The Christ in Prophecy Journal

A Prophetic Manifesto: Unbiblical End Times Concepts

What unbiblical end time concepts mock the return of Jesus Christ?

In the spring of 2012, I believe the Lord began to move on my heart with a very troubling message. I turned it over and over in my mind, and I wrestled with it in prayer. Finally, it burned so hot in my soul that I had to put it on paper. When I finished it, and it was published in June of 2012. I called it A Prophetic Manifesto, and I gave it this stark cover because it contained a very stark message.

A Prophetic Manifesto

Scoffing and Mocking

I believe that America is finished. We as a nation have turned our back on God. We have kicked Him out of our schools and out of the public arena. We have declared Him to be off-limits. We have given the boot to the very One who made us great and showered us with blessings. We are in the process of becoming a thoroughly secular and pagan nation. And in the process, we are courting the wrath of God.

I now want to share the message from the second half of my booklet. It focuses on the Church and its failure to prepare people for the imminent return of Jesus.

Jesus is about to return, and the Church at large seems to be oblivious to the fact. In the Church today, Bible prophecy is neglected, it’s abused or scorned. Most pastors simply ignore it as irrelevant or too controversial. Many abuse it by spiritualizing it to mean anything they please. Some just write it off as nonsensical gobbledygook.

The irony is that all this is a fulfillment of end time Bible prophecy, pointing to the fact that we are truly living in the season of the Lord’s return. Here’s how the Apostle Peter wrote about it:

“Know this first of all, that in the last days mockers will come with their mocking, following after their own lusts, and saying, ‘Where is the promise of His coming? For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all continues just as it was from the beginning of creation.'”

I used to think this prophecy referred to unbelievers, but they could care less about the return of Jesus. To them the whole concept is an absurd myth.

It is Christian leaders who are mocking and scoffing. Some are liberals who are Christians in name only. To them, the idea of Jesus returning to reign over the world for a thousand years is a joke. They consider it to be as ridiculous as the Virgin Birth or the Resurrection. Others are true believers who either know nothing about Bible prophecy or else have some perverted concept of it.

Postmillennialism

Increasingly, those who have a perverted concept of Bible prophecy are espousing the unbiblical concept of Postmillennialism.

Postmillennialism is the idea that the Church will take over the world either through political action or evangelism, or a combination of the two, and that the Church will then rule over the earth for a thousand years. At the end of this reign, the Church will surrender the kingdom to Jesus who will transport the Church to Heaven and burn up the earth.

Few concepts could be more unbiblical! The Bible makes it clear that the vast majority of humanity will always reject the Gospel. And the Bible makes it equally clear that as we approach the end of the Church Age, society will grow increasingly evil rather than increasingly righteous.

Furthermore, Postmillennialism is based upon the Humanist assumption of inevitable progress which, in turn, is based upon a belief in the essential goodness of man. Again, this is a very unbiblical concept. The Bible teaches that man is born with a sin nature that makes him inherently evil. Man cannot elevate themselves by their own effort. Nor can man be perfected by education or the revolution of society. God will prove this during the upcoming millennial reign of Jesus. During that time, all the world will be flooded with peace, righteousness and justice. And yet, at the end, when Satan is loosed, he will be able to lead a worldwide revolt against Jesus.

Jesus’ rule with a rod of iron may produce outward conformity, but inwardly, there will be boiling resentment that will explode into an open rebellion. Man will not be transformed by life in a paradise on earth. And that’s because people can only be truly transformed by the indwelling of the Holy Spirit that comes through faith in Jesus as our Lord and Savior.

Amillennialism

The end time viewpoint that is held by the Catholic Church and the majority of Christian denominations today is called Amillennialism. It is the strange concept that teaches that the Millennial reign of Jesus began at the Cross and continues to this day. Like the Postmillennial view, this view is based on a spiritualization of Scripture, which is a nice way of saying that it is based on an outright denial of what the Scriptures plainly state.

Logic alone is sufficient to destroy the Amillennial viewpoint. For example, the Bible teaches that during the Millennium, the earth will be flooded with peace, righteousness and justice. Can anyone truly argue with a straight face that such an atmosphere prevails today? Or, the Bible says that during the Millennium, Satan will be bound so that he can no longer deceive the nations of the world. Is that a present reality? Of course not. All the nations of the world, without exception, are deceived and exist in a state of rebellion against God.

The Bible says six times in the book of Revelation that the Millennium will last 1,000 years. And yet, Amillennials say the Millennium began at the Cross and will continue indefinitely until the return of Jesus. Who is correct? The Bible or the Amillennialists?

Premillennialism

The correct concept, I believe, comes from a literal reading of end time prophecies. Seeking the plain sense meaning will produce what is called the Premillennial viewpoint. According to this view, society will disintegrate in the end times, becoming as immoral and violent as it was in the days of Noah. The Church will be taken out of the world in an event called the Rapture, and then God will begin to pour out His wrath during a seven year period called the Tribulation.

At the end of the Tribulation, Jesus will return in majesty and glory. A great remnant of the Jews will accept Him as their Messiah. Jesus will then regather these believing Jews to Israel and establish them as the prime nation of the world. Jesus will then begin His thousand year reign from Jerusalem during which time the earth will experience peace, righteousness and justice.

In the second segment of Dr. Reagan’s A Prophetic Manifesto, he will look at how thoroughly unbiblical Replacement Theology is detrimentally to the Church.

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Dr. David Reagan

Dr. David Reagan is the Founder and Evangelist Emeritus of Lamb & Lion Ministries. He is a life-long Bible student, teacher, and preacher and he led over 45 pilgrimages to Israel. Dr. Reagan was the host of the radio then television program Christ in Prophecy for nearly 40 years.

12 CommentsLeave a Comment

  • This message is absolutely spot on! Not five minutes ago an "Anonymous" commenter attempted to post this message to my blog:

    "This is the 21st century AD isn't it? Only going by what I read I got the impression it was something from the 21st century BC!
    'Woo is me, the end of the world is nigh!'
    Such utter drivel, pathetic beyond words."

    This wannabe anonymous comment, which I deleted instead of approving it for posting, is a perfect example of what Dr. Reagan wrote of in the lead-off paragraph of this article.

    Another example, surprisingly enough, comes from a Messianic Jewish blog that I stumbled across in which the owner goes out of his way to deny the Harpazo/Rapture, and claims, even more surprisingly, that the wrath of God occurs after the completion 70th Week.

    The mind-numbing ridiculousness of such Post-wrath wrath of God teaching (wrath of God at the start of Jesus' Millennial Kingdom!) merely caused me to shake my head in disbelief and walk away after making two earnest attempts to provide correct Biblical exegesis to this individual.

    Looking forward to the completion of this article!

  • I tend believe that America has yet to claim its global dominion. The power vacuum left in the aftermath of Ezekiel 38/39 will require a dominant military force to restore global security. The resources of Central Asia, much of the Middle East, and Africa will be ripe for the taking. Probably at this moment many people will finally realize the true identity of the one we now call President.

  • Dr. Reagan is so right on all his beliefs and they are Biblical, period. I see the same nelect in our churches locally here in Mississippi – the Bible Belt. Amazing. Our parents and grandparents would and are rolling over in their graves at such apostacy. America is finished. The gospel is demishing and Jesus is soon coming for His church – what's left of it. I want to encourage you, Dr. Reagan, and all like you who preach and teach the true Living Word. "They went out from us, but they were not of us for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us but they went out that they might be made manifest that none of them were of us." 1John 2:19.

  • The only problem is that this article promotes pre-trib rapture at the time of the peace treaty. Don't forget the 7th trumpet where scripture says that is when the dead and the living in Christ shall be taken. Then comes a period of time of wrath for the wicked and then the return of Christ. We seemingly will be here for most of the 7 year period. Read closely when the rapture of the church actually happens and what comes after that.

  • Anonymous, the Church will not be here for any of the 7-year Tribulation.

    The Church is never destined to endure God's judgment on the world (1 Thes. 1:10; 5:9; Rom. 5:9; Eph. 5:6; Col. 3:4; Rev. 3:10). And, the Bible also gives us a lot of clues that the Rapture will occur before the Tribulation (Isa. 26:19-21; Mal. 3:17; Lk. 21:36; Jn. 14:1-14; I Cor. 15:51-58).

    The whole Mid-Tribulation Rapture view pivots on 1 Corinthians 15:51-52 which says the Rapture will occur at the blowing of the "last trumpet." They then point to Revelation 11:15 where the seventh and last trumpet of the trumpet judgments is blown. Since this seventh trumpet appears to be blown in the middle of the Tribulation, after the Antichrist kills the Two Witnesses, the argument is that this must mark the time of the Rapture.

    There are several problems with this argument. In the first place, there is nothing in the Bible that identifies the seventh trumpet of the trumpet judgments in Revelation as the "last trumpet" of 1 Corinthians 15. The assumption that the two are the same is just that — an assumption. It is a shaky assumption because the trumpets of Revelation are announcing judgments that are aimed at unbelievers. They don't have any relationship to believers.

    Now, there is a trumpet that the "last trumpet" of 1 Corinthians 15:32 can be identified with. It is the "trumpet of God" which 1 Thessalonians 4:16 says will be blown when the Rapture occurs. With that in mind, consider the fact that the last trumpet of the trumpet judgments in Revelation 11:15 is not identified as the trumpet of God but as the trumpet of an angel.

    The second problem with the mid-Tribulation Rapture concept is that the seventh trumpet of Revelation 11 really doesn't relate to the middle of the Tribulation at all. Its blowing triggers a flash-forward to the end of the Tribulation to the proclamation that "The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord, and of His Christ, and He will reign forever and ever" (Revelation 11:15).

    Another thing to consider is that 1 Corinthians 15 was written about 45 years before the book of Revelation. Thus, it seems logical that the reference to a "last trumpet" must refer to something in the Old Testament that the Corinthian church would have been familiar with. That would most likely have been the trumpet referred to by both Joel and Zephaniah — the trumpet that will be blown before the Day of the Lord's judgment (the Tribulation — see Joel 2:1 and Zephaniah 1:16).

  • I agree with Dr Reagan, that GOD has left the USA. I no Bible scholar, but I've been having a theory for some months. That this is part of GOD's plan. First the USA has to be made insignificant on the world stage. Because it is well known in the secular world that the USA is the protector of Israel. So my theory is that the USA will be made insignificant on the world stage before the Psalm 83 war. So there is no doubt that GOD is the protector of Israel. But you will still have the nay sayers that would deny that GOD protected Israel with undeniable proof that HE did protect Israel. That's just my theory, like I said I'm no Bible scholar but the signs all seem to point in that direction.

  • I get puzzled by the idea that the Catholic church does not believe that Christ is returning. Every day, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, during the Mass celebration which has been going on for 2000 yrs the church prays, "Christ has died; Christ is risen; Christ will come again." Does that sound like the Church does not believe Christ is not returning? I don't get it when people say that.

  • Thanks, Doc, for this great article! It's so over with in America. I no longer say, "God bless America." but rather, "God Help America"! Seeing what God did to Israel, His chosen Nation, why does America have the audacity to believe He will overlook our sin, and not judge us severely!

  • So true all!!! Just to add don't you think that it will be as in the days of Lot also where wrath of God did not come on Sodom & G…until they were 'taken out' of the city? That is my hope and also all over the world sin is increasing.

  • Correct that the Church absolutely will not take over the world through either politics or evangelism. Only following Christ's parousia.

    "Jesus' rule with a rod of iron may produce outward conformity, but inwardly, there will be boiling resentment that will explode into an open rebellion. Man will not be transformed by life in a paradise on earth."

    The actual presence of King Jeshua will tremendously aid both believers and non-believers. Also, many — seeing for themselves that He is not merely a good king, but a perfect king, who really DOES love and serve them — these will accept Him, and strive to obey, however imperfectly, as with us all.

    Yet, as you write, the numerous elements around us now that are in overt and obvious rebellion against Christ, and against the Kingdom of the Father, still will be present in his millennium, and will cause trouble, even w/o the constant influence of satan upon this world, as is now the case.

    These persons and group-interests will hate and resent the Kingdom after it manifests, for the simplest of reasons: because they are willful, selfish, manipulative creatures who utterly refuse to live Jeshua's way, because they want to live THEIR OWN way. And anybody, including the Son of God, that restrains their willfulness and rebellion, they will attempt to destroy.

    As ever. Until the fiery lake intervention after the millennium.

    Thanks for this article. Cheers.

  • hollya1,

    I find it interesting that the Catholics seem to be fixated a dying, tortured Jesus rather than a living glorified Jesus.

    Why do I say that? All their crosses have a dying, tortured Jesus on them. Protestants have crosses without depicting the body of Jesus (though the image of the empty cross itself is a reminder of the dying tortured Jesus, it is more of an image of hope of the resurrected Jesus).

    The Catholics seem to me, for whatever reason, to be into torture and suffering. Take the example of the cross with Jesus on it and the idea of purgatory. Why don't they understand Jesus paid the price of sin so Christians don't have to?

    I think that may be why one could say they aren't looking for a resurrected glorified Jesus to return (no matter what their mass may say). They are too focused on the image of Him still hanging on the cross and suffering for whatever reason. Focus on the RESURRECTED GLORIFIED JESUS!

  • Nathan Jones:

    I appreciate your optimistic outlook and your references to scriptures that you say are misquoted by people to prove a mid-trib rapture. However, let me direct you to Daniel Chapter 7. 'I watched as the horn was waging war against the saints and defeating them, until the Ancient of Days came and pronounced judgement in favor of the saints of the Most High, and the time came when they possessed the kingdom. (The horn) will speak against the Most High and oppress His saints and try to change the set times and the laws. The saints will be handed over to him for a time, times, and half a time.' That's 3 1/2 years, or half of the tribulation. I wish I could buy into your belief as I would rather be whisked away than be refined, but that will not be the case. Remember the first 4 plagues of Egypt fell upon Israel too. That was so the Lord could deliver Israel out of the pagan religion of Egypt and bring them back to Him. The Jews supposed that the Lord was delivering them only from their physical slavery and taking them back to Canaan, the nation He had promised them thru Abraham. They did not understand that the Lord had to deliver them from the slavery of a false religion and was making them into a nation to be Theocracy to give life to the world. Remember that the scriptures say, 'Judgement begins with the house of God.' That's us. The Lord has to weed the world from us before we will be of any use to Him.

    I am sure you must hold to the false teaching that the Church will be raptured away, and with it the Holy Spirit. Then somehow, people will still be saved during the tribulation. How can anyone become a Christian during the tribulation when you say the Church has been taken away from the Lord's wrath? And, if the Lord removed the Church (or Christians) to save them from wrath, why place some back in His wrath all over again. See my problem with that? Check out Revelation 14:13, "Then I heard a voice from Heaven say, Write blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on." How can anyone die in the Lord (i.e. be a Christian and die) when the Church has been taken away. The only explanation is that the Church is still here and stays here until the very last moment, as the Lord desires that none should perish, but that all should come to repentance. The tribulation is punishment only for the unbeliever, but refinement for the saint. Remember, we are not here for the whole time, just as Israel did not participate in all 10 plagues of Egypt. I know I will see you in the kingdom as I can sense that your heart is one that seeks after the Lord, but I will pray for you that your faith will not fail during the persecution/wrath that is decreed, should you live so long and the Lord linger. Blessings.

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