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NOTE: This article or series has not been updated recently. As such, it may possibly contain some outdated information, and/or ideas and beliefs which I no longer embrace, or which have changed to some degree.



So you see, my friends, that is how true Prophets of God are called, according to the Scriptures. In fact, we see a very similar thing occurring with the young Prophet Jeremiah. In his case, we are even told that God called him, and ordained him a Prophet, before Jeremiah was ever even born, as we can easily determine by the following group of verses:

"Then the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations. Then said I, Ah, Lord GOD! behold, I cannot speak: for I am a child. But the LORD said unto me, Say not, I am a child: for thou shalt go to all that I shall send thee, and whatsoever I command thee thou shalt speak. Be not afraid of their faces: for I am with thee to deliver thee, saith the LORD. Then the LORD put forth his hand, and touched my mouth. And the LORD said unto me, Behold, I have put my words in thy mouth. See, I have this day set thee over the nations and over the kingdoms, to root out, and to pull down, and to destroy, and to throw down, to build, and to plant."


At any rate, getting back to my own personal situation, my friends, there was simply no way that I could possibly resist what was becoming so very plain to me in the Holy Scriptures. There was no way that I could harden my heart, dismiss what I was reading, and say "No, that cannot possibly be." I knew it was the truth, because God had been slowly showing me a few verses here and there over the previous few years, which in fact challenged what I had believed for so long. As a result, I already knew where it was heading in my heart. Up until that time, I just hadn't taken the plunge yet by undertaking what I would call a full-scale, serious re-examination of the Scriptures.

Now, if I would have outright rejected what I was now seeing in those particular verses -- which are all discussed quite thoroughly in the aforementioned series -- then I would have intentionally remained deceived, as I had been for so many years prior to that time. However, the more I read, and the deeper I studied, the more the verses connected together to form a true pattern and picture regarding what Jesus and all of the Prophets of old were really saying regarding the end of that particular Prophetic Age -- that is, the conclusion of the Seventy Weeks prophecy that was given to Daniel -- and Jesus Christ's Return to the Earth during the latter part of the First Century.

As I explain in the aforementioned series, what you may find interesting is the fact that the First Century Apostles and Disciples were quite aware of these ancient prophecies. One reason why this was so, is because as we have already seen, at that time, Israel was seriously oppressed, and under the iron-fisted domination of the Roman Empire. As a result, the Israelites were longing for liberation from their enemies; and as so often happens -- including even today -- they were looking to their Prophets and Holy Scriptures -- that being just the Old Testament at the time -- and questioning when God would intervene, send His chosen Messiah, and restore the Kingdom of Israel to the throne of David.

As we discover in Matthew 24, Mark 13 and Luke 21, Jesus' followers did not yet fully understand these matters. And, of course, neither did the rest of the common people, or even the religious order of the day. In fact, that is why the Scribes and the Pharisees, the Sadducees, the Zealots, and the Sicarii did not fully embrace Jesus, and in fact in large part rejected Him. They were looking for a leader who would physically restore Israel, but that is not why Jesus even came to the Earth. As He tells us in His own words, He came to offer us all entrance into a spiritual Kingdom which is not of this Earth. Consider these sample verses:

". . . My kingdom is not of this world: if my kingdom were of this world, then would my servants fight, that I should not be delivered to the Jews: but now is my kingdom not from hence."


"Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also."


"Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever."


"These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth. For they that say such things declare plainly that they seek a country. And truly, if they had been mindful of that country from whence they came out, they might have had opportunity to have returned. But now they desire a better country, that is, an heavenly: wherefore God is not ashamed to be called their God: for he hath prepared for them a city."


But the main point I wish to make here is this: Because the Apostles were desirous to know when Herod's Temple would be destroyed, when Jesus would return, and when the prophecies of Daniel would be fulfilled, they asked Him a three-sided question in the aforementioned three chapters. What was part of their question? Was it "When will the world end?" As I clearly explain in the aforementioned series, that is exactly what many modern Christians have been led to believe by their Futurist-leaning priests, ministers and pastors, by famous preachers, by famous Christian book authors, and even by some movie makers.

However, if you take the time to thoroughly read "Christ's Return: Have We Been Deceived?", and accept the plain truth of the many Scriptures which I share in it, one thing you will learn is that what the Apostles actually asked the Lord, was not when the entire world would end, but rather, when that particular Prophetic Age would come to its conclusion; that is, Daniel's Prophetic Age of 490 years. In other words, that age -- which is described in the Seventy Weeks prophecy, and in other verses which are found in Daniel, in the Book of Revelation, in the Gospels and elsewhere -- was still ongoing at the time. It was on its final laps, but it was not quite through yet, because some very major prophetic events had not occurred yet, and would not occur until about forty years later, as we have already seen.

In fact, as many of my knowledgeable readers will recall, the Lord specifically mentioned Daniel's prophecy in His famous Olivet Discourse, in two of the three chapters that I shared with you earlier. Consider these two verses:

"When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand:)"


"But when ye shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing where it ought not, (let him that readeth understand,) then let them that be in Judaea flee to the mountains:"


As I mentioned earlier in this series, the topic of the Abomination of Desolation is thoroughly discussed in its own series, so I encourage you to take the time to read it. Now, please ask yourself a simple question: Why would Jesus even mention Daniel's prophecy in His response to the Apostles, if said prophetic events were not even going to occur until some two thousand years in the future, as modern Futurist-leaning Christians have been led to believe? The answer seems rather obvious to me. The reason Jesus mentioned it, is because that is precisely what the Apostles were asking Him about. As I already said, among other things, they wanted to know when Daniel's Prophetic Age -- and not the end of the world -- would come to a conclusion, heralding Jesus' own Return. It is just that simple.

My friends, I realize that I have shared a lot of information in this series which for many of you will be very difficult to accept. I am, of course, referring to my Futurist-leaning friends. Trust me; I understand exactly where your heads and hearts are at in a doctrinal sense, because as I have already thoroughly explained, I was in that very same place for many years of my Christian life. I would dare say that I was just as convinced -- and perhaps even more so -- of the things that you continue to believe regarding Bible prophecy, and more specifically, concerning Christ's Return, and everything that has become associated with it.

Because I know how many of you think and believe, if you have even made it this far in this series -- without just briefly skimming through it, that is -- I have a good idea regarding what you may be thinking about me, and the doctrinal position which I have expressed here, as well as in some of my other more recent articles and series. Perhaps you think that I am sincere in my beliefs, but nevertheless, sincerely deceived. If you even more staunchly embrace your current positions, you may even consider me to be a dangerous false prophet who is spreading lies; even though I have never once referred to myself as a Prophet of God in any way. I have made it quite clear in my writings, as well as in my graphics, that I don't like religious titles of any kind. They are a trap which only serve to feed men's pride and ego, and to give them excuse to lord over God's children.

If you are thinking and feeling anything negative towards me because of what I have stated in this series, I have just one request to make of you. Before you just wave your hand and dismiss what I have written here, I ask you, no, I challenge you, to read "Christ's Return: Have We Been Deceived?", along with some of the other articles and series which are linked at the end of that series. Again, please do not just quickly browse through it, so that you can then tell me "Okay, I read it, but I still think that you are wrong."

Really take the time to very carefully, and very prayerfully, read every word I have written in it, and every verse that I have included in it. Consider my explanations of each verse. Pause and take some time after you have completed reading the series, to reflect on what you have just read. Let it sink in for at least a few days, before you form any clear opinions concerning it. Let God speak to your heart about it. Now, if after doing that, you still remain convinced that I am wrong, or deceived or whatever you may think, then I suppose we will just have to leave it at this:

". . . Let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind."


As I have stated publicly many times, I learned a long time ago that engaging in doctrinal debates is just an exercise in futility, and changed minds and hearts rarely ever result from such encounters. Why? Because in most cases, both sides are already quite entrenched in their own position, and only want to convince the other person of their views. I discuss this issue more thoroughly in the article entitled "Should Christians Engage in Doctrinal Debates?". My point is this: If you still disagree with my position after studying the aforementioned series, please don't expect me to engage in a lengthy doctrinal debate with you somewhere online, or via email, because I just won't do it. My time is precious to me, and I have a lot to get done here each and every day.

With these thoughts, I will bring this article to a close. It is my hope that you have found it informative, enlightening, and I pray that it has been a blessing in your life as well. If you have an account with Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr or with any other social network, I would really appreciate if you'd take the time to click or tap on the corresponding link that is found on this page. Thanks so much, and may God bless you abundantly!

For additional information and further study, you may want to refer to the list of reading resources below which were either mentioned in this article, or which contain topics which are related to this article. All of these articles are likewise located on the Bill's Bible Basics web server. To read these articles, simply click or tap on any link you see below.

Jesus Christ's Return: Have We Been Deceived?
In the Ages to Come
Abomination of Desolation: Explained!
Tradition or Truth? Old Wine or New Wine?
When Was Satan Cast Out of Heaven?
Who Hindered the Antichrist
Age of Deception, Age of Delusion
Humility in Our Understanding of God's Word
Should Christians Engage in Doctrinal Debates?
The Office of Prophets and Teachers
Lying Wonders of the Endtime
Modern False Prophets and Worldly Ecumenism
Psalm 83 War False Doctrine Exposed!
Who is Babylon the Great?
Rightly Dividing the Word of Truth
Sorry . . . Jesus Is Not Coming At Any Moment
The Great Tribulation and the Rapture
The Misguided End of the World Predictions of Harold Camping
The Wisdom of God Versus the Philosophy of Men
Who is Who?: Defining Important Prophecy Terms

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