Prophecy Lights Our Way :: By Nathele Graham

Published on: July 18, 2026 by RR10

Prophecy is one of the most neglected subjects in Scripture. Is it unimportant? Another way to ask that question is to ask if anything in Scripture really matters. The answer is a resounding YES; it all matters. The attitude today is that the Bible is an ancient writing with no relevance to modern times. Every word of Scripture matters because it comes straight from God and hasn’t changed. God hasn’t changed.

“Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever” (Hebrews 13:8).

People haven’t changed either. We are still sinners who need the grace of God for salvation.

“For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23).

Parents have dropped the ball when it comes to teaching children about God. Is the moral law really relevant in today’s society? Yes, it is. Just because people accept sin with open arms doesn’t mean God’s moral law is invalid.

Are the Ten Commandments just ten suggestions? If you step into a classroom at a public school, you’ll find that kids are being taught many non-Biblical things, beginning with evolution. Parents have turned child-rearing over to others, including the government, and have lost control of the morals being instilled into their children.

“Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old, he will not depart from it” (Proverbs 22:6).

Christian pulpits are filled with preachers teaching an agenda rather than preaching God’s word, but that’s what in-name-only Christians want.

“For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap themselves teachers, having itching ears; and they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables” (2 Timothy 4:3-4).

This verse is a prophecy which is being fulfilled today. Sin isn’t preached against, and prophecy isn’t taught because the congregation won’t like that. They have itching ears and are just looking for someone to condone their sins. Money and being politically correct motivate many preachers rather than standing upon God’s truth.

As preachers hop, skip, and jump over troublesome verses, the Gospel and all of Scripture become watered down and diluted, and sin doesn’t seem so bad. That doesn’t mean you can’t study Scripture on your own and learn God’s truth. Christianity isn’t works-oriented; salvation comes from faith in the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Rewards come from doing good works motivated by gratitude for what Jesus has done for us, not by self-interest. There’s no doubt that we are saved by faith, period.

“For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: not of works, lest any man should boast” (Ephesians 2:8-9).

Only the righteousness of Jesus Christ can make us worthy of salvation. Once we finally understand that sin has condemned us to Hell, and to place our faith in the sacrifice of Christ and His resurrection, our way of life should change. Scripture should come alive! Our joy should be in serving Jesus and submitting to His will.

When a person joins a club or a lodge, they have no problem learning the rules and memorizing oaths of that club. Yet, Scripture seldom becomes important to new believers. Where are the mentors? We need men and women who stand firmly on Scripture, not denominational dogma; Christians who encourage and support new believers into a new life in Christ. Sadly, older believers don’t always study Scripture either. Every word of Scripture is important.

“All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works” (2 Timothy 3:16-17).

The words “all scripture” include prophecy. God doesn’t want us to be unaware of what’s coming, and the end is coming very fast. Over one-third of Scripture is prophecy, so that tells me that God wants us to pay attention.

Too many Christians get their “theology” from podcasts by people who twist God’s truth or from television shows instead of prayerfully going to Scripture. Don’t get me wrong, there are some wonderful resources online, but unless you read Scripture, you can’t tell the false teachers from those who stand firmly on God’s word.

The disciples walked with Jesus and learned directly from Him. The things they wrote about were amazing, but I also wonder about things they didn’t document. John said that Jesus did many other things that weren’t written down. There was just too much to document!

“And there are also many other things which Jesus did, the which, if they should be written every one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that should be written. Amen” (John 21:25).

The Holy Spirit directed the Apostles to write down enough so we can be assured that Jesus was truly God incarnate. Peter was one of those men who followed Jesus and witnessed marvelous things. He saw blind men healed, lame men walk, children raised from the dead, and also the transfiguration where he heard the voice of God.

In spite of Peter’s failures (and even denying Jesus), Jesus told him to feed both new believers (lambs) and older believers (sheep) (see John 21:15-17). In that same talk, Jesus told Peter how he would die (John 21:18-19). When Peter knew that Jesus’ prophecy was about to be fulfilled, he wrote a letter of encouragement to fellow believers. He made it clear that he and the other disciples didn’t follow a myth or fable, but followed God’s Son.

In spite of all the marvels he saw, Peter said it was prophecy that was more certain to prove God’s truth. The miracles and the witness of the transfiguration were amazing, but prophecy is “more sure.”

“We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts” (2 Peter 1:19).

Why prophecy? The miracles were witnessed by a few people, and if they hadn’t been documented in Scripture, they would have gone unheard of by following generations. On the other hand, prophecy is there for all to see. There were many Old Testament prophecies of Jesus, and I’m sure the disciples were aware of them and aware that Jesus fulfilled them. Peter spoke with Jesus and saw His miracles in person, but he still says prophecy is “more sure” and is a light that shines in the dark.

As we draw near to the end of time, the world becomes darker because of evil being unleashed. God’s word is the guiding light for Christians.

In Psalms we read, “NUN. Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path” (Psalm 119:105). People who study Scripture feel less fear about the wars and rumors of wars, earthquakes, and all the other signs of the times. God doesn’t want His followers to be ignorant of what is happening.

All Scripture came from God, so it can be trusted completely (2 Timothy 3:15-16), while secular news reporters have no clue about what’s really happening and feed the fear. Christians even feel the fear. For some reason we don’t question when a boss dictates a letter to his secretary, who types it and mails it off to the recipient, but we just don’t grasp that God dictated His word to men who held the pen and wrote His words exactly as the Holy Spirit dictated.

Since God exists outside of our perception of time, He knows what’s coming and is our guiding light. It isn’t that God wrote a script, then directs events to follow that script, but He has seen what will happen and allows our free will. A poor example is if you have seen a movie, then you watch it again with a friend. You know what’s going to happen before it happens. Since you know what will happen, you could tell your friend about the plot twists and turns. We don’t live in a movie, but God has seen the end from the beginning.

“Remember the former things of old: for I am God, and there is none else; I am God, and there is none like me, Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand and I will do all my pleasure” (Isaiah 46:9-10).

Because He loves us, He wants us to be aware of the future. That’s where prophecy comes in. Many prophecies have been fulfilled, such as those telling of Jesus’ birth and death. We can look at the fulfillment of these prophecies and know that the ones that have yet to be fulfilled will be fulfilled just as God says they will. This is the light that shines in the darkness to light our way.

Many people don’t study prophecy because they think it’s nothing but doom and gloom. For the Christian, the future is bright. There are troubling times ahead leading up to Daniel’s 70^th week. That prophecy is found in Daniel 9:24-27, and it and the following chapters should be studied by all Christians.

The “weeks” referred to are 7-year periods of time, and 69 of those 70 weeks have been fulfilled; but we are living in a “pause.” The 69^th week ended with the Crucifixion of the Messiah, and the 70^th week will start after Christians have been taken Home in the Rapture. Jesus said the great tribulation will be worse than any other time in history.

“For then shall be great tribulation such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be” (Matthew 24-21).

God’s wrath will be poured out upon the entire earth (begin reading in Revelation chapter 6). Christians won’t be a part of these judgments. Our sins were paid for at the cross, and we aren’t appointed to wrath.

“For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ, Who died for us, that, whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with him” (1 Thessalonians 5:9-10).

When you understand that the Rapture has been pictured in Scripture since the time that Enoch was raptured prior to God’s judgment of the flood, you can understand that there’s an urgency to spread the Gospel. Prophecy is very clear that the end times prophecies are being fulfilled and the great tribulation is coming quickly. Christians will not see that dreadful time, but will be safely gathered with our Lord in Heaven.

When you read the Book of Revelation, you’ll see that Jesus dictated seven letters which John was to send to seven churches. Those letters lay out the future history of the Church. The last letter was to be sent to the church in Laodicea, which was very apostate and kept Jesus outside of its congregation. Like so many churches today, Jesus was not welcome; they felt they had everything they needed without Jesus.

Revelation chapter 4 begins with the Greek words “meta tauta” translated “after that” (a sequence of events). John says after he saw the church age end (Laodicea), he was then caught up to Heaven. John saw marvelous sights in Heaven; things I long to see.

The rest of Revelation, with all of its judgments and wrath being poured out, is not about the church, but about bringing Israel to faith. The ekklesia (church) isn’t mentioned at all during the judgments. Prophecy isn’t something to be feared, but is a light that shows us where we are in history and how to avoid God’s judgment.

Should we care about prophecy? Yes, we should. God put it in Scripture, so that fact alone means we need to study it. Many people are stumbling their way through the darkness of the times in which we live, but prophecy is that light that brings understanding to what’s happening.

The war in the Middle East and the demonic hatred of Israel are seen in Bible prophecy. Prophecy shines a light in the darkness of the evil permeating life today. Darkness is from Satan; the light is from God. Pray for the Jewish people, pray for fellow Christians, and pray that God will take us Home soon.

God bless you all,

Nathele Graham

twotug@embarqmail.com

Recommended prophecy sites:

www.raptureready.com

www.prophecyupdate.com

www.raptureforums.com

All original Scripture is “theopneustos,” God-breathed.

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“Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: they shall prosper that love thee” (Psalm 122:6).

Is There an Achilles’ Heel of Amillennial Beliefs? :: By Jonathan Brentner

Published on: July 18, 2026 by RR10

The phrase “Achilles’ heel” refers to a weakness or crucial vulnerability. When applied to a set of beliefs, it denotes a flaw that undermines the credibility of the whole.

Is there such a weak spot in amillennialism that undermines all its other precepts?

The basic assumption of amillennialism is that God is finished with Israel. They reach this conclusion in at least a couple of ways. Some claim that God rejected Israel after Jesus’ crucifixion and replaced the nation with the church (Replacement Theology). Others insist that the Lord always intended for Israel to become the church as part of a continuing covenant of grace.

The four basic tenets of amillennialism, listed below, rest entirely on its core assumption that God’s purpose for the nation of Israel has ended:

The church is the new Israel.
There will be no future restoration of a kingdom to Israel.
There will be no literal seven-year Tribulation.
There will be no literal thousand-year reign of Jesus in-between the Tribulation and eternal state.

What if God is not done with Israel? Is there one passage in particular that refutes the basic assumption of all amillennial beliefs? I believe there is.

Jesus’ words in Matthew 24:15-18 is the text that I regard as the Achilles’ heel of all the teachings that dismiss Israel as irrelevant to Bible prophecy. If these verses await a future fulfillment, it demonstrates that God’s purposes for the Jewish people remain intact to this very day.

Amillennialists, on the other hand, must place the temple defilement, the event Jesus mentioned in Matthew 24:15-18, in AD 70 when the Roman general Titus ransacked Jerusalem and destroyed the second temple. If His words refer to a still future time, then amillennialism and all its offshoots cannot be true.

What makes these verses in Matthew 24 so vital? It’s their link to a critical prophecy found in the book of Daniel.

It’s the Seventieth Week of Daniel

One must interpret Jesus’ prophetic words in Matthew 24:15-18 in light of their context in Matthew 24 as well as that of Daniel 9:24-27.

The Matthew 24:1-2 conversation between Jesus and His disciples regarding the temple began with Jesus’ lament over Jerusalem when He said “your house is left to you desolate” (Matthew 23:39). Trying to make sense of His words, the twelve pointed out the grand buildings that comprised the temple as they left its courtyards. Can you imagine their shock when the Lord responded by predicting its total destruction?

When they reached the Mount of Olives, the disciples asked Jesus about the signs of the end of the age and His “coming” (Matthew 24:3). After listing several signs of the last days, the Lord spoke these words as recorded in Matthew 24:15-18:

“So when you see the abomination of desolation spoken of by the prophet Daniel, standing in the holy place (let the reader understand), then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. Let the one who is on the housetop not go down to take what is in his house, and let the one who is in the field not turn back to take his cloak.”

The words, “the abomination of desolation spoken of by the prophet Daniel,” tie Jesus’ words to the seventy weeks’ prophecy recorded in Daniel 9:24-27. There, God specified seventy weeks of years for the fulfillment of His purposes for the Jewish people and Jerusalem. Jesus’ prophecy in the above passage predicts the defilement of a temple, which Daniel 9:27 says will happen at the midpoint of the seventieth week.

God said the last week will begin with a seven-year covenant between a future “prince” and “the many” (a group that certainly includes Israel). He also stated that three and a half years later, the midpoint of the week, this ruler will break the covenant by desecrating the temple. That’s the event Jesus refers to in Matthew 24:15.

Is it possible that Titus’ destruction of the temple in AD 70 fulfilled what Jesus predicted in Matthew 24? No, it is not. I say that for the following reasons:

There is no record of any seven-year covenant or agreement between the Roman general and Israel such as the Lord told Daniel would initiate the seventieth week.
Paul wrote that the Lord Himself would destroy the temple defiler at His coming (2 Thessalonians 2:3-8). However, Titus died of natural consequences eleven years after destroying the temple; the Lord didn’t directly kill him at the end of the seventieth week.
Paul also wrote that this “man of lawlessness” would proclaim himself to be God while sitting in the temple (2 Thessalonians 2:4). Why would he destroy the very place he needs to maintain his ruse of deity?

The above arguments might settle the argument once and for all if not for a passage in Luke that many equate with Matthew 24:15-18.

What About Jesus’ words in Luke 21:20-24?

Those who believe that Titus fulfilled Jesus’ words concerning Daniel’s “abomination of desolation” say that Luke 21:20-24 is another version of Matthew 24:15-18. They say that, together, they represent Jesus’ full response to the disciples’ question regarding the temple destruction.

“But when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then know that its desolation has come near. Then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains, and let those who are inside the city depart, and let not those who are out in the country enter it, for these are days of vengeance, to fulfill all that is written. Alas for women who are pregnant and for those who are nursing infants in those days! For there will be great distress upon the earth and wrath against this people. They will fall by the edge of the sword and be led captive among all nations, and Jerusalem will be trampled underfoot by the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.”

Do the above verses point to the events of AD 70 when the Romans destroyed Jerusalem and the temple? Yes, I believe they do.

On the other hand, is it possible to harmonize the Luke passage concerning the events of AD 70 with Jesus’ words in Matthew 24:15-18? No, it is not possible. The two passages cannot be harmonized into a single response to the disciples’ question regarding the temple destruction because of the following key differences:

First: There’s a key difference in what happens to the temple. In Matthew 24:15-18, Jesus predicts the desecration of the temple by a future ruler. His words in Luke 21:20–24 depict the time when Titus would destroy the temple.

Second: The most significant difference between the Matthew and Luke passages is the warning signal that Jesus gives of imminent danger. In Luke 21:20, it’s the sight of “Jerusalem surrounded by armies” that alerts the Jewish people to the threat. In Matthew 24:15, it’s entirely different—it’s when those in Judea “see the abomination of desolation spoken of by the prophet Daniel, standing in the holy place.” The passages refer to two separate events with two very different signs that alert the Jewish people of the imminent threat to their lives.

Third: In Matthew 24:15–18, Jesus instructs the Jews living at that time to flee for their lives when they see antichrist standing in the holy place of the temple. Although Luke’s reference to the AD 70 destruction of Jerusalem also includes a warning to leave the area, there is a key difference. In Luke 21:24, the Lord also predicts that the people will “be led captive among all the nations.”

Fourth: Although the persecution of the Jews that follows both events is quite similar, there is one glaring difference: in Matthew 24:15-28, the judgments extend to the entire world in what Jesus describes as a time of “great tribulation.” He says this period will be so severe that unless “those days had been cut short, no human being would be saved” (Matthew 24:22). There is no forced captivity of the Jews here, but only that of persecution aimed at their annihilation along with the rest of humanity.

Fifth: The worldwide calamity that follows Jesus’ prediction of the temple desecrations leads directly to His glorious return to the earth (Matthew 24:29-31). His Second Coming will cut short this time of “great tribulation” and prevent the ending of all human life on the planet. This is far different than the “distress” mentioned in the Luke passage, leading to the trampling of Jerusalem “underfoot by the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled,” which aptly sums up the past two thousand years (Luke 21:24).

If Jesus’ words in Luke 21:20-24 refer to a completely different event than that of the temple desecration, and they do, then His words in Matthew 24:15-18 must await a future fulfillment when they will lead directly to His return and the rescue of Jews living in Jerusalem (Zechariah 14:1-8).

How Do We Account for Two Different Prophecies?

Since Jesus’ words in Luke 21:20-24 and Matthew 24:15-18 refer to distinct events separated by nearly two thousand years, how do we account for the fact that He spoke them so close together, perhaps during the same afternoon?

The most likely explanation, and the one I favor, is that Jesus spoke the words recorded in Luke 21:20-24 as He and His disciples walked out of its courtyard shortly after predicting its total destruction. After they reached the Mount of Olives, He addressed the future defilement of the temple—the “abomination of desolation” spoken of by the prophet Daniel.

It’s also possible that Jesus addressed both matters on the Mount of Olives, but only Matthew recorded His words concerning the fulfillment of Daniel 9:27.

What we do know, however, is that the differences between these passages are far too significant to harmonize them into a single prophecy describing one event.

God Is Not Yet Finished with Israel

Because Jesus’ words in Matthew 24:15-18 await a future fulfillment, we know that God’s purposes for the entire seventy weeks of Daniel’s prophecy also await a future fulfillment:

“Seventy weeks are decreed about your people and your holy city, to finish the transgression, to put an end to sin, and to atone for iniquity, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal both vision and prophet, and to anoint a most holy place” (Daniel 9:24).

Please note that the Lord did not decree sixty-nine weeks for the completion of His purposes for the Jewish people and Jerusalem, nor did He declare His purposes for Israel would end halfway through the final week with the temple destruction. The above words dictate Israel’s existence for the entire seventy weeks.

If the seventieth week indeed awaits a future fulfillment as I have shown, then it’s also certain God’s purposes for the nation of Israel remain to this day because He has not yet completed His stated purposes for His people and city. This invalidates the core belief of amillennialism, namely that God is finished with Israel, upon which all its other beliefs rest.

In other words, the church cannot be Israel’s replacement, nor can it be a new spiritual extension of its kingdom.

And if this is the case, and it is, it exposes the Achilles’ heel of amillennialism, namely that God is not yet finished with Israel.

There are many other biblical references that affirm Israel’s restoration during Jesus’ thousand-year rule over the nations. It will have a prominent place in His kingdom as He reigns from Jerusalem.

Jesus’ words in Matthew 24:15-18 confirm that Daniel’s seventieth week awaits a future fulfillment and, as such, exposes the fundamental flaw of amillennialism: its insistence that God is finished with the nation of Israel.

My book, The Triumph of the Redeemed–An Eternal Perspective that Calms Our Fears in Perilous Times, is available on Amazon. This book provides a great deal of biblical support regarding the restoration of a kingdom to Israel. It’s the basis of our hope in Jesus’ imminent appearing to take us to the place that He’s preparing for us.

Note: Please consider signing up for my newsletter on the home page of my website at https://www.jonathanbrentner.com/. It will greatly help me in reaching more people with the truth regarding Israel’s future. Thanks!