Why do we believe what we do about Bible prophecy? Do the signs truly point to Jesus’ imminent appearing? Do our beliefs about the end times really matter for how we live or view our future?
I wrote the book, Invitation to a Lavish Feast – Following Wisdom’s Path to the Pre-Tribulation Rapture, to answer questions like these (available on Amazon). During the past several years, I have encountered a wide variety of positions regarding Bible prophecy and felt a growing passion to again defend what Scripture says about our “blessed hope.” My newest book came from a desire to point believers to the firm foundation of their expectation of Jesus’ soon appearing.
Many in today’s church regard what the Bible says about the last days as “tertiary” or of far less importance than other matters of the faith.
Nothing could be further from the truth.
Creating a Void
The dearth of sound biblical teaching on Bible prophecy has created a void that false teachers have filled with a wide assortment of wayward beliefs regarding the church, Jesus’ appearing, the Second Coming, and Israel. As a result, most believers cannot discern the season in which we live and place their future expectations on temporal outcomes rather than eternal realities.
In my book, Invitation to a Lavish Feast, I seek to provide believers with a solid biblical foundation for their hope of Jesus’ imminent appearing and their anticipation of inheriting the glories of His kingdom when He returns to reign over the nations.
The title of my book comes from Proverbs 9:1-6 where Solomon describes Wisdom’s preparation of a lavish feast and her invitation for the simple to join in the banquet. The Woman Folly, by way of contrast, boasts that her meal is “sweet” and “pleasant” even though it only consists of bread and water (9:13-18). The lure of the Woman Folly is that of immorality, but it also readily applies to all the ways that people depart from the way of wisdom as depicted in the book of Proverbs.
Wisdom’s Remedy
Biblical Wisdom, on the other hand, puts us on a path that leads to the pre-Tribulation Rapture by:
Basing our hope exclusively on the words of Scripture, interpreted according to the original intent of the authors
Exalting Jesus’ preeminence in Bible prophecy, as seen throughout the book of Revelation.
Aligning our future aspirations for both Israel and us with God’s character as revealed in His Word
In the first section of my book, “Wisdom’s Defense of Bible Prophecy,” I show each of the above points validates all that we believe including that of the end times just as they do for all that we believe about the saving message of the cross. Wisdom’s close ties with the “fear of the Lord” not only validates our expectation of Jesus’ imminent appearing, but also alleviates many of our anxieties.
In the next section contains several chapters on Wisdom’s defense our belief in Premillennialism and in particular, the future restoration of Israel. I demonstrate that since Daniel’s prophecy of the seventy weeks hasn’t yet reached fulfillment, there absolutely must be a time when God’s attention turns to the descendants of Jacob.
The current clamoring of the nations for a two-state solution in Middle East fits perfectly with what the Bible predicts would lead up to the seventieth week of Daniel’s amazing prophecy.
All these things provide the basis for our belief that Jesus will appear to take us home to glory before the start of the seven-year Tribulation upon the earth. Each of the ten chapters in the last section of the book provides compelling arguments favoring our expectation of Jesus’ imminent appearing and together, they form a strong and convincing case.
Discernment for the Last Days
The presence of so many scoffers of our “blessed hope” makes it imperative that we understand why we believe what we do. Not only do such things confirm what we believe and encourage our hearts, but they also enable us to discern the times in which we live. As an added and important benefit, they provide much comfort in our journey through this vale of tears.
The popular preaching of our day disguises the Bible’s emphasis that regardless of our lot in this life, eternity will be so much better.
If you have not yet done so, I encourage you to purchase Invitation to a Lavish Feast – Following Wisdom’s Path to the Pre-Tribulation Rapture. It’s available on Amazon. A lavish feast awaits all who trust Jesus alone for eternal life and someday, perhaps very soon, our glorious experience in eternity will far exceed anything that’s possible in this life.