Scripture Revealed

A Revelation of Jesus Christ – Revelation 1:1

Author: Ron

I’ve studied and taught the good news of Jesus Christ and His kingdom since 1985. My goal is to reveal the biblical truths I’ve come to see through prayer and study. I believe that the scriptures are revealed to those that study and rightly divide the "Word of Truth.”

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 (...)

Man

man

I ran across this poem this morning.   It really touched my heart and really hit home with me.

“Man” -a poem by Pentecostal Pioneer John Baptist Thomas, former missionary to Iraq and founder of the First Pentecostal Church of New Orleans.

 

If every day a man should labor
From childhood till he’s old,
What would it profit tho he gained the world,
If at last he lost his soul?

Man is like a little flower
With glory for a time,
Then he sees the shining sickle
And hears the death bells chime.

The doors are closed, the windows dark,
The sound of grinding is low.
It matters not how strong he is,
His time has come to go.

And ere the silver card is loosed,
Oh mortal fading fame,
The dust to earth, The spirit returns
To God from where it came.

John Baptist Thomas
Baghdad, Iraq
July 12, 1930(...)

Pearly Gates and Streets of Gold

Folio 55r of the Bamberg Apocalypse. Depicts the Angel showing John the New Jerusalem, with the Lamb of God at its center.
Folio 55r of the Bamberg Apocalypse.
Depicts the Angel showing John the New Jerusalem, with the Lamb of God at its center.

The Nature of the Book

One of the most misunderstood scriptures in our Bible centers around Revelation 21:21. This is the “pearly gates”, “street of gold” scripture.  Should we take this scripture literally?  Let’s explore what the scriptures reveal.

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 of apocalyptic literature.

Apocalyptic Literature

Apocalyptic literature is a literary style popular from 200 B.C. to 200 A.D. It is a style known for highly symbolic or figurative language written during times of persecution. It usually depicts the conflict between good and evil while encouraging the righteous to persevere. Other examples of apocalyptic literature are parts of Ezekiel, Daniel, Zechariah, and Matthew chapter 24.

While the book of (...)

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. (...)

The Gift of the Holy Ghost

 

Pentecost, a painting by Jean II Restout, 1732
Pentecost, a painting by Jean II Restout, 1732

This is the fourth and final article addressing the subject of salvation and what it means to “believe the gospel”. The first article was entitled Salvation – the Gospel. The second article was entitled Repent and Believe the Gospel! The third article was entitled Water Baptism – Burial.

The final step in the gospel plan is to receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. Receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost was preached by Peter in Acts 2:38.

Acts 2:38 (KJV) – “Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.”

Notice that the Holy Ghost (Holy Spirit) is referred to as a “gift” from God. Many have argued that the “Holy Ghost” is not for us today or that it is not essential for salvation. We will discuss these arguments later in this article. However, is there any sincere Christian that would turn down a “gift” that God has for them?

Acts 11:18 (KJV) – “Forasmuch then as God

(...)
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