Friday, July 11, 2025
There are deeply seated misconceptions in Christianity of the One and only true God and His Christ, the God of the Holy Bible. And because of false teachings those misconceptions bleed over into the hearts and lives of unbelievers who routinely say things like “I can’t conceive of a god who would do or allow this or that”. We can fill in the blanks with numerous reasons they claim to support their unbelief, e.g. natural disasters, disease, war, divorce, murder, loss or early death of a loved one, suicide, rape, incest, violence of parents against children, and violence of children against parents, corruption in high places, evils of human government and much more.
The reason that many say “I can’t conceive of a god who would or wouldn’t do this or that”, is because they have created a god of their own imagination, a god that suits their own personal will and not that of the written record of Scripture. This is even true of many seminary students who study to be theologians, pastors and church leaders. In seminary, for which there are many according to each denominational theological bias, students are told what to believe and how to protect, teach and preach that bias. Christ called it the traditions of men which literally plagued ancient Israel just as it does in our modern 20th and 21st centuries. And why is this important?
Seminaries teach a diversity of theology that can bogle the imagination. Some teach salvation by faith alone, others say by good works; some teach once-saved always-saved, others say not true; some believe in heaven and hell, others, only in heaven; some believe water baptism is required, others do not; some say we must obey our earthly government no matter what it demands, others do not; some advocate for believers engaging with the world in wars, others do not; some require women to wear a prayer covering on their heads, others do not; others who reject the truth ordain women pastors and teachers in the church, but some do not; some believe LGBTQ+ sins separate one from God, others do not; some teach that in the end God saves everyone, others do not. This short list doesn’t even scratch the surface of the diversity of theological teachings that makes up about 45,000 Christian denominations. There being so little unity, is there any wonder that many unbelievers are utterly confused about what or who to believe about the God of the Bible?
It’s an understandable thing for an unbeliever to say “I can’t conceive of a god who…” and then fills in the blanks, but it’s altogether something else for a professing Christian having knowledge of God and His Christ to utter the words “I can’t conceive of a god who…” and then gives his or her reason(s) that fly fully in the face of the “it is written” testimony of God in Christ. Yet, this occurs more often than one thinks as it flies under the spiritual radar of truth and discernment.
Here’s just one example. For the remainder of my earthly life, however long that may be, I will never forget the haunting words of a Christian theologian speaking to about 15,000 young very impressionable hearts and minds at a very prominent Christian university, preaching on the end-times saying: “I can’t conceive of a God who would allow His Bride to be dragged through the mud of the tribulation, to then turn around and marry her!” His reference to marriage was to the “marriage supper of the Lamb” (Rev. 19:9). That theologian’s emphatic point was that the God of the Bible would NEVER allow His church, the Bride of Christ, to suffer the end-time seven-year tribulation, bearing false witness to the testimony of God in Christ. He hadn’t one verse of Scripture to support his claim, but provided only conjecture, assumptions and traditions of men.
What that theologian said was equal to saying, “I can’t conceive of a God who would send His people into heathen captivity and bondage because of their rebellion and unbelief, being sold as slaves to cruel taskmasters!” Yet, that’s the replete biblical record of God’s Old Testament Jews, of whom God said “if you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant, then you shall be a special treasure to Me above all people” (Exo. 19:5). But Israel’s unbelief and rebellion caused God to give Israel “a certificate of divorce” (Jer. 3:8). Unbelieving believers, be warned!
Know this truth: the end-time church will go out of this world similar to the 1st Century church coming into the world – under severe persecution. Consider how 1st Century believers suffered for their faith in Christ. 1st Century Rome had thousands of Christians crucified, murdered and eaten by lions in coliseums. This didn’t come as a surprise to believers of that day because they believed the testimony of Jesus that “If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you” (John 15:20), and “A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a servant above his master” (Matt. 10:24).
But fast-forward 2,000 years and we find that many 20th and 21st Century churches are aloof, pompous, proud, big business oriented and culture accommodating and overtly confident in its desertion of truths for which many 1st Century believers suffered and died. What makes any of us today think that we’re above the sufferings of Christ and our 1st Century brothers and sisters in Christ? It certainly isn’t a meek and humble spirit submitted to God, but one that’s proud, self-serving and haughty that counts itself above the sufferings of Jesus and our 1st Century brethren. When considering the biblical and historical record of the cost of following Christ and being His disciple, it’s an indictment against the modern church to think itself worthy of being rescued and raptured pre-tribulation! It’s a deceiving spirit that teaches the pre-trib rapture narrative
The modern day 20th and 21st Century church is guilty of the same actions as ancient Israel: “ lest—when you have eaten and are full, and have built beautiful houses and dwell in them; and when your herds and your flocks multiply, and your silver and your gold are multiplied, and all that you have is multiplied; when your heart is lifted up, and you forget the Lord your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage; who led you through that great and terrible wilderness, in which were fiery serpents and scorpions and thirsty land where there was no water; who brought water for you out of the flinty rock; who fed you in the wilderness with manna, which your fathers did not know, that He might humble you and that He might test you, to do you good in the end—then you say in your heart, ‘My power and the might of my hand have gained me this wealth’” (Deut. 8:12–17). A fitting description of today’s church.
The proud human heart has not changed in 6,000 years. Neither has God changed in 6,000 years. What has changed, however, are many who claim faith in Christ but make His word say what it NEVER said which vacates the consequences of unbelief and rebellion while parsing out God’s word with dispensational partiality, claiming that the gathering of “His elect” (Matt. 24:29–31) doesn’t even apply! They do this in order to satisfy traditions of men “making the word of God of no effect” (Mark 7:13). This is true for numerous issues in the modern church and is outright unbelief and rebellion just as it was in ancient Israel. And shall God just ignore unbelief without chastisement of those who claim to know and believe God and His Christ? No, because God does not change, He is the same yesterday, today and forever. The organized church has lifted up it heel against Jesus Christ and has led hundreds of millions to disbelieve that Christ gathers His elect “Immediately after the tribulation” (Matt. 24:29–31), saying instead that Christ gathers His elect before the tribulation even begins! Their boldness in unbelief and rebellion mocks Christ!
So please, we who believe the truth of Christ’s Olivet Discourse as applicable to post-Calvary believers must pray for all those who have God’s word but refuse to believe and prepare in His testimony. They’ve created a god of their own selfish will. Their sown unbelief will be reaped as it was for ancient Israel when they too rebelled in unbelief at the edge of Canaan, being offended and angry, ready to stone Joshua and Caleb when they saw giants “descended from Anak” (Num. 13:33). And so it will be once again when unbelieving believers see the Antichrist, Matt. 24:15.
Why do thousands of church leaders, pastors and teachers pursue such bold unbelief? Because they can’t conceive of a God who would allow His people to suffer the purifying qualities of the seven-year tribulation, a purification that’s desperately needed to convict and correct the unbelief and rebellion of these self-serving and deceptively wicked end-times. Do we have ears to hear? God promised that “We must through many tribulations enter the kingdom of God” (Acts 14:22), and “not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, [do we?] knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; and perseverance, character, and character, hope” (Rom. 5:3–4); and “Yes, and all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution” (2 Tim. 3:12). Many believers of Christ who have gone before us in these past two millennia have borne witness to and have been recipients of those persecutions. If we say that we believe Christ then we know we must endure the seven-year tribulation that will purify and refine us “not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she [the church] should be holy and without blemish” (Eph. 5:27). Do we have ears to hear? In our end-time tribulation-enduring faith God wants to show us His provision.
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These end-time truths and testimony of Christ are critically important because nations are now prepared to receive “the man of sin … the son of perdition” (2 Thess. 2:3). Governments of this world are filled with lies and deceit including the US. Deception triumphs. Lawlessness abounds and the threat of WWIII is all the more realistic. Nations are perplexed. Wars and rumors of wars abound. Wicked people are destroying the earth, but they will be judged, Rev. 11:18. Tribulation calamities are at the door. Unbelief of God’s Son is rampant in the organized church. But no one will be raptured pre-trib. That’s the promise of God in Christ. Each person will choose to believe or disbelieve Christ. The times of the end of the age requires preparation. The minority will heed, but the majority will not just as it was in the days of ancient Israel when they were at the edge of their Promised Land. The end of this present age for believers will be very similar to that ancient day when Israel was offended when they saw the giants. The minority believed, but the majority disbelieved. The current status quo indicates the same, Eccl. 1:9–11. Amen.
My new book “ON EAGLES’ WINGS” explains in detail how to know Christ and find God’s Bozrah sheepfold of safety and place of provision for the last 1,260 days of the great tribulation.
Marlin J. Yoder
