| In 1987, several books were published, which all predicted that the
Rapture would happen between late 1987 and late 1989. These books were
written by different authors, who did not confer with each other about
what they were going to write. These books sold by the millions, and one
in particular actually gave a specific date for the Rapture to happen.
That fateful date was September 12, 1988. MILLIONS of people counted down
the days, the hours, and even the minutes until 12:01 AM, Jerusalem time.
I took that day off from work, and sat in my living room and listened to
the countdown being announced over a secular radio station. By noon, I
began to be dismayed. And then, it was the end of the day. The sun was
setting. I realized that the nature of the prediction allowed for the Rapture
to happen at anytime within the 24 hours of September 12, 1988, Jerusalem
time. It didn't matter. I knew it wasn't going to happen. I was crushed. |
| You see, I had done my "own set of calculations" in 1972,
15 years before any of this happened, and I came to exactly the same conclusions
that these other authors did. BUT....since I DID want Jesus to COME BACK
THEN....or at least SOON, I wasn't very happy about my discoveries! Fifteen
years looked to me like a long, long time: I became afraid that I may not
even live long enough to be one of those who are alive and remain
at The End! This provoked me to desperate prayers, in which I begged God
to reassure me that I would live long enough to make The Rapture! Even
when I finally felt like I had received such assurance, the length of THE
WAIT so depressed me, that I lost almost all interest in eschatology until
THE GREAT RAPTURE WATCH OF 1988. |
| One of the MOST RESPECTED MEN in international Bible distribution PUT
HIS PERSONAL REPUTATION on the line by publishing the most "notorious"
of these "Rapture books". I was so convinced that we had good
reasons to expect the Rapture, that I bought 30 of these books and gave
them away. I remember having many excited conversations with MANY different
people, in which we rehashed and rechecked the EVIDENCE for a predictable
Rapture. I heard a WELL RESPECTED and INTERNATIONALLY KNOWN teacher on
prophecy close his television show with the words, "I might not be
on the air next week, and if not, you know why". From July of that
year until "that day", everywhere I met any Christians, they
were willing to talk about the Rapture. We were excited, we were joyful,
WE WERE JUBILANT: there was a pronounced feeling of hopeful expectation
among those of us who were waiting for His Son from heaven
(1 Thess. 1:10). |
| Within a few days after September 12, 1988, I began to hear a new kind
of laughter: the laughter of those who were GLAD that the Rapture DIDN'T
happen. The Rapture Prophets faded away, and the rest of us hung our heads
in shame. THE GREAT RAPTURE WATCH OF 1988 struck me with a blow from which,
THANK GOD, I have not been able to recover. Until 'that day', I was both
willing and able to avoid many unanswered questions and unresolved problems
in my faith. For the first time since I became a Christian, the prospect
of growing old, weak, and sick LIKE EVERYONE ELSE DOES became a frightening
reality. I suddenly realized that I might outlive my wife, and I had no
idea how I would cope with that. I suddenly became aware that though I
was already middle-aged; I had no "retirement plans" and no savings
laid up for that purpose. I considered the specter of being old, weak,
sick, lonely, and so poor that I would have to join those who wait behind
the supermarket for the spoiled food they throw away. I suddenly became
afraid that my religion would do nothing to sustain or protect me against
"the realities of life". I reopened my Bible to the teachings
of Jesus, and took hold with all my might. |
| You have the right to ask: "Why did so many people, and even sober
minded respectable church leaders believe this?" Well. . . |
| The reasoning that arrived at a predictable Rapture was not the fruit
of any novel or unorthodox ideas. To summarize: |
| 1. Almost 6000 years of measurable history since Adam had passed, and
this was historically considered to be the prophetic duration of man's
dominion over the earth. |
| 2. 1988 was 40 years from the founding of the Nation of Israel, and
this was taken to be the length of a generation (Matt.24:24) |
| 3. The year 1988 was the point of convergence for an ABSOLUTELY ENORMOUS
set of chronological cycles, all taken from significant mentions of these
same "time periods" in the Bible. This convergence will NEVER
happen again, and cannot be recalculated to any other date. |
| 4. There was a general expectation of the Rapture anyway as a result
of all the "signs of the times" preaching that had gone on since
WW2. |
| 5. The large number of respectable scholars who either 'signed on' or
admitted to the possibility of a predictable Rapture lent even more credibility
to this particular year, and day. |
| WE WERE WRONG: about "that year and day", and I don't think
anyone of us should dare to step forward with another date. We can't anyway.
The calculations that were used to arrive at the year 1988 are the product
of pure mathematics, and there is no "adjustment" possible. I
know this, and so do all the Rapture prophets. There is this one little
unresolved detail. . . . .the calculations hinge on a presumed date for
the birth of Our Lord Jesus Christ. The question about exactly WHEN Our
Lord was born has ALWAYS been disputed. Our present calendar places His
birth at the "1", and that means 1988 is 1987. Ussher places
the conception of Our Lord in 5 B.C., and cites a medieval calendar change
to support it. If Ussher was right, 1988 was really 1993, leaving only
7 years until the close of 6000 years of human history. I'm sure you can
see why 1988 was chosen: but this view presumes that The Great Tribulation
occurs during the last 3 1/2 or 7 years of THIS age, and is not the first
3 1/2 or 7 years of the next age. The Roman Catholics, however, have the
conception of Our Lord in 7 B.C. If the Catholic calendar is correct, then
1994 was really the year 2000. We don't really know what year we are in,
so the verdict on the "approximately predictable" Rapture is
not in yet. It is possible, that when Our Lord said, Of that day and
hour knoweth no man, He foresaw the fact that we would be unable to
conclude upon a correct calendar. In any case, even if no man can
know the day and hour, that in no way precludes us from knowing
that The Rapture is near; and if you take Jesus' words literally; they
do not prevent us from knowing the year, or even the month. |
| The Bible says, But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that THAT
DAY should overtake you as a thief (1 Thess.5:4). |
A BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE NEW ESCHATOLOGY, WHICH IS ALREADY EMERGING IN
THE PUBLIC DOGMA OF CHRISTENDOM. THIS "NEW EXPLANATION" FOR HOW
THE AGE OF THE CHURCH ENDS IS EMERGING SPONTANEOUSLY, AND WITHOUT
FORMAL PRONOUNCEMENT, IN EVERY DENOMINATION AND OUTPOST OF INSTITUTIONAL
CHRISTENDOM. IT IS THE PRODUCT OF NECESSITY; IN WHICH THE RETURN OF JESUS
CHRIST MAY BE ANTICIPATED WITHOUT SIGNALING THE DESTRUCTION OF CIVILIZATION
BY APOCALYPTIC WARS, NATURAL DISASTERS, AND COSMIC CATACLYSMS.
| Because The New Eschatology has NO "Great Tribulation", their
"Christ" will arrive to a relatively stable world, in which ALL
the present religious and political bureaucracies are still in power. As
long as the leaders of The World's Religions cooperate with The New World
Order, and SUBMIT to their "Christ" when he arrives, they will
be permitted to continue. |
| I refer you again to what I said before: that this New Eschatology is
the product of NECESSITY; in which the return of Jesus Christ may be anticipated
WITHOUT SIGNALING THE DESTRUCTION OF CIVILIZATION by apocalyptic wars,
natural disasters, and cosmic cataclysms. |
| When their "Christ" arrives, Every eye shall see him
(Rev.1:7), because this "Christ" will undoubtedly make his public
debut on TELEVISION. "The Christ on TV" will become the image
of the beast (Rev. 13:14-15), to which everyone is required to do homage.
This "Christ" will perform miracles over the TV just like our
modern Televangelists. The abomination of desolation (Matt.24:15)
may well be nothing more surprising than a television set on the pulpit
in the Jewish temple or a Christian church. |
| When The Rapture happens, it will be "explained" as a cleansing
of the world from a certain kind of "spiritual vermin", among
whom I expect to be classified by those who hate this book. They will have
their "proof text" of course, but I have told you ahead of time;
that they are going to quote Matthew 13:41-43, saying, that now that these
"bad influences" are gone, "the righteous" shall
finally be able to shine forth in the kingdom of their Father. No
account will be taken of the fact that this is said to take place at the
"end" (Grk. SUNTELEIA) of this world: NOT in "The
Last Days" of this age. Neither will they care that the word SUNTELEIA
does not refer to any point in time at all: but means, "the consummation",
"the entire completion", or as we say in modern parlance: THE
WRAP-UP. But....I am aware that there is a hole for every rat, and that
every rat can find a hole. So even if I were to answer astutely to every
single objection that anyone can raise against a Pre-Tribulation Rapture;
it wouldn't make any difference to them anyway. Very few people, and NONE
of the world's big-shots are going in the Rapture, so it won't turn the
world upside down when it happens. The "Christ on TV" is going
to be the PAROUSIA (presence) of The New Eschatology. |
| I CAN "debunk" the NEW ESCHATOLOGY, but it wouldn't make any
difference if I did. No one who "buys in" on The New Eschatology
will do so because they were convinced by the academic evidence. Religion
is no longer important "for its own sake" in modern society;
it has been denigrated into an APPLIED SOCIAL SCIENCE, and any doctrine
that does not contribute to the establishment of cooperation and conformity
among the peoples is labeled as HERETICAL. |
| The NEW ESCHATOLOGY is just the final, formal product of an APOSTATE
THEOLOGY; a theology which presumes that the establishment of AN ORDERLY
and PRODUCTIVE SOCIETY is the primary goal of the Christian Religion. The
interests of THE STATE and the interests of Organized Religion are protected
and advanced by the NEW ESCHATOLOGY. |
| The theology that produced doctrines like THE GREAT FALLING AWAY and
THE RAPTURE is exclusivist, divisive, and economically nonproductive; and
therefore. . . . .those who proclaim or practice IT will be regarded as
"renegades"; accused of TREASON against The Church; and accused
of hindering the welfare of mankind. |
| Those who follow THE JESUS WHO SAID, Suppose ye that I am come to
give peace on earth? I tell you, NAY; but rather division (Luke 12:51);
will soon find out why He also said, Yea, the time cometh, that whosoever
killeth you will think that he doeth God service (John 16:2). |
| The greatest internal conflict in the history of Christendom is about
to begin; there will be scandals, purges, trials, WITCH HUNTS, and even
ASSASSINATIONS: this may well begin before The Rapture, but will certainly
be well underway immediately after The Rapture. The NEW ESCHATOLOGY will
win the day, and SET THE STAGE for the emergence of The New World Order
and the reign of The Antichrist. |
| As I said, the decisions you make in these matters will no longer be
regarded as insignificant distinctions between eschatological theories;
but will have everything to do with your SOCIAL and ECONOMIC survival.
One good thing comes out of all this; Theological Debate will no longer
be a "game with no stakes". |
| The shadow of the darkest moment of human history is already falling
across the world. For a brief moment that blessed hope, and the glorious
appearing of the Great God and Our Savior Jesus Christ (Titus 2:13),
will seem to have come to nothing. BUT, Rapture Believers may be assured
of their ultimate victory, BECAUSE, Bible Prophecy ALSO anticipates The
New Eschatology; describes it, condemns it, and PROVES; that The New Eschatology
is just another false doctrine of that GREAT and FINAL APOSTASY that history
calls THE GREAT FALLING AWAY (2 Thess. 2:3). |
| The doctrines of the Rapture, The Great Tribulation, and the coming
of The Antichrist have been PUBLICLY and LOUDLY proclaimed in our world
since the early 1900s. There are other views on THE END OF THE AGE in print;
but until recently, they had all but been forgotten, and were not well
known. |
| The Medieval Church taught "The Big Bang At The End" theory,
in which the coming of Christ and the END OF THE MATERIAL WORLD happen
all at once and at the same time. In their scenario, things just roll along
like they are, or steadily decline, until suddenly, and without warning,
the heavens pass away with a great noise, ...and the earth gets burned
up. The great antiquity of this view is revealed by the fact that it
is universally held by everyone who has not been formally instructed to
believe anything else. |
| During The Reformation, a theory called "Postmillennialism"
emerged: in which Jesus will only return AFTER The Church has been "perfected"
and achieved practical dominion over the whole earth. In this view, the
return of Christ is a sort of "reward" for "taking care
of business". |
| The New Eschatology is none of these. They will assert that Jesus returns
to establish The Kingdom of God on Earth, but without any intervening events
like The Tribulation or the Rapture. On the surface, this idea recommends
itself as "one of the most reasonable possibilities" for HOW
and WHEN Christ returns! |
| What makes the New Eschatology "NEW", is that somehow; during
all these intervening centuries; no one has EVER publicized, and neither
has any notable denomination ever subscribed to such a scenario (as of
1991). Historically, there have been only 3 well known and popular eschatologies. |
| 1. AMILLENNIALISM: "The Big Surprise At The End": There is
no future "Millennium", and the return of Christ accompanies
the complete and final end of the world. |
| 2. POSTMILLENNIALISM: Christ only returns at the end of a "Millennium"
of some indeterminate length, during which Christendom has taken over the
world. |
| 3. PREMILLENNIALISM: Christ returns BEFORE the Millennium; but up until
NOW, this idea has been popularly identified with a particular scenario:
Rapture-Antichrist-Tribulation- Armageddon-Christ returns- the Millennial
Kingdom begins. |
| The NEW ESCHATOLOGY is a "premillennialism" in which Jesus
returns to a world which is more or less just going on about it's business,
AND TAKES OVER. This "Christ" finds a few enemies when He gets
here, but they are handled in short order. The majority of the world's
leaders will acknowledge him and be "convinced by his genius and power"
and go along. The "returning Christ" of the NEW ESCHATOLOGY will
also find a giant religious empire that will receive him (Christendom),
and any professing Christian who denounces this "returned Christ"
will be labeled as an "antichrist" under the definition
for "antichrists" given in 1 John 2:18-19. |
| SIMPLE, OBVIOUS, and REASONABLE, ISN'T IT? The Leaders of Apostate Christendom
will never be so bold as to flatly deny the return of Jesus Christ. Neither
do I suggest that THEY WANT TO DENY that Jesus will "ever" return.
What they will do, is give us a NEW explanation of the particular circumstances
in which Jesus returns. The "Jesus" of the NEW ESCHATOLOGY will
return and accept the "job" as 'king by popular acclaim'
that the original Jesus turned down in John 6:15. I have no knowledge at
this moment of just HOW this "Christ" will make his PUBLIC debut:
but if this "Christ" is put on television, it can be said that
every eye shall see Him (Rev. 1:7). And since this "Christ"
will most assuredly make his world wide public debut in Israel, it can
also be said, For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth
even unto the west; so shall also the coming (PAROUSIA) of the Son
of man be (Matt. 24:27): WHY? HOW? Because television transmissions
will "travel like lightning" to the west, where most of
the professing Christians are! Can't you see how easy it is to defend this
scenario? Yet such a thing could not have been possible until only fifty
years ago. If then, this "Christ" speaks to the world on TELEVISION,
then television becomes THE IMAGE OF THE BEAST, and anyone who will
not acknowledge or worship "the Christ on T.V." will be labeled
as an "antichrist", and be executed (Rev. 13:15). SIMPLE, REASONABLE,
and LIKELY, isn't it? All that has to be done to make this scenario plausible
is get rid of THE GREAT FALLING AWAY, THE RAPTURE, THE TRIBULATION, and
a ONE-MAN POLITICAL ANTICHRIST from Christian eschatology. The New Eschatology
will do all of this; and as I said, the arguments that will be brought
to support the New Eschatology are FORMIDABLE, EXHAUSTIVE, and will find
apparent support from many of the most renowned scholars in the popular
history of Christendom. |
| The word PAROUSIA, which is translated to coming in Matt. 24:27,
means [detectable presence]. This word has been taken to refer to the Rapture
in most places that it is used. NOW, a "Christ" on television
can be everywhere at once, without being everywhere personally and physically.
Thus, what we have called The Rapture for the last 100 years will instead
become, "Christ on television", for by TELEVISION, he will be
PRESENT in every livingroom. This is all so reasonable that it is probable,
and so probable that I find it disturbing to even think about it. |
| I also foresee the destruction of the city of Rome by some sort of sudden
and disastrous event, because I also believe that the Catholic Church will
initially resist the New World Order. Besides, we must have a "Mystery
Babylon" to destroy. A nuclear missile originating from Iran or Iraq
would fill the bill. This will then be interpreted by the opponents of
Rome to fulfill the prophetic destruction of MYSTERY BABYLON (Rev.17:15-18);
the Catholics will flee for protection to the Protestants, and all the
professing Christians in the world will formally agree to unite against
their common foe. The nations of Islam will be overwhelmed and subdued
in the war, and a new ONE-WORLD religion dominated by Christendom will
emerge. This new ONE-WORLD RELIGION will be the amalgamation of all religions,
except that a syncretistic form of "Christianity" that makes
room for them all will be dominant. |
| KNOWING THIS FIRST: In the previous chapter, the Apostle Peter
has described all kinds of false prophets and false teachers who will be,
as he says, among you (2:1), meaning that these characters will
ALWAYS BE AROUND. In chapter 3, he reminds us to be mindful (3:2)
of everything that he, the other Apostles, and Our Lord, have taught us.
THEN he says, Knowing this first, by which he means to seize our
attention, and warns us to "keep in mind" what he is GOING TO
SAY NEXT because of how IMPORTANT what he is going to say next will be;
that is, it is VERY IMPORTANT. |
| THAT THERE SHALL COME: which obviously means that they HAD NOT
COME YET, but shall (most assuredly) come LATER, at some
point in the future. |
| IN THE LAST DAYS: this is when whoever or whatever is coming
shall come. Not the beginning of the days, not the middle of the
days, but in the last days. The last days of what? The
last days of the AGE in which Peter wrote this; the Church Age. What
ever it is that is coming, won't be here until the END of the Church Age;
the Age in which we presently live. The Apostle Paul uses the same expression
in 2 Timothy 3:1. The last days is a common Hebrew expression which
ALWAYS means [a distinct and limited period of time, having its own peculiar
characteristics, and which signals the end of a major dispensational period
of history]. I have to supply all this definition for this phrase, whose
meaning is obvious, because there are some lying teachers who say the entire
dispensation of the Church is The Last Days. Do you want a date?
The last days began in 1948. |
| SCOFFERS: those who contemptuously ridicule, and lightly dismiss,
anyone they disagree with and anything they disagree with. |
| WALKING AFTER THEIR OWN LUSTS: The word for lusts is EPITHUMIA,
which means, "any overpowering and unrestrained desire". Jesus
had EPITHUMIA to celebrate The Last Supper (Luke 22:15), where the word
is translated to desire. These scoffers are walking after,
that is, ACTIVELY PURSUING their own unrestrained desires. In this
context, as we shall see shortly, the word EPITHUMIA represents AMBITIONS. |
| AND SAYING: these scoffers have a theme, they have something
that they want everyone to hear; they have an AGENDA to present. |
| WHERE IS THE PROMISE: NOT where is the coming. These scoffers
are not challenging THE FACT of an inevitable return of Jesus Christ. The
question is directed to the word promise, both in English, and in
the Greek from which it is translated. They are denying that a certain
promise can be substantiated (in the Bible). |
| OF HIS COMING: the word translated to coming is PAROUSIA,
the word which means, "visible presence". This is not the standard
Greek word that is used to designate someone's actual physical arrival.
This word PAROUSIA is characteristic to almost every passage in the N.T.
which relates to the Rapture. There is another Greek word, EISODOS, which
means, "actual physical entrance to any place". If their question,
"where is", was directed to challenge the actual physical
return of Jesus to stand upon the earth, they would have said, "Where
is the EISODOS/coming He promised?" The challenge is to the promise,
not to the coming. The Apostle Paul says that we shall meet
the Lord in the air (1 Thess. 4:17), which answers to the idea of His
presence; He will be PRESENT to us for we will be caught up to where
He is. Christ's actual ARRIVAL on earth would have to precede His presence
on earth. No formal physical arrival is required for US to realize the
Lord's presence, because we will be caught up. . .to meet the Lord in
the air, and will therefore be in His presence without Him having arrived
physically either to where we each are particularly, or to the earth at
any one location. |
| FOR SINCE THE FATHERS FELL ASLEEP: this is a distinctly religious
phrase, and would not have been used in any context where there wasn't
a previous understanding of WHO the fathers were, or what fell
asleep means. This establishes that these scoffers are religious
persons addressing a religious audience. |
| ALL THINGS CONTINUE AS THEY WERE FROM THE BEGINNING OF CREATION:
by this, these scoffers are denying the possibility of any distinctly
supernatural intervention by God, whether in a Rapture, or in a cosmic
event of any kind. Furthermore, the term all things carries implications
that nothing in our relationship to God has changed since THE BEGINNING
of creation. Thus, they deny that the Advent of Christ changed the "rules"
by which the people of God relate to each other, and to the world. |
| WHAT WE HAVE HERE, is the complete doctrine of the Rapture deniers and
the Reconstructionists. I will summarize my exposition by presenting you
with an expanded paraphrase of 2 Peter 3:3-4: |
| But pay careful attention to this! At the end
of this present age, and just before the next age begins; there will emerge
from among your own ranks, persons of note in the Church; ambitious men
who despise and ridicule their adversaries. These men have big plans for
the Church and the world as well; giving no consideration to any idea that
does not further their own relentless ambitions. They will say, Show me
where there is a Rapture promised to us in the Bible; but anyone who shows
them, they will treat with contempt. They will remind us of how many such
predictions have come to nothing. They will also insist on having dominion
over other men; considering it their obligation to enforce right religion
and proper morals on the people as it was done in the days of the Hebrew
Patriarchs; accomplishing this end through influencing legislation in the
secular State, to which they will grant the religious authority that was
held by the government of ancient Israel. They will insist that nothing
has ever changed in the way God governs His people since the foundation
of the world, and that the State is a divine institution, whose main purpose
is to advance and defend the rights, prerogatives, and policies of the
Bureaucratic Institutions of Christendom, which they consider to be "The
Church". |
| And so here we have it; the Rapture deniers, the Reconstructionists,
and THE NEW ESCHATOLOGY; all anticipated and condemned by Bible prophecy.
You might wonder why they should care about whether or not you believe
in such things as THE GREAT FALLING AWAY, THE RAPTURE, THE GREAT TRIBULATION,
and A COMING ANTICHRIST. |
| 1. If you believe there is to be a GREAT APOSTASY at the end of the
Church Age, then you are saying that Modern Christendom is apostate, for
almost everyone acknowledges that we are at or near the end of the age.
You certainly can't expect the "licensed and certified hireling hucksters"
of Organized Religion to favor this idea. |
| 2. If you believe in THE RAPTURE, then you are not worried about the
world's big problems, like pollution or dwindling oil supplies. If you
believe in a SOON Rapture you probably won't be concerned about saving
up for your retirement, and you are unlikely to commit to any long term
projects that would be pointless if there wasn't enough time left to reach
the goal. Belief in a SOON Rapture definitely fosters laxity in respect
to almost everything that the world is worried about. |
| 3. If you believe that THE GREAT TRIBULATION is right around the corner,
then you are fundamentally pessimistic about the future of society. Things
are only going to get worse, no matter what anybody does, so why try at
all? A coming GREAT TRIBULATION makes all this uproar about a New World
Order ridiculous; it will come to disaster, no matter what the politicians
do. |
| 4. If you believe that there shall arise a POLITICAL ANTICHRIST to whom
the leaders of the world will give assent, then you OBVIOUSLY don't have
any faith in the STATE, and are not likely to be very patriotic. |
| People who believe in a Rapture Theology are A LOT LESS COOPERATIVE
with secular society: they are unlikely to contribute much to that ever
changing parade of crusades, wherein we are always being told that we can
solve the problems in our world by secular means. There is a great sense
of urgency underlying all the "business as usual" on this planet.
We know too much. While we are trying to go about our private lives, the
television and the newspaper are constantly warning us about THE TERRIBLE
PROBLEMS that are bearing down on us, and how we better HURRY UP AND START
DOING SOMETHING ABOUT IT, OR ELSE! Our Lord Jesus Christ prophesied about
this "frightened urgency". |
