Friday, August 25, 2017
Since the mid-19th century the church has gone to great lengths to protect its deceitful pre-tribulation rapture tradition, resulting in much of the prophetic Word being made of no effect; Word that would otherwise equip saints in love, truth and knowledge to endure the end-times.
Avoiding end-time truths is not love, but evil. And Jesus taught that, “he who received the seed on stony places, this is he who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy; yet he has no root in himself, but endures only for a while. For when tribulation or persecution arises because of the word, immediately he stumbles” (Matt. 13:20–21).
The true church indeed suffered persecution under Roman Catholic popes, which spurred fears of the end-times, for the papacy was rightly cast as the seat of the Antichrist. It appears that, Satan, seizing upon that fear gave John Darby (1800–1882) a vision that avoided the end-times witness of Christ, to allege that the church would be secretly raptured before the tribulation, a terrible lie.
It denies the Truth to suggest that anything is secret about Christ’s redemptive work: from His prophesied O.T. coming, to His finished work at Calvary, to His return for His elect saints. For, “knowing this first, that no prophecy of Scripture is of any private interpretation, for prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit” (2 Peter 1:20–21). A right start in faith, eroded by falsehood, can end in eternal death.
What the church faced during the Reformation was clearly ungodly tribulation at the hands of the popes of Rome. But because Satan’s time is short, iniquities today are more covert and deceptive than during the Reformation. Rather than physical brutalities by papal agents of Satan, today it’s the gradual degradation, the all-inclusive, and non-threatening erosion of Biblical truths.
And without the truth of God’s Word hidden in our hearts empowered by the Holy Spirit, we will not be wise to the deceptive, kindly-smiling, inclusive, non-threatening erosion’s of God’s Word so very prevalent in the organized church today. This is why ungodliness, lies, immorality, false doctrines, false teachers, and the blatant departure from God’s Word flood the church today.
Pope Francis has already inclusively united the religious world. And any who think the Roman Catholic papal throne has grown any kinder, gentler toward other religious entities are highly mistaken, for the same spirit of Antichrist yet seethes beneath the Vatican facade of false unity and will for the last 3 1/2 years rule this world by economic mandate and mark of the beast.
Today, in these end-times, Satan is using a temporary reverse spiritual psychology to gradually sensor and unite world religions into one global religious cult led by his Antichrist. And unless you know God’s whole truth with Holy Spirit discernment you will not be wise to this, which describes many today who are led by a spirit of culturally progressive One World values.
Please be a watchman who sounds the trumpet of warning. Today, many so-called “authority” figures in the church say the Bible should not be taken literally; that Jesus is not the only way to God; that there’s no hell; that the church must be inclusive of LGBTQ lifestyles as Christian; and preferring the world, progressives call true Christians “haters” if we don’t agree with them.
God said, “But if the watchman sees the sword coming and does not blow the trumpet, and the people are not warned, and the sword comes and takes any person from among them, he is taken away in his iniquity; but his blood I will require at the watchman’s hand” (Ezek. 33:6). Some of us are true watchman to the church, others are just pretenders who don’t truly care for the flock.
God is love, but He is also a God of divine judgment for unbelief. To hold the former but ignore the latter will reap disaster; ancient Israel is our example, 1 Cor. 10:1–13. To believe God’s love but hold unbelief of that which prophetically must come, is spiritually reckless and proud. And today, believers’ unbelief of needing to endure the 7-year tribulation is over 95 percent!
Sir, father, husband, you are the watchman of your home, not your wife or your pastor. It’s your priestly duty in Christ to discern the truth from lies and false tradition and to lead your family in truth empowered by the Holy Spirit. Rid yourself of progressive values. Believe Christ. We are waging a war with many “spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places” (Eph. 6:12).
The violence we’ve seen recently in Charlottesville, VA is a forerunner of far worse to come. And largely, the church doesn’t know how to respond to it because it’s dropped the proverbial spiritual ball and finds itself mired in acquiescing to the world. The so-called Christian’s now defending various forms of violence and immorality truly betray the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Christians are increasingly marginalized; we’re now being called “haters”. Good is now evil, and evil is now good. Educational institutions are destroying Christian values. History is being totally rewritten. Christians in government are targeted for defamation and job loss. And the forerunner of the mark of the beast, the RFID chipping of employees, is sweeping the world at an alarming rate. Are you prepared for the “Christian” isolation that’s fomenting?
Truly, “no prophecy of Scripture is of any private interpretation” (2 Peter 1:20). Yet, pre-trib rapture deceivers garnering wealth and praise of men continue to build a false hope in millions that God will gather His elect saints in a private and secret rapture, sparing Christians from the coming tribulation and wrath of Antichrist. They bear witness to their own remarkable unbelief.
Children are naturally offended at parents who lie when it’s discovered. A spouse is offended when it’s learned the other has lied. Businesses fire employees who lie, because they are not trustworthy. And soon, many Christians will fire their pastors and other Christians when the tribulation is revealed, when they learn they’ve been lied to about a pre-trib rapture, and then “the falling away” (2 Thess. 2:3) will be sudden and very grievous.
God’s Word did not come with multiple choice of three or four options from which to choose regarding His redemption and gathering of saints. Just as surely as Jesus Christ is the One and only way to God the Father, so too, Christ taught only one truth for the gathering of His elect, “Immediately after the tribulation” (Matt. 24:29–31) which is a “thus saith the Lord” of no “private interpretation”. Believe the Lord Jesus Christ and reap the rewards of eternal life!
Marlin J. Yoder
