Welcome to “Retreat 2010”
Learning and Living the God-centered Life
www.learningandlivingtheword.com
February 5, 2009
“End times” Genesis to Revelation
Friday night - Session #1
What this retreat is NOT going to cover in detail
Anti-Christ
Rapture
Millennium
Beast
666
Current news from the Middle East
Revelation
Daniel - 70 weeks
Ezekiel
“End times” Genesis to Revelation
What this retreat is PLANNING to cover
Be careful about names that men assign to end time theologies.The Bible needs to drive our theology and not vice versa
A hermeneutical grid to interpret the Bible from Genesis toRevelation in when forming an end times theology
2 Timothy 2:15 and 2 Timothy 3:16
Hermeneutics is a way or a system of interpretation in order tounderstand what the author meant by what he wrote
Three distinguishing features of this kind of interpretation
Historical-Grammatical
Scripture interprets Scripture
The NT is the controlling hermeneutic in understanding OT
Genesis Revelation
Purpose = “the glory of God”
Plan = God’s unfolding andprogressive redemption ofmankind
The key to seeing and understanding the plan of redemption inthe Bible from Genesis to Revelation is “the kingdom of God.”
Roots inGenesis New Testament
Kingdom Consummated
Kingdom Inaugurated
Creation - Fall - Redemption - Restoration
The Bible is written mostly in a narrative language that shows usthat God is headed to an end. It is God’s unfolding andprogressive plan of how He intends to redeem mankind.
Kingdom Pattern
Kingdom Promise Kingdom Pre-figured
God’s unfolding and progressive redemption of mankind
Gen 1-2 Gen 3 Gen 12 Exodus Malachi Matt Rev
KingdomPattern
Phase 1
KingdomPromise
Phase 2
KingdomPre-figured
Phase 3
KingdomFulfilled
Phase 4
Kingdomconsummated
Kingdominaugurated
400years
Teaching sessions
Friday nightand Saturday morning
Overview and definitions
The details can override the big picture approach to the Bible
The problem of starting with the details instead of the overall bigpicture of the Bible can lead to “proof texting.”
What exactly does “proof texting” mean
Watch this short video from Dr. Jim White
Teaching video on dangers of “Proof Texting”
For example:
Turn to 1 Thessalonians 4:17this has often been used as a proof text for the rapture
An important view in the pre-millenial and pre-tribulation positionis the idea that Jesus will come for His church prior to the sevenyear period tribulation in order to “rapture” believers out of thepresent world.
JESUS COMES TO RAPTURE THE CHURCH
JESUS IN HEAVEN
BELIEVERS IN CHRIST
THE DEAD
THE LIVING
1 Thessalonians 4:17
Then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together withthem in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shallalways be with the Lord.
Observation for proper interpretation
This does not appear to be a secret rapture from the context
The key word to study here is “MEET” which is apantesis in theGreek and occurs 4 times in the NT
Matthew 25:1, 25:6
Acts 28:15
The word means to leave from Point A and then continue to one’sdestination of Point B. It never means returning to original point ofdeparture but rather to continue on the destination Point B.
JESUS IN HEAVEN
THE SECOND COMING OFJESUS
BELIEVERS IN CHRIST
THE DEAD
THE LIVING
CAUGHT UPWITH CHRIST
RETURN TO PLANET EARTH
Then we launch into the following information;
The different views of the Millennium
Ammillenial - no rapture
Post-millenial - no rapture
Historic Pre-millenial
Dispensational
pre-tribulation
mid-tribulation
post-tribulation
Here we are looking at puzzle pieces
Dispensational
The amillennialists who do not believe in a Christ who will set up rule onthis earth. For them, Christ simply comes, judges, and establishes the newheaven and earth. For them there is no rapture.
The post-millennialists who believe that the world, through the preachingand teaching of the church, will become more godly, peaceful, andprosperous and that the new age will be essentially like the present with thechurch ruling for a period of time. At the end Christ returns and judges theworld. The post-millennialists also have no place for a rapture.
Dispensationalist believe that Jesus Christ will return to the earth prior toHis literal reign on the earth for 1000 years. It believes that this willhappen at the second coming, at the glorious visible return of Jesus Christat the end of this age. Hence it is called Premillennialism, believing in apremillennial return of Jesus Christ.Three groups include the following:
1. Post-tribulationists believe that the rapture will not occur until the endof the seven year tribulation, just prior to the beginning of the millennialkingdom.
2. Mid-tribulationists believe that the rapture will occur three and one halfyears into the tribulation, at beginning of the three and one half year greattribulation.
3. Pre-tribulationists believe that the rapture will occur prior to the sevenyear tribulation, but not necessarily immediately before the tribulation.
Instead of looking at puzzle pieces, let’s understand the big picturefrom Genesis to Revelation
Two excellent approaches to studying the Bible
Biblical Doctrine = circle
Biblical Theology = line
Illustration - the box top (Biblical theology) and the borders ofjigsaw puzzle (Bible doctrine)
Bible Doctrine is a complete look at all the Scripture in the area ofGod, man, Christ, Spirit, salvation, church or the word
Whereas Biblical theology is a linear progression in the story of theBible from Genesis to Revelation (a tree laying sideways)
The Bible is difficult for us to read and understand because:
We have to learn how to stand in the language community of thoseseparated from us by thousands of years
The Old Testament makes up 2/3’s of our Bible and many aren’t surehow it relates to the New Testament
The Bible is set up like a narrative that is progressing toward an end.
The Bible is not a myth, it is the inspired record in history in whichGod Himself was at work through the authors in the history ofredemption.
A story has a beginning, middle and the end.
Therefore we need a good hermeneutical grid to help us interpret theScriptures properly.
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