Reformed Chiliasm (Part 10)

By studying the eschatological writings of the early Fathers, and diligently comparing their several descriptions, it is not impossible to put together something like a composite view of end-time events. In our last article, we discussed the Great Apostasy, briefly touching upon its general character. Now we must discuss the rise of Antichrist. Looking back through a number of early writings, it seems that the church always, from day one, held an expectation that some such personage would arrive on the scene in the last days of the world's history. In recent years, however, the doctrine of Antichrist has been pronounced a fable; and since that time, rationalistic theologians have tried to relegate this mysterious individual to the pages of past history. But it won't do. No person in history has ever matched with the delineations given in Scripture of Antichrist; or, if some parallels be found, the discrepancies are too great to admit of any assent.

One common view among modern Bible-critics is that Nero was the Antichrist. But, there is no trustworthy evidence that Nero's infamous persecution ever extended beyond Rome itself. This alone makes the theory highly unlikely; and only a headstrong enthusiast would maintain it in absence of any proof beyond an assumption. Withal, the persecution of Antichrist is to be waged during the last half-week (i.e., three-and-a-half years) of the present age, which period will close with the coming of Jesus Christ in glory. These data do not match up with the Roman emperor. Nero was never "destroyed with the brightness of the Lord's coming" (2 Thess. 2: 8), nor "taken, and cast alive into the lake of fire" (Rev. 19: 20). In fact, he committed suicide in A.D. 68. Nor did he ever sit in the temple at Jerusalem, boasting himself as God. Obviously, he is not the man we are looking for.

In all events, we must have recourse to the proper fountains, and study the ancient church fathers. For they, leaning back to Apostolic tradition, had greater knowledge of these matters than ourselves. One of the earliest allusions to Antichrist is contained in the Didache, or "Teaching of the Twelve Apostles." In this primitive document, he is referred to as "the world deceiver" (ho kosmoplanos). The full text reads: "For in the last days, false prophets and corrupters shall be multiplied, and the sheep shall be turned into wolves, and love shall be turned into hate; for when lawlessness increaseth, they shall hate and persecute and betray one another, and then shall appear the world deceiver as Son of God, and shall do signs and wonders, and the earth shall be delivered into his hands, and he shall do iniquitous things which have never yet come to pass since the beginning." (xvi. 3-5). This prediction certainly approximates more closely to the truth. That Antichrist is to exercise his power over the entire world, is evident from various passages of Scripture.

But who is he? From whence does he come? What are his origins? Is he a man, as many believe?--or the devil incarnate? We shall discuss these matters to the best of our ability. Nearly all orthodox writers describe his advent as occurring at a time of great worldwide discord and calamity. We've already seen how the Apostasy creates conditions favorable for a shattering of worldwide peace, and that numerous wars and rumors of wars must first take place before Antichrist comes on the scene. The Apostasy will pave the way for his appearance. Lest we be carried away by conjecture, however, let us study the visions and interpretations of the prophet Daniel. For his accounts are the best starting-point for learning of the times of Antichrist.

We'll remember King Nebuchadnezzar's vision, wherein he saw the great image depicting the prominent world kingdoms from his time to Christ's coming in glory. Daniel says: "Thou, O king, sawest, and behold a great image. This great image, whose brightness was excellent, stood before thee; and the form thereof was terrible. This image's head was of fine gold, his breast and his arms of silver, his belly and his thighs of brass, his legs of iron, his feet part of iron and part of clay. Thou sawest till that a stone was cut out without hands, which smote the image upon his feet that were of iron and clay, and brake them to pieces. Then was the iron, the clay, the brass, the silver, and the gold, broken to pieces together, and became like the chaff of the summer threshing-floors. And the wind carried them away, that no place was found for them: and the stone that smote the image became a great mountain, and filled the whole earth" (Dan. 2: 31-35).

Daniel then gives us the exposition. He tells Nebuchadnezzar: "Thou art this head of gold. And after thee shall arise another kingdom inferior to thee, and another third kingdom of brass, which shall bear rule over all the earth. And the fourth kingdom shall be strong as iron: forasmuch as iron breaketh in pieces and subdueth all things: and as iron breaketh all these, shall it break in pieces and bruise. And whereas thou sawest the feet and toes, part of potters' clay, and part of iron, the kingdom shall be divided; but there shall be in it of the strength of the iron, forasmuch as thou sawest the iron mixed with miry clay. And as the toes of the feet were part of iron and part of clay, so the kingdom shall be partly strong, and partly broken. And whereas thou sawest iron mixed with miry clay, they shall mingle themselves with the seed of men: but they shall not cleave one to another, even as iron is not mixed with clay. And in the days of these kings, shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand forever" (Dan. 2: 38-44).

While Daniel does not identify the successive kingdoms by name, he nonetheless gives an accurate account of those mighty nations that would follow Babylon in dominion of the world. Most commentators agree that the head of gold represents Babylon; the breast and arms, the Medes and Persians; the belly and thighs of brass, the Grecians; while the legs of iron stand for the Roman empire. When we come to feet of iron and clay, however, opinions are divided. Some early expositors believe that the feet represent the Roman empire at its very close. Thus from the beginning there was a strong tradition that Christ would come at the dissolution of the Roman Empire. But, if we look carefully at Daniel's interpretation, we'll perceive that Daniel only attributes the quality of strength to the iron of the feet. Thus, if the legs represent the Romans, the feet must partake of the power of that empire. This does not necessarily argue for the identity of the legs and the feet. At any rate, Daniel's vision of the great stone breaking the image to pieces predicts a time when human governments will be brought to nothing by the Kingdom of Christ.

The feet, then, must represent the last kingdom which shall bear rule over all the world before Christ returns. It shall be one empire divided into ten nations. Interestingly, Hippolytus identifies these ten nations as democracies. If we take his view, it is quite reasonable to assume that the ten nations will be held together by the strength of a Rome-like administration. Howbeit, because of the wide intermixture of various ethnic and cultural classes (represented by the clay) it shall not cleave together. That is, there will be no common interest among the several toes. This I think is the best, or at least the most credible, exposition of Daniel's vision. Of course, we cannot be absolutely certain. But one thing is sure. The world must first be re-organized into ten nations, ere Daniel's prophecy of the feet can be fulfilled. How will this take place? Who knows. Perhaps this preliminary division of the world will be preceded by a Third World War, or some such upheaval so great as to break down the structures of national governments. It is too early to tell.

However, this division will clear the way for Antichrist. And it is here that we must refer to Daniel's vision of the four beasts, which in many particulars lines up with his vision of the great image. In Daniel 7: 3-8, the prophet sees four beasts rising out of the ground. The first is like a lion, having eagles wings. This has been identified as the Babylonian empire. After this arises another beast, like a bear. This was the Persian empire. Then Daniel sees a third beast, like unto a leopard, with four wings. This can be none other than the Grecian power, which after Alexander the Great's death was partitioned into four empires. Following the leopard Daniel sees a fourth beast, "dreadful and terrible, and strong exceedingly; and it had great iron teeth: it devoured and brake in pieces, and stamped the residue with the feet of it: and it was diverse from all the beasts that were before it; and it had ten horns. And I considered the horns, and behold, there came up among them another little horn, before whom there were three of the first horns plucked up by the roots: and behold, in this horn were eyes like the eyes of man, and a mouth speaking great things" (Dan. 7: 7-8).

Almost all the early commentators agree that the ten horns of the fourth beast parallel the ten toes of the image, while the "little horn" represents Antichrist. Hippolytus, harmonizing Daniel's visions, writes: "As these things, then, are destined to come to pass, and as the toes of the image turn out to be democracies, and the ten horns of the beast are distributed among ten kings, let us look at what is before us more carefully, and scan, as it were, with open eye. The 'golden head' of the image is identical with the 'lioness,' by which the Babylonians were represented. 'The golden shoulders and arms of silver' are the same with the 'bear,' by which the Persians and Medes are meant. 'The belly and thighs of brass' are the 'leopard,' by which the Greeks who ruled from Alexander onwards are intended. The 'legs of iron' are the 'dreadful and terrible beast,' by which the Romans who now hold the empire are meant. The 'toes of clay and iron' are the 'ten horns' which are to be. The 'one other little horn' springing up in their midst is the 'antichrist.' The stone that 'smites the image and breaks it in pieces,' and that fills the whole earth, is Christ, who comes from heaven and brings judgment on the world." (Fragments from Commentaries, II. iii).

With the sole exception of his identification of the fourth beast as the Roman empire, I agree on the whole with Hippolytus' interpretation. If we concede, then, that the little horn represents the Antichrist, it will be a relatively simple matter to form some notion of end-time events. Firstly, the world must be divided into ten nations. Then, Antichrist shall arise as a great political leader. He shall subdue and conquer three of the nations, and will probably be constituted the head of the entire confederacy. But, we are going too far. We must back up a little and try, if we can, to get some idea of the personal character of this Antichrist. From whence does he arise? Is he a Jew or a Gentile? Interestingly, this latter question seems to be a hot topic of debate among students of prophecy. Some are for maintaining his Jewish origins, whilst others proclaim him to be of pure Gentile extraction. What do we think?

The opinion of the early church was that Antichrist would arise from among the Jews, and be hailed as their Messiah. Moreover, it was believed that he would draw his lineage from the tribe of Dan. The evidence in support of this view is fetched mainly from Jeremiah 8: 16, where the prophet writes: "The snorting of his horses was heard from Dan; the whole land trembled at the sound of the neighing of his strong ones: for they have come, and have devoured the land, and all that is in it; the city, and those that dwell therein." Another proof-text is Gen. 49: 16-17: "Dan shall judge his people, as one of the tribes of Israel. Dan shall be a serpent by the way, an adder in the path, that biteth the horse-heels, so that his rider shall fall backward." Then, too, there is the likening of Dan to a lion, in imitation of the true Lion, Christ. Moses writes: "Dan is a lion's whelp: he shall leap from Bashan" (Deut. 33: 22). Thus, there is strong support for the view that Antichrist will rise from among the Jews, and constitute himself as their leader.

Moreover, it is likely that he is the one who shall rebuild the temple at Jerusalem. For his crowing act of iniquity will be to sit in the temple of God and demand divine worship (2 Thess. 2: 4; cf. Isa. 14: 13-14). But, we ask, when shall these events take place? It is evident that they shall be fulfilled in the last half-week of the world's history. That is, when the first half of Daniel's 70th week has expired, Antichrist shall arise and deceive all mankind. He shall function for three years and six months, after which he will be brought to nothing. The first half of the week will be taken up by the two witnesses, Enoch and Elijah, who shall preach the Gospel unto all nations, exhorting men to turn from their iniquities and embrace the way of life. These matters are related more fully in John's Apocalypse, and may be verified by comparing Rev. 11: 1-7 with Rev. 13: 1-7.

Again, hearken to Hippolytus: "Thus, then, does the prophet [Daniel] set forth these things concerning Antichrist, who shall be shameless, a war-maker, and despot, who, exalting himself above all kings and above every God, shall build the city of Jerusalem and restore the sanctuary. Him the impious shall worship as God, and will bend to him the knee, thinking him to be Christ. He shall cut off the two witnesses and forerunners of Christ, who proclaim his glorious kingdom from heaven, as it is said: 'And I will give power unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and threescore days, clothed in sackcloth.' As also it was announced to Daniel: 'And one week shall confirm a covenant with many; and in the midst of the week it shall be that the sacrifice and oblation shall be removed'--that the one week might be shown to be divided into two. The two witnesses, then, shall preach three years and a half; and Antichrist shall make war upon the saints during the rest of the week, and desolate the world, that what is written may be fulfilled: 'And they shall make the abomination of desolation for a thousand two hundred and ninety days.'" (Fragments from Commentaries, II. xxxix).

This gives us a tolerably clear picture of what shall occur during the last seven years of the world's history; that is, prior to Christ's coming in glory to establish His throne among us, and to rebuke iniquity. And our Lord Himself, in His Olivet Discourse, foretells all the events which shall lead up to His coming. As related in our last article, the Apostasy must first break out. Although we feel that the beginnings of the Apostasy have arrived, we have not yet seen the persecutions and betrayals (Matt. 24: 9-10) that shall follow in its wake. Only a calamitous state of the world could give rise to such conditions as pave the way for these tragic events. And what more likely than that a Third World War should occur to shatter the comity of nations? We believe that such an event is not unreasonable, considering the perturbed state of present-day politics. And that two such wars have already occurred, do not render it improbable that a repeat event, on a larger and more disastrous scale, may become a reality. And then only will the long-contested Apocalyptic imagery have its true fulfillment.

To be continued...

Reformed Chiliasm (Part 9)

But now we must leave Zion's serene heights and descend into the valleys, where the visibility is poor, and the air less healthful. As we already discussed the nature of the Millennium, we must now talk about the events that shall lead up to Christ's return in glory. And this demands that we review the facts of the Great Apostasy, Coming of Antichrist, and the Tribulation. We've heard a lot of discussion of these topics in recent years, and although we do not agree with all we've heard, we nevertheless concur on one vital point-- that these things are future events, and will perhaps take place in the near future. Paul, when writing to the Thessalonian church, said: "Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that the man of sin be revealed" (2 Thess. 2: 3). Thus we learn that two things shall occur before the Lord returns to gather His saints: 1): A great apostasy; 2): The revelation of Antichrist.

The apostasy itself is a difficult topic to discuss with people, inasmuch as so many have imbibed an evolutionary/ progressive view of mankind. Those who have their riches in this present evil world do not like to think of the possibility of it ever coming to end. Those who maintain that the coming of Christ is a strictly providential event tend to see the danger as past, and things getting better and better; while actually the Bible speaks of things growing worse and worse. I doubt any honest individual who really knows what is happening can deny that there has been a radical change in recent years, which has resulted in a falling away of whole nations from the profession of Christianity. This has resulted in a demoralization of the community at large. As I look around, it seems that people are not very interested in the things of God anymore. Anyhow, we are definitely not living in a society that is governed by Christian standards.

Of course, I attribute much of the present moral climate to the poisoning influence of network television. For years it has my personal practice to eschew all products of the mainstream media. I have preached from orthodox pulpits against the evils of network television, and have consequently gathered to myself many dissenters. Nevertheless, in most cases I felt that I drove the arguments home all too well. "What concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel?" (2 Cor. 6: 15).

From the general reaction, it would appear than many men love the things of the devil more than the things of God. But the Bible explicitly warns us to keep separated from the world (1 John 2: 15); and those who fail to do so will become the surest candidates of apostatizing. So, it is really no surprise to me that such apathy now prevails in the community. Instead of striving against evil, Christians have a tendency to either fight with each other, or to adopt a "feel good" conciliatory attitude which opens the doors to the enemy camp. It is obvious that many people are not paying close attention to Jesus Christ.

Both our Lord and His inspired apostles, however, tell of a period in human affairs marked by a great apostasy. This is predicted to take place in the "last days." This term 'last days' may refer to any crucial turning point in the Divine administration of the world. It probably does not relate to any single period, albeit there are clear indications in Scripture that in many instances it points to the times preceding the Millennium; whereas the predictions regarding the Twelve Patriarchs will probably be fulfilled during the Millennium itself (see Gen. 49: 1 ff.). The Lord is said to have come "in these last days" (Hebrews 1: 2); that is, at the end of the law and the beginning of the Gospel (cf. Luke 16: 16). The prophet Isaiah sees the New Jerusalem established "in the last days" (Isaiah 2: 2). The prophet Joel envisions "the last days" as marked by outpourings of the Holy Spirit, and signs in the heavens which presage the Lord's return (Joel 2: 28-31). Many of these descriptions can only point to that epoch of history which ends with the coming of Jesus Christ with all His saints.

But the period is to be characterized by the aforesaid apostasy, which won't be confined to the church alone, but will spread to all classes of mankind. The general defection will be paralleled by an increase of wickedness and injustice in the earth. Although Paul gives the best delineation of the apostasy, Christ nevertheless provides a true exegetical platform in His Olivet Discourse (Matt. 24, Luke 21, Mark 13). When asked by His disciples, "When shall these things be? And what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world?" (Matt. 24: 3), Christ proceeds to describe the events which will transpire from His session at the right hand of the Father to the consummation of the present aeon, or age. Our Lord gives us the outline of the apostasy which shall occur before His coming. He speaks of "wars and rumors of wars" (Matt. 24: 6); "famines, earthquakes, and pestilences" (Matt. 24: 7); persecutions and betrayals (Matt. 24: 9-10); multitudes of false prophets (Matt. 24: 11); and a general prevalence of iniquity (Matt. 24: 12). These are the signs by which we may tell that the end is drawing near.

It is here that we must recur to the warnings given in Paul's epistles. For while the above portents shall herald the Great Tribulation and coming of Antichrist, we are more concerned now with the Apostasy itself. The real question that many people are asking is a vital one. Has the apostasy arrived? We are not sure. However, from what we've seen and heard personally throughout many sectors of the religious world, we believe that it has. Paul writes: "This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come, for men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, without natural affection, truce-breakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, traitors, heady, high-minded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof" (2 Tim. 3: 1-5). Thus he speaks of the state of the world in general. It would take large work to enumerate each of these wicked qualities one by one. Let us simply draw our attention to that one which stands as the spring-head from whence all the others flow: "Men shall be lovers of their own selves."

When Jesus Christ walked among us, He avowed it one of our foremost duties to love our neighbor as ourselves (Matt. 19: 19, 22: 39). When we love our neighbor, we show our love of God, for man is made in the image of God. And when we follow the precept faithfully, though at many times we may stumble and fall, yet it will have the effect of purifying our hearts and drawing it off from vice. When the eye is single, the whole body is full of light (Luke 11: 34-36). A constant reminder of our own infirmity may do much to prevent ourselves from getting caught up in the things of 'self.' When we remember that man is not an individual unit existing by himself, on his own terms with God, but that he is part of a great whole, and that the co-operation of every part is needed to make the make the whole function soundly, we tend to see our own interests as connected with those of others. This is salutary.

But whenever we forget our relation to our fellow man, self rears its ugly head and takes dominion over the creature. The philosophy, theology, or whatever you call it, that holds as its prime tenet the acquisition of temporal goods and benefits, or the gratification of the individual, is one of the chief corrupters of society. Even the irrational beasts know enough to get for themselves, and to defend what they've gotten with violence. But as the body is perishable, so are its goods. They, then, who hoard up the goods of the body do so to the detriment of the soul. The goods of the soul are eternal. And love being the chief good of the soul, it has two objects: God and our neighbor.

When men become lovers of their own selves, they forget these things. Instead of remembering God, they blot out and darken their minds with temporal and passing pleasures. Instead of seeking the good of their fellow man, they seek what they can get in this present evil world. Both have a tendency to drive out righteousness, and bring into the foreground the fruits of sin. Jesus Christ did not speak in vain when He said, "Because iniquity shall abound, the love of many will wax cold" (Matt. 24: 12). Evil has its obverse and its reverse sides. When our love waxes cold, we fall into iniquity. When iniquity abounds, our love waxes cold. When the moral climate of the world runs low, men must look ever to their own perishable goods, inasmuch as security lessens with the increase of wickedness. Rather than share their resources with others, men erect iron fences around their possessions. Because life is short and uncertain, they place more value on the gratifying of themselves than on self-denial and sacrifice. All of these factors held to create a climate which Paul unqualifiedly marks as evil.

And yet, while Paul's description applies to the state of the world as a whole, it is also seen working its poison within the church of God. He writes: "Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits and doctrines of devils; speaking lies in hypocrisy, having their conscience seared with a hot iron" (1 Tim. 4: 2-3); and "For the time will come, when they will not endure endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; and they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables" (2 Tim. 4: 3-4).

Here we are given a two-fold depiction, in which antinomianism is seen working with novelty of dogma and its inevitable counterpart--the resistance to sound orthodoxy. How many times have we personally encountered those who preach a "shake and bake" theory of Christian salvation completely dissociated from the fruits of righteousness. The general notion of many seems to be that all one need do is make a profession, or "believe" in a few abstract doctrines, in order to attain eternal life. Then, too, we've seen a marked hostility toward creeds and confessions, in short, to any kind of dogmatic authority which restricts individual expression. The authority of the local church has been subverted, while the proverbial "57 Varieties" steals the day.

It is difficult to say how far the Protestant principle of 'private judgment' may be attributable to this spiritual disease. In the seventeenth century, John Dryden wrote ardently against the inconsistencies of Protestant churchmen who raise private judgment to the level of Popish infallibility. The tendency, while dangerous back then, has surely become worse in our own times. No matter where we look, new "isms" are popping out all over the place. And these doctrines would not be so reprehensive if they didn't evince a hostility toward all forms of orthodox Christianity. As one writer observed, we are engaged in a massive information war with Gnostic/ subjective Christianity. It is clearly a matter of who can more quickly and more effectively plant the seeds of information on the field of Christ's battleground before He returns. These seeds, of whatsoever quality they be, are now germinating with a rapidity that is inconceivable; and the upshot is that more and more Christians are leaving the waters of Siloam to drink from broken cisterns that can hold no water. And so an apostasy now rages in all quarters of professing Christianity.

As stated, the apostasy has a dual manifestation. On the one hand, it works within the church. On the other, it works upon the world in general. But however the leaven operates, it is evident that it will bring about precisely those conditions favorable for the rise of Antichrist. First, however, there must be "wars and rumors of wars." For coordinate with the apostasy is a gradual prevalence of violence and strife among the nations, which shall shatter governments and kingdoms, making way for that "Man of Sin," whose persecutions shall be brought to bear upon the people of the Most High during the last three-and-a-half years of the present age.

To be continued...