The Post-Millennial Hope

Revelation 1:1-3

Immanuel – 10/31/21

Today we embark on a journey that takes us into places mysterious and strange – into places that have been debated for millennia. Many have had their hopes excited, and many have been driven to fear. Others completely misunderstand it and have fallen into heretical delusions. The Mormons and Jehovah’s Witnesses are just two examples.

Today we embark on a journey deep into the book of Revelation. I think this is the right time to study Revelation because of the environment in which we live and the fears that hound so many.

You have probably heard it; people are talking about Revelation. Some have said that the mark of the beast is in a vaccine. Others see a supply chain collapse and the possibility of hyper-inflation, and they are preparing for the end. Secularism grows like a one-world religion. And it is easy to see how one more global catastrophe could set the stage for a single world leader to ascend to unprecedented power.

Yes, it is a good time for the church to study Revelation. But no other book of the Bible has stirred as much controversy and curiosity as has Revelation. And for good reason. It is notorious hard to interpret. As close as any of us are able to get, there are still elements mysterious and strange, which means that no one interprets Revelation with 100% accuracy.

None-the-less, it is in the Bible, and that means God has given it to us. Not a word has been uttered by the Almighty which we should not seek to understand and be changed by. And we should never look at His word indifferently or leave it for others to study. To be a child of God is to love His word, every bit of it, even if it is challenging.

And so as we come before this last book of the Bible, we must come with humility; knowing that we are limited, desperate for the Holy Spirit to guide us and instruct us, and eager to learn about what God has spoken.

I do want to warn you right up front, that I will be teaching Revelation from the Postmillennial perspective. I know that this is a minority perspective in our modern era, and I know many of you hold to other perspectives. If you don’t know what Postmillennial means, I will explain it shortly. I will also explain a few other perspectives.

It is perfectly ok for us to hold to different views of the end times. What is not ok is for our views on the end times – and Revelation – to become a point of division. If you are a follower of Jesus, then I am your brother and you are mine; and God wants nothing to tear us apart.

Of course, I hold the Postmillennial perspective because I believe it is the most Biblically faithful (which is what the holders of other perspectives also believe). So I submit this sermon series for your prayerful consideration. Does it indeed align with Scripture? Are there truths that can inform your walk with Christ? And if nothing else, at least you will have an understanding of what the Postmillennial view is about.

Purpose

What is the postmillennial hope?

Highlight some important details in John’s introduction.

I have done my best to distill mountains of information for our brief time together today. But know that we are only scratching the surface – and that will be true for this entire series.

If you want to dig deeper, ask questions, even respectfully challenge my position, then come to the Bible study on Wednesday nights. We have shifted away from studying James to discussing all things Revelation. It would be a great time to dive deeper.

Read Revelation 1:1-3

Before I dive into expositing the Scripture today, it is going to be very helpful to get some context and create some categories.

Eschatology

Eschatology is the study of the last things. It is the study the end times, the resurrection, and the final judgement. I’m not sure of you are aware, but the Bible itself is highly eschatological. The very first prophetic word spoken in the Bible is from God Himself, and it has serious eschatological implications; for it speaks of the Messiah crushing the head of the Serpent. Genesis 3:15 talks about Christ’s defeat of Satan – something Revelation also speaks about.

Eschatology is massively important for the follower of Jesus because it is the study of your future, and in some ways, it is the study of your history. It is the study of God’s promises – some promises already fulfilled already. Eschatology brims with victory and glory and joy. It is the hope that is set before you. And it is a worthwhile endeavor for us to study. When we study Revelation, we study eschatology.

Now, some categories. There are 5 major approaches to eschatology. Dispensational Premillennial, classical premillennial, amillennial, and postmillennial.

You can hear it in their names, all of these categories revolve around the millennium – which Revelation 20 talks about. During this millennium Satan is bound, Jesus is on the throne, and the saints reign with Him.

Dispensational Premillennial is probably the most popular among American Christians. Like the classical premillenarians, dispensational premillenarians believe that Jesus will reign on earth physically for a literal one thousand years. Both premillennial categories look for a seven year tribulation still in our future. Unlike classical premilinarians, dispensationalists believe that God has one plan for Israel and one plan for the church.

The Amillennial (amil) perspective believes that Jesus is reigning right now and that the thousand years is figurative for a long period. They hold this in common with the postmillinarians. Amils also believe that the tribulation is symbolic, and that the church is constantly experiencing tribulations throughout history. Though, there are some amils that await a seven tribulation in the future. None-the-less, amils believe that there will be a great falling away at the end and that the church will be in decline.

The postmillanial (postmil) perspective is the one that I espouse and from which I will be teaching. It is often called the most optimistic of approaches to eschatology. Postmils believe that Jesus reigns spiritually right now, but that His kingdom will grow to fill the whole earth; like a mustard seed that grows into a tree and fills the whole garden (Matthew 13:31-33). Postmils do not believe in a decline of the church at the end, but that God is redeeming and restoring humanity and this world through the influence of the church on earth.

Therefore, to be postmillenial is also to be a preterist; simply meaning that much of what is prophesied about the End Times has already happened. From the perspective of the New Testament writers, it was in the future; but from our perspective it happened. The beast and his mark already were. The Great Tribulation has happened and Armageddon lies in our past.

I certainly don’t expect anyone to believe what I have said simply because I have said it. You need to see the texts. You need to let the Bible show you.

I grew up as a dispensational premillenarian. I went to classes, read books, knew timelines, saw the signs all around, and was convinced that I was living in the last days.

In all of that I learned a lesson. It is dangerous to use global events to interpret Scripture. To my enduring shame, when those planes crashed into the World Trade Center, I felt a charge of excitement. I thought, surely, this is a sign of the end. I’ll never forget it, and I’ll always remember my folly. World events, and changes in culture, cannot dictate how we interpret the Bible.

It took years of studying and wrestling with Scripture before I left dispensationalism behind and found a great freedom and hopefulness in the postmil approach. I want to show you what I have seen, and I pray it fills your heart with excitement for what God is doing – and hope.

So what exactly is the Postmillennial hope? It is in a King that presently reigns. It is in a foe defeated and the gates of hell will not prevail against the church. It is in a close of history that the church isn’t limping into – beleaguered and bruised – but has prepared herself like a bride adorned for her husband. The postmillennial hope is that Jesus’ kingdom will advance through history by the work of the church; spreading the knowledge of the glory of God over this earth as the waters cover the sea (Habakkuk 2:14).

That means we – the Church – have a tremendously high and noble calling. There is a lot of work to be done and we must be about it!

I did say there were five major approaches to eschatology, but I have only given you four. The fifth is panmillennial. “I don’t know what’s going to happen, I just know it will all pan-out in the end.” In a way, every Christian is panmillennial.

But I hope no one is panmillennial simply because they are theologically lazy.

Dating Revelation

Now, we need to talk about one contextual detail – a detail that proves to be exceedingly important: the dating of Revelation.

There was an absolutely enormous event that took place in the first century: the destruction of the temple in Jerusalem by the Romans in the year 70. With the destruction of the temple came the end of the Jewish way of relating to God. Like Peter said, it was the end of all things (1 Peter 4:7). For when the temple fell, so did the sacrifices, the priesthood, and the Mosaic forms of worship. Essentially, the Old Testament Law became impossible to fulfill.

The fall of the temple is important because if John wrote Revelation prior to the fall of the temple, then Revelation is primarily about those events in the first century. If Revelation was written after 70 AD, then it is about a future destruction and events we still await. 70 AD, and the destruction of the temple, turns out to be a critical pivot point for eschatology.

There are many who argue that John received this vision and wrote it down in the 90s – some 20 years after the temple fell. But do you know the very foundation of a 90s date rests upon a single piece of evidence, and it does not come from the Bible? It comes from a quote by the early church father Irenaeus, who lived from 130-202.

Apparently, Irenaeus was often asked about the identity of the Antichrist, but he refused to name names, stating:

“We will not, however, incur the risk of pronouncing positively as to the name of Antichrist; for if it were necessary that his name should be distinctly revealed in this present time, it would have been announced by him who beheld the apocalyptic vision. For that was seen no very long time since, but almost in our day, towards the end of Domitian’s reign.” -Irenaeus in Against Heresies

Domitian was emperor in Rome from 81-96. And from this quote it could seem that Irenaeus is saying John wrote revelation in the 90s. But it turns out that translating Irenaeus from the original Greek presents quite a challenge.

Again, Irenaeus wrote, “For that was seen no very long time since, but almost in our day, towards the end of Domitian’s reign.” The Greek word “heorathe” – from which we get “that was seen” – is ambiguous, and can refer to the vision that John had, or to the man who had the vision. It is possible that Irenaeus was saying that the apostle John was seen towards the end of Domitian’s reign; and that he was making no claim at all about the dating of Revelation.

It is a tenuous thing to base the dating of Revelation upon a single ambiguous antecedent. There are other arguments for dating revelation after 70 AD, but Irenaeus is the bedrock for these and the only evidence for the dating of Revelation to the 90s.

Additionally, a contemporary of Irenaeus – Clement of Alexandria (150-215) – says that John left Patmos just after Nero died. Since Nero died in 68 AD, and John received his vision on Patmos, Clement indicated that Revelation was written prior to 70 AD. Indeed, it would even suggest that John wrote Revelation during the reign of Nero.

And when we look into Revelation itself, there are a number of compelling reasons to think that Revelation was written during Nero’s reign. I want to show you what I believe to be the most compelling evidence for a pre-70 dating.

John writes:

This calls for a mind with wisdom…there are also seven kings, five of whom have fallen, one is, the other has not yet come, and when he does come he must remain only a little while. -Revelation 17:9-10

These kings are Roman Caesars. And if you think that calling the Caesars, kings, is a stretch; then remember what the Jews said to get Jesus crucified.

Pilate said to them, “Shall I crucify your King?” The chief priests answered, “We have no king but Caesar.” So he delivered Him to be crucified.

-John 19:15-16

-Slide “7 Kings”

In Revelation, John is referring to these same kings – the Roman Emperors – and five have fallen. Effectively, the first Roman emperor was Julius Caesar. Next followed Caesar Augustus. Then Tiberius, Caligula, and Claudius. When Nero became Caesar, these other five kings had all died. Five had fallen. Nero is the sixth king, the king that is – which means that John writes Revelation during Nero’s reign.

John also mentioned a seventh king. About him John wrote, the other has not yet come, and when he does come he must remain only a little while. Nero committed suicide in 68 when a civil war broke out in Rome. After Nero’s death a general named Galba was appointed as Caesar; but he was dead within seven months. He did indeed remain only a little while, as the prophesy foretold.

I am convinced that the internal evidence of Scripture points to Revelation being written during the reign of Nero. And as we go through this book, I will show you other evidences that point to the same. And if Revelation was written during the reign of Nero, then from John’s perspective, the events of Revelation were coming very soon.

And that is exactly how Revelation opens.

Read vs 1a

In the very first sentence of this book, John writes that the things contained here must soon take place. John is not writing about things will take place in the distant future. And I don’t think he is somehow mistaken about the timing.

Additionally, the Greek word used for “soon,” means soon, quickly, speedily. Without exception “tachos” is translated this way in the Bible. And look down at verse 3, it says the “time is near.”

Again and again we see language of nearness and urgency in Revelation.

-Slide “The Time is Near”

Surely, this cannot mean that the time which is near is more that 2000 years into the future. Doesn’t Revelation seem to be pointing to something that is very close in time. If indeed it was written during Nero’s reign, then the events leading up to the fall of the temple in 70 AD have already begun at the time of John’s writing, or they are about to begin. But before those events begin, or before they are fully unleashed, Revelation describes what is about to happen.

I hope to show you this as we continue through the book.

The Revelation of Jesus

Notice in verse 1, John calls this the revelation of Jesus Christ; and the Father told Jesus about the things soon to take place. I want to remind you of two things that Jesus said while He was with the disciples. He said these things in His Olivet Discourse, where He prophesied the destruction of the temple.

“Truly, I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place. But concerning the day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only.” -Matthew 24:34,36

First, Jesus knew that the end would come within the lifetime of some of His disciples. Secondly, He did not know the exact date that it would come.

But after His ascension, after He was seated upon the throne at the right hand of the Father, the Father told the Son about the day and the hour. In other words, the Father revealed it to the Jesus. Revelation means the unveiling.

Now Jesus takes that revelation and He gives it to John so that the saints can know what is about to happen.

Isn’t it a great mercy that Jesus reveals to His people the terrible and glorious events that are about to fall upon them? For in the next several years hundreds of thousands, if not millions of Jews would lie dead all over the Roman Empire. Galilee and Judea would burn, Jerusalem would be destroyed, and every stone of the temple would be thrown down.

Thus fulfilling the words Jesus spoke about the temple.

“You see all these [temple buildings], do you not? Truly, I say to you, there will not be left here one stone upon another that will not be thrown down.”

-Matthew 24:2

Yes, a great tribulation was coming.

“For the days will come upon you, when your enemies will set up a barricade around you and hem you in on every side and tear you down to the ground, you and your children within you, because you did not know the time of your visitation.”

-Luke 19:43-44

When the disciples asked, Jesus did not know the timing. But after the ascension, the Father revealed the time. With urgency, Jesus tells John about the things soon to take place.

Details

Though there is some debate about whether or not the author of Revelation is the Apostle John, I think verse 1 and 2 make it pretty clear.

Read vs 1b-2

Jesus sent an angel to communicate with John, and to show John many strange and mysterious things – as we will see in later passages.

Look what John says about himself; that he bore witness to the word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ. The testimony of Jesus Christ would be the things Jesus spoke about – the things He said. John heard Jesus and we know it because he wrote down what he heard in the Gospel of John.

He started that gospel with these words:

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. -John 1:1

Here in Revelation 1:2, John writes that he bore witness to the word of God. John saw the word-become-man. He heard the Word of God speak. He saw the Word of God heal. He walked with Jesus and knew Him. When John sees Jesus in the visions of Revelation, certainly Jesus looks so transcendently different; but it is the same Jesus that John loves. It is the same Jesus that we love.

And this Jesus loves His people so much that He warns them of the coming events. You will see that this is a major theme to the book of Revelation. It is a book of warning and it is a book of blessing.

Read vs 3

There we see it again. The time is near.

Notice also, John says we are reading words of prophecy. That makes Revelation a prophetic book and that means it is written with apocalyptic language. All throughout the Bible, apocalyptic langue needs to be read according to that literary style. It is not meant to be read literally, like some listing of facts.

Apocalyptic literature is hyperbolic (meaning it exaggerates to make a point), highly imaginative, filled with symbolism, metaphor, and allusion. And so much of Revelation’s apocalyptic language is being drawn from Old Testament apocalyptic language. If you are not bringing the Old Testament to bear on Revelation, you will hopelessly fail at understanding it’s meaning.

It is certainly hard work to dig through all the apocalyptic language, Old Testament references, and navigate the various eschatological approaches; but it is worth it. Verse 3 tells you so.

What better motivation do you need to study Revelation? It will be a blessing to you. If you speak it aloud, if you hear what is written, if you keep these things in your heart; you will be blessed! Oh yes, the blessings to be found in these pages are so tremendous and hopeful.

If you repent because of what you read here, you will be blessed.

If you draw comfort knowing that your name will be found in the Lamb’s Book of Life, you will be blessed.

If you believe that Christ is victorious and Satan is defeated, you will be blessed.

If Revelation motivates you to advance Christ’s kingdom while longing for the return of the King, you will be blessed.

If it stirs your hope in the resurrection, in seeing the face of Jesus, you will be blessed.

All of these blessings and more are yours from studying Revelation. But standing above all the other blessings, no matter timing or categories or interpretations, our Living Hope has spoken:

“I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the thirsty I will give from the spring of the water of life without payment. The one who conquers will have this heritage, and I will be his God and he will be my son.” -Revelation 21:6-7