Scripture Revealed

A Revelation of Jesus Christ – Revelation 1:1

Category: Prophecy

Preaching the Gospel – To the Whole World

Titus Arch in Rome - Prophecy in Matthew 24 - Destruction of the Temple in 70 AD
Titus Arch in Rome – Prophecy in Matthew 24 – Destruction of the Temple in 70 AD

A friend from India recently shared with me that he and his family were “Saint Thomas Christians”.  At the time I had not known that Saint Thomas had evangelized the nation of India.   I had assumed (wrongfully) that all Indians followed the Hindu religion or were perhaps Muslims.  The Saint Thomas Christians refer to themselves in this way because their tradition holds that their ancestors, who all came from the high castes of Hindu society, were converted by the Saint Thomas (the Apostle), who landed in India around 52 AD.  History tells us that Saint Thomas died a martyr’s death in India. Pilgrimages to his tomb have always been an important element in the religious life of the St Thomas Christian community.  So in the first century A.D., from its’ origin in Jerusalem, the gospel had reached the people living in far away India!  Saint Thomas was doing his part to spread the gospel of the kingdom throughout the world of his day.  Saint Thomas was fulfilling Jesus’ call to preach the gospel of the kingdom “in all the world for a (...)

The 70th Week of Daniel – A Gap?

Daniel's Answer To The King - Briton Rivière
Daniel’s Answer To The King – Briton Rivière

The Gap Theory

I’m sure most Christians are familiar with the debate about whether Jesus Christ will return for His church before, during or after the seven years of tribulation.  These three interpretations are referred to as the “pre-trib”, “mid-trib” and the “post-trib” views.  For years, yours truly got caught up in this debate.  During this entire period I never once asked the question “does the Bible teach that Daniel chapter 27 refers to a future seven-year period of tribulation” in the first place? 

Well, guess what I found?  Or should I say what I didn’t find?  What I haven’t found is any specific Bible text that predicts a future seven-year tribulation period.  Whether we are speaking of  a “pre,” “mid” or “post” return of Christ for His church, the entire “theory” is based on an interpretation of one primary scripture, Daniel 9:27. 

Here’s the Daniel 9:27 scripture:

Daniel 9:27 (KJV) – He shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease…

Many modern Bible prophecy teachers take great liberties in interpreting (...)

The Battle of Armageddon – Past or Future?

Catapulta, by Edward Poynter (1868). Siege engines such as this were employed by the Roman army during the siege.
Catapulta, by Edward Poynter (1868). Siege engines such as this were employed by the Roman army during the siege.

Many Christians have been taught that the Battle of Armageddon will be the greatest military conflict in history.  In this conflict, the armies of the world will gather to wage war against Christ in the Valley of Armageddon.  As the teaching goes, Christ will return to earth with His saints.  Christ will destroy the armies of “the Antichrist” with violent judgments and will set up a new world order at Jerusalem.  Reference to Armageddon is made in only one place in our Bibles – Revelation 16:16:

 Revelation 16:16 (KJV) – And he gathered them together into a place called in the Hebrew tongue Armageddon.

 Sell Books – Write About “Armageddon”!

 I did a quick search on the Amazon.com website for books and videos containing the word Armageddon.  The search yielded 293 hits!  The subject of Armageddon certainly is popular today.  You can be sure that any book or movie containing the word Armageddon will certainly grab the attention of an unsuspecting public.  While most of these works are classed as “fiction” the authors tend to believe that nonetheless, (...)

America In Bible Prophecy

Engraving of Daniel's vision of the four beasts in chapter 7 by Matthäus Merian, 1630
Engraving of Daniel’s vision of the four beasts in chapter 7 by Matthäus Merian, 1630

 

 

 

 

Is the United States of America found in prophecy?  Many prophecy teachers claim that the United States, Great Britain, Russian and other modern nations are mentioned in the Bible.  Most of these prophecy teachers place great importance on the “Beasts” found in Daniel 7:1-28.  Let’s look at a portion of these scriptures:

Daniel 7:3-7 (KJV) – And four great beasts came up from the sea, diverse one from another. The first was like a lion, and had eagle’s wings: I beheld till the wings thereof were plucked, and it was lifted up from the earth, and made stand upon the feet as a man, and a man’s heart was given to it.  And behold another beast, a second, like to a bear, and it raised up itself on one side, and it had three ribs in the mouth of it between the teeth of it: and they said thus unto it, Arise, devour much flesh. After this I beheld, and lo another, like a leopard, which had upon the back of it four wings of a

(...)

The Abomination of Desolation

The Siege and Destruction of Jerusalem, Painting by David Roberts (1850)
The Siege and Destruction of Jerusalem,
Painting by David Roberts (1850)

Have you ever heard the term “newspaper exegesis”?  What exactly is “newspaper exegesis”?  Well, it’s reading the news headlines into the Bible in an attempt to understand a prophetic scripture instead of letting the Bible speak for itself.  Quite honestly in years past I have been guilty of using “newspaper exegesis” in an attempt to interpret the prophetic word of God.

Olivet Discourse

A starting place for anyone studying prophecy is the Lord’s Olivet Discourse found in Matthew chapter 24.  A favorite past time of many Christians is to take verses in Matthew 24 out of context and then run over to newspapers (or the internet) to see which prophecy is being fulfilled that day.  A favorite topic is the “abomination of desolation.”.  This subject, along with the “Antichrist” and “The Mark of the Beast” is the subject of books that are selling by the millions.  So what should we think of all this?

First, the word “abomination” appears more than 100 times in the Old Testament and just a few times in the New Testament.  An “abomination” is normally a great sin which is usually (...)

The Great Tribulation

The Siege and Destruction of Jerusalem, Painting by David Roberts (1850)
                   The Siege and Destruction of Jerusalem,
                        Painting by David Roberts (1850)

One of the most difficult passages in the Bible is found in Matthew chapter 24. Referred to as the Olivet Discourse, this part of the Bible is the main jumping off point for a lot of the prophecy teachings regarding a period called “the end time” or “the last days.” Matthew 24 is a frightening scripture that mentions earthquakes, wars and rumors of wars, famines, and pestilences, among the few calamities in store for planet earth. As the teaching goes, all of these horrible things will be a sign that the “end of the world” is right around the corner.

Endtime Industry

Over the years, I began to realize that there is an entire industry that has grown up focusing on the “end time.” There are books, movies, conferences and seminars that support this area of Bible study. The basic pitch is that terrible stuff is coming! And why is that? Because they believe that the Bible tells them so. The pitchmen declare that they know best how to interpret all this apocalyptic imagery and symbolism. Of course, to avoid all this bad stuff you need to purchase their (...)

The Antichrist Deception

John the Apostle on Patmos, Painting by Jacopo Vignali
John the Apostle on Patmos, Painting by Jacopo Vignali

Over thirty years ago I got off track! How so you might ask. Well as a newly minted Christian I had a fascination with the “last days” and anything that had to do with the “end times”. One of the first books that I purchased, besides the Bible, was Hal Lindsey’s book, The Late Great Planet Earth. That book had a profound effect on the way that I interpreted Bible passages that I assumed dealt with the “end time”. The book was published in 1970 by Zondervan Publishing House. I picked up my copy in 1983, thirteen years after its original publication date. 28 million copies had sold by 1990. Did I bother to check the claims made in this book against the scriptures? Nope! Sure didn’t.  That is until a few short years ago!

Although Lindsey did not claim to know the dates of future events with any certainty, he suggested that Matthew 24:32-34 indicated that Jesus’ return might be within “one generation” of the rebirth of the state of Israel, and the rebuilding of the Jewish Temple. Lindsey asserted that “in the Bible” one generation is forty years. (...)

Shemitah – Secret to America’s Future?

Prophet Isaiah - painting by Antonio Balestra (18th century)
Prophet Isaiah – painting by Antonio Balestra (18th century)

The word “shemitah” has been making the rounds of Christian churches in America. However, what in the world is the “shemitah”? The word “shemitah” is a legal Biblical term. It originates in the Torah, the first five books of the Scriptures. Shemitah in Hebrew means a “legally permanent release”. The main idea of the word shemitah in the Hebrew means to “violently throw something down with force—to utterly destroy something”. God’s law commanded that every seventh year Israel must allow the land to rest completely. There was to be no harvesting, reaping or any other work in the fields. Also, creditors were to release all who owed money (Deut. 15:1-2). This was the shemitah (or “release” in Hebrew). However, what has all of this to do with America – the United States?

The idea of the “shemitah” was popularized by the “Messianic Christian Rabbi” Jonathan Cahn. Rabbi Cahn, a best-selling author, has written books on the subject of the “shemitah”. These include: The Harbinger, The Mystery of the Shemitah Unlocked and The Mystery of the Shemitah. I read The Harbinger: the (...)

The Book of Revelation – An Introduction

The Revelation
The Revelation

I’ve always had a fascination with the last book of the Bible, Revelation. Fascination mixed with a certain amount of fear and curiosity. My mind raced ahead to thoughts of therm-nuclear war, computer chips and the end of the world as we know it.

The book of Revelation, more than any other New Testament book, has been used to support any number of “end of the world” scenarios. Many view Revelation chapters 4 thru 20 as unfulfilled. Revelation is used to support beliefs found nowhere else in Scripture. For example, the one thousand years or millennium reign of Christ is mentioned only in Revelation 20:1-6. Also, those who hold the belief in separate resurrections turn to Revelation 20:1-6 as their proof texts.

The Nature of the Book

Revelation is undoubtedly a unique book. While considered part of the New Testament, it is different from other books of the New Testament. More importantly it is different from styles of writing used today. Revelation is apocalyptic. The word ‘revelation’ in Greek is apokalupsis, which means ‘an uncovering’ or ‘unveiling’. Thus, Revelation is a book that was intended to reveal, not conceal! The book is an example (...)

Are We in the Laodicean Church Age?

Seven Churches of Asia
The seven churches of Asia in stained glass in York Minster by John Thornton

For many years, I believed and taught that the seven churches mentioned in the second and third chapters of Revelation were sort of time clock of the church age in progress. I believed that God purposely selected them for a definite and distinct purpose: to give a complete picture of church history from the beginning to end. The last church the Lord Jesus Christ addressed was the church at Laodicea. The Laodicean church was the “lukewarm” church. Revelation 3:15 says it this way: “I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot”. This teaching regarding the “church ages” is part of dispensationalism. Dispensationalism is a Christian, Biblical interpretation that believes that God has related to human beings in different ways under different Biblical covenants in a series of “dispensations,” or periods in history. As a system, dispensationalism is expounded in the writings of John Nelson Darby (1800–82) and the Plymouth Brethren movement and propagated through works such as Cyrus Scofield’s Reference Bible.

I believed that the seven churches John writes to in the second and third chapters of Revelation are not just churches (...)

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