END-TIMES

Making the Wrong Assumptions

Never assume anything.” This well-known adage works particularly well when applied to the science of biblical interpretation. Assuming too much about a scriptural text can lead to inaccurate conclusions that miss…

Staying Alive

In answering their questions regarding future events, Jesus gave His disciples a ray of hope: “But he who endures to the end shall be saved” (Mt. 24:13). What did He mean? The key is the phrase…

False Teachers

False teachers can pose a health hazard. Perhaps you remember some from our own time. On November 19, 1978, 913 followers of Jim Jones committed suicide at the People’s Temple in Jonestown, Guyana, by drinking…

Messiah’s Coronation and Reign

Zechariah 6:1-15: What a long night Zechariah must have experienced. He had already received seven apocalyptic visions unveiling Israel’s future, and the eighth was soon to come. This final vision would reveal God’s judgment of the nations…

Expecting a Call at Any Moment

Are you looking for the undertaker or the “uppertaker”? Theological complexities certainly do exist. But the vast majority of the Bible is unmistakably simple.

Already/Not Yet?

Progressive Dispensationalism was introduced publicly through the 1992 publication Dispensationalism, Israel and the Church by Craig Blaising and Darrell Bock. Two more books, Progressive Dispensationalism by Blaising and Bock and The Case for Progressive Dispensationalism…

The Rise of Preterism

Preteristic interpretation first appeared in a commentary on Revelation by the Spanish Jesuit Luis Alcazar (1554–1613). He interpreted symbols in Revelation as the victory of the Roman Catholic Church over paganism…

God’s Holy Mountain

The phrase God’s holy mountain appears 18 times in the Old Testament; and though it defines two significant locations during different periods…

Bill Sutter’s Desk May/Jun 2004

It’s a term that arouses concern, even fear, in the hearts of people, especially if they are Jewish. It is also one of the most mischaracterized subjects of the Bible’s prophetic teachings.

The Invasion by Gog and Magog

Son of man, set thy face against Gog, of the land of Magog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal, and prophesy against him, And say, Thus saith the Lord GOD: Behold, I am against…

The Final Rebellion

Peace. Tranquility. Justice. They will cover the Earth like a blanket during the millennial rule. But will mankind be satisfied? What do you think?

The Restrainer

Someone or something is preventing evil from overtaking the world. And when this restrainer is removed, it truly will be like hell on Earth.

Conversions Wont Hasten Christ’s Coming

True, Bible-believing Christians are commanded to make salvation through Jesus known to all (Mt. 28:19–20). Jesus Himself gave that mandate, called the Great Commission, after His resurrection and prior to His ascension into heaven.

God is Sovereign Part Five

We have examined the fact that God exercises sovereign rule over the universe, angels, history, nations, rulers, counselors, judges, ministries, nature, and individuals. Now we will consider another sphere of God’s sovereign rule.

Road Map to Armageddon

The PLO holds every terrorist record on the books, and Arafat has violated every agreement he ever made with Israel. What kind of “peace” lies ahead?

The Final Cleansing Zechariah 13

Repentance and an end to sin, idolatry, and false prophets all await Israel in the spectacular final days before the restoration of the Davidic Kingdom.

The Day of the Lord Zechariah 14:1-7

Is it wrath or blessing? Is it one day or many? Actually, the Day of the Lord contains all these components, as this outstanding article clearly explains.

A Future Hope for Israel

Micah 4:1-13: Many questions 
must have troubled King Hezekiah and the leaders of Judah when they heard Micah preach of the nation’s impending demise. After all, if Judah were destroyed, how would God fulfill the irrevocable promises

The Judgment Seat of Christ

Works cannot carry you to heaven. But that doesn’t mean they count for nothing when you get there.

The Seven Judgments

Not all judgments occur in the end-times. In fact, you may be in the midst of one right now!

The Global Economy and Coming Chaos

The world may be “shrinking,” but financial debt is rising. The combination is a prescription for bankruptcy—and fulfillment of prophecy.

Israel at the Epicenter

Did you know the Quran does not mention Jerusalem even once by name? Why, then, is that city so important to Muslims? The explanation is eye-opening.

Europe, NATO and the Antichrist

They’re almost there. A “United States of Europe” is looming on the horizon with a parliament that is growing stronger every day. Just one key element is missing.

Silhouette of man speaking.

Listening for the Chariots

According to a recent report in Ha’aretz, Israel is weighing the prospect of international control over the Temple Mount in Jerusalem. The Israeli newspaper reports that “Israel is not ruling out the possibility of acceding…

The Rapture Question

Confused by the many views on the Rapture? This illuminating article will help you understand what the Scriptures teach about this exciting event.

Perhaps Today

Is the idea that the Lord can return at any moment just wishful thinking? Read
this article and learn what the Bible has to say about imminency.

Caught Up With Christ

Gone in an instant! How can that be? But it can be, and it has happened before.

Aftermath of the Rapture

When the Lord returns to take His church, the world will become a very different—and frightening—place to live.

Struttin’ on Through The Fire

Like pieces of an intricate puzzle, Daniel’s ancient prophecies are falling into place. The “fire” is coming—and so is the King.

How Near the End?

If there is one question that seems to come up more than any other these days, it is this one: “Do you believe that the coming of the Lord is really near?” For almost 2,000 years believers have been looking forward to that…

America in the New Millennium

On the 31st of this month, at the stroke of midnight, the world will finally enter the much-awaited Year 2000. Will automatic teller cards still work? Will electricity still flow? Will America conduct business as usual, or will the Y2K…

The New World Order

Two thousand years ago the Mediterranean world belonged to the Roman Empire. This empire stretched from Britain in the northwest to what is now Morocco in the southwest, and it proceeded east across North Africa and southern Europe to…

Israel’s Spiritual Adultery

Hosea 2:2–23: Today in America, the divorce rate is at an all-time high. Most people view fidelity, chastity, and commitment differently than they did a generation ago. In the past, those who entered matrimony dedicated themselves…

Jesus Christ and the Future Kingdom of God Part Five

Matthew 19:28 records a prophecy Christ delivered to His apostles: “Verily I say unto you that ye who have followed me, in the regeneration, when the Son of man shall sit on the throne of his glory, ye also shall sit upon twelve…

Jesus Christ and the Future Kingdom of God Part Four

This earth began with God’s theocracy as its government, but the theocracy was lost through the Satan-prompted fall of mankind. If God does not restore His theocratic kingdom rule before this earth’s history comes to an end, then Satan…

Silhouette of man speaking.

Running Scared

An Orthodox Jewish rabbi recently wrote about his understanding of where society would be positioned just before the coming of the Messiah. The rabbi’s words have the ring of an Old Testament prophet. “Just before the Messiah comes, humanity…

Jesus Christ and the Future Kingdom of God Part Three

Jesus Christ will play the key role in crushing Satan. His work of redemption through His death on the cross in His First Coming gives Him the authority to do this future work as mankind’s Kinsman-Redeemer (Heb. 2:14; 1 Jn. 3:8). Seven years before…

God’s Final Message

Revelation 22:6–21: All the purposes of God, from the inception of creation to the close of human history, have been completed. Christ has assumed His sovereign rule and reign over creation and has restored creation to the original…

Jesus Christ and the Future Kingdom of God Part One

“God created man in his own image” and gave him dominion “over all the earth,” including its plant and animal life (Gen. 1:26–29). The fact that God gave mankind this dominion reveals the original form of government that He ordained…

The New Creation

Revelation 21:1–8: The subject of eternity piques people’s interest as no other theme in Scripture. People intuitively know that there is a more fulfilling existence beyond this life because the transitory events on earth do not satisfy. But…

The Great White Throne Judgment

Revelation 20:11–15: On July 8, 1741, Jonathan Edwards preached his famous sermon, “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God.” Edwards held the manuscript so close to his face that the congregation was unable to see his expression as…

Silhouette of man speaking.

The Great American Culture Clash

We should have known what was coming. The warning from the Apostle Paul was simple and direct. “This know, also,” he said, “that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves…

The Prophetic Alignment

Squeezing Israel to make concessions to belligerent Gentile nations, whether they happen to be Arabs or others, falls into precise alignment with what is laid out in the prophetic Scriptures. The last days will be tumultuous times for the Jewish people…

The Fall of Babylon

Revelation 18: In the 1980s, Saddam Hussein started to rebuild portions of the ancient city of Babylon. Christians began to ask if Hussein’s project had anything to do with Bible prophecy. This in turn rekindled the often-asked question…

Warning Against False Teachers 2 Peter 2

The Apostle Peter predicted that, just as false prophets arose among the people of Israel to oppose the declarations of true Old Testament prophets, so false teachers would come among the church saints to oppose the truths of Christianity. The word for…

The Promise of His Coming 2 Peter 3

Ignoring warnings can result in catastrophic consequences. The Apostle Peter, in every way possible, attempted to prepare believers for the tumultuous last days and the onslaught of deception and error that Satan will launch before his final plunge…

The Woman and the Beast

Revelation 17:7–18: The woman sitting on the scarlet-colored beast was a spectacle to behold. John marveled at her ostentatious dress, idolatrous practices, murder of defenseless saints, and alliance with pagan Rome. Understanding John’s great wonderment…

Mystery Babylon

Revelation 17:1–7: Lying silently in the shifting sands of time, Babylon is destined to rise from the ashes of the past to play a major role in end-time events. The name Babylon brings to mind incredible images of a wicked city-state with an abominable…

The Judgment Seat of Christ

Many successful businesses engage their employees in an annual ritual known as the “year-end formal performance review.” On those occasions, a manager sits down with an employee, report in hand, and surveys…

Israel’s Final Judgment

The recurrent hatred of Jewry throughout its existence is an enigma—a people so small in number yet so central on the pages of world history. The benefits of the Jewish people to the masses…

The Judgment of the Nations

As long as I don’t hurt anyone, whatever I do is just fine.” Such proverbs abound in our day. Morality is defined by personal opinions. Courts pass laws based on majority vote or popular consensus.

Vision of God’s Coming Wrath Revelation 15:1–8

Revelation 15, although short in length, is not short in significance or importance. It provides a needed introduction to the final phase of God’s wrath. In this chapter John was given two glorious visions from…

The Coming World Prophet Revelation 13:11–18

Jesus predicted that many false Christs and prophets would appear in the last days. The two beasts mentioned in Revelation 13 are the final unveiling of Jesus’ prophecy that will take place during the Great

The Coming World Ruler Revelation 13:1–10

Attempts to identify the beast of Revelation have been numerous. Throughout church history, suggested candidates have been Judas, Nero, the Pope, Hitler, Mussolini, Kennedy, Kissinger, and many others.

Israel’s Travail and Triumph Revelation 12

Satan’s attempts to annihilate the Jewish people throughout the centuries are well documented in biblical and secular history. Demonically inspired despots like Haman and Hitler, filled with fanatical hatred, have attempted genocide of Jewish people…

Messengers With a Mandate Revelation 11

The long interlude between the sixth and seventh trumpets is continued from chapter 10. In the last verse of that chapter, John was instructed that he must prophesy again about many peoples, tongues, and nations.

Angel with a Little Scroll Revelation 10

There are a number of interludes throughout the judgment portions of Revelation. One is presented between the sixth and seventh seals in Revelation 7, and a second is presented between the sixth and seventh trumpets…

The Trumpet Judgments Revelation 8:1–9:21

When John “opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven about the space of half an hour” (v. 1). This seventh seal contains the seven trumpet and seven bowl judgments.

There Is Hope!

In case you haven’t noticed, there seems to be a great many things to be depressed about these days. The assassination of Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin sent the nation into a state of national…

The Imminency of Christ’s Return

The expression the imminency of Christ’s return means that Christ could return at any moment. Nothing else has to happen before His return.

The Tribulation Saints Revelation 7:1–17

Revelation chapter 7 opens with the phrase, “And after these things” (v. 1), indicating that John was about to receive a new vision. This vision is an interlude between the sixth and seventh seals and

The God Makers

Titillating words, these. Mankind, in the infancy of its innocence, was led to believe that being liberated from obedience to the Creator could be equated with becoming God-like. The delusion was but an extension…

The Scroll With Seven Seals Revelation 5:1–4

In Revelation 4, John presented a description of what he saw and heard in his heavenly vision. He saw God the Father seated on His throne and heard the host of heaven offering Him continual…

Gog And Magog

Ezekiel 38–39 foretells a massive future invasion “of Israel by the armed forces of six nations. Five of those nations are identified in 38:5–6 with the names they bore in Ezekiel’s time.

A Likely Scenario

Dr. Showers’ article confirms the identification of a number of military contingents who will join Russia in the invasion of Israel described in Ezekiel 33 and 39.

The Millennial Temple

Soon after the Lord delivered the children of Israel from their bondage in Egypt, He gave Moses instructions to build the Tabernacle. The work was done according to God’s plan, and when it was completed…

The Restrainer, the Rebel, the Rejecters

The beginning of 2 Thessalonians 2 makes it clear that at least two events will precede the advent of the Day of the Lord: the arrival of the great apostasy and the unveiling of the…

Living in Apostate Times: 2 Thessalonians 3

We are living in a day characterized by apostasy. It is hard to say exactly when it began, but it came to the United States as a result of European “free-thinking liberalism.”

The Revived Roman Empire

To understand the end-times revival of the Roman Empire, we must first understand the term the times of the Gentiles. Jesus said, “And they [the Jewish people] shall fall by the edge of the sword…

The Revelation of Jesus Christ

Futurists are inundating the country with articles, books and videos on what to expect by the year 2000 and beyond. This has rekindled an interest in the study of biblical prophecy.

The Great Tribulation: Matthew 24:9–26

Torrents of tribulation have been part and parcel of the human experience since Adam decided to take a bite out of the forbidden fruit in the Garden of Eden. Until this day, with increasing frequency…

The Second Coming of Christ: Matthew 24:27–31

Towering over the efforts of mankind, the marvelous inventions that have made life comfortable, the grandiose plans of politicians, and any dreams we may have is the fact that Jesus Christ will come to the…

The Day of Accountability: Matthew 25:1–46

Christ’s Second Coming is one of the dominant themes in the Olivet Discourse. His coming will be sudden, unexpected, visible, personal, powerful, glorious, and triumphant. When the Lord comes, He will judge the nations…

The Gentiles in the Kingdom

When the average Christian studies the millennial reign of Christ, it is usually from the perspective of the literal person of the Messiah ruling over the earth from Jerusalem for one thousand years.

The Nations at Armageddon

Although the Bible deals primarily with Israel and the Messiah, it is surprising to realize how much the Scriptures teach about the Gentile nations and their future role in God’s prophetic plan.

Messiah in the Old Testament Prophets

Messiah would come to crush all the Gentile nations gathered against Israel and Jerusalem, save the repentant remnant of Israel, and provide security for Israel (Isa. 59:18–21; 63:1–6; Joel 3; Mic. 5:4–9; Zech. 14:12).

The Judgment Phase of the Broad Day of the Lord

A previous article demonstrated that the broad Day of the Lord will begin with a phase of divine judgment. What will be the duration of this judgment phase? What time span will it cover?

The Biblical Concept of the Day of the Lord

In the Scriptures, the expression the Day of the Lord (together with other synonymous expressions, such as that day and the day of God) is strongly related to God’s rule of the earth and therefore…

The Comfort Of His Coming 1 Thessalonians 1

Comfort is the operative word Paul gave to the suffering saints at Thessalonica. As was often true for first-century Christians, this church was born in affliction and immediately immersed in the caldron of persecution.

The Regathering of Israel

One of the most debated questions of our day is whether or not present-day Israel is the Israel of the Bible. Menachem Begin, when he was Prime Minister of Israel, ran his government…

Judgment on Jerusalem Zephaniah 3:1–8

Perhaps no city on earth is more loved than Jerusalem. The psalmist has well written, “Beautiful for situation, the joy of the whole earth, is Mount Zion … the city of the great King”…

Interpretations and Beliefs of Christian Reconstructionism

Our previous article noted that the heart of Christian Reconstructionism (also known as Dominion Theology and Theonomy) is a postmillennial view of history. According to this view, at the time of creation God gave man…

The Day of the Lord Zephaniah 1:7–2:3

On June 22, 1990, a massive earthquake rocked northern Iran just after midnight. Iranian radio estimated the death toll to be approximately 45,000, with as many as 130,000 injured. Entire villages were either reduced…