Many thousands of books have been written on Bible prophecy but none of the books totally agree with all the points of any of the others unless they were plagiarized. I am talking about serious students of God’s word. Let’s not even consider those false teachers that think they can interpret Bible prophecy through extra-biblical conjectures.
Have you ever wondered why so many Bible prophecy teachers that study God’s word cannot agree on major points of eschatology? Maybe it is by design. Maybe God does not intend for anyone to know just how everything will literally play out. After all, if the rulers of the age had known that the death of Jesus on the Cross would defeat them, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory (1Co 2:8).
That was just one example of why God does not make things easy for those wise in their own eyes to know His plan. Remember, that Jesus spoke in parables so that the sons of the Devil leading Israel would not understand what He was teaching (Lu 8:10).
Similarly, the Lord does not want the beings that are now ruling over the nations to know things that are still veiled. If they knew how things would play out, they would attempt to change things so that it could not happen as written. With the plain reading of the scriptures that they had access to, the Satanic rulers of the world did try to do that in Old Testament times. Even so, the plain reading of scriptures did not give them understanding. There were mysteries hidden in God’s word that they could not understand. That continues today.
If the satanic rulers actually knew when the Day of the Lord would take place, they would be better prepared to oppose God’s angels that will carry out His plan. Before any good king goes to war against an enemies kingdom he will first secretly remove subjects loyal to him so that they will not be held hostage (Rapture). He will then kick out of his own kingdom those with loyalty to the enemy so they will not be subversive (Rev 12 7-9).
1Th 5:4 indicates that unbelievers will be in darkness and the Day of the Lord will come upon them as a thief. It says they will be saying peace and security at that time. Jesus said it would be like in the days of Noah and the days of Lot. The people were totally unaware that judgment was coming. It came suddenly and unexpectedly.
There is a distinction in that text for believers. It says that believers would not be in darkness that this day should overtake them as a thief. Obviously then, true believers will know the general time and be watching and waiting for their redemption. However, the world will be totally clueless. That is the condition of the unbelieving world today.
Much of the fine details of how the Day of the Lord will play out will probably escape believers but all the details of scripture will be fulfilled exactly as God intended for them to be fulfilled. That is not necessarily the way that Bible prophecy teachers presumes that it will.
Many Bible prophecy teachers are really watchmen on the wall. These make a mistake to think that seeing dust on the horizon qualifies them to give the Church all the future battle details.
I have to laugh when I watch so-called Bible prophecy experts teach their own presumptions as if they were gospel truth. Many of the “experts” agree on nothing except that the time is short and that they need to sell people something. They all see a battle is coming against the forces of darkness but each one contrives their own unique script to sell.
One prime example is Jack Van Impe. I don’t mean to pick on Jack but he is the most watched Bible prophecy teacher on the media. Van Impe is a watchmen that has warned people for decades. That is commendable. However, Van Impe has also taught the details of how it will all play out for well over fifty years. However, his details of how it will play out and when, continue to be consistently wrong. He takes scriptures out of context to make them fit his own opinions and presumptions.
In a recent program, I observed that Van Impe taught that the Ezekiel 38 war, the Psalm 83 war, the Kings of the East invasion and Armageddon will all be fulled as Russia invades Israel. I do not see any such presumption being taught anywhere in scripture.
In other words what Jack is saying is contrived from his own presumptions. I guess the biblically illiterate will not know the difference. However, if Christians actually read the biblical texts that Van Impe quotes with its context, they should see that Jack is mixing apples and oranges (different events) to vend out his latest concoction that the tribulation starts next year and that Russia is now ready to start it all.
That presumption of Van Impe started not long after Russia formed the Soviet Union, but, when the Soviet Union did not work out, the presumption was transferred to Putin. Russia could come down against Israel at some point but Van Impe’s presumptions about how these events play out does not make much sense from the biblical text.
There are hundreds of other examples of Bible prophecy teachers that teach their presumptions and contrived opinions as if they were infallible truths. I might even seem to do it myself at times, but usually I am giving an argument for what I believe, or just presenting a thought-provoking argument for people to chew on. I usually am not being dogmatic. If I am, take it with a grain of salt. Much of Bible prophecy is not as cut and dry as most Bible prophecy teachers lead you to believe.
It seems that once an author publishes a book on Bible prophecy, it then is defended by the author as if his teaching were inerrant truth. Have you ever had a Bible prophecy author tell you that what he had taught was wrong? There are a few, but they are very rare. More often a sequel will follow that just says the same thing in different words.
I have news. Those that teach Bible prophecy have the same texts that are available to everyone else. Their interpretations are not infallible. Not even close! They might sound convincing until someone else comes along that sounds more convincing. Anyone that claims to know everything about Bible prophecy is not someone who Christians should be believing.
Perhaps God has not made Bible prophecy perfectly clear in scripture because He did not want to make it perfectly clear. The different possible interpretations are probably there for a reason. That also may be true of other conflicting theologies. People get too presumptions. They tend to put God in a box that really is a box of their own design.
Here are a couple of examples of how we can be presumptuous: Does the Bible teach a pre-trib Rapture when all in the Church are removed from the earth? If so, then why is only one of the seven church types mentioned in Revelation as being kept out of the tribulation (Rev 3:10)?
What was unique to that Church type is that they were watching and waiting for the Lord’s return and they were pleasing God. The same can be said about the pre-flood types. Enoch was taken alive to heaven before the flood judgment because he was walking with God. The rest died in the flood but a few were delivered through the flood to repopulate the earth. The same thing will happen in the Day of the Lord judgement.
I am not suggesting a partial Rapture of the Body of Christ. I am suggesting that many calling themselves believers are not in the spiritual Body of Christ at all at the time of the Rapture. They will not go in it. They are not walking with God like Enoch. There is no Holy Spirit in them. Yet, many of these will be saved but through the fires of the tribulation. Are believers in the tribulation part of the Church even though they missed the Rapture? That seems likely. The pre-trib Rapture view is correct and so is the view that believers will go through the tribulation. Both will happen. What you believe about the timing of it comes from your own perspective.
Suppose Abraham believed that the promises to him would be fulfilled even if He rejected what YHWH told Him to do. Would YHWH still have made Abraham the Father of all people of faith even if Abraham rebelled against YHWH after the initial promise was given? I think not. I think YHWH would have started over with someone else like He threatened to do with Moses.
The Sons of Abraham were to be a unique nation of priests that trusted in God and lived by faith. They were to be a light to the nations. God never would have tolerated rebels. He proved that in Exodus. All descendants of Jacob were given the promise but those that rebelled against God in the desert never lived to see the promised land. Of course this is all hypothetical, God knew Abraham would be the father of His people of faith before the foundation of the earth. Yet, predestination and free will are both true. If Abraham had rebelled against God, He would have reaped the consequences.
One of the reasons for contradicting theologies that all seem to be founded on scripture is that they may be necessary. The ways of God are not man’s ways. We should not be too presumptions about anything. God will not be put in a human made box. He does what He pleases. Don’t presume that you will be one of those saved by YHWH if you are one of those rebelling against Him.
Likewise, we should not assume that we will be going in a pretribulation Rapture if we confessed Jesus with our mouth but love in our heart what God condemns.
You might keep in mind that YHWH of the OT and Jesus are the same being. YHWH did not need to become flesh in order to have a social intervention to make Him become more merciful to humans. He was always merciful. Jesus showed us God. He did not modify or replace God. Jesus is not the softer feminized version of God that we find in many churches.
Don’t assume that you can reject YHWH and be one of the sons of disobedience and still be saved because you said the sinners prayer. This is man’s thinking, it is not God’s thinking. As the scripture says, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling because if God did not spare the angels that sinned He might not spare you either if you are found to be in rebellion against Him.
So what am I saying? I do not have a clue, but, I think it needs to be said. Certainly, Jesus will save those that put their trust in Him, but don’t be too presumptions about His choice to do that. You have to choose to receive Jesus as your Lord and that choice requires some degree of obedience to Him as your Lord even if you tend to be brain-dead.
It is the same with Bible prophecy. God will follow the script that He wrote, but He may not follow the script that Bible prophecy teachers wrote when they interpreted and contrived theories about what He wrote. Do your best to sort out conflicts and theologies but don’t presume that you are the only Christian doing it or that God is required to act according to any of our presumptions. One might choose to believe something that others just cannot buy. That is okay. We are not going to agree on all things.
If some of the modern media Bible prophecy teachers believed half of what they teach about the end coming in the next year or two they would not be asking for money to help build their Bible prophecy empire and they would not be now writing or planning their sequels. They do Bible Prophecy speculation for a living. Being wrong is not going to stop most of them.
Let’s give charity to those that might not see things the way some of us presumptions people just know it has to happen. We even could have it wrong. It could be that conflicting views give different aspects of the same truth. And that God wanted that ambiguity in the scriptures so the sons of the Devil will remain totally confused and lost and never come to the knowledge of salvation or the knowledge of the events of the Heir’s coming to take possession of the earth.
Now are you totally confused? I know I am after watching a number of Bible prophecy teachers on YouTube.
Wow. You hit the nail right on the head. I like what you said about keeping the sons of the Devil confused. I guess, if Satan knew everything that was going to happen, he would try desperately to stop them.
However, I believe that God is Sovereign enough that His plan would be fulfilled down to the minute detail, even if the enemy knows the plan. God planned for Jesus Christ to be our Savior and Lord all the way back in Genesis and even before the foundation of the world. Satan is much smarter than we are and probably understands Scripture better than we can and in the end God’s plan was fulfilled; Jesus Christ came to set us free and bought us with his precious blood. Nothing can stop God’s Divine plan. Praise God! We serve an awesome and amazing God!! Marantha, Lord Jesus!
That’s why I only follow a select few prophecy teachers. Jack Impe is a good man, but not a good prophecy teacher. I stopped listening to his opinions long ago. Speaking of that, I noticed a growing trend where previously pre trib teachers/pastors are turning post trib and I have no idea why.
I do agree with you that God doesn’t want us to know exact details of end time events. Maybe it’s because we won’t be here anyway for the tribulation idk. One example is the missing timelines in the Bible such as how long Adam was in the garden. If we knew this we could pin down the end of the 6000 year age of man easier…
I believe much of the church is trusting in their own righteousness for salvation instead of the righteousness that comes by faith in Christ. I see so much pride and self righteousness that it has to be. Most are still saving themselves by keeping the law, instead of obeying the law because they love Jesus. It is the Pharisee system all over again. Most have departed from the true faith and believe their own righteousness is what saves them.
They add all these extra biblical rules and regulations to create their own sanctity before a holy God. Some even believe they are sinless. But there has only been one person that ever walked the face of this earth that was sinless, and we are not Him.
These people believe that they can make themselves good enough to go to heaven on their own righteousness and give lip service to Jesus. They remind me of the Pharisee and the tax collector.
These are the ones that will say “Lord Lord, we have done all these good works in your name. We did not drink, smoke, go to movies, dance, or watch tv. We tithed 10% of all we had, we were in church every time the doors were open, and surely you will see our good works and commend us to heaven on our own righteousness.And the Lord said, depart from me I never knew you. Legalism is so rampant in the church that most believe they are saved by living a sinless life and have never trusted in Jesus finished work on the cross.
I have no idea if these people are saved or not. Only God knows for sure as He is the only one who knows the hearts of the people.
But they are so righteous in themselves and do not see themselves as sinners saved by the grace and mercy of God by Jesus finished work on the cross. The bible says if we say we have no sin, we are liars and the truth is not in us. So even though we love God we will never be righteous like He is, and our attempts to make our selves righteous enough to go to heaven is not trusting in Jesus to save us. Most are trying to climb up some other way than through the finished work of Christ. True believers are like Paul and know they have no righteousness of their own, and that true righteousness can only come by faith in Christ. True believers are humble people, but pride and self righteousness are in most believing that their own works will merit them heaven. They strain at gnats and swallow camels and show contempt for every little thing we do.
Those that are truly saved have been born again by the Spirit and walk by faith. The letter of the law kills the spirit of grace. These people have not love for God or people. They love their own righteousness more than they love God and people. Some have a great knowledge of what the bible says, but they do not understand it. But, I am still not one to judge as I cannot know their hearts. Some of these doctrines of men have been taught in the church for so long that no one will believe they are not saved by keeping the rules. But the bible clearly teaches that no one will be saved by keeping the law. And those that believe they can I just do not believe are true believers. If we could keep the law then Jesus died in vain. But true believers have the spirit of God in them to lead them into righteousness and walk in the spirit and not in the flesh.
Most do not believe that you can be saved without works and so do works to earn their salvation. True believers do good works because they love Jesus for what He has done for us, and we love others because He loved us first. We do not expect everyone to be perfect as we are not perfect either. We all have our weaknesses and have to depend on Jesus. Some believe that turning from sin to God is what saves them, and leave Jesus clear out. Matthew 15:7-9 seems to fit.
Wow..nice. Went U-tubing today huh. lol yea I did that lately too. I find the sincerity of most people charming even though sometimes they can be inaccurate, usually more often but their hearts in the right place. (I’m mostly referring to regular people, not ‘professionals’ so much)
Keeping the enemy guessing & the rest of us. But we are close. Amen.
Have u ever wrote on the gap theory in Gen 1:1-2 ?
Thanks Don, Nice work
The general confusion is why I only follow a select few prophecy teachers such as you and Hal Lindsey, its always a joy to see your takes on things Don, and I hope you have a wonderful weekend.
God Bless.
Bill,
Not just today. I have been watching various Bible prophecy teachers that are on YouTube for a couple of weeks.
The gap theory contradicts scripture. There are plenty of people on the Internet that have already written about the problem and get it correct.
Hey Don,
Did u leave any comments below of those Bible prophecy u-tubers? It would be cool to see your comments straightening them out.
Bill,
I have better things to do with my life. Besides, I don’t necessarily disagree with a lot of what is said on these programs and I am not claiming that I always know better.
My point was that there is little agreement among these so called Bible prophecy experts. Much of what is so dogmatically taught by many Bible Prophecy teachers is contrived by reading into scriptures what is not really said just because that interpretation fits the narrative that they are selling. You should be aware of that.
You take the time listen to these guys but it’s a waste of time to leave a comment in the comment section? Is that what u mean by u got better things to do w your life? I’m just trying to understand what u meant by u got better things to do, bro.
That’s how I listen to various people around. I take things w/ a grain of salt, keep what resonates w/ me & suspend what doesn’t. Let the Holy Spirit speak.
As far as the gap theory I use a different type of gap theory that I know works by applying a set of rules which allows me to capitalize on the market which as long as I make my quota I can pick my nose all day & end my day profitable.
God bless my man
Bill,
Obviously comments are very important for those people that have time to waste to read and make comments on YouTube. I have better things to do with my time like answering your comments right here among a hundred other things.
I do not even know how to comment on YouTube and could care less about comments.
No disrespect to anyone commenting here, but comments on most sites are nothing but a waste of everyone’s time. Almost nobody even reads them. People delude themselves to think otherwise. After the first few comments the trolls always manage to get the comments into a spitting contest. Everyone knows that and that is why sites are giving up on even allowing comments. Many sites monitor their comments and they do not allow comments that they do not like. What a waste a time it would be to write a long comment and not have it posted. Just ask sps.
I have not even watched YouTube before last month because at the old place I did not have the bandwidth for video. I did not even know that these Bible prophecy teachers existed on it. I am not sure that all of them know that they exist on it. I doubt if all these uploads of their programs are pre-approved.
At the new location YouTube just happens to be the only free thing that I can get on my smart TV internet connection so I am stuck with it until I think it is worthwhile to pay to watch something. No. I cannot get over the air TV here.
Do you think I should comment on the westerns on YouTube because I also watched that fiction?
Should I use an alias when I comment on YouTube or should I open myself up to being slandered?
Should I pick apart every point when I comment on a program or should I just make a general statement like I think so-and-so is pulling stuff out of his butt?
Is sarcasm like you use here acceptable on Youtube?
Help me out here.
I tell you what. I will waste my time to comment on the site of Bible prophecy teachers when those teachers take the time to comment on mine.
Okay, I hear yea. sorry I got a little sarcastic I mistakenly thought u meant to be suggestive w/ the waste of time stuff. You r right that it’s a waste of time reading those, though.
Can’t u get direct TV ? U probably can but don’t think TV’s worth it.
Speaking of westerns, The Rifleman is a good one.
welcome to sodom and Gomorrah, the canadian supreme court has legalized sex with animals. we live in bizarre and sickening times. This is proof we are living in the times of noah and sodom period.
“So what am I saying? I do not have a clue, but, I think it needs to be said.”
Don, I like you and very much enjoy reading your blog. You are sincere and I know you have the Holy Spirit by reading your stuff. There are so many professional pastors who just cannot fathom that our salvation is truly based on faith alone. So many of them seem to want to improve Yashua’s salvation plan by adding a works requirement.
You also admit that you are most likely not accurate in all that you sumise regarding prophecy. I respect and appreciate you for this humble approach.
Your sense of humor is perhaps as robust as mine. If your ever in Arizona shoot me an email so I can take you out for a steak dinner.
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Jim wrote, ” I noticed a growing trend where previously pre trib teachers/pastors are turning post trib and I have no idea why.”
Could the motivation for pastors to choose to believe post trib be so they can then say anything they want and believe anything they want? Within post trib belief, all of the bible prophecy stuff already occurred if I am not mistaken. So if this were correct, they can then jump on the Dominion bandwagon without running the risk of being incorrect about bible prophesy. About three years ago I heard a popular local pastor say that when us Christians get the world in good enough shape that is when Jesus will come back. I knew that was incorrect when I heard it, but did not know about Dominion stuff back then. Now I suspect he is into Dominion theory.
James I agree with your comment above about the rampant self-righteousness in the institutional churches.
Hi,
I pay attention to prophecy because that explains the times we are living in. Without prophecy, I’d be at a loss as to the insanity of the world. It may not be THE strong delusion, but there sure is delusion that makes me scratch my head and wonder what’s going on.
So, I pay attention to these blogs and follow the comments, especially Don’s responses (at least he takes the time and effort to be engaged and responsive, let alone moderate where due — and it is necessary), because scripture / prophecy without “watchmen” is a challenge.
Plus, those of us that are saved / genuine, and reading THE Word and focused on THE Truth (not conjecture), are all in this together until the time of the rapture or the removal of America, (more than likely) whichever comes first.
Blessings.
I get the feeling that the reason for the defection from the Pre-Mil/Pre-Trib view is more than just wanting to sell more books, cd’s, videos, etc. I get the distinct impression that, deep down, a lot of these teachers really don’t believe that Salvation IS a gift without the need for works, and they have to rationalize some other formula needed to get to Heaven. The primary argument I keep hearing is “Well, what about the early church maryters, or the people being martyred today? Are we as a church any better or deserve some special treatment to avoid persecution, trials, pain, etc.? Don’t we have to go through the fires as well?” Well, I don’t know about you, but the last time I checked, “tribulations and trials” versus “THE TRIBULATION” were two distinctly different things. Jesus said we WOULD go through the former, but He sure didn’t say the latter. I may have said it before, but I get the distinct impression that some of these people feel the need to go “all Rambo” against the AC and are actually WANTING that fight to start. Good luck with that. There AIN’T NO WAY you can store enough supplies or prevail against what Jesus said was gonna be the worst times this world has ever seen. It would seem to me that actually being saved would make more sense. Duh! I am NOT saying you shouldn’t have provisions for the time prior to that, but if those times are going to be as bad as Jesus said, I really can’t fathom how He would leave you here lonely and needy as a red-headed stepchild. Just my 2bits worth.
Sorry, but I left out a point. When the topic of maryters are brought up, it leads me to ask a question…were they(or we) saved by the actions of Jesus, or from the amount of pain and suffering one indured? Don’t get me wrong…the level of courage and fortitude martyers old and new exhibited and exhibit now is unbelieveable, but without the acceptance of the gift Jesus gave us, it doesn’t mean a thing. No matter HOW foul the going gets. At least that is how I understand things. Because if we are judged by our behavior versus the actions of the martyers, we deserve FAR WORSE PUNISHMENT considering how putrid this world has become. Thank God my salvation ISN’T contigent upon me.
Michael angelo,
I agree that many post tribbers have this idea that we must equally suffer persecution or else we are somehow not worthy. Most who call themselves Christian believe in some type of faith through works salvation.
It is obvious by what has happened in Orlando, that we are living in very perilous times. I know that presumption can get us into trouble, however; Gods word is certainly the only guideline we need, and as his word states that our wisdom is foolishness to Him. Trying to rationalize God is a waste of time, just knowing who he is, and that he came in the flesh as the Lord Jesus is enough for me. I do have many questions but nothing that leaves doubt about the Lord of Salvation, not just wishing that he says who is is, but knowing that he is the Great I AM.
worst shooting in american history this is insane
About as insane as the Left that thinks Islam is sane. They will now blame it on the guns rather than the ideology of hate that causes true belivers of Islam to murder people. Its only going to get worse because the world still denies the root of the evil.
I hope the homosexual community will finally see the threat and use their voice to sound the alarm. I would not hold my breath though. They already prove that they are not rational people.
In regard to the Orlando terrorist shooting, I think it is two-fold…
One, sure, it is Islam’s way of showing their intolerance for anything against their religious ideologies.
But, even more so, it is another staple for them to say, “we are here and everywhere and are going to take over”.
I’m not saying they will be successful in their world caliphate ambitions, I’m just saying that these are statements being made by a religious ideology that is intent on world caliphate dominance.
And, as Don just said, it is going to get much, much worse…and could surely be the demise of many nations unless nations take a strong stand against this world wide terrorist threat…which at this point isn’t happening and is nowhere close to happening.
Sorry to overstate the obvious.
Don,
In regard to this article, once again you tell blatant truths that most in the Christian media will not touch, this is a great article that again promotes your readers to think.
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“Jesus is not the softer feminized version of God that we find in many churches.”
I’ve heard it said by some pastors that this silly notion of Jesus being a softer, kinder side of God is ludicrous as Jesus spoke more about Hell than He did in the entire Old Testament.
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In regard to Jack and the other prophecy teachers…
I do watch Jack Van Impe every week, while I know better than to get too hung up on some of his conjecture and predictions, Jack usually does have some compelling news that I was not aware of that at least gives me a starting point for research.
Jack is not all wrong in my opinion on his perspective of active world events…he makes good rationale arguments against Islam that I rarely hear anyone else make.
Hal Lindsey, from what I gather now, firmly believed at one time that Jesus would return in 1988…I looked at his point at the time and it was compelling, not only for the presumed 40 year generation from Israel’s declared statehood of May 15, 1948…but there were a lot of good arguments in favor of it….hey, I admit it, as a young Christian, I might have bought into it also at the time, however, I was not aware of it.
Edgar Whisenant even wrote a book, “88 Reasons Why The Rapture (or Jesus) Will Return in 1988″….and like you said in this article Don, he followed it up with sequels.
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Don, I think you are challenging your readers in this article to be wise and not fall for these false predictions…I know without a doubt that I have benefitted greatly and become much wiser thanks to you and your articles over the last 5+ years.
Thanks ~David,
I would not watch Jack Van Impe if I did not think he had some things to offer. He keeps up with current affairs. He also does preach the gospel and He tells it like it is about Islam and other things that others will not touch. I often wonder why the media even stills allows him to buy air time. I guess money is still the most high god there.
Actually, Hal Lindsey did not firmly believe that Jesus would return in 1988, as you said. Lindsey thought that was the latest date for the second coming because of his interpretation of the Fig Tree parable. Lindsey also believes in a pre-trib Rapture so at the time of the writing of “The Late Great Planet Earth”, Lindsay thought the Rapture would happen sometime before 1981. He was not dogmatic about that date but that is the deduction many people made from what he taught. By the way, Jack Van Impe taught the same thing.
I bought into their thinking in the 70’s and later I bought into Grant Jeffery’s conjectures with his “Armageddon Appointment With Destiny”, with timelines that all pointed to no later than 1999. Live and learn.
I say God bless all of our Bible prophecy teachers because they make us sit up and take notice and think seriously about what is going on in this world. Individually they may not have all the correct answers or interpretations. But taken as a whole, a person who is familiar with their Bible can glean enough information to come up with their own conclusions. I have followed Hal Lindsey for a long time, read his books, and even though he’s been wrong on some things, I still think he is a fantastic Bible teacher. By the way, Don, I think your analysis of the timeline of the second coming is as good an attempt as possible to lay it all out for us without being dogmatic about it. That’s why my personal “feeling” is that the rapture could occur within the next five years, which gives a good 10-year-plus period for all the prophecies to be fullfilled. We all know that we can’t possibly know God’s exact timeline. But we can certainly know “the season.”
Something tells me “the season” is upon us. The mass shooting in Orlando is just an inkling of what is yet to come for America. I think Christians should be forewarned that we are going to be included in this insanity called Radical Islam. They hate us too you know. I have finally received my carry permit and I am carrying my gun to church, and I’m not the only one. We are right on a highway where anyone could come in and massacre us.
I have been wrestling with the option to carry my gun on my person. I’m not really a gun nut and before this weekend I thought I just didn’t feel comfortable wearing a gun. However, something tells me things have changed. I have joined an organization called “Armed Lady” and we meet monthly to receive instructions on gun safety, etc., and spend time shooting on a gun range. If you’re going to carry a gun, you need to know how and when to use it. I will be asking for advice on what kind of holster to use, because I think I will start carrying as a matter of routine.
Don, thank you for writing your blogs. And, thank you for all the information you have on your website. We need you.
Thanks Linda,
I agree that collectively most Bible prophecy teachers are useful even if their conjectures prove to be wrong. It is much like other theologies, one has to hear all the arguments to come to the best conclusions. I also am a fan of Hal Lindsey. His “Late Great Planet Earth book” is what got me interested in Bible prophecy in the first place.
The gun free zones will continue to be easy targets for the Jihadists but the delusional left thinks we should all be defenseless and dependent on the state. We just saw what happens when you rely on a big city police force for your self defense.
I you look at mass shootings in the US almost all of them are either radical Islamists or depressed loner types in school. Of course you have to include black gang violence. These three account for the huge majority of these crimes. A smart government would focus on these areas.
Jim,
That is true. If you eliminate the inner city violence in cities that already have strict gun control the murder rate in the U.S. is lower than that in Europe.
Hey Don,
you mentioned sinners prayer and reminded me of this sermon which is the hardest message I have ever heard on the American church. I am only pasting a small portion of the 1hr sermon but now you have access to Youtube you can watch the rest if wanted but I promise this section will not disappoint. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=79h7RnmDMEY
Great preaching! Thanks for posting.
Makes the point about turning away from sin and repenting continuously and that there is a righteous hatred.. I love children I hate apportion. u will kno them by their fruit.
Also w/ the Orlando shooting we need to have 50/20 vision. Gen. 50:20
Be careful here. You might want to check out Paul Washer’s theology before you promote him or buy into all of what he teaches. Passion does not necessary make someone’s theology correct. Here is a fair link on Paul Washer. Also read the comments.
http://www.patheos.com/blogs/jesuscreed/2010/09/06/who-is-paul-washer-john-frye/
By the way, I do not believe that Washer would believe in dispensational premillennial theology.
Here is another view.
http://www.jesus-is-savior.com/Wolves/paul_washer.htm
And another.
https://www.discerningtheworld.com/2010/04/20/paul-washer-practice-the-presence-silence-and-meditation/
Thanks for the links Don. Something felt a little off as I watched that 10 minute clip. I appreciate the balance you bring.
It’s definitely a jungle out there. Thank the Lord for discernment.
I’m listening to ‘How permanent is your salvation’ from your last link. Thanks for that post.
I agree Don on Paul Washer, he has condemned most every Christian in America but your comment on sinners prayer reminded me of that video. I will check out your links for further education and thanks as always. Oh yeah, I was catching up on your 2 last posts last night and my hunting club is in west central Alabama (nuff said) we have the luxury of several different food sources (fish, deer, hogs, small game) plus most importantly spring water source that has never stopped flowing and small human population. The feds would never consider this target. I started prepping after 911 but as my relationship with the Lord grew and through almost daily Bible study I now rest in the security in Revelation 3:10 whether through Rapture or the protections God provided in Daniel 3.
Don,
I think this current article is a perfect time for me to address a specific someone who I have found quite disturbing.
It is in regard to a Mr. Alex Jones at Infowars.
He is obviously a conspiracy theorist but also claims to have Biblical knowledge and foresight, which I don’t agree with at all.
I have seen some compelling supposedly Christian themed titles on YouTube that do not on its surface link to Infowars, I start watching it and very tricky and tactfully, it turns out to be Alex Jones Mumbo-Jumbo…in which case, I immediately turn it off.
I think he’s off his rocker, personally, and I don’t agree with his Biblical point of view at all.
Can I ask, what is your view of Mr. Alex Jones ?
Don & All,
I hope this is appropriate to say here.
I just watched a phenomenal prophetic show on YouTube from Dr. David Reagan of ChristInProphecy.
It is titled “The End Times Focus On Israel”….Part 1 & 2.
If anyone wants to see Jesus and His Word in Prophetic Action, just watch this.
Made my heart jump for joy and put a big smile on my face ; )
~David
Anyone is going to have to be very discerning if they are going to follow Alex Jones. Some of what he says is useful to know but a lot of what he says is tin foil hat stuff and fabrications. Why does Jones get away with saying things others would not get away with? It might even be because he is a plant for misdirection.
Yeah Don,
With what little I’ve seen of Alex Jones, he makes me think I should wear a tin foil hat so that the Council of Foreign Relations, The illuminati, The Trlateral Commission, and The Bilderbergs can’t read my brain waves ?
That might be entertaining.
Bill I removed your last comment.
For everyone’s information links put on this blog should have something to do with the post topic. This is not a board for posting links to whatever you found on the Internet that rocks your boat. I certainly do not think that gutter language is appropriate on a Christian blog. Bill I will tell you once again to read my commenting policy if you really want your future comments to be posted.
Don, I read it this time. Sorry about that, I’ll stay on topic & observe the language policy.
My son told me last night that he was talking to some black militants on the streets of Las Vegas and this is what they told him-in a nutshell.
They know the end is near. White people are descended from Esau and can’t be saved. They are coming for us soon (whites) and are going to torture us first then kill us.
My son didn’t ask them who their prophecy guru is.
Caitlan Lane,
That almost sounds like something that the Louis Farrakhan types in our world would promote.
I know using Biblical names and Scriptural passages with a dose of insanity to promote hate isn’t new and I guess in our current day of anarchy and violence, it’s not a surprise either.
Dear Don i am outraged that the so called lgbt is so deeply embedded in their narcissistic egp driven agenda that promotes their sheer idiocy and idiotic lack of vision that they are both incapable and unwilling to DENOUNCE ISLAM AND THEIR PEDOPHILE MOHAMED AS THE ONE AND ONLY ENEMY OF WESTERN CIVILIZATION THOUGHT AND JUDEO CHRISTIAN VALUES AND CREED HOWEVER BOTH THE DEMOCRAT AND REPUBLICAN PARTIES ARE BLIND WILLFULLY AND DELIBERATELY TO THE DIABOLICAL AND PERVERSE ISLAMIC CULT LETS ALSO NOT FORGET THAT THE HOMOSEXUAL COMMUNITY AT LARGE IS LARGELY ANTI ISRAEL ANTI ZIONONISM TO THE EXTENT OF ALIGNING WITH THE PALESTINIAN ISLAMIC TERRORISTS THAT SEEK ISRAELS DEMISE THAT BEING SAID THE US ELECTED FOR 8 YEARS THE GREATEST FRAUD AND MOST HYPOCRTICAL CREATURE AS THEIR COMMANDER IN CHIEF ALSO A SWORN ENEMY OF ISRAEL AND CHRISTIANITY I HAVE MO SYMPATHY FOR GROUPS OR INDIVIDUALS THAT ARE MASSACRED BY ISLAMISYS AND STILL RISE IN DEFENSE OF ISLAM THEY HAVE WHAT THEY DESERVE BOTH THE US AND EUROPE WILLREAP WHAT THEY SOW!!!
David,
It does sound a bit like Farrakhan but I don’t read up on him so I don’t know all that he spouts. I did wonder if these militants were converts to Islam or just some other white hate group.The next time I talk to Robin (my son) I’ll ask if he got more information than what he told me. I’m just curious.
I feel like there’s a race on to see who gets me first. I hope it’s Jesus because I don’t care for the other options. lol
Caitlin,
Some of this might come from the teaching of Black Muslims but the root of whites being a race that came from the Devil and blacks being the chosen people that will soon throw off the yoke of white oppression really comes from the heresy of Black Liberation Theology.
Their Jesus is black and He come from a different line than the one that you will read in your Bible. Their Jesus is not the Jesus of the Bible.
By the way, Jeremiah Wright taught Black Liberation Theology. That explains Obama and his wife.
Dear Don i would value your insight and opinion in regard to my most recent message dated june 18
Don,
In my life, even as a young Christian, I fought a lot about this nonsense of Jesus being black African or even worse….by the white supremacists thinking people, that Jesus was in any way white Caucasian ethnicity.
These are people who obviously have next to zero Biblical knowledge and even less brain power…another case of manipulating Scripture to endear ones psychotic hate agenda…from both sides.
As you have pointed out many times, Jesus WAS NOT visually the Norwegian portrayal as seen in popular pairings of past and present.
Jesus was not black (African) or white or Norwegian, he was a Hebrew Nazarene…it is my understanding especially in that time period and in that region that Jesus very likely had dark skin but that in no way indicates a black African ethnicity.
I do not know a lot about all these cultist beliefs, however, I view Black Liberation Theology as in the same camp as White Supremacy…just more excuse to incite hate and division.
BTW, I am a white caucasian and I have fought plenty of times against those, including my own flesh and blood, about their white supremacist anti-black African thinking…I think many whites even to this day are following a creed of hate as taught to them by erroneous prejudice hate thinking.
Jesus loves and values the souls of the black, white, and all peoples…that is enough for me.
To Helmer,
I will let Don speak for himself, of course, however I have something to add in regard to your comment.
It is sad that the LGBT community has chosen abominable behavior and Islamic supporting political positions instead of seeking Jesus Christ in my opinion.
Liberal, blinded “we are the world” thinking is not new.
As a matter of fact, since the Orlando massacre, some in the homosexual community are all of the sudden supporting Trump…look it up as a general Internet search.
But why are you targeting just the LGBT community ?
The things you mentioned in your comment are not exclusive to the LGBT community, the blinded support of Islam by misinformed people, the anti-semitism, the love of sin, the defiance against Jesus…is Global, and even amplified right here in the USA.
While it is true, from what I understand, that Islam does specifically target homosexuals…Islam has made it clear that they can and will target ALL those who do not conform to their satanic beliefs, homosexual or not…yet, many still blindly support Islamic rights by many peoples and by people in high governing offices globally.
So, my question to you Helmer is why are you targeting just the LGBT in your comment ?
I think you and ~David have departed from the post topic so I will not be commenting other than to say to try to stay on the post topic.
Good article Don,
One enormously erroneous (in my studies of Scripture) presumption presented by Preachers of Prophecy (and by extension, the Church itself) is how the unholy trinity counterfeits the Trinity.
The current model is that Satan is the unholy counterpart to God the Father, the Antichrist is the unholy counterpart to God the Son, and the False Prophet is the unholy counterpart to God the Holy Spirit.
I see a slight flaw in this teaching that dramatically changes the relational dynamic between these members. Could Satan actually be the unholy counterpart to God the Holy Spirit? This correction would make the False Prophet the earthly father of the Antichrist.
Then who would be the counterpart of God the Father?
The False Prophet. Below is the Biblical evidence excerpted from my first chapter of the book I wrote based upon this one Scriptural alternative that I distribute for free called: Correcting the Corrupt Counterfeit Counterparts
Re-examining the Relationship With Respect to the Current Church Doctrine of the Unholy Trinity
“What is the unholy trinity in the end times?” The current teaching in the majority of the Church is: “A common tactic of Satan is to imitate or counterfeit the things of God in order to make himself appear to be like God. What is commonly referred to as the “unholy trinity,” described vividly in Revelation 12 and 13, is no exception. The Holy Trinity consists of God the Father, the Son Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit. Their counterparts in the unholy trinity are Satan, the Antichrist, and the False Prophet… Satan is the anti-God, the Beast is the anti-Christ, and the False Prophet is the anti-Spirit.”1
Satan = unholy father
Antichrist = unholy son
False Prophet = unholy spirit
After years of study, I see a slight flaw in this understanding of the order of the unholy trinity. Could Satan actually be the unholy counterpart to God the Holy Spirit? This correction would make the False Prophet the earthly father of the Antichrist. So the corrupt counterfeit counterparts would be:
False Prophet = unholy father
Antichrist = unholy son
Satan = unholy spirit / spiritual father
This Doctrinal adjustment is equally applicable for those scholars who advocate the minority view of the supernatural origin of the Antichrist, such as Arthur W. Pink, Dr. Arnold G. Fruchtenbaum, Dr. Daniel E. Woodhead and others which teach that the person of the Antichrist will be the literal offspring / seed of Satan. The only difference would be that they would be the perceived father and firstborn son. Perceived to those people alive during the Tribulation, creating the concluding corrupt counterparts:
False Prophet = unholy father / perceived father of the Antichrist
Antichrist = unholy son / perceived son of the False Prophet / actual seed of Satan
Satan = unholy spirit / actual father of the Antichrist
There is a difference between perceived reality and actual reality. The Jews in Jesus’ day perceived that Joseph was the father of Jesus (Luke 3:23; 4:22); yet, the actual reality was that God was His Father. Jesus even asked the scribes to explain this apparent juxtaposition (Luke 20:41–44; Matthew 22:41–45).
Within the nature of the One God, there are Three co-eternal and co-equal distinct Persons: Father, Son and Holy Spirit (Deuteronomy 6:4; Mark 12:29, 36; Matthew 28:19; 2 Corinthians 13:14; 1 Peter 1:2; 1 John 5:7…).
Satan wants “to be like” God (Isaiah 14:14). The word “like” in this passage is the Hebrew word “damah” (H1819) which means: “To compare, to resemble, to liken, to be like, to use similitudes.”2 “To make oneself like.”3
To do this, he must pretend to substitute God. To be “like” God, Satan must have his own father, son, spirit unholy trinity (Revelation 16:13; 20:10).
The current teaching in the majority of the Churches is that Satan is represented as the unholy father and the Antichrist is represented as the unholy son (Genesis 3:15, 2 Thessalonians 2:3, John 8:44). But when we get to the False Prophet being represented as the unholy spirit, the advocates of the current Church teaching say: Since the Holy Spirit bears witness to the person and work of Christ and glorifies Christ and draws men to worship Christ, so shall the False Prophet bear witness to the person and work of the Antichrist and glorify him, and will draw men to worship the Antichrist.4
The main problem with this view is that according to Scripture, the Father has the exact same ministries.–Bears Witness of Christ (Deuteronomy 18:17–19; Isaiah 11:1–2; 42:1; Matthew 3:17; 17:5; Mark 1:11; Luke 3:22; John 5:37; 8:18). Glorifies Christ (Daniel 7:13–14; John 12:23; 13:32; 17:1, 5, 22, 24; 2 Peter 1:17). Draws men to Christ (John 6:44–45, 37, 65; 17:9, 11–12, 24). To Worship Christ (Hebrews 1:6; [cf. 1 Peter 3:22; Colossians 1:18]; [cf. Hebrews 1:8; Luke 4:8; John 10:30]).
Scripture testifies over and over, that Satan is the cardinal copycat, the diabolical deceiving dragon, the example of every evil, the first fraudulent foe, the initial imitator, the master of masquerade, the prototype pretender, the supreme sinister serpent, the numero uno usurper, the number one wannabe and the original unholy spirit (Ezekiel 28:12–18; Isaiah 14:12–14; 2 Corinthians 11:14; Galatians 1:8; Revelation 12:3–4; Genesis 3:4–5). As the Antichrist imitates Christ, Scripture shows the Antichrist having a dual nature, being the unholy son of perdition (seed of Satan – spiritual or supernatural; depending on which view of the origin of the Antichrist you believe) and the man of sin (Genesis 3:15; 2 Thessalonians 2:3).
Since the ministries of the Father are to bear witness of Christ, to glorify Christ, to draw men to Christ and explicitly counsels His creation to worship His Son, then the False Prophet would be the unholy counterpart to the Father, making him the earthly father of the Antichrist. Satan will counterfeit the Trinity in a similar fashion. As the Father instructs His creation to worship His Firstborn Son, Jesus; likewise, the False Prophet will demand everyone to worship his firstborn son, the Antichrist and his image or be killed (Revelation 13:12, 15).
Another categorical correlating consideration is that Jesus “is the image of the invisible God” (Colossians 1:15) and since “the Father hath life in Himself; so hath He given to the Son to have life in Himself” (John 5:26), so shall the False Prophet have “power to give life unto the image of the beast” (Revelation 13:15).
Out of these three beings, only two have physical bodies. Since Satan is a spirit, (literally, the original unholy spirit) people alive during the Tribulation (or more properly termed the 70th week of Daniel) will only see a father and his firstborn son, in order to mimic God, the Father and His Firstborn Son, Jesus (Luke 2:23; Colossians 1:15, 18; Hebrews 1:6; Revelation 1:5).
_________
Notes:
1. Got Questions Ministries, “What is the Unholy Trinity in the End Times?,” accessed February 16, 2016, ¶¶ 1, 8. Got Questions.org. https://www.gotquestions.org/unholy-trinity.html
2. Vines, Best of Vine’s, Hebrew, 63.
3. Gesenius, Hebrew-Chaldee Lexicon, 202. http://www.tyndalearchive.com/tabs/Gesenius/
4. Pink, Antichrist, Chapter 2, § 2, (expanded and adopted from historical Church teachings). PDF e-book. http://www.ccel.org/ccel/pink/antichrist
_________
Bibliography:
Gesenius, Friedrich, Wilhelm. Gesenius’s Hebrew-Chaldee Lexicon to the Old Testament Scriptures, translated by Edward Robinson, edited by Francis Brown, Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1846. Online ed.
Got Questions Ministries. “What is the Unholy Trinity in the End Times?,” Accessed February 16, 2016.
Pink, Arthur, W. The Antichrist. Swengel, PA: I.C. Herendeen, Bible Truth Depot, October, 1923. Current Publisher, Grand Rapids, MI: Christian Classics Ethereal Library. PDF ebook.
Vine, W.E. (William Edwy). Best of Vine’s Expository Dictionary of the Old and New Testament Words. Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, Inc., 2001. In The New Strong’s Expanded Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible [Red Letter Edition] with the Best of Vine’s Expository Dictionary of the Old and New Testament Words. Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, Inc., 2001.
I think that is a lot of conjecture about Satan that the Bible does not teach.
I do not think that Satan is trying to duplicate the Trinity. How does this Trinity conjecture continue to work out after the Antichrist and False Prophet are cast into the Lake of Fire but Satan deceives people again after the thousand years? It is equal to putting the Son and the Father in prison for life but expecting the Holy Spirit to carry out the Triune purpose.
I think this is all much more simple. The False Prophet will be the counterpart of Elijah. Elijah had power that comes from the Holy Spirit but He was not the Holy Spirit. The False Prophet will have power that comes from Satan but he will not be Satan.
Satan is working through two beings that come out of the Abyss and somehow evolve two human bodies to become demigods. One will claim to be the most high God on earth and the other will be his prophet. My expectation is Zeus and Hermes.
There is no way that Satan can directly counterfeit the person of the Holy Spirit. Satan cannot be omnipresent.
It is all conjecture. Scripture never says Satan is the unholy counterpart to God the Father either. Also, the False Prophet can’t be everywhere at once, like the Holy Spirit. I think you are taking the analogy to an extreme which is beyond the intent.
I don’t think the intent of the current Church teaching is trying to say that Satan will duplicate the Trinity to create an identically evil twin, maybe mimic would be a better word.
I don’t see a need for the continuation of this mimicry beyond the Second Coming. I believe the purpose will be completed by then.
As for the False Prophet counterfeiting Elijah, even that has flaws. Elijah shut up the heavens from raining. Scripture never says the False Prophet will do that.
I am not the one that is taking the analogy to an extreme. I think those claiming such conjectures are the ones doing that.
The False Prophet will call down fire from heaven. That is the exact same thing that Elijah did. What the scripture is silent about it not the issue. You can’t expect the False Prophet to try to duplicate every specific thing that Elijah did during his ministry.
The point is that Elijah proclaims the coming of the Kingdom of God and the False Prophet substitutes this with the Kingdom of the Beast, called by God Babylon.
Any analogies are indeed limited but you make them specific by what is claimed in your prior theses.
I understand what you mean. But the False Prophet also initiates and institutes the financial and worship laws set in place during the Tribulation, which is exactly what God the Father did for Israel in the wilderness.
Also you said it’s not what Scripture is silent about, yet you then go on to describe how the False Prophet proclaims the coming of the kingdom of Babylon; which Scripture is silent about.
All analogies are truly limited.
As I said. The False prophet cannot counterfeit the Holy Spirit other than through Satanic signs and wonders through a false Elijah like figure. I agree with those that believe that. The False prophet is someone indwelt by a Satanic spirit as is the Antichrist.
Getting back to what you originally suggested.
You suggest that the False prophet counterfeits the Father rather than the Holy Spirit. I really do not see it. Not that it really matters to Christians.
I understand that you want to defend what you said, but I did not say the False Prophet proclaims the Kingdom of Babylon. That is what God calls the counterfeit kingdom. I am sure the Beast will call his kingdom something like the Kingdom of God. I believe Elijah will come declaring the gospel of the Kingdom and the Antichrist will kill him and counterfeit the kingdom. The Bible is not silent about Babylon The Great.
I think this is a straining at gnats issue. So let’s put it to bed. Otherwise someone might accuse us of teaching presumption as truth, as I wrote about in the article.
Absolutely agreed that the False Prophet cannot counterfeit the Holy Spirit and that Scripture is not silent regarding Babylon the Great. Matter of fact, I believe the False Prophet has already designed and built the prototype for Rebuilt Babylon. In his blueprint, the city is 6 times larger than the surrounding 6 small towns.
My apologies, I thought when you said that “the False Prophet substitutes this,” it was in reference to “Elijah’s proclamation.”
By the way, the application of this adjustment harmonizes and unifies the European Antichrist Theory with the Islamic Antichrist Theory. My book applies this adjustment and determines how it would look if this were the truth… from the presumptive truth; actually I would use the term deductive truth.
This book is a compilation of twelve Biblical prophecies of the Antichrist and the False Prophet and forty-two Islamic prophecies of Imam Al-Mahdi and Isa (the Muslim jesus) from the hadith’s and the Qu’ran, while proving that the Islamic prophecies are in fact the delusions of 2 Thessalonians 2:11 that YHWH uses in order to manifest a believable lie to the masses who hate HaShem.
This is an astounding accompanying aid for books similar to Dr. Ron Rhodes “Unmasking the Antichrist,” Dr. J.R. Church’s “Daniel Reveals the Bloodline of the Antichrist” or those who assert and advance the Islamic Antichrist Theory advocated by authors akin to Walid Shoebat or Joel Richardson. The Appendix is a unique critique of a prominent Prince’s published principles who phenomenally fits the physical features and possesses the predictive parameters presented by these precise prophecies.
This concise Biblical study reference is the result of over a dozen years of research and incorporates 268 note citations, from experts such as Dr. Thomas Ice, Dr. Arnold Fruchtenbaum, Dr. David Reagan, Dr. John Walvoord, Arthur W. Pink, Dave Hunt, Gary Kah, Sir Robert Anderson, Friedrich Wilhelm Gesenius, William Vine, Dr. Walter Martin; with Islamic scholars and philosophers such as Bediuzzaman Said Nursi, Ibn Arabi, Imam Rabbani, Abd Allah ibn Abbas, Al-Tabarani, Adnan Oktar, and collector of hadith’s such as Sunan Abu-Dawood, Sahih al-Bukhari, Imam at-Tirmidhi and many other narrators.
Also, Islam teaches that when Isa returns, he and the Mahdi are related and descended from Muhammad.
Glad you have it all figured out.
I do not buy into the Islamic Antichrist theory at all. I have a number of posts telling why, on my World and Church Trends and Bible Prophecy blog. Anyway, I will not be going down that rabbit trail here.
I’m glad that we agree that the current Islamic Antichrist Theory is bogus. I’m an ardent advocater of the Greek/Roman Antichrist from the Western Roman Empire. It just so happens that when you incorporate all of the prophetic elements you actually end up with an Islamic Antichrist. The Islamic Antichrist Theory is only correct in its conclusion; however, you must go through the Western Roman Empire Antichrist Theory to get there.
I’ve had a good time discussing these matters with you. I subscribed to your future posts so that we can continue learning from one another. God bless brother. Keep up the good work.