Ed's personal lessons about the end times
Dutch
In my personal search in the realm of endtime matters I used Scripture as my primary source. The Bible books Daniel, Ezekiel, and Revelation were the most read books. And of course Jesus' own words in Matthew 24 and 25, and Paul's insights in 1 Thessalonians 4, 2 Tessalonians 2 and 1 Corinthians 15 were very important to understand. I read many books, such as Left behind. A novel of the earth's last days. A 13-part book series by Jerry Jenkins and Tim Lahaye (1998-2008), Prophetic guide to the endtimes, facing the future without fear by Derek Prince (2008), Iran & Israel; Wars and rumors of wars by Mark Hitchcock (2013), Is this the end? Signs of God's providence in a disturbing new world by David Jeremiah (2016), Wake-Up. Gods profetische kalender in tijdslijnen en feesten (Dutch) by Arno Lamm & Emile-Andre Vanbeckevoort (2014), The church in Babylon. Heading to be a light in the darkness by Erwin W. Lutzer (2018), The rapture; fact of fiction? by David Reagan (2019), End-times super trends by Ron Rhodes (2017), Jesus and the End Times by Ron Rhodes (2019), Israel at war. Inside the nuclear showdown with Iran by Joel C. Rosenberg (2012), The last hour. An Israeli insider looks at the end times by Amir Tsarfati (2018), Green Gospel, the new world religion by Sheila Zilinsky (2015), and The Coming Kingdom by Andrew Woods (2016). I watched many sermons and speeches by Amir Tsarfati, J.D. Farag, Jan Markell, Barry Stagner, Andy Woods, Jack Hibbs, John MacArthur, Greg Laurie, Don Stewart, Tom Hughes, and others. Here is an extended list of authors and their position in end time theology.
As a result of my investigations and convictions I personally hold the following positions. I am definitely not a preterist, who thinks that almost all prophecy has been fulfilled by 70 AD. I am a futurist. I hold the futurist view of a dispensational pre-millennium with a pre-tribulation rapture of the believers (2 Thessalonians 2:3,6).
Based on prophecy in 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 and John 14:1-3, I strongly believe that:
1. When the righteous die, their bodies will temporarily stay on earth, and their souls and spirits will temporarily be in paradise.
2. The bodies of the righteous will be translated into incorruptable resurrection bodies, being united with their soulds and spirits in the clouds, and by Jesus be raptured into Heaven (1 Thessalonials 4:13-18) to get a promised place (room) in the Father's House (John 14:3).
I believe that God still has a plan for Israel in the future, just as He had in Old Testament times when He made covenants with Abraham, Moses, David, and Jesus (the New Covenant). That is the reason I do not support the replacement theology in which the Church has replaced Israel, nor the covenant theology, which is built on three covenants (the covenant of works, the covenant of grace, and the covenant of redemption) which has no clear vision about the end times. I fully accept Christians that have a different interpretation of Scripture, because I am convinced that within Christianity there should not be any eschatological divide.
In my personal search in the realm of endtime matters I used Scripture as my primary source. The Bible books Daniel, Ezekiel, and Revelation were the most read books. And of course Jesus' own words in Matthew 24 and 25, and Paul's insights in 1 Thessalonians 4, 2 Tessalonians 2 and 1 Corinthians 15 were very important to understand. I read many books, such as Left behind. A novel of the earth's last days. A 13-part book series by Jerry Jenkins and Tim Lahaye (1998-2008), Prophetic guide to the endtimes, facing the future without fear by Derek Prince (2008), Iran & Israel; Wars and rumors of wars by Mark Hitchcock (2013), Is this the end? Signs of God's providence in a disturbing new world by David Jeremiah (2016), Wake-Up. Gods profetische kalender in tijdslijnen en feesten (Dutch) by Arno Lamm & Emile-Andre Vanbeckevoort (2014), The church in Babylon. Heading to be a light in the darkness by Erwin W. Lutzer (2018), The rapture; fact of fiction? by David Reagan (2019), End-times super trends by Ron Rhodes (2017), Jesus and the End Times by Ron Rhodes (2019), Israel at war. Inside the nuclear showdown with Iran by Joel C. Rosenberg (2012), The last hour. An Israeli insider looks at the end times by Amir Tsarfati (2018), Green Gospel, the new world religion by Sheila Zilinsky (2015), and The Coming Kingdom by Andrew Woods (2016). I watched many sermons and speeches by Amir Tsarfati, J.D. Farag, Jan Markell, Barry Stagner, Andy Woods, Jack Hibbs, John MacArthur, Greg Laurie, Don Stewart, Tom Hughes, and others. Here is an extended list of authors and their position in end time theology.
As a result of my investigations and convictions I personally hold the following positions. I am definitely not a preterist, who thinks that almost all prophecy has been fulfilled by 70 AD. I am a futurist. I hold the futurist view of a dispensational pre-millennium with a pre-tribulation rapture of the believers (2 Thessalonians 2:3,6).
Based on prophecy in 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 and John 14:1-3, I strongly believe that:
1. When the righteous die, their bodies will temporarily stay on earth, and their souls and spirits will temporarily be in paradise.
2. The bodies of the righteous will be translated into incorruptable resurrection bodies, being united with their soulds and spirits in the clouds, and by Jesus be raptured into Heaven (1 Thessalonials 4:13-18) to get a promised place (room) in the Father's House (John 14:3).
I believe that God still has a plan for Israel in the future, just as He had in Old Testament times when He made covenants with Abraham, Moses, David, and Jesus (the New Covenant). That is the reason I do not support the replacement theology in which the Church has replaced Israel, nor the covenant theology, which is built on three covenants (the covenant of works, the covenant of grace, and the covenant of redemption) which has no clear vision about the end times. I fully accept Christians that have a different interpretation of Scripture, because I am convinced that within Christianity there should not be any eschatological divide.
