Role: Executive Director of The Pre-Trib Research Center |
Dr. Ice is Executive Director of The Pre-Trib Research Center. He founded The Center in 1994 with Dr. Tim LaHaye to research, teach, and defend the pre-tribulational rapture and related Bible prophecy doctrines.
Dr. Ice has co-authored about 30 books, written hundreds of articles, and is a frequent conference speaker. He has served as a pastor for 15 years. Dr. Ice has a B.A. from Howard Payne University, a Th.M. from Dallas Theological Seminary, a Ph.D. from Tyndale Theological Seminary, and is a Doctoral Candidate at The University of Wales in Church History. Dr. Ice lives in Justin, Texas with his wife Janice and is a member of the Chafer Theological Seminary faculty.
The Olivet Discourse is an important passage for the development of anyone's view of Bible prophecy. The Olivet Discourse is made up of our Lord's teaching on Bible prophecy that is found in Matthew 24- 25, Mark 13 and Luke 21. Since one’s interpretation of the Olivet Discourse greatly impacts whether they are a premillennialist or anti-millennialist, futurist or preterist, or pretribulationists or posttribulationist, I will be attempting an extensive interpretation of Matthew 24-25...
The disciples’ question in Matthew 24:3 is divided into two parts. The first question relates to the destruction of the Temple, which took place in A.D. 70. The second question, composed of two parts but related to one another, refers to events that are still yet to come. The disciples apparently thought that all three items, destruction of the Temple, the sign of Christ’s coming, and the end of the age would occur at the same time. Yet this is not the case...
As I continue to deal with the questions of the disciples in the Olivet Discourse (Matt. 24-25; Mark 13; Luke 21), I want to look more closely at the first question. After observing the Temple, Christ said to the disciples, "Do you not see all these things? Truly I say to you, not one stone here shall be left upon another, which will not be torn down" (Matt. 24:2). The disciples ask Jesus, "Tell us, when will these things be, . . ." (Matt. 24:3). Thus, the first question relates to the destruction of the Temple in A.D. 70...
Since I have shown in previous installments that Matthew 24 is a future, end-time prophecy, the next issue to tackle is when will verses 4 through 14 come to pass?
There are two major views that futurists, like myself, tend to hold. First, some believe that verses 4-14 refer to the inter-advent age-that is the time between Christ’s first coming and the beginning of the tribulation. Second, some hold that verses 4-14, especially verses 4-8, refer to the first part of the tribulation and correspond with the first four seal judgments of Revelation 6:1-8. I think that the second view is correct...
As I demonstrated in my previous installment, Matthew 24:4–14 deals with events of the first half of the seven-year tribulation period known as "the beginning of birth pangs" (Matt. 24:8). These events are parallel to the seal and trumpet judgments of Revelation 6, 8–9. I take it that in Christ’s discourse "The disciples were the representatives of godly Jews, and were warned of what should befall their nation." Thus, this passage, which is before us will take place in the future, after the rapture of the church, at the time of the beginning of the tribulation...