Apocalypse Puzzle

By W. R. Johnston

The Apocalypse Puzzle is written for serious Bible students who choose to let Scripture speak to them rather than making it say what they think it should. This book compares the study of prophecy to the endeavors of a jigsaw puzzle enigmatologist. Many pieces must be carefully considered and assembled to form the intended picture. There are strategies for assembly that reduce mystery and frustration. The Creator of the picture is God who meant for Christians to understand the issues and events of the last days and end of time. Jesus, and most of the New Testament writers, told of the nearness of the coming of Christ and the end of all things. The central question of the Apocalypse Puzzle is the placement of the end within the span of human history. It explores the conflict between the two principal characters in apocalyptic prophecy—Christ and Satan. The final chapter of the book describes how Christians ought to live today as they anticipate their reward.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Christian Faith Publishing, Inc.
• Release date: Mar 16, 2021
• ISBN: 9781098065058

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Apocalypse Puzzle

W. R. Johnston

Copyright © 2020 by W. R. Johnston

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods without the prior written permission of the publisher. For permission requests, solicit the publisher via the address below.

Christian Faith Publishing, Inc.

832 Park Avenue

Meadville, PA 16335

www.christianfaithpublishing.com

Printed in the United States of America

Table of Contents

A Theological Puzzle

One Picture in Many Parts

Preparing for Patient Effort

Planning to Assemble the Intended Pieces

Spreading the Pieces Right-Side Up

Finding the Most Identifiable Pieces

Observing the Pattern

Connecting the Corners

A Beautiful Picture Emerges

An Apocalyptic Gospel

The Fulfillment of the Ages

Predictions of the Future

This Generation Shall Not Pass

The Delay

The Sealed Prophecies Unsealed

The Coming of the Son of Man

The Story of the Ages

Living After the End

A method of reducing theological confusion is to patiently treat Bible study like the skillful assembly of a jigsaw puzzle.

It is important to have all the right pieces. Besides starting off with incorrect assumptions, we must understand other reasons why many sincere Bible students attempt to assemble a variety of different pictures with the same pieces.

It is difficult to assemble a puzzle from the middle outward. Tips to begin assembling the puzzle into its intended picture are offered in this chapter.

To identify and navigate true and false interpretations, the enigmatologist must start off correctly. One way to become a serious Bible student is to rank the various authorities that assert a true understanding of God’s word. No matter what he or she might claim, not every theological enigmatologist is a specialist.

Turning the puzzle pieces picture-side up is the best way to begin. See the meaning of the end and this generation along with many other prophetic terms in order to reach more accurate conclusions.

More than sixty quotations from Jesus and the New Testament writers are listed that demonstrate how they viewed the last days and end of all things.

There is a pattern to every puzzle that the assembler must pay attention to. Consider this summary timeline of prophetic events from the beginning to the end.

The grand themes of the Bible form the edges of the apocalypse puzzle. By linking the corners which are four foundational Christian doctrines, the Bible student can progress toward the center of the puzzle to form a glorious picture of Christ as Victor at the end of the age of Satan’s rebellion and reign of terror.

The Book of Revelation is outlined clearly, simply, and succinctly in this chapter. God intended to offer a marvelous picture of hope to first-century Christians. Perhaps we can see it too.

This chapter contains a bullet summary of Chapters 5 to 9.

The Apostle Paul wrote that he was living near the end of one age and the beginning of a new one.

Jesus prophesied the end of the age and Parousia would occur with specific signs in the lifetime of the Apostles.

The Christian Church prior to AD 70—with the inspired witness of the Apostles—viewed itself as the arena for the complete fulfillment of Jesus’s prophecies regarding this generation.

Jesus prophesied a delay in His return to Earth. Christians were admonished to endure through the delay until the end of the age that would soon take place.

The sealed prophecies of Daniel were unsealed in the prophecies of Revelation.

Jesus came into His Father’s presence to receive authority and an everlasting Kingdom and would then return to gather His saints to His side.

There was an age of unity, peace, and truth before Satan rebelled, followed by an old covenant age that existed during the dominion of Satan, and finally a New Covenant age that began with Jesus as King of kings and Lord of lords.

Jesus told us how we should live today while we anticipate full residency in the New Jerusalem. For a Christian, the mortal body and perhaps some finishing touches on the character are the only hindrances to passage through the Gates of Pearl.

Special Quotations

For presently, we see through a glass in obscurity; then, however, face to face; presently I know in part; then, however, I will know fully as also I have been fully known. (1 Corinthians 13:12)

The Greek word translated above as obscurity in the New English Translation is enigma which, in Greek or English, means vague, confusing, and ambiguous (https://biblehub.com/interlinear/1_Corinthians/13-12.htm).

The Holy Scriptures

A Prologue by

Myles Coverdale to the Christian Reader

1535 English Translation

Reprinted in 1838 for Samuel Bagster, 15 Paternoster Row, London

English updated by W. R. Johnston

There is no man living that can see all things, neither has God given any man to know everything. One sees more clearly than another, one has more understanding than another, one can speak a thing better than another, but no man ought to envy, or despise another. He that can do better than another, should not set him at naught that understands less: Yes, he who has more understanding ought to remember that the same gift is not his but God’s, and that God has given it to him to teach and inform the ignorant. If you have knowledge therefore to judge where any fault is made, I doubt not but you will help to amend it, if love be joined with your knowledge. Howbeit wherein so ever I can perceive by myself, or by the information of another, that I have failed (as it is no wonder) I shall now by the help of God study it better and amend it.

Now I will exhort whoever you are that reads scripture that if you find something therein that you do not understand, or that appears to be repugnant, give no presumptuous nor hasty judgment thereof: But ascribe it to your own ignorance, not to the scripture. Rather, think that you do not understand, or that it has some other meaning, or that it is inadvertently missed by the interpreters, or printed wrong. Again, it will greatly help you to understand scripture, if you mark not only what is being spoken or written, but of whom, and unto whom, with what words, at what time, where, to what intent, with what circumstance, considering what goes before, and what follows after. For there are some things which are done and written to the intent that we should do likewise. There are some things also which are written, to the intent that we should take care to avoid. Therefore, I say, when you read scripture, be wise and circumspect; and when you come to such strange manners of speaking and dark sentences, to such parables and similitudes, to such dreams and visions as are hidden from your understanding, commit them to God or to the gift of his Holy Spirit in them that are better learned than you.

Who Wrote the Bible

Washington Gladden

Houghton Mifflin Company

Boston, MA 1891

The Book of Revelation has been, as I have intimated, the favorite tramping ground of all the hosts of theological visionaries; men who possessed not the slightest knowledge of the history or the nature of apocalyptic literature, and whose appetite for the mysterious and the monstrous was insatiable, have expatiated here with boundless license. To find in these visions descriptions of events now passing and characters now upon the stage is a sore temptation. To use these hard words, the Beast, the Dragon, the False Prophet, as missiles wherewith to assail those who belong to a school or a party with which you are at variance, is a chance that no properly constituted partisan could willingly forego. Thus we have seen this book dragged into the controversies and applied to the events of all the centuries, and the history of its interpretation is, as one of its interpreters confesses, the opprobrium of exegesis. (p. 296)

Preface

In the grand scheme of things—and the not-so-grand—I must acknowledge that this book is rather insignificant. The Apocalypse Puzzle seems to be a masterpiece in my mind, but near the end of my earthly sojourn, it pales in importance compared to my satisfying marriage and helping to rear several children who are partial reproductions of myself—hopefully the good traits. I freely admit that I am a sinner who chooses to believe in Jesus of Nazareth as the Word Made Flesh, the promised Messiah, and the Son of Man of the old covenant Scriptures, and the Son of God and King of kings of the New Covenant Scriptures. I possess no extraordinary talents of which to boast and certainly have no prophetic insights of my own to offer.

What I share in this collection of notes is the challenge of a lifetime to make sense of vague, confusing, ambiguous, and mysterious spiritual concepts that for some reason seem to matter to me. I find that my attempt to understand the Bible is a lonely journey. Besides my wife who patiently listens to my epiphanies, I have met few others along the way who demonstrate minds open enough to travel beyond their preconceived notions, social and political agendas, childhood Bible stories, pastor’s sermons, denominational creeds, or who even try in their leisure moments to intellectually rise above the mundane things of day-to-day living in order to consider the urgent spiritual issues of our existence. With the recognition that this small book will never be a bestseller or could possibly falter right off of the press like an Olympic runner stumbling at the starting blocks, I hope that a few Bible students might benefit from something curiously interesting at least to inspiring at best.

This book is the product of my theological journey and represents my current beliefs. The conclusions are dynamic in the sense that I am always searching for truth and can add, adjust, or subtract any or many of my conclusions as the Holy Spirit teaches me. This material is not meant to be a scholarly treatise with numerous citations and an extensive bibliography, but rather a synthesis of years of study and contemplation that reflects my opinions. Others have done the scholarly work. I am not competing with Wikipedia. I have merely written what I think. Others might disagree with my positions, but that is to be expected. Occasionally, I disagree with my own. Since the day that Adam and Eve enjoyed the delicious fruit from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, there has been disagreement on everything imaginable.

What follows is my personal grasp of that which now seems closer to the truth than when my theological journey began. I recognize that the study of anything in any discipline involves a set of assumptions, but am committed to testing those assumptions until my earthly sojourn is over. In the body of the text, I do not intentionally quote from sources other than the Bible (with one exception), recognizing that everything contained herein can most likely be found in some form or expression elsewhere and may be written with greater skill. I gratefully surrender the credit to any and all who deserve and claim it.

I began building a repertoire of biblical concepts as a small child in a Christian home. My parents were members of an evangelical denomination and active in a congregation. When I was nine years old, my father became fascinated with the Book of Revelation and was soon convinced that another denomination had the best grasp of apocalyptic prophecy as well as every other doctrine. I attended the schools of that organization from the fourth grade through my master’s degree from which I earned diplomas in theology and ministry. After a few years of service as a pastor, I became increasingly troubled by a lack of clear answers to questions regarding the old and New Covenants, the roles of law and grace, and a number of seemingly fabricated doctrines that even the most scholarly professors of the denomination had difficulty explaining. After an intense intellectual, emotional, and spiritual struggle to overcome fear, self-doubt, and a pathological loyalty to the denomination’s creed, I eventually left behind my cherished mission, pastorate, and social circle. My family departed with me. I became a non-sectarian school chaplain and earned a doctorate. I later transitioned to Christian school administration and retired after nearly three decades of service. This book is my last hoorah as I prepare to exit this life and enter the New Jerusalem to reside with God, the angels, and all the saints who have transitioned before me.

I suppose that most Christians cannot claim a theological construct that they can knowingly place in one category of prophetic interpretation or another. The pastor of our evangelical congregation, before I reached the age of nine, claimed that the Book of Revelation was a closed book and no longer intended by God to be understood by the modern Bible student. After the age of nine, I was indoctrinated by the self-proclaimed specialists of apocalyptic prophecy and viewed end-time events through the lens of a historicist. This particular denomination, if not alone, is among a very small number of Christian groups still clinging to the historicist hermeneutic of interpreting apocalyptic prophecy. Simply put, they believe that apocalyptic prophecy began to be fulfilled in the prophet’s day, continued over the past two thousand years, and will have further fulfillments yet in the future. To the historicist, we are living in the last days that began in the first century, but the end is yet to come. Many evangelical Christians now use the futurist hermeneutic and set aside most of the fulfillments of end-time prophecy for the future. Futurists also believe that a number of Old Testament prophecies and promises concerning the nation of Israel are yet to be fulfilled such as the full restoration of the land in Palestine—to mirror, in scope, at least what it was during ancient Israel’s largest expansion—and the rebuilding of Israel’s temple in Jerusalem.

In this book, I reference over sixty imminence quotations in the New Testament that were always quite puzzling to me as a historicist. The New Testament writers often referred to the nearness of the return of Jesus and viewed last-day events as occurring within their lifetime. My theological construct forced me to interpret these references in one way while a simple, natural reading indicated different meanings. Like forcing the wrong puzzle pieces into places where they do not belong, I tried to create a picture of end-time prophecy that was promoted by a denomination claiming to be the only remaining Christian organization true to the Protestant Reformation and first-century apostolic doctrine. Throughout my tenure with that denomination—which included nineteen years of schooling and seven years as a pastor—I discovered that the average member, along with pastors and teachers, was unable, with Bible open, to clearly and convincingly explain the fulfillment of apocalyptic prophecies.

In my confusion, I decided by research and contemplation to travel back in time before the Protestant Reformation and before the height of Christendom’s power and influence, back to the earliest apostolic congregations when the New Testament books and letters were written to see if I could understand their views of the apocalyptic end of all things. Matthew 24:34, a quotation of Jesus, was one piece of the puzzle that needed to find its rightful place in the intended picture—I tell you the truth, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place. Luke 21:21–22 was another quotation of Jesus in which He prophesied the destruction of Jerusalem and its temple. This passage was the second puzzle piece that propelled me on my journey, Then those who are in Judea must flee to the mountains. Those who are inside the city must depart. Those who are out in the country must not enter it, because these are days of vengeance, to fulfill all that is written. To simply accept at face-value what the prophets wrote and spoke is another way to interpret apocalyptic prophecy from the ancient writings. It is the method that I now choose to use.

Jesus and the Apostles believed and taught that they were living at the time of the end prophesied by Daniel. This book examines the New Testament prophecies and statements (and Daniel’s prophecies) that indicate this intriguing idea. The arrival of the end foretold in the New Testament was not two millennia in the future but occurred around the destruction of Jerusalem with its temple and with the completion of the divine purpose of the old covenant, Mosaic regulations, and national Israel. This particular interpretation, which emphasizes a New Covenant Kingdom, an indwelling Holy Spirit, and the Church as the new spiritual Israel, has been labeled preterism. The term simply means that the apocalyptic prophecies describing the last days and the end occurred in the days of the Apostles just as they said they would.

This book lays out the case for preterism (in general because there are a few variations among preterists) which might be the currently least popular interpretation of end-time prophecies. Each generation of Christians throughout the centuries has preferred to believe that its own time was the last days and close to the end. To see fulfillments yet in the future or near future provides an urgency in evangelizing the world and preparing to meet the Lord at His coming or rapture. Interestingly, these motivating missions are better realized when one is not focused on current events that tend to excite the imagination, frustrate compassion, and ultimately lead to disappointment. It is not necessary under preterism to keep reinterpreting the times.

Introduction

The Bible is a divinely inspired story of a controversy that began in Heaven and enveloped Earth. It is both a historical and prophetic rendering of God’s efforts to restore peace, harmony, love, unity, justice, and His leadership to both Heaven and Earth after a rebellion caused devastating disruption. Its central characters are the Son of God and Satan. The story spans the time from the beginning to the end.

The first-century Christian Church, under the guidance of the Apostles, still found itself confused from time to time about the end. Jesus and the Apostles, however, were in agreement on what marked the beginning and the end. It was during later centuries that various notions appeared in Christian theology to answer the nagging questions around why each generation, after the Apostles, was still here long after the resurrection of Christ. A host of interpretations competed for legitimacy, especially during and after the Protestant Reformation. The most significant differences among these interpretations are the longevity of old covenant prophecies and promises regarding Israel and the placement of the last days and end.

The Apocalypse Puzzle represents an attempt to locate the consummation of all things that Peter and the other New Testament writers claimed was imminent. If the end did occur in their lifetimes as they prophesied, then we return to the questions that gave birth to the various interpretations. Were the Apostles mistaken about the end? Why have centuries passed since the end? If the end occurred in the Apostles’ day as they taught that it would, what is the meaning of our existence today? What is the purpose of the modern Church? When at all will evil and suffering cease? How should we live after the end?

A source of great difficulty in apocalyptic interpretation is the tendency for Bible students to view spiritual events on Earth as the most important of all when, in fact, what transpired in Heaven is vastly more significant. The Holy Spirit’s role in the incarnation of Christ (Matthew 1:20), the Michael battle and banishment of Satan from Heaven (Daniel 12 and Revelation 12), crushing of the serpent’s head (Genesis 3:15, Romans 16:20), the coming of the Son of Man in the clouds (Daniel 7:13–14, Revelation 19), and the resurrections (Revelation 20) have more impact on Heaven than Earth. Our little planet was but a speck of stellar dust that, unfortunately, became a secondary battlefield in the great controversy between Christ and Satan. Heaven was the main battleground.

There is great appeal in some of the modern interpretations of apocalyptic prophecies. They encourage us to prepare body, mind, and soul for surviving the coming tribulation