For years I followed 'end times' teachers such as Jack Van Impe, Hal Lindsey, etc. The 1917 KJV Scofield was my Bible in my early years, until I gradually began to see I had begun unconsciously accepting the footnotes almost like the word of God itself. The notes became 'truisms' to me and that was difficult to break free from. For me, over the years the solution was to assemble the clear and natural, 'literal' if you will, statements of Scripture that can build the basis or framework of any predictive prophecy belief I'd embrace. The following are my guidelines or guardrails.
No one, not even the Son knows the season, day, or time of the second coming:
"But of that day and hour knoweth no one, not even the angels of heaven, neither the Son, but the Father only." (Matt 24:36, ERV)
"Therefore be ye also ready: for in an hour that ye think not the Son of man cometh." (Matt 24:44, ERV)
"But concerning the times and the seasons, brethren, ye have no need that aught be written unto you. For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night." (1Thess 5:1-2, ERV)
Before the second coming will be a time of great wickedness, but also life going on as usual:
"And as were the days of Noah, so shall be the coming of the Son of man. For as in those days which were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered into the ark, and they knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall be the coming of the Son of man." (Matt 24:37-39, ERV)
"And the LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually." (Gen 6:5, ERV)
At the second coming, Jesus will descend from heaven just as he had ascended up to heaven:
And when he had said these things, as they were looking, he was taken up; and a cloud received him out of their sight. And while they were looking stedfastly into heaven as he went, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel; which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye looking into heaven? this Jesus, which was received up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye beheld him going into heaven. (Acts 1:9-11, ERV)
"For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven, with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: then we that are alive, that are left, shall together with them be caught up in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord." (1Thess 4:16-17, ERV)
The Second Coming, Resurrection and Judgment happen on "THE LAST DAY", not years:
"For I am come down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me. And this is the will of him that sent me, that of all that which he hath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up at the last day. For this is the will of my Father, that every one that beholdeth the Son, and believeth on him, should have eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day." (John 6:38-40, ERV)
"He that rejecteth me, and receiveth not my sayings, hath one that judgeth him: the word that I spake, the same shall judge him in the last day." (John 12:48, ERV)
The Prophetic Time Frame indications all point to the 1st Century and shortly thereafter:
"Seventy weeks [490 years] are decreed upon thy people and upon thy holy city, to finish transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most holy." (Dan 9:24, ERV) *There is NO hint of a gap between the 69th and 70th week!
"Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass away, till all these things be accomplished." (Matt 24:34, ERV)
*I'll repeat from another translation:
"Mat 24:34, CEV) "I can promise you that some of the people of this generation will still be alive when all this happens."
(Then from the Book of Revelation, pertaining to the prophecy after the letters to the churches and before the resurrection and judgement starting in chapter 20; the timing is given for that period in between.)
"The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to shew unto his servants, even the things which must shortly come to pass: and he sent and signified it by his angel unto his servant John; who bare witness of the word of God, and of the testimony of Jesus Christ, even of all things that he saw. Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of the prophecy, and keep the things which are written therein: for the time is at hand." (Rev 1:1-3, ERV)
"And he said unto me, These words are faithful and true: and the Lord, the God of the spirits of the prophets, sent his angel to shew unto his servants the things which must shortly come to pass... And he saith unto me, Seal not up the words of the prophecy of this book; for the time is at hand." (Rev 22:6, 10, ERV)
We are warned against going further than what is written and 'reading into' the Scriptures what is NOT stated:
"Now these things, brethren, I have in a figure transferred to myself and Apollos for your sakes; that in us ye might learn not to go beyond the things which are written; that no one of you be puffed up for the one against the other." (1Cor 4:6, ERV)
We are given an example of this eisegesis or reading into when it comes to knowing what is coming in the future:
"Peter therefore seeing him saith to Jesus, Lord, and what shall this man do? Jesus saith unto him, If I will that he tarry till I come, what is that to thee? follow thou me. This saying therefore went forth among the brethren, that that disciple should not die: yet Jesus said not unto him, that he should not die; but, If I will that he tarry till I come, what is that to thee?" (John 21:21-23, ERV)
"To the law and to the testimony! if they speak not according to this word, surely there is no morning for them." (Isa 8:20, ERV)
No one, not even the Son knows the season, day, or time of the second coming:
"But of that day and hour knoweth no one, not even the angels of heaven, neither the Son, but the Father only." (Matt 24:36, ERV)
"Therefore be ye also ready: for in an hour that ye think not the Son of man cometh." (Matt 24:44, ERV)
"But concerning the times and the seasons, brethren, ye have no need that aught be written unto you. For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night." (1Thess 5:1-2, ERV)
Before the second coming will be a time of great wickedness, but also life going on as usual:
"And as were the days of Noah, so shall be the coming of the Son of man. For as in those days which were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered into the ark, and they knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall be the coming of the Son of man." (Matt 24:37-39, ERV)
"And the LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually." (Gen 6:5, ERV)
At the second coming, Jesus will descend from heaven just as he had ascended up to heaven:
And when he had said these things, as they were looking, he was taken up; and a cloud received him out of their sight. And while they were looking stedfastly into heaven as he went, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel; which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye looking into heaven? this Jesus, which was received up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye beheld him going into heaven. (Acts 1:9-11, ERV)
"For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven, with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: then we that are alive, that are left, shall together with them be caught up in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord." (1Thess 4:16-17, ERV)
The Second Coming, Resurrection and Judgment happen on "THE LAST DAY", not years:
"For I am come down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me. And this is the will of him that sent me, that of all that which he hath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up at the last day. For this is the will of my Father, that every one that beholdeth the Son, and believeth on him, should have eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day." (John 6:38-40, ERV)
"He that rejecteth me, and receiveth not my sayings, hath one that judgeth him: the word that I spake, the same shall judge him in the last day." (John 12:48, ERV)
The Prophetic Time Frame indications all point to the 1st Century and shortly thereafter:
"Seventy weeks [490 years] are decreed upon thy people and upon thy holy city, to finish transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most holy." (Dan 9:24, ERV) *There is NO hint of a gap between the 69th and 70th week!
"Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass away, till all these things be accomplished." (Matt 24:34, ERV)
*I'll repeat from another translation:
"Mat 24:34, CEV) "I can promise you that some of the people of this generation will still be alive when all this happens."
(Then from the Book of Revelation, pertaining to the prophecy after the letters to the churches and before the resurrection and judgement starting in chapter 20; the timing is given for that period in between.)
"The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to shew unto his servants, even the things which must shortly come to pass: and he sent and signified it by his angel unto his servant John; who bare witness of the word of God, and of the testimony of Jesus Christ, even of all things that he saw. Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of the prophecy, and keep the things which are written therein: for the time is at hand." (Rev 1:1-3, ERV)
"And he said unto me, These words are faithful and true: and the Lord, the God of the spirits of the prophets, sent his angel to shew unto his servants the things which must shortly come to pass... And he saith unto me, Seal not up the words of the prophecy of this book; for the time is at hand." (Rev 22:6, 10, ERV)
We are warned against going further than what is written and 'reading into' the Scriptures what is NOT stated:
"Now these things, brethren, I have in a figure transferred to myself and Apollos for your sakes; that in us ye might learn not to go beyond the things which are written; that no one of you be puffed up for the one against the other." (1Cor 4:6, ERV)
We are given an example of this eisegesis or reading into when it comes to knowing what is coming in the future:
"Peter therefore seeing him saith to Jesus, Lord, and what shall this man do? Jesus saith unto him, If I will that he tarry till I come, what is that to thee? follow thou me. This saying therefore went forth among the brethren, that that disciple should not die: yet Jesus said not unto him, that he should not die; but, If I will that he tarry till I come, what is that to thee?" (John 21:21-23, ERV)
"To the law and to the testimony! if they speak not according to this word, surely there is no morning for them." (Isa 8:20, ERV)
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