1/ As some of you might have guessed, the assassination of Soleimani has generated some #EndTimeFrenzy on the part of people who hold premillennialist views (mainly dispensationalist). Here's a short thread of what is found on certain Twitter "biblical prophecy" pages.

2/ As you can see, currents events are interpreted in light of certain biblical texts, interpreted as future predictions concerning the "End Times." This is what I call "current news exegesis." Such "end times" enthusiasts often quote texts from Matthew 24, Luke 21 or Mark 13.

3/ For many "last days" prophecy seekers, today's events are prophetic signs of the impending Second Coming of Christ, which in some circles is understood as "the Rapture." An idea mainly based on a particular interpretation of 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 and 1 Corinthians 15:50-53.

4/ The "Rapture" is part of an eschatological interpretive framework called "dispensational premillennialism." This is the worldview that still governs the lives of certain evangelicals in America, Brazil and elsewhere in the world.

5/ In termes of "premillennialism," some adopt a "dispensationalist" view, while others are non-dispensationalists. Here is what is meant by "dispensationalism:" it is a periodization of history, consisting of a series of stages in God's self-revelation and plan of salvation.

6/ In "dispensationalism," there are variants in how people understand the timing of the "Rapture." It is either pre-tribulation, mid-tribulation or post-tribulation. The "Rapture" is seen as the first phase of Christ's Second Coming, which is only for his Church.

7/ This can be quite a complicated framework for those unfamiliar with these ideas. "End times" enthusiasts also carefully scrutinize every event that unfolds in the Middle East, making connections with ideas found in the Bible such as "Gog and Magog" and "Armageddon."

8/ Those who adopt a futurist interpretation of the Book of Revelation understand the "Battle of Armageddon" (or Harmagedon), as the final epic battle before the Second Coming of Christ and the establishment of the "Millenium." This will happen near the end of Daniel's 70th week.

9/ Concerning "God and Magog," as seen in Ezekiel 38-39, dispensationalists see this as an impending event, involving nations like Russia (= "Gog and Magog"), Persia (Iran), etc., who will assemble against Israel. They interpret this as a crucial sign just before the "Rapture."

10/ There is also the belief in territorial spirits, such as the presence of an evil entity called the "Prince of Persia" ruling over Iran (Daniel 10:13).

People who hold to such a worldview will push for policies that will facilitate the fulfillment of "end-times prophecies."

11/ To end this thread, you can listen to the discussion I had today with @BradleyOnishi on @StraightWhiteJC about this.

By the way, you should also definitely follow both Brad and the podcast! https://www.podomatic.com/podcasts/straightwhiteamericanjesus/episodes/2020-01-03T11_09_15-08_00