Intro to the End Times is a series walking through some of the key themes of the story of Jesus’ return from a historic premillennial perspective, with special focus on knowing the heart of Jesus as we partner with God through the most dramatic chapter of human history.

(Full disclosure: I love to recommend resources to help you in your journey, and when I do I use Amazon affiliate links. If you purchase something through my links, I may receive a small commission. But if there’s a resource you want, I encourage you to get it wherever works best for you!)

In this series on the end times, I’ve spent the past few posts taking a break from the main storyline to talk about some of the positive things that the church is experiencing, like protection, prayer, and revival. In this post, we’ll look at the church’s unique message to carry during this time.

Forerunners Preparing the Way

Throughout Scripture, in every transitional generation, God has raised up messengers to proclaim what’s coming. As Amos 3:7 says, “For the Lord GOD does nothing without revealing his secret to his servants the prophets.” He’s really into partnership, and His desire is that we would lean in close to hear His voice, so we can spread the message of what He’s doing.

The end times are no exception. As we discussed early in this series, God wants His people to understand the end times. The unbelieving world that hasn’t been listening to the Word will be surprised as by a thief in the night, but as 1 Thessalonians 5:4 says so clearly, “You are not in darkness, brothers, for that day to surprise you like a thief.” He wants us awake, aware, and partnering with Him to release His purposes on the earth.

Forerunners of Jesus’ First Coming

In the generation of Jesus’ first coming, God raised up prophetic voices to announce what He was doing.

• Simeon had been waiting for years for the Messiah, and God had promised he would see Him in his lifetime. He met Jesus as a baby in the temple, and prophetically declared who He was as God had shown him. (Lk. 2:25-35)
• Anna was a prophet, intercessor, and worshipper who lost her husband early in their marriage, and spent the next 60ish years of her life in the house of the Lord. After Jesus came to the temple as a baby, she declared the message of His coming to anyone who would listen. (Lk. 2:36-38)
• John the Baptist was especially anointed to fulfill Isaiah’s prophecy of “one crying in the wilderness, ‘prepare the way of the Lord.'” (Lk. 3:4, Is. 40:3)

Though their message was rooted in Scriptures about the coming Messiah, it required additional prophetic insight to say, “NOW is the time.” In other words, they weren’t just called to proclaim the Word of God as it had been written for thousands of years; they were called to discern the season and apply the Word to declare that ancient prophecies were actively being fulfilled in their day. They were on the cutting edge of a move of God that irrevocably shifted all of  human history.

Forerunners of Jesus’ Second Coming

The coming of Jesus in the sky to establish His kingdom on earth is the most dramatic transition in all of human history. Before that final moment, He wants to mobilize believers as messengers to declare who He is and what He’s doing. This is His kindness and mercy to not leave the earth without a witness.

• Daniel prophesies of “wise ones” (or “maskilim” in Hebrew) in the end times who know the heart of God and are able to explain what He’s doing to others.

“the people who know their God shall stand firm and take action. And the wise among the people shall make many understand”
Daniel 11:32-23

“And those who are wise shall shine like the brightness of the sky above; and those who turn many to righteousness, like the stars forever and ever.”
Daniel 12:3

“And none of the wicked shall understand, but those who are wise shall understand.”
Daniel 12:10

• Jeremiah prophesies of ones who “stand in the council of the Lord” to get clarity of what’s on His heart as He’s releasing judgment, and promises that there will be ones in the end times who understand it clearly.

“For who among them has stood in the council of the LORD to see and to hear his word …The anger of the LORD will not turn back until he has executed and accomplished the intents of his heart. In the latter days you will understand it clearly.”
(Jeremiah 23:28-20, see also 30:23-24)

• Isaiah prophesies of those who proclaim the “good news” to Israel, and this gospel is simply “Behold your God!” announcing that He’s coming as a warrior and a shepherd.

“Go on up to a high mountain, O Zion, herald of good news… say to the cities of Judah, ‘Behold your God!’ Behold, the Lord GOD comes with might and his arm rules for him… He will tend his flock like a shepherd”
(Isaiah 40:9-11)

What Are We Saying?

When the disciples asked Jesus about the signs of His coming, Jesus gave them several very specific things to watch for, and then said, “this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.” (Matthew 24:14) When we proclaim the “gospel of the kingdom,” it’s much more than the simple message of personal salvation. The gospel of the kingdom says, “THE KING IS COMING! He’s going to shatter everything that opposes Him and establish His kingdom forever!”

Here are a few of the central emphases of the forerunner message:

1. Jesus is Coming
   First, He’s coming back for real! There will be many scoffers who say it’s not real (2 Pe. 3:3-4), but we’re called to be bold about this truth- He IS gonna split the sky and take over the world, and the clock is ticking.
2. He is a Bridegroom, King, and Judge
   In the drama of the end times, Jesus’ heart is most fully on display as a bridegroom with passion for His bride, a king who rules in power, and a judge who will not tolerate wickedness. All three are true at the same time.
3. Deception is Coming
   When Jesus teaches about the end times, He mostly emphasizes coming deception that will incredibly persuasive (Mt. 24:3-4), both from the antichrist himself and from the escalating culture of wickedness that precedes him. We must be anchored in the Word to stand firm.
4. Jesus is Bringing Righteous Judgment
   In the midst of God’s judgments, we declare that His ways are “just and true” (Re. 16:7). It won’t be a popular message, but we agree with Him as He does whatever it takes to cleanse the earth and bring righteousness.
5. The Bride Must Be Ready
   As “friends of the bridegroom” like John the Baptist (Jn. 3:29), we call the church to live radically abandoned with all our hope in His appearing. We must be ready with oil in our lamps (Mt. 25:1-13), anchored in these truths and ready to be faithful even unto death (Re. 2:10).

How Does a Forerunner Live?

Forerunners have understanding of what God is doing before it’s obvious to everyone else. They often seem deluded or obsessive to the rest of the world. Noah must have sounded like a crazy person for decades, building a giant boat in his front yard and talking about a global flood, years before people had ever even seen rain. John the Baptist certainly didn’t seem very “balanced” or rational out there in the wilderness, wearing camel hair and eating locusts!

So here’s my first piece of advice: accept that your lifestyle will seem extreme to others, even many in the church. (You may enjoy the book Nazirite DNA by Loe Engle – check out my review.)

With that in mind, here’s the lifestyle I’m talking about: throw yourself headfirst into living the Sermon on the Mount (Mt. 5-7). Im summary, here are the main lifestyle themes we are to walk out:

• Pray daily
• Fast weekly
• Do justly
• Give extravagantly
• Live holy
• Lead diligently
• Speak boldly

Forerunners must spend lots of time studying the end times straight from Scripture, while soaked in a lifestyle of prayer and fasting. Think of it as a journey, not a destination. There are 150 chapters in the Bible that are specifically focused on the end times, and we’ll never finish mining truth from them!

Finally, don’t forget to aggressively embrace humility. It’s easy to get an elitist mindset about the forerunner calling, especially when you’re new to it. Kill that thing with fire every chance you get. Remember that your job is to be a friend of the bridegroom and point people to Jesus, not yourself. Pride is counterproductive to going anywhere in God. Take every opportunity to go low, even when you feel hurt and misunderstood. God sees.

Are You a Forerunner?

When I did my house of prayer internship in 2012, the question I was carrying in my heart was, “Is the forerunner thing real, and is it for me?” Over my months of Bible study and prayer room time, God spoke to my heart through His word that it was indeed real, and it was indeed for me.

The invitation to be a forerunner messenger isn’t restricted to a chosen few, but open to all. Anyone can hear the invitation to know and proclaim His heart related to His return and say yes to it. Of course, God is still sovereign and it’s true that He strongly emphasizes the forerunner ministry to some while He seems to have different priorities for others, but anyone who finds their heart drawn toward this message is more than welcome to say yes to it.

If you’re reading this and feeling a desire well up within you to be one who will “prepare the way of the Lord”, to understand and declare the message of His coming- that’s the Holy Spirit. It’s not your flesh, and it’s not the devil. God is nudging you to position yourself to be a faithful witness of His story in the days to come.

You can say yes. Be one of “those who are wise” who will “prepare the way of the Lord.”

Intro to the End Times is a series walking through some of the key themes of the story of Jesus’ return from a historic premillennial perspective, with special focus on knowing the heart of Jesus as we partner with God through the most dramatic chapter of human history.

We’ve hit 14 posts in this series! That feels like a lot to me because at The Prayer Room 14 sessions is a semester’s worth of a Bible class. Of course, a blog post is quite a bit simplified compared to an hour-long class session; this series will probably land at a few over 20 posts (and still be just an overview!).

For the past few posts, I’ve been taking a pause from some of the broader events to focus on the experience of the church during the tribulation. We talked about protection, then prayer, and now we’re talking about revival.

Good and Bad at the Same Time

As we discussed much earlier in this series, the end times are both dramatically glorious and dramatically terrible at the same time. Some groups within the church tend to emphasize one or the other, and either one is an unhealthy and inaccurate imbalance. Even as there will be all kinds of pressures and judgments besetting the earth, there will ALSO be a great revival as God pours out His Spirit and the bride comes into her maturity and authority. (Check out my earlier post Are the End Times Good or Bad? for more of a breakdown.)

And to some extent, these two realities fuel each other! Do you remember the riot in Ephesus that erupted because revival was bankrupting the idol industry (Acts 19)? Real revival causes disruption in society that causes unbelieving society to push back on Christians. But of course, God uses persecution to refine and stir up the church, even to the point that the witness of the martyrs becomes seed that leads to many new salvations! Persecution and revival go hand in hand. Can you imagine the fury of the Harlot Babylon and later the antichrist directed at a fiery, anointed bride that refuses to bow to their lies?

So let’s look at the biblical promise of end-time revival.

Spirit Poured Out on All Flesh

“And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh; your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, and your young men shall see visions. Even on the male and female servants in those days I will pour out my Spirit. And I will show wonders in the heavens and on the earth, blood and fire and columns of smoke. The sun shall be turned to darkness, and the moon to blood, before the great and awesome day of the LORD comes. And it shall come to pass that everyone who calls on the name of the LORD shall be saved. For in Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there shall be those who escape, as the LORD has said, and among the survivors shall be those whom the LORD calls.”
(Joel 2:28-32)

You’re probably familiar with these verses, since Peter made them famous in Acts 2. In their original context, though, it’s clearly an end-time passage. Verses 30 and 31 reference “wonders in the heavens and on the earth”, in conjunction with the “great and awesome day of the Lord” (ie, the return of Jesus). These things have not happened yet.

So why did Peter reference this passage at Pentecost?

In Acts 2, the Spirit was poured out on the disciples in the upper room. They began speaking in tongues and preaching boldly, and there was clearly a new anointing resting on them. In explaining what was happening, Peter quoted Joel 2 and said, “This is what Joel was talking about.” (Acts 2:16-21)

And indeed it was! However, it was not the full and final fulfillment. A lot of pieces were missing. There were no “blood and fire and columns of smoke.” The sun wasn’t turned to darkness and the moon wasn’t turned to blood.

There’s a really simple rule in interpreting Bible prophecy. “If it hasn’t happened yet… it hasn’t happened yet.” This prophecy was partially fulfilled, but not completely. Pentecost was only the start; the Spirit will be poured out again in an even greater measure.

There’s another principle called “dual fulfillment.” Many prophecies in Scripture have dual fulfillment: a first, smaller fulfillment, and a later, fuller fulfillment. This doesn’t lessen the validity of God’s word at all; God loves to give us early shadows to help us imagine what the full fulfillment will be like.

In Acts 2, the Holy Spirit inspired Peter to use Joel 2 as the best way to explain what was happening, and it was totally valid to say “This is that.” But in the context of the end times, there will be a much fuller expression that the world has never yet seen. Judging by the specific signs mentioned, this will probably take place during the sixth seal in Revelation 6:12-13, but even before that, God is going to be pouring out His Spirit more and more as the church reaches maturity.

Global Harvest

In Matthew 24, arguably the clearest end time chapter in the Bible, Jesus promised, “this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.” (Mt. 24:14) Missions organizations tell us that we’re very, very close. It’s very realistic that this could be complete in our lifetimes, and Jesus will not return until it occurs.

In Revelation, we see the fulfillment of this promise with the great multitude from every nation:

“…by your blood you ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation, and you have made them a kingdom and priests to our God, and they shall reign on the earth.”
(Revelation 5:9)

“After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands… These are the ones coming out of the great tribulation. They have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.”
(Revelation 7:9, 14)

“Then I saw another angel flying directly overhead, with an eternal gospel to proclaim to those who dwell on earth, to every nation and tribe and language and people.”
(Revelation 14:6)

These verses paint the picture of a global harvest of souls, with people from every people group on earth coming into the kingdom in a massive influx. Many prophetic voices in recent years have referred to a “billion-soul harvest” in the end times.

All Israel Will Be Saved

One people group in particular is guaranteed a revival.

“For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the LORD: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they shall be my people…they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, declares the LORD. For I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.”
(Jeremiah 31:33-34)

Of course, this is the new covenant that Jesus inaugurated with His death and resurrection, and Gentile believers are graciously grafted in and allowed to share in Israel’s promise. Paul details this promise and grafting in Romans 11, culminating in, “And in this way all Israel will be saved, as it is written, ‘The Deliverer will come from Zion, he will banish ungodliness from Jacob’.” (Ro. 11:26)

When Jesus comes, Israel will finally recognize Him as their God and Messiah. They will welcome Him into Jerusalem and say “Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord” (Mt. 23:29) and every Jewish person alive on earth at that time will be saved.

Zechariah describes this as a time of great repentance and mourning as they finally realize who Jesus is:

“And I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and pleas for mercy, so that, when they look on me, on him whom they have pierced, they shall mourn for him, as one mourns for an only child, and weep bitterly over him, as one weeps over a firstborn.”
(Zechariah 12:10)

Soon in this blog series, I’m going to talk a lot more about Israel and their promises. It’s a huge component of end-time prophecy, and truthfully, our eschatology will always be at least a little off balance until we put Israel in the center.

How to Partner with God for Revival

Even before the final BIG revival, I believe God will continually pour out His Spirit more and more as the church matures. So how do we align ourselves to agree with God for revival?

1. Get a big vision
   Search out stories of historic revivals to whet your appetite for what God can do when He moves. I recommend season one of the Gripped podcast by Billy Humphrey and Corey Russell.
2. Pray for it
   Make intercession for revival (in your nation, city, and local community) a regular part of your prayer life. Throughout church history, intercession has always been the way that God has ushered in revival.
3. Foster a ready lifestyle
   What kind of people will be ready to hold what God wants to pour out? It will be a worshipping, praying, fasting, humble bride that God will anoint with His Spirit.
4. Keep loving Jesus
   Remember, we’re not in this for the cool stories and dramatic experiences. We’re in this because we love Jesus. Let’s stay faithful and keep loving Him and savoring His presence, however big or small we feel it. He’s the one we want.

Intro to the End Times is a series walking through some of the key themes of the story of Jesus’ return from a historic premillennial perspective, with special focus on knowing the heart of Jesus as we partner with God through the most dramatic chapter of human history.

Throughout this series, we’ve looked at topics from why we should study the end times and God’s ultimate objectives to some of the nuts and bolts like the timeline and the judgments. Right now, we’re in a series-within-a-series looking at some of the big things God is doing in the church during this period. In the last post, I highlighted how He’s protecting the church, and now I want to talk about something that’s deeply dear to my heart: the global end time prayer movement.

The Tabernacle of David

Scripture is filled with promises of a global prayer and worship movement woven throughout the story of the end times. Amos 9:11 says: “On that day I will raise up the tabernacle of David… and rebuild it as in the days of old.” (NKJV) The phrase “that day” is a common phrase referring to the end times.

The tabernacle was birthed out of David’s desire to create a dwelling place for God (Ps. 132:1-5, 2 Sa. 7:2-3). He hired 4000 singers and musicians, as well as 4000 gatekeepers, to serve God in the tabernacle as their full-time occupation. This full-time staff of Levites kept constant prayer and worship arising before God 24/7 (1Ch. 9:33). Throughout the history of Israel, whenever the people fell into sin, the pattern of worship established in David’s tabernacle was forgotten. Whenever revival came and the people returned to the Lord, the Davidic worship was reinstated.

This verse in Amos 9:11 promises that in the final generation before Jesus return, God will once again establish the spirit of the tabernacle of David as the template for worship all over the earth.

From the Ends of the Earth

The Bible is full of prophetic promises of the entire earth singing worship to God in the final generation. Before I had an end-times lens, I used to think this was merely poetic language, maybe saying that God deserves this to be true or it would be nice if this were true. But no, these are actual prophecies that there will be a global worship movement before Jesus returns. Many verses like this are even very clearly placed within end-time passages.

“For from the rising of the sun to its setting my name will be great among the nations, and in every place incense will be offered to my name, and a pure offering. For my name will be great among the nations, says the Lord of hosts.”
(Malachi 1:11)

“They lift up their voices, they sing for joy; over the majesty of the Lord they shout from the west.Therefore in the east give glory to the Lord; in the coastlands of the sea, give glory to the name of the Lord, the God of Israel. From the ends of the earth we hear songs of praise, of glory to the Righteous One.”
(Isaiah 24:14-16)

“Sing to the Lord a new song, his praise from the end of the earth, you who go down to the sea…the coastlands…the desert and its cities…the villages…the mountains. Let them give glory to the Lord…”
(Isaiah 42:10-12)

The verse that really got me was Luke 18:7-8. I was doing a meditation assignment one night in the prayer room, and I was super confused until the spirit of revelation hit and suddenly my entire life made sense. (I blogged about that moment in 2013.)

“And will not God give justice to his elect, who cry to him day and night? …when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?”
(Luke 18:7-8)

This verse isn’t asking whether there will be any Christians on earth. In this context, the kind of faith Jesus is looking for when He comes is faith expressed in day and night prayer for justice.

Day and night prayer is an integral part of the story of His return.

This is what we call the prayer movement. All over the world, right now in our generation, God is raising up thousands of praying communities dedicated to night and day prayer until He comes. Some of those will be 24/7 and many will not, but all are consumed with giving Him as much worship as they possibly can and partnering with Him in intercession for His kingdom to come.

End Time Impact of Our Prayer and Worship

So what are we actually praying for, and what impact is it having? Here are eight key purposes of the end time prayer and worship movement. (You can refer also to the earlier post on God’s ultimate objectives, because all of those are released in partnership with the church in prayer and worship.)

1. Prepare the Bride

When He comes, Jesus is going to have a pure and spotless bride who has “made herself ready.” (Re. 19:7) The Body of Christ will be fully mature in love and ready to be equally yoked to Him for eternity. We pray biblical prayers for God to strengthen the church, and as we center our lives around His presence we ourselves are transformed!

2. Clear the Atmosphere

Step 1 of spiritual warfare is always worship. As we enthrone God in our praises (Ps. 22:3), we push back the kingdom of darkness and make way for God to do whatever He wants to do.

3. Minimize or Avert Judgment

In His holy justice, God does release judgment on the earth, and the Bible promises many end time judgments. We can’t pray the entire Tribulation away, but there are some judgments that don’t have immutably set limits. Would God in His mercy lessen the judgment or even send blessing instead if we fast and pray? (Jo. 2:12-14)

4. Release Judgment

At the same time, during the Tribulation, there will be some judgments that we are partnering with God to release! At that time, we will be able to use the book of Revelation like an inspired prayer manual, telling us exactly what God plans to do next so we can agree with it (Re. 6:10).

5. Release Revival

As the darkness gets darker, the light will get brighter. We’re contending for the full outpouring of the Spirit prophesied in Joel 2:8-32 that leads to a global harvest of salvation. Jesus can’t and won’t return until every tribe and tongue has received a witness of the gospel (Mt. 24:14; Re. 5:9, 7:9, 14:6).

6. Salvation of Israel

One particularly unique aspect of this revival is the mass salvation of Israel. God has not forgotten His promises to them, and He will redeem them and bring them into a revelation of their Messiah (Ro. 11:25-27). Jew and Gentile, we partner with this yearning of His heart for His people.

7. Establish Mercy Bubbles

Okay, the Bible doesn’t actually say “mercy bubbles”, but it does very much suggest that there will be some specific locations that are uniquely shielded from the full force of the judgments (Re. 12:14), like the land of Goshen was during the plagues in Egypt (Ex. 8:22-23). Sometimes we call these “cities of refuge” after the concept in Numbers 25. This will be specifically related to the house of prayer, as God has promised to uniquely shelter His people in His house (Ps. 27:5).

8. Hasten Jesus’ Return

2 Peter 3:12 says we can actually “hasten the day of the Lord”. As we move forward the purposes of God that have to happen before Jesus appears in the sky (Mt. 24:14), and as we do Revelation 22:17 (“The Spirit and the Bride say, ‘Come.'”), we can actually move up that Day on the calendar. I like to wonder, how many milliseconds can my lifetime of prayer speed up the moment of Jesus’ return?

It’s Happening!

This end time prayer movement is already happening right under our noses! Hundreds of houses of prayer exist already in the USA, and thousands around the world. Currently, there are only three places I know of in the US doing 24/7, but many more are being faithful on a smaller schedule and reaching for more. (For a very quick and very incomplete list, go to @fragrancearise on Instagram and scroll through the accounts I’m following, including many Burn 24-7 chapters, 24-7 Prayer communities, and other expressions of the prayer movement worldwide.)

Thirty years ago, prayer communities that were thinking about things like the tabernacle of David, night and day worship, and the end times were few and far between. In the late 1990s and early 2000s, a sovereign move of God exploded across the earth, and we are living in the fruit of that explosion today, with many more explosive moments yet to come.

This short audio series on the history of the prayer movement, from Brad Stroup at The Prayer Room, always gets me fired up. If you’re interested to learn more and have your heart stirred, I highly recommend it.

Intro to the End Times is a series walking through some of the key themes of the story of Jesus’ return from a historic premillennial perspective, with special focus on knowing the heart of Jesus as we partner with God through the most dramatic chapter of human history.

(Personal update: Hey, guys! I didn’t plan to take such a long break from this series, but I’m excited to be back. Over the past couple of months, in addition to traveling home to spend Christmas with my family and running a year-end partnership campaign, I posted a series of short videos about the beauty of Jesus on my Youtube, Facebook, and Instagram, which you saw if you are on my email list! I also started teaching a semester-long course on the Song of Solomon at The Prayer Room.)

What About the Church?

In my last post, I walked through all 21 of the major judgments of Revelation (7 seals, 7 trumpets, and 7 bowls). Most people, upon hearing all of this, immediately have this one question: What about the church?

First, let’s address the question of protection. Will the church experience the full brunt of the judgments the same as the rest of the world? NO! We may experience some of the side effects, and certainly life will be difficult in many ways, but God has promised to protect us from the harshest judgments.

Protected in the Midst

The first thing to keep in mind is that the judgments are aimed at the antichrist and his kingdom, not the church. God is not judging His own people. The judgments are a righteous response to the massive unrighteousness, injustice, and bloodshed of the kingdom of darkness.

Often, those who believe in a pre-tribulation rapture (which I do not) cite 2 Thessalonians 5:9, which says, “For God has not destined us for wrath…” as evidence that the church will not be on earth during the time of God’s wrath. To that, I would point out the context, which says that the church will not be surprised as by a thief in the night (this verse was discussed in detail in an earlier post), which is kind of a big point in favor of a post-tribulation rapture. But at the same time, I agree wholeheartedly with this verse, because even though there will be Christians on earth during the period of the tribulation, we will most certainly not be under the wrath of God! He will actually be protecting us in dramatic ways, just as He has done for His people throughout history.

Scripture contains a number of foreshadowings of this kind of end time protection, as well as some specific and clear end time promises for the church.

The Model of the Exodus

Describing the end times, God refers back to the exodus and says He will do those kinds of things again (Mic. 7:17). This refers not only the dramatic judgments on the wicked, but the dramatic deliverance for the righteous. Just as God preserved the Israelites in the region of Goshen while sending plagues on the Egyptians, He will once again protect His people in supernatural ways.

“As in the days when you came out of the land of Egypt, I will show them marvelous things.”
(Micah 7:17)

“But on that day I will set apart the land of Goshen, where my people dwell, so that no swarms of flies shall be there, that you may know that I am the LORD in the midst of the earth. Thus I will put a division between my people and your people.”
(Exodus 8:22-23)

The Model of the Ark

Another major reference point is the flood. Matthew 24:36-42 and 2 Peter 3:3-7 compare the sudden, shocking judgment of the flood to the judgments of the end times. 1 Peter 2:5-9 adds to this comparison by highlighting the preservation of Noah in the ark. God is fully capable of making distinction and aiming His judgments at the wicked while simultaneously preserving the righteous. He knows every hair on your head. He knows how to strike your next door neighbor and not you.

“If he did not spare the ancient world, but preserved Noah, a herald of righteousness, with seven others, when he brought a flood upon the world of the ungodly…then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trials, and to keep the unrighteous under punishment until the day of judgment.”
(1 Peter 2:5-9)

The Seal of God

In Revelation 7, right before the trumpet judgments start, an angel places a seal on the foreheads of believers. The trumpets are significantly more supernatural and destructive than the seal judgments that came before, so this is perfect timing for some upgraded protection! By the fifth trumpet judgment, when demon locusts rise from the abyss to sting people, we see that those with the seal are protected.

“Then I saw another angel… saying, ‘Do not harm the earth or the sea or the trees, until we have sealed the servants of our God on their foreheads.'”
(Revelation 7:2-3)

“Then from the smoke came locusts on the earth, and they were given power like the power of scorpions of the earth. They were told… to harm… only those people who do not have the seal of God on their foreheads.”
(Revelation 9:3-4)

Protection in the House of Prayer

The Bible has specific promises of protection for those who dwell in the house of the Lord. This applies most specifically to houses of prayer– sacred spaces set apart to host His presence in night and day corporate prayer and worship. These communities, especially within those walls, will be supernaturally protected in a unique way.

To “dwell” in His house or shelter isn’t just a synonym for “saved”. Many saved people don’t have this lifestyle. As Jesus’ return draws nearer, the understanding and expression of Christianity will come to revolve more and more around this kind of prayer-centered community. His house WILL be called a house of prayer (Isa. 56:7, Mt. 21:13).

“One thing have I asked of the LORD… that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life… For he will hide me in his shelter in the day of trouble; he will conceal me under the cover of his tent; he will lift me high upon a rock.”
(Psalm 27:4-5)

“He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty… Because you have made the LORD your dwelling place— the Most High, who is my refuge— no evil shall be allowed to befall you, no plague come near your tent.”
(Psalm 91:1, 9-10)

More Biblical Examples

Think of other biblical examples of protection that you know of:

• Israelites protected at Passover (Ex. 12)
• Three men protected in the fire (Da. 3)
• Daniel protected in the lions’ den (Da. 6)
• Elisha protected by an angelic army (2 Ki. 6:14-18)
• Jesus protected from the mob (Lk. 4:28-30)
• Apostles freed from prison (Ac. 5:17-21; 16:25-27)
• Paul protected from the snake bite (Ac. 28:3-6)

What about examples of provision?

• Manna, quail, and water in the wilderness (Ex. 15:22-27; 16; 17:1-7)
• The ravens feeding Elijah (1 Ki. 17:1-7)
• The multiplication of the oil (1 Ki. 17:8-16)
• The feedings of the 4000 and 5000 (Mt. 14:13-21; 15:32-38)
• The money in the fish’s mouth (Mt. 17:24-27)

Everything in the end times is more heightened than at any other time in history– including supernatural protection and provision. We will see these kinds of miracles again as God cares for His people in the middle of the storm!

Saying No to Fear

For the church, the end times isn’t about fear. We can be confident in the Lord no matter what comes. The same truths we look to now will apply even more strongly in that day:

“Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me.”
(Psalm 23:4)

“The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The LORD is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?”
(Psalm 27:1)

“God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear though the earth gives way, though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea.”
(Psalm 46:1-2)

“For God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.”
(2 Timothy 1:7)

“There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear.”
(1 John 4:18)

For the church, the end times will be our finest hour as the Spirit is poured out in fullness with global revival (Jo. 2:28-32), and we get to receive the supernatural protection and provision of God. While the rest of the world is fainting from fear (Lk. 21:26), we will be radiant (Ps. 34:4-5) with joy and confidence as we partner with God in all the purposes of His heart!

Intro to the End Times is a series walking through some of the key themes of the story of Jesus’ return from a historic premillennial perspective, with special focus on knowing the heart of Jesus as we partner with God through the most dramatic chapter of human history.

Revelation can be pretty overwhelming if you walk into it without a road map! Luckily, it’s not super complicated to get a basic overview of the flow of the book. In this series, we’ve already looked at the structural outline of Revelation, as well as a general timeline of the end times. You can also grab a downloadable outline and timeline to have before you at a glance.

In a brief nutshell, the structure of Revelation is fairly straightforward:

• Chapter 1 is an introduction and John’s vision of Jesus.
• Chapters 2-3 are letters to the seven churches.
• Chapters 4-5 are a vision of heaven, where God is worshipped and the Lamb is found worthy.
• Chapters 6-22 are the main storyline of the book, mostly revolving around three groups of seven judgments: seven seals, seven trumpets, and seven bowls. These form the main structure of Jesus’ battle plan to cleanse the earth and establish His kingdom.

Last post, we identified two lists of good guys and bad guys. Obviously Jesus is the chief good guy and Satan is the chief bad guy, and they each have a cast of characters that they use to accomplish their purposes. Now, let’s look at the drama that is unfolding around these characters.

Seven Seals

Revelation 6:1-16, 8:1-5

The tribulation officially begins as a seven-year period when the antichrist signs a seven-year peace treaty that brings a period of apparent peace and safety to the earth (Da. 9:27, 1Th. 5:3). It seems to be the answer to all the world’s problems, and the antichrist is celebrated as a brilliant leader; I imagine him winning the Nobel Peace Prize and appearing on the cover of every magazine in the world.

In the middle of this promised seven years of peace, the antichrist breaks his word, marches into the temple in Jerusalem, stops the sacrifices that have been occurring there, and declares himself to be God. This act, known as the “abomination of desolation,” (Da. 9:27, 11:31, 12:11; Mt. 24:15-22; 2Th. 2:3-4) kicks off three and a half years of the Great Tribulation… and this is when the seals start.

Revelation 5 shows a scroll in heaven with seven wax seals securing it closed. This scroll represents the title deed of the earth; in other words, it is authority to rule the world. All of heaven is searching for one who is worthy to open the scroll and claim this authority–and Jesus, the lamb who was slain, is the only one found worthy. Because He died on a cross as a sacrificial lamb, absolutely pure, He has proven that His heart is pure enough to bear this responsibility. This is the king we want. We know His love and mercy, and therefore we can fully trust Him to release whatever judgment God deems necessary.

So the lamb breaks the seals and in Revelation 6, the judgments begin.

1. First seal: White horse
   The antichrist is revealed riding on a white horse “conquering and to conquer.” This is when he breaks the treaty and declares his intention to conquer the earth.
2. Second seal: Red horse
   The rider of the red horse is “permitted to take peace from the earth.” As a result of the antichrist’s new campaign, the earth is plunged into a world war.
3. Third seal: Black horse
   As a result of the war, the world experiences economic upheaval as resources become expensive and scarce.
4. Fourth seal: Pale horse
   One fourth of the population of the earth die as a result of war, famine, illness, and even wild beasts.
5. Fifth seal: Martyrs cry out
   Many souls of martyrs cry out to God to avenge them, and He promises He will… but not yet, because more martyrs must be killed. (Martyrdom isn’t a judgment on the church; the antichrist is actually creating a bigger problem for himself by stirring up the zeal of both God and the church.)
6. Sixth seal: Signs in heaven and on earth
   Dramatic signs appear in the sky and an earthquake shakes the earth. The sky rolls back like a scroll, and even the wicked recognize the wrath of God. The details of this seal parallel with Joel 2:28-32, showing the dramatic outpouring of the Spirit on the church.At this point, an angel is released to seal the servants of God to protect them at a certain level from the judgments that are coming.
7. Seventh seal: Fire thrown to earth
   The prayers of the saints rise before God as incense, and fire from the heavenly altar is thrown to earth. This shows the impact of our prayers and an increase of divine authority granted to the church.

Seven Trumpets

Revelation 8:6-9:21, 11:15-19

Jesus compared the judgments of the end times to labor pains before a baby is born. The birth pains start with the signs of the times in the years before the tribulation, and contractions continue to increase, harder and closer together, as the earth gets closer to the “birth” of the next age. Therefore, the trumpets are more intense than the seals, and they happen in a shorter timeframe.

Most of the seals were fairly natural processes taking their course. A global conquerer arises, which leads to war, which leads to societal upheaval, which leads to famine and illness, and at the same time the antichrist is focusing his wrath especially on the church for getting in his way. By the sixth seal, it becomes very obvious that this isn’t just natural process but the hand of God, and that only intensifies into the trumpets.

1. First trumpet: 1/3 of vegetation burned
   Hail, fire, and blood are thrown to the earth, and a third of all vegetation is burned up.
2. Second trumpet: 1/3 of sea becomes blood
   Something like a burning mountain is thrown into the sea, and a third of the sea becomes blood, killing a third of sea creatures and destroying ships.
3. Third trumpet: 1/3 of water poisoned
   A star called Wormwood falls and poisons a third of earth’s rivers and springs, killing many who drink it.
4. Fourth trumpet: 1/3 of light darkened
   A third of the sun, moon, and stars are struck so that a third of the day and night is dark.The final three trumpets are announced as the first, second, and third “woes.”
5. Fifth trumpet/first woe: Demonic locusts
   Demonic locusts are released from the bottomless pit to sting anyone without the seal of God, and their sting causes intense pain but not death, and people will “seek death but will not find it”.
6. Sixth trumpet/second woe: 1/3 of mankind killed
   Angels are released to kill a third of mankind with plagues of fire, smoke, and sulfur. (Remember, one fourth of mankind was already killed in the fourth seal, leaving three fourths, and this trumpet kills one third of that, meaning that between these two judgments alone a full half of the earth’s population is killed.)
7. Seventh trumpet/third woe: Jesus returns
   The seventh trumpet or “last trumpet” (Mt. 24:31, 1Co. 15:52, 1Th. 4:16) is the climactic moment of history when the kingdom of the world becomes the kingdom of our Lord and He begins to reign on earth as King forever. This is the moment when the saints are resurrected and any saints left alive on earth are caught up to meet Jesus in the clouds, and all the saints receive new bodies. (I wrote an entire post on the resurrection here.)

Seven Bowls

Revelation 16:1-21

If the trumpets were doubled in intensity from the seals, the bowls are tripled from the trumpets. At this point, the timeframe is even more condensed, and Jesus is on the earth in person, riding on a white horse with an army of resurrected saints behind Him (19:11-16), setting captives free from the antichrist’s oppression and laying waste to his kingdom. He is making His way toward Jerusalem, where the antichrist will engage Him in a final climactic battle.

Notably, the trumpets and bowls both closely mirror the plagues on Egypt during the exodus. Up to now, the exodus has been one of the most supernatural series of events in history, with the flood being the only other event in the same category. God promised that the events of the end times would be similar to the flood and would far surpass the events of the exodus (Je. 23:7-8, Mi. 7:15-17, Mt. 24:37-41, 2Pe. 3:4-7).

1. First bowl: Sores
   Horrible sores are released on everyone with the mark of the beast.
2. Second bowl: Sea becomes blood
   In the second trumpet, only 1/3 of the sea become blood. Here, the transformation is complete. Every sea creature dies.
3. Third bowl: Rivers become blood
   Now, not only is the sea blood, but every river and spring, as a just response to the bloodshed of the antichrist’s kingdom.
4. Fourth bowl: Sun scorches
   The sun burns people with fierce heat, and they respond by cursing God.
5. Fifth bowl: Darkness
   The antichrist’s kingdom is plunged into darkness. People are still in pain from the rest of the bowls combined, and they continue to curse God.
6. Sixth bowl: Demons assemble the nations for battle
   Demonic spirits sent by the antichrist gather the kings and their armies to Jerusalem for battle against Jesus.
7. Seventh bowl: Earthquake and hail
   A great earthquake completely destroys the cities of the earth, and even mountains and islands. Hundred-pound hailstones also fall, along with lightening and thunder. People continue to curse God.

The Mercy in the Judgments

All of this is so intense! How are we to think about these judgements? Are they unfortunate embarrassments, a stain on the heart of the God of love? Of course not! As the saying goes, “God is good, all the time, and all the time, God is good.” Even in His judgments, He is good.

A few perspectives to keep in mind:

1. These judgments are against the antichrist and his kingdom, NOT against the people of God. We will be on the earth, but God has many ways to protect us, just like Israel was protected during the plagues of Egypt, and Noah was protected during the flood (2Pe. 2:4-9).
2. The most intense judgments, the seven bowls, occur after Jesus returns at the seventh trumpet and gives us resurrected bodies. At that point, we will be absolutely invincible to any danger.
3. The judgments start slow and increase gradually to give people time to repent and choose mercy. Mercy is always, always available, up until the moment people make the final choice of choosing the mark of the beast.
4. Much as Israel saw the plagues of Egypt as God’s mercy toward them in rescuing them from slavery, the end time judgments will be God’s mercy toward His church. He is burning with zeal to defend and avenge her against persecution and martyrdom at the hands of the antichrist.
5. At the same time as the judgments are happening, it’s also the most glorious time for the church as we are maturing into full-grown, white-hot, pure love as the Bride! The Spirit is being poured out in unprecedented ways and we are seeing revival and a great harvest of souls as God draws hearts to himself! (See my post on how the end times are “great and terrible” all at once.)

Still, these judgements are intense, and it’s tempting to want to pull back from them… but God has been reminding me lately of Jesus’ words in Isaiah 63:4: “For the day of vengeance was in my heart, and my year of redemption had come.” If this day is in His heart, I want it to be in mine too.

Let’s go on the journey of staring at these seals, trumpets, and bowls, talking to the Lord about them, and learning to see the beauty and mercy in His judgments.

Intro to the End Times is a series walking through some of the key themes of the story of Jesus’ return from a historic premillennial perspective, with special focus on knowing the heart of Jesus as we partner with God through the most dramatic chapter of human history.

As we discussed in an earlier post, the end times are good and bad all at once. Similarly, the characters in play represent both heroes and antagonists. Some of these might be familiar to you, but others you might not have considered before.

Good Guys

Of course Jesus is our central Good Guy, and He uses many others to accomplish His purposes in partnership with Him.

1. God the Father

The Father is the one ultimately running the show, together with the Son and the Spirit. At the time of Jesus’ ministry, Jesus said that no one knew the timing of the last days except the Father only (Mt. 24:36). The end times belong to God the Father; they are His end times and all the purposes of His heart will be accomplished during the unfolding of the judgment and redemption that will mark those days.

2. Jesus (the Bridegroom, King, Judge, Lamb, etc)

Jesus is the one destined to be at center stage forever when He comes. He is coming back to judge the nations, marry His bride, and rule as king forever. (In a recent post, we talked about Jesus in these three roles, as bridegroom, king, and judge.)

3. The Holy Spirit

The ministry of the Holy Spirit will be more active than ever during the end times as He fulfills every prophecy written about the last generation. The Joel 2:28-32 outpouring will finally occur in fullness, and the entire church will walk in unprecedented power, fully submitted and in agreement with God. The Holy Spirit will do the work in our hearts to bring us into full love and maturity, so we can be the equally yoked “bride in white” of Revelation 19:7-8.

4. Angels of God

Angels appear many times in Revelation and other end times passages. They are servants of God who do His bidding on the earth and in the spiritual realm, often protecting and supporting His people. In the end time drama, there are specific angels with specific assignments to accomplish. (In fact, the word “angel” appears 79 times in the book of Revelation!)

5. Prayer Movement

Before Jesus comes back, the understanding and expression of Christianity will shift to center more around night and day prayer and worship than at any time in history. We’re already seeing many expressions of this on the earth today:

• Praying churches – Congregations that prioritize prayer as a primary ministry, running multiple hours of prayer daily (Example: Upper Room)
• Houses of prayer – Prayer ministries that run as many consistent hours of prayer as possible, though they may or may not run 24/7 (Example: The Prayer Room)
• Prayer burns – Monthly, annual, or occasional night and day prayer “burns” for a set length of time (Example: Burn 24-7)
• Stadium prayer events – Large events rallying people to prayer and fasting for revival (Example: Contend and its predecessor TheCall)
• Prayer towers – Prayer rooms where one person at a time takes a turn praying in shifts 24/7 (Example: Indonesia prayer towers)

6. Two Witnesses

There will be two powerful prophets in the last days drama with a unique ministry (Zc. 4:1-14, Ma. 3:1, 4:5-6, Re. 11:1-12). These two men will prophetically proclaim the word of God and back it up with unprecedented power, such as fire coming out of their mouths to kill their enemies. For the three and a half years of the great tribulation they will perform miracles, prophesy in power, and encourage the church immensely. At the end of the three and a half years, God will allow the antichrist to kill them, but they will rise from the dead three and a half days later.

7. Prophets of God

Many will follow in the footsteps of the two witnesses by also operating in a great measure of authority.  They will release power across the earth, perform similar miracles, and give similar prophetic words, to a lesser extent (Eph. 4:11-13; Re. 11:18, 16:6, 18:20-24). Also, God will out His Spirit on all His people, so that all saints will prophesy with a new measure of clarity and boldness (Jo. 2:28-32). 

Bad Guys

Everything Satan does is a counterfeit of what God does. God has His Christ, and Satan has his antichrist. God has His Bride, and Satan has his harlot. God will have a great revival, and Satan will have a great falling away.

1. Satan:

Satan is described as the father of lies and a roaring lion and a crafty serpent (Jn. 8:44, 1 Pe. 5:8, Ge. 3:1). If you look at God’s ultimate end time objectives and think of Satan aiming for the opposite of every one, that’s a good start. Ultimately, he wants what he has always wanted: to deceive humanity into worshipping him as god. He will mostly do this through the antichrist and false prophet, along with the Harlot Babylon. He behaves like an animal backed into a corner, holding nothing back and lashing out “because he knows that his time is short.” (Re. 12:12) At the same time, he is arrogant past all rationality in attempting to thwart God’s purposes.

2. Harlot Babylon:

Babylon is one of the largest end times themes in scripture (check out especially Re. 17-18 and Je. 50-51). The Harlot Babylon will be a worldwide culture of every kind of wickedness that also has tangible systemic realities affecting politics, economics, religion, etc. The harlot system will “soften up” the world to receive the antichrist.

3. Antichrist:

The antichrist will be Satan’s main instrument during the end times. This man will rise to power and deceive the earth. He will sign a seven-year peace treaty with Israel and the surrounding nations which begins the seven-year tribulation, then in the middle of the seven years he will break the treaty and declare himself to be God and go on a killing spree against all who oppose him. This event is called the “abomination of desolation” (Da. 9:27). (Da. 7:7-25, 8:23-25, 9:26-27, 11:31-45; Mt. 24:15-24; 2Th. 2:1-12; Re. 13:1-8, 11:7-10)

4. The False Prophet:

The antichrist is gonna need a right hand man. His job is to deceive the world and direct them to worship the antichrist. He will speak persuasively and have great demonic power. He will be the one administrating the antichrist religion, including the image of the antichrist that the entire world will be commanded to worship. (Re. 13:11-17, 16:13, 19:20, 20:10)

5. Other False Prophets:

Just like there will be many of God’s prophets following in the footsteps of the two witnessed, there will be many other false prophets following in the footsteps of the antichrist’s chief false prophet. They will operate in demonic authority and power across the earth (Dt. 13:1-5; Isa. 44:24-27; Je. 50:36; Zc. 13:1-6; Mt. 7:15-23, 24:11, 24; Mk. 13:22; 2Pe. 2:1; 1Jn. 4:1). These prophets will perform false signs and wonders that will also lead many people astray (Re. 13:12, 13, 14, 15, 16:14, 17:8).

6. Wicked Men:

Evil will reach its fullness in the last generation. People will embrace every sort of wickedness imaginable, including slavery, murder, witchcraft, theft, sexual immorally, brutality, abuse, and betrayal (Re. 18:13, 9:21; 2Ti. 3:2-3; Mt. 10:21).

Distinguishing Light and Darkness

The final generation, especially the final three and a half years, will be the most intense the earth has ever experienced. As God is separating light from darkness, the wheat and the tares are growing up together (Mt. 13:24-30). In the final chapter, there will be no more grey area; the cast of characters on the end time stage will either be fully aligned with God or fully aligned with the enemy.

At the same time, I don’t want to say that it will be easy to tell the difference; the enemy’s camp will be really deceptive and convincing. That’s why it’s so crucial to get grounded in the Word ahead of time so that we can distinguish truth from lies. As Daniel says, “He shall seduce with flattery… but the people who know their God shall stand firm and take action. And the wise among the people shall make many understand.” (Da. 11:32-33) Let’s be those who know our God and are equipped with wisdom to make many understand the truth!

Intro to the End Times is a series walking through some of the key themes of the story of Jesus’ return from a historic premillennial perspective, with special focus on knowing the heart of Jesus as we partner with God through the most dramatic chapter of human history.

(Full disclosure: I love to recommend resources to help you in your journey, and when I do I use Amazon affiliate links. If you purchase something through my links, I may receive a small commission. But if there’s a resource you want, I encourage you to get it wherever works best for you!)

Approaching Revelation

For many people, the book of Revelation is synonymous with the end times. It’s certainly not our only source of information; there are 150 chapters in Scripture about the end times and an estimated 550 Old Testament references in Revelation alone. In fact, Revelation itself has almost no brand new information, but in many ways it is the bow on top that ties details together and gives us a helpful framework for understanding the storyline.

As we get into studying Revelation, there are two main keys we’ll need to keep in mind:

1. Stay Hungry and Humble

A lot of people consider Revelation the “scary book” or just plain confusing; there are even some great memes about how confusing Revelation is.

Everyone starts by being confused– but no one is supposed to stop there. How mean would it be of God to write an entire book of the Bible that He knew would be out of our reach?

Understanding Revelation certainly isn’t easy, but nor is it super complicated. God has made His truth available to all, not only to the smartest, richest, or most academic. However, it doesn’t come without effort for anyone. It takes a good bit of time and intentionality, but the fog will lift. Read it and pray about it a lot, and make the Bible itself your main source of information, rather than immediately running to commentaries and outside resources. (When you have a question, pray about it and read Bible verses before googling!)

A posture of spiritual hunger and humility to search out and submit to God’s Word is the only way you’re going to gain insight. Come like a child, don’t lean on your own understanding, and search for wisdom like treasure. The Holy Spirit will be faithful to lead you into all truth. (LK. 18:17, Pr. 3:5, Pr. 2:3-5, Jn. 16:13)

2. Take the Plain Sense Meaning

Revelation is mostly pretty straightforward. No, it’s not completely literal, but where there are symbols, the meanings are given pretty clearly. Some details will seem too dramatic to be realistically possible, but remember we’re talking about the God who flooded the whole earth and parted the Red Sea, and the second coming of Jesus Christ to the earth far surpasses anything in history! We may have gotten all smart and modern, but God is still old-fashioned and supernatural– yesterday, today, and forever.

There are simple, practical ways to recognize symbolism. Words like “mystery” and “sign” are big clues, and then those symbols will be quickly interpreted by the text itself. Here are some examples of these tipoff words:

• “The mystery…is this (Re. 1:20)
• “A great and wondrous sign appeared in heaven (Re. 12:1)”  
• “Then another sign appeared in heaven (Re. 12:3)”
• “I saw in heaven another great and marvelous sign (Re. 15:1)”
• “I will explain to you the mystery of the woman and of the beast she rides (Re. 17:7)”

The key is to let Scripture interpret Scripture rather than looking for more abstract meanings based on guesswork or outside information. Keep reminding yourself that God really did give us the Bible to be understood by anyone anywhere who is hungry and humble, and He’s not trying to create shadowy puzzles that only the elite can solve.

Outline of Revelation

This is the outline of Revelation that has been invaluable to me in my study the past 8 years. I’ve outlined Revelation myself in detail more than once, and this framework has proven an excellent skeletal structure.

We can first break Revelation into four major sections:

• PART 1: John’s Calling (Re. 1)
  John is called to prophesy about the end times. He gives specific truths about Jesus’ majesty—truths that form the way he prophesies about the end times, and that are meant to equip us.
• PART 2: Seven Letters (Re. 2-3)
  Jesus gives seven letters to seven churches. The instructions Jesus gives to these seven churches about overcoming sin give us practical insight into what we too must overcome today.
• PART 3: Jesus Takes the Scroll (Re. 4-5)
  The scroll represents the title deed of the earth and Jesus’ battle plan to cleanse the whole earth in preparation for His rule. Jesus’ battle plan is seen in the events of Revelation 6-22.
• PART 4: Jesus’ Battle Plan (Re. 6-22)
  Jesus’ battle plan is written in the scroll and includes the Great Tribulation judgments against the Babylon religion and the Antichrist’s empire. In these chapters, Jesus reveals His main storyline of love to cleanse the earth of evil.

Parts 1, 2, and 3 are rich but not too confusing. Part 4 is the longest section, and that’s where the main storyline kicks off. The first thing that you need know about Part 4 is that it is broken into ten smaller parts: five chronological sections and five angelic explanations, alternating.

The chronological sections happen in order, as written, and tell us what happens to the antichrist’s followers in the twenty-one judgment events (seven seals, seven trumpets, and seven bowls), which intensify in severity as they unfold.

The angelic explanations are “pauses” in the storyline in which an angel explains to John more context about the events he is seeing. They answer questions arising from the chronological sections: Why is God’s wrath so severe? What will happen to us? Angels explain to John what will happen to God’s people, including what Jesus will do to help the saints and what the Antichrist will do to persecute them.

• Chronological Section #1 (Re. 6)
  The SEAL JUDGMENTS against the kingdom of darkness.
  • Angelic Explanation #1 (Re. 7)
    The saints receive PROTECTION from judgments and from falling away from the truth.
• Chronological Section #2 (Re. 8-9)
  The TRUMPET JUDGMENTS against the Antichrist’s empire.
  • Angelic Explanation #2 (Re. 10-11:14)
    The saints receive DIRECTION by the great increase of prophetic ministry.
• Chronological Section #3 (Re. 11:15-19)
  The SECOND COMING PROCESSION and the rapture of the Church. At the seventh and last trumpet (1Co. 15:52; 1Th. 4:16, Re. 10:7), Jesus will replace all governmental leaders on earth in a hostile takeover. He will lead a royal procession across the earth. He will first travel across the sky to rapture the saints (every eye will see Him, Re. 1:7), then through the land of Edom (modern-day Jordan; Isa. 63:1-6; Hb. 3:12) destroying His enemies, then to Jerusalem and the Mount of Olives (Zch. 14:2-5).
  • Angelic Explanation #3 (Re. 12-14)
    The antichrist’s violent CONFRONTATION against the saints and all that is good in society requires that all his evil governments be replaced
• Chronological Section #4 (Re. 15-16)
  The BOWL JUDGMENTS destroy evil infrastructures in society (Ps. 2:9).
  • Angelic Explanation #4 (Re. 17-19:10)
    The SEDUCTION of society by Babylon’s evil religion will permeate and infiltrate every social structure, requiring that Babylon be totally destroyed.
• Chronological Section #5 (Re. 19:11-20:15)
  Jesus’ TRIUMPHAL ENTRY to Jerusalem (Re. 19:11-21:8).
  • Angelic Explanation#5 (Re. 21-22)
    The RESTORATION of all things (Ac. 3:21; Re. 21:9-22:5).

How to Use This Outline

There you have it! I recommend using this outline as a study resource as you’re reading. As you’re getting used to the book, try creating your own outline fleshing out this structure.

Especially when I started studying Revelation, I liked printing this timeline and keeping it handy alongside my Bible. The pdf below includes the outline as well as a couple of timeline charts that are also great reference material.

I also learned an ingenious trick for keeping myself oriented in my Bible as I’m reading as to whether I’m in a chronological section or an angelic interpretation. In my Bible, I drew a red box in the margin around the chronological sections, and a blue box in the margin around the angelic interpretation sections. I also wrote along the side either CS or AE and a number with a keyword.

In this picture below, you can see I have Revelation 11:15-19 marked off in red as “CS #3: Second Coming” and Revelation 12 begins “AE #3: Confrontation”. With this trick, I can see at a glance by the color in the margin whether I’m in a chronological section or an angelic explanation.

As a bonus idea, you can also see that I like to highlight all 21 judgment markers (such as “first trumpet”, “second trumpet”, etc.) with green, and I highlight all names and descriptions of God in pink.

Revelation is such a rich book, and so crucial for the church to understand. The enemy has spent generations convincing us that it’s not meant for us or too confusing for us to grasp, and it’s high time we take back what God has given to us. I pray these resources encourage and empower you to dive into Revelation with a hungry and humble heart and seek out the treasure in it!

Intro to the End Times is a series walking through some of the key themes of the story of Jesus’ return from a historic premillennial perspective, with special focus on knowing the heart of Jesus as we partner with God through the most dramatic chapter of human history.

Good or Bad?

There seem to be two major perspectives on the “good or bad”-ness of the season of time right before Jesus comes back.

On the one hand, the end times are sometimes presented as all bad bad bad— judgment, destruction, persecution, Christians huddled underground while the antichrist hunts them down and demon locusts swarm the earth. This seems to be the expectation behind the saying “hope for the best, prepare for the worst” as I discussed in an earlier post, as though being on earth during the end times is the worst thing that could possibly happen to us.

On the other hand, the story is sometimes presented as all good and no bad— that we’re going to experience massive global revival, the church is going to spread the Kingdom all over the earth, nations will acknowledge Jesus as Lord, and THEN Jesus will come back. (The theological term for this view is postmillennialism, sometimes referred to as “victorious eschatology”. There are other beliefs beside these two, but these are the ends of the spectrum and represent the most common off-balance perspectives I’ve seen in the modern church.)

As is often the case, the truth is a bit of both.

I appreciate that the first view takes Jesus’ warnings seriously. Whether people who hold that view are pre- or post-trib, it’s great that they have a healthy sobriety about the intensity of what’s coming.

On the other hand, I appreciate that the second view takes Jesus’ promises seriously. We really were promised that we would do greater things because of the Holy Spirit in us. I believe we really will see a great revival before Jesus comes. The Kingdom of God really is at hand!

Great and Terrible

Here’s the key: As the famous opening line of Charles Dickens’ A Tale of Two Cities goes, “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.” The end times are going to be really bad and really good– at the same time.

Several passages in Scripture provide a helpful phrase for thinking about this dichotomy.

“For the day of the Lord is great and very terrible; who can endure it?”
(Joel 2:11 NKJV, see alse Joel 2:31, Malachi 4:5)

The Day of the Lord (which, depending on context, can refer to the entire scope of the end times or the specific day when Jesus appears in the sky) is both great and terrible!

(Note: The phrase does seem to be reiterating rather than contrasting–ie, in this context “great” and “terrible” mean just about the same thing–but if we imagine “great” in the contemporary sense of “very good” it gives us a helpful framework for what we see elsewhere all over Scripture. In other words, we’re borrowing “great and terrible” from its context as a handy phrase to describe the contrasting dynamics of the storyline.)

Wheat and Weeds

Jesus told a parable of a man who owned a wheat field, but an enemy came and planted weeds alongside the wheat. The servants asked if they should try to uproot the weeds right away, but the owner told them that they might pull up the wheat along with the weeds. At that stage, neither the wheat nor weeds had reached maturity enough to be properly distinguishable. Instead, the servants were instructed to wait until both the wheat and the weeds reached full maturity, and then they would be separated at harvest time (Mt. 13:24-30).

This is a picture of the end times. God is going to let both the righteousness of the church and the wickedness of the world reach full maturity. At that point, there will be a clear, sharp distinction between what is of God and what is not. Right now, we’ve got a bit of a grey area–a lot of the church looking like the world, and a lot of the world just seeming like nice people. In the final chapter, the difference will be stark. The light will get brighter and the dark will get darker, at the same time.

The Father is zealous to bring His Son’s bride into full holiness and maturity so that she stands beside Him equally yoked in love and righteousness. At the same time, He’s going to allow wickedness to grow into maturity so that when He does judge the earth, it will be absolutely clear that it’s fully, rightfully deserved. This vindicates His justice and righteousness.

Great Things

As a kid with a pre-trib rapture expectation, I used to pray that I would somehow get to stay on earth during the tribulation because I was so excited about the idea of seeing everything God would do during that time. Here are just a few of the exciting things God will do on earth during the period of time shortly before Jesus’ return (I developed some of these ideas more in my post about God’s ultimate end time objectives):

1. Outpouring of the Holy Spirit
   We will see the church operating in greater power than ever before as the promise of Joel 2:28-32 is fulfilled worldwide (“I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh…”) We saw a partial fulfillment at Pentecost in Acts 2, but the context of Joel 2 is clearly eschatological. That day is coming, and we really will do “greater works” than Jesus did (Jn.14:12-14)!
2. Great Revival
   In conjunction with this outpouring, we will see a massive end-time harvest of souls! The gospel will be proclaimed with power to every people group (Mt. 24:14, Re. 14:6), so that every nation, tribe, and tongue on earth will be represented before the throne (Re. 7:9). This hasn’t happened yet, but top missions organizations say we’re very close!
3. Supernatural Provision and Protection for the Church
   There is ample precedent in Scripture for God protecting His people in the middle of crisis, like Noah on the ark during the flood or Israel during the plagues in Egypt. Israel’s birth as a nation was marked by this kind of dramatic protection and provision, and we will see these miracles again (Mi. 7:15, Re. 7:2-3)! The house of prayer especially will be a place of supernatural shelter (Ps. 27:5, Ps. 91).
4. Global Prayer Movement
   In the last days, as the drama increases, there will be a steady soundtrack of prayer and worship arising like incense from every corner of the earth (Isa. 24:14-16, Isa. 42:10-12, Mal. 1:11). God is raising up those who will cry out for justice and for His purposes for Israel until He comes (Isa 62:6-7, Lk. 18:7-8). This is what we’re seeing around the world even now.
5. Maturity of the Bride
   God is raising up the church to be an equally yoked bride for Jesus! When He comes, we will be presented to Him “without spot or wrinkle… holy and without blemish.” (Eph. 5:27) God is working this in us even now, and the end times will see the church walking in the fullness of our identity in confident hope and unshakable lovesickness.
6. Justice Accomplished
   Jesus’ heart burns for justice! He longs to make all the wrong things right. He will declare war on wickedness like we’ve never seen and will bring destruction against Satan and the antichrist’s kingdom while vindicating and defending His people. Ultimately, He will fully establish His kingdom on earth in which perfect justice will reign forever (Ps. 89:14, Isa. 9:7).

Terrible Things

At the same time as the “great” things are happening, plenty of not-so-great things are also occurring. All of this is part of God’s storyline, and there is purpose in everything, but these things will call for great endurance and faithfulness.

1. Judgments
   21 judgments are listed sequentially in the book of Revelation (seals, trumpets, and bowls). These are various supernatural crises and plagues that God will send on the earth against wickedness. Note that these judgments are NOT directed at the church! We will feel some of the effects, but God’s wrath is against the antichrist’s kingdom, not us. The church will experience a large degree of supernatural protection (see Great Thing #3 above).
2. Persecution
   Satan will be on full blast against the church and also the people of Israel. He hates what God loves, and knowing that time is running out, he will attack God’s people will all the energy of a rabid animal backed into a corner (Re. 12:12-17).
3. Deception
   The closer we get to Jesus’ return, the harder the enemy will be working to deceive the earth. The Harlot Babylon system that precedes the antichrist will seduce the world with false peace (1Th. 5:3) as many different “truths” are accepted openly. Then the antichrist will demand worship as God, backing up his claim with dramatic signs and wonders (2Th. 2:3-4, 9). To beware of deception was Jesus’ foremost instruction concerning the end times (Mt. 24:4).
4. Wickedness
   As the weeds grow up alongside the wheat, the wickedness of the earth will be growing up into maturity. Before the Flood, mankind was thoroughly corrupt and thought only of evil continually (Gn. 6:5), and Jesus promised that the time of His coming would be much like the time of Noah (Lk. 17:26). Right now, God is mercifully holding back the full extent of potential evil, but He will take the brakes off and let true depravity reveal itself (Mt. 24:12, 2Ti. 3:1-5, Re. 9:12).
5. Creation’s Groan
   The earth itself is groaning with longing for that day (Ro. 8:19-23), when it will be freed from the curse of the fall. These groans can be seen to manifest in natural disasters like earthquakes and hurricanes, animal attacks (yes, this is a whole entire thing in eschatology!), and even diseases like COVID-19.
6. Great Falling Away
   As the distinction between darkness and light get clearer, decisions will be forced and many in the church who didn’t have strong root systems and allowed their hearts to grow cold will find themselves drifting away (Mt. 24:10-12, 24; 1Ti. 4:1; 2Th. 2:3). I personally have a number of friends who have already drifted away from Jesus and embraced beliefs and choices that are starkly against Him. Many more are on shaky ground, building their faith on a shaky foundation that won’t stand when the storm hits.

Preparing for Both Dynamics

The church that lives through all of these dynamics will need to be firmly rooted and grounded in the knowledge of God. We will need to know deep in our bones that He is good and trustworthy and be prepared to be faithful unto death, as the accusations of the enemy attack us and we see the “terrible” dynamics on the rise. At the same time, we need to be prepared to carry the revival that God will pour out. We need humble hearts reaching to carry more and more of the presence of God so that we can partner with Him fully in all He wants to do.

The answer to being prepared for both of these dynamics is the same: get oil. Matthew 25:1-13 describes five virgins (like bridesmaids at a wedding) who were wise and five virgins who were foolish. The wise ones prepared ahead of time by making sure they had enough oil in their lamps to last until the bridegroom came, no matter how long it took. The foolish ones ran out of oil and tried to get more but in the process found themselves missing the opportunity of meeting the bridegroom.

We need the oil of intimacy. We need a deep and intimate history of relationship with Jesus that will anchor our hearts through the storm and position us to join Him in carrying revival.