Eschatology is the study of biblical prophecies pertaining to the last days. Therefore, the Harmony of Revelation is simply one of many possible theories of eschatology, each attempting to predict the future of mankind according to a specific method of scriptural interpretation.
In order to understand the Harmony you do not need to be an expert eschatologist. In fact, you do not need to know anything about traditional eschatology. However, if you want to compare the Harmony with some of the other interpretations of biblical prophecy, then you do need to know something about the subject.
The purpose of this appendix is to introduce you to some of the major theories of eschatology that have been proposed in the past so that you can see how the prevailing view of eschatology has changed throughout history and how the Harmony of Revelation fits into the overall picture.
Many theories of eschatology have been proposed down through the ages. Such theories differ drastically from one another and predict radically different futures even though they are based upon the same scriptures. This is because certain key passages in the Bible simply are interpreted differently by different people.
For example, in Revelation 20:1-7 John describes a time in which Satan is bound while the saints of God reign with Christ for a period of a thousand years. This thousand-year period, commonly referred to as the "millennium," is specifically mentioned nowhere else in the Bible.
One would think that anything mentioned so briefly in the Bible surely must play a minor roll in any theory of eschatology. Yet the millennium plays a major roll in eschatology -- completely out of proportion to the number of times it is mentioned in the Bible. Why? Because every complete theory of eschatology must somehow deal with this topic and there are only a finite number of ways to do so.
Either the millennial kingdom takes place on this earth or it occurs somewhere else (such as in heaven or on the new earth). If on this earth, then either Christ is physically present or he is not. Therefore, there are only three possible ways to visualize the millennial kingdom:
(1) Premillennialism -- Christ returns at the beginning of an earthly millennial kingdom. (Christ returns to govern an earthly kingdom from the earth.)
(2) Postmillennialism -- Christ returns at the end of an earthly millennial kingdom. (Christ governs an earthly kingdom from heaven and then returns.)
(3) Amillennialism -- There is no earthly millennial kingdom. (Christ governs a spiritual kingdom from heaven.)
Since every conceivable theory of eschatology must fall into one or the other of these three categories, these designations are quite useful in distinguishing between the various theories of eschatology.
Of course, the above three cases are only general classifications. They do not convey the many other essential details required by a more complete theory. Nevertheless, these general classes tell significantly more about eschatology than just when Christ returns and where he reigns. Each is based upon a different concept of scriptural interpretation, envisions a different type of millennial kingdom, and predicts a different chronology of the last days.
Premillennialism is based upon the premise that the last four chapters of Revelation (particularly Revelation 19 and 20) should be interpreted chronologically and literally. Therefore, the theory concludes that Christ triumphantly returns to the earth and establishes a physical millennial kingdom on this planet.
Now if this assumption be correct, the nature of the resulting kingdom is not difficult to imagine. Surely the kingdom would be nothing less than the very best this world could afford. More specifically, it would have to be very similar to the original Garden of Eden.
Just as before the fall of man, so once again all of nature would work together in perfect harmony as God intended from the very beginning. The lion and the lamb would lie down together. Plants would no longer do harm. Natural catastrophes would cease to exist. And man and woman would live full and active lives in innocence and love, walking and talking directly with God in personal fellowship, lacking for nothing.
But unlike the Garden of Eden, the millennial kingdom would extend throughout the whole planet and include a variety of climates, terrain, and ecologies. It would also contain more than two people. In fact, everyone who survived the Armageddon holocaust would be there along with the resurrected saints in their glorified bodies with Christ himself ruling physically from Jerusalem.
With Satan bound, there would be no more temptation, sin, or death. The children of mankind would live for ages and remain as innocent throughout their adulthood as they were on the day they were born.
Oh, they would make innocent mistakes -- just as little children do today. And they would have to be corrected quickly and firmly in order to insure that God's will would always prevail on the earth. But there would be no malicious evil, and Jesus himself (assisted by the saints) would administer the necessary discipline with love and justice.
Surely you agree that this is the type of millennial kingdom that must result were Christ to return to the earth in person and established a physical kingdom here. No other concept seems consistent with both the holy nature of Christ and the physical nature of this world.
Such a kingdom is particularly appealing to those Christians who focus their attention upon this physical world and the suffering it entails. During times of great persecution and tribulation (as has frequently occurred in the past) or of increasing injustice and hardships (as seems to be the case today) premillennialism flourishes. It provides the hope and strength needed by Christians to endure such trying times.
But premillennialism is not just based upon a yearning for a better tomorrow; it is also founded upon the Holy Scriptures.
There are numerous passages in the Bible that prophesy an earthly kingdom similar to that described above. This is particularly true of Old Testament prophecies which, when taken literally, depict a time when the Jewish Messiah will come to this earth, deliver his people, and establish a kingdom where Israel will rule over all the other nations of the world (ISA 65:17-25; ZEC 14). The kingdom so depicted in these scriptures fits the above millennial concept so well that premillennialists usually find it incredible that any Christian can honestly interpret such scriptures any other way.
Of course, once the premillennial viewpoint has been adopted, the rest of the chronology of the end times is fairly straightforward: it begins with a period of great tribulation during which the people of God are on the verge of being annihilated by the forces of Evil. Then, unexpectedly, Christ returns in great power and glory, destroys evil mankind, binds Satan, establishes the millennial kingdom, reigns in righteousness with the saints for a thousand years, releases Satan to deceive the nations one last time, and crushes the final rebellion at the end of the world. Then comes the resurrection of the dead, the great white throne judgment, and the creation of the new heaven and the new earth which last forever.
Postmillennialism is based upon the assumption that Revelation should be interpreted spiritually (according to its symbolism) rather than chronologically or literally. Therefore, it concludes that the millennial kingdom consists of a spiritual reign of Christ.
More specifically, it asserts that during the millennial age Christ will reign over the earth through the power of the Holy Spirit guiding the regenerated lives of Christians. The ruling process is identical to that which already exists in the world today. In fact, the only difference between the millennial kingdom and the situation today is a matter of degree. Today Christ rules only in small isolated pockets of society, but during the millennium, the whole earth will be under his control.
Let us assume that this postmillennial viewpoint is correct and ask ourselves what kind of kingdom would result. Surely it would be like an extension throughout the whole earth of the best Christian fellowship in existence today.
Examples of such fellowships frequently occur during great revivals, at spiritual retreats, or within exceptionally committed church bodies. Often these occasions are referred to as "mountain top" experiences, for during such times the influence and power of God are absolutely phenomenal. Love, joy, peace, and understanding abound while the forces of evil are held in subjection by the Spirit of God. Although everyone may not be a born-again Christian, every life is touched in one manner or another. Even the vilest sinner, if not convicted unto salvation, is restrained in his actions. Clearly Satan is bound under such circumstances and Christ is reigning.
It is not difficult to envision such a fellowship extended throughout the whole earth. With Christ ruling in the hearts of men, crime and war would cease to exist. Freedom, justice, and mercy would prevail. All political, social, and economic problems soon would be solved. And even nature herself would be brought into balance once again as mankind accepts its God-given responsibility of caring for this planet.
Such a millennial kingdom is most appealing to Christians who are optimistic about the future of Christianity. Generally they are witnessing a great outpouring of God's Spirit, participating in a successful evangelistic effort, or are experiencing some of the inevitable blessings that follow such a return to God. The postmillennial viewpoint provides the encouragement such Christians need to continue their successful efforts to win the world for Christ.
Few people today are postmillennialists because the future of the world currently appears to be rather bleak. But there are still a few optimistic Christians who adhere to the postmillennial viewpoint. They are convinced that when things get bad enough, people again will turn to God, and this time the outpouring of God's Spirit will make the last great revivals look like a Sunday School picnic.
But the belief in postmillennialism is not just based upon blind optimism; it is also based upon scripture, particularly those scriptures that emphasize spiritual values above physical (worldly) values, and which promise that the Bride of Christ (the Church) will be victorious just as Christ was victorious. Examples of the latter are that Christ promised that the "gates of hell" would not prevail against the Church (MAT 16:18), that the Gospel would be preached to all nations (MAT 24:14), that Christ would be with us to the end of the age (MAT 28:19-20), and that only after the Church had been made ready would she be joined with Christ (REV 21:2).
Other evidence that supports the postmillennial viewpoint is contained in history. Specifically, history shows that after every setback, the revived Church of Christ advances farther and farther into the pagan world. Indeed, the percentage of people that claim to be Christian today is probably greater than it ever has been. And current events suggest that right now the stage is being set for the one final, great awakening. The miraculous collapse of worldwide communism and the war against terrorism promises opportunities for evangelism that only yesterday appeared to be totally inconceivable. Even in those countries where missionary access is still denied there are signs of a great spiritual awakening in the hearts of the people. If Christianity can thrive in such antichristian environments today, how can one doubt that the Church of God eventually will prevail throughout the whole earth?[1]
In any case, once the postmillennial viewpoint has been adopted, the chronology of the end times is fairly well determined. Throughout the whole Church Age there are trials and great tribulation as Satan and his forces battle the Spirit and the Church for the hearts of mankind. At certain times and in various places Satan appears to be winning the battle, but this victory is only temporary and illusionary. For Christ has already won the final victory and has promised to be with the Church until it fulfills the Great Commission. So in the end, the Church will be victorious. Step by step, forward after every setback, the Church will continue to win more and more of the world to Christ until Satan's power and influence are all but eliminated. Certainly evil will never be totally eradicated, but its effects will be minimized during this glorious age of Christianity. (Satan will not be destroyed at this time, but he will be bound.) Then, once the Bride of Christ has been prepared for the return of the Bridegroom, Christ will return in glory to claim his own and to take her to be with him forever.
Amillennialism is based upon the assumption that there never will be a period of perfect peace and harmony on this planet – a time when God’s will is done on earth as it is in heaven – a time when Jesus reigns supreme over the hearts and minds of the inhabitants of this world. This theory identifies the binding of Satan with Christ's victory on the cross and the millennium itself with the current Church Age.
More specifically, amillennialism asserts that the millennial kingdom is precisely the same kingdom of God that Christ proclaimed during his earthly ministry -- the same kingdom which is still being proclaimed by evangelists today -- the kingdom that includes everywhere, everything, and everyone that is committed to the perfect will of God.
Obviously, the realm of this kingdom includes heaven (where the resurrected saints currently are reigning with Christ in perfect harmony and righteousness). It also includes the hearts of born-again believers currently living on this earth. But it does not include the rest of this world (where only the permissive will of God prevails).
Also obviously, the duration of the millennium is not one thousand literal years (since it has already lasted virtually two thousand years and could continue for who knows how much longer).
And just as obviously, the binding of Satan is not the total elimination of his influence but only some type of restriction of his power. This binding is the result of the victorious life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ and the coming of the Holy Spirit. Taken together they drastically limit Satan's ability to influence and deceive the world.
Before Christ, Satan had the power to deceive essentially every nation and prevent almost every individual from coming to a saving knowledge of God. Indeed, only the children of Israel had any significant chance of attaining salvation back in those days. But Christ's victory on the cross crushed Satan's power of deception by demonstrating conclusively the extent of God's love and grace. This binding of Satan limits his power to organize his forces sufficiently to prevent the Gospel of Jesus Christ from being proclaimed throughout the world and accepted by individuals in every nation.
Therefore, in essence, the amillennial viewpoint is that there never will be a time of peace, harmony, and righteousness on this planet. Such perfection will take place only in heaven (where it is happening right now). As far as this earth is concerned, both good and evil will continue struggling for the hearts of mankind with Satan unable to prevail and God unwilling to force himself upon everyone.
This viewpoint is most appealing to Christians who are neither optimistic nor pessimistic about the future. They foresee both good and evil, joy and sorrow, righteousness and sin, salvation and condemnation all coexisting until the very time of Christ's return. The amillennial viewpoint gives such Christians the assurance they need to persevere among the perpetual conflict of good and evil.
But amillennialism is not based solely upon a fatalistic outlook of life. Like the other millennial theories, it also is based upon the Scriptures. Some of these scriptures emphasize the fact that this earth has been cursed by sin and never again will regain the perfection it had before the fall of man (GEN 3:17). Other scriptures tell us that everything will go on as usual until the very time of Christ's return (LUK 17:26-30).
Of course, as with the other millennial theories, once the amillennial viewpoint has been adopted, the chronology of the end times is fairly easily determined: Prior to Christ's first coming Satan had had the power to deceive every nation (except perhaps Israel) and prevent mankind from learning about God and his love. But Christ came, revealed the true nature of God, and won the victory over Satan, sin, and death. After his resurrection, Christ ascended into heaven where he now reigns in holy righteousness with the resurrected saints. During this reign (the millennium), Satan cannot prevent the Gospel from spreading throughout the world. But at the end of the millennium, Satan once again will be allowed to deceive the nations and organize a mighty army to oppose God and his people. Then Christ will return, deliver the saints, destroy the world, raise the dead, judge mankind, and create the eternal universe.
These three general classifications of eschatology have existed in one form or another throughout the history of the Church. They have also competed against one another for the position of dominance, each one waxing and waning in popularity according to the signs of the times. In general, when things looked bad for Christianity, premillennialism flourished; when things looked good, postmillennialism flourished; and the rest of the time, amillennialism flourished.
The details associated with the dominant theory also changed with time. For example, it is evident from the Bible and other historical writings that the early Christians believed they were already living in the Last Days. They could see the prophecies of the Great Tribulation being fulfilled before their very eyes as they were martyred during the great Roman persecution. It was only natural for them to adopt the premillennial viewpoint of eschatology and to expect Christ to return at any moment to deliver them from their oppressors and establish a physical millennial kingdom on this planet.
The kingdom they envisioned was essentially identical to that of the Messianic Kingdom expected by the Jews in those days. In fact, the early Christians believed that the Jewish nation soon would accept Christ as their Messiah and join them in the millennial reign.
But when the Roman persecution stopped and the church was given favored status under the emperor Constantine, it became "obvious" that the Great Tribulation had ended without the Second Coming of Christ. Furthermore, by this time it was also "obvious" that the Jews never would accept Christ as their Messiah and that the literal nation of Israel never again would play an important roll in history. (By this time Israel had been totally destroyed as a nation and the Jews had been dispersed throughout the world because of their rejection of God's only Son.)
Obviously, a literal interpretation of the Scriptures was no longer possible, so the church began to interpret the Bible spiritually. For example, the biblical promises and prophecies that referred to Israel were reinterpreted as pertaining to the spiritual Israel (the Church).
Naturally, the millennium was also given a spiritual interpretation (where Christ and the resurrected saints reign in heaven). The result was an amillennial theory of eschatology that dominated Christendom for more than one thousand years. The details of this theory were expressed by St. Augustine, whose influence was so great that by 431 A.D. the belief in an earthly millennium was condemned as pure superstition.[2]
But not everyone believed in Augustinian amillennialism. This was particularly true among religious sects that were still being persecuted. Like the early Christians, they yearned for a time of peace and justice on this planet.
For example, during the sixteenth century many of the Protestant Reformers were promoting a more literal approach to biblical interpretation. Some even thought the Pope was the literal Antichrist. This literal approach to scriptural interpretation naturally led them to the premillennial viewpoint of eschatology.
But their premillennial viewpoint was different from that of the early Church, particularly in regard to the roll played by the nation of Israel. The early Church believed that the Old Israel (the literal Israel) would eventually accept Christ as their Messiah and be included in the millennial kingdom. The Reformers believed that the Old Israel had been rejected by God and only the New Israel (the spiritual Israel, the Church) would participate in the millennial reign.
After the Protestant Reformation there was renewed interest in spreading the Gospel to all the nations of the world. For more than a century, Christianity, democracy, science, industry, and other forms of "enlightenment" were spread throughout the world. The dawn of a golden age of prosperity was upon mankind, and postmillennialism finally came into its own.
In fact, at the rate Christianity was being propagated, the entire world soon would be saved, Satan would be bound, and a millennial age would begin and last until the Second Coming of Christ.
But as the promise of a golden age changed into the problems of modern society, postmillennialism lost its following and premillennialism again came to the front. This time, however, the theory was structured upon a more logical, scientific, and intellectual basis than ever before. In fact, every effort was made to identify the specific assumptions and principles upon which the theory was founded. Three of these assumptions were (1) that all scripture should be interpreted literally, (2) that no scripture should be interpreted in isolation, and (3) that God has dealt and would continue to deal with mankind differently at different times.
The first of these assumptions provided a basic guideline for interpreting scripture. As long as a literal interpretation was possible, a literal interpretation was correct. Only when literality was impossible should one resort to figurative, spiritual, or symbolic interpretations.
The second assumption guaranteed consistency. By requiring all of the biblical prophecies to be integrated before any of them were given their final interpretation, all self-contradictions within the theory could be eliminated. The final result (hopefully) would be unique -- the one and only, complete and correct picture of the last days.
The third assumption provided the means of implementing the second. By dividing time into distinct periods according to the way God revealed himself to and interacted with mankind, a basic chronology of biblical time could be developed. (For example, after the Garden of Eden came the Patriarchs, the Law, the Church Age, the Great Tribulation, the Millennium, and finally Eternity.) Once these time periods, called "dispensations," were recognized, every prophecy could be placed in its appropriate time slot; then the specific events and general chronology of each dispensation could be identified. And, finally, the detailed chronology of the individual events could be analyzed so as to obtain a complete, consistent, and (hopefully) correct picture of the last days.
Unfortunately, the result was not quite as unique as had been anticipated. For example, dispensationalists today still disagree as to whether the Church is raptured out of this world before the great tribulation or afterwards.
But even with such disagreements, the general picture of the last days painted by dispensationalism is more complete and more detailed than any previous scenario of eschatology. Furthermore, it has been more successful than any previous theory in predicting events fulfilled in modern times.
For example, dispensationalism predicted the re-establishment of Israel as a nation years before the holocaust of World War II provided the motivation to create such a nation and the events of recent history conspired to preserve this fledgling nation against the fanatical opposition of its neighboring Arab states. Dispensationalism also predicted the loss of zeal in the modern Church and the increase of Satanism and immorality that we see today -- long before such trends became obvious to other futurists.
The fulfillment of these and other predictions convinces many dispensationalists that their other predictions will also occur in the near future. For example, if the pretribulation-rapture group is correct, then the return of Christ is imminent: all Christians are about to be raptured out of this world into heaven where they will join the resurrected saints, receive their eternal rewards, and partake of the wedding supper of the Lamb.
Meanwhile, back on earth, many unbelievers will finally become convinced of the truth and accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. Some dispensationalists even believe that the Jews will accept Christ as their long-awaited Messiah. Unfortunately, during this same time period the evil Antichrist will rise up to establish a one-world empire that will persecute these new-born saints.
At the end of this time of great tribulation, the few surviving Jews will retreat to Jerusalem where they will be surrounded by the enemies of God who are determined to affect their total annihilation. Then Christ will suddenly appear in power and glory, destroy evil mankind, bind Satan, establish the millennial kingdom, and rule over the earth in perfect justice for 1000 years.
At the end of this millennial reign, Satan will be released to tempt mankind once again so that those who were born during the millennium will have an opportunity to choose between good and evil. Unfortunately, most people will choose to follow Satan in a final rebellion against God. They will be utterly destroyed when fire comes down from heaven to consume them and this world. Then the unrighteous dead will be raised, the lost will be judged, and the eternal kingdom will be established through the creation of a new heaven and a new earth.
Of all the theories of eschatology depicted above, the most widely accepted theory today is premillennialism. (More specifically, it is the pretribulation-rapture, dispensational version of premillennialism described immediately above.) Undoubetedly, one reason for this widespread popularity is the large number of recent religious fiction books and movies that explore this “left behind” viewpoint. Another reason that dispensational premillennialism is so widely accepted is that it is the latest and the most rational theory of eschatology ever developed. Furthermore, history has proven essentially all of its predecessors to be false in one respect or another.
In fact, history has shown that essentially every Christian who ever lived has been wrong in his eschatological beliefs. Every generation of Christians has erroneously thought itself to be the last. Every generation has misinterpreted its own share of biblical prophecies. And, every generation has adopted its own incorrect view of eschatology.
Why do you suppose this is the case?
Why has God not only allowed sincere Christians to be incorrect in their views of eschatology but, apparently, even blinded them from the truth? Could it be that God really wants different people at different times in different circumstances to hold different views of eschatology? Could it be that God intends for prophetic scripture (like all other scripture) to be timeless in its applicability?
Certainly prophetic scripture will have a special significance for and to those individuals who eventually witness its fulfillment, just as historical scripture had a special significance for and to those people who actually witnessed its occurrence. But both historical and prophetic passages contain certain eternal truths that are as valid today as they ever have been in the past or ever will be in the future.
Unfortunately, we today, like everyone else in the past, tend to view prophecy one-dimensionally -- as something that is going to happen one time in the future. Only when we perceive that that future is immediately upon us do we really take any prophecy to heart.
No wonder God has kept the true meaning of biblical prophecy sealed for thousands of years. Were we to understand the correct meaning of prophecy more than a few years before its fulfillment, we would never attempt to apply an appropriate alternate meaning to our own current real-life situation. Just imagine what would have happened during the first century had the Christians at that time correctly understood that Christ would not return for more than 2000 years. Even if such knowledge had not demoralized them totally, it certainly would have robbed them of much of the comfort and assurance that they needed at that time to endure their own version of "the great tribulation."
This is why I do not worry about whether or not the Harmony of Revelation is correct in the ultimate sense, although I strongly believe that it is. As long as it continues to meet my own personal needs, invokes a sense of spiritual urgency within me, and continues to predict what actually takes place in my future, it is the correct theory of eschatology for me.
Whether or not it is correct for you, you will have to decide.
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These many different theories of eschatology can be classified into one of four general categories: premillennialism, postmillennialism, amillennialism, and “pan”-millennialism. Premillennialism asserts that Christ will someday return and reign over this earth in peace for a thousand years. Postmillennialism asserts that Christ will return after widespread Christian influence results in a thousand years of peace on this earth. A millennialism asserts that there will never be a thousand-year period of worldwide peace on this earth. And “pan”-millennialism asserts that no one can know the future, but that everything will all pan out according to God’s will and God’s own time table. Again, I refer you to Appendix B for more information on this topic.
[1]Indeed, Fig. 2.2 and 2.3 which show the growth of Christianity over the past 2000 to 600 years show that the world should become "Christianized" by the year 2020!
[2]The Meaning of the Millennium: Four Views, Introduction by Robert G. Clouse, published in 1977 by InterVarsity Press, Downers Grove, Illinois 60515, ISBN 0-87784-794-0.