Outline of “The End Times; Are We There Yet?”
I. Introduction
This study is designed to lay out the order of events leading to the Tribulation, the 2nd coming, the Millennium, and the New Heaven and New Earth. I don’t intend to go into great detail explaining all the events of the end times, I just want to offer a timetable of events based on Scripture.
Well, you might wonder why am I doing this now. I’ve been the pastor of Parkview Baptist Church for 18 years, and I’ve been preaching since I was 18, and I’ve never done a study of this magnitude about the end times. So, why now? I’m doing it now because it seems like events, structures and attitudes are present now that lay the framework for the end-times. What are those events, structures and attitudes?
Well I thought about introducing this study with a list of current news events that parallel the state of the world we are living in today. I could talk about the violence in the streets, and the anti-Christian sentiment and values that are sweeping across our nation and into our government. Or I could talk about Israel as a nation, and the move toward a one world money system and government. Or I could approach it from the standpoint of earthquakes, famines, shortages and plagues.
But the problem with these things is that they lead up to the end, they intensify or become more frequent the closer we get to the end. But how can we look at them and say when the end will come? I want to be able to say to you that when such and such sign happens you know that the end times has begun.
The things I mentioned are birth pains. And birth pains can’t tell us when the last 7 years of man’s history will begin. Think about it like this. A woman is pregnant. She has birth pains. She wants to know when the baby is coming. Now she consults the doctor, and the doctor can give her an approximate due date. And depending on circumstances, that prediction can be pretty accurate. A pregnancy lasts 9 months, or about 40 weeks. But when it comes to the end times, we weren’t told that the Tribulation, or birth would start in 9 months, 9 years, 900 or 9000 years after Jesus ascended. We know how long a pregnancy lasts, but we don’t know how long our current history will last.
So, we are told to watch the birth pains. But again, a pregnant woman is told by the doctor that as she gets closer to the birth, the birth pains get closer together. In fact, he will tell her that when the pains get 3 to 5 minutes apart, she needs to get to the hospital. But we’re not told that with the birth pains leading to the end times. We don’t know how much famine and earthquakes mean that the last 7 years are upon us. For example, Jesus said that there would be earthquakes in divers places. Earthquakes will be more frequent. But how much more frequent? An earthquake every month? Every week? Every day? How do we know how close together the earthquakes will be when the end has come, the last seven years of history has begun.
So, we can’t know when the end is upon us based on bad things happening more frequently. Because we don’t know how bad it will get just before the end.
But Jesus told us to watch for signs that the end has come.
So, what is the sign that it starts? There is one sign that we can look for. The rise of the antichrist.
When Paul wrote his first letter to the church in Thessalonica, he responded to a doctrinal question that the people of that church were having. The chief issue was this; someone was saying that Jesus had already returned. The Second Coming had already occurred, Christ had raptured the faithful, and they were left behind. And Paul responds by telling them that “the Day of Christ” cannot have already come, because there is one sign that hadn’t happened yet. Look at what he said,
2 Thessalonians 2: Now, brothers, concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to him, we ask you 2 not to be quickly shaken in your mind, and not be troubled, either by spirit, or by word, or by letter as if from us, saying that the day of Christ has already come. 3 Let no one deceive you in any way. For it will not be, unless the rebellion[a] comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of destruction,
Paul says, “Jesus hasn’t returned yet, because the antichrist hasn’t been revealed yet.”
You might ask, “Did the church in Thessalonica know about the antichrist?” Yes, apparently Paul taught them about the antichrist from the Old Testament Scriptures. Look at the prophet Daniel’s description of the antichrist.
Daniel 7: 7 “After this I saw in the night visions, and, behold, there was a fourth animal, awesome and powerful, and exceedingly strong. It had great iron teeth. It devoured and broke in pieces, and stamped the residue with its feet. It was different from all the animals that were before it. It had ten horns. 8 “I considered the horns, and behold, there came up among them another horn, a little one, before which three of the first horns were plucked up by the roots: and behold, in this horn were eyes like the eyes of a man, and a mouth speaking great things.
This was a part of a vision given to Daniel about the coming kingdoms of the world. And this part is about the last kingdom that has power during the Tribulation. Daniel elaborates further in chapter 8.
Daniel 8:9-12 9 Out of one of them came out a little horn, which grew exceedingly great, toward the south, and toward the east, and toward the glorious land. 10 It grew great, even to the army of the sky; and it cast down some of the army and of the stars to the ground, and trampled on them. 11 Yes, it magnified itself, even to the prince of the army; and it took away from him the continual burnt offering, and the place of his sanctuary was cast down. 12 The army was given over to it together with the continual burnt offering through disobedience. It cast down truth to the ground, and it did its pleasure and prospered.
This indicates that this last world power, headed by the antichrist will wage war against Israel, and invade Jerusalem. Daniel 9 goes on to say that he will make a peace accord for 7 years, but after 3 ½ years he will break his accord with Israel and stop their newly revived sacrificial system.
Daniel 9:26b The people of the prince who come will destroy the city and the sanctuary. Its end will be with a flood, and war will be even to the end. Desolations are determined. 27 He will make a firm covenant with many for one week. In the middle of the week he will cause the sacrifice and the offering to cease. On the wing of abominations will come one who makes desolate; and even to the full end, and that determined, wrath will be poured out on the desolate.”
The story continues in Daniel 11.
Daniel 11: 31 “Forces will stand on his part, and they will profane the sanctuary, even the fortress, and will take away the continual burnt offering. Then they will set up the abomination that makes desolate.
36 “The king will do according to his will. He will exalt himself, and magnify himself above every god, and will speak marvelous things against the God of gods. He will prosper until the indignation is accomplished; for that which is determined will be done. 37 He won’t regard the gods of his fathers, or the desire of women, or regard any god; for he will magnify himself above all. 38 But in his place he will honor the god of fortresses. He will honor a god whom his fathers didn’t know with gold, silver, and with precious stones and pleasant things. 39 He will deal with the strongest fortresses by the help of a foreign god. He will increase with glory whoever acknowledges him. He will cause them to rule over many, and will divide the land for a price.
Finally, Daniel tells us in chapter 12 the length of time in which all of this will happen.
11 “From the time that the continual burnt offering is taken away, and the abomination that makes desolate set up, there will be one thousand two hundred ninety days.
It is from these Scripture passages that we get the timetable for the end. The Tribulation will last 7 years. You will know when it begins because of the rise of the antichrist, his 7- year peace accord, the great falling away from the faith, and the beginning of God’s judgments against the world. After this, you will see the Jewish people return to the worship of God by some form of sacrificial system. After 3 ½ years, the Great Tribulation starts. You will know it has begun because the antichrist will invade Israel, and Jerusalem. He will shut down the Jewish system of worship, and he will do something that desecrates that worship and place of worship. We learn what he does later.
So, this is what Paul shared with the church at Thessalonica. He would have also shared what Jesus said in the Olivet Discourse. Jesus also spoke of the rise of the antichrist when He mentioned the abomination of desolation in Matthew 24.
15 “When, therefore, you see the abomination of desolation, which was spoken of through Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place (let the reader understand), 16 then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains.
Paul wrote more in his 2nd letter to the church in Thessalonica.
2 Thessalonians 2: 6 Now you know what is restraining him, to the end that he may be revealed in his own season. 7 For the mystery of lawlessness already works. Only there is one who restrains now, until he is taken out of the way. 8 Then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord will kill with the breath of his mouth, and destroy by the manifestation of his coming; 9 even he whose coming is according to the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders, 10 and with all deception of wickedness for those who are being lost, because they didn’t receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved.
Paul tells this church, the Day of Christ hasn’t happened yet, because the antichrist is not revealed yet. That ‘s the one sign we can look for that the end has come, the last 7 years have begun. John later elaborates more on the antichrist in Revelation 13.
Revelation 13: Then I stood on the sand of the sea. I saw a beast coming up out of the sea, having ten horns and seven heads. On his horns were ten crowns, and on his heads, blasphemous names. 2 The beast which I saw was like a leopard, and his feet were like those of a bear, and his mouth like the mouth of a lion. The dragon gave him his power, his throne, and great authority. 3 One of his heads looked like it had been wounded fatally. His fatal wound was healed, and the whole earth marveled at the beast. 4 They worshiped the dragon, because he gave his authority to the beast, and they worshiped the beast, saying, “Who is like the beast? Who is able to make war with him?” 5 A mouth speaking great things and blasphemy was given to him. Authority to make war for forty-two months was given to him. 6 He opened his mouth for blasphemy against God, to blaspheme his name, and his dwelling, those who dwell in heaven. 7 It was given to him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them. Authority over every tribe, people, language, and nation was given to him. 8 All who dwell on the earth will worship him, everyone whose name has not been written from the foundation of the world in the book of life of the Lamb who has been killed.
So, the rise of the antichrist is the one firm sign that the end has come. Nothing else is positive proof.
So, back to our original question; what makes me think that the end is near? I think the stage is set for the rise of the antichrist.
Now, I could go into a lot of detail here, but let me sum up what I see in comparison to the rise of another “antichrist” with whom we are familiar; Hitler. Hitler is the closest thing in our time to what the final antichrist will be. He was a megalomaniac. He had an almost demonic sway over the people of Germany. He tried to exterminate all the Jews. He stood against Christianity. He was involved in the occult. And, for a time, he invaded and captured nations with an unearthly speed. He seemed to have been empowered by the devil himself.
So, how does that time in Germany, at the rise of Hitler, compare to our own time? Here are just a few of the things that existed in Germany before the rise of Hitler that contributed to his coming to power.
Antisemitism
Violence used as a tool
Political discontent
A younger class who are angry about injustice
Movement to seize complete power
Suppression of those who disagree
Extreme inflation
Individual rights taken
Propaganda
Control the media
Belief in evolution
We could discuss each of those in relation our own day, but I’d rather get to the point. Much of the population of Germany, and the world was duped to either follow Hitler, or turn a blind eye to him. I read this article online describing how he did it.
Hitler’s Guide to Propaganda – The Psychology of Coercion
1. Keep the dogma simple. Make only 1 or 2 points.
2. Be forthright and powerfully direct. Speak only in the telling or ordering mode.
3. As much as possible, reduce concepts down into stereotypes which are black and white.
4. Speak to people’s emotions and stir them constantly.
5. Use lots of repetition; repeat your points over and over again.
6. Forget literary beauty, scientific reasoning, balance, or novelty.
7. Focus solely on convincing people and creating zealots.
8. Find slogans which can be used to drive the movement forward.
The long and short of it is that I notice in our nation, and in the world a growing number of people who are like those who blindly followed Hitler. Anti-Christian, and antisemitic sentiments are on the rise. Young people are angry at their elders and call for revolution. Many people are willing to gain power by any means necessary. Lies are everywhere. Propaganda is everywhere.
So, are we getting close to that time? Do the trends and events of the last few years, or months, tell us that the end is near?
I don’t know about you, but I am alarmed at where our country is going. Or, I should say, I have been concerned for years, and now I am alarmed at how quickly things are moving away from Biblical foundations. And not only are things moving away from those foundations, they are moving toward things that parallel the prophecies of the Biblical Apocalypse.
How have we done so? By slowly rejecting God’s standards, and agreeing with the world’s standards.
2 Timothy 3: 3 But know this, that in the last days [a]perilous times will come: 2 For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, 3 unloving, [b]unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, 4 traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, 5 having a form of godliness but denying its power.
2 Peter 3: 3 knowing this first: that scoffers will come in the last days, walking according to their own lusts, 4 and saying, “Where is the promise of His coming? For since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of creation.”
And I fear that if our economy, and the economy of the world takes a nosedive, our world will be ripe for the rise of a world leader who promises to fix it all, and will tell you who is to blame for it all.
Now, that the main reason why I decided to do an end-times study at this time. But I am not planning on doing what may be considered a typical study. I begin this study with no plans to go into great detail about every event and nuance of the last 7 years. My main concern is that we have a roadmap of events. Since I believe that Christians will go through the Tribulation, because the rapture won’t be until after the Tribulation, we need to be well-versed in the order of end-times events. We need to know what’s happening around us, so that our faith is not shaken by all that we see happening. You see, I wanted to create a chronology of events, sort of a list of end times events, starting at those that occur at the beginning, and describe each event, one after the other, the seal judgments, the trumpets, the bowls, the antichrist, the battle of Armageddon etc. from beginning to end.
Why should we do this? Because Jesus said that we need to watch the signs of the times.
Matthew 24:32-33 32 “Now from the fig tree learn this parable: When its branch has now become tender and produces its leaves, you know that the summer is near. 33 Even so you also, when you see all these things, know that he is near, even at the doors.
Paul also told the church at Thessalonica,
1 Thessalonians 5:3-5 3 For when they say, “Peace and safety!” then sudden destruction comes upon them, as labor pains upon a pregnant woman. And they shall not escape. 4 But you, brethren, are not in darkness, so that this Day should overtake you as a thief. 5 You are all sons of light and sons of the day. We are not of the night nor of darkness.
Well, we could spend all day talking about what is happening in the world, and how it looks like the time of the end. But let’s get on to the study itself.