Issachar People : Prophecy Today and Teaching on the End Times

Prophecy Today and Teaching on the End Times

Kathryn Price 18 Jun 2021 Prophecy

A statement on understanding 'end-times' Biblical prophecy
The main purpose of Prophecy Today is to bring the unchanging word of God to a changing world. Part of this is to highlight and explain the significance of the signs of the times. As such our main focus is on the now rather than being prescriptive about future events that may still be some way off. Of course, the immediate future is always relevant, and one day the future will become the present, so there is always a need to try and connect the now with the next.

The complexity of the issue

We recognise that people will always be curious about end-time matters and will inevitably want to ask us questions, assuming we will have the answers or at least hoping we will be able to offer something definitive. We naturally want to serve people in this way but in an area full of complexity and controversy it is very difficult to produce something worthwhile in the kind of short articles that we publish. People write whole books on just one aspect of eschatology.¹ We can only put out pieces of limited length which could potentially be inadequate or misleading.

The complexity of the task of providing our readers with sufficient understanding through our current online format is daunting. For instance, what do people already know, or think they know? Where have they got their ideas from? In trying to help people come to a better understanding you have to consider what assumptions they hold, what needs to be (gently!) challenged and possibly unlearnt. Terms need to be carefully defined, and the questions properly understood before being addressed. All this takes a long time and is usually better done through discussion and interaction rather than in print.
There is also the additional problem of the huge amount of controversy that surrounds these topics. Some people are more ready to be taught than others, but there are many highly entrenched views and those who hold such views often want to engage in arguments. Those who already ‘have it all worked out’ sometimes want to defend their position and ‘correct’ those who have written something different. It would be impossible to respond adequately to this. We wish to remind readers that we should seek to honour one another and the Lord in our responses to one another in comments we submit and that we should assert our views in a spirit of love and humility.²

Our primary task in serving people in these times is to point to the teaching of the Lord Jesus, and all of Scripture, to inspire endurance and the preaching of the gospel of salvation as a witness to all nations, and to encourage the avoidance of deception.

What is to come: A broad outline

At Prophecy Today we are, however, united in the following broad outline of what is still to come in the end times and would hope this will be clear in what we do publish:

The physical return of Jesus to fulfil his mission and begin a new kind of reign which will last forever is essential to any understanding of how future prophecies will be fulfilled. This may or may not be soon, but it will be soon enough. Just as with his first visit, this will be at the right time, but we will not be speculating on specific dates.
Before Jesus’ return, the world will be in a state of turmoil and catastrophe far greater than experienced before, due to both the folly and sinfulness of humanity and the influence and control of a final world leader, a figure known as the man of lawlessness or the ‘Antichrist’. There is a possibility that there may be many new believers during this time.
Both the land of Israel and the Jewish people have a central place in the salvation and end-time plans and purposes of God, as the Scriptures attest. Without this important, covenant-based understanding of Israel any attempt to form an eschatological (end-times) view will be distorted. (‘Covenant’ refers to the binding relationship between God and his people.)
The ultimate destiny of redeemed humanity is in a new heaven and a new earth. Our resurrection bodies will be appropriate to our new home. Meanwhile we trust in our Saviour to ‘see us home’. By remaining in faith in the atoning work of the Lord Jesus we can be overcomers of whatever comes upon the earth, and able to recognise and avoid deception. It is in these areas that we would particularly wish to edify and encourage our readers.

A good introduction

150 years ago, one of the greatest theologians of the time, JC Ryle, wrote ‘Are You Ready For The End Of Time?’ He outlined his main points, and we consider these to be a helpful and pertinent summary. We have put these into a briefer form and in updated language below. When considering these, bear also in mind this was written in 1867.

Are you ready for the end of time, by JC Ryle

The world will never be completely converted to Christianity by any existing agency before the end comes. The wheat (disciples of Jesus) and the weeds will grow together until the harvest. By the end, the earth will be in much the same state that it was when the flood came in the days of Noah.
Widespread unbelief and wickedness are to be expected. Times of trouble, departures from the faith, evil growing worse and love growing cold are distinctly predicted and should help confirm our faith rather than cause us to doubt the truth of Christianity.
Our purpose now is to gather out of the world a people set apart for God and the gospel is to be preached as a witness whether many are converted or only a few.
The second coming of Jesus Christ is the great event which will wind up the present age and for which we ought daily to long for and pray for. Just as we look back in faith to the cross so we ought to look forward to Christ coming again.
The second coming of Jesus Christ will be a real, literal, personal, bodily coming; and that as he went away in the clouds of heaven with his resurrection body, so he will return in the same manner.
After the return of Christ, the earth will be made new and the curse removed. The devil will be bound, the godly rewarded and the wicked punished. Before he comes there shall be neither resurrection, judgement nor millennium³; and not until after he comes shall the earth be filled with the knowledge of the glory of God.
The literal sense of the Old Testament prophecies has been far too much neglected by the Churches, and is still neglected today. Under the mistaken system of spiritualising and accommodating Bible language, Christians have too often completely missed its meaning.
Neither the interpretation of the book of Revelation which regards it as almost entirely fulfilled, nor the interpretation which regards it as almost entirely unfulfilled are to be implicitly followed; the truth will be found to lie between the two.
Whatever the prevailing views on ‘Babylon’ and the ‘Antichrist’, a more complete development will yet be exhibited to the world.
Finally, regarding the safety, happiness and comfort of all true Christians, little is to be expected from churches or governments in the present age. Instead, they should hold themselves ready for tremendous convulsions and changes of all things, and to expect their good things only from Christ’s second coming.
JC Ryle also predicted when writing in 1867, based on a clear understanding of biblical prophecy, that the Jews would be gathered again as a separate nation and restored to their own land, which took place 80 years later. He also said that ultimately they would be converted to Christ after going through great tribulation.

Exploring this topic with humility

We intend to bring you more articles exploring some of the different facets and possible interpretations of the biblical prophecies, but we would like to emphasise that, where each of these may contain elements of truth, they cannot be totally comprehensive: the Bible tells us that some things we will not recognise or fully understand until they happen. Indeed some things will only be revealed in glory.

Just as many before Jesus’ first incarnation on earth misunderstood the prophecies, and therefore were taken by surprise at how Jesus fulfilled them (and indeed failed to recognise him as the promised Messiah), we too are likely to be subject to some misinterpretation in exactly how the end-times prophecies will take place. Therefore, it is helpful to explore this area based on the revelation of Scripture and the Holy Spirit without holding too tightly to any particular human interpretation. But we are to ‘keep watch’, and also to ‘be ready’ for the return of our Saviour and Lord (Matt 24:42-44).

Notes

¹Look here to see the reviews of various books on this subject that we would recommend.
²See our policy on commenting on articles.
³‘Millennium’ refers to the one thousand years of the reign of Christ referred to in Revelation 20:4-7. As it is referred to directly only here, there is often debate about how we are to understand it. Most of the team at Prophecy Today consider that the simplest understanding is the most likely scenario: there will be 1,000 years (more or less) of Christ’s reign of peace on this earth following the bodily return of Jesus, towards the end of which there will be a brief rebellion, before the earth and heavens are completely renewed for eternity.

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	The Prophecy Today team