Scripture Revealed

A Revelation of Jesus Christ – Revelation 1:1

Category: Prophecy

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. (...)

Shemitah – Secret to America’s Future?

Prophet Isaiah - painting by Antonio Balestra (18th century)
Prophet Isaiah – painting by Antonio Balestra (18th century)

The word “shemitah” has been making the rounds of Christian churches in America. However, what in the world is the “shemitah”? The word “shemitah” is a legal Biblical term. It originates in the Torah, the first five books of the Scriptures. Shemitah in Hebrew means a “legally permanent release”. The main idea of the word shemitah in the Hebrew means to “violently throw something down with force—to utterly destroy something”. God’s law commanded that every seventh year Israel must allow the land to rest completely. There was to be no harvesting, reaping or any other work in the fields. Also, creditors were to release all who owed money (Deut. 15:1-2). This was the shemitah (or “release” in Hebrew). However, what has all of this to do with America – the United States?

The idea of the “shemitah” was popularized by the “Messianic Christian Rabbi” Jonathan Cahn. Rabbi Cahn, a best-selling author, has written books on the subject of the “shemitah”. These include: The Harbinger, The Mystery of the Shemitah Unlocked and The Mystery of the Shemitah. I read The Harbinger: the (...)

The Book of Revelation – An Introduction

The Revelation
The Revelation

I’ve always had a fascination with the last book of the Bible, Revelation. Fascination mixed with a certain amount of fear and curiosity. My mind raced ahead to thoughts of therm-nuclear war, computer chips and the end of the world as we know it.

The book of Revelation, more than any other New Testament book, has been used to support any number of “end of the world” scenarios. Many view Revelation chapters 4 thru 20 as unfulfilled. Revelation is used to support beliefs found nowhere else in Scripture. For example, the one thousand years or millennium reign of Christ is mentioned only in Revelation 20:1-6. Also, those who hold the belief in separate resurrections turn to Revelation 20:1-6 as their proof texts.

The Nature of the Book

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 (...)

Are We in the Laodicean Church Age?

Seven Churches of Asia
The seven churches of Asia in stained glass in York Minster by John Thornton

For many years, I believed and taught that the seven churches mentioned in the second and third chapters of Revelation were sort of time clock of the church age in progress. I believed that God purposely selected them for a definite and distinct purpose: to give a complete picture of church history from the beginning to end. The last church the Lord Jesus Christ addressed was the church at Laodicea. The Laodicean church was the “lukewarm” church. Revelation 3:15 says it this way: “I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot”. This teaching regarding the “church ages” is part of dispensationalism. Dispensationalism is a Christian, Biblical interpretation that believes that God has related to human beings in different ways under different Biblical covenants in a series of “dispensations,” or periods in history. As a system, dispensationalism is expounded in the writings of John Nelson Darby (1800–82) and the Plymouth Brethren movement and propagated through works such as Cyrus Scofield’s Reference Bible.

I believed that the seven churches John writes to in the second and third chapters of Revelation are not just churches (...)

Many Mansions

John of Patmos watches the descent of the New Jerusalem from God in a 14th-century tapestry.
John of Patmos watches the descent of the New Jerusalem from God in a 14th-century tapestry.

John 14:1-2 is an often quoted but many times misunderstood Bible verse. Jesus said that He would go to prepare a “mansion” for those who believe in Him. Many believe that these “mansions” are literal buildings in heaven where they will dwell. Most people consider a “mansion” as a giant home, having everything we ever want or need. Ideally, it would be a place of ultimate contentment and fulfillment. If the “mansions” of which Jesus spoke are physical structures, then it might seem, to some, that all the believers who have died are dwelling in them right now in heaven.

John 14:1-2 (KJV)- “ Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.”

Where is the Monē?

I don’t know about you, but I’m very interested in finding out more about these “many mansions” that Jesus is preparing for us. Now please keep in mind that the English word “mansions” appears but once in (...)

“There Should Be Time No Longer”

meltingclock
Salvador Dali’s painting ‘The Persistence of Memory”

Revelation 10:6 (KJV) – “And sware by him that liveth for ever and ever, who created heaven, and the things that therein are, and the earth, and the things that therein are, and the sea, and the things which are therein, that there should be time no longer.“

A close friend of mine asked me to consider what Revelation 10:6 means in regards to the statement that “there should be time no longer”. Her thinking was that this verse is prophesying that in our future, we will get to the end of time. Time would cease to exist. The implication was that this earthly realm and our existence would end. My response to her was “Let me study the scriptures”.

My first task was to look up this scripture in other Bible translations besides the King James Version. Then I would consult Bible commentaries to see how noted Bible scholars interpreted Revelation 10:6 in regards to”time being no more”. First let’s look at some other popular translations:

Searching Other Bible Translations

American Standard Version (ASV): Revelation 10:6 – “And sware by him that liveth for ever and ever, who created the heaven (...)

The Case for a Restored Nation of Israel – Scriptural Evidence for a Prophesied Return?

Tissot_The_Flight_of_the_Prisoners
An artist’s depiction of the deportation and exile of the Jews of the ancient Kingdom of Judah to Babylon and the destruction of Jerusalem and Solomon’s temple.

Proof Texts?

Some suggest that the Bible prophesies of a “last days” regathering of the Jewish people to Israel. Various “proof texts” are cited to support this belief. In examining these “proofs”, we find that these scriptures were either already fulfilled during one of the Old Testament exiles or that they foretold of the coming promises of the New Covenant of Jesus Christ. Remember, Jesus’ focus was not on a physical land, but on a spiritual existence in His people!

The 1st Return Of The Jews
The Jews were living as exiles in Egypt when Moses brought the 12 tribes back to the land of Canaan in 1445 BC.

The 2nd Return Of The Jews

The Jews were living as exiles throughout the vast Babylonian Empire which Isaiah perceived as the four corners of the world when Ezra brought only 3 tribes back to the land of Israel in 536 BC. These were the tribes of Judah, Benjamin, and Levi. The other tribes were lost forever. Just prior to 70 AD, Herod destroyed (...)

The Last Days – of What?

siege of jerusalem
Destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem by Francesco Hayez. Depicts the destruction of the Second Temple by Roman soldiers. Oil on canvas, 1867.

Ever since I’ve been a Christian, I’ve heard about how we are living “in the last days”. The belief is that we are living in the “last days” just prior to the return of Jesus Christ. While this certainly may be the case, a close reading of the scriptures indicates that the writers of the New Testament believed that they were living in the “last days”. Or that the “last days” had arrived for them. The Apostles referred to the “last days” and the “last times” in such a tone that reveals the writer’s beliefs. When the New Testament writers used the terms “last days” and “last times” were they referring to the end of the world? Or something entirely different?

1 John 2:18 (KJV) – “Little children, it is the last time: and as ye have heard that antichrist shall come, even now are there many antichrists; whereby we know that it is the last time.” (John the Apostle, 1 John 2:18, First Century)

In the above scripture, John was linking the arrival of (...)

Mark of the Beast

medical_verichip-apha-101105
Medical Verichip

Revelation 13:16-18 (KJV) – “And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads: And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name. Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred threescore and six.”

There’s been much speculation on the meaning of Revelation chapter 13. Many teach that this scripture refers to a cashless society where all will be required to submit to a computer chip implanted under the skin of the forehead or right hand.  (Why not the left hand?)  And, of course, the technology for this cashless society is already here. But the question is not whether we might soon have a computer chip implanted in our flesh but whether or not Revelation chapter 13 prophesied this.

Christian Book Publishing

Within the last thirty plus years, there have been many books written by the Christian book publishing industry. A recent search for (...)

Back to top