A friend of mine recently starting raving about the Bowen Technique, which originated with Tom Bowen, of Australia in the 1950s.  Apparently, his work which alleviated painful problems that people were experiencing took off.  The gentle manipulations of the surface of the skin, allow, or cause releases of inner energy.  This energy allows the body to heal itself.

The way it is explained by the Bowen people certainly makes sense and seems innocuous enough, but the New Age movement treats it as something much more akin to Chakra, or Reiki healing techniques.

In this day and age, what people seem not to realize is that the New Age Movement, which consists of self-deification, or at least recognizing your inner deity, incorporates much more than simply a method of believing.  The reality is that the dangers of the New Age techniques that are given much acclaim, often have a hidden danger within.

Massage, or healing techniques that utilize Reiki, Chakra or some other form of energized healing touch, is nothing more than doorway to the demonic.  Satan will give people what they want.  If they want to be painfree, he will provide that.  If they want to be mentally acute, he will provide that.  If they want to fame and fortune, he will often provide that.  However, all of these things he “gives” come with strings attached.  These strings are normally connected to the soul of the individual, which is ultimately what Satan is after.

People today – even many within the visible Church – do not realize the tragic danger of being involved in alternative, or holistic health procedures.  Like taking drugs, which produce an alternate reality.  This reality is nothing more than a wide opened door to the enemy, with a huge invitation to “come on in.”  I’m not talking about demonic possession necessarily, though that could be the final result.  By creating an alternate reality, our brains become open to the spiritual realm in a way that God has not intended.  More than that, He has pronounced that it should be completely off-limits.

We have no power within ourselves to fight off the principalities and powers that rule the air.  Paul tells us that our fight is not against people, but against principalities and powers in the heavenly realm.  This fight takes place through prayer.  We pray to KEEP from being overpowered by them.  Christians cannot be completely overpowered by these beings, unless we deliberately place ourselves in the position of opening ourselves up to them.  When we create or open a pathway to the demonic realm by any number of methods (drugs, numerous holistic health practices, etc.), we are no longer fighting against them through prayer.  We have essentially given them permission to look into our lives.  They may choose to harass, oppress, depress, create other emotional problems, or something else entirely.

What people need to understand in this day and age especially, is that those beings within the heavenly realms who have been set against God and His plans for eons, are ramping up their efforts to keep all people from seeing the dangers in many practices today that are quickly becoming the norm.

Years ago, it was the Ouija Board, which could open the door to the Occult.  Today, things are not as obvious.  Today, more and more people are complaining of aches and pains and they want relief.  Some are casting aside the sage advice of the medical profession, preferring instead to go to alternative doctors, or practitioners.  While certainly, not everything within the holistic health arena is dangerous, it can be assumed that anything promoting health through the use of Chi (universal energy), that is believed to exist and flow through all human beings, should be avoided.

In these Last Days, it is imperative that each and every Christian seek God at every turn, avoiding the things that will place us on the path AWAY from Him.  Just because it sounds good, does not necessarily mean that it is beneficial.

Our spiritual health is our most important commodity.  It should be valued above all other things.  It can only be healthy and continue to grow by remaining close to Him, through His Word, and through prayer.

Fisher opens his chapter three with the words, “The common reaction by most pretribbers to the shocking truth that the theory of pretribulation rapture is a false doctrine is to become angry and defiant. I have met only a few pretribbers who reacted with curiosity when told that the PTR was a false doctrine, and were willing to listen to the evidence.  Many of them responded by trying to defend the Rapture, not the resurrection of the dead or the coming of Christ, and misquoting scriptures.  Recently, some of the (sic) have reacted by presenting extrabiblical arguments originating from material promoting PTR. This is an indication as to their focus, which, in a way, is a subliminal smoke screen. They set about to prove that rejection of the PTR is the same as denying the rapture altogether.“1

That particular argument is like asking which came first, the chicken or the egg.  Whether or not the pretrib rapturist normally tends to defend his position by using extrabiblical arguments is really moot.  The real problem is the amount of arrogance in evidence throughout his book.  As we have discussed previously, the problem – if any – with the pretribulational rapture position has nothing to do with an individual’s salvation.  It has to do with the way people understand the Scriptures.  Whether the rapture occurs before, during or after, is an issue that takes place within the scope of Eschatology (study of End Times), and has no bearing on an individual’s salvation.

As also noted, Fisher does not see it this way.  To him, the pretribulational rapture position is one that goes to the very heart of salvation.  He charges without hesitation that the doctrine itself is akin to blasphemy.

The real problem with Fisher’s book is that instead of addressing the issue based on Scripture, he spends a lion’s share of the time involving extrabiblical arguments to negate the position; something he maligns the pretribulational rapturist for as well.  Instead of going back to Scripture, all he really does is attempt to justify his position against the pretribulation rapture by reviewing the history surrounding it.  Unfortunately, what we are left with is a very apparent lack of knowledge regarding history.

Fisher attempts to show that the Rapture occurring prior to the Tribulation is a new doctrine.  Because of that, it should be avoided like the plague.  The difficulty here though is that it can be easily proven from actual history that the Roman Catholic Church has been guilty of covering over much of what was originally taught by the early church.  It is difficult, if not impossible to deny this.  In fact, we understand that this is why the Reformation took place, due to the falsity of Catholicism’s claims regarding salvation itself.  By the time the Reformation was over, or at least winding down, salvation had been – for the most part – extricated from the hands of Roman Catholicism.

But when did the Reformation end?  It is generally acknowledged that it ended with the Peace of Westphalia, in 1648.  The Rapture, according to those like Fisher who believe it, supposedly came into origin through Darby (and ultimately disseminated through Scofield), around 1830.  Here, we see a difference of less than 200 years, yet to hear folks like Fisher tell it, the Rapture is extremely new on the scene, therefore should be rejected.  What does that say about salvation by faith without works?

Fisher also makes declarative statements that the early church was posttribulational in belief, yet it seems clear enough from church history that premillennialism and amillennialism were both part of the church’s landscape.  Amillennialism does not accept or believe in a posttribulational rapture position, yet Fisher assures us this was the case.

However, it is clear that St. Augustine, was the individual whom the Roman Catholic Church points to as the one who adopted and systematized Eschatology, under the Amillennial banner.  Roman Catholicism not only adopted his view of Eschatology, but widely disseminated it and beyond that, either downplayed or covered over completely any opposing view.   So, any authentic look at church history cannot ignore the fact that Roman Catholicism’s dominance not only caused the beginning and growth of spurious doctrines, but genuine biblical positions diametrically opposed were shelved.

Yet, this extremely cogent and important point is not even touched on by Fisher, who only sees the supposed fallacy of the pretribulation rapture position, as if it alone, has caused the major departure of those who were once within the faith.  The reality though, is quite the opposite.

Actually, continuing to rebut Fisher’s book is becoming an exercise in redundancy.  It is apparent that Fisher believes Charismatics and Pentecostals are heretical, as well as those who understand the Bible to be teaching a pretribulational rapture position.

In chapter three, he quotes Bernard Ramm, yet it is apparent that by the time Ramm wrote the book Fisher quotes from, Ramm had nearly adopted Barth’s theological viewpoints without exception.  Yet, to Fisher, Ramm at this stage is the parenthetical theological hero. Why?  Because to Fisher, as he states further on in chapter three, Barth was a brillian theologian.

But Fisher continues his rambling comments as seen here, “ I am not saying that Christians should accept Roman Catholicism or that Protestantism is wrong, I am simply trying to prove that PTR is a new doctrine and that it does not have its roots in the Early Church. In my opinion, Roman Catholicism is a diabolical institution of man and has little if any resemblance to the Early Church. The fact is that before Protestantism godly men were forced to join that ungodly institution or face torture and execution. Roman Catholicism’s long time dominance of true Christians does not make it true Christianity. Nor does the fact that there have been men in the Roman Catholic church that promoted truth make it a valid institution. It is also important to note that because of the Roman Catholic church’s persecution of Christianity and domination of literature, it is impossible to know what Christianity might have been if that pompous entity had not existed.“

So on one hand, he seems to apologize that people “had” to accept Roman Catholicism “or face torture and execution,” yet he firmly believes that in spite of Roman Catholicism’s absolute control over the then-known world, and their creation of many aberrant doctrines and theologies, Fisher’s main hangup is that the pretribulation rapture doctrine is “new.”  He attempts to bolster his argument with this statement, “However, the redefining of eschatology came centuries after Martin Luther when John Nelson Darby sculpted a dispensational system that included the pretribulation rapture.“

As we have seen, Darby espoused the pretrib rapture position less than 200 years after the end of the Reformation.  It is also clear that the only area of doctrinal concern for the reformers was that of salvation.  They had no inclination to deal with anything else because to them, salvation is the most important aspect of Christianity, because it ties in directly with the Godhead, the Trinity, the Deity of Christ, His sinless life, His death and resurrection, His ascension and His absolute fulfillment of all prophecies concerning Him, as stated in the Old Testament.

Without salvation, God is still God, He is sill sovereign, His is still triune, sinless, eternal and everything else associated with Him.  Nothing impacts humanity as does salvation.

For all of Fisher’s rambling and perjorative statements, regarding those who espouse a pretribulation rapture position.  His uneven handling of history as it pertains to the church leaves the reader either fully believing everything he says, because he tends to sound authoritative, or the reader easily sees through his facade.  The excruciatingly sad part of the entire thing is that Fisher himself does not see his own myriad of inconsistencies.

In fact, as we continue traveling through the winding, convoluted, impediment-ridden treatise, it is very much like following Alice down the rabbit hole.  This is being kind.  It has become unerringly apparent, that C. H. Fisher knows little of church history, little of Scripture, and little of creating arguments that bear up under their own weight.

While on one hand, he supports his own lack of formal education and training with respect to theology, but castigates Chafer for his.  The contradictions come fast and furiously in Fisher’s book.

The trouble with the entire doctrine related to the pretribulational rapture position is that Fisher starts from an untenable position, and then attempts to prove that all who are not in line with his thinking are heretical.  Folks like C. H. Fisher sadden me greatly.  They fully believe they are doing the Lord’s work, yet in reality, what they are doing is creating a smoke screen.

Pray for C. H. Fisher and those who believe with all their heart that the Pretribulational Rapture position is heretical.  It is not, according to Scripture.  Moreover, the travesty here is that the emphasis, as opposed to being placed on God’s work, and the fact that every day should be viewed and lived as if it is our last, is placed on the back burner, all because someone believes that immanency does not mean could happen at any moment and that the pretribulational rapture position allegedly (according to Fisher) creates unprepared, unspiritual Christians.

For those interested in reading the rest of Fisher’s book, it can be found at this link: http://truthkeepers.com/toc.htm

Read it on your own and make your own decision.  It’s time for me to move on and deal with something that has some meat to it.

1 http://truthkeepers.com/chapter_three.htm

What if it isn’t true?

C. H. Fisher begins chapter two of his ebook, The Pretribulational Rapture, with this question:  What if the Pretribulation rapture isn’t true?

It’s actually a good and fair question.  What if the Pretribulational rapture is not true?  What happens then?  He answers the question by undergirding his response with words like “rob,” “cheat,” “lie,” “sin,” etc., relating those words to actual crimes.  Of course, the immediate understanding here is that he sees the PreTrib Rapture has a crime in a very real spiritual sense.

Fisher stoically believes that the ramifications of the possibility of falsehood should be considered, with respect to the PreTrib Rapture.  Any damage that results from it being a false doctrine could spell disaster for countless souls.  From here, Fisher lists a number of what he considers to be problems, directly related to any falsehood of the PreTrib Rapture:

1.  Antichrist
Because PreTrib Rapture folks believe that they will be taken off the face of the earth prior to the revelation of this Man of Lawlessness, Fisher wonders whether or not we will be able to recognize him (should the PreTrib Rapture not occur, leaving millions on earth after he is revealed)?

This is actually a funny question, considering the fact that it has been the PreTrib Rapturists which have largely been responsible for pointing out possible Antichrists!  Obviously, though the Antichrist will not officially be known until he enters into a covenant with Israel, it is clear from past history that there have been a number of potential candidates, until things occurred which canceled their qualification as such.  It is also interesting to note, that these same folks who are saying what Fisher has just stated, often castigate PreTrib Rapturists for even deigning to try to determine who it might be!

But Fisher also makes this statement, which reveals how he really feels about PreTrib Rapturists:  “If professing Christians do not recognize the Antichrist, there is a great potential of coming under his spell.  We have to remember that the Antichrist is coming with all power, signs, and lying wonders and with all unrighteous deception in the last days. One has to be on the highest spiritual alert, which the PTR doctrine does not encourage.” (emphasis added)

The difficulty is obvious, but it is not with the PreTrib Rapturist.  The difficulty is that for Fisher, the PreTrib Rapturist is merely a professing Christian.  In that case then, it is simply a foregone conclusion that the professing PreTrib Rapturist Christian will be deceived.  Again though, this is in spite of the fact that in large measure, it has been the PreTrib Rapturist who has been on the front lines, noticing the signs and the times, pointing to the possible Antichrist, as each new individual has stepped on the scene.  It is most certainly not as though the PreTrib Rapturist has his head stuck in the sand, refusing to see what is taking place around him!

The PreTrib Rapture position does not teach that Christians will have no idea who the Antichrist might be, unless we are removed from this earth before he even has a chance to become known.

That aside though, Fisher also errs because he seems to have cast logic aside completely.  As a PreTrib Rapturist, I believe that I will be taken prior to the start of the Tribulation/Great Tribulation period of seven years; the seven final years of man’s history on earth.  However, it is also clear that according to Scripture (even if the PreTrib Rapture position is not true), the Antichrist MUST appear BEFORE Jesus’ Second Coming.  If I see some guy, who is extremely enigmatic, handsome, debonair, has the ability to sweep everyone off their feet and does so many signs and wonders that people will fall under his spell, I’m certain I will think to myself something to the effect, “Wait a minute.  If this is JESUS, then where WAS the Antichrist, because Scripture tells me that the Antichrist WILL appear BEFORE Jesus appears?!”

It is really logical to consider, yet some are so adept at castigating and believe fully that the PreTrib Rapture position is so heretical, that they must do anything they can to stop it from spreading further than it already has done.  The problem though is that even if the PreTrib Rapture is NOT right, it is NOT heretical.  There can be only ONE correct position.  Let’s say that position is Posttribulationalism.  Why then does not Fisher or the other folks come down on every other position WITH the PreTrib Rapture position?  They don’t and they don’t because they do not view those as heretical necessarily.  Yet, only one can be correct, so if they are all incorrect save Posttribulationalism, how is it those other positions – though wrong – are saved from being called heretical?  Why is only the PreTrib Rapture position considered heretical?  It makes no sense.

2.  Strong Delusion
Fisher states, “Second, there is the problem of the strong delusion that God will send everyone who did not develop a love for the truth.  This means that people not only will be in an atmosphere of incredible deception with all types of lying signs and wonders, but they will also receive no help from God to recover themselves from the snare.  The only hope for anyone is to be prepared before entering this diabolical era.  I do not see how believing in the Pretribulation Rapture can help people to be prepared.  I can see how it would cause people to become complacent and apathetic towards the coming Tribulation, and be totally unprepared to face the very difficult challenge to their faith.”

Just a couple of points.  Fisher is basing this on 2 Thessalonians 2:9-12, which states, “The arrival of the lawless one will be by Satan’s working with all kinds of miracles and signs and false wonders, and with every kind of evil deception directed against those who are perishing, because they found no place in their hearts for the truth so as to be saved. Consequently God sends on them a deluding influence so that they will believe what is false.  And so all of them who have not believed the truth but have delighted in evil will be condemned.”

Note that Fisher equates not loving the truth with the PreTrib Rapture position.  Yet, is this what Paul is speaking of here?  Hardly.  He is speaking of salvation and those who long for the appearing of Jesus Christ.  We can also see from Paul’s own words that this strong delusion is directed against those who are already perishing.  It is not directed against authentic Christians at all.  In fact, Jesus says the delusion will be so strong that IF POSSIBLE, it would deceive the very elect!  The implication is that it cannot deceive the elect (that is NOT possible), however it will be extremely strong, (cf. Matthew 24:24).

3.  Taking the Mark
Fisher fully believes that the delusion that is coming (and only those who believe in the PreTrib Rapture position will be dangerously affected within the ranks of Christendom apparently), that those who are PreTrib Rapturists might even do something like accept the Mark of the Beast.

Fisher quotes LaHaye stating that one of the characters in his book (Chang) took the Mark of the Beast, but was still saved (according to LaHaye).  If this is true, and I have not had time to double check it, then that is wrong.  Anyone who takes the Mark of the Beast is lost, period.  Fisher, of course, ties this in with the “heretical” doctrine of Unconditional Eternal Security.

Fisher attempts to prove his untenable position with a rambling discourse on the Mark of the Lord as only given to the 144,000 Jews and something to do with them not having an oriental name (a nod to Chang).  For all of Fisher’s bluster, in this second chapter of his book, he offers nothing substantial to back up his claim that Unconditional Eternal Security is heretical.

He does say that at one time, he “had placed this doctrine in the non-essential category, I have gradually moved it up the scale as I realized the dangerous errors that are associated with it.  Now on a scale of one to ten, the PTR doctrine has gone up to a nine in danger.  It is nearly on the same level as denying Christ or blaspheming the Holy Spirit.  The reason for this rating is because Dr. LaHaye and Jerry Jenkins are promoting the extremely dangerous doctrine that people can take the mark of the Beast and still remain a Christian.  The Scriptures are completely clear in Revelation that anyone and everyone who takes the mark of the Beast will be eternally damned.”

Again, though he makes this charge against LaHaye and Jenkins, he offers no documentation (no page number, etc.) for where he has obtained this information, so I will have to research it myself.  It is always difficult to appreciate an article when the research itself is lacking, yet the charges are heavy.  He is accusing those of us who understand the Bible to be teaching a PreTrib Rapture to be as close as you can get to denying Christ!  This is an absurd charge.  I am not at all familiar with the idea that the Left Behind series teaches that those who take the Mark of the Beast can still be saved.  The Bible is very clear on that subject.  At the same time, the charge that those who are “left behind” are effectively getting a second chance, which is antithetical to God’s offer of salvation, is also absurd in every way.

How many times does an individual get a “second” chance (or third, or fourth, or fifth, etc.), then go to sleep, only to wake up the next day and have other opportunities to receive salvation?  The idea that those who missed the Rapture due to being unsaved, should not get another chance is ridiculous.  There is no Scriptural basis for coming to such a conclusion, at least none that I can find.

From here, Fisher goes into a discussion about what he believes “the lie” to be, that Paul mentions in 2 Thessalonians.  He states, “Notice the phraseology, “the lie.”  The only other place in the New Testament that this term “the lie” is used is in the following scripture,” and he then quotes Romans 1:24-26, which speaks of people worshipping idols, instead of the Creator.

Fisher then concludes that “…‘the lie’ must be a reference to worshipping a false image or a man as God.  The main protection that we have against this deadly error is the love of the truth.  The truth itself will not protect you.  Now before you hit me with a verbal rock, hear me out.  I know people who are full of truth, but live weak and even sinful error.  I have met drunkards who could spout scriptures.  We can have truth sitting on our coffee tables gathering dust and go straight to hell when we exit this life.  Evidently truth didn’t protect the people in Romans 1 because they rejected God in spite of the truth.  In fact, they exchanged the truth of God for a lie (Ro. 1:25).”

But Fisher is making a huge mistake here.  He is assuming that these people (the drunkards, etc.) actually had the truth in them to begin with, but it was not enough to save them!  Satan is able to tell the truth, yet it cannot save him.  Why?  Because it is not in him.  He fights for another truth – the truth that one day, he will be worshiped as God is worshiped.  Paul, in Romans, is speaking about people who deliberately changed the image of the immortal God into an idol, for the purpose of worship!  This is a decidedly, deliberate act on the part of the those people.  Because of it, God gave them over to it, allowing them to believe that lie (that the idol was their god).

It is incredible to me how Fisher can twist the Scriptures to make it mean something it does not mean.  True, what Paul speaks of in both Romans and 2 Thessalonians is a lie that people chase after so that they will be able to worship, what they want, when they want, how they want.  These people will have rejected the True God, for something that they become enamored with.  These people will be ready to bow down to the Antichrist when he arrives on the scene.

The tragedy here is that Fisher is corrupting the Scriptures to serve his own ends, by making them say something they do not say.  Those who love God, seeking His will for His glory, will not have perfect theology in every area of their life.  It will never happen in this life – never.  Yet, Fisher believes that in matters of Eschatology, there are areas or opinions that will not only stifle the Christian, but cause them to lose their salvation (if they ever had it).

This is a shame, that there are individuals who believe so strongly that God is not only unable to complete what He begins, but that at some point, His hands become tied when trying to deal with us “powerful” human beings.  Apparently, to Fisher, our free will (such as it is), is so strong that God has purposefully limited Himself by it, making Himself unable to accomplish what He truly sets out to accomplish.  This – in my opinion – sounds very much like heresy.  It reduces God to that of Someone who is actually far less powerful than a human being.  This is patently absurd.  God is never and in no way bound by humanity – ever!  Fisher would disagree apparently.

For all of his platitudes and “Scripturizing,” his hermeneutical methods leave a great deal to be desired.  I strongly urge those who take Fisher’s work seriously, to not be taken in by it.  He does not preach or teach truth, but actually winds up presenting falsehoods and embellishing those to appear to be something that resembles truth.

The PreTrib Rapture – if incorrect – is not heresy.  The idea that by thinking that one day before the Tribulation begins, I will be safely escorted to the realms of heaven to be with my Savior, is not only not heretical, but in fact, it puts me in the frame of mind that reminds me that I am only ONE breath away from being there anyway!  No one knows when their death will come.  No one knows the hour.  No one can be fully prepared for that day and hour when Christ calls us home.

How often do we consider it?  How often do we say, “Today, I may find myself standing before Christ.  Am I living as if this is that day?!”  Far from creating unprepared Christians, the PreTrib Rapture position is one in which we are continually reminded that WE could appear before Christ at ANY moment, of ANY day and there will be NO warning.  It will just happen.  If being a PreTrib Rapturist has put me in the position to believe that my being ushered into His presence could occur at any moment, then if I am taking that seriously, does it not stand to reason that I am more concerned about how I am living NOW?  I’m hardly worried about “making my great escape before the Tribulation.”  I am infinitely more concerned about the fact that I could very well end this day with a very quick trip to heaven, resulting from my death.

C. H. Fisher has it wrong in my opinion.  So does Marv Rosenthal and all the others who spend so much time opposing the PreTrib Rapture position.  While they become haughty, and arrogant because they believe that they are the ones who are actually prepared to go through the Tribulation, it may very well be that their own arrogance will be their own downfall.

In truth, they are so enamored with the idea of “suffering for Christ,” which will allow them to earn points apparently, that they are less concerned for those who are lost.  It appears as though they prefer to put on a show, like the religious leader who stood in the public place, praying out loud about how righteous they were; not like that sinner over there.  What possible good is C. H. Fisher, Dave MacPherson or others doing for Christ?  They believe that the great delusion is made up in part of the PreTrib Rapture.  They believe that people can lose their salvation; and they really make no difference between professing and authentic Christians.  They judge those whom they have no right or ability to judge.  They twist Scripture to their own ends.

The great delusion is made up one thing, and one thing only; it is denying the truth of Christ – the salvation that is found only in Him.  There have been people that have done this since the beginning of time and these people will be with us until the end of time.  They are both in the church and out of the church.  One thing they are not though…is that they are NOT authentic Christians and the PreTrib Rapture position has nothing to do with that at all.

1. “All the gloom and doom teachers and preachers are in it for the bucks!”
2. “The PreTrib Rapture position ignores and denies the reality of Christian suffering down through the ages by wanting to escape the coming persecution.”

Gloom and Doom for Profit
I’ve heard this until statement, or ones like it, until the cows come home and I find it fascinating for one reason in particular.  This comment is said by those who generally disagree with “gloom and doom.”  They do not want to hear it.  They ignore it in the Bible, passing it off as allegory, or something that has already happened in the past.  They prefer to think of life in terms of it becoming better and better, until eventually, the time will be right for the Lord Jesus to step from heaven, and set up His kingdom on earth!

It kind of reminds me of what the antics of Inspector Clouseau did to Chief Inspector Dreyfus in the movies, “The Pink Panther.”  Dreyfus started out fairly sane, but as time went on, being forced to deal with Clouseau’s shenanigans, and in spite of it all, always seeming to wind up on top, Dreyfus became a blob of raw nerves, constantly repeating the phrase “In every way, every day, I’m getting better and better!” while laughing hysterically at the seeming irony of it all.  There was no way to win with Clouseau, due to the fact that he had extreme luck on his side.

This is the way it seems to me that much of the visible Church is doing; repeating phrases over and over in such a way, that they believe simply by repeating them, they will come true.  In the case of the Church, if the gloom and doom of the Bible is ignored and/or explained away, then things will be brighter because they will look brighter.  So, anyway found teaching or preaching any gloom or doom, is said to be one who holds back God’s will from occurring.  After all, if Jesus is depending upon humanity to actually cause things on earth to come to such a positive point in future history, that the Lord will be able to return, then obviously, the gloom and doomers are simply acting as the fly in the ointment.  Never mind that the Bible offers a gloomy picture of the future before He returns.

Not too long ago, someone who disagreed with my view of the End Times (I believe in the PreTrib Rapture position), accused me of profiting from my “false” doctrine (yes, I write and sell books).  His exact words were, “The fact is you profit by selling the false doctrine of PTR to the unwitting masses.  Like the heretics in Ephesus that Paul exposed, you appear to be willing to do whatever it takes to preserve your means of income.“  It’s an interesting accusation in and of itself.  His real problem is the fact that I am “selling the false doctrine of PTR,” which is the PreTrib Rapture position.  Apparently, if you’re Dave MacPherson, it’s perfectly find to publish books because MacPherson (according to the person with whom I’ve just quoted), publishes only the truth.  So, there you have it, if you publish the truth, it’s okay to profit.  To date, I have not seen Dave MacPherson give away any of his books, so I’m assuming that the person quoted is fine about him selling his books.

In another case, I was doing some research about Stephen Quayle, who has done quite a bit of research on Genesis 6, and specifically, the giants and Nephilim found therein.  As usual, there is a great deal of disagreement over what Moses meant when he wrote those terms down in Genesis 6:4, and like anything else related to the Bible, there are those on both sides who use absolutes when describing and/or commenting on the situation.  Their declarative statements are issued as a means of shutting everyone else up.  If someone says “The Bible does NOT teach so and so, in any way, shape or form,” then obviously those who disagree with that assumption are morons.  Didn’t they just hear/read what was stated?!  “The Bible does NOT teach…!”  Cheese and crackers, get a clue!

My point is that in researching the situation in Genesis 6, I came across a website which essentially castigates Quayle as someone who is “profiting off of the error that he is preaching.”  So, here again, we have people who believe that because Quayle offers insight into the entire Nephilim problem, stating that we are seeing a renewal of it, “as it was in the days of Noah,” and that things will only get worse, this constitutes doom and gloom.  Since it is doom and gloom, then the person promoting the doom and gloom (just like those who promote the PreTrib Rapture position), are merely profiting from error.  Since they are profiting from it, they are scam artists, and not at all sincere about what they believe the Bible teaches.

For decades and decades, theologians have argued about PreTrib, Midtrib, Posttrib and other aspects of the Rapture and the End Times.  However, because some have arrived at a conclusion they feel is fully justified and taught in Scripture, then anyone else who does not see it their way, is a heretic.  Since they are heretics (and doom and gloom profiteers), then they can be treated as Jesus treated the Pharisees.

The only problem though is that many, if not most of us who believe in the PreTrib Rapture position, as well as the fact that Stephen Quayle has a point about the Nephilim, are not heretics at all.  We believe in the substitutionary death of Christ by crucifixion and we believe that faith in that substitionary death is the only way to receive salvation.  Areas that are peripheral to salvation tend to be in the Eschatology area (study of End Times).

But, the arguments and protests from the “correct” crowd continue, against people like me.  By espousing the PreTrib Rapture, I am guilty of creating Christians who are completely unprepared to handle the coming cataclysm of the Tribulation/Great Tribulation.  Because these Christians also believe that the PreTrib Rapture is taught in the Bible, they (like me, apparently), have thrown caution to the wind and are living any way they feel like it, because they know that before things get really bad, they’ll be taken up in the clouds to be with Christ.  THEN, the bad times will begin.

Folks, the people who actually believe that, are probably not even Christians to begin with, nor do they really need any excuse to live a carnal life.  They are already living a carnal life and if anything, their misunderstanding of the value of the PreTrib Rapture position, simply plays into their already achy-sinning heart.  They do not need a push from the PreTrib Rapture doctrine, nor from one who espouses it.

The PreTrib Rapture doctrine – if understood correctly – should prepare people for the fact that at any moment, the Christian will be brought into the Presence of Christ.  Oh sure, Posttribulationalists and others protest the doctrine of imminency (the belief that Christ could come at any moment, because there is nothing that precludes it), but these folks are not at all looking at the big picture (much less the accurate one).

How many Christians today actually LIVE as if it is their last day on earth?  I know very few of them.  “Oh, but wait!” someone might argue. “The Rapture is NOT going to happen at any time, therefore the only way to really live that way is to consider that the Christian might die…before…….the………..day…………..is………..over (gulp).”  Yeah, that’s it exactly, isn’t it?

We can argue all we want to about the PreTrib Rapture, the MidTrib, the Absolute Trib, the Pancreatic Trib, or any other trib you would like to argue about.  We can then all sit back and rest on our laurels, once we’ve tossed out all the “evidence” in favor of our personal position.  Then, we can look arrogantly down our nose at the person who just isn’t spiritually mature enough to see it as we see it.

How many of you reading this (who do not believe in a PreTrib Rapture), actually KNOW that you’re going to live one more day?  How many of you reading this do not even consider the fact that you might breathe your last breath before you get to the end of this blog?  Oh, gee, that’s pretty gloom and doom of me, isn’t it?  Thank goodness it did not cost you as much as a penny to read this blog, or I might be accused of profiting off of my words of gloom and doom.

All these people who think they’ve got it all figured out, really have nothing figured out, because they do not know, nor can they tell, when they are going to die, leaving this earth, heading into eternity.  No one knows.  I may die today, and the Tribulation/Great Tribulation might be 20 years away!  I may live another ten years, or 14, or 38 – who knows?!  Only God knows and He’s not telling me.  I thank Him for that.  Nonetheless, I am STILL required to live EVERY day as if it is my LAST day on this earth.

For those who resolutely believe that believing in the PreTrib Rapture is heresy, because it creates Christians who are immature, lazy, worldy and carnal, have absolutely NO clue.  That is like saying that by teaching that I could DIE today, I am apt to become lazy, immature, carnal and worldly!  It’s the SAME thing, folks!  If I know that there is a chance that I will leave this earth and be taken into His Presence before this day is over, whether by death, or by Rapture, that WILL give me a greater sense of what IS and what is NOT important!  It is as simple as that and there is NO way to deny it!

Yet, we’ve got people like Dave MacPherson, and his crony followers like C. H. Fisher, Tim Warner and others who believe beyond doubt that the early church did NOT, under any circumstances, believe or teach an imminent return of Christ – meaning, that His return could happen at any moment.  Apparently, these folks are willing to die for it too.  Certainly, MacPherson is willing to sit in front of computer publishing book after book (totally 8 to date), on just how wrong the PreTrib Rapture is, and the controversial conspiracy that surrounds it.  BUT, do these same folks consider that today, their soul might be required of them?

I guarantee that if ALL authentic Christians became more and more aware of the fact that we not only do NOT know when we will die, but we are only one breath away from death, and that death could literally occur AT ANY MOMENT, then we would have Christians who would have a sense of what is important in this life.  We would stop arguing over ridiculous topics that we cannot know for sure (and that goes for Posttribulationalists and everyone in between, not just PreTrib Rapture people).  We would get down to the business at hand, which is the evangelization of the lost.  The Great Commission has never been rescinded, yet we live like it has been.  We need to wake up, and live rightly.  This will only occur when we begin to understand that we are constantly only one breath away from eternity.

You know which Christians live as if their lives could end today?  The ones who suffer persecution, and if you are blind enough to believe that real persecution (like the kind that occurred with the apostles and the early church) does not happen today, you really need to think again.  Persecution, resulting in torture and death occurs today, as it did then.  There are at least 10 countries in the world who are adept at persecuting Christians for their faith.  It is routine.  We are insulated if we live in the United States, or some other democracy.  Try living in a country where Christians trying to evangelize can and does result in prison, torture and/or death.

Christians:  we need to understand that God has an agenda and His is the only agenda that matters.  He is still saving souls and He is still using His Church to accomplish it, by using Christians to bring the gospel to the lost.  The idea that I (or anyone else) believe in the PreTrib Rapture, will result in the growing spiritual apathy, immaturity and carnality, is the most oft-used and ridiculous accusations I’ve ever heard.  Those who repeat it simply prove how little they know about how long our life truly is on this planet.  They are also admitting that they themselves, are not aware of the brevity of their own life.

What if it isn’t true? By C. H. Fisher

A Scriptural Rebuttal

C. H. Fisher has published an ebook, that he hopes to get into print soon.  In it, he takes on the PreTrib Rapture doctrine, issuing a plethora of declarative statements, without a whole lot of documentation.  This makes it a bit unfortunate, because ultimately, what Fisher presents, is merely his opinion.

Right out of the starting gate, Fisher makes no attempt to hide his contempt for those who believe and/or espouse the PreTrib Rapture position.  Referencing the PreTrib position as being created by promoters, as if the doctrine itself originated under the roof of the big top, is the way in which he approaches.

What is exceedingly frustrating with Fisher’s material, is that he refers to things for which he simply offers no documentation.  As an example, he states, “A popular question that is asked by promoters of pretribulation rapture is as follows:  Why didn’t the apostle Paul teach about a posttribulation rapture?”[1]

I would have appreciated any documentation, because it would have provided me with the information about who, exactly, is asking the question.  In all the books and articles I have read on the subject, none of the authors have asked that question.  In point of fact, it would be a ridiculous question to ask.

Without hesitation, Fisher immediately embarks on an attack of Dispensational doctrine, stating that any timing or tags (as he refers to them), “are only needed in the dispensationalist scheme because they have separated the method of the Church’s departure from the event of Christ’s arrival, thus the term ‘rapture,’ rather than Second Coming.”[2]

Fisher, like others, believes that the primary reason that the PreTrib Rapture position was created, was for financial gain.  He refers to the PreTrib Rapture as a “departure” from what he believes was the norm, for the early church and beyond (until 1830 when Margaret MacDonald whispered into Darby’s ear).  This, he says, has “the singular objective of perpetually explaining itself.”[3] One could easily respond that at least one of the reasons it needs to “perpetually explain itself,” is in part, due to the fact that Dave MacPherson has written eight books on the subject!  Certainly, in that regard, the PreTrib Rapture position has not been without financial benefits for MacPherson either.

While Fisher provides lip service to negating the Mid-Trib, the Pre-Wrath and other forms or Rapture (or not), except the Posttribulational Rapture position, his main difficulty that the Rapture event is separated from the Second Coming by PreTrib adherents, thus creating two separate Second Comings.

The Second Coming is one single event.  There is nothing in Scripture (in my opinion), that teaches that the Second Coming is in two phases.  In fact, the Rapture, is a separate event altogether, and since Christ is not returning to the earth during the Rapture (or immediately after it), it is legitimately not part of the Second Coming.  It is merely an event that calls the Church – the Bride of Christ – home to the Father’s house, where there are many rooms.

The Second Coming is the event in which Christ returns to the earth, for the purpose of ending human history under human rulers.  He will then set up His kingdom over which He will rule physically, and literally for 1,000 years, from David’s re-established throne in Jerusalem.  We will get into some specific Scripture a bit later.

“The Scriptures focus on the coming of Christ and our method of departure is not that important. We should not be looking at the event from the underside, but from the viewpoint of God. It is the arrival of His Son, our King and Savior, that is the highlight of eschatology. Everyone who is prepared to greet Him as Lord and submit to His authority only has to concern themselves about taking up their cross and walking in His footsteps.”[4]

While I would agree with much of what Fisher has stated in the quote above, the reality is that he seems to be setting the reader up for his own personal view of what he believes is the deceptive nature of the PreTrib Rapture.  By that I mean that he is attempting to build a case for his belief (and that’s all it is), that those who believe and espouse a PreTrib Rapture position, are not “prepared to greet Him as Lord and submit to His authority…”[5]

He will eventually attempt to do this by trying hard to prove that the PreTrib Rapture position is built on a heresy that will ultimately catapult many (if not all) of its adherents into hell.  What Fisher and others like him seem not to understand, is that an individual’s view of Eschatology really has little to no bearing on a person’s salvation.  He believes that the Posttribulation Rapture position is the only position that the early Church espoused.  The trouble though is that this cannot be proven.  In fact, I don’t believe any particular view of the Rapture can be 100% proven from Scripture.  People adopt a view because it makes more sense to them.

Over the years though, we know that people have argued and even debated about different aspects of Eschatology, including, which view of the Rapture (or not), makes the most sense, based on Scripture as they know it.  Overall, it has been fairly congenial.  However, within the last number of years, attacks on PreTrib Rapturism have heated up, creating a good deal of vitriolic contention, largely from the Posttribulation camp, though they accuse the PreTrib Rapturist of going on the attack.

A relatively new idea, that those who believe and “deceive” others into accepting the PreTrib Rapture position, do so to their detriment, ultimately, casting themselves into the everlasting punishment of hell.  This new level of accusation, has placed the PreTrib Rapturist in the position of not only having to defend the PreTrib Rapture, but he must now also defend the accusation that he has actually lost his salvation (if he had it to begin with).  This happens because he believes and teaches a position that, to Fisher and those who think as he does, is fully heretical.

Why is this position considered to be so heretical?  Simply put, because it apparently creates Christians, who are:

• Spiritually immature
• Weak
• Unprepared for the Tribulation
• Superficial
• Carnal

Unless I’m mistaken, being spiritually immature, weak, superficial, carnal, or unprepared for the Tribulation, is not cause for loss of salvation.  Fisher would disagree.  I suppose he thinks along the lines that those who go into the Tribulation unprepared, are unable to stand for, and remain in Christ.

Then again, because Fisher does not believe that the Scripture teaches Eternal Security, he also believes that salvation can be lost.  Since he views the PreTrib Rapture position as complete heresy, leading to apostasy, in which people will likely recant their faith in Christ.  They will do this because belief in the PreTrib Rapture will have left them so weak, and spiritually immature and depleted, that they will be powerless to resist the temptation to curse Christ during the Tribulation, if they happen to be living during that time.

Does Fisher have a point?  Can his viewpoint be defended from Scripture?  Certainly, Fisher attests to this throughout his book.  However, what we will focus on as we continue our review, is that Fisher is missing some extremely obvious and important information from the very same Scripture.  This information, which provides not only a full rebuke of his beliefs, but the realization that those who firmly believe the PreTrib Rapture is a major deception that will cause the loss of salvation, leading to hell, is fully without merit. 

[2] Ibid

[3] Ibid

[4] http://truthkeepers.com/pretrib.htm

[5] Ibid

ebook cover by C H Fisher

We are going to be spending some time reviewing C. H. Fisher’s ebook.  Fisher’s book is fifteen chapters, in which he not only pointedly attacks aspects of the PreTrib Rapture doctrine, but those he believes are behind the creation of it.  Frankly stated, if Scofield, Chafer and others were alive today, they would have every right to sue him for defamation of character, since everything he presents in his book amounts to little more than heresay.  However, this works out fine for Fisher, since he is a Posttribulationalist.

We will begin soon with a brief outline of his book and the various theories as to the End Times; the rapture, the tribulation, the millennium and the future Eternal Order.  So, hang on tight, and let’s see if we cannot get to the bottom of Fisher’s major points, related to what he considers to be, the false, deception-laced doctrine of the PreTrib Rapture!

Look for it here!

• John 14:2-3
• 1 Corinthians 1:7
• Philippians 3:20-21
• 1 Thessalonians 1:9-10; 4:16-17; 5:5-9
• Titus 2:13
• James 5:8-9
• Revelation 3:10; 22:17-22

What is interesting is that in C. H. Fisher’s ebook, chapter twelve, he spends a good deal of time accusing the PreTrib Rapturist of finding imminency in the gospel of Matthew and Mark. Fisher asks whether or not Jesus Himself taught imminency.  Referring to this, he then dogmatically states, “If He did, we should be able to find abundant scriptures that declare this teaching clearly. In fact, there are none. That’s right, there is not one scripture to support the doctrine of imminency for the entirety of the Church’s existence on earth. Imminency is the idea that the Parousia of Christ Jesus could occur at any moment.”[1]

While he got the last sentence correct, he seems not to understand what he has stated.  He then spends a good deal of time highlighting passages from the Olivet Discourse in both Matthew and Mark.  The problem though, is that for the PreTrib Rapturist, these passages highlight Christ’s actual Second Coming, not the Rapture.  Moreover, even though Fisher understands that the PreTrib Rapturist makes a distinction between Israel and the Church, he seems to be unaware that for the PreTrib Rapturist, Christ’s Olivet Discourse essentially speaks to the nation of Israel, almost entirely, and not the Church.  This is routine for people who are opposed to Dispensationalism, or a PreTrib Rapture position.  They seem to think that they rightly understand what they are critiquing, but are in essence, far from the truth of the matter.  

It is from these passages that the Posttribulationalist attempts to show that the Church will go through the Tribulation.  However, since the passage is addressed to the nation of Israel, and not the Church, it would only be logical to understand that Christ is speaking of the fact that it is the nation of Israel that will experience the Tribulation period, and not the Church.  However, since Posttribulationalists make no distinction between the Church and Israel, passages such as those found in John 15 and 16 are also used to support their contention that the Church will go through the Tribulation.  Unless the passage is allegorized, it cannot refer to the Church at all.  Christ uses terms like “synagogue,” and the general phrase of “In the world you have trouble and suffering, (cf. John 16:33 NET), but, a general “trouble and suffering” does not automatically equate to the time of the Tribulation, at the end of the age.

Dwight D. Pentecost explains, “Scripture abounds in promises that Israel will be brought into a time of purging to prepare them as a nation for the millennium to follow the advent of Messiah.  However, since Israel is to be distinguished from the church in the economy of God, those scriptures which promise tribulation to Israel can not be made to teach that the church is to experience the tribulation period.  Israel and the church are two distinct entities in the plan of God and must so be regarded.”[2]

Someone may ask why the Church and Israel are kept separate?  Wouldn’t this mean that there is a unique plan of salvation for each?  No, it wouldnt mean that, because we know that Scripture teaches that from Adam and Eve to the very last individual ever born in human history future, salvation is the same for all, without distinction, or respecter of persons; it is by grace, through faith, in Christ.  It has never, ever been different, in spite of what Covenant Theologians and others might say about a Covenant of Works, and a Covenant of Grace.

Fisher errs in his understand of where the PreTrib Rapturist gains understanding of the doctrine of Imminency.  It is without a doubt, not related to Matthew 24 or Mark 13.  Further problems crop up in the way in which the Posttribulationalist interprets areas of Daniel 9.  Often these are allegorized to mean longer periods of age than Daniel intended.  Because of the way these 70 weeks of Daniel 9 are interpreted by Posttribulationalists, Christ is often seen as the one who enters into a covenant with Israel at the beginning of the 70^th week.  The covenant is then broken in the “middle” of the week, by Christ’s crucifixion.

Regarding those passages then which refer to Israel’s national salvation, following the 70^th week, Posttribulationalists point to the Church.  For them, the Church is the fulfillment of passages like Daniel and elsewhere, related to Israel’s salvation.  One can easily see how these passages of Scripture take on a new meaning through the indiscriminate use of allegory.

But more importantly, is the lack of understanding regarding the pronoun “he” in Daniel 9:27, and to whom it actually refers.  “Again, the ‘he’ of Daniel 9:27 must have as its antecedent ‘the prince that shall come’ of the preceding verse.  Because this one is related to the people who destroyed the city and the sanctuary, that is the Romans, this one confirming the covenant can not be Christ, but must be the man of sin, spoken of by Christ (Matt. 24:15), by Paul (2 Thess. 2), and John (Rev. 13), who will make a false covenant with Israel.  the fact that sacrifices and oblation continued after the death of Christ until the year 70 A.D. would point out the fact that it was not Christ who caused these sacrifices to terminate.  It is interesting to note that the Lord, in that great eschatological passage dealing with the future of Israel (Matt. 24-25), speaks of a yet future fulfillment of Daniel’s prophecy (Matt. 24:15) after His death.”[3] (emphasis added)

What is also clear, is that for the Posttribulationalist, there seems to be absolutely no distinction made between an understanding of Christ coming soon, and Christ’s coming being imminent.  It should be plainly obvious that Scripture does not teach that the Lord’s coming is soon.  It teaches that His coming should be expected to occur at any time.  There is a huge difference between these notions, yet Fisher himself apparently does not see or understand the distinction, for he obviously believes that when the PreTrib Rapturist speaks of the Lord’s coming as imminent, he takes that to mean that the idea of His soon coming is being espoused.  This is not the case.

Let me try to illustrate. I am in a college class, and the professor states something like, “Folks, we have a guest speaker today, as I mentioned the last time we were together.  He will be speaking on the subject of anarchy in the 21^st century, and as soon as he arrives, we will turn the floor over to him.  Until then, let’s open our books to page 578 and continue our discussion from last Thursday.”

So, on one hand, we are expecting this guest speaker to appear at any moment, and in this case, it is also soon, but it could be an hour away, with within the context of the class, is not really soon.  But let’s say that we see the guest speaker arrive just outside the class window.  He stops outside the door, and begins a conversation with another individual.  We have no idea how long this conversation will go on, so even though we might be tempted to think in terms of his soon arrival into our class, it may not be that soon.

One thing is clear though, and that is that his arrival to the inside of the room is imminent, because it could happen at any moment.  The guest speaker is in a position – right outside the door – which allows him to enter our classroom at any moment, and because of this, it places his arrival to our class as imminent.

Fisher comments on imminency by stating, “In the following scripture we are told that we should follow a certain procedure in order to be aware of His coming. It is not the fig tree we are told to watch, but to employ the method of determining the signs that indicate what is about to occur. As we see the signs of leaves in the fig tree, we know that summer is approaching. Jesus used other metaphors in much the same way.”[4]

But what Fisher does not realize is that he has just proven the doctrine of imminency (which he confuses with immediacy)!  If it is true what Fisher above states (and I would for one, agree with him here), then what could every other individual in Scripture who refers to the fact that we await our Savior, that He stands at the gate, or door, if it does not mean that His coming is imminent?  In other words, many of the passages that speak of His return, have absolutely no date or time associated with them (cf. 1 Peter 3:3-4; James 5:8; 1 Timothy 6:14).

James 5:8 in the NET version states, “You also be patient and strengthen your hearts, for the Lord’s return is near.”

Titus 2:13 from the NET states, “as we wait for the happy fulfillment of our hope in the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ.”

1 Thessalonians 5:6, also from the NET, states, “So then we must not sleep as the rest, but must stay alert and sober.”

It should make absolute sense that if the early Church was Premillennial in position, then their view of the fact that Lord could come at any moment, meant, it could occur at any time, but not necessarily that His coming was soon.

Early Church Fathers
Clement had some interesting things to say, as did many of the Early Church Fathers.  From the following statements, we gain a sense of how Clement viewed the coming of the Lord:

“2Clem 11:7
If therefore we shalt have wrought righteousness in the sight of God, we shalt enter into His kingdom and shall receive the promises which ear hath not heard nor eye seen, nor eye seen, neither hath it entered into the heart of man.

2Clem 12:1
Let us therefore await the kingdom of God betimes in love and righteousness, since we know not the day of God’s appearing.

2Clem 12:2
For the Lord Himself, being asked by a certain person when his kingdom would come, said, When the two shall be one, and the outside as the inside, and the male with the female, neither male or female.

2Clem 12:3
Now the two are one, when we speak truth among ourselves, and in two bodies there shall be one soul without dissimulation.

2Clem 12:4
And by the outside as the inside He meaneth this: by the inside he meaneth the soul and by the outside the body. Therefore in like manner as thy body appeareth, so also let thy soul be manifest by its good works.”[5]

What is interesting regarding the above, is that in 2 Clement 12:1, he states that we should be busy waiting for the Kingdom of God, at all times, because we do not know the day of God’s appearing.  He explains that statement by saying his belief (in a reference to Galatians 3:26-28), since the two have become one, then God’s kingdom could literally arrive at any day; any time.  This does not prove a PreTrib Rapture, because that is not what we are discussing.  We are discussing the early Church’s understanding of imminence.

The Didache, as well as other early writings of the Church, display a sense of imminency, in that they expected the return of Christ at any time.  In fact, when reading much of the documents produced by the early church fathers, it becomes apparent that for most of them, the idea that the Lord could return at any moment is part and parcel to what they believed and taught.

When you consider the fact that the oft-repeated phrase “the Lord could come at any moment,” or some derivative of it, was meant to be understood in terms of His nearness, and if He was near, then He could arrive at any moment.  The verses below express this thought (all quoted from the NET; emphasis added):

“Let everyone see your gentleness. The Lord is near!” (Philippians 4:5)

“Do not grumble against one another, brothers and sisters, so that you may not be judged. See, the judge stands before the gates!” (James 5:9)

“For the culmination of all things is near. So be self-controlled and sober-minded for the sake of prayer.” (1 Peter 4:7)

“I am coming soon. Hold on to what you have so that no one can take away your crown.” (Revelation 3:11)

There are any number of verses that express imminence in the Bible.  This is not a man-made concept or doctrine, as C. H. Fisher and others would have us believe.  One of my favorite verses is 1 John 3:2-3, which states (from the NET):

“Dear friends, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet been revealed. We know that whenever it is revealed we will be like him, because we will see him just as he is. And everyone who has this hope focused on him purifies himself, just as Jesus is pure).”

John is encouraging all who are in Christ (authentic Christians), to consider what Christ is like now, in His glorified Body, in the eternal state!  We should think of Him, because when we see Him, we will be like Him.  John tells us that this type of thinking, purifies himself.  How?  By getting our minds off of the things that can easily entangle us in the problems of this world, and onto our hope, that is in Christ Jesus!

So, when done properly, understanding rightly what imminence actually means, places us in the mental position of considering the heavenly things.  Does not Paul say the same thing? 

“Therefore, if you have been raised with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.  Keep thinking about things above, not things on the earth,  for you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God.  When Christ (who is your life) appears, then you too will be revealed in glory with him.”

The above passage from Colossians 3:1-4, expresses the concept of dwelling on or thinking about those things which are above, because if done correctly, rather than make us feel like we can live any way we want to live (antinomianism), we will instead, be encouraged to “put to death whatever in your nature belongs to the earth: sexual immorality, impurity, shameful passion, evil desire, and greed which is idolatry,” (v. 5), which is the actual result of dwelling on our being in Christ’s physical presence!

It is often stated that those who believe in a PreTrib Rapture position, become weak-kneed, immature Christians, who live as they want to live, doing whatever they want to do, pleasing self, displeasing God.  This makes no sense to me.  If a person is correctly viewing our future dwelling with Christ, how could that POSSIBLY be the impetus for living the lazy, carnal life that is exhibited in Paul’s first letter to the Corinthian believers?!

Those “Christians,” who are living a carnal life, with absolutely no concern for their sin, and how despicable it is to God, have no real understanding of being an authentic Christian.  If they are living that way, it is not believing in a PreTrib Rapture position that created that.  It is their own lack of commitment to the Lord, from beginning to end that created that.  Paul takes such pains to explain this in Galatians alone.  While the fact that salvation is absolutely free, and that no one can do anything to earn any part of it, it does NOT mean that we are allowed to live a life any way we wish to live because we are somehow “once saved, always saved.”  I personally believe in eternal security.  The fact that people take advantage by misunderstanding the ramifications of eternal security, is not the fault of the doctrine itself, but the fault of those who misunderstand it.

Getting back to the word “imminent,” it would be helpful to ascertain the meaning of it.  What is the English meaning of the word imminent?  Does it tie in with this idea that it could happen at any moment, or does it negate the biblical understanding?

“ready to take place; hanging threateningly over one’s head,” from the Merriam-Webster dictionary[6]

“likely to occur at any moment; impending: (Her death is imminent),” from Dictionary.com[7]

“close in time; about to occur,” from Dictionary of Definitions[8]

The difficulty with this word, as with so many in the English language, is that because imminent is similar in nature to soon, the words are often taken to mean the same thing, but this is not correct.  There are differences, minor though they may be.

For instance, look at these two sentences:

The dark clouds were signaling an imminent rain storm.
The weather forecast said to expect rain soon.

For the sake of argument, let’s say that a weather forecaster never makes a mistake.  Every time they forecast the weather, they are right on.  In that case, while our first sentence speaks of the possibility of rain occurring at any moment, the second sentence speaks of the fact that rain will begin soon, or in the near future.

Synonyms for the word imminent make this point even more clear:

“about to happen, approaching, brewing, close, coming, expectant, fast-approaching, following, forthcoming, gathering, handwriting-on-the-wall, immediate, impending, in store, in the air, in the cards, in the offing, in the wind, in view, ineluctable, inescapable, inevasible, inevitable, likely, looming, menacing, near, nearing, next, nigh, on its way, on the horizon, on the verge, overhanging, possible, probable, see it coming, threatening, to come, unavoidable, unescapable”[9]

With the exception of the first phrase – about to happen – all of the related synonyms do not have soon in view.  They speak of something that is near and could happen at any time.  Of course, we need to bear in mind that synomyms are not necessarily words that always mean the exact same thing as the original word.  They can mean the exact same thing, or something very close and similar.  The other thing about imminent – at least in the realm of humanity – is that even though something is imminent, it does not have to occur, at least at that point in time.  Not so with the word soon, or words similar to it.  When someone uses the word soon, in a sentence, they are speaking of the fact that the event referenced will happen shortly.

There is a doctrine called Imminence, and it is a biblical doctrine.  There is plenty of evidence for it, to be found in Scripture, if folks are simply willing to see Scripture as it presents itself.  Saying that the doctrine does not exist is patently false…unless to the person saying that, the word imminence means soon.  In that case, the person would be applying the wrong meaning to the word imminent.

I will leave you with this thought for today.  There is a great deal of accusation and condemnation regarding the PreTrib Rapture position.  It has been called something that came from the pit of hell, heresy, deception, and much more.  Why?  All because people wrongly believe that the doctrine of the PreTrib Rapture provides a “free pass” to avoid impending Wrath of God.  Nothing could be further from the truth, especially if one considers the fact that even in 2009, Christians are literally martyred (yes, KILLED), for their faith often.  You want facts and figures?  Go to this website and be ready to be heartsick:  http://persecution.org/suffering/pdfs/ICC_Hall_of_Shame_2009.pdf

Take some time to read their Hall of Shame 2009 report.  You may be amazed.  Christians today are not shrinking from death, or torture because they may believe that a Rapture will occur prior to the Tribulation.  Maybe Christians in America might shrink from it, but that is STILL not the fault of the PreTrib Rapture, and everything to do with how a Christian lives their life on a daily basis, amidst the swill of raunchy TV, movies, music and more.  THAT is what is making people become lazy, overindulgent, superficial “Christians.”  That, coupled with the Emergent Church, which plays right into their hands, has given professing Christians reason to become the exact opposite of what the Fruit of the Spirit entails.

Still not convinced?  Okay, then go back and read Luke 12:13-21.  It deals with the rich landowner.  There are many lessons in this parable, but I am going to point out only one.  Luke 12:20 states, “But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life will be demanded back from you, but who will get what you have prepared for yourself?“  The point is simple.  We are to live EVERY day as if it is our last on this earth.

We can argue all we want about a Pre-Trib, a Posttrib, a Pre-Wrath, a Mid-Trib, a No-Trib, or a Who Cares-Trib Rapture, but the reality is that even if there IS a PreTrib Rapture, how many people living today will be alive to experience it?  We do NOT know when the last day that God has appointed for us, will arrive.  In that sense, the end of our life is also imminent.  While it would not be correct for me to say that the end of my life is soon, I am correct in stating that it is imminent, as I am only one breath away from it.  I may be driving my car this afternoon, and become involved in an accident in which I will be killed.  My death is imminent, even if that does not occur.

Last November 2, 2008, I received a phone call from my sister’s son-in-law.  It was certainly an unexpected one, as he actually never called.  I immediately knew something was up.  He explained that my sister had collapsed in the garage, and it did not look good, so the hospital indicated it would be a good time to call family.  I knew my sister had been tired, and there were a few health problems, but I never envisioned a total collapse with a possible death!

I flew back there and stayed with her and her husband and son.  She never regained consciousness, and simply slipped away to the Lord one early morning about 1:30am.  Just two days prior to that, I had talked with her and we had laughed as we normally did when we spoke with one another.  It was always an uplifting conversation.  My sister had no idea that she was going to have a massive heart attack and die.  Certainly, I had no idea.  However, she is gone, with the Lord – boom!  Just like that.

Are you living as if it is your last day?  You have NO clue when your time is up and the Lord will say, “Loved one, tonight your soul is required of you.”  You have NO idea when that will happen.  None!  Your death is ALWAYS imminent – always.

[2] Dwight D. Pentecost Things to Come (Grand Rapids Academie Books 1958), 170

[3] Dwight D. Pentecost Things to Come (Grand Rapids Academie Books 1958), 172

[4] http://truthkeepers.com/chapter_twelve.htm

[5] http://www.earlychristianwritings.com/text/2clement-lightfoot.html

[6] http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/imminent

[7] http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/imminent

[8] http://www.dictionaryofdefinitions.com/what-is-the-definition-of-imminent.html

[9] http://thesaurus.reference.com/browse/imminent

As I have researched and studied, I have become amazed at a number of things, which I bring out in this book:

1. the fact that people actually believe everything that Dave MacPherson says, without question
2. the fact that people actually believe that for those who espouse the PreTrib Rapture position, there is an excellent chance that hell awaits
3. the fact that while some accuse the PreTrib Rapturist of responding with “arrogance and insults,” it would actually appear that this is the other way around, with the Posttribulationalists and others, responding in that manner

This is only one statement from an individual who sent me an email:  “The typical “pretrib” promoter is filled with arrogance and insults toward anyone who disagrees with them, just as the founder of the PTR doctrine, J. N Darby (who had the audacity to excommunicate the godly George Muller). They hate correction and the voice of the prophet and will not hesitate to attack when their heresy is exposed.”

I might as well be talking to Dave MacPherson, since it is obvious that the individual quoted takes his cues from him (e.g. “Pretrib promoters”).  When one views someone else as a heretic, it becomes exceedingly easy to treat them as if they are Satan himself.  The problem is that true heresy involves a number of things – none of which include matters related to Eschatology:

• a denial of the deity of Christ
• a denial of the bodily resurrection of Christ
• a denial that Jesus came in the flesh
• a denial of the Triune God
• a denial that salvation is by God’s grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone

Notice also that Christ essentially states that there is only one sin that is “unforgiveable” and that is grieving the Holy Spirit (cf. Matthew 12; Mark 3).  While many theologians disagree over the nature of this sin (what else can we expect?), it certainly seems to be either in the realm of ascribing acts of God to Satan and/or continuing to disbelieve God, even to physical death.

Now, in the matters of Eschatology, there is a good deal of wiggle room.  I, at one point in my Christian life, believed that Preterists, Covenant Theologians and Replacement Theologians were all heretics; in serious danger of not truly being saved.  This was an absolute appallingly judgmental position to place myself in, and I am extremely grateful that the Lord has opened my eyes.  While I seriously disagree with what I believe to be the error that they espouse, they are brothers and sisters in the Lord.  They love God immensely and desire nothing more than to see His will accomplished in and through them, in order that He will be glorified.

So, heresy – while the word is easily and quickly tossed from one camp to the next – primarily deals with the doctrines surrounding God and His salvation.  There is a certain amount of seeming ambiguity within Scripture, and that ambiguity exists only because WE do not have knowledge of all the circumstances which existed when the Bible was written.  Any ambiguity that seems to exist, exists because of US, not because of God Himself.

A friend of mine – a brother in the Lord – made a dramatic statement that helped open my eyes to the entire problem that faces Christendom today, with respect to the many verbal squabbles and altercations that exist.  He said (related to areas that are peripheral to that of salvation), it is not what we disagree on, but HOW we treat each other DURING our disagreements.  Nothing more truthful could have been stated, in my opinion.

Here’s another example of an attitude severely lacking in love:

“(Grant) Jeffrey boldly manipulated these authors in an attempt to portray them as pretribulationists. His treatment of this issue is the most blatant pretribulationist revisionism I have ever seen.”

The above comment was in response to Jeffrey’s quoting of aspects of the Didache, to which the “gentleman” quoted above had nothing good to say about it.  Unfortunately, the person quoted thoroughly believes that the verbiage left out by Jeffrey drastically changes the content, so that it appears to be PreTrib, when it is not.  The trouble with his opinion is that it only APPEARS to change the content, because the person quoted is a Posttribulationist, and he understands the PreTrib Rapture position only through the template of Posttribulationism.  In point of fact, the verbiage left off by Jeffrey does not change the content of the passage.  I’ll spend some time dealing with this idiocy in my book.

Again though, when someone can label another Christian as a heretic, then all bets are off, and all is fair in love and war.  Rather than individuals like MacPherson taking cues from his father, Norman, the younger prefers to attack those with whom he disagrees.  Instead of simply putting forth his opinion on the subject, he feels the need to castigate others.  Ryrie does not do this.  Walvoord does not do this.  Many PreTrib Rapturists and Dispensationalists do not do this.  Why can’t MacPherson write as Vern Poythress, or George Eldon Ladd, or a few other non-PreTrib Rapturists write?  It is extremely easy to fall into the trap of responding with sarcasm, but that serves no purpose at all.  It closes doors, it denigrates and it puffs up the person responding in such a way.  I’ve been on the receiving end of this type of response from atheists (“I have no patience or time to deal with people who know absolutely nothing, and believe the fairy tales that God somehow exists!” or some other comment).  This says nothing about me, and everything about them.

I am not a heretic.  I fully believe that Jesus Christ died for my sins and that there is and has been, only one way of salvation, from Adam and Eve, until the coming end of human history.  The same way that Abram was counted righteous by God (for BELIEVING in Him), is the exact same way that the thief on the cross, you and I receive salvation; it is through believing in God and the salvation He has provided.

I believe in the Triune God.  I believe in the full deity of Jesus Christ, and His full humanity.  I believe that Christ always existed as the Eternal Son of God.  I believe the Holy Spirit to be equal with the other two members of the Godhead.  I believe in a literal creation of 6 24-hour days, with God resting on the 7th.  I believe in the verbal, plenary inspired Word of God and that it was perfect in its original autographs.

I also happen to believe that Jesus has NOT yet come a Second time, but will do so at the end of the Great Tribulation, whereupon He will establish His physical rule over all the earth, from David’s re-established throne, in Jerusalem.  I believe during the 1,000 year Millennial reign of Christ, the Remnant of Israel will go in and take possession of the Land that was promised to them through Abraham.  I believe at the end of the 1,000 year reign, the (wicked) dead will be raised and jugded in the Great White Throne judgment.  I believe that Satan, will then be cast into the Lake of Fire, along with hell and death and every individual under heaven who has unfortunately, rejected Christ.

I believe after this, God will completely destroy the earth and the heavens which have surrounded it, and will create a brand new earth and heavens.  I believe at that time, the Eternal Order future will begin and all who are in Christ, will go into that Eternal Order, to be forever with the Lord.

Now, can I be WRONG about some of the things I have mentioned above?  Absolutely.  But, I am NOT wrong about Christ’s deity, His full humanity, the Godhead and aspects associated with those particular doctrines.  There IS wiggle room in areas that are peripheral to salvation, and that includes Eschatology.  Does it make me a sinner, or heretic to believe as the Preterists do IF that is not what is actually taught in Scripture?  No, it does not.  Does it make me a sinner, or heretic to believe and espouse a PreTrib Rapture position IF that is not what is taught in Scripture?  No, it does not.

What makes me a sinner, is the fact that I have inherited a sin nature from my “father,” Adam.  Because of that, I am born with the propensity to sin, and I DO sin.  It is because of that sin nature, resulting in sin, that I need the salvation that only Christ offers.  When I was thirteen years of age, I realized my need for a Savior, and received Jesus as such.  Since that time, while my life has had ups and downs, I believe He has been and continues to create His character within me.

By God’s grace, I am not arrogant to believe that I know everything.  In fact, I am not stupid enough to believe that ANYONE in this life has it ALL correct.  I believe that it is an impossibility.  Yet, we read and hear statements stating just the exact opposite like these:

“BTW, I have never lost a debate with a “pretribber” and neither has (name omitted) or any other qualified individual.  If you continue to seek an argument, eventually you will meet the bitter end of your logical road, which is the revelation that you are wrong and there is no recourse but surrender to the truth or harbor angry and bitter resentment.   I hope that is clear enough for you to not find some stray word to hang a misrepresentation of my statement on.”

or this one:

“There is a spirit of deception that has taken subtle control of Evangelicals and Fundamentalists in that regard. That is why I state that belief in a pretribulation rapture is a major contribution to the Great Apostasy. I have neither time nor impetus to engage in frivolous debating with people who believe that they are correct. I already know how it will end. Bereft of a defense, every pretribulationist has turn to ad hominem to solve his or her dilemma…”

When I asked who and how it had been decided who the winner was of his debates, there was silence.  Apparently though, he prides himself on winning the debate. That is his reward, then.  Such examples of arrogance and pride do nothing to further the gospel of Christ, nor do they allow His character to be recreated within, in spite of what this or any other individual truly believes.  From my experience, it has not been the PreTrib Rapturist who turns to ad hominem attacks.  It is the individual who disagrees with the PreTrib Rapturist who resorts to that kind of verbal assault.  MacPherson seems to master in this, as do his followers.

The real problem with the visible Church today lies in the fact that the Emergent Church has gained a tremendous foothold.  It is the one which is leading people away from Jesus of the Bible, to another Jesus; another gospel, which, as Paul would say, is really not a gospel at all.  However, those opposed to PreTrib Rapturists, are unable to see that.  They are too concerned with defeating and hopefully deleting a doctrine that they simply do not like.

Case in point…are you aware that Darby and Scofield are reported to have gotten together and…(ready?)…decided that they would create a massive cover-up, which would in turn push the other viewpoints related to the Rapture completely off the table!  According to those who get all riled up when they hear the words “PreTrib Rapture,” these two gentlemen were extremely successful in accomplishing just that very thing!

Can we stop for a moment and consider what it is these two gentlemen are being accused of, please?  Here are two guys, and apparently, against ALL odds, they managed to take a completely “made up” story, and succeeded in bamboozling nearly the entirety of Christendom!!  Please remember, the argument is that PRIOR to 1830, the PreTrib Rapture position was NOT held.  Therefore, Darby, is said to have capitalized on a “vision” he had heard from Margaret MacDonald (I cannot believe people still believe this part of the story, but oh well…).  The story goes that he wrote about it, expanded on it, propagated and espoused it, and then got others to do the same.

Think about how fascinating this is!  Really!  Consider the fact that in spite of all the other denominations which existed at this point, – Roman Catholicism, Lutheranism, Plymouth Brethren, and the rest – TWO GUYS who are caricatured as morons and flim-flam artists managed to DEFEAT the viewpoints of all these other denominations!  I don’t know about you, but I want to sign these guys up to promote my next book!  Obviously, they know something about human nature that I am unaware of, which allowed their PreTrib Rapture idea to grow wings and take flight!

The question must be asked WHY?  Whenever something like this occurs, there has to be a motive.  What exactly was the motivation?  A supposed hoped for financial gain?  While it could be argued that Scofield at least made some money off of the Scofield Study System Bible that he produced, the question then becomes, how much did he make?  The same could be said of Darby.  Was it for financial gain?  Was it because these two gentlemen liked the Jews… a lot?!  They would certainly have to in order to create a story based on the flimsy tail of one 15 year-old gal who – as a member of a branch of Catholicism* – supposedly came up with this story in some supernatural vision.

Then of course, we must ask how it is that Darby and MacDonald even got together on this?  Some stories tell of Darby being MacDonald’s pastor, yet that cannot be true since he was Plymouth Brethren and she, *Roman Catholic.  What about the Irvingites?  They’re pretty involved in this as well.  Funny story though; it has not only not been proven that they held to a PreTrib Rapture, but there is evidence that they actually did not hold to it.

Can you imagine this as a mystery who-dunnit?  That would be hilarious!  Think of it…

SCENE – A Backwoods Shed – Night

[A man sits at his desk, head in hands, speaking softly to himself.  He begins to quickly thumb through the book that lies open on the rough-hewn wooden table in front of him.  He glances up, still speaking softly to himself.  All at once, he slams the book shut and...]

DARBY
Yes!  That’s it!  I will call it the “Rapture”!  I’ll talk of the Lord coming to rescue His church just before that Great Day of the Lord’s Vengeance!  Yes, yes!  This will work well.  I can start with the passage in First Thessa…

[At that moment, he is interrupted by a soft knock at the door.  Slightly irritated that he has been taken from the task at hand, he exasperatedly moves to the door and...]

DARBY
Yes?  Who’s there?

[A voice is heard from the outside, slightly muffled but obviously recognizable to DARBY, as he breaks into a grin, moving quickly toward the door]

DARBY
[opening the door]

C. I.!  Come in, come in!  I’ve got something to share with you that I think will work for us.

[A man of average height and build walks silently into the shed.  His hair is white, parted.  He seems serious, never breaking into a smile.  He walks in gingerly to the middle of the room]

DARBY
Yes, yes, that’s it.  Come right in.

[DARBY glances outside the shed, quickly looking both ways prior to shutting the door, then turns to his guest, Cyrus Ingram Scofield, or C. I., as he is known among friends]

DARBY
(seriously)
Did anyone see you, C. I.?

[CYRUS turns to Darby, still with a serious expression on his face]

CYRUS
(shaking his head)
No.  I took the back way, and came around the northern side of the hill.

[DARBY, relieved, closes the door completely and walks over to CYRUS.  He stands in front of him silently, as a smile grows on his face]

DARBY
C.I., I have news…good news.

[DARBY'S smile broadens, like the Cheshire Cat.  CYRUS stares back, waiting]

CYRUS
Yes?  What is it?

DARBY
It’s something, my dear, old friend, that will put us at ease financially for the remainder of our lives…IF…

CYRUS
If?

DARBY
IF, we can work it so that this particular theory of mine is accepted by the church in general.  If we can do that, we will have it made.

CYRUS
So, J. N., just what is this theory that you speak of, and how will it make us rich?

[DARBY'S smile widens even more.  He looks back to his old friend, CYRUS, and then moves slowly off to the table with the Bible on it]

DARBY
In here lies the secret that we have been waiting to spring on the world.  What I need your help with is getting it to the masses.

[CYRUS is intrigued.  As he stands there looking, he begins to show the signs of a smile coming to his face]

CYRUS
Why J. N. Darby, if I didn’t know better, I’d say that you have created a theory that has to do with the End Times which we will use to make our lives comfortable, and possibly the lives of our children and our children’s children.  Am I right?

DARBY
(Smiling)
What do you think of the phrase, “The Rapture”…

[CYRUS looks slightly confused, but then turns his eyes to the ceiling, as if mulling the phrase over in his mind.  After a few seconds, he looks to DARBY, and his serious face breaks into a grin]

CYRUS
“The Rapture”…I think I like that.  Yes, THE Rapture!  Good Lord, man, how did you ever think of it?

DARBY
(opening the Bible and motioning CYRUS over)
Well, I was sitting here wondering what I could do with Margaret’s story and how I could match it up with the Bible…

[The two begin to speak very excitedly, flipping through the pages of the Bible, as we fade to BLACK

WHO believes this stuff?!  Who actually decides that THIS is a TRUE story?  You want to know who?  I’ll tell you EXACTLY WHO:

• people who do not think for themselves
• people who LOVE and BELIEVE in conspiracy theories to begin with
• people who more often than not, deny the doctrine of eternal security
• people who more often than not, harbor anti-Semitic views
• people who hold people like Dave MacPherson up as gods
• people who seem not to understand the basics of Scriptural truth
• people who misunderstand the “great deception” thinking part of it is the PreTrib Rapture
• people who do not realize that Paul (and Peter) is speaking about THE (singular) End Times deception
• people who do not realize that THE End Times deception is going to make people fall away from the gospel
• people who do not think to look PAST Eschatology and into the area of Soteriology (salvation) to see the REAL deception that is at work even now

I am simply dumbfounded.  Truly.  Because it is very difficult for me to believe that TWO men could essentially change the landscape of the visible Church as Darby and Scofield have apparently done. This is what is claimed, and it is done by people with a straight face.

Back to the Past
If we look back to the 3rd Century, we will find the rise of what became the Roman Catholic Church.  How did that happen?  Did it occur by ONE or TWO people?  Hardly.  It happened by people over a period of time until the early church had gotten to a point of having to deal with Origen’s allegories, Augustine’s Amillennialism, and a many other individuals, who diverted the early Church from its roots.  However, the Roman Catholic Church did take off when Constantine married the Church with the State, and voila! a new Church was born.  All of a sudden, the Roman Catholics are telling everyone:

• what to believe
• what not to believe
• what they could read
• what they could not read
• how they would get to heaven (IF they got to heaven)
• how much authority the pope had (and has)
• why penance is important
• why confessing our sins to priests is important
• why the Roman Catholic view of Eschatology is the ONLY one that matters
• and more, yada, yada, yada.

Of course, let’s not forget that the Roman Catholic Church took their view from Augustine, who had already done a great deal to remove any semblance of Jewishness from the Bible (including the Old Testament).  He was the among the first to come up the idea that the Church had replaced Israel and Israel was now defunct.

The tragedy here of course, is the abject atrocities which were committed by the Catholic Church’s inquisitions and crusades – all in the Name of God!  Yet, no one else had a chance to do anything, because the Roman Catholic Church was the only religious game in town; so far had they come from many of the early Church doctrines and beliefs.

Time to Reform!
So most of us know what happened.  Luther nailed his document to the Wittenberg Door and voila! the Roman Catholic Church really got angry!  Others joined Luther in his revolt and many – unfortunately – lost their lives over the disagreements they had with the Catholic Church.  Once again, the Roman Catholic Church shows their mettle, by slaughtering anyone who disagreed with her views.

Now the major disagreement was over what – salvation.  This is THE most important doctrine known to humanity.  It involves the deity of Christ, the Trinity, and God’s ability to save mankind.  No other doctrine that I’m aware of is of greater importance.  So the guys from the Reformation succeeded in pulling away from the Roman Catholic Church…and began their own denominations – all of which ultimately became connected to the state in their specific locale.

People ask why Luther and the rest did not deal with the Rapture, or the Tribulation or the End Times itself?  BECAUSE these doctrines are not as important as SALVATION.  Luther’s problem was that the Catholic church was adding (and still adds) WORKS to salvation.  They have persisted in their error, in spite of the Reformation.  So Luther and others are going to be willing to DIE for the Rapture or some other aspect of the End Times?  I think not…

It was AFTER the Reformation that people once again began reading the Bible for themselves.  A number of people wrote about the PreTrib Rapture, but even if they had NOT, what matters is what the Bible says about it anyway.  That’s where the real debate should be, then again, debating is often ridiculous.  In spite of those who brag about winning every debate, debate really accomplishes nothing.  I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again:  Jesus never debated; He stated (and yes, that is the title of an upcoming book of mine!).

So now that people had the Bible to read, they began exploring and yes, some pretty weird things happened because of it and many of them deal with the End Times.  Does it matter?  Not particularly.  What I mean is that believing “correctly” about the End Times has nothing to do with a person’s salvation; NOTHING.

Yet, here we are in 2009, and there are a ton of lemmings running around, paroting what Dave MacPherson and others have stated about the PreTrib Rapture.  Oh yes, there are many lemmings running around paroting what LaHaye and others have stated as well, which only proves my point.  There are TOO many lemmings, and not enough THINKERS!

The fact that a large portion of the church’s population can actually BELIEVE (without cracking a smile) that Darby and Scofield were two of the best schemers going, is beyond credulity!  It appears to me that the one who has done the bamboozling is Dave MacPherson.  Yet, this is what I am expected to believe!  Frankly, I do not think most of the people who espouse this view actually hear what they are saying.  If they paid attention to their own words, they might stop in mid-sentence, due to the poverty of their verbiage.

I’m sorry, but I do not believe that our government was behind 9/11.  I do not believe that we NEVER landed on the moon.  I do NOT believe that Darby and Scofield were able to perpetrate the greatests religious hoax this world has ever seen.  I DO believe that conspiracy lovers enjoy thinking that these two guys were SO brilliant that they pulled it off!

Look, let’s get back to the Bible and discuss theology and Scripture.  If after a discussion, you still feel that the PreTrib Rapture is bunk, great.  Wonderful.  That’s swell.  In fact, that’s absolutely crackerjack!  But then, let’s agree to disagree and go our separate ways, doing what we are supposed to do as Christians – being involved in the Great Commission.

If the PreTrib Rapture is wrong, it is NOT heresy.  It has NOTHING to do with a person’s salvation.  In fact, the Church is already seen as PERFECTED in God’s eyes because of Christ’s righteousness.  The Church does NOT need to go through the Tribulation/Great Tribulation in order to be refined.  Israel does though, and Israel will and out of Israel, God will call His remnant; a remnant that will receive Him as Savior and Messiah, just as I received Him.  It was all by faith since the creation of the world.  It is faith, faith and faith.

I’m going to eat dinner now.  I am also going to heartily laugh my guts out over the idea that two nobodies could wield as much power as Darby and Scofield apparently wielded and because of it, were able to set nearly the entirety of the Church on a new course.  Now, leave me alone.  I’m hungry and it’s a good night for Quiznos.

*added 07/08/2009 – My mistake on this.  Mary was part of the Church of Scotland, a Presbyterian denomination.  Thanks for pointing this out, Jake.