Pete Garcia’s Post – Eyes Wide Shut

* This is a “reprint” of the Conclusion section (2nd half) from Pete Garcia‘s article, Eyes Wide Shut (published at Rev310.net on 6/9/2023) Very well worth the read.  Optional: Listen to his audio reading (starting at 7:36 …1:43:55): YouTube video of Eyes Wide Shut.

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Conclusion section of Pete Garcia‘s article,
Eyes Wide Shut

 

Clearly, the dismissal of Bible prophecy is a subject that has only grown in intensity in recent years thanks to the foolishness of infamous date setters such as the Millerites, Edgar Whisenant, Harold Camping, etc. However, I’d like to begin with several of my own rebuttals to this pastor’s sermon (and those like it).  ¹

Prophecy jargon
First of all, “prophecy jargon” doesn’t come from the Internet. It comes from the Bible. Nearly thirty percent of the Bible is prophetic in nature, and to dismiss it out of hand as a distraction is both dangerous and foolish (see Matthew 16:1-4, 24:24-25).

Watching isn’t optional
Secondly, watching for the Lord to return isn’t optional for Christians, Jesus didn’t leave us that option. It’s every bit as instrumental to our walk, faith, and responsibilities as is going out to make disciples of all nations.

Nearly thirty percent of the Bible is prophetic in nature

But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. Take heed, watch and pray; for you do not know when the time is.

It is like a man going to a far country, who left his house and gave authority to his servants, and to each his work, and commanded the doorkeeper to watch.

Watch therefore, for you do not know when the master of the house is coming—in the evening, at midnight, at the crowing of the rooster, or in the morning— lest, coming suddenly, he find you sleeping. And what I say to you, I say to all: Watch!” Mark 13:32-37 (my emphasis)

Sure sounds like a command to me.

Thirdly, if he (and other pastors like him) are serious about getting their congregations on fire for the Lord and getting serious about their faith (as his sermon seemed to indicate) one of the best ways to do that, is to teach and study sound exegetical Bible Prophecy.

Sound Exegetical Bible Prophecy
Why is that? Because

1) Bible prophecy (eschatology) ties every other biblical doctrine into it giving the believer a well-reasoned and complete understanding of God’s word beginning with Genesis 3:15 all the way to Revelation 22:20

2) It loosens our grip on the things of this world- as it was intended to do (Luke 21:34-36)

3) When understood properly, Bible prophecy motivates the believer to get busy doing all the work the Church should be doing (2 Peter 3:10-12)

Lastly, to study Bible prophecy is to study Jesus Christ (Rev. 19:10). If you want a church full of on-fire believers, teach them sound Bible prophecy. When it finally sinks in for people that we as a nation are not going to just continue on with the status quo into some unknowable, distant future, believing Christians will begin to focus on what’s important; which is saving souls because that is the only thing we can take with us into eternity.

The age-old trade of pinning Matthew 24:36 to every prophetic discussion was only applicable up to 1948. However, after Israel was rebirthed as a nation again after nearly two millennia of diaspora, we really can’t use that excuse any longer.

Say what you will, but the fact we have a Jewish Bible, written by Jewish men, about a Jewish Messiah, who foretold on numerous occasions that Israel would be revived as a nation in the last days, doesn’t leave us the option to feign ignorance any longer.

Furthermore, Matthew 24:36 was not the final matter our Lord said about the subject (see Revelation 3:3). While it is true that no man (or angel) will know the exact time of His return, we are expected to know the general time of His return so as not to be caught off-guard or asleep (1 Thess 5:1-9, 2 Thess 2:1-8, Hebrews 10:24-25, Revelation 3:3).

The repercussions of dismissing Bible prophecy outright far outweigh any negative aspects of being “distracted.” It reminds me of an excellent article written by a Church of Christ professor some years ago in Pepperdine University’s Leaven magazine.

In his Eschatology: Essential, Yet Essentially Ignored, professor Lynn Mitchell perfectly summarizes the ‘theological wasteland’ created by the Church of Christ denomination’s decades-long, systemic dismissal of all things prophetic. He writes;

“All we have left is ah-millennialism.

We are neither passionately radical

nor invigoratingly hopeful.”

You see, when you boil it all down, true, biblical Christianity really only has two options. Either it is all true (including Bible prophecy), and we must live as such, or none of it is true, and we are just random stardust floating in space.

If the former, then the Church will exist/advance/be removed by the sheer willpower of God, and reality will bend according to His will. If the latter, then, well, what does any of it really matter?

Because if the God of the Bible isn’t real, then our existence here is accidental and when we die, we will blink off into nothingness. The Apostle Paul addresses a similar argument to the church in Corinth.

Now if Christ is preached that He has been raised from the dead, how do some among you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ is not risen.

And if Christ is not risen, then our preaching is empty and your faith is also empty. Yes, and we are found false witnesses of God, because we have testified of God that He raised up Christ, whom He did not raise up—if in fact the dead do not rise.

For if the dead do not rise, then Christ is not risen. And if Christ is not risen, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins!

Then also those who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men the most pitiable.

– 1 Corinthians 15:12-19 

Believers studied in sound eschatology will not live in fear or perplexity at the increased wickedness and lunacy that has currently taken hold of this world, because they will know that this is the way it is SUPPOSED to be at the end.

It is this way at the end, NOT because we aren’t doing our jobs, but because God’s word already said it would (2 Tim 3, 2 Peter 3, Jude, James 5, Rev 3, etc.).

Things are not going to get better. The Church isn’t going to take over the world for Christ. If that were true, then Christ’s Second Coming would be unnecessary.

While it is true the gates of hell won’t prevail against the Church (Matt. 16:18), that is not the same as saying Church is going to win the world over so Christ can return. There is a huge difference between a stalemate and a decisive victory.

The victory isn’t going to be determined by how busy the Church gets in the here and now. The victory will be Christ’s alone because only He can bring the Kingdom.

If the Church could win the world over for Christ, then why have we waited 2,000 years to do it? The truth is we can’t…nor were we supposed to.

The Church isn’t the Kingdom, nor are we building the Kingdom here on Earth. The Kingdom is what Christ ushers in at His coming.

I suppose one of the things that irked me the most about this sermon I sat thru, was his usage of traditionally prophetically charged passages like Titus 2:11-13 and Hebrews 10:24-25 as talking points, but completely stripping the prophetic significance from them (see 2 Peter 1:20-21).

Not that this pastor will ever read or listen to my reply (i.e., prophecy jargon on the internet) however, I would like to ask him a question.

Since you used Hebrews 10:24-25 as your closing scripture for the sermon you preached, then what “Day” should we see approaching if we are not supposed to be distracted by looking for this Day?

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“And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching.” – Hebrews 10:24-25

I seem to remember Jesus seriously chastising the Pharisees for not being able to recognize the times. As a matter of fact, they missed His birth as well (see Matt 2 and why they didn’t go with the Wise Men to see the Christ).

Seriously, I weep for what passes as a seminary degree these days.

Oh, I suppose I’m preaching to the choir here. Most of you have either attended or are attending churches like the aforementioned due to a lack of options where you live or for some other dire reasons.

I think the human in me secretly hopes the Rapture happens on a Sunday, JUST so it could catch many of these prophecy-denying clergy in the act of dismissing the very thing they’ve built their careers off of mocking. I also secretly wish people would get raptured according to their own eschatology.

Thankfully, God is not petty like I am. Nevertheless,

• Nowhere in the Bible does God tell us to dismiss the prophetic word.

• Nowhere in the Bible does God call Bible prophecy a “distraction”.

• Nowhere in the Bible (or history for that matter) does prophecy not go unfulfilled.

If the world is in the mess it’s in due to its rejection of the one true God of the Bible, how much more will they be deceived by not knowing what is coming?

Put another way, if the world truly knew the coming future, would it still be heading in the direction it’s going? Verily I tell you, if Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists, etc. knew for sure what was coming, the overwhelming majority would be turning away from their pagan gods to the One True Living God of the Bible.

That is the power of the prophetic word. We serve the only true and living God, who had the graciousness to tell us what was coming before it does, so we can warn the world. So important is this final point that

1) the book of Revelation is the only book in the entire Bible that offers a special blessing (twice) to those who read and apply the words of it, and

2) Christ affords a special place and privilege for those who are found faithful in watching (Luke 12:37-40).

 

In closing, don’t let any pastor or theologian (so-called) rob you of your crown of righteousness (2 Tim 4:8) by selling you a humanist, world-based philosophy designed to keep you distracted from what is really coming.

This age had a beginning (Pentecost) and will have an end (the Rapture). We are to be busy with the Lord’s work, yes, but just remember you are created in the image of God. This means you can walk and chew gum at the same time.

Maranatha!

 

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FOR MORE:

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About the End Times

Rapture Date Setters Keep Failing – From Rapture Ready

Praying for the world to get better?

Jesus volunteered to give us signs that would usher in the End Times

Think like God Almighty

 

“The first things” (our time now) of Revelation 21:4

The End Times Fight you might not win

And time will be no more

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1. To read about pastor’s sermon — See first half of Pete’s original article, Eyes Wide Shut.