>The war between Israel and Hezbollah is causing premillennial Christians to proclaim that the second coming of Christ is at hand. In an excellent article published in Salon.com, “Apocalyse Soon,” Jason Boyett describes how some evangelical Christians view the conflict in Lebanon.
Christians who accept a premillennial and dispensentional approach to interpreting biblical prophecies see the current conflict as the precursor of the Apocalypse. Boyett wrote:
That’s why Israel’s current conflict with Lebanon has set apocalyptic alarms buzzing across the United States. Newsweek, in its Aug. 7 “Beliefwatch” column, asks whether this could be “the end.” Chuck Raasch, writing in USA Today, worries about “glimpses of the apocalypse” in the headlines. On July 27, “Good Morning, America” even brought in “Left Behind” coauthors Tim LaHaye and Jerry Jenkins to comment on the prophetic nature of the Israeli-Hezbollah conflict.
Readers who are interested in understanding how some Evangelicals view the conflict in Lebanon will greatly benefit from reading this article.
In his article, Boyett gives a brief history of dispensationalism. He wrote:
The history of dispensational premillennialism is nearly as complex as the book of Revelation itself, and that’s saying something. A second and third century form of Christian eschatology designated “historical premillennialism” read Revelation as a message that Jesus would soon return to earth to save the early church from its Roman persecutors. It fell out of favor, though, when the persecution stopped in the fourth century, when Constantine established Christianity as the official religion of Rome. Premillennialism made a comeback in the 19th century, thanks to an Irish Anglican named John Nelson Darby. It was Darby, a tireless traveling preacher, who popularized a theory known as “dispensationalism.” He believed God’s historical dealings with humankind fell into different epochs, or “dispensations,” within which God offered a different avenue to salvation. (God dealt differently with Adam and Eve than he did with humankind after the flood, and God’s relationship with the church today is different from his Old Testament relationship with Israel.) Darby concluded that humankind will enter a new dispensation at the end of time, and that in those final days, Israel — which fell out of God’s favor upon rejecting Jesus as the messiah — will regain its position as God’s elect.
Darby didn’t just introduce the primacy of Israel’s role in the end times. He also called attention to an event known as the Rapture. The concept of the Rapture doesn’t appear at all in the Revelation timeline. It originates in 1 Thessalonians, a New Testament book in which the apostle Paul describes those believers who are still alive at the time being “caught up together in the clouds” when trumpets sound. The true church, Darby believed, would be removed from the earth prior to a period of warfare and judgment called the tribulation. The most bizarre events of Revelation — horsemen of the apocalypse, locust assassins, rivers turning to blood, stars falling from the sky — are said to refer to this seven-year doomsday period, also referenced in the Old Testament book of Daniel
Boyett has written a very good article. I cannot comment on the many points he raises in his article. I encourage you to read his article by clicking here. However, I want to say two things about the article.
First, Christians cannot say with certainty whether the current crisis in Lebanon is the dawn of the Apocalypse. Since the days of Paul, the fall of Jerusalem in AD 70, and the persecution of the church at the end of the first century, Christians have proclaimed the second coming of Christ. The truth is that no one knows the time for the second coming of Christ.
Second, one must be very careful with the dispensational interpretation of biblical prophecies. As I have shown in my two posts on Daniel 9:24-25, Darbyism is based on a wrong interpretation of the seventy weeks of Daniel.
It is true that events similar to the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah may precede the second coming of Christ, but no one can say with certainty that the current crisis is the event that will precipitate the coming of the apocalypse.
Claude Mariottini
Professor of Old Testament
Northern Baptist Seminary
Tags: Armageddon , Hezbollah, Dispensationalism
Dr. Claude Mariottini - Professor of Old Testament 
>Understanding the Fatal Flaws in Judeo-Christian-Islamic Prophecy Hello Dr. Mariottini and all,As certain world leaders strive to instigate a fabricated “battle of Armageddon,” it is vital to understand and spread the truth about these ancient texts to help bring about an end to such abominable evil.Remember the saying that “the truth will set you (and others) free?” How does “opening one’s eyes to the truth” relate to “making the blind see again” or “shining the light” or “illuminating a subject?” Notice the inherent symbolism associated with this supposed New Testament “miracle?” Pay close attention, profundity knocks at the door, listen for the key. Be Aware! Scoffing causes blindness…Here’s the key to proving that the rapture and related expectations are complete nonsense based on the failure to understand (and the purposeful confounding of) the ancient Hebrew symbology used to construct all of these prophecies. Consequently, Christian timelines and interpretations of these prophecies are verifiably wrong on many key points.Did you ever consider that Christianity is the False Prophet symbolized in the Apocalypse, that Rome (Vatican/Papacy) is the so-called anti-messiah, and Jesus Christ is the false messiah? I have produced stunning and comprehensive proof that this is the true interpretation of pivotal prophecies long confounded by Christianity’s founders and leaders. Recasting the symbolism of earlier Hebrew texts as literal events in the New Testament is one of the central deceptions associated with Christianity. The symbolism of seven years (tribulation, etc.) refers to seven 360-year cycles on the Hebrew calendar. Ezekiel 39.9 is referring to the 10th to 16th cycles inclusive, while the Apocalypse symbolizes the 11th cycle (second temple period) until now, the beginning of the 17th cycle (seventh angel/star/seal, etc.). Greece (Alexander the Great) conquered the Persian Empire and Judea during the 10th cycle and Rome did so again during the 11th cycle. Both Ezekiel and the Apocalypse are symbolizing an overlapping period of time that starts during ancient Judea and ends now. Gog refers to Greco-Romans (…from the “isles”), which means Magog is Eurasia and the “army” that besets “Israel” for seven “years” refers to the activities of the nations of the Greco-Roman/Vatican Empire over the previous two-plus millennia.It is completely wrong to interpret any of these prophecies as literal timelines and events. Unlike Christian assertions, they symbolize long periods of time, pivotal situations, and the flow of activities during that period. Remember, they were written by ancient Hebrew sages, not Romans or other Europeans, and Revelation is the most symbolic of all prophecies. Consequently, in this context, “years” and “times” are symbols for 360-year cycles on the Hebrew calendar and days symbolize literal years. Therefore “Judgement Day,” “Great Day” and “in that day” all refer to a literal year-long period. Accordingly, the so-called “Seven Years Tribulation” began in ancient Judea and is now nearing its end, not starting. The nations and followers of all three faiths of Abraham have been thoroughly deceived by Rome during the previous age, which ended in year 2000 (5760). A new age began in 2001 (5761) and now the seventh angel has begun to sound!Read the full article below: Here is Wisdom Peace…
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>Hello Claude Mariottini,Your view toward the book of Revelation is a common one,… confusing.I would like to share something that has helped me more than anything else, in studying scripture. Understanding prophecy, the words of Jesus, and the second coming, have all made sense since I have come to the view called Full Preterism. Full Preterism is growing rapidly for good reason; it clarifies all the fore mentioned. If one approaches it with an open heart, as though searching for treasure, understanding will come.Please carefully consider these sources: http://www.eschatology.orgwww.preteristcentral.comwww.allthingsfulfilled.comI pray that in the near future, you’ll never say that the book of Revelation is confusing.Blessings,Stdavid
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>Wondering if you have ever read “Pretrib Rapture Diehards,” “Thomas Ice (Bloopers),” “Revisers of Pretrib Rapture History,” or “The Rapture Index (Mad Theology).” All can be found on MSN, Google etc. Great reads! Lou
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