What I want to describe here on Israel Outlook, is a book written by the subject of the email, Richard Maybury. The name of the book is The Thousand Year War in the Mideast – How It Affects You Today.

I have lived in the Middle East for a decade and a half, analyzing everything I could find about the place, and I can truthfully say that the book is unusually accurate – while being subtly flawed.

Let me get into the flaws of the book, first. Actually, it’s pretty much one flaw that propagates itself throughout. And, it’s not really a flaw. It’s a misrepresentation of a tiny, tiny minority.

He claims that all religion is based on two fundamental laws:

Do all you have agreed to do.

Do not encroach on other persons or their property.

To put it more succinctly, the two fundamental laws can be summarized in four words:

Integrity and Property Rights

If you say that I’m ignoring ‘encroachment on persons’, I can tell you that I’m not. Under his paradigm, you own yourself, so anything encroaching on you is an issue of property right. If you touch me, you are touching my property. Don’t touch me.

He characterizes Christianity and Judaism this way, and that is an incorrect characterization for true Christians, and for that matter, true Jews. Let me take Judaism first because it feeds into Christianity.

Rabbi Hillel, one of the greatest authors of modern Judaism is famous for “The Golden Rule”. As it is recounted to us, one day, a non-Jewish man went to Rabbi Hillel and challenged the Rabbi to explain the Torah, while the man stood on one foot. Rabbi Hillel answered:

That which is hateful to you, do not do to your fellow. That is the whole Torah; the rest is the explanation; go and learn.

That, is classic Judaism.

When Jesus began to preach, Hillel had been dead for something close to twenty years. One day, a rabbi went up to Jesus, and like the non-Jew, challenged Jesus to tell him how to earn eternal life:

If you love what and who God loves… and you have some errors in your beliefs… God gives you slack. If you truly love God and truly love your neighbor, you could probably get away with heresy. While, on the other hand, you could be correct in everything and be considered trash in God’s eyes – if you don’t have love.

Love is both the beginning and end of our walk as Christians, and some of the unloving attitudes shown by most non-dispensationalists is appalling. This is not to say that all dispensationalists are a loving bunch of people. It’s just that most non-dispensationalists tend to be cold towards Israel, and frankly cold towards everyone else.

And, I’m not sure why that is.

So, put me down as someone who generally prefers dispensationalists over other kinds of Christians.

But seriously, a pre-tribulation rapture? Really?

I’m just having a hard time seeing how ANYONE who reads their bible could see that. It just doesn’t make sense.

But, like I said before. Your love for Israel – and your love for others – will do more for you in God’s eyes than any amount of ‘correct theology’. God accepts you as His, and I do too.

Just pleasepleasepleasePLEASE prepare for what’s coming. You are no use to anyone if you’ve been killed or neutralized in some other way.

You must prepare now.

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Okay, folks. As promised, I’ll get back to a more Global Security and Foreign Policy approach to this website. I apologize to those of you who have been turned off by this week’s discussion, but I really felt the need to discuss these issues.

There is too much apathy out there, and 2012 will be a pivotal year – and maybe even the last chance that any of us will have to prepare for what is coming.

I truly, truly hope that I’m wrong.

I had my Bible, and a family and church that were prone to vigorous debate over EVERYTHING. If you didn’t have chapter and verse for a thought or idea, you were shouted down. It meant that I really learned my Bible and was given enough of it to see how it hung together as a whole – the incredible tapestry of this gift of His word.

Now, a religious ‘hot house’ environment like this has its own perils, and there’s quite a bit that I’ve had to reevaluate over the past few years, in addition to a massive attitude problem. (When Paul speaks of having been a Pharisee, the son of a Pharisee, I can truly say the same about myself, in spades.)

Worse, many of my beliefs and attitudes were an affront to God, and it is only because of His infinite graciousness and patience that He didn’t deal harshly with me for it. And, since God has been patient with me over so much, I feel strongly about being patient with others.

Even more, the doctrinal errors in my own past convince me that I should be slow to point out the doctrinal errors in others – especially if they are not foundational. In fact, my own errors of the past make me cognizant of my own fallibility.

But, there are moments in time where the consequences of saying nothing are so dire, you feel that you must do something to help get people that you care about out of harm’s way. So, what I am about to say, I say because I must – howbeit with extreme reluctance.

Elements of dispensationalism are wrong, and those errors will eventually lead to the death of millions of people and even great apostasy. (And, in fact, it already has.)

Am I saying that it’s heresy? No. Really, I don’t. In fact, there’s a lot about dispensationalism that I agree with. And, I am TREMENDOUSLY upset with many of the positions taken by people who criticize dispensationalism.

(Can you see that maybe I’m in a spot of trouble here?)

But seriously. You are not a heretic in my view, if you are a dispensationalist. In fact, this discussion would be somewhat irrelevant if it were not for the fact that we stand on the doorstep of events that will shake the world and cause the end of civilization as we know it.

What is Wrong With Dispensationalism?

The idea that history can be broken down into a series of ‘dispensations’, instead of… oh, laws or sections of the Bible… is immaterial. I fully expect to stand before the Lord when this life is over and be pleasantly shocked at what God was up to all this time. I’m even hoping that my understanding of Hell is wrong and that friends and family won’t suffer the terrible fate that they seem determined to find.

But, let me get back to my main point.

What’s wrong with dispensationalism?

For one thing, it diminishes the centrality of Christ’s sacrifice. Jesus died not just for those who came after, but He also died for all those who came before. Dispensationalism, the classic kind, essentially says that Christ died only for those who live during the Christian era. Those who lived before have their own ‘dispensation’ and must follow that.

That just doesn’t make any sense whatsoever.

Now, I know what many of you are about to say. Yes, I do see that you agree that Christ died for all both past and present, and that He loves all equally.

So, why then do you believe that ANYONE would be required to fulfill the demonstrably impossible law of Moses?

Why would God replace something perfect with something impossible?

Why would God bring the sacrifices back, if Christ was sufficient?

Yes, yes, I know that there are sacrifices during the millenium, or at least offerings, and I don’t begin to understand all that. But, we’re talking about where we stand today, about salvation and about a perfect sacrifice in the form of our Lord Jesus.

Maybe I should put it to you this way: Why doesn’t God love all His people equally? Why would God replace the yoke of Christ with an impossible yoke of the law?

We have all of Paul’s writings that argue against this. Arguing for a return of the Mosaic law is senseless.

And, then there’s a second rapture?

That’s right, if you are a pre-tribber, you get a secret rapture that the Bible mentions NOWHERE and then a VISIBLE rapture when the Lord returns in glory.

Remember, here’s the verse on the Rapture:

1 Thessalonians 4:14-18

 ¹⁴For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him.

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

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

 ¹⁷Then 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.

 ¹⁸Wherefore comfort one another with these words.

THAT is the resurrection AFTER the Tribulation. Where’s the verse that talks about the previous resurrection?

Don’t bother searching your Bible because it doesn’t exist. The Bible speaks of only two resurrections – the one at the end of the Great Tribulation and the one at the end of the Millenium.

Then there’s the point about persecution.

When you have the church raptured before the tribulation, you still have people left behind – people who will be ‘saved’ AFTER the rapture. You have to believe that because there is persecution of God’s people during the tribulation. At least some of those will be Jews.

If you believe that, you are saying that God loves the people who get saved before the tribulation more than those who get saved during the tribulation.

I mean, that’s why the pre-trib rapture, right? God loves us enough to take us out of the way of harm, right?

So, why do God’s people still suffer during The Great Tribulation?

No, no, please don’t tell me that they had rejected Christ, and now must suffer for that – even though they are eventually saved. Before we were saved, we ALL were in a state of rejection of Christ. That’s hair-splitting.

And before you advocate a position where God WANTED to rescue everyone, but just wasn’t able… please remember that it is God who determines when the Great Tribulation begins.

2 Thessalonians 2:7

⁷For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way.

Ask yourself this: did Christ love us as much before we were saved, as after? Since before the Creation of the Universe, even?

Of course!

God loved us as much BEFORE we were saved as AFTER. And, He expressed that love by giving His only Son!

Coupling this idea with a pre-trib rapture should mean that no believers should experience The Great Tribulation, but that’s not what the Bible says.

In fact, a good dispensationalist should actually question how Christ-followers could suffer persecution of any kind?

Was there somehow something wrong with the millions of Christians who died under great tribulation over the past two millenia?

Was their tribulation any less than the tribulation that is to come?

Are the people who die in the Great Tribulation going to die in any worse way than those who lost their lives in say… Foxes Book of Martyrs?

Of course not. The difference between The Great Tribulation that’s coming and the lesser versions that have come in the past is intensity. And, someone called ‘the man of sin’. And, well… massive cataclysm…

And Then, There’s That Apostacy Thing I Mentioned

All that I’m saying is that when the Great Tribulation comes, and the Rapture doesn’t happen… how do you think some will react when someone comes along, passing himself off as the Messiah?

Yeah. Quite a few dispensationalists will be tempted to go over to ‘the dark side’.

Of course, God promised that His people, dispensationalists and non-dispensationalists alike, would not be fooled – in the end. Only those who are not truly God’s people will fail, and fall in with the Anti-Christ.

But, There IS a Way of Escape!

And, it doesn’t come through believing in what isn’t there.

God saves us from tribulation by warning us that it’s coming and giving us a way to escape it – a place of safety. God uses people like me, and others, to give you warning so that you have time to prepare – so that you DON’T have to suffer unnecessarily.

Yes, some of us will need to make choices about whether we will survive, or not. Pastors cannot abandon their flocks. Missionaries cannot stop their mission work. Those of us with jobs to do may have to choose to fall where we stand.

But, the rest of you have the luxury of escape, if you are willing to see it.

When the Babylonians came, God gave His people in Judah a way to escape and a prophet, Jeremiah, to tell them of it. Most chose not to listen and suffered for that choice. (By the way, I am NOT a prophet.)

You have a way of escape from what’s coming, if you choose to prepare now. And by all means, continue being a dispensationalist, just please prepare for what’s coming. Wake up and do the hard work that it will take to make you, your family, your community and your church safe for the times ahead.

I’m concerned, and I want y’all to make it through okay.

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Articles on dispensationalism:

Comparison of Dispensationalism with Covenant Theology

Does the Bible Teach a Pre-Tribulational Rapture?

It was coined by a rather intemperate fellow by the name of James Lloyd. And, he makes a cogent case for using the name, so I’ve decided to adopt it myself. It’s pithy, accurate and more than a bit snarky – which is why I like it.

(My apologies to my Jewish audience. But, I gotta do this.)

Now, I stumbled across Lloyd’s website because I was doing a bit of research into where the whole idea of the Pretribulation Rapture Theory arose. Sometimes, knowing where something comes from tells you a bit about what’s wrong with it.

Our tale starts with an occultic bible study group in the early 1800s that practiced levitation, in Glasgow, Scotland. A 15 year old girl apparently had trouble levitating, so decided to go one better by doing the whole trance/vision/prophecy thing.

Let me quote from HisFaith.org:

The doctrine can be traced back to 1830, the very year that two strange events happened in Scotland. First, a 15 year old girl in a TRANCE uttered what is believed to be the original idea of the pre-tribulation rapture of the Church. Nearly simultaneously, a nearby Scottish pastor named Edward Irving began teaching this brand new idea that the Church would be raptured prior to Tribulation. (Note: Some scholars believe Irving had been working on this “doctrine” at least three years earlier.)

No matter its origin, it is WIDELY DOCUMENTED that before the year 1830 NO Christian leader had ever even heard of the doctrine of a pre-tribulation rapture. Clearly, prior to 1830 the Church taught that Jesus would return at the END of the tribulation period, AFTER going through Tribulation, as the Bible obviously teaches.

By the way, this 15 year old girl I speak of is named Margaret McDonald. She was a Scottish teen-ager and met with an OCCULTIC group that studied the Bible. Among other occultic practices, they practiced levitation.

As I stated, about the same time, a Scottish pastor named Edward Irving began teaching the concept of a pre-trib rapture in his “charismatic” church. Many believe that he may have got the idea from Miss McDonald. Others say that she got the idea from him. It is a moot point, because this new pre-trib rapture doctrine was soon brought to America by another pastor named John Nelson Darby. Most scholars are in agreement that he probably “stole” (and even further expanded on) the idea that he heard from Irving.

Here’s a link to the page.

I did some digging, and it’s true. There is no record of anyone, anywhere mentioning anything remotely like the Pretribulation Rapture Theory before 1830.

It was picked up by a fellow by the name of John Darby, who handed it off to C.I. Scofield – who went on to create the Scofield Reference Bible. And, when you have a bible where you are told exactly how to think about a passage, as you read it… well, it’s going to have impact. In fact, people are going to tend to accept it as literal fact. (After all, it’s now in the bible, right?)

And yes, bending the bible to your own interpretation is just WRONG.

There’s another problem with the Rapture Cult.

Anyone who even so much as mentions that it might be okay to disagree with the theory of the Pretribulation Rapture, gets unceremoniously booted from whatever pulpit he’s speaking from.

A friend of mine, who will remain nameless for more reasons than you can know, was once summarily ejected from a bible conference for entertaining the thought that a disagreement on WHEN the rapture would occur… well, that it just wasn’t grounds for a break in fellowship. Organizers of the conference immediately met in an emergency session and booted him out – asking him to never return.

That’s cult thinking, plain and simple.

Let me go on to add one other point.

Everyone in the Rapture Cult says that the next ‘big thing’ is the rapture. Nothing, they say, will happen before then.

That is completely mystifying. How can you believe that everything will go along swimmingly until ‘boom’ we all disappear in a flash of pixie dust. And, only THEN do bad things happen?

Hello?

Does anybody read history, anymore?

Something like 25 million Christians were murdered by the Catholics in Europe alone. The Muslims wiped out the Christians in North Africa. Before all of that, we were crucified by the Romans.

Is there ANY time in history where Christians weren’t terribly persecuted?

And, you don’t think that it’s going to happen again?

Dontcha think that we’re due for a spot of trouble?

Especially since we seem to have corrupted ourselves so thoroughly?

And, don’t get me started on what you have to do to the bible to actually make the Pre-trib theory actually WORK. (More on THAT tomorrow)

Let me end with this one idea – from a bit of scripture at the END of the bible:

Revelation 22

18 For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book:

19 And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book.

How can you make the above verses work, if the rapture happens BEFORE the tribulation?

I certainly can see how they work, if the rapture happens during or after the tribulation.

Think about that for a moment.

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Here are a few sources that I stumbled over in the few hours that I had to research the history of the Pretribulation Rapture Theory:

The Origin and Danger of the Pre-Trib “Rapture” Theory

The Origins of The Pre-Trib Rapture?

Is the Pretribulation Rapture Biblical?

Dangers of the American Rapture Doctrine – Americanized Pre-trib is partly responsible for American apathy

Pre-Trib Fib, Part 1

Pre-Trib Fib, Part 2

Pre-Trib Fib, Part 3

And then, there’s the aforementioned wild man, James Lloyd:

Strong Delusion

Part of the reason why this chapter is so completely fascinating is due to the fact that a lot of it has already happened. And, those prophecies that have turned out to be true? And, you’re only halfway through them?

Very, very cool.

Let’s see if we can do our bit to unravel some of the mystery surrounding this prophecy and understand all the scary stuff that it says is coming our way.

This will be a VERY rough ride.

Daniel 7

1 In the first year of Belshazzar king of Babylon Daniel had a dream and visions of his head upon his bed: then he wrote the dream and told the sum of the matters.

2 Daniel spake and said, I saw in my vision by night, and, behold, the four winds of heaven brake forth upon the great sea.

When it comes to figuring out prophecy and vision, carefulness is the better part of wisdom. It is easy to mangle something that God is trying to tell you – and there can be dire consequences when you do. Remember this passage in the last chapter of Revelation?

Revelation 22:18 I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, if any man shall add unto them, God shall add unto him the plagues which are written in this book:

Revelation 22:19 and if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part from the tree of life, and out of the holy city, which are written in this book.

Yes, I know that’s for the book of Revelation. I got that. But, I believe that the principle is universal. If you use your own notions to mangle and distort a prediction/warning, you will suffer the consequences for that. And, I believe that a lot of my brothers and sisters in faith have done just that. Because they do not wish for a certain thing, they choose not to see it and are vulnerable to the consequences. Do not allow what you want to blind you to what is, and what will be.

I say that because verse Daniel 7:2 talks about two common images that you find in prophetic writings: The Four Winds of Heaven and The Sea.

From reading other prophecies in the bible, ‘The Sea’ is obviously humanity. The people. (Let me know if you need a deeper explanation for that.)

But, what are these four winds? What are THE Four Winds of Heaven?

In Hebrew, the word for spirit and wind are the same word: ru-ach (pronounced roo-ach, ach like Bach). For those of you who want to keep track of the Hebrew, the Four Winds of Heaven is ‘ar-bah ru-chay shi-ma-ya’. Arbah is four. Ruchay (ch as in Bach) is ‘spirits of’/'winds of.’ Shimaya is heaven – kinda. Normally, you see heaven in it’s plural form Shimayim – or, heavens. But, this is just one: Shimaya.

Are these spirits? Or, are these winds?

Be careful with how dogmatic that you get.

Let’s move on.

3 And four great beasts came up from the sea, diverse one from another.

4 The first was like a lion, and had eagle’s wings: I beheld till the wings thereof were plucked, and it was lifted up from the earth, and made to stand upon two feet as a man; and a man’s heart was given to it.

5 And, behold, another beast, a second, like to a bear; and it was raised up on one side, and three ribs were in its mouth between its teeth: and they said thus unto it, Arise, devour much flesh.

6 After this I beheld, and, lo, another, like a leopard, which had upon its back four wings of a bird; the beast had also four heads; and dominion was given to it.

So, out of humanity arises a flying lion – which appears to be Babylon.

Then comes a bear – Persia.

And then we have the leopard with four heads – Alexander the Great, who died and left his empire to his four generals and their descendants. The interesting thing is that you could make a case for Daniel knowing who the Lion and Bears were. But, knowing that third beast would have four wings and four heads? One for each of Alexander’s generals?

It is THIS part of the vision that gives it the most veracity. The fact that Daniel gets such a clear picture of Alexander the Great and his generals… well, it gives us confidence to look even more carefully at the fourth beast.

7 After this I saw in the night-visions, and, behold, a fourth beast, terrible and powerful, and strong exceedingly; and it had great iron teeth; it devoured and brake in pieces, and stamped the residue with its feet: and it was diverse from all the beasts that were before it; and it had ten horns.

Whoa. Who is THIS?!

I mean, it’s obvious that it’s the NEXT empire after the Alexandrian, and that is obviously Rome… but, ten horns?

And yes, terrible, powerful and strong are accurate representations of Rome.

Iron teeth? That too.

Grinding everything down? Yeah, they did that.

And, different from all the rest? Check.

So, Rome fits, here.

But… Rome died more than 1500 years ago. Why does it seem to survive and prosper until the end of the world?

That’s because the Roman Empire never really fell. And, this is where I think that the phrase ‘it was diverse from all the beasts that were before it’ comes in. Rome was more than just an empire. It was an idea.

Notice that all the other empires were represented by specific men, and when those men and their dynasties fell, their empires fell. Not so the Roman Empire. The Roman emperors were all over the place in terms of dynastic origins. No two emperors seemed to come from the same place. (Yes. Yes, I know that I’m glossing over vast tracts of history, but I think that you know what I’m getting at. Lighten up.)

After Rome fell to the barbarians, notice that every period and culture seemed to want to claim that it was Rome?

The rulers of Russia referred to themselves as Czars, or caesar. We have the ‘Holy Roman Empire’ launched 962 and lasting until 1806. The German monarchs that took over from the Holy Roman Empire and referred to themselves as Kaiser, or caesar. And, our dear Adolf Hitler connected himself to that line of thought by claiming that HIS empire (in German, reich) was the THIRD.

And, let’s not forget that the Eastern Roman Empire – Byzantium – lasted until 1453.

Notice all the Latin that runs through every European language? Is there a single educated person on the planet that isn’t familiar with the phrase Cogito Ergo Sum (I think, therefore I am)?

How about our legal systems. It’s Roman and Latin everywhere.

We put even put Latin on our money.

Roman Architecture? Our government buildings are lousy with it.

I could go on, but the point is this: Rome lives on in Western culture.

I’m just not completely sure what those horns are. Revelation 17 seems to talk about them here. But, do we really know what all that is?

8 I considered the horns, and, behold, there came up among them another horn, a little one, before which three of the first horns were plucked up by the roots: and, behold, in this horn were eyes like the eyes of a man, and a mouth speaking great things.

So, an eleventh horn springs up and supplants three much bigger horns. And, this eleventh horn is a little guy with a big mouth.

9 I beheld till thrones were placed, and one that was ancient of days did sit: his raiment was white as snow, and the hair of his head like pure wool; his throne was fiery flames, and the wheels thereof burning fire.

10 A fiery stream issued and came forth from before him: thousands of thousands ministered unto him, and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him: the judgment was set, and the books were opened.

11 I beheld at that time because of the voice of the great words which the horn spake; I beheld even till the beast was slain, and its body destroyed, and it was given to be burned with fire.

So, this great empire is finally destroyed at the end – as is described in Revelation 17.

12 And as for the rest of the beasts, their dominion was taken away: yet their lives were prolonged for a season and a time.

13 I saw in the night-visions, and, behold, there came with the clouds of heaven one like unto a son of man, and he came even to the ancient of days, and they brought him near before him.

14 And there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all the peoples, nations, and languages should serve him: his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed.

And, that last bit sounds a lot like The Millennium.

15 As for me, Daniel, my spirit was grieved in the midst of my body, and the visions of my head troubled me.

Who would NOT be confused by all that?

16 I came near unto one of them that stood by, and asked him the truth concerning all this. So he told me, and made me know the interpretation of the things.

Here begins a reprise of what we talked about:

17 These great beasts, which are four, are four kings, that shall arise out of the earth.

18 But the saints of the Most High shall receive the kingdom, and possess the kingdom for ever, even for ever and ever.

Whoever was talking with Daniel, obviously thought that a brief summary would be explanation enough.

But, Daniel says, “yeah, yeah, I got that. But, what about that fourth guy?”

19 Then I desired to know the truth concerning the fourth beast, which was diverse from all of them, exceeding terrible, whose teeth were of iron, and its nails of brass; which devoured, brake in pieces, and stamped the residue with its feet;

20 and concerning the ten horns that were on its head, and the other horn which came up, and before which three fell, even that horn that had eyes, and a mouth that spake great things, whose look was more stout than its fellows.

21 I beheld, and the same horn made war with the saints, and prevailed against them;

22 until the ancient of days came, and judgment was given to the saints of the Most High, and the time came that the saints possessed the kingdom.

23 Thus he said, The fourth beast shall be a fourth kingdom upon earth, which shall be diverse from all the kingdoms, and shall devour the whole earth, and shall tread it down, and break it in pieces.

24 And as for the ten horns, out of this kingdom shall ten kings arise: and another shall arise after them; and he shall be diverse from the former, and he shall put down three kings.

25 And he shall speak words against the Most High, and shall wear out the saints of the Most High; and he shall think to change the times and the law; and they shall be given into his hand until a time and times and half a time.

So, that’s a bit more detail. A bit.

For instance, this beast makes war with ‘The Saints’ – or, the holy ones – and wins.

By the way, how can you make war with ‘holy ones’ if they aren’t around to be attacked?

For those of you who are Jewish, and made it this far, there’s a HUGE controversy over this point in time. Everyone involved in the argument believes that this verse is completely true:

I Thessalonians 4:17 then we that are alive, that are left, shall together with them be caught up in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.

The theological argument centers not on WHAT will happen, but WHEN it will happen. And, there are three main camps: pre-trib, mid-trib and post-trib. Again, I am glossing over a lot, but I don’t want to lose you.

Pre-trib people point to this verse as the reason why we Christians will not go through the terrible times of The Great Tribulation – where a false messiah will come and try to kill God’s people.

I Thessalonians 5:9 For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ,

I hate to say it, but that’s a pretty flimsy bit of logical argument.

Since when have God’s people NOT suffered when His wrath comes to the world?

How about this: God’s people have escaped the wrath of God when they were paying attention and jumped when God said JUMP! Remember when Jeremiah went to the people of Jerusalem during the first Babylonian invasion and said ‘surrender, and you’ll be fine’. When the second Babylonian invasion happened, Jeremiah went to the people and said, yet again, ‘surrender, and you’ll be fine’, what happened?

They ignored Jeremiah and got hammered.

And, that pattern repeats throughout biblical history and beyond. There is a way to escape God’s wrath, but you have to be paying attention.

Remember what the Lord said here:

Revelation 22:18 I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, if any man shall add unto them, God shall add unto him the plagues which are written in this book:

Revelation 22:19 and if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part from the tree of life, and out of the holy city, which are written in this book.

If you believe that you will be ‘caught away’ before the really bad stuff happens, guess what, you aren’t going to prepare. You will be caught when the hammer comes down. For those of us who are ‘watching and waiting‘, we’ll escape.

Why else would we be asked to ‘watch‘? This isn’t a sports performance or a talent contest, and we aren’t judging God on His style and artistic merit. We are ‘watching’ because there’s something that we can do, and should do, when the moment comes. But, you have to be awake! Otherwise, Revelation 22:18-19 is for you.

Put me down in the ‘watching’ column. And yes, that would be somewhere around ‘mid trib’, I guess – if I was interested in putting on a label.

No, actually, you should put me in the “I’m still reading my bible and trying to figure it out”. Anyone who thinks that he’s figured it out already is in for a rude awakening.

Oh, and post trib people?

Well, I guess that this would be the safest position to take. At least you aren’t resting on your butt, thinking that the lifeboats are going to fish you out of the water before you drown.

But, I have digressed…

26 But the judgment shall be set, and they shall take away his dominion, to consume and to destroy it unto the end.

27 And the kingdom and the dominion, and the greatness of the kingdoms under the whole heaven, shall be given to the people of the saints of the Most High: his kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey him.

28 Here is the end of the matter. As for me, Daniel, my thoughts much troubled me, and my countenance was changed in me: but I kept the matter in my heart.

Whew! That was a lot. For those of you who aren’t Christian, I hope that this helped you understand some of what we are thinking when we talk about these kinds of prophecies.

However, my main audience is made up of brothers and sisters in faith.

Wake up and pay attention.

This is not a drill.