If you’ve spent time around dispensational teaching, you know it leans heavily on a particular set of biblical passages—especially from Daniel, Matthew, 1 Thessalonians, and Revelation. These texts form the framework for doctrines like the secret rapture, the seven-year tribulation, the antichrist, and the millennial reign of Christ.
But what happens when we look at those same passages through a broader, Christ-centered lens? In this post, we’ll take a fresh look at the most commonly cited texts in support of dispensationalism, asking whether their meaning really requires the system they’re often used to uphold.
1. Daniel 9:24–27 – The “Seventy Weeks” Prophecy
Dispensationalists interpret this passage as a precise prophecy outlining the entire timeline of redemptive history, including a yet-future seven-year tribulation. They argue that after the 69th week (483 years), there’s a “pause” in the prophetic clock—the so-called Church Age—before a final “70th week” unfolds in the last days.
However, a non-dispensational reading sees the seventy weeks as a symbolic span of redemptive time, fulfilled in the life, death, and resurrection of Christ. The “anointed one” who is “cut off” (v. 26) is understood to be Jesus Himself, not a future antichrist.
Rather than requiring a break in the timeline, this view sees the prophecy as reaching its climax in the first advent of Christ and the judgment on Jerusalem in A.D. 70. The focus is not on a future tribulation, but on the Messiah who “brings an end to sin” and “establishes everlasting righteousness” (v. 24).
2. Matthew 24 – The Olivet Discourse
Matthew 24 is often read as a roadmap of future events: the rapture, rise of the antichrist, great tribulation, and second coming. Dispensationalists see this chapter as Jesus laying out the events of the end times in chronological order, with a distinct future-oriented timeline.
But there are strong reasons to view most of this discourse as referring to the fall of Jerusalem in A.D. 70, which Jesus explicitly mentions in Matthew 24:2. The context is His lament over Jerusalem and the impending destruction of the temple.
Many scholars note that Jesus’ warnings about fleeing to the mountains (v. 16), false messiahs (v. 5), and wars and famines (v. 6–7) all reflect first-century realities. His statement that “this generation will not pass away until all these things take place” (v. 34) strongly supports a preterist or partially preterist reading—one that interprets much of this prophecy as already fulfilled.
The chapter does also speak to future realities—especially in the final verses—but not in the tidy, chart-ready sequence dispensationalists often propose.
3. 1 Thessalonians 4:13–18 – The “Rapture” Passage
This is the go-to passage for the idea of a secret rapture. Dispensationalists claim that believers will be caught up in the clouds (v. 17), removed from the earth before the tribulation begins.
Yet the language Paul uses here—“a loud command,” “the voice of the archangel,” “the trumpet of God”—is anything but secret. The imagery is public, cosmic, and victorious.
Rather than depicting a secret escape from the world, Paul is describing the final return of Christ, where the dead in Christ are raised and the living are gathered to meet the Lord in a triumphant procession. The Greek word for “meeting” (ἀπάντησις, apantēsis) is often used to describe citizens going out to welcome a visiting king and escort him into the city. In other words, the Church is not raptured away to escape earth but caught up to welcome Christ as He comes to reign.
4. Revelation 20:1–6 – The Millennium
Revelation 20 is the only passage in Scripture that mentions a 1,000-year reign of Christ. Dispensationalists build a large portion of their end-times framework on this short, symbol-heavy text, interpreting the 1,000 years as a literal future kingdom on earth following Christ’s second coming.
But many scholars—and much of the historic church—understand the millennium symbolically as the present reign of Christ from heaven, inaugurated at His resurrection. In this reading, the “first resurrection” refers to the spiritual resurrection of believers (regeneration), and the 1,000 years symbolize a complete, divinely governed period (not necessarily a literal 1,000 years).
This view, known as amillennialism, sees Revelation 20 as recapitulating the judgment and triumph described earlier in the book, not continuing it in a strictly linear fashion. Revelation’s structure is cyclical, not sequential, and its symbols serve a theological—not chronological—purpose (see here for more on the millennial views)
What’s at Stake?
Dispensationalism relies on a very specific way of interpreting these texts—usually literalistic, highly segmented, and focused on national Israel. But when we zoom out and read these passages in light of biblical theology, genre, and the centrality of Christ, a different picture emerges.
These passages don’t require a two-track plan for Israel and the Church, or a secret rapture, or a carved-up end-times calendar. Instead, they point us to:
- Christ’s finished work as the fulfillment of God’s promises
- The unity of God’s people in Him
- The hope of resurrection and new creation
- The call to live faithfully and urgently in the present
Coming Up Next
In the final post of the series, we’ll explore how a more integrated, Christ-centered approach to eschatology offers a richer, more hopeful view of the end—one that fuels mission, deepens worship, and draws us into the heart of God’s redemptive story.
