Confessions of a Heretic

by Casey Van Tieghem

The Good Heretic
According to a Google search of the word heretic. A heretic is defined as:
"A person holding an opinion at odds with what is generally accepted."
The Bible doesn't have a definition of heretic in it, but the word heretic is used in many places in the
English translations.
A man that is a heretick after the first and second admonition reject;
- The Apostle Paul's letter to Titus (Titus 3:10)
The Apostle Peter wrote:
But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you,
who privly shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon
themselves swift destruction (2 Peter 2:1)
But this definition in the Apostle Paul's letter to the church at Corinth makes a division on purpose:
For there must also be heresies among you, that they which are approved may be made manifest among
you. (1 Cor 11:19)
The word "must" is here in the translation. This indicates to me that we should expect heresies to
happen. It's not good that there are false teachers, and false doctrines, but these must happen so what
we can see who is false, and who is not. I think the wisdom here is that false doctrines can sneak in
without anyone noticing, but if they are called out for what they are, they are no longer a secret.
Arguing is seen as a negative thing, but Paul argued on many occasions about doctrine. Much of what
he wrote was to correct false doctrine. He took a stand for what he believed, and he did not care if
what he believed was not popular, or was not accepted. Paul was cast out of synogogues, and the
temple for arguing what he believed.
Jesus is recorded to have said:
Think not that I am come to send peace on earth. I came not to send peace, but a sword.
The true Gospel is a polarizing thing, yet we see so many religious figures trying to unite the
monothestic religions into one. The proclamation that Jesus is Lord is very divisive, and many have
suffered for it. There are many man pleasers that are afraid to tell the truth for fear of rejection by
society.
So far you may be thinking I sound like a reasonable person and a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ, and
that's true. I'm very reasonable, and I believe that Jesus is Lord. You may be wondering what I believe
that would be so shocking to deserve such a title to this writing. I use the word heretic, because I feel
like a heretic, and I do have belief that are at odds with what is widely accepted. I'm in good company
apparently, because so was the Apostle Paul, Gallileo, Martin Luther, and the reformers. They were
called heretics, and they were heretics according to the definition that I searched on Google.
Where heretics can go wrong is if they feel superior to others, and get puffed up with pride. They try to
draw followers after themselves, and not followers of Jesus Christ. So I could be cute about it and say
I'm a good heretic. But enough about me, this is about what I believe.
The Confession
The Lord Jesus was recorded to have said:
Also I say unto you, Whoever shall confess me before men, him shall the Son of man also confess
before the angels of God. (Luke 12:8)
I believe that Jesus taught the 12 Apostles the Gospel message, and that Gospel would be
preached to the whole world. That Gospel has not changed over time, only the way it has been
taught has been slowly corrupted for about 2000 years. There still are many millions Christians
over this 2000 year period that will inherit the Kingdom of God, but many who say that they are
Christians, I believe do not believe the true Gospel.
From the very beginning the truth was under attack by the enemies of God. This is evident in
these early letters from the Apostles John, and Peter, and others, and also from the Apostle
Paul in his own letters, and what was recorded by Luke in the Acts of the Apostles.
This attack on the truth is part of a greater battle of the flesh against the Spirit. Virtually all of
the false doctrines, false movements, and errors can be attributed to some aspect of this battle
of flesh against Spirit. Most of these false doctrines deny this battle, and the consequences.
These can be very subtle thoughts which we don't intentionally express, but come out in our
words in our conversations, or they can be very obvious, like entire movements that delve into
evil occult practices under the guise of Christianity.
It is increasingly more difficult to identify the more subtle thoughts of the individual, and the
expressions of thier thoughts as being in error. Fortunately that is what the gifts of the Holy
Spirit are for. Some have the gift of discerning these errors. Others have the gift of prophecy,
and the Holy Spirit exposes deeds, and thoughts in a more direct manner. This is how the early
churches worked for the most part. But over 2000 years, men's traditions have crept in, and
this battle of flesh vs Spirit has resulted in the Church of Jesus Christ being infiltrated with
wolves in sheeps clothing. "But not my Church" they say. Not my Pastor.
We as Christians are in a battle. We are in a battle of flesh against the Spirit.
For the flesh lusteth agaings the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary
the one to the other. so that ye cannot do the things that ye would.
(Galatians 5:17)
Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin; and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth
death.
We in the flesh tend to think of things more in black and white, and that's part of the deception
of the flesh. When we think of sin we think of a set of rules to follow, and if we violate these
rules they are sin. While it's true that sin is a violation of the law, we need to understand
though the teaching of the Bible, as illuminated by the teaching of the spirit of truth (the Holy
Spirit) that there is a process that leads to sin, and that the old way of thinking of law, and
condemnation of the law is no longer in place, and there is a new way.
This new way is to instead of seeing that you cannot control what you do, and that you violate
the law, which results in condemnation, you take hold of the spirit of Truth in you guiding you
in all things, not just the fact that you have violated the law. What I mean by all things, is that
you have the mind of Christ. Your thoughts are godly thoughts. It starts with the thoughts and
intentions of the heart.
For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two edged sword, piercing
even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joins and marrow, and is a discerner of
the thoughts and intents of the heart.
(Hebrews 4:12)
I hear many Christians that are confident that they are saved quoting verses that proove that
they are saved. It's all external, and seems to have little to do with their own personal
experience, or the influence of the Holy Spirit directly on thier life. What I mean is there are
many verses that say we have the Holy Spirit who is able to save our souls from hell. What
about the verses that say how Holy Spirit.
In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in
whome also after ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise which is the
earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of
his glory.
(Ephesians 1:13-14)
These verses seem to prove to many Christians that if they believe a certain creed such as the
crucifixtion, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ that they now have this seal that guarantees
that no matter what they do they will inherit the Kingdom of God. And I could agree that this
verse could convince me of the same. But this is a crude literal, black and white way to look at
scripture. One rule of Bible study is to consider the audience. Paul is writing to the Ephesians
which seem to be a mature Church unlike other churches which seemed to have fallen away
from the original doctrines that Paul taught. I'm sure what is written applies to every Christian,
but there must be some order. You must start with some basic principles, then move on, in
order to understand the more difficult principles.
For when for the time ye ought to be teachers; ye have need that one teach you again which be
the first principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk, not of
strong meat.
Hebrews 5:12
Many so-called Christians don't even believe the true Gospel to begin with. So those verses
about being sealed can't possibly apply to them. Also there is so much confusion for the
Christians that really did repent, and receive the true Gospel, that they easily fall off the narrow
path, or become muted in regards to effectiveness in preaching, or teaching the truth. I know
this sounds really negative, but this is what Paul warned about even in the early days of the
Church. How can we have such a blissful, ostrich head buried in the sand outlook about
apostasy, when Paul said that this as recorded by Luke in Acts 20:
Also of your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples after
them. Therefore watch, and remember, that by teh space of three years I ceased not to warn
every one night and day with tears.
Acts 20
Did Paul have special knowledge that for some reason only the Ephesian church would be
subjedct to this attack on the truth? I don't think so. I think Paul warned of this everywhere he
went, and his letters all indicate that many in the church were falling away from the original
doctrine of Christ that Paul taught them.
This was around 2000 years ago, and what have we seen since then? First there was the
Gnostics around 50-150 AD, but I don't know if they really posed that much of a thread to
Christianity. I have doubts that that 1 John, 2 John, and 3 John was written about the Gnostics
as many teach, otherwise he would have said so. I think Gnosticism was too far removed from
the mainstream to have that great of an impact, but I could be wrong. At any rate we have the
Gnostics back then. But what we mainly had was two influences. There were Jews who were
trying to teach the Gentiles the laws and traditions of the Jews, saying that it was necessary for
them to be circumcised and follow the law in order to be saved. Paul wrote about this in
Galatians, and this matter was settled as recorded by Luke in Acts chapter 15 when it was
resolved that the Gentile believers in Jesus Christ through the Holy Spirit were taught the way
of righteousness without knowledge of the law. Then the other early attack on the Church was
simply doubts that were cast on who Jesus was, and if he really existed in person, or was a
spirit. This is similar to the Gnostic belief, and the influence is from the same spirit of error. At
any rate, Paul, and the other Apostles were very busy writing letters, visiting the churches,
correcting errors. For Paul it was a full time job. Why were these Christians so easily confused
when they had access to essientially masters of the Christian faith who actually knew Jesus
personally, or had seen him after he was resurrected? It seems like the obvious elephant in the
room, that so many Christians right now 200 years later could be easily deceived, but it's not
widely accepted. Most evangelicals believe that there is a set of doctrines that are essential,
then the rest are not essential. This is in stark contrast to what I believe which is every thought
and intent of the heart needs to be compared to the truth, otherwise a seemingly small error
could lead to perilous deception! Any error in doctrine is a small crack that could lead to larger
cracks. Now I am seeing very large cracks in commonly taught evangelical Christian doctrine
and it seems very few are warning about it.
The Old Testament shows the path to apostasy that the Isrealites took, and this was for our
understanding.
Please read 1 Corinthians 10, but here's part of it:
All were baptised unto Moses in the cloud of the sea; and did all eat the same spiritual meat;
and did drink the same spiritual drink; for they drank of that spiritual rock that followed them;
and that Rock was Christ. But with many of them god was not well pleased: for they were
overthrown in the wilderness. Now these things were our examples, to the intent we should
not lust after evil things, as they also lusted...
...Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples: and they are written for our
admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come. Wherefore let him that thinketh he
standeth take heed lest he fall.
(Excerpts from 1 Corinthians 10)
When the Isrealites were caught red handed in the act of Idolatry among other things, they
were punished, and rebuked. They repented, and with a repentant heart they took part in the
animal sacrifices. God wanted to destroy them, but Moses convinced God to have mercy on
them. All men have sinnned since Adam. Salvation has always been from the very beginning by
grace through faith. The animal sacrifices were types and shadows of things to come, and if
they were done in faith thier sins would be cleansed. But after time, thier hearts were
hardened, they continued to sacrifice animals, but it no longer covered thier sins, because they
did not have a repentent, obedient heart.
In burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin thou has not pleasure. Then said I, Lo, I (in the volume of
the book it is written of me) to do thy will, O God. (Hebrews 10:7)
Originally a few of the Israelites received the Gospel in faith, but in general they did not. Had
they receieved the Gospel in faith, the same way any Christian Jew would receive it after Jesus
had risen, they would be saved. The manner in which people are saved have not changed, it's
just that the sacrificial part of it has been fulfilled, when previously the sacrifices were a
foreshadow of things to come. Does that mean we should follow the law to be saved? The
correct order is Faith, with an obedient heart, then actions were to follow. For the Isrealites
they were instructed to follow the law of Moses, not strictly for salvation, but because they
were in need of law and order, and because they were set apart from the heathen by the law.
The law was to teach them what the Holy Spirit teaches us now. God spoke prophets, then
through Christ, then through the Apostles, then through Acts all kinds of men and women of
faith could receive the Holy Spirit. (see Hebrews 1).
Now most evangelicals carefully divide time into dispensations, and divided into multiple
Gospels, not one everlasting Gospel. The general Scofield/Darby dispensations are divided into
a time before the Flood, then from the time of the Flood to the Law of Moses, then the
dispensation of Grace which we are in, then back to the (?) during the Tribulation period, then
the Millenium, and finally eternity. It looks interesting, and sounds wonderful, but buried
within these doctrines is something more sinister, and something more dangerous than what it
seems. It suggests that at one time salvation was through works of the Law, which I contest it
never was. I say that salvation has always been by Grace through Faith, the only dispensations
there are is the fulfillment of a prophetic timeline.
Time and space does not permit me to correct every false doctrine that is widely held by
Evangelicals. There is much debate about questions that don't seem to really address the real
problem which is the battle of the flesh against the Spirit. Rather than teach the basics, we have
an assumption that we all know the basics, but some are confused about some doctrines, and
need to be corrected by a series of "proof verses". To me this only prooves that the people are
not examining every thought according to the truth, but instead still think that they can
intellectually convince others that they are superior. I think there are some very intelligent
people, and there are some that are more qualified to teach than others as God has given us
different natural abilities, and spiritual Gifts. Some are more educated, but can't communicate
well, while others are good communicators, and are brilliant minds. If everyting was in good
order, and everyone knew the basic principles of the faith, these discussions would be edifying,
but they usually end up in a name calling match, or some other carnal exchange.
Another danger is being in a group of like minded people talking about "them dispies" and
other things. It's always about them. Again there is a key teaching that we need to examine our
thoughts and intents constantly and see if they are in accord with the word of God, and
honestly ask for guidance from God.
We have millions of Christians that think that they have a natural sin nature, that they don't
need to be concerned about falling away because they are somehow going to be automatically
corrected by the Holy Spirit. They seem to be lost, because they don't even know the very
basics of the truth for salvation. They may have repented, and have some form of godliness,
and they have the teaching of the Holy Spirit, but they are not equipped to take part in a battle
that they refuse to even acknowledge the consequences of. These can be very intelligent
people, but it seems like they don't take thier God given intelligence, (that helps them discern
truth from error) to Bible studies. They can study various commentaries, and memorize
scripture, but they are mostly mindlessly repeating what they were taught.
What I see in Church now that I have opened my eyes is disturbing. I used to see the Mormon,
Jehova's Witness as the cults, and the Catholics, and Seventh Day Adventists were sort of a cult
that was slowly reforming. But now I see most of it as the same thing. That is kind of an
extreme saying, and please don't take it literally. I want to express the sentiment, that when I
left the Catholic church I saw things in a certain way. I could see that men feel inadequate
before such a great God, and they do things that are somewhat superstitious just in case. I saw
the Catholics had many rituals, which were based on some truth or concept in the Bible, but
had become empty of meaning because they were just done without anyone questioning why
they really to these things.
When the reform happened, I see that they kept many of the same rituals, and some of the
same practices. There is this hierarchy where the Pastor is usally the leader, and the
congregation must follow this leader. It's very subtle, and many Pastors are not so forceful
about being the boss. Some Pastors are Pastors because there was no one else to lead the
congregation so they volunteered out of humility. And in many places the Churches are edifying
I suppose. But I'm not fully convinced that the modern evangelical churches in America are
really feeding the flock. I can read the Bible, and ask for guidance and discern the right way
from the wrong way. I've read some books that explain why they do the things they do, some
of it orignating in the pre-Christian pagan rituals. I don't really see tradition, and rituals as a bad
thing either. I just think that they need to be integrated into Biblical teaching so that there is
nothing that is done that is not understood clearly by the congregation. I currently cannot find
a church that I feel right about going. The last time I went to a church, I felt really bad about it.
That could change. I'm trying to find out what really matters. I believe Church is important, but
we need to define what it is. I am not convinced that Church is just going to a building every
Sunday to meet with other Christians, although that could definitely be the central aspect of it. I
think may evangelicals could agree.
We have had about 2000 years of an attack on the Gospel. I believe God is able to prevent this
attack from destroying the Gopsel completely, but there is a greater plan of God that allows for
this apostasy to happen, so that the anti-Christ will rise, and be revealed. To put it simply, it is
God's way to seperate the sheep from the goats. There will be no lukewarm, just hot or cold. In
fact this could result in a revival of sorts, because as the persecution increases, the ones that
proclaim Jesus is Lord will not be able to sit on the fence, because if they are not strong, they
will accept the mark of the Beast. There will be mainly two kinds of people, those that have
accepted the Mark of the Beast, and those that are the tribulation saints.
The Whole Bible is for Salvation
The teachings of the Bible have been conveniently divided into theological sections.
Sotieriology is the study of salvation doctrine, Eschatology is the study of Bible Prophecy. This
like the dispensations suggests that your view of end time Bible events has nothing do to with
your salvation doctrine which is much more important. After all you should have a good
understanding of soteriology, or you might not be saved. But eschatology, well it's good to
know, but not essential. This is a subtle way of taking chunks of the Bible and throwing the way
like trach. I use that analogy to mean that some parts of the Bible are being de-valued as being
essential. I used to believe this, but I was really interested in eschatology. As a result of my
interest in eschatology, I read the Bible more, and studied it more carefully. That led me to
read things that made me understand this so called soteriology better.
When we study the Bible, we need to look at the big picture, and not divide the Bible into
sections. The Old Testament was a prophetic type and shadow of things to come. The Jews
failed to study the Bible as anything more than a list of dos and don'ts, so they did not
understand the prophecy of the coming Messiah. They imagined a Messiah that would do thier
will instead of a Messiah that would call you to do God's will. They didn't understand that in
order to inherit the Kingdom of God you need to enter into the kingdom in the heart, and
proclaim his kingdom with your words. They wanted a leader that would come and destroy the
Gentiles. Instead Jesus came to save the Gentiles.
Thier eschatology was full of lies, and deception, all based on the lusts of the flesh, thier pride.
Because they would not repent God allowed the Romans to conquer thier land, and place an
infidel as thier King. The prophets warned what would happen if they did not repent, but they
killed the prophets, and when Jesus came, they killed him too.
The Gospel is a prophetic message that is partly fulfilled. The proclamation that Jesus is Lord is
prophetic in itself. It is a warning that Jesus will come to judge the world for it's sin, and that he
has the power to condemn people to the lake of fire.
Here Peter full of the Holy Spirit addresses the Jews on the day of Pentecost
This Jesus hat God raised up, whereof we were all witnesses. Therefore being by the right hand
of God exhalted, and having received of the Father the promise of the Holy Ghost, he has shed
for this, which ye now see and hear. For David is not ascended into the heavens; but he saith
himself, The LORD (Jehovah) said unto my Lord. Sit though on my right hand. Until I make thy
foes a footstool. Therefore let the house of Isreal know asuredly, that God hath made that same
Jesus, whom ye have crucified both Lord and Christ. Now then they heard this, they were pricked
in thier heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall
we do? Then Peter said unto them, Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of
Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. For the
promise is to you, and your chilren, and to alll that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our
God shall call. (Acts 2:32-39)
This is the Gospel message, but is the Gospel something that you can just teach someone, and
they once they believe it are saved? Or is the Gospel message the whole truth about Jesus
Christ that the Holy Spirit affirms as you hear it, and read scripture? In other words, I propose
that the knowledge of salvation is an ongoing thing, not just a one time mental ascent to a
certain truth. The initial message of the Gospel is the message of God's love, and how Holy
Jesus died for sinners. This message is not mental ascent, but a message that destroys the
feelings, and thoughts that keep us apart from God. It's not as though hearing this, and
believing this message is just some facts that you are required to believe to be saved. This is a
message that has an impact on our lives. When people hear this message in faith, it breaks the
bondage of sin immediately, and people who were prostitutes, thieves, drunkards, perverts, are
immediately released, and in some cases never repeat the same offenses. It is one great victory
for Jesus, and the believer. But is the war won? Is the battle over? Why is there all this writing
about the flesh waging war against the spirit?
It's an ongoing message, and has great depth to it. The teachings - all of them, not just the so
called Gospel message are edifying to the church. The edification is like food, it feeds the soul
with hope, and warns of the consequence of taking your eyes off the prize, and taking your eyes
off of Christ. Babes in Christ only need meet, because they recently heard the message and are
exited about it. Read the parable of the sower in Matthew 13. In real life, a baby drinks
mother's milk, but the baby grows, and can't survive on milk, they must move on to meat,
because milk only provides the basics to survive I suppose. All I know is that I've never heard of
an all milk diet, so there must be a reason for that. So the meat of the word are these other
things that you need to know to keep your hope. It tells you how to endure persecution, how
to avoid falling into sin, it warns you to keep watch of false teachers. It keeps you watching.
And the prophetic teachings in Revelation, and other places are there to keep you watching,
and keep you hoping. They serve a specific purpose, and are edifying, and necessary to keep
alive just like food, only it's not just the milk of the word. Many don't even have the milk,
because they accept the Gospel as head knowledge, but don't accept it in the heart, and with
the true faith that will set them free.
So all at once you are not going to know this. But you can learn some basic concepts, that you
are in a battle of flesh vs spirit. Since you are in this battle, you should be aware that any
doctrine that you hear can either be from God, or could be from the enemy. Just because a
Christian believes a lie, does not mean they are on the side of the devil. These are just confused
people. We are all a little confused. We don't have to know it all to be saved, but we need to
grow in knoweldge, and strength.
So you should be able to discern this. What fleshly desire does this appeal to?
For all that is in the wordl, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is
not of the Father, but is of the world 1 John 2:16
You can't really make a list of all the evil things you can do, but you can sort of categorize them
into what parts of the body they appeal to. Pride apeals to the head, I suppose, but it causes
you to be arrogant and stubborn among other things. So before I hear some new doctrine, or
accept correction from a brother or sister in Christ, I want to know what they are trying to
accomplish. What is thier goal? Is it something "interesting". I used to love to listen to Pastor
Chuck Missler, because so much of what he said was interesting. But this is a form of
entertainment. Life is interesting, and there's nothing wrong with being interesting, but there
are many important things to know that are not interesting, and what if I say something that
doesn't agree with Chuck Missler, but is not as interesting. What if the truth is kind of obvious
and dull in some cases? But people get hooked into these interesting things, and many books,
DVD's, and lectures are sold by so called prophecy experts. So the motivation is clear here,
there is money to be had in selling books, and it's an interesting topic. I used to be into this, but
when I read the Bible to make sense of all this, it was really confusing, and I just had to assume
that these experts just knew better than me, so I would have to buy more books to learn more
instead of just reading the Bible, and praying for guidance.
If I had understood this concept that something interesting is more appealing than the truth in
some cases, then I might have been more skeptical when listening, and I would have caught the
error. But instead, I was just blown by every wind of doctrine that came my way, one expert
after another had a better theory than the last one, and since it wasn't about salvation, I could
just absorb all this information and indulge in this fantasy. It was sin, but I had no idea it was
sinful. Why is that?
The Glory of the Return of Jesus Christ
So I used to believe in Darby/Scofield dispensationalism, and it's appealing centerpiece a secret
Pre-Tribulation rapture. I used to hope that the rapture would come soon, especially if I was
having a bad day. It was an alternative to suicidal thoughts I suppose. So I used to believe this.
What changed my mind? I assure you that no experts convinced me any different, but I did find
some people who did seem to be true experts that agreed with me on many points. The key to
understanding the so called timing of the rapture is to understand what the rapture really really
is, and why there is a rapture in the first place. But I must repeat and I have repeated regarding
eschatology, that this is a dangerous belief, alhtough somewhat intellecually appealing to
discuss, I believe this is very important to understand.
When asked in the past I used to have a saying that would make me look open-minded, and
sophisticated. "Well, I am a pre-trib rapture believer, but after reading 2 Thessalonians 2 I am
leaning toward a mid-trib view.". Wow I'm so impressed! So you are wishy washy. Great.
Sounds like you have no clue. Well actually I did have a clue, and that clue was 2 Thessalonains
2. Reading this, even after hearing the commentaries from the pre-trib experts, I could not
avoid doubting that there was a pre-tribulation rapture. But I still was confused. That's because
I didn't know what the rapture was, or why it happened exactly. It didn't make sense to me why
these things happen the way they do, and I just thought it was a mystery.
So the Pre-Trib Darby/Scofield rapture view that I sort of had was like this:
Right now we are in a dispensation period of time called "Grace". Jesus will partially return,
only to the clouds, but he will not touch the earth. When he comes, nobody will see him except
the Christian believers. But the Christian believers will vanish, and be immediately taken to
heaven in the blink of an eye. Jesus will be returning to heaven with the believers. There will
be some false Christians that will be left behind after the rapture. They will have to endure
persecution, and face the severe tribulation as punishment for not believing in Christ at the
right time. Also the Jews who did not believe in Jesus Christ will see that the Christians
disappeared, and this will convince them that Jesus is the Messiah. They will still have to obey
the law, because the dispensation of Grace will be over. In the midde of this 7 year tribulation
period, the Anti-Christ will turn agains the Jews who he made a deal with at the beginning of
the 7 year period with, and persecute them. Everyone who does not accept Christ during this 7
year period will be forced to accept the Mark of the Beast which is the number 666. When Jesus
returns at the end of the 7 year period, Jesus will throw everyone that has the Mark of the
Beast and throw them into the Lake of Fire where they will burn forever.
That's it. Well I changed my mind often back then, so some details are different. But this is how
I used to think for the most part, and this is how millions of evangelicals think from discussing it
with them. The part about the return of Jesus at the beginning of the 7 years being a secret is
becoming less popular. The Tim LaHay Left Behind series of books seems to portray Christians
who were left behind as heroes in this sophisticated plot which spans a series of books that sell
millions.
So you see the multiple Gospels there, and this punishment for not believing at the right time,
and this secret rapture. So what is the real rapture?
Although, I was Mid-Trib "leaning" I still took seriously spirit filled Pentacostal teachers that
warned to repent and watch for the rapture. Some of the sermons were more severe than
others. One sermon really got me thinking about one aspect of the rapture. I think he kept
saying "You can't be distracted when that final trumpet sounds, or you will not be raptured.".
So I was concerned that with all the distractions of the world I might not hear this trumpet. It
left me wondering what this trumpet would sound like, who would hear it, who would blow the
trumpet, what I was supposed to do when I hear the trumpet, and why? All these questions
were racing in my mind, and it seemed like I needed to know sooner than later. So I was
praying for guidance. "Lord could you show me what this trumpet to sound like, and what to
expect?". As soon as those words came out of my mouth (or I thought those thoughts) I heard
a very frank, simple answer which was pretty much "Didn't I put the answer to the question in
the Bible? Read it and believe what you read.". And almost immediately I was thinking to read
Matthew 24, because I recalled that there was a trumpet in that passage.
So I turned to Mattew 24 and read:
And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his
elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other. (Matthew 24:31)
Immedately I started to look at this verse throught the eyes of these so called end times
prophecy experts. This was described as being the final trumpet when Jesus returns after the 7
years. But I was told "Read the Bible, and what you read, believe it."
So I had a choice. I could either listen to the experts, or I could study this on my own, and
accept the possiblity that this is the trump of the rapture. So with an obedient heart, I accepted
the possibility that I was wrong, and that this verse would disrupt my beliefs. That kind of hurt
my pride, but I knew that pride could get in the way, so I accepted the possibility that this
scripture would disrupt my belief. Since I had believed that this was the second coming of Jesus
Christ. I read the whole explanation that is in Matthew 24-25 over and over. I could clearly see
that this trumpet, and gathering had happened after the tribulation. I had previously believed
that the tribulation saints would be gathered when Jesus returned. But it did not say in these
verses that Jesus actually came to Earth. Just like in the classic rapture verse, Jesus descends
from heaven, and there is a trump sound, and it does not mention Jesus touching the Earth.
Let's compare the two Matthew and Paul's writings:

Matthew 24
29 Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon
shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall
be shaken:
30 And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of
the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power
and great glory.
31 And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together
his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.
1 Thessalonians 4
16 For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the
archangel, and with the trump of God; and the dead in Christ shall rise first; 17 Then we which
are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in
the air; and so shall we ever be with the Lord.
My Assemblies of God Pastor would make this little joke in his sermons. He would say "In the
Greek this word means..." and then he would say the exact word that the English translation
had. So in 1 Thessalonians 4:17 where is says "to meet the Lord in the air" the Greek word
means "air". Comparing the two verses, we see in Matthew 24:30 "the Son of man coming in
the clouds of heaven" these clouds of heaven are the masses of saints who passed away before
the return of Christ. They are returning to Earth. So Jesus is clearly descending from Heaven
hear. In 1 Thessalonians it's more clear that Jesus is descending from heaven "the Lord himself
shall descen from heaven with a shout". In both verses Jesus is returning. If you read further in
Thessalonians, and Matthew you will not see any mention of Jesus actually setting foot on the
Earth. So just because it doesn't mention Jesus setting foot does it mean he doesn't?
Imagine you go to the Doctor and discuss test results. He says to you. "I see you are showing
symptoms of this disease so we tested you for it. The test results came in with a negative
result. These negavtive results don't mean you do not have the disease, because you can test
negative and positive for the disease, but still have the disease. If you tested postive that would
confirm that you have this disease."
In Matthew 24 two things are obvious. First it's obvious that this happens after the tribulation.
29 Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will
not give its light; the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken.
30 Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, and then all the tribes of the earth
will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and
great glory. 31 And He will send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they will gather
together His elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.
The second thing that is obvious is that everyone sees him. These two facts conflict with the
pre-tribulation rapture theroy. So based on this should we conclude that this is not describing
the rapture? Absolutely not. In a sound Bible study should consider that the event in 1
Thessalonian 4 is the same event as in Mattew 24 without any pre-conceived notions. We
should assume so unless we find any evidence to the contrary. If the shoe fits wear it.
First we find a suitable context where the subject is first mentioned. This passage essentially
begins with verse 13, and the context ends in the next chapter 1 Thess 5:9
So I read 1 Thessalonians 4:13-5:9 as objectively as I could I asked the 5 W's: Who, What,
Where, When and Why?
1Th 4:13 But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep,
that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope.
1Th 4:14 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in
Jesus will God bring with him.

We should not assume that Paul is writing concerning the same question that the disciples asked
in Matthew 24. Jesus is talking about the signs of the times, and the coming of the next age.
Paul is merly talking about the resurrection, which co-incides with the return of Jesus
Christ, and the gathering.

1Th 4:15 For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain
unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep.

So Paul is explaining that you should not have sorrow, because they will be resurrected. The
wording is kind of tricky in this translation, so it might be necessary to compare
translations, and know the Greek. But there is simple logic herre if you make no
assumptions other than what would be common sense. In other words if Jesus is expected to
return, then it would be common sense to assume that he would return only once, unless
there is some other reason to believe otherwise. So the most simple explanation here is that
when Jesus returns the resurrection of those that are asleep will happen. But then the
question remains. What happens to those that are still alive when Jesus comes? The next
couple verses answers that question.

1Th 4:16 For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the
archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:

Again, we shoud assume with no pre-conceived notions here that Jesus only returns one time.
There is no mention of when this happens. Jesus descends from heaven, then the
resurrection happens.


1Th 4:17 Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the
clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.

This resolves the problem of what happens to those that are still alive. Jesus has a body that is
in a physical space, and so do the resurrected believers. If Jesus returns and we meet Jesus
in the air (literally air - check the Greek), then we need to move from where we are (the four
corners of the Earth) to where He is. Where is he? He has just now descended from heaven,
and he is in the air above the Earth. He is not touching the ground. We see a process here
that is necessary.

1. Jesus needs to descend from heaven to meet us in the air.
2. When this happens the resurrection happens.
3. Since Jesus descends to the air, and he's in a single point in space, in order to meet him, we
need to gather to where he is.

1Th 4:18 Wherefore comfort one another with these words.

This verse is often mis-used to say that we should comfort one another with this message that
there will be a rapture. But in the context there is no indication that the people who are
raptured is the main topic. The main topic is the question of what happens to Christians when
they "fall asleep", and if we should morn their death. Paul is saying that we should not morn,
they are only asleep as he describes it, and they will be resurrected. He then describes what will
happen when we meet them.
There is no mention of Jesus actually touching the Earth in this chapter or in the next chapter.
When reading about the coming of Jesus in many places there is no mention of where he
returns to. If you read other parts of the Bible, there is an explanation of where he returns to.
Jesus ascends to Heaven from the Mt. of Olives. The angels say that he will return in the same
manner as he left. Should we take this literally? Apparently so, because Zecharia 14:4 describes
Jesus returning to stand on the mount of Olives. So it's not mentioned that Jesus touches the
earth hardly anywhere in scripture except these to places. The rest of the places it just says
Jesus will come, or return, or descend from Heaven, or appear in the clouds of Heaven.
Act 1:9 And when he had spoken these things, while they beheld, he was taken up; and a cloud
received him out of their sight.
Act 1:10 And while they looked stedfastly toward heaven as he went up, behold, two men stood
by them in white apparel;
Act 1:11 Which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same
Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen
him go into heaven.
Act 1:12 Then returned they unto Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet, which is from
Jerusalem a sabbath day's journey.

Zec 14:4 And his feet shall stand in that day upon the mount of Olives, which is before
Jerusalem on the east, and the mount of Olives shall cleave in the midst thereof toward the
east and toward the west, and there shall be a very great valley; and half of the mountain
shall remove toward the north, and half of it toward the south.

So without any pre-conceived notions that come from pre-tribulation teachings, we can more
vividly see what is going on. We can put the pieces together and ascertain the truth of the
matter. We still need to find out if there is anything in scripture that is contrary to the most
simple explanation which is a single return of Jesus and a resurrection/gathering when Jesus
comes.
It also does not mention anywhere in scripture that the rapture takes Christians to heaven, and
this makes no sense in the context of 1 Thessalonians 4. This caused me confusion in the past.
A Pre-Trib believer said that the Post-Tribulation rapture makes no sense because Jesus returns
to Earth for the rapture, then goes to heaven, only to come back immediately to Earth. But if
the Bible doesn't say the rapture takes Christians, then the most simple explanation is that the
rapture doctrine as a whole is flawed. The rapture itself must be clarified in order to avoid this
confusion.
It's very simple, and perhaps it's not exiting. It's also a freigtening prostpec to think of the
possiblity that you, or I would have to endure through the Tribulation. Surely we are not
appointed to endure the wrath of tribulation.
Those Poor Tribulation Saints
This leads to getting a better understanding of what the tribulation really is. Again, we have a
dual Gospel. We have those that are raptured who don't endure any wrath, then we have those
who are left behind who have to endure persecution as well as wrath from God. That sounds
incredibily difficult, to endure wrath and persecution at the same time, and have to avoid the
Mark of the Beast.
Things right now are getting worse and worse. Persecution of Christians could get worse, and
were bad at least in the time of Paul. Paul was persecuted. They faced trials and tribulations. In
2000 years there has been earthquakes, disease, and all kinds of disasters, and they are getting
worse. Yet no Christian would say that these events are the wrath of God on them. But you
could say that these are the signs of the End coming. In Revelation all the great judgements
seem to happen to select groups of people.
Rev 18:4 And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people, that ye be
not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues.

Here it sounds like you can avoid the plagues by not partaking in her sins. If this happens during
the tribulation it looks like God could protect you. All the plagues happened to the Pharoah in
Egypt, but they didn't seem to happen to the Isrealites in the land of Goshen, or at least the
death of the firstborn plague did not happen to the Isrealites.
Rev 16:2 And the first went, and poured out his vial upon the earth; and there fell a noisome
and grievous sore upon the men which had the mark of the beast, and upon them which
worshipped his image.

You won't receive this plague if you don't have the mark of the beast.
Rev 12:6 And the woman fled into the wilderness, where she hath a place prepared of God, that
they should feed her there a thousand two hundred and threescore days.

This woman seemed to have a place to go that God had prepared for her for 1290 days which is
about 3 1/2 years. Is the tribulation really 7 years. I question that too, but that's another long
study.
So what fleshly appeal does the Pre-Trib rapture have? One of the strong points of the Pre-
Trbulation doctrine is that it's a warning to get right before God before it's too late. That's good
advice we can all agree with. But does good advice mandate a doctrine. What if God in his great
wisdom is patiently waiting for all men to repent, and the tribulation will be a way to get luke
warm Christians to repent? We can't base our doctrine on what sounds right. We need to base
it on the facts.
Does the Pre-Trib rapture view teach a realistic view of the trials, and tribulations that
Christians might endure? Absolutely not, because there is no tribulation for Grace era
Christians.
This is what Corrie Ten Boom, a Christian who protected the Jews from the Nazi's in World War
II said about the Pre-Tribulation rapture view:
"There are some among us teaching there will be no tribulation, that the Christians will be able
to escape all this. These are some of the false teachers that Jesus was warning us to expect in
the latter days. Most of them have little knowledge of what is already going on across the
world. I have been in countries where the saints are already suffering terrible persecution.
In China, the Christians were told, Don't worry, before the tribulation comes you will be
translated raptured. Then came a terrible persecution. Millions of Christians were tortured
to death. Later I heard a Bishop from China say, sadly,
We have failed. We should have made the people strong for persecution rather than telling
them Jesus would come first. Tell the people how to be strong in times of persecution, how to
stand when the tribulation comes to stand and not faint.
I feel I have a divine mandate to go and tell the people of this world that it is possible to be
strong in the Lord Jesus Christ. We are in training for the tribulation, but more than sixty
percent of the Body of Christ across the world has already entered into the tribulation. There is
no way to escape it. We are next. "
As Pre-Tribulation Christians see things getting worse and worse, they think that they are
getting closer to being taken out of this. Instead of preparing for the worse, they are preparing
for the bliss of heaven. It's great that they are warning people to repent before the rapture,
but even then it still suggests that there is a second chance. I've heard many Christians accept
the fact that they probably will be left behind. The Left Behind series of book makes heros out
of these luke warm, or phony Christians who were left behind.
I consider this whole doctrine to be an insult to the Lord Jesus Christ, and it denies certain
aspects of his glory. Jesus returns secretly, nobody sees him come? Really? I don't think so.
When Jesus comes it will be glorious! Jesus returns, only to go back to heaven for 7 years.
Really? Why does he need to return to take Christians to heaven? The spirit of error denies the
glory, and Lordship of Jesus Christ.
The Everlasting Gospel
The whole message of Darby/Scofield dispensationalism, and it's center piece, the rapture
doctrine is rife with errors. Multiple Gospels. It suggests that the Jews were saved by the
works of the Law at one time, and will be in the future. That's wrong. Works never saved
anyone. Paul wrote about Faith in Hebrews, in every example there was an act. None of
these acts were suggesting that the works of the law saved them. They all trusted God, and
acted in Faith, and they were saved by Grace

Rev 14:6 And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to
preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and
people,
Rev 14:7 Saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgment
is come: and worship him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of
waters.
through faith.
The angel does not say. Do the works of the law you Jews and you will be saved.
Dispensationalism is used to split the Bible into convenient sections that don't need to be read.
They toss out Revelation because it doesn't apply to them. They toss about Hebrews because
they think it was written for legalistic Jews. Some even think that James was a legalistic
pharisee when he wrote this:
Jas 2:24 Ye see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only.
Jas 2:25 Likewise also was not Rahab the harlot justified by works, when she had received the
messengers, and had sent them out another way?
Jas 2:26 For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.

Do they think it contracticts Romans which says:
Eph 2:8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
Eph 2:9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.

But what does the next verse say?

Eph 2:10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God
hath before ordained that we should walk in them.

So what this is saying is that we are not saved by our works, but that God has made us to do
good works.
There is so much confusion out there, we must start with the very beginning. We need to
understand the parable of the sower correctly. We need to read the whole Bible Old and
Testament and apply it as "admonition to us". The doctrine is there, and it's clear, in the Old
and New Testament. Read the Bible with a new pair of eyes. Carefully question everything that
you were taught by men.