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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. Quotes from The Plan, the
false gospel message that used to be on leftbehind.com, are
indented.
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."
(Quote source: The Plan
from leftbehind.com)
The writer explained that God has designed a plan to "save you
from a world spinning out of control." This is 100% false according the the
Holy Bible. God has a plan to save your soul from sin. His plan to save
those who will come to the Lord Jesus Christ in faith 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
God has not promised an escape from "a world spinning out of control."
The Lord Jesus Christ promised tribulation to his followers, not an
escape: "In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I
have overcome the world."-Jn. 16:33, Paul also warned Christians "that we must
through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God."-Acts 14:22
The gospel of Jesus Christ is not about escaping from a "world
spinning out of control." Rather, it promises an escape from sin and the
result of sin which is an eternity in hell.
The New Age Gospel of Left Behind focuses on being "saved" from being "left
behind" rather than faith in the Lord Jesus Christ for forgiveness of sin.
Those who believe in a pre-tribulation rapture of the church, please don't
lose me here. Nowhere in the Holy Bible is a promise of a "rapture" (escaping
the Tribulation as taught by
John Darby and others) EVER used to teach salvation through Jesus Christ. 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
true fundamentals of the faith in order to defend a fellow pre-tribulationalist
who is rewriting the true biblical message of salvation. 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, not tribulation.
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 this unbiblical "promise." This false doctrine sets Christians up to "fall away"
if they ever have to endure extreme pressure and persecution which Jesus already promised would come
into the lives of those who belong to him.
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 will 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."
(Quote source: The
Plan from leftbehind.com)
God has many marvelous attributes, but in a witnessing situation, it is crucial
to present the aspect of God's holiness. The Left
Behind "gospel message" left out the holiness of God.
It is critically important to mention the holiness of God in a gospel message
because this zeroes in on specific attribute of God which keeps the sinner
separated from him and under his condemnation. The sinner must 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 is in a position to be
convicted in his heart that he is not
holy and thus 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 (the holiness) of
God. This establishes the very basis upon which can understand why he is
presently condemned and at enmity with God.
New
Age Gospel of Left Behind
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