The God Who Responds, And The Sin Of Hananiah.

Our Passionate God

One of the things that is extremely important to us as believers, is a right apprehension of the nature and character of God. If our trust in God's goodness or His beneficial disposition towards us is compromised, it leaves us vulnerable to spiritual seduction and demonic attack. Satan is well aware of this, and in fact God's goodness and holy character was one of the very first things the father of lies attacked in the Garden. Quite some years ago, I was quite affected by Calvinistic theology and I can remember that over time it had the subtle but growing effect of undermining my trust in God's goodness and truthfulness. I lost confidence in God's gracious disposition toward me, and thus any confidence in praying for the lost, or any assurance that God was truly interested in saving them, and though I never verbalised it or thought about it in those terms till afterward, I realise now that I had accepted an inner portrait of God that depicted Him as even duplicitous. Praise God, he set me free from those evil teachings, and over the following years I began to learn about the character of God afresh. I am still learning of course.

However, another bad thing I learned from Calvinism was a faulty idea of how God connects with His Creation. In the exhaustive determinism of Calvinism, everything, absolutely everything, down to the last movement of the smallest sub-atomic particle, is pre-scripted from Eternity and ensured to happen. This kind of Determinism thus views the Creation rather like a computer simulation. In the same way all human acts, events, thoughts, motives, feelings are also preordained and ensured to happen. Consequently, in such a scenario God's interactions with His Creation as recorded in the Scriptures, are not real at all, but merely pre-scripted sub-routines set to happen at a certain moment in the "run-time" of the Creation simulation, which God watches impassively from Eternity.

Nothing could be farther from the truth! I can not explain how God in Eternity interacts in "real time" with events in our temporal Universe, but the Scriptures make it absolutely clear that the Creator of the Universe is genuinely affected by events in His Creation and genuinely responds to them. A totally impassive God, unmoved by anything, who on a whim calmly and coolly decrees the life or death, destruction or damnation of individuals and nations; is the product of Greek philosophy and paganistic fatalism, not of biblical theology. God's essential nature and characteristics do not change, (Mal. 3:6) but Scripture is absolutely clear that He is deeply moved by what goes on in His Creation. The LORD responds to faith and obedience, (Heb. 11:6) and conversely, He is angered and grieved to the core by the depth of human depravity. His holiness, righteousness and justice is often outraged by Man's sin, yet at the same time God yearns over our lost condition and so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son to save us. In fact, if we want to understand how God feels about what is going in His Creation, we have no better proof of God's passionate nature than can be found than in the life and ministry of Jesus himself, where we see this clearly displayed:

"Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? he that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Shew us the Father?  Believest thou not that I am in the Father, and the Father in me?."

Whenever we think about God's nature we need to remember how He is revealed in Christ, because Jesus is the express image of the Father.

Implied Conditions: God reacts to our responses to His promises and warnings.

There are places in Scripture where the LORD seems to threaten or promise something in an absolute way, but it is readily apparent from information given elsewhere that there were implied conditions. For example Jonah was given the message "Yet forty days and Nineveh will be overthrown." (Jon. 3:4), there no mention of any possibility that this frightening decree could be ameliorated, but on seeing the people of Nineveh had taken the message to heart and humbled themselves in repentance:

"God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way; and God repented of the evil, that he had said that he would do unto them; and he did it not."

After the people of Israel sinned at Baal Peor, Phineas one of the sons of Aaron, intervened to stay the wrath of the LORD by slaying those committing blatant immorality in sight of the door of the tabernacle. Consequently, God made him the following promise:

Behold, I give unto him my covenant of peace: And he shall have it, and his seed after him, even the covenant of an everlasting priesthood; because he was zealous for his God, and made an atonement for the children of Israel.

During the time of the judges the priesthood had degenerated somewhat, and Eli the old priest did nothing to restrain the immorality and corruption of his sons and the priestly ministry was tarnished as a result. Consequently God responded and intervened.

I said indeed that thy house, and the house of thy father, should walk before me for ever: but now the Lord saith, Be it far from me; for them that honour me I will honour, and they that despise me shall be lightly esteemed. Behold, the days come, that I will cut off thine arm, and the arm of thy father's house, that there shall not be an old man in thine house.  And thou shalt see an enemy in my habitation, in all the wealth which God shall give Israel: and there shall not be an old man in thine house for ever.  And the man of thine, whom I shall not cut off from mine altar, shall be to consume thine eyes, and to grieve thine heart: and all the increase of thine house shall die in the flower of their age.  (see 2 Sam. 2)

It is clear then, when we look at other parts of Scripture, that what sounded like an unconditional promise to Phinehas had implied conditions; namely that of faithfulness to the LORD in the priestly function. We can see then, how human responses can nullify what seemed sure promises, or even avert seemingly inevitable judgements, because there were implied conditions that were met or violated, and our passionate God responds to our breach or upholding of those conditions.

It is supremely important when interpreting Scripture that we always seek to look at the parts in the light of the whole. Many times as believers, our theology may appear to be based on Scripture, but not be ultimately biblical. This sounds like an oxymoron, but it's nonetheless true. A good example of this is the OSAS (Once Saved Always Saved, also known as Unconditional Eternal Security) doctrine so popular in the USA particularly in Calvinistic circles. There are certain statements made by Jesus that on the one hand appear to be unconditional, just like the examples I gave above; but when compared with other statements made by Jesus himself and the Apostles, it is clear that actually such promises as "And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand." are conditional in nature. In other words some scriptures may appear to teach OSAS when taken on their own, but in the light of the whole teaching of Jesus and the Apostles (and indeed the rest of Scripture) we see that OSAS is not part of any real biblical theology.

There are some promises which can not be annulled by human misdeeds and whose eventual fulfilment is unconditional and ensured, but our participation in or enjoyment of those promises is conditional. An example of this would be the Land promise made to Abraham; God promised the land of Canaan to Abraham and his descendants for ever, but they, because of their sin have not truly enjoyed the benefits of that promise. Nevertheless the promise stands, it will never be annulled, and will be fulfilled in its entirety, but only those who are of the faith of Abraham will enjoy it.

God's judgements and our response to them.

Scripture reveals to us that not only can our enjoyment of a promise be affected by our response to it, but the severity of some inevitable judgement can be affected by our human actions and responses as well. This is vividly played out in Israelite history.

From the time of Solomon's apostasy onwards, there was a gradual but definite decline in the spiritual condition of Israel. Solomon's apostasy brought division; the Northern Kingdom went rotten from the outset; on the other hand, the southern kingdom of Judah embarked on a more gradual downward trend with occasional upward "blips" when a national revival occurred during the reign of a good king.

What particularly tipped the kingdom of Judah over the threshold and finally exhausted God's patience though, was the dreadful reign of Manasseh, who not only practised idolatry but even the child-sacrifice of Molekh worship outside the very city walls in the Halley of Hinnom in full view of the Temple Mount.

Things were so bad, that even during his own reign judgement fell on Manasseh, he was carried off to Babylon by the king of Assyria. Astonishingly enough, during his captivity there, he experienced genuine repentance, God had mercy upon him and he was returned to Judah and restored to his throne,--but as a vassal king to Assyria. Manasseh promptly began a clean up, and removed the abominations he had placed in the very Temple courts. Even though his earlier wicked deeds had initially exhausted the LORD's forbearance, Manasseh's true repentance caused the LORD to hold off the inevitable severe chastening for a few more generations.

Of course it was not just Manasseh who was at fault, Judah's sin and apostasy was national. The heavy hand of God's chastening had to fall at some point as he responded to the deteriorating spiritual condition of the nation. After Manasseh there was only one more good king,--Josiah, and after his reign was over things went from bad to worse. It was into this situation that Jeremiah was called to speak.

Jeremiah and his unpopular message.

Jeremiah's message of submission to the yoke of Babylon¹ was particularly unwelcome, because it was directly opposed to a number of vested interests, both political and religious. On the whole, it seems he was mostly preaching to a hostile audience. In fact in the pages of Scripture, Jeremiah was probably the most hated and ill-received prophet apart from the Messiah himself.

The people were bent on their backsliding and enjoying their sin, so to hear messages of Divine displeasure, reproof and approaching chastening was not something that appealed to them, they actually preferred the messages of the false prophets (Jer. 5:31).

Jeremiah's message was not well received politically. For quite some time Judah had been a tributary to the Assyrians, but now the Assyrian empire had almost completely collapsed following internal struggles and the encroachments of a rising Babylonian-led coalition which included the Medes and some northern barbarians. The Judaean national leadership were hoping this would be the opportunity to finally shake off hated foreign shackles by playing off Assyria's former ally Egypt against a Babylon which was now dominating Judah as it filled the vacuum left by a receding Assyria. Jeremiah's message that the LORD required the nation to submit to the yoke of the king of Babylon, was not only a slap in the face to national pride and the currently rising expectations of liberation from foreign oppressors, but it was also diametrically opposed to the national leadership's foreign policy initiatives.

The Temple priesthood, ministering in the name of the LORD, where one would have thought Jeremiah would have found ready allies, and the national religious leadership, were even more antipathetic towards Jeremiah than the politicians and common people, because they were corrupt, spiritually compromised and had mingled the worship of Yahweh with paganism.

Moreover all the chief of the priests, and the people, transgressed very much after all the abominations of the heathen; and polluted the house of the Lord which he had hallowed in Jerusalem. (2 Chr. 36:14)

It was the voices of the prophets and priests that clamoured loudest against Jeremiah, (see Jer. 26) and cried out to have him done away with; because they, using the false prophets as their mouthpiece, were ringleaders in the apostasy of the people. They hated Jeremiah's message of judgement and chastening, partly because it affected their position, prestige and (probably) personal incomes.

Hananiah and his very popular message.

And it came to pass the same year, in the beginning of the reign of Zedekiah king of Judah, in the fourth year, and in the fifth month, that Hananiah the son of Azur the prophet, which was of Gibeon, spake unto me in the house of the Lord, in the presence of the priests and of all the people, saying, Thus speaketh the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, saying, I have broken the yoke of the king of Babylon. Within two full years will I bring again into this place all the vessels of the Lord's house, that Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon took away from this place, and carried them to Babylon:² And I will bring again to this place Jeconiah the son of Jehoiakim king of Judah, with all the captives of Judah, that went into Babylon, saith the Lord: for I will break the yoke of the king of Babylon.

Hananiah is listed as the son of Azur the prophet. Prophets, whether of the LORD or otherwise, were often court appointees in ancient Israel. David had a true prophet of the LORD, Nathan, and Ahab and Jezebel had their appointed (false) prophets. There is an Azur listed in Eze. 11: 1-13. Interestingly enough Azur is described as a "prince of the people" so he had political connections, but he is also described as one of those who "devise iniquity" and give "wicked counsel in the city", which the LORD specifically spells out as their saying, "it [judgement] is not near". Though it can not be established with absolute certainty, the son of a court hanger-on with powerful and crooked connections would definitely characterise Hananiah.

What was wrong with Hananiah's message?

Though Hananiah uttered his prophecy in the name of the LORD, that of course did not guarantee it was of the LORD. At that time the worship of Yahweh had become corrupted by syncretism and idolatry, even within the Temple courts. Hananiah's message certainly appeared on the surface to be pro-Israel, that would have sounded appealing today to many within the Christian Zionist community. However the LORD did not view it with approval.

Then the word of the Lord came unto Jeremiah the prophet, after that Hananiah the prophet had broken the yoke from off the neck of the prophet Jeremiah, saying,  Go and tell Hananiah, saying, Thus saith the Lord; Thou hast broken the yokes of wood; but thou shalt make for them yokes of iron.  For thus saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel; I have put a yoke of iron upon the neck of all these nations, that they may serve Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon; and they shall serve him: and I have given him the beasts of the field also.  

It was inconsistent with the tenor of prophetic revelation.

God had been consistently warning concerning the national situation for a long time. Isaiah, ministering during the reigns of previous kings had clearly foreseen the exile to Babylon and their regathering (Isa. Chas.14, 39, 48). Hananiah's message also explicitly contradicted what the LORD had been saying through Jeremiah for most of his ministry.

It mingled truth with error in order to gain an audience.

Effectively, Hananiah's message was an attempt by the false prophet to neutralise the message coming through Jeremiah by taking part of what was true and then mixing it with a lie. Thus Hananiah was saying "Yes, God was angry like Jeremiah said, he was going to judge, but he has done that now, and it's all over. It's all smooth sailing from now on." This was actually a form of what today we would call preterism. Unfortunately this was not true, God had barely even begun to enter into judgment with his sinning people.

It by-passed the Divine call for repentance.

It was a message of national restoration, salvation and victory without the much needed repentance and faith that the true prophets had been calling for. This kind of false teaching was particularly dangerous, because it had the ear of the people, who were already predisposed to hearing messages that did not bring conviction to the sin in their lives or any requirement to forsake it. It was a cheap grace message.

It appeared to be a calming and comforting message but it presented the people with a false hope that would make matters far, far worse for them in the long run.

"Thou hast broken the yokes of wood; but thou shalt make for them yokes of iron."

The LORD actually lays the responsibility for the heavier judgement that would ensue, directly at the door of the false prophet. He says that ultimately it was their false teaching that made the yoke heavier and stronger.

Modern Day Hananiah's.

"That's All Folks!" a deadly deceit.

Jacob's preaching and Moriel generally, have a specific focus on presenting the prophetic testimony of the Scriptures, both to the Church to prepare her for what is to come, and to the unsaved to exhort them to flee from the wrath that is to come, and in this context Jacob often refers to "et tsara l'yakov", the time of Jacob's trouble.

Ask ye now, and see whether a man doth travail with child? wherefore do I see every man with his hands on his loins, as a woman in travail, and all faces are turned into paleness? Alas! for that day is great, so that none is like it: it is even the time of Jacob's trouble; but he shall be saved out of it.

What may come as a surprise to some, is that just as in Jeremiah's day, there are certain high-profile groups in Israel that are teaching that Jacob's Trouble is already past or doesn't really apply to eschatological events within Israel. The quote below is from Chuck Cohen of Intercessors for Israel:

"According to those verses in Jeremiah, Jacob's trouble occurs before Israel comes back to the land and before Israel becomes an independent nation again. Israel became a nation again in 1948. Did anything occur to Jacob's descendants before 1948 that could qualify as Jacob's trouble? While some believe that the whole 1,900 year exile can be seen as Jacob's trouble - and there can be a good argument made for this - still the event that seems to be the climactic fulfilment was the demonically inspired Nazi Holocaust. Jacob's trouble has been fulfilled."

"As noted briefly before, there can also be a future fulfilment, based on a spiritual principle of 'now-and-not-yet' that applies to some prophetic passages.³ That principle, if we are being honest with the text, would indicate that if there was another wave of anti-Semitic hatred leading to the deaths of many Jews, it would happen in exile. Jews who refuse to return to Zion are - and will continue to be - in much more danger than those Jews who have come home."

The Cohen's article goes appallingly wrong on a number of levels, one of which is on the timing. While they are correct in establishing that the fulfilment of this passage is in the Last Days, (which biblically can mean any time from the Cross onward) what they fail to give adequate weight to is the phrase:

"Alas! for that day is great, so that none is like it"

Jer. 30:7 stresses the historical uniqueness of this period of trouble. This kind of phraseology also occurs in Matt. 24:21-22, Mk 13:19-20, which clearly draw on Dan.12:1-2⁴. All three of these passages, clearly place this unique and unparalleled time of tribulation of Israel's history in the period after the setting up of the Abomination of Desolation, that is, the latter half of the Seventieth Week of Daniel. A period called in Daniel the "Et-haQetz", the "time of the end". Both Daniel and Jesus state emphatically that this time will eclipse all other periods of national and international distress which then means it will be worse than the Holocaust. It is also starkly explicit that the epicentre of the tribulation is within the Land of Israel itself.

Zechariah chapter 13 speaks clearly of a horrifying time when two-thirds of the nation shall be cut off (Zec. 13:8) and this is clearly linked to prophecies connected with the Day of the LORD, however Cohen attempts to evacuate this prophecy of its force:

I.F.I.'s annual Intercessors Prayer Conference in January 2015 included a message⁵ on Zechariah 12-14 that explained why its middle chapter refers to the period around the Lord's first coming and not to the one for which we are all still waiting. In short, Zechariah 12 ends with all Israel being saved, as they look upon the One whom they have pierced and mourn for Him as if He were their precious only child (12:10). In the Hebrew, the word in the KJV translated upon, should be to/toward as with spiritual sight.

While grammatically and syntactically it is possible to understand the meaning of the Hebrew word "אלי" as looking to in a non-physical way. There are extremely serious problems with I.F.I.'s handling of the text from Zec. 12:10. Let us compare their interpretation with the Holy Spirit inspired handling of this verse in the New Testament:

But when they came to Jesus, and saw that he was dead already, they brake not his legs:  But one of the soldiers with a spear pierced his side, and forthwith came there out blood and water.  And he that saw it bare record, and his record is true: and he knoweth that he saith true, that ye might believe.  For these things were done, that the scripture should be fulfilled, A bone of him shall not be broken. And again another scripture saith, They shall look on him whom they pierced. Jn 19:37

Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him. Even so, Amen. Apoc. 1:7

Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken:  And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.  And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other. Matt. 24:30

The following points are abundantly clear from the texts where Zec. 12:10 is quoted or alluded to:

1. It refers to literal seeing of the One who we pierced, with our physical eyes. It does not in any wise refer to a figurative turning toward Him "as with spiritual sight".
2. It is clear from the eschatological contexts in which this verse is used in the NT, that this verse refers to Yeshua's coming in power with His angels in the glory of the Father, which Matt. 24 places explicitly after the Tribulation.

What Chuck and Karen Cohen are claiming about this verse is simply patently untrue, it is false teaching of a very dangerous kind.⁶ It is the deadly preterism of Hananiah.

There is much more in the Cohen's article that raises concerns; like Hananiah it does not take into account the the depth of our national sin and apostasy, and its inevitable consequences. To be quite honest, in modern Israel, we have exceeded by more than a thousandfold anything that Manasseh ever did. Notwithstanding anything else, we have the blood of more than 2 million unborn on our hands. Severe chastisement will eventually be coming our way because of our multiplied national transgression and our lack of national repentance.

Don't Worry! It Will Never Happen To Us.

Once again just as in the time of Jeremiah, in addition to the "It's already happened" school of false prophecy, there is the "It will never happen to us" school of false teachings as well.

. . . Hearken not ye to your prophets, nor to your diviners, nor to your dreamers, nor to your enchanters, nor to your sorcerers, which speak unto you, saying, Ye shall not serve the king of Babylon: For they prophesy a lie unto you, to remove you far from your land; and that I should drive you out, and ye should perish. But the nations that bring their neck under the yoke of the king of Babylon, and serve him, those will I let remain still in their own land, saith the Lord; and they shall till it, and dwell therein.

This school of false-teaching is exemplified by such statements as this, which Dr Paul Wilkinson gave at Berean Call:

" . .the Post-Tribulation belief . . . the Pre-Wrath view, these are heretical views. To teach that the Church is going to go through any part of the Tribulation period is an abominable thing to teach. because it robs believers of the blessedness of the Blessed Hope. It doesn't fill believers with joy and expectancy and longing, it fills them with fear, it fills them with a kind of militancy that they have to stand against the Antichrist, they have to face the Mark of the Beast. I have spoken at Churches in England where people have been in fear how they are going to get through the Tribulation, how their children are going to get through the Tribulation. Will they be strong enough to resist the Mark of the Beast when it comes. Praise God the Lord uses many of us to bring freedom and release from that kind of teaching.."

In Jeremiah's time, the weight of national transgression had become so great that judgement was inevitable, and the LORD specifically wanted to prepare His people with the mindset that they would have to endure a yoke of suffering. By presenting the people with a false hope, the lying prophets were dissuading the people from resigning themselves to the Divine chastening and thus teaching them rebellion against the LORD. This in the end would only make their suffering worse and even result in the needless deaths of many.

For they prophesy a lie unto you, to remove you far from your land; and that I should drive you out, and ye should perish.

The Hebrew is very strong, the word l'ma'an translated as "to" in the A.V. has the force of in order that or to the intent that: thus the LORD explicitly says that there is a causative link between the teachings of the false prophets and the Exile and perishing of many.

Events that cannot be avoided and how they affect us.

Like God's judgement on the kingdom of Judah, the Tribulation, the Return of Jesus and the Day of the LORD are settled inevitabilities. God, who in Eternity sees all choices, events and possibilities in ways beyond our comprehension, knows exactly when they will happen. There may, from a temporal perspective, be events and choices made that can delay or even accelerate the arrival of these events, but they can not be avoided altogether, at some point they will inevitably occur. The fact is however, that responding in faith and obedience to God's message makes a massive difference as to how those coming events will affect us. A correct understanding of God's goodness and holy character will help us in this, we must understand that we are not dealing with a duplicitous and sadistic deity as portrayed by Calvinism, but an infinitely loving and gracious God, who will (if we are that generation) permit His Body to endure the Tribulation only for their ultimate good and for a the good of a lost world in which God will use them to bear witness, so that He may bring in the final harvest.

In both Joel and Malachi, we have terrifying predictions of the oncoming eschatological Day of the LORD, as the enemies of Israel approach to consume her at the end of the Seventieth Week of Daniel. At the very end of Malachi we read the following:

Remember ye the law of Moses my servant, which I commanded unto him in Horeb for all Israel, with the statutes and judgments. Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord: And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse.

The word translated "curse" here, is kherem. In the OT it is the word used when something is devoted totally to destruction. The word "lest" tells us that this judgement is conditional. If it were not for the prophetic ministry of Elijah and a positive response from the people the Land would be completely destroyed.

We see also the same pattern in the second chapter of Joel. Where in light of the terrifying events approaching, the people are summoned to seek the LORD in prayer and repentance, and it is the change of heart in the people that prompts a response from the LORD to destroy the invading hosts, because "he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repenteth him of the evil."

The birth pangs of end-time events may well come upon our generation, just as judgement came upon Judah. But also like them we have an option. We can either close our ears and live in a state of denial, following the modern-day Hananiah's who without any biblical grounds are telling us it's either already happened, or at least won't happen to us, thus leaving us unprepared and easy prey to coming events and effectively predisposing ourselves to spiritual deception and apostasy. Or, we can seek the LORD with ever increasing vigour, that He might arm us with the mindset that is prepared to forsake all, even our own lives for Him in order to be His witnesses. Jesus has a solution for our fears about the future and our worries about our families and children, if the Tribulation does indeed come upon our generation, and it is this:

If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple. And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple. . . . So likewise, whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath, he cannot be my disciple.

All that we have, including our families and children are a gift of God and do not truly belong to us, we are merely custodians. The God whose very nature is love, who is utterly good, utterly holy and in whom is no darkness at all, must be our highest treasure, and greatest love, and we must trust His character. This is the only solution to fears about the future and the judgements, even the possibility of the Tribulation itself, coming upon us.

We noted above the causative link between false teaching and increased apostasy. We actually see a similar situation in Matt. 24 where contextually the teachings of false prophets and false christs, lawlessness (anomia which in context means divine law) and apostasy are linked. What is particularly interesting though is that the false doctrine that Jesus specifically links to these false christs (and the consequent anomia and apostasy) is the teaching of a coming other than the globally visible, glorious and unmistakeable one He Himself describes and which is preceded by certain signs. This is particularly pertinent, because some pretrib ministers are linking the Gospel proclamation with the Pretrib Rapture Theory in a "believe in Jesus so you won't have to go through the Tribulation" message.

I often wonder how Dr Wilkinson's statement quoted above would be received in places like the Sudan, Nigeria, Vietnam and ISIS controlled territories in Iraq and Syria. Would Christians there, some of whom watch their families butchered before their eyes before they themselves are slaughtered, feel freed and released by pretribulational rapturism; would a message of "you don't have to endure", "you don't have to stand", "don't worry you'll be taken out before the Tribulation hits town," help them? Or would they be better served by "and they overcame by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony and they loved not their lives unto the death?"

The severity and mercy of God's response to Hananiah.

One of the specific charges God brought against the false prophets of Jeremiah's time, was that they did nothing to prepare the people for what was coming:

O Israel, thy prophets are like the foxes in the deserts.  Ye have not gone up into the gaps, neither made up the hedge for the house of Israel to stand in the battle in the day of the Lord.

The Hebrew word translated "stand" also means to abide or endure. The problem with Hananiah, was not just that his message was false, it was effective at garnering adherents and was popular. It brought "freedom" and "release" from thoughts of divine displeasure, judgement or chastening. It made no demands for amendment of life, repentance and trust in God, and of course this is always an appealing message! However in actual fact, Hananiah and the false prophets were presenting the people with a satanically engineered counterfeit specifically designed to inoculate them against the true message of God's Word, and one which would leave them unprepared for what was coming, and unable to endure it. The LORD's response to this had to be radical:

Then said the prophet Jeremiah unto Hananiah the prophet, Hear now, Hananiah; The Lord hath not sent thee; but thou makest this people to trust in a lie. Therefore thus saith the Lord; Behold, I will cast thee from off the face of the earth: this year thou shalt die, because thou hast taught rebellion against the Lord.  So Hananiah the prophet died the same year in the seventh month.

Hananiah died three months later. Why did God not simply strike Hananiah dead right then and there? I really believe that the LORD was giving Hananiah time to repent. Hananiah knew in his own heart that the message he gave was false. I do actually believe that if he had confessed his false teaching and repented, God would have have responded by sparing his life, because Had already had spared the life of Manasseh who did things far worse. Sadly repentance was not forthcoming.

False teaching is a serious matter, and those who profess to teach the Word are held to a higher standard of accountability (Jas. 3:1). Based on God's past dealings with the false prophets in Jeremiah's day, I can not believe that our God who does not change, will not for the sake of the Body at some point act in response to ministries who stubbornly hold to and promote doctrines that they actually know they have no real biblical warrant for and have been repeatedly warned about;⁷ particularly false teaching that leaves the Body unprepared for very serious future events,--and this will include certain elements even within the premillennial pro-Israel camp, who stand against what the Scriptures clearly teach concerning what is coming. God is giving space to repent, and I really do think they need to reassess what they are teaching in the light of Scripture and not repeat Hananiah's fatal mistake.

1Jer. 27:8-12.

2There were actually three deportations of Judeans to Babylon. The first around 605 B.C. (which is probably when Daniel was taken there) under Jehoiakim, the second around 598 and the third after the city fell in 587.

3"For example, while Peter said that the outpouring of the Spirit on Shavuot, the Day of Pentecost, recorded in Acts 2, was a fulfilment of Joel 2:28-29, many still expect a final fulfilment - when all Israel gets saved, as the context of both Joel and Acts is specifically talking about Jews. We do not see this as applying to some still-to-come future end time global revival that will sweep away the 'gross darkness'. Revival is happening now!" Jacob’s Trouble - Past or Future? Intercessors For Israel Sept. 2015.

4"And at that time shall Michael stand up, the great prince which standeth for the children of thy people: and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time: and at that time thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book." See also Matt. 24:15-21 "When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand:)  Then let them which be in Judaea flee into the mountains:  Let him which is on the housetop not come down to take any thing out of his house:  Neither let him which is in the field return back to take his clothes.  And woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days!  But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the sabbath day:  For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be. And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect's sake those days shall be shortened."

5 "Zechariah 12-14 Today", Chuck Cohen. Intercessors for Israel.

6When they are promoting an error of such magnitude, the reader will not then be surprised to find that the Cohen's are long standing members of Wayne Hilsden's King of Kings Community Jerusalem, which is linked with and thoroughly saturated with the doctrines and practices of the New Apostolic Reformation.

7This is clearly evidenced by the open admission of Pretrib Scholars that they have no scripture that clearly teaches what they claim; the recent withdrawal by major pretrib figures Dr Thomas Ice, Mark Hitchcock and Dr Paul Wilkinson from debating the scriptural basis of their Pretribulational Rapture Theory and their promotion of such things as their "The Apostasy Is The Rapture" teaching. All these things taken together are a more than tacit indicator that they themselves are full aware that their Secret Pretrib Rapture Theory is manifestly unscriptural.

War is Declared

In a strange parallel to the departure of peace from Europe and the US; it has now also gone from the Premillennial and pro-Israel community as well. Few can be unaware by now, that the disagreement over timing of the Rapture went nuclear at the recent Berean Call Conference. Dr Paul Wilkinson of Prophetic Word Ministries International dropped the "H-Bomb" during his rebuttal of the Left Behind or Led Astray DVD, stating that those who do not agree with his Pretribulational Rapture position are holding to "terrible heresy". I know Jacob and others have addressed some of the points raised by Dr Wilkinson, but no one as yet seems to have covered this one, so I thought it good to include it in this bulletin.

It is not wrong to state one's position with passion, but laying aside the personal accusations made there, which are a separate issue; I am not sure that Dr Wilkinson, (who stands by and will not withdraw his heresy accusation) truly understands biblically what the term heresy means, or its implications, or he would not have used it in such an uninformed and offhand manner.

1. What actually is Heresy anyway?

Heresy has been defined in three main ways:

Denial of the fundamentals of the faith as laid down in the the Creeds. The wording of the historic Creeds is very specific, they were formulated as a standard of orthodoxy in response to heresy. Such a definition, however, is inadequate, as it only holds good in the areas covered by the Creeds, and because some later confessions of faith such as the Westminster Confession contain calvinistic elements that many would regard as defective or seriously erroneous at best and the logical implications of which are even blasphemous, as they impugn God's holy character.

Denial of prevailing orthodoxy. This is how most dictionaries would define it, but such a definition only holds good as long as the Church is in good shape doctrinally. Particularly in the Dark Ages and the Inquisition, the prevailing orthodoxy was actually anti-Scriptural, as Christianity had became Christendom and drifted away from any biblical moorings. After all, what kind of orthodoxy bans you from translating or reading the Bible on pain of death?

Denial of what is explicitly taught in Scripture. Of the three definitions, of course this is the most important. Scripture is our ultimate and final authority and the basis for any and all doctrine.

2. Heresy Doesn't Happen By Accident.

Heresy is not a difference of opinion on some subject or even merely possessing erroneous ideas about something: all of us have had at one time or another some wonky notions, particularly when we were young in the Lord, thankfully most of these are ironed out as we mature in our knowledge of the Scriptures and of the faith; however, heresy is not these. Heresy involves the will and is about a choice:--it involves demonstrably false doctrine, wilfully and persistently held to, in defiance and rejection of admonition from the clear teaching of the Scriptures. Consequently, heresy is not something that happens to a Christian by accident; it is a way that one has chosen to follow, therefore, someone who is teaching heresy, is by definition a heretic; thus, by his employment of the term heresy, Dr Wilkinson has implicated all who do not hold to his Secret Pretribulational Rapture Theory as heretics.

Scripture teaches us to shun heretics and keep our distance, because they are uncorrectable.

"A man that is an heretic (or factious) after the first and second admonition reject; Knowing that he that is such is subverted, and sinneth, being condemned of himself."

Heresy is the stock-in-trade of false teachers, who no longer love the Lord Jesus and whose end is destruction.

"But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction."

In actual fact Dr Wilkinson is not the first in the Pretribulational Rapture Theorist Camp to make this kind of accusation, he is merely imitating, in a more emotionally-charged manner, what Tim LaHaye, the guru of Leftbehindism stated in his 1999 book Revelation Unveiled:

This promise, however is to the church of Philadelphia: she will be raptured before the Tribulation begins. It seems difficult to understand why some false teachers suggest that the Church must go through the Tribulation in view of this clear-cut statement of our Lord.

Be that as it may, we can see from the book of Acts that this does not refer to someone who has merely preached something a bit "off" once in a while, or whose understanding or grasp of something is immature.

Now a certain Jew named Apollos, an Alexandrian by race, an eloquent man, came to Ephesus; and he was mighty in the scriptures.  This man had been instructed in the way of the Lord; and being fervent in spirit, he spake and taught accurately the things concerning Jesus, knowing only the baptism of John: and he began to speak boldly in the synagogue. But when Priscilla and Aquila heard him, they took him unto them, and expounded unto him the way of God more accurately. 

Apollos hadn't got everything perfectly right, so Priscilla and Aquila took him aside and straightened things up. They didn't label him a a false teacher or heretic because his understanding of the Gospel was incomplete. A real false teacher or heretic on the other hand, is someone who is persistently promulgating demonstrably unbiblical and destructive false doctrine, and who refuses to be corrected. It is someone who has gone "off the rails" altogether; which is why Paul counsels Titus to reject (shun or avoid) such people after they have refused two admonitions. This effectively means disfellowshipping or excommunication.

Scripture also defines false teachers as wolves:

Take heed unto yourselves, and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit hath made you overseers, to feed the church of the Lord which he purchased with his own blood.  I know that after my departing grievous wolves shall enter in among you, not sparing the flock;  and from among your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after them.  

In the Old Testament, when used of people, wolves depicts those who mercilessly exploit or plunder others for their own gain or advantage. It is used particularly in two excoriating condemnatory addresses against Israel's national and religious leadership (Eze. 22:23-31 & Zep. 3:1-4.).

Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly are ravening wolves.  By their fruits ye shall know them. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles?  Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but the corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit.  A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit.  Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.  Therefore by their fruits ye shall know them.  Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father who is in heaven.  Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy by thy name, and by thy name cast out demons, and by thy name do many mighty works?  And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.

When we take heresy in its biblical definition; Dr Wilkinson, by his declaration of all eschatological views other than his own to be terrible heresy; has in actual fact labelled all who do not teach the Pretribulational Rapture Theory as heretics, false teachers and wolves, exploiters of the Body, workers of iniquity, who await only the Lord's judgement and destruction, fit only to be shunned and avoided by other believers.

Heresy is not something about which believers can ever remain neutral, Scripture commands us to separate from heresy, and shun those who wilfully propagate false teaching: thus, biblically speaking, Dr Wilkinson's heresy charge, if taken seriously, is also a call to Pretribulational Rapturists to excommunicate those who do not endorse their eschatological theory.

3. Is Non-Pretrib Actually Heresy?

Can Dr Wilkinson demonstrate that Post-tribulationism or Prewrath contradict any of the historic creeds, Apostolic, Athanasian, Nicene? Absolutely not.

Can Dr Wilkinson demonstrate that Pretribulationism was ever part of the orthodoxy of the Church, particularly the immediate Post-Apostolic Church? I am sure like other Pretribulation Rapture theorists he would love to be able to do that, but he is confronted by a deeply embarrassing silence for the first 1800 years of Church history in regards to anything that could be taken as as serious evidence of a Pretribulation Rapture. They proclaim Pretrib as a "lost" doctrine rediscovered by John Nelson Darby, but for something to be rediscovered, it has to be proved to have previously existed as part of the Apostolic deposit of faith once delivered to the saints, which they can not do. Without Scofield's (a convicted felon and con-man) insertion of Darby's errors into the very pages of Scripture itself, Pretrib would have remained the crank teaching of a tiny self-excommunicating cult-group. So the "rediscovery" claim is, on their part, wishful thinking at best, and downright deceit at worst, because they have no basis for such a pronouncement. Pretribulational teachers that are claiming definitive Pretrib support from Early Church history or that it is an orthodox doctrine that was "lost" are selling their listeners timeshares on Mars.

Can Dr Wilkinson demonstrate by sound exegetical process that Pretribulationism is clearly and unambiguously taught in Scripture? The fact that he could not do so in either his video or written rebuttal is very telling indeed.

The grounds of his accusation of "terrible heresy" are that non-Pretrib eschatologies place the Church in the Seventieth Week of Daniel, because the Seventieth Week is decreed for Israel and the city of Jerusalem, but his reasoning here is a non-sequitor. Yes, indeed, the Seventieth Week is decreed upon Jerusalem and the Jewish people, but it does not follow that it does not affect the Church, for a great number of very important reasons, just one of which I will list below.

Dr Wilkinson's position makes the assumption that God can not deal with Israel and the Church at the same time.

Firstly this concept is nowhere found in Scripture; it is one of those vaporous presuppositions upon which Pretribulational Rapture theorists build their castles in the air. Secondly God was dealing with Israel after the New Covenant was inaugurated and after Pentecost, (which is assumed by dispensationalist to be the birthday of the Church) and even more so now after 1948, Israel is a nation once more and the Church is still here. Thirdly it could even be argued that God has never stopped dealing with Israel, that the very fact of their judicial hardening and exile among the nations and the preservation of the Jewish Remnant is evidence of that.

Things decreed or ordained explicitly for Israel actually have massive relevance for the Church.

Behold, the days come, saith Jehovah, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah: not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt; which my covenant they brake, although I was a husband unto them, saith Jehovah. But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith Jehovah: I will put my law in their inward parts, and in their heart will I write it; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people: and they shall teach no more every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know Jehovah; for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith Jehovah: for I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin will I remember no more.

Nowhere will you find in Scripture that the New Covenant was made with the nations or the "Church". It is made specifically with the house of Israel and the house of Judah. According to Dr Wilkinson's rigid and over-realised demarcation, the New Covenant should have no relevance to the Church because it is "Jewish" and appointed to the nation of Israel. The fact is however, Scripture records that the Gentiles are graciously included in this promise given to the Jewish people.

Secondly the Apostle Paul makes it quite clear in Ephesians that Gentile believers now occupy the following position:

Joined with the Jewish Messiah,

Of the commonwealth of Israel,

Partakers in the covenants of the promise, sharing in the hope of Israel.

Made nigh in the blood of the Messiah.

Part of the one new man created from Jew and Gentile.

Reconciled along with Jewish believers unto God.

Sharing a common access [with Jewish believers) through the Spirit to the Father

No more strangers and sojourners,¹ but fellow-citizens with the saints, and of the household of God,

Built upon the foundation of the [Jewish] apostles and prophets,

Fellow-heirs, and fellow-members of the body, and fellow-partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel,

Dr Wilkinson's eschatology is wrong, because his ecclesiology is wrong. Though it is beyond the scope of this article to enter into great details on the doctrine of the Church, very briefly it could be said thus: that the "Church" is really nothing other than an expansion and development of the saved remnant of Israel. Paul makes it absolutely clear that when a Gentile comes to faith he is plugged into the wonderful promises and destiny that God has intended for Israel; he comes to share in what Paul calls the commonwealth of Israel, thus as part of the remnant he shares in its relationship to the nation of Israel as a whole. So, like the remnant which he has now joined, he is distinct from unbelieving Israel, but not separated from it, he shares the same connection with it as does the rest of the Remnant. He does not become a Jew, or cease to be a Gentile, but he is now of the seed of Abraham by faith (Gal. 3:29). If then, a Gentile believer is part and parcel of the commonwealth of Israel, of Abraham's seed, a fellow-heir of the promise, and of one body with the Remnant of Israel and part of the nation that would render the vineyard's fruit in its season, then it stands to reason that he must also share in what befalls that Remnant also, for example in Revelation 12:

And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.

So then we see on all three counts, the Ancient Creeds, Historic Orthodoxy and faithfulness to Biblical Truth, Dr Wilkinson's charge of heresy is all flurry and fluff, without substance, an ill-advised and emotional venting, which while it played to the pretribulational gallery at Berean Call, does not correspond to any biblical definition of the term heresy at all.

4. Dr Wilkinson's Controversial Remarks on the Trinity.

I am making no accusations and have no desire to; if however, Dr Wilkinson had pointed the finger at himself instead of accusing others, he might have found more grounds for his accusations, because he is certainly encroaching on the areas covered by two of the definitions.

In regards to Historic Orthodoxy; his castigation of the Post-Apostolic and Ante-Nicene Fathers for their faults in order to discredit their eschatological testimony, was in itself, a tacit admission of the fact that they were post-tribulational to a man, and that a post-tribulational eschatology was actually stated to be part of Christian orthodoxy in that period; and Dr Wilkinson brought forth no evidence to demonstrate Pretribulational Rapturism was ever widely accepted among Evangelical Orthodoxy until very recently (and even that mostly geographically isolated to the USA). Rest assured, could he have done so, he most certainly would have.

In regards to Biblical Support, the most important category of all; in place of an exegetical argument, Dr Wilkinson presented us with this:

Well yes, I would agree that there is not one verse of Scripture to prove the Pretrib Rapture Theory", as he put it, . . . doctrine. Erm . . . I don’t believe he should have said that, had no need to say that. It's a none argument. Are you going to give me one verse of Scripture that proves that God the Father, that the Father is God and the Son of God and the Spirit is God, is that what we are about, proof-texting like the Jehovah's Witnesses? No we have the full counsel of God the progressive revealed Word of God to our hearts and so when you are talking about like the Rapture or the Trinity or whatever it is, you pull in lots of Scriptures.

The doctrine of the Trinity, so fundamental to biblical Christianity, cannot be proved by quoting a single verse of Scripture! Joe Schimmel is making a non-argument. We are not Jehovah’s Witnesses hanging our theology on proof-texts, but Evangelical Christians seeking to show ourselves approved by studying the whole counsel of God, from Genesis to Revelation. As we do so, we discover that many of the precious truths of the Christian faith, including the doctrine of the Trinity and the Rapture of the Church, are progressively revealed.

I am convinced that Dr Wilkinson was not paying any attention to what was said on the Left Behind or Led Astray video he was rebutting. Pastor Joe Schimmel was not asking for merely one isolated proof-verse to support Pretrib. It was clear throughout the presentation that what was required was more broadly defined:

We had offered 10,000 USD to anyone who could show just one clear teaching proving that Jesus returns in a Pretrib Rapture . . . . Can you show us one scripture that clearly teaches Jesus Christ comes before the Tribulation to rapture the Church? It was not just average believers who could not give us clear Scripture teaching the Pretrib Theory . . . . to ask Colin LeNoury if there was one clear verse or passage of Scripture that taught the Pretrib Rapture . . . . When we asked Colin for one verse or passage . . . .

Dr Wilkinson is trying to eat his cake and have it here. He rails on proof-texting, but then actually uses parts of Daniel as proof-texts for his claim that those who teach that the Church is present on earth during the Tribulation are teaching "terrible heresy"! The fact is, that there is nothing wrong with a proof-text, providing it is in context. He also seems to misunderstand the term "progressively revealed," as being akin to non-contextual, or inferential, something which it absolutely does not mean.

And this is really what lies at the heart of this matter of the Trinity and why Dr Wilkinson is so in error to equate the doctrine of the Trinity with that of the Pretribulational Rapture Theory. The doctrine of the Trinity rests on passages of Scripture which in context either explicitly state or unavoidably imply, to any honest mind, one or more of the propositions underlying the doctrine.

For example, Jesus explicitly states his divinity on a number of occasions in John's Gospel and it is clear from the response of the Jewish authorities that he was making such a claim. He is worshipped as God, seen as co-equal with the Father and one with the Father, the Father, Son and Spirit share the same one name, the Holy Spirit is revealed to be divine and personal not a mere force, etc. There is no need to read presuppositions into these texts to make them say this; these passages, in context, speak for themselves. We could fill a small book with them to exegetically demonstrate the undergirdings of this precious truth of Scripture.

Pretribulationism on the other hand can offer nothing like this, as was so vividly illustrated by Pretrib gurus own admissions in "Left Behind or Led Astray," and their constant scrabbling for pretexts, be they ever so slim, on which to hang their theory, a pastime which frequently involves outrageous historical revisionism (to try and read Pretrib into Early Church history) and the adoption of a thoroughly dishonest hermeneutical methodology that is completely at variance with any and all of their claim to "literal interpretation".

5. Something More Than a Spat.

Consequently Dr Wilkinson's response to Left Behind or Led Astray's reporting of these Pretrib Leader's admissions (that the Scriptures do not, as such, teach Pretrib, and that it is a doctrine derived solely from inference); --was not to present us with clear biblical teaching for the Pretribulational Rapture Theory, but instead to hermeneutically downgrade the precious doctrine of the Trinity; to claim it has the same wretched basis and paucity of scriptural support as their beloved theory; and thus effectively to debase the Trinity doctrine, as Jacob puts it,--to the status of mere opinion. This is why this issue is no mere "strife about words" or a spat between preachers, but an extremely serious one. Dr Wilkinson's remarks about the Trinity are so dangerous, not because he himself actually denies the doctrine, (it is clear from his written rebuttal that he does not) but because they are a wide open door to those who do and will; because to put the Trinity on the same basis as Pretrib, is to, in effect, assert that the Scriptures do not actually teach it, thus undermining it altogether.

The same downgrading is being applied to the scriptural and historic testimony of the Body to other doctrines as well, as leading Pretribulational Rapture theorists labour to degrade hermeneutical standards to make their theory sound acceptable. We may remember the reckless remarks of Thomas Ice who on the December 2014 Berean Call Radio Show, not only said the same thing; (and was endorsed in it by T.A. MacMahon) but also threw in some historically inaccurate and wildly irresponsible utterances about Justification by Faith and the Atonement as well², all while plugging the lethal "Apostasy equals Rapture" doctrine with which certain Pretrib Rapture theorists are currently intoxicated, and which, sadly, Dr Wilkinson includes in his book "Understanding Christian Zionism".

The Rebuttal Fiasco, the Berean Call endorsement of the Trinity Doctrine Downgrade, Apostasy Equals Rapture, undermining of other core doctrines, etc. all these are unsettling individually, but taken together they are an alarming indicator of the underlying rot and putrefaction within Pretrib.

6. The Core of the Matter

Dr Wilkinson's claims about the doctrine of the Trinity, have exposed very publicly the real contention between the Pretrib Camp and the Post-Trib or Prewrath teachings, which is actually not about the timing of the Rapture at all, but is everything to do with the tortuous and unsound hermeneutical methods by which Pretrib theorists arrive at their position. Though by no means perfect, the Post-Trib, Intra-Trib and Pre-Wrath, are at least attempts to work out an eschatology based on clear and in context or explicit statements of Scripture. Leaders from these three camps would stress that there is much that we "see through a glass darkly;" but the basic premise that the Church will go through the Tribulation is based on a literal exegesis, backed up also by nearly 2000 years of Church history. The Pretrib doctrine on the other hand, has to resort to a handling of the Scriptures kith and kin with cult-groups like the Jehovah's Witnesses, including denial of what Paul and Jesus explicitly state. Small wonder that one of the commentators in Left Behind or Led Astray described Pretrib as a doctrine "characterised by deceit". These kind of violations of the Scripture text and the manifest errors it engenders, are what the early opponents of Darby, like B. W. Newton, S. P. Tregelles and others raised their cry against, and they, in an interesting parallel to our own times, were also castigated as heretics, and relentlessly hounded and demonised by Darby for standing up to his unbiblical novelties; but they stuck to the Word, as one of their number, the famous George Muller put it:

"My brother, I am a constant reader of my Bible, and I soon found that what I was taught to believe did not always agree with what my Bible said. I came to see that I must either part company with John Darby, or my precious Bible, and I chose to cling to my Bible and part from Mr. Darby." 

Sadly, recent events show us, that within the Pretrib Camp, some are, at present, making the opposite choice.

1 The phrase strangers and sojourners corresponds to the O.T. Hebrew words "gerim" and "toshavim," non-Jews who while dwelling among the children of Israel, were not permitted to eat the Passover or partake of the holy things or enter the inner Temple courts. Paul is basically saying that Gentile believers do not have second-class standing, but are on an equal basis with a full pass into all the benefits and privileges promised to Israel.

2 See "Theological Propanganda" in Mar. 2015 Moriel Bulletin or go to http://morielisrael.blogspot.co.il/2015/03/theological-propaganda-introduction-to.html

Stormy Weather and Car Repairs.

Appropriately enough for the beginning of the rainy season, September was a tempestuous month, few can have failed to observe the storm that blew in from the outer Left Behind regions after the recent release of the DVD "Left Behind or Led Astray" in which Jacob featured. This harsh weather looks set to abound rather than abate, and as it has been occupying a good deal of my own thought recently, and as Moriel supporters (who generally lean towards a non-Pretribulational eschatological viewpoint) may in their local fellowships find their views the subject of controversy, I thought it best to address one of the issues in this bulletin.

The Dangers of Acquiring Second-Hand Goods.

After learning to drive, in my now distant youth, the first two cars I acquired were second-hand. The first was the inherited family car, (with synchromesh so awful I learnt how to double de-clutch), and the second a Citroen 2CV, the first car I bought myself, and my most beloved car ever (as my wife says I never stop telling everyone). Both cars gave me good service, but there were problems: I had to fix or replace a number of things, and I always took a full tool kit with me on any long journey, (and was sometimes glad I did). For each car I bought the workshop manual, and I learnt a lot about fault diagnosis, repair and maintenance. Truth is, when you get something second-hand it needs checking over and possibly some rectification.

Even so with theology and doctrine. When we are new believers, we are bequeathed something. For the most part the doctrinal "car" might be basically roadworthy, but after we have been driving it a while, we may perceive things that are less than perfect and need to be fixed, to restore it to factory condition.

I rapidly learnt how to fix things by the roadside and do repairs away from home by myself, when there was no one around to help. I also discovered, however, after I acquired the workshop manual, that my Dad, who did know something about cars, sometimes had faulty advice which caused problems if followed. Yes, I discovered that even though he knew quite a bit about engineering, he didn't know everything and he wasn't infallible. Sometimes I had to choose between listening to my Dad or following the manual, and occasionally this caused friction, but in the end I was now an adult, it was now my car and I was responsible for it.

When we are new in the Lord, we lack the discernment and knowledge of the workshop manual (the Bible) to ascertain whether the body of doctrine we are being taught by our pastor or in the books we read is actually wholly biblical. We have not established enough of a working knowledge yet of biblical doctrine, or even how to skilfully and rightly handle the Word of Truth for ourselves. Such things as understanding context, the importance of grammar, skills of observation, inductive study and critical thinking, might be new and foreign to us. But it should not stay that way for ever. We absolutely must grow in our understanding and grasp of the Word, and how to interpret it properly and fully grasp the teachings contained within it, Though not everyone is called to be a teacher of the Word or a pastor, every pastor should be encouraging his flock to develop these skills, and to test and evaluate even what he himself is teaching in the light of the Word. In fact, any pastor who advocates or expects that his flock accept everything he says carte blanche, is not worthy of the name; and members of the flock who uncritically accept everything that proceeds from their pastor's mouth are failing not only in their own duty to "test everything", for the sake of their own safety and spiritual well-being, but also in their duty of care towards their pastor as well. We are biblically obligated to flag up or approach him with something that just doesn't seem quite right, or line up with Scripture.

This does not mean that there should be a weekly "bash the pastor" session or, that there should be constant interruptions during the sermon or disruptive behaviour of dissenting members; these things can be done in good order with humility, love and respect: but any congregation where there is no atmosphere of openness, no humble willingness to discuss doctrinal matters or that does not equip its members in how to interpret the Word and discern between truth and error; or where the pastor is not open to correction is extremely vulnerable (even with the best intentions of its leadership), to becoming what is in effect, a cult.

Another thing that we can acquire second-hand is Christian-Jargon. Of course all specialist fields have their technical terminology and theology is no different. The specialist theological meaning of terms such as justification, imputation, redemption etc. are very different to how these terms are used in the secular world, but on the whole the meaning of these terms is well established, and I don't really mean those. By jargon, I mean those kind of terms and expressions that we hear at a popular level and often absorb unthinkingly almost by osmosis. I remember many years ago, reading of a pastor who had just finished a meeting at some town or other, and was set to travel on. The congregation offered to pray for his safe journey: "Preacher, do you want us to cover your car with the blood?" they asked. "Actually" he said, "I would much rather that you washed it. for me." The congregation, though well-intentioned, had unthinkingly adopted an understanding of the blood of Jesus, via this jargon, that was disconnected from any biblical reality. This kind of phenomenon is absolutely rife in the Pentecostal and Charismatic movements, where believers accrue the "Christianese" of their peer-group assuming it to be true and scriptural without further investigation, and use such jargon with almost mantra-like repetitiveness. Sadly this is not restricted to the lunatic fringe it can even affect otherwise sound believers and well-known preachers.

This usage of terminology divorced from biblical meaning or context was amply illustrated in Dr Paul Wilkinson's emotionally charged and excoriating tirade (with which most Moriel supporters will most likely now be familiar) delivered at the recent Berean Call Conference against those who would dare to disagree with the Secret Pretribulational Rapture Theory. Dr Wilkinson's eyebrow-raising speech and his later written paper expressing similar sentiments, have indeed created some waves and also attracted a certain amount of notoriety, which he may later come to regret. However, their tone and manner is not my concern here, but rather the scriptural issues which his "rebuttals" raise, and for the purposes of this bulletin, one in particular:

. . . . it's destructive it's damaging, and it's thoroughly dishonest. . . . the Post-Tribulation belief that Joe Schimmel espouses, Joel Richardson, the Pre-Wrath view that Jacob Prasch espouses, these are heretical views. To teach that the Church is going to go through any part of the Tribulation period is an abominable thing to teach. because it robs believers of the blessedness of the Blessed Hope. It doesn't fill believers with joy and expectancy and longing , it fills them with fear, it fills them with a kind of militancy that they have to stand against the Antichrist, they have to face the Mark of the Beast. I have spoken at Churches in England where people have been in fear how they are going to get through the Tribulation, how their children are going to get through the Tribulation. Will they be strong enough to resist the Mark of the Beast when it comes. Praise God the Lord uses many of us to bring freedom and release from that kind of teaching.

Throughout his message the term "blessed hope" was repeated as something being under attack by non-Pretrib proponents, and from this it soon became impossible to escape the impression, that Dr Wilkinson, (who is a dear brother in Christ; we must never forget that!) and it grieves me to say it, does not actually comprehend what the "Blessed Hope" is,--from Scripture; that his understanding of the term as referring to a secret Pretribulational Rapture, is merely something received from others; that he has never investigated the meaning of it for himself, and is merely parroting second-hand theology and religious jargon, and this can be demonstrated by a simple text, context and co-text study of the term.

What then is the "Blessed Hope"?

The term "blessed hope" only occurs in one place in Scripture, namely Titus 2:13:

For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world; Looking for that blessed hope, and [or even, Gr. καὶ] the glorious appearing [lit. the appearing of the glory] of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ; Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works. These things speak, and exhort, and rebuke with all authority. Let no man despise thee.

In order to ascertain what the term "blessed hope" means; we need to look at what information we are provided in the context. For the pretribulationist to honestly (an important distinction) equate "the blessed hope of the appearing of the glory," with their theorised Secret Pretribulational Rapture, then the following is needed:

• A clear chronological reference that places the event before the Tribulation.
• A clear indicator that the event is "in secret", that is to say the unsaved world as a whole does not perceive the Lord's return for his Church, as Pretribulational Rapture Theorists would put it.

In the letter to Titus, the fact is that both these indicators are lacking. There is nothing, in its context in Titus, to even remotely suggest that it refers to a secret or Pretribulation Rapture. There are no direct chronological indicators or other such explicit information, therefore another approach is needed. We need first of all to observe how Paul defines the term "blessed hope" in context in the passage and then look for the same concept in related co-texts.

In the A.V. the "blessed hope" is defined as "the glorious appearing of our great God and Saviour," but the Greek would be better rendered as "the appearing of the glory," and the Greek word behind "appearing" is ἐπιφάνεια (Epiphaneia).

The Greek word καὶ: translated in some versions as "and" can also mean even, which essentially means that the "blessed hope" and the "appearing of the glory" are not separate items but that the "blessed hope" is the "appearing of the glory," and this is the way also most Christians understand this verse anyway. Indeed, Dr Wilkinson's own translation of choice, the Revised Standard Version, renders it:

. . . awaiting our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Saviour Jesus Christ,

We should note that this theme of "appearing" is also mentioned a few verses previously.

For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men,

This grace that appeared to all men (not the Church only) is described as a completed act, something that has already happened, and surely must refer to Jesus' First Coming. It should be noticed that this is not described as a secret appearing but open and manifest to all, this hints that Paul may be using the first to inform us to some extent about the second; namely that both comings share this characteristic, and indeed, Paul uses ἐπιφάνεια (epiphaaea) to also describe Jesus' first coming in 2 Tim. 1:10.

Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began, But is now made manifest by the appearing of our Saviour Jesus Christ, who hath abolished death, and hath brought life and immortality to light through the gospel:

Now, the Greek noun ἐπιφάνεια behind the English word "appearing" is also translated as either manifestation, appearing, or in one place in the A.V. brightness. It appears in but a few places in the NT, and all of them are in Paul's letters, (namely: 2 Thess. 2:8, 1 Tim 6:14, 2 Tim 1:10, 2 Tim 4:1, 2 Tim. 4:8, Titus 2:13) this also gives us a hint that it is a term that Paul uses to describe something specific.

Moving on to our next occurrence of ἐπιφάνεια, we see Paul use it in his exhortation to Timothy:

I give thee charge in the sight of God, who quickeneth all things, and before Christ Jesus, who before Pontius Pilate witnessed a good confession; That thou keep this commandment without spot, unrebukeable, until the appearing (ἐπιφάνεια) of our Lord Jesus Christ: Which in his times he shall shew, who is the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings, and Lord of lords;¹ Who only hath immortality, dwelling in the light which no man can approach unto; whom no man hath seen, nor can see: to whom be honour and power everlasting. Amen. (1 Tim 6:14)

Once again, the context is absent of any implication that this "appearing" is before the Tribulation, or that this "appearing" is only to the Church.

Next we read in Paul's second letter to Timothy:

. . . God . . Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began, But is now made manifest by the appearing (ἐπιφάνεια) of our Saviour Jesus Christ, who hath abolished death, and hath brought life and immortality to light through the gospel: Whereunto I am appointed a preacher, and an apostle, and a teacher of the Gentiles. For the which cause I also suffer these things: nevertheless I am not ashamed: for I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day. . . .

I charge thee therefore before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing (ἐπιφάνεια) and his kingdom;  . . watch thou in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, make full proof of thy ministry. For I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my departure is at hand. I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith: Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing (ἐπιφάνεια). 

There are many themes in common between the letters to Timothy and Titus. Paul exhorts both to a godly and dedicated life, in light of the appearing (ἐπιφάνεια) and to teach the same to others. It is self-evident that the appearing in chapter 1.v. 10 is that of the Lord's first coming. It is superfluous to add once again, that this first appearing was in now way secret or done in a corner.

In v. 18 Paul introduces another element, namely "that day".

In chapter four, Paul adds some extra information about this "appearing" that is to come:

the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom.

To the time of the appearing Paul adds the idea of kingdom and that Jesus shall judge the living and the dead.

Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing.

In v. 8 Paul reiterates the judgement theme again and this verse makes it clear that the time of judgement, at least includes all believers, for Paul specifies the reward which he will receive. Secondly v. 8 reveals the connecting information, that, that day, the time of judgement of living and dead, the appearing and the kingdom are all at the same time.

Thus far then, we have the following information connected with this term ἐπιφάνεια "appearing":

• It is the appearing of the glory of the great God and Saviour Jesus Christ.
• It is linked with the idea of Jesus revealing that He indeed King of kings and Lord of lords and the time of the kingdom.
• It is a judgement of living and dead, and therefore includes a resurrection.
• It is a time of giving rewards to believers: "rest".
• It is also referred to as "that day".

While these passages inform us of events associated with it, none of them directly tell us when the time of this appearing is, but certainly none of them even remotely suggest in their context that this appearing (ἐπιφάνεια) is either secret or Pretribulational. There is however, one final passage in which this word appearing (ἐπιφάνεια) occurs, that pulls nearly all the above motifs together and also provides us with an unambiguous chronological reference.

 We are bound to give thanks to God always for you, brethren, even as it is meet, for that your faith groweth exceedingly, and the love of each one of you all toward one another aboundeth;  so that we ourselves glory in you in the churches of God for your patience and faith in all your persecutions and in the afflictions which ye endure;  which is a manifest token of the righteous judgment of God; to the end that ye may be counted worthy of the kingdom of God, for which ye also suffer:  if so be that it is righteous thing with God to recompense affliction to them that afflict you,  and to you that are afflicted rest with us, at the revelation [Gr. ἀποκάλυψις (apocalupsis)] of the Lord Jesus from heaven with the angels of his power in flaming fire,  rendering vengeance to them that know not God, and to them that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus:  who shall suffer punishment, even eternal destruction from the face of the Lord and from the glory of his might,  when he shall come to be glorified in his saints, and to be marvelled at in all them that believed (because our testimony unto you was believed) in that day. To which end we also pray always for you, that our God may count you worthy of your calling, and fulfil every desire of goodness and every work of faith, with power;  that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and ye in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ. Now we beseech you, brethren, touching the Coming [Gr. παρουσία (Parousia)] of our Lord Jesus Christ, and our gathering together [Gr. ἐπισυναγωγή (episunagoge)] unto him; to the end that ye be not quickly shaken from your mind, nor yet be troubled, either by spirit, or by word, or by epistle as from us, as that the day of the Lord is just at hand [is come as most modern versions render it];   let no man beguile you in any wise: for [it will not be], except the falling away [Gr. ἀποστασία Apostasy] come first, and the man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition,  he that opposeth and exalteth himself against all that is called God or that is worshipped; so that he sitteth in the temple of God, setting himself forth as God.  Remember ye not, that, when I was yet with you, I told you these things?  And now ye know that which restraineth, to the end that he may be revealed in his own season.  For the mystery of lawlessness doth already work: only there is one that restraineth now, until he be taken out of the way.  And then shall be revealed the lawless one, whom the Lord Jesus shall slay with the breath of His mouth, and bring to nought by the manifestation [ἐπιφάνεια (Epiphaneia)] of His Coming; [Gr. παρουσία (Parousia)] even he, whose coming is according to the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders,  and with all deceit of unrighteousness for them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved.  And for this cause God sendeth them a working of error, that they should believe a lie:  that they all might be judged who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.

What do we see in this entire passage?

Firstly in chapter 1:7-10 there is a glorious, and highly visible to all, revelation of the Lord Jesus, from heaven with his angels, because He punishes (i.e. judges) the wicked as well as gives rest to His saints. Paul also calls this event that day:

"when he comes on that day to be glorified in his saints, and to be marvelled at in all who have believed, . . ." (RSV)

This is most clearly occurs after the Tribulation and is obviously a reference to Matt. 24:

"they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, . . . . but of that day and hour knoweth no man"

Now in chapter 2:8-12 we clearly see the same event as in chapter 1:7 etc., because once again Paul reveals that at this time unbelievers are judged. It is abundantly clear that these verses refer to the same event as chapter 2:8-12:

And then shall be revealed the lawless one, whom the Lord Jesus shall slay with the breath of His mouth, and bring to nought by the manifestation [ἐπιφάνεια (Epiphaneia)] of His Coming; [Gr. παρουσία (Parousia)] even he , whose coming is according to the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders, and with all deceit of unrighteousness for them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this cause God sendeth them a working of error, that they should believe a lie: that they all might be judged who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.

Thus the Coming (Parousia) of chapter two is referring back to the "revelation of the Lord Jesus from heaven with the angels of his power in flaming fire, rendering vengeance to them that know not God, . . . when he shall come to be glorified in his saints" in chapter one. In this highly informative passage, the Apostle links the Epiphaneia chronologically with the destruction of the Antichrist; which all would agree occurs at the end of the Tribulation period.

And then shall be revealed the lawless one, whom the Lord Jesus shall slay with the breath of His mouth, and bring to nought by the manifestation [ἐπιφάνεια (Epiphaneia)] of His Coming; [Gr. παρουσία (Parousia)].

So now we have the following information about the ἐπιφάνεια -the Appearing:

• It is the appearing of the glory of the great God and Saviour Jesus Christ.
• It is linked with the idea of Jesus revealing that He indeed King of kings and Lord of lords and the time of the kingdom.
• It is a time of judgement of living and dead, and therefore includes a resurrection.
• It is a time of giving rewards to believers, "rest".
• It is also referred to as "that day".
• It occurs at the end of the Tribulation period when the Antichrist is destroyed, and it is connected with the Lord's coming (Parousia) in glory.
• The fact that three things the Parousia, the ἐπιφάνεια-Appearing and the destruction of the Man of Sin occur on or around the same time is very helpful, because it now gives us a time frame for another prophesied event:

Now we beseech you, brethren, touching the Coming [Gr. παρουσία (Parousia)] of our Lord Jesus Christ, and our gathering together [Gr. ἐπισυναγωγή (episunagoge)] unto him . . .

Paul now adds to the visible glorious, angelically-accompanied Parousia event, another linked concept: namely the "gathering together [Gr. ἐπισυναγωγή (episunagoge)] unto Him."

There are no chapter divisions in the Greek; not only so, but chapter two contains no contextual information that indicates Paul has now changed subjects to speak of a Santa-like secret coming and rapture separate from that of the first chapter. Neither is there ought to suggest a disconnection or seven-year gap between the Parousia event and the "gathering together;" there is no hint that one is invisible and the other not; nor is there anything from which we can honestly infer that the Episunagoge is anything other than a part or component of the Parousia event itself. When we are establishing doctrinal truths, we must never, ever, look for, insert into, or infer from a biblical text, what it does not explicitly state or can clearly and unambiguously be drawn from it. In Second Thessalonians, Paul intimately connects the Episunagoge (which all with one consent know to be the Rapture) event with the Parousia, and later in the passage he connects the Parousia with the ἐπιφάνεια-Appearing by the phrase "Epiphaneia of His Parousia," that is to say, Jesus' manifest coming in glory.

And of course, in reality, Paul, in his eschatological teachings is really just faithfully presenting the teachings of Jesus Himself from Matt. 24 and other places,, where we see the same elements, with the same chronology, and this is of course only to be expected (Matt. 28:20).

Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken: And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together (ἐπισυνάγω [episunago]) his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.

In an interesting note of irony, W. E. Vine, whom Dr Wilkinson mentions as helping to understand the fulness of meaning of biblical words, and who was himself a pretribulationist, refers thus in his very useful Expository Dictionary to Titus 2:13:

" . . . the shining forth of the glory of the Lord Jesus "as the lightning cometh forth from the east, and is seen even unto the west," Matt. 24:27, immediately consequent on the unveiling, apokalupsis, of His Parousia in the air with His saints, 2Thess. 2:8; Titus 2:13."²

The fact that Vine, who had every motive to interpret the "blessed hope" as a pretrib rapture if he could have, but did not, is very telling. Dr Wilkinson should take note.

It was the purpose of this article only to deal specifically with one issue, the biblical definition of the "blessed hope" of Titus 2:13 and to expose the error and hermeneutical bankruptcy of the assertion that it refers to a pretribulational rapture. Exegetically, from the text in question and related co-texts, we can only draw the sure and certain conclusion, that the "Blessed Hope," or more correctly "the blessed hope of the appearing, -the Epiphaneia of the glory," is connected with a visible appearing in glory of Jesus to gather his saints, destroy the Antichrist and set up His kingdom after the Tribulation; no other information is provided to assume otherwise. We must therefore conclude that Dr Wilkinson's definition of the "Blessed Hope" is in actual fact a serious misrepresentation of this precious scriptural concept, and one which robs it of its blessedness, because he is in fact presenting his audiences with a lie, even though we would believe there is no deliberate intent to deceive on his part. We would remonstrate with our good brother Dr Wilkinson; that surely, brother Paul, in the interests of remaining true to the Scriptures and to the God who is their Author, and also to yourself and to those whom you minister; that you desist from using the term "blessed hope" or "appearing" in your current misleading and damaging manner, that you should discontinue this unhelpful and destructive labelling as "heretics" those who are actually trying to understand this term in its biblical context; and finally, that you as a matter of urgency, stop listening to those voices that are giving you faulty information, pull out your workshop manual, do some fault-finding, and please, please, fix your second-hand car, because some things are seriously out of alignment.

Elon Moreh.

Moriel Israel

1 The sentence, "the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ: Which in his times he shall shew, who is the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings, and Lord of lords." is an interesting one. Though of course, it could not be pressed exegetically from this text that Paul is referring to Rev. 19, (which was written considerably later) the thematic connection however, is certainly obvious, because Revelation 19 does reveal exactly to us which are the times in which the Lord Jesus Christ will shew who is the King of kings and Lord of lords.

2 I am also aware of the fact that Vine presented in his dictionary epiphaneia also "the coming of the Lord Jesus into the air to the meeting with His saints, 1Tim. 6:14; 2Tim. 4:1,8" as if it were a separate event, (i.e. a Pretrib Rapture) however there is no contextual or exegetical reason for doing so. Vine at that point was simply reading his presuppositions into the text.