Posted on 06/30/2019 7:12:34 PM PDT by grumpa
Hal Lindsey’s book “The Late Great Planet Earth,” written in 1970, sold over 28 million copies. Gullible Christians got sucked into Lindsey’s soon end-of-the world poppycock. As time has passed without his version of Armageddon taking place, we can now objectively analyze where Lindsey went wrong:
• Lindsey (p. 54, 181), like other dispensationalists, placed the beginning of the end with Israel becoming a nation in 1948. He thought all prophecy would be fulfilled within a 40-year generation (Matthew 24:34). But 1988 came and went, proving him to be a false prophet. (This should be adequate proof that 1948 has nothing to do with Bible prophecy.)
• Lindsey (p. 44) prophesied a 7-year, world-wide, tribulation. He got this from Revelation 11 which speaks of the “holy city” being trampled for 42 months—and “two witnesses prophesying” for 1,260 days. He simply adds both of these 3 ½-year periods together to get 7 years (of tribulation). There is no indication in the text that this is a valid interpretation. He was reading something speculative into the text that is not there. Indeed, there is no passage in the Bible that clearly teaches a 7-year tribulation. Further, Jesus limited the time of the trampling of Jerusalem to his own generation (Luke 21:22, 32). (Interestingly, the final assault on Jerusalem by the Roman army under Titus lasted 42 months from AD 67 to AD 70.)
• Lindsey (p. 87, etc.) saw the existence of nuclear weapons as an important sign of the end times. However, Jesus taught that the so-called end times would be when God’s people would “fall by the edge of the sword” (Luke 21:24). Jesus’ prophecies were about ancient warfare, not modern nuclear weapons. The context of this prophecy by Jesus was about the coming destruction of the temple (Luke 21:6). Jesus told his listeners that it would happen when THEY saw Jerusalem surrounded by armies (Luke 21:20), in THEIR generation (Luke 21:32). This all happened when the Roman armies invaded Jerusalem in AD 67-70.
• Lindsey (p. 56-57) said, “It is certain that the Temple will be rebuilt. Prophecy demands it.” Problem is, not a single verse of the Bible can be mustered to support a future rebuilding of the temple. This idea is merely an invention of dispensationalists to try to justify their theory.
• Lindsey (p. 88, 124) even makes this astounding prediction: “The prophetic Scriptures tell us that the Roman Empire will be revived shortly before the return of Christ to this earth. A new Caesar will head this empire.” It’s hard to believe anyone took this charlatan Lindsey seriously.
• Lindsey (p. 108), in speaking of the Antichrist, “He will have a magnetic personality, be personally attractive, and a powerful speaker. He will be able to mesmerize an audience with his oratory.” But the Antichrist is never mentioned in Revelation, let alone any such description of him. The Antichrist is only mentioned in John’s epistles, which say that the Antichrist was already in the world when John was writing (1 John 4:3). Indeed, John taught that it was already the “last hour” as he wrote (1 John 2:18). If you believe John was an inspired writer, this precludes any future fulfillment.
• Lindsey (p. 125, 126) said that modern drug addiction and witchcraft is evidence of the “sorceries” of Revelation 9:21. He quoted a TV station that “Nearly every respectable high school these days has its own witch.” (Besides the obvious problem of nonsense, Revelation itself teaches that it is about things that MUST SHORTLY TAKE PLACE (Revelation 1:1; 22:6). Indeed, there are over 30 passages in Revelation that reiterate that its fulfillment was “near,” “soon,” or “about to happen.”
• Lindsey said that we should take the Bible literally (p. 176). Obviously, he doesn’t take the over 100 imminence statements literally—that biblical prophecy would be fulfilled SOON, AT HAND, BEFORE SOME IN THE FIRST CENTURY HAD DIED, IN THEIR GENERATION, etc. (Matthew 10:23; 16:27-28; 24:34; Luke 21:22; Acts 2:14-20; Hebrews 1:2; 10:37; 1 Peter 4:7, 17; etc., etc.)
• Lindsey (p. 133) said that the Harlot Babylon is some future one-world religious system “clothed in purple and scarlet.” But, Revelation itself teaches that Babylon is “the great city” (Revelation 18:10) upon whom wrath was to come. The Great City Babylon is clearly identified as Jerusalem (Revelation 11:8)! Further, purple and scarlet are the colors of the ritual dress of the high priest (Exodus 28:5-6; 39:1-2). So, the evidence supports the view that Revelation is about God’s judgment on Old Covenant Israel.
• Lindsey thought that Revelation was written in 95 AD. But there are some two dozen clues within Revelation that it was written prior to AD 70. Revelation refers to events that match the historical record of the Jewish-Roman War of AD 66-70. The book was written DURING the “tribulation” per Revelation 1:9, apparently while the temple was still standing per Revelation 11:1, and during the reign of the sixth emperor of Rome per Revelation 17:10—that is, Nero who died in AD 68. Over 130 scholars have been identified as holding to the pre-AD 70 date of Revelation.
• Lindsey (p. 164) thought the Day of the Lord predicted in the book of Joel is in our future. But the inspired apostle Peter taught that Joel’s prediction was being fulfilled in his own day (Acts 2:14-20).
• Lindsey (p. 179) taught that the “elements” of 2 Peter 3 that would be destroyed refer to the “most basic element of nature”—thus the physical universe. But EVERY TIME in the New Testament that the word “elements” (Greek, stoicheion) is used, it refers to the elements of the old covenant (Galatians 4:3, 9; Colossians 2:8, 20-22; Hebrews 5:12-13). So, what was to be destroyed? — the old covenant, not the physical universe (Hebrews 8:13).
• Lindsey (p. 180, 181) references Daniel 12 as predicting the end of the world. But Daniel 12 itself says that the “TIME OF THE END” would be when the power of the holy people would be shattered and the daily sacrifices for sin taken away. That clearly happened in AD 70 with the fall of Jerusalem and destruction of the temple. Daniel 12 could not be clearer.
• Lindsey (p. 176) taught, as do all premillennialists, that Christ will establish a literal, physical kingdom on earth. But Jesus said that his kingdom is “not of this world” (John 18:36).
I could go on. But this is enough to demonstrate that Hal Lindsey is a deceiver and a false prophet. Lindsey is reported to be worth $42 million, which is, apparently, after his first three wives got their share. (He is married to his fourth wife.) Hal Lindsey has not only bilked millions of people out of their money, he has made a mockery of Christianity.
Abe Vigoda died.
As far as they could tell.
One day is as a thousand years. And, yeah, wouldn’t it be grand if Revelation referred to the Roman times? All I know is, Jesus is coming back soon, and if we’re ready, we won’t have to suffer the great tribulation. So get ready! (Just in case you’re wrong...)
Charles Meek........Your analysis is not only “meek”, it’s completely wrong. Who are you studying, and who are you listening to? You may be the victim of false teaching. Or perhaps you’re just arrogant. I don’t know whether to worry about you or to warn others about you. I pray fervently that you are not in a position of teaching others!!!! Tragic for them but double bad for you if you are misleading others. You need to get some dependable commentaries......ie John MacArthur, Warren Wiersbe, David Jeremiah, Amir Tsarfati, to name a few, and get yourself a good study Bible....NKJV, NASB, NIV are the best. Teach yourself and be sure of your facts before you try to teach others!!! For your own sake as well as theirs.
Good advice!
Selah! Hear here ...
Hal Lindsey is a deceiver and a false prophet.
>As I am neither pretrib nor dispensationalist, I’m no fan of Hal Lindsey, but what you are always pushing on FR, is even worse. A preterist calling somebody a deceiver and a false prophet is laughable. When it comes to deception and false prophecy, preterists are at the head of the line.
Sounds like a pun! LOL
Two observations:
If your theory is true, why do people keep referring to this place as earth when it was destroyed a thousand years ago, and,
If this is heaven, I am sorely disappointed...
But anyway, thanks, but no thanks...I'll stick with what the bible really teaches...
He’s dead, Jim.
Hal Lindsey help bring many to Christ, I am not sure what your goal is here but suspect you “Might” be to bring confusion in the Last Days and yes we are in the last days.
I don’t find the dispensational or the preterist theory of revelation persuasive. Actually, I don’t believe completely in any of the common interpretative frameworks but I find the idealist approach, as put forth by G.K. Beale in his incredible commentary to be the one I come closest to subscribing to. I don’t go with everything he says but I think he’s on the right track. I would consider myself an historicist/idealist.
Nope. Just those that followed Yeshua and after.
Agreed.
Few people know the story of the siege of Jerusalem in 70 AD and even less know how the Christians were convinced that this was when Jesus was going to return.
The Romans entered the city and everyone was killed.
The few that survived got out first, Flavius Josephus being the most notable who then wrote about the siege.
Note to FR members....a time may come when we need to fight or flee.
It didn’t go well for Jews who stayed in Germany or Poland.
So you’re saying then that everybody on the plane would be in this Rapture regardless of belief?
She does have her list of Televangelists, some are okay.
The major attack on Lindsey is the timing.
The reason for the events is probably the most important and the proper response to the events is important but I don’t remember much of the book spent on that, but it may have.
Eyes tend to go to the wrong part of prophecy..............
Yeah, that struck me, too. I expect though, to go with the pilots.
No, I did not say that read what I said and don’t assume anything.
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