Articles

One of the most common inconsistencies in modern Christian eschatology (more specifically, within the pre-tribulational/dispensational camp) is the attempt to affirm both the imminence of the (pre-trib) rapture and the existence of signs that must precede it.

One question that occasionally arises in discussions about dispensational theology is when the Church Age actually began. Classical dispensationalists have historically believed that the church began on the Day of Pentecost in Acts 2. However, a smaller group known as Mid-Acts Dispensationalists argues that the church did not begin until later in the book of Acts, usually around Acts 9 with Paul’s conversion, Acts 13 with Paul’s missionary commissioning, or sometimes even Act

From Jesus’s usage of the Noah and Lot examples, we can recognize a clear typological pattern established by these Old Testament judgment ev

(From the book The Missing Key in Dispensational Eschatology) In addition to the two-fold nature of the future Day of the Lord that we examined in the previous article, an equally important awareness is that it also has a “double sense” – it is both broad and narrow in terms of its duration. The broad sense refers to an extended time period that begins with the Rapture (a key insight that lies outside of the scope of this article series), and then covers the post-Rapture/pre-

(From the book The Missing Key in Dispensational Eschatology) In the previous article, we examined the Biblical Day of the Lord, understanding that it has both historical applications as well as a future, ultimate fulfillment. This and the next article will both focus on the future, ultimate eschatological (end-times) Day of the Lord. The next thing we need to recognize about the future Day of the Lord is that it has a two-fold nature – including a period of darkness and judg

(From the book The Missing Key in Dispensational Eschatology) The Day of the Lord is a Biblical term that, within Bible prophecy discussion, is often either not defined at all, or is defined in a way that limits its scope in a way inconsistent with its actual usage in scripture. What is the basic definition of the Day of the Lord, according to its scriptural usage? Put simply, the Day of the Lord denotes God’s times of intervention in human history. As the Creator of the univ

(From the book The Missing Key in Dispensational Eschatology) In a previous article, we detailed a number of reasons that strongly point towards the generalized timing of the Rapture as being pretribulational (meaning it takes place prior to the Tribulation, or Daniel’s seventieth week – the final seven-year “week” of the Daniel 9:24-27 prophetic outline). While that appears certain in scripture, what is not certain is the length of time by which the Rapture precedes the Trib

(From the study "Understanding The Distinction Between Israel And The Church") Oil painting by Alex Levin, https://artlevin.com In our previous article, we focused on understanding the identification of the pronoun “he” in Daniel 9:26 and 27 (part of Daniel’s famous “seventy weeks prophecy” in Daniel 9:24-27). We concluded that this figure refers to Titus Vespasian and his destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD. However, we noted how, especially in Verse 27, the identity of this f

(From the study "Understanding The Distinction Between Israel And The Church") Within the famed “seventy weeks prophecy“ found in Daniel 9:24-27 exists an often debated conundrum in Christian eschatology. This debate surrounds the mysterious shift between Verses 26 and 27, focusing on Verse 26’s reference to “the prince that shall come“ which is followed by Verse 27’s opening phrase “and he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week.“ Does this pronoun “he“ refer to th

(From the study "Understanding The Distinction Between Israel And The Church") In previous articles on the Rapture, we have defined the Rapture, alluded to the different views regarding the Rapture’s timing, and discussed the Rapture’s imminence. In all of these articles, we've advocated that scripture describes the timing of the Rapture as pretribulational (meaning it takes place prior to the Tribulation, or the final seven years that are characterized by God’s eschatologica

(From the book The Missing Key in Dispensational Eschatology) Christians often use the words “imminent” or “imminence” to refer to the Biblical concept of the Rapture (the supernatural catching away of the Church from earth to heaven, which we examined in a past article). What do these words mean, especially within this Rapture context? Bible scholar Renald Showers gives an excellent overview of the scriptural usage of the term “imminence.” The English word "imminent" comes f

(From the book The Missing Key in Dispensational Eschatology) One of the most controversial issues related to the Rapture has to do with...

(From the study "Understanding The Distinction Between Israel And The Church") It is somewhat common in scripture for a prophecy to, in the course of a single line, or even in the space of a comma, jump from one fulfillment event to another, being hundreds or even thousands of years apart. This is a common occurrence in Bible prophecy due to the hidden nature of the Church Age in prophetic God’s program. Between the “mountain peaks” of Bible prophecy is the “valley” of the C