wrote that first century believers were those “upon whom the ends of the ages have come” (1 Corinthians 10:11) and that “the Lord is near” (Philippians 4:5).

The writer of the Book of Hebrews said that “in these last days [God] has spoken to us in His Son…” (Hebrews 1:2), and he wrote, “…now once at the consummation, He has been manifested to put away sin…” (9:26).

James declared, “… the coming of the Lord is at hand … the Judge is standing right at the door” (James 5:8,9). Peter wrote that Christ had appeared “in these last times” (1 Peter 1:20) and that “the end of all things is at hand’ (1 Peter 4:7).

In his sermon on the Day of Pentecost, Peter declared that Joel’s Old Testament prophecy concerning the last days was being fulfilled there on that day: “… this is what was spoken of through the prophet Joel: ‘And it shall be in the last days, God says, that I will pour forth my spirit on all mankind …’” (Acts 2:16-17).

These passages (and many others) plainly illustrate the fact that the writers of the New Testament understood the time in which they were living as being “the last days” and “the end times.”

Q. But isn’t it true that “the church” is never mentioned in the Book of Revelation, from the beginning of chapter 4 until the Great White Throne judgment in chapter 20? Doesn’t this mean that believers are “raptured” away and do not go through the Tribulation?

A. It is true that the New Testament Greek word ekklesia, usually translated “church,” is not used in chapters 4 through 20 of the Revelation.

However, while the word ekklesia (“church”) is not found in chapters 4 through 20, neither is it found in chapters 21 and 22. These two chapters in the Book of Revelation describe the eternal state of believers in the New Heavens and New Earth.

Very few Bible teachers would be willing to assert that the church will not be in heaven for eternity simply because the Greek word ekklesia is not found in Revelation chapters 21 and 22. This “argument from silence” is certainly a very weak one.

On the other hand, the church is described repeatedly in chapters 4 through 22. The church, made up of all followers of Jesus, is referenced again and again in the type of figurative language that is typical of the Book of Revelation. The “24 elders,” the “144,000,” the “innumerable multitude,” the “two witnesses,” the “woman in the wilderness” and her children, and other symbolic representations of various aspects of the believing church are made throughout these chapters.

Q. OK, but where does the New Testament teach that the Tribulation began in the first century?

A. In addition to the verses speaking of the last days cited above, in Revelation 1:9 John specifically writes to his first century readers that he was their “brother and fellow partaker in the tribulation, and kingdom, and perseverance, which are in Jesus.”

The New Testament Greek word translated “tribulation” in the New American Standard Bible (and also in the King James Version, the Berean Literal Bible, Young’s Literal Translation, and many other Biblical versions) is the Greek word “thlipsis.” The root meaning of thlipsis is “pressure” or “a pressing.” The pronunciation of this word is thought to imitate the sound of a grape being crushed under pressing in the process of winemaking (!).

John is telling his readers that they should not fear, for even though they were “in the Tribulation” (en te thlipsei), they were also “in Jesus” (en Iesou).

In Revelation 2 and 3, Jesus encourages the seven churches of Asia Minor to bear up under circumstances which are most Tribulation-like. He says to the church at Smyrna, “I know your tribulation (thlipsin)…” (2:9).

The seven churches of Revelation 2 and 3 were enduring evil men and false apostles (Ephesus), persecution by the Jews and imprisonment (Smyrna), dwelling “where Satan’s throne is,” false teaching, idolatry, and martyrdom (Pergamum), false doctrine, immorality, and idolatry (Thyatira), deadness in the church (Sardis), Jewish persecution (Philadelphia), and spiritual indifference and materialism (Laodicea).

One wonders what sympathy the early Christians might have felt for comfortable modern teachers who deny that these first century brothers were experiencing “the Tribulation,” as they were being persecuted, imprisoned, tortured, and killed for their faith.

Moreover, the nearly universal persecution of the church in all ages—the stoning of Stephen (Acts 7), the oppression of the followers of Jesus in Jerusalem (Acts 8:2), the well-known Roman atrocities against Christians, the martyrdoms of James, Peter, Paul, and the other Apostles, and the present-day maltreatment of believers throughout the world, resounds with torments typical of the Tribulation period.

The world detests true Christians as it hated their Master: “If the world hates you, you know that it has hated Me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you … If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you; if they kept My word, they will keep yours also” (John 15:18-20). These words of Jesus have been true and apt warnings for every generation of Christians throughout time and are not reserved for some future time of terror.

Once one’s thinking gets beyond the non-Biblical seven-year time limitation, the true duration of the Tribulation of the church is evident. The church has been experiencing the Tribulation since the time of the Apostles, and it will continue to do so until Jesus Christ returns to conquer His enemies and put them beneath His feet (Matthew 22:44).

As Jesus told His disciples in John 16:33, “In the world you will have tribulation (thlipsin), but take courage; I have overcome the world.”

Q. Isn’t there a special time called “the Great Tribulation?”

A. In Matthew 24:21, Jesus tells His disciples, “There will be a great tribulation (thlipsis), such as has not occurred since the beginning of the world until now, nor ever shall.” Is there even the slightest hint in the words of Jesus that this Great Tribulation is to be a seven-year period (or of any particular duration) in the distant future?

You might suppose that if the futuristic seven-year Tribulation were such a crucial key to understanding Biblical teaching on the last days, Jesus might have mentioned it here. But, in fact, such a period is mentioned nowhere in the words of Jesus, nor in the rest of the New Testament, nor in the Old Testament, for that matter (other than allegedly in the Daniel 9 passage mentioned above).

So, what is this “Great Tribulation?” In Matthew 24:15 and following, and in the parallel passage in Luke 21, Jesus spoke directly to His followers to warn them about the coming destruction of Jerusalem. Jesus’ prophecy was fulfilled some 40 years later in A.D. 70, when Jerusalem was destroyed by the Roman legions under the direction of the Roman general Titus (who later became the Emperor).

Jesus told his followers to flee from Jerusalem and Judea and to do so without hesitation: “When you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then recognize that her desolation is at hand” (Luke 21:20). This warning was heeded by His followers when they saw the Roman armies surrounding the city in A.D. 70.

At that time, the Christians in Jerusalem escaped the slaughter by fleeing to the city of Pella, about 50 miles away. The unbelievers staying behind in Jerusalem, however, suffered a horrible fate. The historian Josephus reported that over a million Jews were killed in the attack and that the lengthy siege was so horrific that mothers ate their own children to avoid starvation.

Just as Jesus prophesied, vultures gathered where the corpses were found (Matthew 24:38). This destruction of Jerusalem and its Temple, which terminated the Jewish sacrificial system, was the Great Tribulation about which Jesus warned his disciples and their generation.

Conclusion

Despite the widespread popularity of the theory of the future seven-year Tribulation, with its accompanying rise of an individual identified as the Antichrist, these teachings are simply not found in the Bible.

1. Not one verse in the Bible says that the Tribulation is seven years long.

2. No passage in the Bible says the Tribulation is uniquely in the future, relative neither to first centuryChristians nor to present-day believers. In fact, throughout the New Testament numerous writers (andJesus Himself) indicate that even the earliest of the first-century followers of Jesus were alreadyexperiencing the persecutions of the Tribulation.

3. The presence and influence of antichrist is not restricted to an individual satanically-empowered person arising in the future. The New Testament is clear that many antichrists had already arisen in the first century. The spirit of antichrist is the spirit of the denial of Jesus and the hatred of His people. The workings of antichrist have been evident throughout history, and attempts to suppress the church have been apparent worldwide. Millions of Christians have been persecuted, tortured, and martyred because of their faith in Christ.

4. The absence of the word ekklesia in Revelation chapters 4-20 is irrelevant to the issue of whether the church goes through the Tribulation. Many figurative representations of the church are displayed in those chapters, as should be expected in the most symbolic book in the Bible.

5. The Great Tribulation spoken of by Jesus took place during the destruction of Jerusalem in A.D. 70. His followers understood His words in that way. They escaped the terrible siege of Jerusalem, while those who did not heed Jesus’ words suffered horribly at the hands of the Romans during the siege of the city and surrounding Judea.

The Meaning of the Millennium

by Chuck Colclasure

After completing his undergraduate degree at the University of Missouri, Chuck Colclasure earned Master of Divinity and Master of Theology degrees, both summa cum laude, from Westminster Theological Seminary in Philadelphia. Subsequently, he pursued Ph.D. studies (sans dissertation) at the University of Potchefstroom in South Africa. He now is Professor of World Religions at the University of Phoenix, where he also teaches Critical Thinking. He and his wife reside in San Diego, California.

NOTE: The Author believes that the teachings found in this document are based in the Bible and represent important “correctives” to certain errors found in common, widely-spread contemporary thinking about the topics covered. However, in no way does the Author believe that the acceptance of any of the ideas he presents here affects one’s standing with God, which is determined solely by divine grace and one’s personal trust in Jesus Christ. Believing people of faith and goodwill may continue to disagree on the matters discussed in this paper.

OVERVIEW

The doctrine of the End Times advanced in many Christian circles today asserts that just before a future seven-year Tribulation period the church will be “raptured,” or caught up, and taken out of this world, while those remaining on earth will be left to undergo the terrors of the Tribulation period.

According to this view, at the end of this seven-year Tribulation, Jesus will return to earth in His Second Coming. It is said that He will set up His Kingdom in Jerusalem, from where He will reign for one thousand years, a time known as the “Millennium.” According to this particular perspective, after the completion of the thousand-year Millennium, God will judge the world, this present earth will be destroyed, and a New Heaven and New Earth will be created.

The purpose of this paper is to show that, according the Bible, the Millennium actually is not some far-off epoch lasting some 365,000 days (plus leap year additions). Instead, the Millennium is actually this present age in which we now live. It began at the time of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ, His Ascension, and His Seating at the right hand of the Father. This Millennium will endure until the Return of Jesus at the end of the age.

Questions and Answers Regarding the Millennium

Q. What is the meaning of the word “millennium?”

A. The word “millennium” is derived from the Latin words mille (thousand) and annus (year). Thus, millennium literally means “a thousand years.”

Q. Where in the Bible is this “thousand years” mentioned?

A. The only chapter in the Bible where the “thousand year” period is discussed specifically is Revelation 20. It is mentioned nowhere else, at least not by the name “thousand years.”

Q. So what does Revelation 20 have to say about this “thousand year” period?

A. There are three essential characteristics of “the thousand years,” as described in Revelation 20:

(1) Revelation 20:2-3 says that Satan will be bound from “deceiving the nations” for the thousand years;

(2) Revelation 20:4 and 20:6 say that Christ will reign for the thousand years; and

(3) Revelation 20:4 and 20:6 say that those who are martyred (have been beheaded) because of their faith in Jesus, those who refuse to worship “the beast,” and those who have a part in “the first resurrection” will reign with Christ for the thousand years.

These are the only three specific features of “the thousand years” that are mentioned in Revelation 20.

Q. The first thing mentioned in these verses is “the binding of Satan.” What does this “binding of Satan” mean?

A. In Revelation 20:1-3, John records a vision in which he sees an angel descending from heaven, holding a key to “the abyss” and a great chain. The Greek word abyss (literally, “without a bottom”) is sometimes translated “the bottomless pit.” In ancient usage, at the time of the writing of the Book of Revelation, it referred to the abode of demons.

In the vision, John sees the angel lay hold of Satan and bind him with the great chain. Then the angel locks and seals Satan into the abyss. John says that the angel “bound him for a thousand years.”

Q.  So Satan is going to disappear for a thousand years? Great! Then we will have a time of perfect peace on earth, right?

A. Well, let’s finish looking at what the Bible says here before determining the meaning.

Unfortunately, it seems that most people stop reading this passage at the end of verse 2. However, the second half of verse 3 is very important in helping us understand what is happening in this vision.

Verse 3 tells us the specific reason for this “binding” and its result: It is “so that he [Satan] might not deceive the nations any longer …” In New Testament Greek, this last phrase is called a “hina clause,” from the Greek word “hina,” which is normally translated “so that” or “in order that.”

This “hina clause” introduces the passage that tells us “why” the binding takes place, revealing its reason or purpose. John’s statement here is that Satan is bound for one specific reason: “that he might not deceive the nations any longer.”

Q. So? What’s the significance of that? 

A. Revelation 20:3 does not teach that Satan will be prevented from all actions. The verse says that Satan will be bound from only one explicit activity. That activity is “deceiving the nations any longer.”

Those who assume that the “binding of Satan” means that he will be totally impotent during the “thousand years” misunderstand the specific limits described in the Bible itself. During the “thousand years” Satan will be restricted from doing just one particular thing that he previously had been doing throughout history, namely, “deceiving the nations.”

Q. And what does “deceiving the nations” mean?

A. Two words are crucial to the understanding of the phrase “deceiving the nations.” The first one is the word translated “deceive.” It is the Greek word planao, which means “to lead astray.”

The second key word is the one translated “nations.” This is the word ethnos, which means “nations” and/or “Gentiles.” The word “Gentiles” here refers to unbelievers in the “nations” worldwide. Thus, the prime activity of Satan prior to his binding was “leading the Gentiles astray.” And it is this deceptive activity (and only this one) from which the Evil One specifically is said to be bound during the “thousand years.”

Prior to the saving work of Jesus, the whole world (apart from the Jews) dwelt in spiritual darkness, being deceived by the “Prince of Darkness.” The “nations” throughout the world, where the “Gentiles” dwelt, were continually “led astray” by the Deceiver.

But with the coming of Jesus, the “Light of the World,” darkness was driven out. The “Gentiles” living in the “nations” formerly had no hope, but Jesus came to bring sight to the blind and to release to the captives, those who long had been deceived by Satan’s activity.

Just before His Ascension to the right hand of the Father, Jesus told his disciples to “go into all the world” to disciple the nations (Gentiles), to baptize them, and to teach them all He had commanded. Jesus did this precisely because by then Satan had been bound from performing his formerly worldwide deception.

Wherever it is preached, the Gospel itself is that “great chain” that “binds” the deceiving power of Satan from its previously near-universal power.

Q. Wait! Are you saying that Satan was bound at the First Coming of Jesus? I have always heard that Satan is going to be bound only at Jesus’ Second Coming.

A. The idea that the “binding of Satan” occurs only after the Return of Christ is widely-taught but incorrect, a historically recent interpretation. We must allow the Bible to define its own terms.

The first three New Testament Gospels (Matthew, Mark, and Luke) make it clear that during Jesus’ earthly ministry Christ’s power was already restricting (binding) Satan’s influence. And the fourth Gospel, John, confirms this understanding.

To illustrate this fact, Matthew 12:29, Mark 3:27, and Luke 11:21-22 all give a dramatic example of Satan being bound through the power of Christ. In these passages, Jesus rescues a demon-possessed man from the clutches of the Devil.

When liberating the demoniac, Jesus says that He could not “enter into the strong man’s house (Satan’s domain) and carry off his goods (the formerly-possessed man) unless he first binds the strong man.”

In Matthew and Mark, the New Testament Greek word translated “binding” is deo. This is exactly the same word used in Revelation 20 to describe the “binding of Satan” there. Luke interprets this meaning by quoting Jesus when He says that the “strong man” loses his possessions “when someone stronger than he is attacks him and overpowers him.”

All of which prompts the questions: Who is stronger than Satan? Who attacks Satan’s domain? Who “carries off Satan’s goods” by delivering men from the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of light? And therefore, who “binds the strong man?”

The answer to all of these questions is “Jesus.”

So, when did the binding of Satan begin? As Jesus says in these passages, this binding was already taking place during His earthly ministry. He “bound (deo) the strong man” in this incident recorded in the Gospels, and He continues to do wherever the message and power of His Gospel is spread.

In John’s Gospel, just a week before His crucifixion Jesus expressed His binding authority over Satan. At that time, He said, “Now judgment is upon this world; now the ruler of this world shall be cast out” (John 12:31).

The Evil One’s deceptive power was destroyed through the Cross. The wicked “ruler of this world” was “cast out.” Thus Satan’s influence is restricted, and he is prevented from leading the Gentiles astray any longer.

Q. What? Are you saying that Satan is bound now? If that’s true, why is there so much sin and suffering in the world?

A. It may be difficult accept this Biblical view after we have been taught for years that the Millennium will be a future time of perfect peace and worldwide righteousness. But where is that taught in the Bible? Actually…nowhere!

We must not ignore the plain fact that Revelation 20 speaks of the binding of Satan in only one aspect of his former power. He is no longer able “to deceive the nations.” He no longer holds the “Gentiles” captive. The Gospel has gone out to the Gentile world, and millions upon millions of people among the formerly-deceived Gentiles have been set free from bondage to the Evil One.

But as we have seen, Revelation 20 presents a specific, narrowly-defined binding that does not require that Satan possesses absolutely no power in this present age. The concept of a totally impotent Satan is not found in Revelation 20. Many people have been trained to see it there, but, in fact, it is not there.

Q. Well, if Satan is bound right now, then that must mean we are already in “the thousand years.” Are you really saying that the time we are living in now is the Millennium? 

A. Before trying to answer that question, we should look at the other two characteristics of the Millennium as it is described in Revelation 20. Recall that in verse 20:4 we discovered that during the “thousand years”: (1) Christ reigns over the world; and (2) believers who have been faithful to Jesus reign with him.

Q. So if we are now in the Millennium, then both of those two conditions of the “thousand years” must be happening now, right?

A. Correct. Right now, Jesus is reigning. After His Resurrection, in Matthew 28:18, Jesus says, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.” Certainly, whoever possesses “all authority” in the universe is rightly said to be the One who “reigns.”

In Acts 2:32-36, Peter explains how God had already “made Him [Jesus] both Lord and Christ” and had exalted Jesus to the “the right hand of God.” Obviously, this language can rightly be used only of One who “reigns.”

Anyone who has read the description of the glorified Jesus in Revelation 1:12-18 has seen the dramatic evidence that He reigns now and already possesses the “keys of death and Hades.”

We could analyze additional passages showing that Jesus is ruling now, but the verses described above should suffice to show that from the New Testament perspective Jesus has been ruling from the “heavenly throne” ever since his Resurrection and Ascension.

Q. But I was told that this reign of Jesus was to be on the earth, from Jerusalem, during that future 1,000 years. Are you saying his Kingship takes place from heaven, not from this world?

A. That’s right—His reign is heavenly, not earthly.

For example, in John 18:36 the Roman Governor Pontius Pilate interrogates Jesus on the night before his Crucifixion. Jesus confirms that yes, He is in fact a king, but, He says, “My Kingdom is not of this world.”

If His were an earthly kingdom, He tells Pilate, his servants would be fighting to keep Him from being captured. But as it is, Jesus said, “My Kingdom is from another place,” and “not of this realm.”

Besides, what is there in the Revelation 20 passage about the “1,000 years” that would make one think an earthly reign of Jesus is being described? Notice that John says in verse 4 that he “saw the souls of those who had been beheaded….and those who had not worshipped the beast…”

Where would one expect to “see” such souls? Certainly, it would be in heaven, not on the earth!

Q. Who are those “beheaded” people and “those who had not worshipped the beast” in verse 4?

A. These two groups represent all Christians and their presence in heaven. The early church had a high regard for those who seal their faith with their blood “because of the testimony of Jesus.” These martyrs (from the Greek word martureo, meaning “to bear witness” or “to testify”) are singled out for special mention there in heaven, in the very “throne room” of God.

“Those who had not worshipped the beast” are all other believers throughout the ages who have remained faithful to the Lord. We are assured that resisting the “beast” of this godless world-system will be rewarded in the presence of God. “They came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years.” These are the same souls referred to in Revelation 6:9, obviously in heaven with Christ.

Q. In Revelation 20:6, who are the ones who have “a part in the first resurrection?”

A. There has only been one true resurrection thus far in the history of the world—the Resurrection of Jesus. Plainly, then, His Resurrection must the “first” one.

Revelation 20:6 tells us that the people who “share in the first resurrection” are “blessed and holy.” They need not fear “the second death.” They will be “priests of God and of Christ,” and “they will reign with Him for a thousand years.”

Who are these people who reign with Christ?

Well, let’s think about that. According to the New Testament, what group of people is called “blessed?” Believers in Jesus.

Who are the “holy ones?” Believers.

Who need not fear the “second death?” Those who are in Christ.

Who are priests of God and Christ, a “royal priesthood?” Followers of Jesus.

The answer in every case is: Christians! It is believers, both in heaven and on earth (through their position “in Christ”), who reign with Him for the thousand years.

Q. So you are saying that Christians are now reigning with Christ?

A. Yes. Fortunately, there are other very important passages in the New Testament that confirm that Christians are even now reigning with Jesus.

The majestic passage in Ephesians 2:4-6 informs us of our position “in Christ”: “But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses and sins, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places …”

Notice how this quotation from Paul in Ephesians parallels John’s description in Revelation 20. In both passages, Christians are said to be made alive together with Christ, and in both places, they are said to reign with Jesus, being seated in the heavenly throneroom with Him.

This means that right now Jesus is reigning, and the “saints” are reigning with Him. (The New Testament word translated “saints” (“hagioi”) literally means “holy ones,” those who have been made holy through faith in Christ.)

In addition, in Romans 5 Paul describes the believer’s union with Christ and His righteousness. The Apostle writes that those who receive Christ’s gifts of grace and righteousness “will reign in life” (not simply after death) by the power of Christ (verse 5:17).

Once again, we see that believers, both on earth and in heaven, are reigning now with the Lord Jesus Christ. We should realize that we are now reigning with the one who is now ruling from the throne of David in the heavenly places. Knowing this can make a great difference in the way we view our lives, our trials, and our present union with Christ.

Q. So should we believe that the three conditions of the Millennium are already being met … now?

A. Yes. In this study we have discovered that (1) Satan is bound from deceiving the nations any longer, (2) Jesus is reigning now, and (3) Christ’s people are now reigning with Him.

In the only passage in the Bible that mentions the “one thousand years,” these are the only three characteristics mentioned. Through understanding these three characteristics we can determine what and when the Millennium is. It seems clear that all three conditions of the “thousand years” currently are being met, and it all began at the time of Jesus’ Resurrection and Ascension.

Q. But it has been much longer than a thousand years since Jesus rose from the dead! The thousand years would have already run out!

A. Good point. If the “thousand years” is astronomically and statistically the time it takes the earth to orbit around the sun a thousand times, then certainly we have a problem with our interpretation.

But some Biblical investigation will show that when the phrase “thousand years” is understood from a scriptural perspective, there is no problem at all.

First, consider this question: What is the most symbolic, figurative book in the Bible? Nearly everyone surely will agree it is the Book of Revelation.

Second, which Biblical book contains the most (sometimes mysterious) numbers with special meanings? Again, most everyone will agree that it is the Book of Revelation. In that book we find threes, fours, sevens, twelves, 666, 144,000, and other significant numbers.

Most students of the Book of Revelation will agree that such numbers have figurative or symbolic meanings: four is the number of “creation,” six is the number of “man,” seven is the perfect number of God, twelve is the number of “the church,” and so on.

With all of these emblematic numbers in the Book of Revelation, does it seem reasonable to acknowledge, on the on hand, that numbers like 4, 6, 7, and 12 (plus many others) have figurative meanings, but, on the other hand, to insist that the number “1,000” in Revelation chapter 20 must be literal, that it is not a symbol but rather a statistic?

Such an interpretation of the Millennium passage in chapter 20 would seem to be inconsistent at best. This “statistical” approach is especially troublesome when we look at the meaning of the number “1,000” as it is found elsewhere in the Scriptures. 8

As an example of a “statistical” usage of a number, a “history” event is recorded in 1 Samuel 15:4, where Israel’s King Saul is said to have summoned “10,000 men of Judah” to war.

Since this is a historical passage, we should understand “10,000” literally, or at least as an accurate “rounding” of the number of men of Judah Saul summoned. (Of course, if there were 9,998 or 10,012 men, that should not be considered an “error.”)

That is how we interpret historical writings. The reference to the number “thousand” here should not be understood metaphorically, as with poetry or visions, but objectively and “statistically.”

But what about this verse from the Psalms: “For every beast of the forest is Mine, the cattle on a thousand hills…” (Psalm 50:1)? Are we to understand that God owns the cattle on literally only “a thousand hills” and that, therefore, if I can find hill number 1,001, I can claim as mine all the cattle I find there?

Of course not. The sensible reader will understand that the Psalmist means (figuratively and poetically) that God owns all the cattle (and everything else) on all the hills (and everywhere else). The number “thousand” is used in the poetry of Psalm 50 to mean the “wholeness” or “completeness” of God’s ownership of His creation.

Here’s another such passage, this time from Deuteronomy: “Know therefore that the LORD your God, He is God, the faithful God, who keeps His covenant and His lovingkindness to the thousandth generation with those who love Him and keep His commandments …” (Deuteronomy 7:9).

What does this mean? Does it mean that if I live during generation number 1,001, God won’t love me nor keep His covenant any longer? Of course not. God means He will always love those who love Him and keep His commandments…even to the thousandth generation!

Once again, we see the number “thousand” used in a figurative sense to mean a “wholeness” or “completeness,” this time in reference to God’s love and faithfulness.

Q. So should we interpret the number “one thousand” in Revelation 20 as also being figurative or symbolic?

A. Does it make sense to read a number like 1,000, that is frequently used elsewhere in Scripture in a poetic or figurative sense, and then “demand” that it must be understood as a literal statistic rather than in a symbolic way when it is found in the most symbolic book in the Bible?

As with the other poetic uses we have examined, the number “thousand” in Revelation 20 means “wholeness” or “completeness.” In this case it represents the wholeness of the time during which God’s redemptive plan is being completed, the time between the First and Second Comings of Christ, the period between His Resurrection and His Return: “the Millennium.”

Q. I have to think about that…it’s all so new to me. 

A. Look at it this way: Revelation 20 begins with a figurative representation of the earthly ministry of Jesus, when Satan is bound “for a thousand years” through the power of the Gospel (verses 1-3).

This age in which we now live, between His Comings, then is symbolically represented as that “thousand years,” as believers reign with Christ (vv. 4-6).

Finally, “when the thousand years are completed” (and Satan is released for a short time, apparently to deceive the nations once again), the end of the age will come (verses 7-15).

Revelation 20 is just “a condensed version” of the spiritual, redemptive history between the First Coming of Christ and His Second Coming at the Judgment Day.

Q. But I have always heard that the Millennium was a Golden Age of worldwide peace, “when the lion lies down with the lamb.” The world surely doesn’t look like that now!

A. I agree that the world doesn’t look like that now! The question is, does the Bible really say that such a future idyllic time is “the Millennium?”

The passage most often quoted to designate a description of the Millennial period is Isaiah 11:6-9.

In these verses from Isaiah we learn of a time when “the wolf will dwell with the lamb…and the lion will eat straw like the ox…they will not hurt or destroy in all My holy mountain….” Other descriptions of this sublime future age are found in these verses, but these examples will suffice to demonstrate to us that whenever that time is, it is not now!

Q. I agree. So, isn’t that idyllic time that Isaiah describes really the Millennium, when Jesus rules on the earth and brings about worldwide peace?

A. We have already shown that the Millennial reign of Jesus is not earthly, and a careful reading of Isaiah will confirm that this passage in Isaiah 11 cannot describe the Millennium.

To prove that, look at a portion of Isaiah 11:6-9, where the Millennium supposedly is described:

“The wolf will live with the lamb…

and the lion will eat straw like the ox…

They will neither harm nor destroy

on all My holy mountain….”

Now look at Isaiah 65:25:

“The wolf and the Iamb will graze together… and the lion shall eat straw like the ox… They shall do no evil or harm

in all My holy mountain….”

Sound familiar? Would you agree that the Isaiah 65 passage is “parallel” to the one we read in Isaiah 11 and that they both describe the same time and the same circumstances?

Q. Yes, the two passages use almost exactly the same words. I guess it would be difficult to say that the Isaiah 65 passage was not describing the same time as the Isaiah 11 scripture.

A. I think you are correct. But I say again that the time described in Isaiah 11:6-9 and then in Isaiah 65:25 is cannot be the thousand-year Millennium as is so often claimed.

Q. How can you be so sure?

A. Look at the verses that form the beginning of the paragraph in which Isaiah 65:25 is found. The paragraph begins in Isaiah 65:17: “For behold, I create new heavens and a new earth; the former things shall not be remembered or come to mind.”

The following verses (concluding in verse 25) figuratively describe the conditions which will exist in the new heavens and the new earth! According to Revelation 21:1, God’s re-creation of this New Heaven and New Earth after the Final Judgment.

Therefore, these Isaiah passages cannot describe a thousand-year Millennium of peace before the Final Judgment.

Instead, Isaiah must be depicting the New Heavens and New Earth, re-created after the Final Judgment and the end of this age.

Summary

1. The “thousand-year” Millennium is mentioned in only one chapter of the Bible: Revelation 20. In that chapter, three characteristics unique to the Millennium are mentioned: (a) Satan is bound from deceiving the nations (Gentiles) any longer; (b) Jesus reigns in the “heavenly places”; and (c) Believers reign with Christ.

2. According to the New Testament, all three of these above characteristics have been realities since the earthly ministry, Crucifixion, Resurrection, and Ascension of Jesus.

3. The number “thousand” often is used in Scripture figuratively to signify “completeness” or “wholeness.”

To insist that the “thousand years” of Revelation 20 are a statistically precise 1,000 calendar years is inconsistent with the use of numbers in the book of Revelation. The number “thousand” appears in poetic, figurative, and apocalyptic passages in the rest of Scripture, with the beautiful, symbolic meaning of “wholeness” or “completeness.”

4. The so-called “Golden Age of Peace” described Isaiah chapters 11 and 65, asserted by many to be a description of conditions during the Millennium, is actually a poetic portrayal of conditions in the New Heavens and New Earth, as also described in Revelation 21 and 22.

Conclusion

The Millennium is not a future thousand-year period during which Jesus rules the earth from Jerusalem.

Instead the “thousand years” of Revelation 20 is this present age in which we live, the period between the First and Second Comings of Christ, during which time the Gospel is preached to all the earth, thereby breaking the deceptive spell of Satan over the nations (Gentiles).

During this time, having been proceeding during the past 2,000+ actual “calendar years,” believers reign victoriously with Christ in the heavenly places, awaiting the day of His Return when he gathers His people to Himself, judges the living and the dead, and opens the gates of eternity for all who belong to Him at His Coming

Key Numbers in the Book of Revelation

by Chuck Colclasure

After completing his undergraduate degree at the University of Missouri, Chuck Colclasure earned Master of Divinity and Master of Theology degrees, both summa cum laude, from Westminster Theological Seminary in Philadelphia. Subsequently, he pursued Ph.D. studies (sans dissertation) at the University of Potchefstroom in South Africa. He now is Professor of World Religions at the University of Phoenix, where he also teaches Critical Thinking. He and his wife reside in San Diego, California.

NOTE: The Author believes that the teachings found in this document are based in the Bible and represent important “correctives” to certain errors found in common, widely-spread contemporary thinking about the topics covered. However, in no way does the Author believe that the acceptance (or rejection) of any of the ideas he presents herein affects one’s standing with God, which is determined solely by divine grace and one’s personal trust in Jesus Christ. People of faith and goodwill may continue to disagree on the matters discussed in this paper.

OVERVIEW

Nearly all Biblical scholars and informed readers of the New Testament will agree that, among all the books of the Holy Scripture, the Book of Revelation is most replete with biblical numerology—the use of numbers with special meanings. In the Revelation we find fours, sevens, twelves, 666, 1,000, 144,000, and other meaningful numbers.

The purpose of this paper is to explore the significances of the most important numbers used in the Book of Revelation and to suggest their symbolic meanings as keys to the interpretation of this most symbolic Biblical book.

Questions and Answers about Numbers in the Bible

Q.Why should we try to find symbolic meanings for numbers in the Book of Revelation? If we believe the Bible literally, doesn’t that mean we should just take a number at face value and not try to “spiritualize” it?

A.This is a good question and an important one. If we say we believe the Bible “literally, “what do we mean? I would suggest that what we should mean by this phrase is that we believe the Scriptures communicate truth when they are interpreted to mean what the writer (or speaker) intended his words to mean.

For example, in chapter 15 of the Gospel of John, Jesus says, “I am the vine.” What do you think He meant by this statement?

I suspect that no one thinks Jesus intended us to expect to see Him sprouting green leaves and grapes. He meant, of course, that a branch must be rightly attached to a grapevine and must depend on that vine for its life and fruitfulness. In the same manner, those who follow Him must depend on Jesus and be properly connected to Him in order to thrive (spiritually) and bear fruit.

This is literally what Jesus meant. We see that this literal meaning has more to do with the figurative, metaphoric intent of the speaker than it does with the dictionary meaning of the word “vine.”

The Book of Revelation is written in a genre called “apocalyptic” literature. The use of symbolic numbers is a characteristic of apocalyptic writing. (Portions of the Old Testament books of Daniel and Ezekiel are also apocalyptic in nature). Thus, we should not be surprised or perplexed to find numbers used in special ways in this symbolic Book of Revelation, which also is full of numerous strange visions and images of fantastic creatures.

Recognizing this feature of certain portions of Scripture is not improperly “spiritualizing” the Bible. It is merely interpreting numbers—and other symbols–in the way the author meant for them to be understood.

Q.OK, I guess that makes sense. So, what are some of the important numbers used in the Book of Revelation?

The number “four”

The number four is a significant one in the Book of Revelation. Grouping into fours is a literary device found throughout the Bible, often used to represent a universality of things in the created world. Today we speak of “the four corners of the earth,” even though we know the earth has no corners. When we use this phrase, we mean “the whole world.” We also talk about “the four points of the compass,” “the four winds,” “the four seasons,” et al., to indicate all-inclusive realities.

Likewise, the Book of Revelation uses the number four to represent the totality of creation or of mankind. For example, Revelation 4:6-8 describes four living creatures (with four different faces) around the heavenly throne of God. These creatures represent all of creation in its praise of the Creator.

In Revelation 5:9, those “purchased from the earth” are said to be “from every (1) tribe and (2) tongue and (3) people and (4) nation.” Revelation 7:9 says that the great multitude standing before the Lamb are from “(1) every nation and (2) all tribes and (3)peoples and (4) tongues.”

Do you see the pattern of “fours” that represent everything (or everyone) in the category being defined?

In Revelation 11:9, a fourfold phrase is used to describe all the people of the unbelieving world (“peoples and tribes and tongues and nations”) who rejoice over the apparent demise of “the two witnesses” who prophesy against the enemies of God. In Revelation 13:7 the same four terms are used to describe people all over the earth who fall under the evil authority of “the beast.”

Thus, we see that the number four is symbolic of the totality or universality of the created world, including mankind, depending upon whatever grouping is being described.

The number “seven”

Seven is one of the most significant numbers in all the Bible. Like four, seven signifies a completeness or totality. But whereas four is most often used to emphasize the “createdness” of things, seven is generally used to describe subjects of a spiritual or divine nature. In the ancient world, seven was believed to be the ideal number, representing the perfections of God.

For example, in Revelation 5:6 the Lamb (representing Jesus) is envisioned as having seven horns and seven eyes. The horn was an ancient symbol of power, and the eye was understood to be a symbol of perception and knowledge.

In this vision, therefore, the seven horns of the Lamb signify that Christ possesses complete power (omnipotence), and the seven eyes indicate that He possesses complete knowledge (omniscience). This verse echoes the symbolism of Revelation 1:4, where the reference to “the seven Spirits of God” is emblematic of God’s universal presence and activity in the world.

Another example of such usage of the number seven is found in Revelation 7:11-12. In these verses, a large group of heavenly beings is seen falling on their faces and worshipping God. Notice the numerical character of their tribute: “Amen! (1) Blessing and (2) glory and (3) wisdom and (4) thanksgiving and (5) honor and (6) power and (7) might, be to our God forever and ever.” We see that the expression of their praise of the Eternal Holy One is sevenfold.

The entire Book of Revelation, in fact, is structured around the number seven: seven churches, seven seals, seven trumpets, seven bowls, etc. These “sevens” signify the completeness of God’s plan, His warnings, His holiness, and His ultimate judgment of a world that is in rebellion against Him.

The number “twelve”

Twelve is the number used in the Book of Revelation to represent the people of God. Old Testament Israel was formed from the twelve tribes descended from Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. The New Testament church is built upon the foundation of the twelve apostles of Jesus.

In the vision recounted in Revelation 4:4, John describes seeing the central throne of God surrounded by twenty-four other thrones. Seated upon these twenty-four thrones are twenty-four elders. The indication that there are 24 (twelve + twelve) thrones and 24 elders seated on them signifies that all believers–Israel under the Old Covenant plus the Church of the New Covenant–are forever in God’s presence.

The Heavenly Jerusalem, as described in Revelation 21, is envisioned as being built almost exclusively on the number twelve, indicating that it is purposely designed to be the eternal dwelling place of God’s people.

The length of each of its walls is 12,000 stadia, and the height (or thickness) of the walls is 144 (12 x 12) cubits. The city has twelve gates with twelve angels as the gatekeepers, and the gates themselves are twelve pearls.

The names of the twelve tribes of Israel are written on the twelve gates, and the walls of the city rest upon twelve foundations, on which are inscribed the names of the twelve apostles.

Revelation 22:2 tells us that the tree of life, recreated on the newly recreated earth, will bear twelve kinds of fruit during each of the twelve months of the year.

We clearly can see the beauty of the symbolic use of the number twelve, showing that God’s eternal plan is focused on preparing “a special abode” where God’s people will dwell together eternally.

The number “thousand”

“Thousand” is an important number that is used both literally and symbolically in the Bible.

When history is being recorded, the references to “thousands” should be understood “literally.” For example, in 1 Samuel 15:4 Israel’s King Saul is said to have summoned 10,000 men of Judah to war. Since this is a historical account, that number should be understood literally, or at least as an accurate “rounding” of the number of men summoned. (If there were 9,998 or 10,014 men, that wouldn’t mean the Bible is in error, of course.) Such references are historical, not poetic or apocalyptic, so we should understand them objectively, or statistically.

However, sometimes the number thousand is used in a more universal sense, simply to mean a really large number. If a mother says to her child, “I’ve told you a thousand times not to do that!” no one thinks that her use of the word “thousand” really means that the parent has uttered her correction to the child literally a thousand times. Yet, we get the point of her “imprecise,” rhetorical words.

This is similar to the usage of “thousand” that we find in passages like Psalm 50 and Deuteronomy 7, where the “statistical” approach would be inappropriate.

“For every beast of the forest is Mine, the cattle on a thousand hills …” (Psalm 50:1). Should we understand from this verse that God owns the cattle on literally only “a thousand hills” and that, therefore, if I can locate hill #1,001, I can keep all the cattle I find there? Of course not. The sensible reader will understand that the verse means that God owns all the cattle (and everything else) on all the hills (and everywhere else). The number “thousand” is used in the poetry of Psalm 50 to mean the “wholeness” or “completeness” of God’s ownership.

Likewise, Deuteronomy 7:9 says that God “keeps His covenant and His lovingkindness to a thousandth generation of those who love Him and keep His commandments….” What does this mean? Does it imply that if I am born into in generation #1,001, God won’t love me nor keep His covenant any longer?

Of course not. The passage means that He will always love those who love Him and keep His commandments…even to the thousandth generation! Once again, we see the number “thousand” used in a figurative sense to mean a “wholeness” or “completeness,” this time of God’s love and faithfulness.

In poetic, prophetic, and apocalyptic passages, then, it is usually better to understand the number “thousand” in this figurative and poetic sense, rather than as a statistic.

This fact, of course, has significant implications for the interpretation of Revelation 20 and its description of the Millennium (literally: “a thousand years”). If, despite all the figurative usages of numbers in the Book of Revelation, someone asserts that the “thousand years” of Revelation 20 must mean “literally” the time that it takes the earth to orbit the sun a thousand times, that interpretation would be inconsistent with the usages of “thousand” throughout the rest of Scripture.

Instead, the “thousand years” of Revelation 20 is symbolic, not statistical. It describes the period during which the wholeness of God’s plan for this age is completed between the First and the Second Comings of Jesus, a long but necessarily indeterminate period of time.

Q.What about that group of people in the Book of Revelation called “the 144,000”? Does that mean that only 144,000 ultimately will be in God’s presence?

A.Perhaps you have noticed that 12 x 12 = 144, and that 144 x 1,000 = 144,000. Let’s see how the meaning of “144,000” is revealed in the Book of Revelation.

In Revelation 7:4-8, John says he hears the number of those who are sealed on their foreheads as bondservants of God, thus being protected from the judgment to follow.”And I heard the number of those who were sealed, one hundred and forty-four thousand from every tribe of the sons of Israel” (v.4).

Notice that what John hears as the number of those sealed is “144,000,” and he also hears that they are all “Israelites.” Verses 7:5-8 tell us that 12,000 are sealed from each of the twelve tribes of Israel.

But on a closer reading, something seems amiss! John’s enumeration of Israelite tribes is “inaccurate.” The tribes of Dan and Ephraim are omitted completely from John’s list. The tribe of Joseph is included (though it is never referenced elsewhere in the Bible), and the “half-tribe” of Manasseh, which presumedly should have been included in the tribe of Joseph (Manasseh’s father), is mentioned as a separate and individual clan.

A very strange and “incorrect” list! Either (a) John had forgotten the names of the actual twelve tribes (which as a good little Jewish boy he would have learned by heart on his father’s knee,) or (b) John is letting us know that this list of the tribes is not to be taken literally. Since a 1st century Jew (especially an “inspired” Apostle) never would have made such an error by accident, the latter must be the case.

This interpretation is confirmed by verse 9, where John says that after he heard the symbolic representation of this “144,000,” he looked and saw the reality behind the symbol. What he saw was “… a great multitude which no one could count [not just 144,000], from every nation and all tribes and peoples and tongues [not just from the tribes of Israel], standing before the throne and before the Lamb….”

The number 144,000 equals 12 (representing the Old Testament Israel) times 12 (representing the New Testament church) times 1,000 (indicating the wholeness and completeness of their presence). All believers from all ages are sealed in protection from God’s judgment, and all believers—“an innumerable multitude”–will stand before God’s throne, dressed in the “white robes” of righteousness, accredited to them through Jesus.

In Revelation 14, this “144,000” is described again as standing on the holy Mount Zion with the Lamb. In verses 14:1-5, we learn many other things about this group that confirm our interpretation in chapter 7.

Like the 144,000 described in chapter 7, the 144,000 in this vision also are sealed on their foreheads.

They “have not been defiled with women,” a reference to Old Testament usage which means they have not followed after false gods.

They “follow the Lamb (Jesus) wherever He goes” (they want to imitate Jesus and obey Him).

They have “been purchased from among men….” (Jesus died to pay the penalty of their sins).

“No lie was found in their mouth” (they speak the truth).

“They are blameless” (the guilt of their sin has been removed).

Who are the ones being described in these phrases? It is those making up the “144,000,” believers in God and followers of Christ.

Thus, we see that 144,000 is a symbolic number representing the wholeness or completeness of the total of all persons, young and old, from all times and all places, who have trusted in Jesus, who have been rescued from blame for their sins, and who have followed Christ in faith and obedience, wherever He may lead them.

Q. What about the frightening number “666”? It’s the number of “the beast,” right? But what does it mean?7

A. In Revelation 13:16-18, John writes that “the small and the great, the rich and the poor, the freemen and the slaves” are to receive a mark on their foreheads or on their right hands.

This mark is called “the number of the beast.” Significantly, we also are told that the number of the beast is “the number of man.”

(Some translations say “the number of a man,” but the Greek text here has no word for “a.” Thus, the specific translation is “the number of man,” as in the sense of mankind [Greek: anthropos].)

This passage has created a tremendous amount of speculation over the centuries. Who (or what) is the beast? What is the meaning of his number? And why is the number of the beast called “the number of man?”

A brief paper like this one cannot deal with all the possible issues which arise in a discussion of these questions, but a brief answer that helps clear up the mystery may be given here.

When we studied the “144,000,” we saw that God caused a “seal” to be placed on their foreheads in order to identify them as His people. This image of God sealing His people on the forehead comes from the Old Testament book of Exodus. In Exodus 13:9, just after the Lord had delivered the Jews from slavery in Egypt, God told the Israelites that they should never forget to tell their children of the salvation from bondage that He had provided for them.

God told them that the remembrance of this deliverance “shall serve as a sign to you on your hand, and as a reminder on your forehead, that the law of the Lord may be in your mouth; for with a powerful hand the Lord brought you out of Egypt.”

Was this sign on the hand and the forehead of the ancient Israelites to be a physical mark, like a brand or a tattoo? No. In fact, Leviticus 19:28 forbids Israelites to mark or tattoo their bodies. Instead, this “sign” for the Israelites was to be a spiritual “mark” that would characterize them as God’s chosen people.

The hand and the forehead represented all that the people did and believed — thought, word, and deed. Each Israelite was to show the world that he belonged to the great God who had redeemed him.

The “sign” on the hand reminded the Jews that everything they did, all of their labors and activities, should be performed while remembering the deliverance and the goodness of God. The “sign” on the forehead meant that their every thought and word should be obedient and honoring to Him.

Contrariwise, in Revelation 13 we see the beast’s counterfeit seal being applied to those who have been seduced into “his kingdom.” Similar to the true seal of God on the Israelites, this mark is not a physical one. It, too, is a spiritual mark, in this case displayed in the thoughts, words, and deeds of those who are submissive to “the beast.”

Those who bear the mark of the beast belong to “this world” and live according to the rules of the beast’s world-system. Just as the believer shows his mark by obeying Jesus, the rebel displays his mark by his rebellious deeds and the evil intentions of his heart.

But why “666”? Many suggestions, most of them somewhat bizarre and refuted by history, have been made in an attempt to discover the identity of “the beast.”

The ancient world identified six as the number repesenting man, who was created on the sixth day and was seen as just a little lower than God, whose divine number is “seven”. Note that in Revelation 13:16, six types of men are said to receive the mark: (1)the small and (2) the great, (3) the rich and (4) the poor, and (5) the freeman and(6)the slave.

Since God’s sacred number is seven, “a trinity of sevens” (777) symbolically represents the triune God. Likewise, “a trinity of sixes” (666) represents man’s attempt to be the god of his own life, to usurp the rightful place of the true God.

In the story of the Garden of Eden in the Book of Genesis, Satan tempted Adam and Eve by telling them that if they rebelled against Jehovah they would be “like God.” The number 666 represents man in his rebellion against his Creator, mankind seeking to be its own god.

This answer, perhaps, is so evident that many have missed it. Book of Revelation 13:18 tells us plainly, “the number is that of man.” Many people have spent a lot of time trying to identify a man as the beast, but the text tells us that 666 is the number of man, in the sense of “mankind” or “humanity.”

“666” is mankind in rebellion against God, while attempting to live in, understand, and interpret the world with no reference to the Creator. It is humanity ignoring the evidence that God is here, there, and everywhere.

Mankind is very interested that there be no God — at least not a God like the one in the Bible. Man follows his ancient father Adam in going his own way, defying God in an insurrection of conceit and pride. Thus rebellious, autonomous man is the beast, and his number is 666!

Conclusion

1.The Book of Revelation, as apocalyptic literature, is full of numerologicalsymbolism. A careful reading of the book and an understanding of the Biblical use of numbers help not only to understand the meaning of particular numbers but also of the overall meaning of Book of Revelation.

2.God is sovereign. Mankind is in rebellion against its true King. But God has wooed some of the rebels back into faithful service to Him and His Kingdom. Although oftenpersecuted and experiencing tribulation in this world, servants of the King must bearup with hope and cheer, for our Lord has overcome the world.

More Than Conquerors, pp. 13 – 59
Keys that Unlock Revelation, Part 1 – randypope.org/revelation1
Keys that Unlock Revelation, Part 2 – randypope.org/revelation2
Keys that Unlock Revelation, Part 3 – randypope.org/revelation3

1. The Book Of Revelation Consists Of Seven Parallel Sections, Which Span The Time From The First Coming To The Second Coming Of Christ.

2. The First Three Sections (Ch.1-11) Reveal The Conflict Between The Church And The World, With The Persecuted Church Being Avenged, Protected And Victorious. The Last Four Sections (Ch.12-22) Reveal The Same Events Viewed From A Backstage Perspective, With The Dragon Warring Against Christ And His Church Who Remain Victorious.

3. The Seven Sections Are Arranged With Each Section Emphasizing A Different Reality And Done So In A Progressive Climactic Order (I.E. The New Heaven And Earth Are More Fully Described In The Final Section Than In The Six Which Precede It).

4. Symbolic Pictures Are Used Throughout The Book To Convey Deeper Realities Than Mere Words Can Describe. Details That Pertain To These Pictures Should Always Be Interpreted In Harmony With The Central Thought, Focusing On The Prominent Idea, Never On The Details Themselves.

5. The Various Symbols That Are Used (I.E. Seals, Trumpets, Bowls Of Wrath, Etc.) Do Not Refer To Specific Singular Events In History, But Rather To Human Conduct And Divine Dealings Operating Throughout The History Of The Church.

6. Revelation Is Rooted In Contemporaneous Events And Circumstances And Therefore, As All Books Of The Bible, Must Be Interpreted In Light Of The Conditions Prevailing When The Book Was Written.

7. The Revelation Is Rooted In The Scriptures And Must Be Interpreted In Light Of The Entire Bible.

8. The “Last Days” Are To Be Viewed As Beginning At The Resurrection And Ascension Of Christ With Only One Future Coming Of Christ (And That Taking Place At The Same Time As The Rapture And Final Judgment).

9. The Millennium Is To Be Understood As The Period Of Time Between The Resurrection, Ascension, And Seating Of Christ And The Return Of Christ At The End Of The World.

10. The Tribulation Is A Term Used Throughout Scripture To Describe The Hardship Faced By Christians And The Church From The First Coming To The Second Coming Of Christ—Not A Future Seven-Year Period Inclusive Of An Individual, Satanically-Empowered Antichrist.

More Than Conquerors (MTC), pp. 13 – 59

1. The Conflict Between the Church and the World
(With the Persecuted Church Being Avenged, Protected and Victorious)
Revelation 1-11, Messages 4-12, pp. 60-149 MTC

SECTION 1
AN INTRODUCTION TO THE REVELATION pp. 60-69 MTC
Laying A Foundation for the Revelation
Revelation 1
An Introduction to the Revelation, Part 1 – Rev. 1:1-8 – randypope.org/revelation4
An Introduction to the Revelation, Part 2 – Rev. 1:4b-20 – randypope.org/revelation5

THE LAMPSTANDS pp. 70-92 MTC
Epistles to the Seven Churches
Revelation 2-3
Return to Your First Love – Rev. 2:1-7 (A.J. Sherrill) – randypope.org/revelation6
Putting Problems into Perspective – Rev. 2:8-11 – randypope.org/revelation7
Retribution or Reward – Rev. 2:1-17 – randypope.org/revelation8
The Reason to Fear, Repent, Rejoice, and Be Comforted – Rev. 2:18-29 (Bob Cargo)
– randypope.org/revelation9
Reputation vs. Reality (Whose Name Are You Exalting?) – Rev. 3:1-6 (Bob Cargo)
– randypope.org/revelation10
Great Expectations – Rev. 3:7-13 – randypope.org/revelation11
The Most Desperate Condition of All – Rev. 3:14-22 – randypope.org/revelation12

SECTION 2
THE THRONE AND THE SCROLL pp. 93-106.1 MTC
God has a Plan and is in Control
Revelation 4-5
The Throne – Rev. 4:1-5:4 – randypope.org/revelation13
The Scroll – Rev. 4-5 – randypope.org/revelation14

THE SEALS
God is Executing His Plan pp. 106-128 MTC
Revelation 6-7
The Seals – Rev. 6-7 – randypope.org/revelation15

SECTION 3
THE TRUMPETS pp. 129-149 MTC
God is Warning Those Who Reject His Plan
Revelation 8-11
The Trumpets, Part 1 – Rev. 8-11 – randypope.org/revelation16
The Trumpets, Part 2 – Rev. 8-11 – randypope.org/revelation17

2. The Conflict Between Christ and the Dragon
(With Church Emerging Victorious)
Revelation 12-22, Messages 18-23, pp. 150-229

SECTION 4
THE BEAST, THE FALSE PROPHET AND THE GREAT HARLOT pp. 150-173 MTC
Satan Has Three Allies Who Are Seeking To Thwart God’s Plan
Revelation 12-14
The Beast, the False Prophet, and the Great Harlot – Rev. 12-14
– randypope.org/revelation18

SECTION 5
THE BOWLS pp. 174-182 MTC
God is Enacting Judgment Against Those Who Reject His Plan
Revelation 15-16
The Bowls – Rev. 15-16 – randypope.org/revelation19

SECTION 6
THE DEMISE OF THE THREE ALLIES pp. 183-201 MTC
The Harlot, The Beast & The False Prophet Are Defeated
Revelation 17-19
The Harlot’s Demise – Rev. 17-18 – randypope.org/revelation20
The Beast’s and False Prophet’s Demise – Rev. 19 – randypope.org/revelation21

SECTION 7
THE END pp. 202-217.5 MTC
The Conclusion of God’s Plan Finally Arrives
Revelation 20
The End – Rev. 20 – randypope.org/revelation22

THE NEW HEAVEN AND EARTH pp. 217.5-229 MTC
Christians Enjoy the Eternal Benefits of God’s Plan
Revelation 21-22
New Heaven, Earth and Jerusalem – Rev. 21-22 – randypope.org/revelation23

1. The Conflict Between the Church and the World
(With the Persecuted Church Being Avenged, Protected and Victorious)
Revelation 12-22, Messages 4-12

SECTION 1
AN INTRODUCTION TO THE REVELATION pp. 60-69 MTC
Laying A Foundation for the Revelation
Revelation 1
An Introduction to the Revelation, Part 1 – Rev. 1:1-8 – randypope.org/revelation4
An Introduction to the Revelation, Part 2 – Rev. 1:4b-20 – randypope.org/revelation5

The Background – vs. 1-2

The Beatitude – vs. 3

1. The Initial Preparations For The Revelation. 1:1-8
1.1 Adoration Is Given To The Triune God. vs. 4-6
1.1.1 To The Father – The Provider Of Grace And Peace. vs. 4a
1.1.2 To The Spirit – The Dispenser of Grace And Peace. vs. 4b
1.1.3 To The Son – The Meritor Of Grace And Peace. vs. 5-6
1.2 Announcement Is Made Of The Second Coming. vs. 7
1.2.1 The Appearance.
1.2.2 The Audience.
1.2.3 The Anguish.
1.3 Acclaim Is Voiced By The Lord Jesus. vs. 8
1.3.1 His Priority
1.3.2 His Performance
1.3.3 His Power
2. The Final Preparation For The Revelation. 1:9-20
2.1 The Commission Is Given To John. vs. 9-11
2.1.1 The Circumstances Of The Commission. vs. 9-10
2.1.2 The Content Of The Commission. vs. 11
2.2 The Christ Is Standing Before John. vs. 12-16
2.2.1 The Voice. vs. 12
2.2.2 The Vision. vs. 13-16
2.3 The Comfort Received By John. vs. 17-20
2.3.1 The Response Displayed By John. vs. 17a
2.3.2 The Reassurance Given By John. vs. 17b-18
2.3.3 The Responsibility Left With John. vs. 19-20

THE LAMPSTANDS pp. 70-92 MTC
Epistles to the Seven Churches
Revelation 2-3
Return to Your First Love – Rev. 2:1-7 (A.J. Sherrill) – randypope.org/revelation6
1. The Lampstand At Ephesus. 2:1-7
1.1 The Lord’s Evaluation Of The Church At Ephesus. vs. 2-4, 6
1.1.1 His Praise For Them. vs. 2-3, 5b-6
1.1.2 His Problem With Them. vs. 4
1.1.3 His Warning To Them. vs. 5b
1.2 The Lord’s Exhortation To The Church At Ephesus. vs. 5b, 7
1.2.1 He Offers A Remedy. vs. 5
1.2.2 He Makes A Request. vs. 7a
1.2.3 He Promises A Reward. vs. 7b

Putting Problems into Perspective – Rev. 2:8-11 – randypope.org/revelation7
2. The Lampstand At Smyrna. 2:8-11
2.1 The Problems Faced In The Church At Smyrna. vs. 9
2.1.1 Tribulation
2.1.2 Poverty
2.1.3 The Blasphemy Of Liars
2.2 The Prediction Made About The Church At Smyrna. vs. 10a
2.2.1 Further Imprisonment Of Believers.
2.2.2 Ten Days Of Tribulation
2.2.3 Suffering To The Point Of Death
2.3 The Promise Given To The Church At Smyrna. vs. 10b-11
2.3.1 A Future Crown Of Life
2.3.2 Freedom From The Second Death

Retribution or Reward – Rev. 2:1-17 – randypope.org/revelation8
3. The Lampstand At Pergamum. 2:12-17
3.1 Denial Of Christ Was Resisted. vs. 12-13
3.1.1 The Residence Of These Believers.
3.1.2 The Resistance Of These Believers.
3.2 Discipline To The Disobedient Was Neglected. vs. 14-15
3.2.1 To Those Holding The Teaching Of Balaam
3.2.2 To Those Holding The Teaching Of The Nocolaitans
3.3 Danger To The Disobedient Was Imminent. vs. 16
3.3.1 The Need For Repentance
3.3.2 The Surety Of Retribution
3.4 Diligence By The Faithful Is Rewarded. vs. 17
3.4.1 With Hidden Manna
3.4.2 With A White Stone With A New Name

The Reason to Fear, Repent, Rejoice, and Be Comforted – Rev. 2:18-29 (Bob Cargo)
– randypope.org/revelation9
4. The Lampstand At Thyatira. 2:18-29
4.1 They Were A People Of Compromise. vs. 18-23
4.1.1 The People’s Character. vs. 19
4.1.2 The People’s Compromise. vs. 20
4.1.3 The People’s Cost. vs. 21-23
4.2 They Are Challenged Not To Compromise. vs. 24-29
4.2.1 The Burden Of Choosing Not To Compromise. vs. 24-25
4.2.2 The Blessedness Of Choosing Not To Compromise. vs. 26-29

Reputation vs. Reality (Whose Name Are You Exalting?) – Rev. 3:1-6 (Bob Cargo)
– randypope.org/revelation10
5. The Lampstand At Sardis. 3:1-6
5.1 The Reason Is Given For Their Undeserved Reputation. vs. 1
5.1.1 They Had Not Been Alert.
5.1.2 They Were Alive In Appearance But Dead In Reality.
5.2 The Remedy Is Given For Their Undeserved Reputation. vs. 2-3
5.2.1 Redeem What Remains
5.2.2 Remember What Was Received And Heard
5.2.3 Repent For What Is Wrong
5.3 The Reward Is Explained For Avoiding An Undeserved Reputation.vs. 4-6
5.3.1 To Walk With Christ In White
5.3.2 To Be Left In The Book Of Life
5.3.3 To Be Confessed Before God And His Angels

Great Expectations – Rev. 3:7-13 – randypope.org/revelation11
6. The Lampstand At Philadelphia. 3:7-12
6.1 Faithfulness Assures Purpose From Opened Doors. vs. 7-8
6.2 Faithfulness Assures Prestige In A Godless World. vs. 9
6.3 Faithfulness Assures Protection From The Hour Of Testing. vs. 10
6.4 Faithfulness Assures The Permanence Of An Eternal Crown And A
Heavenly Dwelling. vs. 11-12a
6.5 Faithfulness Assures The Privileges Of An Eternal Citizenship. vs. 12b

The Most Desperate Condition of All – Rev. 3:14-22 – randypope.org/revelation12
7. The Lampstand At Laodicea. 3:14-21
7.1 Their Sin Was Lukewarm Complacency. vs. 14-17
7.1.1 The Condition. vs. 15
7.1.2 The Consequence. vs. 16
7.1.3 The Cause. vs. 17
7.2 A Solution Is Given To Their Lukewarm Complacency. vs. 18
7.2.1 The Purchase Of Gold
7.2.2 The Purchase Of Garments
7.2.3 The Purchase Of Eyesalve
7.3 The Sacrifices Of Lukewarm Complacency Are Explained. vs. 19-21
7.3.1 One Suffers Being Disciplined By Christ. vs. 19
7.3.2 One Misses Having Dinner With Christ. vs. 20
7.3.3 One Forfeits Sharing The Dominion Of Christ. vs. 21

SECTION 2
THE THRONE AND THE SCROLL pp. 93-106.4 MTC
God Has A Plan And Is In Control
Revelation 4-5
The Throne – Rev. 4:1-5:4 – randypope.org/revelation13
The Scroll – Rev. 4-5 – randypope.org/revelation14
1. God, The Creator, Is On The Throne. Chapter 4
1.1 The King Sits On The Throne. vs. 2-3
1.1.1 His Request. vs. 1
1.1.2 His Radiance. vs. 2-3a
1.1.3 His Rainbow. vs. 3b
1.2 There Is A Court Before The Throne. vs. 4-7
1.2.1 The Twenty-four Elders. vs. 4
1.2.2 The Seven Spirits. vs. 5
1.2.3 The Sea Of Glass. vs. 6a
1.2.4 The Four Living Creatures. vs. 6b-7
1.3 Believers Cast Their Crowns Before The Throne. vs. 8-11
1.3.1 The Cherubim’s Worship. vs. 8
1.3.2 The Church’s Worship. vs. 9-11
2. Christ, The Redeemer, Co-occupies The Throne. Chapter 5
2.1 John Weeps In Anguish Because The Book Is Sealed And No One Is Worthy To                Open It. vs. 1-4
2.1.1 The Book Is Sealed Closed. vs. 1
2.1.2 No One Is Worthy To Open The Book. vs. 2-4
2.2 It Is Announced That The Lamb Has The Ability To Open The Book And
That The Lamb Is Prepared To Open It. vs. 5-7
2.2.1 The Announcement Of The Lion’s Ability To Open The Book. vs. 5
2.2.2 The Appearance Of The Lamb Prepared To Open The Book. vs. 6
2.2.3 The Approach Of The Lamb In Order To Take The Book. vs. 7
2.3 The One Who Opens The Book Is Worshipped By All Creation. vs. 8-14
2.3.1 He Is Worshipped By The Four Living Creatures And The Twenty-
four Elders. vs. 8-10
2.3.2 He Is Worshipped By The Myriads Of Angels. vs. 11-12
2.3.3 He Is Worshipped By The Whole Of Creation. vs. 13-14

THE SEALS pp. 106.4-128 MTC
God Is Executing His Plan
Revelation 6-7
The Seals – Rev. 6-7 – randypope.org/revelation15
1. The Opening Of The First Seal. 6:1-2
1.1 The White Horse – Christ
2. The Opening Of The Second Seal. 6:3-4
2.1 The Red Horse – Religious Persecution
3. The Opening Of The Third Seal. 6:5-6
3.1 The Black Horse – Economic Hardship
4. The Opening Of The Fourth Seal. 6:7-8
4.1 The Ashen Horse – Death
5. The Opening Of The Fifth Seal. 6:9-11
5.1 Christian Martyrdom
6. The Opening Of The Sixth Seal. 6:12-17
6.1 The Judgment

(The Righteous Can Expect To Remain Triumphant. Chapter 7)
The Sealing Of The Saints. vs. 1-8
The Glory Of The Saints. vs. 9-17
7. The Opening Of The Seventh Seal. 8:1
7.1 Eternal Peace

SECTION 3
THE TRUMPETS pp. 129-149 MTC
God Is Warning Those Who Reject His Plan
Revelation 8-11
The Trumpets, Part 1 – Rev. 8-11 – randypope.org/revelation16
The Trumpets, Part 2 – Rev. 8-11 – randypope.org/revelation17
Preparation For The Trumpets. 8:2-6

1. The Four Trumpets Of Physical Harm. Chapter 8
1.1 The First Trumpet – Land Calamities. vs. 7
1.2 The Second Trumpet – Sea Calamities. vs. 8-9
1.3 The Third Trumpet – Land Water Calamities. vs. 10-11
1.4 The Fourth Trumpet – Weather Calamities. vs. 12-13

2. The Three Trumpets Of Intense Anguish. Chapter 9
2.1 The Fifth Trumpet – Satan’s Non-Fatal Attacks. vs. 1-12
2.2 The Sixth Trumpet – Satan’s Fatal Attacks. vs. 13-21

(A Parenthetical Look At The Church. 10:1 – 11:14)
1) The Commission And Witness Of The Church. 10:1 – 11:6
1.1) The Description Of The Strong Angel. vs. 1-3
1.2) The Forbiddance To Write The Seven Peals Of Thunder. vs. 4
1.3) The Promise Of An Immediate Seventh Trumpet. vs. 5-7
1.4) The Eating Of The Little Book. vs. 8-11
1.5) The Measuring Of The Temple, Altar And People. vs. 11:1-2
1.6) The Authority Of The Two Witnesses. vs. 11:2-6
2) The Suffering And Defeat Of The Church. 11:7-10
2.1) The Temporary Victory Of The Unrighteous. vs. 7
2.2) The Indignity Of The Unrighteous. vs. 8-9
2.3) The Celebration Of The Unrighteous. vs. 10
3) The Deliverance And Victory Of The Church. 11:11-14
3.1) The Renewal Of The Church. vs. 11
3.2) The Rapture Of The Church. vs. 12-14

     2.3 The Seventh Trumpet – The Final Judgment. 11:15-19

2. The Conflict Between Christ and the Dragon
(With Church Emerging Victorious)
Rev 12-22, Messages 18-23, pp. 150-119

SECTION 4
THE BEAST, THE FALSE PROPHET AND THE GREAT HARLOT pp. 150-173
Satan Has Three Allies Who Are Seeking To Thwart God’s Plan
The Beast, the False Prophet, and the Great Harlot – Rev. 12-14
– randypope.org/revelation18

Revelation 12-14
1.  Satan’s Attacks. Chapter 12
1.1 Satan’s Attack Against Christ. 12:1-12
1.1.1 The Plan Is Thwarted. vs. 1-6
1.1.2 The War That Follows. vs. 7-9
1.1.3 The Victory That Results. vs. 10-12
1.2 Satan’s Attack Against The Church. 12:13-16
1.2.1 The 1st Unsuccessful Attempt. vs. 13-14
1.2.2 The 2nd Unsuccessful Attempt. vs. 15-16
1.3. Satan’s Attack Against The Christian. 12:17
1.3.1 Satan’s Anger. vs. 17a
1.3.2 Satan’s Target. vs. 17b
2.  Satan’s Allies. Chapter 13
2.1 The Beast Of The Sea. vs. 1-10
2.1.1 The Honor Ascribed To The Beast. vs. 1-3a
2.1.2 The Homage Paid To The Beast. vs. 3b-4, 8
2.1.3 The Hostility Demonstrated By The Beast. vs. 5-7
2.1.4 The Hardship Predicted For The Believer. vs. 9-10
2.2 The Beast Of The Earth. vs. 11-18
2.2.1 The Appearance Of The Beast. vs. 11
2.2.2 The Activities Of The Beast. vs. 12-17
2.2.3 The Arithmetical Name Of The Beast. vs. 18
3.  A Heavenly Perspective. Chapter 14
3.1 The Lamb Stands In Heaven. vs. 1-5
3.1.1 The Appearance Of The Lamb. vs. 1
3.1.2 The Activities Of Heaven. vs. 2-3
3.1.3 The Attributes Of The Redeemed. vs. 4-5
3.2 The Angels Appear As Heralds. vs. 6-13
3.2.1 To Proclaim The Urgency Of Obedience. vs. 6-7
3.2.2 To Proclaim The Futility Of The World. vs. 8
3.2.3 To Proclaim The Consequence Of Disobedience. vs. 9-13
3.3 The Reapers Prepare For The Harvest. vs. 14-20
3.3.1 The Harvest That Receives God’s Reward. vs. 14-16
3.3.2 The Harvest That Receives God’s Wrath. vs. 17-20

SECTION 5
THE BOWLS pp. 174-182 MTC
God Is Enacting Judgment Against Those Who Reject His Plan
Revelation 15-16
The Bowls – Rev. 15-16 – randypope.org/revelation19
1.  The Praise Of Heaven. 15:1-4
1.1 The Angels Holding The Seven Plagues. vs. 1
1.2 The Victorious Saints Standing On The Sea Of Glass. vs. 2
1.3 The Song Sung To Almighty God. vs. 3-4
2.  The Preparing Of The Bowls. 15:5-16:1
2.1 The Opening Of The Temple. vs. 5-7
2.2 The Filling Of The Temple. vs. 8
2.3 The Command From The Temple. vs. 16:1
3.  The Pouring Of The Bowls. 16:2-21
3.1 The First Bowl – Incurable Diseases. vs. 2
3.2 The Second Bowl – Maritime Calamities. vs. 3
3.3 The Third Bowl – River Accidents. vs. 4
(Declaration Of God’s Righteousness In Judgment. vs. 5-7)
3.4 The Fourth Bowl – Fire Disasters. vs. 8-9
3.5 The Fifth Bowl – Death By Governmental Collapse. vs. 10-11
3.6 The Sixth Bowl – The Battle Of Armageddon. vs. 12-16
3.7 The Seventh Bowl – The Final Judgment. vs. 17-21

SECTION 6
THE DEMISE OF THE THREE ALLIES pp. 183-201, MTC
The Harlot, The Beast & The False Prophet Are Defeated
Revelation 17-19
The Harlot’s Demise – Rev. 17-18 – randypope.org/revelation20
1. The Harlot’s Demise. 17-18
1.1 The Vision Of The Beast And The Harlot. 17:1-6
1.1.1 The Invitation To See The Vision. vs. 1-2
1.1.2 The Description Of The Vision. vs. 3-6
1.2 The Interpretation Of The Vision. 17:7-15
1.2.1 The History Of The Beast. vs. 7-8
1.2.2 The Seven Heads. vs. 9-11
1.2.3 The Ten Horns. vs. 12-14
1.2.4 The Many Waters. vs. 15
1.3 The Downfall Of The Harlot. 17:15-18:23
1.3.1 The Description Of The Harlot’s Fall. vs. 15-18
• The Friends That Turn Into Enemies. vs. 15-16
• The Hand That Engineers The Event. vs. 17-18
1.3.2 The Certainty Of The Harlot’s Fall. vs. 1-8
• The Reasons For This Certainty. vs. 1-3
• The Implications For Believers. vs. 4-8
1.3.3 The Lamenting Over The Harlot’s Fall. vs. 9-20
• The Lamenting Of The Kings. vs. 9-10
• The Lamenting Of The Merchants. vs. 11-20
1.3.4 The Permanence Of The Harlot’s Fall. vs. 21-23
• The Harlot Will Be Nor More. vs. 21
• Musicians Will Be No More. vs. 22a
• Craftsmen And Mills Will Be No More. vs. 22b
• The Lamp’s Light Will Be No More. vs. 23a
• The Voice Of The Bride And Bridegroom Will Be No More. vs. 23b
1.4 The Autopsy Of The Harlot. 18:24

The Beast’s and False Prophet’s Demise – Rev. 19 – randypope.org/revelation21
2. The Beast’s And False Prophet’s Demise. Chapter 19
2.1 The Marriage Celebration Is Begun. 19:1-10
2.1.1 The Celebration Of God’s Victory. vs. 1-6
2.1.2 The Cause For Celebration. vs. 7-9
2.1.3 The Caution While Celebrating. vs. 10
2.2 The Groom Arrives For His Bride. 19:11-16
2.2.1 His Character. vs. 11-12
2.2.2 His Clothing. vs. 13
2.2.3 His Companions. vs. 14
2.2.4 His Commission. vs. 15
2.2.5 His Claim. vs. 16
2.3 The Enemies Of The Bride Are Silenced. 19:17-21
2.3.1 Preparations For The Slaughter. vs. 17-18
2.3.2 The Assembling Of The Enemies. vs. 19
2.3.3 The Slaying Of The Beast And The False Prophet.

SECTION 7
THE END pp. 202-217.5 MTC
The Conclusion Of God’s Plan Finally Arrives
Revelation 20
The End – Rev. 20 – randypope.org/revelation22
1. Satan Is Bound For A Thousand Years. 20:1-3
2. Deceased Believers Reign In Heaven Following The First Resurrection. 20:4-6
3. Satan Is Released From Prison And Deceives All The Nations. 20:7-8
4. Satan Is Defeated By God At The Battle Of Armageddon. 20:9
5. Satan Is Eternally Tormented In The Lake Of Fire And Brimstone. 20:10
6. The Rapture And The Resurrection Of The Dead Are Followed By The Great
White Throne Judgment. 20:11-13
7. Those Not Found In The Book Of Life Are Eternally Punished While Those
Included In The Book Are Eternally Blessed. 20:14-15

THE NEW HEAVEN AND EARTH   pp. 217.5-229 MTC
Christians Enjoy The Eternal Benefits Of God’s Plan
Revelation 21-22
New Heaven, Earth and Jerusalem – Rev. 21-22 – randypope.org/revelation23
1. Questions And Answers About The New Heaven And Earth. 21:1-8
1.1 What And Where Is The New Heaven And Earth? vs. 1
1.2 What Will The New Heaven And Earth Look Like? vs. 2
1.3 What Will We Do In The New Heaven And Earth? vs. 3
1.4 What Other Benefits Are There To Be Experienced In The New Heaven
And Earth? vs. 4
1.5 What Is Required For A Person To Gain Access Into The New Heaven
And Earth? vs. 5-7
1.6 What If Someone Isn’t Allowed Into The New Heaven And Earth? vs. 8
2. An Invitation To Tour New Jerusalem. 21:9-10

3. The Tour Begins. 21:11–22:5
3.1 General Characteristics Of The City. vs. 11
3.2 The City’s Great Walls And Gates. vs. 12-14
3.3 The City’s Boundary Dimensions. vs. 15-17
3.4 The City’s Construction Materials. vs. 18-21
3.5 The City’s Temple And Illumination. vs. 21:22-24, 22:5
3.6 The City’s Entrance Procedure. vs. 25-27
3.7 The City’s Great Garden. vs. 1-2
3.8 The City’s Throne. vs. 3-4

A FINAL WORD
Revelation 22:6-21
(No Message available)
1. The Testimony Of Seven Witnesses. 22:6-17
1.1 The Testimony Of The Father. vs. 6-7
1.2 The Testimony Of John. vs. 8
1.3 The Testimony Of The Angel. vs. 9-11
1.4 The Testimony Of Jesus. vs. 12-16
1.5 The Testimony Of The Spirit. vs. 17
1.6 The Testimony Of The Bride. vs. 17
1.7 The Testimony Of The One Who Hears. vs. 17
2. The Seriousness Of The Final Warning. 22:18-19
2.1 Not To Add To The Prophecy. vs. 18
2.2 Not To Take Away From The Prophecy. vs. 19
3. The Implications Of The Last Word. 22:20
3.1 The Promise Of Christ To Return.
3.2 The Place For Christ To Return.