Bible Prophecy Under the Microscope-Episode 58
Many Christians are claiming that the assassination of Charlie Kirk is yet another sign that the “last days” are upon us.
We have heard all of this before. In fact, in 1988, we were assured that the rapture would occur sometime in a three-day period in September of that year. “But by sunset Tuesday [September 13, 1988], the end of the 48-hour period pinpointed by former NASA rocket engineer and author Edgar G. Whisenant as the time of the Rapture, it was apparent that The End was not quite at hand.” Whisenant remained confident. He later “revised his prediction, saying the Rapture could possibly occur by 10:55 A.M. Wednesday [September 14].” A final modification was made, predicting that 1989 would be the year.
As one might suspect, such predictions can have a negative effect on Christians and non-Christians. “Too much wild-eyed speculation could eventually discredit the essential message we are called to proclaim. Remember, [Jack] Van Impe himself was certain the Soviet flag would fly over Independence Hall in Philadelphia by 1976.” Van Impe, after uttering one failed prediction after another, goes on undaunted, revising his prophetic pronouncements as current events change: “I just can’t believe that I’ve preached this all my life and that I’ve lived to see these things happening.” Self-proclaimed Bible prophecy “experts” like Van Impe are as eager to predict the future as they are eager to forget their failed past predictions. They count on the people forgetting as well. These failed prophecy “experts” are the “Christian” equivalent of the “Psychic Network.” We’ll never know how much damage they’ve done to the credibility of the Bible and the Christian faith.
The airwaves are filled with prophecy pundits who continually assure us the end is threatening. Praise the Lord, the official newsletter of the Trinity Broadcasting Network (TBN), which boasts being “on the air worldwide,” states emphatically that “the end of the world is coming soon.” In the same issue of Praise the Lord, Hal Lindsey and Chuck Smith, described by TBN as “two of the most respected Bible prophecy teachers,” believe that “the signs in our world today clearly point to the imminent return of our Lord.”
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 NowMany Christians are claiming that the assassination of Charlie Kirk in front of the world via the internet and social media is yet another sign that the “last days” are upon us. Gary gives some historical and biblical perspective in response to such speculative claims.
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