Ron Halbrook

Matthew 24:1-35 discusses the fall of Jerusalem which occurred in A.D. 70.  When reading Matthew 23:34-39, pay close attention to verse 36, "Verily I say unto you, All these things shall come upon this generation."  Jesus said God would abandon Jerusalem and its temple in that generation ("Behold, your house is left unto you desolate," vs. 38).  He repeated again in 24:34, "Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled."  The signs he presented in this context equipped Christians to know the time for Rome to destroy Jerusalem was near so that they could escape.  They should not be deceived by Jews who wanted to stay in the city and fight Rome with the false hope of victory.  God would abandon this people to destruction in that very generation.  History has recorded how the Roman Empire totally destroyed Jerusalem in A.D. 70.

Beginning in 24:36 and continuing through all of chapter 25 Jesus discussed the last great day when he returns.  He did not say he will return to set up an earthly kingdom for 1,000 years, but only he will return to render final judgment on all mankind (25:31-46).

The book of Revelation was written to prepare the churches of Asia Minor for the onslaught of the Roman Empire which demanded the Caesars should be worshiped.  Those who refused to worship Caesar would be executed.  Read Revelation 1:1-3 and notice these words: "things which must shortly come to pass," and, "for the time is at hand."  The events prophesied in this book began to occur and unfold in the time of the people who received this epistle.

The book of Revelation uses much figurative language including figurative numbers, most of it based on the figures used by Old Testament prophets who spoke of God's judgments against nations. This is appropriate because God would judge the Roman Empire.  It was also appropriate because John was exiled to Patmos Island by Emperor Domitian (see 1:9).  If the Roman guards saw his letter directly state that Christ would destroy the Roman Empire, the letter would have been burned.  Because it was written in much figurative language, the Romans suspected nothing and the letter was allowed to be sent.

The war of Rome against the church of Christ would continue for many years until Christ would utterly destroy the Roman Empire.  That is the lesson in the book of Revelation.  The key to understand the book is 6:9-11 where the executed saints cry to God to take vengeance against Rome, but God said they must wait "a little season" and more would die.  The book shows God extended time to let more people repent before destroying the empire.

Chapter 12 gives a picture to show Satan is the one who causes all the suffering endured by God's people because he is always working behind the scenes to destroy God's purpose.  He first tried to destroy Christ himself and afterward tried to destroy the church of Christ.  That is the lesson in chapter 12.

The destruction of Rome is pictured in chapter 19.  Rome fell in A.D. 476.  It never again had power to persecute Christians after that time.

In 20:1-4 John was shown a vision of the victory of Christ and the executed saints.  6:9-11 said more would die, and 20:4 refers to all who died during those intervening years:  "I saw the souls of them that were beheaded."  Satan used his cruel power to take the lives of these saints, but their souls (not their resurrected bodies) rule with Christ 1,000 years.  This is figurative language expressing the total and complete victory of Christ and the executed saints.  The number 1,000 is used many times throughout the Old Testament to represent something total and complete.  For instance, in Psalm 50:10, "For every beast of the forest is mine, and the cattle upon a thousand hills."  If 1,000 hills is literal, then God does not own the cattle on the next hills after 1,000, but the 1,000 is not literal, it is figurative to represent totality or completeness.  When Christ took the victory over the Roman Empire, Satan was never again able to restore the power of that cruel empire to execute God's people.  Christ's victory was complete!

The book of Revelation ends in the following way.  After Satan's defeat in using the Roman Empire, he was permitted to gather his forces and to try to fight against God again until the end of time when he will be defeated forever by the last great Judgment Day.  That story is summarized in 20:7-15, and then the glories of heaven are pictured in chapters 21-22.

In short, the Bible nowhere teaches Christ will set his feet on the earth again in order to sit on a literal throne in the city of Jerusalem and to rule in an earthly kingdom.  His only kingdom is the church of Christ which he will remove from earth and take to heaven when he returns (1 Cor. 15:21-26).