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.
The Lord Christ will descend from the Third Heaven down into the first Heaven to call out His Bride.
Still Three Comings not Two.
Absolutely...And what a ride it's going to be...
Bible said only two and the first one happened already. Some churches believe the Rapture is a sacrament.
Though you may have not gone into “depth” about the dating of the book of Revelation, I can see how critical that must be to the validity of much of preterists’ doctrines. I think there is far more evidence for later first century dating than simply relying on one man’s “ambiguous” opinions. Have you also considered them as laid out in the link I provided or did you just stop when you read the part about Irenaeus?
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Hal never went right.
He needed to grasp what Yeshua really said in John 3.
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Stillborn!
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Its not just planet Earth that gets zapped, it is the entire space-time universe, which we will not have need for, since we will have been “born again” as Sons in the realm of Yehova.
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If he says “thus sayeth the Lord Yehova” he is a false prophet.
If he simply shoots of his mouth about his personal belief, he is simply a fool.
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“Jews” are simply followers of the Pharisee lies. they are lost.
Did you mean Hebrews? or Members of the House of Judah?
I had this very discussion with a good friend not long ago who I think is far more learned than I am in the Bible. I said I think we're living in the end times. His reponse was that yes, we were living in the end times however it would get a whole lot worse than the time we live in, before the Rature happens.
Thinking back on the conversation he and I had, I think he's right. That frankly, scares the h*ll out of me.
They went thru the fire and lived...They felt no pain...
I know this has been explained before, but let me repeat...the Rapture/Catching up of the church/Bride of Christ happens in the air - we go up to meet Him in the air. He does not set foot upon the earth. The actual Second Coming will be when Jesus sets foot upon the Mount of Olives.
Yep, two...Two times Jesus Christ will have planted his feet on the earth...
Some churches believe the Rapture is a sacrament.
Yep...And some churches believe you can have lesbian pastors...
Thinking back on the conversation he and I had, I think he's right. That frankly, scares the h*ll out of me.
Possibly, but the world is in a position where things could turn in practically the blink of an eye...And for many Christians in many parts of the world, things are a lot worse...
“...They felt no pain... “
Yes, my point exactly.
The lions could not harm Daniel. The fire could not harm the 3 amigos.
And God, in a single night, wiped out the first born of all families of Egypt from the king on down - even the first born among their animals! Yet no harm to the faithful living in the same physical location.
God does not need to sneak the faithful off somewhere safe and bring us back later when the coast is clear.
I would never suggest anyone is going to perish for believing a theory like the rapture stuff. But certainly I assume you also believe such a feat is not strictly necessary simply to keep us safe. If some folks believe there is separate reason beyond safety, that is another issue up for interpretations I suppose.
I was trying to be rhetorical.
Jesus does not come to the Earth to call out His bride, so that event is not ‘technically’ a coming to the Earth. But why would you care since you don’t believe in the event at the beginning of the end?
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