At a time of great discouragement and much heartache in my past, I focused on biblical promises and wrote several pages in my journal of why I still believed despite my awful circumstances. Perhaps it’s time for another declaration of why I still believe that Jesus will come for us before the start if the Tribulation.
The Tragic Divorce of Our “Blessed Hope” from the Gospel
The Unbiblical Basis of Amillennialism
Amillennialism dominated the church during the dark ages and persisted long after the Reformation. The reason for this rests with three factors that fueled this teaching for well over a thousand years and remain in place today, at least to some degree.
It’s vital to our faith that we understand the errant foundation of amillennialism so we can recognize the error and defend the integrity of Scripture when others seek to lead us astray.
7 Reasons Why Premillennialism is a Biblical Necessity
Life in the eternal state will undoubtedly be spectacular,. Randy Alcorn, in his book Heaven does an excellent job of expanding our imaginations regarding what life might be like on the new earth and in the New Jerusalem. We have much to look forward to when the words of Revelation 21-22 ring true throughout the earth and universe.
If such is the case, does it matter what I believe about the millennial reign of Jesus? Absolutely!
The Necessity of Teaching a Literal Understanding of Prophecy
Why do so many believers today remain blind to the numerous signs that we live in the last days?
I believe a key reason for this lies with pastors and teachers today who in large numbers today embrace amillennialism, a belief system that denies biblical prophecies related to Jesus’ thousand-year rule and the restoration of a kingdom for Israel. As a result, they regard the miraculous emergence of Israel as a nation as mere coincidence without any prophetic significance.
Transhumanism: The Path to the Mark of the Beast
The path from here to eternity grows clearer with each passing day.
On the one hand, the globalists openly speak and write about their plans for transhumanism and the Great Reset, which sound remarkably similar to what the book of Revelation predicts for the future of the world. On the other hand, the Bible tells us that although these powerbrokers of today will enjoy success for a season, God will destroy them during the tribulation.
It's The Gospel
13 Reasons Why We Live in the Last Hour of Human History, Part 1
13 Reasons Why We Live in the Last Hour of Human History, Part 2
Because many believers reject the idea that we live in the last days before the events of the seven-year tribulation sweep over the earth, they fail to identify the many ways that makes today radically different than any previous time.
The abundance of signs that we see everywhere in our world tell us the tribulation period is ever so near and with that our departure, which happens before it.
Don’t Let Thieves Steal Your Joyous Anticipation of Eternity
Defending the Integrity of Scripture
However, many pastors today insist that prophetic texts that refer to the restoration of a kingdom for Israel, the tribulation, and Jesus’ future reign are allegory, symbolical of another reality. This discrediting of the words of the Bible, however, is like a loose thread on a knit sweater. If one pulls at it long enough, it unravels the entire sweater.
No One Can Cancel Our “Blessed Hope”
Today, allegorical interpretations of biblical prophecy are again driving the church away from the purity of the Gospel and in effect cancelling the “blessed hope” of Titus 2:13.
But one thing is certain: no one can cancel our blessed hope! Jesus will appear someday to take us home before God judges the Christ-rejecting world.
Clearing Away the Deception of Covenant Premillennialism
Covenant premillennialists believe Jesus fulfilled all of the Old Testament during His first coming; this includes all of God’s covenants with the nation of Israel including the promise of the Land, which the Lord says is an “everlasting covenant” (Psalm 105:8-11).
Their claim to be premillennial obscures their denial of a literal thousand-year reign of Jesus over the nations of the world.
The Return of King Jesus
The Lord of the Rings is allegory; Jesus’ future return to earth is reality. In Tolkien’s symbolic tale of the Second Coming, King Aragorn defeats the forces of the demonic Sauron that are attacking Isengard. In biblical prophecy, Jesus will triumph over the forces that Satan will someday gather to destroy Jerusalem.
Biblical Prophecy Preserves My Sanity
Israel’s Future Restoration Vindicates God’s Holiness
Ezekiel tells us that God’s future outpouring of blessings on the Jewish people has nothing to do with their goodness. In His own words, the Lord says that He will act “for the sake of my holy name” and to “vindicate the holiness of my great name.”
In other words, the Lord’s keeping of His promise to restore a kingdom to Israel vindicates His holiness.
The Basis of Surviving in a Chaotic World
Life in the eternal state will be spectacular, far beyond even our best experiences in this life. Randy Alcorn, in his book Heaven, does a superb job of expanding our imaginations regarding our future life on the new earth and in the New Jerusalem.
In the meantime, we live in a world submerged in chaos. The fear of CVID-19 has created a culture of fear unlike anything we have ever seen. Riots and violence fill the streets of our cities.
The Perilous Beliefs of Preterism
Why am I writing about preterism? It’s my passion to warn believers about false teachings related to future things and as such preterism requires our full attention because it distorts our Gospel hope.
Because of the widespread acceptance and popularity of preterism, it’s necessary to address key perils wrapped up in its false teaching.
Biblical Encouragement for Troubled Times
My heart ached this past Monday morning as I read about the chaos and lawlessness near the White House. I felt both anger and fear as I saw pictures of violence and deadly attacks on law enforcement in cities throughout the United States.
It was not until I read several Psalms and through about Jesus’ promises return that my heart began to settle down and my focus began to change from the rioters to my hope in Jesus.
3 Reasons Why Many Pastors Fail to Provide Lasting Hope
Since COVID-19 lock downs began across the United States, I have heard several Bible-based messages intended to comfort the faithful. Many of them, however, failed to offer any real encouragement to me because they ignored or missed the prophetic context of the day in which we live.
Today’s popular messages of comfort ignore what the Bible says is coming and thus leave believers uniformed of what’s at stake for them in the days ahead.