Dr Paul Allen

The Olivet Discourse (Mark 13; Matt 24; Luke 21) has puzzled interpreters for centuries. Is Jesus predicting the destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70, his future return, or both? To examine this complex passage, we examine its structure, exegetical issues, and interpretive options, such as futurist (dispensationalist), preterist, and telescoping views. The Olivet Discourse describes Jesus predicting the temple’s destruction and subsequent eschatological events, sparking questions about their interpretation and timing. It raises queries about whether Jesus refers to the destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70, his future return, the destruction of a yet-to-be-built temple, or a combination of these elements. The dilemma of “this generation.” One of the most challenging issues is Jesus’s statement that “this generation” will not pass away (13:30). Each interpretative camp must wrestle with what “generation” refers to and what it means for it not to pass away until “all these things take place” (E...

After the Lord Jesus Christ predicted the destruction of the temple in Jerusalem, his disciples asked, “Tell us, when shall these things be? And what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world?” (Matt. 24:3). They probably had no idea how much discussion Christ’s answers to those questions would generate. Today, the doctrine of eschatology (the study of last things) is controversial. Discussions about the end times are muddied by specific false ideas about the end of this age and the second coming of Christ. In this article, I discuss and refute five myths about the end times—namely, (1) that they are a failed promise, (2) that they were entirely fulfilled in the first century, (3) that in the end times, God will save everyone or (4) that he will annihilate the wicked, and (5) that after the end times, people will live as heavenly spirits. Myth #1: The End Times Are a Failed Promise According to some teachers of theological liberalism, Jesus believed that the kingdom ...

When Christians are asked which millennial view they hold, some of the more cynical among them will sometimes answer: “I’m a panmillennialist. I believe it will all pan out in the end.”  Much of this cynicism is due to frustration over the seemingly never-ending debates about the last things. In some cases, it may also be due to exasperation with the endless train of falsified predictions of the rapture and/or second coming of Christ. For centuries, misguided teachers have repeatedly promised or strongly suggested to their contemporaries that they are the generation that will finally witness the end.  Isn’t it as plain as day that Napoleon Bonaparte was the Antichrist and his exile was a sign that the end of the world was imminent? Some Christians who lived in that generation thought so. Their generation was not the first to fall into the trap of date-setting, and it certainly wasn’t the last. For centuries, numerous Christians have compared the headlines of their day with the...

NT Wright says the rapture is a colourful misunderstood metaphor written by Paul. The rapture is an eschatological event in which Christians purportedly will rise into the sky to join Christ as he returns to earth. The word “rapture” is derived from the Latin translation of 1 Thessalonians 4:17. English translations translate the keyword in that verse with “caught up” or “snatched up.” There are several views among Christians about the exact nature and timing of this rapture, this “snatching up,” primarily due to its relationship to other eschatological events in Scripture. The rapture doctrine is employed perhaps the most sophisticatedly in premillennialism. For premillennialists, the rapture occurs in conjunction with the “great tribulation” (Dan 9:24–27; Matt 24:21, 29; Rev 7:14). Premillennialists agree that the rapture is connected to the resurrection of believers before the millennial (thousand-year) reign of Christ.  Premillennialists differ, however, on when the rapture wil...

Rich Gregory  As the war in Israel ramped up over the past week, social media accounts across the Christian  spectrum exploded with quotations from Psalm 122:8, which commands, “Pray for the peace of  Jerusalem!” That statement raises some critical questions: should we be praying for the  peace of Jerusalem? Or even, Why do we pray for the peace of Jerusalem? I want to answer those questions by covering  1) What is happening in Israel,  2) What it  means, and  3) How we should think about it as followers of Jesus Christ. What is Happening? These following paragraphs represent a rather grotesque oversimplification, but understanding how to think requires a basic understanding of some broad brush strokes in the geopolitical context.  On May 14, 1948, the modern state of Israel was formed. The Jewish people – fresh off the horror of the holocaust – began returning to the land of their forefathers from a multi-millennial exile. While this return ...

Robb Brunansky  Those of us old enough to remember will never forget the mass hysteria that gripped the globe in 1999.  The world stood on the edge of a new millennium, the year 2000. Not many people, historically, live to see the turn of a millennium, so the excitement was palpable. But the anticipation of seeing not one, not two, not three, but FOUR digits in the year column of the calendar change overnight was overshadowed by the fear that a computer bug known as “Y2K” might bring the world to a screeching halt. Computers went mainstream in the late 20th century, but unlike today, storage in computer systems was massively expensive. Because of the exorbitant price tag, computer programmers tried everything they could to save space.  One strategy they used was to minimize the amount of data required to store dates; so instead of storing the full four-digit year, they only stored the last two digits of the year, cutting the storage space used in half. They realized that ...

Grayson Gilbert It is little wonder why a verse like Romans 8:28 is a rally cry to many Christians. We consider Paul’s words, “And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose,” and apply them through various instances of life to find encouragement.  Yet the richness of this verse goes well beyond merely the fact that God does indeed work all things to good for those who love God. The specific framework Paul works within in the context of chapter 8 is set in light of the glories that await us beyond this earth. In Romans 8:18-25, Paul speaks of the reality of human suffering in a broken and fallen world that is eagerly awaiting the redemption of all things through Christ. While presently, this life is fraught with many trials and tribulations, the sufferings we experience are to be counted as incomparable with the glories to come. We groan, we wail, we suffer—yet with much hope as we persevere t...

Like many of you, I long for the Lord’s appearing, and my greatest dream is that He will return in my lifetime. Even so, come, Lord Jesus! But I have a real problem with setting dates for His return. And I have a real problem with the mindset that He could return at any moment. Let me explain why. To be clear, none of us know when we will die, and in many cases, our deaths will be sudden and unexpected. So, at all times, we should live in readiness to meet the Lord. That goes without saying. But when it comes to predicting the day (or year) of the Lord’s return, the first problem is that, to date, every single prediction, without exception, has been wrong. The failure rate is 100 percent. Why should anyone believe the next prediction when all previous predictions have been wrong? Based on what new, definitive data? (For the record, I’ve seen some of the “data,” and I don’t buy it for a second.) The second problem with date-setting actually explains why every previous prediction has bee...

The biblical end times, also called eschatology, is a complex and varied topic with different viewpoints held by various Christian denominations and scholars. I'll provide a brief overview of some prominent biblical end-times viewpoints: Preterism: This viewpoint asserts that many prophecies regarding the end times, particularly those found in the book of Revelation, were fulfilled in the past. Preterists interpret these prophecies as referring to events that occurred during the early years of Christianity or around the time of the destruction of the Jerusalem temple in 70 AD. Historicist: Historicists interpret the book of Revelation as a symbolic representation of the entire course of history from when it was written until the second coming of Jesus. They see various events and figures mentioned in Revelation as representing specific historical periods and individuals. This viewpoint was prevalent among Protestant reformers. Futurism: Futurists believe that many of the prophec...

War has been at the forefront of many minds in the past fifteen months. War has impacted us all, no matter how close or far we are from the front lines. Of course, Jesus said we can expect to hear of "wars and rumours of wars" and that "nation will rise against nation," which are "but the beginning of the birth pains" (Matthew 24:6–8). Jesus said this in the context of his return to earth and what we can expect before he comes again. Matthew 24:6–8 mentions that war makes many appearances, especially in the book's second half.  My question is for Christians -do you have a healthy expectation that the second coming might actually bring stability to a person's mind who is feeling psychologically fragile and vulnerable and off-balance — maybe because of personal circumstances, losses, tragedies, pain, or because of upheavals in society that disorient people and pull them this way and that and make them feel fragmented and shaky, maybe even agitated an...

Confused about this topic? In general, I do think we should do the best for the church about the second coming when we don’t focus on distortions and misconceptions but instead on the truth and the beauty of what it really is in the Bible. And yet, it’s right, now and then, to make our people understand there are misconceptions and errors. Five Misconceptions Frankly, I’m really happy that my book is viewed as mainly proactive and positive rather than critical. But of course, even that positive view can be overstated. Suppose we never focus on what’s wrong and show how harmful it is. In that case, we won’t really be biblical because the biblical witness itself describes errors and their harmfulness — like Jesus did with the scribes and Pharisees or like Paul in exposing errors of false teaching in Colossians and other places. So yes, I will point out some misconceptions about the second coming. Let’s just take them one at a time, and I’ll try to explain why I think they’re a problem. 1...