End Time Views aren’t a Pizza Buffet

End Time Pizza, Apple, and Oranges

My first taste of the studying end times prophecy was watching the move A Thief in the Night, at that time I didn’t realize there were different end time views, but I was exposed to them when I began Bible College. One of my first research projects was on the location of the dead which lead me to understand there are tons of views on end times prophecy. Unfortunately, I would go on to select my end time views before I even read the bulk of Bible prophecy itself. It’s as if I went to a gas station sunglass rack and picked me out a pair of Bible prophecy glasses that I wore every time I read a prophecy passage, therefore I only read what I had already decided on beforehand. You can see the danger in this, but this is what happens most of the time with Bible prophecy.

I am going to talk about the different views, but before I do, I must remind you to read the Biblical text first. Put your heart and mind in neutral and let the Word of God push you around rather than you push the Bible around to fit your preconceived ideas. Please hear me—read the Bible and let it form your view!

Put your heart and mind in neutral and let the Word of God push you around rather than you push the Bible around to fit your preconceived ideas. Please hear me—read the Bible and let it form your view! Share on X

Understanding the different end time views is important because they help us understand how someone is interpreting the Scriptures. I have found myself in many discussions where I was talking about end times’ apples and the other person was talking end times’ oranges. They approached and understood the interpretation of Scripture much differently than me and vice versa, but until we identified our views the conversation was challenging.

 

An End Time View Journey

When I began to learn there were different views of Bible prophecy, I began to treat the selection of a view as selecting a slice of pizza off a pizza buffet. I’d just pick whatever view I wanted, seriously! Maybe I’m the only one who does that or has done that, but I doubt it. These were semi-educated pizza slice selections because they were usually based off the book I was reading at that time or the professor teaching the class I was currently attending.

 

Here’s a quick tour through my end time view pizza buffet selections:

• First, I was a Dispensational Premillennialist because that was the only understanding I knew of the end times.
• Second, I was an even stronger Dispensational Premillennialist because that was what my professors were for the most part at the start of Bible college.
• Third, I became a Dispensational Premillennialist with some Historicist tendencies thrown in because I read a book that was written by a Historicist (though I didn’t know even what that was).
• Fourth, I became a Classical Premillennialist because I got enthralled with the early church fathers.
• Fourth, I became an Eclectic. This means that you just grab a sample of all the slices on the buffet. Really there are those who hold this type of view.
• Fifth, I became an Amillennial Symbolist because of a seminary professor I had.
• Sixth, in preparing to start doctoral work I double-downed on being an Amillennial Symbolist because that was more academically cool.

Then something happened. I no longer began to view an end time view as a freewill selection on the End Times View Pizza Buffet. My last semester of seminary I needed any type of credit and the only class available was Theological Interpretation of the Bible. I’m still not even sure how to define that interpretative view today, but throughout that class my eyes were opened to letting Scripture interpret Scripture. It sounds silly to me now to say that was ground-breaking, but it was.

Interpreting Scripture with Scripture first and growing in a devotion to Biblical authority caused me to not select any interpretative view that wasn’t driven from the Biblical text first. This understanding led to me wiping the slate clean of how I viewed Bible prophecy. I simply read it.

Taking this approach led to me being a staunch premillennialist. Even to the point of facing ridicule in the academic world. Now I don’t have it all figured out, but my views aren’t just pizza slice selections on a whim anymore.

I took you on my journey to encourage you to evaluate your own view and its formation.

Now I want to share about the different views so you can see what is all available on the pizza buffet.

 

 

End Time Views

Since I’m riding the food analogy for end time views let me add another. There is a progression of different views in the study of Bible prophecy. With each step you come to a fork in the road where you must then decide to which path you will go.

 

Theological Fork in Road #1: The Nature of Prophecy

The first level of the end time view selection party or the first interpretative fork in the road is on how one views the nature of Bible prophecy and especially the Book of Revelation.

There are four main views of the nature of prophetic interpretation are:

1. Symbolism or Spiritualism – This view interprets most all of prophecy and especially the Book of Revelation as being just symbolism that teaches a deeper spiritual truth.
2. Futurism – This view interprets the prophetic passages and part of the Book of Revelation that claim to be future and yet to be fulfilled as futuristic.
3. Preterism – This view interprets the bulk, if not all, of Biblical prophecy to having been fulfilled during the first century and especially in 70 A.D. with the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple.
4. Historicism – This view is much like preterism, but rather than viewing all prophecy to having been fulfilled in the first century, proponents of this view place the interpretation at other points in history.

Again, as you look through that list, it’s not an actual pizza buffet for you to select your favorite. The truth must come from the overall thread of the Bible. What does the Bible claim the nature of prophecy is?

With each of these theological forks in the road, there is a hermeneutical hurdle that must be crossed to select a view and a historical hurdle. By hermeneutical hurdle, I mean what is the plain reading of Scripture and what is the common thread from two to three witness in the Word? With the nature of prophecy, the hermeneutical hurdle is that the Bible claims Bible prophecy is futuristic. Therefore, the burden of proof to cross that hurdle lies on one proving why the Bible prophecy isn’t futuristic as the Bible claims.

By historical hurdle, I mean what did the early believers and especially what was the first century Jewish mindset? In terms of the nature of prophecy, both these camps saw the nature of prophecy as futuristic, therefore that’s the hurdle that must be jumped to take another view.

 

Theological Fork in Road #2: The Timing of the Millennial Kingdom

The second theological fork in the road is for those who do view prophecy as futuristic, and it is how one views the promise of a Millennial Kingdom. There are three main views on this part of the buffet.

1. Amillennialism – This view holds that there is no literal 1,000-year reign of Christ the mention of the Millennial Kingdom is merely symbolic.
2. Premillennialism – This view holds that there is a literal 1,000-year reign which takes place once Jesus returns.
3. Postmillennialism – This view holds that there is a literal Millennial Kingdom, but it may or may not be 1,000 years. The view holds that the current age is the Millennial Kingdom, and the church will progressively bring the Kingdom then Jesus would return.

Again, Scripture must determine your view. The hermeneutical hurdle that must be crossed is ultimately Revelation 20. Now it seems to plainly speak of a literal kingdom so to take another view the burden is on disproving the literalness of Revelation 20. Another hermeneutical hurdle is the Abrahamic and Davidic Covenants made to Israel.

The historical hermeneutic is that most of the early church viewed this 1,000-year reign as literal. The Jewish mindset wasn’t on the 1,000-year reign because that wasn’t introduced until the Book of Revelation, but they saw the Messianic Kingdom as very literal and physical.

 

Theological Fork in Road #3: The Timing of the Rapture

The third theological fork in the road follows if one selects Premillennialism and is on the timing of the rapture. This is the most hotly debated portion of the end time view buffet.

1. Pretribulation Rapture – This view is that there will be a rapture and resurrection at the beginning or proceeding the final seven years of this age.
2. Midtribulation Rapture – This view is that there will be a rapture and resurrection at the mid-way point of the final seven years of this age.
3. Pre-Wrath Rapture – This view is that at a point in the final seven years the tribulation moves from being Antichrist brought to God pouring out His wrath. Proponents of this view state that the rapture and resurrection would happen before God sends His wrath.
4. Posttribulation Rapture – This view is that the rapture and resurrection happen immediately before Jesus returns so at the end of the final seven years.

This is a trickier debate, but the historical hurdle is that until mid to late 1800s the later tribulation timing views of prewrath and posttribulation would have been acceptable. The early church would have  predominantly held the posttribulation or a very late prewrath view. Therefore, that’s the historical hurdle that must be overcome.

The hermeneutical hurdles lay in 2 Thessalonians 2 and a chronological understanding of Matthew 24. In 2 Thessalonians 2, it’s plainly stated that the Antichrist would appear first before the rapture and resurrection. Then if Matthew 24 is read chronologically the “gathering” is near the end of the events and well after the mid-way point.

 

Choose Your Own Adventure

Having a Biblical view of end time prophecy doesn’t mean having the same view as me! Again, our view must come from the Word. End Time Views aren’t a Pizza Buffet we don’t just pick our favorite or the special of the day, but our view must be tethered to the whole counsel of God.

End Time Views aren’t a Pizza Buffet we don’t just pick our favorite or the special of the day, but our view must be tethered to the whole counsel of God. Share on X