Pastor Frank DeFusco
Pastor Frank DeFusco
Last month, I promised a lesson on the Seven Churches in Asia Minor as depicted in the Book of Revelation, but had to alter my plans. But take heart, I will be teaching verse by verse from this amazing book on Friday mornings in October. Why this book? Because Jesus makes it very clear, beginning in chapter 1 that He wants His servant, John, to write down those things which must shortly come to pass, for the sake of the believer, and to complete the canon of scripture from Genesis to Revelation, which truly is His-story, that He is God incarnate born of a virgin, who came the first time to suffer and die for the sins of the world, and who will shortly return to judge it.
There are close to 300 prophecies in the Bible, which pointed to the birth, suffering, death, and resurrection of Jesus. And there are several more from that point which speak of the church age: Jesus’ soon return to receive His Bride (the Church) in the air, known as “The Blessed Hope;” this is shortly followed by the Seven Years of Tribulation, also called “The Time of Jacob’s Troubles.” At this time the Antichrist is revealed who will rule over the earth; then we have the Second Coming of the Lord to cleanse the earth of all those who rebelled against Him. These events will be followed by what is called “The Millennial Kingdom Age” that ends with the final judgment. Lastly, there will be a brand-new Heavens and Earth.
After having read all of this, you might ask yourselves, how can one be sure that all of this is true? And that is where eschatology comes into play. For it is the branch of theology concerned with final events such as these. We, pastors of Calvary Chapel, present our Bible studies through a verse by verse format, so that we are teaching the whole body of God’s inspired word. So, when we find a verse or verses that at times are hard to understand, we search the scriptures for the answer. Thus, for one to understand and to unveil what has been hidden in the scriptures over the centuries, we must do as did the Bereans, which was to thoroughly search and research the body of scripture, which are self-affirming.
The “Book of Daniel” is a major source of end times prophecy that one must resource in order to understand the symbolism found in Revelation. Another reason for believers to understand eschatology is so that they can understand the times that they inhabit, as well as the spirit of that age. Thus, in our studies we do not shy away from looking at and interpreting what is politically and socially happening around us, through a Biblical lens. And that is due to the fact that we believe God will have the final say. After all, it is His-story. Be Blessed!
Pastor Frank teaches Bible Study on Tuesdays at 10 a.m. in the Picacho Room, Sports Club. Any questions, please call/text Ellen at 610-428-7244.