This page is designed for anyone who's new to Look Up Fellowship let alone for any Christians who are new to eschatology, or the study of Bible prophecy. Please search the LUF Archive for several Bible studies regarding the importance of studying prophecy as it's found in the Holy Bible.
Simply put, the fact that nearly 1/3 of the entirety of God's Word is prophetic in nature as well as the truth proclaimed in Revelation 19:10 about the "testimony" of prophecy should be enough to convince you of its importance to us. The existence of Jesus Christ is an historical fact so why would we ignore the prophecies of His Second Coming if it is mentioned almost twice as much as His First?
As mentioned, Revelation 19:10 says, "The essence of prophecy is to give a clear witness for Jesus." Prophecy is all about Christ! While it is a common mistake to think that we could ever know the specific time of His return (Matthew 24:36; Mark 13:32), it's also a common mistake to ignore end times prophecy completely. We are told to “watch and pray” for the Lord’s return. That means that we should be ready at all times and live each day with an expectant heart and mind. It's really that simple.
So, while our primary passion is to preach the Gospel to a world that desperately needs to hear it, our other pursuit here will be to try to help you "watch and pray" by keeping our eyes on the so-called "signs of the times" and report on them to you as best we can. No, not to instigate fear, or to get us to take our eyes off of "Thy Kingdom come" by putting it on the kingdoms of this world, but just to encourage you to use that brain that God gave you so you can be more discerning about the reality of life these days. Jesus chastised the Pharisees for not knowing the signs of the times in His day (Matthew 16:1-4). So, He wants to us know the signs today, for they strengthen our faith, they instill in us hope for the future, and they encourage us to evangelize the lost with a greater zeal while there is still time for us to do so.
Still, the best advice that I can give you is to remember Sola Scriptura and Acts 17:11, which should be your guides at all times as a Bible-believing Christian. I strongly encourage anyone who's spending any time at all with the content they find here on this website (especially with any posts of a prophetic nature) to do so with their Bible wide open in one hand so that you can trust but verify. These days, there are a lot of "Christian ministries" out there that are geared toward the study of the last days, but they lack any true Biblical discernment. For that matter, there are just as many "Christian ministries" out there that are geared toward teaching God's holy Word, and that do anything but that. Instead, interested believers get a heavy dose of wild speculation and subjective analysis more than careful, expository assessment and understanding (2 Timothy 4:3-5).
In the interest of full disclosure, I'll also be the first to admit that I was one of the worst offenders of such material too in years past! In fact, that was a major reason why I embarked on the "Great Purge" at the start of 2013. I spent the first couple of weeks of the New Year deleting all the material out of some 2100+ posts spanning 4.5 years that had no business being a part of a maturing Christian's blog. The end result is what you have before you right now.
Even so, it's still important for me to issue a word of caution to my fellow brothers and sisters in Christ, particularly when it comes to the study of prophecy. I really can't say enough about J.C. Ryle's statements about how to handle the different perspectives often held by Christians who spend any time at all with eschatology, and it's definitely worth sharing here for all of you.
At the very outset I warn the reader of these pages that he will find here nothing deep or abstruse. I have purposely avoided everything that can be called speculative or conjectural. I have strictly confined myself to a few great prophetical principles, which appear to me written as it were with a sunbeam. I have not attempted to expound such portions of God's Word as Ezekiel's temple or the symbolical visions of Revelation. I have not ventured to fix any dates. I have not tried to settle the precise order or manner in which predictions of things to come are to be fulfilled. There is nothing I dislike so much in prophetical inquiry as dogmatism or positiveness. Much of the discredit which has fallen on prophetical study has arisen from the fact that many students instead of expounding prophecy have turned prophets themselves.
If anyone asks me what my prophetical opinions are, I am quite ready to give him an answer. Cautious and doubtful as I feel on some points, there are certain great principles about which I have fully made up my mind. I have held by them firmly for more than twentyfive years and have never had my opinion shaken about them. I have lived in the belief of them for a quarter of a century, and in the belief of them I hope to die. The older I grow, the more do I feel convinced of their truth, and the more satisfied am I that no other principles can explain the state of the Church and the world.
One thing only I wish to premise before making my statement. The reader must distinctly understand that I do not put forth my prophetical views as articles of faith but only as my private opinions. I do not say that nobody can be saved who does not agree with me about prophecy. I am not infallible. I am very sensible that holier and better men than myself do not see these subjects with my eyes and think me utterly mistaken. I condemn nobody; I judge nobody. I only ask liberty to hold and state distinctly my own views. The day will decide who is right. It is the new heart and faith in Christ's blood which are absolutely necessary to salvation. The man who knows these two things experimentally may be wrong about prophecy, but he will not miss heaven.
It is with that same spirit that I write to all of you always, my dear friends.
Furthermore, while I've done my best to purge the LUF Archive and the Blogosphere of any un-Biblical content from my early and spiritually immature days here, you might come across one or two entries that I missed (when I started the "Great Purge" I had to sift through 2100+ posts over the span of 4.5 years!). If so, then please send me a quick email to let me know so that I can address it immediately.
We put these Bible studies, commentaries, interviews, news items, research, sermons, videos, and all other information here as a public service, and in an effort to bring all the glory, honor, and praise to God and God alone. Truth is what we're after here, and exposing the darkness of deceit with the light of truth is our preferred method of identifying it as it currently exists in this world during this infamous Age of Deception (Ephesians 5:11; Matthew 10:16; Matthew 10:28).
Lastly, and most importantly, it is up to you to seek the Lord and pray about EVERYTHING you find here on this website, while using the Holy Bible (and seeking the Holy Spirit) as your guide. We do not -- and we never will -- suggest that anyone should seek man for the answers. We must start with His Word, and then take all things to (and seek and rely on) the Lord, and let Him bless us with spiritual discernment and wisdom as He so chooses. If something here in this forum motivates you to that end, then praise the Lord!
My dear friends, we are warned to watch, pray, and not be deceived in Acts 17:11, Matthew 24, Mark 13, Luke 21, 2 Thessalonians 2, and elsewhere throughout the holy text. May these commands never fall on deaf ears.
Grace and peace to you and yours!
