DR. LOUIS T. TALBOT, BIOLA Chancellor, is currently answering questions on prophecy. Questions may be addressed to him him care of The King's Business.
DR TALBOT
Q. Will the great tribulation begin immediately after the church is translated? A. No; it will take place during the last three and one-half years of Daniel’s “seventieth week” (a period of seven years). As soon as the church is translated and the restraining influence of the Holy Spirit working in the church is taken away, then shall “that wick ed one be revealed,” who is the Antichrist. (See 2 Thess. 2:7-10.) He will seem to the ungodly world to be a great peacemaker. To the Jews he will pretend to be their Messiah. He will confirm a cove nan t with them, and will receive allegiance from them until he sets up his image, in “the holy place” of the restored Jewish temple, to be worshiped. Daniel calls this “the abomination of desolation” ; and Christ quotes Daniel, using these very words concerning this event tha t is to be. An “abomination” to a devout Jew is idolatry; and the believing remnant of Israel will spurn the pretentions of the false Messiah. Then the Antichrist and all the hosts of Satan will tu rn up on Israel, persecute her; and that will be “the great tribulation,” of which our Lord spoke. (Cf. Dan. 9:27 with Matt. 24:15 and follow ing verses.) The great tribulation will term i nate with the retu rn of Christ in glory to deliver His earthly people. Q. Who are the two witnesses men tioned in Revelation 11:3-12? They prophesy for three and one-half years, are killed, and then are resurrected. They seem to be im
portant witnesses in the last days. A. This is one of those questions about which you cannot be abso lutely certain because the Bible does not definitely name them. There are certain reasons why many believe that one of these witnesses is Elijah. For one thing, he was translated and did not see death. Then, too, the reference to the powers of these two witnesses to control the elements is similar to the powers that were given Elijah. Moses and Elijah appeared on the Mount of Transfiguration — each representing different dispen sations of God’s dealings with men. So some scholars believe that the two were Moses and Elijah. Others think one of the witnesses may have been Enoch because he did not see death. As I say, I do not know. I can only guess as you can. Some day we shall know. We do know their preaching takes place in the second half of the tribulation period and is used of God in that terrible time. Close of Gentile Age Q. W hat are we to expect at the close of the times of the Gentiles? What will the conditions be? How can we know that in general we have arrived at those times? A. Read Luke 21:24-28: “And they shall fall by the edge of the sword, and shall be led away captive unto all nations: and Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles be ful filled. And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in
the stars; and upon the earth dis tress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring; Men’s hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken. And then shall they see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draw- eth nigh.” Here the Lord definitely states that, at the close of the times of the Gentiles, there will be distress of nations and great perplexity. Men’s hearts are to fail them for fear. There are to be signs in the heav ens. How terribly significant is this passage in the light of the astound ing conditions in the world today! Let me ask you, has there ever been a time in all the world’s history that these words of the Lord Jesus so aptly describe as they do present- day conditions? Surely the distress of nations and the anguish of hu manity are unprecedented. Since the atomic age was ushered in by the splitting of the atom, such fear has gripped the world that scien tists who used to scoff at the pro phetic Scriptures now admit that the Bible-believer has something in the way of insight into the future that they have never known. Those who do not believe, in many cases, have given themselves over to the deepest gloom which has actually led to the suicide of some top re search men. We dare not tu rn away from this unmistakable sign — the distress of nations, as well as all of these others.
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