Chapter 7
When Will These Things Be
“After these things I looked, and behold, a door standing open in heaven, and the first voice which I had heard, like the sound of a trumpet speaking with me, said, “Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after these things.” (Re 4:1 NAS)
After having received the messages to the seven churches, John was taken in the spirit to the throne of God in Heaven. In this heavenly vision, John is given a glimpse of the wondrous majesty and glory of God on His throne in Heaven. The scene that unfolds before him is preparing him to receive the revelation of the events that will bring this age to an end. The sacredness, importance, and weightiness of this message are made evident in the atmosphere surrounding the throne of God.
There is no one in Heaven or earth that is worthy to unlock this mystery except Jesus: The Lion, the Lamb, Son of Man, Son of God. Hidden from the beginning, this mystery reveals insight into the mind of God. This revelation shows us how God is going to bring to an end this age that has been polluted by pride and evil intent. That which is evil will be purged. That which is purified will be preserved. Righteousness will reign and the redeemed will testify of the triumph of grace and mercy over judgment.
Questions still remains and they will probably plague us until the end. When will these things come to pass? When will Christ return? How long are we going to have to wait?
Jesus Answers the Question
And as he sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, ‘Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world?’” (Mt 24:3 AV)
These questions were raised by the disciples when Jesus was here on earth. Jesus addressed these questions and we have His answer recorded for us in Matthew 24 and 25. Jesus did not give us a date or time. In fact, He made it very clear that the exact timing would not be known. Jesus said His return would catch most people unaware and it would come when people were not expecting it. But for those who were looking forward to His return there would be signs to alert us to its nearness.
Jesus did not leave His followers in the dark. He gave unto us a timeline, a sequence of events that would finish out this age and begin another. In essence, it is an outline of sequential events that lead up to His return. The amount of time involved in fulfilling all these things was not given. But the order in which they happen is clearly stated.
After Jesus’ death, resurrection, and ascension, further revelations were given to the apostles. Paul, Peter, Jude, and John were given insight into some of the details pertaining to Christ’s return. All of those revelations are in perfect harmony with Jesus’ answer to the question of when these things will happen. If we keep that in mind it will eliminate some of the confusion, knowing that they fit into what Jesus outlined for us in Matthew 24.
The Book of Revelation can be very confusing, especially if you try to start there. I personally struggle with some of the symbolism. This revelation is not laid out as a timeline as Matthew 24 is. If we occasionally refer back to Matthew though, it will help us keep things organized and help to bring an understanding of their sequence.
Satisfying Our Curiosity
I am smart enough to know that God is wiser than I am. We cannot help but wonder exactly when Christ will return. But God knows that it would not be good for us to know the day of His return. Prophecy is never given to satisfy our curiosity. Prophecy is given to reveal our spiritual condition and reveal God’s judgment, grace, and mercy. Much of prophecy is for the purpose of preparing us for the age to come. The age to come is one in which righteousness reigns.
Before righteousness reigns, judgment must first take place. For this reason, we will not understand some prophesies fully until they are being fulfilled. We have many examples of this concerning Christ’s first coming. For those who have put their faith in God, recognizing events as fulfillment of prophecy comfort us and strengthen our faith. God has and will allow things to happen that seem devastating to the world around us. If we are living in faith we do not have to fear, for God is allowing these things to accomplish His purposes. God will never forsake those who trust in Him. Understanding all things is not as important as trusting in Him.
Making Sense of Revelation
Understanding the messages and unfolding revelations in the Book of Revelation has always been a challenge. This book is prophetic in nature and from the sixth chapter on it is talking about things that were yet to come to pass. It is written in symbolic language and has therefore been a source of many differing interpretations. Nevertheless it is inspired scripture and should be treated as such. The prophesies contained within this book will surely come to pass, for the Word of God is sure and true.
It is almost impossible to approach this book without bias because of the multitude of different voices that have sought to interpret it. I have not yet come upon an interpretation that I have found to be satisfactory in fully explaining these events and their various players. For this reason, I am cautious about becoming dogmatic. Each generation has viewed these prophesies from their own historic perspective. For this reason, perspectives change as the world and its players change with time. Our culture and technology have opened a lot of possibilities that would not have been understood in the past generation. Things that would have seemed impossible are now part of our everyday life. There were events in earlier times that led people to believe Christ’s coming was imminent. Today more than ever that is true for us and I do believe that we are very close.
Even if we do not understand everything in this book, we can start with those things that are clear. Many have sought to understand the mysteries of this book and simply ignored those things that were clearly revealed. I think that it is important that we try to understand the message of this book. But in our quest to understand these mysteries we need to be cautious not to outrun our headlights and end up misleading people or causing confusion.
The Message
The Book of Revelation is simply the last chapter in God’s message to us. This is the gospel of reconciliation for a lost and dying world. In this final chapter of this age of grace, God is making His final call for repentance. As we have seen in the first few chapters of the book, He first appeals to the Church. Christ’s return is a time of judgment and it must first begin in the Church. As we have gone through the messages to the seven churches we too are challenged to make sure that we are ready for Christ’s return. As we continue through this book we will see that the events that take place are for the purpose of waking people up and bringing them to a place of repentance. We are being alerted to the impending return of our Lord and the judgment of sin as God’s wrath is poured out on this world.
There are many in our present culture here in America that take the view that the Church will be removed from the earth before many of the events take place that are recorded in this book. I will later share with you why this is not true. But here I want to remind you that this book is not written to the unbelievers. This book was written to God’s servants, those that believe His Word and trust His Word. As we approach these events we will understand, but they will not. It is the Church that has been commissioned with the Gospel and we are here to share the truths of God’s Word to those who are lost. It is clear in this book that God is seeking and looking for repentance up until the blowing of the Seventh trumpet. Until then we have a job to do for we have the Words of life. That is why this book is written to us.
“14 I have given them Thy word; and the world has hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. 15 “I do not ask Thee to take them out of the world, but to keep them from the evil one. 16 “They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. 17 ¶ “Sanctify them in the truth; Thy word is truth. 18 “As Thou didst send Me into the world, I also have sent them into the world.” (Joh 17:14-18 NAS)