Gary reviews a book by Ken Johnson called “The End Times and the Ancient Church Fathers.” Jesus predicted in the presence of Peter: “They will deliver you to tribulation, and will kill you…” (Matt. 24:9; cf. John 21:18-19). George Edmundson summarizes the argument by asking why Peter and Paul are cited as examples of martyrdom “if Clement had just passed through the persecution [...]

“For the Son of Man is going to come in the glory of His Father with His angels; and WILL THEN RECOMPENSE EVERY MAN ACCORDING TO HIS DEEDS. Debates continue over which biblical passages refer to the AD 70 judgment coming of Jesus and those that refer to what is commonly called a yet physical Second Coming of Jesus. As I have pointed out, there is no agreement among scholars on this question, espec [...]

Eschatology memes are all the rage on Facebook. One of the most egregious is one that claims that Donald Trump is the antichrist. Some people did something similar with former President Obama and even JFK after his “mortal head wound.” The Trump antichrist memes started with Revelation 13:3 after Trump was shot in the ear : I saw one of his heads as if it had been fatally wounded, and his fatal wo [...]

Gary discusses a recent Tucker Carlson interview with country musician John Rich about Bible prophecy. The pre-tribulation rapture interpretation was developed in the early part of the nineteenth century, and was made popular by the 1909 and revised 1917 Scofield Reference Bible. The newness of the position does not mean it’s wrong, but it does give reason to question it. Relevant Questions to Ask [...]

Gary answers a question from one of his YouTube videos about partial preterism, full preterism, and everything in between. The New Testament says much about the temple as a New Covenant expression of the Christian’s new life in Christ. Jesus’ completed redemptive work makes the need for a physical temple unnecessary and contrary to the redemptive principles of the New Covenant, “for the Lord God t [...]

You don’t need to be Bible scholar or seminary graduate to read and study the Bible. What you do need to do is pay attention to what the Bible says and doesn’t say. When I was a very new Christian in 1973, I attended a Tuesday night get together called The Green House in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. It was a complimentary ministry of Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church. It was a place where other young p [...]

Gary continues his discussion with the Resistance Chicks about biblical eschatology and heaven and earth language in the Bible. The central focus of the Olivet Discourse is the desolation of the “house” (oikos: 23:38) of apostate Israel but would bring salvation to the “world” (oikoumenē: 24:14). The old world of Judaism, represented by the earthly temple, is taken apart stone by stone (24:2). Jam [...]

Gary is interviewed by the Resistance Chicks about eschatology and Bible prophecy. If Jesus’ kingdom is “not of this world,” so the argument goes, then how can Christians claim to have a responsibility to be involved in kingdom work? Since God’s kingdom is exclusively in the future and in heaven, as some assert, there can be no earthly manifestation of God’s works other than redeeming the lost out [...]

My friend Bob Cruickshank sent the following to me regarding testimonies on Facebook’s Preterfest group: “So many were caught up in the JW [Jehovah’s Witnesses] movement—thinking the world was going to end and knocking on doors to tell people.” It’s encouraging to see so many people abandoning end times fiction. The sad fact is that many Evangelicals have been told a prophetic system that is like [...]

Gary discusses Revelation 20 and the enduring topic of the thousand years and the various millennial positions found among Christians. Nobody interprets the book of Revelation in a consistently literal way, as literal is normally understood. G. K. Beale comments: Because the objects [John] sees and what he hears are seen and heard in a vision, they are not first to be understood literally but view [...]

Gary responds to two recent statements from Max Lucado and Michael Youssef regarding modern events as being a fulfillment of “end-times” predictions. The accomplishment of our Lord’s prophecies of the destruction of Jerusalem, may likewise be considered as a standing monument to all future ages, of the truth of the observation of the wise man; that righteousness exalts a nation, but th [...]

Gary discusses the concept of “church ages” and what the letters to the seven churches in Revelation 2 and 3 represent. A popular argument for a pre-tribulation rapture is the claim that while the “church” is mentioned 19 times in the first three chapters of the book of Revelation, in chapters 4–18 “there is absolute silence.”[1] Similar to the way Hitchcock places a gap in time betwee [...]

Gary concludes his interview with Steve Deace about eschatology. Terms are defined, views are set forth, and questions are asked. The man of lawlessness was the principal religious leader of Israel—the high priest who officiated over Jewish law and did not concern himself with using the law in a God-honoring way (Matt. 26:57-68). All of the lawless deeds of those priests who sent Jesus to His deat [...]

When is a miracle not a miracle? Answer: When it is a sign. This is not simply an exercise in semantics; it is an important theological point. Our English Bibles often treat the two words as synonyms, but this is not at all accurate. The “miracles” that Jesus performed were not merely supernatural events to amaze first-century Jews, they were intended to point to Him as the fulfillment of all that [...]

Gary was recently interviewed by Steve Deace about Bible prophecy and eschatology. In this first part, Gary defines terms and gives a brief lesson on hermeneutics. The claim is made by those who teach the pre-tribulation rapture position that God cannot deal with Israel and the Church at the same time in the same way. The Church is said to be a new redemptive entity that was not prophesied in the [...]

Gary responds to a recent podcast critiquing aspects of his interpretation of Bible prophecy. Many believe that 2 Thessalonians 2 describes the end times leading up to the rapture of the church, the revealing of antichrist, and the second coming. Tim LaHaye, a representative of this perspective, writes: “Second Thessalonians 2:1-12 contains the rapture, Tribulation, and Glorious Appearing all in o [...]

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 [...]