Bible Studies
Doom and gloom…I feel like John Stossel of 20-20…Give Me A Break!
So many, in the Christian community, are going around today in a vacuum of denial, ignorance, or unconcern for what approximately 25% of the Bible teaches; the Messiah, Jesus is coming back SOON, and I believe, from my studies, in my generation.
There is a wealth of information on the Internet by many distinguished eschatologist and Bible scholars just waiting for us to look into. These students of God’s Word have invested lifetimes in studying and rightly dividing the Word. As always, I suggest you study their works with the Bible open and a prayer on your lips.
Doom and gloom will NOT be experienced by the Church, those who are saved from what is coming on this earth by their confession, faith, and belief that Jesus is the Son of God, that He died on the cross for our sins, that He rose from the grave , and that He sits at the right hand of the Father in Heaven, and that He is preparing a place for us with Him, and that He is coming back for His Bride (Church), and that we will forever be with Him.
Now, for those who don’t believe this…there will be Doom and Gloom. Therefore, we are to be busy about bringing the truth to them so that they, also, may escape the tribulation reserved for the unbelievers.
Different Negative Attitudes Of People as stated by Renald E. Showers:
Many people have negative attitudes toward the study of biblical prophecy. For example, there are those who say, “I’m only concerned about the present, so don’t bother me with ideas about the future.”
Other people say, “Nobody can understand the prophecies in the Bible, so why bother to study them? Such effort is a useless waste of time.”
Still others say, “There are very few, if any, prophecies in the Bible concerning events that will transpire in the future beyond our present time.”
Another negative attitude toward the study of biblical prophecy is the result of the mishandling of the prophetic Scriptures by some Bible teachers and preachers. Tragically over the years some have claimed that the prophetic Scriptures gave them information that enabled them to set a date for the Rapture or Second Coming of Christ, or to identify the personal name of the Antichrist.
Two things should be noted in conjunction with this last negative attitude. First, instead of learning from the past mistakes of teachers and preachers, some today continue the same mishandling of the prophetic Scriptures by setting dates for the Rapture or Second Coming of Christ, or by claiming that a certain prominent individual today is the Antichrist.
Second, those Christians who are negative toward the study and teaching of biblical prophecy because of these past or present abuses are guilty of throwing out the baby with the dirty bath water. Instead of rejecting the study and teaching of biblical prophecy because of abuses, they should reject the abuses, but hold on to the valid study and teaching of the prophetic Scriptures. They should do so because there are significant reasons why the study and teaching of biblical prophecy is important.
Some Reasons for Studying Biblical Prophecy
First, one-fifth to one-fourth of the Bible is prophecy. In light of this, those people who reject the study of biblical prophecy because of a negative attitude toward it choose to avoid twenty to twenty-five per cent of the biblical revelation that God has given to mankind—revelation that God wants human beings to possess and heed. This avoidance amounts to willful rejection of a major portion of God’s truth and, therefore, has serious implications.
Second, it is impossible to understand God’s purpose for history apart from the study of biblical prophecy. Isaiah 46:9-11 quotes the following divine declaration, “I am God, and there is none else; I am God, and there is none like me, declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure:…I have spoken it, I will also bring it to pass; I have purposed it, I will also do it.” Isaiah 14:24, 26-27 states, “The LORD of hosts hath sworn, saying, Surely as I have thought, so shall it come to pass; and as I have purposed, so shall it stand:…This is the purpose that is purposed upon the whole earth: and this is the hand that is stretched out upon all the nations. For the LORD of hosts hath purposed, and who shall disannul it? And his hand is stretched out, and who shall turn it back?”
These Scriptures reveal that there is one true God, and that He has a sovereign purpose for this earth’s history. The evidence that He is the true God and that He has a sovereign purpose for history is this: In the past He planned and purposed what would happen on earth throughout history. On the basis of what He planned and purposed, through His prophets God declared to mankind what would happen in the future, even to the end of this earth’s history. Then, during the course of history He sovereignly causes to happen all that He planned and purposed and declared through His prophets. No one can prevent God from fulfilling His sovereign purpose for history.
Nebuchadnezzar, ancient Babylon’s greatest king, learned by personal experience that the God of the Bible has a sovereign purpose for what happens in history. After God had completed His infliction of the king with a form of mental illness that caused him to live like a wild animal, Nebuchadnezzar wrote the following: “I blessed the most High, and I praised and honored him that liveth for ever, whose dominion is an everlasting dominion, and his kingdom is from generation to generation: and all the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing: and he doeth according to his will in the army of heaven, and among the inhabitants of the earth: and none can stay his hand or say unto him, What doest thou?” (Daniel 4:34-35)
The prophetic Scriptures are the written record of what God through the prophets declared to mankind would happen even to the end of this earth’s history. Since those divine declarations were based upon what God had planned and purposed for history, no one can understand God’s purpose for history apart from the study of biblical prophecy.
In light of the facts that God has a sovereign purpose for this earth’s history, that on the basis of that purpose He declared to mankind what would happen to the end of history, and that the prophetic Scriptures are the written record of that divine declaration, it is no mistake that the Book of Revelation was the last book of the Bible written. God intended it to be the capstone of His divine declaration to mankind, because it foretells how He will complete His purpose for history. Because this is so, the person who decides to avoid the study of Revelation will remain completely oblivious to how God will complete His purpose.
Third, the study of biblical prophecy is an effective evangelistic tool. God had His declarations of future events recorded in written form in the Scriptures, not to satisfy the curiosity of people concerning what will happen, but to be a life-changing tool for people of every generation. God uses the study of biblical prophecy to serve as a warning to unsaved people: To warn them of the future wrathful judgment that He has purposed for this rebellious world and for all people who fail to receive His gracious gift of salvation through faith in His crucified, buried and resurrected Son, Jesus Christ. The Holy Spirit uses biblical prophecy to impress unsaved people with the urgency of their trusting Christ as their Savior now, before it may be too late for them.
Any Christian who avoids the study and teaching of biblical prophecy thereby fails to use an effective evangelistic tool that God has given to us.
It is impossible to understand God’s plan and purpose for Israel apart from the study of biblical prophecy. The Bible reveals that God established a unique relationship with Israel as a nation. Moses made the following statements to the generation of Israelites who were to enter the land of Canaan years after Israel’s exodus out of Egypt: “For thou art an holy people unto the LORD thy God: the LORD thy God hath chosen thee to be a special people unto himself, above all people that are upon the face of the earth” (Deuteronomy 7:6; see also 14:2).
In addition, the Scriptures indicate that God established this unique relationship with Israel forever. 2 Samuel 7:24 records the following statement of King David to God: “For thou hast confirmed to thyself thy people Israel to be a people unto thee forever.” In addition, the Apostle Paul indicated that, in spite of Israel’s unbelief, God’s election or calling of the nation Israel for this unique relationship will never change (Romans 11:26-29).
God established it because He had a unique, sovereign purpose for Israel as a nation.
God sovereignly purposed that the nation Israel play a key role in the fulfillment of His purpose for history. One aspect of that key role was this: God determined to bring great blessing to the whole world through Israel. God promised to bless the world through Abraham’s offspring: “And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed” (Genesis 22:18). The fact that God repeated that promise to Abraham’s son, Isaac (Genesis 26:4), and grandson, Jacob (Genesis 28:14), whose twelve sons became the heads of the twelve tribes of Israel, indicates that God purposed to bring this promised blessing to the world through the nation Israel.
God has already brought great blessings to the world through Israel. The Bible came through that nation. The Apostle Paul wrote that unto the Jews “were committed the oracles of God” (Romans 3:1-2). The Messiah-Savior came to the world by birth through Israel. Concerning the Israelites, Paul said, “of whom as concerning the flesh Christ came” (Romans 9:4-5). Since the Messiah, who provided salvation for all people, was a Jew in His humanity, then salvation came through Israel. Jesus Himself said, “salvation is of the Jews” (John 4:22).
Biblical prophecy indicates that another aspect of Israel’s key role is yet future. God will not totally crush Satan and his forces and establish His future theocratic kingdom rule to the world until the nation of Israel repents by recognizing and accepting Jesus Christ as its Messiah-Savior. Zechariah 12-14 reveals that, when the rulers and armies of all the Gentile nations of the world will come against Israel in the future (12:1-9), the remnant of Jews who are still alive will see the Messiah coming out of Heaven.
When they see the evidences of His past crucifixion, they will repent (change their minds toward Him) and will mourn over His past rejection (12:10-14). God will cleanse them from their sin (13:1). Messiah will then go to battle and destroy the rulers and armies of the world (14:1-3, 12-15; Rev. 19:11-21) and have Satan imprisoned in the bottomless pit for 1,000 years (Rev. 20:1-3).
Then He will establish God’s theocratic kingdom and will rule as “king over all the earth” (Zech. 14:9, 16-21; Rev. 20:4-6). In that theocratic kingdom Israel will be the spiritual leader of the world. The people of Israel will “be named the Priests of the LORD “ and the Gentiles will call them “the Ministers of our God” (Isaiah 61:6). The Gentiles will take hold of the Jews, “saying, We will go with you: for we have heard that God is with you” (Zechariah 8:23).
Contrary to the divinely inspired statements of King David (2 Samuel 7:24) and the Apostle Paul (Romans 11:26-29) noted earlier, some professing Christians insist that God did not establish His unique relationship with Israel forever. They believe that, because Israel as a nation rejected Jesus Christ in His First Coming, God permanently removed Israel as a nation from that unique relationship and replaced it with the New Testament Church.
They claim that God will save individual Jews, but that He has no present or future national program for Israel. This belief definitely affects their thinking concerning the right of Israel to exist as a national entity in the Middle East today. It also causes them to reject the idea that God has purposed Israel to play a future key role in the fulfillment of His purpose for history. A significant part of the reason for this belief is the neglect or allegorical interpretation of biblical prophecy.
The study of biblical prophecy is intended by God to purify the believer’s life and to change his or her priorities. Two aspects of prophetic revelation serve that purpose.
The first aspect: The immanency of Christ’s return. The English word “imminent” means “hanging over one’s head, ready to befall or overtake one; close at hand in its incidence” (“imminent,” The Oxford English Dictionary, 1901, V, 66). Thus, an imminent event is one that is always hanging overhead, is constantly ready to befall or overtake a person, is always close at hand in the sense that it could happen at any moment. Other things may happen before the imminent event, but nothing else must take place before it happens. If something else must take place before an event can happen, that event is not imminent.
One never knows exactly when an imminent event will happen. Because of this, a person cannot count on a certain amount of time transpiring before an imminent event occurs. Thus, one should always be prepared for it to happen at any moment.
In light of the meaning of “imminent” and the fact that the next coming of Christ has not yet occurred, the concept of the imminent coming of Christ is as follows: His next coming is always hanging overhead, is constantly ready to befall or overtake us, is always close at hand in the sense that it could happen at any moment. Other things may happen before His coming, but biblically nothing else must happen before it takes place. If something else must happen first, then His next coming is not imminent.
Numerous Bible scholars from various church and theological backgrounds have concluded that the New Testament teaches or implies the imminent coming of Christ in the following passages: 1 Corinthians 1:7; 4:5; 15:51-52; 16:22; Philippians 3:20; 4:5; 1 Thessalonians 1:10; 2 Thessalonians 3:10-12; Titus 2:13; James 5:8-9; 1 John 2:28; Revelation 3:11; 22:7, 12, 17, 20.
Folks, it is important that we be informed of the things that are coming on this earth. How can we be so lukewarm about the prophetic scriptures? How can we not be concerned about what approximately 25% of the scriptures teach us? Are we not to be Watchmen to sound the alarm, “ The enemy is at the gate, arise and fight the good fight.”
There are many scriptures that tell us to study, rightly divide, gain knowledge, rightly discern, seek wisdom, etc, about the Word of God. The harvest is white, but the workers are few. Wont you step up and join the frontlines of God’s army?
I will be posting more articles on, The Signs Of The Times, in the future on Faith Writers, with links to my sources. I pray you will pay more attention to the prophetic scriptures and that you will be blessed by the awesome plan God has for this earth and His people, both Jew and the Church.
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It's not long now, before He splits that sky and comes for His bride.
Lucian, you are a saint, and I love you! Blessings, Sharon
I agree with you, Lucian, that it is vitally important that we study the prophetic scriptures. In fact, all scriptures are written by divine inspiration... so we ought to study them all and "show ourelves approved."
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