3 September 2017
Dear Phyllis,
I
really don't have anything to say today. The only thing that is on my
mind is a few rambling thoughts about eschatology. As I have told you
before, my view of eschatology has evolved considerably in recent years.
The man I consider the closest at this point is Joel Richardson. He has
come up with a position that is a radical departure from the
traditional, Hal Lindsey, approach to end time prophecy, and I strongly
believe he is right. His position is that for the past one or two
hundred years western scholars have viewed the scripture through western
eyes, and he says the Bible is a Middle Eastern Book. I believe he is
right. The traditional interpretation of scripture has made the revived
Roman Empire the main player and nearly everybody has jumped on the
European Union band-wagon. Many years ago prophetic scholars were
warning, “When we hit ten (the EU), the rapture will occur”. They pasted
ten many years ago and we are still here. Richardson's position is
basically Islamic. He believes the ten nations that are so prominent in
Daniel and Revelation are an Islamic caliphate. And he has suggested
that the anti-Christ is Islamic.
Richardson
strongly emphasizes that if there is any subject that requires humility
it is eschatology. Amen! The other night I was looking at a You Tube
message by a very powerful American preacher. The first thing that
impressed me was his dogmatic, arrogant attitude. It was almost chilling
to listen to him pray with that same arrogant attitude. He talked to
God just like he talked to everybody else in the audience. As I listened
to that prayer I thought, “You don't talk to God like that”. His very
attitude demonstrated that he didn't know God. If he would ever be like
John and hear a voice behind him; I don't believe he would be so
arrogant when he turned around and faced Jesus (Rev. 1:10,17). Our very
attitude in prayer proves that we don't know God and are only speaking
to an imaginary god when we pray.
As
this poor turkey was railing on, he rattled off the names of the
countries mentioned in Ezekiel 38 and 39. telling who these countries
are. Much of that was pure speculation. But one classic was when he said
“Gog, that is Russia”. The idiot. If he read the Bible he would notice
that Gog is not a nation but a person. Two or three places the Bible
clearly says that Gog is the prince of Meshech and Tubal. He is a person
– not a place. Richardson suggests that Gog is the anti-Christ. That
makes a lot of sense to me.
Recently
I read three books by Joel Rosenberg. He is a very good author but he
is a weak Bible scholar. One book, The Copper Scroll, was a novel about
Israel after the invasion of Ezek. 38,39 and the building of the Third
Temple. He was right that there will be an invasion of Israel as clearly
predicted in Ezek. 38,39; and it is clear that the Jewish Temple will
be rebuilt. But to prove the point that the Temple will be built after
the invasion Rosenberg authoritatively pointed out that “the next eight
chapters in Ezekiel, 40–48, describes that Temple in detail.” Amazing!
The nut! If he had carefully read those chapters and tried to draw a
design of the measurements given there he would have seen that that is
impossible. I tried it and soon discovered that such a building is
impossible. In chapter 40 every measurement was “one reed, one reed, one
reed”. Put that on paper. Obviously this temple is a spiritual one –
the Body of Christ.
The
time schedule of Ezek. 38,39 is a subject that is hotly contested among
prophetic scholars. Everyone agrees that this invasion will happen but
the issue is when. For many years I agreed with Hal Lindsey and many
others that this battle will be at the start of the seven year period,
but now I see no other place than at the end. Personally I strongly
believe this is Armageddon. I base this on two strong arguments. One is,
I believe Richardson is right that Gog is the anti-Christ and all the
nations listed in Ez. 38,39 are Islamic. Secondly, the language in Ez.
39 is identical to Rev. 19, that is unquestionably Armageddon. In both
cases God invites the fowls and animals to His great supper for them
(Ez. 39:4,17-20; Rev. 19:17,18). Revelation is just a further
description of Ez. 38,39.
In
all the hassle of the time frame of Ezekiel and the rebuilding of the
Temple, the rapture gets overlooked by everyone except strong
dispensationalists. For them the rapture is paramount and everything
else is built around it. I will agree that there certainly is such a
thing as the rapture. If 1Thes. 4:15-17 and 1 Cor. 15 are not talking
about a rapture I don't know what else you could call it. The question
is not what is it? but when is it?. If the Bible is clear in giving any
specific time I find it hard to believe that it is at any time other
than at the last trump ( 1Cor. 15:51,52). And I don't fell it is too wild
a guess to suggest the last trump is nothing other than the last trump
mentioned in Rev. 8:2; 10:7; 16:1. To me that is the most logical
position.
But this is an anathema to dispensationalists. It flies in the face of their position of the immanent 2nd
coming of Christ. Here we have a problem. The clearest thing that Jesus
ever taught us concerning His return is that it will be at a time when
“ye think not”. It is obvious that the 1st century church
expected Jesus to return soon. The disciples probably thought He would
be back in a year or two. Paul obviously taught the immanent return of
Christ. The main point of his writing the 1st book of
Thessalonians was to explain a problem of what would happen to believers
who had died recently, and the Thessalonians wondered if they would
miss the rapture. Regardless of what my position is concerning the
rapture one corner stone that I will not move is the immanent return of
Christ.
How
can you believe in the immanent return of Christ if you believe that
the rapture will come at the last trump? The same way I believe that
both the Calvinists and Armenians are right. I believe there are a
number of spiritual things that exist in a world that has more
detentions than the three with which we are familiar. I believe the
events in Revelation come in a configuration other than the liner one
with which we are familiar. If we lived in a two dimensional world it
would be near impossible to comprehend a three dimensional world. I
believe that is the problem we are up against with spiritual truth.
As
I view eschatology there are a number of things that are hard to set on
paper. That is why Joel Richardson suggests that there are few subject
that require more humility than eschatology. But there are a few things
appearing on the horizon that look very much like the stage set for the
last days. We might be wrong but can't imagine that it's far from here.
Let's let it all hang out for Jesus.
Gambarimasho. bill
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