Final Events Timeline
Future Events Prophesied in the Bible
May 1, 2014
Copyright © 2014 Ronald W. Leigh
Bible quotations are from the New International Version unless otherwise noted.
Timeline
The following timeline shows a sequence of events of general eschatology (as opposed to individual eschatology). These events come from non-apocalyptic passages in the gospels and epistles.
Several key events from the closing chapters of Revelation are shown below the timeline, indicating their possible correlation with the events above the timeline. Because of the apocalytpic nature of the book of Revelation, the correlations shown below are offered as mere suggestions. Any scheme of correlation is greatly influenced by one's millennial view (see the section below entitled "The millennium").
We have used the label "Day of the Lord" in the timeline because that phrase appears explicitly in or near the passages related to most of the events in that category (see 1 Thessalonians 5:2; 2 Thessalonians 2:2; 2 Peter 3:10).
Some of the events may take enough time that they overlap neighboring events. Also, certain events may occur simultaneously with neighboring events. In any case, nearly all these events are still future to us.
Order of events
How were the above events placed in order? In some cases the order is explicit in the biblical passage. For example, 2 Thessalonians 2:2 says explicitly that the rebellion and the revelation of the man of lawlessness comes before the day of the Lord. Similarly, 1 Thessalonians 4:15-16 says explicitly that the dead in Christ will be raised before living Christians are caught up in the rapture.
In other cases, the very nature of the event provides a strong clue regarding the best placement of the event. For example, in the account of the judgment of the righteous and the wicked in Matthew 25:31-46, both groups appear to be alive, Jesus speaks to both groups, and both groups respond. This would seem to require that both groups have been previously resurrected. Similarly, according to 2 Thessalonians 2:8, the man of lawlessness is destroyed by the glory of Christ's coming. This implies that at Christ's coming the lawless one has previously been revealed.
But there are some of the events in the above timeline which have less evidence for their placement, and different interpreters might locate them in different places on the timeline.
Timing, suddenness, and how long events will take
No one knows the date when the day of the Lord will occur (Matthew 24:36-42). It will arrive suddenly, without warning (1 Thessalonians 5:1-4).
Certain events in the day of the Lord are said to happen "in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye" (1 Corinthians 15:51-52). In context, this applies specifically to dead bodies being raised and changed from perishable to imperishable.
There is also an element of sequence as discussed in the previous section.
The length of time required for other events in the day of the Lord is not indicated in scripture. Just because it is called the day of the Lord does not require that it be limited to one 24 hour day. In light of the Lord's power, and in light of the fact that the Lord is not on our schedule (2 Peter 3:8), the whole day of the Lord could occur in a very short instant. Or, perhaps it will extend over many days.
The Tribulation
The above timeline is in keeping with the view that the tribulation covers nearly the entire church age, rather than covering a future seven year period. Daniel's 70th week (see Daniel 9:24-27), which some equate with a future seven year tribulation, actually took place long ago around the death of Christ. According to Jesus' teaching on the Mount of Olives, the great tribulation started with the siege and destruction of Jerusalem and continues throughout the "time of the Gentiles."
There will be great distress in the land and wrath against this people. They will fall by the sword and will be taken as prisoners to all the nations. Jerusalem will be trampled on by the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled. (Luke 21:23b-24)
The time of the Gentiles (that is, the tribulation) has lasted many centuries, extending throughout the present church age until the second coming of Christ at the day of the Lord.
… there will be great distress, unequaled from the beginning of the world until now – and never to be equaled again. (Matthew 24:21)
Immediately after the distress of those days … the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky … (Matthew 24:29-30)
For an explanation of this view, see the paper Daniel 9 and the paper Jesus Olivet Discourse about Two Future Events, especially section "E. Diagram of events" and section "N. The great tribulation."
The millennium
The millennium ("thousand years") is never explicitly mentioned in any of the passages from the gospels and epistles used to construct the above timeline. But it is mentioned six times in Revelation 20. What is the nature of the millennium? And when does it occur?
Amillennial view
In this view the millennium is a present spiritual reality, existing during the church age. The millennium is Christ's spiritual kingdom, essentially Christ's victory over Satan and the believers' security on earth and joy in heaven. This is the view represented above, with Satan's 1000 year imprisonment placed at the left end of the timeline, before the Day of the Lord.
The description of Satan being bound (Revelation 20:1-7) during the millennium has led many to conclude that the millennium cannot occur during the church age, for during the church age "the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour" (1 Peter 5:8), and "the whole world is under the control of the evil one" (1 John 5:19). But such passages must be understood alongside other passages about Satan. For example, Jesus, speaking about his approaching death, said "now the prince of this world will be driven out" (John 12:31, compare Matthew 12:28-29; Hebrews 2:14-15; and Colossians 2:14-15).
This leads to the possibility that there is during this church age a definite, but partial, restriction on Satan's influence. This may be similar to what Paul had in mind when he spoke of lawlessness being at work, but also being held back (2 Thessalonians 2:6-8). In other words, the description of Satan being imprisoned (Revelation 20) and the description of the restraint of lawlessness (2 Thessalonians 2:1-12) may be referring to the same thing.
Premillennial view
In this view the millennium is a period of time entirely separate from the church age, still future, occurring on earth, and having to do with the re-formation of the nation Israel (which is entirely separate from the church). This view of the millennium involves two physical resurrections and two judgments: the resurrection of the saved and their judgment occurring at the beginning of the millennium, the resurrection and judgment of the lost occurring at the end of the millennium (supposedly the first and second resurrections of Revelation 20).
This view raises the following difficulties:
- In this view the millennium is an earthly and physical kingdom, but Jesus taught that "my kingdom is not of this world" (John 18:36).
- While it is helpful to distinguish between the church and the nation Israel, Paul teaches that the church is actually the continuation of spiritual Israel, that is, true believers within the nation of Israel (Romans 11:17-24). The promises given to Israel as a nation were conditioned on obedience, and Israel failed, particularly in their rejection of Jesus Christ (see the paper Ancient Israel and the Abrahamic Covenant and the paper Two Israels - Two Threads of Prophecy). Also, the kingdom was taken away from Israel and given to Jesus' disciples, that is, the church (Matthew 21:43; 23:38; 1 Thessalonians 2:14-16; Luke 12:32; Hebrews 8:7-13; 10:5-9).
- Rather than two judgments separated by one thousand years, the judgments of the saved and of the lost both appear to take place at the same time (Matthew 25:31-46; 2 Thessalonians 1:8-10; also see John 5:24-29).