We should begin by trying to get them to see that the Bible is from God but also that it can be understood. Stress the fact that God is not the author of confusion (I Cor. 14:33). When you discuss the “end times” there is much division as to what certain things mean. When people hear about “Gog and Magog, the antichrist, tribulation and many other such topics, they get overwhelmed. They begin to trust other men to tell them what the prophets were saying. Being overwhelmed they lose sight of the fact that we can understand the scriptures.
The scriptures can be understood without a direct action of the Holy Spirit. It requires one using good tools of interpretation of the scriptures (II Tim. 2:15), It takes daily search of the scriptures to prove that what they have been taught is correct (Acts 17:11). Such would be a futile search if men cannot understand what they have been taught or read. By way of example, think of how much you hear today about the “antichrist”. Here are the verses that speak about the antichrist. They are I John 2:18,22; I John 4:3; and II John 7. This is the sum total of the word antichrist used in the scriptures, both Old and New Testaments. To reach the portions of doctrines taught today about the antichrist one must add to scriptures.
The idea of the thousand year reign of Christ on earth can be dealt with by getting the prospect with whom you are studying to answer why did Christ not establish His kingdom when He came in the first century world. Keep the prospective convert in the scriptures as it pertained to those of the first century world. How did they understand the words? We are blessed because the scriptures of the events of the first century proves that God keeps His Word. A Word we depend on to build our faith and have the hope of heaven in our hearts.