Recently, I had written concerning how the timing of Paul’s writings would impact our understanding of his truth on end times events. In this post we will look at John’s knowledge from Jesus and Paul as well as his own writings. I will reference this following statement in a moment:

What is so very interesting about theologians, and their understanding of things in and surrounding Scripture, is the ways in which their bias will blind them to truth that is immediately in front of them.

If, for example, the above author is attempting to prove that the book of the Revelation was written about the fall of Jerusalem in 70 AD, then it must be that the Revelation was written before that fall.

Both the a-millennial, and post-millennial theologians want us to accept that the Revelation of John is already fulfilled in 70 AD, except that it could not have been.

Jesus in His Mount Olivet discourse tells of the destruction of the Temple. He tells us that nations will rise against nations before this end, and in the Revelation He tells John of a beast that will be more terrible than Rome itself. This coming beast is the same one as the last beast system of Daniel’s prophesy. It is a Government that will rule most of the World.

The other night in our community Bible study, the leader read a teaching concerning a belief that is taught by another large segment of the Church, which was an attempt to prove what they believe — that the early church believed in Jesus’ imminent return, and maybe they did, but were they correct? Here is the verse:

1 John 2:18 Children, it is the last hour; and just as you heard that antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have appeared; from this we know that it is the last hour. (NASB1995)

I don’t know what John himself meant to communicate in this verse by “the last hour”, but I do know what he had been told by Jesus:

Matthew 24:1 Jesus came out from the temple and was going away when His disciples came up to point out the temple buildings to Him.

Matthew 24:2 And He said to them, “Do you not see all these things? Truly I say to you, not one stone here will be left upon another, which will not be torn down.”

If this was before 70 AD when John had written 1 John 2:18; then he knew that the Temple had not yet been destroyed. If he wrote it after 70 AD; then he knew what Paul had stated:

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, 4 who opposes and exalts himself above every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, displaying himself as being God. (NASB1995)

So what did the Holy Spirit mean when He had John write 1John 2:18? If “the hour” was intended to mean the time of the Antichrist and his taking up his seat in God’s Temple; then that very statement would also need to mean that the Holy Spirit through John was telling the Church that we at some future time would see this hour and the Tribulation associated with it.

This event has not yet arrived. There is no Jerusalem Temple of God, but if you study what is happening in your time upon this earth; then you know that the plans are in place to construct this Temple.

God’s wisdom is to lead us to understanding. I will speak more on this tomorrow!