What ‘Left Behind’ Theology Gets Very Wrong About the End Times
“The word ‘Antichrist’ is not in the book of Revelation,” my guest for the latest episode of my podcast, Adventures in the Spirit, said. Soon after saying that, we wrapped up the interview, and my head was swirling from the incredible conversation we had. We’d discussed a number of heavy topics in 30 minutes time, beginning with the rapture and discussed the mark of the beast and other end-times topics.
Gary DeMar pointed out that the biblical definition of the Antichrist is someone who denies that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh. As we study Scripture, we will see that this word is only in First and Third John. Antichrists were living in the apostle John’s day and left the Christian faith.
With our current global circumstances there is a lot of talk about the end times. The year 2020 began with negative news leading to a global pandemic; there has been civil and social unrest; the ‘cancel culture’ movement; extreme views have become mainstream; dangerous political views of Marxism and socialism are shrouded in what is trending on social media. With everything going on, I wanted to dive into the Scripture with a scholar who is an expert in the ‘last days.’
Many Christians on social media are saying this is the end or they are awaiting the rapture. But as I shared on this episode, I’ve heard it all before: Y2K, desert storm, the secular Mayan calendar in 2012 and more. We need to compare Scripture with Scripture and not the news or culture. There have been a number of end-times viewpoints over the years, and each one was popular for a time.
The most popular view right now in our times is the pretribulation rapture theory within premillenialism. Those familiar with the Left Behind series see how it portrays the prevalent popular view using fiction. Hal Lindsey popularized this view in the mid-1970s during another time of social and political upheaval and it is no surprise many people are clinging onto this theory now. However, on my podcast, Gary shared deep Scriptural insights that challenges Lindsey and the other pretribulation and premillenialist teachings. I know you may be stretched but hopefully encouraged and uplifted while listening in. {eoa}
Jared Laskey, M.Div., M.A. Christian ministry, is the founder of Fireborn Ministries and host of the Adventures in the Spirit podcast. He lives to see Jesus awaken this generation to the power of the Holy Spirit. Jared loves teaching people how to hear God. He has recently published the Spirit-Empowered Journal, available on Amazon, and a mini e-course, Fellowship with the Holy Spirit. His testimony of how God supernaturally healed him of PTSD is in Joan Hunter’s new book, Miracles for Veterans.
