Friday, December 2, 2022
True Christians defend the truth and not political correctness or traditions of men that contradict truth. So, what’s the truth? Jesus Christ said “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me” (John 14:6). [My bold emphasis] That merits humble, repentant and explicit attention to what Jesus Christ, the Son of God said. To disbelieve Him, for whatever reason, is absolute foolishness. Yet, many professing Christians have given their ears to unbelief, that what Christ said about the end of this age would not befall them because false ministers and teachers taught them they could comfortably recuse themselves from end-time tribulation events that Jesus Christ promised His elect. Try to imagine the massive “falling away” of 2 Thess. 2:3, because of false teachings by thousands of ministers and teachers of the pre-tribulation rapture.
Advocates, ministers and teachers of John Darby’s Dispensational pre-trib rapture have, without any basis or authority in Scripture, deceived millions of people to believe that they will not need to endure to the end as Christ taught because Darby’s heresy teaches otherwise. So, why would a believing Christian take the word of a religious academic over the Words of Jesus Christ? God answers that: “For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables” (2 Tim. 4:3–4). That, dear reader, is what’s occurred! We’re there! Jesus Christ clearly taught the resurrection “at the last day” (John 6:40, 44; and 5:28–29)) and the gathering of His elect saints “Immediately after the tribulation” (Matt. 24:29–31). But beginning with Darby, many deceived people with itching ears loved deceit rather than truth. Many popular mid-19th Century Bible teachers, like Darby himself, were and continue to be theologians who convince millions of foolish people that they, the people, need theologians like them to explain God’s Word. And many believers fail to realize that that same perverted reasoning was used by the Roman papal throne to ensnare and deceive! And so it remains to this very day. Consequently, many so-called believers refuse to believe that God consigned His elect saints to endure the seven-year tribulation. And therefore, of their own free will, they have placed themselves in a position of unbelief, exactly as did ancient Israel!
God does not change, Mal. 3:6, nor does His Son Jesus Christ change, Heb. 13:8. All one has to do is read and believe the biblical record of God’s elect throughout history. When has God not consigned His elect to suffer the world’s hatred, rejection, persecution and death at the hands of unbelievers? In fact, that is specifically what Jesus promised those who follow Him, John 15:20. From righteous Abel who was murdered by his unrighteous brother Cain, to the slavery of God’s people, Israel 430 years under wicked Egyptian Pharaohs. And why did God consign Israel to 40 years in the wilderness until that whole generation perished outside the Promised Land? Indeed, due to their unbelief! The same unbelief of ancient Israel where they rejected God’s Word that they will face giants before entering their Promised Land, is today, visiting the faith of end-time believers facing the 7-year tribulation. And given the fact that God cannot change, on what basis would any Christian today hold himself to a different standard than God’s biblically proven track record? And this, especially in view of post-Calvary believers’ persecutions, and God’s warning that, “Now all these things happened to them [that is, ancient Israel] as examples, and they were written for our admonition, upon whom the end of the ages has come” (1 Cor. 10:11). God does not change to accommodate man. And by authority of His Word, there will be a shockwave of believers “falling away” from the faith when they see “the son of perdition” (2 Thess. 2:3), the Antichrist, just as Jesus said, Matt. 24:15. God’s post-Calvary elect will not be raptured pre-trib or miss the 7-year tribulation any more than God spared ancient Israel from having to deal with the giants on their trek to the Promised Land. In like manner, we will see “the man of sin”, the Antichrist and his wickedness during the seven-year tribulation on our trek to our eternal home.
Many Christians today believe God is solely love, mercy, grace and peace, but know little to nothing of His righteous judgment and holy wrath that punishes unbelief with eternal darkness, with fire and brimstone where there’ll be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Much unbelief exists today because many ministers and Bible teachers are afraid to preach the full counsel of God’s Word, as they love to elevate the traditions of men, political correctness, cultural-relativity, and people-pleasing messages, rather than lovingly and firmly preaching the whole gospel of Christ which includes God’s righteous judgment and holy wrath against unbelief and wickedness.
Consider, in the final Judgment, will God pardon unbelief? Will God deny His own Word on the basis of false ministers and teachers being afraid to preach the whole truth? Will unbelief, though most of the world has the Scriptures, bring eternal life? NO, to all! Will fearfulness or cowardice of God’s Word cause God to relent from His Word? Certainly not! God said “But the cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murders, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death”, Rev. 21:8. [My bold emphasis] Believers today, who do not guard the whole truth, and fall away in that day when Antichrist is revealed, or during the 7-year tribulation, will not be counted faithful, but as “cowardly, [and] unbelieving” and they will go to their reward of eternal fire and brimstone with others who practiced unbelief and wickedness. Does your pastor warn you of these things? Is he teaching you how to victoriously endure the 7 years of tribulation, or is he letting you wallow in the mire and deceit of the false pre-trib rapture? If you care about the eternal destiny of you and your loved ones, you should pointedly ask him. I’ve met ministers who said they agree with the testimony of Jesus that He gathers His elect “Immediately after the tribulation” (Matt. 24:29–31), but that their church tradition prohibits them from teaching their conviction. How do you think that will go in the Day of Judgment? God said “to him who knows to do good and does not do it, to him it is sin” (James 4:17). I will not judge anyone, because God’s Word has already judged those who deceive, those who know and believe the truth of Christ’s testimony but for the love of church traditions, and fear of people, preach a different Jesus, a more people-pleasing Jesus.
Do you remember the solemn warning that Jesus, the Son of God gave at the beginning of His ministry? He said “Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it. Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves” (Matt. 7:13–15). [My bold and italic emphasis] Don’t miss those profound truths. The gate to eternal life is indeed narrow, it’s HIGHLY exclusive, the exact opposite of what false pastors, prophets and teachers say today who love large crowds and the praise of men and reduce the Son of God (who Himself suffered great pain, sorrow, and death for our salvation) into an all-inclusive Christ who accepts anyone, regardless of unbelief or wickedness. Oh no! It does NOT work like that! Jesus said “A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a servant above his master” (Matt. 10:24), true believers are His servants! Jesus said “Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’” (Matt. 7:22–23). These are very likely church-going people who, while working for the praise of man, built their spiritual house on the church’s sinking sands of compromise, and a fair weather faith system that gave them cozy religious feelings without sincere, repentant confession and faith.
In closing, I will tell you that the world is on the cusp of “the man of sin…the son of perdition”, the Antichrist being revealed. The world has in earnest been being groomed for his arrival with the onset of the man-created COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent state and national lockdowns, mask and vaccine mandates. If you’re discerning of truth you know that China is again enforcing COVID lockdowns in brutality. And Klaus Schwab’s wicked World Economic Forum (WEF) is declaring that God is dead and Jesus was the beginning of fake news. And China loves the WEF, and the WEF loves China. And in Canada euthanasia has become popular. I believe 2023 will be unlike anything we thought possible regarding restrictions of free speech, hatred of the Bible and true Christians, food shortages, famines, wars and rumors of wars, and depopulation agendas. All that to say this, it is past time to get your spiritual house in order. The people who run this world don’t care one iota about you or me, they only care about their power, money, and global control over people, and that power is right now being funneled to the man who will, through political intrigue, ascend to the seat of the Antichrist. But the good news is that God and His Christ will, at the end of Antichrist’s seven-year reign, destroy him and his false prophet, together with every person who sought allegiance with them. “Let God be true and every man a liar” (Rom. 3:4).
Note: TheFridayLetter.com will not post next Friday, December 9, 2022.
Marlin J. Yoder
