The Accidental Prophet

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We derive our narrative from the Gospel of John, beginning in the eleventh chapter at the point where Jesus raised His good friend Lazurus from the dead. The prophecy comes from a somewhat surprising source, the High Priest Caiaphas who was the head of the Jewish believers from ~18 – 36 AD.

To give some context, Jesus was becoming much more popular with the masses. This greatly concerned the Jewish leaders in that their authority was being questioned by the people. The Jewish leaders were afraid that people questioning their authority might be considered as unrest by the Roman authorities. The Romans gave local leaders reasonable latitude to govern so long as peace was maintained; however, the Jewish leaders were afraid that any questioning of their religious system might be interpreted as unrest by the Romans. Thus, the Jewish council’s main concern was keeping the status quo of their religious system intact, whether it was true or not. The Apostle John writes in John 11:45-50:

Therefore many of the Jews who had come to visit Mary, and had seen what Jesus did, believed in him. But some of them went to the Pharisees and told them what Jesus had done.

Then the chief priests and the Pharisees called a meeting of the Sanhedrin. “What are we accomplishing?” they asked. “Here is this man performing many signs. If we let him go on like this, everyone will believe in him, and then the Romans will come and take away both our temple and our nation.

Then one of them, named Caiaphas, who was high priest that year, spoke up, “You know nothing at all! You do not realize that it is better for you that one man die for the people than that the whole nation perish.”

The irony and importance of this statement should not be lost. Here is the leader of the people’s representative before God, yet he appears ignorant of the many Old Testament prophecies concerning the coming messiah, or perhaps he pretended to be unaware due to political expediency. Whichever it may have been, he uttered one of the most profound prophetic statements concerning the gospel and work of the Christ.

John also recognized the importance of Caiaphas’ statement, introducing him at Christ’s trial with:

Caiaphas was the one who had advised the Jewish leaders that it would be good if one man died for the people.

In 1992, a tomb containing the bones of Caiaphas was discovered under the city of Jerusalem. We have biblical statements confirming that many priests became obedient to the newly establish Christian faith, such as:

So the word of God spread. The number of disciples in Jerusalem increased rapidly, and a large number of priests became obedient to the faith (Acts 6:7).

Unfortunately, there is no record that Caiaphas was one of the true believers. Yet, he did finally get the Romans to allow the crucifixion of Jesus to take place. Whether he fully understood the ramifications of his actions or not, his actions brought about the greatest gift ever given to mankind.

The Book of Daniel Trilogy

Back in 2011, I wrote a series of three articles on Bible Prophecy called Are We Living in the Last Days?, The Study of Prophecy – in Perspective, and Present Living in Light of Prophecy.

Recently, I completed another trilogy on the Book of the Prophet Daniel. The first was an Introduction to the Book of Daniel. This led to two additional spin-off articles, the first being Interpretations and Fulfillment of the Visions and Prophecies of Daniel. For this article, I spent a few weeks combing through various commentaries and other resources such as the Encyclopedia Britannica to determine the various persons and events that fulfilled many of the prophecies from the seventh through the second century BC. I also attempted to explore the prophecies still to be fulfilled in our future. If you've always wondered about many of the strange images and predictions within the book, hopefully this article will shed some light on the subject. A knowledge of Daniel is essential to understanding almost all aspects of future prophecy, including the prophetic portions of the New Testament.

The Book of Daniel contains more prophecies that have since been fulfilled than any other book in the Bible. As I was researching the meanings, I couldn't help but be amazed at the detail and precision by which each phrophecy was fulfilled. Thus, the fulfillments have a strong apologetics application. Because we have so many prophetic visions that have already been precisely fulfilled in the past, we would expect the same accuracy for those visions concerning the future.

The final article in the trilogy was entitled The Seventy Weeks of Daniel 9 – Four Interpretations. In this article, I examined various interpretations and timelines for this prophecy from an Old Testament (Maccabean) view, a Preterist (Reformed Historical) view, a Covenantal (Reformed Futurist) view and from a Dispensational (Futurist) view, pointing out the similarities and the divergences of each view. The Seventy Weeks of Daniel is the key to helping us understand the basic timeline of historical and future events prophesized in both the Old and New Testament.

I initially didn’t set out to do another prophecy-themed trilogy, but it just happened that way. Incidentally, I’m now working on the Introduction to the Book of the Revelation and, wouldn’t you know it, I currently have two spin-off articles in progress on it as well. The first spin-off considers how various events (and their timelines) are interpreted from a Preterist, a Historicist, an Idealist (Allegorical), and a Futuristic view. The final article will discuss four major interpretive views of the Millennial Kingdom of Revelation 20.

I’ll add the links to the Revelation articles in a new post when finished. To God be the glory…

Present Living in Light of Prophecy

This article is the final entry in our prophecy trilogy. In part 1, we examined the question, Are we living in the last days?. We determined that the Bible gives many clues on how to recognize the signs and events indicating that the end is near, but that no one knows the date or time. In part 2, The Study of Bible Prophecy - in Perspective, we discussed the study of prophecy within the context of our overall Bible study practice. We now turn our attention to the subject of practical living while awaiting the return of our Lord Jesus.

For those who have yet to secure their salvation, or for others that are unsure, the most important step is to make sure of your eternal destination. Once Jesus returns, it will be too late (Mt 25:1-13). For information on how to deal with this critical matter, see How to Know for Sure that You're Going to Heaven.

For believers, we turn to the last writing by the Apostle Peter just before his martyrdom. In the first two chapters of his second epistle, he testifies to being an eyewitness to the events and teachings of Jesus, and to the reliability of Scripture. He then profiles false teachers, against whom he warns his readers to be on guard. In the final chapter, he turns his attention to the last days, explaining that the heavens and earth have been stored with fire, awaiting the final judgment. He then writes of Jesus’ return:

But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance. But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything in it will be laid bare. (2Pe 3:8-10)

Peter then asks a question which reveals his true purpose for writing about the last days, “Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be?”. He then proceeds to answer his own question, “You ought to live holy and godly lives as you look forward to the day of God…” (2Pe 3:11-12).

Therefore, we must not become complacent, but continue to grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ as we live our lives in eager expectation of his return. As Adrian Rogers once said, “We ought to be living as though Jesus died yesterday, rose this morning, and is coming back this afternoon”.

When Jesus ascended back into heaven after His first advent, He sent the Holy Spirit to guide and empower us to live our lives worthy of our calling within this world, yet also set apart from it. We are also encouraged to live righteously because of the hope He has given us. This “hope” is not merely a “wish for”, but a confident assurance that all of God’s promises for us will be fulfilled according to His perfect plan, a plan that can’t be altered by the forces of this world. The word “hope” is mentioned over 150 times in the Bible, such as hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us. (Rom 5:5). As Christians, we have inner peace, fellowship with other believers, unseen angelic helpers, a purpose for living, and the one true God that we can call upon at any time. We also have the assurance that God will work all things for good for those who love Him (Rom 8:28).

To summarize this trilogy of articles, we can say that no one knows the exact day or time that Jesus will return, so we are to be watchful and prepared by living holy and righteous lives. We should balance our study of Biblical prophecy within our overall study of the Scriptures. Finally, while the media and others are in full panic as current events unfold around us, we as Christians can be confident that God is in sovereign control of all that is happening, and of all that will transpire between now and the last day.

The Study of Bible Prophecy - in Perspective

In our last post, the first of a trilogy on End Times Prophecy, we examined the question, Are we living in the last days? If, as we determined, we can’t know the time or exact circumstances of Jesus’ return, would our study time be better spent on other Biblical doctrines rather than studying prophecy? In this second blog post, we’ll answer this question and discuss the study of prophecy within the context of our overall Bible study practice.

Before we go any further, I’d like to clarify the meaning of "prophecy" as used in this post. The chief Biblical use of the word “prophecy” entails forth telling, that is to accurately proclaim God’s message or Word, with primary application on the present times. Thus, anyone who can properly interpret and elucidate God’s word by the illumination of the Holy Spirit is a prophet. In this article however, we’re referring to the other Biblical meaning of prophecy, that of foretelling or predicting the future.

The Bible tells us that “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work” (2Tim 3:16-17). This statement alone confirms the importance of studying Biblical prophecy. Over one-fourth of the Bible was prophetic at the time each book was written. Over half of the roughly two thousand documented prophecies have already been fulfilled without error, so we can be confident that the others will likewise be fulfilled in the future. Therefore, the study of prophecy familiarizes us with God’s plan for the ages, protects us from the deception of false teachings, and gives us confidence for the future. It is also evangelistic and apologetic in that, our studies impart in us the urgency to share our faith in whatever time we have left, and enhances our knowledge of doctrine which further equips us to defend the Faith. In addition, much of the proof of Jesus as the Messiah rests upon fulfilled OT prophecy.

So, we easily see that we should not neglect the study of Biblical prophecy. Nevertheless, we’d like to offer a few comments on balancing the study of prophecy with the study of other Biblical doctrines.

When studying systematically, we generally maintain a pretty good balance between most of the topics such as the Bible, God, Christ, the Holy Spirit, Man, Sin, and Salvation; although some erroneously minimize the essential study of the Church. With the study of Eschatology (last things) however, many tend to go to one of two extremes, either outright neglect or becoming so preoccupied with prophecy that the other doctrines are practically ignored. We’ve already mentioned several reasons not to overlook the study of prophecy, so we'll make a few remarks on the latter case.

One glance at the number of teachers and internet sites devoted exclusively to prophecy (some Biblical, others not so much) gives us a hint of its popularity. Most people are fascinated by the unknowns of the future, so it’s easy to see how we can easily become engrossed in the study of prophecy while overlooking the other Biblical doctrines, but we must be careful to avoid this trap. For one thing, our understanding of prophecy will be sorely lacking without a good working knowledge of the other essential doctrines.

Some folks might ask, what about those scholars who specialize in the study of prophecy. We are grateful for those who have dedicated a good part of their research time to Bible prophecy, but keep in mind that the more orthodox ones had already developed sound doctrine based upon all Scripture prior to their decision to specialize. For example, well known pastor and author Tim LaHaye, who has written many books on prophecy including the Left Behind series, had already researched and written many other books on a variety of other Biblical topics, and continued to study the entire Scriptures while concentrating on prophetical writings. Therefore, before anyone decides to “specialize”, they should become very familiar with the whole of Scripture.

This last statement also applies to other Biblical and related subjects other than prophecy. Many times, I’ve been in a Christian bookstore and overheard a customer ask for books on a topic such as predestination, non-Christian cults, or some gray area that doesn’t affect any major doctrines. After a minute or two, it often becomes obvious that the customer has little overall Bible knowledge. While a few these areas of study can be somewhat profitable after we obtain a solid Biblical foundation, they will be of little use to anyone with limited understanding of the Scriptures and, in some cases, can be outright dangerous. For example, David Jeremiah, a very respected pastor and author once testified that he was never so relieved to finish a project because, as he researched the occult for an upcoming book, he could feel the dark forces attempting to draw him in. We must be firmly anchored in historically orthodox doctrine prior to venturing into secondary topics.

I can speak from experience about wasting a lot of study time during my younger days. I began seriously researching Biblical doctrine about twenty years ago. Rather than consulting with experienced orthodox pastors and teachers, I set out on my own. I would often gauge a topic based upon interest rather than importance or truth. Unlike many others that fall into this trap, I had read the Bible most of my life, so I was fortunate enough to discern that many things that I was reading were not correct, but because I had yet to spend enough quality time studying the basics, I had no idea how to respond to these errors. Therefore, I decided that I must first become very familiar with orthodox Biblical doctrine before branching out into these side issues. Even today, I study the Bible daily, adding the study of an additional four to six books on rotating days. In an attempt to stay well rounded, I choose books from different categories such as Systematic Theology (includes prophecy), Church History, Apologetics, Prayer, Hebrew Heritage, Christian Philosophy, Evangelism, Christian Living, Spiritual Warfare etc.

In summary, we recommend that everyone first become well grounded in the historical Biblical doctrines of the Faith (which also includes the basic study of prophecy). Then, for those who are called to devote additional study time to Biblical prophecy, go for it. Just remember however, while you are spending time trying to determine who or what the third toe on the right foot of the image in Daniel 2 represents, don’t neglect your other Bible studies.

Speaking of Daniel, his OT book is filled with various prophecies given during the sixth century BC, some that came to pass over the next several centuries (primarily during the Intertestament period) and others that still await their fulfillment during the last days. In the final chapter, Daniel asks the angel for more information concerning the end times prophecies. The angel basically tells Daniel to go his own way (Dan 12:9) and not concern himself with the extra details that are sealed up until the end. This does not mean that we should not have a healthy interest in prophecy, but we should not become so obsessed with the future that we fail to faithfully carry out our faithful duties in the present. This will be the subject of our third and final post in this trilogy.

Update: Part 3, Present Living in Light of Prophecy is loaded.

Are We Living in the last Days?

This is the first of a planned trilogy of posts regarding the “end times” or “last days”.

With so much war, turmoil, disease, natural disasters, and economic uncertainty in the world today, a common question being asked is, “Are we living in the end times?” Theologically speaking, the “end times”, or “last days” began about 2000 years ago with the first advent of the Christ (Heb 1:1-2, 1Jn 2:18). I believe what most people mean by the question however, is “Will Jesus return during our lifetime, or soon thereafter?”

When Jesus’ disciples inquired about the time and circumstances of his return, He replied, “Watch out that no one deceives you. For many will come in my name, claiming, 'I am the Christ,' and will deceive many. You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. All these are the beginning of birth pains” (Mt 24:4-8). He then elaborates and illustrates further throughout the chapter, including making references to the OT book of Daniel.

Looking at history, we find many wrong predictions regarding the end of days. In the second century, a Roman priest predicted Jesus would return in 500AD based upon the dimensions of Noah’s ark. Many predicted the end would come at the beginning of 1000AD and 2000AD simply because of the year number. Others predicted 1033AD or 1533AD based on a crucifixion date of 33AD (Christ was crucified either 30AD or 33AD). Archbishop Ussher forecast a particular day in 1644 while others predicted 1666 because of the number of the beast. Jehovah’s Witnesses guessed 1874, 1878, 1881, 1910, 1914, 1918, 1925, 1975, and 1984 before announcing they would make no further predictions. In our modern times, a popular book in the 80s gave 88 reasons why Jesus would return in 1988. When this failed, the same author wote another book offering 89 reasons why the rapture would occur in 1989 (which didn’t sell many copies for some odd reason). Just this year, Harold Camping set his latest date for the rapture when his previous predictions failed to come true. This is just a few of the predictions that have been made throughout history, so maybe we should look instead at what Jesus himself had to say on the subject.

Regarding the time of his return, Jesus says “No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark; and they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away. That is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. Two men will be in the field; one will be taken and the other left. Two women will be grinding with a hand mill; one will be taken and the other left.” Mt 24:36-41.

Just before his ascension, they asked Him, "Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?” He said to them: "It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority” (Ac 1:6-7).

So, we know that Jesus will definitely return (1Th 4:16-17), but we can only speculate whether the Second Advent will take place in our lifetime, shortly afterward, or at a date in the distant future. The signs are certainly evident, and there are no additional events that have to occur before His return. In addition to those already mentioned, we’ve witnessed a great increase in knowledge (primarily from technology) and the resettling of the Nation of Israel in the Promised Land. We’ve also seen more major wars in the last hundred years than in the past two millennia. Furthermore, just in the last ten years or so, we seen an unprecedented amount of natural disasters and human crisis such as war in Iraq, Afghanistan and Libya, hurricanes (Katrina), tsunamis (Japan), earthquakes (China), AIDS, Swine flu, famines, and economic collapses. We also see the current administration in America virtually abandoning Israel as other countries line up against her. With the current conditions surrounding us, it’s difficult to imagine the world lasting much longer.

On the other hand, many men who were much smarter than me, such as Martin Luther (early 1500s) and Jonathan Edwards (mid 1700s), thought Christ would return in their lifetimes. Therefore, while I believe Jesus’ return is likely to be relatively soon, it could still be hundreds of years away. This uncertainty however, should make us no less diligent in our Christian walk. As I once heard it so well stated, we should prepare for a journey of a thousand years, but be prepared to abandon ship at any moment.

Update: Part 2, The Study of Bible Prophecy - in Perspective is loaded. In this post, we discuss the study of prophecy within the context of our overall Bible study practice.

Update: Part 3, Present Living in Light of Prophecy is loaded.

Alien Invasion of the Righteous Kind

Our good friend Thomas sent us an recent email exchange with a Christian lady regarding the second coming of Christ that he wanted to share with our readers. The timing of this is very appropriate. As we close out another year, we are reminded that we’re also further down the line on our road to eternity.

Thomas originally sent the following email to several folks.

But you must not forget this one thing, dear friends: A day is like a thousand years to the Lord, and a thousand years is like a day. The Lord isn't really being slow about his promise, as some people think. No, he is being patient for your sake. He does not want anyone to be destroyed, but wants everyone to repent. (2Pe 3:8-9 NLT)

God may have seemed slow to these believers as they faced persecution every day and longed to be delivered. But God is not slow; he just is not on our timetable. Jesus is waiting so that more sinners will repent and turn to him.

We must not sit and wait for Christ to return, but we should live with the realization that time is short and that we have important work to do. Be ready to meet Christ any time, even today; yet plan your course of service as though he may not return for many years.

The nice lady replied that this thought had been on her mind lately. She had watched a couple of movies that were fictitious, but contained a real “underlying meaning” to them that made her take a step back and evaluate her life, as well as those around her. She wondered who would be chosen, and who would be left behind because they couldn’t make a decision or stand up and fight for what they believed. We must clarify here that the lady is making a general contemplation, and is not doctrinally implying that we will be saved by making a one-time intellectual decision, or left behind due to a lack of works. We are saved by faith alone, but this saving faith will produce a changed life, and a lack of works will result in lost blessings (Eph 2:8-10, 1Cor 3:10-15).

Thomas replied, speaking of Christ’s return and Satan’s deception:

Thank you. Sometimes, I get very anxious about the Lord’s return to planet earth (Wow!) and I pray that He returns soon, but when I read 2 Peter 3:8-9, it reminds me of how much Jesus loves us! We are created in their image and likeness! In this sense, they (the Trinity) are our ancestors; we are family (all true believers are adopted in Christ)! The Holy Trinity wants all to repent and be saved. We must have patience and wait for the promise of His return, even if we die before His arrival (the dead in Christ will rise first).

Revelation 19:11-21 describes what I call an alien invasion of a righteous kind! Some of the elements within the account of Christ’s return remind me of some of the alien movies that I have seen over the years. Perhaps, the best known is War of the Worlds, based on a science-fiction novel by HG Wells about a Martian invasion of the earth. In 1938, Orson Welles broadcast an adaptation of the book on radio, but he aired the play as a series of dance numbers being periodically interrupted by “news bulletins” of the invasion. This was done to heighten the dramatic effect, and it would be a gross understatement to say that this technique worked. People panicked and went into frenzy! Many were treated for shock and hysteria. In New Jersey, even some members of our armed reserves reported for duty in anticipation of this invasion, only to discover that it was a hoax!

This event graphically illustrates how easily we can be deceived, and Satan is the master deceiver (Jn 8:44). Indeed, with believers, this is his primary weapon (1Jn 4:1-6), and one of his primary avenues from before 1938 to the present is through the accommodating media. We continue to see his plans unfolding through television (the V series), the movies (Independence Day, War of the worlds, etc), and targeting our kids through games, cartoons, books, etc. Satan is the god of this world and the prince of the power of the air, who works in the sons of disobedience. Getting back to Revelation 19, Satan knows that Jesus will return and the master deceiver is preparing those who do not believe and will not repent, to join him as he dares to assemble the nations of the earth together to fight against the rider (Jesus) on the white horse and the armies that follow Him. To make a long story short, Jesus wins, and we see the fate of Satan’s counterfeit trinity, along with Satan himself in Rev 19:17-20:15.

I know this sounds fantastic! Almost unbelievable! But, it is no less amazing than our belief in the first coming of Jesus Christ. God came to earth in human flesh, born of a virgin, to save man from sin. He died on the cross, arose from the dead on the third day, was seen by eye witnesses, and ascended into heaven. Just as the first coming of Christ was literally fulfilled in history, so the future second coming of Christ will be fulfilled in the same literal manner. Unlike the War of the Worlds however, it will not be a hoax! In fact, the second coming of Christ is one of the most oft-mentioned events in both the OT (Ps 2, 96:10-13, 110, Ezk 37:15-28, Dn 7:13-14, Zech 12, 14:1-9) and the NT (Mt 24:27-31, 25:31-46, Mk 13:24-27, Lk 12:35-40, 17:24-37, 18:8, 21:25-28, Ac 1:10-11, Rm 11:25-27, 2Th 2:1-12, 2Pe 3:3-4, Jd 14-15, Rev 1:7-8 etc).

So, what should we do in the meantime? First, be ready (Mt 24:44) by making sure you have a guaranteed reservation waiting in heaven through a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. Next, become a true disciple (student and/or learner) by consistently reading the word. Let the comforter and teacher, the Holy Spirit, help mold you into the mind of Christ, so that we will not believe the great lie! In His Love, Thomas

For those who are not sure that they are guaranteed the reservation (eternal life) that Thomas mentioned, please see How to Be Sure You’re are Going to Heaven.