Having attended a multitude of prophecy and apologetics conferences over the years, I was thrilled by the turnout and substance of the 19^th Pre-Trib Study Group Conference (www.pre-trib.org) this week in Dallas.

A capacity crowd heard riveting speakers, expounding on a variety of subjects ranging from the rebuilding of the Templein Jerusalem, to the extreme problem of Replacement Theology. Kudos to Thomas Ice and Tim LaHaye for hosting a deluxe conference. It was noted that the Pre-Trib Study Group’s website is now accessed by people in 174 nations!

The three-day event reinforced the fact that Israel’s best friends are Bible-believing Christians. Standing in stark contrast to liberal scholars who put Scripture through a torture chamber of grotesque interpretations, the members of the Pre-Trib group share their worldview with a substantial number of Christians. They also do solid research, unlike their liberal counterparts, who are ever learning and never able to come to the truth.

Israel, of course, was at the heart of the conference, and I was pleased to have an Israeli friend with me who wanted to better understand our community. He got quite an education.

Tommy Ice gathered a heavyweight lineup of speakers, from longtime crowd favorites like David Reagan and Jimmy DeYoung, to marvelous new voices, such as Dr. Paul Wilkinson, from the UK. Wilkinson delivered a brilliant and spell-binding talk on what he calls “Christian Palestinianism,” the dangerous effort by Arab propagandists to influence the evangelical world. Please visit the Pre-TribResearch Center website for more information; the site has a wealth of important articles and discussions. This week’s presentations are available on dvd.

The rich talent pool of speakers and ministry leaders was impressive on so many levels. Amazingly, there was no evidence of the prima donna attitude that afflicts so many Christian “leaders.” From the wildly popular Reagan, to the elegant Wilkinson, all the speakers and ministry leaders in attendance were accessible, upbeat, and friendly.

A huge, added bonus was the appearance of several ministry leaders. I had a most pleasant conversation with the wonderful Don Perkins (www.according2prophecy.org), whose speaking schedule is heavy, with good reason. Don is a superb speaker and has a heart for people. Don McGee, of Crown & Sickle Ministries (www.crownandsickle.com); Gary Fisher, of Lion of Judah Ministries (www.lionofjudahministry.org); and Al Gist, of Maranatha Evangelistic Ministries (www.maranathaevangelisticministries.com); and Dennis Pollock, of Spirit of Grace Ministries (www.sogmin.org) also attended and each of these men have important ministries that I encourage you to check out.

Don Perkins made an interesting point during one late-night chat. He said that while it is true that America’s pulpits are largely devoid of good prophecy teaching (with pastors ironically shying away from this gigantic biblical theme), “the people in the pews are demanding to hear about it,” and this is creating new opportunities for the aforementioned speakers to bring their teaching into churches. I wholeheartedly encourage you to visit their sites and consider hosting them for conferences.

The Tuesday evening question-and-answer segment, on the heels of four spirited talks by Randall Price, deYoung, Reagan, and the peerless Bill Koenig (watch.org), was sensational. Reagan, who presented a paper earlier in the conference, was able to be in his element in this format. Speaking on the apostasy that is already sweeping through the Church, Dave gave another stem-winder speech, exhilarating the crowd. Men like this are sounding the warning about teachers like Brian McLaren and John Spong.

Koenig, of Koenig’s International News, is a White House press correspondent (although Bill is alive with real faith, unlike some of the “press corpse,” as Rush Limbaugh refers to reporters who cover Washington). His insider view of the peace process, and various presidents, was thoroughly absorbing, and Bill is a dynamic speaker. Your church would be well-served by hosting Bill for a conference.

Tom Horn, one of the few publishers of Bible prophecy left, also attended. Tom is one of my favorite people, and his willingness to provide cutting-edge commentary puts him on the front-lines.

Barry Horner’s talk on Supercessionism, was also important. He made the critical point that liberal scholars like Gary Burge “are driven by their presuppositions,” and while the same is true for “us,” too many people often forget this, as prophecy bashers like McLaren present themselves as serene, earnest seekers of truth…juxtaposed with the “dangerous” Dispensationalists. We all have presuppositions; the key is discovering which presuppositions are true. The speakers at this week’s Pre-Trib Study Group conference delivered one devastating response after another to their liberal colleagues.

(By the way, the genial Ice was the perfect host, keeping the schedule on time, and his humorous asides peppered the conference. Men like this have put themselves on the line for truth, when their considerable skill-sets would have definitely earned them considerable income in, say, the private sector. When one sees them engaged in vigorous research and organizing conferences, one breathes a bit easier about the state of our culture. At least some are alerting this generation to the lateness of the hour.)

Needless to say, for RaptureReady regulars, the Dynamic Duo was present. The Caped Crusader, Terry James, and the Boy Wonder, Todd Strandberg, were in attendance. Not sure why I felt compelled to identify them with Batman and Robin, but I love teasing them. They are great guys and I say with all seriousness, the Christian world is healthier with these men in the game.

All this to say, Israel is definitely not alone. Not with friends like these people.

Plans are underway for a spirited 20^th anniversary gathering of the Pre-Trib group, next December. Visit their site often for updates.

The underlying theme of this year’s conference is the reality that the hour is late; events in our world are hurtling toward a biblical conclusion. Be in prayer for the ministries that I’ve mentioned. Be in prayer for Israel. Be in prayer for your family.

The skies may look dark, but we are going to glory. As Tommy is so fond of saying, Maranatha!

This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Originally published in Rapture Ready, Israel Watch. December 13, 2010

Comments (0)

Subscribe to this comment's feed