Post by Tom Green on Jan 28, 2007 0:44:07 GMT -5
Many people take an intense interest in studying end-times
prophecy. Your local bookstore, be it Christian or secular, will
have many titles on end-times prophecy. The trend extends to
fiction as well, with the "Left Behind" series of books, the "Christ
Clone Trilogy" books, and others flying off the shelves. More
websites than ever are dedicated to the study of end times, and
Christian movies have moved in on the action as well. Why are
people so interested? Should they be? You'll find people making
passionate arguments for and against. I believe the answer, as it
usually does, lies in scripture.
The usual argument I hear against the study of end-time prophecy is
that no one will know when the Lord will return for the saints, and
we shouldn't try to predict when that will occur. I can't say I
disagree with that. As we shall see, that's a Biblically sounds
viewpoint. However I would counter that familiarizing yourself with
end-times prophecy, and keeping an eye on current world events from
that perspective, is not the same as trying to predict the return of
Christ. In fact, analyzing the signs of the times is a directive
from Jesus Himself.
The other argument I hear against the study of end-time prophecy is
this: for two thousand year, people have been anticipating the
return of Christ in their generation, and they were all wrong. Once
again, I cannot disagree with that statement – it's absolutely
true. In fact, the Bible predicts that very thing (hey, another
prophecy fulfilled). 2 Peter 3:3-6 says, "3First of all, you must
understand that in the last days scoffers will come, scoffing and
following their own evil desires. 4They will say, "Where is
this 'coming' he promised? Ever since our fathers died, everything
goes on as it has since the beginning of creation." 5But they
deliberately forget that long ago by God's word the heavens existed
and the earth was formed out of water and by water. 6By these waters
also the world of that time was deluged and destroyed." However,
that is not a reason to not keep watch. I do think it prudent – not
to mention, Biblical – to not obsess on signs and wonders to bolster
your faith. To base one's faith on signs and wonders makes them an
easy mark for the attacks of the evil one. In the last days (yes,
this is another end-times prophecy), many false prophets will go out
into the world performing various signs and wonders "…to deceive
even the elect"(Matthew 24:24). That others before us were wrong
about the nearness of the Lord's return should not deter us from
searching the scriptures, now that many of the end-time prophecies
have been fulfilled (Israel reestablished as a nation, hatred of
Israel by other nations, steps taken by the United Nations to create
a one-world government, etc.).
As I stated before, to be watchful of the signs of the last days is
scriptural. Jesus himself told us to keep watch. Consider the
following passage, Matthew 24:36-51:
36"No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in
heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. 37As it was in the days of
Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. 38For in the
days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and
giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark; 39and they
knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took
them all away. That is how it will be at the coming of the Son of
Man. 40Two men will be in the field; one will be taken and the other
left. 41Two women will be grinding with a hand mill; one will be
taken and the other left. 42"Therefore keep watch, because you do
not know on what day your Lord will come. 43But understand this: If
the owner of the house had known at what time of night the thief was
coming, he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be
broken into. 44So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man
will come at an hour when you do not expect him. 45"Who then is
the faithful and wise servant, whom the master has put in charge of
the servants in his household to give them their food at the proper
time? 46It will be good for that servant whose master finds him
doing so when he returns. 47I tell you the truth, he will put him in
charge of all his possessions. 48But suppose that servant is wicked
and says to himself, 'My master is staying away a long time,' 49and
he then begins to beat his fellow servants and to eat and drink with
drunkards. 50The master of that servant will come on a day when he
does not expect him and at an hour he is not aware of. 51He will cut
him to pieces and assign him a place with the hypocrites, where
there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth." [Emphasis mine]
As you can see, Jesus expressly stated that we will not know the day
when He will return. It is my belief then, that we should not try
to predict it. It is equally clear from this passage though, that
we are expected to be watchful for His glorious return. How do we
do that if we do not study the prophecies of scripture and look for
their fulfillment? Let us examine some more passages from The
Word.
You also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour
when you do not expect him…54He said to the crowd: "When you see a
cloud rising in the west, immediately you say, 'It's going to rain,'
and it does. 55And when the south wind blows, you say, 'It's going
to be hot,' and it is. 56Hypocrites! You know how to interpret the
appearance of the earth and the sky. How is it that you don't know
how to interpret this present time?" Luke 12:40, 54-56 [Emphasis
mine]
Remember, therefore, what you have received and heard; obey it, and
repent. But if you do not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you
will not know at what time I will come to you." Revelation 3:3
for you know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a
thief in the night. 3While people are saying, "Peace and safety,"
destruction will come on them suddenly, as labor pains on a pregnant
woman, and they will not escape. 4But you, brothers, are not in
darkness so that this day should surprise you like a thief. 5You are
all sons of the light and sons of the day. We do not belong to the
night or to the darkness. 6So then, let us not be like others, who
are asleep, but let us be alert and self-controlled. 7For those who
sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk, get drunk at night.
8But since we belong to the day, let us be self-controlled, putting
on faith and love as a breastplate, and the hope of salvation as a
helmet. 9For God did not appoint us to suffer wrath but to receive
salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ." 1 Thessalonians 5:2-9
I would like to single out a few key points from the passages above:
1) we will not know when Christ will return, 2) we must keep watch,
3) we must learn how to discern the signs of the time, and 4) we
must guard against being deceived by the signs and wonders of the
evil one. Obviously I am not saying that everyone should stock up
on books or videos on end-time prophecy. I do contend that in order
to discern the signs of the times and keep watch for the return of
the Lord, we must study scripture and the prophecies therein, and we
must be observant of the events around us, as they may be a
fulfillment of prophecy – a "sign" of the time.
As a student of Bible prophecy, I believe that the return of Christ
to claim His bride is imminent. I believe I will see it occur
during my lifetime. I say this in light of the rapid fulfillment of
end-time prophecy. I may be wrong (and often am). If the Lord, in
his infinite wisdom, should choose to "tarry another day", then so
be it. His will – not mine, be done. I heard someone refer to the
rapture of the saints as a "scare tactic" used by Christianity to
keep people in line. What this person failed to grasp is that
Christians need not fear the rapture. Indeed, we eagerly await the
day when we finally come face to face with our Lord and Savior,
Jesus Christ, and feel his warm and loving embrace. Until that day
comes, let us not be like the servant caught off-guard. Let us be
watchful as we go about the work of the Lord. There are many souls
out there who need to be brought into the fold. May the Lord bless
you as you cast your eyes toward heaven, keep your feet on the
ground, and contend for the faith!
prophecy. Your local bookstore, be it Christian or secular, will
have many titles on end-times prophecy. The trend extends to
fiction as well, with the "Left Behind" series of books, the "Christ
Clone Trilogy" books, and others flying off the shelves. More
websites than ever are dedicated to the study of end times, and
Christian movies have moved in on the action as well. Why are
people so interested? Should they be? You'll find people making
passionate arguments for and against. I believe the answer, as it
usually does, lies in scripture.
The usual argument I hear against the study of end-time prophecy is
that no one will know when the Lord will return for the saints, and
we shouldn't try to predict when that will occur. I can't say I
disagree with that. As we shall see, that's a Biblically sounds
viewpoint. However I would counter that familiarizing yourself with
end-times prophecy, and keeping an eye on current world events from
that perspective, is not the same as trying to predict the return of
Christ. In fact, analyzing the signs of the times is a directive
from Jesus Himself.
The other argument I hear against the study of end-time prophecy is
this: for two thousand year, people have been anticipating the
return of Christ in their generation, and they were all wrong. Once
again, I cannot disagree with that statement – it's absolutely
true. In fact, the Bible predicts that very thing (hey, another
prophecy fulfilled). 2 Peter 3:3-6 says, "3First of all, you must
understand that in the last days scoffers will come, scoffing and
following their own evil desires. 4They will say, "Where is
this 'coming' he promised? Ever since our fathers died, everything
goes on as it has since the beginning of creation." 5But they
deliberately forget that long ago by God's word the heavens existed
and the earth was formed out of water and by water. 6By these waters
also the world of that time was deluged and destroyed." However,
that is not a reason to not keep watch. I do think it prudent – not
to mention, Biblical – to not obsess on signs and wonders to bolster
your faith. To base one's faith on signs and wonders makes them an
easy mark for the attacks of the evil one. In the last days (yes,
this is another end-times prophecy), many false prophets will go out
into the world performing various signs and wonders "…to deceive
even the elect"(Matthew 24:24). That others before us were wrong
about the nearness of the Lord's return should not deter us from
searching the scriptures, now that many of the end-time prophecies
have been fulfilled (Israel reestablished as a nation, hatred of
Israel by other nations, steps taken by the United Nations to create
a one-world government, etc.).
As I stated before, to be watchful of the signs of the last days is
scriptural. Jesus himself told us to keep watch. Consider the
following passage, Matthew 24:36-51:
36"No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in
heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. 37As it was in the days of
Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. 38For in the
days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and
giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark; 39and they
knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took
them all away. That is how it will be at the coming of the Son of
Man. 40Two men will be in the field; one will be taken and the other
left. 41Two women will be grinding with a hand mill; one will be
taken and the other left. 42"Therefore keep watch, because you do
not know on what day your Lord will come. 43But understand this: If
the owner of the house had known at what time of night the thief was
coming, he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be
broken into. 44So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man
will come at an hour when you do not expect him. 45"Who then is
the faithful and wise servant, whom the master has put in charge of
the servants in his household to give them their food at the proper
time? 46It will be good for that servant whose master finds him
doing so when he returns. 47I tell you the truth, he will put him in
charge of all his possessions. 48But suppose that servant is wicked
and says to himself, 'My master is staying away a long time,' 49and
he then begins to beat his fellow servants and to eat and drink with
drunkards. 50The master of that servant will come on a day when he
does not expect him and at an hour he is not aware of. 51He will cut
him to pieces and assign him a place with the hypocrites, where
there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth." [Emphasis mine]
As you can see, Jesus expressly stated that we will not know the day
when He will return. It is my belief then, that we should not try
to predict it. It is equally clear from this passage though, that
we are expected to be watchful for His glorious return. How do we
do that if we do not study the prophecies of scripture and look for
their fulfillment? Let us examine some more passages from The
Word.
You also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour
when you do not expect him…54He said to the crowd: "When you see a
cloud rising in the west, immediately you say, 'It's going to rain,'
and it does. 55And when the south wind blows, you say, 'It's going
to be hot,' and it is. 56Hypocrites! You know how to interpret the
appearance of the earth and the sky. How is it that you don't know
how to interpret this present time?" Luke 12:40, 54-56 [Emphasis
mine]
Remember, therefore, what you have received and heard; obey it, and
repent. But if you do not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you
will not know at what time I will come to you." Revelation 3:3
for you know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a
thief in the night. 3While people are saying, "Peace and safety,"
destruction will come on them suddenly, as labor pains on a pregnant
woman, and they will not escape. 4But you, brothers, are not in
darkness so that this day should surprise you like a thief. 5You are
all sons of the light and sons of the day. We do not belong to the
night or to the darkness. 6So then, let us not be like others, who
are asleep, but let us be alert and self-controlled. 7For those who
sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk, get drunk at night.
8But since we belong to the day, let us be self-controlled, putting
on faith and love as a breastplate, and the hope of salvation as a
helmet. 9For God did not appoint us to suffer wrath but to receive
salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ." 1 Thessalonians 5:2-9
I would like to single out a few key points from the passages above:
1) we will not know when Christ will return, 2) we must keep watch,
3) we must learn how to discern the signs of the time, and 4) we
must guard against being deceived by the signs and wonders of the
evil one. Obviously I am not saying that everyone should stock up
on books or videos on end-time prophecy. I do contend that in order
to discern the signs of the times and keep watch for the return of
the Lord, we must study scripture and the prophecies therein, and we
must be observant of the events around us, as they may be a
fulfillment of prophecy – a "sign" of the time.
As a student of Bible prophecy, I believe that the return of Christ
to claim His bride is imminent. I believe I will see it occur
during my lifetime. I say this in light of the rapid fulfillment of
end-time prophecy. I may be wrong (and often am). If the Lord, in
his infinite wisdom, should choose to "tarry another day", then so
be it. His will – not mine, be done. I heard someone refer to the
rapture of the saints as a "scare tactic" used by Christianity to
keep people in line. What this person failed to grasp is that
Christians need not fear the rapture. Indeed, we eagerly await the
day when we finally come face to face with our Lord and Savior,
Jesus Christ, and feel his warm and loving embrace. Until that day
comes, let us not be like the servant caught off-guard. Let us be
watchful as we go about the work of the Lord. There are many souls
out there who need to be brought into the fold. May the Lord bless
you as you cast your eyes toward heaven, keep your feet on the
ground, and contend for the faith!