Prophecy is eschatology or the study of the end times. The subject of Bible prophecy is complicated and can be controversial. There are various interpretations by good and competent persons. I do not claim to be an authority in this area. The late Dr. Bernard Ramm once said, "Teach thy tongue to say, I do not know." That is a wise statement to be applied in many fields. I would add a warning: Don't trust anyone who claims to have the last word on prophecy. When we come to this subject, we all need a humble heart and mind.
Yet there are some future events in Holy Scripture that are not all that complicated. Those are the things I wish to concentrate on. Probably none of us is an expert on prophecy. We are all life-long students of this subject. If prophecy is new to you, the following lessons will be something of an introduction. I hope you will enjoy the lessons and draw closer to Jesus Christ as a result.
This lesson is taken from scriptures as revealed in Daniel 7, Matthew 24, 2Thess.2, and Revelation 13. The word "Antichrist" only appears one time in the Bible, namely in 1st John. But other Bible books speak of this evil person as "the little horn", "the man of lawlessness", and "the beast out of the sea". The Antichrist will appear in the world. Listen to this lesson to find out what will happen.
In Matthew 24 Jesus gave His one and only prophetic message - known as the Olivet Discourse. The destruction of the Temple is foretold, which happened in 70 A.D. This lesson also discusses the signs Jesus gave regarding the end of the age - things you will no doubt recognize.
In this lesson, Pastor Art answers the question, "What will heaven be like - in the words of Jesus, Paul and John? Revelation 21-22 is the basis for this description of eternity where Christians will be with Jesus for all time. That has to be very good. In order to be with Him in all eternity your name must be written in the Lamb's Book of Life now. Be ready to meet God.
The subjects of prophetic inspiration, the prophets, the prophetic message and the prophecy of the New Testament are covered in this lesson. A good place to start before beginning the following lessons in the study.
In this lesson, based on Revelation 20:11-15, pastor Art teaches about the "great white throne" judgment of God at the end of all things. All will appear before this judgment throne of Christ ( ref. 2 Corinthians 5:10). Christian believers will not face condemnation (ref John 3:16-21). Unbelievers will be judged and punished.
May 14, 1948 is a key date in the countdown to final events. Israel became a nation once again just as the Bible said she would. How this happened is explained in this lesson.
1Thessalonians 4 is used as the key text resource for this lesson. The rapture is not to be confused with the Second Coming of Jesus Christ (ref. Revelation 19). The rapture is only spoken of by the Apostle Paul in the New Testament book of 1Thessalonians 4. It is the time prior to, during or at the end of the Great Tribulation (there is difference of viewpoint among careful thinkers), when Christians will suddenly disappear from the earth and meet Jesus in the air.
This lesson is taken mainly from Revelation 19. Revelation, the last book of the Bible, has 22 chapters. Of those, 15 concern the Great Tribulation. Following the Tribulation, Jesus Christ will be revealed from heaven and return to earth as King of kings and Lord of lords. We must be ready for his appearing.