Taken in by Left Behind?

“Taken in” may seem a little radical since it implies the “Left Behind” story is de­ceiving.  Judging from its popularity there must be a lot of people who are not read­ing their Bible very carefully.  For the “Left Behind” message claims to be based on Bible prophecy yet seemingly goes unchallenged.  In today’s world of religious tolerance few people boldly say something religious is false.  In the KJV Bible David said in Psalms 119: 104 “Through thy precepts I get understand­ing: therefore I hate every false way.” David understood God’s precepts; there­fore he knew what was false.  According to I Timothy 2:4 [God] “will have all men to be saved and come unto the knowl­edge of the truth.” So it is God’s will that we know His true precepts so we can recognize and avoid every false way.  In this pamphlet we will list three decep­tions contained in the “Left Behind” mes­sage and then consider them in the light of the Word of God.

#1 The “second chance” deception.  This is spiritually fatal to the procrastinating sinner and the careless, lukewarm church member.

#2 The misleading “Accepting Christ” term.  This can deceive one into thinking he is right with God when he may not be.

#3 The false, future millennial reign of Christ on the earth.  This obscures and misrepresents the spiritual kingdom of God that is a present reality.

Now let’s offer scriptural verification on these points.

#1 There will be no secret rapture, hence no second chance to get right with God.  For when Christ comes back, it will be with a “SHOUT,” (I Thess. 4:16) at the “LAST TRUMP,” (I Cor. 15:52).   It will be the resurrection day of BOTH the just and unjust, (Acts 24:15).  When He comes in the clouds “every eye shall see him,” (Rev. 1:7).  When Christ comes “as a thief in the night” to the wicked, (I Thess. 5:2-3) the Christians are still on the earth! (Vs. 4-5) Please read these last verses for yourself as they absolutely con­tradict the secret rapture teaching.  This is also the SAME DAY the “earth... shall be burned up,” (II Peter 3:10-12).  Some try to teach two resurrections by misap­plying the term...

THE FIRST RESURRECTION

This term does not apply to a bodily res­urrection but is the spiritual birth when one is “born again.”  This is the only kind of a resurrection that can make one “blessed and holy,” (Rev. 20:6).  This resurrection is when one is “quickened [made alive] who were dead in trespasses and sins,” (Eph. 2:1).  Sin separates one from God (Isa. 59:2) and this separation is called (spiritual) death.  “Sin revived and I died,” (Rom. 7:9). Adam and Eve “died” spiritually the day they disobeyed, (sinned) just as God said they surely would, (Gen. 2:17).  To die physically while dead in sins is the “second death” or ETERNAL separation from God.

JUDGMENT DAY IS WHEN CHRIST RETURNS

We will all be judged “at his appearing (II Tim. 4:1) which is the LAST DAY, (John 12:48).  The “one shall be taken and the other left” (Matt. 24:40-41; Luke 17:34-36) is only teaching the separa­tion of the righteous from the wicked on Judgment day of Jesus' coming. The wicked “shall go away into everlasting punishment; but the righteous into life eternal,” (Matt. 25:46).

A WARNING

Those who are “taken in” by the false second chance rapture teaching will not be facing a seven year tribulation on earth.  For true Bible prophecy declares that when Christ comes back, “whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire,” (Rev. 20:15).  This will be forever!!  May God help every one to BE READY!  How to be ready is covered next, in point #2.

#2 “Accepting Christ” is misleading because that is only part of the conditions to be truly saved. (Or to be ready when Christ comes back.)

The Bible teaches that besides acknowledging our sins, we must have a “godly sorrow” for commit­ting them which “worketh repentance,” (II Cor. 7:10).  There must be a willing­ness to forsake all sinful activities.  That is what repentance means, a turning away from sin. “Let the wicked forsake his way and the unrighteous man his thoughts; and let him return unto the Lord, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon,” (Isa. 55:7).  Nightly confession is not forsaking sin.  The one who is con­fessing each night is not truly sorry and is not willing to forsake all sin.  It will be easier to exercise faith and believe His promise of forgiveness if we know in our heart we are willing, with His help to change our sinful lifestyle.

SALVATION A HEART CHANGE

Dear one, just “accepting Christ” with­out real repentance will not produce a heart change in us.  In the true born again crisis experience there is a great trans­formation that takes place.  The guilt of our sins is washed away.  All of our sins are washed away (Rev. 1:5) and replaced with the peace and presence of God.  Sal­vation means deliverance and there is a deliverance from the power of sin.  We can now say no to the temptations that we yielded to before.  Our desires, our outlook on life, our conduct are all changed.  The places we go or avoid, even the way we dress are now regulated by the will of God.  We are a “new creature,” (II Cor. 5: 17).  We trust that those who have been misled will be awakened and seek God for this greatest experience a human spirit can find - the salvation of the soul.  There will be some opposition in getting this experience. “... the king­dom of God is preached and every man presseth into it,” (Luke 16: 16).  That night in Jan. 1974 was a battle for me. Thoughts of could I live it? What would others say? and on and on.  I am so glad I finally yielded to God. That was the end of a sinful life and the beginning of a wonderful new life.   It can be that way for you too.

#3 The kingdom of God is not a literal coming event, but is spiritual and a present reality.

“Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son,” (Col. 1:13).  The “kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost,” (Rom. 14: 17).  It “is within you.” (Luke 17:21).   It is the rule of God in the hearts of His people.  So when we get saved, we get into the kingdom and the king­dom is within us.  Bible salvation makes us (spiritual) “kings and priests,” (Rev. 5: 10) reigning over sin in this life, (Rom. 6:12, 14; Rom. 5:17).   When Christ comes back He will not be SETTING UP a king­dom, for at “His coming” He will DELIVER UP the kingdom to the Fa­ther, (I Cor. 15:23,24).

THE MILLENNIAL REIGN

The “Left Behind” series is based on the false millennial reign doctrine.  This doc­trine in part teaches that after the so called secret rapture and tribulation, Christ will set up a literal kingdom on earth.  The desert will blossom as a rose and the ani­mals will be changed to be peaceable.  Temple worship with animal sacrifices will again be offered.  The Jews will be gathered and accept the Christ they re­jected.  Much of this doctrine is based on the misinterpretation of Revelation 20.

MILLENNIALISM REFUTED

To briefly refute this teaching we will start with Isaiah’s prophecies.  Those verses that tell of the wolf dwelling with the lamb, the calf and the lion, etc. (Isa 11:6­8) are to be understood spiritually.  Ani­mals do not have an eternal soul, are not moral beings and are not out of harmony with God.  They need no nature change.  Isaiah is predicting that lion-like natures in humans will be changed through the redemptive power of Christ.  In chapter 35, speaking of the highway of holiness, he says, “no lion shall be there, nor any ravenous beast shall go up thereon, it shall not be found there, but the redeemed shall walk there,” (Isa. 35:9).   When he predicts that men shall “beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks,” (Isa. 2:4) he is speaking of the spiritual change in men.  Salvation makes people peaceable.  Likewise, when “the desert shall blossom like a rose,” (Isa. 35: 1-6) he is speaking of the gospel day.  In these same verses is the prediction that “the eyes of the blind shall be open and the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped,” etc.  All these things happened when Christ came the first time.  Christ veri­fied this by quoting these same things, (Matt. 11:4,5).

JUDAISM NOT RESTORED

To teach that bloody animal sacrifices will again be offered is repulsive and unscriptural. They were a “shadow” of the sacrifice of Christ, and have passed away. Christians are “the temple of God” (I Cor. 3: 16) and the “temple of the Holy Ghost,” (I Cor. 6:19).

THE TRUTH ABOUT THE JEWS

The literal Jews are no longer the chosen people of God.  For the literal Jew to re­ceive any special privileges, to inherit the promises of God, to be numbered among the chosen people of God, he too must be born again.  Salvation makes one a spiritual Jew, (Rom. 2:28-29). Saved people, those that are IN CHRIST, are Abraham’s seed, (Gal. 3:28-29).  Abraham is “the father of all them that BELIEVE,” (Rom. 4:11).

REVELATION  20

This chapter does not mention the sec­ond coming of Christ, a reign on earth, or a bodily resurrection. It is “souls” and only those souls that were beheaded that reigned with Christ for a thousand years.  This reign is past history and did not take place on earth but in paradise where the departed souls of saints go - to the para­dise of God.

BOOK OFFER

We are limited in space in this pamphlet and this is excerpted from the booklet, “Don't Be Taken In By “Left Behind” by Bill Roberts.  It is available from this publisher for $2.00 which includes post­age.  Additional subtitles in this booklet include: Anti-Christ, Armageddon, The Great Tribulation, The Bible Defines Sin, Sanctification and The Baptism with the Holy Ghost, The Meaning of Tongues (true and false), Revelation 20 Explained, Introduction to the Revelation, A Brief Outline of Church History, Spiritual Babylon and more.  Get the facts, get the book, Don’t Be Taken In By “Left Be­hind”.  $2.00 Ppd. Gospel Truth & Pub­lications PO Box 142, Jackson Center, Ohio 45334