End Times Prophecy
The first book in the Bible I studied was Revelation. I was somewhere between 7-9 years old. In classic fashion, I got in trouble for doing something wrong and in the many attempts to figure out how to discipline me my mother gave me the punishment of writing a book report. She pointed at a bookshelf and gave me the option to pick a book from the shelf and write a book report (I don't remember the number of words, but it was multiple pages). I walked to the bookshelf and picked the last green bound book of Life Studies by Witness Lee. That's right, I picked Witness Lee's Life Studies on the Book of Revelation to write my book report about. I am pretty sure these are the ONLY Life Studies by Witness Lee that I ever read.
This moment in my life is sad, funny, true and SOVEREIGN and I am thankful for it to this day.
I wrote my report, presented it to my mom and went on with life. I didn't forget anything I read from Lee.
About 8-10 years later, I began to revisit the subject of End Times prophecy. A few years before this, I had begun to read my Bible with interest and to develop a relationship with the Lord for myself. I was in the process of unlearning some of the things I received from the Local Church that needed to be tested and set aside. I was also in the process of keeping the things which were good (1 Thessalonians 5:19-21).
This second time of learning about End Times prophecy was much more significant and I began to test everything that Witness Lee had said. It wasn't my goal to cast aside everything from Lee. I had just realized that I had received a mixed bag in my mind from what Lee taught on this subject and that I needed to start filtering it down.
To close this introduction, beyond my 7-9 year old experience with the Life Studies of Revelation I have had three (maybe four) more phases with End Times Prophecy in my life. I've filtered Lee. I've studied what many others believe from multiple points of view (there are at least 4 major views). Then I stopped and told the Lord that I was done. I had learned enough that I didn't need to learn more. I asked the Lord to bring it back to my attention if and when it was relevant for me. This led to a new adventure. The Lord taught me a number of things that ended up connecting with End Times Prophecy, but I didn't realize it. Then in late 2016, God put it back in front of me with a number of significant realizations and the Lord began weaving things together that I could have never anticipated. Since then, it feels like a process of progressive realization that has significantly changed this subject for me.
I've shared these things with a number of others and I have tried to "test" what I have learned with others who are well informed on these subjects.
I'd like to take some time to share some of the things I have learned (and unlearned). I'd also like to share a little bit about how my perspective has changed and how I approach End Times prophecy now.
To be clear, I am not trying to convince anyone of a new point of view with any claim that "Aha! I have it figured out!". I don't. I see darkly as in mirror. I see foreshadowings. I also see some common deceptions that are broadly held which are highly, highly unlikely to be truth. They may have some slice or glint of truth, but they fundamentally mislead believers into a lukewarm status.
So, I am writing here because of my concern for believers that matches what Jesus tells the disciples in Matthew 24:3-4
Quote:
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And as he was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came up to him privately, saying, “Tell us, when will these things happen, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?” And Jesus answered and said to them, “Watch out that no one deceives you!" ...
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Here are some key subjects I'd like to "pontificate" about
- How I approach and handle End Times prophetic subjects now (versus earlier in my life)
- What is the Great Tribulation (and who is in it)?
- What is (and is not) God's Wrath?
- Who is Israel? (Extremely important topic that can significantly alter our understanding of End Times prophecy)
- The touchy subject of The Rapture
- Some key subjects along the Prophetic Timeline (more specifics on this later...)