The Poor, Misguided PreTrib Rapturist…(Sigh)

Know the Day or the Hour

You know, when I sit back and consider the fact that out of ALL the Eschatological positions out there, the one that is roundly attacked and soundly ridiculed is by far, the PreTrib Rapture position. But let’s think for a moment…WHY is it so maligned?

We’ve gone over this before, but to summarize, it is largely due to the fact that Dave MacPherson has shined the light of contempt on the PreTrib Rapture position and people have bought his lies, historical revisions and questionable summaries lock, stock and barrel.  It is because MacPherson and his frenzied followers have stopped to say “What else needs to be said?!  Mac has proven the point!”  Uh, no, he has not proven anything, except that he can exaggerate like the best of them because he has an axe to grind.

So, most people who disagree with the PreTrib Rapture position rest on the fact that they believe Mac has said what has needed to be said.  He has given the Posttribber more bang for his buck; more ammunition to use against the PreTrib Rapturist.

There are really few places that a PreTrib Rapturist can go today without hearing or reading words like “apostasy,” “heresy,” “deception,” “delusion” and many others, all connected to the PreTrib Rapture.  Because people believe it to be THE (or at least, ONE of the) reason for the End Times apostasy, they feel no need to look further.  For them, the question is answered, the problem is solved.  Those who do not see eye to eye with Mac and his buds, are spiritually deluded, making it impossible for them to see with spiritual clarity.

Let’s be clear here for a moment though, all right?  Many people believe that the Pre Trib Rapture is so heinous that it cannot be anything BUT a lie.  I mean, consider what it does.  It obviously creates Christians who are carnal at best, and evil at worst.  The belief that I am on my way to hell, for instance, is something that I’ve heard too many times to count.  Yet, what IS the real problem here?  The problem seems to be not in the PreTrib Rapture position, but in the believed OUTCOME of espousing such a position.

In effect, it is assumed and believed that because I am a PreTrib Rapturist, I have simply STOPPED actively being a Christian.  Oh sure, I might go through the motions, you know, open my Bible when someone is looking, or pray when I’m in church.  I will probably make a big show of going to church, so that people SEE me and note that I am present.  But really, all of these things – praying, reading the Bible, serving Him and more – all of this is simply window dressing.  Let’s face it, because I believe that I will escape the Tribulation via the Rapture, I have no real reason to live a godly life at all.  It’s there for show and for show only.  In fact, when no one is looking, I imbibe the world’s pleasures.  ALL of my Christian friends and the members of the church I attend are all phonies.  Everything we do – serving the homeless, the shut-ins, the elderly, the widowed, the sick, and others in need – is done for man’s accolades.  The reason I spend hours in prayer and preparation for teaching Bible classes at church is to earn brownie points with people.  The reason I write and give away a ton of the books I write is because I want people to like me.  I do NONE of that because I love the Lord, because I long to see Him one day.  I do ALL of this because I want to pat myself on the back and feel good that I am contributing to something bigger than myself.  Who cares that the Lord knows I really do not care about Him or His Word?  If I can pull the wool over man’s eyes, that’s really what it all boils down to, doesn’t it?

The idea that I am going to be rescued by the Rapture before things get bad is such a cool concept, I wish I had thought of it!  Think about it.  I can do virtually nothing and STILL be saved from the evil of the Tribulation!  Isn’t that cool?  Plus, it does NOT matter at all that when I’m “rescued,” I will immediately be in His presence and of course, I would have nothing to be embarrassed or ashamed of, having lived my life in expectant escapism prior to the Rapture.

But wait, I’m actually getting ahead of myself, because according to many, I’m doomed to hell.  I’m self-deluded and deceived and on the fast track to the Lake of Fire.  Wow, thank God for the humble Posttribulationist who really understands what it means to be a Christian!  Phew, for a moment there, I thought that God was left without a voice in this world, but never fear, the dear, humble, spiritually mature Posttribber is standing by, ready to do battle with the Antichrist himself!

Does Jesus Actually Return to Earth Twice? ©2009 F. DeRuvo

But I have to wonder, what of the Amillennialist or anyone who does not believe that there is going to be a 7-year (or 3 1/2 year) Tribulation?  Some of these folks believe that the world is going to get better and better until the situation and time is right for Jesus to simply return.  There is NO Tribulation because it already HAPPENED.  Of course, these individuals are not deluded, nor are they deceived.  There is no question as to their love for the Lord.  They will NOT be taken by surprise when the Tribulation hits.  Nothing like that at all.  The kind of remonstrance I’m referring to is only reserved for the poor, misguided and deceived PreTrib Rapturist and no one else. 

Let’s get a few things straight, all right?  The doctrine of the Rapture is NOT part of the apostasy of the End Times.  The apostasy of the End Times is such that it will create a falling away.  A falling away from WHAT?  A falling away from the gospel of Jesus Christ.  What is the gospel of Jesus Christ?  It is believing that He is God in the flesh and that He came and offered Himself as a propitiation for MY sin.  Believing in Him means believing that He is God and that His sacrificial atonement cancels my sin.  Because I fully believe that, I am given NEW life; salvation.  This is the same salvation that Jesus spoke to Nicodemus about in John 3.  It is the same salvation that the thief on the cross received.

Salvation is not praying the sinner’s prayer, or asking Jesus “into my heart.”  Salvation is BELIEVING in Christ’s atonement and the fact that because of what Christ did, I am justified; fully declared righteous before God.  Believing here is not simply intellectual assent.  It is living, breathing KNOWLEDGE that allows me to see and understand that Christ IS who He says He is and that He did what He is said to have done.  Because of this, believing in Him means that through my faith in Him, I am united with Him in His Body.  That is FOREVER and it cannot be undone, in spite of what some would like us to believe (but that’s for another day and another blog).

So if I have salvation and I have salvation BECAUSE of what Christ did for me and because He opened my eyes so that I could see the truth, and because of that salvation, I am SEALED by the Holy Spirit as a guarantee of the eternal nature of my salvation, and if I have that eternal salvation because Jesus is the AUTHOR and FINISHER of my faith, how is it possible for Him to ignore me, or otherwise allow me to become so unspiritual that I am not only no good to myself, but no good to others?  I do not see how that can happen in the long run.  While it CAN happen for short periods of time, it seems clear enough that a situation which continues like this is grounds to be taken home early, according to Paul in his letters to the Corinthians.

Here is something that many within Christendom do not say much…I could be wrong about the PreTrib Rapture.  I could ALSO be wrong about the doctrine of election, or at least my understanding of it.  I could also be wrong about Dispensationalism, or the fact that I believe that God is not done with Israel yet.  There are many things that I could be wrong about, but at this point in my life, I do not believe I am wrong about them.  This does not mean that at some future date, I may have enough information which will persuade me that this view or that view that I’ve held dearly for years is not correct.  I am completely open to that possibility because I know me well enough to know that I am NOT perfect, nor do I hear the Lord perfectly (though no fault of His, of course).  Sometimes, when I read parts of His Word, it seems too complex to grasp, so I pray and leave it to Him.

Here’s an interesting thing about many people today with respect to doctrine and specifically, the PreTrib Rapture doctrine.  I have come across many people who make statements like “I USED to believe the PreTrib Rapture until the Lord got hold of me, baptized me and revealed the truth to me.”  The problem with a statement like that is that it only APPEARS to be self-deprecating, when in point of fact, it’s actually very arrogant.  People who make these statements and others like them, also now believe that it is merely them and the Lord.  They stop listening to other “men” and just go by what the Lord says to them directly.  Well then, they should probably toss their Bibles and allow God to write them a new one.  I mean, after all, why bother listening to any of the prophets or apostles?  They’re just men, who were used by God to jot His Words down.  But cannot the Holy Spirit do that again for each person?  Of course He can, and why shouldn’t he?  Cult leaders have special things written for them or through them, so why can’t God do that for everyone?

Sorry, I digress.  The reality is that there are MANY people who believe me to be deluded, and deceived.  Because of that, I will obviously be completely unprepared for the coming Tribulation.  Howwever, this errant belief completely disregards God’s sovereignty, His love, and especially His mercy. 

I can say this with absolute clarity that since I became a Christian, by receiving His salvation, the road for me has been difficult, but He has NEVER left me, or forsaken me.  The “tribulations” that I have experience thus far in life have not been easy.  Some have been of my own making, while others were sent directly from Him, for my growth and His glory.

I look back on my life as a Christian, and I can see how far I have come, only by His grace and indwelling presence.  Looking down the corridor of my past to the present is proof of His involvement in my life.  I can see the more I have relied on Him, the more He has blessed me with growth and maturity.  I can see that love for other individuals and especially those of the household of faith has grown.  I see that I have developed more of a love for His Word, and a greater degree of patience for myself and others.  However, when I compare myself with the picture that Scripture paints of Christ, I see that I continue to fall woefully short.  But if my past is anything to bank on, I know with confidence that He IS with me now, and He WILL be with me today and will CONTINUE to be with me tomorrow.

I received salvation at the age of 13.  Almost forty years later, at 52, I can truthfully say that I love Him more, I serve Him more and I seek to glorify Him more, than I did in times past.  However, I am not done yet and the reason I know I am not done yet is because I am not where my sister is now; she is with Him.  I am still here, living my life on a daily basis, going through the struggles that come with this life and leaning at times very heavily on his arms.  He has NEVER failed to carry me through a situation; never once.

If I am wrong about the PreTrib Rapture, I am fine with that.  In fact, there is a side of me that WANTS to see some of those future events taking place.  I want to see the Antichrist gain power and become the One World Leader.  I WANT to see the enemies of Israel attempt to invade that land only to be fully thwarted by God Himself.  I want to see what this “mark of the beast” is going to be and I WANT to be out there preaching to the lost during the Tribulation, just as I do NOW.

I have NO idea what the future of my life holds, except that one day, I will die.  I do not know when, but I know that is His guarantee to me is that one day in the future, I will be immediately brought into His presence through death.  He has NOT guaranteed that I will live to see and be taken in the Rapture.  There is no guarantee that the Rapture or the Tribulation will even occur in my lifetime.  The guarantee that I have is that one day I will die and see Him immediately.  When I see Him, I will be like Him.

This type of understanding does not come from someone who is deluded and spiritually deceived.  People who are only living to escape the Tribulation are probably living with their eyes on this world and this world only.  They are not really concerned about BEING a Christian, and LIVING the Christian life.  They are more concerned about satisfying their own souls.  Because of this, there is an excellent chance they are not truly saved at all.

Unfortunately for those who are so dead set against the PreTrib Rapturist, that description of what people like myself DO as Christians, is unfamiliar to me concerning ANY PreTrib Rapturists that I know of, or know personally.  The people that I know who also espouse a PreTrib Rapture position LOVE the Lord and we love Him by SERVING Him, praying to Him, praising Him and taking what He provides us in this life with the understanding that whatever He sends our way may appear to be evil, but ultimately is meant for our good.

I would greatly appreciate if all those opposed to the PreTrib Rapture would do the Lord a favor, and start focusing on the real problems that face our society and the visible Church.  It is not the PreTrib Rapture that is drawing people away from the Church and Christ.  Interestingly enough, I do not see the PreTrib Rapture (or nearly any portion of Eschatology) as qualifying for the Last Days apostasy.  What I DO see occuring today, which fully qualifies as apostasy is:

• Seeker Sensitive movement
• the Mystical Movement
• Churches Going Green
• A move from Literal to Allegorical Bible Interpretation
• Ecumenism
• Church Growth Movement
• Spiritual Formation
• Contemplative Prayer
• Emergent Church
• Kingdom Now
• Dominion Theology

Those things listed above have been occuring within, and taking over, the visible Church for decades and have grown in measure since their inception and introduction.  What they are doing is introducing “another” gospel, which Paul would say is not a gospel at all.  IF the PreTrib Rapture position is incorrect and I am alive when the Tribulation begins, WONDERFUL!  I will be privileged to see more prophecy unfold right before my eyes.  I will also continue to do what I do – pray, serve, study, seek His face – and I will do it with the same indwelling Presence then in the future, that I have now – the Holy Spirit. 

Unfortunately, some people are so myopic they cannot see the forest for the trees, believing that the PreTrib Rapture is the problem, when in point of fact, the items listed above have nothing to do with the PreTrib Rapture and are far more dangerous. 

Many of you have bought into the lie that says I’m unprepared for the coming persecution.  What about the “tribulation” of daily living?  How do you think I’m handling that?  Do you also not believe that God will provide to those who are His, the ability to withstand ANY attack from the Antichrist, should the PreTrib Rapture be a wrong notion?  And by the way, do you honestly believe that the Lord is going to provide the amount of strength and grace needed to live during those days, now?  Why would He do that, when we do not need that type of grace, strength and understanding as we live now?

The individuals who live in this world now as missionaries, and who daily face the threat of physical harm and even death, are given tremendous amounts of strength, grace and wisdom because of the amount of tribulation that they face on a daily basis.  I do not, at this point in my life, need that type of strength, or wisdom from above.  In fact, Christ said that when specific tribulation comes, we should not be at all concerned about what we will say.  I assume that He also means we should not be concerned about the tribulation itself, for He and He alone will guide us through it, just as He guides us through life now.

The idea that I am somehow banking on the PreTrib Rapture to whisk me away prior to the Tribulation is nonsense.  It is time for Christians to focus on the enemy and it is NOT the PreTrib Rapture.  The enemy is busy doing two things:

• getting Christians to castigate one another, and
• introducing movements (like those in the list above), into the visible Church which draw people away from the true gospel of Jesus Christ

Meanwhile, the mighty Posttribber and others are focused on intently fighting against what they consider to be the deception of the PreTrib Rapture.  Good luck with that, because while you are wasting your time telling me that I am deceived, deluded and even not a true Christian, the Emergent Church, Spiritual Formation, Church Growth Movement, Seeker-Sensitive Movement, the Mystical Movement, the Churches Going Green parade, Contemplative Prayer, Ecumenism, Unity in Diversity, Kingdom Now and many other “isms” have literally invaded and are taking over much of evangelicalism.  You are doing NOTHING to fight against that though, because you have broken your arm patting yourself on your back saying things like “I started a similar group called “The Pre-Trib Rapture is NOT in the Bible”. Lets get the word out there, people need to prepare themselves.”

You do that, folks.  Get the word out about how ruinous the PreTrib Rapture is in all its wayward deception, and do not for a moment, consider your own arrogance.  Keep telling yourself that your heart is breaking for the poor, deluded PreTrib Rapturist.  Tsk, tsk, you think.  Such a shame.  Sigh.

In the meantime, do NOTHING to combat the actual deception that has invaded the visible Church, leaving apostasy in its wake.  Good move.  Actual lost souls will continue enter into eternity completely lost and you can go on combating the End Times apostasy of the PreTrib Rapture.  Get a clue, people.  Too many people remain lost because too many Christians are fighting the wrong fight!  It is time to wake up, pick up our swords and fight the real enemy, not the PERCEIVED enemy.

Those who would like to join me in my fight against the hypocrisy, judgment and arrogance of those who have deemed it necessary to make it their life’s mission to fight the PreTrib Rapture may do so by going here (you will need a Facebook account):

The PreTrib Rapture IS in the Bible

You’re welcome to join in, but you will not be welcome to castigate, attack, or arrogantly express your “loving” opinion about how wrong, and deceived PreTrib Rapture people are in their own minds.

And now, back to your regularly scheduled anti-PreTrib Rapture rant…

The Pre-Wrath What?

Having just received the latest Zion’s Fire, from Marv Rosenthal’s Zion’s Hope organization, I wondered how many pages I would have to turn before I came across some anti-PreTrib Rapture sentiment.  It wasn’t long.  The newsletter/magazine boasts thirty interior pages and by page number seven, Marv was taking the time to offer dire warnings for those who believe and espouse the Pretribulation Rapture.  He is in the process of discussing the Beast of Revelation chapter thirteen, and he speaks of this coming unholy trio of evil agents, bent to take God and His servants on, in what is described as a seven-year period of terror, led by the Antichrist himself.

As an aside, Rosenthal states, “I have particular concern for my brothers and sisters in Christ who believe they will be removed by a pretribulation rapture from these events before they commence.  I know what they believe the Scriptures they cite in defense of their position.  For twenty-five years I was a major advocate of pretribulation rapturism through my writing and preaching.”[1]  Whether or not he is concerned for his brothers and sisters may be true, but my question is why do people who do not espouse the PreTrib Rapture feel the need to be concerned?

Rosenthal provides us with his answer in the next section, when he states, “For pretribulation Rapturists, I fear the Great Tribulation will be a spiritual Pearl Harbor.  Believing they will be exempted from the persecution of Antichrist by rapture, they will be caught off guard and totally unprepared for what is coming on the earth.  They will be like a man taking a placebo that does not help, when nearby is medication that can strengthen the immune system to faithfully withstand the attack.”[2]

While the statement above sounds interesting, one is forced to ask, what does it actually mean?  What exactly is Marv saying?  I hear him saying that I am unprepared, as I have heard so many others say this same thing, but again, what does that MEAN?  I study my Bible, I pray to God, I seek His strength and His will in my life daily.  I seek His face, and I ask the Holy Spirit guide me and strengthen me from within, as I go about my day-to-day life.  I believe that my heart is directed toward God and I believe that I seek Him with as much of my heart as I know how.  I’m certain that there are parts of my life that are not perfect, but no one’s life is perfect here.  What does Marv mean that I am taking a placebo, when the “real” medication is nearby?  Am I not using the correct Bible?  Am I not praying correctly, or with the right amount of earnestness?

I think it’s clear what Marv means.  He apparently means that he (like so many others), are spiritually prepared, because he is not deceived and deluded like I am.  Because I am deceived (according to Rosenthal), then I cannot possibly be on the same spiritual level that he shares with many who believe as he does.  Because of my belief in the PreTrib Rapture position, there is a propensity toward lethargy when it comes to my spiritual life.  In fact, no matter what I do, no matter how much time I spend in prayer, or reading Scripture, the sad fact of the matter is that I am just not good enough, because the deception of the PreTrib Rapture position keeps me from true spiritual growth and maturity.

However, Marv is not done yet.  On the next page, he charges, “To think that during the Great Tribulation, when hell breaks loose on earth, the Church will not be present will be a grave error in judgment.  It requires embracing a position unknown for the first eighteen hundred years of church history, first aught under highly questionable circumstances and without any biblical substantiation.”[3; emphasis added]  Wow, that’s certainly interesting.  In fact, it would be more interesting if it was true, but it is not.  However, let’s say that it is true.  If you talk to an individual who espouses a Posttribulation Rapture position, they would agree with Marv’s statement, but they would go further than Marv did.  They would say that the early Church knew only a Posttribulation Rapture position and nothing else.  Where does this leave Marv since Marv is a believer in the Pre-Wrath Rapture position?  This position did not officially come to the fore until 1990.  In fact, the actual origins of the Pre-Wrath Rapture are over 100 years later than the alleged origins of the PreTrib Rapture position, yet we are to believe that the Pre-Wrath position is viable?  This makes absolutely no sense at all, and many Posttribbers and Pretribbers have written articles and books against this position.

If there is apparently no biblical substantiation for the PreTrib Rapture position, there is also none for the Pre-Wrath position.  The idea that because Christians go through part of the Tribulation somehow makes these individuals more spiritual is patently absurd.  The truth in all of this is that no one is more prepared or more spiritual because they happen to believe in a particular Rapture position.  In fact, the more people point fingers at others, the more arrogance they are actually espousing.

Meanwhile, the lost of the world are going to hell in a hand basket, and the enemy of our souls laughs his red tail off.  While a particular Rapture position does not unspiritual Christians create, I will tell you what is and has been creating apostasy within the visible Church:

• The New Age Movement
• The Mystical Movement
• Contemplative Spirituality
• Spiritual Formation
• Churches Going Green
• Kingdom Now
• Dominion Theology
• A Shift from Literal to Allegorical Bible Interpretation
• Ecumenism
• Unity of Diversity within All Religions
• A Coming One World Order
• Easy Believism Stemming from the Seeker Sensitive Movement

 

The list could get bigger, but the items listed above represent the type of doctrines that have wormed their way into the visible Church.  As they have done so, sound Bible teaching has gone out the door.  Look that list over carefully.  Would you agree that these things have infiltrated the visible Church in large measure, over the past number of decades?  Would you agree that they have done something that nothing else has been capable of doing?  They have opened the door to another gospel, which is really no gospel at all.  Why the focus on one very minor aspect of Eschatology, when the above bulleted list of items have literally inundated evangelicalism?  Today more than ever, people are hearing what they want to hear about the gospel, God, salvation and Jesus Christ.  They are being told that salvation is different than what they have been taught for centuries.  They are told that it is not important to believe that Jesus Christ was and remains God and that He came to die, by shedding His precious blood, in order that we might live.  They are being told that if they are Buddhists, they do not need to stop being Buddhists to be “Christian.”

 

There are many things that have been and are attacking the Church in this generation, but one thing that has not been part of that is belief in the PreTrib Rapture. That’s nonsense and people like Marv Rosenthal should know better.  During the days I attended Philadelphia College of Bible, he was part of that board and he knew the men who taught daily at that school.  He knew their commitment and saw their lives.  Is he now saying that those men were/are unspiritual, carnal, lazy and in danger of being fully deceived?  He must be saying that, because that’s ultimately what he is saying about himself and anyone who believes the PreTrib Rapture position.

 

Rosenthal is on very shaky ground.  He pretends the ground underneath him is firm, but it is not.  The idea that people continue to repeat what Dave MacPherson and others have claimed to be truth is pitiful and needs to stop.  I will say it again…if believing the PreTrib Rapture position has caused me to become spiritually illiterate, then believing that my death could occur at any moment should do the same thing.  What’s it gonna be folks?  Are we going to continue to play the devil’s game of pointing fingers and arrogantly stating that the PreTrib Rapturist is deceived and unspiritual, or are we going to focus our attention on the real problem facing the Church today?  I think we had better take the time to consider the fact that the lost continue dying.  Have you talked to any of them?  Have you witnessed?  Have you explained to them their need for Christ?  That is infinitely more important than arguing over the veracity of a particular Rapture viewpoint, don’t you think?

 

[1] Zion’s Fire, Vol 20, No. 5, September/October 2009, p 7
[2] Ibid
[3] Ibid, p 8 

Having just received the latest Zion’s Fire, from Marv Rosenthal’s Zion’s Hope organization, I wondered how many pages I would have to turn before I came across some anti-PreTrib Rapture sentiment.  It wasn’t long.  The newsletter/magazine boasts thirty interior pages and by page number seven, Marv was taking the time to offer dire warnings for those who believe and espouse the Pretribulation Rapture.  He is in the process of discussing the Beast of Revelation chapter thirteen, and he speaks of this coming unholy trio of evil agents, bent to take God and His servants on, in what is described as a seven-year period of terror, led by the Antichrist himself.

As an aside, Rosenthal states, “I have particular concern for my brothers and sisters in Christ who believe they will be removed by a pretribulation rapture from these events before they commence.  I know what they believe the Scriptures they cite in defense of their position.  For twenty-five years I was a major advocate of pretribulation rapturism through my writing and preaching.”[1]  Whether or not he is concerned for his brothers and sisters may be true, but my question is why do people who do not espouse the PreTrib Rapture feel the need to be concerned?

Rosenthal provides us with his answer in the next section, when he states, “For pretribulation Rapturists, I fear the Great Tribulation will be a spiritual Pearl Harbor.  Believing they will be exempted from the persecution of Antichrist by rapture, they will be caught off guard and totally unprepared for what is coming on the earth.  They will be like a man taking a placebo that does not help, when nearby is medication that can strengthen the immune system to faithfully withstand the attack.”[2]

While the statement above sounds interesting, one is forced to ask, what does it actually mean?  What exactly is Marv saying?  I hear him saying that I am unprepared, as I have heard so many others say this same thing, but again, what does that MEAN?  I study my Bible, I pray to God, I seek His strength and His will in my life daily.  I seek His face, and I ask the Holy Spirit guide me and strengthen me from within, as I go about my day-to-day life.  I believe that my heart is directed toward God and I believe that I seek Him with as much of my heart as I know how.  I’m certain that there are parts of my life that are not perfect, but no one’s life is perfect here.  What does Marv mean that I am taking a placebo, when the “real” medication is nearby?  Am I not using the correct Bible?  Am I not praying correctly, or with the right amount of earnestness?

I think it’s clear what Marv means.  He apparently means that he (like so many others), are spiritually prepared, because he is not deceived and deluded like I am.  Because I am deceived (according to Rosenthal), then I cannot possibly be on the same spiritual level that he shares with many who believe as he does.  Because of my belief in the PreTrib Rapture position, there is a propensity toward lethargy when it comes to my spiritual life.  In fact, no matter what I do, no matter how much time I spend in prayer, or reading Scripture, the sad fact of the matter is that I am just not good enough, because the deception of the PreTrib Rapture position keeps me from true spiritual growth and maturity.

However, Marv is not done yet.  On the next page, he charges, “To think that during the Great Tribulation, when hell breaks loose on earth, the Church will not be present will be a grave error in judgment.  It requires embracing a position unknown for the first eighteen hundred years of church history, first aught under highly questionable circumstances and without any biblical substantiation.”[3; emphasis added]  Wow, that’s certainly interesting.  In fact, it would be more interesting if it was true, but it is not.  However, let’s say that it is true.  If you talk to an individual who espouses a Posttribulation Rapture position, they would agree with Marv’s statement, but they would go further than Marv did.  They would say that the early Church knew only a Posttribulation Rapture position and nothing else.  Where does this leave Marv since Marv is a believer in the Pre-Wrath Rapture position?  This position did not officially come to the fore until 1990.  In fact, the actual origins of the Pre-Wrath Rapture are over 100 years later than the alleged origins of the PreTrib Rapture position, yet we are to believe that the Pre-Wrath position is viable?  This makes absolutely no sense at all, and many Posttribbers and Pretribbers have written articles and books against this position.

If there is apparently no biblical substantiation for the PreTrib Rapture position, there is also none for the Pre-Wrath position.  The idea that because Christians go through part of the Tribulation somehow makes these individuals more spiritual is patently absurd.  The truth in all of this is that no one is more prepared or more spiritual because they happen to believe in a particular Rapture position.  In fact, the more people point fingers at others, the more arrogance they are actually espousing.

Meanwhile, the lost of the world are going to hell in a hand basket, and the enemy of our souls laughs his red tail off.  While a particular Rapture position does not unspiritual Christians create, I will tell you what is and has been creating apostasy within the visible Church:

·         The New Age Movement

·         The Mystical Movement

·         Contemplative Spirituality

·         Spiritual Formation

·         Churches Going Green

·         Kingdom Now

·         Dominion Theology

·         A Shift from Literal to Allegorical Bible Interpretation

·         Ecumenism

·         Unity of Diversity within All Religions

·         A Coming One World Order

·         Easy Believism Stemming from the Seeker Sensitive Movement

 

The list could get bigger, but the items listed above represent the type of doctrines that have wormed their way into the visible Church.  As they have done so, sound Bible teaching has gone out the door.  Look that list over carefully.  Would you agree that these things have infiltrated the visible Church in large measure, over the past number of decades?  Would you agree that they have done something that nothing else has been capable of doing?  They have opened the door to another gospel, which is really no gospel at all.  Why the focus on one very minor aspect of Eschatology, when the above bulleted list of items have literally inundated evangelicalism?  Today more than ever, people are hearing what they want to hear about the gospel, God, salvation and Jesus Christ.  They are being told that salvation is different than what they have been taught for centuries.  They are told that it is not important to believe that Jesus Christ was and remains God and that He came to die, by shedding His precious blood, in order that we might live.  They are being told that if they are Buddhists, they do not need to stop being Buddhists to be “Christian.”

 

There are many things that have been and are attacking the Church in this generation, but one thing that has not been part of that is belief in the PreTrib Rapture. That’s nonsense and people like Marv Rosenthal should know better.  During the days I attended Philadelphia College of Bible, he was part of that board and he knew the men who taught daily at that school.  He knew their commitment and saw their lives.  Is he now saying that those men were/are unspiritual, carnal, lazy and in danger of being fully deceived?  He must be saying that, because that’s ultimately what he is saying about himself and anyone who believes the PreTrib Rapture position.

 

Rosenthal is on very shaky ground.  He pretends the ground underneath him is firm, but it is not.  The idea that people continue to repeat what Dave MacPherson and others have claimed to be truth is pitiful and needs to stop.  I will say it again…if believing the PreTrib Rapture position has caused me to become spiritually illiterate, then believing that my death could occur at any moment should do the same thing.  What’s it gonna be folks?  Are we going to continue to play the devil’s game of pointing fingers and arrogantly stating that the PreTrib Rapturist is deceived and unspiritual, or are we going to focus our attention on the real problem facing the Church today?  I think we had better take the time to consider the fact that the lost continue dying.  Have you talked to any of them?  Have you witnessed?  Have you explained to them their need for Christ?  That is infinitely more important than arguing over the veracity of a particular Rapture viewpoint, don’t you think?

 

[1] Zion’s Fire, Vol 20, No. 5, September/October 2009, p 7
[2] Ibid
[3] Ibid, p 8

And They Say The PreTrib Rapture is THE Deception!

Interestingly enough, I ran across another anti-PreTrib Rapture site, run by Posttribbers who offer the same worn out extra-biblical arguments that you see everywhere:

• believing the PreTrib Rapture creates spiritually dead Christians, who are unprepared for the Tribulation
• the PreTrib Rapture fosters complacency and an escapist attitude
• because PreTrib Rapturists believe they will escape the Tribulation, they have no reason to continue to do the work of the Lord, etc., etc., etc., ad nauseum

What I find constantly amusing is how many individuals firmly believe that the PreTrib Rapture position is high on the list of deceptions that will usher in the last days prior to the Tribulation and beyond.  In fact, some are so convinced that the PreTrib Rapture is born of diabolical origins, that they believe it to be THE main deception of the Last Days. 

So focused are some folks on broadcasting their belief that the PreTrib Rapture is THE deception that they are unable to see anything else.  For instance, there are any number of high-profile deceptions that have been making their way into the Church for a number of years now.  Jan Markell has taken the time to point out some of these deceptions:

• SeekerSensitive/Church Growth Movement
• Mystical Movement
• Churches Going Green
• Kingdom Now/Dominion Theology
• Moving Away from Taking the Bible Literally
• Contemplative Spirituality/Spiritual Formation

If you look in the list above, you should notice that there is nothing that is really directly related to Eschatology.  It’s all a spiritualizing of God’s Word, which brings about an errant viewpoint.  In fact, the very thing that the items above have in common is their propensity toward the mystical, or seeing God in everything.

In many ways, the movements above are spelling disaster for the Church because they are creating an atmosphere within the visible Church that resembles the New Age Movement.   In fact, if you notice the photo above, also from Jan Markell, it highlights a symposium on combining Budhism with Christianity.  While there is no clear way to do that, apparently people believe that there is and it is to that end that they work.

I would be willing to bet that in this symposium, the Rapture is never mentioned, nor is Eschatology in general discussed.  What is discussed is how, through meditation, to achieve a “holiness” that supercedes anything found within Budhism or Christianity separately.

The deception that is being foisted upon the world today has nothing to do with the Rapture.  The deception that is being foisted on the world is seen in the New Age Movement.  The deception that is overtaking the visible Church is a “Christian” version of the New Age Movement.

The end goal for Satan and his minions is to deceive the world, by pulling them AWAY from God.  What he wants to do for those within the visible Church is the exact same thing.  However, these individuals will not be deceived that easily.  They will have to be woo’d away by religious-sounding terminology and verbiage.  The visible Church will reject the “Christ Consciousness” for instance, but  it won’t necessarily reject the idea of a unity of religions, for the good of mankind and to glorify God.

So, while many Posttribbers are wasting their time and breath warning the Church about the PreTrib Rapture, people both outside AND inside the visible Church are falling prey to the devil’s schemes.  Those schemes involve clever-sounding religious dogma, but in truth, they are nothing less than New Age thought, wrapped in Christian wrapping paper.

A belief in the PreTrib Rapture does not create lazy, unspiritual Christians.  What creates lazy and unspiritual Christians is listening to, and heed to seducing spirits, who preach another gospel.  That other gospel is found within the New Age Movement, which has surrepticiously made its way into the visible Church.

Funny how something like the New Age Movement can be in plain site, yet still able to hide from too many Christians.

“Pro-Life” Abortion Doctor Killers

Scott Roeder Admitted Killing Dr. George Tiller

There are a number of things about extremists, which I find tragically fascinating.  Not only does Allah apparently need help fighting his enemies, but so does the God of the Bible.  What I mean by that is simply this:  in spite of the fact that God Himself has stated (quite clearly) that vengeance is HIS and HE will repay (cf. Deuteronomy 32:35).  Not only does it say this in the Old Testament, but Paul reiterates this same thing in the New (cf. Romans 12:19-21).  It really could not be more clear.  This does not mean that a Christian cannot take precautions to protect themselves from harm, but it does mean that we should not take the law into our own hands.  In the end, God will take care of every wrong, every harm, every offense and everything that is counter to His perfect will.  Yet in spite of the simplicity and earnestness of this charge from God, some people come to the wayward conclusion that God must not be speaking to them.  He must be talking to someone else.  This particular law He has laid down does not apply to them or their situation. 

For the longest time, people have been arguing over the issue of abortion; whether it is okay, or not.  It is an important issue and people on both sides have gotten fairly heated over it.    A few overzealous individuals have bombed abortion clinics, normally when no one is there, but it still remains that they broke the law by doing something like this.  Other extremists have gone even further, somehow believing that it is perfectly legitimate to kill a doctor who is involved in the process of aborting unborn babies.  Most recently,  “Scott Roeder, 51, of Kansas City, Mo., spoke to the AP in a telephone call from jail, saying he plans to argue at his trial that he was justified in shooting Dr. George Tiller at the abortion provider’s Wichita church in May.“[1]  This is tragic.  It is tragic that Dr. George Tiller felt that performing abortions – literally murdering unborn children – was covered under the Hypocratic Oath, but what is even more tragic is that Scott Roeder believed that he was doing something that ultimately God would stamp with His approval.

This world does not need people walking around who believe that they are somehow above the law if only they offer what they consider to be a reasonable excuse.  There is NO excuse for Roeder’s actions at all.  He in point of fact, has become no better than Tiller.  The large difference is that society has said that what Tiller does is legal, and what Roeder does is not.  In fact, God finds both people’s actions reprehensible and wrong.  It saddens me tremendously when I realize that thousands and thousands of babies are mercilessly aborted by uncaring doctors and would-be mothers who have gotten in the habit of using abortion as a means of birth control (most abortions take place on women who are repeat offenders).  In fact, it is difficult to look at photos of aborted fetuses, or read about the procedure for killing an unborn child.

The lobbyist groups who believe that there is nothing wrong with abortion have had their say and so far, the Supreme Court has backed their arguments, in favor of allowing women to be the final determiner of if and when to have an abortion.  It is too bad that more of these women did not think about doing what it takes to not get pregnant in the first place, especially if they find themselves wandering into an abortion clinic two, three, four times or more!  Men need to take greater responsibility in ensuring that women do not become pregnant with what will simply turn out to be an unwanted baby, aborted at the hands of a doctor who does not care about that aspect of life.

So there are extremists seemingly from all walks of life who believe that in order to make themselves heard, they must destroy.  The Apostle Paul would say “Brothers, this ought not to be!”  He does so because he knows that God condemns such action.  It seems not to matter sometimes how clear God’s Word is on various issues.  Someone always either finds, or sees themselves as an exception.  It doesn’t matter if Jesus said plainly that no one would know the day or the hour of His return.  In spite of that, there have been people who firmly believe they knew it and broadcast it.  He said no one would know.  Some deny that truth by making claims to the contrary.  Who should be believed?

In spite of the fact that God has stated that we are to allow Him and Him only the right to vengeance, more and more among us believe just the opposite.  They believe that they are entitled one way or another to take the law into their own hands and make things happen.  In either case, whether it is someone who says they know when Jesus will return, or whether they believe that allowing God only to take vengeance on Himself does not apply to them, what they are ultimately doing is calling God a liar.  They are saying that God does NOT know best.  They know best.  They are saying that God’s Word may be good for most or even some people, but in the final analysis, they decide if His Word is good enough for them to obey, or whether they have reason to set it aside.

Extremists come and go, but they will be with us in some form until the end.  Asked if he had any regrets in killing Dr. Tiller, Roeder responded, “No, I don’t have any regrets because I have been told so far at least four women have changed their minds, that I know of, and have chosen to have the baby,” Roeder said. “So even if one changed her mind it would be worth it. No, I don’t have any regrets.“  Roeder admitted killing Dr. George Tiller and he did so, he says, in self-defense; defending the lives of the unborn child.  Does he have a point?  Not with God, and ultimately, God is the one who will try his case, for all eternity.

[1] http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/33802796/ns/us_news-crime_and_courts

Fort Hood Terrorism?

-- PHOTO: REUTERS

As we are all aware, a terrible incident took place on the Fort Hood military base recently.  In a matter of moments, lives were lost, families were disrupted and things changed forever.  On November 5th, U.S. Army Major Nidal Malik Hasan “allegedly opened fire in the Soldier Readiness Center in a rampage that killed 13 people and wounded 38, the deadliest shooting ever on a U.S. military installation.”[1]

The reality is that this situation is tragic and it occurred because Hasan was troubled.  However, is this a case of terrorism on United States soil?  Some allegedly heard Hasan call out “Allah Akbar” prior to shooting.  If this is true, then the reality is that Hasan was more than merely troubled.  He was on a mission that he believed Allah would honor; the killing of innocent people, in the name of his god, Allah.

Not all agree that this is the case, of course.  Some are upset that this will make it more difficult for Muslims to be looked upon without automatically being suspect, simply because they are Muslim.  One individual, who apparently knew Hasan from the mosque they both attended stated, “When a white guy shoots up a post office, they call that going postal,” said Victor Benjamin II, 30, a former member of the Army. “But when a Muslim does it, they call it jihad.”[2] 

Yes, white men have gone “postal,” and usually when they have, they do not yell religious oaths or praises to their god as they do so.  There certainly have been situations where white men have killed a pro-abortion doctor, for instance in the name of God.  They are not excused and their own actions condemn them.  More often than not, in the case of a white man who goes berzerk, it has to do with him losing his job, or his family or something else.  This is not offered as an excuse for any such behavior, but the reality is that these individuals do not kick things off by glorifying their god.

Has their been terrorism on the United States’ soil by white individuals?  Of course and probably the most well known has been Timothy McVeigh, followed by the Unabomber.  These white men are terrorists due solely because of their generalized attack on other members of society, showing absolutely no concern for their victims, who are seen merely as collatoral damage.  One news source reports that “Hasan apparently attended mosque when a radical imam preached there.”[3]

Because of the Taliban, Al Queda, Hamas and other groups that are routinely in the news on a near-daily basis, the world has come smack against Islam.  Whether a Muslim group has claimed responsibility for bombing parts of Israel, or a U.S. Embassy, or whether Arabs independently throw rocks at Jewish people attempting to go the Temple Mount, the message is clear.  They do this for their god and they do it because they expect to be rewarded by their god for their behavior.  These people are extremists in their religious beliefs and extremely anti-social when it comes to the rest of the world, which is NOT Islamic.

It is not enough that some within the Muslim world say that Allah is a god of love, but refuse to condemn those who take the name of Allah and offer themselves as suicide bombers, in which innocent lives are taken.  It is not enough for the Muslim world to preach that Allah loves us, when the Koran states things that are far different.  It is not enough for the Muslim world to believe that Jihad is acceptable in any form, other than within the person and for that person only.  When Jihad becomes a religious symbol that allows Muslims to kill and/or maime innocent individuals who are seen as the enemy solely because they are not Muslim, then something is desperately wrong, and it is wrong within the system of Islam.

It cannot be expected by Muslims, that non-Muslims should take each Muslim individually, when it appears that for all the rhetoric about how much Allah supposedly loves people, there is precious little done within the worldwide Muslim community to declare a Jihad on its own.  Muslims who are unwilling to allow the searchlight of truth to be shined on them and their religion have little to offer the world, when they respond to another potentially terrorism-laden situation with “Allah is love.”

It is easy to say “Allah is love,” but unfortunately, the actions of far too many Muslims negate that claim.  Whether they are strapping bombs on themselves, or stabbing a Danish filmmaker to death on the street, or shooting innocent victims on a military base, one has to wonder if Islam is a religion of love, then it is obvious that way too many Muslims are simply not getting the correct message.  That needs to change, but it is doubtful that it will, because of the many Muslims who have chosen to target anyone and everyone who does not believe as they do, as the enemy.  That is the difficulty.  In spite of what many Muslims would like the world to believe about Islam, there seems to be an overabundance of Muslims who believe that creating mayhem in the name of Allah is the essentially meaning of Islam.  If Allah is truly a god of love, then it is tragic that a large percentage of Muslims seem not to be aware of that, as evidenced by the atrocities they commit.

What can we expect?  More innocent victims ahead.

[1] http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/33766545/ns/us_news-washington_post
[2] http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/33751407/ns/us_news-the_new_york_times/ns/us_news-the_new_york_times/
[3] http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/33777070/ns/us_news-tragedy_at_fort_hood

Man Fired For God Button: Trevor Keezer Says Home Depot Fired Him Over “One Nation Under God” Pin (VIDEO)

This story is too strange, yet it is sadly true.  The saddest part?  His button did not even say JESUS on it, but merely the more generic GOD, as used in the pledge of allegiance.  Home Depot apparently believes that supporting the troops with a button that has a phrase from the pledge of allegiance is wrong because of their dress code policies.

I have decided that Home Depot does not need my business.

Check out the video here:

Man Fired For God Button: Trevor Keezer Says Home Depot Fired Him Over “One Nation Under God” Pin (VIDEO).

Hate Crimes Bill

Funny how it has literally become a Federal crime to preach against the sin of homosexuality.  As merely one example, in 2004, Michael Marcavage and a number of other individuals attended a Gay Pride event, in which they held up banners indicating that homosexuality is a sin, as described in God’s Word.  Because of that, he and a number of individuals were arrested, but the charges were later dropped.

So the big question is what constitutes hate?  If I say that prostitition is wrong, because it is sinful activity, is that hate?  If I say that stealing from other people is wrong because it is sin, is that hate?  If I say that anything that God declares as sinful is wrong, is that hate?  Apparently, the answer is ‘yes’ when it comes to homosexuality.  To read from Scripture, or to simply offer the opinion – calmly, without malice – that homosexuality is sin, could now be understood as inciting hatred toward homosexuals.

Interestingly enough, people in Berkeley and the Bay Area can seemingly do and say whatever they want to say, with banners, placards, marches, rhetoric which is often hate-filled, yet though they incite, they continue.  Where are the laws that protect Christians who offer their opinion about what God says?  This so-called law, has yet to go through the courts, to be tested and to be determined whether or not it is constitutional.  In the meantime however, the threat overhangs anyone’s head who deigns to suggest that homosexuality is sin.

Ultimately, this law merely seeks to silence the opinion of Christians.  Those who support this law want to “kill” the message and the messenger, by removing the right to offer a spoken or written opinion on the issue of homosexuality.  Does this country need it?  Is it going to give the courts more ability to punish those who participate in reprehensible crimes against homosexuals, lesbians and transgender individuals?  Is it going to stop someone from harrassing someone who is homosexual, or commiting murder because the hate crimes bill is now on the books?  That would be nice, but since the “books” have also had “do not commit murder” for centuries, yet people continue to murder, it is obvious that laws in and of themselves do not stop crime.

The only thing this law will do is make it punishable for Christians to say anything that even sounds like they are against homosexuality.  It will give the prosecutors, the lawyers and the courts the ability to arrest and punish someone who says that homosexuality is morally wrong.  So Christians will be jailed for it.  What has that solved?  Authentic Christians are not the ones who are harrassing and murdering homosexual individuals.  They pray for them, they witness to them, and they help them come out of the lifestyle that is abberant, to say the least.  Many ex-homosexuals are grateful that there were Christians who persevered.  Joe Dallas is one of them.  Joe is a man who spent a good portion of his adult life as an active member of the homosexual community.  He participated in it and he is now free from it.  Joe Dallas has a ministry in sexual addiction recovery and homosexuality, and is nationally recognized.

According to the new hate crimes bill, what Joe Dallas does could well be labeled illegal.  The homosexual community could care less about how many individuals people like Joe help.  They are interested in being seen as normal people, with normal desires; people who have a lovely home, pay their taxes and are simply another version of the American family.  The truth though is often far different from what the rest of us are led to believe.  The homosexual community wants to silence those who disagree with their lifestyle.  They want to be protected from others making any type of statement against the way they live.  For the moment, they seem to have their wish.  How long will that last before this law, or parts of it are overturned?  How long before the world gets to see the homosexual lifestyle in all its rawness?  It’s there and for the most part, it is completely under wraps.

Don’t believe it?  Search the Internet.  Check out places like zombietime.com to see what militant homosexuals, lesbians, transgenders and feminists do not want the world to see as “commonplace.”  Be warned though, because places like zombietime.com highlight aspects of the homosexual community that are far from “normal” and very much abberant.  This is not what the mainstream media shows us, nor is this how the homosexual is normally portrayed on TV and in movies. 

Jesus said that prior to His return, those days would be like the days of Lot.  Lot, his wife and his two daughters were saved out of Sodom, prior to the Lord’s destruction of it with fire and brimstone.  His wife, who could not bear to part with her world of Sodom, looked back and perished because of it.  What we are seeing today is the very thing that Jesus said would herald the days before His return.  Come quickly, Lord Jesus.

Temple Mount Riots…

If anyone has been paying any attention, we have seen Arabs creating situations on the Temple Mount in which it has become virtually impossible for Jewish worshippers to go there.

As soon as Jewish worshippers go to the Temple Mount, things happen, in spite of the fact that Arab worshippers routinely go there.  What happens?  Rocks are tossed, epithets are yelled, someone claims the Jews want to desecrate the mosques that are already there; just the normal propaganda that plays so well in the world today.

Aaron Kline from Bible Prophecy Today states, “Earlier today, at least 25 Arabs and three Israeli policemen were wounded in clashes that saw Arab youth hurl stones, paint and at least one fire bomb at riot gear-clad security forces here. It was the latest in a series of disturbances on the Mount over the past six weeks.“

The tragedy of course, is that, from where the so-called Palestinians sit, it is in their best interest to make all appear as if the uprisings are due to Jewish presence.  Kline continues, “The riots are being directly incited by the Palestinian Authority, whose official media outlets and institutions have been stoking Arab flames the past few weeks by claiming right-wing extremist Jews are attempting to threaten the Al Aqsa mosque – a decades-old blood libel that should be easily dismissible in light of heavy Israeli restrictions on Jews and Christians from ascending the Mount during most hours of the day.“

This certainly comes as no surprise here.  The Palestinians are bests served by keeping Jewish worshippers off the Temple Mount altogether, rather than allow them access.  Interestingly enough, on paper at least, authority over the Temple Mount belongs to Israel, yet they made the mistake years ago of allowing Arabs to maintain things there.  Not only has it been “maintained,” but great inroads have been made by Palestinians and Arabs, who have been quietly building a mosque underneath the Temple Mount, and trucking the “debris” to the Kidron Valley.  Nevermind that mixed in with all the dirt they excavate, it is likely that the dirt is filled with ancient artifacts from Israel’s history – all of it also being unceremoniously tossed and reburied along with the dirt.

It is clear to anyone who has eyes to see and ears to hear that the Palestinians want no reminder of any Jewish presence, and have even taken up the mantra that Jerusalem was never in the hands of Jewish people throughout all of history.  Really?  Interesting.

What is occuring on the Temple Mount is obviously part of a pre-planned agenda by those who wish nothing more than the complete absence of any Jewish presence there.  They will not be content until Israel and the Jews are absolutely no threat to their existence.  Nevermind that the idea that the Jews would deliberately harm the mosques on the Temple Mount is not only ridiculous, but frought with problems.  For Israel to even attempt to bring harm to the mosques would be inviting the wrath of the world, something that not even Israel wants, or deserves.

Yet, the Palestinians continue to hold Israel hostage with their lame attempts to blame Israel and the Jews for the reason they need to “protect” the mosques on the Temple Mount.  This tragedy should not be occuring, yet it is and the world stands by, with their fingers in their nose, trying to look intelligent.

Israel has a right to be a sovereign nation.  She has a right to allow her citizens (AND tourists) to go to the Temple Mount.  The Palestinians have NO right to continue to pretend that Israel, the Jews and tourists, are creating a problem for the Palestinians.  The fact that they continue to do it and for the most part, get away with it, says a good deal about how unfairly Israel is seen and dealt with in this world.

The Lord needs to put an end to it and He will, in His time and in His way.  Israel needs to wake up to the fact that the Savior they rejected, needs to be received by them.  The Lord will also have His way with this errant nation; a nation that has lived to please itself, and not glorify God.  Those days – thank the Lord – are changing, but will not change without the added difficulty and torment of the upcoming Tribulation.

If you are not living to glorify Him, and you have the temerity to call yourself a Christian, then friend, you are sinning.  Is your life yours?  Not if you’re a Christian, because your life was bought with a price; the price of Jesus’ blood.

This salvation, that is only available through Jesus Christ, is the salvation that is needed by all; Jew and Gentile.  Pray for those in Israel, that salvation would be received by them in larger numbers.  Pray also for Palestinians, that God will stay their hand, in order that they might know Him through the same new birth we call salvation.

God’s plan for the Middle East continues to unfold.  Part of that plan is the salvation of many.

For the Sake of His Name

Ezekiel is a fascinating book.  In fact, the man Ezekiel is a fascinating man, who lived a fascinating life.  He was one of the men God hand-picked as a prophet.  The prophet’s job was to warn the people of God’s impending judgment and how to avoid it (normally, by true repentance).

In the first chapter of Ezekiel, we see the events unfold to the point where God finally reveals Himself to Ezekiel and by the time we get to Chapter Two, God is speaking directly to Ezekiel.  It is an awesome spectacle to even read about, much less behold, as Ezekiel beheld it.

God wastes no time in announcing to Ezekiel that He had appointed him to go to the house of Israel and speak to them.  God warned Ezekiel that he was to speak to them “whether they listen or not” (2:5, NET).    God also warns Ezekiel that he must not be afraid of them, or their reaction to what he was to tell them.

In many ways, the job of the Christian is to speak to those who are lost.  We are to tell them the things of God and specifically, we are to tell them of the only available means of salvation:  through Jesus Christ.  We are to tell them, whether they listen or not.  We are also not to be afraid of them or their reaction to the truth.

As far as Ezekiel is concerned, he was being sent to an obstinate people, a people who majored in being rebellious.  It is almost as if they looked for ways to disobey God’s clearly-revealed will.  Interestingly enough, today, we have the complete revelation in the entirety of the Bible.  Are there things we ignore, or refuse to do because of “grace” that God extends to us?  Are there things that we do not comply with because it is inconvenient for us, or because we just do not want to comply?  If so, then how are we different?

Over the course of the next few chapters of Ezekiel, God indicates the punishment He will rain down on the house of Israel, due to their rejection of Him through rebellion and disobedience.  It’s not a pretty sight if we consider the things that God said He would do to Israel.

We know from history that all of the things found in Ezekiel came true regarding Israel.  They were fulfilled literally, over time.  It doesn’t matter if God spoke of the other nations taunting Israel, or when plagues, or beasts, or famine or something else altogether was sent against Israel.  What matters is that they were not figuratively fulfilled, but literally fulfilled.  This is important to understand.

Beginning in the 8th chapter of Ezekiel, we see the sins of Israel brought to view.  Some of the sins which Israel participated in were thought to be done in secret, yet it is clear that nothing is a secret to God.  He allows nothing to “slide” in spite of His love and seeming unending patience.

Nothing of course is hopeless where the Lord is concerned.  In Chapter 16, God is already stating that He will heal them, and restore them, because of the covenant He made with them.  Rebellion is again not far behind.  By the time we reach Chapter 20, Israel has rebelled again, but God indicates that He will have it out with them a final time.  He will make them pass under the rod and He will deal directly with them, as one to another.

One must ask, why God continues to do this, time after time, in spite of the fact that Israel continues to reject God?  Why does He persist in causing them to return to Him, only to see Israel reject Him once again?  Why could God possibly continue to deal with Israel in such a way?  Why not simply give up on the nation and move onto the Church?

There is one major reason why God does anything.  This holds true not only of Israel, but of you and me.  Why does God continue to persevere in bringing us back to Him when we consistently sin against Him?  Why would God allow Israel (or anyone), to reject Him time after time?  The answer is found in the 20th chapter of Ezekiel, as well as many other places throughout Scripture.

Then you will know that I am the Lord, when I deal with you for the sake of my reputation and not according to your wicked conduct and corrupt deeds, O house of Israel, declares the sovereign Lord (Ezekiel 20:44)

This reality is often overlooked by many.  If God were to simply reject Israel with permanence, then no matter how the Bible is manipulated, God will have lost.  If it is said that He gave up on Israel, replacing her with the Church, no matter how you look at it, God lost His “war” with Israel.  He apparently could never get them to do His will.  He could never gain the upper hand, or the victory where Israel is concerned.

Yet, throughout the latter part of Ezekiel, He clearly states that the reason He continues to deal with Israel is for the sake of His reputation.  It is not possible for God to simply walk away from Israel, somehow claiming that He will “continue” His work with Israel through the Church.  Any way you consider it, if He could do that with Israel, then nothing can stop Him from doing the very same thing to YOU.

God’s promises to Israel were eternal (lasting until the end of time).  Because they were made to Israel within the scope of time, they would last until the end of time.  Yet, today we have individuals who believe that God switched gears in mid-stride, determined to reject Israel (because they rejected Him one too many times), and start fresh with something else; the Church.

This belief is arrived at by spiritualizing Scripture; taking what is literal, and finding fulfillment allegorically.  But please note, that no one has a problem with understanding and agreeing that God’s punishment on Israel the many times throughout history was in point of fact, actual.  His punishments were literal.  All of a sudden though, when we get to His approval of Israel, or His appeasement, this then becomes allegorical to represent the Church.

This is garbage, to put in bluntly.  If people cannot see that God is still working in and through Israel, to bring them to repentance, then they are sadly, blind.  They are usually blind due to some form of anti-Semitic leaning, yet they would deny this charge.

The truth is in the Scripture.  What He has done and will do with Israel is all for the sake of His Name and His reputation.  Casting them aside permanently proves nothing to the nations.  It also proves nothing about God’s trustworthiness.  What it proves is that God cannot be believed when He makes a promise.  That is reprehensible.

The choice of course, is yours.  Will you understand the Scripture to be literal only when it speaks of punishments against Israel, or will you understand the Scriptures to be literal when referencing God’s punishments and His rewards where Israel is concerned?  If you choose the former, you are stating that God does not honor His commitments.  If you choose the latter, you understand that while salvation has always been and always is the same for all people, His will and purposes for nations and individuals is not always the same.

Hey Billy!

I am thinking of converting my acoustic set to an electronic and your triggers may be just the ticket!  The set I’ll probably go for is the $200 set which includes three toms, snare and kick, with the cables.  Nice deal!

I’ve got an Alesis DM5 on order and also wanted to change out my heads to mesh heads.  Are the mesh heads you sell “silent” so that when I don’t have the drums triggered, they will act like an electronic set that is OFF?

Thanks for the help, man.  I appreciate it.

Regards,
Fred

Always Ready and Watching?

In the parable of the servants found in Luke 12:35-48, we see a scenario in which some of the head servants got lazy, began to beat the other servants, and essentially stopped watching for the Master’s return.  The fact that they stopped watching, which in effect means they stopped expecting the Lord of the household to return at any moment, gave way to laziness and ill treatment of the others.

A great deal has been read into this parable, including the fact that the Master of the house is said to have gone to a wedding celebration.  The truth of the parable can be found within the pattern of the slaves.  Note that some of the slaves stopped to think about the situation, then said, ”My master is delayed in returning.”  It was because of this thinking that these slaves began ”to beat the other slaves, both men and women, and to eat, drink, and get drunk.“  What is the point here?  The point is that it was the slaves who actually began to doubt the return of the master of the house, which caused  problems.  We see this today with Preterists, and others, who teach that the Lord returned spiritually in A.D. 70, when the Romans destroyed Jerusalem and the Temple.  If you pick up reading material written by some of these individuals, you are met with some of the most antagonistic, sarcastic ridicule of those who believe in a literal return of Christ, that ever exists in written form.  Some of these individuals know no bounds of good taste, and certainly do not understand how to approach a subject charitably.

The entire tone and portent of the parable states unequivocally that we should always be ready for the Lord’s return.  We should always be living with an attitude of expectancy.  In fact, the parable makes it clear that the Master of the house might have returned at any moment.  The parable loses its impact immediately if the directive given by the master of the house before he left that he could return at any moment, was not true.  Think about it for a moment.  The master of the house goes to a wedding.  As he leaves, he says, “Not sure when I’ll be back, but expect me to return at any moment.”  So he leaves, but the slaves know perfectly well that it would take him three weeks travel time to get to the wedding celebration, then another three weeks to get back from it.  In the meantime, their master had not given any indication that he was going to return directly from the wedding itself.

By this point, the slaves know that they have at least six weeks of lead time, so they wait for six weeks.  Six weeks goes by, and then more time continues.  They are now at a point of heightened alert, so they make sure things are in order, they do their daily chores and ensure that all of the master’s household business is performed, as if he was actually there. 

More time goes by, and still the master of the house does not return.  Now, some of them begin to think that he’s gone on a very long journey and got sidetracked.  In fact, as more time goes by, the greater the chance of the master returning at any moment, yet some of the slaves begin to think that he is never returning.  Maybe he has been hurt, or even killed?  Maybe something took hold of him so thoroughly that he has no interest in his house anymore?

In other words, the parable is clear that the longer the master is away, the more reason there is for people to doubt that he will ever return.  At the same time, the longer he is away, the greater the chance of his immiment (or any moment) return.  It is obvious that most of the slaves continued to work and do their expected chores, dutifully working for the master, as if he was actually present with them.  A few of them became convinced that he was not going to return at all, and began to trifle with the well-being of the other slaves.  They likely started to put the word out that the master of the house was not intending to return at all, or like our Preterists today, turned Christ’s physical return into a “spiritual” return.  He’s still going to return, but no eye will see Him.

Please note that the parable also indicates that nothing is to occur prior to the master’s return.  He will simply appear.  One moment he won’t be there and the next, he is there.  There is nothing in the parable which would give notification of his impending return.  He simply returns and when he does, he sees that some of his servants have been and are mistreating the others.  He quickly puts a stop to that and metes out punishment.

As indicated, a lot has been made out of this parable, from the timing of the wedding celebration that the master of the house attends, to everything else.  With parables, it’s best to go from the largest to the smallest.  In other words, the overriding message of this particular parable (like most parables), is not found in the minutae.  It is found in the theme, which runs through it and the theme is being prepared for the return of the master of the house.  We see if in verse 46 of Luke 12, “then the master of that slave will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he does not foresee, and will cut him in two, and assign him a place with the unfaithful.”

Notice the servant knew the Lord’s will (v. 48), which was that he was supposed to continue to watch, fully prepared for the fact that the Lord of the house could arrive at any point in time.  Christ is not speaking in generalities here.  He is not saying, “Look, I’m telling you that you should always be alert for my return, even though the Tribulation is going to occur first and after seven years, then I’ll be back.”  If that is the case, the parable loses its impact. 

The reality here is that when Christ spoke this parable, He was speaking to the house of Israel, who would live through the Tribulation (and the Remnant also), and then they would come to the point of realizing that Christ was on the verge of returning.  However, there is an obvious message here for the Church as well and that message is that the Rapture could occur at any moment.  Since the Rapture could happen at any moment, it behooves us to always be prepared for its occurrence.

Think about how quickly we as human beings lose interest in things.  Imagine if a parent said to a child, “Jimmy, be ready to go to Disneyland.  It could happen any day now that we will all jump in the car, head to Anaheim and play for a couple of days at Disneyland.”  So little Jimmy starts thinking about all the fun he will have at Disneyland.  Each day he wakes up, he rises to a new day of expectation, a day when he may find himself heading to Disneyland.  If the parents were being literal, then we can expect them to mean that any day now, they could all pile into the car, and drive toward Disneyland.  After a bunch of years, he might get tired of waiting and start to believe the trip was never going to happen.

Here’s a similar situation.  Mom says to Janie, “Janie, be ready because when your father comes home, we will be heading to Disneyland any day after that.”  While little Janie is excited, she also knows that they are not going to head to Disneyland until something very important happens; the return of her father from Iraq, where he is stationed.  She knows that he is not coming home for another six months at least – could even be longer, or possibly shorter - so while she is excited about Disneyland, the reality of the situation tempers her enthusiasm.  Certainly she knows that going to Disneyland cannot occur until her father returns and that will not happen for at least another six months. 

Now, there is little point to this parable if in fact, the Lord’s return was not imminent.  If we know that He will not return until after the Tribulation (not stepping out of the 3^rd heaven to Rapture His Bride at some indeterminate point before His physical, 2^nd Coming), then there is absolutely no point or reason to watch for His return.  None.  Zilch.  Zippo.  Nada.  We would have an attitude of waiting only to be continually frustrated.  It would be like waiting for father of the house to walk in at any moment yet the father is clearly in Iraq fighting a war, and will not be home for at least another 6 to 12 months! 

This particular parable in Luke clearly speaks of imminency – a point in which the master of the house could return at any moment.  If the master cannot actually return until certain events have taken place, then the immediacy of the situation changes drastically.  We know that certain events are transpiring in the spiritual realm and we know also that He cannot return until the fulness of the Gentiles comes in, but we do not know when the fulness of the Gentiles will have been reached.  That is something, that as far as we are concerned, could happen – at any moment.  We are not privy to the remaining number of Gentiles which must “come in” before that has been fulfilled.  Is it 1 more?  Ten more?  One hundred more?  A million more?  Only God knows.

What we do know is that there is going to be a period of time on this earth which is slated to last for seven years.  Following this event, the Lord returns physically to the earth.  Since we do not know when the Tribulation will begin, we do not know when He will return.  However, when the Tribulation actually begins, it will be relatively easy to figure out when Jesus will return.  In fact, it will be a no-brainer.  The mystery is gone once the Tribulation actually begins, with the signing of the covenant with Israel and other parties of the Middle East, spearheaded by the AntiChrist.  I do not see how Christ could have been referring to His actual 2nd Coming since knowing the day is not going to be difficult at all to figure out.  Could He then be referring to the Rapture of the Church, because there are no signs preceding it that we are aware of?  This makes more sense, especially when compared with the concept of imminency.

We do not know when the Rapture will occur.  Therefore, every day should be lived as if it is happening today.  We should be about the Father’s business with the understanding that before this day closes, we could be ushered into His presence.  Does that scenario bother you?  You feel as if you are not being true to the integrity of Scripture?  Okay, that’s fine.  Then instead of the Rapture, substitute the phrase “your/my death.”  Do you have any logical arguments at all that would prohibit you from believing that before this day ends, your life could end?

It really doesn’t matter who you are or what your particular set of beliefs are regarding the Rapture.  One thing is certain.  You and I are going to die at some point and we will have no knowledge of it, generally speaking, before we die.  Granted, people who have cancer or some other disease that defies medicine’s ability to heal it, do have some idea when they will die.  Most of us do not.  Most of us live life, going to work, running errands, going to school and doing a million things that everyone does, with little to no thought of our imminent death.  When we jump in the car for a quick trip to the gas station or the grocery store, we do not stop to think that we may not be returning to our home and family.  This is not to say that we should become paranoid about life, never wanting to leave our home.  The Lord is in control of our life and destiny.

Understanding that our death is always imminent should create within us a respect for the time that we do have, so that we make the most of that time, appreciating life, and letting go of the things that do not matter.  We should also understand that the time we have been given is extremely valuable, and we will be held accountable for it.  Did you witness to anyone today?  Did you spend time in prayer today?  Did you get to know the Lord through His Word a bit more today?  Did you see more of Christ developed in you today?

Posttribbers (and others) can complain as loudly as they want to about their belief that the PreTrib Rapture is nonsense.  Good.  Go for it.  That’s fine.  If Posttribbers do not want to understand imminency in terms of at any moment with respect to the Rapture, that’s fine.  I don’t care.  It makes no real difference to me.  However, don’t make the mistake of doing that where your death is concerned, because your death is always imminent.  You cannot argue that away.  You cannot say that the imminency of your death is based on a conspiracy of a 15 year-old girl, carried forward first by J N Darby, then C I Scofield.  You have no one to castigate or rake over the coals.  You have no one to accuse of revisionism.

Death will take all of us and the people who are stupid enough to believe that they will live until the ripe old age of (fill in the blank), are unfortunately just that:  stupid.  They have not only mishandled God’s Word in that respect, but they have provided themselves with excuse after excuse to live the way they want to because they believe they have “plenty of time” to do what they need to do.

So, dear Posttribber and others who believe that I’m deluded, deceived, heretical and on my way to hell because I understand the Scriptures to teach a PreTrib Rapture, what do YOU have to say for yourself with respect to DEATH?  As I said earlier, death TRUMPS the Rapture.  My death will likely occur long before the Rapture or the Tribulation, but who knows.  The only thing I’m counting on is that one day I will die and on that day I will see Jesus, my Savior and my Lord.  In the meantime, because I know that my death is a matter of fact, it prompts me to live my life the only biblical way there is to live:  putting Christ first, serving Him with gladness, and looking forward to seeing His wonderful face.

Go ahead, continue to argue that the Rapture is not happening BEFORE the Tribulation.  Argue that it’s going to occur at the same time of the 2nd Coming, AFTER the Tribulation.  Tell me that I’m deluded, deceived, dead in sin, hellbound because I believe in the PreTrib Rapture.    Tell me that those who believe in the PreTrib Rapture become unspiritual, carnal, filled with sin, and more.  However, you are going to have to think fast to come up with the reason why the very same arguments do NOT work for understanding that the Scriptures teach my death is ALWAYS imminent.  Should not this also make me just as deluded, just as deceived and just as hellbound?  If not, then you’ve got some explaining to do about why the PreTrib Rapture does cause deception and delusion, but the imminency of my death does not.

I’m waiting…take your time and really think about your answer.