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Prophecy Watch
In this comprehensive, easy-to-understand overview of prophecy, Bible experts Thomas Ice and Timothy Demy guide you through the events of the rapture, the tribulation, Armageddon, and the millennium--the glorious reign of Christ on earth.
279 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1998
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
September 10, 2024
TWO SCHOLARS ARGUE THAT "THE SIGNS OF THE TIMES ARE PASSING BY"
Thomas Ice is an Associate Professor of Religion at Liberty University, and the executive director of the Pre-Trib Research Center at Liberty University; he has also written/cowritten books such as 'The End Times Controversy,' 'Ready to Rebuild: The Imminent Plan to Rebuild the Last Days Temple,' 'The Great Tribulation--Past or Future?: Two Evangelicals Debate the Question,' etc. Timothy Demy has also cowritten with Thomas Ice the books 'The Coming Cashless Society,' 'Fast Facts on Bible Prophecy from A to Z,' etc.
They note in the beginning of this 1998 book, "God's prophetic plan for humanity is on track and on schedule... With the return of a significant portion of world Jewry to the Promised Land and the subsequent establishment of Israel as a nation in 1948, God's plan is moving closer and closer to fruition... The signs of the times are passing by. Do you see them and recognize them?" (Pg. 7-8) They state, "The rapture is a signless event; thus, there are not and never will be signs of the time indicating that the rapture is near. This is true because the rapture is IMMINENT, meaning it could happen at any moment." (Pg. 11)
They state, "When the modern state of Israel was born in 1948, it not only became an important stage-setting development but began an actual fulfillment of specific Bible prophecies about an international regathering of the Jews in unbelief before the judgment of the tribulation. Such a prediction is found in the following Old Testament passages: Isaiah 11:11-12; Ezekiel 20:33-38, 22:17-22, 36:22-24; Zeph 2:1-2; and Ezekiel 38-39 presupposes such a setting." (Pg. 62)
They argue, "Replacement theology tries to teach that because Gentile believers are described as 'Abraham's offspring' (Gal 3:29), this is equivalent to saying that they are Israel. This is clearly not the case. Paul's description of Gentile believers in Galatians 3:29 simply means that they participate in the spiritual (e.g., salvation) blessings that come through Israel (Rom 15:27; 1 Cor 9:11, 14)... Therefore, Israel's national promises are left intact, awaiting a yet future fulfillment." (Pg. 96)
They admit, "Posttribulationists usually contend that if the rapture and the second coming are two distinct events, separated by about seven years, then there ought to be at least one passage in Scripture that clearly teaches this. However, the Bible does not always teach God's truth in accordance with our preconceived notions or in such a way that directly answers all of our questions. For example, a Unitarian could design a similar question regarding the Trinity." (Pg. 99)
They point out, "Many people have the mistaken idea that the conflict of Armageddon will entail battle with an army of the Antichrist consisting of 200 million troops. It is further held that this army will be Chinese. The '200 million' is derived from Revelation 9:16. The Chinese army idea is ... coupled with the 'kings of the east' mentioned in Revelation 16:12. However, a careful reading of the texts in question shows that the army of 200 million is demonic rather than human and that the events are two separate events. The force of 200 million is NOT part of Armageddon and is NOT Chinese of any other nationality." (Pg. 197)
This book will be of great interest to students of biblical prophecy.
Thomas Ice is an Associate Professor of Religion at Liberty University, and the executive director of the Pre-Trib Research Center at Liberty University; he has also written/cowritten books such as 'The End Times Controversy,' 'Ready to Rebuild: The Imminent Plan to Rebuild the Last Days Temple,' 'The Great Tribulation--Past or Future?: Two Evangelicals Debate the Question,' etc. Timothy Demy has also cowritten with Thomas Ice the books 'The Coming Cashless Society,' 'Fast Facts on Bible Prophecy from A to Z,' etc.
They note in the beginning of this 1998 book, "God's prophetic plan for humanity is on track and on schedule... With the return of a significant portion of world Jewry to the Promised Land and the subsequent establishment of Israel as a nation in 1948, God's plan is moving closer and closer to fruition... The signs of the times are passing by. Do you see them and recognize them?" (Pg. 7-8) They state, "The rapture is a signless event; thus, there are not and never will be signs of the time indicating that the rapture is near. This is true because the rapture is IMMINENT, meaning it could happen at any moment." (Pg. 11)
They state, "When the modern state of Israel was born in 1948, it not only became an important stage-setting development but began an actual fulfillment of specific Bible prophecies about an international regathering of the Jews in unbelief before the judgment of the tribulation. Such a prediction is found in the following Old Testament passages: Isaiah 11:11-12; Ezekiel 20:33-38, 22:17-22, 36:22-24; Zeph 2:1-2; and Ezekiel 38-39 presupposes such a setting." (Pg. 62)
They argue, "Replacement theology tries to teach that because Gentile believers are described as 'Abraham's offspring' (Gal 3:29), this is equivalent to saying that they are Israel. This is clearly not the case. Paul's description of Gentile believers in Galatians 3:29 simply means that they participate in the spiritual (e.g., salvation) blessings that come through Israel (Rom 15:27; 1 Cor 9:11, 14)... Therefore, Israel's national promises are left intact, awaiting a yet future fulfillment." (Pg. 96)
They admit, "Posttribulationists usually contend that if the rapture and the second coming are two distinct events, separated by about seven years, then there ought to be at least one passage in Scripture that clearly teaches this. However, the Bible does not always teach God's truth in accordance with our preconceived notions or in such a way that directly answers all of our questions. For example, a Unitarian could design a similar question regarding the Trinity." (Pg. 99)
They point out, "Many people have the mistaken idea that the conflict of Armageddon will entail battle with an army of the Antichrist consisting of 200 million troops. It is further held that this army will be Chinese. The '200 million' is derived from Revelation 9:16. The Chinese army idea is ... coupled with the 'kings of the east' mentioned in Revelation 16:12. However, a careful reading of the texts in question shows that the army of 200 million is demonic rather than human and that the events are two separate events. The force of 200 million is NOT part of Armageddon and is NOT Chinese of any other nationality." (Pg. 197)
This book will be of great interest to students of biblical prophecy.
October 1, 2019
I gave this book four stars because it was very detailed in the area of explaining the "end of days" in accordance with their view point as they understand and interpret the teachings of the Bible, Jesus Christ and his Prophets. It also explained some of the other viewpoints, but then explained why “they” don’t believe those view points are as on point as theirs. I would have given it five stars but there were numerous points that they simply said they were right and the others were wrong, but failed to explain to the reader why. All in all it was a good read, interesting and entertaining to read. I would recommend this to anyone who is open minded and wishes to learn more about any religion.
April 11, 2020
I debated between a 3 or a 5 star. Because they are both outstanding authors I've enjoyed in the past, so decided to go with the high side. The graphs, background knowledge was excellent. What felt like a disappointment was a promise of being able to see for ourselves why pretrib is the best choice. I found it vague, lacking in credible interpretation rather than parroting other end time teachers who passed on that theology to their students, audiences and books. The parts that are good, are very good in which I'm able to build cross reference which will not change the structure. Fascinating. I would say only those who already have teaching can eat this teaching objectively with an open but discerning mind..
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews