The End of the World? Max Maximizes the Climax
In previous decades, your congenial editor has written a dozen or more articles chronicling and documenting the descent of Max Lucado into apostasy. Many of these revolved around his giving up the truth regarding salvation (as revealed in texts like Acts 2:37-41 and Acts 22:1-16) for Baptist teaching. Those articles are still accessible. Recently I received two videos via e-mail. One was by David Jeremiah, who affirmed that “the Rapture” could occur on November 5th (he neglected to say whether or not we would have the election results before or after the alleged event). The other video was titled: “Max Lucado: ‘We Will All Be Gone Before 2025.’” One wonders what either one of these fellows will say on New Year’s Day.
The viewer of this video might wonder why the title is stated the way it is, since Lucado does not say those actual words at any time in the 12 minute-31 second presentation. But he clearly has joined denominational theology regarding the “end times.” The narrator says: “Lucado sees the rapture as a real literal event.” 1 Thessalonians 4:13-17 does describe Christians ascending to meet the Lord in the air, but it says nothing about their being a 7-year period of tribulation on earth afterward, which is led by “the” Antichrist, followed by the Battle of Armageddon, after which Jesus descends to the Earth and reigns for a thousand years in Jerusalem.
Just as with salvation, Lucado was once taught the truth concerning the end of the world, but premillennialism is a popular obsession—especially when things heat up in the middle east. Besides, he released a book on August 13, 2024, which he titled, What Happens Now? Everyone else is cashing in on the “end time” craze; why not him? Among other things, he cites the covenant that God made with David (2 Sam. 7:12-13). The following words are Lucado’s:
One of the descendants of David “would sit on his throne in Jerusalem.” That will be realized, I believe, in the millennium when Christ sits on a physical throne in a physical Jerusalem.
In 2 Samuel 7:13 God told David, “He shall build a house for My name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever.” That house David’s descendant (Jesus) built was the church (Matt. 16:18; 1 Tim. 3:15). Lucado didn’t address that aspect of the prophecy. But even more obvious is the fact that the throne of Christ’s kingdom lasts forever—not 1,000 years—but forever. Max has spent so much time among those in denominations that he has forgotten the one verse that destroys all premillennial foolishness—John 18:36. Jesus said, “My kingdom is not of this world…. My kingdom is not from here.” Amen.