NOTR - Discernment & The End Times - 1.18.17
Wednesday, January 18, 2017 at 7:03PM Today's Show: DISCERNMENT & THE END TIMES
Chris discusses Bible prophecy and the importance of having a sober minded view of the end times, reviewing a new article from Charisma News. Some believe that certain prophecy interpretations have created a retreat mentality among Christians that has essentially invited the powers of evil to take over. It almost seems as if believers are encouraged to stand down and just wait for the end. Can this be the case? And what are the alternatives? We are reminded that in Matthew chapter 24 -- when Jesus spoke of the "end of the world," He began by saying: "Take heed that no man deceive you." (Matt. 24:4)
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Reader Comments (3)
Chris your references/allusions are a bit vague. By pre -1820 are you referring to the advent of the wide spread "pre-rapture" dispensationalist view that many cling to in their Scofield Bible commentaires?
I would agree with the escatology of Dr. Brown (not pretrib, but premill). However, I believe he is wrong to downplay or scoff at the prophetic significance of current world events or to think that we can in anyway change what God says will happen.
Matthew 24 makes it clear that there are specific signs that our Lord gives us to watch for before his return. I would agree that these have not yet been fulfilled, and therefore Christ's return is not "imminent" in the way pre-tribbers claim. They claim these verses do not apply to us, only to Jews, and that the rapture and second coming are two distinct events perhaps even separated by many years. I disagree. It says we cannot know the exact "hour", but we most certainly can see the signs of the times and their historical significance.
While we need to be about his business when he returns, spreading he Gospel and showing ourselves faithful to Him he also tells us to watch and be ready!
42Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come. 43But know this, that if the goodman of the house had known in what watch the thief would come, he would have watched, and would not have suffered his house to be broken up. 44Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh.
He also warns us to not deny that he may come soon (but not "imminent," which means at any minute) when he says:
48But and if that evil servant shall say in his heart, My lord delayeth his coming; 49And shall begin to smite his fellowservants, and to eat and drink with the drunken; 50The lord of that servant shall come in a day when he looketh not for him, and in an hour that he is not aware of, 51And shall cut him asunder, and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
Also, I think it behooves us to understand the context and background from which Dr. Brown speaks, as he often hangs out with and endorses ecumenical and dominionist folks, who seem to think that is THEIR job to (politically and otherwise) take over the world for Christ and usher in the second coming and somehow control God's timing. Yet our Lord makes it clear, "My kingdom is NOT of this world." John 18:36
http://apprising.org/2014/01/14/dr-michael-brown-says-friends-mike-bickle-and-lou-engle-true-men-of-god/
p.s (note 2 of 2). While I find the history of the reformation very significant and interesting and even insightful in many ways, I think we need to be careful to not place the views of the Reformers or pre 1800 believers views above what God reveals to us in his Word, (see other note, I'm not pretrib) through his holy spirit. Many of those things become clearer to us with time. I am pretty sure that "the Revelation" made little sense to the historical time in which it was written, yet we know now with technology, etc how many things can become reality that could not previously. So to suggest that we should somehow place the escatology of the Reformers above what God is currentlly revealing to us in His Word seems a bit short sighted. On the other hand I can appreciate their views of Rome.
I understand from my experience that the average Roman Catholic believes that tradition has more authority than scripture. The average Roman Catholic also believes that they don't have to read scripture because "we have the priests to tell us what to think."