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Those Who Have Previously Ignored
and Rejected God
Pastor Billings' video-taped message,
which was left for
those who did not disappear in the Rapture, is pleasing to the ears, but not at
all biblical:
"You may wonder why this has happened. Some believe this is the
judgment of God on an ungodly world. Actually, that is to come later. Strange as
this may sound to you, this is God's final effort to get the attention of every
person who has ignored or rejected him."
"I believe God's purpose in this is to allow those who remain to take stock
of themselves and leave their frantic search for pleasure and self-fulfillment,
and turn to the Bible for truth and to Christ for salvation."
This is really the premise of the Left Behind book and movie. You still have a
chance to be saved even if you have rejected Jesus Christ before the
tribulation. This is the main theme of the Left Behind book series
and movie! (Left Behind, page 212)
The premise of the book and movie directly contradicts the scriptures, but it appeals so strongly to the flesh that it has been embraced by
almost all of Christendom. The idea that one can continue to despise the
goodness of God up to the time of the beginning of the tribulation (when
Antichrist begins to rise to power) and then repent at the sinner's leisure, is denied in
the Holy Bible.
A commonly held belief in the timing of the Rapture does not excuse false doctrine,
scripture-twisting, or any of the extremely bad examples of Christianity
portrayed in the Left Behind books. There is a Christian couple with strongly held
pre-trib
beliefs who allowed my Left Behind articles to be posted to their forum because
they can see that fundamentals of the faith are being left behind or twisted in
the series. They wisely
see that "if the foundations be destroyed, what can the righteous
do?"
These articles are for all believers who have read the series. One's
belief about the timing of the Return of Jesus Christ, (although an important issue and one that will be addressed in
another article) is not a salvation issue as long as one is willing to
accept the events that do happen without becoming offended in Christ and falling
away from the faith if they
turn out differently from what is expected.
This applies to everyone. . . pre, mid, post, or any end time belief. As long as we
do not believe the Lord Jesus Christ has misled us if actual events play out
differently than what we have anticipated, we will be in good shape spiritually. The words of Jesus Christ are unbreakable (the scripture cannot be
broken) and we must keep his words in mind if events do not turn out like we
expect, and be willing to submit to his actual words on that matter rather than
become offended in him.
Does scripture teach that the Tribulation period is God's final effort to save those
who have previously rejected him? No, it does not! However,
this is lie is strongly emphasized, and repeated not only in the Left
Behind book, but throughout the Left Behind Series. The series actually presents the
teaching that God is allowing the Tribulation as his "second chance"
for sinners who have previously rejected Christ. You will find the opposite
teaching in the Holy Bible, Second Thessalonians.
Paul explained that we must not be deceived about when the day of Christ will
occur. The day of Christ will not be at hand until two things occur: the
falling away and the man of sin being revealed-- the son of perdition. This
person is obviously who is known in the Christian world as the Antichrist:
"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." (See 2 Thess 2:2-4)
Someone is preventing this from
occurring until the man of sin might be revealed in his time. A
time will come when He will be taken out of the way and no
longer prevent "that Wicked" from being revealed.
"For the mystery of iniquity doth
already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the
way." and then that Wicked be revealed.
Many Christians are under the impression that
word "he" in the verse, "until he be taken out of the way" is
not the Holy Spirit but rather, the entire
body of Christ--which will be removed from the earth and taken to heaven. The
purpose of this article is not to debate the meaning of that verse but to get to the point of the premise of
the Left Behind novel we have to go through this . . .
When that Wicked is revealed he will come after the workings of Satan with all
power and signs and lying wonders and he will come with all
deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish. Why will he be able to
deceive them that perish? Because they received not the love of the truth
that they might be saved before he was revealed.
And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should
believe a lie. What lie? The context shows us the lie is believing that the man of sin
whose works are with power and signs and lying wonders is who he is
making himself out to be: God! Who will become deceived concerning the real
identity of that Wicked? The
ones who were previously witnessed to, but rejected Christ! Those
who "received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved."
(See 2 Thess 2:2-12)
Bruce, Rayford, Buck, and Chloe are in the category of people who would have
this "deceivableness of unrighteousness" in them that they would
receive the delusion and believe the lie. The Left Behind authors made it
clear that they all heard the gospel
before the supposed secret coming of Jesus Christ (Rapture) but they believed it not and continued to have pleasure in
unrighteousness.
Who will be damned and will not be able to be saved during the Tribulation?
Those who believed not the truth of the gospel, but had pleasure in
unrighteousness up to the appearing of Antichrist, which is during the
Tribulation.
What did the authors have the godly pastor say in his videotape?
"Strange
as this may sound to you, this is God's final effort to get the attention of
every person who has ignored or rejected him."
The authors are perverting the clear teaching of scripture.
They are actually taking the judgment of God, which will be upon those who had
rejected Christ before the Tribulation, and turning it into a blessing!
They are turning the the God-sent delusion into a God-sent revival. They
are taking a period of time when God is no longer striving with those
previously witnessed to, and turning it into his longsuffering mercy!
The purpose of the Tribulation is to "try them that dwell upon the earth." (Rev. 3:10)
To "try" means to to test (objectively), i.e. endeavor, scrutinize,
entice, discipline:--assay, examine, go about, prove, tempt, try. WHO is
being scrutinized, examined, and proven? Them that dwell upon the
earth. Those living upon the earth at this time will be examined or tried.
The Tribulation is proving ground time for all those that dwell upon the
earth. Those Christians who keep the word of his Christ's patience will be
kept from the hour of temptation which will try them that dwell upon the
earth. Those not keeping his patience will not be kept from the hour of
temptation, but will succumb to the beast and take his mark. This major truth is left behind in the Left
Behind series, and a God-sent revival is inserted in place of the biblical
God-sent delusion!
Return to:
Exposing False
Doctrines in the Left Behind Series
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