How to Separate the Symbol from the Literal in Bible Prophecy.

A National Sunday Law conspiracy the Adventists do not know about - as yet

What Is So Wrong With The Jews' 'Earthly Kingdom' Interpretation Of Messianic Prophecies?

FREE DOWNLOAD

A correct understanding of Old Testament prophecies of the coming Messiah was critical to knowing what His mission will be when He comes. And so it is with every other prophecy.  Prophecy sets up

expectations, and expectation leads to a certain kind of anticipation.

Therefore, if your interpretation of prophecy is unsound, it will lead you to a false expectation of its fulfillment. And if your expectation is a delusion, your anticipation (or preparation) would be an exercise in futility, since it is inspired by false information about a future event.

As students of prophecy we have a responsibility to ourselves to ensure that we do not fall into a similar theological trap to that into which the Jews have fallen. We need to study to show ourselves approve unto God, rightly extracting the truth from what appears to be difficult and confusing (2Tim. 2:15). 

Before we start to jump on the Jews for their errors in misinterpretation of Bible prophecy, let us be honest with them and with ourselves. Due to the nature of many of these prophecies anybody could have easily misinterpreted them. In my opinion the chance of those texts being misunderstood is about 8 out of 10! So I wouldn't want to be too hard on my Jewish brothers for their lack of understanding. However, I cannot excuse them for the attitude with which they have treated the issue before and after the facts.

We will take a brief look at what the Jewish rabbis could have done to ensure a proper understanding of the messianic prophecies and what they should have done to correct their mistakes in light of Christ's arrival on the scene. 

Ok, so they have those prophecies before them telling them about the coming Messiah and coming King in the same breath. The question they needed to have asked themselves is how do we ensure a thorough and comprehensive understanding of the messianic predictions? In order for them to understand those prophecies as they aught, they could have done a total search of the scrolls of the prophets and carefully compare the testimonies of one prophet with that of the other (scripture comparison of parallel prophecies).

It would be seen that the scripture passages that seem to teach the initial setting up of an earthly kingdom are not the only testimonies. What about Isaiah 53, which clearly teaches about the crucifixion of Christ in great detail! What about Zechariah 13:6, 7 that speaks about the smiting of the Shepherd and the scattering of His sheep. How do we deal with Psalms 22, which is similar to Isaiah 53 in detail description?

This particular chapter in the Psalms is very interesting because it not only speaks of Christ's crucifixion but also his coming kingdom! And if the Jewish leaders wanted to see independent texts from the Old Testament that speak exclusively of the coming kingdom of Christ, you can find them in Psalms 50:1-6, ch.110, and Isaiah 25! With the help of these scripture references the rabbis would not have been disappointed the way they did. And these crucifixion texts were well known!

I don't know how true this is but an experienced church brother of mine told me that it was a matter of protocol among the Jews that these crucifixion texts should be treated as sealed portions of the messianic prophecy; they should not be quoted before the congregation at no time, because it does not fall in line with their expectations of the Messiah. 

But let us say that they did not know how to treat those texts and that they are completely ignorant of their meanings. The fact that Christ performed such marvelous miracles (like raising the dead) should be enough for them to at least reexamine those crucifixion texts to see if those are the prophecies that are to be fulfilled, even though they feel disappointed with how things are turning out.

And even if those who participated in the crucifixion of Christ should realize and acknowledge that they have played a part in fulfilling the prophecy and repent, God would have pardoned them and save them from their sins because that was His purpose for sending Christ! But, instead, the chosen people of God hardened their hearts against the prophecy truth and maintained the same disposition that led them to shout: crucify Him, crucify Him, crucify Him!

And so Israel remained in that same spiritual condition until they were visited with the wrath of God in the destruction of Jerusalem (Matt. 24:1, 2).

We who are living in the last days need to exercise greater responsibility in the way we arrive at our conclusions on Bible prophecy. It is a matter of life and death! Unlike the situation with the Jews where there was still the opportunity to repent and turn to God, the prophecies of Daniel and Revelation do not offer any such room for similar mistakes. 

For instance, if after you have sold your 'birthright', by taking the mark of the beast, you realize that you have been deceived, there will be no chance for repentance (Heb. 6:4-6; 10:26, 27)! Neither will there be the desire nor the inclination to repent (Heb. 12:16, 17)! However, if upon seeing the initial fulfilment of those prophecies you realize that you were not taught the truth and decided to repent and accept those prophecy truths you were rejecting for years, you will be saved.

In the prophecy e-course scripture comparison is king! I have included ample proof in the form of scripture references and quotations that will ensure that you are kept out of ignorance on end-time events predicted in Daniel and Revelation. The good thing about this simple and basic method of understanding Bible prophecy is that even if you have your own views you just cannot ignore the compelling weight of evidence.

About the Author: Steve Sterling is a veteran Bible student and prophecy researcher who has been studying the prophecies of Daniel and Revelation for over 26 years. He served as Sabbath School Teacher and Lay Activities Secretary in a local church in Kingston, Jamaica. His most significant contribution to the discussion on end-time prophecy is the End-time Prophecy E-Course which is now available at: www.prophecyecourse.com.  

Ignorance of End-Time Bible Prophecy Not Surprising

FREE DOWNLOAD

Well, I'm not talking about ignorance on the part of non-Christians. I am really referring to people who are expected to know so much of the word of God that they can be of help to those who are sitting in darkness. 

It is one thing to know that we are living in a world that is becoming more and more spiritually indifferent and ignorant of the Bible, but it's another thing to know that the very people whose
duty it is to enlighten the simple are themselves in danger of being destroyed for lack of knowledge (Hos. 4:6). As a conscientious student of Bible prophecy that has been my concern for some time.

However, as I came to understand prophecy better than I understood it five years ago, I am no longer surprised at the level of ignorance that prevails among "Bible-believing" churches. I do not wish to come across as if I am better off than anybody else simply because of my enlightenment in the prophetic word, because I'm not.

I believe that just like how I could have taken my Bible and engage in a marathon prophecy study, anybody else could have done the same, and get results!


The fact is, many church members are not willing to exercise the kind of diligence and patience it takes to arrive at sound conclusions on Bible prophecy. They would rather leave it up to their pastors and elders to do the thinking for them. This kind of approach to knowledge acquisition may be acceptable in the business world, but when it comes to knowing the scriptures it is simply not an option, since it's your eternal salvation, and not just your financial resources, that is at stake. 

As prophecy students we need to understand that the kind of apathy about Bible prophecy that now prevails in the Christian world did not come about by chance. The Devil thrives on our ignorance, and
the continued ignorance of the scriptures on the part of Christians is what he is depending on to deceive the inhabitants of the world and sweep them into his new religious scheme during the mark-of-the-beast crisis. 

You will recall how in a previous post I pointed out to you that deception will be a major part of the Devils end-time modus operandi. And I feared many churches are going to be swept off their feet before they know what hit them. The reason why that will be made possible is because the vast majority of Christendom is in darkness (relative to what they should know) and will remain in darkness until the main event.

I have personally heard some weird things from Christians out there which made me wonder if they read their Bibles! It's all in the apathetic and listless manner with which we treat spiritual matters! Do you think the Bible could have prophesied that "...all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond..." will take the mark of the beast (Rev. 13:16) if it wasn't due to some level of ignorance of the prophecy? 

Some in the church would shrug off the need to know the prophecy and tell you that "prophecy cannot save you", that as long as you accept Christ you have nothing to worry about. But is that a guarantee that you will not become a victim of the Devil's skulduggery in the last days? Among the many that will lose their souls in the coming crisis are church people who would have accepted Christ as their personal Saviour from sin - people who are supposed to be saved!

Your knowledge of the rudiments of salvation and your assurance of being saved should neither be used as an excuse for neglecting prophecy study nor as a license for lethargy. If you should adopt this attitude in your pursuit of secular studies, believe me, it will only result in you becoming another has-been / also-ran who did not graduate! 

In the race for eternal life nobody wants to be among the also-ran. Yet many are in danger of eternal exam failure for lack of knowledge. Engaging in a systematic end time prophecy study may well be your only means of foiling the Devil's plot for your eternal oblivion by keeping you in ignorance of his devices. 

Unfortunately, in the last days many through ignorance will find themselves so helpless that they will be “tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive” Eph. 4:14. 

As we would often say in Jamaica, 'You are a fool to what you don't know.'  

Therefore, in our religious experience let us not pursue our study of the word of God like a college dropout who has lost focus, but rather let it enable us to “grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.” 2 Pet. 3:18. As we anticipate the coming crisis it is imperative that we not only increase in knowledge but we increase in knowledge in proportion to the magnitude of the challenge we have to face. 

False Perception of Bible Prophecy – The Reason Why Christ Was Crucified

FREE DOWNLOAD

There are a number of reasons that we can point to as to why Christ was crucified. Some would say it is about the perception that he blasphemes, breaks the Sabbath, deceives the people, while others would point to the fact that due to his popularity he was taking the spotlight away from the spiritual leaders in Israel.

All those claims can be confirmed by the biblical accounts as contributing factors to Christ's demise. Yet, as criminal charges, they are both false and malicious, and betrayed a more deep-seated motive at work in the treatment of the Son of God the way they did.

Did you know that many in Israel were disappointed in the way Jesus' mission turned out? And, of

course, you and I know that he was not doing His own work! He came to fulfill the will of His Father who sent Him (Jn 5:30). So, on such account one cannot say that Christ deliberately set out to frustrate expectations. He was merely taking orders from a Higher Power and He was proceeding exactly as God intended.

But why should the chosen people of God be disappointed in His Son? Why should they be so frustrated with Jesus' conduct to the point where they were prepared to trump up charges against Him in a

desperate attempt to rid themselves of Him!?

If you should do a careful study of the scriptures around the four gospels - Matthew Mark, Luke, and John - you will see the compelling reason behind the "reasons" why the Son of God was crucified. It is nothing but a false expectation concerning His mission which resulted from a MISCONCEPTION OF THE MESSIANIC PROPHECIES OF THE OLD TESTAMENT.

I had to put it in all caps because we who are living in the end-time need to take a lesson from this! Just as it was a matter of life and death for the Jews in the time of Christ, so will it be in our time! And you don't have to ask; many Jews lost out on salvation as a result of this very situation. And many more will

lose their souls because on account of this very mistake in prophetic interpretation, up to this day the nation of Israel still believe that they should look for a Messiah to come! God help them!

Let us take a brief look at why the misconception had prevailed, the extent to which it prevailed, and the problem it created for the Jewish people. But let me just tell you what the unwarranted expectation of Christ was. The Jewish people over hundreds of years were primed to accept the idea that, far from being a Lamb to the slaughter, Christ will be this majestic King who will assert his divine authority over the people in Jerusalem and break the yoke of Gentile oppression from off their necks.

This false awareness of the first Advent of Christ was created by a misinterpretation of the prophecies that speak of Jesus as both the coming Messiah and the coming King as if they will be fulfilled as one and the same event. You will recall that one such prophecy was uttered by Balaam found in Num. 24:15-17.

If you do a fair research of the messianic prophecies you will realize that there are many such prophecies - prophecies that speak of the Messiahship and Kinship of Jesus in the same breath (see

Isaiah 9 and Micah 5). Now we can see why it was so easy for anybody to expect Christ to set up an earthly kingdom at the first Advent. It is for this very reason that Christ was rejected by His very own because by virtue of the fulfilment of His mission many began to doubt whether this Man is really what He claims to be.

Yes, He opened the eyes of the blind; yes, He made the lame to walk; yes, He raised the dead and did many more marvellous works. But because he did not set up a kingdom the people clamoured for His

blood, accusing him of deception and blasphemy!   

So influential was this 'earthly kingdom' idea among the religious leaders of the day that it led even the prophet John the Baptist to question Jesus' Messiahship! (See Luke 7:18-20). That is the extent to which this false expectation had influenced the Jewish society, and the religious leaders who wields great influence among their congregations are largely responsible for this. Because they are respected as the guardian of the oracles of God, their theological prognoses are usually accepted as law.

In the last days we are going to face a similar situation. Even at this very moment we can see it unfolding. Through the influence of respected theologians many false teaching are floating around today

- teachings that are calculated to destroy souls!

The extent to which the people in Christ’s day were mislead by false expectations of the First Advent could well be a mere micro indication of the extent to which the people of our day will be deceived by popular teachings about the Second Coming.

The kind of carelessness and flippancy with which we treat the scriptures today is laying the groundwork for Satan to mislead the people by supplying false theories that suits their expectations and world view. It is for this reason that we are thus admonished:

"Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth." 2Tim. 2:15

Examining The Prophecy Of Matthew 24: Why Did Jesus Give the Same Warning Three Times In One Conversation?

FREE DOWNLOAD

 In any written statement or proclamation, you can know that a particular clause is treated with utmost importance when it is repeated more than twice. In other words, when you see that kind of emphasis attached to a particular warning or admonition in the Bible, you must treat it with the level of  importance it requires.

As I’ve always been saying, the 24th chapter of Matthew is my third most read prophecy besides Daniel and Revelation. One of the factors that elevated that prophecy to that level of importance in

my estimation is the fact that a similar emphasis is placed on a particular warning - the warning is given to us in three different places in the same passage. And what is also interesting is the fact that this is the very first sign among a list of signs that Jesus gave in response to His disciples query about the sign of His

Coming and the end of the world.

The important warning that I am speaking about pertains to DECEPTION IN THE LAST DAYS.  And according Jesus' prophecy, these deceptions will be the work of many false prophets and false

christs. 

In recognizing the danger to which His people will be exposed in the latter days, Jesus in His mercy has seen it fit to warn us three times in one conversation about these agents of Satan. The first statement that Jesus made in His prophecy of the signs of His coming is,

"Take heed that no man deceive you. For many shall come in my name saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many" (vs 4-5).

Then later in the same conversation Jesus went on, "And many false prophets shall rise and shall deceive many" (vs 11).

The third warning came thirteen verses later when He further told them,

"For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect." (vs 24).

This admonition must be very important to the salvation of our souls for it to be so often repeated in one conversation (another reason why I say prophecy is of salvational [salvivic] importance).

The real issue that this prophecy brought to view is the role that deception will play in the last days as a means of getting people to make the wrong decisions concerning their salvation and thus lose their souls.

All of us should know that Satan is a super intelligent being. What would take us a period of 4 or more years to learn in college can be absorbed by any angelic being in a matter of days! That's the level of intelligence we are up against! Therefore, we should not think of satanic deceptions in the end-time to be some clumsy imposture that can be easily detected.

For instance, if you are a deceiver and want to deceive a large group of people into believing a lie, which method would be most effective: getting somebody whom they don't know to deceive them, or getting somebody whom they know and who have influence over them to deceive them? Certainly, it would be the latter!

I am asking this question because I want to put your mind in detective mode to think like the greatest deceiver of all time - Satan. If we in our own limited intellectual capacity can easily think up an idea like this off the top of our heads, you can imagine how much more superior the ideas that Satan, with his giant intellect, is capable of implementing in the last days to deceive the unsuspecting.

What I am trying to say is that when we read about the activities of false prophets in the last days anywhere in the Bible we must not envision some offbeat, fly-by-night evangelists or some infamous cult leaders who are more notorious for teaching outlandish falsehoods than anything else. If we can consider these to be ineffective deceivers, how much more Satan.

On the subject of the proliferation of false teachers in the last days, the fact that the Devil is not stupid cannot be over emphasised. I have covered much in the prophecy course on this particular issue. The agents that the devil will use in the latter days will have only one mandate – to deceive the world and lead as many as they can down the broad road of perdition.  

While I was doing my biblical research on this subject I was fascinated to see that the prophecy spoken by Jesus concerning the false prophets is not anything new but were actually in reference to Old Testament end-time prophecies found in the books of Ezekiel and Jeremiah. It is also in perfect correlation to prophecies in the book of Revelation, a correlation that many prophecy students seem to be ignoring.

The end time prophecy concerning how the world will be hoaxed into making the wrong decision about their salvation is more serious a prediction than many of us are taking it. The level of imposture with which the people of God will be confronted will be in proportion to angelic intelligence so that it cannot be detected by mere human discernment except it be inspired by divine revelation.

Countdown to the End of the World: Why Would God Want His People to Go Through This Horrible Tribulation?

FREE DOWNLOAD

 

Yes! Why doesn't God just get rid of those who are closely aligned to Satan and hell-bent on creating anarchy and destruction before they become an immediate threat to His people? Why won't He find a

way to cleanse the earth of those whom He knows will want to take over the world in an attempt to force it into compliance with the Devil's agenda? Certainly, at any rate, the world would be a better

place without them. Wouldn't it?

On the other hand some are busy courting wishful thinking that God will rapture them to heaven before this great time of adversity comes upon the world. What is worse is that a great number of those who believe in the secret rapture theory do not even want to hear about the great tribulation because, according them, they will not be here when it happens.

But, as children of God, should we be overly apprehensive about the things that are to transpire upon the earth in the last days?  Is it to the honour and glory of our heavenly Father to be so worried about the bleak future of planet earth that we would rather be in the bliss of heaven enjoying ‘milk and honey’ while sinners perish?

As students of prophecy we need to understand what God’s overall purpose is as He seeks to tackle the sin problem. We need an appreciation of the different issues to be dealt with in this great controversy between Christ and Satan. When we ask ourselves questions like these, we are not only probing an end-time issue, but we are also seeking answers concerning God's way of doing things in general.

That the people of God are going to be treated unfairly by agents of Satan in the last days is nothing new. If you should trace the experience of the people of God from the time of Israel to our time, you would see a history of enslavement, persecution, and otherwise unkind treatment of those who dare to serve God. So, the question, therefore, should really be, why does God permit His people to undergo some of the most trying ordeal and does nothing to put an immediate end their sufferings?

When we look at the history of the adversity of God's people, we will see some clear reasons for this. Here are some of the factors that cause bad things to happen to God's people:

-                      One person brought sin into the camp (Josh. 71-26)

-                      God's people went into idolatry (Judg. 10:6-10)

-                      Ungodly leadership of His people (2Kings 13:1-4)

-                      God exercises mercy toward an evil nation/king (Ex. 1:8-14; Rom. 9:17, 18)

-                      God wants to test our loyalty to Him (Dan. 11:33-35; 12:10)

-                      There’s the need for the professed people of God to see themselves for what they truly are and seek repentance (Jn. 18:10; Lk 22:48-62)

-                      God allows adversities to purify the church of hypocrites (Amos 9:9-12; Isa. 33:14, 15)

-                      The need to perfect the characters of Christians (Isa. 48:10)

-                      The need to spread the gospel far and wide (Acts 8:1-4)

Some of these factors may seem a little odd, but the scriptural evidence is there to suggest that the Lord uses these circumstances to accomplish His purposes in the lives of each of His people.

Have you ever wondered why people like Peter, Paul, James, and the later disciples were willing to die the most horrible death rather than give up their faith?

There is a long history of persecution of Christians from the 1^st to the 18th century AD (even unto this very day). History can attest to the fact that those who remained steadfast in their faith in Christ were thrown to hungry lions, hanged on crosses, beheaded, sawed asunder, suffered cruel torturing, and burnt at the stake.

And would you believe it, these faithful saints of the Most High God took it joyfully; in fact, there were frequent accounts of Christians singing in the fire while they were being burnt at the stake! They were never crying out in despair or frantically begging for their lives. Amazing!

God must have given them a special endowment of grace not only to enable them to endure suffering unto death, but also to rejoice in their sufferings! Shadrack, Mishack, and Abednego must have been prepared for this when they chose to be thrown into a 7x-heated fire, oblivious of an impending deliverance!

One of the purposes that persecution is designed to accomplish in the experience of the saints of God is a refining of character. As Christians, we have not reached the fullness of the stature of Christ; our characters still have some rough edges that needs to be smoothed down. 

The role of tribulation in the work of character perfection is thus described by the apostle Peter:

“Wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations:  That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ” 1Pet. 1:7

So, why should we be afraid of what the enemy will do to us? When I read things like these I stop asking why God allows sufferings, but how can we endure them when He allows it!? And my answer comes straight from the experiences of the early bretheren; if the grace of God was sufficient for them then it will be sufficient for me. 

And come to think of it, it is not really a matter of why God allows sufferings to come upon His people but whether or not they are accounted worthy to suffer for Christ's sake!

When John and Peter were beaten for preaching in the name of Christ, they did not whine and murmur like a sick puppy; the Bible said   “....they departed from the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for his name.” Acts 5:41  

Therefore, if during the mark-of-the-beast crisis you find yourself living a normal life, void of hindrances it simply means something is not right with your relationship with God; you are not accounted worthy to suffer for Christ’s name. Hence, your character will not be submitted for refinement in preparation for the Second Coming of Jesus Christ.

I really did not intend to make this blog post this lengthy, but I just have to make sure you understand what is ahead of us in the last days and the extent to which we are going to be up against the malice of Satan at its apex. And there is no point in yearning for a way of escape from it before it comes. Like the early Christians we must be more concerned about whether we are accounted worthy to suffer shame for the name of Christ because if we are not considered worthy, it simply means we are not on His side.