Prophecy Watch Paperback – January 1, 1998

The authors present outstanding evidence of the Pre-Tribulation belief for the coming Rapture of the Christian Church. It is literally filled with excellent research and is well-developed in an understandable manner.

Completely brilliant ideas !

Thomas Ice is an Associate Professor of Religion at Liberty University, and the executive director of the Pre-Trib Research Center at Liberty University; he has also written/cowritten books such as  The End Times Controversy , Ready to Rebuild: The Imminent Plan to Rebuild the Last Days Temple , The Great Tribulation--Past or Future?: Two Evangelicals Debate the Question , etc. Timothy Demy has also cowritten with Thomas Ice the books  The Coming Cashless Society , Fast Facts on Bible Prophecy from A to Z , etc.They note in the beginning of this 1998 book, "God's prophetic plan for humanity is on track and on schedule... With the return of a significant portion of world Jewry to the Promised Land and the subsequent establishment of Israel as a nation in 1948, God's plan is moving closer and closer to fruition... The signs of the times are passing by. Do you see them and recognize them?" (Pg. 7-8) They state, "The rapture is a signless event; thus, there are not and never will be signs of the time indicating that the rapture is near. This is true because the rapture is IMMINENT, meaning it could happen at any moment." (Pg. 11)They state, "When the modern state of Israel was born in 1948, it not only became an important stage-setting development but began an actual fulfillment of specific Bible prophecies about an international regathering of the Jews in unbelief before the judgment of the tribulation. Such a prediction is found in the following Old Testament passages: Isaiah 11:11-12; Exekiel 20:33-38, 22:17-22, 36:22-24; Zeph 2:1-2; and Ezekiel 38-39 presupposes such a setting." (Pg. 62)They argue, "Replacement theology tries to teach that because Gentile believers are described as 'Abraham's offspring' (Gal 3:29), this is equivalent to saying that they are Israel. This is clearly not the case. Paul's description of Gentile believers in Galatians 3:29 simply means that they participate in the spiritual (e.g., salvation) blessings that come through Israel (Rom 15:27; 1 Cor 9:11, 14)... Therefore, Israel's national promises are left intact, awaiting a yet future fulfillment." (Pg. 96)They admits, "Posttribulationists usually contend that if the rapture and the second coming are two distinct events, separated by about seven years, then there ought to be at least one passage in Scripture that clearly teaches this. However, the Bible does not always teach God's truth in accordance with our preconceived notions or in such a way that directly answers all of our questions. For example, a Unitarian could design a similar question regarding the Trinity." (Pg. 99)They point out, "Many people have the mistaken idea that the conflict of Armageddon will entail battle with an army of the Antichrist consisting of 200 million troops. It is further held that this army will be Chinese. The '200 million' is derived from Revelation 9:16. The Chinese army idea is ... coupled with the 'kings of the east' mentioned in Revelation 16:12. However, a careful reading of the texts in question shows that the army of 200 million is demonic rather than human and that the events are two separate events. The force of 200 million is NOT part of Armageddon and is NOT Chinese of any other nationality." (Pg. 197)This book will be of great interest to students of biblical prophecy.

This is the best book on eschatology I've had the opportunity to read. It is scholarly, yet written for the average reader. The charts included in the book are both simple and helpful. Ice's teaching on the pre-tribulation rapture is a sensational piece of work. The greatest flaw of the book is occasional contradictions. This may come from different authors presenting their theories. I also found a couple of significant misprints. In my opinion the strongest part of the book is in the beginning, it falls off a little toward the end. Not nearly as comprehensive as Things To Come by Pentecost but I enjoyed it more. I highly recommend it for anyone studying prophecy.

Kudos to Ice and Demy for fair, objective and clear examination of prophetical issues. While premillennialists (as am I) they also present the "other side of the coin" and discuss the pros and cons of each. Small graphics are used to illustrate many of the concepts. Good for the beginner or the well-read. A "must-have" for any serious prophecy student.

No..... this is much better and more accurate!Steven Ger, Mal Couch, Randall PriceExploring Bible Prophecy from Genesis to Revelation: Clarifying the Meaning of Every Prophetic Passage (Tim LaHaye Prophecy Library)

Excellent book!