Introduction to Biblical End Times, Part 1
In a previous post, we discussed 10 Things the Bible Predicts About the Future. In this post, we begin to develop the Biblical basis for these predictions. In part 1, we discuss the Kingdom of the Beast, the Antichrist, and the Tribulation.
The Kingdom of the Beast, the Antichrist, and the Tribulation
When talking about the study of Biblical end times, known as eschatology, there are many events that comprise the period of time known as the end times. Many of these events occur in close proximity to each other. In part one of our series, Introduction to Biblical End Times, we discuss three of these topics: The Kingdom of the Beast, the Antichrist, and the Tribulation.
The Kingdom of the Beast
The Kingdom of the Beast, sometimes known as the One World Order, is an authoritarian, violent regime that will rise to dominate world affairs. The Kingdom of the Beast is discussed in two places in the the Bible: first in Daniel and later in Revelation.
The Kingdom is first mentioned in Daniel chapter 2. Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon had a dream of a statue made of successive layers of material. Daniel was able to interpret the dream for the king and told him each layer of material represented a future kingdom of men. The final kingdom, represented by a layer of mixed iron and clay, would be “strong as iron, because iron breaks in pieces and subdues all things.” This final kingdom is the Kingdom of the Beast. We also learn the final kingdom will ultimately be replaced by a divine kingdom, one established by God.
Daniel returns to the Kingdom of the Beast in chapter 7. In this chapter, it is Daniel, and not Nebuchadnezzar who has a vision. In his vision, four animals, or beasts, come out of the sea. Like Nebuchadnezzar’s dream, each beast represents a kingdom of men. The fourth and final beast is the Kingdom of the Beast. Again, the fourth beast is violent and destructive, but in Daniel’s vision, we learn it will have 10 horns, representing 10 rulers. After the kingdom is established, another horn, representing another ruler, will arise and replace three of the horns. This ruler is the Antichrist.
The next place in the Bible we learn about the Kingdom of the Beast is Revelation. In chapter 13, it is now the Apostle John who has a vision of a beast coming out of the sea. Like Daniel’s beast, this beast has ten horns, but John’s beast also has seven heads. The beast is a mixture of different animals, each reflecting portions of the four beasts from Daniel’s vision. John also learns that the dragon, who is Satan, will give his power to the beast, and in return, the beast will worship the dragon.
Finally, in chapter 17, John is shown a vision of a prostitute who rides a beast. The beast seems to be the same beast from chapter 13. John learns in this vision that the beast will have portions from the past, the current and the future. This may mean the previous kingdoms from Daniel (Bablyon, Persia, Greece and Rome) may be somehow resurrected in the final kingdom. John also learns the Kingdom of the Beast will exist for only one purpose, to give power to the Antichrist.
The Antichrist
In Daniel and Revelation, the text dealing with the Antichrist is often intermingled with the text dealing with the Kingdom of the Beast. While this makes it somewhat difficult to interpret the passages, most scholars agree the Antichrist is a ruler who will arise after the Kingdom of the Beast is established. He will eliminate or kill three of the ten rulers, and seize power. He will rule in relative peace for three and a half years, then place an image of himself in the temple in Jerusalem and demand everyone worships him as a god. This act will start a three and a half-year period of persecution and death known as the great tribulation. More people will be killed during this period that in any previous time in history.
The Antichrist is introduced in Daniel and more information is given in Revelation. Since the story of the Antichrist is bound to that of the Kingdom of the Beast, most of the above passages for the Kingdom of the Beast also address the Antichrist. Additional prophecy can be found in Daniel chapter 8 in passages that begin with prophecy about an ancient king called Antiochus Epiphanes. Antiochus Epiphanes was a ruler of the Seleucid Kingdom, one of the four kingdoms that arose from the empire of Alexander the Great. Of Greek heritage, Antiochus Epiphanes was notable for persecuting the Jews and placing a statue of Zeus in God’s temple in Jerusalem, and act known as the Abomination. Antiochus Epiphanes serves as an archetype or a precursor to the Antichrist, and at a certain point, the narrative in Daniel switches from Antiochus to the future Antichrist.
The Antichrist is also discussed in 2 Thessalonians, where he is called the Man of Lawlessness. 2 Thessalonias also talks about a restrainer that holds back the forces of lawlessness, but it doesn’t tell us who or what the restrainer is.
A Covenant with Many
One of the most famous prophecies in Daniel is the 70-weeks prophecy in chapter 9. One of the verses of the prophecy states, “He will make a covenant with many for one week.” The word used for “weeks” in the prophecy is actually a term for grouping of seven, much like a dozen means 12. The “week” is widely considered to be a period of 7 years, and one interpretation is he (the Antichrist) brokers or confirms a peace treaty with Israel that brings about relative peace for three and half years. This treaty reveals the identity of the Antichrist and starts the 7-year period known as the tribulation.
The Tribulation
The 70-weeks prophecy also mentions a final 7-year period, known as the tribulation. The tribulation kicks off with the Antichrist’s ascension to power, is marked at the mid-point by the Antichrist placing an image of himself in the temple in Jerusalem, and ends with the second coming of Jesus Christ, who destroys the Kingdom of the Beast and slays the Antichrist.
The timing of the tribulation comes from Daniel and starts with the covenant of many and the revealing of the Antichrist. It is also characterized by a series of judgments that God unleashes on the world. Revelation describes three series of 7 judgements: the seal judgments, the bowel judgements, and the trumpet judgements. It is important to understand that it is God who unleashes these judgements on the unbelieving world as punishment for their sins.
The combination of God’s judgments and the persecution of the Kingdom of the Beast results in death and destruction on a scale that has never been seen on Earth.
The Second Coming and the Millennial Kingdom
At the end of the tribulation, Jesus Christ will return to Earth in an event known as the Second Coming or the Parousia. He will defeat the Antichrist and cast him into a lake of fire. He will also defeat Satan and bind him in the Abyss. Jesus will then claim his kingdom in Jerusalem and rule the world for a period of a thousand years. This final kingdom is the Kingdom of God mentioned in Daniel and the teachings of Jesus. It is known as the Millennial Kingdom because it will last a 1,000 years before being replaced by an eternal kingdom.
This sequence of events is first introduced in Daniel and expanded on in Revelation. Key verses are in Daniel and Revelation chapter 19.
Preterism or Futurism?
There are many different ways of interpreting Biblical end-times prophecy and these differing interpretations have led to competing schools of thought. Two such schools of thought that disagree on the timing of the tribulation, the Kingdom of the Beast and the Antichrist are preterism and futurism.
To understand the different arguments, a little historical background is required. Daniel was written in the 6thCentury BC (using the Early Date). Jesus of Nazareth lived in the 1st Century AD and was crucified around 31 AD. During his ministry, Jesus gave many prophecies, some about end times and some about the Kingdom of God (the Millennial Kingdom). Many of his prophecies proclaimed the Kingdom of God was imminent.
During the life of Jesus, Israel was ruled by Rome. After his death, during the rule or the emperor Nero, tensions between the Jews and the ruling Romans intensified, culminating in an armed rebellion in 66 AD, sometimes known as the First Jewish-Roman War. Nero died in 68 AD, but the war continued, and in 70 AD, Roman troops under the command of Titus destroyed Jerusalem and the temple.
The interpretation of these events is where preterism and futurism disagree. On one side of the argument, Jesus proclaimed the Kingdom of God was near and on the other Daniel and other Prophets, as well as Jesus, made several detailed prophecies about the end times that were not fulfilled within the lifetime of the Apostles.
Preterists argue that since Jesus proclaimed the imminency of the Kingdom of God, it must have begun around the time of Jesus’ ministry. Prophecy suggests the Kingdom of God follows the tribulation, so the tribulation, as well as the Kingdom of the Beast and the Antichrist, must also have occurred within a lifetime of the crucifixion, or within 70 years or so. If this sequence of events were not true, then the prophecies of Jesus would be incorrect, making him a false prophet, and thus not the divine Son of God. Through this reasoning, the Roman Empire becomes the Kingdom of the Beast, Nero becomes the Antichrist, and the First Jewish Roman War becomes the tribulation. Preterists acknowledge this interpretation fails to demonstrate the literal fulfillment of many end times prophecies, including some made by Jesus, so they argue the prophecies were fulfilled in a symbolic or figurative manner.
Futurists acknowledge the imminency of the Kingdom of God but place more importance on the literal fulfillment of prophecy. They argue that many of the prophecies about the Kingdom of God were not literally fulfilled, such as the second coming of Jesus, his defeat of the Antichrist, and the literal rule of Jesus on Earth for a period of 1,000 years. Their reasoning argues that since the Kingdom of God was not literally fulfilled with the destruction of Jerusalem, the Kingdom of God must still be in the future. This allows them to place the tribulation, the Antichrist, and the Kingdom of the Beast also in the future. They acknowledge that the imminency of the Kingdom of God was not literally fulfilled, so they must argue either a symbolic or partial fulfillment. In other words, parts of the Kingdom of God were fulfilled within the life of Jesus, such as the birth, crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus, the preaching of the Gospel, and the birth of the Church at Pentecost. Other parts of the Kingdom of God, such as the second coming of Jesus and the Millennial Kingdom, will occur in the future.
Why is it Important?
I believe the preterist/futurist date is especially important today because it holds the key to understanding the world as it currently is. If preterism is correct, then the Kingdom of the Beast is in the past and we are currently living in some form of the Kingdom of Heaven. However, it futurism is correct, then we may be on the verge of a violent, totalitarian global state that will persecute and murder more people than any other regime in history. Which model do you think provides a better explanation?
In the next post, we explore preterism is more depth.
