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Thursday 17 November 2022

BILL SALUS # JOEL ROSENBERG # ANDY WOODS: PROPHETIC EISEGESIS

Two major players within the pre-trib camp are Mark Hitchcock and Andy Woods. Woods recently debunked various speculations regarding alleged unfulfilled "Now/Next" Old Testament prophecies in his series The Middle East Meltdown. Woods' main source is Mark Hitchcock's book Showdown with Iran Appendix 1 and 2, in which he explains why certain Old Testament prophecies, specifically: Elam (Jeremiah 49:34-39; Ezekiel 32:24-25); Damascus (Isaiah 17:1-2; Jeremiah 49:23-27) and Psalm 83 are not futuristic prophecies. Woods took a deep dive into this subject and he delivered a stinging rebuttal against various "prophecy experts" including Bill Salus and Joel Rosenberg, who for the most part have been left unchecked in their bid to sell their wares to the Body of Christ. (2 Corinthians 2:17).

Unfortunately, Hitchock and Woods have so far missed the elephant in the room, namely, the false hope of a pre-tribulation rapture. It is a constant source of amazement to me that intelligent bible scholars believe in and support the pre-trib rapture. Thankfully a number of believers are now ditching the pre-trib theory in favour of the prewrath position. {1} Additionally, their alleged timing of the Gog/Magog war in Ezekiel 38 and 39 has serious issues. The reference to "unwalled villages" in Ezekiel 38:10 is highly problematic when applied to our own time period. It makes much more sense to take these chapters literally together with Revelation 20:7-10 i.e. this prophecy will be fulfilled at the end of the millennium as the scriptures indicate. Woods' promotion of the obscure "two-phase theory" regarding Ezekiel 38 and 39, including a bizarre connection to Ronald Reagan, is not supported by any other bible scholar. {2}

Woods' critique of the "Now/Next prophecies" is summarized below.


Summary: 

Jeremiah 49:34-38 refers to Elam (Persia/Iran) and was fulfilled in the 6th century BC by Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon.
Jeremiah 49:39 is eschatological.
Ezekiel 32:24-25 is a lament concerning Pharoah king of Egypt ~ Pharaoh will go down to the pit (the depths of the earth/Sheol) where he will see Assyria, Elam, Meshech and Tubal, Edom, and the Sidonians. The destruction of Egypt was fulfilled in 663 and 571 BC.


Summary: 

Isaiah 17:1-2 is the oracle concerning the destruction of Damascus in Syria. This prophecy was fulfilled in 732 BC by Tilgath-Pilneser, the king of the neo-Assyrian empire. The fulfillment of this prophecy is described in Isaiah 37:36 and 2 Kings 19:35.

Debunked: Rosenberg's claim that Isaiah's prophecy against Damascus was given to him in 715 BC. In the year that King Ahaz died came this oracle: ( Isaiah 14:28-32). The oracle that Rosenberg refers to is limited to Philistia; it does not refer to Damascus, or to any other of the nations listed in Isaiah's oracles against the nations. (Isaiah 13-23). 


Summary:

Jeremiah 49:23-27 was written about a hundred years after Isaiah and it should not be regarded as the same prophecy as Isaiah 17:1-2. The evidence: And I will kindle a fire in the wall of Damascus, and it shall devour the strongholds of Ben-hadad. (Jeremiah 49:27). "The fortresses of Ben-Hadad ('Ben-Hadad' lit., 'son of [the god] Hadad') was the name of the dynasty that ruled Damascus in the ninth and eighth centuries. (cf. 1 Kings 15:18,20; 20:1-34; 2 Kings 6:24;8:7; 13:3,24..)"  It is likely that this prophecy was fulfilled during the reign of King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon when he conquered Aram or Syria. The dominant aggressor in the passages surrounding Jeremiah 49:23-27 is King Nebuchadnezzar: Jeremiah 46:1,13,25-26 The word of the LORD that came to Jeremiah the prophet concerning the nations. (plural) beginning with Egypt. The army of Pharaoh Neco was defeated by Nebuchadnezzar in the fourth year of Jehoiakim. Jeremiah 49:28-33: Nebuchadnezzar's defeat of Kedar and Hazor immediately follows the judgement on Damascus in Jeremiah 49:23-27. 


Summary:

Psalm 83 is Asaph's imprecatory prayer against Israel's enemies in 950 BC, it is not a prophecy. No war or battle is found in Psalm 83. Other imprecatory prayers are not prophetic. 

The Response from Bill Salus and Mondo Gonzales (Prophecy Watchers)

(3) The Isaiah 17 Misconception | Bill Salus - YouTube
(3) Prophecy Update | Why Jeremiah’s Iran Prophecy is Unfulfilled - YouTube
Are Jeremiah 49:34-39 and Ezekiel 38 the same event? What about Psalm 83? (prophecydepotministries.net)

In the above videos Salus advises his audience to be Bereans. In fact that is precisely what Hitchock and Woods have facilitated, and in my view, they have demonstrated beyond all reasonable doubt that these things are not so. (Acts 17:11 cf. 1 John 1:4). My own independent studies agree with the research done by Hitchock, and on this occasion Woods has done the Body of Christ a service in exposing these questionable speculations. (Ephesians 5:11). {3} Nevertheless his pre-trib eisegesis is a deplorable misapplication of God's word. There is no doubt in my mind that the "Now/Next prophecies" are contrived, and that Salus and others have taken advantage of the inherent complexities within certain Old Testament passages in order to manipulate them to their own advantage. (2 Corinthians 4:2). 

Mondo Gonzalez misapplies the meaning of "adding or taking away from the word of God" (Deuteronomy 4:2; Revelation 22:18-19). Gonzales: "Having a different interpretation of these prophecies is not adding to the word of God.. That's a pretty serious slanderous label simply to put on somebody, and to say that because they disagree, all of a sudden they are adding to the word."  Salus and Gonzalez claim that the discussion centers around "differences of opinion" and they object that the accusations of "adding to the word of God" does not have a place within "brotherly dialogue". There is a vast difference between friendly disagreements/discussions about minor details and serious objections about teachers who distort or falsify the word of God. Such distortions do add to the word of God. A further warning in the New Testament is not to go beyond what is written. (1 Corinthians 4:6). Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary puts it very well: "Revere the silence of Holy Writ, as much as its declarations: so you will less dogmatize on what is not expressly revealed (De 29:29)." {4} 

Problematically, and despite their denials, Salus' and Rosenberg's so-called "opinions" are reckless speculations based on newspaper exegesis. These men sell a lot of materials, they attract many viewers, and they fill conference seats. Ironically they themselves fulfill bible prophecy: For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions.. (2 Timothy 4:3).

Gonzalez referred to Dwight Pentecost as a credible example of a scholar who believed that Jeremiah 49:23-27, 34-39 and Isaiah 17 were future prophecies that would happen during "the tribulation". Pre-trib teachers constantly make the error of referring to the first half of the 70th week of Daniel as "the tribulation". {5} Dwight Pentecost was a pre-trib scholar whose contradictory understanding of eschatology has been exposed in a PDF by Doug Eigsti. {6} 

I know that Arnold Fruchtenbaum is a very well-respected scholar within the pre-trib camp. It is worth noting however that he attends and supports the ecumenical Lausanne Movement. I did publish a link in a previous post verifying this, but I have noticed that it has been removed. {7} *I have added a link at the end of this post regarding Fruchtenbaum's blatant inaccuracies. 

As far as I can ascertain, John Walvoord did not support a future fulfillment concerning Elam in Jeremiah 49:34-38. He simply mentioned this passage in connection with other miscellaneous Old Testament prophecies. Walvoord: "The more extended prophecies as found in Isaiah 17:1-14 and Jeremiah 49:23-27 have all been fulfilled as well as the occasional references found in Isaiah 7:8; 8:4; Amos 1:3-5; 3:12; 5:27..  A brief prophecy concerning Kedar and Hazor is contained in Jeremiah 49:28-33. It is a prediction of judgment upon them at the hands of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon. A similar judgment is pronounced upon Elam in Jeremiah 49:34-38.{8}  

Arno Gaebelein: "The final prediction is as to Elam. Elam was east of South Babylonia and the lower Tigris, later known as Susians. This prophecy was given at the beginning of Zedekiah’s reign. Elam became an ally of the Persian kingdom. Here her overthrow is foretold as well as her restoration 'in the latter days.'" {9} It appears to me that this quote from Gaebelein is ambiguous i.e. it is not clear to me that Gaebelein's intention was to include the overthrow and the restoration of Elam in "the latter days". Interestingly, Gaebelein viewed the Gog/Magog war as a millennial event: "The invasion will happen some time after the beastly empire with its beast head, the revived Roman empire, in its final ten kingdom form and the clay, with the little horn as leader Daniel 7:1-28; Revelation 13:1-18 and the false prophet, the personal Antichrist Revelation 13:11, etc. have been dealt with in judgment Revelation 19:19-21."  {10} 

Both Salus and Gonzales claim that the "Now/Next prophecies" are not dogmatic. Really!  Woods gave some clear examples of Rosenberg's dogmatic position in his series The Middle East Meltdown and I will not repeat them here. Below are two examples of Salus' dogmatism: 

The back cover of Salus' book The Next Prophecies: "The NEXT PROPHECIES will happen soon after The NOW PROPHECIES and the stage is presently being set for their fulfillment!" {11}

The back cover of Salus' book The Now PropheciesThe NOW Prophecies book identifies the biblical prophecies that were written centuries ago for THIS GENERATION! {12} 

In my view, the Now/Next prophecy teachers are not so very far removed from the false prophets of the NAR Movement and we should mark and avoid them. (Romans 16:17-18 cf. 1 Timothy 1:4; 2 Timothy 2:23; 2 Corinthians 2:17; 2 Peter 3:16). Salus promotes his speculations through apostate channels like TBN, God TV and Daystar. Tragically, Prophecy Watchers is not much better; their shameless merchandising does not provide a credible witness for Jesus Christ and their promotion of false teachers like Jonathan Cahn etc is highly questionable. In light of this, it is not unreasonable to ask the question: Who are these men really serving? (Matthew 6:24).

Hitchcock's research is compelling and it leaves Salus, Rosenberg et al in a very difficult position. (2 Peter 2:1). The "Now/Next prophecies" are based either on very poor exegesis or they are deliberate misapplications of the scriptures. (1 Timothy 1:4; 2 Timothy 2:23). In either case, these individuals have no business teaching the word of God. (James 3:1). The fact that there is a serious disagreement within the pre-trib camp concerning these passages is a significant development, and hopefully these problems will encourage more believers to test the spirits. (1 John 4:1).

1. Pastor: From Pre-Trib to Pre-Wrath | ESCHATOS MINISTRIES (alankurschner.com)
2. WOLVES IN SHEEP'S CLOTHING: FALSE PROPHETS AND BIBLE TEACHERS IN THE LAST DAYS: ANDY WOODS: GOG MAGOG TWO-PHASE VIEW (bewareofthewolves.blogspot.com)
2. WOLVES IN SHEEP'S CLOTHING: FALSE PROPHETS AND BIBLE TEACHERS IN THE LAST DAYS: ANDY WOODS: RONALD REAGAN'S GOG MAGOG VIEW (bewareofthewolves.blogspot.com)
3. WOLVES IN SHEEP'S CLOTHING: FALSE PROPHETS AND BIBLE TEACHERS IN THE LAST DAYS: BILL SALUS: GOG MAGOG DANGEROUS SPECULATIONS (bewareofthewolves.blogspot.com)
4. 1 Corinthians 4 Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary (biblehub.com)
5. WOLVES IN SHEEP'S CLOTHING: FALSE PROPHETS AND BIBLE TEACHERS IN THE LAST DAYS: THE SEVEN YEAR TRIBULATION FALLACY (bewareofthewolves.blogspot.com)
6. Microsoft Word - Imminency versus Prophecy 3.7.doc (alankurschner.com)
7. WOLVES IN SHEEP'S CLOTHING: FALSE PROPHETS AND BIBLE TEACHERS IN THE LAST DAYS: BILL SALUS: IS PSALM 83 PROPHETIC? (bewareofthewolves.blogspot.com)
7. Lausanne Occasional Paper: Jewish Evangelism: A Call to the Church - Lausanne Movement
7. Evangelism / Apologetics where has it gone - UK Aplogetics Library (ukapologeticslibrary.net)
8. Chapter XV The Nations In The Millennium And The Eternal State | Walvoord.com
9. Jeremiah 49 Gaebelein's Annotated Bible (biblehub.com)
10. Ezekiel 38 Gaebelein's Annotated Bible (biblehub.com)
11. The Next Prophecies: Amazon.co.uk: Salus, Bill: 9780692176177: Books
12. The Now Prophecies: Amazon.co.uk: Salus, Bill: 9780988726079: Books


* Arnold Fruchtenbaum Archives | ESCHATOS MINISTRIES (alankurschner.com)

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