Introduction from Beyond the End Times
We are a time-oriented people. God is time-oriented, too. That’s why seven
centuries before Christ, the God of the Bible inspired the ancient prophet Habakkuk to
write:
For the revelation awaits an appointed time; it speaks of the end
and will not prove false. Though it linger, wait for it; it will certainly come and will
not delay. (Habakkuk 2:3)
One century later, God gave another Old Testament prophet, Daniel, two specific prophecies
that pinpointed the exact time in human history for this “appointed time…of the
end.” He described its historical setting, its nature, and its defining
characteristic. This end is the only end the Bible ever proclaims. What’s more, its
time came. It is now history. Today, we are living beyond the end times. This book
presents the proof. It’s the rest of…the greatest story ever told.1
You may be surprised, impressed, or shocked by the “rest of the story.”
That’s to be expected. But to date, as far as this author knows, no one has more
effectively challenged the current endsaying consensus with solid biblical substance and
historical evidence, than the Preterists. Full Preterists believe the appointed time of
the end came long ago.2
Yet thousands of books that focus on fatalism and feed on universal, apocalyptic fears,
have sold by the millions, and more are on the way as we near the crisis point of the year
2000. Before we get swept away by termination tirades, or join the company of the alarmed,
or detach ourselves from society, let us seriously consider the Bible’s
“appointed time…of the end.”
Predictably, this book will be
controversial. This cannot
and should not be avoided.
Exciting discoveries await you in the chapters ahead. You’ll find a positive and
sound alternative to the popular views of global doom. So, take your time. Be critical.
Think it through.
Predictably, this book will be controversial. This cannot and should not be avoided. Those
who are comfortable with their endsaying traditions of an end yet to come – the
sooner the better – may view this book as a threat. Others will find its
reformational message compelling and a breath of fresh air. Either way, this book offers
positive hope for our world and confidence in the future. We simply must not take the
negative baggage of endsaying, with its inherent fallacies, flaws, and fatalism, into the
new millennium. We are living on the other side of history from the end times, as you will
see. If you’re ready for an adventure, read on.
1. "The Rest of the Story" is the famous tag line from –
and name of – radio news commentator Paul Harvey's syndicated show. The Greatest
Story Ever Told is Fulton Ousler's 1949 timeless best-selling book and fictionalized
narrative of the life of Jesus Christ, which covered the time between the betrothal of
Mary and Joseph, around 4 B.C., through Jesus' death and rumors of his resurrection in
A.D. 30. Later this story was made into a movie with the same title.
2."Preterist" means past in fulfillment, and is one of the four major schools of
Bible prophecy interpretation in the historic Church. The other three are: historicist,
idealist, and futurist. The futurist school includes the premillennial, postmillennial and
amillennial views.
| Table of
Contents |
| Foreword | Introduction | Chapter 1 | Chapter 11 |
