For thousands of years, people have been amazed at the accuracy of the ancient Bible prophets. They have predicted names and events within the lives of people who's parents were not yet born. They have predicted the fall of well-fortified cities, and details of the assaults. In some cases, they have even predicted the times at which these events were to occur. Many honest skeptics have had their lives changed by studies of these ancient words and the ensuing history.

These prophets did not work on a law of averages like the psychic practitioners of today; the accuracy of the Biblical ancients was one hundred percent. (The Bible does record some of the contemporary false prophets, but they were clearly identified as such within their own lifetimes.)

Some of the prophecies written thousands of years ago relate to our current day. We have seen some of these fulfilled within modern history, but some very exciting world-wide events are still in the making. In view of the attention given to end-times prophecies in the Bible, they are certainly worthy of prayer-full study.

To insure the best understanding these things, consider: (1) In most cases, a valid interpretation will be a recurring theme that may be found and confirmed in several different parts of the Bible. (2) The interpretation must be consistent with its immediate context. (3) Although there is a strong temptation to force all of the end-times teachings into a unified scenario, we must maintain the humility to accept the fact that we do not know everything. We need to let the teachings of each theme stand by them selves, and not be biased by popular opinions.

I was brought up under a set of teachings popular among most evangelical Christians. When I had questions about how certain scriptures fitted in, I was told that they had to be interpreted a certain way so they would fit in with the rest of the story. The teachings go something like this:

There are a few more features such as Babylon, the millennial kingdom, etc., but the above are the macro's we'll deal with here. We'll refer to this as the “pre-trib” scenario, in that the rapture takes place before the seven years of tribulation.

As an adult, I was shocked to find that not everyone agreed with this scenario. I even encountered one group with a totally different perspective on things. Finally, I told everybody to shut up and leave me alone (but I kept studying).

The first thing I discovered was that there is no seven year period mentioned in the book of Revelation! There are several references to 3-1/2 year periods, but not a single reference to seven years. The pre-trib folks explained it to me by gluing two 3-1/2 year periods together, but if you do that to all of them, you come up with a whole lot more than seven years. I am a technical person, and arbitrary adjustments make me nervous.

I then went to Daniel, and when I found myself believing a certain passage referred to Jesus, when my background said it referred to the Antichrist, I knew that I had become a serious heretic. At this point I learned to say one of the most important things I have ever learned: “I don't know!”

This began a period of ignoring such teachings altogether. Another excuse for ignoring these teachings was verses such as Daniel 12:4, where it says "But as for you, Daniel, conceal these words and seal up the book until the end of time......" Clearly, there are some things that will not be understood until history or later anointing reveals them.

For the next couple of years I professed to know absolutely nothing about the subject, but came up with a few guidelines I was determined to use in any bible study.

Tiny problem: My personal Bible studies continued to encounter verses that clearly referred to the final days. As I finally began a cautious reentry into this subject, important scriptural patterns began to emerge. As additional scriptures began to confirm these patterns rather than conflict with them, my interest gained momentum.

The best I can do is offer a challenge: Let the scriptures and actual events do the talking, and accept unanswered questions until they do. The following links provide greater detail on various topics.

The seven-year period of tribulation hinges entirely upon an interpretation of verses in Daniel 9. The only seven-year period mentioned in the entire New Testament was in reference to a widow in the Gospels. This look at the seventieth week brings it into harmony with multiple references in the Old and New Testaments.

In every case in the Bible where God's judgment was poured out, it was upon God's enemies in the presence of His people. The effect in every case was to the benefit of His followers. Why will the final period of tribulation be different?

If the scriptures are studied in their context, without force-fitting them into cherished dogmas, clear and consistent patterns arise.