Gary is interviewed by Pastor Greg Chacon about eschatology and how dispensationalism has influenced prophetic interpretations.
The Bible requires that Christians “always [be] ready to make a defense to everyone who asks [us] to give an account for the hope” that is in us, “yet with gentleness and reverence” (1 Peter 3:15). We are to be “ready in season and out of season; [to] reprove, rebuke, exhort, with great patience and instruction” (2 Tim. 4:2).
Paul “reasoned with” the Jews from the Scriptures in their own synagogues, “explaining and giving evidence that the Christ had to suffer and rise again from the dead” (Acts 17:3). He followed a similar procedure with “some of the Epicurean and Stoic philosophers” in Athens (17:18). Jude called on us to “contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints” (Jude 3). We have an obligation, therefore, to ask whether the theological position advocated by Tim LaHaye and Jerry Jenkins in Left Behind “was once for all delivered to the saints.”
Some people might be critical of my attempts to scrutinize the theology of Left Behind with the rejoinder that Christians should not fight with one another. Let me say that Tim LaHaye understands the need and obligation to defend what he believes the Bible teaches. In his Rapture Under Attack (1998), LaHaye shows that he is not opposed to answering some of his critics against charges of “false teaching,” “cultish beliefs,” and even “heresy.” The very nature of the book’s title and its polemical style demonstrates that he does not object to scrutiny and debate between Christians of goodwill. Therefore, it is neither unbiblical nor unloving to address doctrinal disputes by appealing to the Bible.
When Paul believed that Peter was in error, the Bible says that Paul “opposed him to his face, because he stood condemned” (Gal. 2:11). Those in Berea held Paul to the standard of biblical integrity by “examining the Scriptures daily, to see whether” the things he was saying “were so” (Acts 17:11). None of us should be held to any less of a standard.
Left Behind: Separating Fact from Fiction
With confidence based on years of biblical study, DeMar carefully examines eleven major components of the pre-tribulation rapture theology and offers clear, convincing alternatives to the interpretations of Bible prophecy presented in Left Behind. What difference does it make what we believe about the end times anyway? DeMar addresses that question as well, showing how our point-of-view regarding end-times prophecies affects the way we live each day. In addition, DeMar answers skeptics who use failed end-times predictions to disprove the Bible. Giving us a different perspective on the end times, this approach to the Bible could revolutionize the life of the church.
Buy NowGary is interviewed by Pastor Greg Chacon about eschatology and how dispensationalism has influenced prophetic interpretations. In this first part of a multi-part discussion, they discuss the dominant view of evangelicalism and how it shapes many Christians’ outlook on the future.