End Times Timeline CCC August 30, 2020 Visuals – Across the stage signage. Four signs representing each age. Three cutouts – One of Rapture, one of Second Coming, one of Zombie Introduction – Quick show of hands. How many people have ever found end times stuff to be Confusing? If your neighbor just raised his/her hand, say to them “I knew you were confused.” How would you like to have a quick handle on what is going to happen when Jesus comes back again? Today, I am going to try to make that happen in under 40 minutes. So lets pray. Seriously… Pray OK, so the end times are so crazy partly because of terminology. Partly because of theological positions. Partly because the Bible is crystal clear on some things – like Jesus is coming back. Unclear on other things – like what is the order of events. And downright intentionally obtuse about other things – like when the rapture will take place. So I am going to run after this with a really clear statement up front. “I might be wrong.” I know… a shocking thing for a pastor to admit. Now raise your eyebrows and turn to the person next to you and say – he might be wrong. (really, I wont do that all message). I have studied this for 30 years now and changed my mind a few times. I may change it again in five years. I may have never been right on some aspects – so I’ll do my best to share multiple views and my personal opinion… but just so you know that I know that this is complex stuff that will come down in the future – and I am approaching it all with humility – and I’ll let you know if I change my mind. Fair enough? One last disclaimer. This message is thick with content. It is more informational than inspirational. It is more likely to give you a migraine than to make you cry tears of joy. But we need to do this as it lays the groundwork for understanding everything that is to come. It is also the kind of message that is good to watch twice. I’d encourage you to re-do this later this week as you’ll be bound to catch things the second time because we are putting so many pieces together. Outline – See your guide pages70-71…Picture of the entire timeline on screen. I modified this timeline from the work of a lawyer named Robert Van Kampen. For the sake of terminology (which I’ll explain later) it is a premillennial, and pre wrath rapture view. It is a picture of the end times. So keep this open. It is likely the single diagram you will come back to the most… 1) Four big parts – If you can master these four sections, you can enter into any conversation about end times – or Eschatology – with confidence. And I want you to do that. Ready to roll? a. I have a sign for each one and I want you to imagine the stage as a timeline. And the timeline matches your handout… b. lets take them one at a time – in order of easy to hard. 2) Easy part 1 – Grace Age a. This Age is defined by Jesus first coming and his death and resurrection. Jesus crashed into this sin scarred world as a little baby. Despite the fact that he travelled only by foot, that he never wrote a book, that he never held office or commanded an army, this lone life towers as the most influential person in all of world history. We still date our checks and write our papers according to his birthday. His life splits B.C. and A.D. b. You see buildings dedicated to his worship on every corner. His values have transformed business and government and society. He is the reason that women are honored in Western Culture, that babies and children are valued, that efforts to heal the sick, love the homeless, and share with those in need are so high. c. And his kingdom is growing on this planet to billions of followers who do his bidding of right and good. It is the age of Grace. “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith.” Ephesians 2:8 d. So for now, we are Trapped between the ‘already’ of Jesus first coming and the ‘not yet of Jesus second coming. e. In between the Beauty of Eden and the beauty of the New Earth, is this sin scarred mess – being redeemed by Jesus. And he is present with us to transform this crazy planet in his name. f. And lo, I will be with you – even to the end of the age. Matthew 28:20 KJV Easy, right? 3) Easy part 2 – New Heavens New Earth a. Revelation 21-22 plus Isaiah 66 and other passages - Our ever after, our eternity. b. Not the classic picture of “Heaven” of disembodied humans with wings – floating with harps, but the reality of a new Jerusalem coming down from heaven. A place where the tree of life grows next to the river of life. A place where there is no more sickness, or dying or mourning or pain. It is a place of massive transformation. c. Everything recreated and made new. Presence of God. Beauty. Order. Abundance. d. It is our eternal final home – full of work and worship and dimensional beauty and pleasure that we cannot even fathom. “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived the things God has prepared for those who love him.” 1 Cor 2:9. 4) Hard part 1 – Millennium – Verses a. When we are talking about the millennium, we are not talking about the group of people who came of age around the year 2000… those are millennials. It is not the spaceship that Han Solo swindled in a _____ game… that is the millennium falcon. Nor are we talking about a concert arena… that is Millennium Park. The millennium is the 1000 year reign of Jesus. It is the time that he reigns over a golden era of blessing, peace and abundance here on planet earth and it is described in Revelation 20. i. Revelation 20: 1-6 20 And I saw an angel coming down out of heaven, having the key to the Abyss and holding in his hand a great chain. 2 He seized the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the devil, or Satan, and bound him for a thousand years. 3 He threw him into the Abyss, and locked and sealed it over him, to keep him from deceiving the nations anymore until the thousand years were ended. After that, he must be set free for a short time. ii. 4 I saw thrones on which were seated those who had been given authority to judge. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of their testimony about Jesus and because of the word of God. They[a] had not worshiped the beast or its image and had not received its mark on their foreheads or their hands. They came to life and reigned with Christ a thousand years. 5 (The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were ended.) This is the first resurrection. 6 Blessed and holy are those who share in the first resurrection. The second death has no power over them, but they will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with him for a thousand years. iii. Lots of OT passages relate to this moment, but in Revelation, these are the key verses. You can see some key things from these verses: It is 1000 years – maybe a literal 1000 years or 1000 years as symbolic of a very long time. Satan (the dragon) is locked up. The saints are reigning with Jesus. It is a good day for planet earth… not the best day… but a good one. Here is where it gets thick. Smart Christians disagree on where the Millennium goes in relation to the tribulation and rapture. Three big views are held… let me walk through them, but also let you know they are summarized on p. 72-73 Millennial Views. in your guide. b. PreMillennial – and diagram – please keep this up through the entire explanation i. Just the logic of Revelation – in order. It is the most straightforward view Biblically. ii. Assumes chronological. If the Tribulation is in chapter 6-18 of Revelation, and the victorious return of King Jesus is Revelation 19 and the Millennium is in chapter 20, then it just makes sense that the Tribulation/Return of Jesus is before the millennium. Thus, a premillennial perspective. Also, it assumes that today, Satan is not bound and roars around like a roaring lion seeking someone to devour. iii. Some people match this up with a glorious return of Israel -Jesus ruling from Jerusalem, the peace of the middle east, blooming of the desert, and return of the people of God to Israel. The Old testament passage blow this up big. iv. The premillennial position is the position that I hold personally. It is also the position of the Christian and Missionary Alliance. Every pastor and elder of this church has signed off on a statement that includes this point. v. However, it is not the only orthodox Christian viewpoint. I’ll tell you the other views just for your information. c. Post Millennial – and diagram i. Assumes not chronological.