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Coping In The Middle Of A Trial

January 4, 2011Literaturetrials, trusting Goddmoss

by David E. Moss

A few years ago, a very serious auto accident occurred on Route 78 between Allentown and Harrisburg. It just happened that the same day, I was returning to York from a Bible Conference in Connecticut. I had no way of knowing that such an accident had occurred and obstructed my path. Following my normal route, I traveled south on 209 through the Poconos, then down 33 to 22 west. A few miles past the point where 22 and 78 converge, I came to a huge traffic back up caused by the accident. Traffic remained at a stand still for a considerable period of time. I could not go forward. I could not turn around and go back because I was on a limited access highway. I did not want to be stuck in this traffic jam, but there was nothing I could do about it. I was in the middle of it and that was it.

Sometimes in life we find ourselves in the middle of a trial. We are not sure how we got into the situation. We have no idea how or when it will end. We are simply in the midst of circumstances that are unwelcome, unpleasant, and uncertain. They were not necessarily set in motion because of anything we had done wrong. Nevertheless, there we are. How do we cope in the middle of an ongoing trial?

Genesis Chapter 43 suggests some principles which are appropriate to this scenario. This chapter is in the middle of the story concerning Joseph in Egypt, the great famine, and Joseph’s ten brothers attempting to buy food for survival. Chapter 43 is incomplete alone. It begins as a continuation of events in preceding chapters. It ends without a conclusion to the events that occur within it. It may seem puzzling why the chapter division was made in this place, yet it provides an excellent illustration of our subject. On the brothers’ second visit to Egypt to buy food, they found themselves in the middle of some circumstances that were very confusing. They had no idea how they got where they were. They were just simple shepherds from Canaan brought into the palace of this strange Egyptian ruler. They had no idea what the conclusion of this trial was going to be, though they could imagine the worst. The observations we can make from this chapter will give us some hints about coping in the middle of a trial.

Do What Needs To Be Done.

Chapter 42 records the brothers’ first trip to Egypt. The famine predicted by Pharaoh’s dreams became such a harsh reality that even in Canaan, survival became dependent upon the food available in Egypt. During that first visit, the disguised Joseph accused his brothers of being spies, required them to bring their youngest brother, Benjamin, along with them if they came again to buy food, and imprisoned Simeon as insurance.

As Chapter 43 opens, the food purchased on that first trip was running low and the famine was continuing in full force. Jacob told his sons to go back to Egypt to buy more food (verses 1-2).

Judah explained to his father that Benjamin must go along on a return trip. It was clear to them that the man in Egypt would not sell them any more food if their youngest brother did not accompany them. Without Benjamin, there was no sense in making a trip to Egypt (verses 3-5).

Jacob’s reaction does not fit the discussion. He questioned his sons’ past judgement in telling the man in Egypt that they had a younger brother. Wherefore dealt ye so ill with me, he said, as to tell the man whether ye had yet a brother? (Verse 6). It is often the case that people try to cope with present trials by casting “why did you do that” accusations against things that people have already done. Such questions might be helpful in learning what not to do in future situations, but for the present, what was done was done and casting blame was not going to change what was.

That day on route 78, the traffic had come to a complete stop. People had turned off their engines and were getting out of their cars to walk around and share their confusion about what was going on. I could have wondered how close to home I would have been if only I had gotten off the highway earlier and taken a different route home. But no matter how frustrated I would have allowed myself to become, such wonderings would never change the fact that I was sitting still in the middle of backed up traffic.

The brothers explained to their father why it was necessary for them to tell about their younger brother. But the bottom line was that Jacob needed to accept the reality of things as they were and focus on what had to be done as a result (verse 7).

Judah then insisted that their survival depended upon Benjamin accompanying them to Egypt. He made himself surety for Benjamin’s safety and accepted full responsibility for his welfare. But time was wasting away as their food supplies were running low, and the severity of the famine required no more delays if they were going to survive. (verses 8-10).

Jacob finally resigned himself to what must be done. He said to his sons, If is must be so now, do this… (verse 11).
Accept The Inevitable, Or At Least The Possibility Of An Unwanted Outcome.

Jacob proceeded to give his sons instructions for their second trip to Egypt. His words show that he had actually thought the whole thing through. He knew all along what had to be done; it was just a matter of accepting the inevitable. This is hard to do, but necessary for all of us at times.

As I sat in that stalled traffic on route 78, I could have huffed and puffed and fumed about sitting still in the middle of a highway, about being delayed in getting home, and about getting hungry while supper time passed by without access to food, but my rantings would not have changed anything. I had to accept my circumstances as they were and resign myself to the delay.

Jacob told his sons what they should take with them to Egypt. He said they should take some presents to the man in Egypt, take double money, enough to pay for this time and for the last time when their money was returned in their sacks, and take their brother Benjamin (verses 11-13). He then stated his resignation to what he thought would be the inevitable outcome of this tragedy. If I be bereaved of my children, I am bereaved (verse 14).

It is interesting that God often waits for us to accept the worst as a possibility before he brings a positive solution into our lives. Had he not resigned himself to what had to be done and accepted the potential consequences, Jacob might have held onto Benjamin for a short time, but ended up losing his whole family to the famine. By accepting things as they were, doing what needed to be done, and resigning himself to an unwanted outcome if that was what had to be, Jacob would not only have Benjamin restored to him, but Joseph as well.

When my sister graduated from nursing school, she faced adult life as a single woman. This was not what she wanted, but there were no prospective husbands in sight. A career opportunity came her way and she struggled with what to do. Should she pursue this opportunity and commit herself to being single? Could she resign herself to never getting married? It was a difficult thing to do because it seemed so contrary to the desire of her heart, yet she gave herself to the Lord for His will in her life, and if that meant being single, she was willing to accept it. Very soon after she sincerely resigned herself to the possibility of never getting married, she received a phone call from a single young man who wondered if she would be willing to go out with him. You guessed it. She ended up marrying this man — who also happened to be a pastor of a church. Not only did she get to marry, but she also was able to serve the Lord with her husband. Her willingness to do without the desire of her heart made God’s graciousness to her that much sweeter.
Endure Confusion.

The brothers traveled to Egypt and presented themselves to the disguised Joseph to buy food. Joseph instructed his steward to take these eleven men to his personal residence where he intended to dine with them for the noon meal (verses 15-17).

This caused a great deal of apprehension among the brothers. They were afraid that the money they carried back with them in their sacks after the first trip was going to cause them serious problems and they let their imagination run wild. They feared that their doom was sealed and they were all destined to become slaves (verse 18). All through the trials of the first trip and this second one, the brothers were convinced that their difficulties were directly related to what they had done to Joseph. On the first trip when they were accused of being spies and faced the prospect of imprisonment, they lamented concerning the punishment which was catching up with them. They said, We are verily guilty concerning our brother, in that we saw the anguish of his soul when he besought us, and we would not hear: therefore is this distress come upon us (Genesis 42:21). So it is no surprise on this second trip that they foresaw themselves as slaves in a just retribution for their evil deeds.

This is a fault many of us make in the middle of trials when we cannot see when or how they will be resolved. We let our imagination run wild and we get ourselves unnecessarily worked up about things that probably will never happen. Have you ever had the experience of anticipating tense conversations? You expect to be talking to someone with whom you have a conflict or disagreement. Your mind imagines what the other person will say, and then imagines what you will say in response. You work your way through whole conversations like this and at the end, if your thoughts do not satisfy the dread of your soul, your mind starts all over again and imagines an even more stressful conversation. It is a silly exercise, but our imaginations seem to enjoy working overtime suggesting all the really bad things that can possibly happen. This is different from the idea of accepting the inevitable or the possibility of an unwanted outcome. Acceptance brings peace which is a good thing. An unchecked imagination takes away peace which is not a good thing.

The brothers tried to explain to Joseph’s steward that they were not thieves and could not explain why their money was in their sacks when they arrived home. They assured him that they had brought that money with them this time and were prepared to pay in full for all the food they had received (verses 19-22).

This is where their confusion begins to take an interesting turn. Joseph’s steward said that the money from their previous trip was a nonissue and they should not concern themselves about it. He said, Peace be to you, fear not: your God, and the God of your father, hath given you treasure in your sacks: I had your money (verse 23). He then invites the men to refresh themselves and prepare for lunch (verses 24-25).

When Joseph came home to eat, the brothers offered their presents to him and bowed before him. He continued his charade and politely inquired about their father (verses 26-28). Then when he came face to face with his beloved brother Benjamin, he broke down and had to excuse himself to regain his composure (verses 29-31). When he returned, he ordered lunch to be served. He had already designated the seats for each of his brothers who were placed at their table in the order of their birth. The brothers were totally confused about how this man in Egypt could know this. Then Benjamin was given five times as much food as all the others. They all had a wonderful time. Scripture says they were merry with Joseph (verses 31-34).

This is where the chapter ends. The chapter divisions were not included when Scripture was originally written. They were added much later, apparently during the 13^th Century A.D. But over the years I have developed a great respect for the person or persons who carefully decided where to make the chapters begin and end. Some object to many of these divisions, claiming that connected verses were unnecessarily separated by them. But I have tried to reason with the person who made these division and figure out why they put them where they are. I have always been able to find some reasonable explanation which helps in understanding the intent of God’s Word.

We might wonder why Genesis Chapter 43 ends in the middle of the second trip to Egypt, leaving the brothers enjoying a wonderful meal in the midst of some very confusing circumstances. But dwelling in the middle of trials is a typical experience of human beings. And in the middle of such circumstances there is often considerable confusion, both about what is actually happening and about what is going to come out of it. It is well for us in the middle of trials to pause for a moment and put our experience into perspective.

The brothers had no idea why things were happening the way they were. They went from fear and trepidation about all of them becoming slaves to sitting in a palace and enjoying a wonderful meal. They had no idea what was going to happen when the meal was over. Would they be allowed to purchase food and return home in safety, or would some other strange thing happen to cause fear to return to their hearts?

We need to recognize that it is okay for us to be confused. I am not sure the brothers were thinking this way, but their predicament allows us to do so. Even though the brothers did not understand what was happening and did not know what was coming next, Someone did. God did. And if He knows what is happening, then He has everything under control. Who ever said we have to understand everything in life. As long as God understands, isn’t that sufficient?

In that traffic jam I was in, it would have been easy to imagine some terrible things about what was up ahead, or how long it was going to take to get home. But there were people at the scene of the accident where the traffic back up started who knew all about the situation and were taking care of it. I could not see that. But there was absolutely nothing I could do where I was but trust that someone was up ahead taking care of things and resolving whatever the problem was.

In the middle of our trials, when we cannot understand why we have to be where we are, when we are totally confused about how such things could happen to us, and when we are even more confused about how they are ever going to be resolved, we can successfully endure our confusion by pausing to remember that God knows everything and He is already walking ahead of us taking care of things for us.

Conclusion

Proverbs 3:5-6 – Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.

Acknowledging God in all our ways is one of the basic exercises of life every believer needs to learn. To acknowledge God means that we turn our thoughts to Him and tell Him we know He is present in our lives and able to help us in our present circumstances. It is easy to be so distracted by the stress of difficult events that we forget about God for a moment and fail to acknowledge Him. In the middle of trials, we often fret, and worry, and imagine all kinds of terrible things, and get frustrated, and panic, and add to our stress by our own despair. But if in the middle of trials we will pause long enough to acknowledge God, our trial-in-progress will take on a whole different perspective.

After acknowledging God, then we must wait for him to act. This is not easy because God usually works on an entirely different timetable than we do. When we are in the middle of a trial, we want it to be over as soon as possible. But God may have some perfectly divine reasons why the trial should be extended for a considerable period of time. We must trust that God knows what He is doing and wait for Him to act when He decides it is time to do so. There are many verses of Scripture that admonish us to wait on the Lord.

Psalm 123:2 – …so our eyes wait upon the LORD our God, until that he have mercy upon us.

Psalm 37:7 – Rest in the LORD, and wait patiently for him…

Isaiah 30:18 – And therefore will the LORD wait, that he may be gracious unto you, and therefore will he be exalted, that he may have mercy upon you: for the LORD is a God of judgment: blessed are all they that wait for him.

As I sat still in the middle of a highway, it helped me to think that someone was up ahead at the source of the problem, taking care of the circumstances that had created an obstacle to my path. The whole matter was completely out of my hands. There was not one thing I could do myself to clear up the traffic jam. But someone was taking care of the matter. So I waited. Eventually we started to move. At first it was very slow, and sometimes we had to stop again for a while. In all, it took two and one half hours to go five miles. And then it was over and I was on my way home.

We will be able to cope in the middle of trials if we stop to realize that God is dealing with the source of the problem. Deuteronomy 31:8 says, And the LORD, he it is that doth go before thee; he will be with thee, he will not fail thee, neither forsake thee: fear not, neither be dismayed. He goes before us. He is always ahead of us, directing our paths, removing our obstacles, preparing the help we are going to need as we move through the circumstances of our lives.

Are there some trying circumstances in progress right now in your life? Take a deep breath. Turn your heart to God and acknowledge Him. Do what needs to be done. Accept the inevitable, or at least the possibility of an unwanted outcome. Tell yourself it is okay to be confused because God is not confused about what is going on and He has everything under control. And then wait. Wait for as long as it takes for God to act to resolve the situation. And while you wait, trust that God knows exactly what He is doing. If you follow this plan, you will be amazed at how reduced your stress level will be.

The Coming Again of Jesus Christ

January 4, 2011Literaturefuture events, imminence, prophecy, revelation, second coming, the rapture, the tribulationdmoss

by David E. Moss

Discussing the Distinctions Between The Rapture and The Second Coming

One of the undeniable truths contained in the Bible is that Jesus Christ is coming again. When Jesus ascended, the disciples were left gazing up into heaven, and even after Jesus disappeared into a cloud, the disciples could not take their eyes off the sky. As they stood there amazed at what they had just seen, two angels spoke to them and 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 (Acts 1:9-11).

But the return of Jesus Christ is one of the most confused doctrines in Christianity. It has more variations to it than almost any other Bible subject. There are those who believe Jesus is coming before the Tribulation. There are those who believe He is coming in the middle of the Tribulation. There are those who believe He is coming about two thirds of the way through the Tribulation. There are those who believe He is coming only after Tribulation is completed. There are those who believe He is coming before the Millennium. There are those who believe He is coming after the Millennium. And, there are those who believe there is no Tribulation or Millennium by which to measure the chronology of His coming.

A study of future events as prophesied in the Bible is like putting together one of those really big puzzles that has several thousand pieces. When you first open the box, all the pieces are scrambled and it is difficult to find even two pieces that fit together. Little by little, however, to the persevering puzzler, the picture takes shape as each piece finds its proper place. Deciphering the chronology of future events outlined in the Bible requires a lot of patience. The pieces to the prophetic puzzle are scattered throughout Scripture and must be put together very carefully to insure that each piece is placed where it belongs. One comic book story I remember from my childhood is of Little Lulu. Lulu received a package in the mail from her grandmother, but before she was able to open it, she dropped the box, shattering whatever was on the inside. Lulu opened the box and found a thousand little ceramic fragments; but Lulu was at a total loss as to what the figurine had looked like before it was broken. Knowing that her grandmother would call and ask her how she liked her gift, she painstakingly reassembled all the pieces. When she was finished, she was pleased to discover the shape of a horse’s head. Sure enough, her grandmother called little Lulu and when Grandma ask about the package, Lulu joyfully thanked her for the statue of a horse’s head. There was a moment of silence and then Grandma said, “Lulu, I didn’t send you a horse’s head. I sent you a bust of myself.” How aptly this illustrates the difficulty of studying biblical prophecy and the potential of putting the pieces together wrongly. Rightly dividing the word of truth is just as crucial to the study of prophecy as it is to any of the other subjects in the Bible.

Getting the chronology of future events correct is important for several reasons. First of all, there is the matter of biblical integrity. There can only be one true chronology of things God intends to happen in the future. Opposing views cannot be equally true. And, if the church tolerates opposing views in prophecy as having equal credibility, damage will result in our ability to convince unbelievers that any truth the Bible teaches is absolute. Secondly, the doctrines of the Bible are integrated. What one believes about the chronology of the future can have a great influence on what he believes about other biblical subjects. There is a real possibility of a domino effect occurring in doctrinal beliefs and prophecy stands close to the front of the row of theological dominoes. Third, what we believe about the events of the future has a strong bearing on how we live now. Peter said that future judgment should be a motivation to godly living (2 Peter 3:10-14). In light of these things, let us see if in the ensuing study we can put some of the pieces to the prophetic puzzle together into a coherent picture of what God has actually said will take place in the future.

One of the points of confusion about the return of Christ results from the fact that we are given two completely different descriptions of the circumstances involved in that event. One of these descriptions is given in the context of a world that is full of chaos and tribulation, into the midst of which Jesus Christ comes in judgment. This is typically referred to as the Second Coming. The other account of his return describes a time of glorious reunion between Christ and His church in which there is only joy and rejoicing and reward. This is typically called the Rapture.

The Second Coming

While He was still with His disciples here on earth, Jesus informed them that He was going away and that He was coming again. In John 14:1-3 He said,

Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.

This aroused the disciples’ curiosity and so they asked Jesus about the future events to which He alluded. Tell us, they said, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world? (Matthew 24:3).

Jesus told them about the beginning of sorrows (Matthew 24:8). The word He used for sorrows was the same word the disciples would have used in describing the pains a woman experienced in giving birth to a child. The beginning birth pangs of a woman in labor are less severe than the later and the final birth pangs, but serve as a clear indication that labor has begun. The beginning of sorrows at the start of the Tribulation period will be less severe than the great tribulation of the second half and the severe wrath that will come at the end, but they will be a clear indication that Israel has entered into its 70th week prophesied by Daniel (Daniel 9:24-27).

He then told them about the abomination of desolation, reviewing what Daniel had prophesied concerning the desecration of the Temple by the Antichrist (Matthew 24:15; Daniel 11:29-32). This event will take place in the middle of the Tribulation and be the warning signal for the Israelites to run for safety in the face of serious persecution (Matthew 24:16-20; Revelation 12:6,12-17).

He told them that great tribulation will follow this horrendous event (Matthew 24:21). This time of great severity, which Jeremiah called Jacob’s trouble (Jeremiah 30:7), will be the most intense turmoil the world has ever known. It will be a time of great deprivation, death and religious profanity. Yet through it all, God will insure that Israel will survive (Matthew 24:22; Jeremiah 30:7).

At the end of this time of Tribulation, Jesus said, there will be great cosmic disturbances (Matthew 24:29). The sun will be darkened, the moon will not give her light, the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken.

Only after all these things, Jesus said He will return and bring judgment to the earth.

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. 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 24:30-31)

In this Second Coming of Christ, Jesus descends all the way to the earth, setting his feet upon the Mount of Olives (Zechariah 14:4) moving quickly to bring judgment (Psalm 2:9; Revelation 19:11-21). He said in Matthew 24:40-41 that two will be together, one will be taken and the other left behind. His parables in Matthew 13 make it clear that the lost are the ones taken at this time (Matthew 13:40-42) to be judged by the King of Kings. In Matthew 25, He described the judgment that will follow, first relating it through parables, and then in more direct terms. He said in Matthew 25:31-32,

When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory; and before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats.

In Matthew 25:46, He described how the goats will be sent away into everlasting punishment.

Jesus also explained that no one will know the exact day or hour of his coming because it will be just like it was in the days of Noah — totally unexpected by those who reject Him (Matthew 24:36-39). But His disciples can be watchful and expectant of His Second Coming just as a man guards his house against the intrusion of a thief (Matthew 24:42-44).

Other passages of Scripture also speak of Christ’s Second Coming in the context of judgment.

2 Thessalonians 1:7-10 – 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 them that know not 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; When he shall come to be glorified in his saints, and to be admired in all them that believe (because our testimony among you was believed) in that day.

2 Thessalonians 2:8-12 – And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming: Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders, And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.

This will be a fearful time. A time that unbelievers will face with extreme dread and devastation (Revelation 6:16; 9:6). They will confront it with denial and defiance (Revelation 9:20). But in the end, they will be doomed to eternal death (Matthew 25:30, 46).

The Rapture

The other context of Jesus’ return is one of gladness and rejoicing as He gathers the body of Christ out of the earth. This is commonly called the Rapture, which is the Latin word used by Jerome (340-420) in the fourth century to translate the statement made in 1 Thessalonians 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. The Rapture is the “catching up” of the body of Christ into the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And the biblical description of the coming of Christ in conjunction with the Rapture is far different than that of His coming in conjunction with the judgment that takes place at the end of Tribulation.

Paul described the event in some detail in 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 as a means to comfort those who mourned for believing loved ones who had fallen asleep in physical death. He said that the Lord will descend from heaven, bringing with Him those who are absent from
the body and present with Him in Heaven. Then there will be a shout, the voice of the archangel, and the sound of a trumpet. In this moment, there will be a resurrection of the dead in Christ, reuniting their souls with their bodies. Then the believers who remain physically alive on the earth will be changed (1 Corinthians 15:52-54) and they will be caught up with them in the clouds and meet the Lord in the air. From that time forward, he said, those who are in Christ will ever be with the Lord. He specifies that the resurrection consists only of those who are “dead in Christ” and the rapture consists only of “we which are alive and remain,” implying the living in Christ.

In 1 Corinthians 15:51-54, Paul described the wonderful moment of this rapture/resurrection event for those who are in Christ. He said that it will take place in a single moment, just like the twinkling of an eye. It will take place at the sound of the trumpet when the dead shall be raised and we shall be changed. This change, he said, will consist of transforming our corruptible, mortal, fleshly bodies into something incorruptible and immortal. And, he said we will not all die physically before this happens, but we will all experience the change together, which perfectly fits the description of the Rapture in 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18.

Other passages of Scripture confirm that this coming of Jesus Christ is a time of gladness and joy for all those who are in Him.

1 Thessalonians 2:19 – For what is our hope, or joy, or crown of rejoicing? Are not even ye in the presence ofour Lord Jesus Christ at his coming?

1 Thessalonians 3:13 – To the end he may stablish your hearts unblameable in holiness before God, even our Father, at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all his saints.

1 John 2:28 – And now, little children, abide in him; that, when he shall appear, we may have confidence, and not be ashamed before him at his coming.

The Reason For The Difference

The reason there are two very different descriptions for the coming again of Jesus Christ is because there are two different events that happen at two different times. It is easy to determine the timing of the Second Coming. In Matthew 24, Jesus described the Tribulation from its beginning of sorrows to its cataclysmic finale. And then, He said, will appear the sign of His coming, and the tribes of the earth will mourn, and He will come in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. The word “then” is a chronology word meaning “at a particular time which follows the occurrence of other events.” Thus Jesus said He will come after the events of the Tribulation Period, after all the terrible years of wrath are completed. This coming is also described in Revelation 19:11-21. The judgments that will come upon the earth during Tribulation and the Satanic attempt to annihilate Israel and seize divine power are described in Revelation chapters 6-18. Then in chapter 19, John tells us of the triumphant invasion of the Son of God. Heaven is opened and Jesus appears riding on a white horse. His eyes are as a flame of fire, and on his head are many crowns. He is clothed in a vesture dipped in blood and He bears several names: the Word of God, the King of Kings, the Lord of Lords, and a name that no one knows but Himself. The armies of heaven follow him, riding on white horses and clothed in fine linen, white and clean. Out of his mouth goes a sharp sword with which He smites the nations. He rules with a rod of iron and treads out the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. The armies of the world are slain with His sword and left in the fields for the fowls to be filled with their flesh.

The timing of the Second Coming could not be more clear. It is at the end of Tribulation. At the time of this coming, the beast and the false prophet are cast into the lake of fire (Revelation 19:20), and Satan is chained in the bottomless pit (Revelation 20:1-3). The removal of this diabolical trio is obviously related to the ending of the Tribulation Period. At the same time, the armies of the world are destroyed and the Tribulation martyrs are vindicated (Revelation 20:4). King Jesus sets up His throne in Jerusalem and begins His peaceful 1,000 year reign (Revelation 20:5-6).

But it is not as easy to determine the timing of the Rapture. If it were, there would not be so many different beliefs about the matter. Some believe the Rapture happens before Tribulation ever begins. This is the Pre-tribulation Rapture position. Some believe that the Rapture happens at the same time as the Second Coming at the conclusion of Tribulation. This is the Post-tribulation Rapture position. Some believe that it happens in the middle of Tribulation. This is the Mid-tribulation Rapture position. Some believe that it happens about two thirds or three fourths of the way through Tribulation. This is the Pre-wrath Rapture position. Some believe that there are a series of raptures that take place according to the readiness of individual believers. This is the Partial-rapture position.

So when does the Rapture happen and what are the biblical pieces to the prophetic puzzle that settle the matter without reservation?

When Does The Rapture Happen?

The Thessalonian believers were shaken in their minds and troubled because someone told them the day of Christ had already begun (2 Thessalonians 2:2). In fact, they said that a letter from Paul himself affirmed this to be so. What is the day of Christ and why would its activation cause such concern for believers?

The day of Christ relates to the day of the Lord, which is a time of judgment yet to come upon the earth. The phrase “day of the Lord” is used 29 times in Scripture, 26 times in the Old Testament and 3 times in the New Testament. These references make it abundantly clear that this will be a time of judgment. For example:

Isaiah 13:9 – Behold, the day of the LORD cometh, cruel both with wrath and fierce anger, to lay the land desolate: and he shall destroy the sinners thereof out of it.

Amos 5:18 – Woe unto you that desire the day of the LORD! To what end is it for you? The day of theLORD is darkness, and not light.

Zephaniah 1:14 – The great day of the LORD is near, it is near, and hasteth greatly, even the voice of the day of the LORD: the mighty man shall cry there bitterly.

1 Peter 3:10 – 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.

It becomes the day of Christ because judgment is given to the Son by the Father.

John 5:22-27 – For the Father judgeth no man, but hath committed all judgment unto the Son: That all men should honour the Son, even as they honour the Father. He that honoureth not the Son honoureth not the Father which hath sent him. Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life. Verily, verily, I say unto you, The hour is coming, and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God: and they that hear shall live. For as the Father hath life in himself; so hath he given to the Son to have life in himself; And hath given him authority to execute judgment also, because he is the Son of man.

As to the judgment of the day of the Lord, it is Jesus Christ who opens the seals to the book in heaven which releases the specific judgments contained therein (Revelation 5:1-6:1). Thus the day of the Lord becomes the day of Christ, decreed to be forthcoming upon the earth during the seven year period otherwise known as the seventieth week of Daniel, or the tribulation period.

Yet in the midst of the severity of the day of the Lord is a note of triumph for the church. There is a distinction to be noted in that Israel faces the tribulation as a time of trouble (Jeremiah 30:7); but for the church, the day of the Lord will be a time of rejoicing.

1 Thessalonians 5:2-4 – For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night. For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape. But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief.

2 Corinthians 1:14 – As also ye have acknowledged us in part, that we are your rejoicing, even as ye also are ours in the day of the Lord Jesus.

Even if there is chastisement to be experienced in our earthly experience, members of the body of Christ can look forward to the day of Christ with optimism.

1 Corinthians 5:5 – To deliver such an one unto Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus.

In fact, Paul had previously discussed these matters with the Thessalonian believers when he was with them.

2 Thessalonians 2:5 – Remember ye not, that, when I was yet with you, I told you these things?

He had taught them both by the spoken word and by letter (2 Thessalonians 2:15; Acts 17; 1 Thessalonians). Thus, they knew that the day of the Lord would come as a thief in the night (1 Thessalonians 5:2), but only upon the children of darkness who did not see the truth (1 Thessalonians 5:3,6,7). The children of light know that day is coming and can therefore watch for it and will not be overcome by it (1 Thessalonians 5:4-6).

So when they were informed that the day of Christ had already begun, the Thessalonians wondered how they could have been overcome by it and how they could have missed the triumph that had been promised (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18). Paul wrote to reassure these believers that they had not missed anything (2 Thessalonians 2:16-17). He sought to defuse the trouble of their hearts by dismissing the communication they received as a deception from an imposter (2 Thessalonians 2:2-3). He reinforced this by reminding them of some things he told them when he was with them in Thessalonica.

He referred them to the matter of the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together unto him (2 Thessalonians 2:1). This whole statement refers to one event as described by Paul in 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18. Jesus will descend from heaven, raise the dead in Christ and rapture living believers from the earth.

He explained once again that two things must take place before the day of Christ can occur. First there must be a falling away and then the man of sin will be revealed. The obvious implication from Paul was that neither of these two things had yet taken place and, therefore, the day of Christ was not at hand (enistemi, Strong’s number 1764, to be present, to be upon us – 2 Thessalonians 2:2). This information was intended to comfort their hearts and encourage productivity in their Christian walk (2 Thessalonians 2:17). This was to result from a reassurance in them of the everlasting consolation and good hope they had been given through the grace of God (2 Thessalonians 2:16).

Does this passage of Scripture have the same effect on believers today? Understanding what the falling away is will determine the answer to this question and affirm for us the timing of the rapture in relationship to the tribulation period or the day of the Lord.

The Meaning of the Word

The term “falling away” is translated from the Greek word apostasia (Strong’s number 646). In its noun form it appears only twice in the New Testament — here and Acts 21:21 where it is translated “to forsake.” In the Acts reference, apostasia is not preceded by a definite article but it is accompanied by a qualifier – “from Moses.” Here in the Thessalonians passage, apostasia is preceded by a definite article but is not accompanied by a qualifier. In Acts 21:21 there is a forsaking or falling away from Moses. In 1 Thessalonians 2:3 there is the falling away, but there is no specification regarding either who is falling away or what they are falling away from. It is clear that the readers of the letter knew what the falling away is, because Paul was only reminding them of what he had told them before (verse 5). There was no need, therefore, to include the qualifier in the immediate statement. But the effect of this is that we are left with only the meaning of the word and the context in which it is used to determine what it is referring to.

The word apostasia is typically defined as a falling away from the faith. Bible dictionaries, Greek Lexicons and commentators consistently explain the word in this way. This interpretation is thus imposed upon Paul’s statement in 2 Thessalonians 2:3. As a result, the verse is typically understood to say there will be some kind of departure from the faith before the tribulation period can begin. Those who take this position disagree about who is departing from the faith. Some say it refers to believers in the church. Others say it is unbelievers who are pretending to be in the church. Some say it refers to Israel. Others insist it is Gentiles. The confusion is understandable since there is no qualifier given in Paul’s statement to explain either who is falling away or what they are falling away from.

A further examination of the word apostasia reveals, however, that the word by itself does not automatically contain the qualification of departing from the faith. It is more generic in connotation meaning simply to depart. It can be used to refer to a departure or rebellion from some belief, idea, or object of authority, but it can just as easily refer to a spatial departure, or a going away from a place. In A Greek-English Lexicon by Henry George Liddell and Henry Scott the second definition given for the word apostasia is “departure, disappearance.”

It is for this reason that the word was consistently translated “departure” throughout the generations of the church up until the sixteenth century. For example, Jerome (340-420), who is the same man that gave us the word “rapture” in his Latin translation of the fourth century, translated apostasia as discessio which is the Latin word meaning simply “departure.” If we are confident in our use of the word rapture, which is based solely on Jerome’s Latin translation of the Greek word arpazo, then Jerome’s translation of apostasia into the Latin term for departure should have some weight. In fact, every English translation prior to the King James version did translate apostasia with the simple term “departing.”

1384	Wycliffe Bible	departynge
1526	Tyndale Bible	departynge
1535	Coverdale Bible	departynge
1539	Cranmer Bible	departynge
1557	Geneva Bible	departynge
1576	Breeches Bible	departing
1583	Beza Bible	departing
1608	Geneva Bible	departing

If “falling away” in 2 Thessalonians 2:3 refers to a departure, who is departing from what? Without a qualifying statement in the immediate context, some further investigation is required in order to make an accurate interpretation.

The verb form of Apostasia which is aphistemi (Strong’s number 868) appears in the Bible 15 times. The primary sense of the verb form is a spatial departure and it is consistently used this way in the Bible. In addition, it is not always used in a negative context. For example, when Peter was secretly released from prison by an angel and the angel had finished his task, Acts 12:10 says, …and forthwith the angel departed (868) from him. There is nothing bad at all about this departure. The angel simply left Peter and went some place else. Other biblical references illustrate this idea of a spatial departure.

Luke 2:37 – And she was a widow of about fourscore and four years, which departed (868) not from the temple, but served God with fastings and prayers night and day.

Luke 4:13 – And when the devil had ended all the temptation, he departed (868) from him for aseason.

Acts 15:38 – But Paul thought not good to take him with them, who departed (868) from them from Pamphylia, and went not with them to the work.

Acts 19:9 – But when divers were hardened, and believed not, but spake evil of that way before the multitude, he departed (868) from them, and separated the disciples, disputing daily in the school of one Tyrannus.

Acts 22:29 – Then straightway they departed (868) from him which should have examined him…

2 Corinthians 12:8 – For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart (868) from me.

In places where the verb form refers to a non-spatial departure, it is accompanied by a qualifier which makes this clear. For example,

1 Timothy 4:1 – Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart (868) from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils;

Remove the words “from the faith” and you are left to question what some are departing from in the latter times. The word departure does not automatically mean departing from the faith. It must be qualified with the words “from the faith” to know from what the departure is occurring.

The same thing is true in Hebrews 3:12.

Hebrews 3:12 – Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing (868) from the living God.

Here, instead of departing from the faith, some are in danger of departing from the living God. Remove the words “from the living God” and you cannot tell this.

So, the word apostasia in 2 Thessalonians 2:3 does not automatically mean departing from the faith. Standing alone it only means to depart. We must look further to determine from what the departure is occurring. It is here that the presence of the definite article gives a little assistance. This is the falling away, or the departure which means Paul is referring to a specific event, not just a general movement. It was also a specific event with which the Thessalonians were familiar from Paul’s previous instruction.

If the departure is referring to a specific departure from the faith, little clarification is provided to the church concerning the timing of the day of Christ. Even in the first century there were those who departed from the faith, being deceived by false teachers (Galatians 1:6, 3:1, 4:9; 2 Timothy 2:18) And since the first century, there have been many and massive departures from the faith on the part of Christians, the organized church, Israel, and secular societies. Which one was the departure, signaling the coming of the day of the Lord? Or is there another one yet to come? And if so, how do we know that the current departure from the faith is the departure from the faith to which 2 Thessalonians 2:3 refers? The fact is that a departure from the faith is too ambiguous of a matter to be a significant consolation to believers whose minds have been shaken by the news that the day of the Lord has already begun. Besides, what solace is there in the thought that the day of the Lord cannot begin until things start to go bad?

The Context

The only thing that helps us understand who is departing and what they are departing from in Second Thessalonians chapter 2 is the context in which the word departure is used. The subject of the chapter is our gathering together unto him. The whole chapter must be interpreted in light of this subject introduced in verse 1.

Paul begins the chapter with the word now. In its Greek connotation, this word is intended to provide a transition from what was said in chapter one to what is about to be said in chapter two. While the effect of the word provides an element of continuation of thought, it also supplies an element of contrast. In chapter 1 verses 3-12, Paul talked about the purpose of the day of the Lord. It is to serve as a means by which God will recompense (repay or render) divine vengeance to the wicked (verse 6) and the relief of seeing divine justice accomplished to believers (verse 7).

But now, he says in chapter 2 verse 1, now he would like to talk to the Thessalonians about our gathering together unto Christ. He does not want them to be troubled about missing the rapture because of some erroneous report that the day of the Lord had already begun. So he wrote to explain once again (verse 5) about the timing of these events.

After noting that the day of the Lord cannot come until the departure and the revealing of the man of sin happen first, he then gives some further explanation of these two events. In verses 6 and 7 he explains something about the departure and in verses 8 through 12 he explains something about the revealing of the man of sin.

In verse 8 he says, and then shall that Wicked be revealed… This is a clear reference to the second of the two things that must take place before the day of the Lord comes. The man of sin, the son of perdition, who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that (in the middle of the tribulation period) he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God (verse 3-4), that Wicked (one), whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall (eventually) destroy with the brightness of his coming (verse 8) will be revealed before the day of the Lord begins. It does not specify to whom he is revealed. Here again there is no qualifier. Since the text does not explain to whom the man of sin is revealed, we must determine this from a larger context. The verb “revealed” is in the passive voice, so this is not the Antichrist’s revealing of himself in the middle of the tribulation period referred to in verse 4. Rather, this is a revealing of the Antichrist by someone else. Even before the day of the Lord begins, God is the one that reveals the identity of the man of sin in the confirming of the seven year covenant with Israel (Daniel 9:27). Who will see this and understand? All those who believe after the rapture and have the prophesies of the end times opened up to them (Daniel 12:8-10). Some will never see the Antichrist as the man of sin or the son of perdition, or the wicked one. They will believe a lie and follow him as a god (2 Thessalonians 2:10-12). Nevertheless, the man of sin will rise and fall and be consumed by the Lord in the Second Coming at the end of the tribulation period (2 Thessalonians 2:8-10).

Since Paul discusses the second of the two things which must occur before the day of the Lord in verses 8 through 12, it is apparent that he also discusses the first of these two things in the precedinge verses, or verses 6 and 7. Consider. Why would Paul say there are two things that must occur before the day of the Lord begins, then name both of these things, then ignore the first item, discussing something totally unrelated to what he has just said, and then return to the subject and discuss the second of the two things that must occur? This is the typical explanation of the context —
1. Paul tells us two things must occur first, the falling away from the faith and the revealing of the man of sin (verses 3-4).
2. Then Paul skips to the subject of the removal of the restrainer (verses 6-7).
3. Then Paul returns to the second of the two things that must occur first, the revealing of the man of sin, expanding upon the subject (verses 8-12).
But, it is more reasonable to think that verses 6 and 7 have a direct connection to the first of the two things that must occur, that is, the departure. In fact, the restrainer being taken out of the way (verse 7) has a direct connection to the departure referred to in verse 3.

Who is the restrainer? The terms used in the King James are withholdeth (verse 6) and letteth (verse 7). Both of these English words are translated from the same Greek word (katexo, Strong’s number 2722). The two English words are the opposite sides of the same Greek coin, so to speak, in that the work of restraining (katexo) on the one hand withholds someone from certain activities and on the other hand lets, or allows, only what the restrainer will permit.

The restrainer is identified with both a neuter pronoun and a masculine one — what withholdeth in verse 6 and he who now letteth in verse 7. This indicates that there is both a non-personal and a personal element to the identity of the restrainer. The non-personal element refers to the church. The Devil and the church are adversaries (1 Peter 5:8). God has given the church the capacity to stand against the wiles of the Devil (Ephesians 6:11), to wrestle against principalities, powers, rulers of the darkness of this world, and spiritual wickedness in high places (Ephesians 6:12), to withstand in the evil day (Ephesians 6:13), and to quench the fiery darts of the wicked (Ephesians 6:16), making it possible for the bold manifestation of the gospel of Jesus Christ (Ephesians 6:19-20). The church has been given power over the Devil so that if we resist him, he must flee (James 4:7). This leads us to the identification of the personal element of the restrainer which is the Holy Spirit. The church’s capacity to stand against the Devil in this world and quench his fiery darts comes from the Holy Spirit that dwells in the church (1 Corinthians 6:19-20; 2 Corinthians 6:16). There were some Jewish exorcists who tried to cast out some demons in Acts 19:13-17. They were unsuccessful because they were not saved and indwelt by the Holy Spirit. The demons violently tormented the exorcists until they ran away, but they confessed that if they had been confronted by Jesus or Paul, their response would have been different. In the Gospels, Jesus often confronted demons and the Devil himself, but as the Holy Spirit accompanied Jesus on His earthly journey, Satan and his followers were compelled to submit to the will of the Son of God (Luke 4:1,14; Matthew 12:28). Now the Holy Spirit accompanies the body of Christ in the same way He accompanied the person of Christ and thus the work of the Devil and his servants is restrained by the presence of the body of Christ as long as it remains on earth. When he, the Holy Spirit/restrainer, is taken out of the way (2 Thessalonians 2:7), only then can the Devil begin to implement his plan to fully consume the kingdom of the earth for himself (2 Thessalonians 2:8 – and then). And, if the Holy Spirit/restrainer is taken from the earth, the church/restrainer must depart also because of the promise of the permanency of the indwelling of the Holy Spirit given to the members of the church (Ephesians 1:13-14, 4:30; Romans 8:11,23).

Thus understanding the apostasy as meaning the departure of the church from the earth perfectly fits the flow of the context. Paul starts the chapter by introducing the subject of the church’s gathering together unto Christ in contradistinction to the day of the Lord. He then says that there are two things that must take place before the day of the Lord can begin. First, the church must depart and then the man of sin will begin to fulfill the prophesies of the Old Testament. He further explains that the departure of the church must come first because the presence of the church indwelt by the Holy Spirit is preventing the Devil from implementing His plan. Only after the restrainer is removed can the Devil begin to make his moves. The man of sin has to become active before the covenant can be signed with Israel, laying the foundation for the day of the Lord.

Therefore, the church does not go through any of the tribulation period. The church leaves the earth first. Then the man of sin will put together the pieces which give him the opportunity to deceive Israel and set her up as a target of his devilish wrath (Daniel 11:21-35; Daniel 9:27; Matthew 24:15-28; Revelation 12:12-17). And only then can the day of the Lord begin.

This offers great comfort, not only for the historic believers of the Thessalonian church, but to all members of the body of Christ. We cannot be overcome by the day of the Lord. We know it is coming and we watch for it as someone who watches for a thief in the night. But in our watching, we live in the expectancy of the coming of Christ and our gathering together unto Him. This is our triumph in the day of Christ. As the rest of the world is surprised by the night intrusion of the day of the Lord, the church is delivered from it by the rapture. What comfort and consolation this provides to our hearts and what motivation to be as productive as possible while we have the opportunity to serve the Lord here on earth (2 Thessalonians 2:16-17).

This interpretation of 2 Thessalonians chapter 2 then gives perspective to the other pieces of the prophetic puzzle that refer to the pre-tribulation rapture of the church. These we will consider next time.

More Pieces To The Pre-Tribulation Rapture Puzzle

Let us pick up again on the puzzle analogy as we seek to understand the biblical teaching that the rapture of the church occurs before the tribulation period begins. Once a large part of a puzzle has been assembled, it is possible to get a fairly good idea of what the picture represents. Yet, some details are not visible because little pieces to the puzzle are missing here and there. Second Thessalonians chapter 2 is a large enough part of the pre-tribulation rapture teaching that we can see this truth rather clearly. But there are other places in the Bible that fill in little details that add to the clarity of this doctrine. These additional pieces to the puzzle are the subject of the following paragraphs.

Delivered From The Wrath To Come

God made some promises to Israel that He did not make to the church or to anyone else. For example, He promised Israel that they would possess a specific piece of geography throughout eternity — Genesis 17:8, And I will give unto thee, and to thy seed after thee, the land wherein thou art a stranger, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession… Israel has been given this unique promise which has not been given to any other person, nation, or spiritual body including the church.

Likewise, God made some promises to the church that He did not make to Israel or to anyone else. One of these is the promise of deliverance from the tribulation period which is to come upon the earth sometime in the future — 1 Thessalonians 1:10, And to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, even Jesus, which delivered us from the wrath to come. The church as a unique spiritual body has been granted the special privilege of being removed from and kept out of the seven year time period in which God will judge the world with his wrath, purge Israel in preparing her for her Messiah, and redeem many additional gentiles in the midst of great persecution. This promise is given not because believers are necessarily immune from experiencing collateral suffering as a result of the wrath of God, but because God has chosen to grant the bride of His Son this special privilege.

The phrase, the wrath to come, refers to a specific event of wrath which will occur on earth at some future time. This is distinct from the eternal wrath of God from which all believers of every dispensation including the church have been rescued by the cross of Christ. In 1 Thessalonians 5:9 the Bible says, For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ. In this verse, there is no definite article in front of the word wrath. Wrath is contrasted in the verse with salvation. The verse refers to the eternal salvation we have been granted by the redemptive work of God’s Son which delivers us for all eternity from the wrath of hell and the lake of fire. The church stands in this dispensation in this salvation as the children of light and the children of the day in contrast to those who are still lost in their sins and thus dwell in darkness (1 Thessalonians 5:5). As those in this dispensation who have not been appointed to eternal wrath, we will not be surprised by the coming day of the Lord. We have been enlightened and know that it is coming so that we live in expectancy of it (1 Thessalonians 5:4,6).

In 1 Thessalonians 1:10, the word wrath is preceded by a definite article which suggests a different concept than that which is taught in 5:9. In 5:9, believers have not been appointed, set or established, unto eternal wrath. In 1:10, believers have been delivered, separated by time and space, from the specific event of wrath that is scheduled to occur some time in the future.

The specific event of wrath to which this refers is different from eternal wrath. In eternal wrath people are cast into the means of wrath — the lake of fire. This lasts for eternity (Revelation 20:11-15). In the specific event of wrath from which the church has been promised deliverance, the means of wrath is brought upon the world. This lasts for a limited period of time. Revelation 3:10 says, Because thou has kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth. Here again, the definite article indicates a specific event — the hour of temptation, or trial. In fact, in the Greek text, there is a double definite article which is only implied in the English — the hour of the temptation which shall come upon all the world. The word hour indicates a limited period of time in which this event will take place. The word temptation indicates that the purpose of this limited period of time is different from the purpose of eternal wrath in the lake of fire. In eternal wrath, God executes final and endless judgment for sin. In the hour of temptation, God executes a test upon everyone in the world making them choose between Himself or Satan, truth or error, righteousness or sin, faith or faithlessness. For His own divine reasons, He has promised to remove the church before this event takes place.

Also in 1 Thessalonians 1:10, the preposition “from” gives some assistance to our understanding. Those who believe in the mid-trib rapture might suggest that from their point of view believers are delivered from the wrath of the tribulation period by being taken out of the middle of it. But if this were the intent of the statement in 1 Thessalonians 1:10, the Greek text would more likely have used the word ek, meaning to come out from within the midst of something. The Greek word used, however, is apo, suggesting that believers have been separated from the event altogether. In Revelation 3:10, the Greek word ek is used when it says that the church is kept from or out of the hour of temptation. But by combining these two statements we can understand the whole perspective — the church is separated from the tribulation period by being removed from the earth before it gets started and is therefore kept out of it altogether.

How do we know this specific event of God’s wrath which lasts for a limited period of time and from which the church has been promised deliverance is the tribulation period? A series of Scriptural statements linked together leads us to this conclusion.

In Daniel 9:24-27, God decreed seventy weeks, or seventy sevens, upon His people. History bears testimony to this being seventy sevens of years, or a total time period of 490 years. Sixty nine of these weeks, or 483 years were fulfilled up to the crucifixion of Jesus Christ which Daniel described as the Messiah being cut off (Daniel 9:26). The remaining seven years includes the event of the desecration of the temple by the antichrist, or the abomination of desolation. From Matthew chapter 24 and the book of Revelation, we are able to decipher that the abomination of desolation takes place in the middle of the seven year tribulation period. (Matthew 24:15-22; Revelation 12:12-17).
Daniel also describes this period of time as one of great persecution for the nation of Israel – Daniel 11:33, And they that understand among the people shall instruct many: yet they shall fall by the sword, and by flame, by captivity, and by spoil, many days.
Jeremiah also referred to a time to come in which God would deal harshly with the nations of the world and at the same time correct in measure the nation of Israel, not leaving them unpunished (Jeremiah 30:1-17). He described this time as the time of Jacob’s trouble (Jeremiah 30:7). He also referred to this time as that day. What day?
Isaiah, in speaking of that day, described it as the day of the Lord — Isaiah 2:11-12, The lofty looks of man shall be humbled, and the haughtiness of men shall be bowed down, and the LORD alone shall be exalted in that day. 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. In this same context, Isaiah described how men will seek to hide from God in the caves of the earth for fear of the LORD (Isaiah 2:19-23). This exactly corresponds to the events described in Revelation 6:12-16.
Ezekiel tells us about some of the other things that take place in Revelation chapter 6. He describes the great intensity of the fury or wrath of God expressed through the sword, the famine, the noisome beast and the pestilence (Ezekiel 14:13-21). This corresponds especially to Revelation 6:8 and more broadly to at least the third, fourth, and fifth seals described in Revelation 6:5-11.
Zechariah refers to all four horsemen that are mentioned in the seal judgments of Revelation chapter 6. Chariots led by red, black, white, and bay horses are identified as the four spirits of the heavens which go forth from standing before the Lord of all the earth (Zechariah 6:1-8). This description follows that of other items that also correspond to things that Revelation talks about. There are the two anointed ones, or two witnesses that come during the tribulation (Zechariah 4:11-14 and Revelation 11:4). There is the flying roll that contains the curse that goes forth over the face of the whole earth (Zechariah 5:1-4 and Revelation 5:1 with Revelation 6:1-17). There is the woman of wickedness sitting upon Babylon (the land of Shinar) (Zechariah 5:5-11 and Revelation 17:1-7). Then, in this context, the horsemen riding upon chariots are standing before the Lord of all the earth (Zechariah 6:5) and it is the LORD who sends them forth to walk to and fro through the earth (Zechariah 1:8-10).
This is, of course, only the beginning of the wrath of God to be executed during the tribulation period. Revelation 6:17 says that the great day of His wrath comes after this. Jesus described a similar break down of intensity in Matthew 24 where he talked first about the beginning of sorrows and then talked about the great tribulation.

This evidence combines to affirm that the wrath to come includes the tribulation period from its very beginning. The seventieth week of Daniel is decreed upon Israel as a time of great persecution which is otherwise called the time of Jacob’s trouble. Corresponding to this time of Jacob’s trouble is a time of God’s vengeance which He brings upon the whole world to tempt or try the gentile nations. The Old Testament clearly relates this time of God’s wrath to the events that occur during the tribulation period from its very beginning. Thus, the specific limited period of wrath from which the church has been specifically promised to be delivered is indeed the tribulation period and includes the entire tribulation period as described in the book of Revelation.

Absent From The Earth And Present In Heaven
From Chapter 4 Through 19 In Revelation

The book of Revelation contains within its own text the indication of a natural outline for its contents. In Revelation 1:19, Jesus Christ said to John, Write the things which thou hast seen, and the things which are, and the things which shall be hereafter. In this verse, Jesus told John to write three things: 1) the things which he had seen, 2) the things which are, and 3) the things which shall be hereafter. The contents of the Book of Revelation are very easily divided into these three categories. Chapter 1 consists of the things which John had seen. The voice of Christ said to John, what thou seest, write in a book… (1:11). Then John turned to see the voice that spake… (1:12), and he saw seven golden candlesticks and Jesus Christ standing in the midst of them. Chapters 2 and 3 consist of the things which are. As 1:20 says, the seven candlesticks which thou sawest are the seven churches. In chapters 2 and 3, John records the letters to the seven churches which together describe the state of the entire body of Christ throughout the church age including both its successes and failures. Chapters 4 through 22 consist of the things which shall be hereafter. 4:1 says, After this I looked, and behold, a door was opened in heaven: and the first voice which I heard was as it were of a trumpet talking with me; which said, Come up hither, and I will shew thee things which must be hereafter. This is a rather clear indication that everything following 4:1 is future to the present age.

In Revelation chapters 4 and 5 we are given a glimpse of the throne room in heaven. Within this setting, there are present twenty four elders. These elders appear to represent the church. In 5:8, these elders fall down before the Lamb, holding golden vials full of odours, which are the prayers of the saints. In 5:9, these same elders sing a song to the Lamb in which they say that the Lamb who was slain, redeemed us by his blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation. Having come from every kindred, these would not be Jews, but redeemed gentiles. Neither would these elders represent tribulation saints because the scene is recorded for us before any of the seals of the tribulation book are opened (Revelation 5:3-4). The only group they could represent is the church. The scene then puts the representation of the church in heaven in a future context (Revelation 4:1) before the tribulation period or the day of the Lord could possibly have begun (Revelation 5:3-4).

When the scene switches to the earth, the discussion also switches to Israel. In chapter 7, 144,000 Jews, 12,000 from each tribe, are given the seal of God in their foreheads. In chapter 11, the two witnesses appear about whom Zechariah spoke (Zechariah 4:1-14) who are killed in the streets of Jerusalem (Revelation 11:8) and are resurrected and taken up to heaven. In chapter 12, Israel is the subject of great persecution at the hand of the antichrist. In chapter 14, attention is once again given to the 144,000 sealed Jews.

In chapter 19, the scene switches again, this time back to heaven. Verse 1 says, And after these things I heard a great voice of much people in heaven… Verse 7 puts the church in heaven as a single, whole, completed unit as it says, Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready. The church has now progressed from being the bride of Christ to being the wife of Christ and since the marriage ceremony has already been accomplished, preparations are made for the marriage supper to take place (Revelation 19:9). All members of the body of Christ are therefore in heaven before Christ leaves heaven to fulfill the Second Coming to earth and engage the battle of Armageddon (Revelation 19:11-21). This eliminates the possibility of a post-tribulation rapture.

While martyrs of the faith are mentioned in 6:9-11, there is no use of any language that would relate them to the church. In fact, in chapter 7 when another reference is made to these martyrs, John is uncertain about their identity and inquires from one of the elders in heaven. The elder describes them as residents of the great tribulation who died because they had washed their robes in the blood of the Lamb. He did not, however, in any way describe them as part of the church. Believers are called saints regardless of the dispensation in which they live. The word saints is used 36 times in the Old Testament in reference to Jewish believers. For example, Psalms 148:14 – He also exalteth the horn of his people, the praise of all his saints; even of the children of Israel, a people near unto him. Praise ye the LORD. The fact that martyrs of the faith in the tribulation period are identified as saints does not automatically connect them with the church. It more likely connects them with believing Jews and Gentiles who turn to Christ during the tribulation period because there is no language to suggest they represent the church and there is absolutely no other references to the church on earth between Revelation 4:1 and 20:1. The church is in heaven in chapter 5 and the church is in heaven in chapter 19. The conclusion is that the church is removed from the earth before the first seal of the tribulation book is opened and remains there until Jesus Christ returns to the earth at the end of the tribulation period.

Conclusion

The church has been given a promise to be delivered from the specific event of wrath that will come at some future time on the earth and will last for a limited period of time. The church therefore cannot be identified in any of the text which describes this event of wrath, or tribulation period.

The tribulation period has two specific purposes neither of which apply to the church. One is for Israel. The seventieth week of Daniel was given to Israel for her to endure, to be punished (Zechariah 1:8) and purged (Isaiah 13:9) and purified in preparing her for the Messiah (Zechariah 12:9-10). The other is for gentiles who have rejected Christ. It will be a time of testing (Revelation 3:10) in which they will have to choose between the mark of the beast (13:16) by which they seal their eternal condemnation (2 Thessalonians 2:11-12) and the faith of Jesus Christ (Revelation 7:14) by which they face the real possibility of martydom at the hand of the antichrist (Revelation 6:9).

The church has been given a unique promise which has not been given to any other group of saints. The church has been promised a deliverance from this event of wrath (1 Thessalonians 1:10). She will be kept out of it altogether (Revelation 3:10). Some time before this event of wrath begins, the Lord Jesus Christ will come in the clouds bringing with Him the souls of those who have slept in him as part of the church. The trumpet will sound, the dead bodies of those who sleep in Christ will be raised, we church members who remain and are still alive on earth will be caught up together with them in the clouds, and the whole church will go to heaven together to stand before the judgment seat of Christ and be married to the Lamb of God. It is only after the church is gone and the dwelling of the Holy Spirit is removed that the antichrist will be revealed, the seals of the book will be opened and the tribulation period will begin.

The testimony of Scripture is clear. The rapture happens before the tribulation period begins. This means that there is nothing for present day Christians to look for as signs that the rapture is coming. We are to live every day of our lives with the expectancy of the rapture occurring at any moment.

Living In Expectancy

Noah Webster said that an expectation is the act of looking forward to a future event with at least some reason to believe the event will happen… Expectation, he said, is founded on some reasons which render the event probable. The future event for which Christians live in expectancy is the rapture of the church. The reason we believe this event will happen is that God Himself said His Son would 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: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up (raptured) together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord (1 Thessalonians 4:16-17). Since our faith convinces us that God keeps His promises, we who trust the Word of God live in constant expectation of the rapture taking place.

The question that many raise about this subject is whether or not our expectation of the rapture is precluded by the necessity of other events taking place first. In other words, is the rapture truly imminent, or are there other things about which the Bible speaks in prophecy that must happen before the rapture, thus diminishing our expectancy of the rapture and redirecting our anticipation to other things? Those who believe that the rapture takes place some time during the tribulation period or after it is concluded, obviously do not expect the rapture to happen at any moment. They may be waiting for it to occur, but they first anticipate the revealing of the man of sin, the opening of the seal judgments, and perhaps any number of other “signs” that the time for the rapture is drawing near. To illustrate their point of view, they would say that in the month of October, we are waiting for Christmas, but we anticipate Thanksgiving to take place first.

On the other hand, those who believe the rapture will occur before the tribulation period begins, live in expectancy of the rapture happening at any moment. In this point of view, there are no signs in biblical prophecy to indicate the nearness of the rapture, nor are there any prophetic indications that anything will happen chronologically before the rapture. The pretribulation rapture position says that the rapture is imminent. That is, it can happen at any moment and we therefore live each moment of every day in expectancy of the sound of the trumpet.

So which of these two views is correct? Can we support the imminent rapture of the church from Scripture?

Was the Rapture Imminent in the First Century?

One objection to the teaching of imminence is the apparent obstruction to imminence in the first century. In John 21:18-19, Jesus told Peter that he would live to be an old man and die a violent death. The contention is that since Jesus predicted this, it had to occur just as He said it would, and so it was not possible for the rapture to take place until after Peter’s prophesied death. In fact, more than 40 years later Peter referred to this prediction and said that he still anticipated its fulfillment (2 Peter 1:14) Therefore, Peter was not looking for the rapture of the church but his own impending death.

This is an interesting problem to imminence of the rapture in the first century, but does not prevent the Scripture from promoting a genuine expectancy of the rapture in the heart of believers today. From hindsight we understand that the New Testament was not written just for the benefit of first century Christians, but was prepared in such a way as to be relevant to every generation throughout the church age. In fact, Peter himself did nothing to suppress an expectancy of the coming of Christ in spite of the necessity of his own physical death occurring. In 2 Peter chapter three, Peter referred to those who objected to such expectancy. Knowing this first, he said, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts, And saying, Where is the promise of his coming? (2 Peter 3:3-4). He could easily have responded that of course Jesus had not yet come or would not come until he had died according to Jesus’ prediction. However, he did not answer in this way at all. He placed the scoffers in a future tense (shall come) and responded to their objection by saying that the delay in the fulfillment of the promise of Christ’s coming was due to the longsuffering of God who is not willing that any should perish, but is desirous that all should come to repentance (verses 9 and 15). He then encourages believers to live holy lives because of their anticipation of the day of the Lord (verses 10-14). It is here that the pre-tribulationist takes a similar point of view as the non pre-tribulationist, only in reverse. We do indeed look for the coming of the day of the Lord, but we live in expectancy of the rapture occurring before the day of the Lord will begin. This fits perfectly with Paul’s discussion in 1 Thessalonians chapters 4 and 5. We live in expectancy of the rapture, but watch for the day of the Lord which is to follow. So Peter’s response to those who would object to believers living in expectancy of the coming of the Lord was to encourage that expectancy to continue.

Paul, as a contemporary of Peter in the first century, clearly indicated his own expectation of the rapture. In the 1 Thessalonian passage where he described the rapture in detail, he said, Then we which are live and remain shall be caught up (1 Thessalonians 4:17). He did not say “you which will be alive and remain;” he said, “we which are alive and remain,” clearly including himself and indicating his personal hope and expectation of still being on earth when the rapture would occur.

Waiting, Watching, And Looking

Turning to the intent of Scripture as we may apply it to our own experience today, God used three words to tell us we ought to live in expectancy of the coming of Jesus Christ for the church — wait, watch, and look.

Waiting

There are two things for which the church is waiting. First, we are waiting for the Son of God to come from heaven.

1 Thessalonians 1:10 – And to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, even Jesus, which delivered us from the wrath to come.

2 Thessalonians 3:5 – And the Lord direct your hearts into the love of God, and into the patient waiting for Christ.

1 Corinthians 1:7 – So that ye come behind in no gift; waiting for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Secondly, we are waiting for the redemption of our body, which is the transformation of the mortal into immortality and the corrupt into incorruption as described in 1 Corinthians 15:52-54.

Romans 8:19 – For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God.

Romans 8:23 – And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body.

We wait for both of these things which together comprise the hope of righteousness by faith for which we wait through the Spirit (Galatians 5:5). We wait for these two things because they occur at the same time. Jesus will come down form heaven to the clouds in the earth’s sky, the trumpet will sound, the dead in Christ will rise first and then we which are alive and remain will be caught up together with them, transformed into incorruptible and immortal bodies to meet the Lord in the air. This indeed is the hope of the righteousness we have received by faith in Jesus Christ and with patience we do wait for it (Romans 8:25).
Watching

While the church waits for the rapture, it is to watch for the day of the Lord. In 1 Thessalonians 5:2, Paul explained that the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night. But this will only be for those who are unprepared with the hope of righteousness by faith. He said in verse 4 that the brethren are not in darkness, so the day of the Lord will not overtake them as a thief would. This is because we know it is coming and are able to watch for it.

1 Thessalonians 5:6 – Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober.

1 Thessalonians 5:8 – But let us, who are of the day, be sober (or watchful), putting on the breastplate of faith and love; and for an helmet, the hope of salvation (or deliverance).

The last phrase in verse 8 is key to the idea of watchfulness for the believer in relationship to the day of the Lord. The word salvation in this context is not used in reference to the regeneration we have experienced because of our faith in Jesus Christ and God’s forgiveness of our sins by His mercy and grace. Rather, it is referring to the deliverance of the church in the rapture which rescues us from the wrath to come. Consider a similar usage of the word salvation in Romans 13:11 – And that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed. If the word salvation in Romans 13:11 is referring to basic regeneration, then regeneration would occur some time after faith is exercised. This simply cannot be. Ephesians 2:8-9 and other scriptures make it clear that regenerative salvation is a present possession and not just a future hope. Therefore, the word salvation in Romans 13:11 is referring to some other kind of deliverance that is future to our regeneration, yet getting nearer every day. The reasonable understanding of this is the deliverance of the church from the wrath to come. In the same sense, the word salvation is used in 1 Thessalonians 5:8. Hence, the believer’s watchfulness for the day of the Lord involves his hope for and anticipation of the deliverance of the church from the day of the Lord by means of the rapture of the church. Paul then explains that the validity of our hope of deliverance from the day of the Lord is rooted in our regenerative salvation which we have in Jesus Christ (1 Thessalonians 5:9-10).
Looking

There are also some things for which the church is looking as we wait for the rapture and watch for the day of the Lord. We look for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ (Titus 2:13). We look for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life (Jude 1:21). And, we look for the cataclysmic events of the day of the Lord which will ultimately bring a renewal to the heavens and the earth (2 Peter 3:12-14).

The root word behind the word look is translated in Acts 12:11 as the word expectation. This gives a good sense of what the word look means. In that context, James had been executed by Herod, Peter was in prison, and the local church was in the house of John Mark conducting a prayer meeting. All the Jews in Jerusalem expected Herod to do to Peter the same thing he had done to James. There was no doubt in anyone’s mind that Peter was about to be executed. They lived in full expectation of Herod executing Peter.

This is the sense of the word as it is translated “look” in the references noted above. The church lives in expectation of the blessed hope and glorious appearing of the Lord Jesus Christ (Titus 2:13). We also live in expectation of the application of divine mercy in redeeming our bodies and delivering us from this contaminated flesh (Jude 1:21). And, we live in expectation of the day of the Lord; not as though we have any thoughts of actually going into it or going through it, but we know it is coming. We know it will be a time of awful judgment and wrath. We know that others will be going through it and suffer in it. And we therefore must live the kind of lives that both reflect our expectations and convince others of the hope they can have if they join us in the faith of Jesus Christ (2 Peter 3:11-14).

The Lord Is At Hand

In Philippians 4:5, Paul said, The Lord is at hand. “At hand” is translated from a word that means “to be near.” Was Paul in this statement referring to the comforting presence of Christ saying that He is near to us by means of His indwelling Spirit, or was he referring to the nearness of the coming of Christ for His church saying that it was imminent? Both applications may be equally valid to the statement. Certainly Christ’s abiding presence makes him as near to us as He could possibly be, dwelling in our very bodies, making them His temple on earth. But an examination of the use of this word in other scriptural contexts suggests that the nearness indicated is not one of an abiding presence, but rather, describes something that is close but not yet present. In Matthew 26:18, Jesus said that His time was at hand, meaning that it was about to occur but had not yet occurred. In Luke 19:11, Jesus was nigh to Jerusalem, but was not actually in Jerusalem. In John 11:18, the town of Bethany is described as being nigh unto Jerusalem, yet fifteen furlongs away. In John 19:20, Jesus was crucified nigh to the city, that is, at a place close to the city but not in it. In Acts 1:12, Mount Olivet is described as being near Jerusalem but a Sabbath day’s journey from the city. There is an exception to this pattern found in Romans 10:8 where it says that the word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart… But this is an exception to the usage of this word in Scripture where it is used more commonly in the previous sense. This provides considerable support for interpreting Philippians 4:5 as saying that the Lord is close at hand but has not actually come yet, so we live in expectancy of His soon return. And, in light of the other pieces we have already assembled to the rapture puzzle, this interpretation certainly fits the picture.

Conclusion

Consider the pieces we have assembled to the puzzle of the rapture’s timing.

There are some distinctions between the Rapture and the Second Coming. The rapture is described in terms of joy and blessing while the Second Coming is connected to judgment.
The falling away in 2 Thessalonians 2:3 is identified with the departure of the church. This departure which is accompanied by the removal of the restraining work of the Holy Spirit are prerequisites for the revealing of the man of sin and the beginning of the tribulation period.
The church has been given a promise to be delivered from the specific period of wrath to come on the earth which is known as the seventieth week of Daniel, or the tribulation period.
The church is absent from the earth during the tribulation period as noted in Revelation chapters 4 to 19.
The church is instructed to wait for the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ and the redemption of the bodies of believers. These are the only things we wait for, though we expect other things to happen after the rapture occurs.

While Peter, in the first century, was certain to live to be old and to die a violent death, others in the first century did live in expectancy of the rapture. Besides, Peter has been physically dead for a very long time. Even if the prophecy of Peter’s death precluded the rapture from actually being imminent for first century Christians, this in no way diminishes the expectancy of the rapture encouraged by the New Testament. In fact, in bringing up the objection of the latter day scoffers to the promise of His coming, Peter acknowledged the expectancy that exists for believers. Paul also acknowledged several times that physical death was a real possibility for him to experience (Philippians 1:20-24; 2 Corinthians 1:8; 2 Timothy 4:6-8). Yet he held within him a hope that he might still be alive on earth at the time of the rapture (1 Thessalonians 4:17). He further acknowledged that the waiting of the Thessalonians for Jesus to come from heaven was in connection with our hope of deliverance from the wrath to come (1 Thessalonians 1:10).

All of these things taken together suggest that for the church in the 21st century, the rapture is imminent — that is, it can happen at any moment without anything else having to occur first. This indeed is the hope of the righteousness which we have by faith in Jesus Christ. It is the unique promise given to the church. We are privileged to possess a promise unlike any other.

We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. (1 Corinthians 15:51-52)

What a moment that is going to be!

Is Jesus Coming Soon?

We have all seen the cartoon where a long haired old man dressed in prophets garb is carrying a sign which reads, “The end is near.” While this is intended to contain an element of humor, we who live in anticipation of the rapture and the day of the Lord realize that there is more truth than humor in such a statement.

But how near is the coming of Jesus Christ? As we look around us and see the intensifying expression of mankind’s depravity, many of us are heard saying that the Lord has to be coming soon. Certainly, it cannot get much worse. Things are so bad that Jesus must be on the precipice of heaven, poised to blow the trumpet to call us all home to glory.

Can we be so certain that Jesus will come soon? I had a friend once whose grandfather was a pastor. He began his ministry in the early 1900’s and preached even from the beginning that Jesus would definitely come in his lifetime. He preached that same message confidently for 50 years. But he has long since left this earth and gone to heaven and Jesus did not come in his lifetime. Now here we are in the early 21^st century. In another hundred years will someone else be writing another article like this one while the church still waits for the rapture, or will Jesus really come soon? If we believe that the rapture really is imminent, then there are no signs or indications outlined by Scripture to help us anticipate the timing of this event. We are left with nothing else but to wait patiently for the sound of the trumpet.

What About The Signs Of The Times?

Typical of their Jewish nature (1 Corinthians 1:22), Jesus’ disciples asked for signs which would indicate the timing of His coming. They said, Tell us, when shall these things be? And what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world? Jesus answered by giving several things they could look for including false Christs, wars and rumors of wars, and famines, pestilences and earthquakes in divers places. All these, He said, will be the beginning of sorrows. He then talked about persecution, false prophets, and the abomination of desolation spoken of by Daniel the prophet. After that will come great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be. This will end with the sun and moon being darkened, the stars falling from heaven and the powers of the heaven being shaken. At the conclusion of all these things, Jesus said the sign of His coming will appear in heaven, all the tribes of the earth will mourn and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory (Matthew 24:3-31).

This would appear to give a considerable number of things to look for which would indicate the soon return of Jesus Christ. In fact, Jesus said, when ye shall see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors. But all these signs occur within the tribulation period and point to the second coming at the end of it. So, do these signs help us at all with regard to the timing of the rapture?

The Reverse Order of Events

The rapture and the Second coming cannot happen at the same time and one particular thing makes this abundantly clear. In the rapture, believers are taken from the earth to heaven and unbelievers are left behind on the earth. But in the second coming, unbelievers are gathered first and cast into judgment fire, and then the elect are gathered together on the earth.

Jesus said that the elect would be gathered together at the time of the second coming.

Matthew 24:30-31 – 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. 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.

But He also said there would be two gatherings at this same time, a gathering of the unsaved and a gathering of the saved; and the gathering of the unsaved, He said, will take place first. In the parable of the tares (Matthew 13:24-30; 36-43), Jesus explained that the children of the wicked one (tares) and the children of the kingdom (good seed) grow up together in the field (which is the world). But in the time of harvest (which is the end of the world — trumpet compare Matthew 24:3) reapers (angels) will be sent forth first to gather out of the kingdom all things that offend and them which do iniquity, and shall cast them into a furnace of fire. Only after the tares are gathered do the reapers collect the wheat into the barn; or as Jesus explained, Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. The gathering of the elect in this case is not a removal from the earth but a gathering together on the earth to dwell together in the kingdom of the Messiah. And, the gathering of the elect takes place after all the unsaved and workers of iniquity are removed.

Now clearly, the rapture involves something entirely different from this. First, the whole idea of the rapture is a removal from the earth. In 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17, the rapture trumpet sounds and the dead in Christ rise first, followed by believers who remain alive at the time. The entire church, resurrected and raptured together, meets the Lord in the air so that as one body it can be with Christ for ever. A similar description is given in John 14:2-3. Jesus said that there are many mansions in His Father’s house, which is an obvious reference to heaven. He said He was going to go to that house and prepare a place for each of His followers. Then He said, If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also. The implication of these words has to be that the place Jesus was going to prepare for his followers was in heaven. Post-tribulationists insist that in the rapture believers rise to meet the Lord in the air and then immediately escort Him back to the earth. But the earth is not the Father’s house. And why would Jesus say He was going to prepare a place for His followers in His Father’s house if He did not intend to take them there? He clearly said He was going to come again and take His followers with Him to heaven. This He said to His apostles during the last supper, who were the men that were going to lay the foundation of the church. Thus, John 14:2-3 is an obvious reference to the rapture, showing that the church will leave the earth and go to heaven. This reinforces the teaching in 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 that the church meets the Lord in the air.

Secondly, the idea of rapturing the church from the earth is to remove it from the context of an ungodly world undergoing divine retribution and a chosen nation (Israel) undergoing a divine purging. If judgment is over and all the unsaved are removed from the earth, what is the purpose of rapturing the church into the air so that it can accompany the King back to an empty earth? Jesus delivers us from the wrath to come (1 Thessalonians 1:10). The church is delivered before judgment and not after. This is clearly different from the gathering of the elect of Israel at the end of the tribulation period after judgment is concluded and the wicked are removed.

Signs and Thieves Don’t Mix

Jesus explained to His disciples that signs of the times would be visible from the very beginning of the tribulation period. He said, All these are the beginning of sorrows (Matthew 24:8). The beginning of sorrows is an expression that relates to the idea of the first birth pangs that come upon a woman when she is about to deliver a child. In fact, this same Greek word (Strong’s number 5604) is used in 1 Thessalonians 5:3 where it talks about the beginning of the tribulation period: For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail (5604) upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape. The wrathful events of the tribulation period follow a similar pattern as the birth pangs of a woman with child. The first one comes without notice, like a thief in the night. After the first one, the woman knows that more birth pangs are coming and that they will increase in intensity until the birth actually occurs. So it is in the tribulation period. The day of the Lord begins suddenly, like the first pain of child birth, coming upon the world as a thief in the night without notice. The beginning of sorrows is relatively light compared to what is to come. There will be a gradual increase in intensity throughout the tribulation period until the traumatic pain of Armageddon brings forth the Son of God to rule and reign on the earth at the very end.

The birth pangs of the tribulation period, including the very first ones, all serve as signs to those who are on earth indicating the soon coming of Christ. But if the beginning of sorrows cannot begin until after the departure of the church (see previous discussion on 2 Thessalonians 2:1-8), none of the signs occur while the church is present on earth. Therefore, there are no signs available to the church to indicate how near the rapture may be. As much as we would like to believe that it must happen soon, God has not given us any signs to know for sure. The only thing of which we are sure is the pregnancy of God’s prophecies concerning future events. At some unexpected moment a trumpet is going to sound, the church will be raptured, and the birth pangs of the Messiah will begin.

Dr. Renald Showers states that ancient Judaism taught there would be seven years of trouble immediately prior to the coming of the Messiah. He quotes Raphael Patai as saying, The idea became entrenched that the coming of the Messiah will be preceded by greatly increased suffering… This will last seven years. And then, unexpectedly, the Messiah will come. Even the Dead Sea Scrolls refer to the seven years of trouble before Messiah’s coming as “the birth pangs of the Messiah.” (Maranatha, Our Lord, Come!, page 21)

But the signs of the birth pangs are given to Israel and not to the church. They happen as a thief in the night coming upon an unsuspecting victim. Israel is told that the beginning of sorrows is a sign for them to prepare for a time of increasing trouble to come (Matthew 24). But the church is told that it will not be overtaken by the thief (2 Thessalonians 5:4). The word “overtake” does not have the sense of “surprise.” Instead, it has the sense of “taking possession of, to seize upon, to lay hold of.” It is used in John 8:3-4 in reference to the woman “taken” in adultery. In other words, not even the beginning of birth pangs which come upon the world as a thief in the night will lay hold of the church. This can only be because the church is delivered from the earth before they occur.

Of Course, We Do Not Know The Day Nor The Hour of Christ’s Coming

On the other side of this issue lies an entirely imminent rapture. Imminence implies that nothing must happen before the rapture can occur. There are no signs, no patterns to events, no movements in society, no indications of any kind that serve as harbingers to the sounding of the rapture trumpet. The doctrine of imminence does not say that nothing will happen before the rapture. There may be lots of things happen, like the terrorist attacks on the United States on September 11, 2001, before Jesus comes for His church. The doctrine of imminence says that none of these things happen as fulfillment of biblical prophecies and as precursors to the rapture.

Imminence goes even further than what Jesus told His disciples about not knowing the timing of his coming again. He said, of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only (Matthew 24:36). But of what day and hour was Jesus referring? This statement follows in the immediate context of Jesus’ explanation concerning His second coming at the end of the tribulation period. It is significant that He says no one knows the day and the hour. It is also significant that He does not say no one knows the year and the approximate time. With all the signs of the tribulation period which precede the second coming, those who are on earth at that time and know God’s Word will have some idea of the approximate time of Messiah’s arrival. Even the Antichrist will know this and for this reason will gather the armies of the earth to Armageddon (Revelation 16:16; Joel 3:9-14). But no one will know the precise moment in which Christ will appear and engage the battle and take the victory.

Concerning the rapture, we know even less than the day and the hour. We do not know the month or the year or the century or anything else about its timing. The only thing we do know is that today our deliverance is nearer than it was yesterday (Romans 13:11). We are left to wait patiently for Jesus to come in the clouds and to catch us up into the air to meet Him. But we not only hope that it will happen soon, we are given the privilege to live in expectancy of its happening at any moment.

Jesus told John in Revelation 22:20, Surely I come quickly. The word “quickly” does not mean that He will come soon in a chronological sense, but that when He does come, it will happen very fast. Paul described how in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump… we shall be changed (1 Corinthians 15:52).

Of course, we want Him to come soon. We hope He will come soon. But even soon means later, not now. And any thoughts of a delay, even a brief one, are sufficient grounds for my flesh to think there is still time to do one more foolish thing before I face the Savior. The best motivation to godly living is the thought that we could be face to face with the King of Glory at any moment. So it is that John said, And now, little children, abide in him; that, when he shall appear, we may have confidence, and not be ashamed before him at his coming (1 John 2:28). So it is that this same John closed the record of Scripture with the hope of the church, Even so, come, Lord Jesus (Revelation 22:20). If this prayer lives on our lips and we live each moment of our lives in expectancy of Christ’s appearing to us in the clouds of the air, will we not walk more worthy of the vocation wherewith we have been called in Christ?

Even so, come, Lord Jesus!

What Happens When This Mortal Body Puts On Immortality?

The church awaits the sounding of the trumpet! In that grand and glorious moment of the sounding of that heavenly instrument, an Archangel will shout, the dead in Christ will be raised, and we which are alive and remain will be caught up together with them to meet the Lord in the air (1 Thessalonians 4:16-17). In the twinkling of an eye, we shall all be changed. Our mortal and corruptible bodies will put on immortality and incorruption (1 Corinthians 15:52-54). Glorified and completely transformed into the image of Jesus Christ, we will then be transported into the Father’s house, where the Son of God has prepared a place for us (John 14:1-3). Those who have seen the Father’s house and were able to record what they saw describe it as a marvelous place. They saw a sky blue throne and a shining red/bronze colored person sitting on the throne. The throne sits on a crystal floor that looks like a sea of glass. A rainbow of brilliant green hues rests over the throne. Seven lamp stands burn before it. Thunders and lightnings and voices proceed from it. And strange winged creatures surround it singing praises to the one who sits upon it (2 Corinthians 12:1-4; Isaiah 6:1ff; Revelation 4 and 5; Ezekiel 1:4-31). There we will be. Surely we will be stunned by the wonders we see. What will it be like to be there? And what will we do? What will life be like in our glorified bodies and what kind of experiences will we have in the chronology of eternity future?

Our First Sensations

The first thing we will notice is the Presence of the One sitting on the throne. His appearance will be brilliant and overwhelming (Ezekiel 1:27), and His voice will ring out with power (Ezekiel 1:24). As we look upon Him (Revelation 4:3) we will be greatly humiliated (Isaiah 6:5). Then the sound of the choir will fill heaven (Revelation 5:11-14). Ten thousand times ten thousand and thousands of thousands will sing with a loud voice and we will be amazed. We are given very little information about heaven, but everyone who had the privilege of seeing it and coming back to record his experiences were totally overwhelmed, like Isaiah who said “Woe is me!” and Ezekiel who fell on his face. Paul was speechless and found the things he saw to be indescribable (2 Corinthians 12:4) and so probably will we.

A Time For Evaluation

There are two judgment seats in heaven. One is the great white throne that will be used to judge the unsaved of all time. At this judgment seat, everyone will be found guilty and bad works will be judged as to how bad they are (Revelation 20:11; Matthew 23:14; Matthew 11:24; Luke 12:47-48). But the other judgment seat will be the one of interest to the church when it arrives in heaven. It is the judgement seat of Christ where bad works will be consumed by fire and rewards will be distributed according to the quality of the good works performed by believers while on earth (1 Corinthians 3:13-15). We will all take our turns before this judgment seat (2 Corinthians 5:10). Some will suffer loss, and some will stand in heaven without any additional reward. Others will receive rewards in varying quantities (1 Corinthians 3:14-15). Every member of the body of Christ will be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white (Revelation 19:8).

Adjusting To Our New Nature

As we grow accustomed to our new surroundings, we will begin to look around and recognize familiar faces. We will know each other with the same identity that we possessed on earth. Remember the appearances of Moses and Elijah on the mount of transfiguration (Matthew 17:3-4). They had the same names and were obviously the same people even though they appeared in their glorified form. We will have a different relationship with each other though, neither marrying, nor being given in marriage, just like the angels whose home has always been in heaven (Matthew 22:30). But we will remain as thinking, responsible creatures with assigned responsibilities like judging angels and the world (1 Corinthians 6:2-3).

The Wedding

There is no more intimate relationship than that of husband and wife and this is the intimacy that the whole church will enjoy with Jesus Christ in eternity future. The church is the bride of Christ. As Paul said in 2 Corinthians 11:2, for I have espoused you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ. In Ephesians 5:31-33 he further describes this matrimonial relationship between Christ and the church.

Sometime prior to Christ’s return to earth at the end of the Tribulation period, the bride will be made ready for the marriage ceremony.

Let us be glad and rejoice and give honour to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath make herself ready. And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints. Revelation 19:7-8

The New Jerusalem is prepared as the residence for the bride, the Lamb’s wife (Revelation 21:9).

The church has a glorious future as the queen of Christ, sharing in his heritage (Romans 8:17), and reigning with Him (2 Timothy 2:12; Revelation 1:6). On the one hand, the church’s marriage to Christ is figurative in that it will not involve a physical consummation. On the other hand, it is literal in that it will involve a spiritual and intimate union with the Son of God that will last for eternity.

What Will It Be Like To Live In A Glorified Body?

The Basis of Our Understanding

1 John 3:2 says, Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.

1 Corinthians 15:47-49 says, The first man is of the earth, earthy: the second man is the Lord from heaven. As is the earthy, such are they also that are earthy: and as is the heavenly, such are they also that are heavenly. And as we have borne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly.

When Jesus arose from the dead, there was something very different about his physical characteristics. For example, when Jesus appeared first to Mary Magdalene, he still had the appearance of a human being, for Mary mistook Him for a gardener; but He refused to let Mary touch Him because He had not yet ascended to His father (John 20:11-17). Then when Jesus appeared some time later to a group of the disciples, they thought He was a spirit and He had to show them that he had flesh and bones (Luke 24:37).

The suggestion of 1 John 3:1-2 and 1 Corinthians 15:47-48 is that when the rapture happens and we are all changed in the twinkling of an eye, we will receive glorified bodies that are similar in nature to that of the glorified body of Jesus Christ. We know that some great change is in store for our physical nature as Romans 8:23 says we wait for the adoption which is the redemption of our bodies. We also have the promise of glorification recorded in Romans 8:29-30. And 1 Corinthians 15:52-54 describes the physical change that will take place in the rapture event. When that change takes place, what will our glorified bodies be like? By observing the characteristics of the glorified body of Jesus Christ, we will have some idea about the answer to that question.

Luke 20:35-36 says, But they which shall be accounted worthy to obtain that world, and the resurrection from the dead, neither marry, nor are given in marriage: Neither can they die any more: for they are equal unto the angels; and are the children of God, being the children of the resurrection.

Another subject in Scripture also gives us some hints as to what it will be like to be resurrected. While some well meaning people make up stories about human beings becoming angels when they go to heaven, there are no Scriptural statements that support such a hypothesis. Nevertheless, Jesus did say that when a human being goes to heaven, his physical nature will be different than it is now, and, in fact, will be very much like that of angels (Luke 20:34-36). By observing the nature of angels, we will also have some hints about our future characteristics.
The Physical Characteristics of Our Glorified Bodies
1. Visibility
  
  Intrinsic to the Gospel of Jesus Christ are his appearances to various individuals and groups after his resurrection. 1 Corinthians 15:1-4 which outlines the gospel is immediately followed by a list of those appearances. Matthew 28:17 clearly says the eleven disciples saw Jesus. Equally visible in their glorified form were Moses and Elijah on the mount of transfiguration (Matthew 17:1-4). Appearing with Jesus, Peter, James, and John saw them and were amazed by their appearance leading Peter to suggest constructing a tabernacle for each one.
  
  In relationship to His visibility, though, Jesus possessed a very interesting characteristic. He could disappear. For example, when He showed Himself to the two disciples who were walking on the road to Emmaus (Luke 24:13-31) the two men did not recognize Jesus for most of their visit. When He finally opened their eyes so that they would know who He was, the Bible says He vanished out of their sight.
  
  Similarly, the celestial nature of angelic creatures makes it possible for them to be visible or invisible to the human eye. When Elisha’s servant feared the enemy army that had surrounded them, Elisha prayed and God opened the servant’s eyes so that he could see the wonder of a mountain full of angelic soldiers with their horses and chariots of fire (2 Kings 6:17).
  
  Since we will be like Christ (1 John 3:2) and have a nature similar to angels (Matthew 22:30), we can expect to have the ability to appear and disappear before men who still live on earth.
  
  In addition, our appearance will be one of brightness and glory. Remember how the glory of God was absorbed by Moses’ flesh when he visited with God on Mt. Sinai (Exodus 34:29-35)? Angels also at times appeared to men with great brilliance (Daniel 10:5-6). The obvious reason for this is because they dwell so closely to the glory of God all the time. When we dwell in God’s presence, we will undoubtedly absorb His glory as well and have the privilege of bearing His glory whereever we go. The mystery of this particular matter is how some angels were able to appear to men and camouflage the glory of God (Judges 13:16; Hebrews 13:2).
2. Tangibleness
  
  Not only was Jesus visible to His disciples after the resurrection, but they were also able to touch Him. Of course, Mary Magdalene, who was the first person to see the risen Christ was not allowed to touch Him, as Jesus explained that He had not yet ascended to His Father (John 20:17). But shortly after this, Jesus appeared to the other women on their way to talk to the disciples and they held Him by His feet (Matthew 28:9). The implication of this is that between His appearance to Mary at the tomb and to the women on the road Jesus ascended to the Father, presented Himself there and returned to earth. (Travel across the universe for the Son of God is very quick, which suggests another unique characteristic we may obtain in our glorification. Travel across the universe for angels, though, is not necessarily instantaneous. It was possible for one angel to be delayed in making the trip — Daniel 10:12-13.)
  
  When the disciples first saw Jesus, they were frightened by His appearance and supposed that He was not tangible, but a spirit or an apparition (Luke 24:37). Had we been there, we may have had the same reaction, because the door to the room where the disciples were assembled was shut and Jesus stood in the midst of them without opening the door (John 20:19). Jesus had to explain to them that he was very real and tangible, possessing flesh and bones (verse 39). This statement is very interesting, possibly suggesting that Jesus’ glorified body, though of tangible substance, did not include blood flowing through veins. In fact, the Bible tells us that the nature of celestial bodies is very different from the nature of terrestrial bodies (1 Corinthians 15:40). It was in this same course of events that Thomas doubted Jesus’ resurrection. The other disciples informed Thomas that they had seen the risen Savior, but Thomas declared that he would not believe until he had physically touched the wounds in Jesus’ hands and feet. Jesus gladly accommodated Thomas (John 20:27). The mystery in this matter is how a physical body of flesh and bones can pass through a solid wood door.
  
  With this physical body of flesh and bones, Jesus was able to eat earthly food. Luke 24:42-43 says that He ate a piece of a broiled fish and an honeycomb. There is no indication that it was necessary for Him to eat to sustain His glorified body, but it was certainly possible for Him to eat. At the last supper, Jesus told His disciples that they would eat and drink at His table in His kingdom (Luke 22:30). Obviously, at that point, the disciples will be in their glorified bodies. Also, fruit trees will be available in the New Jerusalem and the tree of life will be available for our consumption in eternity future (Revelation 2:7; 22:2,14). It may be of interest regarding this subject that the Bible tells us angels also have food for their consumption (Psalm 78:25).
3. Communication Skills
  
  After His resurrection, Jesus talked with His disciples (John 20:26-29). He also had a conversation with Moses and Elijah on the mount of transfiguration (Matthew 17:3). Our ability to communicate will be intact and we can only wonder how it will be enhanced in our glorified form.
Our Future Responsibilities In Our Glorified Bodies
1. Spiritual Responsibilities
  
  As members of the body of Christ, we are already royal priests (1 Peter 2:5). This role will continue and be enhanced in eternity future (Revelation 1:6; 20:6).
2. Political Responsibilities
  
  Not only will we be priests, but we will also be kings, sitting with Christ in His throne and reigning with Him (Revelation 1:6; 3:21; 20:6). Suffering in this present environment is part of our preparation for this future responsibility (2 Timothy 2:12).
3. Judicial Responsibilities
  
  Christians in this present age are admonished to refrain from taking their personal, civil disputes before unbelieving judges (1 Corinthians 6:1-8). The reason for this is as follows. In eternity future we will judge angels. Apparently, angels have personal disputes just as we do. It will be our responsibility in the future to sit in judgment of these things. We will also serve as judges in the world. If we are capable of this as members of the body of Christ, then we have the ability to make reasonable judgments between ourselves now.
4. Praise Participation
  
  We have the wonderful prospect of joining in chorus with heavenly creature to sing the praises of God (Revelation 5:11-14). We can only try to imagine what congregational singing will be like in heaven, but we will have to wait until we are there to fully appreciate how grand that will be.

Conclusion

We have a lot to look forward to. In our glorified bodies there will be no death, no sorrow, no crying, no pain, no curse and no night (Revelation 21:4; 22:3,5). This is our hope. We wait for the redemption of our bodies (Romans 8:23). We might be groaning now while we wait, but one of these days, when the trumpet sounds, our groaning will all be over. We will be given a new, immortal, incorruptible body to go along with the new person we have already become by faith in Jesus Christ. It will only be a little while. Life on earth is but a vapor. It appears for a little while and then vanishes away (James 4:14). But in eternity future there is no end, no dimming of our light, no tarnishing of our life – only fulness of joy and pleasures for evermore (Psalm 16:11)!

There will be much to do. Eternity future will be filled with activity and purpose, all to the glory of God. It will be so very different from anything we can possibly experience now, so that it is extremely difficult to describe what it will be like in human terms. One thing we know for sure, though. It will be so much better.

Listen for the trumpet; it won’t be long — for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed (Romans 13:11)!

Christ is Coming

by William Macomber

In the glow of early morning,
In the solemn hush of night,
Down from heaven’s open portals
Steals a messenger of light,
Whispering sweetly to my spirit,
While the hosts of heaven sing:
This, the wondrous thrilling story —
Christ is coming, Christ my King.

Oft me-thinks I hear His footsteps
Sealing down the paths of time;
and th future, dark with shadows,
Brightens with this hope sublime.
Sound the soul inspiriting anthem;
angel hosts, your harps attune;
Earth’s long night is almost over —
Christ is coming, coming soon.

Long we’ve waited, blest Redeemer,
Waited for the first bright ray
Of the morn when sin and sorrow
At Thy presence flee away.
But our vigil’s nearly over;
Hope of heaven, oh, price-less boon!
In the east the low appearing —
Christ is coming, coming soon.

Why Is The Rapture Such An Important Issue?

Doctrine has been pushed back into a corner in the modern church. It seems as though many Christians just do not care about the particulars of what the Bible teaches on most doctrinal issues and particularly about the chronology of future events. The experience of worship is the big item on the ecclesiastical table right now and the subjects of ever shorter sermons consist primarily of social issues, relationship matters, and generalized feel-good topics. The attitude toward things like the rapture and the tribulation period and the second coming is one of indifference. “Does it really matter whether one comes before the other, or if they happen at all? There are so many different interpretations of biblical issues like these and even if I could sort them out, how could it make me a nicer person?”

God, however, has a great interest in the future. Almost from the very beginning of time, He began to open the door to the future for mankind. In Genesis 3:15, He said to the devil, And I will (in the future) put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel. Noah was told what would happen 120 years into the future (Genesis 6:3). Abraham was told of many future generations that would descend from him (Genesis 12:1-3). And Joseph interpreted dreams about the future (Genesis 37 through 40).

Then came the prophets and the door to the future opened wider. There were prophesies about the Messiah (Daniel 9:25-26), the kingdom (Isaiah 9:7), judgment (Isaiah 11:4), and new heavens and a new earth (Isaiah 65:17). Details were added and time tables were suggested — some specific, some vague (e.g. Daniel chapters 7 through 12).

The grand finale of prophecy came in the book of Revelation. John was told about things which shall be hereafter referring to events that would come after the church age expired (Revelation 1:19; 4:1). These events project us more than 1007 years beyond the rapture of the church and give us a glimpse of eternity in the future (Revelation 20 through 22).

A full one fourth of the Bible consists of prophetic material. Some has been fulfilled; much is yet to come. If God talked so much about the future, it sure seems like it should be a subject of great interest to us. What was God’s purpose in letting us know something about things to come? How does the study of prophecy affect our daily Christian walk? And is the rapture in particular an important doctrinal issue?

God wants us to live with an attitude of anticipation

He blesses those who consider prophetic scriptures

Revelation 1:3 – Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein: for the time is at hand.

Revelation 22:7 – …blessed is he that keepeth the sayings of the prophecy of this book.

Daniel 12:12 – Blessed is he that waiteth…
The New Testament is full of anticipatory statements

Acts 1:11 – …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.

Romans 8:23 – And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body.

1 Corinthians 1:7 – So that ye come behind in no gift; waiting for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ:

2 Corinthians 5:2 – For in this we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed upon with our house which is from heaven:

Philippians 1:6 – Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ.

Philippians 3:20-21 – For our conversation is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body…

Colossians 1:5 – For the hope which is laid up for you in heaven, whereof ye heard before in the word of the truth of the gospel;

1 Thessalonians 1:10 – And to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, even Jesus, which delivered us from the wrath to come.

1 Timothy 6:19 – Lay up in store for themselves a good foundation against the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life.

2 Timothy 1:12 – For the which cause I also suffer these things: nevertheless I am not ashamed: for I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day.

2 Timothy 4:1 – I charge thee therefore before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom;

2 Timothy 4:8 – Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing.

Titus 2:13 – Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ;

Hebrews 9:28 – So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation.

1 Peter 5:4 – And when the chief Shepherd shall appear, ye shall receive a crown of glory that fadeth not away.

2 Peter 3:12-14 – 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? Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness. Wherefore, beloved, seeing that ye look for such things, be diligent that ye may be found of him in peace, without spot, and blameless.

This is not an isolated concept. Most of the New Testament books written to the church contain anticipatory statements about things that are going to happen in the future. God certainly wants us to live with an attitude of anticipation of things to come. And in this attitude of anticipation, God has a broader purpose also.

God gave prophecy to the churchas a means of motivation unto godly living and active witness

The book of Revelation is full of information about such horrible things as the judgments and catastrophes brought about by God’s wrath, the doom of the devil and the antichrist, and the condemnation of the unsaved in the eternal lake of fire. But the book of Revelation was not written for the lost to read. It was written for saved people.

Revelation 1:1 – The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him, to shew unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass…

Revelation 22:6 – And he said unto me, These sayings are faithful and true: and the Lord God of the holy prophets sent his angel to shew unto his servants the things which must shortly be done.

Revelation 22:16 – I Jesus have sent mine angel to testify unto you these things in the churches.

God did not give prophetic information like the book of Revelation to unbelievers because it would mean nothing to them anyway. They do not accept the truthfulness of Gods words and therefore they would refuse to heed any warnings issued by them. Instead, God gave prophetic information to believers because they can be motivated by the truth; and the truth of what is certain to come in the future provides considerable motivation for believers both to godly living and to faithful witnessing.

Knowing the future motivates believers to godly living

Peter asked the poignant question in this regard. Since we know these things are coming, he said, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness? (2 Peter 3:11). The word “manner” suggests a certain characterization that should be part of our testimony. For example, people from one nation are distinguished from people of all other nations by particular characteristics such as physical appearance, language, clothing, cultural habits, etc. Peter suggests that Christians ought to be distinguished from everyone else by certain characteristics such as holy conversation, godliness, being found in peace, without spot, and blameless (cf. verse 14). He also explains that a Christian is motivated to be this manner or kind of person by his knowledge of what is to come.

Paul wrote similar things in the book of Philippians. He said that a Christian’s present manner of life ought to conform to or match that which we anticipate in Christ. For our conversation, he said, is in heaven (Philippians 3:20).

Heaven is a place where we are going to be some day. In heaven there are no tears, no death, no sorrow, no crying, no pain (Revelation 21:4). In heaven there are no fearful, unbelieving or abominable people. There are no murderers, no whoremongers, no sorcerers, no idolaters, no liars (Revelation 21:8). Heaven is a perfect place, free of sin or anything else that is wrong or sad or upsetting. Since that is where we will be, it is reasonable for us to prepare for that environment now by our manner of living on earth. The Bible teaches us that knowing what is coming should have a definite effect upon our present approach to life. In fact, the grace of God that brought the hope of salvation to our hearts also teaches us to live soberly, righteously, and godly in this present world while we look for the blessed hope to come (Titus 2:11-13).
Knowing the future motivates believers to an active witness

Peter also referred to the influence of the believer’s conversation upon unsaved people in light of what is coming for them.

1 Peter 2:12 – Having your conversation honest among the Gentiles: that, whereas they speak against you as evildoers, they may by your good works, which they shall behold, glorify God in the day of visitation.

The “day of visitation” is obviously a day in which unsaved people will be required to give some kind of response to God. Believers ought to be motivated by knowing that the unsaved face eternal condemnation in the day of visitation. We ought to be motivated to deliver as many as possible from this day by winning their souls to Christ. We ought to be motivated at the very least to live such Christlike lives before unsaved people that when they find themselves in the day of visitation, our conduct, as a reference point, gives them no alternative but to glorify God in admitting that He is right and they were wrong after all.

Why is the rapture, in particular, an important issue?

The disciples of Jesus were a curious lot, anxious to know the timing of future events. At one point they asked, When shall these things be? And what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world? (Matthew 24:3). Another time, just before Christ’s ascension, they asked, Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel? (Acts 1:6).

We present day disciples are not much different. Those of us who believe in the rapture and other biblical prophesies of things to come could just as easily be seen gazing up into heaven as the disciples of Acts 1:11, wondering breathlessly when Jesus will return. And so it is that God would have us live our lives with a daily expectancy of the sounding of the trumpet and Christ’s appearance in the clouds even as we occupy until He comes (Luke 19:13).

God has the times and seasons in His own power (Acts 1:7). He determined them before creation and set their boundaries (Acts 17:26). The secret things belong to God and only the revealed things belong to us (Deuteronomy 29:29). Therefore, God says it is not for us to know the timing of future events (Acts 1:7). God will surely bring them to pass in the fulness of times just as He has promised (Ephesians 1:10), but the timing of what is to come remains a complete mystery to all of us.

While much of what is to come is vague enough to leave room for considerable speculation, there is sufficient specificity about the future in Scripture that such events will be easily recognized once they begin to unfold. It is of particular note, however, that Scripture nowhere prepares the church to watch for signs of the beginning of these events, nowhere prepares it for enduring the progression of such events. In fact, it does just the opposite. The church is told that it is delivered from the wrath to come (1 Thessalonians 1:10). God said He would keep us from the hour of temptation which shall come upon the whole world (Revelation 3:10). He gives a thorough description of tribulation upon the earth without one mention of the church (Revelation 4:1 through 18:24). The early church was shaken at the thought of being in the tribulation period (2 Thessalonians 2) which was contrary to what they had been taught. And the church is prepared for the momentary deliverance from our present human form by the transformation that will take place in the rapture:

We groan with creation, but wait for the redemption of our bodies (Romans 8:23).
We groan with earnest desire to be clothed upon with our house which is from heaven (2 Corinthians 5:2).
We hope in the mystery that in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, this corruption shall put on incorruption (1 Corinthians 15:51-54).
Our wait is for the Son of God to come for us in the clouds (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18; Acts 1:11; 1 Corinthians 1:7; Philippians 3:20-21; 1 Thessalonians 1:10; 2 Timothy 4:8; Titus 2:13; Hebrews 9:28).

Many people want a specific verse of Scripture that says the rapture is imminent and happens before the tribulation period begins in order to be convinced that these things are so. For some reason, however, God has presented certain subjects in the Bible with vague descriptions rather than specific ones. For example, the word “trinity” never appears in Scripture and some are able to debate the existence of the tri-unity of one God in three persons using Scripture to support their position. Yet any Bible student who interprets Scripture literally believes in the trinity. Some also question the existence of a rapture in biblical eschatology because the English word rapture never appears in Scripture. And so goes the argument against an imminent pre-tribulation rapture. It is not specifically stated, and therefore many cannot accept it as true. But simply because the word imminent is not used in the Bible and the concept is not clearly delineated in the text does not mean the concept cannot be substantiated by assembling appropriate pieces of biblical prophecy. The discussions in the previous chapters on the various pieces to the pre-tribulation rapture puzzle have, in fact, provided such substantiation.

In addition, the idea that we can be raptured from the earth at any moment without any event or sign to prepare us ahead of time for the occurrence is from a logical point of view the most sanctifying influence a Christian could have in his life. It is difficult enough to stay focused in our faith in this world filled with the groaning of carnality and the influence of contrary spirits. If we can sit back and wait for the signs to begin, telling us to start watching for the appearance of Christ some years hence, there would be much less motivation for the average Christian to walk in the Spirit consistently on a daily basis. With the prospect that at any moment, we could be changed in a moment and be face to face with the King of our lives, I for one am much more determined to deny ungodliness and worldly lusts and to live soberly, righteously, and godly in this present world. The imminent rapture is the believer’s goad, stopping us from turning aside to worldly affairs, and keeping us on the path of sanctification. It is therefore one of the most important biblical subjects we can talk about and believe. It is discussed far too much in the Bible to be shelved as non-essential. It is far too necessary to the edification of believers for us to think that God would plan the future otherwise. It fits far too well into the chronology of biblical prophecy for us to accept any other interpretation.

Shhhhhhh! Listen! Do you hear the trumpet?

Church Membership

January 2, 2011Literaturecommitment, membership, service, the churchdmoss

by David E. Moss

A Biblical Basis for Maintaining Local Church Membership Lists

Most local churches maintain membership lists. To some people this is very important. When they leave one church of which they have been a member, and begin attending another church, they soon transfer their membership. To some local churches this is also very important. They maintain regulations which restrict certain leadership and teaching positions to members only.

Not everyone agrees, however, on the importance of local church membership. Most churches which maintain membership lists, also have a good number of folks who attend on a regular basis and never join. There are various reasons they do not join: some do not want to be asked to serve in leadership roles, some do not want to make a commitment, some want to avoid the potential of conflicts they experienced in other places, and some do not believe that local church membership is either necessary or appropriate.

Who is right? Is membership important in the local church or should we do away with it all together? Can local church membership be established from a biblical basis, or is it entirely a matter of man’s imagination?

The Biblical Basis for Local Church Membership

Membership in the Whole Church

The Bible presents the church on two different levels. The first level is the whole church made up of all those who have been born again by the grace of God through faith in Jesus Christ. There is really only one church, that is, one body of Christ. Ephesians 4:4 says, There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling. Romans 12:4-5 says, For as we have many members in one body, and all members have not the same office: So we, being many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another. 1 Corinthians 12:12 says, For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body: so also is Christ.

Membership in the whole church, or the body of Christ, results from an individual’s salvation and relationship with the Holy Spirit. Salvation, of course, occurs only by grace through faith in the Gospel of Jesus Christ. A person first must understand that he is a sinner and cannot save himself. Then he must understand that what Jesus Christ did on the cross in bearing his sin for him is all that needs to be done. If he confesses his sins and receives Christ, he is born again into the family of God. John 1:12 says, But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name. In the very moment that a person is born again by faith in Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit takes up residence in his body. Thus Galatians 4:6 says, And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father. Then in the very moment that the Holy Spirit takes up residence in the believer, He places the believer in the body of Christ. I Corinthians 12:13 states, For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body. The word baptize means to immerse or place into. Here the Scripture teaches that all believers are spiritually immersed into the one body of Christ. All believers thus become members of the body of Christ. As 1 Corinthians !2:12 says, …the body is one, and hath many members…
Membership in the Local Church

The second level on which the Bible presents the body of Christ is the local church. While it is clear from the verses listed above that there is only one church, or one body of Christ, the Bible often speaks of multiple churches as it refers to local manifestations of the body of Christ. Several times groups of churches are identified by region as the churches of Galatia in 1 Corinthians 16:1, or the churches of Asia in 1 Corinthians 16:19, or the churches in Macedonia in 2 Corinthians 8:1. Other times, multiple churches are referred to in more general terms as in Acts 16:5, And so were the churches established in the faith, and increased in number daily; or in 1 Corinthians 7:17, But as God hath distributed to every man, as the Lord hath called every one, so let him walk. And so ordain I in all churches. In still other places, specific local churches are identified individually as the church which is at Corinth (1 Corinthians 1:2) or the church of the Thessalonians (1 Thessalonians 1:1).

Regarding membership in the local church, there are numerous references which identify people with a specific church in a specific place. Sometimes believers are identified with a local church in a particular city such as the saints of the church in Corinth (1 Corinthians 1:2) . At other times, believers are identified with a particular household meeting place of which there may be several within the same city. For example, when Paul wrote to the saints in Rome, he sent separate greetings to the groups of believers that met in the houses of Priscilla and Aquila (Romans 16:3-5), Aristobulus (Romans 16:10), Narcissus (Romans 16:11) Asyncritus (Romans 16:14), and Philologus (Romans 16:15). Clearly there were individuals who worshiped regularly in each of these households and developed an identity with that particular local church. This is why Paul greeted them separately as members of distinct local churches.

Romans chapter 16 is a key passage in establishing a biblical basis for maintaining local church membership lists. The book of Romans was written to all the saints in Rome (Romans 1:7). But Rome was an immense city and the church there was too spread out for all of them to be able to gather in one large meeting place for worship, especially in the hostile environment that existed under the pagan Caesar, Nero. Romans chapter 16 identifies at least five different assemblies that met in private homes throughout the city. As Paul referred to these various local churches he addressed the specific groups of people that were identified with each one respectively. There was the church in the house of Priscilla and Aquila, them which were of Aristobulus’ household, them that be of the household of Narcissus, the brethren which were with Asyncritus and his associates, and all the saints who were with Philologus and his associates. There is no indication that believers in Rome floated around from place to place. In fact, the implication of the words of Scripture is that each household church had a very specific list of people who were identified with that meeting place.
The Biblical Necessity for Local Church Membership

We have no way of knowing whether a written list was kept of the those who “belonged” to each local church in the first century, but practical reasons emerged very early for knowing who did and who did not belong.

In Acts chapter two, the whole church consisted of only one local church in Jerusalem. There, all the saints who made up the church were together in one place and had all things in common (Acts 2:44). They continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking bread and in prayers (verse 42) and they continued daily with one accord in the temple, breaking bread from house to house (verse 46).

As the church dispersed from Jerusalem, groups of believers gathered in other cities. In these new places they continued what they had learned to do in Jerusalem (Acts 8:4; 11:26; 13:1-3). In these new local churches and in many others started by the apostles, leadership was ordained and believers were established in the faith. In these local manifestations of the body of Christ, Christians found the opportunities to identify personally with others with whom they shared membership in the whole church. Scripture emphatically mandates the assembling of believers together in these local places (Hebrews 10:23-25).

In the infant church, scrutinizing those who participated in its ministry activities became extremely important. For example, in Galatia false brethren were brought in unawares to spy out the liberty of gentile believers (Galatians 2:4). Peter warned of false teachers who would be among the true believers, bringing in damnable heresies and causing many to follow their pernicious ways (2 Peter 2:1-2). Jude lamented that certain men had crept in unawares and were turning the grace of God into lasciviousness. In each of these cases, unrighteous men were able to infiltrate local churches under a cloak of deception and implement their destructive schemes before the true believers knew what was happening. The Apostles quickly exhorted local church leaders to put safeguards in place to identify those who would try such things and prevent them from being successful (Acts 20:28-31).

Such is indeed a biblical basis for modern day local church membership lists. If local churches in the first century could be successfully raided by destructive forces, how much more vulnerable is the church of today. Back then, it was much easier to know who was a Christian and who was not. After all, with persecution as intense as it was, it was not socially fashionable to be a Christian. A person generally had a serious reason for identifying himself as a Christian. Either he was a genuine believer, or he had some ulterior motive of destructive influence to impose upon the church. Today, with so many different doctrinal opinions and persuasions, and so many brands of Christianity which people follow, responsible leadership must have a means for determining who should be allowed to teach and lead and who should not. Having individuals make a commitment to the local church and its doctrinal convictions through the membership process provides considerable assurance to the whole group of local believers that they are protected from unwanted intruders.

The Practical Rationale for Local Church Membership

Through the centuries, culture, society, government and organized religion have continued to bombard the church with a variety of influences greatly expanding the practical reasons for local church membership. Please note the Scripture passages attached to each point, indicating that even these expanded practical reasons for maintaining local church membership lists are rooted in biblical principle.

Membership in a local church serves as an expression of commitment between the group and the individual. This gives the local leadership the best way of knowing who is looking to them for personal ministry and who is receptive to personal exhortation. Otherwise, some may be neglected unnecessarily, or others may resent what they consider to be an unwanted intrusion into their personal lives, creating nasty complications for the local church family.
- Acts 6:1-7
- Galatians 6:1-8
The Bible directs the setting apart of elders and deacons to function as leaders in the local church. Much space is given in the New Testament to describing what their responsibilities are and how they are to qualify to serve. The need for qualified leadership assumes a membership from whom and by whom these men can be appointed.
- I Timothy 3:1-13
- Titus 1:5-11
The need for church discipline also suggests the imperative of a definite membership list for a local church. The Scripture has clearly outlined the responsibility of the local church to judge sin and to discipline its members when their sins are of a serious nature. When a Christian sins today, it is very easy for him to move on to another church that is either ignorant of his transgression or willing to tolerate it. Without a membership commitment, it is nearly impossible to pursue the individual and help him see the error of his ways. With a membership commitment, local church leadership has a basis for imposing church discipline upon the individual in an attempt to rescue him from his fault.
- 1 Corinthians 5:1-12
- 2 Thessalonians 3:11-14
- 2 Timothy 2:24-26
- Galatians 6:1
- 1 Timothy 5:19-20
- Titus 3:10
Legal constraints and regulations give an institutional nature to the church today. Membership and records are needed for good compliance with regulations of society. Weddings must be performed by licensed or ordained pastors, and licensing and ordination are done by organized memberships of church institutions. Also, chaplaincies of military and medical institutions usually are assigned only to organized church groups.

1 Peter 2:13-16
The principle of “orderliness” supports local church membership. If both saved and unsaved, or if both carnal and spiritual believers help make decisions in a local church because the lack of membership guidelines allows it, the door is open to mass confusion. Maintaining active membership lists provides some confidence that those who are voting agree at least on doctrines and basic church policies.

I Corinthians 14:40
The principle of “safeguarding the truth” encourages church membership. If the church were in the hands of unqualified leaders because unqualified voters put them in office, it would not be long before doctrinal error and unscriptural practice would creep into the local assembly.

I Timothy 3:15
The principle of “identification” supports membership. Through membership, a person publicly identifies with a local fellowship of believers and its beliefs. On the positive side, this identification helps the community to know what a particular church stands for by the public testimony of its members. On the negative side, one’s identification with a local church serves as a wholesome restraint against the committing of certain sins, knowing that such transgressions will bring reproach upon the whole assembly of which he is a part.
- 1 Timothy 3:7
- 1 Timothy 5:24-25
- 3 John 1:12
- 2 Corinthians 6:3
The principle of “belonging” teaches church membership. Some do not really feel a part of that to which they do not belong. Reluctance to teach, to take positions, to exercise leadership and to share responsibility in a local church may rise from the words, “I am not a member.”

1 Corinthians 12:22-27
The principle of “care and nourishment” is enhanced as individuals come under the watchful guidance of godly leaders in a local church. Local church membership allows local church leadership to know for whom they must give an account. One source of grief such leaders experience is from the detachment and unsubmissive attitudes of some believers.

Hebrews 13:17
The principle of “family stability” promotes membership. As a man joins the local church, he leads his family in the path of godly direction, thus bringing greater stability to his home.

1 Timothy 3:4-5,12
The principle of “unity of service” argues for membership. As a person joins the local church, he promises to “join hands” with that membership in a unity of service and prayer and in support of the ministry of the Word at home and abroad.
- 3 John 1:5
- Romans 16:1-2
- 1 Thessalonians 4:9

Conclusion

When a person is saved, one of the things he should do is be baptized with water. Water baptism does not save a person, make him more saved, or add to his true spiritual condition in any way. What it does do is give the believer an opportunity to publicly declare his identification with the body of Christ. While local church membership is not an ordinance of the LORD like water baptism, joining a local church may be seen as serving a similar purpose. As water baptism serves as a public testimony of a person’s identification with the whole church, local church membership serves as a means by which a person can publicly identify with and declare his commitment to a local church.

The Bible says that the Chief Shepherd knows exactly who belongs to Him in the whole church. In John 10:3, He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. In following the example of the Chief Shepherd, it is reasonable for each local church and its under shepherds to know who belongs. This is necessary not simply to affirm those who are genuine members of the body of Christ for whom these shepherds are responsible, but even more importantly to protect these local sheep from the wolves who would bring in destructive schemes. Establishing and maintaining membership lists in local churches is a means by which these under shepherds can accomplish this.

If the reader is a member of the body of Christ, but not a member of a local church, please answer a few questions. Do you have a biblical basis for not being a member of a local church? Does the Bible teach that individual believers should be detached from the local church? Does the Bible teach that individual believers should be independent of the local church? Does the Bible teach that individual believers are free of accountability to local church leaders? For which side does the Bible provide the strongest support — no membership, or maintaining membership in the local church?

Please carefully examine the evidence offered in this article for the biblical basis of maintaining local church membership lists. If the case has been made convincingly, will you consider making a more definite commitment to your local church? Talk to your pastor soon, and tell him you are ready to publicly identify with your local church family.

Church Discipline

January 1, 2011Literaturediscipline, sin, the churchdmoss

by David E. Moss

Christians sin. They sin against their own bodies (I Corinthians 6:18). They sin against each other and they sin against Christ (I Corinthians 8:12).

But it is Christ’s desire that the Church be pure. He gave Himself to redeem it from all iniquity, to purify it unto Himself as a peculiar people (Titus 2:14), to sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the Word, and to present it to Himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing (Ephesians 5:26-27).

For this reason God gave extensive instruction in the Bible about dealing with Christians who have sinned. His design was to build within the church a self-cleansing mechanism. It is this mechanism that we call “church discipline.”

Current Problems Regarding Church Discipline

One fault in churches today is the failure to discipline. Sin has been euphemized. Things for which we once held people responsible, now are either consequences of victimization or merely alternative lifestyles. In addition to this, many churches have subscribed to the sensitivity movement of society at large. The rule is that you must not do anything to make another person feel inferior, or discriminated against, or labeled in any adverse way. Furthermore, many churches are desperate for members. As a result, they would rather overlook the “private” lives of their parishioners than risk chasing them away by the disciplinary process.

Another failure in churches is to adopt a “one size fits all” policy regarding the disciplinary process. While all sin is equally serious, not all sins require the same response in order to resolve them. There are many contexts in the New Testament that address these issues. Unfortunately, some insist upon lumping them all into the mold of Matthew 18:15-17 where Jesus outlined a means to deal with a brother that had trespassed. Dealing with all sins identically can be potentially volatile to an entire congregation. It is a toss up as to which is worse: not disciplining sin at all, or disciplining sin irresponsibly.
What Does Matthew 18:15-17 Really Teach?

Matthew chapter 18 is only one of numerous places that instruction is given for dealing with those who sin. It is important to understand the specific purpose of this instruction so that it is not utilized for actions that do not apply. Other types of sins are assigned different means of discipline in other places in the Scriptures.

In Matthew 18:15-17, the sin involves a personal trespass. Please note that no Scripture anywhere suggests that this process applies to any other kind of infraction. If any passage parallels this one it is Galatians 6:1-9 where again the situation is specified as one person dealing with a matter involving only one other person.

The initial response in Matthew 18 is a personal confrontation. The offended person is to approach the offender privately. If the matter is resolved, this is as far as it goes. No one else needs to be involved.

Only if the matter is not resolved, does the offended person begin to bring others into the situation. A second confrontation, in this case, includes one or two others. The purpose of these “witnesses” is to observe the conversation between the two parties. They may not necessarily be witnesses of the original infraction. They become, however, witnesses of the attempt to restore fellowship. If the matter is resolved, it stops at this level and no one else needs to know about it.

If the matter is not resolved after the first and second confrontations, it may be taken before the church. Keep in mind that when Jesus gave this instruction, the New Testament Church had not yet been started. The term “church” was still a generic term and had not yet assumed its exalted usage as the designation of the Body of Christ. It is more likely a reference here to the assembly designated in Israel for the administration of justice. The Elders of the Synagogue had the power of excommunication over their local constituents. In Jerusalem, there were two lower Sandhedrin courts, each consisting of 23 members; and there was one high Sandhedrin court consisting of 71 members. The offended person could go before these official assemblies, undoubtedly beginning at the lowest level and present his case including those who witnessed his attempt at reconciliation. Excommunication is not even necessarily implied as the result. Verse 17 merely says that if the offending person neglects to hear the church, he shall be to “thee” (singular – meaning the offended person alone) as an heathen man and a publican. The judging assembly may choose to deal with the individual further regarding his obstinance, but no official action is specified in the text.

The general interpretation of the Matthew 18 prescription is that an unresponsive person when confronted with their sin (any sin) should be dragged before the full assembly of a New Testament local church. He is then publicly embarrassed, admonished and banished from the fellowship. But nothing in the actual text supports such an interpretation.
A Survey of Church Disciplinary Actions

I Corinthians 5

In this passage, six things are identified as public sins that need to be dealt with firmly and decisively: fornication, covetousness, idolatry, railing, drunkenness, and extortion (vs. 11). The public nature of these things is indicated in verse one where fornication was “reported commonly.”

It is never suggested that this public sin be first dealt with privately as the personal offense was in Matthew 18. Instead, very direct instruction was given that the offending parties were to be removed from the assembly immediately (vs. 2,13), delivered unto Satan for the destruction of the flesh (vs. 5), purged from the lump (vs. 7), and not kept company with (vs. 9,11).

The minimum goal was to preserve the spirit of the offender in the day of the Lord Jesus (vs. 5). In the follow up passage of II Corinthians 2:5-8, it is clarified that the punishment was intended to turn into repentance on the part of the offender, and forgiveness and the confirming of love by the church.

II Thessalonians 3

Here is a case of disorderly conduct. Scripturally this means that instruction had been given from the Lord on how to live the Christian life honorably but was disobeyed (vs. 6,12-14). There are two things suggested in this text as a response. Those who walked disorderly by failing to work, becoming busybodies instead, were to be commanded and exhorted (vs. 11-12). Those who were blatantly disobeying the Word of God were to be removed from fellowship (vs. 6, 14).

It appears that this may be a two stage process but this is not specified in the text. Rather, it may be two different types of infraction. Note that personal conflict is not involved, nor is gross public sin. This is the sin of disobeying Scriptural “traditions” (vs. 6) concerning the Christian life.

II Timothy 2:24-26

Another kind of fault described in these verses is the “opposition of self.” It involves the rejection of truth and is undoubtedly related to the disorderly conduct described in II Thessalonians 3. However, there is also a clear difference.

The offender is described as being in the snare of the devil. This is, therefore, a rescue effort more than a disciplinary one. All striving is to be eliminated and gentleness is to govern ones approach. The goal is to bring the guilty party to a point of repentance so that they will acknowledge the truth. Herein can be appreciated the teaching of Jesus that the truth can make you free.

Galatians 6:1

This is the case of a man who is overtaken in a fault. The verb “overtaken” includes the element of surprise. It is also in the passive voice. These things suggest that the guilty party was not willful in his fault but was drawn into sin by the influence of others.

This verse teaches that assistance to a person in this situation is purely restorative and should be done with a meek and cautious attitude.

I Timothy 5:19-20

The subjects of this particular disciplinary action are Elders. The context begins in verse 17 and runs, at least, to verse 22, all of which is addressing matters concerning Elders.

It is the Elder that sins that is supposed to be rebuked before all. The reason is their visible position. Because of the significance of the office, there are lofty qualifications for those who would serve in it. It follows that accountability corresponds to the scope of the responsibility.

Note that in all the contexts regarding church discipline, this is the only one that specifies rebuke in front of the entire assembly.

Titus 3:10

Finally, we consider instruction for dealing with heretics. A heretic is one who adopts a different doctrinal viewpoint, thus causing confusion or division.

The heretic is given the benefit of two admonitions before he is rejected, or ejected from fellowship.

A Comparison of the Different Types of Discipline

To put this all in perspective, the following is a brief comparison of the different types of faults and the forms of discipline that correspond to them.

Situation	Response
Personal Conflict	Private meeting Second meeting with witnesses Hearing before judicial assembly
Commonly reported gross sin	First remove from assembly Have no company Confirm love
Disorderly conduct by disobeying Scripture	Command and exhort Withdraw
Opposition of self	Teach the truth
Overtaken in a fault	Restore
Elders that sin	Rebuke before all
Heretics	Admonish two times Reject

Conclusion

Church discipline is multi-faceted because sin is multi-faceted. God set the precedent in the Old Testament by prescribing different consequences for different violations of the Law. So it is today. It is important that we exercise discipline within the church, but it must be done responsibly.

The Church and Missions

January 1, 2011Literaturefinances, giving, missions, money, the churchdmoss

by David E. Moss

Several of my missionary friends have expressed dismay over the attitude toward missions they find in some local churches. In one instance, a missionary on furlough called one of his supporting churches to arrange a meeting. In that phone conversation he discovered the church had changed Pastors — he was never informed. On another occasion, a missionary tried to contact a church, but no one there recognized his name even though they had been sending him money for years. In another case, a missionary spent more money traveling to a church to report to them than they had sent to him in support during his entire term on the field.

To be fair, there are equally as many stories on the other end of the spectrum. Many churches are very generous to missionaries. In fact, some people may even feel that their church goes “overboard” in their missions program. With the economy the way it is, with the world growing smaller through advanced communication technology and with all the services required by our own people here at home, how much emphasis should a local church place on missions?

It is my conviction that missions must be one of the highest priorities of every local church. In the dark ages, there was little zeal for reaching the lost. The Church became ingrown. It hid the Word of God from its lay people and isolated its clergy in cold monasteries. With the dawn of the Reformation came a renewal of the evangelistic enthusiasm so vividly displayed by the Apostles and their first followers.

The modern day church, however, is in danger of creeping into the shadows of selfish internalism. We have so heavily committed ourselves to the maintenance of elaborate edifices and monstrous programs that budgets strain to provide meager funds for missionary efforts. If all of this was accomplishing something we might have more of a forgiving attitude. The unfortunate thing is that in spite of all the services which have been provided and for all the lessons which have been taught to numberless groups of Christians in the last twenty years, Bible knowledge and Christian living skills are at dangerously low levels.

I truly hope the Church can once again revive its evangelistic priorities before we plunge headlong into another age of spiritual darkness. It really would not be very difficult. A simple willingness to obey the instruction of the Word of God would be sufficient.

So what does the Bible teach about the Church’s involvement in Missions?

A Biblical Mandate

“Mandate” is defined by the dictionary as a command or a commission. It implies that something is required.

I believe the Bible teaches that the local church should be actively involved in missionary endeavors. There is, of course, the obvious statement of Jesus Himself which we refer to as the Great Commission (Matthew 28:19-20). Some may argue that this was intended only for the original disciples. Yet many statements in the New Testament Letters clearly define the importance of a gospel witness by all believers.

II Corinthians 5:20 – “Now then we(all inclusive) are ambassadors for Christ.”

II Timothy 1:8 – “Be not thou therefore ashamed of the testimony of our Lord… but be thou partaker of the afflictions of the gospel.”

Jude 3, 22-23 – “It was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith… and of some have compassion, making a difference: And others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire.”

There is also much evidence in the Acts and the Epistles that the distribution of the Gospel is a corporate responsibility as well as an individual one. Consider the following.

It was a local church at Antioch that sent out Paul and Barnabas as the first missionaries (Acts 13:1-3).
It was to the local church at Antioch that those missionaries returned and reported (Acts 14:27).
It was the local churches that sustained the financial support of the missionary efforts of Paul (Philippians 4:15-16).
It was because of their support of missions that God promised to meet all the needs of the church at Philippi (Philippians 4:17-19).
It was from the local churches that Paul solicited prayer support for his missionary efforts (Colossians 4:3-4, Ephesians 6:19-20, II Thessalonians 3:1).

The most striking of these statements is from Philippians 4:17-19. In that context, Paul praised the Philippians for faithfully sending money to him to provide for his personal needs while he carried out his missionary work. Under Divine inspiration, he associates God’s promise of provision for the Philippian Church with their commitment to contribute financially to the spread of the Gospel. As David testified that he never saw the righteous forsaken, I believe God will not forsake the church that will set Missions, local and abroad, as one of its most important priorities.

The most ignored of these statements is the one concerning the sending of missionaries. The Church has failed for too long to understand some of its most important responsibilities. Did you ever wonder where preachers and missionaries come from? For too many local churches, they come from some place else. A local church to be successful must be able to identify specific individuals who have gone out from that congregation and are presently active in full time ministry.

Conclusion

Many churches seem to be struggling these days merely to survive. We are stretching all our energies to pay our bills and to keep our families intact. Perhaps if we changed our emphasis we would find our attempts at self preservation less desperate. Our internal efforts should have external goals. Our buildings should be tools for discipleship and ministry preparation. Our budgets should reflect an evangelistic priority. We should be a people with a mission — selflessly.

An Introduction to CCM

January 1, 2011Literaturemusic, separation, standards, worldliness, worshipdmoss

(Contemporary Christian Music) – or – Should We Be Introduced to It at All?

by David E. Moss

Part 1

Music will never die as an issue in the church because it is too much a part of what we do in worship. We must, therefore, keep ourselves informed as to the trends, philosophies, and influences which are constantly being pressed upon Christian music in our modern world. Otherwise, our ignorance may allow us to be led down a path that irritates God.

Contemporary Christian Music is the industry that predominantly determines those trends and philosophies that influence Christian music today. Its primary emphasis is to produce and promote secular music that has been Christianized. Webster’s New Collegiate Dictionary defines the word “contemporary” as meaning in one sense “happening, existing, living, or coming into being during the same period of time, simultaneous.” But the same dictionary gives another sense to this word as “marked by characteristics of the present period, modern.” It is in this second sense that promoters of Contemporary Christian Music (CCM) identify their product. In other words, CCM is not just Christian music that has been written in our times, but it is “Christian music” that is characterized by the culture of our times.

This is exactly what CCM claims for itself. In a statement taken from an internet website titled “The Almost Definitive Contemporary Christian Music Hot Page,” the promoters of this industry put this definition in their own words.

What is Contemprary Christian Music?

Christian Music has been around in some form for almost 2000 years, since the time of Christ. But what exactly is Contemporary Christian Music? Before the early 1970’s, Christian Music could be categorized as either Traditional Hymns, Southern Gospel or as Traditional Black Gospel styles. From the Peace Movement of the late 1960’s came a time of Christian revival for young people across the country. This concurrent movement was known as the Jesus Movement. From the Jesus Movement, came many new Christians who were anxious to tell others about Jesus, but found the traditional methods of sharing and worshiping restrictive and out-dated. Many of these Jesus People started developing new worshiping and witnessing styles. An effort was made to write music which was culturally relevant or contemporary. The desire was to create music that would appeal to the current searching generation. Thus was born Contemporary Christian Music. From the early days of the Jesus Movement, new Christian singers such as Larry Norman, Randy Stonehill and Chuck Girard emerged to reach their generation. The name Contemporary Christian Music was coined to distinguish this style of music from the more traditional forms of religious music. The word contemporary has proven to be an appropriate description of this music over the last twenty years, as the styles have kept up with its secular counterpart. The ever evolving state of C.C.M. includes such diverse and contemporary styles as rock, jazz, blues, dance, metal, rap, alternative, new age, grunge, punk, thrash, death, gothic and industrial [etc.]. Yet regardless of the form, the essences of all Contemporary Christian Music is the same – to share God’s love to the current generation in a way that can be both understood and enjoyed. This Contemporary Christian Music Hot Page is designed to be a current guide of the different C.C.M resources on the Internet. Any current information would be welcomed and encouraged to help keep this place, contemporary. As far as whether or not you agree or disagree with the particular spiritual condition of some of the artists listed here — Sorry — Deal with It!

[Emphasis theirs.]

Thus, CCM consists of taking whatever style of secular music is currently popular in the world and attaching “Christian” words to it. As a result, we have people adorned in 1960’s dress and attitudes [you just have to deal with their lack of a spiritual testimony which is not relevant to the music] playing drums and electric guitars leading the worship services in our churches.

The promoters of CCM argue that all styles of music are morally neutral. By this argument they seek to nullify the traditionalists’ objections based on the biblical principles of not loving the world (1 John 2:15-17) and not touching the unclean thing (2 Corinthians 6:17).

For too many well meaning Christian people this rationale has worked. They have given in to the pressure and either have provided an alternative contemporary service for those who desire it, or have incorporated contemporary elements into the regular worship service. Once again, the word contemporary is used in this context not as meaning chronologically concurrent, but as meaning culturally relevant. Thus church worship services have come to look and feel exactly like secular or worldly gatherings and events.

For those of us who recognize that loving not the world, neither the things that are in the world includes worldly music, what can we do to prevent this from happening to us? We must have a commitment to the sacred traditions of hymns and gospel songs. We must draw the line earlier rather than later, and stop the incremental change in our music before it gets started.

Granted this is not easy because the change is usually unnoticeable in the beginning. You do not usually show up for services one Sunday and find out that your local church has completely converted to contemporary worship. It generally comes about in small steps. It begins with the introduction of a very lightly pop styled song. The difference between the new song and the traditional gospel song is sometimes so slight it is nearly imperceptible even to those who have some knowledge of music. This new song is enjoyable and seems harmless. No one gives it a thought. But then comes another song that is a little more pop styled. It is not much different than the first new song. It is, however, a little more noticeably different from the traditional gospel song than the first new song was, but the conditioning process has already begun. So the second new song is readily accepted also. Then another new song comes along
that goes a step further. And so the process continues, gradually conditioning a congregation to accept ever increasingly worldly songs into their worship services. Then one day, someone wakes up and says, “How did we get where we are?”

We have gotten where we are because we did not draw the line early enough. It is not easy to draw the line early in the process because at that point there does not seem to be a problem. It is just like the frog who was set in cold water and very gradually boiled to death. When was the water too warm? When was it too late for him to jump out? But perhaps a better question is, Why was he in the pot in the first place?

Part 2 – Choosing Our Values for Music and Worship

The issue of music is a never ending one among Christians and it is being discussed everywhere. Recently, there was an article published in a newsletter from a Christian health care concern stating that their staff had not been able to reach a consensus on the subject even after hours of wrangling. It is quite interesting that such an organization would print a statement like this. It is not a local church or even a para-church ministry, but the differences in music values among their staff had become a hot issue and for some reason they wanted everyone to know about it.

Because music is so important to the life of the church, it is imperative that we understand the issues involved in this continuing debate so that we are able to make wise choices in the music we use to worship the LORD. We need to lay a foundation of good biblical values in music and learn how to apply these values in specific practical ways as we mold the worship services of our local church.

Competing Models For Worship

A model is a pattern of something to be made or copied. For example, developments often have model homes. No one actually lives in the model home, but it is built exactly like a home someone could build for themselves. It is provided as an example or pattern for prospective home buyers to observe. This term “model” is used also for patterns by which programs or organizations are structured. It is used in this article to refer to different types or styles of worship.

There have always been different worship models in the church. Some models are very ritualistic while others are much freer and spontaneous. Some worship models are very orderly and reverent, while others encourage the expression of unreserved emotions. Among
evangelical churches there are two basic worship models being used today.

The Traditional Worship Model

The traditional worship model came out of the Reformation. Prior to the Reformation, the Catholic church had placed the “altar” as the central feature of the platform in church buildings. This made ritual and liturgy the most important element of worship. But the most significant development in worship during the Reformation was the replacing of the “altar” with the pulpit. The purpose of giving the pulpit this place of honor was to elevate preaching to the most important part of worship. To this day, preaching continues to have a significant part in the traditional worship service. Sermons are Bible based and teach doctrine and godly lifestyle principles. Other elements in this worship model include Scripture reading, prayer, congregational singing from a hymn book of traditional hymns and gospel songs as they were originally written, choral music of traditional hymn arrangements and scriptural anthems, and special music by individuals or small groups, vocal and instrumental, typically with live accompaniment on the organ or piano, consisting of traditional Christian music.

The characteristic atmosphere of this worship model is reverence. The belief is that as Christians gather to worship God, He is to be revered in a manner that shows deferential respect in an orderly manner.

1 Corinthians 14:26-33 – How is it then, brethren? when ye come together, every one of you hath a psalm, hath a doctrine, hath a tongue, hath a revelation, hath an interpretation. Let all things be done unto edifying. …Let the prophets speak two or three, and let the other judge. If any thing be revealed to another that sitteth by, let the first hold his peace. For ye may all prophesy one by one, that all may learn, and all may be comforted. And the spirits of the prophets are subject to the prophets. For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the saints.

For a traditional worship service, people generally dress up in their “Sunday best” as a gesture of honor to God. While there are times of quietness in the service as the congregation bows before God together, there are times of great passion as well as the hymns are sung from the heart and the preaching is heard with a teachable spirit.

The traditional worship model holds to the belief that the purpose of the assembly of believers is to honor God for all that He is as God and all that He has done for us through His Son Jesus Christ, and to edify and fortify believers for their daily walk in Him. The lost are always welcome, but the hope is that through what they observe they will be brought to conviction and call on the name of the Lord to be saved.

1 Corinthians 14:23-25 – If therefore the whole church be come together into one place, and all speak with tongues, and there come in those that are unlearned, or unbelievers, will they not say that ye are mad? But if all prophesy, and there come in one that believeth not, or one unlearned, he is convinced of all, he is judged of all: And thus are the secrets of his heart made manifest; and so falling down on his face he will worship God, and report that God is in you of a truth.

The Contemporary Worship Model

There is a new worship model that has rippled through Christianity, crossing all denominational lines including evangelical and fundamental churches. This worship model is called contemporary worship. Sometimes you will see the notices on the church bulletin board as you drive by announcing a time for a traditional service and a time for a contemporary service.

The contemporary service has several unique elements. There is often a worship team which stands on the platform, with microphones in hand, and leads the congregational singing. Songs are generally of a style called “praise and worship” consisting of choruses and other songs of lively tempo. The words are shown on an overhead screen and are learned by listening to the worship team sing them over and over. Usually, no written music is provided and no hymn books are used. This song service may last for a considerable period of time. It may include clapping, waving of the arms, and swaying body movements. The music is often accompanied by a “praise band” consisting of drums, electric guitars, tambourines, and other such instruments. Special music is often accompanied by pre-recorded music on cassette tape and consists of songs from the Contemporary Christian Music (CCM) repertoire. Interpretive movement (dancing) is becoming a common element of this worship model. (As spirited music naturally generates body movements, this is a logical outcome.) Drama may at times replace preaching, and the preaching that does take place is often abbreviated. The content of sermons generally consists of social issues and relationships matters rather than Bible content and doctrine.

The characteristic atmosphere of this worship model is one of entertainment. The pulpit is either made portable or removed altogether and the focus is on a great deal of activity on the platform which the congregation comes to watch. Every performance is applauded. Many attend these services in casual clothes. The stated objective is to be “seeker friendly.” This means the “worship service” is constructed in such a way as to be non-offensive and inviting to those who are not yet Christians. It is considered spiritually incorrect to call them “lost,” so they are called “seekers.” It is considered a bad thing to offend seekers with direct gospel preaching, so they are lured into Christianity by nice entertainment.

This worship model has several sources. The so called “praise and worship” music came out of the charismatic movement. The use of contemporary music and drama grew out of Willow Creek Community Church in Chicago, a large church founded on the desire to appeal to the interests of young people and the unchurched rather than biblical principles. This worship model has also been fostered by new-evangelical pragmatism that rejected separation and adopted assimilation as a preferred approach to Christianity.

Basic Values In Music

These differing worship models are based on extremely different values.

Traditional Values

Music comes directly from the heart of God. God Himself delights in singing and He encourages His people to sing.

Zephaniah 3:17 – The LORD thy God in the midst of thee is mighty; he will save, he will rejoice over thee with joy; he will rest in his love, he will joy over thee with singing.

Ephesians 5:18-19 – …but be filled with the Spirit; speaking to yourselves in psalms and
hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord.
Thus music is an important subject to God. He has definite thoughts about the subject which He has communicated in His Word. References to music can be found in at least 393 verses of Scripture in 43 different books of the Bible
Music contains moral elements. It is therefore necessary for us to understand what those moral elements are so that we can include in the music of our worship services and our Christian lives only those forms of music that are acceptable unto God.

God gave us a principle of primary importance in Ephesians 5:10 – Proving what is acceptable unto the Lord.

David played music that drove away an evil spirit from King Saul. The moral elements of David’s new song could not be tolerated by the evil spirit. This illustrates the existence of moral elements in instrumental music apart from the words of a song.

And it came to pass, when the evil spirit from God was upon Saul, that David took an harp, and played with his hand: so Saul was refreshed, and was well, and the evil spirit departed from him. (1 Samuel 16:23)

The Bible Speaks of:
- The song of drunkards (Psalm 69:12)
- The song of fools (Ecclesiastes 7:5)
- The song of derision (Lamentations 3:14)
- The song to a heavy heart (Proverbs 25:20)
- The song of vanity (Job 35:13)
- The song of an harlot (Isaiah 23:15-16)
The Bible then speaks of:
- The New Song. The new song stands in contrast to the old songs of the flesh listed above. It is a song that has the capacity to praise God.
  
  And he hath put a new song in my mouth, even praise unto our God: many shall see it, and fear, and shall trust in the LORD. (Psalms 40:3)
  
  Praise ye the LORD. Sing unto the LORD a new song, and his praise in the congregation of saints. (Psalms 149:1)
The words of a Christian song should be biblically accurate, doctrinally sound and edifying for believers.

First of all we are to maintain soundness in our doctrine.

Titus 2:1 – But speak thou the things which become sound doctrine:

Secondly, every element of a church service, including the music, is to provide edification to those who attend.

Psalms 47:7 – For God is the King of all the earth: sing ye praises with understanding.

1 Corinthians 14:15 – What is it then? I will pray with the spirit, and I will pray with the understanding also: I will sing with the spirit, and I will sing with the understanding also.
The musical message of a Christian song should agree morally and spiritually with the message of the words.

2 Corinthians 6:14-17 – Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness? And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel? And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you.

Psalms 144:9 – I will sing a new song unto thee, O God: upon a psaltery and an instrument of ten strings will I sing praises unto thee. Note: The new song would lose its effect if the old music was the vehicle used to convey the words.
Music is an important part of worship. While the purpose of worship is to honor God and glorify Him, all music used in worship services should contribute to that goal.

Isaiah 12:4-5 – And in that day shall ye say, Praise the LORD, call upon his name, declare his doings among the people, make mention that his name is exalted. Sing unto the LORD; for he hath done excellent things: this is known in all the earth.
It is the Spirit of God that directs us to sing God honoring music. Being filled with the Spirit and with the word of Christ comes first, then comes the musical response.

Ephesians 5:18-19 – And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit; Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord.

Colossians 3:16 – Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.

Contemporary Music Values

God made music and everything God made is good. Man is, therefore, free to enjoy all forms of music as a gift from God.

Note: When God created the earth, he saw that it was good. But when sin entered the world, a curse was placed upon creation that will be eliminated only by the making of a new heaven and new earth. Man has perverted many of the good things God made and music is one of them.
Music is morally neutral. There are no moral elements in music.

Note: This is often illustrated by playing one note on the piano and asking, what can possibly be immoral about that note? The rationalization then is that all music is merely the compilation of individual notes that are morally neutral. However, consider a contrasting illustration. If you point to one letter in the alphabet, you can say that one letter is morally neutral by itself. Following the above logic, it would then be impossible to have any immoral literature, because all writing would be merely the compilation of individual letters that are morally neutral. It is possible, though, to take the same group of letters and arrange them
into entirely different messages. For example, the letters e, i, l, and v can be arranged to say “live” which is good, or “evil” which is bad. The same is true about the arranging of individual musical notes. Depending upon how they are arranged they can convey a moral or an immoral message.
All forms of music are acceptable unto God in our worshiping Him. Because I am His child, whatever I do glorifies God.

Note: The Israelites learned that God did not accept everything they did in worshiping Him (Isaiah 58). It was the lesson of Cain all over again. Cain brought his offering to God in a very sincere manner, but God rejected it. Just because we say we are worshiping God does not mean that God accepts our worship. Whatever we do is not acceptable unto Him simply because we are doing it.
Music is a means by which we can be drawn into the spirit.

Note: When music is used as a means to draw people into the “spirit,” all it does is create an emotionalism that is called spiritual, but in reality is not. True worship can be very emotional, but emotions are to be the result of and not the cause of true worship. The proper approach to worship will produce godly emotions. The improper approach will produce fleshly emotions.
Contemporary Christian music is a good thing because it draws young people to church and some even get saved.

Note: This is classic pragmatism in which the ends justify the means. But in God’s eyes it is never right to do wrong, even if the goal is a noble one.
The purpose of worship is to bring people into fellowship with one another.

Note: This makes worship man centered. However, the Bible never suggests that worship is about man. Worship is about God and ascribing to Him the worth of which He is worthy.

Making Choices

In light of these values, what are some of the choices we must make in order to preserve the traditional worship model in our local church? Some churches do still use the traditional worship model exclusively, but they are becoming fewer all the time. The pressure is on to change and change is occurring everywhere. Some churches use the contemporary worship model exclusively. Some churches have two different services, one traditional and one contemporary. And some churches seek to blend the two worship models together using some elements of each in the same service. What is the right thing for us to do?

We must desire first and foremost to please God and not men. Contemporary thoughts on music and worship make worship to be man centered. Worship services, they say, must appeal to those who participate. However, worship is not about us as humans; it is about God. If we can keep our focus on pleasing God and not men, our choices in worship will become much clearer.

We must choose values in music and worship that are biblical and acceptable unto God. These will serve as our foundation in making good choices regarding how we worship God. This requires a constant reminder of what God says about music, to keep our senses exercised in discerning both bad and good.

We must maintain separation from the world. Since the basis of contemporary Christian music is the assimilation of worldly music, if we can keep our commitment to remain separate from the world, a lot of musical choices will automatically be eliminated. This principle includes separation from music companies which make a great deal of profit from the production and sale of worldly music on “Christian” labels. If we do not purchase music from those who produce contemporary Christian music, we will also protect ourselves from the influences of that industry.

Those who participate in the music of the church should be those who are walking in the Lord and growing in His Word. Their testimony outside the church should be in harmony with the testimony of their participation in the worship of our Holy God and Precious Savior who bled and died and rose again to rescue them from sin and the world. The desire of the heart of every participant must be to please God and not men.

We must determine the limits beyond which we will not go in specific musical selections. Sometimes this may be difficult to maintain. Sometimes questions are raised which seem to suggest gray areas where compromise is reasonable. For example, is a particular song by a particular song writer which is produced by a particular recording company and sung by a particular musical artist okay as long as this particular song seems to meet our music policy even if other songs from the same source are not okay? Do we throw a “good” song out just because of its associations? Is a particular song not okay just because a few notes are a little over the line? How many notes does it take to make a song bad? Besides, aren’t there some songs in our hymn book that go a little over the line? Do the words of every song have to be absolutely from the Bible? Granted the details of musical elements can become very involved and complicated and tedious at times to consider.

But our rationalization should never be — how far can we go and still be okay. Rather it should be – what are the choices we must make to insure that we are never guilty of compromising the glory of God.

Some simple choices like these will preserve a traditional worship style that honors God and shows Him true reverence. It will encourage a worship style that will edify believers and bring true conviction to those who have ears to hear, eyes to see, and hearts to understand. As time goes by, making these choices will be increasingly difficult. But as the contemporary Christian music and worship movements gain momentum, we must be ever more conscious of the care we must take in preserving that which is acceptable unto God.

Catholicism: Its History and Doctrines

December 31, 2010Literaturecatholicism, doctrine, historydmoss

by David E. Moss

On March 29, 1994, a group of Evangelical Protestants offered the Roman Catholic Church a document in which they pledged brotherhood in Christ and cooperation in the work of Christ. In it they proclaimed:

We affirm together that we are justified by grace through faith because of Christ… All who accept Christ as Lord and Savior are brothers and sisters in Christ. Evangelicals and Catholics are brothers and sisters in Christ…

Through this lengthy [25 pages] and conciliatory gesture to Catholics, some Evangelical Christians sought to erase centuries of conflict between the two groups. For a number of years, people in the Evangelical community have been talking about saved Catholics and have been cooperating with Catholic people in various social crusades. The Charismatic community has gone even further, building a bridge into the Catholic community and sharing many spiritual activities as well.

If Catholicism offers salvation to mankind in the same way as Evangelical Protestantism (only a little differently), then what was the point of the Reformation? In the Sixteenth Century there was a great schism in the Roman Catholic Church, culminating from generations of persecution and execution of those who resisted the teachings of the Church. The result was the Protestant movement in which new churches were formed with doctrinal beliefs which dramatically contradicted those of Catholicism.

Was it all for nought? Was it a big mistake due to unfortunate misunderstandings? Or are there really significant differences between the teachings of the Catholic Church and Protestant Churches?

In evaluating the Doctrines of the Roman Catholic Church, one very important principle must be kept in mind. One cannot understand Catholicism by talking to individual members of the Catholic Church. What any given member of the Church believes and what the Church officially teaches may be two very different things. So whatever an individual Catholic may happen to believe cannot be taken as an affirmation of actual Catholic Doctrine.

Another important factor is that Catholic Doctrine is so complex many of its tenants appear at times to contradict each other. It has the potential for causing confusion.

Many consider Catholicism to be the original form of Christianity and Protestantism simply a derivative. Catholicism, however, is not what Christ intended His Church to be. It is rather a profound departure from the original form of the Church.

The History of the Roman Catholic Church

The Roman Catholic Church evolved around two concepts. One is that the entire Church makes up the Body of Christ and is inseparably linked together. Thus the use of the word “catholic” which means “universal.” The other is that the entire Church falls under the jurisdiction of a human being who represents Christ on earth. Thus the use of the word “Pope” for the person who fills that role.

The Roman Catholic Church identifies its beginning in the appointment of Peter as the first Pope. The first Vatican Council stated, “If anyone says that Christ the Lord did not constitute the Blessed Peter prince of all the Apostles and head of the whole church militant; or if he says that this primacy is one of mere honor and not of real jurisdiction received directly and immediately from our
Lord Jesus, let him be anathema.” The claim is that Christ himself appointed Peter to exercise jurisdiction over the whole Church and instructed him to appoint successors who would do the same throughout all generations. In addition, Peter is said to have fulfilled this jurisdiction from the Church in Rome as have all his successors.

Statements from Church leaders in the early centuries do not support this contention, however.

Ambrose of Milan (397 A.D.) He says the primacy of Peter is only a “primacy of confession, not of honor; of faith, not of rank,” and places the apostle Paul on an equality with Peter.
Augustine (430 A.D.) “For the rock is not so named from Peter, but Peter from the rock, even as Christ is not so called after the Christian, but the Christian after Christ. For the reason why the Lord says, ‘On this rock I will build my church’ is that Peter had said, ‘Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.’ On this rock, which thou hast confessed says he, I will build my church. For Christ was the rock upon which also Peter himself was built; for other foundation can no man lay, than that is laid which is Jesus Christ.”
Eastern Bishops understood the primacy of Peter in the first place “simply as honorary… to whom that power was but first committed, which the Lord afterward conferred on all the apostles alike; and in the second place, they by no means favor an exclusive transfer of the prerogative to the bishop of Rome, but claim it also for the bishops of Antioch, where Peter, according to Galatians 2 sojourned a long time, and where, according to tradition, he was bishop, and appointed a successor.”

In truth, the development of the office of Pope required much time and struggle. It was not automatically recognized from the time of Peter, and in some parts of Christianity, never was acknowledged. In the early centuries, prominent Bishops existed in such cities as Ephesus, Thessalonica, Corinth, Constantinople, Alexandria, Jerusalem and Antioch as well as Rome. And in the fourth and fifth centuries, an irreparable division occurred between the churches in the eastern and western halves of the Roman Empire.

Apostolic succession was indeed an issue of the infant Church and earlier Roman Bishops did argue for their direct association with Peter. Not all agreed, however, and the true office of the papacy did not exist for many centuries in that no one exercised jurisdiction beyond the scope of their own local church, including the Bishops in Rome.

Leo the Great, Bishop of Rome from 440 to 461 A.D. was the first to successfully exercise papal authority beyond the borders of Italy, but certainly not over all Christendom. It is important to note, however that his authority was assumed and not given. He was a capable theologian and politician and as such was able by his own assertion to increase the influence and jurisdiction of the Roman Bishop’s seat. After Leo, mediocre men sat in the office of the “Pope” for a century and a half and little expansion of influence was affected by them.

While Leo called himself Pope and aspired to the authority of a universal Bishop of the Church, Gregory is better called the first real “Pope.” He refused the title, but exercised jurisdiction over a wide geographical area. He was rivaled by the Patriarch of Constantinople and was only able to achieve a stalemate in preventing him or anyone else besides the Bishop of Rome from claiming
the role of universal Bishop.

Gregory was a man of strong character, deep conviction, and capable administrative ability. He was also the beneficiary of a weakened political structure in the European arena. The western version of the Roman Empire had ceased to exist in 476, and Gaulic power had fragmented by the time Gregory became Bishop in Rome.

As a result, he was able not only to solidify the religious power of the papacy but the civil power as well, causing serious reverberation for a thousand years of European history. West of Constantinople and covering all of Europe but still falling short of universal jurisdiction, Roman Catholicism became Church and Government to the people. Popes crowned Kings, Monasteries became feudal fiefdoms and the individual lived every day of his life just as the Church said he should for fear of excommunication if he did otherwise.

What the Church had become in Roman Catholicism was far beyond what God intended it to be. God did indeed desire unity for the entire Body of Christ, but He intended it to be a spiritual unity, based upon a mutual submission to the indwelling Holy Spirit and not to a human being. Beyond the jurisdiction of the Apostles, which was eliminated with the death of those founders of the Church, the only scope of responsibility indicated by Scripture is in the context of the local church and not beyond. History records that this is precisely how things were in the early part of the Church’s existence. In spite of this, the Roman Catholic Church has written its own version of history and continues to this day in its insistence that the Pope governs the Church on earth as a substitute for
Christ and that his jurisdiction is universal.

The Doctrine of the Catholic Church

The Doctrine of the Catholic Church is a complex maze. Because it is not based solely on the Word of God, but also on the evolution of man’s imaginations, it is extremely difficult to confine to a few short pages. The following doctrines, however, are of primary importance to the definition of Roman Catholicism in distinction from Evangelical Christianity.

Tradition And Scripture

Catholic Doctrine teaches that the Bible nowhere implies it is the only source of faith. Thus, it claims that tradition is equal to Scripture.

Scripture, according to Catholicism is a tool of the Church. While a gift from God, it is nevertheless in the power of the Church to use Scripture in any way she sees fit. The Church maintains the sole privilege of declaring what the Scriptures mean and how they may be used.

The Catholic Church says that Tradition consists of the teachings of Christ and His Apostles which are not contained in Scripture. It goes far beyond these sources, however, and consists largely of decrees by Church Councils and supposedly infallible statements by the Popes. Traditions are considered to be equal in value to Scripture because they are believed to be a source of Divine
revelation in the same way Scripture is.

As a result of this belief, Catholic Doctrine need not be proved from Scripture. As long as documentation for a belief can be found in the Traditions of the Church, Catholicism considers it to be valid.

Sin and Grace

Catholic Doctrine teaches that sin is a problem, but not a simple one. In fact, compensating for
sin consumes much of what Catholicism consists. It divides sin into two categories.
1. Original sin is one of the consequences inherited from Adam and Eve. Original sin sounds like a term which relates to the Protestant belief in the depravity of man. However, the Catholic belief says that while original sin deprives a person of seeing God and of sanctifying grace, it does not send anyone to Hell. In fact, because of its inherited nature and the absence of personal consent, original sin has little or no effect upon the human nature. In spite of inheriting the sin of Adam, human nature remains essentially good and able to do good.
2. Personal sin is much more serious than original sin. This kind of sin consists of the specific sins a person commits and has the potential to send a person directly to Hell. There are two kinds of personal sin, venial and mortal. Venial sins are not serious. They consist of things like stealing a small item or telling a little white lie. They are easily compensated for in the course of a person’s religious experience. Mortal sins, however, cut a person off from God and from the grace that can save his soul. Whereas original sin merely causes the loss of sanctifying grace, personal mortal sins condemn the perpetrator to Hell. Knowing which sins are venial and which are mortal is sometimes difficult, though, because the determination is often left to the subjectivity of individual priests. A Catholic can never take anything for granted, therefore, and must confess all sin to be sure.
Catholic Doctrine teaches that grace is the solution for sin; but just as there are several kinds of sin, there are several sources for obtaining grace to overcome sin.
1. Original sin is the easiest to resolve. It is to this category of sin, and this category alone, that the redemptive work of Christ is applied in Catholic Doctrine. Christ’s death and shed blood redeems man from original sin only, not from personal sin. However, even this redemption is hollow, because Catholicism emphatically asserts that faith alone in the work of Christ on the cross will not save anyone, even from the meager penalty of original sin. It is actually man’s submission to baptism that saves a person. In fact, in Catholicism baptism is a more powerful force than the redemptive work of Christ, because baptism can save a person from personal sin, as well as original sin. Baptism (pouring water on the forehead in the shape of the cross) provides the grace to eliminate the penalty for original sin. Through baptism, the redemptive work of Christ is communicated to the individual who is restored to the sanctifying grace of God and all personal sins are forgiven, venial and mortal, so that if a person dies immediately after being baptized he will go directly to heaven. This is effective as long as the baptized person never commits another sin. Each personal sin committed after baptism causes a loss of grace. The individual is then responsible for retrieving that lost grace on his own.
2. Grace to compensate for personal sin must be obtained through a variety of means, all of which consist of things man must do for himself. Venial sins (the little ones) are somewhat inconsequential since they do not damage a person’s standing before God. They may be compensated for through the general course of obtaining grace through the sacraments. Mortal sins (the big ones that can send a person to Hell) are the real problem. If mortal sin is not properly compensated for, a person goes directly to hell upon death. The Catholic Church has provided its adherents with many ways to obtain the grace needed to compensate for the personal sins they have committed.
  1. The process begins with confession. At least once each year, a Catholic is obligated to confess to an authorized priest all the specific sins he can remember committing since his last confession. This is so essential because if a person dies having committed any unconfessed mortal sins, he goes directly to Hell and there is no hope for him. The priest has the power to absolve confessed sins. The absolution is insufficient, however, because the sinner is then obligated to do something himself to obtain the needed grace to compensate for his personal sins, either while he lives on earth or after he dies. The distinction is that the Priest forgives the sins, but the sinner must bear punishment for his sins, even though they are forgiven.
  2. Penance is the activity, imposed by the authorized Priest, which the Catholic sinner may perform in order to obtain the grace which will compensate for his sin. It is supposed to be a visible form of repentance, showing that the sinner is sorry for his sin and wants to do better. Catholic doctrine teaches, however, that penance is actually a means of obtaining forgiveness and grace to live a better life. Penance, then, serves as the punishment an individual must bear for his own confessed and forgiven sin. It generally consists of a specified number of prayers but may also include alms or some other specific work. Penance is crucial because if enough penance is not performed for mortal sins, there will be consequences to pay after a person dies, even though all mortal sins were confessed and forgiven.
  3. Other means of obtaining grace include Confirmation (by which a person receives the Holy Spirit), The Holy Eucharist (Communion), Extreme Unction (anointing the sick), Holy Orders (such as the offices of Bishop, Priest, etc.) and Matrimony (marriage). Along with Baptism and Penance, these are called sacraments. A sacrament is something man can do to obtain the grace of God. Catholicism teaches that grace is conferred through all seven sacraments and that this grace is absolutely necessary for salvation. Faith alone in the work of Christ is not enough. If a sufficient amount of grace is not obtained to compensate for sins committed, venial or mortal, the remaining penalty for personal sins will have to be worked off after a person dies.
  4. If man fails to obtain all the grace he needs before he dies, Catholic Doctrine teaches that he must work off the rest of his punishment by suffering in Purgatory. The length of time a person spends in Purgatory varies according to the amount of punishment that has not been erased by the earning of grace. The Doctrine of Purgatory corresponds to the teaching that God’s forgiveness does not eliminate the need for punishment. If a living person does not sufficiently punish himself through penance, then he must complete his punishment by suffering in Purgatory after he dies.
  5. Indulgences is another way to obtain grace. Essentially, an indulgence is the release from punishment for sin in exchange for the payment of money to the Catholic Church. They are careful to say that the payment of money does not forgive sin, it only reduces the punishment for sin, continuing the distinction between these two things. Indulgences may be purchased for yourself while you are living or for dead loved ones in Purgatory. This is possible because of what is called the Treasury of the Church. Both the merits of Christ which exceeded what was needed for saving man from original sin and the merits of Mary and the Saints which exceeded their own needs were deposited into this treasury from which the church may draw to grant indulgences to those who can pay money for them.
  6. The veneration of Mary and the Saints is yet another means by which they hope to obtain favor with God. Catholicism teaches that by virtue of their achieving residency in Heaven, the Saints have the privilege of obtaining the audience of God and interceding for man. In doing so, Mary and the Saints may actually obtain divine grace for others.

Salvation and the Sacrifice of Christ

Catholic Doctrine teaches that Christ’s one sacrifice was not sufficient to pay for all sin. In the Mass, Christ is offered as a sacrifice over and over again.

The Holy Eucharist is the term the Catholic Church uses for Communion. It teaches that when the Priest, acting as Christ, says the words, “This is my body” and “This is my blood,” the bread and wine actually turn into the real body and blood of Jesus Christ.

Technically, Catholicism insists that the Eucharist is only an extension of the suffering of Christ on the Cross into the present. But the effect of each Mass is to offer Christ again and again in sacrifice to God. The proof of this is that Catholics receive Christ into their lives, not by faith in what He did for them on the Cross, but by physically swallowing the actual body of Christ in the bread of communion. It is also proven in that it is not sufficient for them to receive Christ once, even through this physical manifestation, but He must be received as many times as possible in the hope that enough grace will be obtained to avoid all punishment for the sins that were supposedly forgiven when they were confessed to the Priest.

Rebuttal

Scripture is the sole source of God’s Word to man. By the end of the First Century, it was complete and all other means of communicating God’s Revelation to mankind were done away with (I Corinthians 13:8-9; Colossians 1:25; II Timothy 3:16; Revelation 22:18-19). Tradition is emphatically denounced by Scripture as having any credibility in establishing true doctrine or directing the lives of God’s people (Matthew 15:3-6; Colossians 2:8; I Peter 1:18).

In inheriting sin from Adam, every human being not only lost the ability to see God, but obtained a depraved human nature and was condemned to Hell (Romans 5:12; John 3:18-20; Romans 3:10-19).

Every person is born with a sin nature and there is no innate goodness in man (Psalm 51:5; Jeremiah 17:9; Romans 3:11-12). One sin, regardless of its degree of seriousness, makes a man a sinner and lost (James 2:10).

The grace needed for salvation can be obtained only through faith in what Jesus Christ did for us. Jesus Christ paid for all sin, whether original or personal, whether venial or mortal, and He paid all that was required for sin. He left nothing undone in redeeming mankind, and God makes no distinction between guilt and punishment. Jesus bore all of it for all of us on the cross. It is left only
for man to believe in Jesus Christ and to trust that what He did for us was enough (Ephesians 2:8-9; Titus 3:5; I John 2:2; Hebrews 9:14-15; Romans 10:9-13).

The Evangelical Christians who seek harmony with Catholics say that “we affirm together that we are justified by grace through faith.” Catholic doctrine agrees with this statement so far as it goes. Catholicism does teach that a person is saved by grace, but by grace the individual may obtain through a variety of means. Catholicism also teaches that a person is saved through faith in Christ — but emphatically denies that a person can be saved through faith in Christ alone.

Many ask whether a person may be genuinely saved by faith in Christ alone and remain in the Catholic Church. The answer is simple. A person cannot be genuinely saved and continue to believe Catholic Doctrine because Catholic Doctrine categorically contradicts the truth of Scripture. And if you do not believe Catholic Doctrine, why would you want to remain in the Catholic Church. Christ clearly teaches His followers to mark them who do not follow the truth and have no fellowship with them.

Bibliography of Catholic Publications:
- Basic Teachings For Catholic Religious Education. By the National Conference of Catholic Bishops, Publications Office, United States Catholic Conference, 1973.
- The Doctrine of the Communion of Saints In the Ancient Church. By Dr. J.P. Kirsch, Translated by John R. M’Kee, Sand and Company, Edinburgh, 1910.
- Father Connell Answers Moral Questions. By Very Rev. Francis J. Connell C.SS.R., The Catholic University of America Press, 1959.
- The Maryknoll Catholic Dictionary. Compiled and Edited by Albert J. Nevins, N.M., Dimension Books, 1965.
- The Question Box. By Rev. Bertrand L. Conway, The Paulist Press, 1929.
- Short Dictionary of Catholicism. Edited by Charles Henry Bowden, Philosophical Library, 1958.
- The Teaching of the Catholic Church, As Contained In Her Documents. Edited by Karl Rahner, S.J., The Mercier Press, 1967.
Bibliography of Other Publications
- The Age of Faith. By Will Durant, Simon and Schuster, 1950.
- Christianity Through the Centuries. By Earle E. Cairns, Zondervan Publishing House, 1954.
- Ins and Outs of Romanism. By Joseph Zaccello, Loizeaux Brothers, 1956.
- Roman Catholicism. By Loraine Boettner, The Presbyterian and Reformed Publishing Company, 1962.
- Others too numerous to mention.

Calvinism: Right or Wrong?

December 31, 2010Literaturecalvinism, doctrine, election, eternal security, theologydmoss

An examination of the five points of Calvinism, including a summary of what Calvinists say and a Biblical response from a non-Calvinist, preservationist position.

by David E. Moss

What Happened Before The Foundation of the World?

Think back to eternity past before time began, before man existed, and before the creation of the world had taken place. Man was then only an idea in the mind of God. In His omniscience God knew all that would happen after creation. He foreknew what the world would be like and all the events that would occur in the course of time. He foreknew that man would sin and be hopelessly lost. However, before any of these things actually took place, God made some choices and decreed some plans regarding the future work of His Son and the salvation of mankind. God, of course, knows exactly what He did before the foundation of the world. Theologians are still
trying to understand what really happened.

Several Scripture passages give us a glimpse of the things which took place back then. God formulated an eternal purpose in Christ Jesus (Ephesians 3:11), and foreordained the Son to be a lamb without blemish and without spot (I Peter 1:19-20). The effect of this was that the lamb was slain from the foundation of the world (Revelation 13:8). In other words, the work of the cross was as good as done from the very moment God planned it in eternity past. God also promised us eternal life before the world began (Titus 1:2). He also chose us in Christ (Ephesians 1:4) and gave us his own purpose and grace in Christ Jesus (II Timothy 1:9).

All of these things are simple statements of the Word of God. Many Calvinists and non-Calvinists agree that these things happened just as they are stated. There are some significant differences, though, in how these things are interpreted. Did God design the plan of redemption first and then choose to include those whom He foreknew would believe in Christ? Or did He elect (chose) some to be saved out of mankind and then design a plan that was intended only for those who were elected or chosen? Who really is the us to whom God made these wonderful promises of eternal life?

As we study the subjects of salvation and election, we are given the impression that there are only two choices: Arminianism or Calvinism. Many Christians know they are not Arminian because they understand they are eternally secure in Christ. So they conclude that they must be Calvinist. Then they discover that Calvinists teach some things with which they do not agree. For example, Calvinists teach that Christ died only for the elect, that is, He died only for some men and not for all. Thinking that there are only two choices, non-Arminians pick off of Calvin’s tulip the petals with which they think they agree and label themselves as four point, three point, or two point Calvinists.

There are some problems, however, with non-Calvinists (who are also non-Arminian) trying to identify with Calvinists. Non-Calvinists who label themselves four point, three point, etc., generally use the same vocabulary as Calvinists, such as depravity, election and grace, but define the terms differently. By calling themselves Calvinists, non-Calvinists place themselves in “harmony” with those with whom they actually disagree, often without realizing what they are doing. In addition, it is impossible to have a genuine Calvinist tulip with less than five petals. All five petals are inter-related and inseparable. To claim to be less than five point Calvinist is to misunderstand the actual Calvinist teaching on the various points. There is another alternative: just do not call ourselves either Arminian or Calvinist. Why must we have a man’s name for a label on our theology? If we believe the Bible, to be a biblicist should be sufficient.

The objective of this paper is to show the connection of all five points of Calvinism, to show the biblical response to these points, and to explain divine election from a non-Calvinist’s understanding of Scripture.

The Calvinist’s Interpretation Of What Happened Before the World Began

Total Depravity

The Calvinist view of Total Depravity does not focus only on how bad man is, but also and especially on how bad off man is.

Man is bad off because of his total inability to turn to Christ. Whoever will may come to Christ, but man is unable to come to Christ unless the Father draws him as one of the elect. He is totally deprived of all ability to turn to Christ. He is free to turn to Christ, but utterly unable to do so.

Turning to Christ is a spiritual act and the sinner is spiritually dead. He is therefore unable to turn to Christ. Because of sin, man’s will is enfeebled. Not only will he not turn to Christ, he cannot. The sinner is disabled. He cannot save himself and will not turn to Christ for salvation until he is born again by the Spirit of God.

Unconditional Election

If any man is to be saved, God Himself must do something to bring it about.

God picked out of mankind whom He would save. He chose a number out of the whole human race to be saved. He appointed persons to believe. From eternity, God planned to save one portion of the human race and not another.

On what basis did God choose? God chose some to be saved and did not choose the rest for no other reason than His own wise, just, and gracious purpose. He did not choose on the basis of race, wealth, social position, or any other such thing. He simply picked some and left the rest unpicked.

This does not make God a respecter of persons. You can only be a respecter of persons if you make a difference between equally deserving people. You are not a respecter of persons if you make a difference between equally undeserving people.

Limited Atonement

Christ could not bear the sins of men without actually saving them, therefore, Christ did not die for all without exception since all are not saved. If Christ had borne the sins of all men without exception then all men would be saved. But this is not the experience of all men, therefore, Christ did not bear the sins of all men, but only the elect. At issue here is not the value but the efficacy of Christ’s death. Did He in dying try to save everyone? Did He in dying merely make salvation possible for everyone equally? Was this His intent? If so, then in the end it was not His death that secured our salvation. And if that is so, then His death was not enough. This is why the biblical writers emphasize that in dying, Jesus secured and accomplished the salvation of His people. He did not die in hopes that someone somewhere might somehow make His atonement efficacious. Not at all. He died to save… In His death, the work that saves was finished.

Everyone for whom Christ died is saved. The view of Christ dying only for the elect in a saving sense is the only sense that gives effectual power to His death. The death of Christ really saves all for whom it was intended. If Christ’s death is in reality a substitutionary, vicarious death it saves all for whom it was exercised and no other. That God does not save all proves that Christ did not die for all. It is a contradiction to say that Christ’s work has equal reference to both the saved and the unsaved, the elect and the non-elect. There are none for whom Christ died who do not receive salvation in its fullness. Every last person for whom Christ died will enjoy its benefits. From the stand point of justice, none for whom Jesus died can ever be condemned. Because Christ died in their place, justice demands their acquittal.

Since the Father predetermined who would be saved, and the Son foreknew who the elect were, it is illogical to think that Christ would have died for those whom he knew wo uld not be saved. He therefore limited the purpose of His death, restricting its efficacy only for the elect, the sheep, us, the many as opposed to the few.

To say that the Son redeemed all, and the Father elected but a few, is to give greater honor to the One than to the other, and to make an inequality in their operations.

God is the Savior or Preserver of all men in that Christ’s work secured a delay for unbelievers in the execution of the sentence against sin. If strict justice had been executed, the race would have been cut off at the first sin. That man lives at all after sinning is due wholly to the Cross. In that judgment is delayed, Christ has preserved the lives of the non-elect for a short time and is therefore the Preserver of the non-elect as well as the Savior of the elect.

When the Bible says that Christ died for the world, it means the world of the elect. Christ taketh away the sin of this world (John 1:29). The sin of the rest of the outer world “remaineth” (John 9:41). God loves this world (John 3:16). His wrath is upon the rest of the world (John 3:17).

When the Bible says that Christ died for all men, it means that He died for all kinds of men, i.e. all races, rich and poor, all classes of men without distinction.

“If God has caused an unsaved person to read this article, how sad and tragic that you have no Savior who died on the cross for your many sins. It is the same as if Christ never came and never hung on the cross for sinners.” (Beck)

Irresistable Grace

God would not set out to do something which He was unable to finish. If efficacious grace is the exercise of almighty power, it is irresistible. The Gospel of Christ is the power of God unto salvation! Nothing can stop it. When God calls a man into fellowship of His Son, the call is not refused.

God’s saving grace and effectual calling are irresistible, not in the sense that they are never resisted, but in the sense that they are never successfully resisted.

In electing the saved, God encounters them and regenerates them according to His own sovereign will apart from their will. A Divine interference. A man is appointed to believe. He has no choice in the matter because he is unable to choose. He cannot disbelieve if he is appointed to believe. Neither can he believe if he has not been appointed to believe. God decides who will believe and who will not believe.

Since man is unable to believe, God causes the elect to believe. Saving faith rises not from something from within us but from the work of God. We believe, yes, but only as a direct result of God’s mighty power at work within us and regenerating grace.

Perseverance

Moreover, God has justified them, and if He has justified them, who can say otherwise (Romans 8:33)? Is there anyone who can overrule Him? Still more, there is precisely no other which could ever remove God’s elect from the saving love of Christ. Nothing. No one. Not now, not ever (Romans 8:35-39).

The question, then, is not whether we might sin. The question is whether God’s grace is sufficient to keep us even though we sin (Romans 5:20).

It is further a question of God’s power. Can He keep us in faith? Indeed He can (I Peter 1:3-5).

Perseverance may be defined as that continuous operation of the Holy Spirit in the believer, by which the work of divine grace that is begun in the heart, is continued and brought to completion. (Louis Berkhof)

Such only are real believers who endure to the end… Their persevering attachment to Jesus Christ is the grand mark which distinguishes them from superficial professors.

We can have an assurance of our salvation not only for today but for all time. But the assurance that we have, or confidence in our future estate in salvation, must be based upon the right foundations. In other words, if my confidence that I will persevere is based on my confidence that I will not sin, it’s on very shaky ground. One thing the Bible makes clear to me is that even
though I am a redeemed person, I will in all likelihood, and inevitably, continue to sin to some degree. If it were up to my strength to persevere to guarantee my future salvation, then I would have very little hope of persevering… My confidence rests in the intercession of Christ and God’s ability and promise to hold on to me. In and of myself I am capable of sinning even unto the loss of my salvation, but I’m persuaded that God in His grace will keep me from that. (R.C. Sproul)

Those whom God hath accepted in the beloved, effectually called and sanctified by His Spirit, and given the precious faith of His elect unto, can neither totally nor finally fall from the state of grace but shall certainly persevere therein to the end, and be eternally saved, seeing the gifts and callings of God are without repentance, whence He still begets and nourisheth in them faith,
repentance, love, joy, hope, and all the graces of the Spirit unto immortality… This perseverance of the saints depends not upon their own free will, but upon the immutability of the decree of election, flowing from the free and unchangeable love of God the Father, upon the efficacy of the merit and intercession of Jesus Christ and union with Him, the oath of God, the abiding of His Spirit, and the seed of God within them, and the nature of the covenant of grace; from all which ariseth also the certainty and infallibility thereof… And though they may… fall into grievous sins, and for a time continue therein, whereby they incur God’s displeasure and grieve his Holy Spirit… yet shall they renew their repentance and be preserved through faith in Christ Jesus to the end. (The Baptist Confession of Faith – London, 1689)

Summary

Charles R. Smith, a professor of theology, outlines the Calvinists’ viewpoint concerning the order of events before the world began:

The decision to create
The decision to allow the fall
The election of certain individuals
The decision to provide Jesus as Savior
The decision to send the Holy Spirit to accomplish salvation in regeneration

In the Calvinists’ point of view, man’s fall into sin resulted not only in the acquisition of the sin nature, but in the loss of all ability to respond to God. Man, they say, is totally deprived of all ability to turn to Christ. He is free to do so, but utterly unable to do so. Turning to Christ is a spiritual act and the sinner is spiritually dead. Because of sin, man’s will is enfeebled. The sinner is disabled. He cannot save himself and will not turn to Christ for salvation until he is born again by the Spirit of God.

Knowing this in eternity past, say the Calvinists, God decided to do for some men what they would never be able to do for themselves. In the process, He decided not to do this for everyone. God chose a certain number out of the human race to be saved and He did so without regard to any human qualifications. He picked out of mankind whom he would save regardless of their race, financial status, social position, or any other such matter. He made His choice based on no other reason than His own wise, just, and gracious purpose. On this basis alone He picked some and left the rest unpicked. The Calvinists contend that God was in no way a respecter of persons by doing this because one can only be a respecter of persons by making a difference between equally deserving people. There is no respect of persons, they say, in making a difference between equally undeserving people. So when God determined in eternity past that He would allow man to sin and knew that sin would result in man’s total inability to respond to Him, God made a difference among equally undeserving men, randomly selecting some human beings to be saved, leaving the rest to be unsaved.

Then, say the Calvinists, God ordained the Son to be the Lamb that would die for the sins of the elect only. Since the Father had predetermined who would be saved and the Son knew in eternity past who the elect were, He logically purposed to die only for those who were picked for salvation. In the Calvinistic mind, the view of Christ dying only for the elect in a saving sense is the only sense that gives effectual power to His death. They say that Christ’s death really saves all for whom it was intended. If Christ’s death is in reality a substitutionary, vicarious death, it saves all for whom it was exercised. That God does not save all proves that Christ did not die for all. Calvinists cringe at the suggestion that Christ died for some who are never saved. To them, this would mean that Christ was a failure. How could Christ die for a man without His death resulting in the salvation of that man? In eternity past, say the Calvinists, when God elected some men to be saved, He prepared a means of salvation that was intended only for them and no one else, and everyone for whom it was prepared He successfully saved by the cross.

According to the Calvinists, man has no part to play whatsoever in salvation, not even believing. God determined to save the elect completely apart from their own will. This, of course was necessary because of man’s total inability to respond to God. Since turning to Christ and believing the Gospel are spiritual acts and unsaved man is totally unable to do either, man has to be regenerated and faith implanted in his heart entirely by an act of God apart from the will of man. This is an irresistible act of grace. Nothing can stop it from happening. If a particular person is appointed to believe, God will divinely interfere in his life and cause him to repent. He will regenerate that man and give him the gift of faith entirely apart from the man’s own will. The man has no choice in the matter because he is unable to choose. Saving faith does not rise from something within man, but occurs only as a direct result of God’s mighty power at work within man and as a result of God’s irresistible regenerating grace as applied by the Holy Spirit.

Of course, if a man has not been appointed to believe, the Calvinists say he has no Savior who died on the cross for his sins. For the non-elect, it is as if Christ never came and never hung on the cross for sinners. In eternity past, they say, God prepared the plan of redemption exclusively for the limited number of human beings He picked out of all mankind to be saved. Neither the elect nor the non-elect would have any choice about the matter. God’s predetermination sealed the destiny of every individual human being before the foundation of the world. Once faith is implanted in the heart of a man, that man will persevere in the faith to the end no matter what. But if a man has not been appointed to believe, he has no hope.

The Non-Calvinist’s Interpretation Of What Happened Before the World Began

Charles R. Smith also outlined the non-Calvinist’s viewpoint concerning the order of events before the world began:

The decision to create
The decision to allow the fall
The decision to provide Jesus as Savior
The election of certain individuals
The decision to send the Holy Spirit to accomplish salvation in regeneration

Total Depravity

Some of us who are non-Calvinists agree with the Calvinists that man’s fall resulted in the acquisition of the sin nature and that this fallen nature effects every part of man’s person. The Scripture is very clear that man does not have a spark of good which he can draw upon for noble acts. There is none righteous, no, not one: there is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God. They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one (Romans 3:10-12). It couldn’t be much clearer.

But we do not agree that total depravity means total inability. Along with the idea of creating man, God decided to design man as a whole person with the ability to think, the ability to feel, and the ability to choose (Genesis 2:16-17; Deuteronomy 30:19; Joshua 24:15; Romans 6:16). He understood that man would use his will to choose to sin. He then designed a plan before creation by which all fallen men could also choose to be saved (John 1:12). This in no way suggests that man could save himself, but only that he could freely receive the salvation that God would offer to whosoever would believe (John 3:16). [Note that according to Scripture, man’s ability to choose is in no way restricted only to those who are already born again (Proverbs 1:20-33). Unbelievers are frequently depicted as making choices through Scripture (II Kings 5:1-15; Jonah 3:4-10; Acts 26:28).

Unconditional Election

Divine election, we believe then, was based upon God’s foreknowledge of who would choose to believe and who would choose not to believe, not upon a random selection of some. After God ordained the Son to be a sacrifice for the sin of all mankind, He foreknew that only some men would choose to believe in Christ and that others would choose not to believe even though they would be given the opportunity to do so. Knowing this, God was left with a choice. Would He save every one regardless of how they responded to the Gospel message, or would He save only those who believed? In His infinite wisdom, justice, and grace, God the Father decided to include only those who believed the Gospel and received Christ as their Savior. Acting on this principle before the foundation of the world, He elected, or selected, for salvation only those individuals whom He foreknew would believe and receive Christ. The Bible is very clear about this order of events. Peter was led to write to the strangers… elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father… (I Peter 1:1-2). The preposition “according to” as it is used here shows how one thing proceeds from another. In the same passage, verse 3 says, Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope… This tells us that God’s begetting us again unto a lively hope proceeded from, or out of, His abundant mercy. In the same way, verse two tells us that His electing us proceeded out of His foreknowledge. Romans 8:29-30 agrees with this order. It lists several things that God did including foreknowing, predestinating, calling, justifying, and glorifying. It is very clear from these verses that God’s foreknowledge came first: For whom he did foreknow, (first), he also (afterwards) did predestinate.

We also believe that man’s salvation is conditional: not on any condition of work or merit, but on the condition of his belief in the Gospel and his receiving Christ. But if man is depraved, how could he choose to believe? God’s plan for all mankind was to draw men to himself through His Word. It is true (because the Bible says so) that if God does not draw a man to Himself, that man will never choose to seek God on his own (John 6:44) . But consider the broader context of this verse. Verse 45 goes on to say, It is written in the prophets, And they shall be all taught of God. Every man therefore that hath heard and learned of the Father, cometh unto me. All are taught, exposed to faith through the truth and given the opportunity to respond. Only those who hear and learn (or receive) the truth are saved. The Bible says that God’s plan from the beginning was to draw all men to himself through Christ, giving everyone the opportunity to believe (John 12:32). While a man cannot come except the Father draw him, not all who are drawn come (Matthew 20:16). The opportunity to believe comes specifically through a person’s exposure to the Word of God (Romans 10:17) . Having been exposed to faith by the Word of God, man then has a viable choice — believe or refuse to believe, hear and learn (receive) the truth or reject it. There are many passages of Scripture which teach this truth, that salvation is conditional upon the belief of the individual.

John 3:16 – For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever
believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
John 3:18 – He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is ondemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.
John 7:37-38 – …If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink. He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water.
John 10:9 – I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved…
Acts 2:21 – And it shall come to pass that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved.
Acts 10:43 – To him give all the prophets witness, that through his name whosoever believeth in him shall receive remission of sins.
Romans 10:13 – For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.
I John 4:15 – Whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God dwelleth in him, and
he in God.
I John 5:1 – Whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ is born of God…

It is a totally arbitrary definition of respecter of persons to say that one is a respecter of persons when making a difference in one instance but not in another. Noah Webster defined respecter of persons in this way: RESPECTER, n. One that respects; chiefly used in the phrase, respecter of persons, which signifies a person who regards the external circumstances of others in his judgment, and suffers his opinion to be biased by them, to the prejudice of candor, justice and equity. As an illustration, Mr. Webster sites Acts 10:34b, I perceive that God is no respecter of persons. All men have equity in the state of depravity. Choosing between equally deserving or equally undeserving people would make God a respecter of persons either way. Since God is not a respecter of persons, He would not have made such a discriminating choice.

Limited Atonement

Neither do we agree that God ordained His Son to die only for some men and not for all men. Scripture says that Christ gave himself a ransom for all (I Timothy 2:6). The Calvinists explain this away by saying that Christ died for all classes of men without distinction, not for all persons without exception. We non-Calvinists choose not to read into Scripture things it does not say. When it says that Jesus gave Himself a ransom for all, we believe all means all. When it says that Jesus tasted death for every man (Hebrews 2:9) we believe it means every man and not just every one who would have faith irresistibly implanted in his heart. When it says He is the propitiation for… the sins of the whole world (I John 2:2), we believe it means the whole world and not just for the world of the elect. When it says He gave His life a ransom for many (Matthew 20:28) we believe it means the many as opposed to a few.

On this point it is important to note that when Scripture compares many and all it generally uses these terms to refer to the same quantity (Proverbs 31:29; Acts 2:39; I Corinthians 10:17). Scripture typically uses the word few when referring to a different quantity than many (Jeremiah 42:2; Matthew 20:16). The word chosen in Matthew 20:16 is the word eklektos. It is used 23 times in the New Testament and is translated elect 16 times in such passages as Romans 8:33, Colossians 3:12, II Timothy 2:10 and I Peter 1:2 where it is used in obvious reference to the elect in Christ. When Matthew 20:16 says, for many be called, but few chosen, it is saying that God calls the many, the large group, the whole human race, but few, a small group out of the whole, are elect. Calvinists say that God only calls those whom He elects. This Scriptural statement contradicts the Calvinists.

We believe that Christ’s death sufficiently satisfied God the Father for the sins of the whole human race without exception. I John 1:2 says, And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world. If the whole world in this verse is restricted only to the elect, what is the sense of the contrast made in the verse between ours and the whole world? This verse obviously draws a contrast between those who are saved and those who are not, saying that Jesus Christ satisfied God for the sins of all who are saved and also for the sins of the entire world, including all the non-saved.

The purpose of the cross was to satisfy God concerning sin and not to actuate the rebirth of the elect. Propitiation and reconciliation are brought about by the cross (Ephesians 2:16; Colossians 1:20). Justification and regeneration are brought about when a man responds to the preaching of the cross (I Corinthians 1:18; Romans 5:1; I Corinthians 6:11; Titus 3:5,7). God has been satisfied concerning the sin of all men, but only those who come to Christ in repentance and faith actually have their sins forgiven.

Irresistable Grace

It is not true that grace is by definition irresistable. It is man’s rejection of God that causes God’s rejection of man (I Samuel 15:23; Jeremiah 6:19; Hosea 4:6) . God gives His grace only to those who willingly receive it (Romans 5:17).

In giving man a choice, God takes nothing away from His own sovereignty. Allowing man to sin had no adverse effect on God’s sovereignty. Allowing man to choose on his own to believe or not to believe the Gospel has no different ramifications on the nature of God than allowing man to fall into sin in the first place. God’s sovereignty gives Him the prerogative of either determining that something must happen, or that something may happen. To say that man may be saved if he believes the Gospel is totally within the scope of the sovereign will of God (Genesis 3:3; Proverbs 20:13; Romans 11:21).

None of this diminishes God’s sovereignty. All of it takes place within the scope of His sovereign rule. He sovereignly prescribes what will take place if man responds one way and He sovereignly prescribes what will take place if man responds differently. Consider the events in Nineveh as recorded in the book of Jonah. God clearly decreed that Ninevah was doomed, yet when Ninevah repented, God was already prepared to extend mercy.

In receiving salvation by faith, man in no way is actually bringing about his own salvation. Faith is not a work. Faith is merely the act of receiving the salvation that is completely and entirely accomplished by God Himself as an act of grace (John 1:13; Ephesians 2:8-9; Romans 5:2; Romans 4:5).

Neither is the force of Christ’s sacrifice diminished by saying that He died for all men without exception, including those who will never believe and be saved. In fact, the potential of the shed blood being applied to all men makes the cross much more powerful than if its efficacy was only intended for a few. How powerful is it for an evangelist to say, “I’m not sure whether Christ died for you or not. If you are one of the elect, He died for you. If you are not one of the elect, He did not die for you.” This is a weak message. The real power of the cross is in preaching “whosoever will may come.”

The fact that not everyone accepts this sacrifice made on their behalf does not make Christ a failure. Christ accomplished on the cross exactly what He intended to accomplish. He satisfied God concerning the sins of the whole world (I John 1:2). The fact that some refuse God’s offer of salvation is a testimony to the failure of man, not of God. God is not willing that any man should perish (II Peter 3:9). He wants all men to be saved (I Timothy 2:4). What would be the purpose of Scripture telling us that God wants all elect men to be saved because He does not want any elect man to perish? Would this mean that God actually wants all non-elect men to perish and not be saved? Somehow, this does not fit the nature of God who loves the world and whose heart is full of mercy and compassion (Psalm 86:15; Psalm 145:8) . God is not a failure in providing salvation for many who will never be saved. He is a great success in providing salvation that is sufficient for every human being that will ever live. The righteousness of God is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe (Romans 3:22). It is genuinely offered unto all. It is placed upon only those who believe. The work of Christ is sufficient for everyone, but it is efficient only for those who receive the Savior.

Perseverance of the Saints

This is the one point of connection that non-Calvinist preservationists have with Calvin’s tulip. We say amen to the truth that those who truly are saved will never be lost. Of course, the idea of the perseverance of the saints involves a little more than the simple truth of the eternal security of the believer. Eternal security is the belief that a true believer will never lose his salvation. Perseverance of the saints is the belief that a true believer will keep on believing throughout his earthly life. A believer is eternally secure because he is kept by the power of God alone, and not by the believer’s own merits or efforts (I Peter 1:5). But how does a saint persevere? The Calvinist says that it is by the immutability of the decree of God. If God has chosen a man to believe, that man will believe to the very end. He may fall into great depths of sin and degradation, deny faith and actually stop believing the gospel for a time, but he will ultimately repent and be preserved to faith because God has decreed it to be so.

Non-Calvinists who believe in eternal security also believe in the perseverance of the saints. If a person’s faith is genuine and he is truly born again, then he will continue to have genuine faith in his heart throughout his life on earth and that faith will be nurtured by the Holy Spirit who dwells within him. He may sin, live carnally, or remain a spiritual infant for a long time. But throughout his life while God is chastening him for his sin, he never stops believing.

When a person who professes to be saved falls off into persistent sinfulness, we rightfully question whether they were ever really saved. Those who are not truly saved but have only an empty profession, will ultimately be drawn back into the world by all of its enticements. As I John 2:19 says, They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would no doubt have continued with us: but they went out, that they might be made manifest that they were not all of us. Someone who forsakes altogether the faith he once professed is like the stony soil in Christ’s parable. There was the appearance of faith because the plant sprung up. But there was no root, no genuineness to the faith, and it could not endure because it was not real.

Real Christians persevere in their faith. This is the truth taught by such verses as follows. They are often used to suggest that a believer might lose his salvation, but they actually explain that one of the characteristics of true believers is that they persevere in their faith.

Colossians 1:22-23 – …to present you holy and unblameable, and unreproveable in his sight: if ye continue in the faith grounded and settled, and be not moved away from the hope of the gospel, which ye have heard, and which was preached to every creature which is under heaven.
Hebrews 3:6 – But Christ as a son over his own house; whose house are we, if we hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm unto the end.
Hebrews 3:14 – For we are made partakers of Christ, if we hold the beginning of our
confidence stedfast unto the end;

The Harmony of the Sovereignty of God And the Free Will of Man

There are many who struggle in an attempt to reconcile the sovereignty of God and the free will of man. Some in frustration throw up their hands and say that somehow they are both true, but that it is impossible for man to understand how they fit together. They read the passages of Scripture on election and believe that God has after all chosen us and we have no choice of our own. Then they read the whosoever passages and believe we must act on faith ourselves. Flustered by such contradictions, yet determined to believe all the Word of God, many simply avoid talking about these biblical subjects.

The subject of divine election is not that difficult. The sovereignty of God and the free will of man function in perfect harmony because God ordained that they should do so. God never selected some men for salvation against their will and left the rest to wander hopelessly without an opportunity to believe. Before the world began, God the Father ordained the Son to be a lamb without blemish and without spot who would offer Himself as a sacrifice for the sins of the whole world and satisfy the righteous demands of the Godhead. He foreknew which human beings would accept this plan and which ones would reject it. He decided to include only those who believed
and on the basis of His foreknowledge chose only believers to be in Christ. He prepared many wonderful things for those who would choose to love Him (I Corinthians 2:9) including the guarantee that they would never die again (John 11:26). He predestined all those who would believe to be saved physically as well as spiritually and to receive a glorified body just like that of His Son’s (Romans 8:23,29; Ephesians 1:5; I John 3). In the process, His foreknowledge took nothing away from man’s future opportunity to choose and man’s future freedom to choose took nothing away from God’s sovereignty.

If God has caused an unsaved person to read this article, how happy and fortunate that you have a Savior who died on the cross for your many sins. Christ came and hung on the cross for you just as much as anyone else. God’s invitation is open. If you will confess and repent of your sins and believe the Gospel of Christ, He will save you from your sins and give you eternal life.

Will you? The Bible says whosoever will, may.

Sources:

Some of the statements attributed to Calvinists are direct quotes and are so indicated in parenthesis following the quotations. Other statements are paraphrases, summaries, or include partial quotes of two primary sources used as representative of Calvinist statements. These sources are as follows:

The Five Points of Calvinism, by Frank B. Beck, formerly Pastor of North East Baptist Church, Millerton, New York, now with the Lord. Published by Calvary Baptist church in Ashland, Kentucky.
The Five Points of Calvinism, by Fred G. Zaspel, Pastor of Word of Life Baptist Church in Pottsville, PA.

Many other sources were used as well in coming to an understanding of the problems with Tulip theology.

Building the Church According to Divine Specifications

December 31, 2010Literatureleadership, maturity, sanctification, the churchdmoss

by David E. Moss

When my wife and I were looking for a house to buy, we found one we liked and signed a contract, agreeing to purchase it. Before we took possession, we had the house thoroughly inspected. During the inspection a structural problem was discovered and it was recommended that a structural engineer examine the property. Two engineers made independent inspections and both came to the same conclusion. The materials used to provide support in the house were insufficient to carry the load. There was no guarantee that the house would stand indefinitely. Fortunately, this was enough to nullify our contract and we were released from any obligation to proceed with the purchase but it left the owners with an unsaleable house.

When an engineer designs a building he provides the specifications for the construction. That is, he specifies what type of materials are to be used, what size they are to be, what their weight is to be, what their strength is to be, etc. For example, when deciding what to use between the first and second floors of a building, materials must be selected which will be strong enough to bear the weight that it will be supporting. The engineer specifies what is to be used and it is imperative that the builder use what the engineer specifies, or else the building may not stand.

In a similar way, God has provided some specifications for building the church. If we want our local church to be strong in the Lord and effective in His work, then we must meet God’s specifications as we edify the church. If we do not, then we could suffer serious internal damage and be greatly limited in our effectiveness.

Ephesians 4:12-16 presents this important principle. Jesus Christ gave some gifts to the church. Apostles and prophets laid the foundation. Evangelists, Pastors and Teachers are to add structure to the church. In doing so, they must work at bringing each believer and each local church up to the specifications provided by God.

The Purpose of Evangelists, Pastors and Teachers

In Ephesians 4:12, the word “for” is used three times in the English Bible:

FOR the perfecting of the saints,
FOR the work of the ministry,
FOR the edifying of the body of Christ.

The first of these carries the connotation “for the purpose of,” or “toward.” The second and third of these carry the connotation “with the ultimate goal being,” or “unto.” Expressed with these connotations, the verse says:

TOWARD the perfecting of the saints,
UNTO the work of the ministry,
UNTO the edifying of the body of Christ.

The effect of this is to divide the three statements into two categories, suggesting that the first statement, FOR the perfecting of the saints, refers to the main purpose of Evangelists, Pastors and Teachers; and that the other two, FOR the work of the ministry, FOR the edifying of the body of Christ, refer to two goals for the saints that are to result from the main purpose. In other words, Evangelists, Pastors and Teachers are to move the saints toward perfection so that the saints are able to do the work of the ministry and edify the body of Christ.

To perfect something (Strong’s #2677) is to adapt it perfectly to its intended purpose, or to bring something up to its intended specifications. The verb form of the word (Strong’s #2675) is used in Matthew 4:21 to refer to the mending of fishing nets. The nets were damaged in some way and needed to be restored to their proper condition in order to be usable in catching fish. This same verb is used in Galatians 6:1 to refer to restoring believers who are overtaken in faults. Such believers are ineffective in their Christian testimony until the faults are eliminated and the individuals are restored to integrity in their walk with God. Thus in Ephesians 4:12, to perfect the saints is to mold their lives so that they meet the biblical specifications for Christian service.

When the saints are perfected, or brought up to God’s specifications, they will be able to do the work of the ministry and edify the body of Christ effectively just as God intended. Thus the role of Evangelists, Pastors and Teachers and the role of the saints at large is clearly distinguished. Evangelists, Pastors and Teachers are not supposed to do all the work. Their purpose is to perfect the saints. It is the goal of that purpose to equip the saints so that the saints can do the work of the ministry and edify the body of Christ. According to Ephesians 4:16, all saints are supposed to participate in these two things. Concerning the work of the ministry, this verse says: by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part… Concerning the edifying of the body of Christ, it says: maketh increase of the body, unto the edifying of itself in love. The fisherman’s purpose was to mend his nets. But the goal of the mending was to make the net able to catch fish. The Evangelist’s, Pastor’s, and Teacher’s purpose is to perfect the saints. But the goal of this perfecting is to make the saints able to do the work of the ministry and edify the body of Christ.

The Specifications For The Perfecting Of The Saints

So what are the specifications unto which the saints are to be perfected? Ephesians 4:13 begins, Till we all come… It then uses three prepositions [each of which have the same connotation from Strong’s #1519], to outline three primary specifications for the saints:

IN the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God,
UNTO a perfect man
UNTO the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ.

Specification #1: The unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God.

The word unity means oneness or sameness. This may be a little confusing to some, because the present day popular definition of unity is a feeling of togetherness based upon a mutual tolerance of differences. This specification God has assigned to believers is something far different than that. In saying that saints are to have unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, The LORD is addressing the need for doctrinal unity among believers which consists of sameness in what we believe and know.

God says that sameness in belief and knowledge is necessary for the saints to be effective in their works of ministry and edification. This imperative of sameness is illustrated by the necessity of a person’s two eyes working together. If one eye sees far away and the other eye sees near, the eyes must be adjusted by corrective lenses or else the person’s vision will cause great annoyances.

This specification not only requires that all saints believe and know the same things, but that they believe and know the same correct things. Even if both eyes have the same focus, they may be out of focus together. In this case, the same corrective lense is required for each eye in order to provide proper vision. So it is that believers must be brought together unto the same correct doctrinal focus in order to do the work that God intends for them to do.
Specification #2: A perfect man.

This word perfect (Strong’s #5046) has a slightly different connotation from the word perfect (Strong’s #2677) used in verse 12. It means to finish something, or bring it to its desired completed form. It bears the idea of full maturity.

Maturity is a significant factor for effectiveness in Christian ministry. 1 Timothy 3:6 specifies that a novice should not be put into the office of bishop or elder because the instability that results from his immaturity bears the potential of pride and makes him susceptible to falling and vulnerable to the condemnation of the devil. 1 Corinthians 3:1-3 specifies that carnal believes are so unstable that they tend to cause envy, strife and divisions. Such immature people should never be let loose in the responsibilities of doing the work of the ministry or edifying the body of Christ. Consider: does the school system assign students to the responsibility of teaching? Does the military assign privates to the responsibility of determining battle strategy? Should the church assign spiritual novices to roles of teaching and leadership? Too many churches make the mistake of assigning important responsibilities to immature Christians simply because they are available and willing. But God says, to be effective in the work, a saint must meet certain specifications.
Specification #3: The measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ.

The word measure suggests the idea of a standard by which a thing can be evaluated. The measure, or the standard, is the ultimate desired level of qualification to which a saint is compared in order to determine his progress and suitability for service. That measure is the stature of the fulness of Christ. It is the nature and character of Christ Himself. It only stands to reason that if the saints are the body of Christ, then there ought to be some likeness of Christ in the body. Ephesians 4:15 says that we are to grow up into him in all things… It is the purpose of Evangelists, Pastors and Teachers to bring a person into Christ and then to help him grow up unto Christ’s example. Only when this specification is met can the saints then be effective in their assigned esponsibilities.

The Result Of Not Meeting The Specifications

One of the images that remains with me from my childhood is of a full grown man I saw walking around in his back yard clothed in a diaper. When I asked my mother about this, she informed me that this man’s mind had never developed and he would remain all his life as a 1 to 2 year old child. What a sad picture. Yet this is exactly the spiritual image the Bible gives us of those who do not grow up into Christ in all things. Ephesians 4:14 says, that we henceforth be no more children… When a saint is not brought up to God’s specifications, he remains a spiritual child, needing to feed on the milk of the Word, leaving him unskillful in the use of the Word of righteousness and unable to discern between good and bad (Hebrews 5:12-14). It also makes him vulnerable to the enemy.

Ephesians 4:14 describes this potential consequence of spiritual immaturity. There are enemies of Christ who use sleight, cunning craftiness, and deceit to destabilize immature saints. Sleight is a word associated with throwing dice and symbolizes the idea of cheating. A gambler entices a victim with the prospect of equal opportunity in winning at a game of chance. But the sleight of the gambler rigs the outcome so that the victim is certain to lose. Cunning craftiness is false wisdom. It is the seemingly wise rationale used to convince the victim to play, but is grossly misleading in substance. Deceit is a deliberate plan to lead someone down a wrong
path, to convince them that something false or bad is really true and good. Believers that have not met the specifications of doctrinal unity with the truth, spiritual maturity, and the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ can be easy prey for the enemy. Such saints are tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, rendering them utterly ineffective in any
attempt to serve Christ. Sadly, the deception has been so thorough in present day Christianity, that many believers have fallen headlong into the snare of the enemy, yet have no idea that they have been deceived. They have been led to believe that doctrine does not matter and that experience is more notable than truth. This false wisdom has convinced many to play in a religion which offers no real victory. While they wander aimlessly without an ounce of spiritual conviction, they are kept from finding out the divine specifications and the structure of the church is weakened badly, inching ever more closely to total collapse.

The Result Of Meeting The Specifications

There is another image presented in this text that is more hopeful and encouraging. Ephesians 4:15 says that instead of being spiritual children, saints who speak the truth in love may grow up into Christ in all things. Children at certain stages enjoy dressing up in their mother’s and father’s clothes and pretend to be grown up. We have all seen the pictures of the little girl clopping around in her mother’s high heels, completely enveloped in her mother’s dress and weighed down with multiple layers of jewelry. Beside her stands her little brother, practically disappearing in his father’s large shoes, arms and legs of his fathers clothes flopping this way and that, eyes shielded by a hat that has nearly covered his head. But as that little boy and little girl grow up, those same clothes that looked so humorous and misfitting to their small stature, gradually fit better and eventually seem to look just right on their muturing physiques. So it is when a new believer finds himself in Christ for the first time, the stature of the fullness of Christ is overwhelming. But as he grows up into Christ in all things, the stature of the saint gradually conforms to the stature of Christ, equipping him to serve in the ministry of the church.

This is facilitated by speaking the truth in love. Please note that it does not say speaking love in truth. Someone may say, “I truly love you.” But that is a whole different concept from saying, “I love the truth, and I will tell you the truth and nothing but the truth and I will tell it to you in a loving manner.” Philippians 1:14-17 says that some preach Christ of envy and strife; others preach Christ of contention; and still others preach Christ of love. Note that all of these are preaching Christ. All are speaking the truth. It is not a question of substance, but of manner in which the truth is being preached. Some use this context to suggest that we ought to tolerate the differences in the messages that are being preached today about Christ. But in this Scripture, all preachers were saying the same thing. They were not, however, using the same tone of voice to speak those same words. The truth can be communicated in different ways, but spiritual maturity is facilitated most effectively when the truth is spoken in a loving manner.

When the truth is spoken in love, believers are encouraged to receive the truth with great desire. Then as the truth is received, godly character is developed within and spiritual maturity is expressed without and the perfected saint becomes skillful in the work of the ministry and in edifying the body of Christ.

The Work Of The Ministry And Edifying The Body of Christ

When the saints are brought up to code and meet divine specifications, the body of Christ will function according to God’s design. Ephesians 4:15 says that Christ is the head of the body. Verse 16 says that it is by means of the resources the body receives from the head that the work of the body is rendered productive. The suggestion of the text is that only those believers who meet divine specifications will have the ability to draw from the head the resources that are necessary for effective Christian ministry.

God’s desire is that the whole body draw these resources from the head. If the whole body is not drawing what it needs from the head, the whole body will not be able to contribute to the work of the church. If a person’s arm does not receive messages from his brain, the arm becomes paralyzed and unable to perform even the most simple task. The person then becomes handicapped because part of his body is not able to contribute to the person’s productivity. If the majority of his body stops receiving messages from his brain and paralysis overwhelms most of his body, the person becomes extremely limited in what he can produce. With so much spiritual ignorance and immaturity in the truth plaguing the church today, it is no wonder that much of the church seems lifeless and ineffective. The work of the ministry is hardly being done at all, and the edification of believers is being attempted with such low grade materials, that most outsiders see little reason to enter such a wobbly structure.

But if a local church would get serious about meeting divine specifications, that part of the body of Christ could show signs of real life and be tremendously effective. God says that if each joint is properly connected, and every joint is doing its job, working just like it is supposed to, then the body by the contribution of all its members each of whom is supplied by the head can fortify its own internal structure and add to its effectiveness in the world.

Conclusion

The cry goes out to present day Evangelists, Pastors and Teachers to rediscover their divine purpose. Jesus Christ gave gifts to the church. These gifts consist of Evangelists, Pastors and Teachers. To these He gave a purpose, that they would perfect the saints,
equipping them to do the work of the ministry and edify the body of Christ. If the work of the ministry is not being done and the body of Christ is not being edified in the truth, that means the saints are not properly equipped to get the job done. If the saints are not equipped, that means Evangelists, Pastors and Teachers are not fulfilling their purpose. If Evangelists, Pastors and Teachers are not fulfilling their purpose, what are they doing?

We found out that the structurally unsound house we almost bought was built in a township that had no building code in place at the time. There were no specifications for what was required in constructing a home and insuring its soundness. Without the code in place, the builder apparently did not have the wisdom to determine on his own what specifications he should follow in order to build a solid structure.

Evangelists, Pastors and Teachers do not have the same excuse. God has provided all the specifications necessary for building a sound and productive body of Christ. All we have to do is follow the building code He has provided in His Word. Failure to do so is not the result of an unfortunate lack of wisdom, but of an irresponsible neglect of the resources God has made available. This is no time to lay aside the Word of God and make up our own rules in the service of the church. We must return to the book of divine specifications and build the church accordingly.

The Biblical Doctrine of Separation

December 30, 2010Literaturebiblical concepts, doctrine, separationdmoss

by David E. Moss

Separation is a Biblical Doctrine. It is derived from that part of Scripture which instructs us concerning the difference between good and evil, right and wrong, truth and error.

The practice of Separation is the means by which this difference is demonstrated. Acknowledging a difference is insufficient; it must be shown through some tangible means. Such difference is to be maintained by the people of God as they live in contrast to an
unregenerate world. It is also to be maintained among the people of God to prevent the infiltration of error (II Corinthians 6:17; Leviticus 10:10-11).

Separation has been practiced by God’s people in every era of human history: by the nation of Israel, by First Century Christians, by Reformers in the 1500’s, and by Believers in the early part of the Twentieth Century. It is not a new doctrine and it has perpetual relevance to every generation and to every culture.

Today, however, it is being questioned as a legitimate practice. There are those who seek to convince the people of God that loving toleration of error is more Christ-like than separating from it. Hence, in a time when it is politically incorrect to be against anything, it is becoming increasingly difficult to convince Christians to be distinctive in this world.

It is time the people of God reaffirm that Separation is a Biblical Doctrine and be instructed in its particulars. The alternative is the road to apostasy: having a form of godliness but denying the power thereof – playing church, but lacking the dynamic of genuine faith which includes obedience.

The Divine Roots to the Doctrine of Separation

If separation is a Biblical Doctrine, then it originated in the heart of God, the author of Holy Scripture. To be true, it must also be part of God’s instruction to those who believe in Him. If He instructs His followers to be separated, then it must be something He practices Himself.

In fact, God is the one who set the precedent for separation. Long before Scripture ever began to be recorded, God separated Himself from doctrinal error and the angelic creatures who insisted upon believing it. He demonstrated consistency in the way He treated mankind, who also changed their beliefs, resulting in their rebellious actions. Throughout the Word of God, our Divine Parent has instructed us concerning the expediency of separating from all those who have rejected the truth and pursued an imaginary alternative set of beliefs.
1. Why Did God Separate Himself from Satan?
  
  As a citizen of heaven, Satan became guilty of perpetrating a serious doctrinal error. He misinterpreted the nature of God, supposing that it was achievable by a lesser creature such as himself (Isaiah 14:13-14). He convinced about one third of the angels that this was possible, bringing about the first theological division in the history of creation (Revelation 12:4).
  
  If doctrinal differences are not grounds for separation, why then did God not attempt to agree with Satan on the essentials? Why did God not set an example of conciliation and love above division?
  
  By separating Satan from Himself, our Heavenly Father established a Divine principle for all His creatures to follow. He did it Himself to demonstrate what is the right thing to do under such circumstances. This supreme example, set by the One whose image believers are to reflect, defined separation as a matter of great importance.
2. Why Did God Separate Adam and Eve from the Garden of Eden?
  
  Adam and Eve met a similar fate as Satan. They enjoyed a beautiful habitation called the Garden of Eden which must have seemed like Heaven on earth. However, they eventually found themselves separated from this place of peace and harmony by the decree of God.
  
  Also like Satan, Adam and Eve’s consequences were rooted in their adopting doctrinal error. The human race did not fall into disfavor with God by a mere act of disobedience. Their act of disobedience was a result of a false doctrine they were persuaded to believe. Influenced by the Diabolical one himself, our human parents came to believe that God did not have to be obeyed and that they could assume some form of deification themselves. Only after they believed these things did they eat of the forbidden tree.
  
  Here was God’s opportunity to show mankind that a little difference in belief should not hinder fellowship. Why did God not invite Adam and Eve to discuss the things which they still agreed upon? Why did He insist upon being so harsh and remove the first man and woman from their beautiful Garden?
  
  God acted consistently with the way He had treated Satan by demonstrating that doctrinal error has consequences. His compassionate heart, however, would not allow humanity to be sealed into such a condition (Genesis 3:22-24). Unlike His treatment of the fallen angels, the God of Grace and Mercy provided mankind with a means of redemption. He separated sinful man from fellowship with Himself but promised it could be renewed when man recanted his error and unequivocally agreed that God is right about everything. A human being could prove this faith by accepting God’s plan for redemption, but there was no room for compromise (Genesis 4).
3. Why Did God Insist that Israel Be Separated from Other Nations?
  
  When God eventually chose a specific family on earth, through which to express His glory to the world, He gave them some instructions in this matter of separation. The children of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob were not to inter-marry with people of other families or nations, and strangers who dwelt among them were to be distinguished from true Israelites. This was not rooted in an ethnic bias but in theological conviction (Deuteronomy 7:1-4; Exodus 29:33).
  
  Under modern standards, though, this makes God sound discriminatory and politically incorrect, because it is certainly not a policy of inclusivism or loving tolerance of differences. Present day “enlightened” theologians would certainly have accused God of being a right wing fundamentalist, bigoted and hateful, had they been positioned in ancient times as they are today.
  
  The essential element of faith, however, is believing that God is right about everything. Rather than questioning the wisdom of God (which is an act of doctrinal error), one must believe that God’s directives are pure and unquestionably justified.
  Consequently, when God says His people should separate themselves from those who believe false doctrines, it is a profoundly wise directive to be obeyed without hesitation or reservation. It is precisely what He did Himself in His relationship with Satan; and He
  consistently has given this instruction to His followers ever since.
4. Why Does God Want the Church to Be Exclusive Rather than Inclusive?
  
  It is no surprise that the New Testament instruction to the Church includes the same principle of separation.
  
  …Ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.
  
  II Corinthians 6:16-18
  
  God insists that His people are to be an exclusive group. In the same context as the Scripture above, He says the Church is to exclude fellowship with unrighteousness, communion with darkness, concord wi th Belial, participation with infidels and agreement with idols.
  
  For the same reason that the Israelites were not to inter-marry with people who followed false religions, members of the Body of Christ are not to inter-mingle with the perpetrators of religious beliefs which contradict Scripture. The reason is that such contact exposes the believer of truth to the influence of error which is the first step towards the collapse of faith in God. For the strong in faith who might engage the error in battle, contact may be a plausible activity under the right circumstances. But for the weak in faith who are still learning the intricacies of truth, such contact could be irreversibly destructive.
  
  The application of separation thus understood, suggests a serious danger in true believers cooperating with adherents to false religions for any cause, including social activism. To be specific, marching arm in arm with believers of error in a protest against abortion, or rallying with the same in a movement to motivate men to responsible action, exposes the children of God to a confusion regarding truth. The cause may be just. But cooperation with error even for just causes is a compromise of God’s directive to be exclusive.
Conclusion

It is important to understand that separating from others stems more from what one believes than from how one behaves, because a person only behaves according to what he believes. Satan rebelled against God because he believed God was vulnerable. Adam and Eve disobeyed because they believed God’s Word was questionable. People act immorally because they have imagined vain beliefs about the human condition, about man’s origin and destiny, or about man’s accountability to God.

It is also important to understand that separating from others is not an option. As God demonstrated it in His own conduct, He has commanded it for those who wish to reflect His image.

The matter of separating from others is not questioned by all of God’s Children, but many struggle with how far to go in carrying it out. Some agree that Christians ought to be separated from the world, but not from worldly practices which are being brought into the church in immense proportions. Some agree that Christians ought to be separated from unbelievers, but not from anyone who uses the name of Christ, regardless of how they use it. Some, on the other hand insist that Christians not only are to be separated from the world and from unbelievers, but also from many who use the name of Christ in compromising ways. Still others insist that Christians ought to be separated from other Christians who are right about many things, but wrong about many others.

It appears to be a dilemma, but only to those who fail to understand the true nature of God. God does not compromise on any issue. God never includes a single error in His fellowship. He is pure, holy, righteous, true and infinitely exclusive of their opposites — and His expectation of those who believe in Him is for the same.

The bottom line is that a person who desires to please God can never be too exclusive in adhering to sound doctrine. Fellowship is not an option for those who believe the Word of God with those who clearly reject it.
Should Some Christians be Separated from Other Christians?

The word “separation” strikes a curious note in the Church of our modern world. For a very long time the Church divided itself into smaller and smaller groups called denominations and independent churches. In our time, however, the tide has turned. Instead of remaining divided, various segments of Christianity are moving toward closer association. It began when liberal churches were swept together in the ecumenical movement; but in more recent years, the rushing tide has reached into evangelical circles. Instead of frantically trying to define how they are different, large numbers of Christians are diligently searching for how they are the same.

Certainly, the reunification of the Church would solve a very perplexing problem: diversity within the Church, which is a confusing puzzle to the world looking on. Under the label “Christianity” there are so many different doctrinal beliefs and convictions concerning behavior, that it makes people outside the Church hesitant to join something so diverse within itself. They are forced to wonder if all parts of Christianity can be equally valid, even though they contradict each other. And, if they are not, how does an outsider determine which version of Christianity is the true one, when the Church’s own members cannot agree?

Ecumenists seek to address this problem by sorting through all existing dogmas and opinions, hoping to find common ground among Christians. The suggestion of this process is that the things Christians differ on are not essential to the definition of true Christianity. Supposedly, only those things upon which all Christians agree are essential to the faith and sufficient to define the Church for the world at large. But, because of the wide range of differences that exist, the common ground ends up being an extremely small piece of spiritual real estate. It is difficult to believe that something so small is sufficient to convince a skeptical world that Christendom’s substantial diversity does not matter. Besides, such a watered down, common ground version of Christianity cannot possibly be what God intended for the institution that would be the “pillar and ground of the truth” (I Timothy 4:15).

The question we must address is whether we can afford to ignore any Scripture that is profitable for doctrine, reproof, correction, and instruction in righteousness for the sake of unity. If God is right and the whole Bible fits into these categories, what man has the authority to decide that some truth may be sacrificed in order that disagreeing Christians may cooperate? The choice is clear — do we associate with everyone who calls himself a Christian because of a humanized ecumenical philosophy, or do we separate from some according to divine instruction in the Bible?

Biblical Christianity prescribes both a proper association with adherents to a “like precious faith” and a proper separation from Christians who contradict their identity with the truth. Holy Scripture is clear in its instructions on how to maintain this balance in the Christian life.
1. The True Basis of Separation
  
  For a Christian to know whether to associate with one person or to separate from another, it is essential for him to understand the principles upon which such choices may be made wisely. If he does not, he will have difficulty recognizing what endangers his purity. The 6 classic illustration for this point is that the United States Bureau of Printing and Engraving trains its employees to identity flaws in the newly printed dollar bills by exposing them in training sessions to perfect bills only! Once they are indoctrinated with a perfect standard, they have no difficulty identifying what is acceptable and what is not.
  
  So what is the basis upon which a Christian associates with or separates from certain individuals or organizations? It is a Biblically correct relationship with Jesus Christ — which is not as general a statement as it may seem. If the real Christ is in us and His real Spirit is expressing Himself through us, the outward characteristics of our Christianity, such as theology, behavior, appearance, etc., will conform from within to the values of Christ as defined by Scripture. Christ will not contradict Himself. Therefore, He will produce the same theology and the same behavior and the same life values in everyone who belongs to him. Thus, all those who have the real Christ will outwardly look very much like each other. Associations will be obvious because of the striking similarity. Separations will be easy because of the obvious differences.
  
  The flaw in the evangelical ecumenism being promoted today is that it uses an erroneous basis for getting together. Christian unity, they say, is not based upon the striking similarity of all those who belong to Jesus Christ, but upon the ability of those who use His name to lay aside their differences. This raises a serious question — from where do the differences come? They certainly do not come from Jesus Christ, because He would never lead two different people to believe contradictory things about himself or anything else. For at least one of any two contradictory beliefs, there must always be a source other than Christ. And if a
  “Christian” is being molded by a source other than Christ, one must be concerned about the effect this un-Christ influence will have on Christ’s true followers (Biblical Christians) if they join hands.
  
  The Bible cautions the disciples of Christ against associations with those who claim to follow the Lord but whose doctrine and behavior give evidence they really do not (I Corinthians 5:7-11; Romans 16:17; Galatians 1:7-9; Philippians 3:14-21; Colossians 2:4-8; II Thessalonians 3:6,14; II Peter 2:1-2; II John 10; Revelation 2:14,20). It also instructs that both the error and the people who proclaim it are clearly identified so that less discerning believers may guard against associating with potentially harmful influences. Paul said “mark them” (Romans 16:17) and “note that man” (II Thessalonians 3:14). Talking in generalities about those from whom believers ought to be separated is not always sufficient. Sometimes it is necessary to be very specific.
2. The Personal Aspect of Separation
  
  The Scriptures talk about the togetherness of the people who make up the body of Christ. Ephesians 4:14-16 says it this way: “That we…may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ: from whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love.” In other places, the Bible uses words like fellowship, unity, assembling together, and oneness of mind to emphasize the importance of the integration of believers. How sweet is the fellowship of the Saints! Or is it?
  
  The people who make up the Church of Jesus Christ are definitely not fitly joined together. Nor has there ever really been a time in which this has been the case. Since the Church at Corinth in the first century, there have been divisions and schisms among those who claim to be God’s people. How could it be that the group which is intended to be so much together could have so many lines of separation within it? Does the Bible really support such fragmentation? Or, has the doctrine of separation erroneously led to the departmentalization of all those who are truly part of the body of Christ?
  
  The Bible does indeed instruct Christians to separate from other Christians along two lines: (1) those who claim identity with Jesus Christ but fail to confirm that identity with purity in their behavior, and (2) those who claim identity with Jesus Christ but fail to confirm that identity with purity in what they believe.
  1. Separating from Disorderly Beleivers
    
    God’s Word is very clear regarding a believer’s withdrawal of fellowship from disorderly brethren. One category of this type is found in I Corinthians 5:11 where several behavioral problems are said to dictate separation: including fornication, covetousness, idolatry, railing, drunkenness, and extortion. Another category of this type is found in II Thessalonians 3:6-15 where the disorderly brethren may not be committing heinous sins but they are failing to conform to Biblical instruction on responsible Christian behavior. These also are to be shunned.
    
    The purpose of such withdrawal is to impress the guilty person with the error of his ways and to direct him to re-evaluate his participation in such activities. Ultimately the separating believer is to seek an opportunity to offer forgiveness and comfort, confirming that the withdrawal of fellowship was based on love and not on snobbish piety (II Corinthians 2:6-8). This suggests that any association with disorderly Christians should be confined to exhortation and restoration ministries and not include recreation or fellowship.
    
    The moral dimension of Scripture requires that God’s children not touch the unclean thing (II Corinthians 6:17). Before we are saved we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags (Isaiah 64:6). However, when we are born again by faith in Jesus Christ, we are made clean and our scarlet sinfulness is made white as snow (Isaiah 1:16-18). Being clothed with the cleanliness of God’s righteousness (II Corinthians 5:21), we are automatically separated from the filth of a world saturated with ungodliness (II Corinthians 6:14-16). It is our duty to honor our association with Jesus Christ by refraining even from an appearance of touching unclean things (I Thessalonians 5:22).
    
    Unfortunately, some Christians have the potential of bearing an immoral influence when they are guilty of unrestricted indulgence in the works of the flesh. It is, therefore, not safe to spend a lot of time with people like this, lest we be enticed by them to touch the unclean things which have spoiled their testimonies (I Corinthians 15:33).
  2. Separating from Doctrinally Impure Believers
    
    Separating from professing believers who are doctrinally impure is a much more intense situation. They may appear to be very moral people and upstanding members of the Christian community. Yet, fellowship and cooperative ministry between these people and Biblical Christians offers a serious threat to the integrity of the Church.
    
    The reason for separating along doctrinal lines involves a policy of protectionism. As Paul admonished the Corinthians, “I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtlety, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ” (II Corinthians 11:3). Fellowship with those who fail the test of sound doctrine threatens the purity of those who pass. Separation is necessary in order to prevent the leaven of false doctrine from corrupting their minds.
    
    Laying aside doctrinal differences is not really a proof that we love one another anyway. Instead, it is a destructive force that eats away at the truth. Fellowship and cooperative ministry among those who disagree doctrinally waters down the value of the inerrancy of Scripture. A willingness to compromise what one believes communicates a lack of complete confidence in
    the words holy men of God wrote as they were moved by the Holy Spirit. Are they true or not? If they are, they must be non-negotiable.
    
    The purpose of doctrinal separation is to challenge people to question the validity of what they believe. Ultimately, we hope for an opportunity to exhort and convince (II Timothy 2:24-26; Titus 1:9). Wisdom, of course, must be used in distinguishing between the opportunities to correct false doctrine and the danger it poses in a context of fellowship and cooperation. The only reason a Biblical Christian should have contact with adherents to false doctrine is to exhort, teach and rescue. All other contact risks the purity of what a Biblical Christian has obtained in Christ.
    
    Isolation from believers of false doctrine may be a necessary step. II John declares that such should not be received into one’s home, or into a local congregation. Romans 16:17 states that those who hold to contrary doctrine should be avoided. II Peter 2:1-3 proclaims that the failure to clean a house doctrinally can be destructive to the Body of Christ because of the contrary influence false teachers can have. These are all very definite statements about total avoidance of contact with those who promote unbiblical doctrine. They eliminate any and all forms of cooperation for the purpose of ministry or fellowship among those who do not agree doctrinally, regardless of how good the ecumenists make it sound.
Conclusion

The current fragmented state of the church is discouraging. Compacting is not happening. The joints are not supplying what is needed. There is ineffectual working in every part and the body at large is not being increased unto the edifying of itself in love. There is a real solution, however — accept the full volume of Holy Scripture as the exhaustive definition of true Christianity, full of doctrines to believe and guidelines for living: all of which is essential and none of which can be laid aside (II Timothy 3:16-17). Believe that true Christianity is thorough, substantive and authoritative; and, that it brings its adherents together, unified in their distinction from everything inside and outside the Church which does not agree.

Separation for the Biblical Christian will be a logical outworking of his spiritual wisdom. He will understand its necessity to protect the weak, but he will constantly seek opportunity to admonish and correct the errant. He will know when and how to dine with sinners without damaging his identity and when it would be better to stay away. He will be able to discern when to associate with disobedient brethren, so that he may teach them the way more perfectly, and when to withdraw, demonstrating to them the error of their ways.

His associations will also stem from a mature understanding of Biblical truth. They will be confined to those who are strikingly similar to himself and to those whose doctrine and living standards provide a compatibility that is natural and not forced by compromise.

It is unfortunate that separation is as much a necessity in the Christian life as association, but real unity in the Body of Christ can only be secured by an unedited agreement in Biblical truth. The lesser process of agreeing on the essentials and elevating “love” above truth actually destroys the integrity of the Church rather than enhancing it. God Himself says it best in His own rhetorical question, “Can two walk together, except they be agreed?” (Amos 3:3).

Do What Needs To Be Done.

Accept The Inevitable, Or At Least The Possibility Of An Unwanted Outcome.

Endure Confusion.

Conclusion

Discussing the Distinctions Between The Rapture and The Second Coming

The Second Coming

The Rapture

The Reason For The Difference

When Does The Rapture Happen?

The Meaning of the Word

The Context

More Pieces To The Pre-Tribulation Rapture Puzzle

Delivered From The Wrath To Come

Absent From The Earth And Present In HeavenFrom Chapter 4 Through 19 In Revelation

Conclusion

Living In Expectancy

Was the Rapture Imminent in the First Century?

Waiting, Watching, And Looking

Waiting

Watching

Looking

The Lord Is At Hand

Conclusion

Is Jesus Coming Soon?

What About The Signs Of The Times?

The Reverse Order of Events

Signs and Thieves Don’t Mix

Of Course, We Do Not Know The Day Nor The Hour of Christ’s Coming

What Happens When This Mortal Body Puts On Immortality?

Our First Sensations

A Time For Evaluation

Adjusting To Our New Nature

The Wedding

What Will It Be Like To Live In A Glorified Body?

The Basis of Our Understanding

The Physical Characteristics of Our Glorified Bodies

Visibility

Tangibleness

Communication Skills

Our Future Responsibilities In Our Glorified Bodies

Spiritual Responsibilities

Political Responsibilities

Judicial Responsibilities

Praise Participation

Conclusion

Christ is Coming

Why Is The Rapture Such An Important Issue?

God wants us to live with an attitude of anticipation

He blesses those who consider prophetic scriptures

The New Testament is full of anticipatory statements

God gave prophecy to the churchas a means of motivation unto godly living and active witness

Knowing the future motivates believers to godly living

Knowing the future motivates believers to an active witness

Why is the rapture, in particular, an important issue?

A Biblical Basis for Maintaining Local Church Membership Lists

The Biblical Basis for Local Church Membership

Membership in the Whole Church

Membership in the Local Church

The Biblical Necessity for Local Church Membership

The Practical Rationale for Local Church Membership

Conclusion

Current Problems Regarding Church Discipline

What Does Matthew 18:15-17 Really Teach?

A Survey of Church Disciplinary Actions

I Corinthians 5

II Thessalonians 3

II Timothy 2:24-26

Galatians 6:1

I Timothy 5:19-20

Titus 3:10

A Comparison of the Different Types of Discipline

Conclusion

A Biblical Mandate

Conclusion

(Contemporary Christian Music) – or – Should We Be Introduced to It at All?

Part 1

What is Contemprary Christian Music?

Part 2 – Choosing Our Values for Music and Worship

Competing Models For Worship

The Traditional Worship Model

Absent From The Earth And Present In Heaven
From Chapter 4 Through 19 In Revelation