The Hero of Bible Prophecy
By J.B. Hixson, Ph.D.
07/25/2023
“Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.” (Matthew 24:30)
Bible prophecy enthusiasts are known for their love of charts. Long before Clarence Larkin produced his masterfully illustrated book, Dispensational Truth, in 1918, prophecy teachers were sketching out the details of God’s end times plan on chalkboards and scratch paper to illustrate what God’s Word has to say about the end of the age.
More than one hundred years later, eschatology experts continue to explain the prophetic future using elaborate PowerPoint and Keynote presentations. Such charts can be particularly helpful in clarifying the sequential order of end times events. Where does the Rapture occur relative to the Second Coming? When will the abomination of desolation take place? Where do the seal, trumpet, and bowl judgments fall within the 70th week of Daniel?
These and other questions are more easily answered when we can visualize the timeline of future events. Yet, as useful as charts can be, we must be careful not to let the sophistication of our drawings obscure the object of our faith. Never forget: The hero of all Bible prophecy is Jesus Christ, our Savior and King!
Don’t misunderstand me. Our system of eschatology is crucial, and we should do whatever we can to clearly portray it. We must passionately defend the doctrine of the Rapture and other prophetic truths as we rightly divide the Word of God (2 Timothy 2:15). But our system should not eclipse our Savior. When we teach and talk about the return of Christ, let us keep our eyes fixed on Jesus, the Author and Finisher of our faith (Hebrews 12:1-2).
This tendency to let the trees obscure the forest as we study theology is not a new problem. The people of Israel often elevated the shadow of the temple system above the substance to which it pointed (Colossians 2:17; Hebrews 8:5; 10:1). The Psalmist expressed the proper attitude toward the Jewish system when he wrote, “For a day in Your courts is better than a thousand. I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of wickedness” (Psalm 84:10).
In other words, he valued being near the temple, not for legalistic or religious reasons, but because there he could experience intimacy with God. For the Jews, the temple represented the presence of Yahweh. By standing in the temple, the Psalmist was able to more intentionally worship God and focus on Him. Today, studying Bible prophecy should provide the same opportunity for Christians. Do we study the end times because it draws us closer to our Lord?
Perhaps one reason so many Christians have little or no interest in the study of Bible prophecy is because we have inadvertently focused more on the plotline of prophecy than the Hero of history. We are so busy debating dates, details, and diagrams that we have missed the point. Jesus Christ, the One who took my place on the cross and paid my personal penalty for sin, is coming again, and when He does, I will meet Him face to face. What a day that will be!
Jesus said, “Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory” (Matthew 24:30, emphasis added). Seeing our Savior is the essence of Bible prophecy.
07/25/2023
“Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.” (Matthew 24:30)
Bible prophecy enthusiasts are known for their love of charts. Long before Clarence Larkin produced his masterfully illustrated book, Dispensational Truth, in 1918, prophecy teachers were sketching out the details of God’s end times plan on chalkboards and scratch paper to illustrate what God’s Word has to say about the end of the age.
More than one hundred years later, eschatology experts continue to explain the prophetic future using elaborate PowerPoint and Keynote presentations. Such charts can be particularly helpful in clarifying the sequential order of end times events. Where does the Rapture occur relative to the Second Coming? When will the abomination of desolation take place? Where do the seal, trumpet, and bowl judgments fall within the 70th week of Daniel?
These and other questions are more easily answered when we can visualize the timeline of future events. Yet, as useful as charts can be, we must be careful not to let the sophistication of our drawings obscure the object of our faith. Never forget: The hero of all Bible prophecy is Jesus Christ, our Savior and King!
Don’t misunderstand me. Our system of eschatology is crucial, and we should do whatever we can to clearly portray it. We must passionately defend the doctrine of the Rapture and other prophetic truths as we rightly divide the Word of God (2 Timothy 2:15). But our system should not eclipse our Savior. When we teach and talk about the return of Christ, let us keep our eyes fixed on Jesus, the Author and Finisher of our faith (Hebrews 12:1-2).
This tendency to let the trees obscure the forest as we study theology is not a new problem. The people of Israel often elevated the shadow of the temple system above the substance to which it pointed (Colossians 2:17; Hebrews 8:5; 10:1). The Psalmist expressed the proper attitude toward the Jewish system when he wrote, “For a day in Your courts is better than a thousand. I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of wickedness” (Psalm 84:10).
In other words, he valued being near the temple, not for legalistic or religious reasons, but because there he could experience intimacy with God. For the Jews, the temple represented the presence of Yahweh. By standing in the temple, the Psalmist was able to more intentionally worship God and focus on Him. Today, studying Bible prophecy should provide the same opportunity for Christians. Do we study the end times because it draws us closer to our Lord?
Perhaps one reason so many Christians have little or no interest in the study of Bible prophecy is because we have inadvertently focused more on the plotline of prophecy than the Hero of history. We are so busy debating dates, details, and diagrams that we have missed the point. Jesus Christ, the One who took my place on the cross and paid my personal penalty for sin, is coming again, and when He does, I will meet Him face to face. What a day that will be!
Jesus said, “Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory” (Matthew 24:30, emphasis added). Seeing our Savior is the essence of Bible prophecy.
3 Comments
Amen
Thank-you Dr Hixson for mentioning the Clarence Larkin book-I was fortunate to have come across this work 40 years ago-This book with the elaborate charts has been indispensable for “dispensational truth”
This has been what I've been thinking on for several days. Thank you for bringing this topic up. We need to remember that ultimately we are going to see Jesus and be with Him always.??