Gary Demar: The Eschatological Craziness Continues

May 24, 2023 / newlifenarrabri / Leave a comment

The Eschatological Craziness Continues

TUESDAY, MAY 23, 2023 BY GARY DEMAR

The Red Heifers have arrived in Israel! So says the May 22, 2023, article “Prophetic Anticipation Builds: Unblemished Red Heifers for Temple Ceremony Soon Come of Age.” The claim is, based on Numbers 19, the heifers need to be at least 3 years old for priestly purification purposes. For that you need priests, animal sacrifices, and a physical temple, all of which passed away when the temple was destroyed by the Romans in AD 70. None of this has anything to do with Bible prophecy as I pointed out in a previous article.

Anyone making anything of this is going back to the rituals of the Old Covenant that Jesus fulfilled. When Jesus said, “It’s finished,” He meant it. I can understand why some religious Jews believe that heifers are important but not Christians, and yet many Christians get excited about red heifers and calls to rebuild the temple as if it has anything to do with Bible prophecy. Read the book of Hebrews.

But when Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things having come, He entered through the greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made by hands, that is, not of this creation; and not through the blood of goats and calves, but through His own blood, He entered the holy place once for all time, having obtained eternal redemption. For if the blood of goats and bulls, and the ashes of a heifer sprinkling those who have been defiled, sanctify for the cleansing of the flesh, how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without blemish to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God? (9:11-14)

Jesus is the endpoint of its fulfillment. End of story. But it seems it’s never the end.

Did you know that AI, Artificial Intelligence is found in the Bible? No? Neither did I. But there it is, big as day. The city of Ai. That’s right! It’s been there all the time. Here’s how it goes:

[M]ight there be a biblical connection to AI? The answer is yes, according to a popular author known for illuminating Scriptures. “Ai is actually mentioned in the Bible,” says Joe Kovacs, author of the best-selling “Reaching God Speed: Unlocking the Secret Broadcast Revealing the Mystery of Everything.”

“No, it’s not an abbreviation for artificial intelligence. It’s a single word spelled A-i, and can be pronounced like each of its letters, as in ‘a’ and ‘i.’

“It’s the name of an ancient Canaanite city, and it packs an incredible significance for today when we examine Ai on the spirit or metaphor level. “This was a real, historical place, but it carries an additional parable meaning as well, since Jesus only spoke to people in parables, and ‘did not say anything to them without using a parable’ (Matthew 13:34). He, of course, is still speaking to everyone through every word in the Bible.”

Kovacs explains the first key to unlocking the mystery is to understand the meaning of the word ‘Ai,’ which can be translated as ‘Ruin’ or ‘a heap of ruins.’ “That’s big hint No. 1, the fact that Ai actually means ruin or a heap of ruins, coming from a Hebrew verb meaning to bend, twist, pervert and distort, all leading to ruin,” Kovacs explains.

“God says He’s ‘declaring the end from the beginning’ (Isaiah 46:10), so right from the start of something, He’s broadcasting the end result, its future conclusion.” Interestingly, the author notes, the ancient town of Ai happened to be located “beside Bethaven, on the east side of Bethel.” (Joshua 7:2)

“When we learn the meanings of these places, it provides even more clues,” says Kovacs. “Bethel means ‘house of God’ and Bethaven means ‘house of vanity (nothingness)’ or ‘house of plenty of trouble.’

“So Ai, the place of ruin, was closely associated with the house of vanity, nothingness, and plenty of trouble. That sounds a whole lot like our world today.

The article goes on to make “metaphorical” associations to what’s happening today and ends with, “God may be using this ancient event as a divine hint, a physical example of what today’s AI may bring if artificial intelligence twists, distorts and perverts the truth.”

There’s nothing wrong with comparing events in Scripture to what’s taking place in our day but linking the city of Ai to Artificial Intelligence in anyway is Scripture Twisting like the way the Hebrew word rosh in Ezekiel 38-39 is said to refer to modern-day Russia. There are no linguistic, etymological, or historical correlations. It’s fulfilled prophecy.

Read the rest of this article at American Vision

Kenneth Gentry: Postmillennialism and The Great Tribulation

June 19, 2020June 19, 2020 / newlifenarrabri / Leave a comment

A great and thoughtful article by Kenneth Gentry places the Great Tribulation at around 70 AD. I’m glad we missed it!

This is my second in a multi-part series explaining how we can believe in postmillennialism, even though Jesus teaches about “the great tribulation” that is to come. In this series of articles we will learn a remarkable fact: The great tribulation is past. Indeed, it occurred long ago in the first century and was concerned with the destruction of the temple in AD 70.

Obviously, if this is so, then the great tribulation punctuated the beginning of Christianity (as the new covenant-phase of God’s kingdom) and has no direct bearing on the end of the Church Age (supposedly lying in our near future). Thus, it does not contradict postmillennialism’s historical optimism. Let us consider the evidence.

Most evangelicals focus on the remarkable judgments in the Matthew 24. And they do so to such an extent that they overlook important contextual clues that go against the popular conception of the great tribulation. And they do this despite the fact that these clues are quite clear and compelling.

These clues revolve around Matthew 24:34 which involves the key observation for a proper understanding of the great tribulation. This is the text we must focus upon; it will be our guiding star shedding light on our pathway through this dark and frightening passage.

Read the full article here

The “Beast” Revealed

April 6, 2016April 6, 2016 / newlifenarrabri / Leave a comment

Who is the Beast of the Book of Revelation? There are many fanciful and wrong ideas about this, but many Bible scholars are now pointing to the Roman Emperor Nero.

J.D. King writes in the World Revival Network blog:

Who The ‘Beast of Revelation’ Really Is

As far back as I can remember people have been speculating about the “Antichrist,” an evil figure referenced in portions of the New Testament.

After President Ronald Wilson Reagan was shot and miraculously recovered in 1981, people made the ridiculous assertion that he was the prophesied evil figure of “end-times.” It didn’t help that his first, middle, and last name all had six letters (666).

At that same time, others argued that the Antichrist was Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev or Muammar Gaddafi of Libya. Less than a decade later Evangelical and Pentecostal Christians were insisting that the “Man of sin” was actually Iraqi Saddam Hussein in the land once known as Babylon.

Later, I learned that previous generations believed that the Antichrist was Benito Mussolini, Prime Minister of Italy or Adolf Hitler of Nazi Germany. The actual listing of individuals identified with this role is quite long and ludicrous. Whatever nation happens to be the current enemy of America (or Israel) usually supplies us with the current candidates for the antichrist.[1]

Obviously there’s a lot of misunderstanding and misapplication here. Many of our collective anxieties and fears are coloring our readings of the Bible. We’re bringing into the text things Scripture never actually articulates. Much of this happens because of our confusion about the Bible and ignorance of the apocalyptic genre. We don’t comprehend its intended meaning or its use of fierce imagery and symbols.

Read the full article here

Failed Predictions

September 16, 2015September 16, 2015 / newlifenarrabri / Leave a comment

JD King writes:

The Rapture’s In 1988? What Can Be Learned From Failed End-Times Predictions

Over the last season I’ve been pressing into worship and enjoying more of the presence of the Lord. I’ve also been having wonderful outings with my beautiful wife and children. I keep thinking, how can I bring more encouragement and assist in the expansion of the Kingdom of God in this hour?

Yet, every time things begin to advance, feet start dragging and someone “slams on the brakes.” Bible-believing Christians are supposed to be talking about “doing life together” and growing in the purposes of God. Yet, most are continually distracted by politics, fear, and apocalyptic end-time scenarios.

I sincerely desire to laugh, love, and leave a legacy, but it can be extremely difficult. Many so-called “prophets” are talking about societal breakdown and catastrophe. In their sensationalist best-sellers, they claim to have witnessed the “signs of the times.”

This is so prominent that a message of “good news” and hope is extremely difficult to find these days (and sometimes it’s even rejected).

You probably already know this, but this isn’t the only generation that has made these claims. In fact, over the last century there have been countless assertions about “harbingers” and “signs of the apocalypse.” Leaders in previous eras also insisted they deciphered the Book of Revelation and understood the alarming headlines.

So, the pessimistic, cataclysmic claims aren’t new. They’re actually part of the lengthy tradition of anxiety and failed prognostications. In fact, speculative predictions about the end have characterized American Christianity for at least three generations. One would like to think that this madness would ultimately cease, but it never really does.

I’ve found that people keep making these kinds of end-time assertions. Yet, an honest analysis would show the “track record” isn’t good. Thousands of “undeniable” claims in previous decades were proven to be wrong.

Let me remind you of some of the things affirmed in the past.