The World Uses Authority as Truth Rather Than Truth as Authority
Precedence alone should not establish the truth
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Authority has become our GPS
Some of my readers might be surprised by what I am about to show you in this article. I don’t mean to make you uncomfortable with it, but I must confess that I was uncomfortable with it for many years.
Learning the truth is a lot like using GPS in your car. When you look at the map on your display, you are primarily looking for two things; the destination and where you are, represented by the blue dot on the map. As long as you can see it, you believe that you are where you are supposed to be on your journey. But something is nagging about it. Even though you are following the route that you put into the GPS, you never seem to arrive at your destination.
What we believe is a lot like that blue dot. Some of us can spend an entire lifetime believing something, only to find out one day that it isn’t true. We find that our blue dot is not where the map said it was. All this time, we weren’t where we were supposed to be and we didn’t know it.
There are two ways to be deceived. One is to believe a lie, and the other is to refuse to believe the truth. People do not believe something if they suspect that it is not the truth and the majority of people will believe it if they conclude that it is.
Most of us get our truth from trusted authorities who tell us what it is. They are like our GPS. It is hard to change when you believe that your GPS is reliable. But change begins when we come to question the source of our understanding and reconsider what we have believed.
So, I begin this article with a simple question: What if what you believe about the end times is not what the Bible actually says?
Gathering together
I want to begin with several scriptures
Jesus spoke about what would happen after the Tribulation:
Matthew 24:31 (KJV) 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.
Referring to this same event, Mark broadened the scope:
Mark 13:26-27 (KJV) And then shall they see the Son of man coming in the clouds with great power and glory. And then shall he send his angels, and shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from the uttermost part of the earth to the uttermost part of heaven.
Paul spoke wrote about it to the Ephesians:
Ephesians 1:7-10 (KJV) In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace; wherein he has abounded toward us in all wisdom and prudence; having made known to us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure which he has purposed in himself: that in the dispensation of the fulness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both that are in heaven, and that are on earth; even in him.
My first impression of these Scriptures
When I was in seminary, I understood that these scriptures are describing what would happen at the Second Coming of Christ. But now I think what they are describing happens before then. I’m not really trying to make the case for this but I just want to show you what I think about it now.
Most can see two great last-day events in Scripture: the Great Harvest of Revelation chapter 14 and the Second Coming of Christ that follows. But, to date, few can see that a third great event comes before both of these. The Scriptures above, in my opinion, are describing this event.
This may explain why people like us seem to be gathering all over the world, because we are feeling the heart beat and nearness of this prophecy coming out of heaven. Something is about to change on the earth!
What are these scriptures describing?
What I don’t think
I not only don’t think these scriptures are talking about the gathering of the saints at the return of Christ but I also think that they are not describing the Rapture of the Church either.
What I do think
I was trained in a dispensational seminary and the rapture was a foundation stone for that school. I first began to question the theory of the Rapture because I just couldn’t see describing it as the first event in a two-part second coming. Because of this, I eventually dismissed the theory all together.
The problem that this creates however, is reconciling the events of the last days in the Bible without that theory. What we are left with is the Second Advent of Christ as the next big event on the prophetic calendar but with very little understanding of what happens between now and then. Christians are committed to occupying till He comes, but there are enormous differences among us about how that should be expressed between now and the return of Christ. And the disunity among Biblical scholars over what the Bible says about the last days is having an ominous affect on the Church of Jesus Christ. Without a clear sounding trumpet about it, the Church is fragmented and easily manipulated by the events of our day.
It was difficult for me to see for the longest time. But, like me, those who no longer believe in the rapture theory usually throw the baby out with the bath water. This is what took me decades to resolve and I eventually did when I had to recognize that both the Old and New Testament Scriptures do indeed prophecy about a two-part second coming. When I talk about this, I often hear people say, Now wait a minute! Are you telling me that you don’t believe in the Rapture? My answer to this is, just the opposite. I do believe in the rapture but I disagree with who will be raptured.
The Church of Jesus Christ is confused about this and I am one voice trying to end that confusion.
The Rapture of the Church
Quote from p69 of my book Christ Harbor
The rapture of the church is probably the one theme that almost everyone would recognize about the end times. The concept about the catching away of the saints to be with the Lord while God's judgement falls on those left behind is a common perception of the last days. Many believe that one of the places this is taught, is in Matthew chapter 24.
Two in the field
Matthew 24:38-41 (KJV) For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered into the ark, And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left. Two women shall be grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken, and the other left.
Many claim that those taken are the followers of Christ, caught away in the Rapture before the tribulation begins, while those left behind are those upon whom the judgement of God falls. The problem is, Jesus taught just the opposite in the parable of the wheat and the tares.
Parable of the wheat and the tares
Matthew 13:24-30 (CHV) Another parable put he forth to them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field: But while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went his way. But when the blade was sprung up, and brought forth fruit, then appeared the tares also. So the servants of the householder came and said to him, Sir, did you not sow good seed in your field? From where then has it tares? He said to them, An enemy has done this. The servants said to him, Would you then have us go and gather them up? But he said, No; because while you gather up the tares, you root up also the wheat with them. Let both grow together until the harvest: and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them: but gather the wheat into my barn.
A few verses later, we read that after teaching the parable, Jesus went into a house with His disciples and explained it to them.
Matthew 13:36-39 (CHV) Then Jesus sent the multitude away, and went into the house: and his disciples came to him, saying, Declare to us the parable of the tares of the field. He answered and said to them, He that sows the good seed is the Son of man; The field is the world; the good seed are the children of the kingdom; but the tares are the children of the wicked one; The enemy that sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the end of the age; and the reapers are the angels.
The children of the wicked one are law-breakers who cause sin:
Matthew 13:40-41 (CHV) As therefore the tares are gathered and burned in the fire; so shall it be in the end of this age. The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will gather out of his kingdom all causes of sin and all law-breakers, and throw them into the fiery furnace. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
The end of this age is the Harvest and the tares are children of the wicked one. Jesus taught that He will send His angels through out the entire world before the harvest begins to remove them.
It happens at Harvest time:
Matthew 13:30 Let both grow together until the harvest, and at harvest time I will tell the reapers, Gather first the tares and bind them in bundles to be burned, but gather the wheat into my barn.
So, it will not be the righteous removed from the earth at the end of the age, but the wicked. Many in the world today are neither tares nor wheat and the battle for the harvest will be for them.
Two-part Second Coming
The first part is when Christ will come to His remnant Church. At the same time, His angels will gather out of His Kingdom all causes of sin and all law-breakers. We are not removed from the earth while God’s judgement falls on those left behind, but rather we stay here and are transfigured by Christ for the coming harvest. And the harvest can’t begin until the tares are removed and the tares can’t be removed without angels.
So, I have concluded the following:
The rapture includes two things
The rapture of the wicked coincides with the gathering of His Church as one in Christ. When this happens, unity that only heaven can bring will come to the Church.
This will have an astounding affect upon the Church:
Matthew 13:43 (KJV) Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father.
Malachi 4:2-3 (CHV) But for you who fear my name, the sun of righteousness shall rise with healing in its wings. You shall go out leaping like calves from the stall. And you shall tread down the wicked, for they will be ashes under the soles of your feet, on the day when I act, says the LORD of host.
It will bring rest:
2 Thessalonians 1:7-9 (CHV) And to you who are troubled rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels, In flaming fire taking vengeance on those who do not know God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ: Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power.
It begins with the gathering of all things together as one in Christ.
What about the tribulation?
When many hear this, they say, You think we are in the tribulation already? You think we will stay here and be under God’s wrath? The Bible says that we are not appointed to wrath!
1 Thessalonians 5:9 (CHV) For God has not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ.
The wrath of God or the wrath of satan?
First of all, the tribulation is not the wrath of God; it is the wrath of satan. The wrath of God comes after the tribulation when He will pour out His Judgement on satan’s kingdom for what he has done to the world and especially, to the Church:
Revelation 11:18 (CHV) And the nations were angry, and your wrath is come, and the time of the dead, that they should be judged, that you should give reward (not wrath) to your servants the prophets and to the saints, and to those who fear your name, small and great; and that you should destroy those who destroy the earth.
The wrath of satan is what is causing the chaos in our world right now. He is like a roaring lion and he knows that his time is short.
Many Christians have unwittingly joined the ranks of the woke institution of Christianity
Secondly, many in the Church have fallen for satan’s lies and now believe that judgement is beginning at the House of God. It makes sense to them when they hear things like, If God doesn’t judge America, He will have to apologize to Sodom and Gomorrah. After all, they reason, this world would not be in the mess that it is if the Church had only succeeded in her responsibility as the light of the world.
They have come to believe that the problems on earth are happening because the Church has failed to be the restraining influence of Christ. Just as Israel was defeated by godless surrounding nations for their idolatry and disobedience to God’s laws, so they reason that God is judging our nation because the Church has allowed herself to be overcome by the world. In their minds, it might as well be 586 B.C. again and Nebuchadnezzar is coming to sack the holy city and destroy Solomon’s temple.
They now feel hopeless because they have come to believe that the real cause of the problems of our world is a defeated Church that is now under God’s judgement. They believe the Church has become morally impure and doctrinally unsound and so God is removing His blessing and protection from America and is using the chaos of our world to bring His judgement.
While this may express our frustration with what is happening on the earth right now, this belief has sadly become an indictment of the Church. God will most certainly judge those in our world who are causing sin and breaking the law, as He will in all nations. But judgement for His righteous tribulation saints has already been satisfied at the cross. Though the nations in which they live will be judged, they themselves will be preserved.
Satan is the one bringing destruction to our world, not God
Not that humanity hasn’t made a mess of our world, nor that the light of Jesus Christ, through His Church, has not been greatly dimmed, but this mess is not the result of human behavior only. It is also the result of the cunning encroachment of satan into humanity. And he is trying to make the chaos of our world look like God is behind it. It’s a lie!
Right now, satan is in a rage to engineer as much conflict everywhere on earth as he can before the day of his final judgement arrives. This is the tribulation that we are now experiencing. And, true to his character, he is trying to keep the focus off of himself by framing God for it. He knew that before his day of judgement arrives, his best battle plan over the centuries would be to create misconceptions within Christianity that would defeat the followers of Jesus with their own beliefs about God. What better way than to make sure that they blame Him for all their troubles. During these end times, satan wants everyone to think that God has abandoned them and is no where to be found.
Instead of blaming the victims, let’s recognize the roaring lion who victimizes them
Though we must indeed recognize responsibility for our behavior, we must also recognize the one who is really at the bottom of the corruption of humanity. While he is misdirecting the world, what is really happening is that satan is hoping to recruit defecting Christians who will join his army of fist-shaking, God-haters whom he can then weaponize to fight the Church in the harvest war of the last days. (Rev. 14:14-20).
Satan has unleashed two-hundred million of his locusts upon the earth to take everything from humanity and leave nothing behind. In particular, he is using these locusts to get Christians to blame themselves for not having enough faith or dedication. They have been deployed to constantly accuse them of failing to be victorious because of their sin. I’m not saying that we don’t have any responsibility for occupying until He comes, but we don’t have any responsibility for what satan is doing.
God will not pour out His wrath on His righteous tribulation saints. Rather, according to the prophet Daniel, the kingdom will be given to them:
Daniel 7:21-22 (CHV) I beheld, and the same horn made war with the saints, and prevailed against them; Until the Ancient of days came, and judgment was given to the saints of the most High; and the time came that the saints possessed the kingdom.
This will happen when He pours out his wrath on satan’s kingdom for what he is now doing to the world and especially, to the Church:
Revelation 11:18 (CHV) And the nations were angry, and your wrath is come, that you should give reward (not wrath), to your servants the prophets, and to the saints, and to those who fear your name, small and great; and that you should destroy those who destroy the earth.
We have reason to hope for our nation
The account of Abraham’s intercession with God over Sodom and Gomorra answers the question that naturally arises here:
Genesis 18:23 (KJV) And Abraham drew near, and said, Will you also destroy the righteous with the wicked?
If God finds any righteous in a nation, He will not destroy that nation for their sakes, but He will destroy those who destroy the earth.
Our world is being destroyed right now, and God is going to stop it!
Conclusion
Many scholars believe that the rapture of the Church and the tribulation are the next events on the prophetic timeline. I have returned to my belief in a two-part second coming, and that the rapture is next. But I now believe that it is not the Church who will be raptured, but the wicked.
Before the Great Harvest begins (Rev. 14), Jesus Christ will send His angels and remove those whom satan is using to destroy the earth (parable of the wheat and the tares).
The transfiguration of the Church
Before the harvest begins, not only will angels remove the wicked, but Christ Himself will appear over His Church.
The prophet Zechariah describes what happens:
Zechariah 9:14-17 (CHV) And the LORD shall be seen over them, and his arrow shall go forth as the lightning: and the Lord GOD shall blow the trumpet, and shall go with whirlwinds of the south. The LORD of hosts shall defend them; and they shall devour, and subdue with sling stones; and they shall drink, and make a noise as through wine; and they shall be filled like bowls, and as the corners of the altar. And the LORD their God shall save them in that day as the flock of his people: for they shall be as the stones of a crown, lifted up as an ensign upon his land. For how great is his goodness, and how great is his beauty! Corn shall make the young men cheerful, and new wine the maids.
At the Second Coming of Christ, we will be translated, but before this happens, we will be transfigured. We are still mortal and the condition of the Church is critical:
Revelation 11:7 (CHV) The beast that ascends out of the bottomless pit shall make war against them (the Church), and shall overcome them, and kill them.
Great patience will be needed and the possibility of death still exists:
Revelation 14:12-13 (CHV) Here is the patience of the saints: here are they who keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus. And I heard a voice from heaven saying to me, Write, Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from henceforth: Yes, says the Spirit, that they may rest from their labors; and their works do follow them.
A voice from heaven is needed
When the Lord appears over His Church, John described it as a resurrection from the dead:
Revelation 11:11-12 (CHV) The Spirit of life from God entered into them, and they stood upon their feet; and great fear fell upon those who saw them. And they heard a great voice from heaven saying to them, Come up here. And they ascended up to heaven in a cloud; and their enemies saw them.
Just as John did not leave the earth to enter the heavenly realm with Jesus, so the Church will likewise be transfigured into His presence. We will not be raptured to Him, but He will come to us. This is the fulfillment of Ezekiel’s dry bones revival.
The unity of the Church
This will be the event that leads to the fulfillment of Paul’s prophecy that he declared to the Ephesian church:
Ephesians 1:10 (CHV) That in the dispensation of the fulness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both that are in heaven, and that are on earth; even in him.
It will be a gathering in Christ
The gathering will begin with a remnant in the earth. They will not be gathered together in a unity over what they believe or how they express those beliefs but it will be a unity in Christ:
Isaiah 52:8 (CHV) Your watchmen shall lift up the voice; with the voice together shall they sing: for they shall see eye to eye, when the Lord shall bring again Zion.
No longer divided
What happens here will be something that the Church has never experienced:
Ezekiel 37:21-22 (CHV) Thus says the Lord GOD: Behold, I will take His people from the nations from where they have gone, and will gather them from all around, and bring them to their own promised land. And I will make them one nation in the land, on the mountains of Israel (His chosen ones). And one king shall be king over them all, and they shall be no longer two nations, and no longer divided into two kingdoms..
A great change
We will be given new equipment to fight this battle. It will be unlike anything the Church as ever seen:
We will experience authority to tread on serpents and scorpions and over all the power of the enemy (Luke 10:19) and everywhere we walk, satan will be ashes under the soles of our feet (Malachi 4:3)
The Church’s destiny
Many believe today that God has not acted yet because the Church is not ready. Actually, it is just the opposite. Like the Day of Pentecost, the Church will be ready when God acts. Though our efforts to evangelize the world or walk as Jesus walked is important, God is not waiting for us to get better at doing those things in order to fulfill the Church’s destiny.
So many are looking through the rear view mirror today, hoping to help God move on our behalf. He is not waiting on enthusiastic momentum to build in our prayer movements, awakenings, revivals, political reformations, holiness or discipleship movements; as though He needs our enthusiasm before He can act. He is waiting to act in the dispensation of the fulness of times, as He did when Jesus came the first time.
The blue dot
The title of this article is, The World Uses Authority As Truth Rather Than The Truth As Authority. With that, I asked the question, What if what you believe about the end times is not what the Bible actually says?
Answering this question requires relocating the blue dot on our GPS. The truth about it has unwittingly drifted far afield from what the Bible actually says about it.
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