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The True Acts 2:38 Church will not go through the GREAT TRIBULATION
Rather than try to address every heretical misunderstanding that is being propagated by sensationalist, money grubbing, heretical so-called prophecy specialists, I will try to provide you a simple basic foundation of truth. I do not consider myself a "prophecy preacher", but most of this stuff is very basic and elementary doctrine and I know enough to spot the fakes and you can too. Some doctrines like the Rapture of the Church are basic to the Bible regardless of who first noticed it.
I will point out though, that much of the confusion being spread by heretics seems to have some scriptural foundation but only because of lack of knowledge of the victims. One example that I will point out is regarding God's elect. Remember that all through the Gospels and the Old Testament it was not known to the Jews that a Gentile would ever be saved. When the Bible speaks of God's elect it is referring to the Jews and God most certainly has additional business with the Jews AFTER the Church is gone from the Earth.
Notice this scripture that Paul writes regarding his burden for the Jews, God's elect. He is NOT referring to the Church because this is a letter to a Christian. He would hardly have been referring to the Gentiles as God's elect, would he?
2Timothy 2:10 Therefore I endure all things for the elect's sakes, that they may also obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory.
See? Even this far into the New Testament Paul refers to the Jews as the elect. If you don't understand that God's elect are the Jews then there is a lot of Bible that would seem to teach a post trib rapture. To further complicate the issue there are also times that the Bible speaks of the Church as the elect. But keep in mind that the Gentile Christians are the wild olive branch that is grafted in to the elect.
Romans 11:24 For if thou wert cut out of the olive tree which is wild by nature, and wert graffed contrary to nature into a good olive tree: how much more shall these, which be the natural branches, be graffed into their own olive tree?
Romans 11:25 For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in.
Even false churches teach against murder but that doesn't mean that murder isn't wrong. Even false churches teach love and forgiveness and that doesn't make love and forgiveness wrong. Some false churches teach modesty and that doesn't make modesty wrong. Some want to reject the basic doctrine of the Rapture of the Church because some false-christians also teach it.
Because there are disasters, earthquakes etc as never before is certainly a sign of the end time, but it does not mean that the vials in Revelation are being poured out.
Matthew 24:5 For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ ; and shall deceive many.
6 And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet.
7 For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places.
8 All these are the beginning of sorrows.
9 Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name' s sake.
10 And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another.
11 And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many.
12 And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold.
13 But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.
Notice that it does not say that the wrath of God is poured out. There is a big difference between "great tribulation" which is the hand of men and the "Great Tribulation" which will be the wrath of God poured out upon a sinful world after the true Church is gone to meet the Lord in the air. It is notable that one of the things it mentions is that the real Christian will be hated for His "Name's sake". The trinitarian hatred for the Name of Jesus in baptism comes to mind.
We have some promises from Jesus. Those real Oneness Christians who know that Jesus IS the Holy Ghost will be able to understand this.
John 14:17 Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you.
18 I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you.
Jesus is the Truth! Jesus was telling them that He was with them but would be IN them. That is a strong sermon for monotheism right there. Remember that the Spirit of Jesus IS the Holy Spirit and He promised that He would NOT leave us comfortless. Remember that promise from the Comforter.
Now another basic foundational point is that, while the antichrist system is at work and the antichrist is probably walking this earth right now, he CANNOT be revealed until the Holy Spirit is taken out of the way.
2 Thessalonians 2:7 For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way.
I trust that we can agree that the only one with the power to "letteth" regarding the antichrist is Jesus Christ (Oneness Christians understanding that Jesus IS the Father, Son, AND Holy Ghost.)
2 Thessalonians 2:1 Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him,
2 That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand.
3 ¶ Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition;
4 Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God.
5 Remember ye not, that, when I was yet with you, I told you these things?
6 And now ye know what withholdeth that he might be revealed in his time.
7 For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way.
8 And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming:
9 Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders,
Now hopefully by this time we see two points proven from the scripture.
1. Jesus has promised that He will not leave the Church comfortless
and
2. The antichrist cannot be revealed until the Spirit of God is taken out of the way.
Revelation 13:14 And deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by the means of those miracles which he had power to do in the sight of the beast; saying to them that dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the beast, which had the wound by a sword, and did live.
15 And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed.
16 And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads:
17 And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.
18 Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred threescore and six.
I believe that before the antichrist can be revealed and implement his mark, that the Gentile Church will be gone.
I believe that when the Spirit of Christ leaves, that the Church goes with Him.
1 Thessalonians 4:10 And indeed ye do it toward all the brethren which are in all Macedonia: but we beseech you, brethren, that ye increase more and more;
11 And that ye study to be quiet, and to do your own business, and to work with your own hands, as we commanded you;
12 That ye may walk honestly toward them that are without, and that ye may have lack of nothing.
13 But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope.
14 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him.
15 For 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.
16 For 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:
17 Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.
18 Wherefore comfort one another with these words.
1 Thessalonians 5:1 But of the times and the seasons, brethren, ye have no need that I write unto you.
2 For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night.
3 For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape.
Would sudden destruction coming be a "comfort" to the Church if same was going to happen to the Church.
Does the bridegroom come to beat up the bride right before the wedding supper? Did Noah get wet? Did Lot get singed?
Matthew 24:37 But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.
Luke 17:26 And as it was in the days of Noe, so shall it be also in the days of the Son of man.
27 They did eat, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, and the flood came, and destroyed them all.
28 Likewise also as it was in the days of Lot; they did eat, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they builded;
29 But the same day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed them all.
30 Even thus shall it be in the day when the Son of man is revealed.
Think about what happened in Sodom right after Lot left. Think about what happened right after Noah left. Then look at the verses in 1 Thessalonians. It speaks of the Rapture and then great destruction.
29 But the same day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed them all.
30 Even thus shall it be in the day when the Son of man is revealed.
God comes for His Bride, first and then the wrath of God will be poured out upon a sinful world!
Those who teach that the True Church will go through the Great Tribulation are heretics and reprobates. It is a serious error and they might as well be practicing witchcraft who teach such a lie.
Gal 5:19 Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness,
Gal 5:20 Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies,
Gal 5:21 Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.
Notice that heresy is right up there with witchcraft, murder and adultery. Those teaching a mid-trib or post-trib rapture are bumbling heretics.
This is really simple. Did Noah get half drowned? Did Lot get partially roasted? Do you really think that God is going to beat up His Bride right before the wedding. The Great Tribulation is the Hand of God and God has never turned His hand against His faithful. Would the time of the Rapture be a comfort to you if it meant that you were going to taste of the wrath of God?
I hope this helps...
Bro Steve Winter
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