Todd Hampson - The non-prophets guide to the end times

HARVEST HOUSE PUBLISHERS

EUGENE , OREGON

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version, NIV. Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Verses marked NKJV are taken from the New King James Version. Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Verses marked NLT are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Verses marked ESV are from The ESV Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version), copyright 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Cover art by Todd Hampson

Cover by Left Coast Design

Published in association with William K. Jensen Literary Agency, 119 Bampton Court, Eugene, Oregon 97404.

Dedicated to my wife Traceythe love of my life, and our childrenDaniel, Natalie, and Luke.

Your encouragement helped this book to become a reality.

I love you all beyond measure.

The Non-Prophets Guide to the End Times

Copyright 2018text by Todd Hampson; artwork by Todd Hampson

Published by Harvest House Publishers

Eugene, Oregon 97408

www.harvesthousepublishers.com

ISBN 978-0-7369-7279-6 (pbk.)

ISBN 978-0-7369-7280-2 (eBook)

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Names: Hampson, Todd, author.

Title: The non-prophets guide to the end times / Todd Hampson.

Description: Eugene: Harvest House Publishers, 2018.

Identifiers: LCCN 2018006864 (print) | LCCN 2018016430 (ebook) | ISBN 9780736972802 (ebook) | ISBN 9780736972796 (pbk.)

Subjects: LCSH: BibleProphecies. | End of the worldBiblical teaching.

Classification: LCC BS647.3 (ebook) | LCC BS647.3 .H36 2018 (print) | DDC 220.1/5dc23

LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2018006864

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CONTENTS

Men of Galilee, they said, why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven.

ACTS 1:11

Have you ever really thought about the truth contained in this verse or in many others like it? If the idea of Christs return has become overly familiar to you, read that verse again and let it sink in as if you had never read it before. Scripture tells us Jesus is literally coming back to earth one day. Are you aware of how frequently the writers of the New Testament wrote about the promised return of Christ? Of the 27 books in the New Testament, 23 mention his return. Jesus often spoke about it himself. In the 66 books of the Bible, youll find that one out of every 30 verses refers to the return of Christ or the topic of the end times. So its fair to say this is a major biblical theme from cover to cover.

Down through the centuries, Jesuss followers have fully believed, taught, and expected that he would return. During the past 2,000 years of church history, core Christian beliefs have been codified into simple statements of faith called creeds. These concise statements affirm that the return of Christ has always been a key focus of the Christian faith. This truth has brought encouragement to generations of Christians who have looked to a promised future where all things will be made right. We are reminded of this promise every time we take communion and proclaim the Lords death until he comes (1 Corinthians 11:26). We also pray for the arrival of the end times in the Lords prayer whenever we pray, Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven (Matthew 6:10).

However, in recent decades, the topic of Christs return has, for various reasons, taken a bad rap. What comes to mind when you read these words? Revelation . Apocalypse . Armageddon . End times . The last days . Judgment . If images of a bullhorn-wielding sidewalk preacher donned in a sandwich board comes to mind, you are not alone.

Unfortunately the topic of Christs return has been hijacked by caricatured notions of what the Bible actually teaches. Its not a doom-and-gloom scare tactic. His return is a foundational truth of the Christian faith, but in our day, we tend to treat the topic like a crazy uncle the family never talks about.

In conversations with fellow believers, I find that most of them truly believe the Lord is going to return at some point, but they see this as a distant event with no real relevance for us today. Many are confused about the last days or they completely ignore the topic. This is understandable for many reasons, but I hope to demonstrate through this book that studying eschatology and Bible prophecy is a thousand times more relevant and practical than many Christians realize.

Revelation 1:3 boldly states, Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear it and take to heart what is written in it, because the time is near. So the final book of the Bible, which many believers in our day tend to avoid, informs us that there are specific blessings for those who read it!

Some of the confusion and apathy about end-times events is caused by the fact there are multiple views, interpretive disagreements, and case after case of failed predictions about when Christ would returna practice that violates Scripture. Matthew 24:36 says, About that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. Thats about as clear as Jesus could get, yet it seems there is an endless parade of people picking dates for Christs return. This does unnecessary harm to the Christian faith. One of the main goals of this book is to address this confusion and to demonstrate that not only can Revelation and other prophetic texts be understood, but that by studying them your faith will grow and your relationship with Jesus will deepen.