Prior to delving into the Syria question, Rosenberg responded to a more general — and a monumentally-loaded curiosity: What does the Bible say about the End Times? Quipping that it’s not only a question that has massive scope, but also one that could be a “doctoral dissertation,” the famed author focused mainly on the second coming of Christ — a central Biblical teaching. His worldview, in this regard, helped put his Syria views into perspective. “The disciples asked Jesus, ‘Would you give us one sign of the End Times — when is this all coming to an end’ [Matthew 24]. Jesus could have said, ‘No comment. Next question,’ but he didn’t,” Rosenberg said. “He actually walked through a whole list of signs to watch for that will be indicators that will culminate in the second coming of Christ [Mark 21 and Luke 14].” With this, the author explained that Jesus noted dozens of times that he would be back again — something that was widely documented and explained by the apostles. The Bible’s elements of prophecy, Rosenberg argues, are intended to give believers some idea surrounding what might happen before Jesus returns. A Syrian man crosses a street in Damascus on June 17, 2013. Russia said it would not permit a no-fly zone to be implemented over Syria, following reports that plans for such a measure were being drawn up by the United States. Credit: AFP/Getty Images “He does want us to be aware that he’s coming and [that] we’re getting close so that we’re ready … you don’t know when he’s coming, but he’ll come like a thief in the night,” he continued, noting, though, that not everyone buys into these contentions. “There’s obviously skeptics and critics.” The author further explained these elements, describing the notion that Jesus would come back “quickly” (found in the first chapter of Revelation). At the time, some interpreted this to mean that Christ’s return would be imminent, but that obviously wasn’t the case. “And, yes, this was interpreted that he would come near to the end of the first century — it gave a sense of immanency,” Rosenberg said. “‘Quickly’ has been interpreted as soon — when he comes, he’s coming fast — he uses the expression of a flash of lightening.” The author explains that this language was employed to urge people to be ready, as they would not know exactly when the Christian savior was returning. In what he called an “understandable disagreement,” some assumed that, since Christ didn’t return, that the so-called prophecies were actually not meant for the 20th and 21st centuries, but, instead, for people living in earlier centuries. While Rosenberg explained that it is understandable why some would hold these views, once Israel was re-established as a state, the notion that the Bible wasn’t predicting what would come centuries after its contents were penned was turned on its head. The re-birth of the state of Israel — predicted in the Book of Ezekiel — he claims, solidified this. “In the End Times, the Bible describes that the Jews will be coming back to the land in Ezekiel 36 and 37,” he told TheBlaze. “For many, many, many centuries — basically for 19 centuries — even most of our church fathers … did not understand that God literally meant the physical, geopolitical birth of the state of Israel.”
Posted on: Tue, 18 Jun 2013 17:00:50 +0000
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