The Apocalypse Code: Find Out What the Bible REALLY Says About the End Times . . . and Why It Matters Today

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THE APOCALYPSE CODE

Thomas Nelson

Chapter One

Dispensationalism is essential to correctly understand the Bible, especially Bible prophecy. -Tim Lahaye and Ed Hindson, Editors, The Popular Encyclopedia of Bible Prophecy

I coined the phrase Exegetical Eschatology [e.sup.2] to underscore that above all else I am deeply committed to a proper method of biblical interpretation rather than to any particular model of eschatology. -Hank Hanegraaff, The Apocalypse Code

As you have no doubt guessed, The Apocalypse Code is about the end times. But it is about much more than simply the end times. It is about learning to read the Bible correctly. It's about learning to read the Bible for all it's worth! The backbone of the book is a principle I call Exegetical Eschatology. While the word exegetical may at first sound daunting, its meaning is easy to comprehend. Exegesis is the method by which a student seeks to uncover what an author intended his or her original audience to understand. In sharp contrast, eisegesis is reading into the biblical text something that simply isn't there.

Like exegetical, the wordeschatology is an intimidating word with a simple meaning-the study of end times. While the meaning of eschatology is simple to grasp, its importance is difficult to overemphasize. Far from being a mere branch in the theological tree, eschatology is the root that provides life and luster to every fiber of its being. Put another way, eschatology is the thread that weaves the tapestry of Scripture into a harmonious pattern. It is the study of everything we long and hope for.

Early in Genesis, Adam and Eve fell into lives of habitual sin terminated by death. The rest of Scripture chronicles God's unfolding plan of redemption, culminating in the book of Revelation where Paradise lost becomes Paradise restored. Jesus returns. The dead in Christ are resurrected. And the problem of sin is fully and finally resolved.

I coined the phrase Exegetical Eschatology [e.sup.2] to underscore that above all else I am deeply committed to a proper method of biblical interpretation rather than to any particular model of eschatology. The plain and proper meaning of a biblical passage must always take precedence over a particular eschatological presupposition or paradigm.

To highlight the significance of proper methodology, I use the symbol [e.sup.2] interchangeably with the phrase Exegetical Eschatology. Just as in mathematics the squaring of a number increases its value exponentially, so too, perceiving eschatology through the prism of biblical exegesis will increase its value exponentially.

Ultimately, [e.sup.2] has its basis in a discipline known as hermeneutics. In Greek mythology, the task of the god Hermes was to interpret the will of the gods. In biblical hermeneutics, the task is to interpret the Word of God. Simply stated, hermeneutics is the art and science of biblical interpretation. It is a science in that certain rules apply. It is an art in that the more you apply these rules, the better you get at it.

My goal in the following pages is to put hermeneutical tools into your hands so that you can draw from Scripture what God intends you to understand rather than uncritically accepting end-time models that may well be foreign to the text. Dr. Tim LaHaye may sincerely believe that the Left Behind eschatology model is the result of faithful exegesis. However, with Exegetical Eschatology in hand, you will be the judge. In the final analysis, my purpose is not to entice you to embrace a particular model of eschatology but to employ a proper method of biblical interpretation.

I have organized the principles that are foundational to [e.sup.2] around the acronym LIGHTS. Just as helmet lights assist miners in discovering gold beneath the surface of the earth, so the acronym LIGHTS will aid you in drawing out of Scripture what God intends you to understand regarding the end times.

Literal Principle

The L in LIGHTS will serve to remind you of the literal principle of Exegetical Eschatology. Simply put, this means that we are to interpret the Word of God just as we interpret other forms of communication-in the most obvious and natural sense. And when Scripture uses a metaphor or a figure of speech, we should interpret it accordingly.

For example, the Bible says that at Armageddon the blood of Christ's enemies will rise "as high as the horses' bridles for a distance of 1,600 stadia" (Revelation 14:20). Does Scripture intend to convey, as LaHaye contends, that Palestine will literally be submerged in a five-foot-deep river of blood that stretches the length of Palestine from north to south-or is the apostle John simply using a common apocalyptic motif to convey massive wartime death and slaughter?

Conversely, when Daniel was instructed to seal up prophecy because the time of fulfillment was in the far future (Daniel 8:26; 12:4, 9; cf. 9:24), and John was told not to seal up his prophecy because its fulfillment was near (Revelation 22:10), are we to accept LaHaye's interpretation that by "near" John really intends to communicate "far"? Or, for that matter, might we rightly suppose that the word "far" in Daniel really means "near"? Likewise, could John's repeated use of such words and phrases as "soon" or "the time is near," in reality indicate that he had the twenty-first century in mind? Armed with the principles embodied in Exegetical Eschatology, you will be the judge.

Illumination Principle

The I in LIGHTS represents the illumination principle of Exegetical Eschatology. "We have not received the spirit of the world but the Spirit who is from God, that we may understand what God has freely given us" (1 Corinthians 2:12). The Spirit of truth not only provides insights that permeate the mind, but also provides illumination that penetrates the heart. Clearly, however, the Holy Spirit does not supplant the scrupulous study of Scripture. Rather, he provides us with insights that can only be spiritually discerned. Put another way, the Holy Spirit illumines what is in the text; illumination does not go beyond the text.

To underscore the significance of the illumination principle of Exegetical Eschatology, I will shine this principle on beliefs such as dispensational eschatology's cardinal doctrine-the pretribulational rapture. As we will see, prior to the nineteenth century, all Christians-including all premillennialists-believed the rapture or the resurrection of believers and the visible bodily return of Christ were simultaneous events. By the twenty-first century, however, Christian beliefs had experienced a radical transformation.

Due in part to the popularity of the Left Behind novels, multiplied millions are now convinced that Jesus will come back secretly and silently to rapture his church. Approximately seven years later he will come again with his church to establish a thousand-year semi-golden age replete with temple sacrifices. According to Tim LaHaye, "The Rapture was not a major teaching of our Lord except in John 14:1-3"; however, the pretribulational rapture doctrine is "taught clearly in 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18, where the apostle Paul provides us with most of the available details."

In chapter 2 you will be equipped to determine whether the pretribulational rapture is the product of faithful illumination or the by-product of a fertile imagination.

Grammatical Principle

The G in LIGHTS represents the grammatical principle of Exegetical Eschatology. As with any literature, a thorough understanding of the Bible cannot be attained without a grasp of the basic rules that govern the relationships and usages of words.

For example, all scholars agree that in Matthew 23 Jesus is pronouncing judgment on the Jewish leaders when he says:

Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites.... You snakes! You brood of vipers! How will you escape being condemned to hell? Therefore I am sending you prophets and wise men and teachers. Some of them you will kill and crucify: others you will flog in your synagogues and pursue from town to town. And so upon you will come all the righteous blood that has been shed on earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah son of Berekiah, whom you murdered between the temple and the altar. I tell you the truth, all this will come upon this generation. (vv. 29, 33-36)

Grammatically, scholars see no option. "You" could not possibly refer to a future generation. And when Jesus says all this will come upon "this generation," he could not possibly have a future generation in mind.

In Matthew 24 Jesus continues to speak of the judgment that is about to fall on Jerusalem as well as on the very temple that gave the Jews their theological and sociological identity. Using final consummation language to characterize a near-future event, Jesus continues using the pronoun you:

You will hear of wars and rumors of wars.... Then you will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of me.... When you see standing in the holy place "the abomination that causes desolation," ... Pray that your flight will not take place in winter or on the Sabbath.... So if anyone tells you, "There he is, out in the desert," do not go out.... when you see all these things, you know that it is near, right at the door. I tell you the truth, this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened. (Matthew 24:6-34)

Question: To whom is Jesus speaking in Matthew 24? Does Jesus have his first-century audience in mind as he does in Matthew 23? Or does Jesus have a twenty-first-century audience in mind? Again, when Jesus says, "I tell you the truth, this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened" (Matthew 24:34), does he have a present generation or a future generation in mind?

Scholars such as D. A. Carson are convinced that the grammatical principle dictates that "'this generation' ... can only with the greatest difficulty be made to mean anything other than the generation living when Jesus spoke." In sharp distinction, Tim LaHaye believes that by this generation our Lord had a future generation in mind. As the Tim LaHaye Prophecy Study Bible puts it, "This is a reference to the future generation that will live to see all the signs listed in the previous verses fulfilled in their lifetime."

Are scholars like Carson properly applying the grammatical principle of biblical interpretation, or are prophecy experts such as LaHaye on target? Armed with the grammatical principle of Exegetical Eschatology, you (I mean you, not a future generation) will be an effective judge.

Historical Principle

The letter H in LIGHTS represents the historical principle. The Christian faith is historical and evidential. Thus, the biblical text is best understood when one is familiar with the customs, culture, and historical context of biblical times. Such background information is crucial in fully grasping what is going on in any given book of the Bible. In light of Exegetical Eschatology, it is particularly helpful to understand the historical context during which the book of Revelation was written. Was it written in the midsixties during the reign of the Roman emperor Nero, or was it written in the midnineties during the reign of Domitian?

The Left Behind series is based on the assumption that Revelation was written by the apostle John in AD 95. Thus, according to LaHaye, Revelation describes events that will take place in the twenty-first century rather than events that took place in the first century. In his words, "Revelation was written by John in AD 95, which means the book of Revelation describes yet future events of the last days just before Jesus comes back to this earth." LaHaye goes on to argue that the Beast of Revelation is a twenty-first-century character. He is so certain of his position that he dismisses the notion that Nero was the Beast of Revelation and that the book of Revelation was written before AD 70 as "historically ridiculous."

Placing the Beast in the twenty-first century, however, may well pose insurmountable historical difficulties. For example, the apostle John tells his first-century audience that with "wisdom" and "insight" they can "calculate the number of the beast, for it is man's number. His number is 666" (Revelation 13:18). Obviously no amount of wisdom would have enabled a first-century audience to figure out the number of a twenty-first-century Beast.

Again, you will be equipped to make a right judgment. Armed with Exegetical Eschatology, you will be enabled to discern whether or not LaHaye's late dating can stand in light of historical evidence.

(Continues...)

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Excerpted from THE APOCALYPSE CODE by HANK HANEGRAAFF Copyright © 2007 by Hank Hanegraaff. Excerpted by permission.
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