The Gary DeMar Podcast

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 m...

Gary begins to discuss the book of Revelation and points out important details that most modern Christians dismiss. Although the Bible is written FOR us, it wasn't written TO us. The vast majority of the New Testament is recording historical events and their significance. These past events still have great importance and meaning, especially for vindicating Jesus' authoritative claims about His ide...

Hermeneutics is the art and practice of interpretation. We use hermeneutics every day whether we realize it or not. We interpret not only the words people say, but how they say them and in what context. Understanding the Bible requires the same carefulness and deliberateness that we apply to the words and actions we encounter and interpret in our everyday lives.

Bible Prophecy Under the Microscope-Episode 108 Gary concludes his response to Ayo, who had questions about preterism and decided to return to dispensationalism. Gary shows how various passages in the New Testament, both in the Gospels and the Epistles, refer to the same first-century events. Jesus, Paul, Peter, James, and John were all speaking about what was happening, or about to happen, to the...

Gary concludes his interview with Pastor Greg Chacon by dealing with questions about Israel. Dispensationalism has given most Christians an unhealthy allegiance to Israel and the belief that they must support whatever it decides politically. Eschatology has consequences, and good intentions can be used to promote evil agendas. Modern prophecy advocates are trying to rebuild the first century with...

Gary continues his interview with Pastor Greg Chacon about biblical interpretation and application. The Bible must be read in the context of what was happening historically at the time of the writings. This isn't to say that the Bible isn't about current events, because it is. The Bible is for every generation because it is God's eternal truth, but it is not giving us "secret knowledge" about prop...

Bible Prophecy Under the Microscope-Episode 107 Gary concludes his initial response to Ayo, who claims to have left preterism for dispensationalism. Gary discusses the biblical use of the term "antichrist" and defines what it actually means in the New Testament. Like Ayo, most people today assume it refers to a single person—the Antichrist—but in reality, antichrists were legion in the first centu...

Gary continues his discussion with Pastor Greg Chacon about biblical interpretation. After showing how dispensationalism is flawed, Gary further explains how Bible translations sometimes hide important information by omitting certain words or translating the same word differently in different places.

Gary is interviewed by Pastor Greg Chacon about eschatology and how dispensationalism has influenced prophetic interpretations. In this first part of a multi-part discussion, they discuss the dominant view of evangelicalism and how it shapes many Christians' outlook on the future.

Gary begins a response to an individual who says he left partial preterism for dispensationalism. Gary rehearses his own path to preterism and how the Bible is what led him there. Reading the NT in the context of the OT, in addition to the historical context of first century Israel in subjection to Rome (not to mention the tradition of the Judaizers), has to be taken into account when reading the...

Gary continues his comments on a recent interview with author and apologist Frank Turek. He talks about worldview, culture, history, and "Grape Juice Christianity." If Christians aren't getting answers to the issues of the day in church or from the pulpit, they will get those answers elsewhere.

Gary discusses a recent interview in World magazine with author and apologist Frank Turek. Many of the answers Turek gives during the interview sound "presuppositional" which makes Gary reflect on the Great Debate between Drs. Gordon Stein and Greg Bahnsen in 1985. Get The Great Debate book here: https://store.americanvision.org/products/the-great-debate-does-god-exist  

Bible Prophecy Under the Microscope-Episode 105 Gary dismantles a popular end-time belief, exemplified to an extreme in a Facebook video, about the Earth being burned to a cinder in the end in order to be remade. This belief is often proved by using 2 Peter 3, as well as the last chapters of Revelation. Gary brings sanity to the insanity.

Gary discusses the conference that is being planned for next year in Franklin, Tennessee. He explains that it will not be a prophecy conference, though it will address the topic. Ultimately, it will be a worldview conference because eschatology is a key component of any worldview, not only Christianity.

Gary discusses some arguments people are raising online against trying to reform our current system of government. The civil and the religious realm—Moses and Aaron—are both in need of constant reformation and this is the responsibility of those with a proper worldview. Should Christians do nothing? Or should they do their own thing? How will either of these responses avoid becoming just as corrup...

Bible Prophecy Under the Microscope-Episode 104 Gary does a deep dive on the absence of a seven-year period discussed in the New Testament, which is crucial for many end-time theories. He asks why, if this timeframe is so pivotal, it is not explicitly mentioned in the NT. Although "three and a half years"  are mentioned in Revelation, the concept of a definitive seven-year tribulation is not.

Gary responds to a comment made by Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch about the "American Creed." Justice Gorsuch claims that America was founded not on particular religious beliefs, but rather on creedal beliefs of all men being created equal. However, this claim does not square with history, law, or logic.

Gary discusses three recent items that address the ideas of the intellectual "elites" who believe they know how to understand and fix the world. Their primary solution is to eliminate you and others like you to stop you from messing up the world, but their borrowed capital takes them only so far.

Bible Prophecy Under the Microscope-Episode 103 Gary answers a question he often receives about having conversations with dispensationalists. It can almost feel like a language barrier, because they will hear the words of Scripture, but reinterpret them to mean something entirely different. Gary reveals a few questions that can be helpful in guiding the discussion.