Expert: Onaga Thomas - 9/15/2006

Question
Thank you for your honesty. Most Church of Christ members in my area believe that scriptures about the anti-christ have already been fulfilled. They think it was fulfilled by Titus or some other person years ago. I of course disagree. It is quiet confusing to me because my line of thinking is like this. If they believe this about end times events, what else are they wrong about. The scriptures seem to be very clear about an anti-christ. 2 Thess. Chapter 2, Matthew 24, Revelation. He is also mentioned in Daniel. They also say the Old Testament is completely fulfulled. Yet I read in Matthew 24 about and anti-christ mentioned by Daniel. Hello, Daniel is an Old Testament book, and that is something not yet fulfilled. They also never mention Isreal. I find it hard to believe that Isreal all of the sudden appears again, out of no where, but it is nothing prophetic. That doesn't sound right to me. I would like to hear more of your thoughts about this if I could. Sorry, this just has been hard on me trying to figure out what is right and what isn't.
         Thanks
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Followup To

Question -
Hi. I am a member of the Church of Christ but I do not agree with the belief most Church of Christ preachers have on end times. As you know most in the Church of Christ believe that there is no Man of Sin to be revealed and that there is no 1000 year reign. But in Matthew 24 Jesus plainly states that all the things he talked about would happen in one generation. Check it out, right before he made that statement he spoke of his return. That means that his return was included in that generation. All things  will happen in that generation. So to say that all those things are already fulfilled would be saying Jesus has already come, but he has not. I would appreciate any comments. But please use scripture and comment on my scripture.
         thanks

Answer -
Thankyou for your question


 In reading Matthew 24, Jesus did name a number of things that must happen before he returns the second time.  So all those things he named (false christ, wars, family hatred, hatred and persecution of believers) must happen before he comes.  And then He ended it saying that his Word is to be preached all over the entire earth and THEN the end will come.  Most believers think we are living in the end times because the Word of God has been made available to almost the entire world in their native language.  As a member of the Church of Christ I believe the Word, and Jesus has not come back yet, so that means that there are things to be fulfilled as of yet.  According to Daniel and Revelation, there will be a literal Anti-Christ, a man possessed by Satan himself, that will set himself up as a saviour, to the point where some will believe him to be the Christ.  COC members really don't believe in a 1000 year reign because most think they will be in heaven and that Christ will not literally be on earth reigning his kingdom, they believe he is doing that already.  I guess it depends on how you interpret the scriputures and revelation.  But what we all do know is Christ has not come back yet, so things must still have to happen according to scripture before the end comes.

Answer
Somes, I think member of the Church get caught up with only the New Testament and forget about the Old Testament.  I think the prophecy in Daniel has yet to be fulfilled, when Jesus mentions Daniel in Matt. 24 he was validating Daniel (saying in effect this will happen just has Daniel prophesied, just as I am saying now, it will happen) and this has yet to happen in history so it must be fulfilled later.  We don't even know right now if we are living in the "end times" or if it is a time to come so I don't think as believers we can say something is fulfilled when we have no proof for it.  I would hope that we all study right and we let the Holy Spirit guide our thinking so we won't confuse each other.  I don't know everything and when it is going to happen, but I believe God so if He said something in his word that has not been fulfilled yet, it is still to come and it will happen on His time.