Gary concludes his interview with Jonathan Sedlak about his new book, Reading Matthew, Trusting Jesus. N.T. Wright explains what the disciples were actually asking in their question [in Matthew 24:3]: They had come to Jerusalem expecting Jesus to be enthroned as the rightful king. This would necessarily involve Jesus taking over the authority that the temple symbolized. They were now confronted wi [...]

In this first part of his interview with author Jonathan Sedlak, Gary introduces listeners to Jonathan and his new book, Reading Matthew, Trusting Jesus. What we find spoken by Jesus in Matthew 24 was spoken about 40 years before the things came to pass which He prophesied, and Matthew wrote his book about 33 years before they happened. Matthew was the first of the four gospels, as claimed by Orig [...]

Gary concludes his response to a recent sermon by Pastor Jack Hibbs tying Matthew 24 and Ezekiel 38-39 together and claiming the events are still to happen. Ezekiel writes that the forces gathered to fight against Israel are after silver, gold, cattle, and goods (Ezek. 38:12–13). The Jews who had returned to Jerusalem brought silver, gold, goods, and cattle with them (Ezra 1:4–11; 2:69; 5:14; 6:5; [...]

I saw the following on Facebook: The “Anti-Christ,” Obama? or Macron? Both posted as Possibilities on an Eschatology group recently. Let’s look at what is plainly written on this. The post includes Scripture passages about what the Bible supposedly says about a future end-time antichrist. One would think that any discussion about who the antichrists were would consult the Scripture passages that a [...]

Gary discusses the now available two-volume commentary on the book of Revelation by Dr. Ken Gentry. One of the great ironies of Scripture is that the most difficult book within it is called “Revelation.” To “reveal” means to “uncover, open up”—with a view to understanding. How can such a perplexing book as this be called a “revelation”? If we were naming the book, rather than calling it “The Revel [...]

Gary answers a listener question about the two witnesses from Revelation 11. Immediately after the destruction of the temple and the judgment of Jerusalem, the Old Covenant age came to an end. The New Covenant was realized in all its fullness. The author of Hebrews writes that God had promised “Yet once more” to “shake not only the earth, but also the heaven” (Heb. 12:26). “‘Yet once more’ &hellip [...]

What is newspaper exegesis? The practice of interpreting the Bible though the lens of current events found in the headlines of newspapers rather than allowing the Bible to interpret itself and failing to take into account when prophetic events were to take place and to whom. It’s a form of retroactive prophetic explanation where current events are used as an interpretive grid for understanding the [...]

Gary continues responding to a recent sermon by Jack Hibbs where he tries to connect Ezekiel with Matthew as if they are both speaking of the same events. The Old Covenant promises to Israel are fulfilled in the early years of the New Covenant era as exemplified in Joel’s prophecy. Peter states that events of Pentecost are its fulfillment: “but this is what was spoken of through the prophet Joel” [...]

Gary responds to a recent video sermon by Pastor Jack Hibbs on Matthew 24 who asks “how close are we to the end?” Jesus had made it plain to the disciples that He was going to take His throne and rule. They had asked when He was going to do so. Soon, He replied. In one sense, He assumed His rule in AD 30, when He ascended to the Father. But the sign of His rule, and the great manifesta [...]

As usual, prophecy wars are being waged on Facebook. There’s so much bad eschatology that it’s impossible to keep up. There are debates over “the rapture”—is it, pre-trib or post-trib? Neither, and neither is it mid-trib or pre-wrath. There is no basis for any rapture position. In most cases, I point this out and move on. The rapture doctrine is a concoction of verses ripped from their original co [...]

In 2 Timothy 4:1, the Apostle Paul picks up the theme of judging the living and the dead: “I solemnly exhort you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is [about] to judge the living and the dead, and by His appearing and His kingdom.” The Greek has “about to judge” (μέλλοντος κρίνειν/mellontos krinein). This reads a lot like what is found in Matthew 16:27-28, Acts 17:31, and Psalm 96:13. [...]

Now that the eclipse has come and gone, prophecy speculators have refocused their attention on the Middle East. There is no need to speculate beyond the historical boundaries of Ezekiel’s day to force the names of these ancient nations to find a place on a modern-day map to conform them to today’s geo-political landscape. Iain Duguid’s comments are helpful in accounting for the historical realitie [...]

The following is from Episode 16 of the second volume of The Hope of Israel and the Nations with Kim Burgess and me. Discussions regarding God’s law and its application in the here and now has a long history. Preterism did not stop the applicability of God’s Word in AD 70. It’s all about redemption accomplished and applied. Before preterism became a hot topic, biblical law was a subject of discuss [...]

One of the advantages of being operated on April 15th was that I was under anesthesia and could not hear or read anything about the latest prophetic nonsense being churned out by end-time prophecy teachers and preachers. What a relief! Unfortunately, it didn’t last long. The usual suspects like John Hagee, Ray Comfort, Jack Hibbs, Joel Richardson, Joel Rosenberg, and many more are revving up the p [...]

Dr. Michael Brown and I debated the topic of Replacement Theology about five years ago. He agreed with my argument that the church/ekklēsia is not a new concept in the New Testament. The use of the Greek word ekklēsia, unfortunately translated “church” instead of “assembly” or “congregation,” was not a new word in the New Testament. It was common in the Greek translation of the Hebrew Old Testamen [...]

Gary responds to a recent post by Dr. Michael Brown on “replacement theology.” Dr. Brown (and most evangelicals with him) are under the impression that God still has promises to fulfill to Israel. The temple was a constant reminder that a wall separated Jew from Gentile. In Christ, the wall was removed (Eph. 2:11–22). There is no longer any need for the blood of “bulls and goats” (Heb. [...]

Gary responds to a recent article that discusses Matthew 24:22. The majority of today’s prophecy writers see today’s “wars and rumors of wars” as clear evidence that we are living in the last days. A study of the period before Jerusalem’s destruction in A.D. 70 tells a different story. The Roman historian Tacitus (A.D. 56–117) writes in his history of the period that there were “disturbances in Ge [...]

It’s been embarrassing reading and listening to Christians who pushed the belief that the April 8, 2024, solar eclipse was an end-time event sign. Why do so many Christians fall for these types of end-time hoaxes? I first saw it in 1973 with Hal Lindsey’s mega-bestseller The Late Great Planet Earth. Long before Lindsey, prophetic speculation was rampant, and it’s no less true today. It’s all over [...]

Bart Ehrman, a New Testament scholar at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, has a bone to pick with Jesus and Bible prophecy. He has written on the topic of Jesus and prophecy in Jesus: Apocalyptic Prophet of the New Millennium (1999), Misquoting Jesus:The Story Behind Who Changed the Bible and Why (2005),and his most recent book Armageddon: What the Bible Really Says About the End (2 [...]

Gary discusses the claim that the end times are finally upon us because three eclipse paths are writing Hebrew letters across the United States. During World War II biblical references to falling heavenly bodies were thought to be bombs dropping on the cities of Europe. Supposedly there was even a Russian postage stamp to support the interpretation. The stamp showed apocalyptic symbols—lightning a [...]