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 and a hail of bombs falling on the cities of Europe: “It is clear that this last judgment [Rev. 16:17–21] would be manifested through aerial warfare, the hailstones weighing about a talent (or 125 pounds, according to Thompson’s Chain-Reference Bible), and the cities falling in heaps, being an exact picture of what the nations are today experiencing as a result of air raids.”
We have prophecy pundits, separated by a half century, who look at the same Scripture text and make a contemporary application. We know that the reference to World War II was misapplied and wrong. But how do we know that contemporary interpreters are any more correct? Why should we believe that “50-pound chunks of ice falling out of the sky” are in our future?
For centuries theologians have tried to attach prophetic significance to the appearance of comets and other happenings in the heavens. Increase Mather managed “to find records showing that some 415 comets had appeared ‘since the world began.’” In addition to the inventory of comets, he catalogued “the dates on which each comet had appeared, the intervals being filled in with lists of wars, deaths of leaders, famines, floods and plagues.” For example, he records that in A.D. 984 “A Blazing Star was seen. An Earth-Quake, Wars, Plague, Famine followed. The Emperor and the Pope died.” In retrospect, these heavenly signs were no evidence that the return of Christ was near. Like Mather, his correspondent John Richards saw their importance as God’s warning to a sinful world: “God is again threatening a sinful world by tokens of His displeasure, a blazing star appearing again in the heavens…. Great is the patience and long-suffering of God, that is so often warning before He brings desolating judgments.”
Last Days Madness
In this authoritative book, Gary DeMar clears the haze of "end-times" fever, shedding light on the most difficult and studied prophetic passages in the Bible, including Daniel 7:13-14; 9:24-27; Matt. 16:27-28; 24-25; Thess. 2; 2 Peter 3:3-13, and clearly explaining a host of other controversial topics.
Buy NowGary discusses the claim that the end times are finally upon us because eclipse paths are writing Hebrew letters across the United States. While most of the prophetic signs that modern writers claims as “proof” of what the Bible says will happen are usually arbitrary, this one stretches credulity beyond the limits of reason and biblical revelation.