Friday, July 8, 2016
When the second seal was opened, “Another horse, fiery red, went out. And it was granted to the one who sat on it to take peace from the earth, and that people should kill one another; and there was given to him a great sword” (Rev. 6:4). Last night eleven Dallas, Texas police officers were gunned down, of whom five have died. This is lawlessness synonymous with the days of Noah.
Jesus said end-time lawlessness will result in, “the love of many will grow cold” (Matt. 24:12) which now grips the world. God also said, “It was granted to him [Antichrist] to make war with the saints and to overcome them” (Rev. 13:7). Globally, Christians are losing rights to publically love Christ, a result of political lawlessness, an evil equal to physical lawlessness and murder.
Witnessing the overt corruption and lies by the Washington, D.C. political elite this week will challenge the virtuous patience of the strongest Christian. Yet, God commands, “I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men, for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence” (1 Tim. 2:1–2). That’s difficult in the face of end-time evils we now witness.
But what’s equally difficult is having peeled back the layers of deception and unbelief in the organized church wherein many of its leaders silence those of us who love the Lord Jesus, who, defending His Word desire to teach Jesus’ end-time truths that the saints be prepared to endure to the end just as Jesus taught. But unbelief and corrupt traditions choke out those end-time truths.
Are you prepared as Jesus said, that, “he who endures to the end shall be saved” (Matt. 24:13)? Do you believe Jesus? Now is the time to decide what you believe as lawlessness will rapidly increase. That’s not being negative, but truthful. Are you prepared for Pope Francis’ brutal, crushing, Roman Empire which is Daniel’s fourth beast-kingdom? It’s already in motion.
I once heard a pastor say, “It doesn’t matter whether you believe pre, mid or post tribulation rapture, we’re all saved”. But such denial of truth is a scourge against God, for Christ did not offer three or four end-time scenarios from which His elect are free to choose. No, Christ gave only one end-time truth, and betrayal of that truth will result in the eternal destruction of many.
Imagine: a close Friend has given you and your family an all-expenses paid destination beyond your wildest dreams. You faithfully peruse the Manual and skim the instructions which includes all information needed to get to your destination. Hopeful, you and your loved ones pile into the family sedan and begin your journey filled with the promise of a glorious reception!
The road has some rough places and you weather a few storms, but with hopeful smiles and hearts you press on filled with joy. Suddenly, it becomes obvious that you will need to cross a mud bog, face beasts and ford a raging river for the last seven miles of the trip. Unprepared for this because of what your Friend’s agent didn’t tell you, you hopelessly turn back in anger!
But in those instructions were the details of what you would encounter in those last seven miles. In fact, much was dedicated to those details, but your Friend’s agent redacted numerous details that he said didn’t apply to you. Offended and angry at your Friend and his agent your glorious and free destination suddenly becomes a nightmare of disappointment and total impossibility!
That’s the reality of the 7 year tribulation when, “many will be offended, will betray one another, and will hate one another” (Matt. 24:10) resulting in “the falling away” (2 Thess. 2:3), because many of God’s pastoral agent’s deceivingly redacted information of Jesus’ end-time narrative.
I do not trust church leadership that will not disclose the whole truth of the gospel. And by that I mean disclosing the beginning of one’s faith from repentance and conversion to the very end at the post-tribulation coming of the Lord Jesus for His elect. I will say again: a half-truth equals a whole lie, and an end-time half-truth will lead the offense and, “falling away” (2 Thess. 2:3).
The half-truth is that Jesus returns for His elect saints. But what’s missing is the “when” of His return; is it before or after the tribulation? The whole truth is the difference between the, “many will be offended, will betray one another, and will hate one another” (Matt. 24:10), from, “those who were ready went in with him to the wedding; and the door was shut” (Matt. 25:10), of Jesus’ parable of the 5 wise enduring virgins, and 5 foolish who didn’t, as they awaited the Bridegroom.
For salvation faith that endures to the end, Christians and their pastors must receive and believe by faith what Jesus and the Holy Spirit taught. Please note part of Peter’s second sermon of the New Covenant which you’ll likely not hear from your pastor because it destroys the pre-trib rapture lie. You must decide who you believe: Christ, or Satan’s pre-trib rapture tradition?
“Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, and that He may send Jesus Christ, who was preached to you before, 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 3:20–21).
Peter continued, “For Moses truly said to the fathers, ‘The Lord your God will raise up for you a Prophet [Christ] like me from among your brethren. Him you shall hear in all things, whatever He says to you. And it shall be that every soul who will not hear that Prophet shall be utterly destroyed from among the people” (Acts 3:22–23). [Bold emphasis mine]
Do you think God is serious here? Has your minister redacted vital end-time truths from you? The union of the beginning of our Christian faith to its very end was preached from the start of the New Covenant. And true pastors WILL preach and teach the same. Enduring salvation faith to the “restoration of all things” demands whole truth, but traditions of men destroys that truth.
What do you know about “the times of restoration of all things”? Has your pastor even taught you when this occurs? Because the very obvious truth is this, that, concerning the rapture, Christ, “must remain in heaven until the time comes for God to restore all things” (Acts 3:21 NIV). Yet, we know that at the rapture, “the Lord Himself will descend from heaven” (1 Thess. 4:16).
The descent of Christ from heaven at the rapture is synonymous with the, “restoration of all things” which is very important, yet most ministers refuse to teach that as they prefer to honor church tradition, thus “making the word of God of no effect through your tradition” (Mark 7:13).
God said, “the times of restoration of all things” (Acts 3:21) occurs at the last day of this present age, not before. Therefore, when, “the Lord Himself will descend from heaven” (1 Thess. 4:16) to consume Antichrist by “the brightness of His coming” (2 Thess. 2:8), that will occur “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), which is, “the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ” (Titus 2:13), after which God then makes, “new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells” (2 Peter 3:13) which constitutes, “the times of restoration of all things”.
This is perfectly harmonious with Jesus’ promise to gather His elect saints, “Immediately after the tribulation” (Matt. 24:29–31). Yet, chances are very high that your pastor has redacted Jesus’ Matthew 24 Olivet Discourse from his end-time preaching, if he even preaches on the end times. But what will you do when the church’s pre-trib rapture doctrine falls apart…and it will! Will you be part of the, “many will be offended” group, Jesus identified at Matthew 24:10?
Only you can remove yourself from the heresy of half-truths. Only you can prepare to endure this last generation to the last day because the organized church will NOT teach you the whole truth as it’s bound by traditions of men that make God’s end-time Word of no effect. God help the church! True pastors, however, will teach and defend the end-time truths Christ taught, that He gathers His elect saints, “Immediately after the tribulation” (Matt. 24:29–31).
And again, “it shall be that every soul who will not hear that Prophet [Christ] shall be utterly destroyed from among the people” (Acts 3:23). I didn’t say that, God did! I ask you again, do you think God is serious? God, speaking of His ancient special people Israel, who, for unbelief, He destroyed, repeatedly, said, “Now all these things happened to them as examples, and they were written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the ages have come” (1 Cor. 10:11).
God promised we are the final generation of this present age because we have seen Israel reborn, grow and flourish: see Matt. 24:32–35. It will not be too long before the first angel sounds, “And hail and fire followed, mingled with blood, and they were thrown to the earth. And a third of the trees were burned up, and all green grass was burned up” (Rev. 8:7). Are you prepared?
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths” (Prov. 3:5). To trust in the Lord with all our heart and to acknowledge Him in all our ways, is to actively believe His end-time Word in these critically important times. To believe Christ will motivate one to prepare to endure to the end.
Marlin J. Yoder
