What ‘Left Behind’ teaches
The central teaching of the Left Behind series is that Christ returns twice, and that this gives those who reject Christ before the Rapture a ‘second chance.’
The novels show Christ returning first invisibly to rapture the Church to heaven, then seven years later to destroy the wicked and to take “Tribulation saints” to heaven.
The volume Nicolae: The Rise of Antichrist summarizes this teaching from the post-Rapture perspective as “belief in the one true God, that Jesus is his Son, that he came back, and that he’s coming back again.” (p. 380)
In their nonfiction work Are We Living in the End Times? authors LaHaye and Jenkins describe Christ’s return as:
“two totally different events. One is a select coming for His church, a great source of comfort for those involved; the other is a public appearance when every eye shall see Him, a great source of regret and mourning for those whose Day of Judgment has come. . . . Seven years would allow time for all these things and the Tribulation to take place.” (p. 103)
Second Chance is the title of one of the novels in the children’s series Left Behind: The Kids. And in their nonfiction book Are We Living in the End Times, LaHaye and Jenkins state specifically that the seven-year interval grants this second chance to those “left behind after the Rapture” because they had “rejected God’s offer of salvation.” (page 158)
Verse-by-verse Answers—Old Testament
The reader may be tempted to skip past this discussion of Old Testament verses, to get the last word on prophecy from the New Testament. However, a word of caution is in order.
The Old Testament is key to understanding the New, especially in matters of prophecy.
The “beasts” of Revelation cannot be identified correctly by a reader unfamiliar with the beasts Daniel saw in his visions. Jesus’ sermon on the end times and his Second Coming rested heavily on the assumption that his listeners already knew what Daniel wrote about the “abomination of desolation.” (Matt. 24:15 )
Trying to understand the New Testament’s end times prophecies without first examining what the Old Testament said on the same matters can lead only to misinterpretations and confusion.
Genesis 7:7-21:
And Noah went in, and his sons, and his wife, and his sons’ wives with him, into the ark, because of the waters of the flood. …and the Lord shut him in. …And all flesh died that moved upon the earth, both of fowl, and of cattle, and of beast, and of every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth, and every man. (KJV)
The fate of those left behind when Noah and his family took refuge in the Ark is very significant to end times theology, because Jesus said the end of this world would be the same:
“And as it was in the days of Noah, so shall it be also in the days of the Son of man. They did eat, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noah entered into the ark, and the flood came, and destroyed them all.” (Luke 17:26-27)
Those left behind were destroyed.
Bible commentator Matthew Henry (1662 – 1714) understood there was no ‘second chance’ for that wicked world. He wrote, “the shutting of this door set up a partition wall between him [Noah] and all the world besides. God shut the door, to secure him, and keep him safe in the ark. The door must be shut very close, lest the waters should break in and sink the ark, and very fast, lest any without should break it down. …To exclude all others, and keep them for ever out.” (Matthew Henry’s Commentary)
There was no second chance for those left behind when God shut the door. They were kept out “for ever.”
Similar to the pre-deluge society Noah had lived in, today’s world has abandoned the righteousness of God to follow every wicked way.
“And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. And it repented the Lord that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart. And the Lord said, I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth…” (Gen. 6:5-7)
As God looks down upon our modern society with its movie star sex goddesses, its high rate of promiscuity and divorce, its criminal and military violence, and its denial of his creatorship in favor of the theory of evolution, it must similarly grieve him at his heart.
Will the Creator again assert his sovereign right to wipe clean his creation?
Jesus leaves no doubt: “As it was in the days of Noah, so shall it be also in the days of the Son of man.” (Luke 17:26)
He will again take his people to safety, and will destroy those left behind. Just as there was no seven-year reprieve for those left behind when the Ark floated above the flood waters, so there will be none for those left when Christians are taken to be with the Lord at the end of this world.
Genesis 19:15-16, 24
And when the morning arose, then the angels hastened Lot…and they brought him forth and set him outside of the city. …Then the Lord rained upon Sodom and Gomorrah brimstone and fire from the Lord out of heaven; and he overthrew those cities, and all the plain, and all the inhabitants of the cities.
What happened to those who were left behind when holy angels led righteous Lot and his family out of Sodom?
Everyone left behind was destroyed.
This prefigures what will happen to those left behind when Christ raptures the Church.
Jesus said, “Also as it was in the days of Lot; they did eat, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they built; but the same day that Lot went out of Sodom, it rained fire and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed them all. Even thus shall it be in the day when the Son of man is revealed.” Luke 17:28-30
Was there a seven-year delay after the angels took Lot to safety? No, Lot was taken out of the city and “the same day” all of those left behind were destroyed.
Writing in the early 1700s, Matthew Henry again got the point.
Commenting on Luke 17:28-30, he wrote:
“. . . they continued in their security and sensuality, till the threatened judgment came. Until the day that Noah entered into the ark, and Lot went out of Sodom, nothing said or done to them served to alarm or awaken them. Note, though the stupidity of sinners in a sinful way is as strange as it is without excuse, yet we are not to think it strange, for it is not without example. It is the old way that wicked men have trodden, that have gone slumbering to hell, as if their damnation slumbered while they did. . . .That they were surprised with the ruin which they would not fear, and were swallowed up in it, to their unspeakable horror and amazement. …In like manner, when Jesus Christ shall come to judge the world, at the end of time, sinners will be found in the same secure and careless posture, altogether regardless of the judgment approaching, which will therefore come upon them as a snare.” (Matthew Henry’s Commentary on the Whole Bible)
After referring to Sodom and Gomorrah and saying, “even thus shall it be,” Jesus went on to describe the Rapture:
“two women shall be grinding together; the one shall be taken, and the other left. Two men shall be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left.”
How will it be at the Rapture? “As it was in the days of Lot,” Jesus declared. Luke 17:30-36, 28
Everyone knows the sin of Sodom. Our word “sodomy” comes straight from that city’s name. When Lot entertained visitors in his home, two angels sent by God, “Sodomites young and old from all over the city…surrounded the house and shouted to Lot, ‘Bring out those men to us so we can rape them.’”
Prior to that the Bible reported that “the people of Sodom and Gomorrah are utterly evil, and that everything they do is wicked.” Gen. 19:4-5, 18:20
Like Sodom and Gomorrah, our modern society has become pervaded with homosexual perversion. It is difficult to visit a movie theater, turn on a television set, or read a newspaper without encountering it.
Elementary school textbooks feature “families” with two fathers or two mothers instead of the traditional married couple. Practicing homosexuals serve as clergy in countless churches. There is public debate over whether or not to sanctify “gay marriage,” but the practice of homosexuality is already protected nearly everywhere by anti-discrimination legislation. Politicians jostle each other to march in Gay Pride parades.
God, however, does discriminate.
Has this world yet reached the point where Sodom and Gomorrah have been recreated worldwide? When that stage is reached, it is difficult to imagine that the God who brought destruction on those ancient cities will simply turn his head and allow it to continue this time. When he does step in again to put a stop to the sin of Sodom, Jesus assures us it will be much the same as the first time. People who belong to Christ will be taken, and those who are left behind will be destroyed.
Will the destruction come seven years later, as the authors of the Left Behind novels would have us believe?
Jesus said, “the same day that Lot went out of Sodom, it rained fire and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed them all. Even thus shall it be…” Luke 17:29-30
After you, another kingdom will rise, inferior to yours. Next, a third kingdom, one of bronze, will rule over the whole earth.
According to the authors of the Left Behind series the second chapter of Daniel predicts a future world government like their fictional “Global Community” ruled over by a man like their character Nicolae Carpathia, the Antichrist:
“The governments of the world will relinquish their sovereignty to one head, an international world leader,” say LaHaye and Jenkins in their nonfiction book Are We Living in the End Times. “This is clearly predicted in … Daniel 2.” (page 169)
Is that really what Daniel wrote? Was he predicting that a United Nations Secretary General like Carpathia would become world Potentate with all the nations surrendering their sovereignty to him?
Daniel did use the expression “rule over the whole earth”—but in reference to the Greek empire of Alexander the Great, not as a prediction of Left Behind’s “Global Community.”
The second chapter of Daniel, where LaHaye sees such a prediction, actually centers on a strange dream that Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar dreamed in the seventh century B.C., and which the prophet interpreted for him.
The dream had left the monarch troubled, but he could not recall anything about it. He summoned “the magicians, and the astrologers, and the sorcerers, and the Chaldeans,” (Dan. 2:2) who were in his service and demanded that they make known to him both the dream and its interpretation.
They, in turn, asked the king to tell them what he had seen in the dream. If only he would tell them about the dream, they would be glad to interpret it. That would be an easy matter. But, alas, the king could not remember. He insisted that his wise men give him both the dream and its interpretation.
Even under the ruler’s sentence of death, none of them could tell Nebuchadnezzar what he himself had forgotten. Then Daniel came on the scene. With God’s help he told the king exactly what he had dreamed:
“You looked, O king, and there before you stood a large statue—an enormous, dazzling statue, awesome in appearance. The head of the statue was made of pure gold, its chest and arms of silver, its belly and thighs of bronze, its legs of iron, its feet partly of iron and partly of baked clay. While you were watching, a rock was cut out, but not by human hands. It struck the statue on its feet of iron and clay and smashed them. Then the iron, the clay, the bronze, the silver and the gold were broken to pieces at the same time and became like chaff on a threshing floor in the summer. The wind swept them away without leaving a trace. But the rock that struck the statue became a huge mountain and filled the whole earth.” (verses 31-35)
How could he tell what someone else dreamed, when even the dreamer himself had forgotten? Daniel attributed this knowledge to the “God in heaven who revealeth secrets.” Dan. 2:28
Nebuchadnezzar recalled the dream, of course, after Daniel reminded him, and therefore recognized Daniel’s authority to interpret it as well.
The prophet explained it to him this way:
“You, O king… You are that head of gold. After you, another kingdom will rise, inferior to yours. Next, a third kingdom, one of bronze, will rule over the whole earth. Finally, there will be a fourth kingdom, strong as iron—for iron breaks and smashes everything—and as iron breaks things to pieces, so it will crush and break all the others. Just as you saw that the feet and toes were partly of baked clay and partly of iron, so this will be a divided kingdom; yet it will have some of the strength of iron in it, even as you saw iron mixed with clay. …In the time of those kings, the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed, nor will it be left to another people. It will crush all those kingdoms and bring them to an end, but it will itself endure forever. …The great God has shown the king what will take place in the future.” (verses 31-45)
So, the dream showed the Babylonian ruler that other world powers would succeed his empire, and that the Kingdom of God would eventually replace them all.
Daniel’s later prophecies used symbolic “beasts” to reveal who those successors would be. Nebuchadnezzar’s Babylonian Empire would fall to the Medo-Persian Empire, followed later by the Greek Empire. (“The two-horned ram that you saw represents the kings of Media and Persia. The shaggy goat is the king of Greece.” – Daniel 8:20-21)
In chapter 2, Babylon was the image’s head of gold, Persia the chest and arms of silver, and Greece the belly and thighs of bronze. Although Daniel did not name it (because it had not yet come into existence as a nation in his day), commentators are nearly unanimous in identifying the Roman Empire as the legs of iron.
But where is Left Behind’s “Global Community” ruled by world Potentate Nicolae Carpathia?
The only mention here of a government ruling “the whole world” is the reference to the “bronze” belly and thighs of the statue, the Greek empire of Alexander the Great.
“After you [Babylon], another kingdom will rise, inferior to yours. Next, a third kingdom, one of bronze, that will rule over the whole earth.” Dan. 2: 39
What did Daniel mean by that expression? Evidently that Babylon and its Persian, Greek and Roman successors all ruled over the civilized world, the known world of their day, from the standpoint of the nation of Israel and the Jewish people. None of them ruled over southern Africa, east Asia, Australia or North and South America.
Daniel was not speaking of what we today would call a ‘world government.’ Nothing in Daniel chapter 2 speaks of the sort of global one-world government portrayed in the Left Behind novels. Although the authors of Left Behind may see a future world government “clearly predicted” there, it is not clear where they derive that understanding.
To be continued
The author, next [hopefully to get posted tomorrow] continues in the book of Daniel–which i for one was happy to see. We’ll be looking at Daniel chapters 7, 9, 11 and 12.
I’m trying not to make each of these posted segments too long. I know when something is so long many people don’t want to take the time to read it–and i think this is such an important topic, for it pertains to last day prophecy.
If anyone thinks even those posted so far are too lengthy–tell me and i’ll break future ones down into even smaller posts. I get so caught up in reading (the next section to be posted, is very interesting!) i have to be careful not to over-load you, the readers.
Hi Pj, I’m not finding any of this too long and is quite an eye opener and another false belief biting the dust! Can you tell me who the peoples/nations are that the church will rule over during the Millenium, who will go up to Jerusalem each year, if I even have that right? Who are those who live during the Millenium to 100 years? and what happens to them when they die?
Thank you for posting these. They are very interesting. I didn’t read the Left Behind series because I wanted to keep my mind focused on the Bible and not on fiction. I just read A Case for Amillennialism and The Bible and the Future which were very good at explaining other endtime views.
The original post to this thread, left behind part one, said that there was a tiny minority position, that of non dispensational futurist.
I appear to be in that position
Therefore I do not regard as valid a dismissal of my positon as being dispensationalism, for example my contention as to the stopped prophetic clock of the 70 weeks. That dispensationalists use this also is not relevant to me. the first 69 weeks were years, christ was cut off in circa 33AD, nothing happened in the next 7 years, therefore the clock must have stopped. if this is not so you must point out when the 70th week, as 7 years, not a symbol for an indeterminate period, happened. If the 69 weeks were some 483 years which gave the timetable for the messiahs coming the last 7 must be years. if this last week did not end in AD 40 the clock MUST be stopped or the first 69 weeks were not 483 years. one cannot have it both ways
I am a futurist as Christ has not returned. If he had returned I would be a preterist, in which case the resurrection would already have happened and this world would be as good as it ever gets. This is plainly ridiculous, therefore i am no preterist
St Paul said that some were being disturbed by claims chrst has returned, this would not be the case until the man of sin is revealed first (thessalonians?). I see no warrant at all for repudiating the plain sense of the words here, namely that the man of sin is a unique individual. No such has ever yet arisen. Some have come close, like Hitler, but they were not it, hitler was slain at his own hand in the face of the Russian Army’s advance. He was not slain by the sword of the word from the mouth of the returning christ while gathered around Jerusalem
These are examples as to why i am a futurist. The prophecies of the end time are mostly associatged with the second coming,. The second coming has not happened.
I am not completely a biblical literalist, i now hold that the bible should be let speak plainly, namely that when it speaks in parables and symbols the meaning is distinguished from the symbol, otherwisae absurdity results. Unlike John Hagee (I think it was he ) i do not believe that there will be 4 literal horsemen rampaging on the earth, but there will be global war, conquest, famine and death.
Holding that the plain scripture is the parmount issue i will take a passage literally until compelled otherwise either by express precept eg “and he spoke to them a parable, saying . . . . . ” or where logic requires it. But concerning logic, as I holds the bible to be a complete interlocking system i will not take one passage or one book. DAniel, Matthew 24 and Revelation, for example fit together.
So far i regard the verse by verse exposition presented here, given his main thesis, to be a string of out of context myopic viewing of scriptures in isolation.
he has already failed given his out of context view of “the whole earth”. in speaking of events in the ancient world it may be permissable, but in speaking of events in the end time it cannot be permissable to regard the whole earth as the local environs of the eastern mediterannean
1/ the Church and Israel are not the same thing
2/ replacement theology is heresy, the church has not replaced israel
3/ the return of israel to the Land, even in unbelief, is prophetically relevant – it would not be if israel were perpetually cut off. Moreover god said in the prophets that he would return israel to the land A SECOND TIME (the first was in 538 BC). there was no other return of the national people to the national entity, before 1948
4/ God keeps his promises
5/ all israel will be saved (Romans 11)
THEREFORE God has endtime dealings with the people of israel. i do not hold that they will be saved by their law keeping and relgious ritual, they are only saved by their faith in christ when they are brought to that point.
I reject the dispensational framework that some put this in, but unless you can refute the 5 points above, He, the Lord has some dealing to go on with with Israel which are in some way different to those dealings he has with his church . this will not to save them by their law keeping but to make them amenable to the revelation of christ.
HOWEVER I have no truck with Israels crimes at the moment. That they determine to commit crimes against humanity by starving the inhabitants of Gaza is not justified by any godly prophetic agenda, and any christian who makes excuses for them, and i have heard these excuses, idolizes israel.
Hence if i am a zionist at all, it is a heavily qualified zionism.
but to deny the relevance of Israel at the moment is to repudiate scriptural prophecy
Agreed. Israel is a piece of land… it is an earthly kingdom. The church, made up of saved gentiles and jews, is a spiritual kingdom.
Again, the church is a spiritual body, so its not possible for it to replace a piece of land… Now, if you’re referring to the Israel of God::
28For he is not a Jew, which is one outwardly; neither is that circumcision, which is outward in the flesh: 29But he is a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter; whose praise is not of men, but of God. romans 2
6Not as though the word of God hath taken none effect. For they are not all Israel, which are of Israel: 7Neither, because they are the seed of Abraham, are they all children: but, In Isaac shall thy seed be called. 8That is, They which are the children of the flesh, these are not the children of God: but the children of the promise are counted for the seed. romans 9
15For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision, but a new creature. 16And as many as walk according to this rule, peace be on them, and mercy, and upon the Israel of God. galatians 6
Then this is a remnant: one made up of both believing jews and gentiles.
the return of the jews…yes it was prophesied.
Amen.
True. But this is not referring to a land being saved or all people of a certain ethnic group living in a certain nation. It is referring to all those, both jew and gentile, (the remnant) as being one– the true Israel under the new covenant.
If we wrongly interpret this, then we’d have to concede that God’s word is wrong–for not ‘all’ jews or those living in Israel [or anywhere else] over the last 2000 yrs were born again/saved–many died lost without Christ.
26And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob: 27For this is my covenant unto them, when I shall take away their sins. romans 11
Paul is quoting from Isaiah 59:
20And the Redeemer shall come to Zion, and unto them that turn from transgression in Jacob, saith the LORD.
Everything Paul quotes in 11:26-27 is already a reality. It became a reality under the new covenant:
This is my blood of the new testament [covenant], which is shed for many for the remission of sins. matt. 26:28
First the natural, (under the old covenant) then the Spiritual under the new: 1Cor 15:45-46
see: THE ISRAEL OF GOD: a consideration of so-called “Replacement Theology”
Not Replacement…Expansion!
(4) part teaching on Covenant and Dispensational Theology: Understanding the relation of the Old/New Covenants
Hi Zoe! Glad this are of interest to you…im finding them interesting too as i read along with you guys!
Margie, good..i was afraid they might be tooooo long so would be boring to wade through.
I ‘believe’ the author digs into those questions later– I’ll check. In the meantime i’ll try to put something together for you…
No, No, No…not long enough, pj. I am SO enjoying this. Is this from a book, did you say? I want to read the entire thing!
Oddly enough, just today my home schooled daughter’s science lesson mentioned the Bronze Age and Iron Age, in regards to the strengths of metals, and the lecturer made note of how the “ages” began in the “Middle east” and spread to Europe hundreds of years later. I say this because as I read this installment I could immediately recognize the “iron” of Roman Empire.
Patrice Stanton
Very interesting. Thanks.
Rapture and Second Coming may be separated by a few days, but certainly there is no pretribulation rapture according to the scriptures.
“…..ok…..”
“next”
The argument over this “Left Behind” issue is an interesting read, and provides an important opportunity for the reader to learn something, or if opposed, a chance to express an alternative thought. This is a good thing, and I pray no one is offended by this discussion, but is able to take something of value from it.
While I have resisted the urge to jump into the fray so to speak, as I realize that this topic cannot be reduced to a few paragraphs, to offer a reasonable argument one way or another. Because as Steve mentioned, we need to stay within the scriptures, and there is a great deal of prophecy in the Bible concerning the last days. Some of it literal, and some do, while literal, offer a spiritual explanation.
After 50 years in this study of the last days, I have found that few really get it, and I can understand the opinion of some, that we will never understand it all. While I agree with that statement to a point, I also expect the Holy Spirit of God to instruct (John 16: 13), and have come to believe that everything written in the Bible is designed for our understanding. Otherwise, some things could have simply been left out. This is by no means a game, and is not intended to dazzle some of us simple folk, with puzzles of God’s mightiness. This is instruction specifically for all of us, and is written for understanding, particularly in this day.
As PJ has said, where issues of salvation are concerned, we must get it right, and every opportunity to expound on that should be taken. Sadly, the study of the last days is also about salvation, and make no mistake about it, there are many professing Christians that are teetering on the edge of apostasy, and don’t even know it.
Part of the blame for this goes to the organized church, and to the individual. One cannot simply read the Book of Revelations, or of Daniel, or Matthew 24 and be conversant on the truth of the last days. The Books of Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Amos, Obadiah, Joel, Hosea, Zephaniah, Zechariah, Micah, Psalms, Genesis, Thessalonians, Corinthians, Romans, Peter, John and more, all deal with last days prophecy. For many, this is just too much a read to tackle, and parts of it are not as evident as others. But they can be understood.
Next, there is a style to prophecy that is unlike all other books known to man. Daniel 7:1-10, provides a full view of the vision for the last days, but reveals more details of that very same vision, in verses 11-14. Then in verses 15-28 Daniel is given an explanation of the yet, still same vision. Also, in chapters 8 & 9, the prophet is given another vision that provides more details of that very first vision, and then again, has to have an Angel come and explain the things he sees.
The point being, that one’s learning must come a little at a time, because much of this vision is very troubling, and even made Daniel sick on more than one occasion. Therefore, this study cannot be given in one fell chunk, nor can it be taken in one swallow. John in the Book of Revelations is shown a vision that is exactly the same as Daniel’s. But, John’s vision comes in 3 forms, the trumps, the bowls and the seals, and they each reveal more of the same thing. Again, this pattern gives the reader a chance to feed in spoonfuls, rather than one large swallow. Hence, do not expect prophecy to come in a chronological order, nor necessarily the main theme of any given book of the Bible. The best example of this comes from Genesis 3: 15, but the only one to carry that message to the new world was Noah.
While we do not have an Angel appear to explain the vision, and believe me, the last days is only one vision, we have something better: The Holy Spirit and the Holy Bible. Further, there is a lot of collaborating scripture to verify what the prophecies demonstrate, and the more one learns, the more apparent this will become. Therefore, while it can be helpful to consult another source to locate those prophecies, one cannot afford to allow someone else’s opinion, book, movie or teaching form the basis of their understanding of last days prophecy. As I will try to show, at some point, one’s concept of Last Days prophecy will guide one to the truth in Jesus Christ, or into the arms of the anti-Christ. And while most of us feel confident that our relationship with God will keep one from falling, please keep in mind that the motive of the heart can fool the purest of thought, and tribulation can shake the strongest opinion.
Jesus Christ did not stutter in Matthew 24, He had a very real concern, when He warned 3 separate times to beware, of false prophets and false Christs. The strong delusion mentioned by Paul in 2 Thessalonians chapter 2 was not directed to the lost, but to those that sought better things than truth.
Unfortunately however, a very few are willing to go through the necessary study to discern which prophecy pertains to what. Which prophecy is symbolic, spiritual or literal. And worse, one must also be able to contend with a host of prophetic opinions that must also be sorted out, before a consistent vision begins to appear. Just as the prophecies of Jesus Christ were spoken a piece at a time, the more one is familiar with all of the Bible, the more natural understanding will come.
My suggestion to any one, is to unlearn everything you have been taught by man, church or book, and begin anew. I am opposed to the Dispensation view, the Dominion, Post Millennium, A Millennium, Pre History, some Futurist, Mormon, Jehovah Witness, New Age, Adventist, Catholic, Islamic, Buddhism, Taoist, Gnostic, Satanic, Judaic and Reformed, because they all have one thing in common: Biblical error. And all can be argued by scripture, without language twists, word implications, symbolic or spiritual application, and because each of these teachings will not prepare one to survive tribulation, soul intact. This thought is what sickened Daniel.
Further, most of the above prophetic views are aimed so that when the anti-Christ rises, most will eagerly accept him, or adjust their previous views just enough, to consider his claim. The sinner of course will have no problem with bowing to the man of sin. The dominionist and Jehovah Witness will have to reconsider some of their teachings, but will eventually fall to the belief that God is with us. The Mormon, Reformed, Post Millennial, A Millennial, Catholic, New Age, Adventist, Pre History and even some futurist will be tempted to believe that the anti-Christ is God, returning to prepare the world for Judgment.
The Jews will believe that the anti-Christ is the promised redeemer who never came, while the Satanist, Buddhists, Muslims, Taoists, and Gnostic will believe that their God has arrived to bring the end of the age of men. Very insulting to those whom have labored to form their concept of the Last Days, but not at all out of line with scripture, when one is able to compare the end result of each teaching, with that of the Bible.
On another post (Lord Maitreya), Lisa asked a very wise question, and it is one we should all consider when studying prophecy: Lisa said: “I know that the son of perdition, and false prophets, will fool many, but I do not understand how. I know the Bible says he will show many lying signs and wonders, and if it were possible, would deceive the very elect. Is it possible then, that his coming will mimic what we have read about the second coming of Christ? Or is it the people who perhaps have been lax in studying His Word, or have been taught wrong doctrine, that will be fooled?”
I intend, in the very near future, to answer Lisa’s question as much as the Spirit of God will provide. I don’t have all of the answers……..yet. But since we are already in the Last Days, I expect knowledge to be increased, for the testimony of Jesus Christ, and I look forward to considering those whom may have a different opinion.
I am happy to see that the Holy Spirit has already led this discussion to the nation of Israel. As demonstrated throughout the bible, the nation of Israel is a very key issue, because without correctly understanding the place of Israel in the Last Days, our focus will be taken away from truth.
Therefore, I encourage this study and hope that one will find the evidence that will show how the modern nation of Israel, it’s land, and quest to build a temple will play into the anti-Christ’s schemes.
Last, just a little note: tribulation is not for the sinner. In fact, most will not even recognize the tribulation as such, and there is a reason for that. Second, the devil doesn’t need an anti-Christ to seduce lost souls, just as he needs only a small lie, to corrupt 99 % truth. The purpose of the anti-Christ is strictly an abomination to God, by man’s worship of the anti-Christ, rather than Jesus Christ. The problem is, that because so many false teachings are considered truth, few will know the difference. I pray that all will receive wisdom. Amen.
Hi wholebrainer…
When this was mailed to me last year it was a manuscript…but since then the author now appears to have written a book with the same title, so im sure what’s included in this manuscript is at least a section in the book.
In part (1) it should still be on the front page here, im pretty sure i gave a link to the book…you might want to check it out!
After seeing there was now a book, i didn’t want to post more then excerpts from this manuscript…but as you can already see, its lengthy with only resorting to doing that.
I’m trying to make sure the quoted excerpts im pulling, are explaining the authors line of thinking on any of the issues he addresses….it ain’t been easy! ahaha…
A friend had sent me the manuscript, asking my thoughts on it…