The Eschatology Of The Apocalypse

The last book of the Bible is not a riddle, it is a revelation. The last book of the Bible is not a puzzle-picture, it is a prophecy. The last book of the Bible is not a confounding, it is an unveiling. Whatever begins in the first book of the Bible, whatever commences in Genesis, continues through the rest of the Bible, and comes to a conclusion in the last book of the Bible. All the way from the “In” of Genesis to the “Amen” of Revelation we have an unfolding of God’s purpose. The last book of the Bible is the Revelation, in which revelation is the consummation of every covenant that God ever made, and the conclusion of all the dispensations, and the ushering in of all the eternal purposes of God.

The book of Revelation is not what the rationalists are telling us—it is not a plagiarism, it is the work of a prophet of God. It came from no man’s mind, it came out of the bosom of God. The rationalists are telling us that John probably borrowed these visions from the heathen, that he took the folklore of the heathen people, revised and revamped it and gave us this last book of the Bible.

I will take no such responsibility upon me. I tell you the internal evidence of this book reveals that this last book is a revelation which God gave to Christ, which Christ gave to an angel, which the angel gave to John, and John gave to us.

In one of our American cities, twenty people came to their pastor and said, “Pastor, won’t you give us some studies in the book of Revelation?” he looked them over, he saw they were influential, and said, “Yes, we will have a class in the study of Revelation, and I will tell you all I learned about the book in the seminary. We will have our first class on Wednesday evening after prayer meeting.”

When twenty earnest, anxious, inquiring souls met together, he said, “Now, take your notebooks and put down your first point: ‘I don’t know anything about the book of Revelation.’”

One man spoke up and said, “Pastor, you don’t know anything about the book of Revelation? We thought you knew something about the book of Revelation.”

Said the pastor,” Now, write down your second point: ‘You don’t know anything about the book of Revelation.’”

“We knew we did not,” one of the women ventured, “but we thought you did.”

“Now, write down your last point, ‘Nobody knows anything about the book of Revelation.’ That is what I learned in the seminary,” he added, “and that is all I know.”

Out of those twenty people, eight of them left the church feeling they had been insulted.

It is true that nobody knows everything about the book of Revelation, but it is also true that every believer can know something about the book of Revelation. This book of Revelation is a revealed book—that is what it means. A thing that is revealed is not concealed, and this book of Revelation is not a concealment, it is a revealment. Deuteronomy 29:29 says: “Secret things belong unto God,” and that is where I leave them. It also says: “The things which are revealed belong unto us and to our children,” and this last book is a book of revelation.

Three Divisions

The last book of the Bible, with its twenty-two chapters, has three main divisions, and we may call them “Things Pre-millennial, Things Millennial, and Things Post-millennial.” What I mean is this, that in the major portion of the book, we see those events preceding the millennial reign of Christ as David’s son and heir; in a portion of the book we see events connected with that reign of a thousand years; at the close of the book, we have a record of those things which take place after the thousand years. Those three divisions make the book simple.

A lady said to me after I had finished my morning lecture, “What do you mean by millennial, pre-millennial, and post-millennial?” The word “millennium” comes from two Latin words. If you go to your printer and ask for an order of envelops or letterheads, you say, “Printer, I would like to have two thousand.” He writes down, “2M” and draws a line through the M. It is a Latin abbreviation of the word “thousand”—mille, thousand. If I had a Latin version of the Bible, the Vulgate, it would show that when Peter says, “A thousand years with the Lord is as a day, he simply says, “A millennium with the Lord is as a day.”

The second half of the word “millennium” comes from our word “annum,” which means a “year.” When I put “mille” and “annum” together, I have “millennium,” which means—one thousand years. If I say “pre-millennial,” I mean things happening before that thousand years; if I say “post-millennial,” I mean things happening after the thousand years. There is a division in the thinking of men; some are pres, some are posts, and I am happy to subscribe myself before this audience as a “pre.” I will add that my breast is no place for my chin when I make this good confession, for the “pre” hope of the Lord’s coming has opened the Bible to me from one end to the other. It is the one illumination of the divine purpose through the ages that gives us a book with which we cannot refrain from constant companionship. I am a pre-millennialist. I believe that nothing permanently better can come to this world until the Lord Jesus Christ Himself comes back again into the world.

The Millennium Foretold

I was lecturing down at Dr. Massee’s church in Dayton, and the Bishop of a well-known denomination called me to one side and said, “Mr. Tucker, I greatly enjoyed your lecture. I am going to tell you something: I believe I would rather hear you talk about what I do not believe, better than some men who talk about what I do believe.”

I understood it, he was just administering the anesthetic before he got ready with the surgery. “Thank you, Bishop,” I said. “But,” he added, “I don’t see how you pre-millennialists build up on one single solitary flimsy passage of Scripture, your doctrine of the reign of Christ for a thousand years.”

I looked him in the face and said, “Bishop, I want to tell you that there is not one ‘flimsy passage of Scripture’ in my Bible from the beginning to the end.”

“Well,” he apologized, “I made sort of a wrong choice of words.”

“You did,” I replied, “‘solitary and single’ Bishop, how many fingers have you on your hand?” We were back of the barn where an old racecourse had been, and nobody was around to bother. “Now, every time I say ‘a thousand years,’ I want you to put up a finger, and we will find out if we are basing this on one ‘solitary and single’ passage of Scripture.”

I began to read in Revelation 20, “And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years.” “Put up your finger,” I admonished, and up went his thumb.”

I read on: “And cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled.” “Put up another finger,” I directed, and the finger went up.

I read on: “And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.” Another finger went up.

I read on: “But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished.” Another finger went up, and I read on: “Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years.” “Put up another finger, Bishop,” I said smiling, “and if you have another hand, start on that.”

I read: “And when the thousand years are expired—.” “Stop,” he called, “my hands are up. You have the best of the argument. Yes, I see that six times in one passage a thousand years as a duration of time is mentioned.”

I tell you, we are not basing the hope of the reign of the Lord for a thousand years upon one solitary passage of Scripture, but every prophet from Moses to John wrote on the same great subject, and this weary, worn, aching, breaking, sighing, crying, dying, moaning, groaning world is going to have a Sabbatization before God gets through. He is going to Sabbatize this whole Earth and give rest; but it will never have that rest until Christ comes back again to reign. If God will use me here tonight to set someone’s heart to sighing and crying for the coming of the Lord, it will be a gala night in the Holy Spirit.

Pre-Millennial

This book of Revelation with these three divisions, opens in the first chapter with a vision of the ascended Christ. He is yonder in heaven. John saw Him there walking among the candlesticks. John said He had garments down to His feet, and His feet were as if they had been burned in fine brass. He had hair white like wool, His eyes were like a flame of fire, out of His mouth went a sharp two-edged sword. He had the control of seven angels called spirits in His right hand, and He had a girdle about His paps, and His countenance was like the sun shining in its strength, and His voice was like the sound of many waters.

Said John, “When I saw Him, I fell at His feet as one dead.” One vision of Christ always means prostration, humiliation, purgation, and a cry for sanctification. “I saw Him, and I fell at His feet as dead.” “Get up, John,” said Jesus, “It is Jesus.”

“Oh,” John must have said, “is it you, Jesus?”

“Yes, John, death has not taken me away from you.”

“Jesus, the last time the world saw you, your eyes were not like a flame of fire, they were filled with weeping; the last time the world saw you, Jesus, you had not a voice like the sound of many waters, and you dried out, ‘My God, my God, why hast Thou forsaken me?’ The last time the world saw you, Jesus, you did not have long garments down to your feet. They took the only clothes you had and gambled over them. Jesus, is it really you?”

“Yes, John, I was dead (that is an established fact; Christ died for our sins). If you do not think I was dead, look here on my girdle and see what I have.” On the girdle of the Son of God were the keys of Sheol and Hades. “John, I have been there, and I wrestled with the janitor of the underworld; I took these keys away from him, and I have them here on my girdle.”

Before the Son of God finishes this book of Revelation, He takes the keys of the underworld and opens every grave in the universe, for He is the opener of graves, He has the keys of Sheol and Hades on His girdle.

“John,” said the Lord, “I want you to write the seven churches what you see.” In chapter two you have four churches addressed, in chapter three, you have three churches addressed—four and three with a total number of seven churches. I cannot deal with these epistles tonight except to tell you that every epistle opens with a salutation, that is followed by a congratulation from the Lord, for He always has something good to say to his own. Then follows provocation, for there is something wrong with them; then an exaltation; then He gives special promise of compensation to those who are willing to suffer with Him.

At the fourth chapter, we are directed into heaven, and there is a throne set in heaven. It is not a white throne, like the throne of chapter 20, it is a fire-colored throne.

First you see the throne-sitter; second, you see the throne-surrounders; and third, you see the throne-servants.

This throne is cast down, upon Daniel’s word, for Daniel said, “I saw thrones set, and one who had hair white like wool, the Son of man, take that throne;” but here the throne is established. It is a throne of judgment, it is a throne for the judgment of the wicked living. There are two thrones in Revelation that must be seen—one as four, the other at twenty. The one at four is a throne for the beginning of all judgments; the one at twenty is a throne for the wicked dead, the throne established in chapter five.

We come to a crisis in the book of Revelation. I say “crisis,” but there is no crisis in a universe where there is a Christ, remember that. It appears to be a crisis, and the human crisis is at chapter 5. There is one sitting on the throne with a book rolled up and sealed with seven-fold sealing. It is the title deed to the lost inheritance; for there is a rule in Israel that on the fiftieth year, which was the year of Jubilee, a glorious year, a year of jubilation, of emancipation, and of restoration. On the fiftieth year, everybody got back everything that belonged to them, slaves were freed, everybody was returned, and on the forty-ninth year, nearing the time of the fiftieth year, a judge always came out with the title deed to the lost inheritance in his hand and held it there, and a strong crier stood by his side, and would call for various families to appear and claim their title deed, and take their emancipations. Sometimes there was a squatter on their property, and the title must be checked. Anybody could come up and claim a parchment if he could prove his kinship, his right to redeem. So here we have reached forty-nine years, seven times seven, and the fiftieth is the beginning of a new series of sevens, it is the year of jubilation.

“Ah,” said the angel to Daniel, “seventy weeks are determined upon they people,” and soon we find them enlarging to four hundred and ninety years. The four hundred and ninety are already fulfilled—forty-nine. The throne is set; the throne-sitter comes. He has a book in His hand, an angel stands by His side, He has a loud voice. You must watch this angel with the loud voice. He is a fascinating personality in the book of Revelation. The angel with the loud voice cries three places; he cries into heaven, he cries on Earth, and he cries down under the earth.

He says, “Is there anybody here who can take the book and break the seals?” They cannot find anyone in heaven to do it; they cannot find anyone on Earth to do it; they cannot find anyone under the earth to do it. John weeps, just as you would do. Oh, what a sad time would be the conclusion of this meeting if we did not know that Jesus Christ is alive at the right hand of God while I am speaking to you! John wept and said, “Here we have come to the year of jubilation, seven times seven have passed over my people Israel, it is the hour of the recovery, and we cannot find the kinsman. He must be a man, human, to step up there, claim that parchment with no controversy to rule it out. He must be a kinsman.”

While John sobbed, a voice said, “John, do not weep.”

“Do not tell me not to weep,” he replied, “I cannot help but weep. The hour has come and there is no kinsman redeemer. He is not among the angels, he is not on Earth, he is not under the earth. Where is he?”

“John,” continued the voice, “I have found a person who can take the book and break the seals thereof.”

“Where have you found him? Is he a kinsman? Can he prove his kinsmanship?”

“He can, He is the Lion of Judah. He has the right to take the book, start the judgment, oust the usurper and give the children back their inheritance.”

The Hallelujah Chorus

Then something started. It was time for something to start. Talk about a Hallelujah chorus! Talk about Jubilee! One united, harmonious, uprising, outgoing burst from everything in heaven, and everything on the earth, and everything under the earth. They all broke out in one cry, and they said, “Glory and honor and might and majesty and dominion and power be unto the Lamb.” And the four and twenty elders could not keep still; they cried and said again, “Amen.” And ten thousand times ten thousand angels, and thousands of thousands said, “Glory be to that Lamb, for Thou wast slain and hast redeemed us to God with Thy blood.”

John said, “Show me that Lion.” He turned to see that Lion, and he saw a Lamb. And the Lamb that he saw had the marks of crucifixion on Him. He had been slain. What I mean is that whatever made the future sovereignty of Christ, it is all based on His past sacrifice. Whatever He takes as to crowns, He got them all on the cross. You cannot get away from the blood of the cross.

The Tribulation

The sixth chapter shows the Lamb taking the book. The judgments now begin. It is called the Tribulation Period. If I were to tell you that “Tribulation” means “threshing machines,” would you believe me? Someone gets up in the prayer meeting and says, “Brethren, I have been having tribulation.” So have I; I have had a good deal of it. You know what tribulation means—it means threshing machine. Not the kind of threshing machines they have in Minnesota—no, no, no; but a threshing machine of the Roman days. Two sticks put together with a chain or a leather thong. The Roman husbandman took about seven days to thresh out his wheat crop. He took it in and laid it down on the barn floor. Then he sent word around and said, “Neighbors, next week is my week of tribulation. Will you all come to my tribulation?” So the neighbors all came in to the tribulation, and the women got busy and said, “Come over and help me cook. The tribulationers are coming next week.”

The next week, every fellow came with his threshing machine, a little stick fastened to another stick by a chain. The grain was all laid out in the Roman husbandman’s barn, and they commenced to beat. They beat for three and one-half days, and there was a custom that after three and one-half days, they doubled up the number of beaters. They were working in relays, and in the middle of the week, a double number of beaters came in, because the chaff was commencing to pile up and the grain was going down, and for three and one-half days, they had a Great Tribulation.

When the seven days of threshing and beating with the Roman tribulum (for that was the name of the threshing machine) were over, the husbandman opened the barn door, a gust of wind came, took hold of the chaff and swept it out in a whirlwind. The husbandman also had a fan, took it in his hand and said, “I am going to thoroughly purge my floor,” and went all over the floor with the fan, blowing out what the wind did not take.

This book, beginning at chapter six, shows God’s threshing of the earth; for God will thresh. He will thresh the nations of the earth, and gather Israel, who has not been reckoned among the nations. In my judgment, this old Book teaches that during the threshing period of tribulation, the church of God, the Body of Christ, will not be here. She does not belong to the judgment period. Judgment is upon the Jew and the Gentile in their national capacity, but I belong to a Body which is neither Jew nor Gentile, bond nor free, male nor female. Thank God for such a church as that!

This tribulation begins at chapter six. Chapter six opens with the Lamb taking the book and breaking the seals. The Lamb said, “Come,”—and that was His authority, for all power is His in heaven and in Earth. He said, “Come,” and out came four steeds in succession, a procession. The first steed was a white horse with its rider. This was no doubt the first earthly manifestation of the antichrist. I do not say that, but I do say the one who rides on the white horse is not Christ, but a great war lord, a great militarist. He rides out upon the earth. He is followed by a red horse who has power to take peace from the earth. He is followed by a black horse, and has upon him scales; for famine always follows war as war always follows militarism. Following him was a green (a pale green, is the Greek word there), a strangely colored horse who had death and Hades with him. He was a pestilence.

Then the fifth seal opens, and the sighing and the crying of a remnant of people who have suffered for their testimony, send up their prayers—slain, suffering saints.

The sixth seal is opened, and there is a seismic, a solar, a stellar, a lunar, a social disturbance everywhere. The earth quakes, islands are taken up and removed and pushed over, so mighty is the hand of God. For Hebrews 12:26 says, “Not only will I shake the earth, but I will shake the heavens also.” The sun turns black like sackcloth. The Arabs always had a tent like sackcloth, a strange dark color, turned dark by the sun. The moon became blood-red, the stars began to fall, and there was darkness. Oh what a day!

Do you realize while I am talking that these judgments shall actually come to pass on the face of this Earth? But if you are in Christ, for all I know, you will pass straight through them. God will help you to flee to Christ before this meeting closes. I am speaking the truth; I am speaking for eternity. I tell you these things are true.

Then you hear the greatest cry the world has ever known. It is led by kings. Can you imagine such kings and emperors as William and Joseph and Nicholas and George and all the mighty kings of the earth? Kings are the first to start to cry. Who ever heard the kings crying for help? Then rich men, then great men, then mighty men, then chief captains, then bondmen, all classes of society fall upon their knees and ask God’s natural resources to make clefts in which they can hide. They say, “Rocks and mountains fall on us! Hide us from the face of that Lamb that took that book and broke off those seals.” But there is no hiding place in all this universe, for the grace of God has been withdrawn; nothing but judgments.

Chapter six moves into chapter seven, and chapter seven reminds me of a great traffic officer, as I see him in the heart of a great city. Vehicles everywhere in confusion, seeking to get their pathway. Suddenly the officer stands out, lifts his hand, I stop, and so do you when his hand goes up. God, as it were, throws up His hand, and says, “Come here, angels. I want you to do something. Do not let any judgments fall on the earth, or the sea, or the grass until something is done. I have to seal the remnant.” National Israel is to pass through this tribulation. So He seals a number out of each of the tribes of Israel.

This great book of Revelation is the drama of the greatest anti-semitic piece of literature the world has ever seen staged. God is going to save His people, Israel. He says, “Stop,” and He seals out of the tribes of Israel an equal number from each tribe.

Then he gives great blessing to the Gentiles, and the eighth chapter beings a new series of judgments. Trumpets are blown by angels, and chapters eight and nine show the blowing of the seven trumpets, or judgments.

In chapter ten, the prophet eats a little book, and things are becoming bitter in the world. Chapter eleven shows us two witnesses come down from heaven to testify against one whom we will see in the next two chapters. Who they are, I do not know. This is a book of revelation, not a book of speculation. They are men sent out from God to stand in the days which are darkest. I think I know who they are, but inasmuch as it is not made clear, I prefer to remain silent. These two witnesses are put to death for their testimony.

The twelfth chapter opens, and there is a great sign in heaven. Under that sign the whole of Israel’s history is reviewed in one wonderful similitude. Then Satan is cast out of heaven, Michael, the archangel leading in the onslaught against him. A voice says, Woe, woe, woe be unto earth-dwellers, for the devil has come down unto you.”

The thirteenth chapter opens with a beast coming up out of the sea, and with another beast coming up out of the earth. The first, in my judgment, is the man of sin. The second, is a false prophet. One of them seems to have the power of political rule, and the other ecclesiastical power and purpose. Here they are, the two of them, with the devil, a trinity of hell now at work on the earth. Oh, I would not want to be here then, would you? I would rather be there with Him!

Chapter thirteen shows us these two persons, tells us who they are, where they come from, tells of their popularity, gives us their program. These two now begin to work in the deluded Earth. Ecclesiastical, social, and civil federations now have been made complete. You can have some kind of movements in those days and be successful, but you cannot have them in these days and be successful.

Chapter thirteen shows us the beast and the false prophet. Chapter fourteen centers on Mount Zion. In chapter fifteen, God commences to pour out the vials, and in chapter sixteen, they are being poured out rapidly. In chapter seventeen, Babylon comes into full view, and in chapter eighteen, a voice says, “Alas, alas, alas, Babylon is come to her end.”

Armageddon

Chapter nineteen shows the heavens open, a white horse and rider, with many crowns upon his head and a sharp two-edged sword out of his mouth, with the armies of heaven ready to follow Him at His command. Upon his garments it says, “The Word of God.” He moves out of the open heavens with the armies following Him.

Oh what a military picture, when militarism is at last where it belongs—with God. He comes with His clattering sword, he whets it, He is ready. The day of God comes, and there are not enough carrion birds to take away the flesh, for the slain of the Lord are many that day. Two hundred millions they say are in that battle, the battle of the great day of Almighty God, the battle of Armageddon.

Christocracy

The twentieth chapter opens with Satan incarcerated and the Lord sitting upon the throne of David. Now we are having democracy, during the tribulation we will have autocracy, and for one thousand years of this old world’s history, we will have Christocracy—Christ will reign on the throne for a thousand years. When Christ has ceased to reign, we will have theocracy, for God will be all and in all.

In the twenty-first chapter, we swing out into things eternal, and things begun; the last things, to be sure, for that is what “eschatology” means—the doctrine of the last things. Yes, it is the last of dying; it is the last of crying; it is the last of pain; it is the last of death; it is the last of sin. Everything becomes new, the Lamb is the light of the city; the river of life, the tree of life and the trees for the healing of the nations are there. Whoremongers, dogs, sorcerers, liars are shut out forever, no robber ever gets in—a new heaven, a new Earth wherein dwells righteousness. Down to the last verse, of the last chapter, of the last book of the Bible there is one united cry, the Bride says, “Come, come, come.” Everybody who hears says, “Come, come, come; everybody that is athirst says, “Come, come, come;” everybody whosoever will—they join in and say, “Come, come, come, come quickly, Lord Jesus, even so, Amen.”

That is the end of the last book of the Bible, and it is a good enough book for me.