As the American experiment in godless constitutionalism winds to its inevitable demise, the prophets of end-time speculation are once again out in full force.
For example, a recent article on the comet ISON in World Net Daily concluded with these words: “The Blood Moon theory says the Second Coming of Christ will likely occur in 2014 or 2015 when there will be four consecutive, rare lunar eclipses, or a tetrad. The eclipses will coincide with two major holidays on the Jewish calendar in 2014 and 2015: Passover and the Feast of Tabernacles.
Supporters of this theory believe the Rapture likely will coincide with one of the eclipses. While the world did not end with the end of the Mayan calendar last year, Comet ISON is considered by some to be another celestial sign of things to come.”
On and on it goes – for 2,000+ years now — one failed prediction after another. If the Mayan Calendar fails us, there’s always some other quirky event on the horizon to keep gullible Christians on the edge of their seats, biting their nails, and buying “prophecy books.” This kind of prophetic speculation has led to what may be the greatest historical myth of all time.
Myth: The end of the world will be immediately preceded by the rapture of the church, the advent of the AntiChrist and the Great Tribulation.
MythBuster’s preliminary assumption was that to recognize the sign of the end we must first answer the question, “end of what?” Are we talking about the end of the Old Covenant era or the end of the New Covenant era? Both are attended by certain signs, or in the case of the latter we concluded, by a certain sign.
Much of the prophecy we find in the New Testament relates to the termination of the Old Covenant era. For example, following Jesus’ 7-fold denunciation of the Pharisees in the temple (Mt. 23), he left and engaged His disciples in a conversation that went something like this:
Disciples: Jesus, look at the magnificent temple! Isn’t it beautiful.
Jesus: Don’t get too carried away men, not one of these stones shall be left upon another
Disciples: That sounds like the “end of the age” for the temple and its animal sacrifices. When is this going to happen?
In response to their question, Jesus went on to describe the signs that would precede His coming to destroy the temple, the Jewish nation (sun, moon & stars) and the apostate Jews in the Great Tribulation. This He accomplished with the army of Titus in 70 A.D. as we discovered in our previous investigation (cf. MythBusters Case#25a). We call this the Olivette Discourse
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The numerous signs leading up to this event are summarized in the previous report. They are exclusively signs of judgment: anti-christ, famines, earthquakes, Great Tribulation, etc. By contrast, we found only one sign leading up to the end of the New Testament era and it is exclusively a sign of great blessing and covenant victory.
It is the sign of the triumph of the gospel. We found this sign described in various ways throughout the Bible.
• “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed…smaller than all other seeds; but … full grown it is larger than the garden plants, and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and rest in its branches.” The mustard seed is still growing.
• In Genesis 18:18 God promised the Patriarch Abraham that in him “all the nations of the earth will be blessed.” This process has begun with the rapid expansion of the Christian faith, but has not yet been completed.
• In the 2nd Psalm we discovered that God the Father has given His Son all of the nations and that the rulers of the nations will one day “kiss the feet of the Son.” This process began in Acts 4:25-29, but has not yet been completed.
• In the 2nd chapter of Isaiah we observed that the nations will one day stream to the church for instruction in how to apply the law of God to their judicial systems. “He will not be disheartened…until He has established justice in the earth; and the coastlands will wait expectantly for His law”, but it has not yet happened.
• In the present age, when people are still marrying and giving in marriage, “no longer will there be in it an infant who lives but a few days…and the one who does not reach the age of 100 shall be thought accursed” (Is 65:20). This marvelous extension of life has not yet occurred.
• In the 2nd chapter of Daniel we found that the kingdom of Christ would smash the Roman Empire and grow to fill the whole earth. This process began with the conversion of Constantine, but has not yet been completed.
• In the 7th chapter of Daniel it is written that at the time of Jesus ascension he was given a kingdom and an everlasting dominion over the nations (7:14) and that this dominion would be exercised through His saints (7:27). It is yet to be fulfilled.
• And in the New Testament, Matthew 28:18-20, Jesus claimed that all power and authority on earth had been given to Him. He therefore commissioned his disciples to go and make disciples of all the nations/cultures and baptize the individuals therein. This process began at Pentecost, but has not yet been completed.
This led to a question for further research: Is it possible for the Devil or the alleged antichrist to thwart this final command of the all-powerful Christ?
I Corinthians 15:24-26 indicates otherwise. The kingdom of Christ will grow “until He has put all His enemies under His feet…For He has put all things in subjection under His feet.” At that point He will deliver up the consummated kingdom to God the Father.
Case Closed: In conclusion, MythBusters found that the appearance of the Beast and the Great Tribulation have already occurred as signs of the end of the Old Covenant era. The only sign remaining to be fulfilled before the second coming and the end of the New Covenant age is the visible manifestation of the kingdom of God.
We’ll know it happens when His will is being done on earth as it is in heaven. The church has been praying for this for 2,000+ years, so we wonder why is it so hard to believe it will actually happen?
History Mythbusters 
In the book of Revelation, it is emphasized that the things prophesied in the book “must soon take place” (Revelation 1:1). Indeed, many of the prophecies in the book of Revelation were fulfilled in the year 70 A.D. with the fall of Jerusalem. It is truly sad that many Christians spend their time listening to and believing false rumors and prophecies concerning Christ’s coming when they should be actively making “disciples of all nations,” doing the will of God, furthering the kingdom of God. However, waiting for Christ’s coming is not wrong, it is the manner of waiting that can be right or wrong. Christians are told to “keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come,” (Matthew 24:42). It is the unfaithful Christian that says, as the wicked servant in Matthew 24:48, “‘My master is staying away a long time,’” and begins to “grow weary of doing good” (Galatians 6:9). Matthew 24:45-46: “Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom the master has put in charge of the servants in his household to give them their food at the proper time? It will be good for that servant whose master finds him doing so when he returns.”
I believe that the book of Revelation was written prior to 70 AD or the fall Jerusalem. We find the history of that fall in Matthew chapters 23-24,and that it was not the end of the world but the end of the Old Testament age (1 Cor 10:11). I still believe in a second coming of Christ, but the events in Mat 23-24 happened in that generation (Matt.24:34)and I Fervently believer that the book of the Revelation is important and useful to us. The book of the Revelation shows us God provision just like the crossing of the red sea out of Egypt (Revelation 15;3-5). We should read it in awe of His protection of his people. It was amazing how the Christian got out of Jerusalem with apostate Jews on one side and the Roman Army on the other.
NOTE: This essay is a response to Preterism and Postmillenialism in general as well as to the above article more specifically which happens to have taken a Preterist or a Postmillenialist view. I also understand that there is a difference between Preterism and Postmillenialism and will strive to avoid improperly representing their views.
Here is a quote from the article in question:
“On and on it goes – for 2,000+ years now – one failed prediction after another. If the Mayan Calendar fails us, there’s always some other quirky event on the horizon to keep gullible Christians on the edge of their seats, biting their nails, and buying “prophecy books.” This kind of prophetic speculation has led to what may be the greatest historical myth of all time. Myth: The end of the world will be immediately preceded by the rapture of the church, the advent of the AntiChrist and the Great Tribulation.”
First of all, any attempts to put a date on the end of the world will fail because as Jesus said in Matthew 24:36, “But of that day and hour no one knows… but only My Father.” However, failed attempts at predicting the time of the appearance of the Antichrist and of the onset of the Great Tribulation does nothing to invalidate the idea that the end of the world will be immediately preceded by such. The only logical conclusion one can make from such failed attempts is that any such dates on the end of the world should not be trusted. It would be illogical to come to the conclusion that such events WON’T happen because of failed attempts at predicting WHEN it will happen. Don’t base your eschatology on bad predictions. Base your eschatology on scripture.
Here is another quote from the article in question:
“Disciples: Jesus, look at the magnificent temple! Isn’t it beautiful.
Jesus: Don’t get too carried away men, not one of these stones shall be left upon another
Disciples: That sounds like the “end of the age” for the temple and its animal sacrifices. When is this going to happen?”
There is no need to paraphrase this passage (Matthew 24:1-3) as the actual passage is very simple and easy to understand. In fact I find it almost devious because whomever paraphrased here has taken the liberty to make no mention of the disciples having asked Jesus specifically what would be the sign of His Second Coming. The rest of the 24th chapter of Matthew is Jesus’ response to this question. Matthew 24:1-3, “And Jesus went out and departed from the temple. And His disciples came to Him to show Him the buildings of the temple. And Jesus said to them, Do you not see all these things? Truly I say to you, There shall not be left here one stone on another that shall not be thrown down. And as He sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? And what shall be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the world?”
Let’s walk through Matthew 24: and examine what it says. So get out your Bibles and read along with me. By the way, I will be (and have been) quoting from the Modern King James Version.
Matthew 24:4-6, ” And Jesus answered and said to them, Take heed that no man deceive you. For many will come in My name, saying, I am Christ, and will deceive many. And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not troubled, for all these things must occur; but the end is not yet.”
So far so good for Postmillenialism and Preterism.
Matthew 24:7-8, “For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be famines and pestilences and earthquakes in different places. All these are the beginning of sorrows.”
Today we observe wars and natural disasters all over the world but notice that Jesus said that these are but the beginning of sorrows but Postmillenialism teaches that the world will continue to get better and better just as it teaches that Christianity will ever increase until it overtakes the world. The problem with this is that Jesus said things will get worse than just wars and natural disasters. By the way, does nation rising against nation and kingdom rising against kingdom sound like a world empire of Christiandom?
Matthew 24:9-12, “Then they will deliver you up to be afflicted and will kill you. And you will be hated of all nations for My name’s sake. And then many will be offended, and will betray one another, and will hate one another. And many false prophets will rise and deceive many. And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many will become cold.”
Jesus just said that many Christians will be hated, persecuted and killed by all the nations in the last days. Does that sound like a world empire of Christiandom? This persecution must be really bad because Jesus said that many will be offended, but the Greek word there is G4624 “skandalizo” which literally means to trip, stumble or fall away. Does many Christians falling away, betraying and hating each other because of hard tribulations sound like a peachy-keen world empire of Christiandom as Postmillenialism says the end of days will be like? Jesus also just said that iniquity shall abound. The Greek word there for “iniquity” is G458 “anomia” which literally means “no law” or “lawlessness” and we can infer that the law they are without is God’s Law since the love of many become cold. Does the abundance of lawlessness towards God’s Law sound like a world empire of Christiandom?
Now get this:
Matthew 24:13, “But he who endures to the end, the same shall be kept safe.”
Postmillenialism teaches that the “end of the world” is a happy time when Christiandom rules the world. In Postmillenialism there is no room for a tribulation for Christians to have to endure through “to the end” of because Postmillenialism teaches that Jesus doesn’t come back until everything is peachy-keen. Will the world be peachy-keen when Jesus comes back? Not according to verses 9-13.
Matthew 24:14, “And this gospel of the kingdom shall be proclaimed in all the world as a witness to all nations. And then the end shall come.”
Does this verse say that the Gospel will be proclaimed in all the world? Yes. Has the Gospel been proclaimed in all the world? Pretty much. Has the world as a whole accepted the Gospel? Not even close. Does the above verse say that the world as a whole will accept the Gospel before the end (i.e. the second coming of Christ)? No. Will the world as a whole accept the Gospel before the end (i.e. the second coming of Christ)? If so, one can’t gather it from this verse.
Matthew 24:15-19, “Therefore when you see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place (whoever reads, let him understand). Then let those in Judea flee into the mountains. Let him on the housetop not come down to take anything out of his house; nor let him in the field turn back to take his clothes. And woe to those who are with child, and to those who give suck in those days!”
The abomination of desolation either is an unholy sacrifice (like the one made by Antiochus Epiphanes in the Book of the Maccabeas) or the erection of an idol in the Temple. Postmillenialism and Preterism teach that the abomination already happened but the problem with that is that the Temple was never abominated in A.D. 70 either by an unholy sacrifice or by the erection of a idol in the Temple. Titus, the Roman general that destroyed the Temple in A.D. 70 had hopes of making the Temple a temple of Zeus. He even directly ordered that the Temple be spared for such a purpose but nevertheless, the Temple caught on fire and was destroyed anyway and Titus never even had the chance to abominate the Temple. Either Jesus was mistaken in prophesying that the abomination of desolation will occur in A.D. 70 or it has yet to be fulfilled. In fact, it was because the Temple caught on fire that there was not one stone left unturned. When the Temple burned down, some of the Temple gold had melted into the cracks between stones so the Romans flipped every stone so they could to get at the gold.
Matthew 24:20-22, “But pray that your flight is not in the winter, nor on the sabbath day; for then shall be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world to this time; no, nor ever shall be. And unless those days should be shortened, no flesh would be saved. But for the elect’s sake, those days shall be shortened.”
Here Jesus mentions a “Great Tribulation.” Notice that this Great Tribulation is in the midst of fleeing. Further notice that the fleeing spoken of is the flight away from the abomination of desolation. Further notice that although in A.D. 70 the Temple was desolated, the abomination spoken of by Jesus and Daniel hasn’t happened yet. Conclusion: The Great Tribulation hasn’t happened yet either. The thing is, both Preterism and Postmillenialism teach that the Great Tribulation has already happened. But as we have seen the Great Tribulation cannot possibly have happened already since the abomination hasn’t happened yet either so we can know for sure that as of yet the Great Tribulation will find its fulfillment in the future. How can there be a peachy-keen, world dominating Christiandom in the midst of the Great Tribulation? If the whole world will be Christian, why would God pour out His wrath on the wholly Christian world?
You may have noticed that up till this point I have been reading Matthew 24: from the perspective that it has not yet been fulfilled. You may think that is unfair to Preterism and Postmillenialism because they interpret this passage to have been already fulfilled. However, in the last few paragraphs I have proved that the Great Tribulation happens after the abomination of desolation which hasn’t happened yet, which means that the Great Tribulation hasn’t happened yet either. This means that verses 15-31 cannot possibly have been fulfilled yet. However, since verses 15-31 speak of an Abomination of Desolation, a Great Tribulation and the second coming of Messiah (which happens in that order) we can conclude that verses 4-14 either haven’t yet been fulfilled or are being fulfilled more and more in our days because verses 4-14 build up to the very events in verses 15-31, which haven’t happened yet. That is why I can read Matthew 24: from the understanding that it has not yet been fulfilled.
Matthew 24:23-27, “Then if any man shall say to you, Lo, here is Christ! Or, There! Do not believe it. For false Christs and false prophets will arise and show great signs and wonders; so much so that, if it were possible, they would deceive even the elect. Behold, I have told you beforehand. Therefore if they shall say to you, Behold, He is in the desert! Do not go out. Behold, He is in the secret rooms! Do not believe it. For as the lightning comes out of the east and shines even to the west, so also will be the coming of the Son of Man.
All this is to say is that if you have to be told that Messiah has returned then you know that Jesus has NOT returned. So if Preterists and Postmillenialists have to tell me that Messiah already came back then I will not believe it, just as Jesus said “do not believe it” in verse 26. Take a look at revelations 19:11-21. When the Messiah comes back EVERYONE will know it and there will not be even a shadow of a doubt about it being the real Messiah because when He comes He will come in Terrifying Glory, Shining in the Clouds, Riding on a White Horse at the Sound of a Trumpet! Jesus isn’t coming back to a sublime Christian world. It is clear from Revelations 19:11-21 that Jesus is coming back to Wage War Against All the Nations of the Earth and Against the Beast!
That’s the thing! Preterism and Postmillenialism both teach that in A.D. 70 Jesus came back and poured His wrath on the Jews but here in Revelations 19: it is clear that Jesus does not come to make war on the Jews but rather to make war with ALL THE KINGS OF THE EARTH! This cannot even remotely refer to A.D. 70 as Preterism and Postmillenialism suggests because only Jerusalem was destroyed in A.D. 70 whereas Revelations 19: speaks of the whole world being judged by the wrath of God at Jesus’s second coming.
Now look at when the article says this:
“In response to their question, Jesus went on to describe the signs that would precede His coming to destroy the temple, the Jewish nation (sun, moon & stars) and the apostate Jews in the Great Tribulation.”
Here they claimed that Jesus came in A.D. 70 specifically to destroy the Temple and the Jewish nation. By the way, how does “the sun shall be darkened and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from the heaven” mean that Jesus will destroy the Jewish nation? It is worthy to note that there is not one single prophecy that Jesus in His second coming will destroy the Jews or the Temple. There are a lot of prophecies about the Israel suffering tribulations and about the destruction of the Temple but no where in the entire Bible does it say or even hint that Jesus will tribulate Israel or destroy the Temple Himself and it is down right antisemitism to the core to believe that Jesus would contrary to prophecy (see Zechariah 12:7-10 below). In fact, it is prophesied that Jesus comes in the second coming to SAVE Israel and NOT to destroy Israel. Take a look at Zechariah 12:7-10, “Jehovah also shall save the tents of Judah first, so that the glory of the house of David and the glory of the people of Jerusalem may not be magnified above Judah. In that day Jehovah shall defend around the people of Jerusalem. And it will be, he who is feeble among them at that day shall be like David; and the house of David shall be like God, like the Angel of Jehovah before them. And it shall be in that day I will seek to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem. And I will pour on the house of David, and on the people of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of prayers. And they shall look on Me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for Him, as one mourns for his only son, and shall be bitter over Him, as the bitterness over the first-born.” (Remember, Jesus is Jehovah just as the Father is Jehovah just as the Holy Spirit. From the context we know that here Jehovah more specifically is referring to Jesus for it says, “They shall look on Me whom they have pierced”). As I said earlier, Jesus isn’t coming back to a sublime Christian world. He is coming to wage war… AGAINST THE BEAST AND AGAINST ALL THE KINGS OF THE EARTH! (Revelations 19:11-21)
By the way, if the whole world will be Christian when Messiah comes back, who are the kings that Jesus will war against in His second coming? (Revelations 19:11-21) I mean they will all be Christians, right Postmillenialists?
Back to Matthew:
Matthew 24:28, “For wherever the carcass is, there the eagles will be gathered.”
This is an interesting verse and the parallel account in Luke for this verse gives more information than the verse above in Matthew does. Luke 17:34-37, says, “I tell you, in that night there shall be two in one bed, the one shall be taken, and the other shall be left. Two shall be grinding together, one will be taken, and the other left. Two shall be in the field, one will be taken, and the other left. And they answered and said to Him, Where, Lord? And He said to them, Wherever the body is, there the eagles will be gathered together.” Many Christians love to hold to the idea that this passage is speaking about a rapture of the Church but what they don’t realize is that those “raptured” are likened here to dead carcasses that vultures carry away to devour. Unlike in the Left Behind series, you DON’T want to be a part of the “rapture”, you WANT to be left behind.
Matthew 24:29, “And immediately after the tribulation of those days, the sun shall be darkened and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from the heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken.”
When do these heavenly signs happen? They happen after the Great Tribulation. When does the Great Tribulation occur? It occurs after the abomination of desolation. Has the abomination of desolation happened? No. Conclusion: these signs have yet to occur. Now pay attention to what happens after these heavenly signs – or rather what these heavenly happenings are signs of.
Matthew 24:30, “And then the sign of the Son of Man shall appear in the heavens. And then all the tribes of the earth shall mourn, and they shall see the Son of Man coming in the clouds of the heaven with power and great glory. ”
Wait, all the tribes of the earth are mourning? I thought the world empire of Christiandom would rejoice at the return of our King? (John 16:20-22) Maybe Jesus isn’t returning to a world empire of Christiandom after all.
Matthew 24:31, “And He shall send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather His elect from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other.”
Wait, Jesus has to personally establish a unified Kingdom because the Christians are scattered and are without structure when He comes back?
Okay, let’s recap what we have looked at so far:
There will be many false Christs. (4-5)
And there will be huge wars and many natural disasters. (6-7)
These will only get worse. (8)
Then Christians will be persecuted and killed worldwide and many Christians will be offended (fall away). (9-10)
There will be many false prophets and many will be deceived. (11)
Lawlessness (towards God’s Law) will abound. (12)
Only those who endure will make it to the end. (13)
That end won’t come until the Gospel has been preached to the entire world. (14)
The Temple will be abominated and many will flee from that abomination. (15-20)
“But wait,” you say, “if the Temple hasn’t been abominated yet, how will it ever since there is no Temple?” Just take a look at the Temple Institute and how much they want to rebuild the Temple and all the progress they have made towards making it happen. After all, the Temple will HAVE to be rebuilt because there is unfulfilled prophecy of it being abominated. The question isn’t WILL, but WHEN the Temple will be rebuilt.
Back to the summation:
Then the Great Tribulation will occur. (21)
For the sake of the saved the Tribulation will be cut short. (22) Jesus says in Luke 18:8, “When I come, will I find faith on the earth?”
Messiah will not return quietly so don’t believe anyone who tells you that He has- think A.D. 70. (23-27)
“Wherever the carcass is, there the eagles will be gathered.” (28)
Immediately after the Tribulation the powers of the heavens (sun, moon and stars) will be shaken. (29)
Then Jesus will come in the clouds with power and glory and all the tribes of the earth will mourn. (30)
If they were Christians they wouldn’t be mourning. (John 16:20-22)
Then Jesus will gather His elect (think “chosen people” like in the OT) from every direction.
All this is Jesus’ response to the disciples’ question in Matthew 24:3, “What shall be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the world?”
The article in question said the following:
• “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed…smaller than all other seeds; but … full grown it is larger than the garden plants, and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and rest in its branches.” The mustard seed is still growing.
Does this verse say that the mustard tree will have grown into a great tree before Jesus returns like Postmillenialists maintain or does it say that it will not have grown into a great tree before Jesus returns? Actually it doesn’t support or negate either position (Postmillenialism or Premillenialism) so posting this verse as “evidence” for Postmillenialism actually does nothing for their cause or against mine (Historic Premillenialism).
The article in question said the following:
• In Genesis 18:18 God promised the Patriarch Abraham that in him “all the nations of the earth will be blessed.” This process has begun with the rapid expansion of the Christian faith, but has not yet been completed.
Indeed all the nation have been blessed through Abraham because one of Abraham’s seed (Jesus) has offered the gift of salvation to the entire world. At least the author of the article in question realizes that his interpretation hasn’t been completed yet but my question to him is, does this verse necessarily mean that all the nations of the earth will become Christians before Jesus comes back? If it doesn’t, then why have you quoted this verse in support of that idea? Are there a lack of verses suitable for defending Postmillenialism? Is that why such a vague verse has been chosen to “bolster” Postmillenialism because there aren’t any unambiguous ones?
The article in question said the following:
• In the 2nd Psalm we discovered that God the Father has given His Son all of the nations and that the rulers of the nations will one day “kiss the feet of the Son.” This process began in Acts 4:25-29, but has not yet been completed.
This is actually a misquote. Psalms 2:10-12 actually says, “And now be wise, O kings; be instructed, O judges of the earth. Serve Jehovah with fear, and rejoice with trembling. Kiss the Son, lest He be angry, and you perish from the way, when His wrath is kindled in but a little time. Blessed are all who put their trust in Him.” Does this verse say that all the kings of the earth will one day kiss the feet of the son? No, the kings are being told to kiss the Son. The question is will they. Now look at verses 1-3, “Why do the nations rage, and the peoples meditate on a vain thing? The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers plot together, against Jehovah and against His anointed, saying, Let us break their bands in two and cast away their cords from us.” Here these kings are plotting against God and even Jesus himself in utter rebellion for it says, “and against His anointed.” (Christ is the Greek word for anointed, and Messiah is the Aramaic, and Mashiach is the Hebrew) Do you think these kings are going to kiss the Son? Take a look at Revelations 19:11-21 and you will find that Jesus is going to wage war against all the kings of the earth. Why would Jesus wage war against all the kings of the earth after they kiss His feet? Maybe He is going to wage war against them because they refused to kiss His feet, for it says, “Kiss the Son, lest… you perish… when His wrath is kindled…” Again, if Postmillenialists have to read something into a text for it to support their cause that says something. It says that the verses that support their cause are few or non-existent, that their eschatology is on shaky ground and that they really can’t adequately support their case Biblically.
The article in question said the following:
• In the 2nd chapter of Isaiah we observed that the nations will one day stream to the church for instruction in how to apply the law of God to their judicial systems. “He will not be disheartened…until He has established justice in the earth; and the coastlands will wait expectantly for His law”, but it has not yet happened.
Not only did they blatantly misapply this verse, they didn’t even list the correct chapter. Isaiah 42:4 says, “He shall not fail nor be discouraged until He has set judgment in the earth; and the coasts shall wait for His Law.” Who is the “He” here referring to? The context of verses 1-3 make it impossible for the verse to mean anything other than Christ Himself. Since this verse is referring to Christ, I want to know how Christ will PERSONALLY establish His law BEFORE He comes back since Postmillenialism teaches that the world will already submit to God’s Law by the time Christ returns.
The article in question said the following:
• In the present age, when people are still marrying and giving in marriage, “no longer will there be in it an infant who lives but a few days…and the one who does not reach the age of 100 shall be thought accursed” (Is 65:20). This marvelous extension of life has not yet occurred.
This cannot be “in the present age” because Isaiah 65:17 makes it clear that this passage is talking about the new heavens and new earth, for it says, “For, behold, I create new heavens and a new earth. And the things before will not be remembered, nor come to mind.” Revelations 21:1 makes it clear that the “new heaven and new earth” don’t arrive until after the second coming of Christ (which occur in chapters 19 and 20). Notice that Isaiah 65:25 says, “The wolf and the lamb will feed together, and the lion will eat straw like the ox…” Deuteronomy 11:21 refers to the “days of heaven on earth” in the past tense. This can only be referring to the state of the world before sin in the Garden of Eden. Originally, God designed all the animals to eat only plants, for it says in Genesis 1:30, “And to every beast of the earth, and to every fowl of the heavens, and to every creeper on the earth… every green plant is for food; and it was so.” Things changed when Adam sinned. Put it all together and you will find that this “marvelous extension of life” doesn’t occur until the millennial reign of Christ and His Saints. After the millennial reign there will be no more death, for it says in Revelations 20:14, “And death and hell were cast into the Lake of Fire.” This is when Jesus makes a new heavens and a new earth like it was in the Garden of Eden. So not only has this “marvelous extension of life has not yet occurred,” it will not occur until AFTER Christ returns so this passage does absolutely nothing to support the Postmillenialist cause.
The article in question said the following:
• In the 2nd chapter of Daniel we found that the kingdom of Christ would smash the Roman Empire and grow to fill the whole earth. This process began with the conversion of Constantine, but has not yet been completed.
Actually, Daniel 2: says that the kingdom of Christ would shatter the empire AFTER the Roman Empire. The Roman Empire was represented by the two iron legs. (It is interesting to note that in its height, the Roman Empire had two wings. One was in Rome, the other was in Byzantium.) The empire after Rome has ten toes suggesting ten kings or ten provinces or something of the sort. This empire has not yet arisen but this is the empire that the Rock will strike according to Daniel 2. But notice that when the statue is struck it shatters and is carried away by the wind because it was ground into dust. Does this sound like a Christiandom that slowly envelopes the world? No, this is when Jesus returns and wages war against all the kings of the earth and establishes His kingdom for a millennium and then for an eternity. The mountain the Stone grows into is the Kingdom that He establishes. Notice that the statue is not destroyed by the growth of the stone; the stone doesn’t grow until after it destroys the statue. The Stone that strikes the statue is Jesus Himself, for it says in Matthew 21:44, “And he who falls on this Stone (referring to the “stone the builders rejected” in verse 42 which is Jesus Himself) shall be broken, but on whomever it shall fall, it will grind him to powder.” The Stone that will destroy all the kingdoms of the earth will be Jesus Himself and not the Church.
The article in question said the following:
• In the 7th chapter of Daniel it is written that at the time of Jesus’ ascension he was given a kingdom and an everlasting dominion over the nations (7:14) and that this dominion would be exercised through His saints (7:27). It is yet to be fulfilled.
The author of the article in question just said that Christ has not yet established His Kingdom and ruled with His Saints. I agree. Premillenialists don’t deny that Christ will one day establish a physical Kingdom and rule with His Saints, we teach that it won’t happen until AFTER Jesus’ literal second coming. The “pre” in “Premillenialism” is because we Premillenialists believe that Jesus will return “before” the “Millennial Kingdom.” The “post” in “Postmillenialism” is because Postmillenialists believe that Jesus will return “after” the “Millennial Kingdom.” Of course there are more differences than that but that is what it boils down to. The big question for Postmillenialists is, “how can you have a literal physical king-DOM without a literal physical KING?” Yes, Christ possesses a spiritual Kingdom but He has not yet established His physical Kingdom. When Jesus literally ascended into heaven He was given a spiritual Kingdom and when He literally descends He will establish His physical Kingdom. Acts 1:10-11 says, “And while they were looking intently into the heaven, He (Jesus) having gone, even behold, two men in white clothing stood beside them, who also said, Men of Galilee, why do you stand gazing up into the heaven? This same Jesus who is taken up from you into Heaven, will come in the way you have seen Him going into Heaven.” When Jesus ascended He had physically ascended, when Jesus returns He will physically descend.
The article in question said the following:
• And in the New Testament, Matthew 28:18-20, Jesus claimed that all power and authority on earth had been given to Him. He therefore commissioned his disciples to go and make disciples of all the nations/cultures and baptize the individuals therein. This process began at Pentecost, but has not yet been completed.
This led to a question for further research: Is it possible for the Devil or the alleged antichrist to thwart this final command of the all-powerful Christ?
Is the author of the article in question trying to use the verse to say that every single person in all the world will be converted by the time Christ returns? If that is true, then who are all the kings of the earth that Jesus will wage war against at His return? (Revelations 19:11-21) Or does these verses (Matthew 28:18-20) instead mean that SOME of every nation will be saved and discipled rather than ALL? Today there Christians in almost every country and of almost all nationalities. Before Christ comes back will EVERY person in ALL countries be saved and discipled? In this essay I have already established that that cannot be the case. Does this mean that the devil will be able to thwart the will of the Almighty? By no means! No one can do anything unless God allow it. If the devil will deceive people into waking straight into Hell it is only because God allowed it. Why would God allow it? I don’t know. However, you can trust that He has a good reason for it because He is Perfectly Good and has a good reason for everything.
The article in question said the following:
I Corinthians 15:24-26 indicates otherwise. The kingdom of Christ will grow “until He has put all His enemies under His feet…For He has put all things in subjection under His feet.” At that point He will deliver up the consummated kingdom to God the Father.
I agree that “The kingdom of Christ will grow until He has put all His enemies under His feet…For He has put all things in subjection under His feet.’ ” It just won’t happen until AFTER Jesus’ second coming, which hasn’t happened yet…
Conclusion:
The End WILL Be Immediately Preceded by: the Appearance of Many False Christs, Great Wars and Devastating Natural Disasters, a Worldwide Persecution of Christians Followed by an Apostasy, the Abomination of Desolation, the Great Tribulation, and Finally the Glorious Second Coming of Yeshua HaMashiach! (Hebrew for Jesus the Christ) HALLELUYAH!
May Elohim (Hebrew for God) Bless You All,
Dante
P.S. Check out these summaries of different Christian eschatology.
http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=2&cad=rja&ved=0CDUQFjAB&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww2.masters.edu%2Fw%2FGetHostedFile.ashx%3Fx%26End%2BTime%2BSynopsis.pdf%26Id%3D478&ei=KlZQUpKvOon-9QTVnoGwDQ&usg=AFQjCNEA1Vs33fZQW2fOQU_t1SU5jHpUgQ&sig2=otG5zENHNkaq7hDLcjoc-A&bvm=bv.53537100,d.eWU
well I disagree Dante 🙂
sorry the smiley face is so annoying
I disagree with the conclusion drawn from case #25b.
It is my personal belief that the beast and the tribulation have not happened yet.
Several of the reasons for the conclusion in case #25b are semi inconclusive. Many of the prophecies about Christ, and also about the end times, are multi-layer prophecies. Christ fulfilled certain layers (as you might say), and others are left to be fulfilled at His second coming. That’s how I believe it is with the end times. Yes, certain parts of the prophecies were fulfilled, but others have yet to be so. That means if the signs of end times are not fulfilled the end times can’t have already happened. Just my opinion, and I don’t have any solid backing on it.
This article covers the signs that will occur leading up to christ’s second coming. There are many interpretations of these passages of scripture, and I highly doubt that any one is one hundred percent correct. I simply choose to live each day like it is my last, even though not all the signs preceding the beginning of the end of days have yet come to pass. According to the article, the main sign which has not yet occurred is the triumph of the gospel all over the earth. It began with Jesus’ ressurrection, but has not yet been completed. I agree with the article in regard to this sign. Many more will turn to God before it is too late. The article states in conclusion that we now await only God’s dominion over the earth fullfilled, which I agree with.
“In the present age, when people are still marrying and giving in marriage,’no longer will an infant who lives but a few days… and anyone who does not reach the age of 100 shall be thought acursed’ This ”
Why are you puting this out as evidence if it has not come about yet? If this hasn’t happend yet it simply can’t be evidence for post millenialism! Indeed this is not evidence for post-millennialism! On the contrary it is evidence for historic pre-millennialism!
“In the second chapter of Daniel we found that the kingdom of christ would smash the roman Empire and grow to fill the whole Earth. This process began with the conversion of Constantine, but has not been compleated.”
The statue spoken of in the passage of Daniel above was not only the roman empire but it also symbolized the babylonian, persian/medes,Greeks and the empire which is yet to come (the iron mixed with clay). this great prophecy has not been compleated, the last empire that came about was the middle and legs of iron (the roman empire), And if the last empire that came was not the last empire to come then the prophecy can’t be fulfilled as the definition is to bring to an end; finish or complete, as a period of time! Also to note that all of the evidence that you have given says that it is not finished, How then do you add it up at the end as finished? Certainly you can’t get something complete out of something incomplete unless you complete it yourself! which you can’t do! I am sorry but there is no posible way that you can consider any of these prophecys fulfilled as it ignors the definition of the word entirely.
You also used the 42nd chapter of Isaiah out of context the context you are useing is that the people of the Earth will go to the church for intruction and how to aply the law to there judicial systems.But the problem is that the church doesn’t even keep his law! Remeber when the father in heaven says “If you love me, keep my commandments”?(John 14:15 NKJV) What the father said still stands! For if you truly love your parents you would do as they say, and the same with the father in heaven if you truly loved him you would do as he says!The correct context for this verse (read above and below 5 to 15 verses to find the context)he is saying that the son would go through the world judging the people for their sins, not the people of the world going to the church!
• “The Blood Moon theory says the Second Coming of Christ will likely occur in 2014 or 2015 when there will be four consecutive, rare lunar eclipses, or a tetrad. The eclipses will coincide with two major holidays on the Jewish calendar in 2014 and 2015: Passover and the Feast of Tabernacles.
Yes many bad things have happened in the alignment of the planets and these moon chains but that doesn’t mean it is the end of time. When it happens, it could be the start of the Tribulation if you’re a pre-millennialist this article has no proof that these signs mean the end of time.
• Disciples: Jesus, look at the magnificent temple! Is not it beautiful.
Jesus: Do not get too carried away men, not one of these stones shall be left upon another
Disciples: That sounds like the “end of the age” for the temple and its animal sacrifices. When is this going to happen?
This is proceeded by Mat 24:4 And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you.
Mat 24:5 For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many.
Mat 24:6 And ye shall hear of wars and rumors of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet.
Mat 24:7 For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places.
Yes many of the signs have happened like the famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes but the anti-Christ has not been made known. So we are not in those days that it is talking about and there were no people saying they were Christ so there is no fulfillment here.
• In response to their question, Jesus went on to describe the signs that would precede His coming to destroy the temple, the Jewish nation (sun, moon & stars# and the apostate Jews in the Great Tribulation. This He accomplished with the army of Titus in 70 A.D. as we discovered in our previous investigation #CF. MythBusters Case#25a#. We call this the Olivette Discourse
The temple was never abominated by Titus. He planned on abominating it but it burned down before he could turn it into a temple of Zeus.
• The numerous signs leading up to this event is summarized in the previous report. They are exclusively signs of judgment: anti-christ, famines, earthquakes, Great Tribulation, etc. By contrast, we found only one sign leading up to the end of the New Testament era and it is exclusively a sign of great blessing and covenant victory.
The anti-Christ has not come yet and we have not seen the harlot listed in Rev 17:1-18 . That will be set up before Christ returns and is part of the tribulation. How can you say that the Old Testament prophesies have been fulfilled again? Fulfill is a synonym with finish and prefect and an antonym is begin. If you are saying a beginning is a fulfillment you are contradicting yourself!
• Supporters of this theory believe the Rapture likely will coincide with one of the eclipses. While the world did not end with the end of the Mayan calendar last year, Comet ISON is considered by some to be another celestial sign of things to come.”
I personally cannot find a date this thing is supposed to fly by and the web site said it might not even hit.
• On and on it goes – for 2,000+ years now – one failed prediction after another. If the Mayan Calendar fails us, there is always some other quirky event on the horizon to keep gullible Christians on the edge of their seats, biting their nails, and buying “prophecy books.” This kind of prophetic speculation has led to what may be the greatest historical myth of all time.
Yes there are always bad things that happen but it doesn’t mean that all are wrong. If the one interpretation of prophecy is wrong that means he made a mistake and doesn’t mean that the next one will be better and it doesn’t mean you have the right one either!
• Myth Buster’s preliminary assumption was that to recognize the sign of the end we must first answer the question, “end of what?” Are we talking about the end of the Old Covenant era or the end of the New Covenant era? Both are attended by certain signs, or in the case of the latter we concluded, by a certain sign.
They are one and the same the old law was never done away with and many of the prophecies are yet to be fulfilled. As I said a beginning is not a fulfillment and if you cannot give more proof, this is false!
Now we get into the bible verses and how they have been interpreted.
• In Genesis 18:18 God promised the Patriarch Abraham that in him “all the nations of the earth will be blessed.” This process has begun with the rapid expansion of the Christian faith, but has not yet been completed.
The Christian faith has been watered down so much that those participating in pre-marital sex can continue to do so without telling the church and feel completely innocent in their doings because they are “saved”. This is not a perfect Christian society you are looking for.
• In the 2nd chapter of Isaiah we observed that the nations will one day stream to the church for instruction in how to apply the law of God to their judicial systems. “He will not be disheartened…until He has established justice in the earth; and the coast lands will wait expectantly for His law”, but it has not yet happened.
The law is still in effect Lev 23:31 says concerning Sabbath. You shall not do any work. It is a statute FOREVER throughout your generations in all your dwelling places. Either God made a big mistake commanding this to be forever or it is still is effect and this is repeated in verse Lev 23:14, Lev 23:21, and Lev 23:41. The verse stated is also in chapter 42 of Isaiah not the 2nd.
• In the present age, when people are still marrying and giving in marriage, “no longer will there be in it an infant who lives but a few days…and the one who does not reach the age of 100 shall be thought accursed” #Is 65:20#. This marvelous extension of life has not yet occurred.
This evidence works still for historic Pre-millennialism and this is obviously not completed and obviously shows no evidence of your view!
• In the 2nd chapter of Daniel we found that the kingdom of Christ would smash the Roman Empire and grow to fill the whole earth. This process began with the conversion of Constantine, but has not yet been completed.
Constantine was not a Christian. He believed heavily in Tammuz which is the god of the cross he saw in the sky. It was the Chi-Rho, here is the Wikipedia page http://en.Wikipedia.org/wiki/Chi_rho and it says it is not a Christian cross.
• In the 7th chapter of Daniel it is written that at the time of Jesus ascension he was given a kingdom and an everlasting dominion over the nations #7:14# and that this dominion would be exercised through His saints #7:27#. It is yet to be fulfilled.
It never says anything about an ascension it says in the Ancient of days, the word “ancient” in Hebrew root has to do with removed, so it cannot really be used as in the time of Christ.
• And in the New Testament, Matthew 28:18-20, Jesus claimed that all power and authority on earth had been given to Him. He therefore commissioned his disciples to go and make disciples of all the nations/cultures and baptize the individuals therein. This process began at Pentecost, but has not yet been completed.
This not yet completed is getting annoying. If it is the endtimes and all the prophecy have been fulfilled then they should be complete. Dictionary.com says the fulfilled means: To satisfy requirements, obligations, etc.: a book that fulfills a long-felt need: To bring to an end; finish or complete, as a period of time: He felt that life was over when one had fulfilled his threescore years and ten. a beginning is not being fulfilled.
• I Corinthians 15:24-26 indicates otherwise. The kingdom of Christ will grow “until He has put all His enemies under His feet…For He has put all things in subjection under His feet.” At that point He will deliver up the consummated kingdom to God the Father.
This verse doesn’t say the kingdom will grow and this shows no evidence that the tribulation has already happened.
• Case Closed: In conclusion, MythBusters found that the appearance of the Beast and the Great Tribulation have already occurred as signs of the end of the Old Covenant era. The only sign remaining to be fulfilled before the second coming and the end of the New Covenant age is the visible manifestation of the kingdom of God.
There is no proof stated that the old Covenant era has ended or been completed.
• We’ll know it happens when His will is being done on earth as it is in heaven. The church has been praying for this for 2,000+ years, so we wonder why is it so hard to believe it will actually happen?
Yes the church has been praying for his coming and all of us believe he is coming back the question is how and how soon, not anything related to having trouble believing he is coming back!
“But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.” – Mark 13:32.
I find it interesting that, though Jesus clearly said even He did not know the exact hour this world would come to an end, mankind, and I think especially Jesus Followers, continue to try to predict end times events. True, we are to be watchful and ready, for it will come like a thief in the night, but we are not to assume we can know more than Christ and attempt to determine when the end is coming.
I agree with what the article said, and I liked how it stated that many of the signs are in process, but have not yet been completed. In Mark 13:29-30 Jesus said “…when you see these things happening, know that it is near–at the doors! Assuredly, I say to you, this generation will by no means pass away till all these things take place”, which I think goes with what this article said. The generation did not pass until those things took place, but Jesus didn’t say they would be finished, rather they are in process and have yet to be completed.
In my opinion, as a youth who has many hopes and ambitions, it often feels hopeless to hear so many adults talking about the end times and acting as if doomsday is just around the corner. As Christians we are to be full of hope in Christ and to share that hope with others rather than spread fear.
We must make the most of each day, and strive to advance the Kingdom of Heaven. But we cannot get distracted by trying to predict the end times; the timing is up to God. Our job is to bring Heaven here on earth, make disciples of all the nations and live to bring glory to our Lord and Savior.
wow that very good Stephanie!!
Are you saying that the End Times are not our hope? but we should just fine hope in God?
Thanks Joel!
I think we definitely should be hopeful and excited for the coming of the New Heaven and New Earth, which is our true home. To put it in the word of Jewel from The Chronicles of Narnia: The Last Battle: “I have come home at last! This is my real country! I belong here. This is the land I have been looking for all my life, though I never knew it till now…Come further up, come further in!” I certainly am excited for the New Heaven and New Earth.
But I also think our hope must be first and foremost in Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior. If we put all of our hope in Him, He who is perfect and in Him everything else lives, moves and has its being, we will find our hope to be complete, and hope for other things will flow from Christ through us.
I disagree with this article. Everything that I have learned from my parents and from what I understand from the Bible, leads me to believe that there are still signs of the end times to be fulfilled. I believe that the coming of the Beast and the Great Tribulation have NOT occurred yet. I also very strongly believe that the whole earth will never (could never simply because of the way we are, our conflicting natures) believe in Yeshuah . . . until . . . He, King of kings and Lord of lords, comes back on earth. Then and only then, will the whole earth see Him and know who He is.