An Apparent Contradiction Resolved by Placing "Works" in Context

What do you do with this?  On the one hand, here are some verses, Romans 4:2-5:

For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God. ³ For what does the Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.” ⁴ Now to him who works, the wages are not counted as grace but as debt.  ⁵ But to him who does not work but believes on Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is accounted for righteousness.

The verses seem to say, works has no place in salvation (his believing was “accounted to him for righteousness”).

 On the other hand, you have these verses, James 2:21-24:

Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered Isaac his son on the altar? ²² Do you see that faith was working together with his works, and by works faith was made perfect? ²³ And the Scripture was fulfilled which says, “Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.” And he was called the friend of God. ²⁴ You see then that a man is justified by works, and not by faith only.

Whoa, these verses (using the same Gen. 15:6 base, even) seem to say, Abraham was saved (“justified”) by faith PLUS WORKS.  James says faith is “made perfect” by works.

Are these saying there are two methods of salvation, to obtain heaven?  God wouldn’t do that to us.  If you really believe in inspiration of Scripture, there has to be an explanation for this.  In addition, Scripture has backup for each of these seemingly conflicting views, too. 

Added Scriptures that seem to say, “Works Has No Place” in Salvation”

Ephesians 2:8-9a:  For by grace you have been saved through faith, and not that of yourselves. It is a gift of God. Not of works, lest anyone should boast.

II Timothy 1:9:  Who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works but according to his own purpose and grace which was given to us in Christ Jesus.

Titus 3:5:  Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit.

Now, how about the other view? Here are more that seem to say,

 “Salvation is Faith Plus Works”

Matthew 7:24-27:  “Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock: ²⁵ and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock.

²⁶ “But everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand: ²⁷ and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it fell. And great was its fall.”

Hebrews 10:26-27:  For if we sin willfully after we have received the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, ²⁷ but a certain fearful expectation of judgment, and fiery indignation which will devour the adversaries. 

I John 2:3-5:  Now by this we know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments. ⁴ He who says, “I know Him,” and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. ⁵ But whoever keeps His word, truly the love of God is perfected in him. By this we know that we are in Him.

What do we do when we have two parts of a document, in this case two parts of the New Testament, that seem to say the exact opposite thing?  Let’s first look at how Martin Luther resolved this dilemma. His solution was to say, and I quote, “Some New Testament books have precedent over other books. They’re not all on the same level.” That would be a surprise to people today who say they believe every word of Scripture is important—see II Tim. 3:16, “ALL Scripture is inspired.” When he translated the Bible into German so the common people could read it, he included prefaces to each book and a New Testament preface.  In those prefaces, he indicated his favorite books—books that agree with his Reformation theology.  That way the reader would be passionate about those Scriptures that he was passionate about.  Here’s a few things he said in those prefaces, translated.   “John’s Gospel and Saint Paul’s Epistles, especially that to the Romans, and Saint Peter’s first Epistle are the true kernel and marrow of all the books. They ought rightly be the first books, and it would be advisable for every Christian to read them first and most.” But this instruction was un-Scriptural.  It gets worse, “John’s Gospel is the one understandable, true, chief gospel, far, far to be preferred to the other three (Matthew, Mark, and Luke), and placed high above them. So, too, the epistles of Saint Paul and Saint Peter far surpass the three Gospels, Matthew, Mark and Luke.”  Rather bold, downgrading three Gospels.  But folks, these three Gospels are where you read more of the words of Jesus Christ, the greatest Teacher in the whole planet! Matthew contains more words of Jesus than any other book of the Bible. He continues, “Saint James' Epistle is really an epistle of straw, compared to them, for it has nothing of the nature of the gospel about it.”  What nerve!  “Throw away James; it’s not gospel.”  So, shall we make up our own “Bible?”

In the introductions to Hebrews and Revelation, he disparaged them as well, and said that they were not apostolic.  Well, we suspect that’s because these books again didn’t agree with his salvation theology. Hebrews has those nasty verses that say that if we sin willfully, that then we have insulted the spirit of grace and we will be punished (see above). And in Revelation, in the seven letters to the churches, what does Jesus say first each time? “I know your works.”

Now, did you know that the oldest Bible we have, the oldest complete Bible that is bound as a book, the order of the books is different than in our Bibles? Right now, when you get through with Acts, you actually go right to Romans.  But in the oldest Bible we have, when you get through with Acts, guess which book you’ll go to – the book of James. The change in order to Romans is because of Luther.

So we conclude that Luther’s solution to the “contradictions” is to avoid books, and verses that are contrary.  Pick and choose.  This is called “proof-texting,” and not an honest way of making theology.

Courts have the honest approach here.  If they are studying a document to resolve a dispute, they don’t focus on just part of a document and ignore the rest; they examine the whole of it so as to construe it as a whole without reference to any one part more than another. Another step courts take is to see if a word is being used in a particular sense in one paragraph but in a different sense in another one, because the same word can have different meanings.  For instance, look at this sentence: “Tom ran fast to reach Tim who is stuck fast in the ice.” Same word “fast,” but two entirely different meanings. The first part it means to run quickly. The second part it means unable to move. Or try this:  “Bob left for town. This left only Jim at home.” Bob went somewhere, Jim stayed at home but we still used the same word, “left.” Words have different meanings—so, how do we know which meaning?  Look at their context.

It doesn’t take a genius to figure out that if Paul said Abraham was not saved by works, and James says he was saved with the help of works, the two men are using the word “works” in two different senses.  So, if the document doesn’t give a direct definition of the word, we should look at the context.

What’s the context of James? When he uses the term “works”, what is James talking about? Or I should say, what is the Holy Spirit talking about there? We can look it up. “What does it profit my brethren, if someone says he has faith but does not have works?  If a brother or sister is naked and destitute of daily food and one of you says to them, 'Depart in peace. Be warmed and filled,' but do not give them the things which are needed for the body, what does it profit? Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.” With the word “works,” James is talking about acts of love, acts of faith, acts of obedience. In fact, it dovetails with Matthew 25, when Jesus tests who are saved--are you helping the hungry, visiting the sick, etc. He calls those things “works” and he says without them we will not be justified.

What about Paul? What’s the context of his letters? The background of all of them can be discerned.  Acts 15 reveals the big issue that surrounded much of Paul’s ministry. “And certain men came down from Judea and taught the brethren, ‘Unless you are circumcised, according to the custom of Moses, you could not be saved.”  Some of the sect of the Pharisees who believed rose up saying, 'It is necessary to circumcise them, the Gentiles and to command them to keep the Law of Moses.' ” That was a big issue. You have these Gentiles coming in, and yet for 1500 years in Jewish history the way to God was to the Law of Moses, so naturally they want to include that.  Galatians, I won’t read it all, read chapter 2 sometime. It is so clear that the issue is, Paul has preached to these Galatians, they understand that they can come into the church so they can be saved without being circumcised, without keeping the law. But what happens? Some men came from Jerusalem and next thing you know, they’re telling them, “You guys have got to keep the law. You must be circumcised.” This isn’t a little thing when you’re talking to adult converts. Shall we put Moses’ Law on them?  This was putting a pretty heavy burden on them, a very heavy burden.

People don’t care enough about context; they like to go straight to Romans 4 (above). It amazes me, how can you just skip chapters 2 and 3 which lay out the context?   Paul is writing the Romans, but in chapter 3 he’s talking to the Jews.  He says, “Indeed you are called a Jew, and rest on the law,” the Mosaic Law, “And make your boast in God and know his will and approve the things that are excellent, being instructed out of the law, and are confident that you yourself are a guide to the blind, a light to those who are in darkness.” The Jews were feeling superior to the Gentiles, saying, “We’ll tell you the way to do things because we know the law and you don’t.” But Paul admonishes that thinking: “Where is boasting then? It is excluded by what law, of works? No, but by the law of faith.

Thus the context to Romans 4. When it says, “We conclude that a man is justified by faith apart from the works of the law,” the “works of the law” means the dead works of the Mosaic law—they didn’t have to follow those works. 

But this is my point:  The meaning of "works" has changed. This is clearly not the kind of works that James is talking about.

For more on Paul’s “works,” you go to Ephesians, it’s the same thing. In fact, it affects his whole ministry because he has the same issue every town he goes to--the Jews want the Gentiles to come under the Law of Moses. The church fathers figured this out, there’s nothing complicated.  Everyone understood that for 1500 years, but Luther takes it and says, “No. He’s saying that God doesn’t want you to try to be good, just have the faith of Jesus and his righteousness imputed to you.”  No, he took it too far, in effect wiping out works completely.  This was wrong.

So you see, different meanings for “works” solves our “contrary” verses at the very beginning of our discussion.  Paul’s “works” are Moses’ Law.  Since we are interested in salvation, not in running through debates with wrong-headed Jewish/Christians, we should settle on the “works” that is right for us:  James’ works of faith, love, and obedience.  The second group of verses. 

And we come to the resolution of our problem:  Salvation is faith, but faith has a commitment tied in.  Works of love and obedience will follow, if you are truly saved, as the second quartet of verses points out. 

Now this paragraph is important.  You cannot begin the process of going to heaven (it is a process) with works.  Any effort you make to reform yourself, by yourself, to get “brownie points” with God, will fail.  Without Christ in you, such an effort only results in newer sins, like judgmentalism and pride. No, you begin the process by faith--understanding from Scripture how Christ died to relieve you from the grip of sin and Satan, and made you continually acceptable to God IF you walk in Him.  You believe Scripture,that tells you that God loves you and knows what’s best for your life decisions.  You must accept Christ as Lord of your life, more than as Savior.  By His death for you, He owns you.  You obey Him, the Lord.  Then, reading His Word, you see His great love, that He has the best intentions for you as you walk through life, making decisions over and over again that involve sacrifice, patience, etc—you build fruits of the Spirit. This is much easier than the failures before you knew Christ, because the Spirit and your brothers and sisters will help you. Then you’re saved at the end.  I have a blog that straightens out “contrary” verses on the timing of salvation, by the way.

If you died right after exercising faith, you would go to heaven.  But assuming you continue living, you must lead a righteous life to maintain salvation.  If you don’t break from the world, you could lose salvation.  Then hopefully, with proper repentance and resolve, you could regain it. That reminds me:  a word for those “once saved, always saved” folks: you leave the mistaken impression on proselytes that faith is the main thing, or even that faith is enough.  Do not assume that everyone’s appreciation of God is so strong from the get-go that they will “naturally, out of love” do good works. The Holy Spirit will see to it, you say.  But life is free choices, and we still have the sin-nature.  We’re supposed to suppress it, but we may choose not to.  I’ve seen too many people who managed to distort what a “work” actually is, or they never think five minutes about what their Lord wants them to do, who still think they’re saved.  This theology not only is wrong because of verses above, but it was never followed by our church fathers (see below).  It has too often a bad result:  People get complacent, they often minimize sin (“Well, I haven’t lied, haven’t insulted mom, went to church, haven’t murdered—I’m OK.”)  Well, they’re not OK because they haven’t really followed what Jesus bluntly said in the Gospels about salvation (such as Matthew 25).  Jesus repeatedly says, we must have mercy, we must forgive, we must help the poor, and then there are the fruits. It goes far beyond the Ten Commandments.  He also says many people will be shocked when they aren’t allowed in heaven.  A very concerning Scripture. Our capacity for self-deception is so great that maybe we should see if our beliefs and actions truly line up with Scripture.  God can be stricter than we realize. And, yes, we will have uncertainty.  Well, even Paul had uncertainty. 

For a final proof, wouldn’t you agree that the church fathers, who were closest to the Apostles, who knew every nuance in the Greek, who knew their local culture, who gave their lives unstintingly for Christ, whose small groups engaged in miracles and saw the saving of thousands, whose writings showed an intense understanding of the New Testament, would have figured these “contrary” verses out?  Well, they have.  Let’s show some of their words (a warning here:  don’t start thinking that these guys sound Catholic.  This was when the church was truly one, as Christ envisioned it, long before the Church merged with the state and distorted its theology):

  “We’re justified by our works and not our words.” That wasn’t just some strange person saying that. That was Clement of Rome. He was one of the elders in Rome that Paul mentioned in Philippians 4:3. Clement was one of his fellow workers whose name is in the Book of Life. Clement had no problem saying that.

“The way of light then is as follows; if anyone desires to travel to the appointed place,” that’s heaven by the way, “he must be zealous in his works.” It’s from the letter of Barnabas; in the book of Acts, he was an early partner with Paul.

Justin Martyr, writing about 150 A.D.: “If men by their works show themselves worthy of his design, they are deemed worthy of reigning in company with him, being delivered from corruption and suffering. This is what we have received.” He’s not trying to preach this to Christians and change their view, he’s explaining to the Romans, “This is what we believe. This is what’s been handed down to us, if men by their works show themselves worthy.” That wasn’t a strange thing to say. It has nothing to do with Roman Catholicism. People read the Bible. They saw no issue with works until Martin Luther.

I could go on all day, quoting these great men.  Now I assure you that these men knew the concept of grace, that we don’t earn salvation. But they also understood, once you have been saved from this world, once you have been rescued, you have to walk obediently with Jesus Christ. Everybody understood that. They knew John 15:1-6.  The error of the medieval Roman Catholics, wasn’t that they taught this, it’s that they didn’t believe this. They thought there were all of these little shortcuts you could take instead of being somebody who really loves God and who therefore obeys his commandments. “Hey, you can take these pilgrimages to Jerusalem and all that. You can add up these brownie points and be an ungodly person but God will take you because you’ve created all of these artificial means of getting to heaven.” That was their sin. It wasn’t because they believed in walking obediently with God. Many of them did; there were some outstanding Roman Catholics. But far too many were looking to all these little shortcuts, and Luther gave them a giant shortcut.  Forget works; don't read James--saying little things like that.

If you assert that Luther’s understanding of Christianity is true, look at the big picture: say this 2000 years is a clock dial. You’d have to say that the whole church was in darkness until around 1519 when Luther first taught salvation by faith alone. Now, does that make sense to you? Jesus said, “Lo, I am with you all the days until the end of time,” yet for 1500 years no one knows the real gospel, suddenly Martin Luther discovers it? A guy who never knew the apostles, who wasn’t a particularly godly man, who had blood on his hands (see my blog on him), but this is a guy who discovers the real gospel that nobody before him saw? That makes no sense to me. But nevertheless, for 500 years since, Luther’s view of salvation has been propagated through millions of sermons, books, commentaries, study bibles, pamphlets, tracts, hymns, and so many of the Christian songs we sing. It’s even reflected in all Protestant Bible translations, which we use. 

I know this is radical stuff, but it has a following by many who do their own reading and thinking.  I have many more blogs that look at this important doctrine of salvation from other angles.  I pray you’ll read them.  Obviously look at Scripture.  Try this idea:  In the Gospels, when Jesus says something salvific, ask yourself, “Did Jesus really mean everything He said?”  If you have an open mind, you’ll be surprised at the conclusions you draw.  Start with John 15:1-6.

Acknowledgement:  David Bercot, “Why Anabaptists are Not Welcome in Most “Anabaptist” Churches.  AIC meeting, March 2015, Indiana

I Have a Dream That Gets Farther Away

Today, August 28^th is the 57th anniversary of the Martin Luther King Jr's "I Have a Dream" speech.  I thought I would bring to your attention a few of his private notes, which were honestly expressed.  It’s obvious he had a higher view of Jesus Christ than most people think.  His views on churches are spot-on, I believe.  His last sentence is a prophecy that has largely become true.  Read on.

"How does one determine whether a law is just or unjust? A just law is a man-made code that squares with the moral law or the law of God. An unjust law is a code that is out of harmony with the moral law. To put it in the terms of St. Thomas Aquinas: An unjust law is a human law that is not rooted in eternal law and natural law."

"We should never forget that everything Adolf Hitler did in Germany was "legal" and everything the Hungarian freedom fighters did in Hungary was "illegal." It was "illegal" to aid and comfort a Jew in Hitler's Germany. Even so, I am sure that, had I lived in Germany at the time, I would have aided and comforted my Jewish brothers. If today I lived in a Communist country where certain principles dear to the Christian faith are suppressed, I would openly advocate disobeying that country's antireligious laws."

"I must confess that over the past few years I have been gravely disappointed with the white moderate. I have almost reached the regrettable conclusion that the Negro's great stumbling block in his stride toward freedom is not the White Citizen's Counciler or the Ku Klux Klanner, but the white moderate, who is more devoted to "order" than to justice; who prefers a negative peace which is the absence of tension to a positive peace which is the presence of justice; who constantly says: "I agree with you in the goal you seek, but I cannot agree with your methods of direct action"; who paternalistically believes he can set the timetable for another man's freedom; who lives by a mythical concept of time and who constantly advises the Negro to wait for a "more convenient season." Shallow understanding from people of good will is more frustrating than absolute misunderstanding from people of ill will. Lukewarm acceptance is much more bewildering than outright rejection."

"But though I was initially disappointed at being categorized as an extremist, as I continued to think about the matter I gradually gained a measure of satisfaction from the label. Was not Jesus an extremist for love: "Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you." Was not Amos an extremist for justice: "Let justice roll down like waters and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream." Was not Paul an extremist for the Christian gospel: "I bear in my body the marks of the Lord Jesus." Was not Martin Luther an extremist: "Here I stand; I cannot do otherwise, so help me God." And John Bunyan: "I will stay in jail to the end of my days before I make a butchery of my conscience." And Abraham Lincoln: "This nation cannot survive half slave and half free." And Thomas Jefferson: "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal ..." So the question is not whether we will be extremists, but what kind of extremists we will be. Will we be extremists for hate or for love? Will we be extremist for the preservation of injustice or for the extension of justice? In that dramatic scene on Calvary's hill three men were crucified. We must never forget that all three were crucified for the same crime---the crime of extremism. Two were extremists for immorality, and thus fell below their environment. The other, Jesus Christ, was an extremist for love, truth and goodness, and thereby rose above his environment. Perhaps the South, the nation and the world are in dire need of creative extremists."


"I have been so greatly disappointed with the white church and its leadership . . When I was suddenly catapulted into the leadership of the bus protest in Montgomery, Alabama, a few years ago, I felt we would be supported by the white church. I felt that the white ministers, priests and rabbis of the South would be among our strongest allies. Instead, some have been outright opponents, refusing to understand the freedom movement and misrepresenting its leaders; all too many others have been more cautious than courageous and have remained silent behind the anesthetizing security of stained-glass windows."

"In the midst of blatant injustices inflicted upon the Negro, I have watched white churchmen stand on the sideline and mouth pious irrelevancies and sanctimonious trivialities. In the midst of a mighty struggle to rid our nation of racial and economic injustice, I have heard many ministers say: "Those are social issues, with which the gospel has no real concern." And I have watched many churches commit themselves to a completely other worldly religion which makes a strange, un-Biblical distinction between body and soul, between the sacred and the secular."


"There was a time when the church was very powerful in the time when the early Christians rejoiced at being deemed worthy to suffer for what they believed. In those days the church was not merely a thermometer that recorded the ideas and principles of popular opinion; it was a thermostat that transformed the mores of society. Whenever the early Christians entered a town, the people in power became disturbed and immediately sought to convict the Christians for being "disturbers of the peace" and "outside agitators"' But the Christians pressed on, in the conviction that they were "a colony of heaven," called to obey God rather than man. Small in number, they were big in commitment. They were too God-intoxicated to be "astronomically intimidated." By their effort and example they brought an end to such ancient evils as infanticide and gladiatorial contests.

Things are different now. So often the contemporary church is a weak, ineffectual voice with an uncertain sound. So often it is an archdefender of the status quo. Far from being disturbed by the presence of the church, the power structure of the average community is consoled by the church's silent and often even vocal sanction of things as they are. 

But the judgment of God is upon the church as never before. If today's church does not recapture the sacrificial spirit of the early church, it will lose its authenticity, forfeit the loyalty of millions, and be dismissed as an irrelevant social club with no meaning for the twentieth century. Every day I meet young people whose disappointment with the church has turned into outright disgust." 

Martin Luther King
from Letter from the Birmingham Jail
April 16, 1963

Vaccine, Chips, and the Mark of the Beast--Chronology of End Times

I’ve been listening to a great series of messages by Dalton Thomas, from Frontier Alliance International, on the subject of end times. Since End-Time Scripture is focused on the Middle East, he is well-positioned to speak, being an American citizen living in Golan Heights-along with a mentor, Joel Richardson, who has written several popular books such as The Islamic Antichrist.  So I would like to give you his take on end times, with my explanations, a Cliff’s Notes, as it were, of what he calls “The Mark of the Beast, Pandemic of Coronavirus, and the New World Order.”

Dalton is responding to the fear expressed in Facebook, in emails, on whether the world-wide pandemic, and the vaccine, are a mark of the beast, or will bring about a global restructuring, a New World Order. People are also worried about taking a “chip” to bring about a cashless society.  Some people are anxiety-prone, responding to hyper-sensationalism and news of conspiracies.  It’s true that the mark of the beast is important, however, since the antichrist uses it to gain and maintain power, so let’s study this. 

Many are afraid if they take the vaccine, or take a chip to go to a cashless society, that they’ll go to hell.  They've read a Scripture that seems to say that, in Revelation 14:9-10:

Then a third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, “If anyone worships the beast and his image, and receives his mark on his forehead or on his hand, 10 he himself shall also drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out full strength into the cup of His indignation. He shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb. 

As you see, you must "worship the beast and his image," which is what is involved with taking "his mark."  That will send you to hell.  Neither the vaccine nor the cashless society mark, if there is one coming, fulfill the verses' expectations for those bound for hell.  

Mr. Thomas does say that with the rise of Islam and their goal of making a 10-nation caliphate (another video and blog upcoming), and the responses of each government to the pandemic, we are indeed restructuring society—and this could make it hard for a Christian to go through life untouched by persecution.  He makes it clear, though, that the vaccine or “chip” to go cashless are NOT the mark of the beast, then begins Scripture proof of this.

First, the Scripture is about the Middle East; so when we’re trying to time end-time events, we should be focusing on changes there, not in the Western Hemisphere, where we frankly don’t get mentioned in the Bible.  No political leader or techno CEO or health department from the USA or Germany, for instance, will implement the mark of the beast. Taking the “mark,” or the number 666, will initiate in the Middle East; and it will come after a worldwide military buildup of power by “the beast, ” as the ruler is also known in Scripture—and it will affect every nation, every person, on the globe for 3-1/2 years.  Thus, as far as what is important in end times, the world no longer revolves around the United States or the EU.  We’re not saying the U.S. is irrelevant—but the point is, the U.S., in end times, is not in the Bible anywhere, so we conclude that the USA is not a worldwide power at this point.  The focus is on Jerusalem, the city of the Great King, and surrounding Islamic nations. 

We need a “baptism" of study in the Bible to know what to expect in our earthly future, and turn away from pop culture or people that just want to sell books to people they hope are undiscerning.  We don’t have to fear as the world fears if we know His Word—therein is His truth.  Our concern about negatives right now in world events is way too great, it does not even compare to the truly horrible events of the future.  We are not persecuted, now, considering how we might someday be persecuted to martyrdom. We desperately need to get regularly into the Word, get right with God, to prepare ourselves for what’s coming.  Let’s begin our real study with Revelation 13:4-10:

So they worshiped the dragon who gave authority to the beast; and they worshiped the beast, saying, “Who is like the beast? Who is able to make war with him?”  ⁵ And he was given a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies, and he was given authority to continue for forty-two months. ⁶ Then he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme His name, His tabernacle, and those who dwell in heaven. ⁷ It was granted to him to make war with the saints and to overcome them. And authority was given him over every tribe, tongue, and nation. ⁸ All who dwell on the earth will worship him, whose names have not been written in the Book of Life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world. ⁹ If anyone has an ear, let him hear. ¹⁰ If anyone is to be taken captive, to captivity he goes; if anyone is to be slain with the sword, with the sword must he be slain. Here is the patience and the faith of the saints.

A question that arises of the above verses:  Why do people love the beast?  Since Revelation 6 and Matthew 24 speak of continual war, “nation against nation,” the people who get tired of all the war and death, just want peace and order. They will cry for security. They will be happy about a man who could be successful militarily that he could restore peace to us.  He will deceive, and make us think that he is benevolent.  Only when he attacks Jerusalem is his satanic nature exposed.  Even then, most people don’t know (or don’t care) that he is the beast (the antichrist, or Gog), and is a true child of the devil who they also worship when they revere the beast.  This is shockingly true, even if he blasphemed God and proceeded to make war with the saints—well, they closed their eyes to evil in exchange for peace and security. They will pay dearly for this complacence.  Their names “have not been written in the Book of Life.”  They will be in hell when they die.  They wanted a calmer life in the present, not thinking about eternity. Don’t let this be you. 

A second aspect of the verses:  God will actually give the devil (the dragon above) worldwide authority, even to kill His children, which Satan passes along to his son, the beast. How could God do that? Is God not loving? But I ask you, who opens the seals in Revelation 6 for the horrible things to come?  Jesus, the Lamb of God. So the truth is, God does this to test our faithfulness to Him.

Consider Deuteronomy 13:1-3:

“If there arises among you a prophet or a dreamer of dreams, and he gives you a sign or a wonder, ² and the sign or the wonder comes to pass, of which he spoke to you, saying, ‘Let us go after other gods’—which you have not known—‘and let us serve them,’ ³ you shall not listen to the words of that prophet or that dreamer of dreams, for the Lord your God is testing you to know whether you love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul.

This life-or-death testing by God is a heavy reality, but very true nonetheless.  This messes with our theology, but that’s because we’ve had it so good that we’ve developed “easy believism” in our “cotton candy Christian culture,” and don’t know of the two sides of God. As Paul says it in Romans 11, “consider the goodness and severity of God.”  Difficult times are coming; this will be the most severe possible test by God.  We must hold onto our faith, knowing by faith that He will win, that He has ultimate sovereignty.  But remember, this testing will last for only 42 months.  Jesus calls it the “tribulation,” see Matthew 24:21.  If we want heaven, we should not take up a sword as resistance; that’s the way of the world. Note Jesus, who did not resist the Cross. We can flee to a remote place, but if confronted, we give all allegiance to God and do not resist. Be willing to be a captive; be willing to be slain.  Just endure in faith—even to the end of your life, if need be. Such could be an astounding testimony. The greatest harvest of new saints to heaven in the past came upon the martyrdom of His children.  God may call upon us to suffer—but is the servant greater than his master?  If Jesus suffered, shall we not also expect to suffer?

Here is Revelation 13:16-18, the verses everyone is concerned about:

He causes all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and slave (slavery and human trafficking will arise again), to receive a mark on their right hand or on their foreheads, ¹⁷ and that no one may buy or sell except one who has the mark or the name of the beast, or the number of his name. ¹⁸ Here is wisdom. Let him who has understanding calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man: His number is 666.

We may be confused about the “mark;” is it just an economic device as to who can buy or sell? Well, it’s something on the hand or the forehead, yes, but Mr. Thomas thinks it’s something more.  We can learn some from history.  In the past, when Islam took over rule, those that wouldn’t bow to Allah were subjugated—it was difficult to get a good job, hard to travel, especially internationally. They had to pay what they called the “jizya tax,” an extra tax, and had the letter “N” on their house (infidel worshippers of the Nazarene).  They had their neighbors rewarded for spying and tattling on them, their rights as to freedom of speech would go away, their lawyers would still have to learn Islamic law in court.  They became part of the house of the unfaithful. It was simply a test of what God they would worship, and were they faithful enough to suffer for their God.  Perhaps when the antichrist, who is Islamic, takes over, Satan, or the beast, wants worship the same way.  So the “mark,” besides the non-buy and sell, really asks: Can you subjugate like this, enduring for Christ, or do you bow to the beast and the dragon (Satan), and become Islamic?  A different meaning for “mark,” is it not? But it is in Merriam Webster’s dictionary.  

Before you imagine what you will do to keep from starving, since you can’t buy or sell, it might be tempting to “pretend” to convert to Islam.  But here are some more verses to think about: Revelation 14:9-11:

Then a third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, “If anyone worships the beast and his image, and receives his mark on his forehead or on his hand, ¹⁰ he himself shall also drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out full strength into the cup of His indignation. He shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb. ¹¹ And the smoke of their torment ascends forever and ever; and they have no rest day or night, who worship the beast and his image, and whoever receives the mark of his name.”

Everyone will hear, and maybe see, this angel.  The beast, in administering this no-buy, no-sell, has worldwide authority, so he can rather effectively enforce this terrible rule.  So if you are being asked in one country to take a chip in your hand for cashless banking, it can’t be “the mark” that would send you to hell.  God will require that Satan sets the real “mark” to be a worship of the beast, so that if you do it, it is out of defiance to Him.  THAT’s the one that will send you to hell. It’s an open, conscious decision of worship that you have to announce.  It would never be an “accident.”  You must decide; temporary life on an admittedly deranged earth, followed by an eternity in hell—or suffering, perhaps dying, for God, who will reward you with heaven?  The real issue is, who do you worship?  God cannot have any mercy on you if you have chosen to depend on the beast rather than God for your needs. 

You may say yes, you must have the mark to buy or sell, and yes, you want to protect your family—“we’ll starve unless we take the mark.”  But I believe there will be alternatives; maybe there could be a black market in a food co-op if you join a Christian group (joining a hated group would require a lot of faith).  Maybe you could grow your own food.  Of course, then you must protect it. (This will cause many thefts and deaths for sure.) Maybe God could send an angel dropping it off—probably a rare event. Since it might be tempting to avoid all that life-endangering risk and take the mark, we must resist the urge, we must endure and have radical faith that God means every word He says. If He says, “Everyone who takes the mark is bound for hell,” as it does in verses above, believe His Words.  Can you take a chance that He is kidding, that you “know” Him better than that? Care to gamble on an Eternity in hell? 

Another proof that you’re not going to hell taking a vaccine, or a chip for a cashless society:  The last 7 years is detailed in Scripture.  Scripture divides the 7 years in two. Proof of that is in Daniel 9:27:

Then he shall confirm a covenant with many for one seven; But in the middle of the seven He shall bring an end to sacrifice and offering. And on the wing of abominations shall be one who makes desolate,

Here’s what happens in the first 3-1/2 years.  It begins with a covenant of peace that the antichrist makes with the Jews.  That begins the first 3-1/2 years, also called “the beginning of sorrows.” But this is not the tribulation, but a warm-up.  There will be many wars, but not the War to End All Wars, or Armageddon; there will be deception and famine, and earthquakes, but so have we at all times—just not so many at once. These repeating events cannot be measuring points for when the 7 years begin. Only the covenant is an effective time test as to when the 7 years begin.  There might be a testing of technology to see a chip’s workableness for the future mark, but using it to hunt for Christians’ lives will not be yet.  The covenant with the Jews is the beginning.  Start counting there.  You cannot be fearful of any “mark” then. Remember, the antichrist is deceptively appearing as a friend to Jews and Christians, so no great harm yet.

The real hurt happens in the second 3-1/2 year, the tribulation.  Look what Daniel 7:25 says about it:

He shall speak pompous words against the Most High, Shall persecute the saints of the Most High, And shall intend to change times and law. Then the saints shall be given into his hand
for a time and times and half a time.

The saints, all those who believe and follow the Lord, are hunted down and killed for 3-1/2 years, or “Time, times, and half a time.”   This period is so important that from Revelation 6 to almost the end of the book, all the events take place in that second 3-1/2 year timeline.  We know that because the introduction to all this, in Revelation 11:2, 12:6 and 12:14 all refer to periods called, variously, “time, times, and half a time”--and “1260 days,” which is 3-1/2 years, and of course, “42 months,” which is also 3-1/2 years.  This is how it will go. Right after the first 3-1/2 years is over, the deadly last 3-1/2 years is going to begin. What is the big event that starts it?  The answer is, in Revelation 11, the city of Jerusalem is attacked and trampled down, and the Jews flee—that’s the measurable beginning of the last 3-1/2 years.  Measure it.  The antichrist blasphemes on the altar of the restored temple in Jerusalem, see Matthew 24:15:

“Therefore when you see the ‘abomination of desolation,’ spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place” (whoever reads, let him understand), ¹⁶ “then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains.

What is this “abomination?”  Maybe he sacrifices a pig on the altar in the holy of holies, perhaps he erects an altar to himself. In any event, Jews in Jerusalem are able to figure it out—they take flight, knowing he will go on a killing spree.  Consider Zechariah 14:1-2: 

Behold, the day of the Lord is coming, and your spoil will be divided in your midst. ² For I will gather all the nations to battle against Jerusalem; the city shall be taken, the houses rifled, And the women ravished. Half of the city shall go into captivity, but the remnant of the people shall not be cut off from the city.

Half will go into captivity.  The other half? Slain, fled, or hidden.  Only the “remnant” is left there.  His saints, see Daniel 7:25 above, should also flee urban areas, since he is gunning for them too.  He is worse than Hitler, worse than Nero, worse than the Inquisition, all rolled together.  At the beginning of the second 3-1/2, the beginning of tribulation, upon blaspheming the Jews’ holy site, his true self is unmasked; he is an enemy of Jews, and Christians. 

THIS is when taking his mark of worship will mean eternal death.

Looking back for context, Revelation 12 has a broader storyline—it tells of the birth of Jesus, in metaphors. It reminds you of Genesis 3:15, of the conflict of Jesus and the devil.  Satan has tried throughout history to oppose God, but in this last 3-1/2 years, there is unprecedented war that Satan brings on Christ’s followers and on the Jews. See Revelation 12:12:

Woe to the inhabitants of the earth and the sea! For the devil has come down to you, having great wrath, because he knows that he has a short time.”

An eradication of the saints is also his goal. He is devastatingly effective.   

Keep in mind that God gave him the authority for 42 months (Rev. 13:5) to put His children to such trial and death.  The “mark” is a symbol of his authority at that time.  So, let’s say some governmental agency currently comes up with a vaccine, or, let’s say, airlines won’t let you fly currently unless you can show proof of vaccine; so is taking the vaccine a mark of the beast? No, because the real “mark” in Rev. 13 is after the beast has been unmasked, and has taken his place on the world stage.  Thus, any mark you may be fearful of now, you need not fear until these things happen. It will NOT be the mark of the beast until then.

You need to know that even now, with Kurdish groups under the oppression of Turkish proxy groups, or with Shia groups occupying Sunni populations in Syria, you cannot buy or sell unless you take a knee to their Islamic religion and Shiite law.  But this localized problem is not the end time. (For further explanation, see Daniel 9-12, covered in other videos, which includes other references to these last 3-1/2 years).  Isis did much damage, despite being a small band of rogue jihadists.  Imagine the damage that could be done by a 10-nation confederacy of jihadists with scripturally inspired bloodlust, bent on one thing—killing and destroying.   

If we are living in this time of the invasion of Jerusalem, we know that this second 42 months, despite its horrors, is just before the edge of Eternity; it is the hallmark sign and prophetic event that signals to the church that this is close to the End War, that this is the final countdown.  We are on the brink of the glorious age to come, months away from heaven, to be with our just and victorious and loving Lord forever.  A time of excitement, not fear. To quote Mr. Thomas, “the Day of the Lord is very great and very terrible. It’s going to be the most glorious hour of human history, but also the most difficult, terrible and challenging hour of human history.” It’s the great clash of the extremes. This is not about vaccines, which are minor; we’re talking about mass bloodshed, mass jihad, mass subjugation of the people of God. 

Mr. Thomas also makes a shocking statement:  The pre-tribulation rapture theory is “so destructive.”  If you have plans for being in heaven during this time, being conveniently rescued out of here, then thinking of how you can educate your spouse or your kids, or speak prophetically to the church, and how you can best mentally prepare those around you for the terror that could happen (followed by the best that could happen) won’t be your concern—it’s irrelevant. “That’s destructive,” he says. Revelation repeats many times a call to endurance for the saints.  So how can you line this up with the doctrine that God intends to rescue us painlessly?

In any event, currently opting out of the vaccine or the “chip” cannot use the “mark of the beast” as an excuse to opt out.  You may have other reasons to refuse it, but not this. Other talk about us being persecuted, even if true, pales in comparison to the future. 

Keep one thing in mind:  Yes, “it was granted to him to make war with the saints and to overcome them.”  (Rev. 13:7).  But who is the ultimate overcomer?  We His children are:  As Rev. 12:11 says:

And they (saints) overcame him (the antichrist) by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death.

This is how we obtain victory.  We simply follow a crucified Messiah.  We shall be victors with Him.

Even better than this, thanks to Jesus, He raises our bodies as new bodies in His rapture to be with Him forever.  So we are the ultimate overcomers. So we must know this:  Forget self-defense. That doesn’t mean not to flee, not to protect your family.  But do not take up arms, form militias and rebel, or fight against heavier taxes and persecution by cheating and by retribution, killing your opposition. Keep in mind that you will be in heaven, they will be in hell.  Unless they repent.  If you kill them, they will not have a chance to repent.  Vengeance is God’s.  Do not worry about giving up your life.  You will live again.

How Long Do Christians Have to Suffer in the Tribulation?

The order of End Times events we left off Part II was: Deception, wars, famine (these 3 are called “the beginning of sorrows”), then the abomination of desolation (sacrilege by the antrichrist) in the holy place (i.e., in Jerusalem), then the tribulation with death and martyrdom of Jews and Christians. Then the cosmic disturbance, blackening the sky, then the sign (like bright lightning), then His Coming in the clouds, visible to all, with angels blowing the trumpet, believers are rescued, gathered in the sky—and then on the same day, the Day of the Lord’s wrath on the rest begins.

Now other questions arise: “How long do all these End Time events take? How long will the tribulation—the death and martyrdom--be? What event triggers these horrors?” The answers to those three questions are in Daniel 9:24ff:

“Seventy ‘sevens’ are decreed for your people and your holy city to finish transgression, to put an end to sin, to atone for wickedness, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up vision and prophecy and to anoint the Most Holy Place. 25 “Know and understand this: From the time the word goes out to restore and rebuild Jerusalem until the Anointed One, the ruler, comes, there will be seven ‘sevens,’ and sixty-two ‘sevens.’ It will be rebuilt with streets and a trench, but in times of trouble.26 After the sixty-two ‘sevens,’ the Anointed One will be put to death and will have nothing. The people of the ruler who will come will destroy the city and the sanctuary. The end will come like a flood: War will continue until the end, and desolations have been decreed. 27 He will confirm a covenant with many for one ‘seven.’ In the middle of the ‘seven’ he will put an end to sacrifice and offering. And at the temple he will set up an abomination that causes desolation, until the end that is decreed is poured out on him.

Very difficult verses, but here are likely the main points:

a. Since the word "seven" (an accurate NIV translation) doesn't explain time, we will change the word “seven” above  into “seven years,” simply because of the accuracy of the date that it predicts. Follow that assumption below and you'll see what I mean:

b.With that "seven"="7 year" assumption, the span of time from the command to “restore and build Jerusalem,” until “the Anointed One” (the Messiah, Jesus), was prophesied to be 7x7 years+62x7 years, or 49+434=483 years. But these are Hebrew years, of 360 days each. To translate it to Roman years, our years, with leap year every four years, a real year is really 365.24 days. 483 times 360/365.24 is 476. So 483 Hebrew years is 476 Roman, or our years, being predicted for the span of time between those events.

c. As it turned out, the 476 years prophesied was dead-on, which is why we substituted "years" for "sevens." The actual command to restore Jerusalem happened under the Persian emperor Artaxerxes, in 444 BC. Jesus, the Anointed One, died (as proven on another blog I have) in 33 AD. Keep in mind, you only count a year from 1 BC until 1 AD (there was no “year zero,” so you lose a year in the count. So the span of time goes like this: Adding 444 BC to 33 AD, minus 1, you get—476! As prophesied! Well, why should we be surprised—that’s the way God does it.

d. As you may have noticed, only 69 (7+62) of the 70 required “sevens,” or 7-year periods (see Dan. 9:24), of Jewish suffering have happened already. Only 483 of the required 490 Hebrew years. So the 70th seven-year period has not happened yet. So we can possibly assume the last 7 years prophesied is still in the future. (The phrase “Anointed One will be put to death”—verse 26--MAYBE suggests a stop to the counting of years at 33 AD, with the final seven reserved for the future--we're assuming that). I’m also suggesting (with proof for this idea, below) that the six events, or “seals,” we’ve talked about in Revelation 6 and confirmed in Matthew 24 (deception, wars, famine, death, martyrdom, rescue) will take 7 years to happen—so you can see why we make it the 70th “seven.” I’m finally suggesting (with more proof below) that the last 3 seals last for half the seven years, or 3-1/2 years. That means, of course, that the tribulation (two of those last 3 seals—death and martyrdom) are in those last 3-1/2 years, before Christ comes again at the tail-end of the 6th seal.

What is my proof for these claims? Let’s start with the “ruler who will come," under whose orders "his people---will destroy….the sanctuary” (v. 26). That can’t be speaking of Jesus. It’s talking of the deceiver, the antichrist, who is trying to take His place as God. Before this, he will “confirm a covenant” (v.27), presumably with the Jews, to protect them as he pretends to be their friend (that's his deception). This will happen at the beginning of the seventieth 7 years, since he did it “for one seven” (v.27), a 7-year covenant covering the span of the 70th "seven." But then “in the “middle of the seven” (v.27), or after 3-1/2 years, he breaks the covenant, doing sacrilege (an “abomination,” as Daniel 9 calls it), thus revealing his true nature as an enemy of Jews. Jesus, in mentioning end times in Daniel, warned Jews to run for their lives when they see this (Matthew 24:15-16). Now you can easily assume that the antichrist will spend the last 3-1/2 years, from the middle to the end of the 7 years, killing Jews and Christians. See Rev. 13:7 for proof of Christians being involved:

It was granted to him (the antichrist) to make war with the SAINTS and to overcome them. And authority was given him over every tribe, tongue, and nation.

There is NO Scripture that limits the word "saints" to Jews. Saints always refer to all God's children.  Since there was no previous rapture, the living saints have to go through the tribulation--as we have proved in other ways.

Proof of the second 3-1/2 year time period is how it is also prophesied in several Biblical passages. It’s variously called “time and times and half a time,” or 3-1/2 times, “42 months” and “1260 days,” all meaning 3-1/2 years (these references are in Rev. 11:2,3; 12:6, and 13:5, and Daniel 7:25). That’s the length of the Death and Martyrdom —and the length of the tribulation, as the rescue/rapture doesn't come until the last day. This perfectly proves our prior idea that the antichrist splits the last 7 years in half (see Dan. 9:27b).  As you can surmise, the first 3-1/2 years of the 7 year period was the deception period, the wars, and the famine. Then is the antichrist's unveiling in the middle. Since the antichrist boasts that he is God (Rev. 13:6), he gets his commands from Satan, and we can fairly presume he was the biggest reason for those first three seals, or disasters, too. As we pointed out before, Revelation 12:2 shows how Satan will be enjoying himself causing such grief and death. So for the first 3-1/2 years he makes a peace pact with the Jews, pretending to be their friend. But then he makes war, consolidating power. War's destruction helps bring on famine. Then in the middle of the 7 years, he does sacrilege, the abomination, and reveals himself as their (and saints') enemy, then in the last 3-1/2 years--the tribulation--he goes all-out to kill all Jews and Christians. Don't forget, this order of events is proven in Matthew 24 AND Revelation 6 (see Part II). After all that, at the end, the rapture saves remaining genuine Christians from physical death and the wrath of God is reserved for those who have ignored God and ignored His laws.

Jesus, in Matthew 24:15-21, clearly says the antichrist’s revealing himself (which is in the middle of the 7 years) begins the tribulation.

“Therefore when you see the ‘abomination of desolation,' spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place” (whoever reads, let him understand), 16 “then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains… 21 For THEN there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be.

Thus, to repeat this for emphasis, the real tribulation is not 7 years, but only the latter 3-1/2 years. This latter period is also called “travail” in Rev. 12:2. Also, this is not God’s wrath, and also remember, Christians go through the tribulation, see Parts I and II in my blogs of the two weeks for more proof of that.

Some interesting additional facts: In the tribulation will come the most audacious move of the antichrist’s reign. He will evidently have the world’s worship and control of the world’s money system—because he will implant, on the hands/foreheads of everyone who submits to him, a “mark.” Thus, buying or selling food, etc. is impossible unless you submit to his lordship and receive the mark (Rev. 13:16-17). Let us never submit to that, because as an angel will warn everyone (Rev. 14:9-11), anyone who thus submits to the antichrist WILL WRITE HIS OR HER TICKET TO HELL:

Then a third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, “If anyone worships the beast and his image, and receives his mark on his forehead or on his hand, 10 he himself shall also drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out full strength into the cup of His indignation. He shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb. 11 And the smoke of their torment ascends forever and ever; and they have no rest day or night, who worship the beast and his image, and whoever receives the mark of his name.” 

You may ask, cynically, "If I want to follow God and reject the mark, will God "reward" me by allowing me to starve?" or "Will God send me to hell for eternity just because I wanted food, and took the mark?" I'm betting God will show many of His faithful ones a separate way to get food. Maybe even by miracles. Waiting out starvation, exercising this kind of resolve and faith will be challenging for Christians, but saving your soul will be definitely worth it. Yes, in saving your soul, your body may be martyred. Yes, there will be many who will be weak and fall away. (II Thess. 2:1-4). Do not join them! You must endure to the end to be saved! (Matthew 10:22).

Another interesting additional fact: Two "witnesses" (maybe Elijah and Moses) will appear for the last 3-1/2 years, prophesying God's truth and performing miracles (Rev. 11:3,5-12), such as fire from their mouths destroying their enemies, stopping rain from falling, and rising from the dead.

***So here is our final course of events: At the very beginning of the 7-year End Times, Antichrist makes a covenant to protect Israel, deceiving the world--and the Jews. This begins Daniel’s 70th 7-year period. First 3-1/2 years are the “beginning of sorrows:” Deceit by the antichrist, Wars, and Famine. Then the antichrist desecrates the holy place in Jerusalem, reveals himself as an enemy of Jews and saints, and we begin the last 3-1/2 years, the tribulation, the “travail”: Death and Martyrdom of Jews and Christians. The antichrist institutes a mark--you must worship him to buy or sell. Two witnesses speak up for God and perform miracles. Then at the end of the 7 years, we have the cosmic disturbance, and the Coming, which is: the sign (bright lightning), then His appearance in the skies with angels blowing the trumpet, believers rescued, they are gathered to be with Him. On the same day, then the Day of the Lord’s wrath begins on the unsaved.

Let’s say this one more time: As you can see, from our three-week analysis: (1) the tribulation is not the same as God’s wrath; and (2) Christians are not raptured until the end—we have to endure the tribulation. Many of them will die first. (3) Saved people (rescued) and unsaved people (wrath) are dealt with on the same Day of the Lord—there is no one “left behind.” Other theories some theologians give are popular simply because they say just what you want to hear, as II Timothy 4:3-4 says:

For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers;4 and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables.

The most popular alternate theory is the pretribulationist, or “pretrib” theory—that Christians are raptured before the tribulation. Escaping such devastation sounds so nice. But don’t fall for this; as this 3-part study proves, the order of events is otherwise. Read the Scriptures yourself. (Consider this too: The pre-trib theory feeds an “AWOL” mentality; see my comments in part I). Even their best pre-trib mind, John F. Walvoord, from Dallas Theological Seminary, admits their theory is shaky and has no real Scriptural proof. In his book, The Rapture Question, page 16 and 148, he says: “Neither posttribulationism nor pretribulationism is an explicit teaching of the Scriptures…it is therefore not too much to say that the rapture question is determined more by ecclesiology (what different church denominations believe) than eschatology.” (Wait a minute…this is supposed to be a study of eschatology--a study in the future! Mr. Walvoord, you’re admitting you can’t find Scriptural support in future studies?) Richard Mayhue, also a proponent of the pretrib view, told the Grace Theological Seminary “perhaps the position of pretribulationism is correct although its proof at times has been logically invalid or at least unconvincing.”

And all the pre-tribbers say, “Thanks for the support.”

Let’s believe the Bible, not theological suppositions which have as their highlight, that you can escape suffering. After all, Jesus and Paul said we would suffer for Him (Romans 8:17, among many others).