Eschatology of the End Times – Simplified

A Timeline Chronolgy of the Last Days

Genesis to Revelation

A Chronology of the prevailing view of the TRADTIONAL DENOMINATIONAL TIMELINE OF THE “END OF DAYS” – SIMPLIFIED.

1.   In the Beginning
2.    Prophecy of things to come
3.    Foreshadowing of things to com
4.    Events missing in the Outline of the End Times
5.    The tribulation’s days of distress begins
6.    The Signs
7.    The Events
8.    The Eschatological Clock – The 5th Seal
9.    Daniels 70th Week – The Great Tribulation – The 6th Seal
10.  The Rapture of the Church – The 6th Seal- The Interlude- The 144,000- A Multitude from the Revelation
11. The Wrath of the Lamb – Trumpet & Bowl JudgmentsThe Battle of Gog and Magog
12. The Abomination of Desolation
13.  The Battle of Armageddon
14. The judgment of the nations
15. The binding of Satan
16. The Great White Throne Judgment
17. The new creation.

Eschatology of the End Times –  Chronology 

1.  In the Beginning – Prophecies of the coming New World Order.  God creates mankind, with a flaw.  Failure is planned; a Savior is provided; The Plan has begun.

2.  The Tower of Babel– Then and Now.  Man rebels and reaches for the heavens.

3.  The coming of Messiah.  The Messiah is foretold.

4.  Prophetic warnings– 1st century AD.  No one is listening.

5.  The Days of Distress of the tribulation.The End has begun.

6.  The countdown – The first 4 Seals of the Days of Distress

7.  The World Events of the Seals.  ONGOING.

8.  The 5th Seal is broken. The Great Apostasy begins,the falling away from the faith,The Antichrist is revealed. After the church is taken out of the way (2 Thessalonians 2:7–8), a satanically empowered man will gain worldwide control with promises of peace (Revelation 13:1; Daniel 9:27). He will be aided by another man, called the false prophet, who heads up a religious system that requires worship of the Antichrist (Revelation 19:20)

9. The rapture of the church. Christ comes in the clouds to “snatch away” all those who trust in Him (1 Corinthians 15:52). At this same time, the “dead in Christ” will be resurrected and taken to heaven, too. From our perspective today, this is the next event in the eschatological timeline. The rapture is imminent;  The only things that mus yet happen are, (#1), the revealing of the anti-Christ, (#2), the Great Apostasy and, (#3), the breaking of the 6th Schroll Seal of the Tribulation.
10.  The Breaking of the Sixth SealThe Great tribulation, Daniel’s 70th week begins. A period of seven years in which God’s judgment is poured out on sinful humanity (Revelation 6–16). The Antichrist’s rise to power is associated with this time period. During the tribulationon earth, the Church will be in heaven. It is thought that at this time the Judgment Seat of Christ and the Marriage Supper of the Lamb will occur in heaven (2 Corinthians 5:10; Revelation 19:6–10).
11. The Battle of Gog and Magog. In the first part of the tribulation, a great army from the north, in alliance with several other countries from the Middle East and Africa, attacks Israel and is defeated by God’s supernatural intervention (Ezekiel 38–39). (Some commentators place this battle just before the start of the tribulation.)
12. The abomination of desolation. At the midway point of the seven-year tribulation, the Antichrist breaks his covenant with Israel and shows his true colors. The Jews are scattered, and many of them turn to the Lord, realizing that Jesus is their Savior. A great persecution breaks out against all those who believe in Christ (Daniel 12:11; Mark 13:14; Revelation 12:17).
13. The Battle of Armageddon. At the end of the tribulation, Jesus returns with the armies of heaven (Mark 14:62). He saves Jerusalem from annihilation and defeats the armies of the nations fighting under the banner of the Antichrist (Revelation 19:11–21). The Antichrist and the false prophet are captured and thrown alive into the lake of fire (Revelation 19:20).
14. The judgment of the nations. Christ will judge the survivors of the tribulation, separating the righteous from the wicked as “sheep” and “goats” (Matthew 25:31–46). (It is thought that at this time the Old Testament saints will be raised from the dead.) The righteous will enter the Millennial Kingdom; the wicked will be cast into hell.
15. The binding of Satan. Satan will be bound and held in a bottomless pit for the next 1,000 years (Revelation 20:1–3).
16. The Millennial Kingdom. Jesus Himself will rule the world, and Jerusalem will be the capital. This will be a 1,000-year period of peace and prosperity on earth (Revelation 20; Isaiah 60–62). Memorial sacrifices will be offered in a rebuilt temple in Jerusalem (Ezekiel 40–48).
17. The last battle. At the end of the 1,000 years, Satan will be released from his prison for a short time. He will deceive the nations once again, and there will be a rebellion against the Lord that will be quickly defeated (Revelation 20:7–10). Satan will be cast into the lake of fire, never to reappear.
18. The Great White Throne Judgment. All those in hell will be brought forth, and all the wicked from all eras of history will be resurrected to stand before God in a final judgment (Revelation 20:11–15). The verdicts are read, and all of sinful humanity is cast into the lake of fire.
19. The new creation. God completely remakes the heavens and the earth. It is at this time that God wipes away all tears and there will be no more pain, death, or sorrow. The New Jerusalem descends from heaven, and the children of God will enjoy eternity with Him (Revelation 21–22).

There are multiple views of the chronology of the Biblical End Times.  I do not want to pursue or repeat what has already been written.  The following outline is a generally accepted chronology and is from the pre-tribulation view.

Almost every such outline or chronology of this sort, is the same.  They begin with the rapture of the church and go from there.  They usually ignore the prophecies about the coming End of Days, the events which foreshadow the coming Day of the Lord (a.k.a., End Times) and the most recent first century warnings which are leading up to the tribulation and the Great Tribulation periods.

I will use this outline, taken from Gotquestions.org – end times timeline, as my template and fill in the missing parts.

  1. IN THE BEGINNING

It is difficult to imagine that God planned the entirety of time.  We cannot go back far enough to discover when this began, because there is no beginning with God.  In so few words, such an incomprehensible statement:  “God has always existed”.

It is equally difficult to imagine “a world without end”, but God is eternal, even beyond “the new heavens and a new earth”.  (Revelation 12:1)

But, God has spoken to our ancestors through the prophets at many times and in various ways, and in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom also he made the universe.  And it is by these ways that we can know.

  2. THE PROPHECIES

First, God has spoken to us through the prophets in various ways.  God’s warnings are warning of coming judgment for His people’s rebellions and disobedience.  God’s judgments followed His warnings, and each of these events, known as The Day of the Lord, are a foreshadowing of what is yet to come.  A time of distress such as never occurred since there was a nation.  (Daniel 12:1)

The words and the imagery of the destruction during the great and Terrible Day of the Lord would be difficult for most to accept or to understand.

(The good news is that God’s people, everyone who is found written in the Book of Life, will be rescued.)

Here is are those prophecies:

Isaiah 13:9 See, the day of the LORD is coming –a cruel day, with … See, the day of the LORD is coming –a cruel day, with wrath and fierce anger– to make the land desolate and destroy the sinners within it. … //biblehub.com/isaiah/13-9.htm – 18k Lamentations 2:22 “As you summon to a feast day, so you summoned … … terrors on every side. In the day of the LORD’s anger no one escaped or survived; those I cared for and reared my enemy has destroyed … //biblehub.com/lamentations/2-22.htm – 19k Ezekiel 30:3 For the day is near, the day of the LORD is near– a … For the day is near, the day of the LORD is near– a day of clouds, a time of doom for the nations. … //biblehub.com/ezekiel/30-3.htm – 17k Hosea 9:5 What will you do on the day of your appointed festivals … … What will you do on a festival day, on the day of the LORD’s feast? … //biblehub.com/hosea/9-5.htm – 16k Joel 1:15 Alas for that day! For the day of the LORD is near; it … Alas for that day! For the day of the LORD is near; it will come like destruction from the Almighty. … //biblehub.com/joel/1-15.htm – 17k Joel 3:14 Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision! For … Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision! For the day of the LORD is near in the valley of decision. … //biblehub.com/joel/3-14.htm – 17k Amos 5:18 Woe to you who long for the day of the LORD! Why do you … ….. Woe to you who long for the day of the LORD! Why … //biblehub.com/amos/5-18.htm – 17k Obadiah 1:15 “The day of the LORD is near for all nations. As you … ….. The day of the LORD is near for all nations. As … //biblehub.com/obadiah/1-15.htm – 18k Malachi 4:5 “See, I will send the prophet Elijah to you before … “See, I will send the prophet Elijah to you before that great and dreadful day of the LORD comes. … //biblehub.com/malachi/4-5.htm – 17k Zephaniah 1:7 Be silent before the Sovereign LORD, for the day of … ….. Be silent before the Sovereign LORD, for the day of the LORD is near. … //biblehub.com/zephaniah/1-7.htm – 18k Zephaniah 1:8 “On the day of the LORD’s sacrifice I will punish … “On the day of the LORD’s sacrifice I will punish the officials and the king’s sons and all those clad in foreign clothes. … //biblehub.com/zephaniah/1-8.htm – 18k Zephaniah 1:14 The great day of the LORD is near– near and coming … ….. The great day of the LORD is near– near and coming quickly. … //biblehub.com/zephaniah/1-14.htm – 18k Zephaniah 2:2 before the decree takes effect and that day passes … … the decree takes effect and that day passes like windblown chaff, before the LORD’s fierce anger comes upon you, before the day of the LORD’s wrath comes upon … //biblehub.com/zephaniah/2-2.htm – 18k Zechariah 14:1 A day of the LORD is coming, Jerusalem, when your … A day of the LORD is coming, Jerusalem, when your possessions will be plundered and divided up within your very walls. … //biblehub.com/zechariah/14-1.htm – 17k 1 Thessalonians 5:2 for you know very well that the day of the … for you know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. … //biblehub.com/1_thessalonians/5-2.htm – 18k

Each of these prophecies tell us what is past, what is present and what is yet to come.  This is important because in order to look forward, we must look back.  This is how prophecies work.

 3. FORESHADOWING OF THINGS TO COME

Besides the prophecies in the Old Testament, we can foreshadowing of what is to come.  It is as if we “see through a dark glass dimly”.

  1. Genesis 6– The Flood shows us God’s judgment on a global scale.  A catastrophe for mankind.  God judged the world because (Genesis 6:5) “Then the LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great on the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. 6 The LORD was sorry that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart. 7 The LORD said, “I will blot out man whom I have created from the face of the land, from man to animals to creeping things and to birds of the sky; for I am sorry that I have made them.”

2. Genesis 6  –   The Corruption of Mankind

• •  Building the Ark of their Salvation

3. Genesis 7  –   The Flood; purging, cleansing the earth of sin

4. Genesis 9  –   The Covenant; restoring

5. Daniel gives us a glimpse into our present and future.  We know this by looking back.  (the Book of Daniel chapters seven through 12)

6. Daniel 7 – Daniel’s vision of the 4 Beasts and a future Tribulation

 7. The “Ancient of Days” – The Son of Man presented – The Vision Interpreted

 8. Daniel 8 – Daniel’s vision of the Goat and the Ram

-The Little Horn

-The Vision Interpreted

10. Daniel 9 – Daniel’s Prayer for his people

11. Seventy Weeks and the Messiah

12. Daniel 11 – Conflicts to Come

13. Daniel 12 – The Time of The End

These are just two of many foreshadows of the coming Great and Terrible Day of the Lord.

1. *MISSING FROM“THE TRADITIONAL DENOMINATIONAL OUTLINES” of things to come: from Gotquestions.org – end time timeline, as my template:
2. *MISSING FROM THE TRADITIONAL DENOMINATIONAL OUTLINES”of thing to come: The rapture of the church. Christ comes in the clouds to “snatch away” all those who trust in Him. (1 Corinthians 15:52). At this same time, the “dead in Christ” will be resurrected and taken to heaven, too. From our perspective today, this is the next event in the eschatological timeline. The rapture is imminent; no other biblical prophecy needs to be fulfilled before the rapture happens.’
3. *MISSING FROM“THE TRADITIONAL DENOMINATIONAL OUTLINES” of things to come: Prior to the rapture of the church.  We are told by Jesus and some of the Apostles that the End of Days, also known as the “times of distress” had begun as early as AD 1, but more likely between AD 60 and AD 100.

(1).  Jesus called this period the LAST DAYS or the END OF THE AGE in Matthew 24:3-8

(2).  The Apostle Peter called this period the LAST DAYS in Acts 2:16-17

(3).  The Apostle Paul call this period THESE LAST DAYS in Hebrews 1:1-2

The Bible tells about the END OF DAYS and the Tribulation.  It is important to know that the Tribulation period actually is called by three prominent, although variant names:

(a)  The beginning of Sorrows, Birth Pangs, The End of The Age or the Last Days

(b)  The Tribulation also known as The End of Days

(c) The GREAT Tribulation also know as the Wrath of God or the Wrath of the Lamb.

The beginning of Sorrows, Birth Pangs The End of the Age or the Last days, begin with the opening of Tribulation Seal ONE began between AD 60 and AD 100, and perhaps as early as AD1.  

 Seals ONE through FIVE have been broken, progressively, up until this day.

 the 1st Tribulation Seal  –  Global conquest and political intrigue

the 2nd Tribulation Seal –  Wars and Rumors of War

the 3rd Tribulation Seal  –  Famine

the 4th Tribulation Seal  –  Death

the 5th Tribulation Seal  –  Martyrs, persecution,Anti-Christ, falling away

 We are now standing at the precipice of the breaking of 6th Tribulation Seal . 

(4).  *MISSING FROM“THE TRADITIONAL DENOMINATIONAL OUTLINES” of things to come:  The Denominational Outline says His Return is IMMINENT. BUT,

 1.  2 Thessalonians 2:3 “Let no one in any way deceive you, for

• •  it will not come unless the apostasy comes first, and
  •  the man of lawlessness is revealed,the son of destruction”

There are two events that must take place before the day of the Lord can come. First, the apostasy must come. Second, the man of lawlessness must be revealed.

2.  The rise of the Antichrist. After the church is taken out of the way (2 Thessalonians 2:7–8), a satanically empowered man will gain worldwide control with promises of peace (Revelation 13:1; Daniel 9:27). He will be aided by another man, called the false prophet, who heads up a religious system that requires worship of the Antichrist. (Revelation 19:20).

3.  MISSING FROM “THE DENOMINATIONAL OUTLINE”:  

 First, as has already been stated from 2 Thessalonians 2:3, “Let no one in any way deceive you, for

• •  it will not come unless the apostasy comes first, and

• • the man of lawlessness is revealed,the son of destruction”

There are two events that must take place before the day of the Lord can come. First, the apostasy must come. Second, the man of lawlessness must be revealed.

Secondly, a simple face value reading gives you a timeline.  That timeline is deliberately blurred by denominational bible teachers who have to make the Bible fit their doctrinal statement.  This can be confusing for the Christian Bible student and dangerous for those preparing in earnest.

4.  The tribulation. A period of seven years in which God’s judgment is poured out on sinful humanity (Revelation 6–16). The Antichrist’s rise to power is associated with this time period. During the tribulation on earth, the Church will be in heaven. It is thought that at this time the Judgment Seat of Christ and the Marriage Supper of the Lamb will occur in heaven (2 Corinthians 5:10; Revelation 19:6–10).

5.  The Battle of Gog and Magog. In the first part of the tribulation, a great army from the north, in alliance with several other countries from the Middle East and Africa, attacks Israel and is defeated by God’s supernatural intervention (Ezekiel 38–39). (Some commentators place this battle just before the start of the tribulation.)

6.  The abomination of desolation. At the midway point of the seven-year tribulation, the Antichrist breaks his covenant with Israel and shows his true colors. The Jews are scattered, and many of them turn to the Lord, realizing that Jesus is their Savior. A great persecution breaks out against all those who believe in Christ (Daniel 12:11; Mark 13:14; Revelation 12:17).

7.  The Battle of Armageddon. At the end of the tribulation, Jesus returns with the armies of heaven (Mark 14:62). He saves Jerusalem from annihilation and defeats the armies of the nations fighting under the banner of the Antichrist (Revelation 19:11–21). The Antichrist and the false prophet are captured and thrown alive into the lake of fire (Revelation 19:20).

8.  The judgment of the nations. Christ will judge the survivors of the tribulation, separating the righteous from the wicked as “sheep” and “goats” (Matthew 25:31–46). (It is thought that at this time the Old Testament saints will be raised from the dead.) The righteous will enter the Millennial Kingdom; the wicked will be cast into hell

 9.  The binding of Satan.Satan will be bound and held in a bottomless pit for the next 1,000 years (Revelation 20:1–3).

 10. The Millennial Kingdom. Jesus Himself will rule the world, and Jerusalem will be the capital. This will be a 1,000-year period of peace and prosperity on earth (Revelation 20; Isaiah 60–62). Memorial sacrifices will be offered in a rebuilt temple in Jerusalem (Ezekiel 40–48).

 11. The last battle. At the end of the 1,000 years, Satan will be released from his prison for a short time. He will deceive the nations once again, and there will be a rebellion against the Lord that will be quickly defeated (Revelation 20:7–10). Satan will be cast into the lake of fire, never to reappear.

 12. The Great White Throne Judgment. All those in hell will be brought forth, and all the wicked from all eras of history will be resurrected to stand before God in a final judgment (Revelation 20:11–15). The verdicts are read, and all of sinful humanity is cast into the lake of fire.

 13. The new creation. God completely remakes the heavens and the earth. It is at this time that God wipes away all tears and there will be no more pain, death, or sorrow. The New Jerusalem descends from heaven, and the children of God will enjoy eternity with Him. (Revelation 21–22)

Finally, here is a table showing the alignment of World History, an historical overview of Daniel’s 70 Weeks and a Biblical Historical outline:

Timeline of World History compared to Biblical Timeline of Daniels 70 Weeks

I know that this is a long read/study, but, (#1), it is important for you, as a Disciple of Jesus to know where you are on God’s Timeline, (#2), what it means to you, (#3) what is required for you to be ready, and, (#4) what it means to be ready for what is at hand and (#5), how to prepare.

Your Brother and Friend,

Mike Young