It is a result of a new form of premillenialism (dispensationalism), new to the Church in the 1830s and popularized recently by the "Left Behind" series. It is not historically Christian, and is not held by most Christian denominations today, but has been widely promoted by the Scofield Reference Bible, radio preacher John MacArthur, and the Ryrie Study Bible. [Fundamentalists and Evangelicals of my acquaintance seem to be of the opinion that Christians have always believed this if they took the Bible seriously, but it springs from an unreasonably literal view (IMO) of one passage in Revelation.]

It also ignores the historical/cultural context in which these books (mostly Daniel and Revelation) where written. I fell for this type of world view once, and man it was a wild ride. But I outgrew it.

Me, too.