Monday 13 October 2008

Photographic Orbs

A lot of people nowadays are claiming photographic orbs are angels. I think most photographic orbs can probably be explained as backscatter, near-camera reflection, and lens flare. To read my thoughts, click here

Photographic Orbs

A lot of people nowadays are claiming photographic orbs are angels. I think most photographic orbs can probably be explained as backscatter, near-camera reflection, and lens flare. To read my thoughts, click here

Photographic Orbs

A lot of people nowadays are claiming photographic orbs are angels. I think most photographic orbs can probably be explained as backscatter, near-camera reflection, and lens flare. To read my thoughts, click here

Israel and the End Times


It seems a lot of end-times preachers nowadays are saying Jesus MUST return within the generation that saw the rebirth of Israel in 1948 (referring to the Parable of the Fig Tree in Matthew 24).

They're running out of time, so that means a lot of prophetic fulfillment has to be squeezed into the next few years. That's why they have to try to see eschatological significance in virtually every piece of bad news that happens even if far worse things have happened in previous generations.

So, does Jesus really have to come back within the generation that saw Israel rebirthed?

In this post I'll give reasons why I think He probably doesn't necessarily HAVE TO, although HE COULD if God wills.

Anyway, isn't it already too late for that? - because wasn't that LAST generation (1948)? It's interesting how our definition of "generation" keeps getting stretched in order to accommodate our theory.

So what did Jesus mean by the "fig tree shooting forth its branches"? Well, it probably doesn't have anything to do with the rebirth of Israel in 1948.

Firstly, because Israel is more often symbolized in prophetic literature by an OLIVE branch, or a GRAPE vine, but seldom as a fig TREE.

Secondly, even if the fig tree IS used here in the Olivet discourse as a symbol of Israel, it still probably doesn't refer to the events of 1948, because Jesus did NOT single-out the fig tree specifically. Rather, as seen in Luke's account, He said, "...behold the fig tree, AND ALL THE TREES".

Thirdly, Jesus Himself explained exactly what the "shooting forth of the branches" refers to. He said, "...so also when you see ALL THESE THINGS come to pass..." What were "these things"? They were the things He'd just finished describing, which were the famines, pestilences, earthquakes, wars, false Christs (antichrists, plural) and the siege of Jerusalem by Gentile armies, and the abomination that would cause Israel's desolation, as spoken of by Daniel.

When the believers see all THESE THINGS happen, they were told, it would then be time to flee from Judea as a matter of urgency - in the same way that a person knows summer is near once he sees the fig tree AND ALL THE TREES shooting forth their branches.

According to the historians Josephus and Tacitus, the believers indeed fled from Judea just as Jesus told them, when they saw all these things come to pass upon that generation, during the Jewish-Roman War (AD67-70). There were earthquakes, famines, pestilences, false Christs, wars & rumours of wars, abominable practices were set-up in the holy place, Jerusalem was besieged, the Temple was destroyed, the Jews were transported as captives all around the world - but the believers who fled from Judea were spared. And the City of Jerusalem has remained trodden underfoot of Gentiles ever since, just as foretold by Jesus.

And the Lord told us for how long Jerusalem will remain in this state: "...until the years of the Gentiles be fulfilled" or as Paul said, "...until the fullness of the Gentiles be come in". Only the heavenly Father knows how much longer that will be.

It seems that much of what Jesus predicted indeed came to pass exactly as predicted and exactly within the time-frame that was predicted. These events were like the sprouting of the branches of a tree that lets a person know summer is near - they let the believers know that the destruction of the Temple was near, and that it was time to flee from Judea.

Jesus had instructed His disciples what to do when they see ALL THESE THINGS come to pass: He told them, "...Then let them which be in Judaea flee into the mountains..."

The believers' lives were spared from the Roman onslaught precisely because they recognized the fulfillment of Jesus' predictions, and followed His instructions.

The subsequent history of Jerusalem has transpired exactly as Jesus foretold, and has remained a sign since AD70 in the sight of each successive generation.

Therefore the Church in each century has preached that the Son of Man can come AT ANY TIME! That has always been the message of the Church throughout the centuries. Jesus can come at any time.

As the Apostles Peter and John said, the "last days" began on the Day of Pentecost - not in the first half of last century.

Now is our salvation nearer than when we believed, that's for sure.

When you think about it - if the Parable of the Fig Tree refers to 1948, then believers ought to have been FLEEING from Judea in 1948, NOT encouraging Jews from all over the world to start regathering there!

But why does it matter anyway, someone might ask?

It matters because an enormous amount of time and resources is being spent by Christians who believe theirs MUST be the last generation. Seminars are held, books are written, expensive Christian TV time is devoted to the subject. And when their contemporary predictions fizzle into nothing, unbelievers could make a mockery of it.

Current affairs are blown right out of proportion. These believers are CONSTANTLY trying to squeeze momentous prophetic significance out of everything bad that happens in the news - because in their view a lot MUST happen within the 1948 generation. And they're running out of time. All of this is happening simply because of a dubious understanding of ONE small sentence in Matthew 24.

It also detracts from the Gospel truth that the Son of Man can come at ANY TIME.

There is another reason why it matters. Do you really think unbelievers are going to feel comfortable voting for a Christian political candidate - to manage their economy, to work towards their children's future, and to be trusted as Commander in Chief of its nuclear arsenal - if they know that particular candidate's religious paradigm teaches that EVERYTHING is CERTAIN to come to an END within the LIFETIME of those who were alive to see ISRAEL become a nation again in 1948?

Israel and the End Times


It seems a lot of end-times preachers nowadays are saying Jesus MUST return within the generation that saw the rebirth of Israel in 1948 (referring to the Parable of the Fig Tree in Matthew 24).

They're running out of time, so that means a lot of prophetic fulfillment has to be squeezed into the next few years. That's why they have to try to see eschatological significance in virtually every piece of bad news that happens even if far worse things have happened in previous generations.

So, does Jesus really have to come back within the generation that saw Israel rebirthed?

In this post I'll give reasons why I think He probably doesn't necessarily HAVE TO, although HE COULD if God wills.

Anyway, isn't it already too late for that? - because wasn't that LAST generation (1948)? It's interesting how our definition of "generation" keeps getting stretched in order to accommodate our theory.

So what did Jesus mean by the "fig tree shooting forth its branches"? Well, it probably doesn't have anything to do with the rebirth of Israel in 1948.

Firstly, because Israel is more often symbolized in prophetic literature by an OLIVE branch, or a GRAPE vine, but seldom as a fig TREE.

Secondly, even if the fig tree IS used here in the Olivet discourse as a symbol of Israel, it still probably doesn't refer to the events of 1948, because Jesus did NOT single-out the fig tree specifically. Rather, as seen in Luke's account, He said, "...behold the fig tree, AND ALL THE TREES".

Thirdly, Jesus Himself explained exactly what the "shooting forth of the branches" refers to. He said, "...so also when you see ALL THESE THINGS come to pass..." What were "these things"? They were the things He'd just finished describing, which were the famines, pestilences, earthquakes, wars, false Christs (antichrists, plural) and the siege of Jerusalem by Gentile armies, and the abomination that would cause Israel's desolation, as spoken of by Daniel.

When the believers see all THESE THINGS happen, they were told, it would then be time to flee from Judea as a matter of urgency - in the same way that a person knows summer is near once he sees the fig tree AND ALL THE TREES shooting forth their branches.

According to the historians Josephus and Tacitus, the believers indeed fled from Judea just as Jesus told them, when they saw all these things come to pass upon that generation, during the Jewish-Roman War (AD67-70). There were earthquakes, famines, pestilences, false Christs, wars & rumours of wars, abominable practices were set-up in the holy place, Jerusalem was besieged, the Temple was destroyed, the Jews were transported as captives all around the world - but the believers who fled from Judea were spared. And the City of Jerusalem has remained trodden underfoot of Gentiles ever since, just as foretold by Jesus.

And the Lord told us for how long Jerusalem will remain in this state: "...until the years of the Gentiles be fulfilled" or as Paul said, "...until the fullness of the Gentiles be come in". Only the heavenly Father knows how much longer that will be.

It seems that much of what Jesus predicted indeed came to pass exactly as predicted and exactly within the time-frame that was predicted. These events were like the sprouting of the branches of a tree that lets a person know summer is near - they let the believers know that the destruction of the Temple was near, and that it was time to flee from Judea.

Jesus had instructed His disciples what to do when they see ALL THESE THINGS come to pass: He told them, "...Then let them which be in Judaea flee into the mountains..."

The believers' lives were spared from the Roman onslaught precisely because they recognized the fulfillment of Jesus' predictions, and followed His instructions.

The subsequent history of Jerusalem has transpired exactly as Jesus foretold, and has remained a sign since AD70 in the sight of each successive generation.

Therefore the Church in each century has preached that the Son of Man can come AT ANY TIME! That has always been the message of the Church throughout the centuries. Jesus can come at any time.

As the Apostles Peter and John said, the "last days" began on the Day of Pentecost - not in the first half of last century.

Now is our salvation nearer than when we believed, that's for sure.

When you think about it - if the Parable of the Fig Tree refers to 1948, then believers ought to have been FLEEING from Judea in 1948, NOT encouraging Jews from all over the world to start regathering there!

But why does it matter anyway, someone might ask?

It matters because an enormous amount of time and resources is being spent by Christians who believe theirs MUST be the last generation. Seminars are held, books are written, expensive Christian TV time is devoted to the subject. And when their contemporary predictions fizzle into nothing, unbelievers could make a mockery of it.

Current affairs are blown right out of proportion. These believers are CONSTANTLY trying to squeeze momentous prophetic significance out of everything bad that happens in the news - because in their view a lot MUST happen within the 1948 generation. And they're running out of time. All of this is happening simply because of a dubious understanding of ONE small sentence in Matthew 24.

It also detracts from the Gospel truth that the Son of Man can come at ANY TIME.

There is another reason why it matters. Do you really think unbelievers are going to feel comfortable voting for a Christian political candidate - to manage their economy, to work towards their children's future, and to be trusted as Commander in Chief of its nuclear arsenal - if they know that particular candidate's religious paradigm teaches that EVERYTHING is CERTAIN to come to an END within the LIFETIME of those who were alive to see ISRAEL become a nation again in 1948?

Israel and the End Times


It seems a lot of end-times preachers nowadays are saying Jesus MUST return within the generation that saw the rebirth of Israel in 1948 (referring to the Parable of the Fig Tree in Matthew 24).

They're running out of time, so that means a lot of prophetic fulfillment has to be squeezed into the next few years. That's why they have to try to see eschatological significance in virtually every piece of bad news that happens even if far worse things have happened in previous generations.

So, does Jesus really have to come back within the generation that saw Israel rebirthed?

In this post I'll give reasons why I think He probably doesn't necessarily HAVE TO, although HE COULD if God wills.

Anyway, isn't it already too late for that? - because wasn't that LAST generation (1948)? It's interesting how our definition of "generation" keeps getting stretched in order to accommodate our theory.

So what did Jesus mean by the "fig tree shooting forth its branches"? Well, it probably doesn't have anything to do with the rebirth of Israel in 1948.

Firstly, because Israel is more often symbolized in prophetic literature by an OLIVE branch, or a GRAPE vine, but seldom as a fig TREE.

Secondly, even if the fig tree IS used here in the Olivet discourse as a symbol of Israel, it still probably doesn't refer to the events of 1948, because Jesus did NOT single-out the fig tree specifically. Rather, as seen in Luke's account, He said, "...behold the fig tree, AND ALL THE TREES".

Thirdly, Jesus Himself explained exactly what the "shooting forth of the branches" refers to. He said, "...so also when you see ALL THESE THINGS come to pass..." What were "these things"? They were the things He'd just finished describing, which were the famines, pestilences, earthquakes, wars, false Christs (antichrists, plural) and the siege of Jerusalem by Gentile armies, and the abomination that would cause Israel's desolation, as spoken of by Daniel.

When the believers see all THESE THINGS happen, they were told, it would then be time to flee from Judea as a matter of urgency - in the same way that a person knows summer is near once he sees the fig tree AND ALL THE TREES shooting forth their branches.

According to the historians Josephus and Tacitus, the believers indeed fled from Judea just as Jesus told them, when they saw all these things come to pass upon that generation, during the Jewish-Roman War (AD67-70). There were earthquakes, famines, pestilences, false Christs, wars & rumours of wars, abominable practices were set-up in the holy place, Jerusalem was besieged, the Temple was destroyed, the Jews were transported as captives all around the world - but the believers who fled from Judea were spared. And the City of Jerusalem has remained trodden underfoot of Gentiles ever since, just as foretold by Jesus.

And the Lord told us for how long Jerusalem will remain in this state: "...until the years of the Gentiles be fulfilled" or as Paul said, "...until the fullness of the Gentiles be come in". Only the heavenly Father knows how much longer that will be.

It seems that much of what Jesus predicted indeed came to pass exactly as predicted and exactly within the time-frame that was predicted. These events were like the sprouting of the branches of a tree that lets a person know summer is near - they let the believers know that the destruction of the Temple was near, and that it was time to flee from Judea.

Jesus had instructed His disciples what to do when they see ALL THESE THINGS come to pass: He told them, "...Then let them which be in Judaea flee into the mountains..."

The believers' lives were spared from the Roman onslaught precisely because they recognized the fulfillment of Jesus' predictions, and followed His instructions.

The subsequent history of Jerusalem has transpired exactly as Jesus foretold, and has remained a sign since AD70 in the sight of each successive generation.

Therefore the Church in each century has preached that the Son of Man can come AT ANY TIME! That has always been the message of the Church throughout the centuries. Jesus can come at any time.

As the Apostles Peter and John said, the "last days" began on the Day of Pentecost - not in the first half of last century.

Now is our salvation nearer than when we believed, that's for sure.

When you think about it - if the Parable of the Fig Tree refers to 1948, then believers ought to have been FLEEING from Judea in 1948, NOT encouraging Jews from all over the world to start regathering there!

But why does it matter anyway, someone might ask?

It matters because an enormous amount of time and resources is being spent by Christians who believe theirs MUST be the last generation. Seminars are held, books are written, expensive Christian TV time is devoted to the subject. And when their contemporary predictions fizzle into nothing, unbelievers could make a mockery of it.

Current affairs are blown right out of proportion. These believers are CONSTANTLY trying to squeeze momentous prophetic significance out of everything bad that happens in the news - because in their view a lot MUST happen within the 1948 generation. And they're running out of time. All of this is happening simply because of a dubious understanding of ONE small sentence in Matthew 24.

It also detracts from the Gospel truth that the Son of Man can come at ANY TIME.

There is another reason why it matters. Do you really think unbelievers are going to feel comfortable voting for a Christian political candidate - to manage their economy, to work towards their children's future, and to be trusted as Commander in Chief of its nuclear arsenal - if they know that particular candidate's religious paradigm teaches that EVERYTHING is CERTAIN to come to an END within the LIFETIME of those who were alive to see ISRAEL become a nation again in 1948?

Ethnocentric End-Times Teaching

It seems many predictions about the end of the world are merely based on one's own circumstances, often forgetting that far worse things have happened to others in previous generations. For example:

There were 60,000 to 1,100,100 mass civilian casualties during the siege of Jerusalem in AD70 - but when Hezbollah fired 4.8- inch Katyusha rockets into Israel two years ago killing 121, end-times preachers thought we were seeing the fulfillment of prophecy before our very eyes.

Six million European Jews were killed during the Holocaust - but when President Ahmadinejad of Iran threatened Israel 18 months ago even though nothing has happened yet, end-times preachers were calling it the last days.

75 million people (30-60% of Europe's population) died of the plague in the 1340s - but when the bird flu infected fewer than 200 laboratory-tested people four years ago, it was portrayed as the end of the world.

Two to four million died in the China floods of 1931 - but when eleven people died in flooding in America's mid-west this year, one end-times preacher said ours surely must be the final generation.

An estimated 200,000-400,000 have died and 2,500,000 misplaced in the current Darfur conflict - but when a city was temporarily evacuated and 50 people died in Texas two months ago, well it's got to be the apocalypse.

There have been at least six world empires since New Testament days which each controlled at least 25% of the world's population - but if you mention the 'North American Union conspiracy theory', all of a sudden you're talking about the end of human civilization, even though the USA comprises only 6.4% of the world's population.

One American end-times preacher even warned that the Great Tribulation is near, due to outrage in California over petrol prices peaking at 51c/litre. Nevermind that 110 countries in the world were already paying double or triple that, or didn't even own a car to put fuel in in the first place.

South Korea now has the largest churches in history; China's Church has an estimated 100million members; revival and church-growth in Africa is at unprecedented levels - but if someone starts teaching wrong doctrine in one American denomination, all of a sudden it's regarded as the worldwide "great falling away" that Paul warned about.

Untold millions have died in natural disasters throughout the centuries - but if it happens in OUR country and in OUR genaration, then we tend to think it must be WORSE THAN EVER and that it MUST BE the end of the world. We try to attach so much eschatological significance to current events, as if ours is certainly the last generation.

That's what I mean by ethnocentric eschatology. Funny isn't it! It's funny how ethnocentric some of us can become. For example, American baseball is called the 'World Series'; a Californian bodybuilding competition is called 'Mr Universe'.

Perhaps a lot of this type of thinking about End-Times originates in America, although it's not limited to America. I've been wondering why American culture spawns so many end-times theories. I thought of two possible reasons:

Other cultures never had the freedoms Americans still enjoy; so when something bad happens, the people in those countries don't immediately suspect a new conspiracy nor attach eschatological significance to what's happening - to them it's just more of the same of what they've already always seen. The American psyche, on the other hand, gets a real jolt if they perceive that even one of their rights might become slightly threatened, as if it could mean the end of their world.

Another reason could be that conspiracy theories and end-times books can make good money in America. Authors probably can't wait to publish the next sensational theory. Such books are highly marketable to Americans so long as you can sell the idea to the American reader that one of his rights could be threatened by what's happening.

But it isn't limited to America. Other examples of historical events which people have mistakenly thought were a sign of the last generation include: the idea during the Middle Ages that the Pope was the 'Antichrist'; the idea during the First World War that the Ottoman Empire was the 'Beast'; the idea during the Second World War that Nazism was the 'man of sin'; the idea that the rebirth of Israel in 1948 meant that was the last generation; during the Cold War that communism was the 'northern army'; then there were doomsday fears during the oil crisis of the 1970s; and the apocalypse was forecast to occur as a result of the Jupiter Effect (planetary alignment) in 1980; there were dire warnings of the Mark of the Beast when the plastic-card and barcoding were introduced in the 1970s and '80s; next was the idea that Iraq was the modern 'Babylon', during the first Gulf War in the 1990s; then Y2K, which came to nothing, despite all the money spent promoting it on Christian TV; there was the current War on Terror, which didn't exactly become the 'mother of all wars'; recent earthquakes, tsunami, hurricanes, and the current US sub-prime lenders crisis are other examples.

Each event seems terrible if it happens in your country in your generation. But time moved on and we now know those historical events were not a sign of the last generation before Jesus returns.

Jesus gave us the signs of His coming. But I'm not sure whether He really tried to give us the signs of the last generation, because no-one knows the day nor the hour. The signs of His coming have been with us throughout every century since the early Church. The 'last days' began on the day of Pentecost!

A more mistake-proof approach to understanding Biblical prophecy might be to simply LET THE TEXT SPEAK FOR ITSELF, instead of trying to use 'newspaper exegesis' to understand what He meant. Endeavor to find out, first of all, what the text would have meant to its original readers. Remember that the words Jesus spoke in Matthew 24 were spoken nearly 2,000 years ago while overlooking the City of Jerusalem from the Mount of Olives in answer to a specific question about the destruction of the Temple. Jesus' statements need to be understood in that context, before being viewed through the grid of 21st century current affairs. Let Scripture interpret Scripture.

21st century ethnocentric interpretations will fizzle, like every other prediction about the Lord's coming. But when we let the text speak for itself, here's the conclusions we'll come to: that Jesus is coming soon (soon, compared with eternity); that no-one knows when (so we won't even bother trying to predict when); and that we must be ready at every hour (by living obediently).

Those three points are the enduring message of the Gospel which are relevant to all nations of all generations.

Jesus is coming soon; no-one knows when; be ready.

Nothing more, nothing less, nothing else.

Stick to that, and your predictions won't fizzle into nothing.

Ethnocentric End-Times Teaching

It seems many predictions about the end of the world are merely based on one's own circumstances, often forgetting that far worse things have happened to others in previous generations. For example:

There were 60,000 to 1,100,100 mass civilian casualties during the siege of Jerusalem in AD70 - but when Hezbollah fired 4.8- inch Katyusha rockets into Israel two years ago killing 121, end-times preachers thought we were seeing the fulfillment of prophecy before our very eyes.

Six million European Jews were killed during the Holocaust - but when President Ahmadinejad of Iran threatened Israel 18 months ago even though nothing has happened yet, end-times preachers were calling it the last days.

75 million people (30-60% of Europe's population) died of the plague in the 1340s - but when the bird flu infected fewer than 200 laboratory-tested people four years ago, it was portrayed as the end of the world.

Two to four million died in the China floods of 1931 - but when eleven people died in flooding in America's mid-west this year, one end-times preacher said ours surely must be the final generation.

An estimated 200,000-400,000 have died and 2,500,000 misplaced in the current Darfur conflict - but when a city was temporarily evacuated and 50 people died in Texas two months ago, well it's got to be the apocalypse.

There have been at least six world empires since New Testament days which each controlled at least 25% of the world's population - but if you mention the 'North American Union conspiracy theory', all of a sudden you're talking about the end of human civilization, even though the USA comprises only 6.4% of the world's population.

One American end-times preacher even warned that the Great Tribulation is near, due to outrage in California over petrol prices peaking at 51c/litre. Nevermind that 110 countries in the world were already paying double or triple that, or didn't even own a car to put fuel in in the first place.

South Korea now has the largest churches in history; China's Church has an estimated 100million members; revival and church-growth in Africa is at unprecedented levels - but if someone starts teaching wrong doctrine in one American denomination, all of a sudden it's regarded as the worldwide "great falling away" that Paul warned about.

Untold millions have died in natural disasters throughout the centuries - but if it happens in OUR country and in OUR genaration, then we tend to think it must be WORSE THAN EVER and that it MUST BE the end of the world. We try to attach so much eschatological significance to current events, as if ours is certainly the last generation.

That's what I mean by ethnocentric eschatology. Funny isn't it! It's funny how ethnocentric some of us can become. For example, American baseball is called the 'World Series'; a Californian bodybuilding competition is called 'Mr Universe'.

Perhaps a lot of this type of thinking about End-Times originates in America, although it's not limited to America. I've been wondering why American culture spawns so many end-times theories. I thought of two possible reasons:

Other cultures never had the freedoms Americans still enjoy; so when something bad happens, the people in those countries don't immediately suspect a new conspiracy nor attach eschatological significance to what's happening - to them it's just more of the same of what they've already always seen. The American psyche, on the other hand, gets a real jolt if they perceive that even one of their rights might become slightly threatened, as if it could mean the end of their world.

Another reason could be that conspiracy theories and end-times books can make good money in America. Authors probably can't wait to publish the next sensational theory. Such books are highly marketable to Americans so long as you can sell the idea to the American reader that one of his rights could be threatened by what's happening.

But it isn't limited to America. Other examples of historical events which people have mistakenly thought were a sign of the last generation include: the idea during the Middle Ages that the Pope was the 'Antichrist'; the idea during the First World War that the Ottoman Empire was the 'Beast'; the idea during the Second World War that Nazism was the 'man of sin'; the idea that the rebirth of Israel in 1948 meant that was the last generation; during the Cold War that communism was the 'northern army'; then there were doomsday fears during the oil crisis of the 1970s; and the apocalypse was forecast to occur as a result of the Jupiter Effect (planetary alignment) in 1980; there were dire warnings of the Mark of the Beast when the plastic-card and barcoding were introduced in the 1970s and '80s; next was the idea that Iraq was the modern 'Babylon', during the first Gulf War in the 1990s; then Y2K, which came to nothing, despite all the money spent promoting it on Christian TV; there was the current War on Terror, which didn't exactly become the 'mother of all wars'; recent earthquakes, tsunami, hurricanes, and the current US sub-prime lenders crisis are other examples.

Each event seems terrible if it happens in your country in your generation. But time moved on and we now know those historical events were not a sign of the last generation before Jesus returns.

Jesus gave us the signs of His coming. But I'm not sure whether He really tried to give us the signs of the last generation, because no-one knows the day nor the hour. The signs of His coming have been with us throughout every century since the early Church. The 'last days' began on the day of Pentecost!

A more mistake-proof approach to understanding Biblical prophecy might be to simply LET THE TEXT SPEAK FOR ITSELF, instead of trying to use 'newspaper exegesis' to understand what He meant. Endeavor to find out, first of all, what the text would have meant to its original readers. Remember that the words Jesus spoke in Matthew 24 were spoken nearly 2,000 years ago while overlooking the City of Jerusalem from the Mount of Olives in answer to a specific question about the destruction of the Temple. Jesus' statements need to be understood in that context, before being viewed through the grid of 21st century current affairs. Let Scripture interpret Scripture.

21st century ethnocentric interpretations will fizzle, like every other prediction about the Lord's coming. But when we let the text speak for itself, here's the conclusions we'll come to: that Jesus is coming soon (soon, compared with eternity); that no-one knows when (so we won't even bother trying to predict when); and that we must be ready at every hour (by living obediently).

Those three points are the enduring message of the Gospel which are relevant to all nations of all generations.

Jesus is coming soon; no-one knows when; be ready.

Nothing more, nothing less, nothing else.

Stick to that, and your predictions won't fizzle into nothing.

Ethnocentric End-Times Teaching

It seems many predictions about the end of the world are merely based on one's own circumstances, often forgetting that far worse things have happened to others in previous generations. For example:

There were 60,000 to 1,100,100 mass civilian casualties during the siege of Jerusalem in AD70 - but when Hezbollah fired 4.8- inch Katyusha rockets into Israel two years ago killing 121, end-times preachers thought we were seeing the fulfillment of prophecy before our very eyes.

Six million European Jews were killed during the Holocaust - but when President Ahmadinejad of Iran threatened Israel 18 months ago even though nothing has happened yet, end-times preachers were calling it the last days.

75 million people (30-60% of Europe's population) died of the plague in the 1340s - but when the bird flu infected fewer than 200 laboratory-tested people four years ago, it was portrayed as the end of the world.

Two to four million died in the China floods of 1931 - but when eleven people died in flooding in America's mid-west this year, one end-times preacher said ours surely must be the final generation.

An estimated 200,000-400,000 have died and 2,500,000 misplaced in the current Darfur conflict - but when a city was temporarily evacuated and 50 people died in Texas two months ago, well it's got to be the apocalypse.

There have been at least six world empires since New Testament days which each controlled at least 25% of the world's population - but if you mention the 'North American Union conspiracy theory', all of a sudden you're talking about the end of human civilization, even though the USA comprises only 6.4% of the world's population.

One American end-times preacher even warned that the Great Tribulation is near, due to outrage in California over petrol prices peaking at 51c/litre. Nevermind that 110 countries in the world were already paying double or triple that, or didn't even own a car to put fuel in in the first place.

South Korea now has the largest churches in history; China's Church has an estimated 100million members; revival and church-growth in Africa is at unprecedented levels - but if someone starts teaching wrong doctrine in one American denomination, all of a sudden it's regarded as the worldwide "great falling away" that Paul warned about.

Untold millions have died in natural disasters throughout the centuries - but if it happens in OUR country and in OUR genaration, then we tend to think it must be WORSE THAN EVER and that it MUST BE the end of the world. We try to attach so much eschatological significance to current events, as if ours is certainly the last generation.

That's what I mean by ethnocentric eschatology. Funny isn't it! It's funny how ethnocentric some of us can become. For example, American baseball is called the 'World Series'; a Californian bodybuilding competition is called 'Mr Universe'.

Perhaps a lot of this type of thinking about End-Times originates in America, although it's not limited to America. I've been wondering why American culture spawns so many end-times theories. I thought of two possible reasons:

Other cultures never had the freedoms Americans still enjoy; so when something bad happens, the people in those countries don't immediately suspect a new conspiracy nor attach eschatological significance to what's happening - to them it's just more of the same of what they've already always seen. The American psyche, on the other hand, gets a real jolt if they perceive that even one of their rights might become slightly threatened, as if it could mean the end of their world.

Another reason could be that conspiracy theories and end-times books can make good money in America. Authors probably can't wait to publish the next sensational theory. Such books are highly marketable to Americans so long as you can sell the idea to the American reader that one of his rights could be threatened by what's happening.

But it isn't limited to America. Other examples of historical events which people have mistakenly thought were a sign of the last generation include: the idea during the Middle Ages that the Pope was the 'Antichrist'; the idea during the First World War that the Ottoman Empire was the 'Beast'; the idea during the Second World War that Nazism was the 'man of sin'; the idea that the rebirth of Israel in 1948 meant that was the last generation; during the Cold War that communism was the 'northern army'; then there were doomsday fears during the oil crisis of the 1970s; and the apocalypse was forecast to occur as a result of the Jupiter Effect (planetary alignment) in 1980; there were dire warnings of the Mark of the Beast when the plastic-card and barcoding were introduced in the 1970s and '80s; next was the idea that Iraq was the modern 'Babylon', during the first Gulf War in the 1990s; then Y2K, which came to nothing, despite all the money spent promoting it on Christian TV; there was the current War on Terror, which didn't exactly become the 'mother of all wars'; recent earthquakes, tsunami, hurricanes, and the current US sub-prime lenders crisis are other examples.

Each event seems terrible if it happens in your country in your generation. But time moved on and we now know those historical events were not a sign of the last generation before Jesus returns.

Jesus gave us the signs of His coming. But I'm not sure whether He really tried to give us the signs of the last generation, because no-one knows the day nor the hour. The signs of His coming have been with us throughout every century since the early Church. The 'last days' began on the day of Pentecost!

A more mistake-proof approach to understanding Biblical prophecy might be to simply LET THE TEXT SPEAK FOR ITSELF, instead of trying to use 'newspaper exegesis' to understand what He meant. Endeavor to find out, first of all, what the text would have meant to its original readers. Remember that the words Jesus spoke in Matthew 24 were spoken nearly 2,000 years ago while overlooking the City of Jerusalem from the Mount of Olives in answer to a specific question about the destruction of the Temple. Jesus' statements need to be understood in that context, before being viewed through the grid of 21st century current affairs. Let Scripture interpret Scripture.

21st century ethnocentric interpretations will fizzle, like every other prediction about the Lord's coming. But when we let the text speak for itself, here's the conclusions we'll come to: that Jesus is coming soon (soon, compared with eternity); that no-one knows when (so we won't even bother trying to predict when); and that we must be ready at every hour (by living obediently).

Those three points are the enduring message of the Gospel which are relevant to all nations of all generations.

Jesus is coming soon; no-one knows when; be ready.

Nothing more, nothing less, nothing else.

Stick to that, and your predictions won't fizzle into nothing.