Note. This is not a post to defend or refute any End Times, Last Days position. There will be no discussions on when Jesus is returning or any other end times chronology and events. This is a chronicle of my current as yet uncompleted journey. I have always enjoyed Biblical prophecy, reading the prophetic books, studying it and teaching it. Yet now I believe I am ore tempered and balanced.

I was THAT guy. I had have a Scofield Bible. My bookshelves were filled with Ryrie, Walvoord, and Pentecost. I still have much respect for these men, their love of Jesus, His word and bible teaching. I still have their books. I even had a Lindsey title or two. I was a die-hard prophecy nut.

I had and maybe still do have the Larkins Dispensational Charts. I attended a Dispensational college. I was a fairly new believer and my roommate said to survive at the school I needed to memorize one thing, I am a premillennial pretribulation dispensationalist.  I ate, drank, slept, taught and preached it. I wrote my ordination thesis on the Covenants in Dispensationalism and even said that dispensationalists handle the covenants (Abrahamic, Davidic and New) better than covenant theologians.

But then I was reading Acts 1. I realized that Acts 1 does not stop at verse 8.

Verses 6-12 read So when they had come together, they asked him, “Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?” ⁷ He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or seasons that the Father has fixed by his own authority. ⁸ But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” ⁹ And when he had said these things, as they were looking on, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight. ¹⁰ And while they were gazing into heaven as he went, behold, two men stood by them in white robes, ¹¹ and said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven? This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven.” (Emphasis mine)

Verse 7 was the fallback. No one knows the day or hour. Got it. Then I noticed verse 11. In today’s language maybe the angel says why you are studying the full moons, blood moons, heifer’s births and the Popes travel plans? Why are you trying to connect the dots of the Pope in Philly, the full moon and a rapture?

So there was the first change of direction in my journey. God is the I AM, the God of today. People need the gospel message today to prepare for tomorrow. I need the gospel today to survive. So instead of trying to see every eagle in the Bible as America, every mention of the moon as a prophetic sign and counting how many letters are in the Popes name I want to know the gospel now. Yes, I still love prophecy, but my vision is expanding.

Sure we can scare people with cheesy movies and youth group skits about a rapture. But while they are busy worrying about splitting skies and global earthquakes tomorrow what hope are we giving them to deal with broken relationships, fearful doctors’ visits and tough work circumstances. What hope do they have for the right here right now. Tough it out, some day it will all end is not good news. I know I am being simplistic but it always seemed the gospel message and invitation was all about the future and little about today.

The next part of my journey was in not renewing my membership in the Left Behind club. So what else changed?

Again I am not going to slam a different viewpoint. In fact the arguments between camps are in part what fueled my journey. I was used to the clichés and putdowns. I was angered when I read articles saying dispensationalists were weak minded and brainwashed. (That is a direct quote to which the author never rescinded when I asked him about it. He never gave biblical evidence for his position or against dispensationalists aside from brainwashing) I do not think I was brainwashed or that weak minded. And if it were true it was brain washing that made the dispensational teachers evil and manipulative to be brainwashing us weak minded folk

Then a well-known magazine I loved did a series as always about the Church – Israel debate. The author said those who hold that the church “replaces” Israel are planning seeds of anti-Semitism. Please cancel my subscription. At the time of that article I was a Church and Israel are separate guy but this was uncalled for. I knew of many people who hold that the church “replaces” Israel and they are far from Anti Semitic.

One other factor. A teacher at the college I attended was teaching Eschatology from a Dispensational viewpoint. He did present viewpoints of Covenant, A millennial and Post Millennial camps and to his credit said if you want to learn more go to the source, read the works of those who advocate those positions not my summaries.

So I did.

Even before that I did struggle with a few things. If God has a plan for Israel and it is paused for the church. What happens later when Israel is restored? What happens to the gentiles? Are there two programs, two plans? Is one group the blood relatives and the others step children. How do the two groups merge in the end? Is the wall of division down permanently? My questions weren’t necessarily about a rapture but what happens to all of us after that?

So I started reading others. And it started to make sense. Yes, my journey is progressing. My vision is expanding (and hopefully my understanding). I tend to align myself less with dispensationalism and more closely to Covenant Theology these days. And I still have a lot of questions.

What about a literal 1000 year kingdom. Why does Revelation 20 specify 1000 years bookended by a resurrection of the just and then the unjust? What about a pretribulation rapture. Why is Jesus preparing a place for us (John 14) if we are coming back down as soon as we go up at the second coming? And the 7 year tribulation. Why is Scripture full of mention of the time of Jacobs’s trouble, the day of the Lord/Wrath. If it has happened or happening now it does not seem to be as bad as it looks at first reading.

So the journey continues. Now instead of staring at stars and charts and clouds I am looking more at Scripture itself, the people around me and preaching the gospel to myself and others.

I still love to read, study, and talk about prophecy. I still have questions. Hopefully now I am a little more grounded and gracious. Instead of looking up to the heavens and I want to see what God is doing around me know.

These days I am even more convinced about the authority of God’s word, the power of grace and the gospel, and the return of Jesus. I am not so dogmatic and wrapped up in chronology and dates.

I enjoy Biblical prophecy. Much of it was fulfilled at the first coming. Some is yet to come. What I do know of the yet to come prophecies is this;

Jesus will return in HIS time.

Jesus will return on HIS terms. He is not bound to, restricted by, or waiting for astrological events, natural disasters and papal travel itineraries. In fact Jesus said when the gospel has been preached in its fullness He will return. Matthew 24:14 says And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.

So let’s stop charting moon phases, farm reports and European Union economics and preach the gospel of Jesus life, death, resurrection, and RETURN.

There are still millions who have not heard about Jesus first advent and many more who have heard but are not living out its implications so we have work to do.

To everyone who sat under my teaching at youth camps, youth groups, Sunday School, Bible Study or preaching. I apologize for pointing you to news reports about the European Union, earthquakes moons and heifers instead of Jesus. Lets keep looking for our blessed hope in the return of Jesus. Titus 2:13

I am ready. When the Lords returns I am ready. I hope it is today. But until that day let’s keep living out the commission of the First Coming while we anticipate the return of our King