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 [...]
Gary continues his response to a video promoting “eclipse mania” about the April 8 event. Archaeological, biological, astronomical, and geological evidences do not speak except to inform us that all we see are not accidents that materialized out of the void of nothingness. The Psalmist tells us, “The heavens tell of the glory of God; and their expanse declares the work of His hands” (P [...]
Pastor Jack Hibbs of Calvary Chapel Chino Hills, California, stated that according to the Bible, Israel is a “prerequisite” for the End Times. He made this claim by denouncing something called “Replacement Theology” as “heresy.” Replacement Theology is said to be a false doctrine that declares that the church has replaced Israel, and that God is done with the Jews. (I’ll deal with the particulars [...]
Gary discusses the history of speculation and the baseless theories of those saying they interpret the Bible “literally.” What’s true of sun, moon, and stars, representing the nation of Israel, is also true of “the powers of the heavens [that] will be shaken.” With this type of language, “God is redrawing the map of world politics, and the familiar structures of international affairs w [...]
There’s a video going around by Jim Staley titled “The 2024 Solar Eclipse and INSANE Prophecy Events Are Coming!” Here’s the description: This solar eclipse could be THE SOLAR ECLIPSE that unleashes one of the seals of Revelation. I wasn’t a believer at first, but after hundreds of hours of research, I am literally in awe of all the “coincidences.” DO NOT miss this, whatever you do! Along with doz [...]
In September 2021, many people went into a frenzy when the United States Postal Service announced that their mail delivery service would become permanently slower. This new phenomenon is called Pre-Parcel Anxiety. “We live in a society where we build expectations and uphold perfectionism. We want things here and now. We want efficiency and struggle with patience,” psychotherapist Owen O’Kane expla [...]
In this first part of a recent talk, Gary discusses the worldview implications of Bible prophecy. Biblical Christianity has always been historical. The early creeds of the Church are simply recitals of the history of Jesus’s birth, death, and resurrection. These all occurred on earth, in history (Luke 1:1–4; 2:1–2; 3:1–2). It would be more than strange if the King had come to earth, died on earth, [...]
Audience relevance is an important consideration when dealing with the interpretation of any text. This is especially true when interpreting prophecy. Who’s the intended audience? This is especially true when interpreting Matthew 24. The use of the second person plural (you) unmistakably applies to those in Jesus’ audience. We know this because there is an audience: “And Jesus came out from the te [...]
Gary responds to a podcast episode where a biblical scholar reinterprets Paul as being purely “heavenly-minded.” Old Testament Israel was Yahweh’s chosen means to bring salvation to the Gentile nations of the world. Not understanding this principle gets us off track. People think that eschatology, because of the influence of the historic creeds of the Church and of the various systemat [...]
Ron Rhodes appeals to Revelation 3:10 to support the pre-trib rapture view in his book Bible Prophecy Under Siege. (See Parts One and Two) Here’s what he has to say in support of his view: This verse reveals that church saints will be kept from the actual time period of testing, not just the testing itself…. That Revelation 3:10 refers to a rapture before this future period of worldwide testing is [...]
Gary discusses a video from Christian apologist Frank Turek about Matthew 16:27-28 and Matthew 24. In Matthew 16:27-28, Jesus says, “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 doing. Truly I say to you, there are some of those who are standing here who will not taste death until they see the Son of Man coming [...]
Gary interacts with Ron Rhodes new book, Bible Prophecy Under Siege. In his best-selling book Misquoting Jesus, New Testament critic and skeptic Bart Ehrman, who is the James A. Gray Distinguished Professor of Religion at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, describes how he struggled to reconcile what he had been taught about the inerrancy of the Bible with what he believed to be pred [...]
(Note: This is Part Two of a series) I grew up in the Pittsburgh area with a very large extended family. My mother was one of twelve and my father was one of eleven children. Both sets of grandparents lived nearby, and we visited them often. We were closer to my mother’s side of the family because they lived closer. After a get together with some of the family, this statement was made by two of my [...]
Gary answers a listener’s question about how Luke 17 differs from Luke 21, and how both chapters relate to Matthew 24 and the events spoken of by Jesus in the Olivet Discourse Bahnsen and Gentry argue, along with many others, that verse 35 refers to the physical heaven and earth while I and others believe it refers to the making and breaking of the covenant relationship with Israel (e.g., Is [...]
(Note: This is the first part of a series) In 2019 I wrote a review and critique of Ron Rhodes’ book Jesus and the End Times titled “Repetitive Prophecy Books Keep Getting It Wrong.” I’ll be including it in my upcoming book Prophecy Wars. Rhodes’ latest book from Harvest House is Bible Prophecy Under Siege: Responding Biblically to Confusion About the End Times. It’s mostly a defense of pretribula [...]
