Some dramatic events on God’s calendar must take place before the Lord returns to earth, and many of these are not going to be pretty. Those Christians who have adopted a materialistic, escapist view of the Christian life may be terribly surprised.
Many of the world crises we are beginning to experience were predicted in the Bible hundreds of years ago. What is shocking, however, is the rapid-fire speed at which these events are now racing ahead. Against all odds, the frameworks of the world’s economic, political, and social systems are being shaken and are beginning to crumble.
Before going any further, allow me to make a confession: I do not understand everything the Bible reveals to us concerning the Second Coming. I consider myself a student of the Scriptures, but I must admit, I still have questions about many aspects of eschatology, the study of future things. I do not know when Jesus is coming – it may be in my lifetime or it may not – but I believe He will return to Earth in power and glory, just as He said.
I used to listen in amazement (and sometimes with amusement) to some of the prophecy teachers we hosted at PTL. With their charts and graphs they would dogmatically teach exactly when the events described in the book of Revelation were going to come to pass. “This is going to happen, then this will happen, and then will be the Battle of Armageddon…” on and on they would go. I do not mean to imply that these teachers were insincere in their teaching or unlearned in the Scriptures. They were godly Bible teachers who felt strongly that they had exceptional insight or an unusual understanding of a complicated message.
Yet the truth is, we do not know when Jesus Christ is going to return. I can point you to the Scriptures that describe what will happen before His coming; I can (and will in the pages ahead) show you Scriptures that describe His return in power. But to set a date for His return is not my intention. Jesus said, “But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father” (Mark 13:32 NKJV). In one of His last statements to His disciples, after the Resurrection and just before He ascended into heaven, Jesus said, “It is not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has put in His own authority” (Acts 1:7 NKJV). For me to give you a play-by-play description of the events scheduled to take place in the future, events whose timing is known only to our heavenly Father, would be the height of presumption on my part.
On the other hand, I do not subscribe to the popular notion that it is impossible for us to know approximately when to expect our Lord’s return. Many Christians are fond of saying, “I am neither pretribulational or posttribulational. I am pantribulational. I just believe it will all pan out in the end.”
That’s a cute (and non-confrontational) way to look at the last days, but it flies in the face of Scripture. Jesus definitely gave us a lot of information concerning His return and, as I noted previously, numerous signs to watch for, signs indicating that the time of His return is near.
Sometimes I wish Jesus had been more specific in the information He gave to us. Imagine all the theological arguments He could have prevented if He hand only said, “I am coming back at the beginning of the Tribulation period, or the middle, or the end of the Tribulation.” Better yet, He could have said, “I am coming back on January 1, 20XX, so be ready.”
(To Be Continued)
Will We Go Through the Tribulation? – Part 2
Will We Go Through the Tribulation? – Part 3
Will We Go Through the Tribulation? – Part 4
Will We Go Through the Tribulation? – Part 5
Will We Go Through the Tribulation? – Part 6
Will We Go Through the Tribulation? – Part 7
Will We Go Through the Tribulation? – Part 8
Will We Go Through the Tribulation? – Part 9
Will We Go Through the Tribulation? – Part 10
Will We Go Through the Tribulation? – Part 11
Excerpt from Prosperity and the Coming Apocalypse
Published in 1998
Good explanation
We are not appointed unto wrath. Jesus said He will keep us from the hour of testing which cometh upon the earth. The church is not mentioned in Revelation from chapters 5 – the end when we come back with Jesus to rule and reign.
Sorry, this just caught my aenottitn. I think I understand the question, but I wonder if it does not pose a false dichotomy. If God has chosen to reveal Himself, is He not capable of doing so accurately? On the surface it is a question of God’s ability and God’s integrity. If He is all powerful, He can reveal Himself accurately. If He is truly good (has integrity), He will, and has, revealed Himself accurately. On a deeper level I think we need to inspect what we are asking. Are we asking if God’s revelation is exhaustive in its scope? Does it cover every imaginable circumstance and spell out a detailed response. Here again I think we can confidently say no . God, in his infinite wisdom has left considerable latitude for us to exercise mature Godly judgement (Romans 14:6). Yet in the areas God has revealed His will and given commands there are no mistakes and so in those areas God’s word is necessary for us to obey the written word of God as it is for us to submit to the essential person of God. this is the essence of the command to tremble at the word of God (Isiah 66:2). Two other related issues are the scope of revelation and perspicuity of revelation. The first issue asks Has God told us enough? The second question asks Can we understand it enough to feel we confident that we understand Him? Peter responds to the former question when he tell us that God, by virtue of His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence (II Peter 1:3). This can leave little doubt. He has told us all we need. And once again I should stress that God knows what we need and God can not lie about what we need. The later question enters the areas of epistemology and hermeneutics. Modern though in these areas questions if can know anything for certain, and contemporary hermenutical models challenge our ability to understand any text, let alone divine propositional revelation. However I believe the Bible teachers its own perspicuity; It teaches that it is possible for even the simple to understand it (Psalm 19:7). If the simple are made wise by it, then in some sense the simple must understand it. And unless God is of the same ugly character as a teacher who beats and ridicules a student for not learning a lesson that is beyond their capability then God has revealed himself in a way that we can understand Him.The heart of the question I believe comes back to our view of God as all- power. loving, just, and truthful. If God is these things, and the Bible affirms He is, then there is no tension or completion; no need to determine if He is ontologically greater than His propositional revelation. If God’s revelation of Himself is perfect it must be perfect in its authenticity, accuracy, and and scope. Furthermore, when we ask if the Bible if greater than God, are we asking if God would personally allow things that the Bible prohibits. If that is our question, the answer must be a resounding no . because that would indicate that God has failed to reveal Himself accurately.The Bible is not great than God, because it is a reflection of God, and in a sense God is more important the Bible, because we do not know God apart from the Bible. God has revealed Himself in the Bible, if we seek His revelation elsewhere we rob Him of His prerogative to reveal Himself where He wills. For as the psalmist says, You have exalted above all things your name and your word (Psalm 138:2). Okay, maybe I go carried away and a bit heavy handed, but you asked for comments. God bless; keep up the good fight.