Copyright Page
2016 by John F. Hart
Published by Bethany House Publishers
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Bethany House Publishers is a division of
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ISBN 978-1-4412-2997-7
Ebook edition created 2016
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any meansfor example, electronic, photocopy, recordingwithout the prior written permission of the publisher. The only exception is brief quotations in printed reviews.
Library of Congress Control Number: 2016931164
Note: Italics in Scripture added by the author for emphasis.
All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation , copyright 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations identified AMP - CE are from the Amplified Bible, copyright 1954, 1958, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1987 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. (www.Lockman.org)
Scripture quotations identified CEV are from the Contemporary English Version, copyright 1991, 1992, 1995 by American Bible Society. Used by permission.
Scripture quotations identified ESV are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version , copyright 2000, 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations identified HCSB are taken from the Holman Christian Standard Bible, copyright 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2009 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Holman Christian Standard Bible, Holman CSB, and HCSB are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers.
Scripture quotations identifies NASB are from the New America Standard Bible, copyright 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. www.Lockman.org
Scripture quotations identified NIV are from the Holy Bible, New International Version. NIV. Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com
Scripture quotations identified KJV are from the King James Version.
Scripture quotations identified NKJV are from the New King James Version, copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission.
Scripture quotations identified NET are from the NET Bible [New English Translation], copyright 19962006 by Biblical Studies Press, L.L.C. http://netbible.com. Used by permission.
Scripture quotations identified GNT are from the Good News Translation, Second Edition. Copyright 1992 by American Bible Society. Used by permission.
Scripture quotations identified CEB are from the Contemporary English Version 1991, 1992, 1995 by American Bible Society. Used by permission.
Scripture quotations identified NRSV are from the New Revised Standard Version of the Bible, copyright 1989, by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations identified NJB are from THE NEW JERUSALEM BIBLE, copyright 1985 by Darton, Longman & Todd, Ltd. and Doubleday, a division of Random House, Inc. Reprinted by permission.
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Dedication
I wish to thank the Lord Jesus for helping me write and finally finish this book through some hard times. May it glorify him.
I also wish to thank my wonderful wife, Cindy, for her patience and encouragement through the writing process, and for her diligent proofreading of the manuscript.
Contents
Cover
Title Page
Copyright Page
Dedication
Acknowledgments
1. Why Should I Be Interested in Bible Prophecy?
2. Are There Signs That We Are in the End Times?
3. What Is the Tribulation?
4. Will Christians Be Raptured and Escape the Tribulation?
5. How Can We Understand the Book of Revelation?
6. Who Is the Antichrist?
7. What Is the Role of Israel in the End Times?
8. What Nations Will Be in Power in the End Times?
9. What Is Armageddon?
10. What Is the Second Coming of Christ to the Earth?
11. What Is the Millennium?
12. What Is the Final Judgment, and the New Heaven and New Earth?
About the Author
Books by Dr. John Hart
Back Ad
Back Cover
Acknowledgments
I am so grateful for the editorial staff, and especially for Andy McGuire. They were responsible for suggesting I write this book. I also want to thank Andy for his patience with me in the writing process, offering support and encouragement in numerous ways. I appreciate everyone at Bethany House who has helped in making this book possible.
1
Why Should I Be Interested in Bible Prophecy?
On January 22, 2015, the Doomsday Clock was set at three minutes to midnight. Midnight is the symbolic time on the clock when such global disasters take place that the continued existence of humanity will be threatened. The time on the clock can move closer to midnight as a result of unchecked climate change, the modernization of global nuclear weapons, and the increased number of massive nuclear weapons arsenals. The decision to increase or reduce the time left for human survival is made by a board of scientists and nuclear experts. The January 22, 2015, update is the closest the clock has been to Doomsday since 1984, when a climax of political and military tension was reached between the United States and the former Soviet Union.
Its no wonder that most of us want to know what the future holds. World events seem to be chaotic, terrorism is mushrooming, economic concerns worry us, various nations appear to threaten world peace, and environmental catastrophes appear to be on the horizon. Does the Bible address any of these issues? It certainly does, but perhaps the Bible discusses them in ways we dont understand.
In the book of Revelation, the last book in the New Testament, numerous prophecies are recorded as taking place in the last years and days of human history. These are calamitous worldwide events that lead up to the second coming of Jesus Christ. The first time Jesus came to earth, he came as a teacher and Savior who died for our sins. The next time he comes to earth will be as a warrior, a ruler, and a judge.
There are a minimum of twenty-one specific major judgments described in Revelation. These depict how God will inflict destruction on the earthon the lands, seas, trees, grasses, mountains, rivers, islands, citiesand plagues against people who obstinately refuse to turn to God and believe in Christ as their Savior. In just two of these twenty-one judgments taken together, the earths population is reduced by one-half. Jesus also taught about the same kinds of judgments on earth in the end times. He described a time when humanity would be near extinction. He told his disciples, For at that [future] time there will be great tribulation, the kind that hasnt taken place from the beginning of the world until now and never will again! Unless those days were limited, no one would survive (Matthew 24:2122 HCSB ). That sounds like a Doomsday to me.
The Earliest Prophecy of the Return of Christ
Did you know that 25 to 27 percent of the Bible contains predictions, and half of these prophecies have not yet been fulfilled? That means that about one in every twenty-five verses in the New Testament refers to the return of Christ to the earth and the events that accompany the end of history as we know it.