Recent Articles | About Authors | About the Syndicate | Archives

To receive a plain text copy of this article by email, see info at the bottom of this page.

Real Answers™
tf34
Copyright: © 2006 Tom Flannery
670 words

"DO WORLD EVENTS SAY ENDTIME IS NEAR?"

By: Tom Flannery

Are the wars and rumors of wars, AIDS and other deadly diseases, and devastating natural disasters like the Asian tsunami and Hurricane Katrina all signs of Christ's soon return, or are they being used by Bible prophecy teachers to generate publicity (and book sales to boot)? 

Critics of Bible prophecy teachers would contend that it's the latter, and so often the central focus of their criticism seems to be the fact that such predictions have been trumpeted all through the centuries and always turned out to be completely bogus.  It's what might be called the "88 Reasons Why the Rapture Could Be in 1988" defense, to use the title of a very popular prophecy book that made news about 20 years ago. 

Yet there are a couple of serious flaws in such thinking.  The first is that Jesus clearly intended His followers in every generation, including His own, to believe that His return was imminent, that it could occur at any time.  Thus, even the Spirit-inspired authors of the New Testament and Jesus' other disciples expected Him to return in their own lifetimes.  This does not excuse date-setting of the "1988" variety or other wild speculations, but it is a truth of Scripture and of history. 

The second problem with the critics' principal argument is that not all believers through the ages have heralded or heeded such proclamations.  While there have always been those who have misread the turbulent events of their respective eras as signs of the nearness of Christ's return, so too have there been Christian proponents of endtime prophecy who have properly interpreted Scripture and rejected such appeals. 

One example was minister and Bible prophecy author John Hagee's father, a pastor who was considered a heretic in his day even by those in his own denomination.  You see, Pastor Hagee taught in the 1930s and through most of the 1940s ? all during World War II, the Holocaust, etc ? that Jesus couldn't return until Israel was reborn as a nation, since all of Bible prophecy hinged on that seemingly impossible national rebirth taking place. 

The Bible asks if a nation can be born "in a day" or "at once" (Isa. 66:8).  That rhetorical question was answered with a resounding "Yes!" on May 14, 1948, when Israel was officially declared a state again and this endtime prophecy was fulfilled over two thousand years after it was first recorded.  The dry bones of Ezek. 37, which God said represented "the whole house of Israel" (verse 11), had been raised to newness of life as God had promised they would be all along.  Indeed, all of Bible prophecy presupposes a state of Israel under Jewish control (Lk. 21:24, etc.).  

We also have numerous other endtime prophecies unique to our particular generation ? that God would regather the Jews in reborn Israel from around the world (Jer. 31:8-12, Ez. 36:24, etc.); that He would make the land blossom again when they returned (Isa. 27:6, 35:1-2); that He would restore the language (Zeph. 3:9); the advent of satellites (the dead bodies of the Two Witnesses of Rev. 11 are seen throughout the whole world over just over three days); nuclear weapons (Zech. 14:12); and the explosion in knowledge and world travel of the last days (Dan. 12:4). 

Jesus explained:  "So you also, when you see all these things, know that it is near ? at the doors!" (Mt. 24:33). 

For the first time in history, we can truly say that we are seeing "all these things" in our world today.  This doesn't mean we irresponsibly start setting dates for His return or that we stop advancing His kingdom in this world, both of which violate His clear commands.   

But it does tell us that the general time of His glorious appearing is surely approaching, and assures us that we may very well live to see it.  And that is something to which all believers should say, along with the apostle John, "Even so, come, Lord Jesus!"   

"Real Answers™" furnished courtesy of The Amy Foundation Internet Syndicate. To contact the author or The Amy Foundation, write or E-mail to: P. O. Box 16091, Lansing, MI 48901-6091; amyfoundtn@aol.com

Request this article:
To instantly receive a plain text copy of this article by email, enter your publication title, city and state, and email address, then retype the article number (shown in bold below). Then click the "Send It" button once.
Fields marked (*) are required

back to top