“What I Was Taught”
This is what I was taught about the END TIMES.
For everyone following my discussions, I want to establish a baseline.
Whenever I refer to “what I was taught” or “what I used to believe” regarding Israel, prophecy, and the end times, I am referring—at a 10,000-foot level—to the timeline below.
One important point before we begin:
During all my formative years of learning this end-times framework, I never once remember hearing the term “dispensationalism.” I rarely, if ever, heard the word “Zionism.” And the names John Nelson Darby and Cyrus Scofield were completely unknown to me.
I simply thought this was what the Bible taught about the end times.
I suspect many Christians today were taught something very similar. Some may even insist they are not dispensationalists because they are unfamiliar with the label or associate it with more extreme versions of the theology.
So, for clarity, here is the basic framework I grew up believing:
1. THE CHURCH AGE — NOW
We are presently living in the Church Age.
As history moves toward the end, conditions on Earth—and particularly conditions for Christians—will progressively worsen.
Christians should resist evil and preach the Gospel, while simultaneously understanding that worsening world conditions are signs that the end is approaching.
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2. THE RAPTURE OF THE CHURCH
At some point, without warning, Christ removes His Church from the Earth.
Christians are caught up to meet Christ in the air and receive glorified, immortal bodies.
The Church is then absent from Earth during the seven-year Tribulation.
Those left behind do not witness Christ physically returning to Earth at this point. Christians simply disappear, leaving the world to deal with the aftermath.
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3. THE SEVEN-YEAR TRIBULATION
A seven-year period of extraordinary worldwide suffering and destruction begins.
During this period:
● The Antichrist and Beast system rise to power.
● Enormous numbers of people die.
● The world experiences unprecedented judgment and chaos.
● God’s prophetic attention turns particularly back toward ethnic/national Israel and the geographic land of Israel.
The Antichrist initially deceives Israel, eventually turning against Israel and persecuting it.
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4. ISRAEL RECOGNIZES JESUS AS MESSIAH
Near the conclusion of the Tribulation, the surviving remnant of Israel recognizes Jesus Christ as its true Messiah.
This occurs in connection with Christ’s return, although the precise sequence—Israel’s repentance followed by Christ’s appearance, or repentance occurring as He appears—was never particularly clear to me.
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5. THE SECOND COMING OF CHRIST
This time Christ does not merely gather His Church in the air.
He physically and visibly returns to Earth in glory.
The surviving Israel receives Him as Messiah.
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6. ARMAGEDDON
Jesus Christ physically defeats the Antichrist, the Beast system, and the armies gathered against Him.
Christ’s enemies are defeated and His earthly kingdom begins.
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7. THE MILLENNIUM BEGINS
Christ establishes a literal 1,000-year Messianic Kingdom on Earth.
This is not yet the final, perfected eternal state.
During these 1,000 years:
● Jesus physically rules the Earth.
● Jerusalem becomes the governmental and religious center of the world.
● Israel finally receives and enjoys its promised covenant inheritance, including its land promises.
● Glorified Christians reign with Christ.
● Ordinary mortal human beings also remain on Earth.
● These mortal people marry, have children, and continue populating the nations.
● Sin still exists.
● Physical death still exists.
● Christ rules the nations with a “rod of iron.”
● Satan is imprisoned in the abyss and prevented from deceiving the nations.
This continues for a literal 1,000 years.
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8. SATAN IS RELEASED
At the conclusion of the 1,000 years, Satan is released from the abyss for a short period.
Despite humanity having lived under the direct rule of Jesus Christ, Satan once again succeeds in deceiving people from the nations.
A massive final rebellion forms against Christ.
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9. THE FINAL REBELLION IS DESTROYED
God destroys the rebellion.
Satan is permanently cast into the Lake of Fire.
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10. THE GREAT WHITE THRONE JUDGMENT
The dead are raised and stand before God.
The “books” are opened, and the dead are judged according to their works.
Another book—the Book of Life—is also opened.
Anyone whose name is not found written in the Book of Life is cast into the Lake of Fire.
Revelation calls this “the second death.”
Death and Hades themselves are then cast into the Lake of Fire.
Death is finally abolished.
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11. THE NEW HEAVEN AND NEW EARTH
The former order passes away.
There is no longer death, mourning, crying, or pain.
The temporary conditions that existed even during Christ’s Millennial Kingdom are gone forever.
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12. THE NEW JERUSALEM DESCENDS
The enormous New Jerusalem described in Revelation 21 descends from Heaven to the New Earth.
This is the final dwelling place associated with God’s redeemed creation.
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13. THE ETERNAL STATE
God dwells with His redeemed people forever.
No Satan.
No rebellion.
No sin.
No death.
No curse.
This is eternity.
Why I’m laying this out
I’m not presenting this post as an argument that the above is correct.
I’m documenting the theological framework I was taught.
I spent years believing this basic timeline without knowing its history, assumptions, interpretive rules, and competing Christian interpretations.
I didn’t call it dispensationalism.
I didn’t call it Christian Zionism.
I didn’t know who Darby was.
I didn’t know who Scofield was.
I simply thought this was what the Bible said.
That is why, as we examine these subjects going forward, I want everyone to understand exactly what I mean when I say:
“This is what I was taught.”