The Gary DeMar Podcast

Bible Prophecy Under the Microscope-Episode 42 Gary concludes his response to John Piper's book, Come, Lord Jesus. Time statements, context, and other books of the Bible help us to understand what words and phrases in the Bible actually mean. We also need to be careful that we are interpreting biblical words in light of how an ancient audience would understand it, not how a 21st century audience does.

Gary responds to a listener from Australia that wonders about how certain Greek words are translated in the new Legacy Standard Bible. Presuppositions, especially eschatological ones, are powerful and affect how translators interpret Greek words, which in turn influences their translation efforts.

Gary discusses the inconsistent application of religion and politics between the two American political parties. Churches and pastors MUST be involved not only in biblical studies, but in the application of such studies, including in politics. All biblical worldview issues have real-world application, which is the actual reason for teaching the biblical issues in the first place.

Bible Prophecy Under the Microscope-Episode 41 Gary continues his review of John Piper's book, Come, Lord Jesus. Pastor Piper discusses the actual language used by Jesus in the NT, but still argues that Jesus' words didn't actually mean what they appear to mean. Jesus promised He would come before that generation in the first century died, but Pastor Piper disagrees.

Gary discusses the newest media darling, Steven Hasan, and his BITE model of determining "cult" behavior. Far from being useful, Hasan's model could be used to define nearly any group as a "cult." Businesses, clubs, schools, churches, and even families could be defined as "cults" according to Hasan's methodology, and now even the FBI has jumped on board.

Gary discusses recent discussions he's had with people regarding eschatology and creedal authority. It seems that every theological topic of debate can be settled with Bible verses, except eschatology and especially ones about the "Three Questions." The arguments that most of Gary's critics make are circular and based on certain assumptions that aren't actually biblical.

Bible Prophecy Under the Microscope-Episode 40 Gary begins reviewing John Piper's book, Come Lord Jesus. Most Christians haven't even thought about what it means that Jesus "comes," and definitely not in the context of many references to God "coming" in the Old Testament. This is very important and necessary to defining the entire "end time" framework.

Gary brings some "Memes of the Week" to discuss the current "outrage" from leftist opportunists. Some are claiming to be "offended" by a meme that shows Trump in popish attire. It is typical of these people to suddenly get religious when it suits their agenda, however much their claims are contradicted by what they say and do elsewhere.

Gary responds to an article written by a Vanderbilt professor that uses outdated information to make her argument. The professor quotes from Dr. Bruce Waltke in a 1968 Christianity Today article about abortion (Dr. Waltke has since changed his view) to dismiss Christians opposed to climate change. If it sounds ridiculous and confusing, it's because it is. But it's the state of modern "scholarship." Download Gary's written response here: https://americanvision.org/images/uploads/abortion-biblical-law-and-the-civil-magistrate_final.pdf

Bible Prophecy Under the Microscope-Episode 39 Rick Welch takes over the Gary DeMar Podcast and interviews Kirk Cameron. Kirk has been very active lately in helping to promote American history, family values, and an optimistic world-and-life-view. Formerly known as a teen actor and "the Left Behind Guy," Kirk details some of the influences that have helped inform and guide his current work.

Gary comments on a recent speech by Illinois Governor J. B. Pritzker. The governor uses inflammatory rhetoric to disparage (and warn it seems) Republicans about potential reprisals if they continue on their current path. He also refers to those who support President Trump as "quislings" that will not be tolerated.

Gary has been around long enough that what he has written 30 years ago is now current again. Christian Reconstructionism was a movement that bothered a lot of people in the 1980s and 90s and today the boogeyman is Christian Nationalism. The arguments against both are nearly the same, even though Reconstruction and Nationalism aren't the same. What they actually have in common is bad and unbiblical critiques by authors who should know better. Read the article Gary is responding to here: https://www.christianpost.com/voices/the-rise-of-coerced-cultural-christianity-a-disturbing-trend.html

Bible Prophecy Under the Microscope-Episode 38 Gary sits down with his friend Robert Cruickshank at the recent Berean Bible Conference. The two answer a listener question about Revelation 20, which is a very difficult chapter. However, as Gary points out, nearly every eschatological "system" assumes this chapter says much more than it actually does. Gary and Bob try to keep it real and biblical.

Back for a third time, Gary highlights a few of his favorite "Memes of the Week." He discusses track and field, transgenderism, abortion, atheism, presuppositionalism, and much more. There's always much to learn when Gary is selecting the memes.

Gary compares the two approaches to funding between Hillsdale College and Harvard. Despite having an enormous endowment of billions of dollars, Harvard still takes a large amount of tax money every year. Hillsdale takes none, not even indirectly. The school saw the trap of federal money from early on. So many colleges in the country are dependent on government money yet still have high tuition and less control over their product.

Bible Prophecy Under the Microscope-Episode 37 Gary discusses common misunderstandings of Bible prophecy based on over-literal interpretations and misreadings of the Old Testament. The New Testament is the best commentary on the OT, but the OT also helps us better understand the NT. We can't selectively claim that certain parts of the OT are still future just because we don't like the fulfillment.

After discussing an issue that caused his Facebook page to be eliminated, Gary discusses the craziness coming from leftist Democrats about Jesus and immigration. One thing that you can always count on around Easter is that both sides of the political divide will attempt to make Jesus fit their own narrative and claim His support of their agenda.

Christianity is a future-oriented worldview. Who inherits what we leave behind? How does our view of the future affect our attitude towards the future? God is the Author of the past, the present, and the future. He owns everything, including time. Does it matter if we live fearfully or hopefully? Very much so, as Gary points out in this important talk from several years ago

Bible Prophecy Under the Microscope-Episode 36 Gary discusses the fact that ALL Christians are preterists, at least to some degree. If you believe the birth, life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ is a historical fact—you are a preterist. Even unbelievers cannot deny that these events—whether they believe they happened or not—have changed the course of world history. In other words, Jesus Christ has changed the world forever, according to the Scriptures.

Gary concludes his response to a recent video discussion about his eschatological views. The host references a book that refers to the creeds and confessions as "guardrails" that keep biblical exegesis within the "bounds" of orthodoxy. In reality, they are elevating the creeds (at least the ones they recognize as authoritative) above what the Bible actually says.

Many religious cults claim to believe the Bible and biblical inerrancy. A recent video discussion that included Sam Frost and Andrew Sandlin raised the question about how Gary would answer cults using only the Bible. Their claim seems to be that creeds and confessions are necessary to defend a proper biblical interpretation, but Gary disagrees.

Bible Prophecy Under the Microscope-Episode 35 Gary gives an overview of the book of Revelation and helps readers to put the confusing book into perspective. Context is important and the timing of the events mentioned in the last book of the Bible must be taken into consideration. Internal clues about when it was written also need to be factored in.

It's now official! Gary brings back his segment "Memes of the Week" making it a regular feature of the podcast (or least one that has recurred). Meme creators find interesting ways to communicate complicated topics in (often) humorous ways. Gary highlights a few of his most recent favorites.

Gary responds to recent criticism that resurrects the "Three Questions Controversy" from 2023 and accuses Gary of promoting "full preterism." While the tactics of the accusers remain the same, the exegetical proof that Gary has been demanding (not just pointing to a creed) remains missing. The critics do not even agree among themselves and continually hide behind creedal statements, yet refuse to interact with the biblical time statements.

Bible Prophecy Under the Microscope-Episode 34Gary responds to a video that critiques a preterist interpretation of Matthew 24. The critique gives the impression that 1) a preterist interpretation is "new" (it's not); and 2) that it's not biblical (it is). Gary gives many biblical reasons why a preterist interpretation makes the best sense of the context and the timing of Jesus' Olivet Discourse in Matthew 24.

Gary continues his conversation with Kevin Barber about technology and artificial intelligence. Kevin reveals a tool he made for American Vision, which can be found at www.AmericanVision.ai. Using open source AI software, Kevin created a chatbot that learned to think using only Gary DeMar books and it is ready and waiting to answer all your Bible prophecy and eschatology questions right now.

Gary has a fascinating conversation with business owner and technology leader, Kevin Barber. Artificial Intelligence (AI) has been a dominant topic in the news for the last several years, especially with the leaps in computer advancement and processing power. AI is not as bad as you've heard and it's not as good as you've heard. Kevin explains that it's simply a "tool," but a tool with the ability to change the world, for better and for worse. Christians must be informed about AI and be ready to use it to the glory of God.

Bible Prophecy Under the Microscope-Episode 33 Gary riffs on a short clip from an individual trying to explain away the meaning of the word "soon." Context always determines what words actually mean, not what we want them to mean. Although "soon" can have various meanings about how close an event may be, it is always clarified by what surrounds it. This podcast will begin as "soon" as you push play...

One of the problems with today's movies and films is the lack of creativity. Modern filmmakers don't have to worry much about constraints on their content, but real creativity needs these constraints. Cool Hand Luke is more than half a century old but it is a great example of excellent storytelling. While it is not a Christian movie in any sense, it uses a lot of Christian symbology to tell its tale. Christians need to re-learn how to interpret art through a Christian worldview. Cool Hand Luke is a good place to begin.

Gary discusses revolutionary practices of the Left (like firebombing Teslas) and how nothing has changed in their tactics (the very ones they claim to fear from the Right). Christians, like others, are called to be revolutionaries, but unlike others, they have a divine example of being non-violent in advancing their revolutionary faith.

Bible Prophecy Under the Microscope-32 Gary reviews a new book by Dr. Sam Waldron about eschatology called The Doctrine of Last Things. Waldon basically follows John Murray's amillennialism and doesn't really deal with much of the material that presents a different view. While Dr. Waldron offers his views on preterism, he doesn't actually interact with any of their writings and dismisses it as a Catholic heresy.

Gary discusses the work of American Vision and runs through some history of theological debates over the last half-century. AV has been on the frontlines of biblical truth for 45 years and continues to do so with books, videos, web articles, podcasts, and much more. Please consider joining us and help to continue AV's impact in 2025 with a donation matching grant during March.

Gary answers a listener question about the word "church" and how it is used by the Bible and interpreters over the years. Is God "doing something new" in the New Testament, or is He fulfilling exactly what He promised in the Old Testament? Was God's plan for His people changed when they rejected Jesus as their Messiah?

Bible Prophecy Under the Microscope-Episode 31 Gary responds to a short audio clip from a pastor who claims we're currently in the great tribulation and that Donald Trump is the end-times bad guy called the Antichrist. Gary refutes both of these claims with biblical exegesis, historical reminders, and common sense.

Gary comments on some popular examples of internet wisdom in the forms of memes. Some of the most illogical and ridiculous ideas are presented by people in the form of memes and Gary can't resist pointing out the nonsense being displayed. He has also decided that this will become a semi-regular segment on the podcast so be on the lookout for more to come.

Gary comments on a recent article by Pastor Kevin DeYoung about pastors becoming "political pundits." While it is true that many pastors simply comment on politics without making any reference to the Bible, our current situation is most certainly a biblical issue. Staying out of politics is not the correct response; bringing the Bible to bear on politics and culture is.

Bible Prophecy Under the Microscope-Episode 30There are many signs mentioned throughout the NT by Jesus and others that are said to come during the "last days." Many writers and prophetic speculators have claimed that these signs are happening all around us today. Unfortunately for them, the context for these biblical signs was "soon," as in soon when the NT was written—that is, in the first century AD.

Gary discusses more recent craziness coming from politicians and celebrities about transgenderism and sports. Proving that they are completely out of touch with the vast majority of Americans, these people are saying downright crazy stuff... and then repeating it. It's no longer forgivable as "political" speech; it is just pure insanity.

Gary discusses several recent examples about people believing absurd things just because of something they saw online. AI is only as good as the database it searches, and if errors exist in the data, the answers the AI gives will always be wrong. People need to learn to be discerning and check information out before repeating it.

Bible Prophecy Under the Microscope-Episode 29 In this conclusion to his talk from a few years back at a conference in Nashville, Gary gives a quick hermeneutics lesson using Matthew 24. We must use the Bible to interpret the Bible and not overlook details like timing and locations. We cannot reinterpret these as relevant to our own day and still claim we are being faithful to the text as written.

Gary discusses a recent comment by late night host Stephen Colbert about Christians helping the poor. Colbert, not surprisingly, is terribly uninformed on how much the Church has done for the poor for thousands of years. In fact, until big government stepped into to "help," the Church was about the only organization doing it.

Gary interacts with recent claims that outbreaks of peace in the world have significance for Bible prophecy. Generally, most modern prophecy pundits point out all the talks of war as being signs of the end times, but now we must also be suspect of peace talks. Gary brings sanity to the discussions of both war and peace.

Bible Prophecy Under the Microscope-Episode 28 In this talk given a few years back at a conference in Nashville, Gary introduces the topic of Bible prophecy and why it is important. Most Christians never challenge their view of the future and end up believing all sorts of strange "winds of doctrine" and get "tossed back and forth by the waves" (Ephesians 4:14).

Gary answers a listener question about the supposed historical fact that Antipas (mentioned in Revelation 2:13) was martyred in the mid-90s AD under Domitian. If true, this would mean the book of Revelation was written after the destruction of the city and the temple in AD 70. Preterists maintain that the book was written during Nero's reign in the mid-60s AD. So which view is correct and why does it matter?

Gary talks about the trend among young people where Bible sales are increasing and they are obviously looking for some sort of purpose. There is a sense where every generation rejects the views of the parents, but it also runs deeper. People say they are looking for their "true self" but how will they know when they've actually found it?

Bible Prophecy Under the Microscope-Episode 27 Gary discusses new "research" that has now determined and revealed China's role in Bible prophecy. With the publication of each day's news, prophecy speculators are writing blogs and releasing videos that reinterpret the previous day's speculations and surefire "end time" predictions.

Gary discusses DOGE and USAID and government overspending in general. Just as most people manage their own household budgets and spending, so is the Federal Government responsible not to spend money it does not have. An ignored requirement from Article 1, Section 9 of the Constitution is an accounting of where money is being spent. Read Gary's DOGE article here: https://americanvision.org/posts/the-question-doge-should-be-asking/

Gary discusses recent articles about immigration and birth rates. So called anti-natalists put the welfare of the planet over the welfare of humanity, but they are seldom willing to rid the planet of themselves first. Gary calls materialistic "science" into the argument to point out the hypocrisy. Get Gary's book, Why It Might Be OK to Eat Your Neighbor, here: https://store.americanvision.org/products/why-it-might-be-ok-to-eat-your-neighbor-book

Bible Prophecy Under the Microscope-Episode 26 No matter what happens in the Middle East—good, bad, or indifferent—it is claimed to be a fulfillment of Bible prophecy. Gary discusses current claims about the prophetic importance and significance about what's happening in Gaza. Once again, these claims are shown to be lacking biblical proof and are nothing more than sensational attention grabs.

Gary runs over a few recent news stories and how the media is struggling to keep up with everything happening. Gary puts his unique spin and view on the topics and reminds listeners that politicians, while important, are not the answer to solving everything. Christians need to stay involved and informed.