Sam I wanted to follow up on the letter I sent you the other day about Jeremiah’s prophecy of 70 years of desolation for Judah. Jeremiah also prophesied 70 years of servitude for Judah. The technique that you developed for determining the duration of prophetic periods can also be used in analyzing the prophecy of … Continue reading Letter to Sam: Jeremiah’s 70 Years of Servitude
The Future (Eschatology)
Calculating Daniel’s Seventy Weeks Prophecy (Daniel 9:24-27) and the Length of the Tribulation Period
Sam A. Smith An Overview of Daniel’s Seventy Weeks (Daniel 9:24-27) The prophecy of the seventy weeks (Dan. 9:24-27) is perhaps the most important prophecy of all in understanding tribulation chronology. This prophecy was given for the purpose of conveying specific chronological information concerning God’s future plans for the Jewish nation, which was then in … Continue reading Calculating Daniel’s Seventy Weeks Prophecy (Daniel 9:24-27) and the Length of the Tribulation Period
Were the Old Testament Saints Regenerated and Indwelt by the Holy Spirit Prior to Christ’s Death on the Cross?
Sam A. Smith According to the Bible, there has never been but one means of eternal salvation: salvation by grace, through faith in Christ. However, that should not be interpreted to mean that the temporal relations in the application of the various elements of salvation (justification, regeneration, indwelling, sanctification, etc.) are uniform in redemptive history. … Continue reading Were the Old Testament Saints Regenerated and Indwelt by the Holy Spirit Prior to Christ’s Death on the Cross?
The Non-Christian, Anti-cosmic Roots of Amillennialism (Realized Eschatology)
Sam A. Smith (Due to the length of this article, only a brief introduction appears here; to read the entire article, click or tap HERE.) As the Church expanded into the Greek and Roman world, Christianity was, over time, quite literally transformed into a non-Jewish and somewhat anti-cosmic religion. While some modern religious scholars seem … Continue reading The Non-Christian, Anti-cosmic Roots of Amillennialism (Realized Eschatology)
Were the “Lost Gospels” Really Lost, or Simply Rejected?
By Sam A. Smith For all of the attention currently being given to the subject of “lost gospels,” there simply are no lost gospels. There are of course, numerous post-New Testament writings that purport to be gospels. Almost all of those documents were composed between the mid-second century and the close of the third century … Continue reading Were the “Lost Gospels” Really Lost, or Simply Rejected?
A Note Regarding My View on the Timing of the Rapture of the Church
My view on the timing of the rapture, which I refer to as the “imminent pre-wrath view,” has sometimes been mischaracterized as a modified form of Rosenthal’s pre-wrath view; I would like to say emphatically that nothing could be further from the truth. The imminent pre-wrath view is an imminent view, and thus bears a … Continue reading A Note Regarding My View on the Timing of the Rapture of the Church
Biblical Future Prophecy –Part 10: The Resurrections and Judgments
[This is the tenth in a series of articles on biblical future prophecy. The material has been adapted from the author’s book, What the Bible Says About the Future, second edition, 2011, by Sam A. Smith.] In this series of articles we have discussed the resurrections and judgments as they appear in the sequence of … Continue reading Biblical Future Prophecy –Part 10: The Resurrections and Judgments
Why Matthew 24:36-25:30 Describes the Rapture of the Church, Not the Second Coming of Christ
Pretribulationism underwent a subtle, yet significant transformation in the first half of the twentieth century. The earlier pretribulationism of J.N. Darby and C.I. Scofield began to be replaced by the pretribulationism of Henry C. Thiessen and Lewis Sperry Chafer, and later John F. Walvoord. The dividing line between these two forms of pretribulationism centers on … Continue reading Why Matthew 24:36-25:30 Describes the Rapture of the Church, Not the Second Coming of Christ
Biblical Future Prophecy –Part 9: Notes on Tribulation Chronology
[This is the ninth in a series of articles on biblical future prophecy. The material has been adapted from the author’s book, What the Bible Says About the Future, second edition, 2011, by Sam A. Smith. To jump to the next article in this series tap or click here.] Just as it is important to … Continue reading Biblical Future Prophecy –Part 9: Notes on Tribulation Chronology
Biblical Future Prophecy –Part 8: The Rapture of the Church
The rapture refers to Christ’s return for his Church, when he will resurrect the dead in Christ and transform the bodies of living saints into their glorified form, instantly calling his Church out of this world and into Heaven; it is an event that is to be completely without warning or signs.[i] While the Bible […]
Biblical Future Prophecy –Part 7: The Tribulation Described
[This is the seventh in a series of articles on biblical future prophecy. The material has been adapted from the author’s book, What the Bible Says About the Future, second edition, 2011, by Sam A. Smith. To jump to the next article in this series tap or click here.] In the previous article we discussed … Continue reading Biblical Future Prophecy –Part 7: The Tribulation Described
Biblical Future Prophecy –Part 6: Background to the Tribulation (Daniel’s 70th Week)
[This is the sixth in a series of articles on biblical future prophecy. The material has been adapted from the author’s book, What the Bible Says About the Future, second edition, 2011, by Sam A. Smith. To jump to the next article in this series tap or click here.] Both the Old and New Testaments … Continue reading Biblical Future Prophecy –Part 6: Background to the Tribulation (Daniel’s 70th Week)
Biblical Future Prophecy –Part 5: What Will the Millennium be Like?
[This is the fifth in a series of articles on biblical future prophecy. The material has been adapted from the author’s book, What the Bible Says About the Future, second edition, 2011, by Sam A. Smith. To jump to the next article in this series tap or click here.] In the previous article (Biblical Future … Continue reading Biblical Future Prophecy –Part 5: What Will the Millennium be Like?
Biblical Future Prophecy –Part 4: The Biblical Basis for Belief in a Future Earthly Kingdom of God
[This is the fourth in a series of articles on biblical future prophecy. The material has been adapted from the author’s book, What the Bible Says About the Future, second edition, 2011, by Sam A. Smith. To jump to the next article in this series tap or click here.] The kingdom of God is one … Continue reading Biblical Future Prophecy –Part 4: The Biblical Basis for Belief in a Future Earthly Kingdom of God
Biblical Future Prophecy –Part 3: Understanding Apocalyptic Literature
[This is the third in a series of articles on biblical future prophecy. The material has been adapted from the author’s book, What the Bible Says About the Future, second edition, 2011, by Sam A. Smith. To jump to the next article in this series tap or click here.] The word “apocalyptic” comes from the … Continue reading Biblical Future Prophecy –Part 3: Understanding Apocalyptic Literature
Biblical Future Prophecy –Part 2: How Interpretive Frameworks Affect Our Understanding of Future Prophecy
[This is the second in a series of articles on biblical future prophecy. The material has been adapted from the author’s book, What the Bible Says About the Future, second edition, 2011, by Sam A. Smith. To jump to the next article in this series tap or click here.] Scripture in general, and future prophecy … Continue reading Biblical Future Prophecy –Part 2: How Interpretive Frameworks Affect Our Understanding of Future Prophecy
Biblical Future Prophecy –Part 1: Introduction to Biblical Future Prophecy
[This is the first in a series of articles on biblical future prophecy. The material has been adapted from the author’s book, What the Bible Says About the Future, second edition, 2011, by Sam A. Smith. To jump to the next article in this series tap or click here.] One of Jesus’ final teachings before … Continue reading Biblical Future Prophecy –Part 1: Introduction to Biblical Future Prophecy
Chronological and Topical Index to Biblical Future Prophecy
This index is a virtually exhaustive listing of biblical future prophecy passages in chronological-topical order. (Prophecies related to the first advent of Christ are also listed in this index since the eschatological age i.e., the "last days," began at the first advent, cf. Heb. 1:2. ) Passages are grouped according to time and topic, so … Continue reading Chronological and Topical Index to Biblical Future Prophecy
The Importance of a Dispensational Perspective
What is a “Dispensation”? A dispensation is a historical era in which God has particular expectations of man. Each dispensation includes a test to see if man will fulfill the divine expectation. In each dispensation man fails due to his sinfulness. The dispensations are not means of salvation; rather, they are a means of blessing. … Continue reading The Importance of a Dispensational Perspective
Why Amillennialism Isn’t Biblical
Amillennialism views the millennial kingdom as a present reality, while acknowledging that some elements associated with the millennium are still future. Thus, amillennialists view the age between the first and second advents of Christ as fulfilling the prophecies of both the tribulation and the millennium. Typically they view Satan as having been bound at the … Continue reading Why Amillennialism Isn’t Biblical
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