PMW 2020-068 by Kenneth L. Gentry, Jr.
With this article, I am beginning a series on how contemporary postmillennialism deals with the great tribulation. This will basically be a survey of much of Matthew 24. This series ought to provide the interested reader with a basic understanding of how postmillennialism answers the complaint that Jesus’ prophecy of “the great tribulation” undermines our historical hope. As such, I am hoping postmillennial readers might share these studies with their non-postmillennial friends — especially if they really don’t need friends anymore.
This series is significant in that American evangelical Christians are intensely interested in what the New Testament calls “the great tribulation.” Many enormously popular, best-selling books have been written on this phenomenon, including The Late Great Planet Earth (30 million copies sold) and the Left Behind series (65 million copies).
The great tribulation is significant and merits careful consideration. This is not only because of its influence on contemporary evangelical thought, but (more importantly) because of its large presence in Scripture. The Bible touches on this theme in many contexts in both the Old and New Testaments. Furthermore, it seems to contradict postmillennialism’s historical optimism. Consequently, it will be crucial for us to study it in light of our presentation of the postmillennial hope.
The two most significant portions of Scripture treating the great tribulation are found in Jesus’ teaching and John’s Revelation. It appears prominently in one of Christ’s major recorded discourses: the Olivet Discourse in Matthew 24–25 (cp. Mark 13; Luke 21:5–36). The first thirty-four verses of Matthew 24 focus on the great tribulation, even employing the phrase in verse 21.
Olivet Discourse Made Easy (by Ken Gentry)
Verse-by-verse analysis of Christ’s teaching on Jerusalem’s destruction in Matt 24. Shows the great tribulation is past, having occurred in AD 70, and is distinct from the Second Advent at the end of history.
See more study materials at: www.KennethGentry.com
As pessimistic systems, the non-postmillennial eschatological positions see our future in the bleakest terms. And this largely due to the biblical teaching on the great tribulation. For instance, amillennial theologian Herman Hanko notes that postmillennialism “stands in sharp contrast with that whole body of biblical data which describes the days prior to the coming of Christ as days in which lawlessness abounds (Matthew 24:12)” and “Matthew 24 itself is strong proof of all this.” Premillennialist Wayne Grudem agrees: “Matthew 24 is such a difficult passage from the postmillennialist perspective.”
Any biblical eschatological system must be able to explain the great tribulation if it is to gain a hearing. But this is an especially important matter for postmillennialism due to its long-term, historical optimism. How can the postmillennialist propose an optimistic outlook for history if Christ, John, and other biblical writers warn of a time of great tribulation? The very idea of a great tribulation seems to conflict with the victorious outlook of postmillennialism.
In this series I will engage a brief overview of the Olivet Discourse. This overview will serve two purposes: (1) It will interpret this large and important issue in biblical prophecy. (2) It will demonstrate how the great tribulation fits within the optimistic outlook of postmillennialism.
The long-standing debate over Matthew 24 is unfortunate. When we look carefully at the prophecy it is not so difficult to comprehend it within a postmillennial scheme. One problem that modern evangelical laymen face is that Jesus’ discourse is solidly rooted in the Old Testament. Unfortunately, they tend to be so New Testament oriented that they do not properly understand the Old Testament backdrop. We must remember that Jesus was speaking to a first-century Jewish audience steeped in the old covenant revelation (the Old Testament itself).
For our purposes in this series I will focus on the portion of the Olivet Discourse that relates to “the great tribulation.” Undoubtedly, in our modern evangelical context of popular apocalypticism and interest in all things eschatological, this passage comes to people’s mind as they ask: “Are we living in the last days?” “Is our day about to witness the fulfillment of these prophecies?”
This passage is familiar to most Christians. Who has not heard the dreadful prophecy of “wars and rumors of wars”? Or of “earthquakes in various places”? Or the alarming prospect of the “abomination of desolation”? Who has not feared the sound of “the great tribulation” reverberating from the lips of our Lord Jesus Christ? Unfortunately, though Matthew 24 is familiar to most, it is understood by few.
Most Christians in our generation and especially within modern evangelicalism, believe that we have just recently entered into the “last days.” They often point to Matthew 24 as a signal to the beginning of the last days. They believe this text even offers signs indicating the great tribulation is about to explode on the scene, punctuating the end of the Church Age.
Dispensational Distortions (3 downloadable mp3s)
by Ken Gentry
Reformed introduction to classic dispensationalism, with analysis of leading flaws regarding the Church, kingdom, redemptive history, and Christ. Helpful for demonstrating errors to dispensationalists.
See more study materials at: www.KennethGentry.com
Book distributors and websites across America today are filled with end time scenarios that warn that the great tribulation in Matthew 24 and the events of the Book of Revelation are about to erupt all around us. They urge Christians to expect the imminent rapture of the Lord’s people so that the great tribulation and Revelation’s judgments might break forth. Books such as:
• Tim LaHaye and Craig Parshall, Brink of Chaos (2012) and Edge of Apocalypse (2010)
• Joel C. Rosenberg, Damascus Countdown (2013)
• Grant R. Jeffrey, The New Temple and the Second Coming: The Prophecy That Points to Christ’s Return in Your Generation (2007) and Countdown to the Apocalypse (2008)
• Ron Rhodes, The End Times in Chronological Order: A Complete Overview to Understanding Bible Prophecy (2012)
• Ron Rhodes, New Babylon Rising: The Emerging End Times World Order (2019)
• John Hagee, Four Blood Moons: Something Is about to Change (2013).
These are only a few of the titles crowding the shelves of Christian bookstores and alarming Christians today. All of these books draw abundantly from the prophecies in Matthew 24 and, of course, related passages in the Book of Revelation.
How are we to understand this crucial discourse? What is “the great tribulation” of which Christ speaks in verse 21: “Then, there will be a great tribulation such as has not occurred since the beginning of the world, until now, nor ever shall be”?
Stay tuned! I will be answering these questions.
OLIVET IN CONTEXT: A Commentary on Matthew 21–25
I am currently researching a commentary on Matthew 21–25, the literary context of the Olivet Discourse from Matthew’s perspective. My research will demonstrate that Matthew’s presentation demands that the Olivet Discourse refer to AD 70 (Matt. 24:3–35) as an event that anticipates the Final Judgment at the Second Advent (Matt. 24:36–25:46). This will explode the myth that Jesus was a Jewish sage focusing only on Israel. The commentary will be about 250 pages in length.
If you would like to support me in my research, I invite you to consider giving a tax-deductible contribution to my research and writing ministry: GoodBirth Ministries. Your help is much appreciated!
Tagged: great tribulation
Postmillennial Worldview 
Dear Kenneth Gentry,
What is glaringly obvious to me though is these past years I have witnessed an accelerated freefall in this nation into total depravity! Like I have never witnessed in my 63 years on earth. With the whole BLM and ANTIFA movement, riots and total lawlessness. The total corruption of our government is unprecedented in my lifetime. All of these happenings cannot be overlooked. We are falling into a time of total lawlessness in this nation. The teaching of gender ideology, drag queen story hours in our schools and libraries. The indoctrination of our children into all things trans gender, where they question their own sexuality and deny biological fact! Why is all of this happening? It sure isn’t a time of people turning towards God and Christianity! We are seeing the growth and prosperity of satanism all over the nation and earth for that matter. None of these facts that I am witnessing day to day would push me towards a postmillennial eschatology. Just look at LA and San Fran Sisco, the rampant homelessness, drug addiction and outright lawlessness. People can’t even leave their cars locked for fear their windows will be smashed. They now have to leave their windows down and trunks open because of the lawlessness. Look at Kensington PA, the drugged-up zombies all over the streets high on fentanyl and animal tranquilizers. With open festering sores on their bodies. Just look at the diabolical WEF and Klaus Schwab and that demonic Yuval Noah Harari that wants to hack the human DNA, the very fingerprint of God on humanity. He is an avowed atheist and homosexual. https://youtu.be/zG_fI2hmdOg?feature=shared
This man is pure evil along with all the rest of the WEF that is pushing towards a one world government! Then you have to look at the whole depopulation agenda and the people like Bill Gates and Dr. Fauci that have used gain of function research to cause viruses to be able to jump to human beings. Then promoting an untested and known toxic vaccine to jab into billions of people’s arms and now we are seeing the results. People dropping dead all over the world, top athletes and little children dying from cardiac arrest and myocarditis. All of these things to me are signs of the times Jesus spoke about in Matthew 24, and 2 Timothy 3. Postmillennialism seems to be a pie in the sky dream, but the apostle Paul clearly stated the state of the reprobate mind in Romans 1 and what that results in. America is sinking into the abyss of total depravity and only a miracle of God can reverse it. I sure don’t see how all of these facts can be overlooked. All of the corruption of the Biden family and Ukraine. The devaluation of the US dollar, I could go on and on. We are headed for a complete economic collapse and central bank digital currency which will enable the government to track every dollar you spend. The huge epidemic of human trafficking and all of the evils that involves. The open southern border that hundreds of thousands of illegals are flooding across, some being released with GPS ankle monitors. This is all diabolical in my opinion and designed to destroy this nation.
Please tell me how all of this can be ignored? I truly believe we are living in the days of Noah again, where the sinfulness of mankind is driving us towards the final judgment of God when he will say enough!
I don’t see how our current troubles undercut the postmillennial hope. Postmillennialism does not argue that by October 2023, the world will have been successfully evangelized. It argues that it will be fully evangelized before Jesus returns. And he hasn’t returned yet. Like our own personal sanctification, there are ups and downs in the world’s “sanctification.”
It seems to me that the present mindset is the product of materialistic atheism based on the theory of evolution . Darwinian evolution has replaced the previous christian worldview in the western world , and the west will regain it’s soul when the materialistic paradigm falls , hopefully this will happen sooner than later .