2 Reviews for Jesus Christ Delivers from Dazzling Deception by Ray Wenger

• Great help in confusing times - Saturday, December 31, 2022 Anonymous
  Several years ago Ray Wenger presented a series of messages at our church entitled, “What Jesus Said About the End Times.” As a long time student of the Bible and believer in Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior, I was reasonably comfortable with my position within the spectrum of opinions on dispensationalism, even though my convictions were tempered by some uncertainties regarding the interpretation of various passages relevant to the order and timing of events in the End Times. After all the very term End Times is often a vague appellation. We’re told by New Testament writers we’re in the End Times, yet we read that certain things must happen before the End Time occurs. In particular the timing of the rapture of the Church is the subject of many questions. So, the question —not where are we—but when are we, often comes up in light of the prophecies concerning the End Times?
  Pre-millenialists generally agree there is a 7 year tribulation period of extreme judgment on the inhabitants of earth before Christ appears in visible glory to vanquish evil and set up His reign on earth. Yet, within that “camp” there are those who believe the Church will be raptured before the 7 year period begins, in the middle of that 7 years, or at the end of that period of great tribulation; the so-called pre-trib, mid-trib and post-trib rapture positions. Perhaps you’ve heard someone answer the question, “are you a pre, mid or post-tribulationist?” with the clever, but non-committal response, “I’m a pan-tribulationist—I believe it will all pan out in the end.” Maybe you’ve even said that yourself. Is that the most sensible position to take? I had been taught and was somewhat convinced by the arguments of the pre-tribulation rapture position, but honestly did not have a firm grasp of the arguments for it, and questioned if a firm confidence was even genuinely possible. However, as a result of Ray’s presentations which carefully and thoroughly considered Jesus’ statements about the End Times in Luke 17 and 21 before “diving into” what is called the Olivet Discourse in Matthew chapters 24 and 25, I became quite convinced of the relationships between the events of Jesus’ days on earth, the 70AD destruction of Jerusalem, the rapture of the Church and the Great Tribulation described with much detail in the book of Revelation. I am, therefore, very pleased Ray has chosen to present his studies in book form, and I’m confident it will help many “pan-tribulationists” adopt a more convinced and truly biblical position.
  As a student of the Bible who was totally convinced of the importance of using the proper principles of interpretation—hermeneutics—to discern the meaning of any Scripture passage, I realized I was not consistently applying that practice to my understanding of prophecy. This is the first issue Ray deals with in this book, and it is essential the reader grasp its importance. “A fundamental principle of hermeneutics must be followed: the meaning of a clear passage cannot be set aside when that material appears in a more difficult context.” With that principle in mind, the book thoroughly studies and interprets Luke 17. What is clearly understood from that passage becomes a key to then interpreting other passages which tend to be harder to understand. Another key to understanding the organization and meaning of many of the prophetic passages is the use of literary forms which Westerners are not accustomed to using. Ray not only explains but clearly demonstrates, with helpful outlines and charts, the biblical authors’ use of inclusio and chiastic structure which define paragraphs and are the literary tools they used to make connections between words and phrases. These forms may be foreign to most readers, but one must not ignorantly overlook or proudly resist recognizing the importance of these written conventions which seem strange, but were essential to convey the authors’ intended meaning in biblical times.
  Some specific issues which are relevant to scholarly debate, but may not be of interest to the general student of End Time prophecy have been dealt with in a number of appendices. There are several helpful charts and diagrams in both the body of the book and appendices that
  Finally, this book not only clears up what so often are confusing even conflicting interpretations of the End Time prophecies in the scholarly literature and commentaries, but it consistently keeps the purpose of these revelations in the forefront of the reader’s mind. They are warnings and encouragements to live our lives with God’s commands informing and guiding our conduct and mindset on earth. Peter asks the sober question, “Since all these things are to be destroyed in this way, what sort of people ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness, looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God.” And Jesus clearly warned us, “Remember Lot’s wife.”
  Ben Scripture Dec 31, 2022
• Clarity for end-time prophecy - Thursday, December 22, 2022 Daniel Troyer
  Nearly two thousand years ago, the disciples of Jesus gathered around him on the Mount of Olives with the breathless question, “Tell us, when will these things be, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?” What follows their question in Matthew’s gospel—and its parallel in Luke—is the timelessly relevant response of Christ. In short, he told us that since we don’t know the time of his return, we are to focus on one supremely important thing—spiritual preparedness. Two millennia later, many of Jesus’ followers are still asking the same questions: When will the Lord return? What are the signs of his coming and of the end of the age? Could he truly come at any moment for his Church, or are there preceding events that must be fulfilled beforehand? Confusion and ambiguity surrounding the Olivet discourse and other eschatological prophecies have led many to conclude that Christ cannot return at any moment. Sadly, our confusion has caused some of us to neglect the sense of urgent expectation that both Jesus and his apostles communicated when they spoke of the Lord’s return.
  Perhaps no single resource has brought as much clarity to Biblical end-time prophecy as Wenger’s teaching on the subject—first through conversations I was privileged to have with him, and later through this book on the subject. As I read this, what started out as a seemingly impossible jumble of events—the destruction of Jerusalem, the rapture of the church, the events of the great tribulation—began taking shape as a coherent message with one clear central theme: be prepared! Through his careful exposition of the texts in Matthew and Luke expanding to both Old and New Testament prophecies, Wenger shows how the central message of Jesus’ teachings about his return, correspond perfectly with the sequence that he has set forth. Never have I been more eager for the return of Christ than now, and my desire to be spiritually prepared has been keenly sharpened through the time spent in this book. My hope is that it will do the same for you.
  Even so, come, Lord Jesus.
  --Daniel Troyer. 2022
  Physician Assistant Program, Duke Univ. School of Medicine
  Elder, Restoration Church, Woodleaf, North Carolina