Bible Prophecy - Where
to Begin?
By Edward Wood
It has been said that 25% of the Bible is comprised
of prophecy in one manner or another. Considering the length
of the Bible, any one who wishes to begin an exploration of
this subject might wonder just where to start. I know I did.
Interestingly enough, the answer was not long in coming. Now
this in no way should be construed as some kind of inherent
brilliance on my part but should instead be looked upon as a
practical example of what James said: [James 1:5 If any of
you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men
liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.
In other words, any wisdom you might find here isn't
generated from yours truly. Next, I strongly urge you to do
your own homework and arrive at your own conclusions not
only on what you read here, but on any commentary regarding
Scripture. Why? Because Paul reminds us that "we see through
a glass darkly" (1 Cor. 13:11-12) - even the greatest of
Bible scholars. As a layman with no formal Bible training,
I'm sure this adds more layers of tint to my particular
glass, making this advice even more relevant in the present
circumstances. This being said, let's proceed. So, then,
where is a good place to begin to study Bible Prophecy? My
personal answer - the Olivet Discourse. From this last of
Jesus' public sermons, his followers, including us, are
given a broad view of the future. Some think that the events
described have already happened. In fact, there are even
those who have the view that all Bible prophecy has been
fulfilled, culminating with the invasion of Jerusalem, circa
70 A.D.
Others believe that the Bible's prophetic pronouncements
are allegorical. While it is true that a great deal of
symbolism occurs in such great books as Daniel and
Revelation, the Olivet Discourse is direct and clear. I
believe that the Lord meant exactly what he said. It is from
that basis I will attempt to present an overview of its
contents. I do recommend you read Matthew 24, Mark 13, and
Luke 21 yourself before proceeding. It will greatly help you
follow along.
Intriguingly Olivet's physical location ties together
accounts of Jesus' return to Earth in the Old and New
Testaments. The words he himself spoke likewise connect the
essentials of Old and New Testament prophecy as well. Let's
now look at the highlights of the Olivet Discourse and see
where they lead. Since on occasion events are repeated in
more than one place throughout Jesus' address, I'll endeavor
to present them topically.
Olivet would no doubt be remembered in history alone for
what Jesus said there almost 2000 years ago. but there is
much more to the story than that. In fact, a little over
forty days from the time he gave his discourse it would also
be the scene of his last post-resurrection appearance to
most of those very same people!
From there they would watch in awe as he rose into the
clouds, with two men "in white apparel" promising them that
he would return in the same manner (Acts 1:1-12). But this
isn't all. In Zechariah, chapter 14, we read how the Lord's
return to Olivet at the end of this age will bring
incredible changes to our world for all time!
The Mount of Olives stands east of Jerusalem overlooking
the city from which vantage point the temple which had been
rebuilt to magnificent splendor by the volatile and often
ruthless Herod the Great in an attempt to curry favor from
the populace. His being appointed by Rome to this position
and being descended from the Judean's tradtional adversaries
the Edomites engendered no shortage of resentment from his
subjects. Yet despite his character flaws, he was a master
builder and the temple was the crown jewel of his
accomplishents. It had been described from those of that
time as often glowing in gleaming splendor in the Judean
sunlight.
Matthew, Mark, and Luke record that the first thing that
Jesus revealed was that the temple which so impressed his
audience would one day no longer exist. His listeners must
have been incredulous as they looked down upon its immensity
and grandeur from the Mount of Olives. How could such a
structure be so destroyed that there would not be "one stone
upon another, that shall not be thrown down" (Matt. 24:1-2)?
It must have been as unbelievable to them as the thought
that our own World Trade Towers would crumble to the ground
as a result of a terrorist attack on 9-11 was prior to that
terrible event. But it happened all the same.
This was not the first time the temple would fall. Almost
600 years earlier Nebuchadnezzar's Babylonian forces
destroyed Jerusalem and everything in it, temple included.
What Jesus described was to occur exactly as he related
almost forty years later. When Titus' Roman Legion finally
broke into the city, the historian Josephus recorded that
even he couldn't stop his troops from setting this grand
structure on fire. Its huge porous limestone blocks exploded
from the moisture within them as it turned to steam. As if
that wasn't enough, the soldiers pried part the wreckage to
get at the gold with which it had been adorned that had
melted and flowed down into the ruins.
From this point on. Jesus spoke of events that are future
even to our time, but, I believe, are very close at hand. I
think you will find many of them are now sounding very
familiar in our Twenty-first Century World. The very next
thing Jesus warned of was the coming of false prophets. One
of the biggest problems of the early church was this very
problem. (See Acts 13:1-11; 2 Cor. 11:12-26; Galatians
2:1-5; 2 Peter 2:1; 1 John 4:1-6.) It still is today, and,
in my opinion, is getting much worse.
I personally have watched the particular denomination of
which I had belonged give its blessing to actively
homosexual clergy, deny Jesus as the only means of
salvation, and select for itself clerical and lay leaders
that are telling people only what they want to hear. It is
like watching Paul's words to his young protege' Timothy
come true before one's own eyes across many of the largest
denominations (1 Timothy 4:1-4).This action will all
intensify and culminate in the advent of the Antichrist
(Daniel 8:23-25; 2 Thess. 2:1-12; Rev. 17:7-17, 19:11-21).
The fall of the western church to false doctrine in the past
few decades is not only rendering it incapable of standing
against the growing forces of darkness but actually aiding
them.
The Lord related that famines would come. The population
of our planet stands near seven billion, a large percentage
of which go to bed hungry every night. Recently there are
ominous signs that it could get worse very quickly. As I
write, there is a potential for the Ug-99 wheat fungus to
devastate 80% of the world's wheat if it should manage to
spread around the globe. In this case, the warning given on
Olivet might very well be pointing to the Black Horse of
Revelation 6:5-6 wherein a measure (quart) of wheat or three
of barley cost a penny, or denarius, depending on which
Bible translation you are using. This doesn't mean much to
our modern ears unless we understand that the denarius was a
day's wages to a common laborer (Matt. 20:1-16), and that a
measure of wheat or three of barley were considered the
minimum dietary requirement for a person of those times. In
other words, there will come a time when a person's entire
income will be needed to buy enough food to survive. The
passage continues with "the oil and wine" not being harmed.
I've heard various interpretations of this but the one that
seems to make sense is that these last two items were
commodities of the rich. Is it possible that this points to
a time when most people will suffer while the wealthy
continue to live opulently? Does this sound awfully
familiar? Notice how Jesus' words link us to an event
written by John in Revelation sixty years later about
something that hasn't even happened in our time, but one in
which we are beginning to see the manner in which it can.
Along with famines, Jesus told of the coming pestilences
and earthquakes. It is hard to imagine any other time in
human history when we have seen so much of both! About
thirty years ago HIV-AIDS exploded across our world and is
still running rampant, especially in Africa. I personally
can't rmember any communicable affliction ever existing
which has had such a wide range, lasted so long, or resisted
a cure. In affluent societies such as the United States, the
main vectors ar drug use and fornication, the details of the
latter I'm sure you already know. I've heard many say it's a
"judgment" disease because of this. Well, knowing that God
is a loving God, I'm pretty sure he didn't create HIV. But
whenever people disregard his rules of living and push him
out of their lives, how can they expect him to protect them
from the consequences of their own free will?
Regarding earthquakes, a visit to the United States
Geological Survey website is most revealing. I decided to
count only the larger quakes of Richter Scale magnitude 6.0
and above. Until the turn of this century, most years had
less than six per year, with only sporadic counts of ten or
twelve. Since 2002, the numbers I got ranged from 22 for
that year up to a high of 47 in 2007! Even 2008 had 35! As I
write, the count for 2009 is already over 20. Being human,
my counts might not be perfect but even so it is clear that
geologically speaking, it is no longer "business as usual"
for Planet Earth.
Jesus predicted that Christians would again be
persectued, that even people within familes would betray
each other. This is already well under way throughout the
world where being a follower of Christ can get one killed in
some regions. In fact, he said that people in general would
would become more cruel in the End Times, that their "love
would wax cold." When one sees regularly the increase and
appalling visciousness of crimes being committed even within
the United States, it makes one wonder just what is going
on. In Romans 1:19-32, Paul presents a sobering description
so accurate of the way people will become as this age winds
down that it is hard to escape the fact that we must indeed
be very close to the end. Jesus said that as the time of the
end draws near, the Gospel would be preached "in all the
world." Isn't it fascinating that our present-day technology
has made made this literally possile instantly anywhere on
the planet? In addition to this even as the Tribulation is
well under way, God will employ an angel to preach the
"everlasting gospel" to all nations in every language (Rev.
14:6). I believe that this proves God will go to every
length he can to get his message out. Anyone who choses to
ignore it will therefore have no excuse for the judgment
that will fall upon them.
The Lord spoke of military conflicts that would come. Did
you know that the Twentieth Century had more casualties due
to war than any other time in human history? When was the
last time you watched the news on TV or read your paper
without reports of some conflict somewhere? The stakes grow
higher each day as more and more very bad people gain access
to more and more very bad weapons. One day it will all come
to a head on the Plain of Esdraelon which lies below a place
called Har (Mount) Megiddo - otherwise known as Armageddon
(Rev. 16:13-15)!
Regarding the author of this ultimate battle mentioned
above, Jesus provides an important clue as to the means by
which to identify him in Matthew and Mark's accounts. When
the "abomination of desolation" appears in the "holy place,"
this will be a sign for the people of Judea to "flee to the
mountains." Daniel tells us who it is that will do this
(Daniel 9:27). Referred to variously as the "king of fierce
countenance" (Daniel 8:23), "son of perdition" (2 Thess.
2:3), "that Wicked" (2 Thess.:2-3), and the "beast"
(Revelation, particularly chapters 13, 14, 16, 17, 19, and
20), this man will embody the worst of every despot that has
ever walked on this planet. In common parlance he is best
known as the "Antichrist."
Satan has always wanted to be "god" and this man will
have access to demonic power to do whatever is necessary for
the devil to accomplish this goal. One day the war will come
which will cause all prior military campaigns to pale in
comparison when the Antichrist gathers the armies of the
world to attempt to carry out the "Final Solution" against
the Jews that the pharaoh of Moses' time, Haman, and Hitler
had also attempted.
But why have so many tried to wipe out a people who,
except for relatively short periods, have been virtually
powerless? Well, just suppose the pharaoh (Exodus), Haman
(Esther), or Nebuchadnezzar (Jeremiah, Daniel) had succeeded
in making the Hebrews cease to exist. In such a case the
tribe of Judah would have disappeared into history and with
it King David and his descendant Jesus of Nazareth. But
since these men failed, Jesus has indeed come and with him
the only sacrifice God could accept to save us all. Satan's
only chance remaining is to prevent the prophecies of the
Bible regarding Israel to ultimately fulfll its role in
becoming the pre-eminent nation of the millennial age to
come (Zech. 8:23, 12:5-10, 13:1, 14:1-20). Adolf Hitler, who
was very much a type of the coming Antichrist, was well on
the way to doing just that.
The "son of perdition" will be Satan's last shot at
accomplishing that goal. But he will not succeed, either. As
his forces are about to capture the entirety of Jerusalem,
they are stopped by the return of Jesus Christ himself in a
cloud accompanied by the "host" or armies of heaven (Zech.
1:1-3, Luke 21:26-27, Rev. chapter 19). From that moment on,
everything will change. The Antichrist and his false prophet
henchman will be cast into the lake of fire while his army
is routed. Satan will be locked away for 1000 years during
which time Jesus will personally establish and rule his
Millennial Kingdom.
As magnificent as this time will be, it will be followed
by a final disposition of Satan, his demons, and all who
refused God's offer of salvation throughout all ages as they
are themselves cast eternally into the lake of fire. Now
with all traces of evil forever banished, God will create a
new everlasting heaven and Earth in which he will come with
his city, the New Jerusalem, to dwell among humankind for
all time (Rev. chapters 20-22).
I'll conclude our exploration by telling you that I
believe in a Pre-Tribulation rapture. Out of all the other
possibilities, it seems best to explain the apparent
contradiction of Jesus returning completely unexpectedly "as
a thief" (Rev. 3:3) and then an exact time of his coming
being given three and a half years after the erecting of the
"abomination of desolation" in the rebuilt temple's "holy
place" (Daniel 12:7-12, Rev. 12:14) when the persecution of
God's people ends - no doubt by the Second Coming of Jesus
Christ. The rapture of the church will be totally unexpected
and virtually instantaneous (1 Cor. 15:51-53). The Second
Coming three and a half years after the "holy place" is
defiled will be seen by the whole world (Luke 17:24, Rev.
19:11-21).
There are several more passages that I find further
support the Pre-Trib scenario: [Luke 21:36 Watch ye
therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy
to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to
stand before the Son of man.] Though other versions of the
Bible have varying translations of this verse, this from
King James is very accurate. It suggests in clear terms that
there is a means of escape before the Tribulation. Belief in
Jesus is what makes us "worthy."
[1 Thessalonians 1:9-10 For they themselves shew of us
what manner of entering in we had unto you, and how ye
turned from idols to serve the living and true God; And to
wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead,
even Jesus, which delivers us from the wrath to come.
Though Paul was speaking to those who had turned from
idolatry in his day, how much more applicable are these
words to the believers of today! [Revelation 3:10 Because
thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will keep
thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all
the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth.
These words by Jesus were orignally intended for the
Apostle John be conveyed to the faithful Asia Minor church
of Philadelphia. Many believe this church is also
representative of the "true church" of all times comprised
of all faithful believers in Christ which will allow them to
escape the "hour of temptation" (trial) which will come upon
all the world. This certainly sounds like the Tribulation to
me!
Since this obviously hasn't happened yet, it must be
something which is yet to come. If, therefore, you are a
believer in Jesus, you are a "Philadelphian" and this
promise is for YOU! This means that there lies just up ahead
a destiny for us that exceeds our wildest dreams and our
greatest hopes. You mansion is already being built in the
New Jerusalem and before long it'll be Moving Day (John
14:1-3).
A long time ago God's Son stood upon
the hillside of a place called Olivet speaking the words
that unify all of Bible Prophecy. I commend them to you as
the time draws near when we will see that man who spoke them
so long ago face to face!