(Click on picture for better detail)Friends,
Just when you think things are looking up, the harbingers of doom return. But this time, according to the Wall Street Journal, "the new wave of disaster movies and TV shows isn't about staving off the apocalypse. It's what happens afterwards that counts." In other words, pending catastrophe is a foregone conclusion.
For example, the movie director that brought us Independence Day, Godzilla, and The Day After Tomorrow, will soon hit theaters this Fall with his next movie entitled, 2012. In this end times vision of the future the earth is literally ripped apart, in fulfillment of so-called ancient prophecies. Obviously, there's a market for this genre of entertainment, but what is it in our imaginations that makes this so intriguing?
To be fair, maybe art just imitates life, or at least what we expect of it. After all, 2012 is only the latest in a long line of apocalyptic films, which included: War of the Worlds, Planet of the Apes, Mad Max, The Terminator, Armageddon and The Matrix. But while these movies may validate our sense that history is heading toward a climax, do any of them really have credibility?
Dealing with reality is challenging enough. But what are we to make of the steady drum beat of bad news these days? Or how about the predictions of the ancient Maya or the writings of Nostradamus? Is there any compelling evidence that we may be facing "the end of the world as we know it"? This month’s column attempts to separate fact from fiction, as we ultimately look forward to brighter days.
(click on picture for better detail)Prima Facie
Evidence demanding a verdict
Even without cataclysm occurring, it's self evident from news headlines that we're facing perilous times. Aside from U.S. wars in Iraq and Afghanistan for example, rumors of pre-emptive strikes against Iran's nuclear facilities may set in a motion a catastrophic series of unintended consequences, surpassed only by their terror masters being nuclear capable. Then there's the global pandemic to contend with, the spike in natural disasters, the Western banking crisis, and the insolvency of America. So how are we to cope with all the uncertainty? Where can we turn for answers to dispel doubts about the future?
(click on picture for better detail) Rather than losing sleep over an uncertain future, or resigning yourself to myriad world ending scenarios, I assert that hope can be found in a Christian worldview that's based on an evidential faith. As a student of history and eschatology for over 20-years, I can confirm that what sets the Bible apart from other supposed inspired texts, is the validation offered by fulfilled predictive prophecy. As such, the Bible stands alone as divinely inspired, and is altogether trustworthy.
Essentially biblical prophesy answers with "authority," since only God demonstrates He knows the "end from the beginning." Involving over one fourth of Scripture, the Bible contains over 2,000 specific prophecies (involving people, places, and events), made hundreds of years in advance of their fulfillment. For me, the book of Daniel is most notable in that it traces the rise and fall of world kingdoms like Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece and Rome (before they transpire) as they intersect with Jewish history.
(click on picture for better detail)Fast forward to today, and one of the most compelling and widely held theories (related to Christ's return) deals with the rebirth of Israel in our generation, as a necessary milestone for timing the start of Daniel’s 70th week (culminating in the Day of the Lord). And while exhausting all the possible permutations for timing can be tedious work, a simple method of estimate merely starts with the state of Israel’s founding in May of 1948, and then adds back the length of a generation (e.g. 70-years), to arrive at a not-to-exceed date (which in this case would be 2018).
(click on picture for better detail)And once an end date is determined, it follows that a pre-tribulation rapture event simply precedes this by at least seven-years. That said, many basis years and generational epochs could also be used for calculating potential fulfillment dates. But rather than ridicule estimates that have come and (uneventfully) gone, true people of God instead gain encouragement, knowing that it’s through the process of elimination that subsequent estimates only gain more strength in terms of probability. And this Fall opens yet another window of opportunity for the elect.
Just like you, I have a vested interest in seeing things return to normal. But what if we are the generation that will live to see the Lord's return? Would this eventuality change any of your priorities? Now, imagine how you’d feel if those dearest to you disappeared? Some may soon experience the rapture, but many others will be left behind. But just knowing this separation could have been avoided will be the most difficult part for many.
What does your intuition tell you? You don’t have to be an intelligence analyst to know that the prospect of a nuclear armed Iran will force a choice between bad or worse. You don’t have to be an economist to know America’s future prospects are on borrowed time. And you don’t have to be a social scientist to know that dissolution of the traditional family spells the decline of society as we’ve known it.
But nothing that transpires will take the Sovereign by surprise. Adam and Eve were forbidden to sustain themselves with fruit from the tree of life, after sin and death entered the world, for good reason. Being bound forever in an imperfect world is not what the Almighty has in store for those who long for His appearing. No, the heart of God has instead intentioned an existence so wonderful for us, it’s beyond anything we can hope, or imagine.
Whether this Fall is just a dress rehearsal, or dawning of the main event, when redemptive history and world events coincide, it heralds a world to come: spinning free from sin and death; in bodies that never grow old; in communities that live in peace; that consummates a vow between the King of kings and His bride – made before the world began. Yes, it’s the end of the world as we knew it, in favor of the world without end.
The Lover of our souls is trying to get your attention. The facts are in. The Word of God offers us prima facie -- the evidence that demands a verdict. What say you?
Maranatha,
Roy Tanner
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