The End Times as God Reveals Them. Pt. 1 Introduction & Principles

 Good morning to each one of you. I thank each of you for faithfully visiting this blog to study the Word of God. God is blessing His truth as it goes out and I am greatly encouraged by knowing that He is at work calling people to Himself and changing many lives. 

Today, I want to take a break from our study in Proverbs. I am not quite ready to return to our study in John's gospel but I do feel an urgent need to teach a series about prophecy and what God says will happen in the so called "End Times." 

The scholarly term for this study is called "eschatology" which is defined as the branch of theology concerned with the final events in human history. It teaches about Christ's coming and the two resurrections: one for everlasting life and one for everlasting punishment (John 5:24-29). 

It describes what will happen when the age of the church is over and God begins pouring out His wrath upon all Christ rejecters. 

Eschatology matters because it is the bookend to what God started with Creation (Genesis 1-3). The book of beginnings tells us of our origins and place in the universe. Eschatology tells us about how things will end and our place in eternity. It is a very important and prominent area of study. In fact, about 25% of the Bible is devoted to prophecy and eschatology.

I want to set down some clear principles for us to follow as we approach studying the end times. 

We will focus on what God says in His Word. 

2 Timothy 4:1-4  I charge thee therefore before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom; 2) Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine. 3) For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; 4) And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables. 

This text is one that looks forward to the end times. Paul is telling young Timothy what he must do as a leader in the church. The phrase "the time will come" is looking to the future as the church age winds down. It will be a time where apostasy, false doctrine and false teachers will abound. 

It will also be marked by professing Christians who no longer want to hear and keep sound doctrine. Instead they will seek out teachers who will teach things that they want to hear. They will be more interested in hearing myths and fables than hearing from God. I submit to you that this is going on right now. People will search until they find a pastor or teacher who tickles their ears with distorted teaching.

Paul instructs us that in times described above, the job of a teacher and preacher is remains the same. First, we must remember that we are accountable to the Lord Jesus Christ and that He is coming again to judge the world. 

What is Timothy's most important task? To preach or declare the Word of God. This is still the same task for today.  Pastors must be ready to preach scripture truth that will correct those in error, rebuke those who willfully sin and encourage those who are weary to fight the good fight of faith for Christ. 

God has graciously told us much about what will happen when this present world comes to an end, as He declared it would. There are a plethora of confusing teachings about end times but we must confine ourselves to the scriptures if we want to understand how the world will end and what God has planned after the destruction of this present world. 

My job is the same as in any other lesson that I post. I want to share carefully and accurately what God says in His Word. I want to help as many people as I can to understand God's truth. Men have put forth many theories about end times but the only thing that truly matters is what God says. We need to hear truth from our heavenly Father so that we do not fall into error or false teaching. 

No private interpretations.

2 Peter 1:19-21  We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts: 20) Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation. 21)  For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost. 

Why insist that we must anchor to the truth from God's Word? Because it is inspired truth. It is sure and fixed; immoveable and immutable. Second, Peter mentions prophecy and all studies of eschatology or end times, involves studying prophecy. As we study end times prophecy, holy scripture will bring the bright light of God's truth into our hearts. The indwelling Spirit of God will help us to understand these things. 

Peter warns us that no prophecy can be twisted or subjected to a private interpretation. False teachers twist the truth or attempt to weave men's speculations into God's truth to distort what God actually said. I am responsible to exert myself to ensure that I do not say anything that would merely be an opinion or speculation. God has spoken to us and we can hear and heed what He says. 

Acts 17:21  (For all the Athenians and strangers which were there spent their time in nothing else, but either to tell, or to hear some new thing.) 

Paul journeyed through Athens and discovered a group of philosophers who engaged in idle speculation and endless musings about some new thing that they heard. Modern studies of end times are infected with new and novel ideas that speculate about what will happen and when. Such studies are often infested with people's private  interpretations. 

1 Corinthians 14:32-33  And the spirits of the prophets are subject to the prophets. 33) For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the saints. 

We do not need the new and novel. We DO need the inspired holy scriptures that God gave us. Paul had to correct the Corinthians on several abuses of spiritual gifts in the church, including those who prophesied. Remember that they did not have all the inspired New Testament at that time and God spoke through the apostles  and prophets until the canon of scripture was complete. 

Paul stated that anything the prophets had to say in a New Testament church must be in alignment with all that the Old Testament prophet's wrote. Otherwise there would be rampant confusion and God is not the author of confusion.  

No Date or Time Setting.

Matthew 24:36  But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only. 

Jesus spoke extensively about His return to the earth at some point in the future. What Christ said is very important, because there have been many false teachers who claimed to have figured out the exact date and time for Christ's return. One group published a pamphlet titled "88 reasons Why the Rapture Will be in 1988!" Of course, 1988 is 32 years ago and the rapture obviously did not occur at that time. 

What did Jesus tell us? He told us that no man or no angel knows the day or the hour that Christ will return. We are not given the task of trying to figure out when Jesus is returning because only the heavenly Father knows this. 

Instead, we are to occupy our time wisely doing the things that Jesus Christ gave us to do: sharing the gospel with the lost; teaching all nations; making disciples of Christ; living in a way that honors God. 

Please be in prayer with me about this series of lessons. I will be studying a lot of scripture as I prepare each post. There is much important truth to study and learn about prophecy and the latter days. We will not sensationalize anything as we go through this study. We want to hear from God and we do not need to be like the Athenians who run seeking the newest interpretation.

May the Lord of Glory have His way in our hearts and may He prepare our hearts for the return of His Son, Jesus Christ. 

Bob