End Times. Part 10. Tentative Conclusions

There are some things that we can know with certainty. Other things we think we know but are less certain are true. Many end-times scenarios, based on what I have learned, can’t be known with much certainty, in my opinion. Yet many prophets or teachers of the end times think they have it all figured out. They exude much certainty.

There are doctrines of the Bible that I do believe are absolutely true. I have great confidence in many biblical truths. However, much of what I have learned about end-times beliefs doesn’t rise to that level of certainty. If only Christians were as excited about the essential doctrines, such as salvation, repentance, and faith, as they are about End Times prophecies, the world would be a much better place to live in.

In many respects, the study of End Times is a diversion from what is actually needed in the body of Christ. In my estimation, the evangelical church today is full of unsaved “Christians” who are constantly brainwashed and are actually deceived because of the false teaching so prevalent today. These false beliefs in the fundamentals of the Christian faith, not an end-times prophecy, are the most critical matter facing Christianity today, and most of my articles are focused on this, rather than prophecy. I honestly believe that most evangelical churches are not actually teaching the real gospel of Jesus Christ. It sounds like the real deal, but it is not, for it neglects some of the most critical components of true faith and salvation.

Today, evangelicals teach that saving faith can be a faith without fidelity and faithfulness, which is a lie. They are taught that repentance from sin, if it is even mentioned, is not a condition of salvation. Almost all Christians believe, because that is what they are taught, they can’t possibly live without constant sin in their lives. Then they are brainwashed into believing that God saves them in their sins and not from their sins. And we wonder why the evangelical church is as wicked as the world around us. If this is true, how is it that many of us think they hear from God regarding end-times events? Is God going to reveal the truth about end-times to a godless group of Christians in name only? I don’t believe it.

On this journey, we have read many educated guesses. We have seen prolific imaginations at work. And we have heard many, very creative speculations about the end-times. Some of it makes a bit of sense, but so do the arguments presented by those who take very different views of prophecy. We have many brilliant and, I think, decent people studying this material and coming to very different conclusions. Most speak with great certainty about what they believe. However, most of them must be wrong about much or all of what they think is true about the end times. Contradictory explanations can’t all be true. Maybe none of them is true. We must hear from God and be willing to admit that we don’t have all the answers. How many of us are teachable? I have no dog in the hunt, I just want to know the truth even if that means I must start at the beginning.

Here are some of the things that I think we can know with great certainty:

• God is the same yesterday, today, and forever. His moral and personhood attributes are immutable. But that doesn’t mean He is absolutely immutable in every way, as many Platonists and Calvinists think.
• Jesus Christ, the Son of God, became a man and dwelt among us. He voluntarily died in our place, on a cruel Roman cross, to ransom and reconcile us to God. He is the God man, fully God and fully man. He rose from the dead for our justification. His suffering and death revealed the extent of God’s love for humanity. For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son.
• To become part of God’s family, we must repent of our sins and believe the truth about Jesus Christ. We must be born again.
• God hates sin and those who refuse to repent of sin; He also hates and rejects them.
• God judges nations, national leaders, and people based on the moral law, which is ours because we are created in the image and likeness of God.
• The history of Israel and other ancient civilizations reveals this truth. When the iniquity of the Amorites was complete, God gave them over to destruction. He chose Israel to be His arm of judgment. Israel was then given the promised land under the leadership of Joshua.
• Israel, through their continual disobedience to the laws of God, was judged by God using heathen nations as His hand of judgment. By their disobedience, Israel lost possession of the promised land. God divorced Israel, ending the covenant they had with God.
• Since Israel was sent into captivity and Jerusalem was destroyed in 70 AD, the Jews have been scattered over the face of the earth. In 1948, the nation of Israel was reborn.
• Since 1948, the nation of Israel has been under frequent assault by neighboring Arabs and Muslims.
• Israel has frequently been unrighteous in how they have dwelt with their Arab and Muslim neighbors since 1948.
• The nation of Israel today is antichrist and is ungodly in most respects, just like it was in the days the Romans destroyed Jerusalem and the temple.

Some things I think we can know with some certainty;

• This rebirth of the nation of Israel was not based on an outstanding unconditional promise from God. God owed them nothing.
• God was instrumental in the rebirth of the Nation of Israel in 1948. It is probably a result of His compassion toward the Jews, His love for the patriarchs, and His great name that Israel has become a nation again.

How does the United States of America fit in?

• The United States was created to provide freedom of religion to those who fled Europe and England, where they were persecuted if they deviated from the Roman Catholic faith or the religion of the State Church.
• Many of our leaders made a covenant with the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob and the Messiah, Jesus Christ. God has blessed this nation like no other nation in history.
• For many decades now, we have been intoxicated by our success and have departed from the living God as Israel did many times in its past. In our evil pride, we are now practicing the very sins that the Amorites and apostate Israel practiced that resulted in their destruction by God. God is an impartial and just judge. Whatever a man or a nation sows, that shall it also reap.
• God was our friend and now has become our enemy because of our impenitence. Some of these national and individual sins are: homosexuality, sodomy, adultery, bestiality, the shedding of innocent blood in the murder of our children (abortion), pride, all kinds of sexual immorality, fornication, greed, covetousness, strife, same sex marriage, gender confusion, stealing, idolatry, and lying.
• God is warning and judging this nation right now, but very few “Christians” seem to understand that. As we continue to refuse to repent of our personal and national sins, the warnings and judgments will become increasingly severe until we are destroyed as a nation. Our nation is divided and is destroying itself from within.
• No matter how the end times prophecies of the Bible, including the Book of Revelation, are interpreted and understood, God is a holy and righteous judge, and He will by no means pardon the wicked (those presently practicing wickedness).
• All those who refuse the Lordship of Jesus Christ, including professing Christians and nations, will be damned.
• If the USA and other nations do not repent of their many sins, destruction and judgment will come from God someday. No one knows the day or hour. Condemnation is inevitable for unrepentant nations and individuals. God never changes. A revival of genuine repentance is our only hope.
• We should expect increasing persecution in the USA because we refuse to repent, speak out about the wickedness of our leaders, and our national sins. Many who call themselves Christians also refuse to get involved righteously in turning our nation around. Many expect someone else to do it. But it will take many of us to take a stand for righteousness. Ask God what He wants you to do. Volunteer.
• Much of the Christian Church and its leadership, in the USA, is compromised, even apostate. When Christians believe that it is normal for them to live in unrepentant sin, we know that deception runs deep. We also know that the judgment of God is close behind.
• Sensationalism sells even in the Christian Churches. The prophets of end times will continue to profit as attention is drawn away from more immediate concerns to endless speculation about how the future will unfold. Many of the “prophets for profits” don’t seem to be concerned about repentance from sin, both national and individual sin.
• Our nation is just a few key decisions away from total collapse into a fascist, totalitarian, or communist society where we will become slaves and lose most of our most precious freedoms. Yet we find time to wrangle about end-times scenarios. I must admit that it seems like rearranging chairs on the deck of the Titanic just before it sinks into the abyss. Christians should be on their faces before a Holy God in repentance, pleading with Him to save this nation before it is too late. If you are awake, you see the danger very clearly. Christians must speak up and get involved in the running of this nation, or the enemy of truth and righteousness will take over complete control. We are very near that point right now.
• Increasing persecution and calamity do not mean the end is right around the corner. It does not mean Jesus is coming back soon. Since the time of Christ up to today, genuine Christians have been and are being persecuted and have experienced great tribulation. Our impenitence will bring more persecution on this nation.

Things I do not believe are true about the end times. I have some certainty about these statements, but I am willing to change my mind if I hear the truth.

• This will be no pretribulation, no mid-tribulation, and no post-tribulation rapture of impenitent ‘Christians’ or a carnal church.
• There is no pretribulation or mid-tribulation rapture of the real church.
• There is no 7-year Tribulation period. The 70^th week in Daniel 7 does not teach this, as futurists and dispensationalists believe. They speak with certainty about the truth of these two beliefs, but I find it very speculative and unconvincing.

What I believe regarding the Roman Catholic Church, Judaism, and Islam in end-time events.

• The apostate Roman Catholic Church, including the papacy, has been in the last 1,500 years and will continue to be in the future, a major player in end-times events. The little horn in Daniel 7 and the papacy are nearly identical in characteristics.
• The Roman Catholic Church and the papacy appear to be almost identical to the man of sin, the first and second beasts in Revelation 13, and the whore of Babylon in Revelation 17. If Preterism is true, and it might be, but I am not yet convinced, then this resemblance is merely coincidental. Even so, it should tell us something important about this institution of wickedness.
• Between Rabbinic Judaism, Islam, and the Roman Catholic Church, genuine Bible believers do not have greater and more deadly enemies than these three foes, an unholy trinity.
• Judaism and Islam literally fit the definition of antichrist. It seems probable that this will continue to be the case as the future unfolds.
• The Roman Catholic Church will continue to embrace other pagan religions, ideas, and practices. The Roman Catholic Church already believes that Catholics and Muslims serve the same god. They do, but it is not the God of the Bible. They serve the god of this world.
• The Papacy of the Roman Catholic Church will continue to ignore the commands of God and will invite the forces of wickedness into the church. For example, on December 17, 2023, the Pope was in the news regarding his evolving view of homosexuality. His recent intention is to allow (or force it someday?) priests to bless same sex relationships contrary to the Word of God. This is just the latest in a long string of wickedness coming from the supposed Vicar of Christ on earth. Satan is doing a masterful job of deceiving the world into believing that the Pope of the church of Rome is someone to listen to. The dragon has given and will continue to provide the two beasts of Revelation, his power to deceive the nations. There is much more to come.
• More and more evangelicals will embrace the apostate Roman Catholic Church and Islam. The pope will lead the way as the years go by. Over the last 70 years, some well-known evangelicals have embraced the Pope and the Roman Catholic Church in an effort to gain acceptance and the fame that comes with national and worldwide influence. I am thinking of Billy Graham, Bill Bright, and Chuck Colson. These three men are now dead. But there are many evangelical leaders alive today who have done the same thing. This poison is spreading throughout the evangelical community and the body of Christ. Very few evangelical leaders today dare to stand up to the little horn, the beast, and the man of sin. Remember that Futurists call this ‘little horn’ the antichrist.
• If you are interested in more information regarding the Roman Catholic Church, please see my article explaining why I am no longer a member of that church.

In closing

I am not yet convinced that anything I have read about end times thus far is substantially correct. I am not sure which view of eschatology is correct, or if any of them are accurate. As I mentioned, I think the Historicist view is the best of the four, but it too has problems. And because I respect men like Steve Gregg, I believe that there is truth in partial preterism. Some passages support the preterist position. Yet that understanding has some severe difficulties of its own. I pray that God will show me what I am missing. My perspective may change as I continue to seek the truth.

My closing prayer is that we, as believers in Jesus Christ, will get focused on the most important things. As it has been said, “The main thing is to keep the main thing, the main thing.” Eschatology is relevant, but it is not the primary concern for me. Let us not lose our country, our freedoms, and our souls as we waste time gazing into the stars looking for the return of Jesus Christ. He is coming back! In the meantime, seek God, pray, and read His word. Reach out to those you know and share the truth with them. That is what love does, even if they will not receive the truth. Be strong and very courageous. Do what He leads you to do.