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Whenever the false doctrines in
the Left Behind Series are mentioned, the "excuse" for
Christians to tolerate this is invariably, "The books are only fiction!" This answer is designed to silence
further inquiry and comment about the false doctrines and unbiblical examples
throughout the
Left Behind Series. The "It's only fiction!" excuse is fast becoming a
paradigm, or model, to excuse all kinds of false teachings that are traveling through
the church with whirlwind speed. Does
the Bible teach that as long as false doctrine is taught in a fictional format,
then this is acceptable to God? Are God's people, followers of the truth,
and who have the truth in their inward parts, permitted to "pervert the
right ways of the Lord" as long as this is done in a fictional, or
make-believe format?
Fables Supply Questions
Rather Than Godly Edifying Let
us examine God's Word about fables. We are commanded to:
"Neither give heed to
fables and endless genealogies, which minister questions, rather than godly
edifying which is in faith: so do." 1 Tim. 1:4
Here we see
what fables actually accomplish: they minister questions, or supply
questions about doctrine where none should exist. This is exactly what is
happening with the fables of the Left Behind Series!
Questions about
doctrine are being supplied and what is dangerous is that these questions are
about Bible truths that have never been questioned before! Some obvious
examples of this are the "second chance after the rapture" question,
the "We won't know what the lie will be question," and the "Can a
Christian, after forsaking the opportunity to confess the Lord Jesus Christ
before men, be forced to take the mark of the beast and still be saved?"
questions to name a few. There are many other serious questionings of
the Bible that are being presented through these fables and these are
exposed in the book,
God's Wrath on Left Behind.
Fables
Can Turn People Away From the Truth
Fables
are used to turn people away from the truth: "And they shall turn
away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables."
2 Tim. 4:4
God does not tolerate the use of fiction (fables) to turn
people away from the truth. The Lord Jesus Christ used fictional stories called parables
to turn people toward the truth, never away from the truth. It is a
fact that the Left Behind Series is not only turning people away from the truth,
but is sometimes doing it in such a subtle fashion that we may not be aware this
has happened until it is too late. Some of the more obvious "turnings
away from the truth" have been touched upon in my articles about the
Left Behind Series, but there are many more of these in the Left Behind
books,
and many of these teachings and examples are repeated as themes throughout the
series.
God's
People Are Not To Heed Fables That Turn Men From the Truth
God's
word commands us to not heed fables:
"Not giving heed to Jewish fables,
and commandments of men, that turn from the truth." Titus
1:14
Christians are commanded to not heed
Jewish fables because they contain false teaching that could turn them from the truth. Any
fables that turn men from the truth must be shunned, not defended! No
Christian may use fables to turn men from the truth, period. The excuse of
"It's only fiction!" is not an excuse, it is an assertion that using
fables that turn men away from the truth is just fine, because nobody will take
it seriously. God takes it seriously. And now, Jerry B. Jenkins admits
that he wants you to take the Left Behind Series seriously.
God's
People are Commanded To Refuse, Not Defend, Profane Fables
But
refuse profane and old wives' fables, and exercise thyself rather unto godliness.
1 Tim. 4:7
The opposite of accepting fables is to exercise yourself unto godliness. Reading the Holy Bible is godly exercise; it takes effort
to read the Bible "as is" and to show yourself approved unto God by
studying it. Reading fables takes little effort and is the reason why they
are used to make merchandise of spiritually lazy Christians who do not want to exert the
effort to "prove what is acceptable unto the Lord." These kinds
of Christians are the ones Satan knows will: Turn
Away Their Ears From the Truth, and Be Turned unto Fables
What
kinds of Christians will actually turn their ears away from the truth and prefer
fables? The Christians who "will not endure sound doctrine; but
after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching
ears; And they shall turn away their ears from the truth and shall be turned
unto fables. (See 2 Timothy 4:3-4) The people referred to in
this verse are Christians
because they possessed the knowledge of the truth at one time, but they turned away from it for more
palatable fables which were easier to swallow than the strong meat of the
Word. Fables, which are fictional stories that turn men from the truth,
are Satan's "reward" for believers who are tired of sound doctrine. Fables are devil-designed for those who, because of their
lusts, heap to themselves false teachers to give them what they want to
hear. All Christians must purpose to distrust what they desire to
hear, and instead, exercise themselves unto godliness by consuming the pure
spiritual meat of the Word of God.
What
About Fables That are a Mixture of Truth and Error?
These kinds of fables are to be
rejected by the Christian, because they are profane, or polluted. They
contain light and darkness. God is not a mixture of light and
darkness: "God is light, and in him is no darkness at all" and he
magnifies his word even above his name. If a fictional story that is
directed toward Christians is profane (impure) and places question marks on the absolute truth of God's Word, and
turns men away from the truth in any way, then this fictional
work of darkness must be cast off by the people of God.
Profane fables make merchandise of God's people (and those yet
to become God's people) by perverting the right way of the Lord and God will judge
all writers of such fables accordingly:
"But whoso shall offend one of these little ones which
believe in me, it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his
neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea." Matthew 18:6
return to: Exposing
False Doctrines in the Left Behind Series
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