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Why Study Bible Prophecy?


Most of us would like to believe that Jesus is coming in our lifetime. Even I believe that Jesus will return soon. ;D Yet even as we anticipate the Lord’s return, we need to be aware that eschatological excitement and prophetic panic tend to go hand in hand. Every time a war heats up in the Middle East, there are a number of “prophetic panhandlers” ::) who assure us that this is “the Big One.”

Despite the church’s 20-century-long struggle to understand biblical prophecy, these modern-day "prophets”  ::) claim to have the last days and Christ’s return all figured out -- some to the very day! The problem is that Christians have had the mindset for centuries and have often attempted to read prophecy through the eyes of their own experiences. The results have been a host of miscalculated guesses based on faulty presuppositions.

Now, there’s nothing wrong with evangelical Christians taking seriously the doctrine of the Second Coming of Christ. Scripture says that He will literally return to the earth one day to vindicate the church and judge the world. We may differ among ourselves on when and how he will return, but we remain convinced He will return as promised.

However, we must exercise discernment when we deal with the imminence of Christ’s return. Most of us believe that He could come at any moment. While this hope gives the church great comfort and expectation, it often leads to excessive speculation. Think of all the “candidates” for Antichrist that have been proposed in the 20th Century alone -- Mussolini, Hitler, Stalin, Mikhail Gorbachev, Saddam Hussein, Juan Carlos, Prince Charles, Bill Clinton, and many others.

Perhaps the church’s greatest problem with interpreting biblical prophecy is the desire to view it through personal experience. Which does not work as we want. The German theologians call this a zeitgeist (I think this is the correct spelling and interpation,) a current mood or response to existing conditions. Unfortunately, as we have seen in this brief history of eschatological speculation, this has happened more often than not. The great temptation in prophetic interpretation is to move from the facts to our own assumptions and speculations.

The real tragedy is that instead of rejecting prophetic speculation for what it is, we are often duped by it. People guessing dates and selecting candidates for the Antichrist are claiming to know more than the writers of Scripture.

I believe the Bible clearly predicts the rise of a personal Antichrist at the end of human history, but I doubt we will ever know who he is until it is too late. The apostle Paul said of him, “Don’t let anyone deceive you in any way, for that day will not come until the rebellion occurs and the man of lawlessness (“man of sin” KJV) is revealed, the man doomed to destruction.” II Thessalonians 2:3. Paul reminds us that the “power of lawlessness” II Thessalonians 2:7 is already at work, but it will eventually culminate when the lawless one is revealed II Thessalonians 2:8.

In the meantime, we are admonished to “stand firm” and hold to the doctrine of the apostles of our Lord II Thessalonians 2:15 that we might be strengthened “in ever good deed and word” II Thessalonians 2:17. Thus, Paul’s advice to us is the same as that of the Lord Jesus, who told us to watch, stay ready, and keep serving until He comes Matthew 24:42-46.

One of the most difficult tasks in interpreting God’s Word has been that of discerning the prophecies of the end times. First, we must remember that the people of Jesus’ day missed many of the predictions of His first coming. Therefore, we must not presume that we have figured out all the details of His second coming. Second, we must guard against the temptation to read prophecy through the eyes of the present. This has been a problem throughout church history. As early as the second century A.D., believers have speculated about the time and place of the Lord’s return.

In many cases they have no basis in prophetic fact at all. For example, the Bible says the number of the Antichrist is "666" Revelation 13:18. We must try to assume what this means. It is an assumption that it is a literal number that will appear on things in the last days. When one prominent evangelist saw the number 666 prefixed on automobile license plates in Israel a few years ago, he speculated the "mark of the Beast" had already arrived in the Holy Land.

The greatest danger of all in trying to interpret biblical prophecy is to assume that our speculations are true and preach them as facts. This has often caused great embarrassment and confusion. For example, when Benito Mussolini rose to power in Rome in the 1920's, many Christians assumed he might be the Antichrist, who would rule the world from the city of seven hills in the last days.

The time has come when serious students of biblical prophecy must be clear about what is fact, what is assumption, and what is speculation. For example, just because a war breaks out in the Middle East does not mean that war will necessarily lead to Armageddon. Just because modern geopolitical Iraq includes the ruins of ancient Babylon does not necessarily meant that Iraq will be the Babylon of the last days.

The issue at stake is that we must carefully distinguish between the facts of prophecy and our own assumptions and speculations. This is why we are launching the Tim LaHaye School of Prophecy at Liberty University. We want to help our students study, understand, and teach Bible prophecy properly and effectively -- based on the facts.

The greatest fact of all is that we who are in Christ have the hope of eternal life. The apostle Peter said, "In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hopeinto an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade -- kept in heaven for you -- ready to be revealed in the last time." 1 Peter 1:3-5.

The reason for posting this is from some responces I have read in other threads. No I am not a Prophet, mearly a man who believes in Jesus Christ return soon. When I don't know but, I pray it is soon.

II Peter 3:9-10 The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is long-suffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance. BUT THE DAY OF THE LORD WILL COME AS A THIEF IN THE NIGHT.

 8) Flashlight?

TCForums (http://thecomforters.wshost.net/cgi-bin/Ultimate.cgi)

Flashlight??? huh!


I seen your Forum it's nice, please see mine in my Signature below, click on the picture!


Blessings, \o/

MsGuidedAngel

 8) Yes we are checking out your forum.

Very big!

I have never seen your forum before, TheComforter.

 8) Probably not my friend.

It is scheduled to go public this fall.

It goes hand in hand with www.TheLambsBook.com and it is visited by only those who have found it by accident while it, and it's parts have been under construction.

Poke around. You will find an eye opening item now and then.

The only thing most do not like is to find someone trying to teach something that is actually easy to disprove but they have been repeating and teaching it so long they can not admit it is false. How can they explain being wrong to those who listened?

That is the death of Truth.

In your service.

John.

Dreamweaver,
                I agree with everything you've posted here. IT seems judging the times has been a past time of nearly every scholar in the ages (begin with the church of Corinth) . We are told to watch and be ready. Like you I pray he comes soon, yet we are told to be thankful for the life we have.....kinda mix blessing isn't it, being thankful for life but can't wait to see Jesus come.
     The anti christ spirit is alive and working in the world today. I am amazed that many don't believe in the devil, or that he has any powers. Like satan belongs in the catogoy  with the tooth fairy or Santa Clause. I teach sunday school to the 7 gr and up, while talking about this last sunday some of the kids said they didn't believe in the devil.  ??? If they don't believe in the devil, then they are prime targets for the anti christ spirit and the anti christ himself. It is so very important that we teach our young people to be aware of the dangers in this world. My older brother is always telling me I'm seeing a devil behind every tree, for I while that statement offended me,,,,,,,but after I thought about you....YES you bet I do see a devil behind ever tree. I don't know how else to see this world. That is why I love to study bible prophecy, for the knowledge, and because knowing the word, prophecy or otherwise is also knowing Jesus.
     Great post I enjoyed your views.
musicllover

A good post I think, and some solid thinking. I'm not sure about the Zeitgeist meaning=perhaps time ghost?

I am convinced that we need to understand certain things about Bible prophecy if we would gain understanding of the Bible as it relates to us believers today.

A close family member was killed last week and the preacher who gave the sermon, Baptist I think, reminded me of several things. One is the confusion among Christians about the two major resurrections and another about the mysterious why of death being unanswered in the Bible.

If we do not see the two very separate and different resurrections then we have a very flawed view and flawed expectations. This could jeapordize our salvation in some cases. There is no substitute for truth in religion. The parable of the ten virgins is a good study here. The 'oil' for the lamps symbolizes UNDERSTANDING and here we can see a great portion being unprepared by understanding what God will do in the future.

The Bible is often simple with many similies from OT to NT
and is indeed the most precise and complicated instrument on earth. The study of prophecy is a very difficult regiment, and the vast majority of believers will probably choose a prophet to interpret for them, because it takes decades or longer to
sort out the subjects and identify the players in rleation to our early 21st Century.

Cordially,

Zeitgeist - the spirit of the time; or the spirit characteristic of an age or generation, such as ours.
Yes I am using it as "the spirit of the time."

To answer this question: Why Study Scripture?

We have to look at the two being asked.

Spiritual: Because He instructed us to seek the Truth.

Carnal: To find a loophole to save our buttocks.

Good stuff guys even old as Scripture itself (funny).

We have seen a lot of changes over the years and the links above have changed as well. While the content has not changed as we laid down a track record and paper trail (if you will) while we offered a fresh look at Scripture, the time is coming soon when a great battle between Religion and Scripture will erupt. Early still we invite all who desire to peek at portions, before they even make sense, to join us:

http://www.ubgone80 (http://www.ubgone80)
http://www.ubgone81 (http://www.ubgone81)
http://www.ubgone82 (http://www.ubgone82)

And while I visit so many forums and sites I may not remember the current rules and regulations concerning hyperlinks and such here, I only mean to invite and to share and not to promote. Please join us in linking this site there as well.

Good thread!

I see this is your first post, so WELCOME!


I hope that you enjoy Christians Unite.

Love In Christ,
Tom