| ESCHATOLOGY has been subjected to more bold and careless assertions
than any other branch of theology, because we all must WAIT until the 2nd
Coming of Jesus Christ to find out WHO WAS RIGHT. Therefore, men are
willing to take liberties with the interpretation of prophecy that they
dare not take with any other theological subject, and have filled the world
with an assortment of various and contradictory "scenarios" for
how the World-Story ENDS. This "liberty" to have and assert one's
own opinions about prophecy can be seen by examining the available commentaries
on The Book of Revelation; in which you will see INFINITE variations
on the interpretation of the symbols and events described. We all rather
doubt that we have heard the last word on these things, so, anyone who
can come up with "a new twist" on how to interpret The Book
of Revelation is assured of at least temporary celebrity status. |
| FTER READING more than 20 commentaries on the Revelation, which
were written at different times by various men who held to an assortment
of theological persuasions, I only arrived at a few firm conclusions. Nearly
every commentator was able to produce a most convincing argument in behalf
of his own peculiar way of interpreting certain and particular symbols
and passages. NOT a SINGLE ONE of these commentators was able to adhere
to his own rules for interpretation throughout the book: but all found
it necessary to compromise their previously established principles to avoid
flatly contradicting one or more of their fundamental premises. I truly
respect these men for making the attempt, and I certainly do not think
that I could do any better. |
| THE FASCINATION that men have always had with the Book of Revelation
springs from the one thing they ALL agree on: it does tell us HOW the World-Story
ENDS. We look into this strange and baffling Book to find ourselves;
to see if we can find OURSELVES among those who survive the Final Conflict.
We wish to see ourselves described among the Righteous: we look to find
our religious adversaries described among The Doomed. We wish to know HOW
LONG we shall have to WAIT until this Present Age ENDS: for we are taxed;
for we are tired: we are weary with the constant toil and disappointment
of this present life. Our hearts ache with longing for The Day, when God
shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death,
neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the
former things are passed away (Rev. 21:4). |
| YET WE ALSO KNOW that not everyone will find vindication and comfort
in that INFINITELY REVEALING MOMENT: in which it will be IMPOSSIBLE to
DECEIVE, PROCRASTINATE, or MAKE EXCUSES any more; for the fearful and
unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers,
and idolaters, |
| shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone:
which is the SECOND DEATH (Rev. 21:8). |
| AT FIRST GLANCE, this "list of the damned" appears to have
overlooked the infamous False Prophet: the perennial "bad guy"
of the Bible; but he is there all right. In The End, every FALSE PROPHET
is found out to be JUST a LIAR............a common....... ordinary.......liar. |
| CERTAINLY, no one more deserves to be called a LIAR than the
man who MISREPRESENTS God; but that cannot mean that everyone who has EVER
spoken amiss "for or about" God ends up being "labeled"
as a LIAR by The Judge. For in many things we offend all. If
any man offend not in word, the same is a perfect man, and able also to
bridle the whole body (James 3:2). |
| A man may very well think that he has heard from God, and tell others
what he has "heard" with the best of intentions. A man may also
temporarily misunderstand something he has read in the Bible, and teach
others the same. It is always evil to MISREPRESENT God: but there is a
BIG DIFFERENCE between the man whose error is the product of reckless enthusiasm,
and any man who with PREMEDITATION and for a DEFINITE PURPOSE will CONSPIRE
to DISTORT or CONCEAL certain information which might discredit the "doctrine"
he prefers to preach. You can see that God makes an "accommodation"
for the POSSIBILITY of ERROR THROUGH IGNORANCE in the wording of the 9th
Commandment. |
| The 10 Commandments were written with the finger of God
(Ex. 31:18), so the FORM of this Commandment must express PRECISELY what
God wanted to say to us about "telling the Truth". Every repetition
of this Commandment in the Bible occurs in this SAME FORM, and when Our
Lord Jesus repeats it, He reduces it to Thou shalt not bear false witness
(Matt. 19:18). The 9th Commandment DOES NOT READ "Thou shalt
not tell less than the perfect truth". For now we see through a
glass darkly; but then face to face: now I know IN PART; but then
shall I know even also as I am known (1 Cor. 13:12). Since we now
only know in part; EVERYTHING we say contains the ERROR OF IGNORANCE
in part. If we are meant to understand the 9th Commandment
as a prohibition against saying ANYTHING that is not TOTALLY and PERFECTLY
True; it then becomes a Commandment against SPEECH itself; for EVERYTHING
we EVER SAY is somewhat less than the PURE and TOTAL Truth. |
| The 9th Commandment condemns the man who with PREMEDITATION,
conspires to DISTORT, or SELECTIVELY reveal, or SELECTIVELY conceal, INFORMATION;
for the purpose of preventing his hearers from being able to make an INFORMED
and INDEPENDENT judgement. Before anyone can bear false witness;
they have to have been a witness of something FIRST. The false
witness has SEEN and KNOWN something; but he INTENTIONALLY misrepresents
what he has SEEN and KNOWN in order to promote HIS OWN personal AGENDA:
he doesn't want all the facts to be known, because some of them may work
against his purpose. There are MANY, MANY WAYS to tell a LIE; and a really
clever liar can tell a GREAT BIG LIE without telling any "lies";
for by selectively revealing certain verifiable facts, and by selectively
concealing other EQUALLY verifiable facts, he has left his listener with
a COMPLETELY FALSE impression. |
| Most of the FALSE PROPHETS who will eventually be branded as "JUST
LIARS", and be thrown into the lake which burneth with fire
and brimstone, will be men who, for the sake of personal ambition or
the protection of selfish interests, have conspired to selectively reveal
Biblical testimony which APPEARS to confirm the doctrines they prefer to
preach; while CONCEALING or PRETENDING IGNORANCE of other equally verifiable
Biblical testimony which APPEARS to contradict the "doctrines"
they prefer to preach. They bear false witness to what they have
SEEN and KNOWN by presenting a DISTORTED or INCOMPLETE picture. |
| A clergyman who is "employed" as a Pastor or Priest in that
"other" Denomination is REQUIRED to subscribe to and teach that
particular doctrine that YOU KNOW cannot be supported from the Bible. One
day, as he is reading the Bible, he notices one of THOSE VERSES that OUTRIGHT
CONTRADICT that doctrine. This troubles him somewhat, so he decides to
do a full scale investigation into the matter: BUT, the more he looks into
the matter, the more apparent it becomes that the Bible CONTRADICTS the
"official doctrine" of his Denomination. He has now SEEN and
KNOWN something which CONTRADICTS the "party line"; but nobody
knows what he has SEEN AND KNOWN but himself and God, so far. You have
ALWAYS KNOWN about THAT verse; and you also know that anyone who reads
the Bible very much will come across THAT VERSE, or others like it. You
simply cannot imagine how any HONEST MAN could read THAT VERSE and MANY
OTHER VERSES that you know about, and CONTINUE to teach that FALSE DOCTRINE! |
| Now THIS CLERGYMAN has seen THAT VERSE; and during his investigation,
he ran across ALL THOSE OTHER VERSES that YOU know about. He has become
thoroughly acquainted with ALL YOUR REASONS for believing what you believe. |
| AND NOW, if this clergyman is going to continue to teach that SAME DOCTRINE
just as he always has; he must CONSPIRE to DISTORT or CONCEAL the information;
which would, if revealed, appear to challenge or contradict the OFFICIAL
DOCTRINE of his Denomination. . . . . .RIGHT? |
| BUT IF this clergyman comes right out and DISAGREES WITH or DENOUNCES
the OFFICIAL DOCTRINE of his Denomination; he gets "fired" and
loses his "job". . . . . .RIGHT? |
| SO THERE HE IS. . . . . .sitting at his desk in the privacy of his office,
with his Bible open; STARING in perplexity at THAT VERSE that YOU know
about. What do you think that he will do? |
| AND WHAT IF HE JUST DECIDES to PRETEND that he didn't understand THAT
VERSE, and ALL THOSE OTHER VERSES that you know about? And what if he decides
to just "forget" that he EVER SAW those verses that YOU KNOW
ABOUT? And what if he just goes on preaching that SAME OLD FALSE DOCTRINE
as if he NEVER HAD A REASON to question it? And what if he ALSO begins
to compose some kind of LONG-WINDED BOGUS ARGUMENT for the defense of his
"Official Doctrine", just in case someone in his congregation
brings up THAT VERSE? Would you respect such a man? Do you think that SUCH
A MAN actually FEARS God and LOVES Truth? Let me "clear the air"
for you on these questions. . . . |
| Any man who is willing to DISTORT or CONCEAL certain facts in order
to "prop up" or leave unchallenged certain "doctrines"
for the sake of his own career or popularity cares neither for the Glory
of God, NOR for the welfare of the people he preaches to. Jesus said: The
Truth will make you FREE (John 8:32). Such a man DOES NOT CARE whether
his congregation hears the Truth or not; and he also does not care whether
they experience that freedom Jesus promised or not: his rightful place
is in the lake of fire. |
| Some of those who conspire to distort and conceal certain facts for
evil and selfish purposes have NEVER actually SEEN and KNOWN the facts
they wish to suppress. They simply do not want to CHANCE seeing, learning,
or knowing ANYTHING that may challenge or discredit their present doctrine
or course of action. These are the only people who actually think that
IGNORANCE is BLISS; because they think that if they can "somehow"
remain IGNORANT, they have escaped ACCOUNTABILITY to God for what they
have REFUSED to SEE. Such men usually adopt their religious opinions from
their family and friends without serious reflection, and they treat all
challenges or probing questions which are directed to their "faith"
with smug indifference. They studiously avoid contact with literature or
people that may require that they produce a reason for their opinions,
or a response to challenging evidence. If some ANNOYING FACT manages to
disturb them for a moment, they exert themselves to ignore or reject that
fact until their sense of insecurity fades: they are rarely disturbed by
unanswered questions about God, or Truth, or prayer, or justice: they live
in THE BLISS OF THE DAMNED. |
| The ostrich that sticks his head in the sand to escape the sight of
the charging lion is NEVERTHELESS still torn limb from limb and
devoured by that lion. The man who thinks that ignorance of Bible
Truth is BLISS has stuck his head in the Devils Dung Heap, and he won't
even know that the lion was EVER coming until it is TOO LATE (1
Peter 5:8). He is a LIAR, for he has conspired to CONCEAL THE FACTS;even from himself. To those who think that WILLFUL IGNORANCE of the Bible
will amount to some kind of "innocence", God has spoken this:
Because I have called, and ye refused; I have stretched out My hand,
and no man regarded; but ye have set at nought all My counsel, and would
none of My reproof; I also will LAUGH at YOUR CALAMITY; I will MOCK when
YOUR FEAR COMETH (Prov. 1:24-26). |
| IMAGINE 2 chemists who are racing to discover a MEDICINE which will
cure a terrible disease which is infecting thousands of people. They both
discover that a certain formula seems to slow down the disease. They both
go racing off to the patent office, and they both secure the right to market
the same medicine. But one of these chemists is not quite satisfied, so
he continues his research for a little longer, and he discovers, that by
adding JUST ONE PERCENT of an ADDITIONAL compound, that the medicine becomes
TWICE as EFFECTIVE. He abandons his "original formula", and secures
the exclusive right to make and sell his "new formula". The other
company, by law, is not allowed to copy and sell the "new formula".
There is an awful lot of money at stake. |
| Now both formulas are made available to the public. BOTH formulas have
a curative effect; but ONE formula is TWICE AS EFFECTIVE as the other.
The formulas are the same, EXCEPT, one formula has THAT ONE PERCENT DIFFERENCE. |
| Someone in your family comes down with the dreaded disease, so you go
looking to find the medicine that will help them. You find yourself looking
at 2 bottles of MEDICINE that both CLAIM to have a curative effect. BOTH
bottles are covered with ADVERTISING, and they BOTH CLAIM to be THE BEST;
but ONE BOTTLE has these "magic words" on it: "THE ORIGINAL
FORMULA" and "ACCEPT NO SUBSTITUTES". Well, that's all you
need to see; you're NOT ABOUT to be giving any "substitutes"
to YOUR loved one; neither are you willing to be "led astray"
by someone who CLAIMS that their "version" is SUPERIOR to "THE
ORIGINAL FORMULA". You already know that "THE ORIGINAL FORMULA"
works, and you are unwilling to conduct any "experiments" on
your loved-one, so, "THE ORIGINAL FORMULA" is what you buy, and
what they get . |
| The "ORIGINAL FORMULA" helps; but NOT ENOUGH, for your loved
one eventually DIES from the disease. Then, you begin to hear that the
formula that has the ONE PERCENT DIFFERENCE is keeping people ALIVE until
they recover from the disease. SUDDENLY, that ONE PERCENT DIFFERENCE has
become INFINITELY IMPORTANT. |
| NOW, your loved one has DIED because "THE ORIGINAL FORMULA"
claimed to be JUST AS GOOD or BETTER than any other. NOW, you are filled
with RAGE at the company that sells "THE ORIGINAL FORMULA", for
in YOUR VIEW, they have KILLED your loved one with their LIE. NOW, you
are thinking about LAWSUITS, and VENGEANCE, and PUBLIC CRUSADES against
the company that made and marketed the "so called" Original Formula,
BECAUSE even though it "worked", it did not work as well as the
"other formula"; the one that had THAT ONE PERCENT DIFFERENCE. |
| NOW, the "word" has gotten out about THE ONE PERCENT DIFFERENCE,
and a SALESMAN (clergyman) from the COMPANY (church) that makes and sells
the "so called" Original Formula has HEARD ABOUT IT: he has SEEN
and KNOWN something. |
| SO THERE HE IS. . . . .sitting at his desk in the privacy of his office;
with the literature in from of him; STARING in perplexity at THAT ONE PERCENT
DIFFERENCE. What DO YOU THINK that he will do? |
| AND WHAT IF HE JUST DECIDES to PRETEND that THAT ONE PERCENT DIFFERENCE
doesn't really make a difference? And what if he just goes on recommending
and selling THAT SAME OLD "so called" Original Formula as if
he NEVER HAD A REASON to question it? And what if he ALSO begins to compose
some kind of LONG-WINDED BOGUS ARGUMENT in defense of his "ORIGINAL"
FORMULA just in case one of his CUSTOMERS (church-members) brings up THAT
ONE PERCENT DIFFERENCE? Do you think that SUCH A MAN actually CARES about
the people he SELLS his "version" of THE CURE to? Let me "clear
the air" for you on these questions. . . . |
| Any man who is willing to DISTORT or CONCEAL certain FACTS in order
to continue SELLING what he KNOWS to be a LESSER CURE for the sake of HIS
OWN career; cares neither for the Truth, NOR for the welfare of the people
he SELLS his "version" of THE MEDICINE to. Maybe he counts loyalty
to his own COMPANY (church) to be some kind of virtue; but he is a LIAR,
and also a MURDERER: his rightful place is in the lake of fire. |
| The Truths of Religion are like medicine; and are provided by the Grace
of God to CURE the sickness of SIN. The difference between medicine and
the Truths of Religion is that if your "Religious Truth-Medicine"
fails to work "well enough", the patient NOT ONLY dies; but he
is also DAMNED. |
| ANYONE who will DEFEND a PARTIAL CURE against a BETTER CURE: even if
the BETTER CURE is only "slightly better", is UNSPEAKABLY WICKED. |
| In The END, most of the FALSE PROPHETS who will be finally "labeled"
as JUST LIARS before they are thrown into the lake which burneth
with fire and brimstone will NOT be OUTRIGHT brazen LIARS: they
will just be men who were DEFENDERS OF A LESSER TRUTH. They will not find
any excuse in saying that the BETTER TRUTH was "not perfect either".
Neither will they be able to say "God didn't show me", for THE
BIBLE was right there on their desk, and the Spirit of truth was
always there to guide you into all truth (John 16:13). |
| John.3:19 |
AND THIS IS THE CONDEMNATION, that
light is come into the world, and men loved darkness (willful
ignorance) rather than light, because their deeds
were evil. |
| 20 |
For every one that doeth evil HATETH
the light (the whole story; all the facts), neither
cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved (shown
up for what they really are: acts of dishonesty, pride, selfishness, and
cowardice). |
| 21 |
But he that DOETH TRUTH cometh
to the light (even if there is a cost or risk involved),
that his deeds may be made manifest (exposed and revealed for
what they really are), that they have been wrought
in (with the approval of) God. |
| NOW, I have had to drag you through this long dissertation about all
the different ways that men can LIE by selectively reporting or concealing
certain facts BECAUSE THE LAST TRUMPET is about ESCHATOLOGY: the
MOST difficult and complicated of ALL theological subjects. Before I begin
to subject myself to the contemptuous sneers of lazy and ignorant men;
whose "version" of how The World-Story ENDS is either borrowed
from the last book they read; or is dictated to them by the Religious Social
Club that they currently pay dues to; I think I should acquaint YOU, dear
Reader, with the INSURMOUNTABLE DIFFICULTIES involved in attempting to
come up with a CLEAR and FINAL, TRUE and UNCONTESTABLE, eschatology. |
| I neither CLAIM, nor THINK; that I have THE LAST WORDabout
EXACTLY how or when the PROPHETIC EVENTS which will surround the 2nd
Coming of Our Blessed Lord and MY Savior Jesus Christ are going to
take place. |
| After 20 YEARS of agonizingly meticulous Bible study: and after many
long hours of prayer and detailed research just for THIS one article: THE
LAST TRUMPET; I realize that the MOST that I can claim to offer you
is a "somewhat better" Truth. Because this book that I am writing
is of such a provocative and controversial nature; I was DISMAYED, and
even ready to give up and just QUIT rather than set forth ANYTHING that
I could not SUBSTANTIATE and PROVE against every REASONABLE argument. Being
consumed with insecurity about this; I cried out to the Lord, "Why
didn't You just make this SIMPLE? Why didn't you provide us with a nice
ORDERLY LIST of the EVENTS that will mark The End of This Age?" The
Lord answered me in A DREAM; and He showed me, that He has PURPOSEFULLY
obscured the details that surround His Return. He did NOT tell me WHY He
has done this: and NEITHER did He solve the "riddle" for me.
As it stands, then: the Lord has TOLD ME that I DON'T HAVE THE LAST WORD
about EXACTLY how and when the PROPHETIC EVENTS that will mark The End
of This Age will take place. Yet The Same Lord also COMMANDED me to write
a book about THE GREAT and FINAL APOSTASY of Christendom: which APOSTASY
is AMPLY described in both the Old and New Testaments. One of the places
where THE GREAT and FINAL APOSTASY of Christendom is described is 2
Peter 3:3-4. In order to show you how this prophecy is FULFILLED, I
shall have to commit myself to a DEFINITE POSITION on the MOST DIFFICULT
and MOST DEBATED of ALL eschatological subjects: WHEN THE RAPTURE HAPPENS. |
| I am thoroughly familiar with ALL the arguments that are advanced by
the proponents of the 3 DIFFERENT explanations for WHEN THE RAPTURE
will HAPPEN. I HAVE SEEN, and I DO SEE, some relative merit to all 3
arguments. I am ALSO familiar with a 4th "explanation"
which was advanced by a very well known and reputable Bible Scholar, who
attempts to resolve the 3 contradictory arguments by asserting that
there are 3 RAPTURES: One at the beginning of the Tribulation; one
at the middle; and one just before the end. His argument is MOST COMPELLING;
and I find myself SUSPECTING that he may be RIGHT. |
| HOWEVER: I can only see 1 Rapture which could answer to a prophecy,
that there shall come in the last days, scoffers, walking after their
own lusts, and SAYING, Where is the promise of His Coming? Now most
will admit that we are in the last days; but no one in Christendom
who has the power to reach a large audience is SAYING that Jesus will NEVER
return. And, it is important that we pay careful attention to EXACTLY what
the Apostle says; for he DOES NOT SAY that these scoffers are denying
the eventual return of Christ. They say, Where is the PROMISE....of
His coming: they are NOT SAYING "Where is the COMING....that
He promised". They are denying that a certain promise of a
certain coming can be found: for they say, "Where is
IT?" The only "coming" of Jesus Christ which is being
openly challenged in Christendom today is the Pre- Tribulation Rapture.
Neither can you suppose that these scoffers are a feature of The Great
Tribulation, and are denying a Mid or Post-Tribulation Rapture, because
The Great Tribulation is NOT the last days of The Church Age, but
is 'the first days' of The Day of The Lord. These scoffers
are a feature of the last days of this age. And then, none of these scoffers
would be saying, Where is the promise of his coming AFTER the Antichrist
has already arrived, for that would be to deny that THEIR "Christ"
has arrived. Peter goes on to explain just what it is that they are denying: |
| What they are WILLINGLY ignorant of, is that AFTER the "few"
were removed to safety in Noah's Ark, the rest were destroyed. What they
are denying, is that God will remove a few to safety, destroy the present
"world order", and then return the few to take over the
earth. This is clearly descriptive of a Pre-Tribulation Rapture. |
| Then OF COURSE, there are some who deny that there ever WILL BE such
a thing as a Great Tribulation. AND, there are some who deny that there
will ever be a Millennial Kingdom of Jesus Christ on the earth. AND, there
are some who deny that Jesus Christ actually makes a PERSONAL and PHYSICAL
return to the earth. |
| As I said: ESCHATOLOGY is the MOST difficult and complicated of ALL
theological subjects. God has chosen to make it IMPOSSIBLE for anyone to
arrive at any firm conclusions from a casual inquiry. After a brief review
of the APPARENTLY conflicting Biblical addresses to The End of The Age
and/or of The World, I shall present you with a "somewhat better"
explanation for HOW This Age will end, and show you WHO the scoffers
are in 2 Peter 3:3-4. |
| IF WE WILL ASSERT that the Christian Bible is INSPIRED, then we must
PRESUME that God foreknew what it's contents would be. The FACT then; that
the Bible provides no ORDERLY LIST of the SIGNS and EVENTS which mark the
CLOSE of The Church-Age and the BEGINNING of The Next Age MUST be the PURPOSEFUL
design of The One Who INSPIRED that Bible. The Apostle Peter makes a CLEAR
MENTION of the Millennial Kingdom of Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ in
Acts 3:20-21: BUT, when this SAME Apostle makes his longest and most detailed
address to The End of This Age, he appears to regard the 2nd Coming
as The End of THE WORLD (2 Peter 3:10-13). Also, Peter makes NO MENTION
of separate resurrections for the righteous and the wicked; a PERSISTENT
subject with the Apostle Paul (1 Cor. 15:23-24). BUT THEN, the Book of
Revelation makes a PLAIN MENTION of 2 DISTINCT RESURRECTIONS; to be SEPARATED
by an interval of 1000 YEARS (Rev. 20:4-6). Go figure. . . . . . |
| When Our Lord Jesus said: The meek shall inherit the earth (Matt.
5:5); He MUST be referring to some SPECIFIC time-period when this would
happen, or Jesus Himself becomes a FALSE PROPHET. Up until NOW, the meek
HAVE NOT inherited the earth. Jesus also PROMISES a distinctly
EARTHLY REWARD to those who have forsaken earthly comforts and privileges
FOR HIS SAKE in This Present Age (Matt. 19:28-29). This wording has the
resurrected Saints living in houses with mothers, fathers, wives,
brothers, sisters, and ALSO children. BUT THEN, when the Sadducees
ask Jesus about the resurrection, He says in the resurrection they neither
marry, nor are given in marriage, but are as the angels of God in heaven
(Matt. 22:30). THIS appears to confirm what is commonly understood from
2 Peter 3:10-13: that the resurrection occurs at The End of the
WORLD, and appears to DENY any such thing as a Millennial Kingdom of God
on earth. BUT THEN, we find Jesus talking about being recompensed at
the resurrection OF THE JUST (Luke 14:14), as IF the resurrection
of the just is somehow DISTINCT from the resurrection of THE
WICKED. There JUST ISN'T any PLAIN and SIMPLE resolution to these apparent
CONTRADICTIONS. |
| In order to place a Millennium between This Present Age and The End
of THE WORLD; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great
noise, and the elements shall MELT with fervent heat; the earth ALSO, and
the works that are therein; shall BE BURNED UP: you must PRESUME 2
things. |
| FIRSTLY: that 2 Peter 3:8 IMPLIES a Millennial Kingdom of a thousand
years, AT THE END OF WHICH the earth AND the heavens
are COMPLETELY DESTROYED. |
| 2Peter.3:8 |
But, beloved, be not ignorant of
this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and
a thousand years as one day. |
| 9 |
The Lord is not slack concerning
His promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward,
not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. |
| 10 |
But the day of the Lord will come
as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with
a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat; the earth
also, and the works that are therein, shall be burned up. |
| 11 |
Seeing then that all these things
shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation
and godliness; |
| 12 |
Looking for and hasting unto the
coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens, being on fire shall be dissolved,
and the elements shall melt with fervent heat? |
| 13 |
Nevertheless we, according to His
promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness. |
| Peter says that Jesus will remain in heaven until the times of restitution,
which word means the same thing as RESTORATION. He DOES NOT say until the
"new creation". And then, all the holy prophets testify
to the Millennial Kingdom, and describe it. |
| I must take it then, that the day of the Lord begins with the
Great Tribulation, includes the Millennium, lasts a thousand years, and
ends at the day of God. I see the Millennium allowed for in the
words, "in the which", which can be translated without
violence to, "DURING WHICH". |
| Peter calls this destruction The Day of God, not The Day of
The Lord. This term, "The Day of God" only occurs
once in the entire Bible and only here. If you see no need to make a difference
between The Day of The Lord, and The Day of God, you have,
in fact, disagreed with the Holy Spirit; for He, in inspiring the Bible,
thought it good and necessary to make this difference. |
| SECONDLY: that the 1st and the 2nd Resurrections are addressed
and described independently of each other in some scriptures; and addressed
as if they were the same event in others. |
| In other words; we are left to DISTINGUISH which Resurrection is being
addressed by examining the context and by comparison with other Resurrection
scriptures. If you assemble ALL the scriptures which treat of Resurrections
together and try to make them into a single event, you will have a hodge-podge
of IRRECONCILABLE contradictions before you. Unless you are willing to
make careful distinctions between the Resurrection scriptures in THIS WAY,
you CANNOT establish that there is ANY Millennial Kingdom of Christ on
the earth to last a thousand years (Rev. 20:4-6). You simply cannot
have the saints reigning on the earth (Rev. 5:10) and the
earth also, and the works that are therein being BURNED UP (2 Peter
3:10) AT THE SAME TIME. You cannot have the meek inheriting the
earth (Matt. 5:5) and the earth being burned up at THE
SAME TIME. You cannot have a situation in which a man who fails to live
longer than a hundred years is considered to have died a child
(Isaiah 65:20) and at the same time SAY there is no more death
(Rev. 21:4). |
| There is still a considerably large portion of Christendom that DENIES
that there EVER will be a Millennial Kingdom of Christ upon the earth:
they take the liberty to "spiritualize" the scriptures which
describe SUCH A KINGDOM. On the other hand, those who assert that there
will be a Millennial Kingdom are usually embarrassed and confounded when
asked to account for the plain language of 2 Peter 3:10-13. |
| I refer you to all that you have just read under LIARS DON'T MAKE IT;
for I have just pointed out WHY most of those who have a particular ESCHATOLOGY
to present ALWAYS FAIL to "remember" the EVIDENCE that is put
forth by those who hold opposing views. Even though there are scores of
books available now which pretend to give you ALL THE FACTS and present
the "true scenario", most of the authors I have read appear to
be just "singing for their own friends". By failing to deal humbly
and honestly with the evidence presented by their adversaries, they only
reveal their lack of sobriety and integrity. They are only writing for
the applause of those who already agree with them, and they either IGNORE
or arrogantly dismiss the scriptures that APPEAR to contradict their theories.
Everyone can see this, and so all is in doubt. |
| This CONFUSION only increases when you try to assert a TIME for the
Rapture, because most of those who like to debate this subject have never
even proved to themselves that there is a 'time space' between the First
Resurrection and The Second Coming. What they SAY they believe about these
things is little more than a glib and thoughtless repetition of what they
think their own family, friends, or church will say. They haven't even
"proved it" to themselves; but they wrangle on with each other,
taking their confidence from the crowd they presume to defend. Should they
be so stumped or confounded by some clever argument or weighty evidence
that they feel the need to do some "research", they simply retreat
to the safety of their favorite scribes: There, they will find their favorite
scriptures and arguments repeated over and over again: even though these
"scribes" do not provide satisfactory answers to the opposing
evidence either. There is rarely any serious attempt by any of these "schools
of opinion" to answer to the arguments and evidence presented by their
adversaries; instead, they strive to find some new quirk in a word or phrase
to flatter the prejudice of those who ALREADY agree. One who reads these
"arguments" carefully and seriously will be left in a sea of
confusion; for their lack of integrity in dealing with the opposing evidence
leaves EVERYTHING in doubt. That same SELF-INDUCED BLINDNESS that prevents
them from seeing The Great And Final Apostasy Of Christendom (2 Thess.
2:3) doesn't just 'go away' when they consider any other subject. |
| I believe that I have shown you THE DIFFICULTY of coming up with a PLAIN,
CLEAR, and UNCONTESTABLE eschatology. I remind you of my assertion that
these DIFFICULTIES are PURPOSEFULLY engineered into the Bible by the God
who inspired the Bible: they ARE NOT the result of "mistakes",
and they ARE NOT "irreconcilable contradictions". It simply must
be concluded that God INTENDED to make it EXTREMELY difficult for anyone
to resolve these "problems"; and that He has a good and specific
reason for doing so. To suggest otherwise, IS IN FACT, to deny both the
inspiration and the reliability of the Christian Bible: and THAT'S THAT. |
| THOSE WHO CLAIM to have an interest in The God of The Bible ought then
to show an interest in The Bible of The God: and millions say they DO. |
| But the fact that we HAVE a Bible has not brought us all into agreement.
The PROBLEM appears to be INTERPRETATION. It behooves us then, as men who
want to know The Truth, The Whole Truth, and Nothing But The Truth; to
establish some RULES among us for how we shall INTERPRET the words and
phrases in The Bible. None of us will permit any other man to "make
up the rules" and then dictate them to the rest of us. Even if you
and I got together and drew up some rules that we agreed upon, they would
have no REAL authority. We are not bound to accept and believe a LIE just
because someone lured us into an agreement that turns out to unjustly favor
their opinion. |
| WHAT WE NEED is an AUTHORITY for the RULES that regards NO MAN and favors
NO particular OPINION. Such an AUTHORITY would also have to be universally
recognized and acknowledged by ALL MEN. We need an AUTHORITY which has
the POWER to VINDICATE itself; so that NONE of US is required to defend
or enforce it. We need an AUTHORITY that is SO GREAT, and so UNIMPEACHABLE,
that it's DECISIONS are NEVER RESISTED in ANY serious business; so that
even in a Court of Law, both the JUDGE and the JURY will always submit
to it. We need an AUTHORITY which embraces ALL LANGUAGES; and has it's
RECOGNIZED REPRESENTATIVES in EVERY land. This AUTHORITY must recognize
how language changes through time; and it must be able to distinguish the
ANCIENT from the MODERN in EVERY matter of STYLE, USAGE, GRAMMAR, and DEFINITION.
If it can be proven that such an AUTHORITY for THE RULES OF INTERPRETATION
actually exists; then all debate about the RULES becomes needless: and
whosoever would RESIST such an AUTHORITY is a LIAR. Do you agree? |
| I propose to you then, that such an AUTHORITY DOES EXIST; and that we
need not look far to find it; for the REPRESENTATIVES of this AUTHORITY
reside in EVERY school, EVERY university, and in almost every home in the
ENTIRE WORLD. That AUTHORITY is: The Common Dictionary. |
| Luke.23:27 |
And there followed Him a great
company of people, and of women, which also bewailed and lamented Him. |
| 28 |
But Jesus turning unto them said,
Daughters of Jerusalem, weep not for Me, but weep for yourselves and for
your children. |
| 29 |
For behold, the days are coming,
in the which they shall say, Blessed are the barren, and the wombs
that never bare, and the breasts which never gave suck. |
| 30 |
Then shall they begin to
say to the mountains, Fall on us; and to the hills, Cover us. |
| 31 |
For if they do these things in
a green tree, what shall be done in the dry? |
| Jesus PROPHESIES of a time when women; FOR THE FIRST TIME IN HISTORY;
will count themselves FORTUNATE to have never given birth
to ANY children, and FORTUNATE to have never been
RESPONSIBLE for the care of children. THOSE days have already
come; they are here NOW. We are living in THE AGE OF ABORTION:
when children are often thought of as an "inconvenience"
or as an UNWANTED "expense". Even among those who profess Christianity
there is the attempt to escape from the "burden" of providing
for ADDITIONAL children by practicing BIRTH CONTROL, or by rendering
themselves PERMANENTLY STERILE through surgery. A woman who realizes that
she is pregnant is LIKELY to be at least temporarily DISMAYED at THE COST
and THE BOTHER of it all. She may not be able to AFFORD to leave her JOB
or hire a full time babysitter. She may not have a husband to support her;
and EVEN IF SHE HAS A HUSBAND; he MAY NOT BE HAPPY about the "blessed
event". It COSTS A LOT OF MONEY to have a baby in the civilized world,
and those who CANNOT "pay the bill"; OR who fail to seek out
EVERY form of medical assistance and supervision that MONEY CAN BUY, are
regarded as IRRESPONSIBLE: and in some cases, they may even be brought
before the courts; be charged with, and found guilty of, CRIMINAL NEGLIGENCE
or RECKLESS ENDANGERMENT. |
| EVEN WHEN a woman WANTS to bear children, and EVEN IF the MONEY
is no problem, she is subjected to an endless barrage of WARNINGS about
the risks and dangers of pregnancy. The television, the radio, the newspaper,
the magazine, her family, and her friends, are CONSTANTLY REMINDING HER
that SOMETHING CAN GO WRONG; and that a single MOMENTARY oversight on her
part can result in a terrible TRAGEDY: a tragedy for which SHE MAY BE BLAMED.
If she has a headache, she is not allowed to take a pill, but must endure
the pain, lest she "damage" her baby. If she smokes cigarettes,
eats the "wrong foods", or if she drinks EVEN MODERATELY; someone
IS SURE to accuse her of being a "bad mother". |
| IS THERE ANY WONDER that these are the days in which they say, Blessed
are the barren? |
| Jesus said: Ye cannot serve (work for, obey) God AND mammon
(Matt. 6:24). Mammon is the Hebrew/Aramaic word for BANK
ACCOUNT; yet it is the BANK ACCOUNT that usually decides IF and WHEN most
people shall marry, and it is the BANK ACCOUNT that usually decides IF
and WHEN most people shall have ANY children. ONLY THE WEALTHY,
who can AFFORD all the doctors; and who can AFFORD to stay home with their
children; and who can AFFORD to buy the clothes, the food, and the toys:
ONLY THE WEALTHY, who can AFFORD to live in the "better" neighborhoods;
who can AFFORD to pay for the private schools: ONLY THE WEALTHY, who can
AFFORD to take their children on vacations and show them ALL THOSE
WONDERFUL SIGHTS, are relatively FREE from those GLOOMY SPECTERS of POVERTY,
ILLNESS, SUFFERING, HEARTBREAK, SHAME, FAILURE, and DISAPPOINTMENT that
linger over EVERY discovery that ANOTHER BABY is going to be born into
the world (John 16:21). |
| Luke.4:17 |
And there was delivered unto Him
the book of the Prophet (Isaiah). And
when He had opened the book, He found the place where it was written, |
| 18 |
The Spirit of the Lord is upon
Me, because He hath anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor;
He hath sent Me to heal the brokenhearted (hopeless and
dejected), to preach deliverance to the captives
(of poverty and degradation), and recovering of
sight to the blind (who see no way out of their misery),
to set at liberty them that are bruised (emotionally
crippled from blow after blow by a cruel and unjust world). |
| 19 |
To preach the acceptable year
of the Lord. |
| 20 |
AND HE CLOSED THE BOOK, and He
gave it again to the minister, and sat down. And the eyes of all them that
were in the synagogue were fastened upon Him. |
| Rev.6:15 |
And the kings of the earth, and
the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty
men, and every bondman, and every freeman, hid themselves in the
dens and in the rocks of the mountains; |
| 16 |
And said to the mountains and to the rocks,
Fall on us, and hide us from the face of Him that sitteth
on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb: |
| 17 |
For the great DAY of His wrath
is come; and who shall be able to stand? |
| Isaiah.2:12 |
For the Day of the Lord
of Hosts shall be upon every one that is proud and lofty, and upon every
one that is lifted up, and he shall be brought low; |
| 19 |
And they shall go into the holes
of the rocks, and into the caves of the earth, for fear of the Lord, and
for the glory of His majesty, when He ariseth to shake terribly the earth. |
| 1Thess.5:1 |
But of the times and the seasons,
brethren, ye have no need that I write unto you. |
| 2 |
For yourselves know perfectly
well that the Day of the Lord so cometh
as a thief in the night. |
| 3 |
For when they shall say, Peace
and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them (not
us) as travail upon a woman with child; and they
shall not escape. |
| Dan.12:1 |
And at that time shall
the Archangel Michael stand up, the great prince
which standeth for the children of thy people; and there shall be a
time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation
even to that same time: and at that time thy people shall be delivered,
EVERY ONE THAT SHALL BE FOUND WRITTEN IN THE BOOK. |
| Matt.24:21 |
For THEN shall be GREAT TRIBULATION,
such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no,
nor ever shall be (again). |
