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A Future Tribulation?

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When I was a boy in Sunday School, I came across an end-times comic that featured believers being executed in something called a great tribulation. It was like a holocaust for Christians and it was coming soon! Probably in 1984. Or maybe 1988. But definitely by 1999. It was years before I realized that cartoon was actually a form of child abuse, and that the great tribulation Jesus spoke of did not feature in my future. What Jesus said about the great tribulation As we have seen, Jesus listed ten signs in connection with a great tribulation and all of them were fulfilled within a five month period in AD70. Embankments, swords, captivity, suffering mothers, captive Jews – everything Jesus predicted came to pass. So what? Why does this matter? It matters because those who are worried about a coming tribulation are filling their bunkers with wheat and ammo when they could be telling others the good news of King Jesus. It matters because our children are being told they’ll get their heads chopped off if they don’t take the mark of the beast, but they’ll burn in hell if they do. And it matters because young people are holding [...]

When is the Rapture?

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Before the 2016 U.S. presidential election, I stumbled on a prominent website that predicted the rapture would occur soon. Why? Because the polls said Hillary Clinton was going to win and another godless Democrat in the Oval Office would surely trigger the great tribulation. “With such gloomy prospects, the rapture has to be close, right? Get ready.” Then Donald Trump won the election, and the outlook became positively bright, at least as far as this website was concerned. A God-fearing Republican would clean out the justices, end the culture war, and bring heaven to America. Surprisingly, the rapture prediction remained unchanged. “When men are saying peace and safety, the rapture will be soon. Get ready.” This website taught me a valuable lesson about how to generate buzz for your blog or book. Whether times are good or bad, tell people that the rapture is imminent. “Things are bad? That’s a sign! Things are good? That’s a sign! This doesn’t make sense? Buy my book!” It’s amusing stuff, but the question is legitimate: When is the rapture? It may surprise you to learn that the Bible provides a straightforward answer to this question, but many don’t know it. They’ve been led [...]

What about the Rapture?

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Mr. Preterist: “Did you know the word rapture is not in the Bible?” Mr. Futurist: “The word Bible is not in the Bible. What’s your point?” Mr. Preterist: “My point is it’s silly to suggest the Lord is going to remove the church from a tribulation that’s not going to happen.” Mr. Futurist: “Doesn’t sound silly to me. I would very much like to avoid the great tribulation.” Mr. Preterist: “Haven’t you been paying attention? The tribulation already happened. Jesus said it won’t happen again. You’re not calling the Lord a liar, are you?” Mr. Futurist: “In Matthew 24 Jesus said there would be two men in the field; one will be taken, and one will be left. Two women will be working at the mill; one will be taken, and one will be left.” Mr. Preterist: “And you think this is a rapture? What are you going to do next? Suggest we watch Left Behind?” Mr. Futurist: “Who said anything about being left behind?” Mr. Preterist: “Isn’t that what happens to unbelievers? The saints get whisked to heaven on the rapture elevator while everyone else is left behind to go through hell on earth?” Mr. Futurist: “Whoa, slow down. [...]

The Day and the Hour

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But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father alone. (Matthew 24:36) The disciples thought that the temple would come down when Jesus returned at the end of the age. To them, these events were connected. But history shows they are not. The temple has come down, but we are still looking forward to Christ’s triumphant return. The fall of the temple and the Second Coming of Jesus. The first event was predictable – Jesus gave the disciples forty signposts – but the second is a mystery. “But of that day and hour no one knows.” The former can be anticipated, but the latter “will come like a thief in the night” (1 Thess 5:2). Mr. Preterist: “I disagree. Jesus is talking about one and the same day. The fall of Jerusalem was the day when Christ returned in judgment of that sinful city.” Mr. Futurist: “But one day is marked by signposts; the other day is unknown.” Mr. Preterist: “Jesus knew the fall of Jerusalem would happen within a generation but he didn’t know exactly when – not the day or hour. This is why he told [...]

When is the End of the Age?

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The disciples asked, “What will be the sign of your coming and the end of the age?” (Matthew 24:3). What did they mean by the end of the age? Jesus said, “The gospel would be preached all over the world then the end will come” (Matthew 24:14). What end did he have in mind? Did he mean the end of the temple, or the end of the age, or both? Was Jesus answering the disciples’ question? It will help if we examine the original meaning of their words: The disciples: “When is the end (sunteleia) of the age?” Jesus: “Then the end (telos) will come.” When discussing the end of the age in verse 3, the disciples used a big word that means completion or consummation of a plan. God has a plan, and it comes to completion at the end or consummation of the age. In contrast, when discussing the fall of Jerusalem in verse 14, Jesus used a smaller word that simply means an ending or conclusion. Two words for two types of ending and the difference is a plan. If I crash my car, that’s the telos end of my car. But if I did it as [...]

When are the Last Days?

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Here’s a question that has been the subject of much debate: When are the last days? Mr. Futurist: “We’re living in them! Study the signs and you will see that we are the last generation.” Mr. Preterist: “The last days are the final days of the temple and AD70.” As you can see, the last day’s question is a contentious one. Are the last days now? Are they in the future? Or the past? The Bible provides an unequivocal answer. Altogether there are about a dozen last-days scriptures. Half of them are in the Old Testament and half of them are in the New. Here’s one: In the past God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son. (Hebrews 1:1–2, NIV) When did God begin speaking through his Son? It wasn’t recently and it wasn’t in AD70. This passage is referring to the days when Jesus walked the earth. This is what was spoken of through the prophet Joel: “And it shall be in the last days,” God says, “That I will pour forth of my Spirit on all mankind …” [...]

A Grace-Based View of the End Times

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My new end times’ book has just launched and some of you don’t care. You don’t care because you’ve been burned by bad eschatological preaching. Or you’ve had unpleasant conversations. Discussing the end times is like discussing politics. No matter what you say, half the people in the room jump on you

“End times? Who needs it? Jesus wins, that’s all I need to know.”

This was certainly my view a few years ago.

But then some of you began asking me about the year AD70, signaling a growing interest in preterism. (Preterism, in contrast with futurism, is the view that Biblical prophecy has been fulfilled.) In the past three to four years, I have been asked more questions about AD70 than any other subject.

At first, I was reluctant to join the conversation. But then I thought, “Why not?” Surely if there is any subject in need of grace, it is the traditionally scary topic of what the future may hold.

Judgment Day, the rapture, the antichrist, and the great tribulation. The future is frightening. Which is puzzling, because if grace is good news today, how can it be bad news tomorrow? If the gospel is supposed to bring great joy, how can it inspire so much fear and anxiety?

Something doesn’t add up.

I decided to get some notes together, and by the time I was done I had written my biggest book. It’s forty chapters long, full of pictures, and covers 500+ scriptures. You already know the title – it’s called AD70 and the End of the World – but you may not know the subtitle: Finding Good News in Christ’s Prophecies and Parables of Judgment.

And yes, I do believe there is good news in Christ’s darker parables and prophecies.

In the new book I take a verse-by-verse look at Christ’s longest prophecy, and I unpack the good news treasures found in the parables of the vengeful landowner, talents, wedding banquet, and more. I also tackle big questions such as, when is the great tribulation, when is the Second Coming, and what happens when Christ returns?

“So are you a preterist, Paul?”

I get asked this question a lot, probably because of the book’s title. I also get asked if I’m a pre-trib amillennialist or a post-trib premillennialist or whatever other crazy combination of adjectives one can think of. It’s like a test. “Give me the right answer and we can be friends. Fail the test and I’ll diss you on Facebook.”

Full disclosure: I’m not interested in joining anyone’s eschatological club. However, I am passionately interested in exploring the beauty of Jesus and his wonderful words. What Christ said about the future is astounding. I didn’t know the half of it before I started writing the book. I have been so blessed reading his words through the lens of grace. Read this book and you’ll be blessed too.

“So what makes AD70 different from other end times’ books?”

For starters, it’s light hearted, because we all need to lighten up on our traditionally dim views of the last days and what God has in store for us.

“So this is not a serious book then?”

It is seriously good fun! If God has great dreams for us then end times books ought to be inspiring, don’t you think? Yet many are patronizing or hysterical. They reek of fear and pride. They boast of secret knowledge and higher learning when they ought to boast of Jesus.

“But which side do you lean towards? Preterism or futurism?”

Do you mean which gang am I affiliated with? Neither. Both. I dunno.

But I can tell you that AD70 and the End of the World may be the only end times’ book that has been endorsed by both preterists and futurists. Surely that counts for something.

“So what is the book about?”

It’s about the last days and the fall of Jerusalem. It’s about the great tribulation, the rapture, and the return of Christ. It’s about the prophecies and parables of Jesus that have for too long been used to stir up fear when they ought to have inspired trust in a good God. It’s about a Savior who is no spectator but an active player on history’s stage. It’s about a King who has come and is coming again.

“Sounds good. Where can I learn more?”

You can download a sample chapter from the book website: www.ad70.org

You can also check out the Look Inside feature on Amazon.

“I don’t live in America and the shipping on your books is expensive.”

International retailers who carry this book are listed here. (Caveat: Some retailers won’t ship the book until after the official release date of September 24. Some, like Amazon, will let you have it now.) You can also get the book on Kindle and iTunes. The cheapest option is PDF.

I hope you enjoy the new book!


The Market for Bad Predictions

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During my lifetime there have been about 100 false predictions regarding the Lord’s return, and every one of them was made by someone who sincerely believed they were living in last of the last days. The end times, in other words (although the phrase “end times” is found nowhere in scripture). Every time Halley’s Comet comes around, or the planets align, or there’s a solar flare, or the stock market tanks, or Russia flexes its muscles, or Israel sneezes, these prognosticators come out of the woodwork to make their false and unsettling predictions. You may say, “I would never fall for such predictions.” Yet many do. When I was in college a book came out that was entitled 88 Reasons Why the Rapture Will be in 1988. Jesus would return in September of that year, said the book’s author. He didn’t yet the book is still available on Amazon, and I believe there was a sequel. The market for bad predictions knows no bounds. Where do these bad dates come from? They come from four sources. First, there are the visions or revelations that inspired such people as William Miller (who said the world would end in 1844), John Hinkle (1994), [...]

The 5 Comings of Jesus

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Imagine you lived 2,000 years ago and were waiting for the coming of Jesus. You expected him to come soon but you weren’t sure where he would appear. So you studied the scriptures and listened to different teachers, but that only increased your confusion. One group, quoting the prophet Micah, said the Messiah would come […]

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