Bible Prophecy Under the Microscope-Episode 114 Gary addresses misconceptions about preterism, replacement theology, and the future of Israel, emphasizing biblical exegesis and historical context. Joel McDurmon’s work is original. He goes where few commentators have gone before. As he shows in page after page of tightly argued points, there is a unity to the prophetic message of the gospels and th [...]

A response to one of my Facebook posts stated, “It’s coming; fortunately, I’m 77; IT SHALL WAX WORSE (2 Tim. 3:13).” What does prophecy speculation do? It ties people to the present with no earthly future for God’s people. The ‘rapture’ is the next prophetic event, and it’s going to happen “soon.” I’m 76, and the work at American Vision is to prepare people for the future. What should we tell teen [...]

To help His listeners better understand the timing and circumstances of the events leading up to, and including, the destruction of the temple before their generation passed away, Jesus draws on two familiar Old Testament judgment events: the flood and the judgment on Sodom. Jesus, teaching by analogy, shows that the coming of the flood waters parallels His own coming, as described in the Olivet D [...]

Bible Prophecy Under the Microscope-Episode 113 Using the movie Born Yesterday as an example, Gary discusses the history of prophetic speculation, its inaccuracies, and how to interpret biblical prophecy correctly. At first reading, the New Testament seems to teach that the temple would be destroyed (Matt. 23:38; 24:2), Jerusalem would come under siege (Matt. 22:7), and the Old Covenant order woul [...]

Podcaster and author Joel Richardson recently claimed that Revelation’s content was revealed to John around AD 95,[1] during Domitian’s reign (AD 81-96), based on a coin the Emperor struck. The coin features the Latin legend Divvs Caesar Imp[eratori] Domitiani F[ilivs] (“The Divine Caesar, Son of the Emperor Domitian”) on the face. The reverse depicts a naked infant seated on a globe surrounded by [...]

Bible Prophecy Under the Microscope-Episode 112 Gary points out that many Bible prophecy writers, who claim to interpret the Bible “literally,” don’t actually do so. Applying the prophecy of Ezekiel 38 and 39 to modern-day nations is contrary to the historical context. No nation today had any part in Israel’s exile 2600 years ago. The prophecy begins with instructions given to Ez [...]

Bible Prophecy Under the Microscope-Episode 111 Gary answers a recent critic who questions whether he is a Christian. The Jews did know, from Daniel 9, that the Messiah would come and bring judgment on their city. They expected it to happen around 50 BC. When this did not happen, the faithful religious leaders kept being faithful, like Hannah, who was eighty-four when she saw the baby Jesus (Luke [...]

Bible Prophecy Under the Microscope-Episode 110 Gary responds to a recent video by Joel Richardson about a Roman coin that he claims “proves” that the book of Revelation was written during Domitian’s reign. Quite a bit of diversity existed in early Christianity regarding the date that John wrote the book of Revelation, and the dominance of one opinion is not synonymous with unani [...]

Gary briefly discusses the four major interpretive approaches to the book of Revelation. Revelation uses many Old Testament symbols: eating scrolls, beasts, marks on the forehead, gold, thrones, sun, moon, stars, candlesticks, Balaam, Jezebel, dragon, Gog and Magog, Sodom, Egypt, and Babylon. It’s unlikely that Old Testament references to people and places appeared either in John’s day, or will ap [...]

Gary begins a short lesson on the four views of the book of Revelation. Political tyranny and religious apostasy are not necessarily signs of impending eschatological destruction. They, too, have been with us since the Fall. The light of the gospel was nearly extinguished as the church approached the sixteenth century. Few could ever have predicted what was about to happen, not only in terms of Ch [...]

Bible Prophecy Under the Microscope-Episode 109 Gary responds to a critic who challenges his interpretation of “this generation” in Matthew’s gospel. In Matthew 24:33, the word “you” (plural) is used twice: “so, you too, when you see all these things, recognize [lit. know] that He is near, right at the door.” Who does Jesus say will see “all these things”? Certainly not a future [...]

Gary continues his lesson on hermeneutics by looking briefly at the context and time words that bookend the book of Revelation. The past fulfillment of most of the prophecies in Revelation 4-19 is compellingly suggested by the various time indicators contained in its less symbolic, more didactic introduction and conclusion. Revelation 1:1 opens the prophecies of Revelation and prepares the reader [...]

Jonathan Sedlak, author of Reading Matthew, Trusting Jesus: Christian Tradition and First-Century Fulfillment within Matthew 24-25, told me in a recent phone call that it was John MacArthur’s book The Second Coming: Signs of Christ’s Return and the End of the Age (2006) that led him to investigate preterism because it mentioned several preterists, including me (although my name is misspelled as De [...]

Gary begins a short course on hermeneutics—the art and practice of interpretation—on today’s podcast. The Bible can be an intimidating book, but it doesn’t have to be. We must be like the Bereans who examined “the Scriptures daily to see whether these things were so” (Acts 17:11). Too often, Christians rely on so-called Bible experts and complicated charts that include gaps in time, ou [...]

Bible Prophecy Under the Microscope-Episode 108 Gary concludes his response to Ayo, who had questions about preterism and decided to return to dispensationalism. God’s presence was a sign of blessing because of Israel’s special covenantal status (Isa. 55:3; Jer. 1:19) and His departure was a sign of judgment, neither of which were physical. For the nations, God’s presence was a sign of judgment be [...]

Gary concludes his interview with Pastor Greg Chacon by dealing with questions about prophetic systems that have to add to the finished work of Christ. People who get caught up in the latest end-time speculative prophecy story either have short memories of past predictions or no knowledge at all. Without having all the facts or a worksheet of past failed prophetic claims, it’s not hard to convince [...]

Gary continues his interview with Pastor Greg Chacon about biblical interpretation and application. I would like to know why it’s “boasting against the branches” (Rom. 11:18), as my letter-writing critic maintained, to question the basic assumptions of dispensationalism. Such a specious argument is typical of some dispensationalists who find it difficult to represent non-dispensational views accur [...]

Bible Prophecy Under the Microscope-Episode 107 Gary concludes his initial response to Ayo, who claims to have left preterism for dispensationalism. John was a “fellow partaker in the tribulation and kingdom and perseverance in Jesus” (Rev. 1:9; see 2 Thess. 1:4). The church at Smyrna was experiencing a “tribulation” that Jesus knew about (Rev. 2:9). This tribulation period is in our past. The tim [...]

Gary continues his discussion with Pastor Greg Chacon about biblical interpretation. God’s promises to Israel are not in doubt, but to maintain that they have been postponed for nearly 2,000 years only to be realized when Israel encounters another holocaust when two-thirds of the Jews living in Israel will be slaughtered and only a remnant saved, is not an answer to the claim “that God is finished [...]

Red heifer stories are in the news. “The delivery of five red heifers to Israel has sparked a worldwide debate about its significance in biblical prophecy, particularly among Christians who believe a third temple will be built during the End Times,”[1] of which the New Testament says nothing. You will search the New Testament with a fine-tooth comb, and you won’t find any mention of another temple [...]