Author: Ron Graff
Located in: Alta Loma, California
Submitted: April 25, 2011
Tell us a little about yourself. I have been a pastor for nearly 50 years, and am retiring from my role as Sr. Pastor of Solid Ground Church in Alta Loma, so that I can devote my time to writing and teaching about the vital subject of Bible prophecy. I have been editor of the "Prophecy Central" website since it was begun in 1996. It is usually listed first in a Google search for "Bible Prophecy."
What was your motivation behind this project? Fourteen years ago, when the Internet was just becoming popular, Lambert Dolphin and I discovered that we had similar interest in helping Christians understand the great subject of Bible Prophecy. Lambert maintained an extensive online library of articles about Bible topics.
We worked together to produce a free Internet book called Thy Kingdom Come: The Prayer Offered Most Often Is about To Be Fulfilled. It was a large book that explained the purpose and value of Bible prophecy. It explained the Bible's teaching about Israel, the Church, and events that are still to come. Over the years the book has been downloaded more than 300,000 times. The concepts of the book have stood the test of time. We never needed to change any of the information that was given, but so much has happened in the world since 1997, including the 911 attacks, the rise of Islamic terrorism, and amazing progress in the world of technology, we wanted to include these and other vital developments.
We decided it was time to update the work and make it available as an eBook and a printed volume that could be marked up by serious prophecy students. It provides a conservative outline of the future from the standpoint of a literal interpretation of God's Word. It is evangelical in tone, and explains the likely outcome of current world conditions. It presents evidence for a pre-Tribulation Rapture of the Church, in the tradition of Hal Lindsey's writings and the sensational Left Behind series by Tim LaHaye and Jerry Jenkins.
Connecting the Dots: A Handbook of Bible Prophecy, is a big book, designed to help individuals or study groups grasp this vital subject. Its extensive Table of Contents gives the reader an outline of the logic of the book, and its detailed Index helps readers look up favorite topics and find documentation for what is written.
What do you hope folks will gain from this project? It is our prayer that The Lord will use this book to build up His people in knowledge of His purposes, and to draw many who do not yet know Him to a place of belief in the One True God who alone can foretell the future.
How were you personally impacted by working on this project? As we wrote this book I became more motivated than ever to encourage Christians and especially their teachers and leaders rediscover the great subject of Bible prophecy and to help them see how it all fits together with the "signs of the times."
Who are your influences, sources of inspiration or favorite authors / artists? Some of my favorite authors and teachers are Hal Lindsey, Tim LaHaye, David Hocking, Chuck Missler, Gary Kah, Grant Jeffrey, and J. Dwight Pentecost.
Anything else you'd like readers / listeners to know: 2 Peter 3:11-12 gives us the proper motivation for learning about prophecy.
"Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives 12 as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming."
