Friday, May 3, 2019
Spirit-led Christians discern truth from lies – the oracles of God from the traditions of men. In that process we abase the mind of flesh to gain the mind of Christ. “Therefore, brethren, we are debtors – not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh. For if you live according to the flesh you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God” (Rom. 8:14). “Indeed, let God be true but every man a liar” (Rom. 3:4). These will produce in us “the mind of Christ” (1 Cor. 2:16).
The false dispensational pre-tribulation rapture put upon the Church by John Darby and Cyrus Scofield is a flesh-based and anti-Christ tradition of men. In their teachings of the dispensational pre-trib rapture these men were NOT Spirit-led. This is true because their doctrine opposes the end-time teachings of Christ. In pleasing the desires of the flesh, they and their followers turned away from the truth and testimony of Jesus, and this in the face of God’s Word saying “the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy” (Rev. 19:10).
The Holy Spirit said, “But there were also false prophets among the people, even as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Lord who bought them, and bring on themselves swift destruction” (2 Peter 2:1). Secrecy is effective in “denying the Lord” – and in order for Darby’s and Scofield’s dispensational teachings to root in the Church they secretly silenced the testimony of Jesus Christ who authoritatively taught that He gathers His elect “Immediately after the tribulation” (Matt.24:29-31), not before!
Darby, Scofield and their puppet ministers brought great heresy into the Church, deceiving and being deceived by a false hope. They robbed believers of Christ’s truth, telling them they have nothing for which to prepare regarding the final seven years of this present age. Of them and all their followers Jesus’ Words are true: “by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned” (Matt. 12:37). They have twisted and perverted God’s Word to make it say what it never said. But they don’t care, and continue peddling their cash-rich, flesh-pleasing end-time gospel while denying the testimony of Jesus Christ, Who is “the spirit of prophecy”.
If you have a Scofield Reference Bible get rid of it, ignore its poisoned footnotes because Cyrus Scofield changed the God of the Bible to a god of his own creation and wishful thinking for the times of the end. Following Darby’s and Scofield’s exchange from the testimony of Jesus Christ for the highly popular but false pre-trib rapture lie, thousands of copycat ministers, without remorse, have led and continue to lead millions AWAY from the testimony of Christ!
As a result many have been disarmed of discernment and the “whole armor of God, [and will not] be able to stand against the wiles of the devil” (Eph. 6:11). They’ve been taught they don’t need to discern Antichrist or the end-times as they’ll be raptured before Antichrist is revealed. They’ve also been taught that if they learn Antichrist’s identity, they’ve missed the rapture and were left behind! What a cruel lie and basis for deep offense (Matt. 24:10)! As a result of their heresy most professing Christians don’t even try discerning “The coming of the lawless one according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders” (2 Thess. 2:9).
If you believe Christ “whom heaven must receive until the times of restoration of all things, which God has spoken by the mouth of all His holy prophets since the world began” (Acts 3:21), and if you know it’s impossible for God to lie, then you know that Christ cannot “descend from heaven” (1 Thess. 4:16) for the rapture before the tribulation, because the “restoration of all things” DOES NOT occur until “Immediately after the tribulation” (Matt. 24:29–31). Any student of end-time biblical prophecy worth his salt knows this is the unchangeable truth.
There is NO secret rapture! “For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first” (1 Thess. 4:16); at “the first resurrection” (Rev. 20:4–6); “at the last day” (John 6:40, 44, 54); “at the last trumpet” (1 Cor. 15:51–52); when “The kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ, and He shall reign forever and ever!” (Rev. 11:15). The Lord Jesus returns only once more, and His return will raise the righteous dead in spectacular power and glory, “Immediately after the tribulation” (Matt.24: 29-31) just as He taught!
If I didn’t truly love you or love the testimony of Christ, I would say nothing to you, my brothers and sisters in Christ concerning the end-times. But I love God and His Christ who saved me, and I love my fellowman, and my desire is to teach as many believers and unbelievers with the truth as my sphere of influence can reach. The so-called imminent, pre-trib rapture is a cruel and ungodly lie from hell, yet millions of deceived Christians embrace it and glory in that lie.
Who do you believe: myriad false teachers, or the SON OF GOD? Who in your heart carries the greater authority – man, or CHRIST? Who is best qualified to warn and guide Christians safely to the end – the abysmal authority of man or the testimony of JESUS? Who is your hero, and in whom is your faith grounded – men who are and love to be seen, or GOD and HIS CHRIST who are unseen? In what is your faith grounded – the sinking sands of men and their traditions, or the oracles of ALMIGHTY GOD? What you believe unequivocally identifies who you believe.
Understand that many peddlers of the dispensational pre-tribulation rapture have grown very wealthy through their flesh-pleasing TV shows, DVD’s, book sales and seminars as they SELL their message! Of pre-tribulation and secret rapture preachers and teachers, saints beware: “Let them alone. They are blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind leads the blind, both will fall into a ditch” (Matt. 15:14). God wants to sustain each of His children in vibrant truth, but in order for that to be a reality we must believe the testimony of His Son, Jesus Christ.
Marlin J. Yoder
