Greg Laurie: Christians Can Understand Bible Prophecy, Tend to Overcomplicate Evangelism
WASHINGTON — Pastor Greg Laurie asserted that recent geopolitical events suggest we are living in the last days, and he urged Christians to take every opportunity to share the Gospel.
And believers in Jesus need not embrace the idea that they cannot understand Bible prophecy because Scripture says otherwise, Laurie, who leads Harvest Christian Fellowship in Southern California, said in a May 4 sit-down interview with The Christian Post in Washington, D.C.
The California pastor, who was at the White House the day before for a National Day of Prayer observance, told CP that he was in the midst of a sermon series on the book of Daniel, which speaks of the end times. And when Jesus speaks in the Gospels of when people see "the abomination of desolation" that is spoken of by Daniel the prophet, "and then he says: 'Let the reader understand.'"
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"Sometimes people will say 'Oh, we can't understand Bible prophecy.' Yet the Scripture says 'Let the reader understand.' And the fact of the matter is that the very word 'revelation,' as in the Book of Revelation, means unveiling," he said.
"It is not God's desire to conceal but to reveal. And there is even a blessing promised in Revelation to the person that reads, hears, and keeps the words of the Book."
As far as biblical prophecy is concerned, the key element is the regathering of the Jews in their historic homeland after having been scattered all over the world, the pastor said, mentioning Israel becoming a nation-state in May 1948.
"And then the Bible tells us that a large force from their north will attack them," he continued, pointing out that many wonder if what is being spoken of in Ezekiel 37 and 38 is Russia and that a solid case could be made that Russia is Magog. One of the allies of Magog is Persia, now known as Iran and the Bible speaks of an alignment between them, he explained.
"If Magog is Russia, and it's fascinating because this is very recent development, where Russia has really gotten involved there in the Middle East supporting Syria [and is] a staunch ally of Iran. And so you wonder, is this a scenario Scripture speaks of?"
In light of all of this, if Christ could return at any moment the posture of Christians ought to be alert, awake and about the Father's business, Laurie said.
"And as far as I'm concerned, I'm want to get the Gospel to as many people as possible. So if Christ comes in my lifetime that'll be fantastic. If He doesn't come in my lifetime, well, whatever, because I know one day I am going to go to Heaven because I put my faith in Jesus and my objective is to take as many people to Heaven with me as I can."
When asked about recent Barna research showing that over half of churchgoers are unfamiliar with the Great Commission and other data revealing that relatively few American Christians actively share their faith, Laurie responded, "I think we way overcomplicate this thing called evangelism. It's not as hard as we think it is."
The message of Jesus is simple, he said.
"Jesus did not say the whole world should go to church, but He did say, in effect, that the church should go to the whole world. And I like to remind people that they should localize that. Go into all of your world," he said, "wherever you are, your sphere of influence and engage people in evangelistic conversations."
Laurie will be speaking in Arlington, Texas, at AT&T stadium for a Harvest America crusade on June 10. He urges all believers to utilize this event as an opportunity to invite people to hear the Gospel.
"Pray that God blesses, that God fills that venue," he asks of Christians. "But pray most importantly that people will come to believe in Jesus Christ."
The event will be livestreamed via the internet on his site HarvestAmerica.com and through various social media channels. Chris Tomlin, Switchfoot, and Phil Wickham are among the featured musicians after which Laurie will speak about the meaning of life and the big questions everyone faces.
Laurie has hosted evangelistic Harvest Crusades since 1990 throughout the United States and other countries. The events have reached more than 8.8 million and over 500,000 people have made decisions to accept Jesus Christ.
Watch the full interview with Laurie in the video above.
