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Many pastors today grew up as children in the 80’s. This meant that as teens, many experienced a youth meeting in a church gymnasium where a reel to reel projector displayed “A thief in the night.” By the mid 90’s, these teens were in college when Tim Lahaye and Jerry Jenkins publish a book entitled “Left Behind.” Then as these college students were getting established in ministries, the Y2K conspiracies joined forces with the “Left Behind movie series” starring Kurt Cameron.

All are fictional seeds planted deeply in dispensationalism.

I share the last 50 years of Evangelical rapture culture because it fuels 84% of contemporary Christian belief. While profound scholarship has taken place during this time, only a fraction of believers have ever taken the time to truly study the biblical revelation. As a result, most of Evangelicalism’s deep seated beliefs are not based on the Bible, but fiction writers and Hollywood productions. During this timeframe, countless TV ministries have exploded in popularity and profit greatly from this tale and stretching and ignoring biblical texts.

So as I attempt to surgically remove our unbiblical eschatology, eplacing it with biblical revelation, I’ll let you draw your own conclusions. Be warned, if you trust the scripture, you’ll have to give up your premillennial pet.

Context Matters.

So what does the Bible say? Part of that answer is today’s exploration of Matthew 24, AKA “the Olivet Discourse.” Remember, the textual context is still the Easter story. This passage is not an “out of order” prediction of events to take place 2000 years in the future. What value would that be to the disciples?

Textually, Jesus has really poked the bear, and knows he will be killed by the “institutional powers” (èxousian) of Religion and State. Jesus’ ministry from day one is revealing that the Kingdom of God (Heaven) has come and lives within us. It’s an alternative, subversive, counter-intuitive Kingdom unlike the kingdoms of the world (Luke 4:5-7), which have revealed themselves as religion and state. The Olivet discourse is Jesus final teaching to his disciples about what will happen next, not in 2000 years. Jesus is revealing how his subversive Kingdom will undermine “Axe laid to root of trees” (Matthew 3:9) the Roman Empire and Religion, and then Jesus would come back with the establishment of his body, the church. This is Jesus’ Easter message: “These powers think they are going to kill me and stop this Kingdom, but all of these buildings and seats of power will be laid waste… hold my beer while I get arrested.”

1. WHEN is Jesus coming back?

The disciples asked Jesus:

“Tell us, when will these things be, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?” (Matthew 24:3)

“Truly, I say to you, all these things will come upon this generation.” (Matthew 23:36)

The Bible is clear on “When?” Jesus tells them multiple times: “This Generation.”

“Truly, I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place.” (Matthew 24:34)

The timing is within the lifetime of his disciples, so within a 30-40 years.

2. SCOPE of this Tribulation? “Who will be affected?”

“And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the (whole world) as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.” (v.14)

If you are waiting for a global, cataclysmic, armageddon to precede Jesus’ ‘coming back’ then buckle up, because I’m convinced the Bible says otherwise. The disciples asked Jesus (v.3) “What are the signs of your (parousia– arrival, presence, appearance, coming)? Jesus uses “parousia” 4 times in Ch.24. Reviewing all 24 uses of “parousia” in scripture reveals that 16 refer to the “appearance” of Jesus. I will do an entire podcast at some point on parousia, but suffice it to say that the biblical parousia was a future event for NT authors, but is unlikely to be future for us.

The parousia comes “Immediately after the tribulation of those days…(v.29) [AD 70]

Remember Jesus said: “When you see Rome shut down the temple…“

“So when you see the abomination of desolation spoken of by the prophet Daniel, standing in the holy place (let the reader understand)…” (v.15)

1. Daniel 9:27- “he shall put an end to sacrifice and offering. And on the wing of abominations shall come one who makes desolate…”
2. Daniel 11:31- “Forces from him shall appear and profane the temple and fortress, and shall take away the regular burnt offering. And they shall set up the abomination that makes desolate.”
3. Daniel 12:11- “the regular burnt offering is taken away and the abomination that makes desolate is set up…”

When Jesus said this, what did not yet exist? The ecclesia. What is the parousia for NT authors? What is the literal, physical, arrival of Christ? The Body of Christ…We, in faith, and in service to Christ and others are the parousia. (See Acts 2-Clearly describes Christ has come in his Kingdom as this assembly.)

Back to SCOPE: Not a global, cataclysmic, armageddon, this parousia, would occur after the (Oikouméne– Roman Empire) is made aware of the Good News of the Kingdom. We are free (soitzo–saved, rescued, healed) from religion and institutional powers, by way of the ecclesia.

The Bible has three words for world ( kosmos-Everything, ges-earth,land, and Oikouméne-Roman Empire) Sorry “Left Behinders”, Jesus didn’t inaugurate a global Evangelical pre-requisite that would need to be fulfilled before his appearance, instead, he said all the heathens/nations in the Roman Empire would learn about his alternative Kingdom, no longer slaves to Satan’s institutional powers. Subversion wins. Jesus would paoursia as his ecclesia (come back as His church).

“And he will send out his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.” (V.31)

Biblically, this is a regional event during the life of Jesus disciples, not a global rapture scheduled for 2000 years later. This is proved by Jesus’ warning: “let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains.” (v.16). If this is global, why would fleeing anywhere make a difference?

Not convinced? Oikouméne is also used by John, in the book of Revelations when he records these same events taking place. Revelations is not a global, cataclysmic, armegeddon either, but a court setting whereby Jesus divorces Israel and marries a new bride, the church. The judgments of revelation, are textually, and historically verifiable as the Roman Empire, prior to the fall of Jerusalem in AD 70. (Rev 3:10, 12:9, 16:14).

Now you have the biblical, textual, and historical context instead of the eisegeted fiction of the past 50 years. Are you ready to accept the arrival of Christ on earth, as a physical body, is you and I living in love and service to God and others? What would it look like if Satan’s institutions of religion and state were going to try and squash this counter-intuitive, subversive community that has Christ as it’s one head? Many heads, fathers, rabbi’s? Denominations? How many will come “in his name” to deceive?

“Then if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ!’ or ‘There he is!’ do not believe it.” (v.23)

“For many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and they will lead many astray.” (v.5)

See, I have told you beforehand. (v.25)

If the Bible is so different from the Church narrative, and 85% of people believe the narrative and not the Bible, then what does that say about who is deceived? Who has deceived them in the name of Christ? Are people believing a gospel other than the gospel of the Kingdom Jesus proclaimed? How is one to identify the true church, the living promised parousia? Because we know it can’t be a religion.