(Re: *Specific)
Revelation chapters 6 to 22 are a highly-detailed, almost entirely literal, future timetable. For they contain such a huge number of details, which are so varied, so specific, so chronological, and so long, that to reduce all of them to merely a generic description of life at anytime would render them useless. For what person who has ever lived needs a generic description of life? It would be like throwing Revelation chapters 6 to 22 into the trash, just to be done with them.
~
(Re: Then should Jesus' parables be thrown out, as too generic?)
No, for they point to specific and different aspects of the Kingdom of God.
~
(Re: Can we do without general descriptions like: "Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength, and love your neighbour as yourself"?)
That is specific, showing who we are to love and how we are to love them.
Similarly, Revelation chapters 6 to 18 show specifically (and also chronologically) events which must occur during the future Tribulation.
~
(Re: *Parables can be detailed)
But the Bible makes clear that they are parables by calling them "parables" and/or by using in them words such as "like" and "as", and by presenting them as things which already happened. But nothing in Revelation chapters 6 to 22 requires that they are parables instead of them being almost entirely literal. Also, nothing in Revelation chapters 6 to 22 requires that they are things which already happened instead of "things which must be hereafter" (Revelation 4:1b).
~
(Re: Are you trying to make the details of Revelation *compete with the Gospel?)
No, for they do not, just as, for example, the many more numerous details of the Old Testament do not compete with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Indeed, the details in Revelation are a revelation from Jesus Himself (Revelation 1:1). They are the testimony of His angel to the Church (Revelation 22:16).
And we must be interested in the details of the entire Bible (Matthew 4:4; 2 Timothy 3:16).
(See also Matthew 4:4 above, and the "Gospel" section of Matthew 24:31 above)
~
(Re: Is Revelation *relevant only to the final generation?)
No, for just as Jesus Christ's Second Coming in Revelation 19:7 to 20:3 has always been relevant to Christians despite the fact that it has not yet been fulfilled, but will be fulfilled almost entirely literally in our future, so the highly detailed and chronological events of the just-preceding Tribulation in Revelation chapters 6 to 18, and the subsequent Millennium and other events in Revelation chapters 20 to 22, have always been relevant to Christians despite the fact that they have not yet been fulfilled, but will be fulfilled almost entirely literally in our future.
To put it another way, the future fulfillment of the Tribulation of Revelation chapters 6 to 18 and Matthew 24, before Jesus Christ returns immediately after the Tribulation (Matthew 24:29-31, Revelation 19:7 to 20:6), should be relevant to every Christian regardless of whether or not he thinks he will still be alive to go through the Tribulation, just as, for example, the past fulfillment of Genesis chapters 1 to 11 should be relevant to every Christian regardless of him not being alive at that time to experience it. For all parts of the Bible, regarding all times, are profitable to all Christians of all times (2 Timothy 3:16, Matthew 4:4).
Also, the future fulfillment of Revelation chapters 6 to 18 and Matthew 24 should be especially relevant to every Christian alive today, for the main reason that the Bible gives clear warning ahead of time about everything that Christians alive at the time of the Tribulation will have to face (Mark 13:23, Revelation chapters 6 to 18, Revelation 1:1, Revelation 22:16), before Jesus Christ returns immediately after the Tribulation (Matthew 24:29-31, Revelation 19:7 to 20:6), is so that Christians can be better prepared mentally not to be blindsided (1 Peter 4:12-13) or deceived by anything that is coming (Matthew 24:4-5,23-25, Revelation 13:13-18, Revelation 19:20), and so that they can be better prepared mentally to endure the future Tribulation with patience and faith to the end (Matthew 24:9-13, Revelation 13:7-10, Revelation 14:12-13, Revelation 20:4-6), and not commit apostasy during the Tribulation (Isaiah 8:21-22, Matthew 24:9-13, Matthew 13:21), to the ultimate loss of their salvation (Hebrews 6:4-8, John 15:6; 2 Timothy 2:12).
(See also the "fear" section of 2 Thessalonians 2:1-8 above)
~
(Re: Does Christian Futurism belittle the past suffering of Christians like *Wurmbrand?)
No, for Christian Futurism does not deny that many Christians in the past/present have gone/are going through terrible tribulations. But neither does Christian Futurism deny the fact that no past or present tribulation, in the general sense (Acts 14:22, John 16:33, Romans 5:3, Ephesians 3:13; 2 Thessalonians 1:4), has ever fulfilled the highly detailed and chronological events of the specific Tribulation described in Revelation chapters 6 to 18 and Matthew 24.
(See also Matthew 24:21 above)
~
(Re: Is Christian *Futurism the same as *Dispensationalism?)
No, Christian Futurism per se should be distinguished from Dispensationalism.
For Christian Futurism per se is correct because the Tribulation and subsequent Second-Coming prophecies of Revelation chapters 6 to 19 and Matthew 24 have not yet been fulfilled, just as the prophecies of the subsequent Millennium (e.g. Revelation 20:4-6 and Zechariah 14) have not yet been fulfilled.
But Dispensationalism is mistaken because it sets up a mutual exclusiveness between the Church and Israel. This is mistaken because...
(See the "Tribes" section of Romans 11:17 above)
Also, Dispensationalism is mistaken because it teaches a pre-tribulation rapture. This is mistaken because...
(See Matthew 24:31 above)
~
(Re: Is futurism just *newspaper theology?)
Christian Futurism considers today's news stories regarding such things as geopolitics and technology so that the news can help Christians to consider different ways for how exactly the not-yet-fulfilled, yet still understandable, and almost entirely literal, highly detailed prophecies in Revelation chapters 6 to 18 might be fulfilled in our future. For example, Christians at any time in the past could understand that Revelation 6:4-8 refers to a horrible, literal war which will start the future Tribulation, and which, with its aftermath of famines and epidemics, will end up killing one-fourth of the world. Christians at any time in the past could understand this without having to know, for example, what nation will start the war, or what weapons will be employed in the war. What Christian Futurism does is consider these things.
(See the "War" section of Revelation 13:5 below)
For another example, Christians at any time in the past could understand that Revelation 13:14-15 refers to a literal image (Greek: "eikon"/G1504, something made in the likeness) of the future Antichrist (the individual-man aspect of Revelation's "beast"), which image will appear to be alive and will speak. And people will have to worship it or be killed. Christians at any time in the past could understand this without having to know, for example, whether the image will be two-dimensional or three-dimensional (or both), or what it will be made of, or how it will be made to speak or appear to be alive. What Christian Futurism does is consider these things.
(See Revelation 13:14 below)
Preterist Christians hate newspaper exegesis because they think that Bible prophecy has been fulfilled. But while they rail against Christian Futurists for searching today's newspapers for any possible fulfillments, no matter how strained, preterists themselves search ancient newspapers, as it were, search ancient histories, for any possible fulfillments, no matter how strained.
So all Christians partake in newspaper exegesis to some extent, it just depends on how old the newspapers are in which they search.
~
(Re: I like to stay informed and pray)
To stay truly informed, Christians should buy local, daily newspapers with national and international stories from The Associated Press, The New York Times, The Washington Post, Reuters, and Bloomberg News. Christians may be able to buy these local newspapers cheaply at their local dollar store.
Also, although it is expensive, Christians should try to subscribe to The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times, which might only be available through direct delivery, but which can be delivered throughout the U.S.
Regarding TV news, even national TV news can lack much information, but it can still be worthwhile to watch some national TV news. Besides watching national broadcast and cable newscasts on ABC, CBS, NBC, Fox News, Fox Business, CNN, MSNBC, CNBC, and C-SPAN, Christians should also watch foreign, English-language cable newscasts such as on NHK (from Japan) and the BBC.
Also, Worthy Christian Forums is very helpful in highlighting important news which you will not hear about anywhere else.
Of course, all news sources have biases. And so every news story, from whatever source, should be taken with a grain of salt, considering the source and what interests it may wish to further. It is best to get your news from a wide number of different sources, so as not to get locked into any one particular, biased worldview.
Also, to gain a broad foundation of general knowledge, you can buy a full set of encyclopedia volumes cheaply from your local library's used book store. Then, over months and years, read the encyclopedia volumes from A to Z, over and over again. You will be amazed at how much information you will retain and how interesting and useful this information can be, even with regard to interpreting Bible prophecy, such as in the book of Revelation. It is also helpful to have large, printed atlases in which you can look up detailed maps of world locations while you are reading encyclopedia entries or news articles about these locations. A good map can help a location to come alive in your mind as you see its hills, mountains, rivers, railroads, highways, bays, etc., and how they relate to the surrounding region: to neighboring cities, states, and countries.
Also, after you have become used to reading the encyclopedia and long newspaper articles, you will be shocked at how relatively void of facts many TV newscasts can be, especially if they have become mere "infotainment", designed to get as many viewers as possible (for commercials). That is, they are aimed at the "lowest common denominator" among viewers, most of whom have no interest in, or patience for, a lot of detailed facts, but want to be entertained by the news, just as by any other TV program.
~
(Re: Is Christian Futurism popular only because it is marketed so strenuously by a prophetic industry?)
The problem with a prophetic "industry" is that it almost always requires payment or requests donations for the prophetic teaching or fiction. Radio and TV airtime is expensive, and so broadcasts end with requests for money. The more listeners and viewers one can draw in, the more money will come rolling in. And so the incentive becomes to preach whatever will get the most listeners and viewers. This leads necessarily to a dumbing-down of the teaching, a lowest-common-denominator approach to prophecy, a tendency to echo whatever is the most popular, appealing teaching of the moment.
And so prophetic teaching becomes a mere commodity. This is especially true with prophetic fiction. Whatever will excite and titillate the masses of evangelicals, thereby selling the most books, will be what the publishers will publish, regardless of whether or not the scenarios in the books are in line with what the Bible itself teaches is going to happen.
But if we completely separate our prophetic teaching from the collection of money, and always give it away free of charge (for "freely ye have received, freely give", Matthew 10:8), without ever even mentioning money, then there is no incentive for us, whether consciously or unconsciously, to alter our teaching to gain the most "ministry partners", and so make the most money (1 Timothy 6:10; 2 Peter 2:3).
One way to separate prophetic teaching from the collection of money is to post it free of charge on a website which we do not own or share in any way in its profits. For if we post our teachings on a website which we own, what can happen is that even if we make no mention of money, we can try and get Google or Facebook to come in and set up advertising, whereby our website will get a few cents revenue every time someone views or clicks on an ad. As the ad-revenue checks start coming in from Google or Facebook, this can set up an insidious process whereby we, whether consciously or unconsciously, begin to do (or not do) whatever it takes to get more and more visitors to our website and so get more and more views and clicks on its ads, and so get bigger and bigger revenue checks from Google or Facebook.
The love of money is the root of all evil (1 Timothy 6:10). This is why it is so crucial to completely separate the gaining of money from one's Christian preaching, and why Satan and the world work so hard to seduce every Christian ministry into becoming a money-making operation.
~
(Re: Are Christian Futurists consumed by stupid *conspiracy theories?)
To determine whether or not a conspiracy theory has merit, one has to test it against what Bible prophecy says. If it is in line with Bible prophecy, then it could very well have merit, and should not be rejected out of hand.
While everything that we need to know, as far as prophecy is concerned, is in the Bible (Mark 13:23, Revelation 1:1, Revelation 22:16), we still have to eventually compare as-yet-unfulfilled Bible prophecy to what is actually happening in the world. At some point, we will have to make the connection of saying: "Okay, this thing happening now is this thing prophesied in the Bible". We cannot refuse to ever make such a connection, out of fear of being ridiculed as a "conspiracy theorist", for then what would be the point of Bible prophecy?
Bible prophecy was given to Christians so that they might be aware of what to watch out for, not so that they can then worry about it or vainly attempt to change it, but rather so that they will not be deceived (Mark 13:22-23) or "offended" by anything that is going to happen (Matthew 13:21, Matthew 24:9-13). Also, Christians must never try to "hasten" the fulfillment of any Bible prophecy by committing any act of violence, for violence is strictly forbidden for Christians (Matthew 5:39, Matthew 26:52; 2 Corinthians 10:3-5).
(See Matthew 5:39 above)
Also, Christians should never pray that God would hasten the coming of the future Tribulation of Revelation chapters 6 to 18 and Matthew 24. For Christians are to pray instead that they might be delivered from evil (Matthew 6:13), not that it come upon them.
Also, Christians need to be aware of all of Satan's devices, not thinking that they can then destroy them but rather so that Satan will not be able to take advantage of Christians through these devices (2 Corinthians 2:11, Matthew 10:16; 1 Peter 5:8), whether now or in the future.
(See, for example, Luke 24:39 above, and Revelation 13:4 below)
When the future Antichrist comes to rule the world, he will go after all of the Biblical Christians whom he can find and he will behead them (Revelation 13:7-10, Revelation 14:12-13, Revelation 20:4). That is why Christians will need to flee into the mountains (Matthew 24:16, Ezekiel 7:16), the wilderness (Revelation 12:6), and hide from him (cf. Proverbs 22:3, Proverbs 28:28,12) when they see him commit the abomination of desolation (Matthew 24:15-16, Daniel 11:31,36; 2 Thessalonians 2:4).
(See Matthew 24:16 above)
But no doubt as some Christians are fleeing into the wilderness at that time, they will hear the cackling of laughter behind them, from those who will refuse to flee, because of their pride in their unwillingness to believe in "conspiracy theories".
~
(Re: But do not Christian Futurists give a bad name to Christianity by constantly warning of some future "Antichrist" who never actually comes?)
It is sad that the non-Christian world, and even most of the Christian world, rejects Biblical Futurism as the hobby of cranks, and more generally rejects Christian Fundamentalism as idiotic and hateful. And as we get nearer to the time of the future Antichrist's rise, he and his followers could turbocharge these mistaken ideas by setting up all sorts of "false flag" terrorist acts purportedly committed by Fundamentalist, Futurist Christians. The Antichrist's intelligence agencies could temporarily hire "street scum" agents to grow long white beards, hold Bibles on street corners, shout out the most stupid things imaginable "in the name of JEEE-SUSSSS!", and then commit the most horrible crimes imaginable while quoting prophetic scriptures and shouting: "Beware the Antichrist!". This could so discredit the whole concept of "the Antichrist" and Biblical prophecy in general that everyone will run the other way whenever anyone starts to even mention them. (Indeed, this is pretty much what the world does already. Not long ago, a man caused a total panic in a movie theater when he raised his hands after the movie was over and started preaching about salvation from hell. People ran for their lives, trampling each other. One woman even jumped off a twenty-foot wall to get away from the "madman", whom she no doubt thought was going to murder her. But he was simply preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Alas, such are the times.)
And false-flag terrorist acts and other crimes committed by some purportedly "Fundamentalist Christians" could even further tarnish them to the point where "religious profiling" will be instituted by the government itself, and all Fundamentalist Christians will become suspects as possible terrorists and will be surveilled by government agents wherever they go. Also, just as the old Soviet Union locked up some of its "dissidents" in psychiatric hospitals (for the Soviets thought that surely anyone would have to be "crazy" to reject atheistic communism), so the government of the future Antichrist could lock up some Fundamentalist Christians (even some pacifist ones) in mental wards and inject them with powerful psychoactive drugs or even give them radical lobotomies to where they will become nothing but zombies, no longer warning anyone about the Antichrist. "Poor people", the world could say, "how sad to see the ravages of mental illness. No doubt it was their trying to read the Bible literally which ended up unhinging their weak minds".
And so the Antichrist could basically eviscerate Christian Fundamentalism, even more than it is now, completely eviscerate the belief that the Bible is all good and all true (2 Timothy 3:16-17), so that no one in the world will want to look at or even think about the Bible or its prophecies regarding the Antichrist. (Also, there is already a popular TV show which specifically mocks, through straw men, those who believe in the Bible.) So it could be true that what we learn now about Bible prophecies is all that we are ever going to learn about them. So we better get studying, and learn all that we can now, before the future Antichrist takes over. Some Christians will be able to escape the clutches of the Antichrist's agents and flee into mountainous, wilderness places, at the start of his literal, 3.5-year worldwide reign (Revelation 12:6, Ezekiel 7:16, Matthew 24:16).
These escaped Christians will only have been able to recognize the Antichrist's rise before his agents could get their hands on them because, through God's Holy Spirit, they had faith in the Bible prophecies foretelling how to recognize his rise (e.g. Revelation 13:17b-18; 2 Thessalonians 2:4, Daniel 11:31,36, Matthew 24:15-16). And they were not conformed to the world's fear of being called "conspiracy theorists", but, with the help of God's Holy Spirit, had actually applied their knowledge of Bible prophecy to who and what they were seeing in the world with their own eyes, on TV newscasts and in newspapers.
(See also paragraphs 2-4 of Matthew 24:16 above. And see Daniel 11:31 and Daniel 7(space) above)
~
(Re: But is not Christian Futurism *divided)
Yes, but just as people should not reject Christianity per se simply because it is wrongly divided into different denominations which cannot agree on what every verse in the Bible means, so people should not reject Christian Futurism per se simply because it is wrongly divided into different schools (e.g. pre-tribulation vs. post-tribulation; Dispensationalism vs. Covenantalism) which cannot agree on what all of the prophetic verses in the Bible mean. People should nonetheless accept Christianity per se because it is based on the Bible, and nothing disproves it, just as they should accept Christian Futurism per se because it is based on the Bible's prophecies, and nothing disproves it.
~
(Re: How can Christian Futurism help me when Christian Futurists cannot agree on what is going to happen?)
That is like a non-Christian saying that the Bible cannot help him because Christians cannot agree on what all of it means.
Also, are the adherents of Symbolicism, or Historicism, or Preterism, all agreed on what each part of the book of Revelation is supposed to symbolize?
If so, what is the general, non-Futurist consensus regarding what each detail in the book of Revelation is supposed to represent?
Also, remember that Symbolicist Covenantal Amillennialism is not the only Covenantal theology. For there is also Literalist Covenantal Premillennialism, which also correctly refutes the mistaken ideas of Dispensationalism.
~
(Re: Is Christian Futurism untestable against the Bible?)
Christian Futurism is based on the Bible and so is testable against the Bible. For any Christian-Futurist claim which contradicts any verse in the Bible cannot be true. For every verse in the Bible is true (2 Timothy 3:16, Matthew 4:4).
~
(Re: Why do Christian Futurists tear each other apart in disagreement?)
No Christian Futurist should ever tear anyone apart in disagreement, but should simply refer to the Bible and how its prophecies might be fulfilled in our future.
~
(Re: Is Christian Futurism proven false by fulfilled prophecies?)
No, for Christian Futurism does not claim that no Bible prophecy has been fulfilled, just that, for example, the detailed events of Revelation chapters 6 to 22 and Matthew 24 have not yet been fulfilled.
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Next entry / Prior / Table of Contents
Dec 29, 2018
Revelation chapters 6 to 22 are a highly-detailed, almost entirely literal, future timetable. For they contain such a huge number of details, which are so varied, so specific, so chronological, and so long, that to reduce all of them to merely a generic description of life at anytime would render them useless. For what person who has ever lived needs a generic description of life? It would be like throwing Revelation chapters 6 to 22 into the trash, just to be done with them.
~
(Re: Then should Jesus' parables be thrown out, as too generic?)
No, for they point to specific and different aspects of the Kingdom of God.
~
(Re: Can we do without general descriptions like: "Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength, and love your neighbour as yourself"?)
That is specific, showing who we are to love and how we are to love them.
Similarly, Revelation chapters 6 to 18 show specifically (and also chronologically) events which must occur during the future Tribulation.
~
(Re: *Parables can be detailed)
But the Bible makes clear that they are parables by calling them "parables" and/or by using in them words such as "like" and "as", and by presenting them as things which already happened. But nothing in Revelation chapters 6 to 22 requires that they are parables instead of them being almost entirely literal. Also, nothing in Revelation chapters 6 to 22 requires that they are things which already happened instead of "things which must be hereafter" (Revelation 4:1b).
~
(Re: Are you trying to make the details of Revelation *compete with the Gospel?)
No, for they do not, just as, for example, the many more numerous details of the Old Testament do not compete with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Indeed, the details in Revelation are a revelation from Jesus Himself (Revelation 1:1). They are the testimony of His angel to the Church (Revelation 22:16).
And we must be interested in the details of the entire Bible (Matthew 4:4; 2 Timothy 3:16).
(See also Matthew 4:4 above, and the "Gospel" section of Matthew 24:31 above)
~
(Re: Is Revelation *relevant only to the final generation?)
No, for just as Jesus Christ's Second Coming in Revelation 19:7 to 20:3 has always been relevant to Christians despite the fact that it has not yet been fulfilled, but will be fulfilled almost entirely literally in our future, so the highly detailed and chronological events of the just-preceding Tribulation in Revelation chapters 6 to 18, and the subsequent Millennium and other events in Revelation chapters 20 to 22, have always been relevant to Christians despite the fact that they have not yet been fulfilled, but will be fulfilled almost entirely literally in our future.
To put it another way, the future fulfillment of the Tribulation of Revelation chapters 6 to 18 and Matthew 24, before Jesus Christ returns immediately after the Tribulation (Matthew 24:29-31, Revelation 19:7 to 20:6), should be relevant to every Christian regardless of whether or not he thinks he will still be alive to go through the Tribulation, just as, for example, the past fulfillment of Genesis chapters 1 to 11 should be relevant to every Christian regardless of him not being alive at that time to experience it. For all parts of the Bible, regarding all times, are profitable to all Christians of all times (2 Timothy 3:16, Matthew 4:4).
Also, the future fulfillment of Revelation chapters 6 to 18 and Matthew 24 should be especially relevant to every Christian alive today, for the main reason that the Bible gives clear warning ahead of time about everything that Christians alive at the time of the Tribulation will have to face (Mark 13:23, Revelation chapters 6 to 18, Revelation 1:1, Revelation 22:16), before Jesus Christ returns immediately after the Tribulation (Matthew 24:29-31, Revelation 19:7 to 20:6), is so that Christians can be better prepared mentally not to be blindsided (1 Peter 4:12-13) or deceived by anything that is coming (Matthew 24:4-5,23-25, Revelation 13:13-18, Revelation 19:20), and so that they can be better prepared mentally to endure the future Tribulation with patience and faith to the end (Matthew 24:9-13, Revelation 13:7-10, Revelation 14:12-13, Revelation 20:4-6), and not commit apostasy during the Tribulation (Isaiah 8:21-22, Matthew 24:9-13, Matthew 13:21), to the ultimate loss of their salvation (Hebrews 6:4-8, John 15:6; 2 Timothy 2:12).
(See also the "fear" section of 2 Thessalonians 2:1-8 above)
~
(Re: Does Christian Futurism belittle the past suffering of Christians like *Wurmbrand?)
No, for Christian Futurism does not deny that many Christians in the past/present have gone/are going through terrible tribulations. But neither does Christian Futurism deny the fact that no past or present tribulation, in the general sense (Acts 14:22, John 16:33, Romans 5:3, Ephesians 3:13; 2 Thessalonians 1:4), has ever fulfilled the highly detailed and chronological events of the specific Tribulation described in Revelation chapters 6 to 18 and Matthew 24.
(See also Matthew 24:21 above)
~
(Re: Is Christian *Futurism the same as *Dispensationalism?)
No, Christian Futurism per se should be distinguished from Dispensationalism.
For Christian Futurism per se is correct because the Tribulation and subsequent Second-Coming prophecies of Revelation chapters 6 to 19 and Matthew 24 have not yet been fulfilled, just as the prophecies of the subsequent Millennium (e.g. Revelation 20:4-6 and Zechariah 14) have not yet been fulfilled.
But Dispensationalism is mistaken because it sets up a mutual exclusiveness between the Church and Israel. This is mistaken because...
(See the "Tribes" section of Romans 11:17 above)
Also, Dispensationalism is mistaken because it teaches a pre-tribulation rapture. This is mistaken because...
(See Matthew 24:31 above)
~
(Re: Is futurism just *newspaper theology?)
Christian Futurism considers today's news stories regarding such things as geopolitics and technology so that the news can help Christians to consider different ways for how exactly the not-yet-fulfilled, yet still understandable, and almost entirely literal, highly detailed prophecies in Revelation chapters 6 to 18 might be fulfilled in our future. For example, Christians at any time in the past could understand that Revelation 6:4-8 refers to a horrible, literal war which will start the future Tribulation, and which, with its aftermath of famines and epidemics, will end up killing one-fourth of the world. Christians at any time in the past could understand this without having to know, for example, what nation will start the war, or what weapons will be employed in the war. What Christian Futurism does is consider these things.
(See the "War" section of Revelation 13:5 below)
For another example, Christians at any time in the past could understand that Revelation 13:14-15 refers to a literal image (Greek: "eikon"/G1504, something made in the likeness) of the future Antichrist (the individual-man aspect of Revelation's "beast"), which image will appear to be alive and will speak. And people will have to worship it or be killed. Christians at any time in the past could understand this without having to know, for example, whether the image will be two-dimensional or three-dimensional (or both), or what it will be made of, or how it will be made to speak or appear to be alive. What Christian Futurism does is consider these things.
(See Revelation 13:14 below)
Preterist Christians hate newspaper exegesis because they think that Bible prophecy has been fulfilled. But while they rail against Christian Futurists for searching today's newspapers for any possible fulfillments, no matter how strained, preterists themselves search ancient newspapers, as it were, search ancient histories, for any possible fulfillments, no matter how strained.
So all Christians partake in newspaper exegesis to some extent, it just depends on how old the newspapers are in which they search.
~
(Re: I like to stay informed and pray)
To stay truly informed, Christians should buy local, daily newspapers with national and international stories from The Associated Press, The New York Times, The Washington Post, Reuters, and Bloomberg News. Christians may be able to buy these local newspapers cheaply at their local dollar store.
Also, although it is expensive, Christians should try to subscribe to The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times, which might only be available through direct delivery, but which can be delivered throughout the U.S.
Regarding TV news, even national TV news can lack much information, but it can still be worthwhile to watch some national TV news. Besides watching national broadcast and cable newscasts on ABC, CBS, NBC, Fox News, Fox Business, CNN, MSNBC, CNBC, and C-SPAN, Christians should also watch foreign, English-language cable newscasts such as on NHK (from Japan) and the BBC.
Also, Worthy Christian Forums is very helpful in highlighting important news which you will not hear about anywhere else.
Of course, all news sources have biases. And so every news story, from whatever source, should be taken with a grain of salt, considering the source and what interests it may wish to further. It is best to get your news from a wide number of different sources, so as not to get locked into any one particular, biased worldview.
Also, to gain a broad foundation of general knowledge, you can buy a full set of encyclopedia volumes cheaply from your local library's used book store. Then, over months and years, read the encyclopedia volumes from A to Z, over and over again. You will be amazed at how much information you will retain and how interesting and useful this information can be, even with regard to interpreting Bible prophecy, such as in the book of Revelation. It is also helpful to have large, printed atlases in which you can look up detailed maps of world locations while you are reading encyclopedia entries or news articles about these locations. A good map can help a location to come alive in your mind as you see its hills, mountains, rivers, railroads, highways, bays, etc., and how they relate to the surrounding region: to neighboring cities, states, and countries.
Also, after you have become used to reading the encyclopedia and long newspaper articles, you will be shocked at how relatively void of facts many TV newscasts can be, especially if they have become mere "infotainment", designed to get as many viewers as possible (for commercials). That is, they are aimed at the "lowest common denominator" among viewers, most of whom have no interest in, or patience for, a lot of detailed facts, but want to be entertained by the news, just as by any other TV program.
~
(Re: Is Christian Futurism popular only because it is marketed so strenuously by a prophetic industry?)
The problem with a prophetic "industry" is that it almost always requires payment or requests donations for the prophetic teaching or fiction. Radio and TV airtime is expensive, and so broadcasts end with requests for money. The more listeners and viewers one can draw in, the more money will come rolling in. And so the incentive becomes to preach whatever will get the most listeners and viewers. This leads necessarily to a dumbing-down of the teaching, a lowest-common-denominator approach to prophecy, a tendency to echo whatever is the most popular, appealing teaching of the moment.
And so prophetic teaching becomes a mere commodity. This is especially true with prophetic fiction. Whatever will excite and titillate the masses of evangelicals, thereby selling the most books, will be what the publishers will publish, regardless of whether or not the scenarios in the books are in line with what the Bible itself teaches is going to happen.
But if we completely separate our prophetic teaching from the collection of money, and always give it away free of charge (for "freely ye have received, freely give", Matthew 10:8), without ever even mentioning money, then there is no incentive for us, whether consciously or unconsciously, to alter our teaching to gain the most "ministry partners", and so make the most money (1 Timothy 6:10; 2 Peter 2:3).
One way to separate prophetic teaching from the collection of money is to post it free of charge on a website which we do not own or share in any way in its profits. For if we post our teachings on a website which we own, what can happen is that even if we make no mention of money, we can try and get Google or Facebook to come in and set up advertising, whereby our website will get a few cents revenue every time someone views or clicks on an ad. As the ad-revenue checks start coming in from Google or Facebook, this can set up an insidious process whereby we, whether consciously or unconsciously, begin to do (or not do) whatever it takes to get more and more visitors to our website and so get more and more views and clicks on its ads, and so get bigger and bigger revenue checks from Google or Facebook.
The love of money is the root of all evil (1 Timothy 6:10). This is why it is so crucial to completely separate the gaining of money from one's Christian preaching, and why Satan and the world work so hard to seduce every Christian ministry into becoming a money-making operation.
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(Re: Are Christian Futurists consumed by stupid *conspiracy theories?)
To determine whether or not a conspiracy theory has merit, one has to test it against what Bible prophecy says. If it is in line with Bible prophecy, then it could very well have merit, and should not be rejected out of hand.
While everything that we need to know, as far as prophecy is concerned, is in the Bible (Mark 13:23, Revelation 1:1, Revelation 22:16), we still have to eventually compare as-yet-unfulfilled Bible prophecy to what is actually happening in the world. At some point, we will have to make the connection of saying: "Okay, this thing happening now is this thing prophesied in the Bible". We cannot refuse to ever make such a connection, out of fear of being ridiculed as a "conspiracy theorist", for then what would be the point of Bible prophecy?
Bible prophecy was given to Christians so that they might be aware of what to watch out for, not so that they can then worry about it or vainly attempt to change it, but rather so that they will not be deceived (Mark 13:22-23) or "offended" by anything that is going to happen (Matthew 13:21, Matthew 24:9-13). Also, Christians must never try to "hasten" the fulfillment of any Bible prophecy by committing any act of violence, for violence is strictly forbidden for Christians (Matthew 5:39, Matthew 26:52; 2 Corinthians 10:3-5).
(See Matthew 5:39 above)
Also, Christians should never pray that God would hasten the coming of the future Tribulation of Revelation chapters 6 to 18 and Matthew 24. For Christians are to pray instead that they might be delivered from evil (Matthew 6:13), not that it come upon them.
Also, Christians need to be aware of all of Satan's devices, not thinking that they can then destroy them but rather so that Satan will not be able to take advantage of Christians through these devices (2 Corinthians 2:11, Matthew 10:16; 1 Peter 5:8), whether now or in the future.
(See, for example, Luke 24:39 above, and Revelation 13:4 below)
When the future Antichrist comes to rule the world, he will go after all of the Biblical Christians whom he can find and he will behead them (Revelation 13:7-10, Revelation 14:12-13, Revelation 20:4). That is why Christians will need to flee into the mountains (Matthew 24:16, Ezekiel 7:16), the wilderness (Revelation 12:6), and hide from him (cf. Proverbs 22:3, Proverbs 28:28,12) when they see him commit the abomination of desolation (Matthew 24:15-16, Daniel 11:31,36; 2 Thessalonians 2:4).
(See Matthew 24:16 above)
But no doubt as some Christians are fleeing into the wilderness at that time, they will hear the cackling of laughter behind them, from those who will refuse to flee, because of their pride in their unwillingness to believe in "conspiracy theories".
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(Re: But do not Christian Futurists give a bad name to Christianity by constantly warning of some future "Antichrist" who never actually comes?)
It is sad that the non-Christian world, and even most of the Christian world, rejects Biblical Futurism as the hobby of cranks, and more generally rejects Christian Fundamentalism as idiotic and hateful. And as we get nearer to the time of the future Antichrist's rise, he and his followers could turbocharge these mistaken ideas by setting up all sorts of "false flag" terrorist acts purportedly committed by Fundamentalist, Futurist Christians. The Antichrist's intelligence agencies could temporarily hire "street scum" agents to grow long white beards, hold Bibles on street corners, shout out the most stupid things imaginable "in the name of JEEE-SUSSSS!", and then commit the most horrible crimes imaginable while quoting prophetic scriptures and shouting: "Beware the Antichrist!". This could so discredit the whole concept of "the Antichrist" and Biblical prophecy in general that everyone will run the other way whenever anyone starts to even mention them. (Indeed, this is pretty much what the world does already. Not long ago, a man caused a total panic in a movie theater when he raised his hands after the movie was over and started preaching about salvation from hell. People ran for their lives, trampling each other. One woman even jumped off a twenty-foot wall to get away from the "madman", whom she no doubt thought was going to murder her. But he was simply preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Alas, such are the times.)
And false-flag terrorist acts and other crimes committed by some purportedly "Fundamentalist Christians" could even further tarnish them to the point where "religious profiling" will be instituted by the government itself, and all Fundamentalist Christians will become suspects as possible terrorists and will be surveilled by government agents wherever they go. Also, just as the old Soviet Union locked up some of its "dissidents" in psychiatric hospitals (for the Soviets thought that surely anyone would have to be "crazy" to reject atheistic communism), so the government of the future Antichrist could lock up some Fundamentalist Christians (even some pacifist ones) in mental wards and inject them with powerful psychoactive drugs or even give them radical lobotomies to where they will become nothing but zombies, no longer warning anyone about the Antichrist. "Poor people", the world could say, "how sad to see the ravages of mental illness. No doubt it was their trying to read the Bible literally which ended up unhinging their weak minds".
And so the Antichrist could basically eviscerate Christian Fundamentalism, even more than it is now, completely eviscerate the belief that the Bible is all good and all true (2 Timothy 3:16-17), so that no one in the world will want to look at or even think about the Bible or its prophecies regarding the Antichrist. (Also, there is already a popular TV show which specifically mocks, through straw men, those who believe in the Bible.) So it could be true that what we learn now about Bible prophecies is all that we are ever going to learn about them. So we better get studying, and learn all that we can now, before the future Antichrist takes over. Some Christians will be able to escape the clutches of the Antichrist's agents and flee into mountainous, wilderness places, at the start of his literal, 3.5-year worldwide reign (Revelation 12:6, Ezekiel 7:16, Matthew 24:16).
These escaped Christians will only have been able to recognize the Antichrist's rise before his agents could get their hands on them because, through God's Holy Spirit, they had faith in the Bible prophecies foretelling how to recognize his rise (e.g. Revelation 13:17b-18; 2 Thessalonians 2:4, Daniel 11:31,36, Matthew 24:15-16). And they were not conformed to the world's fear of being called "conspiracy theorists", but, with the help of God's Holy Spirit, had actually applied their knowledge of Bible prophecy to who and what they were seeing in the world with their own eyes, on TV newscasts and in newspapers.
(See also paragraphs 2-4 of Matthew 24:16 above. And see Daniel 11:31 and Daniel 7(space) above)
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(Re: But is not Christian Futurism *divided)
Yes, but just as people should not reject Christianity per se simply because it is wrongly divided into different denominations which cannot agree on what every verse in the Bible means, so people should not reject Christian Futurism per se simply because it is wrongly divided into different schools (e.g. pre-tribulation vs. post-tribulation; Dispensationalism vs. Covenantalism) which cannot agree on what all of the prophetic verses in the Bible mean. People should nonetheless accept Christianity per se because it is based on the Bible, and nothing disproves it, just as they should accept Christian Futurism per se because it is based on the Bible's prophecies, and nothing disproves it.
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(Re: How can Christian Futurism help me when Christian Futurists cannot agree on what is going to happen?)
That is like a non-Christian saying that the Bible cannot help him because Christians cannot agree on what all of it means.
Also, are the adherents of Symbolicism, or Historicism, or Preterism, all agreed on what each part of the book of Revelation is supposed to symbolize?
If so, what is the general, non-Futurist consensus regarding what each detail in the book of Revelation is supposed to represent?
Also, remember that Symbolicist Covenantal Amillennialism is not the only Covenantal theology. For there is also Literalist Covenantal Premillennialism, which also correctly refutes the mistaken ideas of Dispensationalism.
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(Re: Is Christian Futurism untestable against the Bible?)
Christian Futurism is based on the Bible and so is testable against the Bible. For any Christian-Futurist claim which contradicts any verse in the Bible cannot be true. For every verse in the Bible is true (2 Timothy 3:16, Matthew 4:4).
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(Re: Why do Christian Futurists tear each other apart in disagreement?)
No Christian Futurist should ever tear anyone apart in disagreement, but should simply refer to the Bible and how its prophecies might be fulfilled in our future.
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(Re: Is Christian Futurism proven false by fulfilled prophecies?)
No, for Christian Futurism does not claim that no Bible prophecy has been fulfilled, just that, for example, the detailed events of Revelation chapters 6 to 22 and Matthew 24 have not yet been fulfilled.
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Dec 29, 2018
