![]() Interest in prophecy increases at times of great instability, said Mark Hitchcock, author of several books on prophecy and pastor of Faith Bible Church in Edmond, Okla. Since 1995, when their first book appeared, LaHaye and Jenkins have sold more than 38 million copies of 10 novels set during the end-time period known as the Great Tribulation. ![]() One of the greatest indicators of that interest has been the phenomenal success of the “Left Behind” series by Tim LaHaye and Jerry B. ![]() 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, and the recent explosion of the space shuttle Columbia fueled even greater speculation on how the world might end. Those criticisms are of little concern to millions of Americans who were caught up in end-time fever long before the Sept. Many who obsess about the end of the world fail to enjoy the life they have or help others in an effort to improve society, he said. More problematic is the fatalistic worldview of apocalyptic thinking, Hill said. “The irony is, in their quest for accuracy, biblical literalists are forced to misread the Bible.” “In trying to create one overarching interpretation, they are not allowing for the complexity of the biblical witness to come through,” he said. Yet prophetic interpreters take verses from each and combine them to create a reading that justifies their points of view, said Hill, author of “In God’s Time: The Bible and the Future.” Revelation was written 600 years later, about AD 95, by an exiled Christian leader encouraging churches in Asia Minor to persevere under the hardships of Roman control. Most claim to read the Bible “literally,” yet take bits and pieces from books written centuries apart under different circumstances, he said.Įzekiel, one of the most popular end-time texts, was written in the 6th century BC by a Judean priest exiled in Babylon who dreamed of the Jews’ return to Israel and the restoration of the Temple. Such talk bothers Craig Hill, professor of the New Testament at Wesley Theological Seminary in Washington, D.C., and one of many biblical scholars who say end-time interpreters distort Scripture to fit their own points of view. The result, Baxter concludes, could be a nuclear holocaust that takes the lives of 2 billion people, the “one-third of mankind” stated in Revelation. Chapter 16, which includes the only mention of Armageddon in the Bible, includes a reference to the Euphrates River, which runs through modern-day Iraq.Īnd other countries will take the opportunity to pursue their own interests - China trying to retake Taiwan, or India making an all-out assault on Kashmir - leading to World War III, he said. ![]() Many see evidence of Iraq’s significance in end-time scenarios in key passages of the apocalyptic book of Revelation. Its title: “Shaking of Nations: Living in Perilous Times.” Anxious discussions have arisen on prophecy Web sites, in Bible study groups and churches, and at such gatherings as last month’s 20th International Prophecy Conference in Tampa, Fla. In recent weeks, prophecy interpreters have been citing a new reason they believe the end is coming: the impending U.S. Even those who chastise date-setters often say, “God’s final judgment is coming soon - probably in our lifetime - so get ready.” Ever since Jesus Christ said that only God knows the hour or day of the Second Coming, preachers and self-appointed doomsayers have been trying to predict when it will happen - and watching the sun rise on yet another generation.
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