On November 3, 2020, Reverend Irvin Baxter went home to be with the Lord. While we are saddened by his unexpected passing, we are honored to share one of his final interviews with the world. Rev. Baxter gave his life to the teaching of God’s Word and the expansion of God’s Kingdom. As you read his words, we pray that you are inspired to study and grow in your own understanding.
Q: After serving the Lord first as a traveling evangelist and then as a Pastor for over 30 years, how did you make the decision to shift your focus full-time to Endtime Ministries?
A: I was pastoring, conducting a daily radio program, producing Endtime Magazine and holding prophecy conferences around the country. Because of all of this, my workload was becoming heavier and heavier. I also felt like God would eventually lead us into being on television. Beyond these factors, my wife and I felt like God was talking to us about giving our lives full-time to Endtime Ministries. We felt this would become necessary because the fulfillment of biblical prophecy was escalating rapidly. A friend, Pastor D.G. Hargrove, called me saying he had been praying and felt God spoke to him that we should move Endtime Ministries to the Dallas area to enable us to reach the world with the End Time message. Judy and I were diligently praying that God would give us definite confirmation this is what He wanted us to do. We went to a conference called “Because of the Times” and while there we felt like God spoke through one of the ministers at the conference, letting us know that resigning our church and moving to Dallas was what He wanted us to do. After returning home, we went on a three-day fast and the message we had received was confirmed. The decision was made.
Q: From publishing books and magazines to hosting conferences and the Jerusalem Prophecy College, the outreaches of your ministry continue to grow. What has been the most rewarding undertaking for you personally?
A: Each of the ministries at Endtime is designed with one goal in mind—reaching people with the message of salvation. It is so exciting when the phone calls and emails come in asking, “What do I need to do to be saved?” Nothing supersedes explaining to people how to be born again. There is one thing that God led us to do that has exceeded our wildest expectations. In 2014, we launched the Jerusalem Prophecy College in downtown Jerusalem. We began with just a few students. When people began to hear about the Jerusalem Prophecy College they began to ask if they had to live in Jerusalem to attend the college. At that time the answer was, “yes.” After hearing the disappointment in their voices and after receiving so many inquiries, I began to think we were missing something. We began to explore the possibility of offering the curriculum of the Jerusalem Prophecy College online. The first semester, three students enrolled. The second semester there were 25. Soon it began to grow exponentially. At this present time, we have over 4,500 online students from all over the world. The college consists of 11 courses and a total of 155 lessons. The remark heard most from the students of the college is, “Attending JPC has changed my life forever.”
Q: As a scholar and teacher of the End Times, what question are you asked the most, and how do you answer it?
A: Many people ask why the United States is not included in the prophecies of the end time. We explain the United States of America is, in fact, mentioned in Daniel 7:4 and in Revelation 12:14. In Daniel 7:1-8 there are four beasts depicted—a lion with eagle’s wings, a bear, a leopard with four heads, and a beast with 10 horns. Later in the seventh chapter, we are told that a beast symbolizes a nation or a kingdom. We can prove from the seventh chapter that the nations symbolized by the four beasts will all be on the earth at the time of the return of Jesus. The official animal symbol of Great Britain is the lion, as in Daniel 7:4. Russia’s official animal symbol is the bear, as in Daniel 7:5. The lion depicted in verse 4 has eagle’s wings. The official emblem of the United States is the eagle. Then in verse 4, the Bible says the wings were broken off from the lion, depicting America’s Declaration of Independence from Great Britain in 1776. Revelation 12:14 portrays the eagle protecting Israel during the Great Tribulation. The woman with 12 stars represents Israel. The 12 stars symbolize the 12 tribes of Israel.
Q: How do you reconcile the fact that many Bible teachers don’t agree on how to interpret the Scriptures and prophecies on the Last Days?
A: I find that many prophecy teachers latch on to a few favorite Scriptures and form their beliefs from those. In order to develop a solid understanding of Bible prophecy, we need a comprehensive understanding of how the Scriptures fit together without contradiction. Once we develop a comprehensive understanding of all the prophecies, then I believe we can truly understand what God is attempting to say to us. It is obvious God wants us to understand the prophecies, or He would not have put them in His Word.
Q: Do you believe that any Christian can gain understanding of Revelation and End Time prophecy, or is it reserved for a select few?
A: God told Daniel in Daniel 12:9 that he was to seal up his writings, for the understanding of them was reserved for the people of the time of the end. Because we are the people of the time of the end, we are understanding things now that have never been understood before. Endtime Ministries has produced a 14 DVD course called “Understanding the Endtime”. It gives you a well-rounded understanding and foundation of Bible prophecy in 14 lessons. It was specifically designed to help anyone who seeks to understand the prophecies of the Bible to be able to.
Q: Do you ever experience fear or anxiety when studying the End Times? How would you encourage those who do?
A: I have never experienced fear when studying the prophecies of the end time. Instead, I am filled with anticipation and excitement. The Bible teaches we have not received the spirit of fear but of power and of a sound mind. We tend to fear what we do not understand. The more we understand the prophecies of the Bible, the less fear will be able to captivate us. Romans 8:28 tells us that all things work together for good to them that love God, who are the called according to His purpose. If all things work together for our good, we have nothing to be afraid of.
Q: For someone who wants to start studying the End Times and Revelation for the first time, where should they start, and what advice would you give them?
A: As mentioned above, Endtime Ministries has a course called “Understanding the Endtime”. It is produced on a level that anyone can understand if they will simply take the time. We also have made available a workbook that coordinates with this series that includes an outline overview, questions and answers. If a person wants to develop a more comprehensive understanding of the prophecies and other scriptures, I would encourage them to enroll in our Jerusalem Prophecy College. They can do that by going to JerusalemProphecyCollege.com, register and then enroll in the first course.
Q: Through your work with The Jewish Agency, you’ve helped Jews from around the world make Aliyah. What is Aliyah, and why is it significant?
A: The word Aliyah means to ascend. It is commonly used to describe when Jews immigrate from where they are living to the Holy Land. This is significant because God promised the land of Israel to the physical descendants of Abraham and also promised the nation of Israel would be reborn in these end times.
Q: You teach that Scripture points to another Jewish holocaust ahead. What do we know about this event, and when will it take place?
A: The prophecy is found in Daniel 12:1. It states, “And at that time shall Michael stand up, the great prince which standeth for the children of thy people: and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time: and at that time thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book.” This coming holocaust is mentioned several other places in Scripture. Jesus spoke about it in Matthew 24:15-21. He called it a time of Great Tribulation such as never has been before. The Great Tribulation will begin at the time of the Abomination of Desolation. The Abomination of Desolation will occur halfway through the Final Seven Years, which will be triggered by a Palestinian-Israeli peace agreement. Jesus specifically spoke to the Jews living in Judea that they would need to flee for their lives. Judea is the territory in Israel commonly referred to as the West Bank. Any place the Antichrist is in control in the world will come under the persecution of the Great Tribulation. Since the Antichrist will come from Europe, it is critical that the Jews presently living in Europe (currently 1.6 million) leave there as soon as possible. They should either go to Israel or the United States.
Q: In your book, A Message for the President, you were the first to identify modern day nations in the Bible. How does this change our understanding of End Time events?
A: The Bible identifies the nations which will be in power during the last days and on earth in the End Times and indicates which nations will be a part of the world government of the Antichrist. The end time world government is prophesied in Revelation 13:1-2. The beast there is described as having the body of the leopard (Germany), the feet of the bear (Russia), the mouth of the lion (United Kingdom), and 10 horns representing an alliance of nations that will soon arise out of Europe. All of these nations were first prophesied in Daniel 7:1-8. The United States is depicted as the eagle’s wings growing out of the lion. The wings were broken off in Daniel 7:4 portraying the Declaration of Independence when the eagle (United States) broke away from the British lion. The eagle is then depicted in Revelation 12:14 as protecting Israel during the Great Tribulation. Israel is symbolized as a woman with 12 stars around her head. The 12 stars symbolize the 12 tribes of Israel. This teaches us that most nations will be a part of the kingdom of the Antichrist but America and Israel will stand together against the Antichrist.
Q: What is the New World Order, and how do you believe this will manifest?
A: The New World Order is a term used to describe a world government that many visionaries hope to establish. The term New World Order is on the back of the U.S. dollar bill on the ribbon below the pyramid. It is written in Latin. Novus (new) Ordo (order) Seclorum (secular or world). This was placed on our dollar bill by President Franklin D. Roosevelt. He dreamed of a world government under the structure of the United Nations. We can already see this New World Order manifesting itself by many who have developed a hatred of nationalism and seek to establish a system of global governance. This move toward global government is very far advanced throughout Europe and around the world. Even in the United States many are campaigning against nationalism and are for globalism.
Q: As society in America spirals further into immorality and Godlessness, many are asking if there is hope for our nation. What does the Bible tell us about this?
A: II Chronicles 7:14 tells us if we will humble ourselves and pray and seek God’s face He will hear from Heaven, forgive our sins and heal our land. Fortunately, the eagle’s wings are not included in the Revelation 13 beast of the Antichrist and his world government. However, the eagle is shown defending Israel against the Antichrist and his world government in Revelation 12:14. This indicates to me that America is in the process of turning away from Godlessness and turning back to God.
Q: With that in mind, how would you encourage believers to pray for our country and the world during this season?
A: We should pray for our President and all of our leaders that they will adopt policies that will turn America back to God. There are approximately 900,000 babies killed by abortions in the United States each year. This is a horrible abomination. We should pray that God will help us reverse Roe vs. Wade and take away this horrible sin of killing these babies each year. All of us should return to biblical Christianity and reverse the embrace of same-sex marriage, which God says is an abomination in His sight. We should each make our homes a house of prayer and make sure our children are taught Christian principles. If a person is looking for a criteria on which to vote they should ask one question. Which candidate and party favors the killing of 900,000 babies each year and which candidate and party is against it? That’s really all that each of us needs to know.
Q: Your program, End of the Age, airs every Sunday at 11:30pm ET on Daystar. What can viewers expect when they tune in?
A: Our program specializes in explaining world/current events from a biblical perspective. During almost every program we bring news articles that illustrate the fulfillment of Bible prophecy in one way or another. We then read the Scriptures that foretell the world events we are discussing that day. We also continually illustrate to our listeners how close we are to the very soon return of Jesus Christ to this earth.