Gary answers a listener question about the history of the “Rapture” and the vision in 1830 of a young girl named Margaret MacDonald. Why is it that not a single sermon, address, or discussion in the book of Acts mentions the supposed rapture of the Church? Over a period of nearly 40 years, no one brings up this supposedly crucial prophetic event. There is no mention of an any-moment “r [...]
Does the number 666 refer to someone in John’s day? If so, who could it be? Revelation implies that there was a king who was alive when John saw and wrote down what was revealed to him: “Here is the mind which has wisdom.[1] The seven heads are seven mountains on which the woman sits,[2] and they are seven kings; five have fallen, one is, the other has not yet come; and when he comes, he must rema [...]
Gary discusses the recent vote in Ohio and the typical diversionary tactics that went on with the wording of the referendum. Laws against theft and murder are legislated, and they reflect some moral code. There are few people who would object to laws being made that would punish thieves and murderers. And yet, such laws impose a moral system on all of us. Although thieves and murderers might objec [...]
Gary continues responding to Pastor David Jeremiah’s interview and book, The Great Disappearance. All of the texts used to support the rapture theory presuppose the validity of the theory, a theory that does not have a single text to support it. The doctrine has been constructed before texts have been evaluated. This unsound approach to Bible interpretation has done little to dissuade the ad [...]
For many centuries, it’s been the belief of the church that the world is waiting for a wholesale conversion of Israel that will transform the world. You can find this view in the Westminster Larger Catechism, Question and Answer 191. Romans 11:15 is often interpreted this way: “For if their rejection is the reconciliation of the world, what will their acceptance be but life from the dead?” Not all [...]
Gary responds to a recent interview between Glenn Beck and Max Lucado about the state of the world and the war between Israel and Hamas where Ezekiel chapters 38 and 39 are brought up. When Russia invaded Ukraine, we were told that the Gog and Magog war of Ezekiel 38 and 39 was being fulfilled. When Hamas attacked Israel from Gaza, again the Gog and Magog war was being fulfilled. For nearly 1600 y [...]
Gary discusses several recent articles about the new Speaker of the House and how he claims that the “Bible is his standard.” All talk about human rights comes from those nations that have had a Christian base. The most familiar philosophy of human rights is found in the Declaration of Independence (1776). “All men,” it states, “are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable Rig [...]
“When seconds count, the police are only minutes away.” In Maine, another rampaging murderer entered a ‘Gun-Free Zone’ and did what evil people do. They don’t care about laws; that’s why they murder people! ‘Gun-Free Zones’ are an open invitation to crazy people and those with deep-seeded grudges. The Left’s solution? Take defensive weapons away from everyone! Those living on the border with Gaza [...]
The Christian’s view of the future determines how he lives, plans, and works in the present for the future. Even during Israel’s captivity under Babylonian rule, the nation’s darkest hour, the people were told to plan and build for the future: “Build houses and live in them; and plant gardens, and eat their produce. Take wives and become the fathers of sons and daughters, and take wives for your s [...]
Gary responds to a recent article by Dr. Michael Brown that claims the promises made to Israel in Joshua 21 are not the fullness of what God was promising to the Jews. There is not a single verse in the New Testament that supports the claim that there is prophetic significance in Israel’s restoration as a nation. Beyond A.D. 70, Israel as a nation plays no prophetic role. The New Testament only ad [...]
Gary interviews author and screenwriter Brian Godawa about his short film and now full-length novel, Cruel Logic. I’m no longer shocked by what I read in the news these days. What would have turned people’s stomachs 30 or 40 years ago, now are met with a dismissive “Whatever.” The latest once-thought-to- be moral atrocity has to do with “zoophilia” (from the Greek zōion, meaning “animal,” from wh [...]
“Princeton University’s Program on Science and Global Security concludes the Gog battle is a ‘realistic scenario,’” a recent article from WND reports. “The study forecasts the toll of a massive nuclear war.” Christian prophecy writers have been making similar claims for decades. Are they right? Before we get into the meat of the controversy, it should be noted that in the premillennial and dispens [...]
Gary discusses Dwight Wilson’s 1977 book, Armageddon Now. As a premillennialist himself, Wilson was able to see clearly the many mistaken prophecies of his own tradition. The doctrine of the clock of prophecy is central to dispensational theology. But what no paperback dispensationalist prophecy book of the This Time, Armageddon Really Is Near! variety ever discusses is that orthodox dispens [...]
I’ve always said that prophetic views have real world consequences. This is especially true when it comes to popular prophecy beliefs and their relation to prophetic inevitabilities. When Jesus told His disciples that the temple would be destroyed before their generation passed away, He issued a warning. Leave the city. The final warning was when Jerusalem was surrounded by armies (Luke 21:20). Th [...]
The Dispensational system has a horrific future in store for Jewish people living in Israel. What does the Bible say about the future of Israel as it relates to the question of Jerusalem’s prophetic significance? The Old Testament teaches that Israel was taken into captivity in two parts: first, the northern kingdom by the Assyrians in 722 BC, and then the southern kingdom by the Babylonians betwe [...]
In a debate I had with Dr. Michael Brown, I asked him what he thought of the supposed future Jewish holocaust that’s part of premillennialism’s prophetic system based on Zechariah 13:8-9: “It will come about in all the land,” Declares the LORD, “That two parts in it will be cut off and perish; But the third will be left in it. And I will bring the third part through the fire, [...]
Gary answers the perennial charge of “replacement theology,” a phrase that is designed to end debate by those who teach that the church and Israel are distinct and separate. Israel’s spiritual destiny is the same as it is for non-Israelites: Repent and believe in Jesus! No one said anything about a delay in the promises that had been made to Israel centuries ago. In fact, Peter clearly [...]
Gary discusses a new article by Greg Laurie that makes the (same old) argument that modern events “could be” fulfilling biblical prophecies. Most interpreters have tried to find the fulfillment in events of their day using current events as the interpretive grid. For example, in the fourth and fifth centuries, Gog was thought to refer to the Goths and Moors. In the seventh century, it [...]
There’s a great deal of confusion today regarding the last days and the role that Israel is said to play. I hope the following will clear up some of the mischaracterizations of Israel and the last days. Are we to believe that one last-days generation will be grafted into the olive tree mentioned by the Apostle Paul in Romans 11 after 2000 years, and that’s what Paul means when he wrote that “all I [...]
Homosexuals have been able to convince many Americans that homosexual behavior is normal using some bad logic. Since most public schools do not teach students how to think, it’s no wonder they fall for fallacious arguments. Homosexuals have also been adept at using pop culture to their advantage, placing homosexual characters in non-stereotypical roles. Then there is the normalization of homosexua [...]
