Part One of Two. Gary responds to a recent Facebook article posted by Ken Ham of Answers in Genesis. Commentators often argue that Matthew 24 contains both a discussion of the A.D. 70 destruction of religious, social, and political Judaism as well as a reference to a yet-future return of Christ. This supposed distinction is drawn by contrasting “this generation” and “that day and hour.” Gentry wri [...]
If there is a single doctrine that both excites and divides Christians, it’s the ‘rapture.’ The doctrine of the ‘rapture’ deals with a future event where the church is said to be taken off the earth in one of five different times related to a seven-year period described as the Great Tribulation: before (pre-trib), at the mid-point (mid-trib), partial, just prior to God pours out His wrath (pre-wra [...]
Does Isaiah 11:11-12 refer to a distant return of Israel back to their land, or did it have a past fulfillment in view? No Jew reading Isaiah 11 in Isaiah’s day, during the time of the exile, and the return under the decree of Cyrus (2 Chron. 36:22-23; Ezra 1:1-4), would have considered such an interpretation given that the chapter mentions Assyria, Shinar, the Philistines, Edom, Moab, “and the so [...]
I’ve debated Michael Brown several times. He believes that God’s promises for Israel have not been fulfilled even though the Bible specifically says they have, at least that’s what Zacharias believed: And [John’s] father Zacharias was filled with the Holy Spirit, and prophesied, saying: “Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, For He has visited us and accomplished redemption for His people, And has ra [...]
Gary answers a listener question about the audience change between Matthew 23 and 24. Jesus warned His disciples to beware of false messiahs. Thomas Ice argues that “there is scholarly consensus that there were not false Christs or Messiahs until around A.D. 130.” To support his claim, he cites the following from a commentary published in 1878: We possess no historical record of any false Messiahs [...]
Gary responds to several recent articles about the state of the world and the end times. While books on the Armageddon theme flood the market, there are a few authors who concern themselves with talk of peace by world leaders: “And now, at long last, the prospect of a peace such as the world has never known before seems to have metamorphosed from an impossible dream to a realistic hope. In fact, t [...]
In a survey that Left Behind publisher Tyndale did, “More than 50 percent of respondents … said ‘I’m anxiously expecting his return.’” Jan Markell, president of Olive Tree Ministries, writing for a large worldview ministry, argued that “the church is not in the business of taking anything away from Satan but the souls of men.”[1] Hal Lindsey said something similar: “I don’t like clichés but [...]
How authoritative are man-man confessions of faith? Can they ever be revised or updated? How sacrosanct is historical theology? No one should despise the work of the church over its many centuries or the work it has produced over nearly two millennia. My many published works show great respect for historical works. In some circles, when there’s a disagreement, appeals are made to agreed-upon seemi [...]
Gary interacts with two articles by David Jeremiah and Dr. Michael Brown regarding the climate of the modern Church. The Apostle John’s antichrist doctrine is a theological concept related to an apostasy that was fomenting in his day. John did not have a particular individual in mind but rather individuals who taught that Jesus Christ is not who the Bible says He is: In one word, “Antichrist” mean [...]
Non-dispensational debates on eschatology have become big news. The topic of the resurrection is often at center stage. What passages deal with the physical resurrection of the “self-same bodies” (Westminster Confession of Faith: 32.2) and “the very same body” (Larger Catechism Q/A 52) at the physical return of Jesus at some time in the future? Larger Catechism Q/A 87, “What are we to believe conc [...]
One of the arguments used against a preterist interpretation of Revelation is that it was developed by Spanish Jesuit Luis De Alcazar (1554–1613) who wrote a commentary titled Vestigio Arcani Sensus in Apocaplysi or Investigation of the Hidden Sense of the Apocalypse and was published a year after his death. “In this work dedicated to the Catholic Church, he made a new attempt to interpret the Apo [...]
Gary responds to several comments from Pastor John MacArthur and Dr. Michael Brown who are pushing back against the preterist interpretation of Bible prophecy. Much of the debate over preterism comes down to when a document was written. This is especially true for the book of Revelation. If a document was written prior to the destruction of Jerusalem, which occurred in A.D. 70, then any statement [...]
Gary discusses his trip to Mexico last week where he gave five talks about eschatology and Bible interpretation. The Apostle Paul compares the supposed progress of the ungodly in Timothy’s day, the “last days” of the Old Covenant of Judaism (Heb. 1:1–2; 1 Cor. 10:11), to the overthrow of Jannes and Jambres in Moses’ day (Ex. 7:11): “But they will not make further progress; for their folly will be [...]
Gary continues his interview with Pastor Richard Henry. In this second part, he summarizes some of the controversy he was involved in a few months ago. In the immediate context of the book of Daniel, and throughout the book itself, death and resurrection is a major theme. We think of death as physical death and of resurrection as the physical revival and transfiguration of men and women at the end [...]
The Christian Post recently published an article with this title: “Jack Hibbs Shares Signs of the End Times, Coming of the Antichrist.” He claims the “stage is being set … for the antichrist.” He said, “I know this sounds crazy.” If it’s biblical, it’s not crazy. It comes down to definitions; it’s unbiblical. Hibbs also mentions that the Bible warns about “false prophets” (1 John 4:1) and “false t [...]
Why did the Jesus’ Revolution that garnered a Time magazine cover in 1971 fizzle over time? What were to be the next steps that would result in a real worldwide Jesus “revolution” where Christians would learn to apply the Bible to every area of life? There was no worldview follow-up because there was said there was no time or need for a long-term strategy because “the rapture” of Christians who ju [...]
Gary discusses a recent statement from a well-known faith-healer on the issue of preterism. Matthew 24:33 tells us what audience Jesus had in view: “so, you too, when you see all these things, recognize that He is near, right at the door.” It’s obvious, and without any need for debate, that the first “you” refers to those who asked the questions that led to Jesus’ extended remarks (Matt. 24:2-4). [...]
Gary discusses the death of Christian broadcaster Pat Robertson and the legacy he left behind. Getting the interpretation of prophecy right will help in dealing with those who are not familiar with the topic and see danger in some of the talk about an inevitable nuclear holocaust. When a prominent prophecy writer associated with the Christian Right asks, “Is War with Iran Inevitable?,” people get [...]
False and spurious speculation about events and technologies continue to be found everywhere, from Tabletalk Magazine to NPR. Much of the speculative nature of today’s Bible prophecy hysteria can be linked to “generational provincialism,” that is, the belief that nothing has prophetic significance unless it happens to the present generation. Many who take this approach seem to be unaware that wars [...]
Gary discusses the biblical lessons on hearing and seeing. The Greek word typos refers to an image impressed onto something else, for instance, wax. It is the word used in Scripture for the imprint of God’s heavenly pattern on the earth, and thus it is absolutely fundamental to a Biblical worldview. In Acts 7:44 Stephen says, “Our fathers had the Tabernacle of testimony in the wilderne [...]
