Reading the Bible in its Own Context

In the concluding half of his interview with John Reddoch on The Wake Up Call, Gary discusses many different aspects of Bible prophecy and what it means to take the Bible at face-value.

The Bible is the standard. If the Bible says the Beast (antichrist) appeared in the first century, then it happened, no matter what certain early Church Fathers assert. From the first century to the present, godly men have been wrong in their interpretation and application of prophetic texts. Moreover, there is little if any consensus among the supporters of the historicist and futurist schools of biblical prophecy down through the centuries as to the identity of the antichrist/beast.

Why do we assume that men like Justin Martyr, Cyprian, Irenaeus, and others are exempt from misapplication and error? Is it because of their proximity to the events?

Their physical and spiritual fathers and grandfathers would have told them about this incredibly wicked person, the antichrist, and would have included this important information in their writings.

So now we are dependent on second and third-hand testimony to support a futuristic view of prophecy even though the Bible states unequivocally that the events of Matthew 24 took place before “this generation” passed away (v. 34). The biblical time references “near,” “shortly,” and “quickly” are dismissed in favor of opinions by uninspired writers written decades after the fact. When John tells his first-century readers that the presence of antichrist in their day is evidence that “it is the last hour” (1 John 2:18), we are told that historical evidence nullifies such a conclusion. Proximity to an event does not assure future generations that past events will be reported or remembered accurately. People still believe that religious leaders in the fifteenth century taught that the earth was flat and Columbus wanted to prove it was round even though there is no evidence to substantiate this commonly held fable.

Last Days Madness

In this authoritative book, Gary DeMar clears the haze of “end-times” fever, shedding light on the most difficult and studied prophetic passages in the Bible, including Daniel 7:13-14; 9:24-27; Matt. 16:27-28; 24-25; Thess. 2; 2 Peter 3:3-13, and clearly explaining a host of other controversial topics.

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In the concluding half of his interview with John Reddoch on The Wake Up Call, Gary discusses many different aspects of Bible prophecy and what it means to take the Bible at face-value, rather than trying to fit a complex system into the biblical text.

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American Vision’s mission is to Restore America to its Biblical Foundation—from Genesis to Revelation. American Vision (AV) has been at the heart of worldview study since 1978, providing resources to exhort Christian families and individuals to live by a Biblically based worldview. Visit www.AmericanVision.org for more information, content and resources