The Eschatological Need-to-Knows

This post serves as a foundation and an overview of the fundamental eschatological (end times) concepts and prophecies as described in the Bible.

One Sermon

The Olivet Discourse

Context

The Olivet Discourse is one of Jesus' very last sermons during His first coming. Imagine if the disciples had asked Jesus, "Any last words?" and He responded with this sermon - that is how important this teaching is.

It is recorded in the synoptic gospels: Matthew 24-25, Mark 13, and Luke 21. The audience was (and still is) Jesus' disciples.

Birth Pains and Tribulation (Matthew 24:3-14)

At the beginning of birth pains Israel and the world will experience great deception, where many will be deceived and false messiahs will arise (like Muhammad, for example). There will also be wars and rumors of wars (like Ukraine vs. Russia, NATO vs. BRICS, WWI, WWII, WWIII, Cold War, Vietnam War, etc.). Lastly, there will be famines and earthquakes.

Later into the birth pains, the church (Jesus' true disciples) will be hated and persecuted by the whole world. Many will turn away from the faith (i.e., the great apostasy) in these times either from fear of persecution, due to increased wickedness in the world, or because they have been deceived by the many false prophets/teachers that will arise. Additionally, Jesus says, “the love of many will grow cold,” during these times as a direct consequence of increased “lawlessness,” perhaps indicating that the love people demonstrate to one another will not be true, Biblical love or people will just flat out hate each other.

However, out of this evil, by the end of the birth pains and before the rapture of the church, the gospel of the coming kingdom is preached throughout all nations - fulfilling the great commission (Matthew 28:16-20).

The Great Tribulation (Matthew 23:15-31)

The days of great tribulation (the final 3.5 years of the final seven-year tribulation), none like the world has ever seen, begin after the abomination of desolation is set up in the temple of Jerusalem (detailed in the book of Daniel). In fact, the great tribulation is so great that if “those days had not been cut short, no human being would be saved. but for the sake of the elect, those days will be cut short.”

After even more false prophets and messiahs arise (yet another warning of deception), Jesus interrupts the great tribulation with His second coming sometime after the sign of the Son of Man, where "the sun is darkened, the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from the sky, and the heavenly bodies will be shaken" which is referenced in Isaiah 13:10, Isaiah 34:4, as well as Revelation 6:12-14. As Jesus arrives on the clouds of heaven, for everyone to unmistakably see, He will send out his angels to gather the elect from “the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other” (i.e., the first resurrection).

The Lesson of the Fig Tree (Matthew 23:32-28)

Jesus, after giving a mixture of both vague (deception, wars, etc.) and specific (abomination of desolation) signs of His second coming, compares the general time of His arrival to the blooming of a fig tree. He tells His disciples that if they keep their eyes on the fig tree of the world (Israel, Jeremiah 24), they’ll be able to know the season of His second coming.

In fact, Jesus declares that the generation that sees the fig tree begin to bear leaves will not pass away until all the prophecies in the Olivet Discourse come to pass. Many, including myself, claim that the fig tree began bearing leaves when Israel was regathered in one day on May 14, 1948 (fulfilling Isaiah 66:8). This miracle began the generational countdown of 70-80 years (Psalm 90:10) for all these prophecies to be fulfilled.

The Parables (Matthew 24:36-25:30)

The parables Jesus gave to the disciples contain rich connections to some of the most important eschatological concepts and span across some of the most important books and people throughout the Bible.

The parables begin when Jesus finishes talking about the great tribulation and begins comparing the end of days to the "days of Noah" (Matthew 24:36-41). In this specific parable, God raptures or "take[s]" (Matthew 24:40-41) the faithful from the earth into heaven before He judges the whole world, just like when God saved the faithful Noah (and his family) before judging the whole world with a flood (Genesis 7:16).

If we go back to the imagery of this story of Noah in Genesis, in particular the moment that God "take[s]" Noah before judgment, the imagery at this moment shares a striking resemblance to the parable of the bridesmaids awaiting the groom that Jesus talks about a few verses later in Matthew 25:1-13. In Genesis, God shut the door of the ark; "shutting them [Noah and his family] in" the ark seven days before the flooding starts, and shutting out the rest of the corrupted world. In the Olivet Discourse, Jesus describes the king locking the door when the groom comes for the wedding feast. When the five bridesmaids show up late knocking on the door because they didn't bring enough lamp oil, they are not let in; they are shut out.

Lastly, if we consider the connection between the parable of the 10 bridesmaids with the later writings of John the Apostle, one of the audience members of the Olivet Discourse, similar eschatological themes and imagery of God rapturing His people out of end times judgment appear as well (this is unsurprising since the words in Revelation are also straight out of Jesus' mouth). Specifically, Jesus, in His letter to the church of Philadelphia (Revelation 3:7-13), speaks again about a door that only He opens and He shuts. In Revelation 3:10, Jesus tells the faithful church that this door is held open for them until it is time for the "hour of trial that is coming on the whole world" (i.e., the seven-year tribulation), and at the time that it shuts, no one but Jesus can open the door again.

The Great White Throne Judgment (Matthew 25:31-46)

After the antichrist is defeated at the end of the final seven-year tribulation at the second coming of Christ (Revelation 20); after the 1000-year millennial reign of Jesus, the King, on earth (Revelation 20); but just before the new heaven and the new earth is created (Revelation 21-22); comes the Great White Throne Judgement where Jesus reads the names of those in the Book of Life. If Jesus finds your name in the Book, then you are destined for eternal life with God, and if He does not then you are destined for eternal death without God.

Two Books

If you want to have a deep understanding you have to study these books, not just read them.

The Book of Daniel

The prophet Daniel is the only Old Testament figure that Jesus addressed by name during His teachings. Jesus referenced Daniel when He was teaching His disciples about the abomination of desolation on the Mount of Olives.

This abomination is written about in Daniel 7:25, Daniel 9:27, and Daniel 11:31, and is when the antichrist and his military forces abominate the temple and stop sacrifice and offerings at the 3.5-year mark of Jacob's trouble (the seven-year tribulation). It is perhaps the single-most tangible sign that one is living in the seven-year tribulation.

Naturally, the abomination of the temple by the antichrist makes one ask, "Who is the antichrist?" We are responsible for knowing who this antichrist figure is because the truth in Christ's word defends our minds against the enemy's great deception.

It is written in Daniel 7 and 11 that the antichrist will corrupt defectors of the Holy Covenant written in Jesus’ blood with flattery (i.e., deception, what Jesus warned us about in the Olivet Discourse). Additionally, it is written in Daniel 9 that he will arise from the people that destroy the temple built during the first 69 weeks of the seventy-weeks prophecy, meaning the antichrist will arise from the people of the Roman and/or Muslim empires.

In addition to the antichrist’s identity, the prophecies in the book teach us about the empires that have ruled and will rule the world, and detail the sins that the final worldly empire will commit against the inhabitants of Israel and its surrounding regions. However, throughout the tribulations of the writings, we are constantly reminded of the sureness and the power of God's final heavenly kingdom which is to rule all of creation forever.

Lastly, to dive deep into Daniel's prophecies, I recommend listening to FAI's Maranatha Global Bible Study series on Daniel.

The Book of Revelation

The book of Revelation is the longest and most detailed account of God's end game. The concepts, imagery, themes, ideas, and events described throughout the Bible all culminate here but mainly draw from the Olivet Discourse and the book of Daniel.

For example, there are many allusions to the concepts Jesus taught in His Olivet Discourse, which is unsurprising because this is the Revelation from Jesus Christ, the very same Son of Man who gave the Olivet Discourse (Revelation 1:1)! Specifically, scholars believe the sixth seal of Revelation 6:12-17 is an allusion to the sign of the coming of the son of man, where “ the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from the sky, and the heavenly bodies will be shaken." Another important reference to the Olivet Discourse (perhaps the most important one) is found in Revelation 20:11-15, where God separates the sheep (those whose names are written in the Book of Life) and goats (those who choose to reside outside of God's presence - i.e., those who choose to die) for eternity. More references to deception, wars, earthquakes, famines, and other tribulations described in the Olivet Discourse come upon the world in the form of the seven seal (Revelation 6 and 8), seven trumpet (Revelation 8-11), and seven bowl (Revelation 16) judgments.

Looking beyond the Olivet Discourse into the Old Testament, we see a clear reference to the final beast (Revelation 17) first described by Daniel in several of his prophetic visions. In the chapters following Revelation 17, we learn that this beast establishes the final city of Babylon, which parallels Daniel's time as he and Israel (God's people) lived in Babylon for 70 years. Additionally, we can be fairly certain that the seven-year period of Jacob's Trouble, initially coined in the book of Jeremiah but detailed by Daniel, consists of the very same judgment events laid out in Revelation because of the congruency of the details, timing, and eventual outcome of the abomination of desolation (Revelation 11, 13, 21-22).

There are many other end-times concepts and events which culminate in the book of Revelation. Many are references to the Old Testament, including one of my favorites in Revelation 20 which clearly references the very same empire (Gog and Magog) from Ezekiel 38 and 39.

To effectively connect all the eschatological dots, I highly recommend listening to FAI's Maranatha Global Bible Study series on Revelation. However, any tool, whether it is a podcast, an article, or a large language model like ChatGPT, should be used properly: in fellowship, in prayer, but, most importantly, tested against the true word of God in the Bible.

Three Prophecies

The Rapture

Paul describes the rapture in 1 Thessalonians 4:15-17, where he writes:

“For this we declare to you by a word from the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord.”

Paul declares that Jesus will descend from heaven and gather those who belong to Him, whether they are dead or alive. He goes on to clarify the context of this event in 1 Thessalonians 5:1-10:

“Now concerning the times and the seasons, brothers, you have no need to have anything written to you. For you yourselves are fully aware that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. While people are saying, “There is peace and security,” then sudden destruction will come upon them as labor pains come upon a pregnant woman, and they will not escape. But you are not in darkness, brothers, for that day to surprise you like a thief. For you are all children of light, children of the day. We are not of the night or of the darkness. So then let us not sleep, as others do, but let us keep awake and be sober. For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk, are drunk at night. But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, having put on the breastplate of faith and love, and for a helmet the hope of salvation. For God has not destined us for wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us so that whether we are awake or asleep we might live with him.”

Paul is telling the people of the church of Thessalonica who truly belong to Jesus that they are not appointed to His wrath which will come upon the earth, just like God's wrath came upon the earth in the days of Noah when He flooded the whole world. And just like Noah with his ark, we can expect Jesus to come to take us out of the earth before His wrath overwhelms the entire world. As Jesus stated in His Olivet Discourse in Matthew 24:36-39:

“But concerning that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only. For as were the days of Noah, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day when Noah entered the ark, and they were unaware until the flood came and swept them all away, so will be the coming of the Son of Man.”

In his letter to the church of Thessalonica, Paul is clearly referencing this scripture that Jesus Himself breathed into existence. And if there's any doubt in your mind that we may be saved through wrath instead of saved from wrath, Jesus goes on to say this in Matthew 24:40-44:

“Then two men will be in the field; one will be taken and one left. Two women will be grinding at the mill; one will be taken and one left. Therefore, stay awake, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming. But know this, that if the master of the house had known in what part of the night the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and would not have let his house be broken into. Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.”

The worldwide judgment, consuming the entire earth in fire instead of water, will not take one man and leave another (it would consume the entire field, both men); it is the rapture of the church that takes one man and leaves another to experience the wrath of the Lamb. Further, the rapture of the church, if it comes before the wrath of God as Paul indicates in 1 Thessalonians 5 when he says that God has not destined the church to wrath, then it must occur before any of the events that occur after Revelation 4. After all, we know that it is Jesus Himself punishing the earth with His wrath when He begins to open the seven seals of the scroll introduced in Revelation 5:

“Then I saw in the right hand of him who was seated on the throne a scroll written within and on the back, sealed with seven seals. And I saw a mighty angel proclaiming with a loud voice, ‘Who is worthy to open the scroll and break its seals?’ And no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth was able to open the scroll or to look into it, and I began to weep loudly because no one was found worthy to open the scroll or to look into it. And one of the elders said to me, ‘Weep no more; behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has conquered, so that he can open the scroll and its seven seals.’”

To learn more about the rapture, I recommend checking out Jimmy Evan's recent rapture teaching, FAI's rapture series, and Robert Breaker's YouTube channel.

The Rebuilding and Worship in the Jewish Temple on the Temple Mount

The rebuilding of the Jewish temple will be one of the most recognizable prerequisites of Jesus’ second coming. After all, in order for the antichrist to abominate the temple at the 3.5-year mark of the final seven-year tribulation (go read Daniel!), there must be a temple built and worshiped within by God's chosen people, the Jews.

One of the most miraculous steps in this process took place on May 14, 1948, when Israel became a nation in one day, fulfilling the prophecies declared in Isaiah 66:8 and Ezekiel 37. Many do not realize how prophetically significant an official Jewish homeland in the promised land is, and even fewer realize that the way the modern Jewish state of Israel was formed is a direct fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy.

Today, Jews from many different walks of life, but especially the ones living in their promised land, seek to rebuild the temple. For example, the conservative religious right at the Temple Institute is actively preparing priests and furniture, and some even claim that the Institute knows where the Ark of the Covenant resides. Further, the Temple Institute is preparing a rare Red Heifer sacrifice which, according to Jewish customs, purifies an entire generation and is required to rebuild the temple. Even the most powerful and influential Jews in the world like Yuval Noah Harari, a top advisor at the World Economic Forum, seek to change the laws (Daniel 7:25) and rebuild the temple in order to create a utopian society.

Lastly, many who are familiar with the eschatological scriptures also see the treaties like the Abraham Accords, which normalizes relations between Israel and many of its Muslim neighbors, as concrete steps towards a soon-to-be-built third Jewish temple. If you're at all familiar with the tensions and conflict in the Middle East over the last 80 years, relations between the Jews and others who lay claim to the promised land is clearly something that would need to be addressed before the Jewish temple could be rebuilt. If you're not familiar with this topic, Ray Bentley provides valuable insight in the following teaching. A covenant, not so far off from the Abraham Accords or the United Nations’ 2030 Common Agenda and Roadmap for Digital Cooperation, is also a prerequisite to Jesus' return and is the first definitive event that reveals the antichrist to the world. It is written in Daniel 9:26-27:

“And after the sixty-two weeks, an anointed one shall be cut off and shall have nothing. And the people of the prince who is to come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary. Its end shall come with a flood, and to the end there shall be war. Desolations are decreed. And he shall make a strong covenant with many for one week, and for half of the week he shall put an end to sacrifice and offering. And on the wing of abominations shall come one who makes desolate, until the decreed end is poured out on the desolator.”

In other words, keep your eyes on Jerusalem. If you see a temple being rebuilt, look at who signed a treaty just before or just after its construction began. One of these men is the antichrist.

The Mark of the Beast

The mark of the beast is written about first in Revelation 13:16-17:

“Also it [the antichrist’s empire] causes all, both small and great, both rich and poor, both free and slave, to be marked on the right hand or the forehead, so that no one can buy or sell unless he has the mark, that is, the name of the beast or the number of its name.”

It is mentioned next in Revelation 19:20:

“And the beast was captured, and with it the false prophet who in its presence had done the signs by which he deceived those who had received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped its image.”

The last mention of the mark of the beast is in Revelation 20:4:

“Then I saw thrones, and seated on them were those to whom the authority to judge was committed. Also I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for the testimony of Jesus and for the word of God, and those who 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 for a thousand years.”

While the mark of the beast is mysterious (a lot of people get hung up on the name of the beast, number of the beast, 666, etc.), the Bible is very clear about a few characteristics of the mark:

1. The mark is taken on the wrist and/or the forehead (i.e., it is a medical procedure).

2. After the antichrist's empire implements the mark of the beast, no one can participate in the mainstream, global economy without it.

3. The false prophet is only able to perform signs for and delude those who received the mark of the beast.

4. Those who take the mark of the beast are not resurrected at the first resurrection, and they do not rule with Christ during His physical 1000-year reign on earth after the seven-year tribulation concludes.

When I compare these four points to the world we live in today, the first thing that comes to mind is the Covid-19 vaccine. That is not to say the vaccine is the mark of the beast, just to be clear, but there is a remarkable parallel to the mark if you simply consider the mandates and laws enforced related to this medical procedure in what were known to be the most freedom-filled countries on earth. These mandates banned people from working (selling) and going to certain stores, restaurants, movies, concerts, etc. (buying) if they did not take the Covid-19 vaccine. To take it even further, the Canadian government froze the bank accounts of any citizen who supported truckers' rights to the medical freedom to not take the vaccine.

It is not hard to imagine how these legal precedents in harmony with the rise of tap-to-pay digitalization and automatization (think of Apple Pay, Amazon One, or already-implemented Swedish microchip technology), crypto-currency, central bank digital currencies, electronic tattoos, and the massive surveillance and data processing capabilities of artificial intelligence (just look at China's social credit system) could be combined at the right place and at the right time by the right leader (the antichrist) to create the mark of the beast reality described when John says that no one without the mark could buy or sell.

When considering points one and three (above), one could also imagine how John may be hinting at some sort of transhumanist aspect of the mark of the beast, whereby those who have it have a mind of God-given flesh (the brain) and silicon (e.g., Neuralink). After all, it is not totally out of the question that surgically inserted technology today could introduce some sort of thought-altering mechanism that allows the partaker to be deceived by what they believe to be miraculous signs and wonders (just look at AI-generated deep fakes). Some prophetic teachers (like JD Farag) go as far as to say that the section of the statue in Nebuchadnezzar’s dream corresponding to the antichrist's empire, which is a combination of iron and clay, as described in Daniel 2:33, represents the unholy combination of silicon and flesh, or technology and man (in addition to symbolizing a disjointed empire as described by God in Daniel 2:42-43).

Conclusion

In conclusion, to dive deep into Biblical eschatology (the study of the end times), I recommend beginning with a study of the Olivet Discourse in Matthew, Luke, and Mark, then enhancing your understanding with a study of the book of Daniel and, finally, the book of Revelation. While these scriptures will not give you every detail of the end times, they will certainly serve as a strong foundation.

As I have come to understand the end times more and more over the past few years and see the fulfillment of the signs and wonders written about thousands of years ago, it has instilled in me further faith and confidence that the Bible is the divine and true Word of God and has given me and my community the fruits that come along with that! I pray that the same can be said for anyone who decides to travel down this road to the Father with me.