The Gary DeMar Podcast

Bible Prophecy Under the Microscope-Episode 112 Gary points out that many Bible prophecy writers, who claim to interpret the Bible "literally," don't actually do so. This is especially true of the so-called Battle of Gog and Magog in Ezekiel 38-39. This battle is said to be fought with primitive weapons in ancient countries, with the goal of plundering gold, silver, cattle, and goods. The literalists seldom take these details literally.

Gary highlights a few "non-negotiables" that he found online from a self-proclaimed "progressive pastor." Apparently, even progressives have limits to their open-mindedness, but this pastor can't appeal to the Bible he claims to believe, or to the "Jesus" he claims to follow, to bolster his own "progressive" agenda.

Gary weighs, measures, and analyzes the debate over transgender sports with track and field events. His expertise in this sport is both personal and deep. Gary threw the shot put competitively through high school, college, and at the masters' level. He makes it obvious how ridiculous it is to argue that there is no inherent genetic difference between men and women.

Bible Prophecy Under the Microscope-Episode 111 Gary answers a recent critic who questions whether he is a Christian. When Jesus says "a long time" in Matthew 24 and 25, does this indicate that He means people thousands of years in the future? Is He actually referring to a completely different audience than the one He was directly speaking to in the first century?

In this continuation of his first lecture given to a high school class, Gary points out that religion will always exist in society. If a culture does not recognize the biblical God, something else will always take His place. Even atheism is a religion, despite the denials of its adherents.

We must always begin with first principles in any debate. In this episode, Gary teaches students how to think about their own assumptions and foundations and why they believe what they claim to believe. Facts are important, but worldview precedes facts and interprets the facts.

Bible Prophecy Under the Microscope-Episode 110 Gary responds to a recent video by Joel Richardson about a Roman coin that he claims proves that the book of Revelation was written during Domitian's reign. Richardson challenges those who hold to an early date (i.e., before AD70) to answer his claims, even though he admits that the coin can't actually prove a late date.

Gary briefly discusses the four major interpretive approaches to the book of Revelation. Futurism, Historicism, Idealism, and Preterism have all been promoted—to greater and lesser degrees—throughout church history. What others have believed in the past should not determine how the Bible should be understood, but what the Bible itself actually says.

Gary begins a short lesson on the four views of the book of Revelation. He begins with the most popular: futurism. The vast majority of futurists are premillennial and dispensational as well. A recurring problem with this view is that the dependent pieces of the system are simply not found in the Bible; they're just not there.

Bible Prophecy Under the Microscope-Episode 109 Gary responds to a critic who challenges his interpretation of "this generation" in Matthew's gospel. The critic claims Gary is assuming what he has to prove, but Gary shows the opposite. Words like "generation" can be somewhat arbitrary, but when this phrase is read in other parts of the NT, especially Acts 2, it becomes clear that it is not about many generations, but about a very particular one: those hearing Jesus' words in the first century.