Introduction
While listening to a recorded sermon series recently, I took special note of the pastor relating a story about a recent peer review. He said he was found to be ÒconfrontationalÓ by his peers rather than contemporary[1]. We should be able to agree that, for the most part, contemporary Bible preaching from American pulpits is not confrontational. However, should it be?
Is the Bible
confrontational? Indeed it is.
For the most part,
the Bible tells of confrontation beginning to end;
Adam & Eve to The Revelation of Jesus Christ. If the Bible confronts mankind, there
must be a reason. And so, should
you be reading books that promote the status quo and tell you what you prefer
to hear, or should you be challenged and confronted with GodÕs Word?
My work will be
confrontational with regard to the single most important issue facing the world
today. This issue is our
relationship with our creator as we move forward in the End Times. There is a large group who would disagree and argue that climate change is the most
important issue. Anthropogenic
based climate change is their sermon and it is nothing more than ÔMother EarthÕ
paganism. What do the climate
change people have in common? They
have no relationship with God. Liberals
are typically atheist or agnostic.
Political issues today primarily boil down to believers versus the
atheists/agnostics. Most believers
are conservative and most non-believers are liberals. Listen to the liberals – they
openly state they intend to silence the deniers. Make no mistake; we Christians are the
deniers they speak of. How do they
intend to silence us? Read Daniel;
read Ezekiel; read Revelation – the answer is there. Any time the political subject of Ôhow
did we get to this pointÕ comes up; remember that it is not political. This is prophecy played out here and now. Israel exists again after 2000 years and
Ezekiel 38 is being set up in plain sight of the world. How many recognize this?
We have Christians
and then we have christians. The definition of Christian is very
simple and yet we have made it very complicated. A Christian is one who correctly answers
two questions and accepts the reason for His coming – Who is Jesus and
why has he come? It is as simple as
this. My proof is in the Bible
– the entirety of the Christian Bible, which of course includes the Old
Testament. Jesus is on every page
of the Old Testament[2] – you just have to find Him. We have conflicting denominations and
dogma because of man and not because of GodÕs word. GodÕs word is perfect and it is
intricately interlaced and must be understood in its entirety. From here forward, I refer to a
Christian as a person who is saved because of his belief in the correct answers
to the two questions. Many who call
themselves Christians are actually agnostic Christians who are in jeopardy. There are entire denominations in
jeopardy because they are not Christian.
There are countless individuals who believe themselves saved who are not
yet saved because of the dogma of man.
Everyone gets to make a decision one way or another – do not have
to make that decision during the Tribulation.
Christians must be
prepared for the End Times and they are not; the Church must be preparing for
the End Times and it is not. My wife and I were once visited by a pastor who came to see if we
were worthy of joining his congregation. I asked his position on the Book of
Revelation. He said; ÒI donÕt understand that book and have a lot of questions,
but I wonÕt be here when all that happens and so IÕll ask when I get to heavenÓ. That was not an acceptable answer and I
hope it is not your view.
Contemporary
teaching, again for the most part, is either avoiding End Times issues or is
deceiving Christians by telling them what they want to hear; as they say; Òit will
either happen sometime in the future after IÕm dead & gone or IÕll be taken
in the Rapture firstÓ. This
misinformation is what their itching ears want to hear, and I submit there is a
legion out there ready to sell it to them.
The ÔdoctrineÕ will not agree with me because they have created an
extra-biblical doctrine and they push it hard. When is the
Rapture, and who will be taken, and what is meant by ÔtakenÕ. Will all Christians be taken? The Bible is silent on this question and
our beliefs were not considered. Not
being raptured does not necessarily mean not saved. Christians are sinners – here is a
tough question. Two Christians are
involved in an intimate act of adultery during the Rapture event. Will they be taken? They are saved but will they have to
endure the Tribulation? Again, our
opinion on this was not considered.
I will focus on the
Rapture and the Tribulation and these difficult questions and more. These events certainly capture a lot of
press, and like the term ÔArmageddonÕ, are almost universally misunderstood. The Rapture is a mystery – being
taken does not sound like a mystery so why is it a mystery? People are drawn to this mystery for many
reasons. When information is
presented on this subject, it must be processed; it can not
be ignored. Once the information is
received, it must be dealt with. To
many it is overwhelming and just downright scary. Rationalization is the answer for many. Rationalization is hiding your head in
the sand like an ostrich. Would
this ostrich fool a predator or would Satan simply devour it. The End Times must be understood and
dealt with now – not later – now! There is little time.
We need to get our
definitions straight and we need not to make assumptions. An assumption can change our understanding
of scripture, which in effect changes scripture. What do I mean here – scripture
does not change? What would God
say? If one translates incorrectly
or interprets incorrectly or makes an assumption and then promulgates
misinformation as scriptural doctrine, has this person violated Galatians 1:8
and will this person be condemned, rather eternally condemned? Galatians 1:8 is
very important and it will be referenced often.
But even if we or an angel
from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to
you, let him be eternally condemned! Galatians 1:8 NIV
It is absolutely
necessary to get a clear and scriptural understanding of everything we study. We can develop a hypothesis and test it
against other scripture to see if it holds true. This is something akin to the scientific
method. In any case, we must clear
our minds of assumptions and take scripture for its clear meaning. There is also an assumption that people
will vanish at the Rapture. The
word ÔtakenÕ does not necessarily mean vanish. Something is taken, yes, but what is it?
Further to
definition, we need to understand the Who, What, Where, When and Why of the
Rapture. Several of these WÕs are
easy. ÔWhereÕ, for example, is everywhere. I
will propose a ÔWhoÕ that many will disagree with. ÔWhatÕ has already been touched upon. ÔWhyÕ is
pretty easy but more complicated than you might think. The Rapture will not be a sign to those
left behind depending upon the timing.
So, the big question is When in conjunction with
Who and how which is What.
Not a sign? How can the rapture not be a sign? How can such a
significant event, perhaps the most visible miracle since Moses in Egypt, not
be recognized by those left behind as a sign? Many authors struggle with this. I will offer answers that will make
sense when viewed in light of JesusÕ own words; Òthe sign of JonahÓ.
What will the
Rapture look like? How will it be
manifested? I have already stated
it should not be assumed Christians will vanish and
leave their clothes behind as you have been led to believe. There is another explanation and one
that makes good sense in the light of Scripture. It wonÕt be pleasant and I can state now
that many will reject the premise for that very reason.
Who will be taken? This is not an easy question unless the
reader makes assumptions. My answer
will confront the dominant paradigm – we can not
assume all saved Christians will be taken.
This brings me to my final point.
Will you fail the test? Will
you be taken in the rapture or will you stay behind to fight or capitulate?
I will challenge
assumptions. Everything said herein
must be weighed against the totality of Scripture. My purpose is to clear your mind of
pre-conceived notions whether yours or planted by others. Listen to the Word of God and keep your
mind open so you will not be deceived.
If you have made assumptions regarding the End Times and things do not
occur as you expect or in the sequence you expect, you may be ripe for
deception. The stakes are high
– do not be deceived – many will.
and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people. Matthew 24:11 NIV
For false Christs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and miracles to deceive even the elect--if that were possible. Matthew 24:24 NIV
For such people are not serving our Lord Christ, but their own appetites. By smooth talk and flattery they deceive the minds of naive people. Romans 16:18 NIV
Don't let anyone deceive you in any way, for [that day will not come] until the rebellion occurs and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the man doomed to destruction. 2 Thessalonians 2:3 NIV
and will go out to deceive the nations in the four corners of the earth--Gog and Magog--to gather them for battle. In number they are like the sand on the seashore. Revelation 20:8 NIV
Are you naive? There is a
cure for that. Are there false
prophets out there? Yes, there are
many. They stand at the head of
many large congregations. They
write popular books. They
are among the number of televangelists.
They deceive many and they
deceive now – this is prophesied for the End Times. This is yet another sign of the times.
Yes, I said stay
behind to fight. If you are still
here after the rapture, it is fight or die. If you think Jesus is all love, you are
sadly mistaken. When the Great
Tribulation starts it will be war. You
donÕt want to be down here. It is
best to be with Him in a glorified body administering the tribulation at his
side.
And so, if I do
nothing more than make you think and to question, then I have succeeded. This is my purpose.
JR Lawrence Sr.
© 2008-2016