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Salvation From Tribulation Rather Than
Salvation From Sin
The following is the first article in my critique of the "gospel
message" on the official Left Behind website.
I will quote a portion at a time and then add biblical commentary.
Make A Choice
"Are you wondering if you're going to be left behind? Are you concerned
about the direction the world is headed? Is there a part of you that says,
"What if they're right, then where will I be? Has life lost its meaning?
Please take the time to read the incredible plan (as shown in the following
pages) that God has designed to save you from a world spinning out of control.
This is not fiction. This is the reality of hope."
The writer is explaining that there is a plan God has designed to "save you
from a world spinning out of control." This is 100% false according the the
Holy Bible. God has a plan of salvation, but this plan of salvation will deliver
us from the "wrath to come" which is eternal hellfire: "For God
hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus
Christ"-1 Thess. 5:9
We are not promised an escape from "a world spinning out of control."
Jesus promised, "In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I
have overcome the world."-Jn. 16:33, and Paul wrote, "that we must
through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God."-Acts 14:22
Teaching the gospel of Jesus Christ is about escaping from a "world
spinning out of control" is NOT in the Bible, and it contradicts the words
of the Lord Jesus Christ!
There is also the strong implication that if one comes to faith in the Lord
Jesus Christ for salvation, then one is promised an escape from being "left
behind."
Now for those who believe in the pre-trib rapture of the church, please don't
lose me here. Nowhere in the Holy Bible is a promise of the rapture (escaping
The Tribulation) EVER used in a salvation message. One can believe in a pre-trib
rapture of the church without turning salvation into being "saved from
being left," instead of being saved from sin! One must not abandon the
fundamentals of the faith to follow and defend a fellow pre-tribulationalist in
grave doctrinal error. This would be the same as placing end time beliefs over
and above the most important doctrine of all, which is how to be truly saved.
Salvation in the Holy Bible is ALWAYS from sin. It is NEVER from tribulation!
This is a dangerous teaching. Making the escaping of tribulation
the basis upon which one comes to the Lord Jesus Christ is contrary to the word
of God, and dangerous to the one trusting in such an unbiblical
"promise." This is actually setting people up to "fall away"
under extreme pressure and persecution which Jesus already promised would come
into the lives of those belonging to him. Those who believe in a pre-trib rapture
understand the truth of suffering tribulation as believers, but you do believe
the Lord will remove you from the earth during the Tribulation. This is not the
focus of this article here; I just want you to see this is NOT a scriptural way to witness.
I strongly believe pre-tribbers who are strong on the fundamentals of Scripture will understand
what I'm trying to say here. Teaching unbelievers they will escape tribulation if
they turn to Christ is a perversion of the gospel. Tribulation is PROMISED to
all who enter into the kingdom of God.
THE PLAN
"God is the creator of heaven and earth.
In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. (Gen 1:1) God is a
rational, thinking, feeling, loving being who created the universe and loves us.
He is separate and distinct from that which he created, as a painter is distinct
from his painting. He is not the "Force," or the "Chi" or
some other impersonal cosmic energy permeating the universe.
And the Lord God formed a man's body from the dust of the ground and breathed
into it the breath of life. And the man became a living person. (Genesis 2:7) We
were created with a purpose and are the crown of all things God made. We are the
objects of his infinite love. We are not a product of natural law and
statistical probability merely on our way to becoming a higher life form."
God has many marvelous attributes and the most important attribute of God to
explain when witnessing to a lost person is his absolute holiness. The Left
Behind "gospel message" left out the holiness of God. Mentioning the
holiness of God is critically important in a gospel message, because it zeroes
in on specific attribute of God which keeps the sinner separated from him and under
his condemnation! It is crucial for the sinner to understand that God is
perfectly righteous and holy: "But as he which hath called you is holy, so
be ye holy in all manner of conversation;"-1 Peter 1:15
The lost person, upon realizing that God is holy, will realize that he is not
and needs to repent. The person needs to understand WHY he is lost and separated
from God--because he has sinned and come short of the glory (holiness) of
God. This establishes the very basis upon which can understand why he is
presently condemned and at enmity with God.
Gary and Lisa Ruby
New
Age Gospel of Left Behind
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