Ron Rhodes on End Times Chronology

What’s the chronology of end-time events? Dr. David Reagan interviews Dr. Ron Rhodes (The End Times in Chronological Order) on Christ in Prophecy to tackle the big questions: When is the Rapture (pre/mid/post-Trib)? Does it trigger the Tribulation? Where does Gog & Magog (Ezekiel 38–39) fit? How do the Seals, Trumpets, and Bowls unfold? And what is the Day of the Lord?

You’ll learn:

• Why many hold a pre-Trib Rapture (1 Thes 1:10; 5:9; Rev 2–3 vs. 4–18)
• How the Day of the Lord spans Tribulation → Millennial Kingdom → New Heavens/New Earth (2 Pet 3; Rev 20–21)
• Why Revelation’s symbols still point to literal fulfillment
• The case for a distinct, sequential set of judgments (Seals → Trumpets → Bowls)
• Where Gog & Magog may land relative to the Tribulation—and why Israel’s prep and Middle East alliances matter
• The “convergence” of modern signs pointing to the season of the Lord’s return

Key Scriptures:
Daniel 9:27; Zech 14; Mic 5:2; Isa 7:14; Zech 12:10; Matt 25:31–46; 1 Thes 4:13–18; 1 Thes 1:10; 5:9; 2 Cor 5; Phil 1:21–23; 2 Pet 3:10; Rev 1:19; chs. 2–3, 4–18, 11–12, 15, 19–21; Zeph 1

Guest: Dr. Ron Rhodes — Founder, Reasoning from the Scriptures (Frisco, TX); author of 70+ books including The End Times in Chronological Order.

Chapters (suggested):
00:00 Intro & guest
02:10 Why chronology is hard
07:30 Day of the Lord & the Millennium
12:40 Literal fulfillment & Revelation symbols
18:05 Timing of the Rapture
24:10 Saints in the Tribulation
27:30 Gog & Magog placement
33:30 Seals, Trumpets, Bowls—distinct or repeats?
41:10 Why this matters for believers today
45:20 How to connect with Dr. Rhodes
47:00 Are we in the season of His return?

Resources:

• The End Times in Chronological Order — Ron Rhodes
• Lamb & Lion Ministries — Christ in Prophecy

If this encouraged you, like, subscribe, and share. “Look up… for our redemption is drawing near.” (Luke 21:28)

#BibleProphecy #Rapture #EndTimes #GogMagog #ChristInProphecy #RonRhodes #DavidReagan #PreTrib #BookOfRevelation

Ron Rhodes on End Times Chronology

Host: What is going to be the chronology of end-time events? Will the Rapture occur before the Tribulation begins, or will it be during the Tribulation, or perhaps at the end of it? And if it is before the Tribulation, then does it trigger the Tribulation, or will there be events between the Rapture and the Tribulation? And where does the War of Gog and Magog fit into all of these end-time events? For a fascinating discussion of these and other questions about chronology, stay tuned for an interview with Ron Rhodes, who is a prolific Bible prophecy author.

Narrator: Lamb and Lion Ministries presents Christ in Prophecy, a program that focuses on the fundamentals of Bible prophecy, showing how current events in the news relate to biblical predictions of end-time events and the soon return of Jesus. Now, here’s your host, Dr. David Reagan.

Dr. David Reagan: Greetings in the name of Jesus, our Blessed Hope, and welcome to Christ in Prophecy. I am delighted to have as our special guest this week Dr. Ron Rhodes, who is a prolific writer—and a very good one. He writes about many spiritual topics, including Bible prophecy. Welcome to Christ in Prophecy for, what, the third, fourth, fifth, or sixth time? It’s a lot.

Ron Rhodes: I’ve stopped counting, but it’s a pleasure to be here.

Dr. Reagan: Well, it is always a joy to have you.

Nathan Jones: It is, sir. Always good to have you on.

Ron Rhodes: Thank you, Nathan.

Dr. Reagan: I also want to introduce to you our Web Minister and co-host of this program, also an Associate Evangelist for Lamb & Lion Ministries, Nathan Jones. Nathan, how about you kicking off this program by introducing our guest?

Nathan Jones: I’d be honored to. Folks, if you are regular viewers of our program, then you’re already familiar with Dr. Ron Rhodes, because he has been our guest on this program, as Dr. Reagan said, several times. He’s the founder and director of a ministry called “Reasoning from the Scriptures.” His ministry is located in Frisco, Texas, and it specializes in defending Christianity against atheists, agnostics, skeptics, the cults, world religions, and any group that teaches false doctrine. He is also an expert in the field of Bible prophecy, and he has written many, many books about what the Bible has to say about the end times, including this particular one, The End Times in Chronological Order.

Dr. Reagan: You know, Ron, I found out something interesting about you recently—in fact, a lot of interesting things. One in particular is that your publisher, Harvest House, recently awarded you the Harvest Gold Award for selling over one million books. In fact, we have a photo of you receiving that award from the president of Harvest House, Bob Hawkins. Congratulations to you.

Ron Rhodes: Oh, thank you. I’m humbled to have received that award.

Dr. Reagan: A million copies! How many books have you written now?

Ron Rhodes: It’s over 70. I stopped counting. But I really love what I’m doing. In fact, it’s so wonderful to be able to serve the Lord in this capacity.

Dr. Reagan: Yes, well, we love your books, and this one in particular, The End Times in Chronological Order. I wanted to introduce it to our viewers because this is one of the most complex aspects of Bible prophecy.

Ron Rhodes: Yes.

Dr. Reagan: Nowhere in the Bible does it say, “OK, folks, now here’s what’s going to happen in the end times: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10.” It just doesn’t do that. You almost have to be a sleuth—it’s like putting together a jigsaw puzzle. And you’ve got to get the Old Testament involved, which most Christians don’t know, in order to understand the New and understand this chronology. Talk to us in general about chronology.

Ron Rhodes: Well, let me just give you an example to show what the problem is. In 2 Corinthians chapter 5 we read about the earthly body, which is compared to a tent, and then we read about the resurrection body, which is compared to a building. Now, the text says that when our tent gets knocked down in death, we receive a building from God—a brand-new resurrection body. Some people conclude from that that, well, as soon as you die you get your resurrection body immediately.

But then, wait a minute—other scholars look at verses like 2 Corinthians 5:8, which says that to be apart from the body is to be at home with the Lord, and the Apostle Paul in Philippians 1:21–23, where Paul expressed his desire to depart and be with Christ in heaven. They say, well, it seems like we have a period where we are disembodied spirits before we get our resurrection bodies. This illustrates what you’re talking about. You have a couple of different passages, and what you have to do, Dave, is to consult all the verses that deal with the topic, compare them with each other, and make sure they don’t contradict.

Now, here’s why it’s important not to contradict: all Scripture is inspired by the Holy Spirit, and the Spirit is the Spirit of Truth. The Spirit of Truth does not contradict Himself. Therefore, your best option is to compare all the verses on all the topics and come up with a cohesive viewpoint that explains all of it.

Nathan Jones: That’s so much work.

Ron Rhodes: It is.

Dr. Reagan: And you particularly have to also get into the Old Testament, which most Christians simply ignore.

Ron Rhodes: Yeah, well, you know what? The Bible is about one-fourth Bible prophecy. That means it’s something you can’t ignore. If Bible prophecy was 1% of the Bible, it would still be important. But if over 25% of the Bible is prophetic at the time it was written, that means that God wants us to understand things. And you might remember, in the New Testament Jesus chastised the Jewish leaders for not understanding the signs of the times. I wonder if Jesus would say that to some Christians today if He were speaking to us.

Dr. Reagan: Let me give you an example of a problem of chronology.

Ron Rhodes: Sure.

Dr. Reagan: I grew up in a denomination that was Amillennial. We hardly ever heard any preaching about Bible prophecy. And when we did, it was mainly the sermon that said, “There is not one verse in the Bible that even implies that Jesus will ever put His feet on this earth again.” I heard that a hundred times when I was a kid. One of the verses they used for this was 2 Peter chapter 3, verse 10, which says, “But the Day of the Lord will come like a thief, in which the heavens will pass away with a roar, and elements will be destroyed with intense heat, and the earth and its works will be burned up.” They said, “See there? The Day of the Lord—that is when Jesus comes back. When He comes back, the earth is consumed with fire. It doesn’t say anything about an earthly reign.”

Ron Rhodes: Well, that’s a good verse to use for that position, but I think it is easily explainable. You see, the term “Day of the Lord” is sometimes misconstrued to basically refer only to the Tribulation period.

Dr. Reagan: Or to the day the Lord is going to return—sometimes it’s used that way.

Ron Rhodes: That’s right; it can be used that way. But some of my old mentors, like Charles Ryrie, who I believe has been on your program, and Dwight Pentecost helped me to understand that it also extends through the Millennial Kingdom. So when you’re referring to the Day of the Lord, it begins with the Tribulation but it extends all the way through the Millennial Kingdom, and then there’s a new heavens and a new earth. That makes perfect sense from the perspective of Revelation 20 and 21, because in Revelation 20 it talks about the Millennial Kingdom, and then in Revelation 21 it starts out by saying, “Then I saw a new heavens and a new earth.” And you’ve got to watch out for those “thens.”

Dr. Reagan: Oh, yes.

Ron Rhodes: Those “thens” are chronological clues.

Dr. Reagan: Well, using this verse, though, to prove that there’s not going to be a Millennium is a classic example of ignoring everything else the Bible is saying.

Ron Rhodes: That’s right. It illustrates what I said earlier: Scripture interprets Scripture. You have to consult all the verses that deal with this. There are a lot of other verses that talk about the fact that not only will Christ rule in Jerusalem—this is a fulfillment of the Davidic Covenant (2 Samuel 7)—but there will be specific land promises that will be fulfilled for Israel (that’s the Abrahamic Covenant, Genesis 12). The fact is that Christ will come again physically to this earth. His feet will touch the Mount of Olives. He will judge the nations according to Matthew 25:31–46. And He will set up His Millennial Kingdom on this earth.

Here is something to think about, Dave: all the Old Testament prophecies that point forward to the First Coming were fulfilled literally.

Dr. Reagan: Yes.

Ron Rhodes: The fact that Christ was going to be virgin-born (Isaiah 7:14), pierced for our sins (Zechariah 12:10), born in Bethlehem (Micah 5:2)—all the prophecies dealing with the Second Coming and beyond will also be fulfilled literally.

Dr. Reagan: Well, that’s another thing. When I was growing up, they told me, “Well, you’ve got to understand that all Bible prophecy is apocalyptic.” I thought that was an illness or something—a disease—but it was “apocalyptic,” and it never means what it says.

Ron Rhodes: I would disagree with that. There are symbols, for example, in the book of Revelation, but right there in the context of Revelation most of those symbols get defined for us. For example, you do see a reference to seven lampstands, but then the text tells us those seven lampstands represent seven churches. Or you might read about a bowl of incense, and then the text tells us, “This bowl of incense represents the prayers of the saints coming up before God.” So yes, there are symbols—but the symbols are defined for us, and all those symbols represent literal truth.

Dr. Reagan: My turnaround with Bible prophecy occurred with the book of Zechariah, because when I was 12 years old I discovered Zechariah 14, and I just couldn’t believe it. I took it to my pastor and said, “You say that Jesus will never put His feet on the earth again. This chapter says He’s coming to the Mount of Olives; when His foot touches the Mount of Olives it will split in half.” He sat there and read it and read it—I don’t think he’d ever read it before. Finally he looked up, put his finger in my face, and said, “Son, I want to tell you something: I don’t know what this means, but I can guarantee you one thing—it doesn’t mean what it says.”

In fact, I was in a public discussion before 2,000 people one time in Cincinnati where the fellow took the Amillennialist position. All I used was Zechariah 14, because I knew they were focused on Revelation 20. He got up and said, “I don’t know what Zechariah means. I have no idea. But I’ll guarantee you one thing: it has been fulfilled sometime, somewhere in history, because all Old Testament prophecy has been fulfilled.”

Dr. Reagan: Ron, I want to get into a real deep subject here—a lot of debate is the timing of the Rapture. So after the break, let’s ask you about that.

Ron Rhodes: OK, sounds good.

Dr. Reagan: First we’re going to take a brief break, and when we come back, we’re going to start bombarding Ron with more tough questions—particularly, I want to know about the timing of the Rapture.

[music]

Narrator: Welcome back to Christ in Prophecy and our interview with Dr. Ron Rhodes.

Nathan Jones: I want to get back into the Rapture. Does it happen before the Tribulation, in the middle of the Tribulation, or after the Tribulation?

Ron Rhodes: I think it happens before.

Nathan Jones: Before.

Ron Rhodes: And I base that on the Bible. Did you know that in Revelation 2 and 3 we read about the Church 19 times? And then in the discussion on the Tribulation in chapters 4–18 you don’t see the Church a single time. It’s gone. In 1 Thessalonians 1:10 we are told that the Church is to be delivered from the wrath to come. That word “delivered” literally means “snatched”—snatched away from. We are to be snatched away from the wrath to come, which is a reference to the Tribulation period.

Nathan Jones: Some people say that just means hell-wrath. But you’re saying wrath could also be Tribulation?

Ron Rhodes: It has a definite article in front of it. In English, the definite article doesn’t mean that much, but in the original Greek it does. Anybody that has doubts about that should read Daniel Wallace’s Greek Grammar—lots of good information on the definite article there.

Nathan Jones: I’ll pass.

Dr. Reagan: I think I’ll pass.

Ron Rhodes: I won’t get Greek on you, but the fact is, the definite article is defining a specific period of wrath that is yet to come. So the Church is going to be snatched out of that. That’s in keeping with 1 Thessalonians 5:9, which says that the Church is not appointed to wrath but to salvation in Jesus Christ.

Dr. Reagan: But what about the fact that all through the passages about the Tribulation there is reference to “saints”?

Ron Rhodes: That’s a good question. I think that Christians—the Bride of Christ, the Church—will be raptured before the Tribulation. But there are going to be many people who become believers during the Tribulation. I think that’s the result of several things: you’ve got the 144,000 Jewish witnesses of Revelation 7 and 14, and they’ll be taking the Gospel planet-wide. You’ve got the two prophetic witnesses of Revelation 11, who will have the same powers as Moses and Elijah (and many believe that it will be Moses and Elijah), and many will believe because of that. Certainly the Holy Spirit will still be at work, bringing about regeneration among people. And then finally, there are still going to be a lot of books left behind—and Dave Reagan television shows left behind.

Dr. Reagan: I’m telling everybody to put, in front of their Bible, the plan of salvation, because these people are not going to have time to read the whole thing.

Ron Rhodes: That’s right. There’s going to be a tremendous harvest, according to Revelation.

Dr. Reagan: Plus there’s going to be a Gospel angel at the end that is going to circumnavigate the globe.

Ron Rhodes: That’s right. Revelation 7 says there is going to be a great multitude of believers—so yes, there will be a lot of people who become believers during that time.

Dr. Reagan: Where do you fit in the War of Gog and Magog in all these end-time events? Because the Bible does not say specifically when that is going to occur.

Ron Rhodes: I believe that is going to happen in the end times. Number one, I say that because in Ezekiel 36–39 it says that it is going to take place in the “last days” and the “latter years.”

Dr. Reagan: Right.

Ron Rhodes: That always points to the end times. The Scriptures do give us some chronological clues. For example, the text says specifically that first Israel must become born again as a nation. Then Ezekiel says Jewish people from all over the world—from all the countries of the world—must flow back to the Holy Land. We’ve been seeing that every decade since Israel became a nation again. Then there is going to be a coalition of nations that arise against Israel, including Russia, Iran, Turkey, Sudan, Libya, and the nations around the Black Sea.

Dr. Reagan: Yeah, right out of the—

Ron Rhodes: That’s exactly right. In fact, Russia now has an alliance with Iran; it has an alliance with Libya. Turkey has been with NATO, but recently, this year, Turkey has been moving away from NATO and buddying up with Putin over in Russia. So we see the stage being set for all of this.

Dr. Reagan: Well, it is clear that it is going to be in the end times. When I say that the timing is not given, I’m talking about the precise timing. Is it going to be before the Tribulation, at the beginning, in the middle—when is it going to happen?

Ron Rhodes: Here’s a chronological problem, and I’m going to try to explain it real clearly. It hinges on when Israel is in the state of peace and security. Some people say that peace and security comes from the covenant that the Antichrist signs with Israel, which starts the Tribulation period.

Dr. Reagan: That is surely the historical position.

Ron Rhodes: That’s right. Now, there’s another position that a lot of people hold to—and I think it’s got good credence—that Israel’s state of security could be due to its own military and its air force. If that were the case, then this invasion wouldn’t have to wait until the Tribulation begins, but could actually take place a number of years before the Tribulation. It’s real clear that it’s the end times, though.

Dr. Reagan: You’ve written a very outstanding book about this called—

Ron Rhodes: Northern Storm Rising.

Dr. Reagan: Love that book.

Nathan Jones: I highly recommend it to people. It’s all about the Gog-Magog War.

Ron Rhodes: All about Gog-Magog, and I give a best—

Dr. Reagan: If I remember right, you concluded that most likely it might occur 3½ years before the Tribulation begins.

Ron Rhodes: Well, you know, it really does open up some conveniences, if I might put it that way. If God destroys the Muslim invaders prior to the Tribulation: (1) it makes it much easier for the Antichrist to sign a covenant protecting Israel; (2) it makes it much easier for Israel to rebuild its temple—right now there’s too much Muslim resistance, but if the Muslim invaders are taken out, that would make it easier; (3) it would make it much easier for the false religion to emerge in the end times, because the two primary people groups that would stand against that false religion are now removed—Christians are removed at the Rapture; Muslims are taken out at the Ezekiel invasion.

Dr. Reagan: It also solves another problem, and that is that it says that the Israelis are going to spend what—seven years—cleaning up the battlefield?

Ron Rhodes: That’s exactly right.

Dr. Reagan: They’re not going to be there after the middle of it.

Ron Rhodes: They are going to be burning weapons for seven years. Here’s the problem: how is it possible that Israel could burn the weapons for seven years if it starts at the beginning of the Tribulation? Right in the middle of the Tribulation the Antichrist claims to be God, sets up his headquarters there, and even sits in the temple there. Jesus says, “When that happens, don’t even pack your bags—get out of town. Run for your lives.” That seems to indicate they’re not going to have time to grab all those weapons. That would seem to indicate that they start burning those weapons prior to the Tribulation.

Dr. Reagan: Let me raise another question of chronology. It has to do with our friend Bill Salus, a Bible prophecy writer. He has a new book that focuses on the period between the Rapture and the beginning of the Tribulation. First, he says the Rapture does not start the Tribulation—which I think we would agree with.

Ron Rhodes: Sure.

Dr. Reagan: But he says there’s going to be a period of time—several years. He says there’s just not enough time in the seven-year Tribulation for all that the Bible describes. So he takes the Seal Judgments out and puts them into this period of time—this gap between the Rapture and the beginning of the Tribulation. What are the problems with that?

Ron Rhodes: The big problem I have with that is that the three sets of judgments in the Tribulation seem to belong together and they’re cohesive: the Seal Judgments, Trumpet Judgments, and Bowl Judgments. Here’s the thing: in the Old Testament this day of Tribulation is typically called “the day of the wrath of the Lord.” For example, Zephaniah chapter 1—“the day of the wrath of the Lord.” That defines it as a specific period during which God’s wrath is poured out.

Now, wait a minute. We know that the Seal Judgments are an outpouring of God’s wrath. We know that because it’s the Lamb of God, Jesus Christ, who opens each seal that leads to the unleashing of a new judgment. So that’s the wrath of God. You know, there are 1.8 billion people that die during one of those judgments. How can you possibly say that is not part of the Tribulation? Furthermore, I think all of those judgments can take place rather quickly: you’ve got the emergence of the Antichrist (seal number one), then war breaks out, then famine (a natural result of war), then death occurs on a planetary basis, then many, many martyrs, and cosmic signs—the sun turning dark, the moon turning dark, and stuff like that. There’s no reason to say that cannot take place in the first half of the Tribulation period.

Dr. Reagan: I think it can. I think the Antichrist is going to launch a war to take over the whole world, and it seems to me like this war he starts morphs into a nuclear war.

Ron Rhodes: Yeah.

Dr. Reagan: One-third of the earth being burned and all.

Ron Rhodes: To me, I look at conventional wars like World War I, which had about 15 million people die; World War II, closer to 60 million—and that’s by conventional war.

Dr. Reagan: Yeah.

Ron Rhodes: It’s hard to kill 1.8 billion people by conventional war. It seems to me there may be weapons of mass destruction. Let me tell you another problem I have with this idea: it really violates the integrity of Daniel’s 70th Week. The Lord says, “I’m going to accomplish certain things among the Jewish people in a period of 70 weeks of years.” We’ve got one last seven years to go. When you start moving those out, those are supposed to be part of that last seven years.

Dr. Reagan: That’s right. I might mention, just in terms of chronology, that seven-year period spoken of in Daniel 9:27—you ought to compare that with Revelation 11 and 12, because the seven-year period is confirmed there. We have several references to half of the Tribulation, 3½ years each. There’s a reference to 42 months. There’s a reference to 1,160 days. There’s the reference to “times, time, and half a time.” “Times” is two years, “time” is one year, and “half a time” is half a year. Those various references to either the first or second half of the Tribulation confirm the seven-year period during which all of this unfolds. From my perspective, when John is recording the book of Revelation and says, right there in chapter 4, verse 1, “After this”—keep in mind that in Revelation 1:19 the Lord had given John an outline of the book. He indicated that starting in chapter 4, that’s going to be prophetic in nature, and all of this stuff is to follow in close concert with each other. To me it makes great sense to see the Seal Judgments, Trumpet Judgments, and Bowl Judgments as cohesive. They get worse as time goes on, but they all belong together as an unfolding of God’s wrath on earth.

Nathan Jones: Do you see them as separate, though? Some people will say, “Well, the Trumpet Judgments are just an echo of the Seals, and the Bowls are just an echo of the Trumpets.” Do you see them as 21 distinct judgments, or just reiterations?

Ron Rhodes: I don’t think it’s a reiteration. I think you’ve got three sets of distinct judgments, for several reasons. First, if they were the same judgments, you’d expect them to be absolutely similar. There are some similarities between the Trumpet and Bowl Judgments, but not the Seal Judgments. Even the similarities between the Bowls and Trumpets are not similar enough to say they’re the same. Furthermore, in Revelation 15:1 we are told that the Bowl Judgments represent the last of God’s judgments on earth, and with these judgments—the Bowl Judgments—God’s wrath is finished.

Dr. Reagan: OK.

Ron Rhodes: That very clearly indicates the Bowl Judgments are distinct from the Trumpets and the Seals.

Dr. Reagan: Plus, it says the Seal Judgments are going to affect one-fourth, and the Trumpets one-third. They’re not even affecting the same number of people.

Ron Rhodes: That’s right—exactly. The way it works out in Scripture is: you’ve got the first six Seal Judgments, and then the seventh Seal represents the seven Trumpet Judgments. As the first six Trumpets unfold, the seventh Trumpet represents the seven Bowls. They naturally lead into each other, with the judgments becoming worse with each passing year.

Dr. Reagan: What motivated you to write this book on chronology?

Ron Rhodes: It’s my opinion that a lot of Christians don’t pay much attention to chronological clues in the biblical text, and that’s why there’s so much confusion. One reason the early church was excited about their Christianity is they had a strong prophetic hope. Today, it seems like there’s a lot of prophetic agnosticism, with people not sure about anything anymore. I think you can be rather sure about a lot of this.

Dr. Reagan: Yes.

Ron Rhodes: So I wrote this book to show people how to watch for those chronological clues that help you understand the order of end-time events.

Dr. Reagan: I highly recommend the book, because many people are confused about chronology. Also, I know you’re the type of writer who gets it right down to the common person’s level. You have a wonderful gift of writing down-to-earth, easy to understand.

Ron Rhodes: Thank you.

Dr. Reagan: When people read this, they will come out understanding the chronological order.

Ron Rhodes: I’ve received so much mail on this book, and I’m thrilled about that, Dave. A lot of churches are using it for church studies and Bible studies.

Dr. Reagan: Praise God. I wish more would. We’ve got about two minutes left, and I want to end this on a very light note.

Ron Rhodes: Uh-oh.

Dr. Reagan: I sense a hard question coming. One of the things I discovered about you is that your entire family were the featured singers at Disneyland long ago, and on many television programs—the Rhodes Family. I think there were eight of you?

Ron Rhodes: Yup, eight of us. We were called the Rhodes Kids—actually, we were kids at the time.

Dr. Reagan: You can go to YouTube and type in “Rhodes Family.”

Ron Rhodes: You can—and you’ll see illegal videos posted online.

Dr. Reagan: You were a teenager at that time?

Ron Rhodes: That’s right. We used to do a lot of the big shows like The Tonight Show, The Merv Griffin Show, and Mike Douglas.

Dr. Reagan: You all were hot—like the Jackson family.

Ron Rhodes: We co-headlined in Las Vegas with Ann-Margret, which was a pretty big deal.

Dr. Reagan: Through that you came to know the Lord, right?

Ron Rhodes: That’s exactly right.

Dr. Reagan: How? Tell us that story.

Ron Rhodes: We were backstage at the studio in Burbank, California, where Pat Boone and his family were filming The Glen Campbell Show in Studio A, and in Studio B we were filming The Merv Griffin Show. It had a common green room. We’re back there, and Shirley Boone is talking about her faith in the Lord Jesus. It’s the first time I ever saw anybody cry tears of joy because of a relationship with Jesus. I’m thinking, “What is this?” I grew up in a liberal church and had never heard of a personal relationship with Jesus. They were very much into Bible prophecy.

Dr. Reagan: Yes.

Ron Rhodes: They were using Hal Lindsey’s book, The Late Great Planet Earth. I said, “I have never heard of this before. The Rapture—what’s the Rapture? What’s the Antichrist? What is all this stuff?” Long story short, that motivated me to start looking into Bible prophecy, and I became a believer.

Dr. Reagan: How about that!

Ron Rhodes: Then, one after another, my brothers and sisters became believers.

Dr. Reagan: Yet so many preachers today say Bible prophecy is really irrelevant.

Ron Rhodes: Yeah—well, it led me to the Lord.

Dr. Reagan: And it did for so many people.

Ron Rhodes: Yes.

Dr. Reagan: Ron, we appreciate you being on the program so much.

Ron Rhodes: Thank you. It’s always a joy.

Dr. Reagan: OK, thank you.

Narrator: Welcome back to Christ in Prophecy and our interview with Dr. Ron Rhodes.

Dr. Reagan: Ron, can you look in the camera and tell folks how they can get in contact with you?

Ron Rhodes: Very easy: just go to ronrhodes.org, and you can email from there. You can download a lot of free stuff. Stop by.

Dr. Reagan: Ron, we’re going to conclude this program the way we always do—by asking our guest: Do you believe we are living in the season of the Lord’s return? And if so, why?

Ron Rhodes: I believe that we are living in the season of the Lord’s return—and I believe that because of what I call the “convergence factor.” It would be one thing if just one prophecy were coming to pass in our day—like Israel being born again. That’s great. It would be another thing if two prophecies were being fulfilled in our day—which, by the way, is happening. But to me the significant thing is that we’ve got multiple prophecies converging today and pointing to a date in the not-too-distant future. Just a few examples: we’ve got preparations for the Ezekiel invasion taking place right now—alliances between Russia and Iran, between Russia and Libya; developing alliances between Russia and Turkey. These are the very nations that will be involved in this invasion. Scripture indicates that the temple will be rebuilt in the end times, and right now the Sanhedrin has raised the money for it and the architectural plans. I could say much more, but long story short, we see a lot of prophecies coming to pass in our day.

Dr. Reagan: Thank you very much. Folks, that’s our program for this week. I hope it’s been a blessing to you, and I hope you’ll be back with us again next week, the Lord willing. Until then, this is Dave Reagan speaking for Lamb & Lion Ministries, saying, “Look up, be watchful, for our redemption is drawing near.”

Narrator: Ron Rhodes’ book, The End Times in Chronological Order, can be yours for a gift of $20 or more, including the cost of shipping. The book deals with the most difficult aspects of prophetic interpretation—namely, putting all the end-time prophetic events in their proper chronological order. There is no place in the Bible where this is done for us. Instead, Bible prophecy students have to piece together the chronological order by using clues that are scattered throughout the Scriptures. Dr. Ron Rhodes has done an outstanding job of this. His conclusions, which Dr. Reagan agrees with, are presented in easy-to-understand language, and all of them are substantiated with scriptural references. In the process he deals with questions like: Will the War of Gog and Magog take place during or before the Tribulation? When will the Rapture most likely occur—before, during, or after the Tribulation? If the Rapture occurs before the Tribulation, will it mark the beginning of the Tribulation? Will there be a gap of time between the two events? Will the Tribulation judgments occur sequentially, or do they all occur at the same time? How many resurrections of the saints will there be, and when will they occur? What is going to happen before the gap of time between the Second Coming and the inauguration of the Lord’s 1,000-year reign? To order your copy of this important book, call the number you see on the screen between 8 AM and 5 PM Central Time, Monday through Friday, or place your order through our website at lamblion.com.

Narrator: Thank you for joining us on today’s Christ in Prophecy, a presentation of Lamb and Lion Ministries, a non-denominational ministry dedicated to teaching the fundamentals of biblical prophecy and proclaiming the soon return of Jesus.