When you debate a subject, it is incumbent upon you to consider the strongest argument for the opposing position. Anything less than this approach is fundamentally flawed. In addition, failing to inform readers about works on the topic that support the opposing view is nothing less than sloppy scholarship. An example of this is Joel Richardson’s podcast about when Revelation was revealed to John. [...]

Bible Prophecy Under the Microscope-Episode 100 Gary discusses the date of the writing of the book of Revelation. 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 unanimity of opinion. Several writers in recent years have noted that markedly different opinions about the date of [...]

Gary responds to recent criticisms about certain rich people in America and whether they “need all that money.” The modern world has debased its coinage. No nation’s mint issues silver coins as common coinage—only as collectibles. By the mid-1960’s, silver coins were replaced by central bank counterfeits. In 1965, most money was not coinage, as is true today. Most money was a combinati [...]

Gary reveals that he is considering having a prophecy conference in the Nashville area next summer. 2 Corinthians 7 begins: “Therefore, having these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all defilement of flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God” (v. 1). “These promises” were made to Israel, and yet Paul applies them to the church at Corinth (1:1). There is no mention of [...]

Bible Prophecy Under the Microscope-Episode 99 Gary points out that no one interprets purely “literally,” although many prophecy speculators claim that they do. Jesus often uses the plural “you” in Matthew 24 and in the parallel passages in Mark 13 and Luke 21: “They will lay their hands on you and will persecute you, delivering you to the synagogues and prisons, bringing y [...]

Bible Prophecy Under the Microscope-Episode 98 Gary responds to a recent video by Joel Richardson about Matthew 24:15 and the “abomination of desolation.” Futurists need a rebuilt temple in order to project the fulfillment of prophecies related to the abomination of desolation to another time. Is this what Jesus had in view in Matthew 24:15? A careful reading of Scripture will show tha [...]

Bible Prophecy Under the Microscope-Episode 97 Gary discusses common misconceptions about Revelation 3:10 and its context, emphasizing the importance of understanding biblical prophecy within its historical setting. Many commentators from the early and medieval periods held that the hour of testing in Rev. 3:10 was, or could be interpreted as, a first-century persecution. These included Ecumenius [...]

Bible Prophecy Under the Microscope-Episode 96 Gary discusses a verse from the book of Daniel (12:4) that has been widely cited lately in relation to Bible prophecy and artificial intelligence technologies. Those who take [Daniel 12] verse 4 as referring to events at the end of history believe that Daniel’s prophecy is “sealed up” until that time. Only as the second coming of Christ draws near wil [...]

Gary welcomes Kim Burgess back for one final episode of the series on 1 Corinthians 15. Now, as we said previously, we are going to tell you up-front what we are going to be telling tell you in this series. As it were, regarding the ruling covenantal hermeneutic in Scripture, we are going to start with the bottom line first. What is coming now is really the most important lesson of all because of [...]

A great deal of time and energy goes into supporting a pre-tribulational “rapture.” In a recent interview, John Bevere, author of The King is Coming, claims that Irenaeus of Lyons (c. AD 130-202) taught that the “rapture of the church” took place before the final week of Daniel’s 70 weeks-of-years prophecy. Irenaeus is claimed as a key support witness for the rapturists because he identifies Papia [...]

Bible Prophecy Under the Microscope-Episode 95 Gary responds to a video by John Bevere that makes several claims about the pretribulational rapture and what the early church believed about Bible prophecy. History is important, but it is not authoritative. In terms of sola Scriptura, it does not matter what men of the past believed; the Bible is the standard. The argument is often made that some Ch [...]

Since John is told the events revealed to him were to take place “soon” (1:1) “for the time is near” (1:3), Revelation is about events that were to happen soon for those living in John’s day, in particular, in events leading up to and including the end of the Old Covenant represented outwardly by the temple and Israel’s capital city, Jerusalem. The Old Covenant was replaced with a better covenant [...]

In this conclusion of a conference talk Gary gave recently, he discusses the apologetics of preterism. Before any worthwhile discussion can take place about the Bible, the first question I always ask is, “What does the text say?” The tempter approached Eve with a question about the text: “Indeed has God said, ‘You shall not eat from any tree of the garden?’” (Gen. 3:1). The serpent intentionally m [...]

Please help us meet a $15K matching challenge here Bible Prophecy Under the Microscope-Episode 94 Gary discusses the hermeneutical concept of “audience relevance.” In Matthew 24, Jesus continually uses the second-person plural (“you”) to identify His present audience: “when you see these things” (24:33). Follow the use of “you” throughout the chapter and notice that it refers to Jesus’ [...]

Please help us meet a $15K matching challenge here In another conference talk Gary gave recently, he discusses the apologetics of preterism. During the Symposium, James Hamilton said if the destruction of Jerusalem was the fulfillment of the Olivet Discourse, then why didn’t the biblical writers comment about the subject after the event? The answer is quite simple: The New Testament books were wri [...]

Please help us meet a $15K matching challenge here Gary answers a listener question about a Greek word used in Matthew 25:5, Hebrews 10:37, and in the Septuagint in Habakkuk 2:3. In Revelation 1:1, John was shown “the things which must shortly take place.” Why must they “shortly take place? Because the reader is told “the time is near” (Rev. 1:3). Jesus defines “near” to mean “at the door” (Matt. [...]

Please help us meet a $15K matching challenge here Bible Prophecy Under the Microscope-Episode 93 Gary takes a closer look at Acts 1:11, which is often pointed to as proof that Jesus will return exactly as He left during the Ascension. At His trial, Jesus told Caiaphas the high priest and the Sanhedrin that they would see “the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of power and coming on the clouds [...]

Please help us meet a $15K matching challenge here Imagine yourself hearing or reading the New Testament gospels and letters for the first time as they circulated throughout the Roman Empire. Would anyone in those days have constructed the prophetic wild child that passes for biblical eschatology today with gaps between a number like 70, redefining Greek words like “near” and “shortly” by quoting [...]

Please help us meet a $15K matching challenge here In the conclusion of this conference talk, Gary discusses the worldview implications of eschatology and why they’re so important. The ungodly are involved in a game of self-deception, so that even they are “being deceived” when they think their worldview will ultimately prevail. We also must remember the previous words of Paul: “But they wil [...]

Please help us meet a $15K matching challenge here Bible Prophecy Under the Microscope-Episode 92 Gary responds to an article titled “Major Signs That the End of Life as We Know It is Near.” It’s no wonder that Jesus applied the judgment against Babylon (Isa. 13; Matt. 24:29) to [His own] generation (Matt. 24:34). Peter described that generation as “this perverse generation” (Acts 2:40 [...]