Though this teaching doesn’t have Revelation 12 as its primary focus, Schoenherr goes into enough detail to demystify much of this chapter.
Revelation 12
12 And there appeared a great wonder in heaven; a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars:
2 And she being with child cried, travailing in birth, and pained to be delivered.
3 And there appeared another wonder in heaven; and behold a great red dragon, having seven heads and ten horns, and seven crowns upon his heads.
4 And his tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven, and did cast them to the earth: and the dragon stood before the woman which was ready to be delivered, for to devour her child as soon as it was born.
5 And she brought forth a man child, who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron: and her child was caught up unto God, and to his throne.
6 And the woman fled into the wilderness, where she hath a place prepared of God, that they should feed her there a thousand two hundred and threescore days.
7 And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels,
8 And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven.
9 And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceives the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.
10 And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night.
11 And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death.
12 Therefore rejoice, ye heavens, and ye that dwell in them. Woe to the dwellers of the earth and of the sea! for the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knows that he hath but a short time.
13 And when the dragon saw that he was cast unto the earth, he persecuted the woman which brought forth the man child.
14 And to the woman were given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness, into her place, where she is nourished for a time, and times, and half a time, from the face of the serpent.
15 And the serpent cast out of his mouth water as a flood after the woman, that he might cause her to be carried away of the flood.
16 And the earth helped the woman, and the earth opened her mouth, and swallowed up the flood which the dragon cast out of his mouth.
17 And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.
Jesus said He would return in power with His kingdom before all those who heard His preaching died. (Matthew 16:28, Mark 9:1)
John the Baptist
27 AD “The Kingdom of Heaven is at hand.” (Matthew 3:2)
27 AD “Who warned you to flee from the wrath about to come?” (Matthew 3:7)
27 AD “The axe is already laid at the root of the trees.” (Matthew 3:10)
27 AD “His winnowing fork is in His hand.” (Matthew 3:12)
27 AD “The kingdom of heaven is at hand.” (Matthew 4:17)
27 AD “The kingdom of God is at hand.” (Mark 1:15)
27 AD “Who warned you to flee from the wrath about to come?” (Luke 3:7)
27 AD “The axe is already laid at the root of the trees. ” (Luke 3:9)
27 AD “His winnowing fork is in His hand….” (Luke 3:17)
Jesus the Christ
28 AD “The kingdom of heaven is at hand.” (Matthew 10:7)
28 AD“You shall not finish going through the cities of Israel, until the Son of Man comes.” (Matthew 10:23)
28 AD “….the age about to come.” (Matthew 12:32)
28 AD “The kingdom of God has come near to you.” (Luke 10:9)
28 AD “The kingdom of God has come near.” (Luke 10:11)
30 AD “The Son of Man is about to come in the glory of His Father with His angels; and will then recompense every man according to his deeds.” (Matthew 16:27)
30 AD“There are some of those who are standing here who shall not taste death until they see the Son of Man coming in His kingdom.” (Matthew 16:28; cf. Mark 9:1; Luke 9:27)
30 AD“‘When the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those vine-growers?’ ‘….He will bring those wretches to a wretched end, and will rent out the vineyard to other vine-growers, who will pay him the proceeds at the proper seasons.’ ‘….Therefore I say to you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you, and be given to a nation producing the fruit of it.’ ….When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard His parables, they understood that He was speaking about them.” (Matthew 21:40-41,43,45)
30 AD“This generation will not pass away until all these things take place.” (Matthew 24:34)
30 AD “From now on, you [Caiaphas, the chief priests, the scribes, the elders, the whole Sanhedrin] shall be seeing the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of Power, and coming on the clouds of heaven.” (Matthew 26:64; Mark 14:62; Luke 22:69)
30 AD“What will the owner of the vineyard do? He will come and destroy the vine-growers, and will give the vineyard to others. ….They [the chief priests, scribes and elders] understood that He spoke the parable against them.” (Mark 12:9,12)
30 AD“This generation will not pass away until all these things take place.” (Mark 13:30)
30 AD“What, therefore, will the owner of the vineyard do to them? He will come and destroy these vine-growers and will give the vineyard to others.” …The scribes and the chief priests …understood that He spoke this parable against them.” (Luke 20:15-16,19)
30 AD “These are days of vengeance, in order that all things which are written may be fulfilled.” (Luke 21:22)
30 AD“This generation will not pass away until all things take place.” (Luke 21:32)
30 AD“Daughters of Jerusalem, stop weeping for Me, but weep for yourselves and for your children. For behold, the days are coming when they will say, ‘Blessed are the barren, and the wombs that never bore, and the breasts that never nursed.’ Then they will begin to say to the mountains, ‘Fall on us,’ and to the hills, ‘Cover us.’” (Luke 23:28-30; Compare Revelation 6:14-17)
30 AD “I will come to you. …In that Day you shall know that I am in My Father, and you in Me, and I in you.’ …’Lord, what then has happened that You are about to disclose Yourself to us, and not to the world?'” (John 14:18,20,22)
30 AD“If I want him to remain until I come, what is that to you?” (John 21:22)
The Disciples
30 AD “We were hoping that He was the One who is about to redeem Israel.” (Luke 24:21)
Paul the Apostle to the Gentiles
52 AD “…we who are alive, and remain until the coming of the Lord… …We who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds… …You, brethren, are not in darkness, that the Day should overtake you like a thief.” (1 Thessalonians 4:15,17; 5:4)
52 AD “May your spirit and soul and body be preserved complete, without blame at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.” (1 Thessalonians 5:23)
52 AD “It is only just for God to repay with affliction those who afflict you, and to give relief to you who are afflicted and to us as well when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with His mighty angels in flaming fire.” (2 Thessaloniams 1:6-7)
56 AD “The time has been shortened.” (1 Corinthians 7:29)
56 AD “The form of this world is passing away.” (1 Corinthians 7:31)
56 AD “Now these things …were written for our instruction, upon whom the ends of the ages have come.” (1 Corinthians 10:11)
56 AD “We shall not all fall sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet; for the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed.” (1 Corinthians 15:51-52)
56 AD “Maranatha!” [The Lord comes!] (1 Corinthians 16:22)
56 AD “Godliness …holds promise for the present life and that which is about to come.” (1 Timothy 4:8)
56 AD “I charge you …that you keep the commandment without stain or reproach until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ.” (1 Timothy 6:14)
56 AD “…storing up for themselves the treasure of a good foundation for that which is about to come, so that they may take hold of that which is life indeed.” (1 Timothy 6:19)
57 AD “He has fixed a day in which He is about to judge the world in righteousness…” (Acts 17:31)
58 AD “Not for [Abraham’s] sake only was it written, that [faith] was reckoned to him [as righteousness], but for our sake also, to whom it is about to be reckoned.” (Romans 4:23-24)
58 AD “If you are living according to the flesh, you are about to die.” (Romans 8:13)
58 AD “I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is about to be revealed to us.” (Romans 8:18)
58 AD “It is already the hour for you to awaken from sleep; for now salvation is nearer to us than when we believed. The night is almost gone, and the day is at hand.” (Romans 13:11-12)
58 AD“The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet.” (Romans 16:20)
60 AD “There is about to be a resurrection of both the righteous and the wicked.” (Acts 24:15)
60 AD “As he was discussing righteousness, self-control and the judgment about to come…” (Acts 24:25)
61 AD “…not only in this age, but also in the one about to come.” (Ephesians 1:21)
61 AD “In the last days difficult times will come. For men will be lovers of self… …Avoid these men. For of these are those who enter into households and captivate weak women… …These also oppose the truth… …But they will not make further progress; for their folly will be obvious to all…” (2 Timothy 3:1-2,5-6,8-9)
61 AD “I solemnly charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is about to judge the living and the dead…” (2 Timothy 4:1)
62 AD “The Lord is near.” (Philippians 4:5)
62 AD “The gospel …was proclaimed in all creation under heaven.” (Colossians 1:23; Compare Matthew 24:14; Romans 10:18; 16:26; Colossians 1:5-6; 2 Timothy 4:17; Revelation 14:6-7; cf. I Clement 5,7)
62 AD “…things which are a shadow of what is about to come.” (Colossians 2:16-17)
63 AD“God, after He spoke long ago to the fathers in the prophets in many portions and in many ways, in these last days has spoken to us in His Son.” (Hebrews 1:1-2)
63 AD “Are they not all ministering spirits, sent out to render service for the sake of those who are about to inherit salvation?” (Hebrews 1:14)
63 AD “He did not subject to angels the world about to come.” (Hebrews 2:5)
63 AD “…and have tasted …the powers of the age about to come.” (Hebrews 6:5)
63 AD “For ground that drinks the rain which often falls upon it and brings forth vegetation useful to those for whose sake it is also tilled, receives a blessing from God; but if it yields thorns and thistles, it is worthless and near a curse, and it’s end is for burning.” (Hebrews 6:7-8)
63 AD “When He said, ‘A new covenant,’ He has made the first obsolete. But whatever is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to disappear.” (Hebrews 8:13)
63 AD “The Holy Spirit is signifying this, that the way of the [heavenly] Holy Places has not yet been revealed, while the outer tabernacle is still standing, which is a symbol for the present time. Accordingly both gifts and sacrifices are offered which cannot make the worshiper perfect in conscience, since they relate only to food and drink and various washings, regulations for the body imposed until a time of reformation.” (Hebrews 9:8-10; Compare Galatians 4:19; Ephesians 2:21-22; 3:17; 4:13)
63 AD “But when Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things about to come…” (Hebrews 9:11)
63 AD “Now once at the consummation of the ages He has been manifested to put away sin.” (Hebrews 9:26)
63 AD“For the Law, since it has only a shadow of the good things about to come…” (Hebrews 10:1)
63 AD“…as you see the Day drawing near.” (Hebrews 10:25)
63 AD “…the fury of a fire which is about to consume the adversaries.” (Hebrews 10:27)
63 AD“For yet in a very little while, He who is coming will come, and will not delay.” (Hebrews 10:37)
63 AD “For here we do not have a lasting city, but we are seeking the one that is about to come.” (Hebrews 13:14)
Peter the Apostle to the Circumcision
30 AD “This is what was spoken of through the prophet Joel: ‘And it shall be in the last days…’” (Acts 2:16-17)
62 AD “…salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.” (1 Peter 1:5)
62 AD “He …has appeared in these last times for the sake of you.” (1 Peter 1:20)
62 AD “In the last days mockers will come. …For this they willingly are ignorant of…” (1 Peter 3:3,5)
62 AD “They shall give account to Him who is ready to judge the living and the dead.” (1 Peter 4:5)
62 AD“The end of all things is at hand; therefore, be of sound judgment and sober spirit for the purpose of prayer.” (1 Peter 4:7)
62 AD“For it is time for judgment to begin with the household of God.” (1 Peter 4:17)
62 AD “…as your fellow elder and witness of the sufferings of Christ, and a partaker also of the glory that is about to be revealed.” (1 Peter 5:1)
62 AD “We have the prophetic word …which you do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the Day dawns and the morning star arises in your hearts.” (2 Peter 1:19)
62 AD “Their judgment from long ago is not idle, and their destruction is not asleep.” (2 Peter 2:3)
62 AD“But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, in which the heavens will pass away with a roar and the elements will be destroyed with intense heat, and the earth and its works will be burned up. Since all these things are to be destroyed in this way, what sort of people ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness, looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God.” (2 Peter 3:10-12)
James
62 AD “Speak and so act, as those who are about to be judged by the law of liberty.” (James 2:12)
62 AD“Come now, you rich, weep and howl for your miseries which are coming upon you. …It is in the last days that you have stored up your treasure!” (James 5:1,3)
62 AD “Be patient, therefore, brethren, until the coming of the Lord.” (James. 5:7)
62 AD “You too be patient; strengthen your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand.” (James. 5:8)
Jude the brother of James
62 AD “For certain persons have crept in unnoticed, those who were long beforehand marked out for this condemnation. …About these also Enoch …prophesied, saying, ‘Behold, the Lord came with many thousands of His holy ones, to execute judgment upon all, and to convict all the ungodly…’” (Jude 1:4,14-15)
62 AD “But you, beloved, ought to remember the words that were spoken beforehand by the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ, that they were saying to you, ‘In the last time there shall be mockers, following after their own ungodly lusts.’ These are the ones who cause divisions…” (Jude 1:17-19)
John the Apostle whom Jesus loved
62 AD “The darkness is passing away, and the true light is already shining.” (1 John 2:8)
62 AD “The world is passing away, and its desires.” (1 John 2:17)
62 AD“It is the last hour.” (1 John 2:18)
62 AD “Even now many antichrists have arisen; from this we know that it is the last hour.” (1 John 2:18; Compare Matthew 24:23-34)
62 AD “This is that of the antichrist, of which you have heard that it is coming, and now it is already in the world.” (1 John 4:3; Compare 2 Thessaloniams 2:7)
63 AD “…to show to His bond-servants, the things which must shortly take place.” (Revelation 1:1)
63 AD“The time is near.” (Revelation 1:3)
63 AD“Nevertheless what you have, hold fast until I come.” (Revelation 2:25)
63 AD “I also will keep you from the hour of testing which is about to come upon the whole world.” (Revelation 3:10)
63 AD“I am coming quickly.” (Revelation 3:11)
63 AD “And she gave birth to a son, a male child, who is about to rule all the nations with a rod of iron.” (Revelation 12:5)
63 AD“And in her [the Great City Babylon] was found the blood of prophets and of saints and of all who have been slain on the earth.” (Revelation 18:24; Compare Matthew 23:35-36; Luke 11:50-51)
63 AD“…to show to His bond-servants the things which must shortly take place.” (Revelation 22:6)
63 AD “Behold, I am coming quickly. ” (Revelation 22:7)
63 AD “Do not seal up the words of the prophecy of this book, for the time is near.” (Revelation 22:10; Compare Daniel 8:26)
63 AD“Behold, I am coming quickly.” (Revelation 22:12)
63 AD“Yes, I am coming quickly.” (Revelation 22:20)
Source: 30-70AD Apostles expected the Kingdom in their lifetime. ProphecyHistory.com. Retrieved from https://prophecyhistory.com/node/275.
aión: a space of time, an age Original Word: αἰών, ῶνος, ὁ Usage: an age, a cycle (of time), especially of the present age as contrasted with the future age, and of one of a series of ages stretching to infinity.
Scripture referring to “this age” only
Matthew 13:22
He also that received seed among the thorns is he that hears the word; and the care of this world (aión), and the deceitfulness of riches, choke the word, and he becometh unfruitful.
GRK: μέριμνα τοῦ αἰῶνος καὶ ἡ
NAS: and the worry of the world and the deceitfulness
KJV: of this world, and
INT: care the age and the
Matthew 24:3
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 (aión)?
GRK: συντελείας τοῦ αἰῶνος
NAS: and of the end of the age?
KJV: and of the end of the world?
INT: the completion of the age
Matthew 28:20
Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world (aión). Amen.
GRK: συντελείας τοῦ αἰῶνος
NAS: even to the end of the age.
KJV: the end of the world. Amen.
INT: completion of the age
Mark 4:19
And the cares of this world (aión), and the deceitfulness of riches, and the lusts of other things entering in, choke the word, and it becometh unfruitful.
GRK: μέριμναι τοῦ αἰῶνος καὶ ἡ
NAS: but the worries of the world, and the deceitfulness
KJV: of this world, and
INT: cares the of this life and the
Romans 12:2
And be not conformed to this world (aión): but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.
I Corinthians 1:20
Where is the wise? where is the scribe? where is the disputer of this world? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of this world?
I Corinthians 2:6-8
Howbeit we speak wisdom among them that are perfect: yet not the wisdom of this world, nor of the princes of this world, that come to nought: But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom, which God ordained before the world unto our glory: Which none of the princes of this world knew: for had they known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.
II Corinthians 4:4
In whom the god of this world has blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.
Galatians 1:4
Who gave himself for our sins, that he might deliver us from this present evil world, according to the will of God and our Father:
Ephesians 2:2
Wherein in time past you walked according to the course of this world (age), according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now works in the children of disobedience:
I Timothy 6:17
Charge them that are rich in this world, that they not be high-minded, nor trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God, who gives us richly all things to enjoy;
Titus 2:12
Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world;
In the preceding verses, “this age” is temporal, describing our current age prior to Christ’s return. All these things seem to pass away upon His return.
Scripture referring to the “age to come” only
I Corinthians 6:9-10
Know you not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God.
I Corinthians 15:50
Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither does corruption inherit incorruption.
Galatians 5:21
Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.
Ephesians 5:5
For this you know, that no whoremonger, nor unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, hath any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God.
I Thessalonians 2:12
That you would walk worthy of God, who has called you unto his kingdom and glory.
II Thessalonians 1:5
Which is a manifest token of the righteous judgment of God, that you may be counted worthy of the kingdom of God, for which you also suffer:
I Timothy 6:19
Laying up in store for themselves a good foundation against the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life.
II Timothy 4:18
And the Lord shall deliver me from every evil work, and will preserve me unto his heavenly kingdom: to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.
In contrast to “this age” the qualities assigned to the age to come are all eternal in nature. These references are clearly describing the future eschatological state of believers (and nonbelievers if you factor in the references to judgment).
Scripture illustrating the transition between both “this age” and “the age to come” (two ages)
Matthew 12:32
And whosoever speaks a word against the Son of Man, it shall be forgiven him: but whosoever speaks against the Holy Ghost, it shall not be forgiven him, neither in this world (aión), neither in the world (aión) to come.
GRK: τούτῳ τῷ αἰῶνι οὔτε ἐν
NAS: in this age or
KJV: in this world, neither in
INT: this the age nor in
Matthew 13:39-40, 49
The enemy that sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the end of the world (aión); and the reapers are the angels. As therefore the tares are gathered and burned in the fire; so shall it be in the end of this world (aión).
v39 N-GMS
GRK: θερισμὸς συντέλεια αἰῶνός ἐστιν οἱ
NAS: is the end of the age; and the reapers
KJV: the end of the world; and
INT: [the] harvest [the] completion of the age is
v40 N-GMS
GRK: συντελείᾳ τοῦ αἰῶνος
NAS: so shall it be at the end of the age.
KJV: the end of this world.
INT: completion of the age
Matthew 13:49 – So shall it be at the end of the world (aión): the angels shall come forth, and sever the wicked from among the just,
GRK: συντελείᾳ τοῦ αἰῶνος ἐξελεύσονται οἱ
NAS: it will be at the end of the age; the angels
KJV: the end of the world: the angels
INT: completion of the age will go out the
Luke 18:30
Who shall not receive manifold more in this present time, and in the world (aión) to come life everlasting.
GRK: ἐν τῷ αἰῶνι τῷ ἐρχομένῳ
NAS: time and in the age to come,
KJV: and in the world to come life
INT: in the age that is coming
Luke 20:34-35
And Jesus answering said unto them, The children of this world (aión) marry, and are given in marriage: But they which shall be accounted worthy to obtain that world (aión), and the resurrection from the dead, neither marry, nor are given in marriage:
v34 N-GMS
GRK: υἱοὶ τοῦ αἰῶνος τούτου γαμοῦσιν
NAS: of this age marry
KJV: The children of this world marry, and
INT: sons of the age this marry
v35 N-GMS
GRK: καταξιωθέντες τοῦ αἰῶνος ἐκείνου τυχεῖν
NAS: to attain to that age and the resurrection
KJV: that world, and
INT: having been accounted worthy to the age that to obtain
Mark 10:30
But he shall receive an hundredfold now in this time, houses, and brethren, and sisters, and mothers, and children, and lands, with persecutions; and in the world to come eternal life.
GRK: ἐν τῷ αἰῶνι τῷ ἐρχομένῳ
NAS: along with persecutions; and in the age to come,
KJV: and in the world to come eternal
INT: in the age which is coming
Ephesians 1:21
Far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come:
References
Strong’s Concordance 165. BibleHub.com. Retrieved from https://biblehub.com/greek/165.htm
The Two Age Model (chart). The Riddleblog. Retrieved from http://kimriddlebarger.squarespace.com/the-two-age-model-chart/
Have you ever been in trouble? I mean BIG trouble?
The kind of trouble that makes your mouth go dry, your heart race and plants a rock in the pit of your stomach?
The kind of trouble that will ABSOLUTELY alter your future should it come to pass?
Our lesson of woe and wonder today begins in the Book of Acts…
Jesus walked the earth for 40 days after His resurrection and rose to heaven through the clouds over Mt. Olivet. Holy Spirit descended upon the 120 in the upper room in Jerusalem with a sound like roaring wind and tongues of fire. Full of the Holy Spirit, the disciples emerge preaching the Good News in a cacophony of languages, reaching the Jewish masses visiting Jerusalem from many different nations for the feast of Pentecost. The crowd is amazed and caught in wonder, though some mock in disbelief, accusing the disciples of drunkenness.
“But Peter, stands up with the eleven, lifts his voice, and says to them, ’15 For these are not drunken, as ye suppose, seeing it is but the third hour of the day.* 16 But this is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel;’” (Acts 2:15)
* Each new 24 Jewish day began at sundown (or around 6pm.) That is why the Jewish Sabbath begins at sundown. Our Roman days begin at midnight. Jewish Daytime began at sun-up (around 6am); and ends at 6pm for counting hours. The first hour is therefore 7am; the second hour is 8am; the third hour is 9am, the sixth hour is noon or 12pm; and so forth. (Carolyn Hurst. Nov 8, 2019. What Hour is That? Retrieved from https://www.passiontoknowmore.com/post/2016-1-19-what-hour-is-that.)
Acts 2
17 And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams:
18 And on my servants and on my handmaidens I will pour out in those days of my Spirit; and they shall prophesy:
19 And I will show wonders in heaven above, and signs in the earth beneath; blood, and fire, and vapour of smoke: 20 The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and notable day of the Lord come:
Joel 2
28 And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions:
29 And also upon the servants and upon the handmaids in those days will I pour out my spirit.
30 And I will shew wonders in the heavens and in the earth, blood, and fire, and pillars of smoke.
31 The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and terrible day of the Lord come.
And this is where we will pitch camp today, friends.
The Day of the Lord
There is a common notion that the day of the Lord is the same as the day of Christ, when Jesus returns to earth at the end of days, but we are mistaken if we think there is only one day of the Lord.
The “day of the Lord” is Jewish apocryphal language; an idiom for expressing a cosmic “lights out” from God.
Usually we see this expressed in the form of an invading army. Judgment and wrath from above, God Himself is coming for you and there is nowhere to hide.
Clouds are key. Why? Because mortals do not walk among the clouds. God manifested Himself to Israel in the clouds in Exodus, in the wilderness, in the tabernacle and in the temple.
In Old Testament and New, clouds are considered to be the visible evidence of the invisible presence and power of God.
So, out of the mouths of two or three witnesses…
The prophet Zephaniah–when referring to the destruction of Jerusalem and Judah in 586BC–probably has one of the best definitions of the day of the Lord in chapter 1:14-15:
14 The great day of the Lord is near, it is near, and hastes greatly, even the voice of the day of the Lord: the mighty man shall cry there bitterly.
15 That day is a day of wrath, a day of trouble and distress, a day of wasteness and desolation, a day of darkness and gloominess, a day of clouds and thick darkness,
In Isaiah 13:9-11, we see judgment coming to Babylon at the hand of the Medes fulfilled in 539 BC:
9 Behold, the day of the Lord comes, cruel both with wrath and fierce anger, to lay the land desolate: and he shall destroy the sinners thereof out of it.
10 For the stars of heaven and the constellations thereof shall not give their light: the sun shall be darkened in his going forth, and the moon shall not cause her light to shine.
11 And I will punish the world for their evil, and the wicked for their iniquity; and I will cause the arrogancy of the proud to cease, and will lay low the haughtiness of the terrible.
We also hear similar language in Isaiah 5:30, God’s warning to Israel through the prophet Isaiah: “And in that day, they shall roar against them like the roaring of the sea: and if one look unto the land, behold darkness and sorrow, and the light is darkened in the heavens thereof.“
More Old Testament Examples of the Day of the Lord
Isaiah 2:12, judgment over Israel: “For the day of the Lord of hosts shall be upon every one that is proud and lofty, and upon every one that is lifted up; and he shall be brought low:”
Amos 5:18-20, judgment over Israel: “Woe unto you that desire the day of the Lord! to what end is it for you? the day of the Lord is darkness, and not light.”
In Nahum 1:3, we have judgment coming to Nineveh at the hands of the Babylonians and Medes, as fulfilled in 612 BC: “The Lord is slow to anger, and great in power, and will not at all acquit the wicked: the Lord has his way in the whirlwind and in the storm, and the clouds are the dust of his feet.“ You will see a connection between the desolation described in Nahum and the desolation described in Joel.
In 2 Samuel 22:7-10, we see David singing about the day God delivered him out of the hand of Saul and his armies: “10 He bowed (parted) the heavens also, and came down; and darkness was under his feet.“
Other translations say “thick darkness” was under God’s feet. The NIV says “dark clouds.” We also see this same language used in in David’s Psalm 18 about the same event.
Jeremiah 46:10 and Ezekiel 30. The prophets lament judgment coming to Egypt at the hand of the Babylonians. Per Ezekiel 32:7: “7 And when I shall put thee out, I will cover the heaven, and make the stars thereof dark; I will cover the sun with a cloud, and the moon shall not give her light.“ (Read Ezekiel 32 and see the depth of judgment language here!)
Finally, still more Old Testament examples of the day of the Lord can be found in: Zechariah 14, Obadiah and Isaiah 34 (judgment over Edom), Lamentations 2:22, and Malachi 4:5-6 (foreshadowing the fall of Israel by 70AD.)
Matthew 24, Mark 13, Luke 21
The Olivet Discourse is probably one of the most abused and misunderstood passages of Scripture. In Matthew 24, we have the words of Jesus as He stands on the Mount of Olives and prophesies judgment over Jerusalem and the nation of Israel, which we know climaxed with the destruction of the temple by the hand of Rome in 70 AD—40 years later, within a Biblical generation—just as our Lord said it would.
“29 Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken:“
New Testament examples of the day of the Lord include Acts 2, 2 Peter 3:10, Revelation 6:12-17.
Matthew 26: Jesus Coming in the Clouds
On the night Jesus was betrayed, Caiaphas, Jewish high priest, asked Jesus if He was the Messiah:
63 But Jesus held his peace, And the high priest answered and said unto him, “I adjure you by the living God, that you tell us whether you are the Christ, the Son of God.”
64 Jesus said to him, “As you’ve said. Nevertheless, I say to you, Hereafter shall you see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven.”
Caiaphas tears his robes in a great sign of offense and declares blasphemy and our Lord is lead off.
Here Jesus is reminding Caiaphas of Daniel 7:13: “I saw in the night visions, and behold, with the clouds of heaven there came one like a son of man, and he came to the Ancient of Days and was presented before him…”
In effect, Jesus is saying, “Not only am I the one Daniel saw, but I’m coming back to judge you.”
By the way, our hallelujah moment comes immediately after Daniel 7:13 where verse 14 states: “And there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, should serve him: his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed.” Amen!
A Proper Response to Divine Judgment
So, what would be a proper response to the impending doom of divine correction?
Now when they heard this, they were pricked (katenygesan, pierced, cut) in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do? (Acts 2:37 KJV)
I don’t know about you, but in years prior, whenever I read this, I just imagined the crowd felt bad. Pricking your finger hurts a little. I think other translations probably do a better job of handling the reality of the moment.
The word is katenygesan, pronounced kata-nee-yee-san, which the New American Standard Bible translates as “pierced.” The NIV says “cut.” I don’t think they were having an “Aw, shucks, we missed it” moment that day!
To say this is a big “Oh NO” moment for the Jews would probably be an understatement. In an instant, they recognized the fulfillment of Messianic prophesies and understood there was yet a promise of judgment coming down upon the heads of the nation of Israel.
“And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications: and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one mourns for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn.
In that day shall there be a great mourning in Jerusalem, as the mourning of Hadadrimmon in the valley of Megiddon. And the land shall mourn, every family apart; the family of the house of David apart, and their wives apart; the family of the house of Nathan apart, and their wives apart; The family of the house of Levi apart, and their wives apart; the family of Shimei apart, and their wives apart; All the families that remain, every family apart, and their wives apart.” (Zechariah 12:10-14)
God promises two outcomes in the book of Joel: judgment of the wicked and foolish at the hands of a powerful invading army—and—salvation for the humble and wise.
So, when it comes to the day of the Lord—a day of darkness and trial—it’s a day we don’t want to meet.
What to Do?
So, when the future you’ve imagined for yourself seems to be disappearing into a puff of smoke and thick darkness—the big question we have to ask is, “What shall we do?”
Peter has our answer in Acts 2…
38 Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.
39 For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call.
40 And with many other words did he testify and exhort, saying, Save yourselves from this untoward (corrupt) generation.
A promise of escape wrapped in a warning of judgment. What does Peter say to do first? Let’s break it down…
Turn to Your Father
Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. (Acts 2:38)
Accept God’s promises. We have BOTH promises of blessing and promises of judgment.
Jesus taught that apart from Him, we are withered branches ready for the fire. (John 15) You are free to disagree with that, but you’re not arguing with me; you’re arguing with Jesus.
We see this again explained in Joel 2…
32 And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be delivered: for in mount Zion and in Jerusalem shall be deliverance, as the Lord hath said, and in the remnant whom the Lord shall call.
That is a promise from our Father for deliverance from incoming wrath, amen? So if we do all this, we arrive at…
God’s Response to Right-Heartedness
18 Then will the Lord be jealous for his land, and pity his people.
19 Yea, the Lord will answer and say unto his people, Behold, I will send you corn, and wine, and oil, and ye shall be satisfied therewith: and I will no more make you a reproach among the heathen:
20 But I will remove far off from you the northern army, and will drive him into a land barren and desolate, with his face toward the east sea, and his hinder part toward the utmost sea, and his stink shall come up, and his ill savour shall come up, because he hath done great things.
I believe this is referring to the Roman army in 70AD. Keep in mind, scholars believe the book of Joel to be written about 830BC—almost 900 years before the fall of Jerusalem!
If you’re familiar with Deuteronomy 28, you know the first third of the chapter outlines a list of blessings Israel will experience with living in right relationship with our Creator. But the rest of Deuteronomy 28 contains the myriad of curses that they bring upon themselves should they choose to walk in rebellion, including pestilence, famine, earthquakes, war, cannibalism, etc.
As we know from first-century historians like Josephus, many of these curses came to pass during the war of the Jews and the Roman siege on Jerusalem.
The Faithfulness of God
Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. (Acts 2:38)
Well, we know how history played out…
3,000 souls were added to the Judeo-Christian church that day and more were added daily. The people witnessed many signs and wonders through the Spirit-empowered apostles and many sold their possessions. (Acts 2:41-46)
By 64 AD, an exodus of Christian Jews began to move from Jerusalem:
“The people of the Church in Jerusalem were commanded by an oracle given by revelation before the war to those in the city who were worthy of it to depart and dwell in one of the cities of Perea which they called Pella. To it those who believed on Christ traveled from Jerusalem, so that when holy men had altogether deserted the royal capital of the Jews and the whole land of Judaea…” —Eusebius, Church History 3, 5, 3
“So Aquila, while he was in Jerusalem, also saw the disciples of the disciples of the apostles flourishing in the faith and working great signs, healings, and other miracles. For they were such as had come back from the city of Pella to Jerusalem and were living there and teaching. For when the city was about to be taken and destroyed by the Romans, it was revealed in advance to all the disciples by an angel of God that they should remove from the city, as it was going to be completely destroyed. They sojourned as emigrants in Pella, the city above mentioned in Transjordania. And this city is said to be of the Decapolis.” —Epiphanius, On Weights and Measures 15
So, just to be clear, if you see someone claiming the day of the Lord in Acts 2/Joel 2 is all about the rapture or Jesus’ return to set up His millennial kingdom, you can be sure they don’t clearly understand the ancient Jewish concept of divine judgment.
And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand.
Revelation 20:3
And cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled: and after that he must be loosed a little season.
Revelation 17:8
The beast that thou saw was, and is not; and shall ascend out of the bottomless pit, and go into perdition: and they that dwell on the earth shall wonder, whose names were not written in the book of life from the foundation of the world, when they behold the beast that was, and is not, and yet is.
Revelation 9:1
And the fifth angel sounded, and I saw a star fall from heaven unto the earth: and to him was given the key of the bottomless pit.
Revelation 9:2
And he opened the bottomless pit; and there arose a smoke out of the pit, as the smoke of a great furnace; and the sun and the air were darkened by reason of the smoke of the pit.
Revelation 9:11
And they had a king over them, which is the angel of the bottomless pit, whose name in the Hebrew tongue is Abaddon, but in the Greek tongue hath his name Apollyon.
Revelation 11:7
And when they shall have finished their testimony, the beast that ascends out of the bottomless pit shall make war against them, and shall overcome them, and kill them.
[ also termed nunc-millennialism or inaugurated millennialism ]
Definition:
The amillennialist believes that the Kingdom of God was inaugurated at Christ’s resurrection (hence the term “inaugurated millennialism”) at which point he gained victory over both Satan and the Curse. Christ is even now reigning (hence the term “nunc-millennialism” — nunc means “now”) at the right hand of the Father over His church. After this present age has ended, Christ will return and immediately usher the church into their eternal state after judging the wicked. The term “amillennialism” is actually a misnomer for it implies that Revelation 20:1-6 is ignored; in fact, the amillennialist’s hermeneutic interprets it (and in fact, much of apocalyptic literature) non-literally.
Features and Distinctions:
Favored method of interpretation: redemptive-historical.
Israel and the church: The church is the eschatological fulfillment of Israel.
Kingdom of God: a spiritual reality that all Christians partake in and that is seen presently by faith, but will be grasped by sight at the consummation. [The eschatological fulfillment of God’s covenants with His earthly creation.]
The Rapture: The saints, living and dead, shall meet the Lord in the clouds and immediately proceed to judge the nations with Christ and then follow Him into their eternal state.
The Millennium: inaugurated with Christ’s resurrection. In an “already/not yet” sense, Christ already reigns over all and is already victorious over Satan.
Miscellaneous:
Higher degrees of interpreting prophecy in light of Christ’s advent, death, resurrection, and glorification.
Relies heavily on a two-age theology.
[Two-age theology: The branch of theological study focusing particularly upon the already / not yet eschatology presented in Scripture (e.g., the fact that we are already raised up with Christ and seated in the heavenlies (Eph. 2:6), but still await bodily resurrection (1 Cor. 15:50ff); or that we are already glorified (Rom. 8:30), but glorification is the last stage of our salvation and still awaiting consummation).]
Major proponents: Meredith Kline, Richard Gaffin, Robert B. Strimple, Gregory K. Beale, and John Murray.
Synopsis:
Retrieved from https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Millennial_views.svg
Eschatology is the study of the eschaton; the eschaton is equated with “last things.” While other views focus on the final days of humankind on earth, amillennialism sees “the last things” as having been initiated at Christ’s resurrection and so, being applicable from the earliest days of the Christian church (cf. Acts 2:16-21; 1 Corinthians 10:11; Hebrews 1:1-2; and 1 Peter 1:20). The amillennialist perspective sees the whole of God’s redemptive revelation as twofold – promise and fulfillment; it also emphasizes that a strict-literal interpretation of Old Testament is not necessarily the most accurate way of determining what the text means.
The amillennial perspective emphasizes that the coming of the Kingdom of God is a two-part event. The first portion dawned at Christ’s first advent (John the Baptist proclaimed at this time, “The kingdom of heaven is at hand” — Matthew 3:2). At the cross, Christ won final victory over death and Satan. And then He ascended to reign upon the throne of David forever (Luke 1:32-33; Acts 2:30-31). Now because we “look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal” (2 Corinthians 4:18) — because of this, the amillennialist sees the final things already accomplished, though not yet seen by sight, but by faith (2 Corinthians 5:7).
An important note is the amillennialist’s view of the church in this world: a role of suffering. The Christian will be hated by all, just as was Christ (Matthew 10:22), for a servant is not greater than his master. Seeing this as the church’s role on earth — to suffer as did Christ — the amillenialist can hold no hope for an earthly exaltation and longs for the fulfillment of the second stage of the coming of the Kingdom.
This second stage of the amillennial perspective is the final consummation of all the heavenly promises. The Christian will no longer see by faith alone, but by sight. All the shadowy things will pass away and our eternal reign with Christ will begin. The amillennialist, expecting no earthly glory for the church, places all his hope on this heavenly glory.
Bibliography:
Hoekema, Anthony. The Bible and the Future. Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1994. (ISBN: 0802808514)
Hendrikson, William. More Than Conquerors: An Interpretation of the Book of Revelation. Grand Rapids: Baker Books-, 1939. (ISBN: 0801057922)
Beale, G.K. The Book of Revelation: A Commentary on the Greek Text. Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1999. (ISBN: 0-8028-2174-X)
Strimple, Robert B. “Amillennialism.” Three Views of the Millennium and Beyond. Ed. Darrell L. Bock. Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publishing House,1999. (ISBN 0-310-20143-8)
Extra Credit:
Vos, Geerhardus. The Pauline Eschatology. Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1953.
Vos, Geerhardus. Biblical Theology. Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1953.
Ridderbos, Herman. The Coming of the Kingdom. Philadelphia: Presbyterian &Reformed Publishing Company, 1962. (ISBN: 0-87552-408-7)
