When I was a kid in church, the pastor used to stand up in front of the congregation and preach hell fire and brimstone, then at the end of the message he would bend over the pulpit and speaking in a hoarse, soft voice, his face red, dripping sweat, and give his altar call:
"If any of you are not ready to meet Jesus, you must make a decision tonight! Jesus could return at any moment, and you would be left behind to face the angry judgement of a righteous God on an evil world. Lift your hand now, to signify that you want to accept Christ. Now is the appointed hour of salvation, do not be left behind!"
Then on other occasions the evangelist would visit and hold special teachings on Revelation and Christ's return. I was fascinated by the big colorful charts and the scary interpretations of Bible prophecy. Prophecy was something that always captivated my imagination, I read the latest books, "The Late Great Planet Earth by Hal Lindsey" I studied John G. Hall's prophecy chart. This was really cool stuff, and I ate it up.
I grew older and didn't pay as much attention to apocalyptic times, until Sept. 11, 2001 when radical Muslim terrorists attacked America and took down the trade towers in New York.
That was my wake up call, and I began studying the prophetic scriptures again. This time I decided not to listen to what others were saying, but try and read the scriptures literally. Soon I came upon a problem with my "pre-tribulation rapture" belief.
The Thessalonian church were under severe persecution, and they asked Paul when the rapture had taken place. They were under the false impression, and were being taught that the Second coming had already taken place. Paul answered them with this passage:
2 Thess. 2: 1-4 Now, brothers, concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to Him, we ask you, not to be soon shaken in mind or troubled, either by spirit or by word or by letter, as if from us, as though the day of Christ had come. Let no one deceive you by any means: for that Day will not come unless the falling away comes first and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition, who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or that is worshiped, so that he sits as God in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God.
Let's examine this passage and break it down. Don't hold on to any preconceived ideas, but just let God's word be your guide. In this passage Paul is guiding the church and breaking up false teaching. He is removing confusion, and clearing up the ideas that were false. Let's look at the passage; "concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to Him." Well that clearly is talking about the Rapture of the Church, this passage is speaking of Christ's second coming, when Jesus gathers us together.
Now in the next sentence he continues, "we ask you, not to be soon shaken in mind or troubled, either by spirit or by word or by letter, as if from us, as though the day of Christ had come." I asked Tim LaHaye about this passage at a question and answer time after a service he was conducting. Tim LaHaye said, Paul was talking bout two different things in this passage. "The Rapture" and "The Day of Christ" and he dismissed it simply with that explanation. That explanation really troubled me! Why would Paul mix up two different events and thus cause even more confusion, when explaining and clearing up false teaching?
If you read these verses literally, and take them as an explanation of what must happen before our Lord Jesus Christ returns and gathers us together. Then the context of the passage could mean only one thing. Common sense tells us that Paul is making the issue clear for the church to understand. The day of Christ in this passage does not make sense as being the the judgement day of the Lord; Joel 2:31, which is a separate event. Take the verses at face value and they make sense.
The man of sin will demand to be worshiped and sit in the temple "as God," before Christ gathers us together.
My first reaction was to recoil at the very idea. I had spent my whole life expecting Jesus to return at any moment. This could not be right, Tim LaHaye must be right I thought. After all, he is a prophecy scholar, and I'm just a regular guy. His explanation continued to trouble me, so I looked deeper. I know this may be very uncomfortable for many of you, but this is not a popularity contest. It doesn't matter what we want, it only matters what the Bible tells us about the future, and what is true. The truth is very important, it could be the difference between holding on to your faith or losing it, when persecution comes.
What did Jesus say about his return? In Matthew ch. 24, right after the beginning of sorrows, before his 2nd return he says: Matthew 24: 9 Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and kill you, and you will be hated by all nations for My name's sake. Hold on a minute here! I thought we were to be preserved from God's wrath? Well, don't worry, we are not subject to God's wrath. We will suffer from the wrath of Satan and this evil world, that rejects Christ. In the west we have not seen persecution, like those in Muslim countries are suffering right now. Do you think for one minute that it does not feel like the Great Tribulation right now for Christians in Muslim countries?
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| Click on the picture or the link above for more information about, "The War on the Church" |
Americans, It's time to wake up - The war on the Church is here. We are not exempt from persecution. The time has come to speak up and be vigilant. We must cry out and repent, our Christian brothers are dying at an unprecedented rate throughout 111 countries that actively persecute believers.
Matthew 24: 13 But he who endures to the end will be saved. Now my pre-tribulation teaching states that Jesus is talking about the Jews here. If that is true then why did Jesus say in v.12 "for My names sake," he is talking about Christians. The next verse says: Matthew 24:14 And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come. The gospel (good news) will be preached to all the world. If the Olivette discourse is for the Jews, then why is Jesus talking about preaching to the Gentiles? (all nations) Obviously the Holy Spirit will be present and convicting hearts, and saving the lost, through the presentation of the gospel. How did Christians ever see this as referring to Jews and Israel only, and not the church also?
I will skip over the next few verses, not because they are not vital to this information, but I'm writing an article here and not a book.
Matthew 24: 21,22 For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be. And unless those days were shortened, no flesh would be saved; but for the elect's sake those days will be shortened.
Look at the underlined words - for the elect's sake those days will be shortened. Who are the elect? The elect are believer's. Some say "the elect" are those saved during the Great Tribulation. Either view point could be right, except that the Bible does not teach a pre-tribulation rapture according to 2 Thess. 2: 1-4
Jesus then warns us about false messiah's in Matthew 24: 26 and next;
Matthew 24: 27-31 For as the lightening comes from the east and flashes to the west, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. For wherever the carcass is, there the eagles will be gathered together.
Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the heaven and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And he will send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they will gather together His elect from the four winds, and one end of heaven to the other.
Jesus is telling us here that the whole world will see him, when he gathers us together, and he uses that word again, "His elect." This is not some secret rapture and then another public rapture. Jesus will return without warning like lightening from the east and flashes to the west, in majesty and glory. His return will be for all to see, and the lost will mourn, for they will know they are lost, and truly left behind for wrath and judgement.
Jesus compares his return to Noah, entering the Ark, and those on the earth did not know until the flood came. When people use this scripture to make Christ's return a secret one, they are ignoring the preceding verses, where he tells us he will appear suddenly in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. Those that drowned in the deluge, heard Noah preach, yet rejected his message. They knew they were lost when the rain came, but the Ark was sealed and they could not enter. It was not a secret, they knew what the Ark was for, it was just too late to be saved. Christ's return will come as a thief in the night to those living in darkness.
So maybe right now, you remember the scripture, "We are not appointed to Wrath." That is true, we are not going to suffer God's wrath on an evil world. There is something else though, and that is Satan's wrath on the saints, the church will be persecuted, and the Bible tells us so.
The beast will have authority to make war on the saints and to conquer them. He will have authority over every tribe and people and language and nation. Rev. 13:7
God's wrath is reserved for the beast, the man of sin and those who take his mark. When the sixth seal is opened in Rev. 6: 12-17 we see a great cosmic disturbance and then the wrath of God. Christ will return and gather his saints together before the time of God's wrath. So if we are not going to be raptured out of here before the man of sin makes his appearance, when will Christ return?
Pre-tribulation teaching tells us, the church will be taken out in the rapture, as the church is the restrainer of the lawless one: "2 Thessalonians 2:7 - For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only He who now restrains will do so until He is taken out of the way." Hang on just a minute there. Since when is the church, "He?" Paul always calls the church "She, the bride of Christ." So who could, "He who now restrains" be?
The Holy Spirit will not be taken out, because people will still be receiving the Holy Spirit and Salvation during the Great Tribulation (Rev. 7: 9-15). The Holy Spirit will not be leaving the people of earth, so "He who now restrains" could not be the Holy Spirit. Who is left?
Daniel 10: 21 gives us this answer: "But I will tell you what is noted in the Scripture of Truth. No one upholds (restrains) me against these except Michael your prince." and then Daniel 12: 1 tells us: "At that time Michael shall stand up, the great prince who stands watch over the sons of your people; And there shall be a time of trouble, Such as never was since there was a nation, Even to that time. And at the time your people shall be delivered, Every one who is found written in the book.
In the middle of Daniel's 70th week, Satan will be cast out of heaven, and his wrath will be great, for he knows his time is short. Michael the archangel will stop restraining at this point. Michael restrains during the first half of the week (beginning of sorrows), then he withdraws his protection.
Daniel 12: 7 then I heard the man clothed in linen who was above the waters of the river, when he held up his right hand and his left hand to heaven, and swore by Him who lives forever, that it shall be for a time, times and half a time, and when the power of the holy people has been completely shattered, all these things shall be finished.
The man clothed in linen, is most probably the pre-incarnate Christ. Time, times and half a times, refers to how long the duration of trials would last - 3 1/2 years. This 3 1/2 years is probably the time immediately preceding the Second Coming of Christ. The middle of the week is when the restrainer will stop restraining. I believe Jesus will return sometime soon after the anti-christ reveals himself in the temple, and the sixth seal is opened in Rev. ch. 6.
The first five seals in Revelation are Satan attacking the church. When the sixth seal is opened;
Revelation 6: 12-17 I looked when He opened the sixth seal, and behold, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became like blood. And the stars of heaven fell to the earth, as a fig tree drops its late figs when it is shaken by a mighty wind.
Then the sky receded as a scroll when it is rolled up and every mountain and island was moved out of its place, And the kings of the earth, the great men, the rich men, the commanders, the mighty men, every slave and every free man hid themselves in the caves and in the rocks of the mountains, and said to the mountains and rocks, "Fall on us and hide us from the face of Him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb! For the great day of His wrath has come, and who is able to stand?"
The seventh seal is opened and God is now dealing with Israel, when he seals 12,000 from each of the 12 tribes of Israel. After this time there is a great multitude which no one could number, of all nations, tribes, peoples and tongues standing before the throne and before the Lamb. These are those that came out of the Great Tribulation. This vast multitude suddenly appears in heaven after the sixth seal.
The sixth seal sounds a lot like Matthew 24: 29,30 that I quoted earlier in this article. Which is Jesus describing his return to gather us together to him. Jesus never puts his gathering together of the believers at the beginning, middle or end of the Great Tribulation. He describes his coming at the sixth seal in Revelation, right before the terrible day of the Lord. When God pours out his wrath.
For all of us waiting for Christ's return any day now, that is a heavy blow. He isn't going to come today or tomorrow. As Paul told the Thessalonian church, these things must happen first. The great falling away of believers and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition.
What should we as believers and preppers do, with this information? First we must share it with other believers, and work diligently to convert the lost. A winner of souls is wise. Then we must decide how we will prepare for these events in our own lives. We do not know how soon this will happen. We do not know for sure if it will be in our life times. Pray and meditate on God's word. Study the scriptures for yourself and be confident in what you believe.
We will discuss the Great Falling Away in another article.
God's wrath is reserved for the beast, the man of sin and those who take his mark. When the sixth seal is opened in Rev. 6: 12-17 we see a great cosmic disturbance and then the wrath of God. Christ will return and gather his saints together before the time of God's wrath. So if we are not going to be raptured out of here before the man of sin makes his appearance, when will Christ return?
Pre-tribulation teaching tells us, the church will be taken out in the rapture, as the church is the restrainer of the lawless one: "2 Thessalonians 2:7 - For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only He who now restrains will do so until He is taken out of the way." Hang on just a minute there. Since when is the church, "He?" Paul always calls the church "She, the bride of Christ." So who could, "He who now restrains" be?
The Holy Spirit will not be taken out, because people will still be receiving the Holy Spirit and Salvation during the Great Tribulation (Rev. 7: 9-15). The Holy Spirit will not be leaving the people of earth, so "He who now restrains" could not be the Holy Spirit. Who is left?
Daniel 10: 21 gives us this answer: "But I will tell you what is noted in the Scripture of Truth. No one upholds (restrains) me against these except Michael your prince." and then Daniel 12: 1 tells us: "At that time Michael shall stand up, the great prince who stands watch over the sons of your people; And there shall be a time of trouble, Such as never was since there was a nation, Even to that time. And at the time your people shall be delivered, Every one who is found written in the book.In the middle of Daniel's 70th week, Satan will be cast out of heaven, and his wrath will be great, for he knows his time is short. Michael the archangel will stop restraining at this point. Michael restrains during the first half of the week (beginning of sorrows), then he withdraws his protection.
Daniel 12: 7 then I heard the man clothed in linen who was above the waters of the river, when he held up his right hand and his left hand to heaven, and swore by Him who lives forever, that it shall be for a time, times and half a time, and when the power of the holy people has been completely shattered, all these things shall be finished.
The man clothed in linen, is most probably the pre-incarnate Christ. Time, times and half a times, refers to how long the duration of trials would last - 3 1/2 years. This 3 1/2 years is probably the time immediately preceding the Second Coming of Christ. The middle of the week is when the restrainer will stop restraining. I believe Jesus will return sometime soon after the anti-christ reveals himself in the temple, and the sixth seal is opened in Rev. ch. 6.
The first five seals in Revelation are Satan attacking the church. When the sixth seal is opened;
Revelation 6: 12-17 I looked when He opened the sixth seal, and behold, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became like blood. And the stars of heaven fell to the earth, as a fig tree drops its late figs when it is shaken by a mighty wind.
Then the sky receded as a scroll when it is rolled up and every mountain and island was moved out of its place, And the kings of the earth, the great men, the rich men, the commanders, the mighty men, every slave and every free man hid themselves in the caves and in the rocks of the mountains, and said to the mountains and rocks, "Fall on us and hide us from the face of Him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb! For the great day of His wrath has come, and who is able to stand?"
The seventh seal is opened and God is now dealing with Israel, when he seals 12,000 from each of the 12 tribes of Israel. After this time there is a great multitude which no one could number, of all nations, tribes, peoples and tongues standing before the throne and before the Lamb. These are those that came out of the Great Tribulation. This vast multitude suddenly appears in heaven after the sixth seal.
The sixth seal sounds a lot like Matthew 24: 29,30 that I quoted earlier in this article. Which is Jesus describing his return to gather us together to him. Jesus never puts his gathering together of the believers at the beginning, middle or end of the Great Tribulation. He describes his coming at the sixth seal in Revelation, right before the terrible day of the Lord. When God pours out his wrath.
For all of us waiting for Christ's return any day now, that is a heavy blow. He isn't going to come today or tomorrow. As Paul told the Thessalonian church, these things must happen first. The great falling away of believers and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition.
What should we as believers and preppers do, with this information? First we must share it with other believers, and work diligently to convert the lost. A winner of souls is wise. Then we must decide how we will prepare for these events in our own lives. We do not know how soon this will happen. We do not know for sure if it will be in our life times. Pray and meditate on God's word. Study the scriptures for yourself and be confident in what you believe.
We will discuss the Great Falling Away in another article.
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