Answers to the Most Important Questions About the End Times

John Hart Dr.

Description

Everything You Need to Know about the End Times in One GuideFor everyone who is curious, confused, or even fearful about Jesus' second coming, the Antichrist, the end of the world, the book of Revelation, and biblical prophecy, Dr. John Hart clearly and respectfully offers real, biblical answers. He reveals exactly what God's Word says as well as what it doesn't say, explaining how it impacts your family and friends. This slender volume answers everyone's most-asked questions, and even includes a list of Bible references for further study.

Sujets

• Philosophie et théologie
• Christian theology

Informations

• Publié par: Baker Publishing Group
• Date de parution: 16 août 2016
• Nombre de lectures: 2
• EAN13: 9781441229977
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 2 Mo

Extrait

Cover
Title Page
Copyright Page
© 2016 by John F. Hart
Published by Bethany House Publishers
11400 Hampshire Avenue South
Bloomington, Minnesota 55438
www.bethanyhouse.com
Bethany House Publishers is a division of
Baker Publishing Group, Grand Rapids, Michigan
www.bakerpublishinggroup.com
ISBN 978-1-4412-2997-7
Ebook edition created 2016
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means—for example, electronic, photocopy, recording—without the prior written permission of the publisher. The only exception is brief quotations in printed reviews.
Library of Congress Control Number: 2016931164
Note: Italics in Scripture added by the author for emphasis.
All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation , copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations identified AMP - CE are from the Amplified® Bible, copyright © 1954, 1958, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1987 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. ( www.Lockman.org )
Scripture quotations identified CEV are from the Contemporary English Version, copyright © 1991, 1992, 1995 by American Bible Society. Used by permission.
Scripture quotations identified ESV are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version , copyright © 2000, 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations identified HCSB are taken from the Holman Christian Standard Bible, copyright © 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2009 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Holman Christian Standard Bible, Holman CSB, and HCSB are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers.
Scripture quotations identifies NASB are from the New America Standard Bible, copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. www.Lockman.org
Scripture quotations identified NIV are from the Holy Bible, New International Version®. NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com
Scripture quotations identified KJV are from the King James Version.
Scripture quotations identified NKJV are from the New King James Version, copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission.
Scripture quotations identified NET are from the NET Bible [New English Translation], copyright © 1996–2006 by Biblical Studies Press, L.L.C. http://netbible.com . Used by permission.
Scripture quotations identified GNT are from the Good News Translation, Second Edition. Copyright © 1992 by American Bible Society. Used by permission.
Scripture quotations identified CEB are from the Contemporary English Version © 1991, 1992, 1995 by American Bible Society. Used by permission.
Scripture quotations identified NRSV are from the New Revised Standard Version of the Bible, copyright © 1989, by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations identified NJB are from THE NEW JERUSALEM BIBLE, copyright © 1985 by Darton, Longman & Todd, Ltd. and Doubleday, a division of Random House, Inc. Reprinted by permission.
Cover design by LOOK Design Studio
Dedication
I wish to thank the Lord Jesus for helping me write and finally finish this book through some hard times. May it glorify him.
I also wish to thank my wonderful wife, Cindy, for her patience and encouragement through the writing process, and for her diligent proofreading of the manuscript.
Contents
Cover 1
Title Page 3
Copyright Page 4
Dedication 5
Acknowledgments 9
1. Why Should I Be Interested in Bible Prophecy? 11
2. Are There Signs That We Are in the End Times? 21
3. What Is the Tribulation? 35
4. Will Christians Be Raptured and Escape the Tribulation? 51
5. How Can We Understand the Book of Revelation? 63
6. Who Is the Antichrist? 79
7. What Is the Role of Israel in the End Times? 91
8. What Nations Will Be in Power in the End Times? 107
9. What Is Armageddon? 123
10. What Is the Second Coming of Christ to the Earth? 145
11. What Is the Millennium? 159
12. What Is the Final Judgment, and the New Heaven and New Earth? 171
About the Author 191
Books by Dr. John Hart 192
Back Ad 193
Back Cover 194
Acknowledgments
I am so grateful for the editorial staff, and especially for Andy McGuire. They were responsible for suggesting I write this book. I also want to thank Andy for his patience with me in the writing process, offering support and encouragement in numerous ways. I appreciate everyone at Bethany House who has helped in making this book possible.
1 Why Should I Be Interested in Bible Prophecy?
On January 22, 2015, the Doomsday Clock was set at three minutes to midnight. Midnight is the symbolic time on the clock when such global disasters take place that the continued existence of humanity will be threatened. The time on the clock can move closer to midnight as a result of unchecked climate change, the modernization of global nuclear weapons, and the increased number of massive nuclear weapons arsenals. The decision to increase or reduce the time left for human survival is made by a board of scientists and nuclear experts. The January 22, 2015, update is the closest the clock has been to Doomsday since 1984, when a climax of political and military tension was reached between the United States and the former Soviet Union.
It’s no wonder that most of us want to know what the future holds. World events seem to be chaotic, terrorism is mushrooming, economic concerns worry us, various nations appear to threaten world peace, and environmental catastrophes appear to be on the horizon. Does the Bible address any of these issues? It certainly does, but perhaps the Bible discusses them in ways we don’t understand.
In the book of Revelation, the last book in the New Testament, numerous prophecies are recorded as taking place in the last years and days of human history. These are calamitous worldwide events that lead up to the second coming of Jesus Christ. The first time Jesus came to earth, he came as a teacher and Savior who died for our sins. The next time he comes to earth will be as a warrior, a ruler, and a judge.
There are a minimum of twenty-one specific major judgments described in Revelation. These depict how God will inflict destruction on the earth—on the lands, seas, trees, grasses, mountains, rivers, islands, cities—and plagues against people who obstinately refuse to turn to God and believe in Christ as their Savior. In just two of these twenty-one judgments taken together, the earth’s population is reduced by one-half. Jesus also taught about the same kinds of judgments on earth in the end times. He described a time when humanity would be near extinction. He told his disciples, “For at that [future] time there will be great tribulation, the kind that hasn’t taken place from the beginning of the world until now and never will again! Unless those days were limited, no one would survive” (Matthew 24:21–22 HCSB ). That sounds like a Doomsday to me.
The Earliest Prophecy of the Return of Christ
Did you know that 25 to 27 percent of the Bible contains predictions, and half of these prophecies have not yet been fulfilled? That means that about one in every twenty-five verses in the New Testament refers to the return of Christ to the earth and the events that accompany the end of history as we know it.
It may be surprising even for Christians who are well-read in the Bible to learn where the first prophecy of the second coming of Christ is found. It is found in Genesis 3:15. Keep in mind that Genesis is the very first book of our Bible. Many Christians understand Genesis 3:15 to be the first prophecy of Christ’s first coming. This is absolutely true, but the prophecy is fulfilled only partially by Jesus’ first coming. Let me explain why. In Genesis 3, Adam and Eve had just committed the first sin of all humanity. The serpent, controlled by Satan, had tempted the first couple to rebel against God.
God came to Eve in the garden of Eden, and began by confronting Satan, who spoke through the serpent. The Lord said, “And I will put enmity between you and the woman [Eve], and between your offspring and hers; he [one of the woman’s offspring] will crush your head, and you will strike his heel” (Genesis 3:15 NIV ).
The woman’s offspring, who would crush the serpent’s head, is a prediction of the coming of Jesus as the Messiah, the offspring of a woman (i.e., a person who would be born of a woman and would be fully human). The virgin birth of Jesus fulfills this part of the prophecy. Satan attacked Jesus’ “heel,” a less vulnerable blow than the blow to the serpent’s (Satan’s) “head.” The blow to the heel of the woman’s offspring took place at the cross when the devil worked through humans to bring about the crucifixion of Jesus. The cross is also where Jesus paid the penalty for our sins and began the ultimate lethal attack on the serpent’s head.
The first coming of Christ and his death on the cross are not the complete fulfillment of this prophecy. The final and conclusive attack on the head of the serpent will take place as a result of the second coming. It is then that Jesus will cast Satan into the lake of fire to be eternally punished for his evil rebellion and destruction of people’s lives (Revelation 20:10). It is not surprising that in Revelation 12:9 and 20:2, Satan is called the “ancient serpent,” recalling the work of Satan in the garden of Eden.
How can we be sure Genesis 3:15 is about the second coming of Christ, and not only the first coming? In his letter to the Romans, the apostle Paul made an allusion to Ge