Prophecy Wars: The Biblical Battle Over the End Times

Commentators, theologians, preachers, and social media pundits have a lot to say about Bible prophecy. In Prophecy Wars, Gary DeMar takes a hard look at some of Christendom’s most popular end-times misconceptions and compares these theories to a plain reading of many well-known but often misinterpreted Bible texts.

There is a long history of skeptics turning to Bible prophecy to claim that Jesus was wrong about the timing of His coming at “the end of the age” (Matt. 24:3) and the signs associated with it. Noted atheist Bertrand Russell (1872-1970) is one of them and Bart Ehrman is a modern example. It’s obvious that neither Russell or Ehrman are aware of or are ignoring the mountain of scholarship that was available to them that showed that the prophecy given by Jesus was fulfilled in great detail just as He said it would be before the generation of His day passed away.

Another interesting example is the late Christopher Hitchens. In his 2008 debate with Douglas Wilson, Hitchens charged that Jesus was wrong because He predicted that His coming would take place within the time span of their generation (Matt. 24:34). This, of course, would make Jesus a false prophet and the New Testament unreliable if Hitchens’ claim was true. If Jesus was wrong about what generation would be alive when the destruction of Jerusalem was to take place, then why should anyone trust Him on anything He said? In just a few sentences in his response, Wilson showed that Jesus was referring to a more near-term judgment that in fact did take place before that first-century generation passed away. It’s the only way to properly read the Olivet Discourse. Hitchens did not know how to answer Wilson.

If you’re willing to take the Bible at its word, the study of prophecy can strengthen your faith, but if your trust is in man’s speculations, you will be disappointed every time.

And that is why Bible prophecy is such a crucial area for apologetics. Skeptics of all stripes have condemned the Bible as inaccurate merely because various well-meaning Christians have been in error about the End Times.

About the author: Gary DeMar is a graduate of Western Michigan University (1973) and Reformed Theological Seminary (1979). He is president of American Vision, an educational and communications organization dedicated to helping Christians develop a comprehensive biblical worldview.

Specs: 382 pages; Paperback, eBook, or PDF