Present Destructive Church Dogmas

It’s fascinating:  ALL of the destructive dogmas on the preceding page are being circulated in the church today!  We don’t realize how erroneously tolerant we’ve become … to our own peril.  But there are other dogmas in the church which have huge destructive potential.  We will only list a few at this time.  Others will be posted at a later date, Lord willing.  The three listed initially all pertain to the doctrine of end times.  Hmmmmm, more than interesting!  In a day in which we need to be biblically discerning our day, there is an assault on the biblical teaching of the days of the end.  “All the more reason to drop this theological hobby horse,” some would say—not us.  

Contemporary Eschatology – the present study of end times

Preterism

Sure, one could differentiate between “full” and “partial” preterism but, as skeptics of full preterism have correctly noted, where does one draw the line between the passages that have already been fulfilled and the ones that haven’t?  GREAT QUESTION.  On what grounds can one say, “Jesus Christ is yet to return” while at the same time deny the contextual data signing His soon-coming?  The full and partial preterist positions both include dangerous consequence.  (Please note:  We do not label the dual positions—which include the future or complete fulfillment of eschatological predictions—as destructive because they, too, affirm the end-time data is still pertinent for today.)

The major danger this dogma presents:  The End Time Passages Do NOT Apply To Today.  Beware of the Bible Answer Men who call for the putting aside of crucial insights for living in our present culture.

God has been generous in giving His counsel to those of us who live in the days of the end.  “If we neglect the passages He has graciously given for the purpose of better discerning the many false teachings currently being propagated today, will we not be making a conscious choice toward casting aside one crucial means—His written Word—which He has provided to help us avoid becoming deceived?” 


Pre-Tribulationalism

We need to preface the following comments with this important one:  We are speaking to those who hold a dogmatic viewpoint concerning the Pre-Tribulation Rapture of the Church.  We understand there are implicit, systematic theological reasons to POSSIBLY hold this end-time position.  But these reasons are based on certain interpretations of the Word of God, not necessarily correct ones.  We need to be clear on this point, so bear with us, for we do not want to be misunderstood.

It’s one thing to believe, tentatively, the timing of the Rapture is Pre-Tribulational (assuming a certain definition of “tribulation”) but quite another to believe this is the only position for which the Bible allows.  The second of the two perspectives is a destructive dogma NOT evidenced in the Word of God.  As we state on a number of our other web sites, there are major reasons to doubt the Pre-Tribulation Rapture event.  1)  There is not a single passage supporting the idea;  2)  There are huge interpretations used to support this viewpoint while at the same time there are other interpretations of the biblical texts which can be equally true—II Thes. 2 is a clear example;  3)  There are problems with the position, ones raised by many through the years of dialogue about this position.

So, as we conclude our preface to the following, please understand we do not label those who tentatively hold the Pre-Tribulation Rapture position as those included within the “destructive dogmas” camp.  We do believe those who would say this position is the only biblically honoring one to be those who suggest to their constituency the other positions are unbiblical.  This is a dangerous position to hold.  In relationship to the end-time position we hold, we ask the dogmatic Pre-Tibulationalist to PLEASE TELL US, 

1)  Why do you dismiss the possibility of a literal last-trumpet rapture (I Cor. 15:51, 52)
            as a viable end-time position, especially since it has explicit support, biblically?

2)  Why do you not allow for the Final Trumpet Rapture Gathering in light of the fact there
            is not ONE biblical prohibition against it?  (Actually, there are many warrants for it!)

3)  Why do you not acknowledge our sincere intent before our Lord Jesus to help do exactly
            what God has counseled His people to do:  to be ready, prepared for His return in
            light of the signs He says will occur before His return?

The major danger this dogma presents:  The Latter End Time Passages Do NOT Apply To The Church Because It Will Be Raptured BEFORE The Public Emergence Of The Antichrist And The Tribulation Around That Time.  Beware of the fallacy of appeal to the majority (of theologians) who would call for the ill-preparedness of God’s church in Jesus Christ—His saints—IF indeed the Rapture does not occur as they insist it will.  Remember, it’s the dogmatic viewpoint that’s the most dangerous one. 

“How in the world would belief in the Pre-Tribulation Rapture event contribute to ill-preparedness?” one might potentially ask ...

See  www.enduranceministries.org  for eternally significant possibilities.


Pan-Tribulationalism & Pan-Millennialism

The attitude, “It will all pan out in the end, so why concern oneself with the issue” is also a very dangerous one and one that sincerely happens to be predominate—scary!—in the American church.  This is diametrically opposed to the mindset our Lord Jesus mandates His followers to embrace.  Time and time again we are told to be ready, discerning, watching, etc. 

The major danger this dogma (in practice) presents:  Those Who Hold This View Are In A Dangerous Position In That They Are Much More Likely To Be Tied To The Worldly System—something our Lord has said NOT to do.  IF one commits to worldly obligations, one will find it very difficult to reject the system at the time the “no turning back” requirement goes into effect—at the time the mark of the beast is mandated.  Once again, the web site  EnduranceMinistries.org  is becoming pertinent for today.  The one found at  endmin.org  (Truth Matters' articles) is even more so because it addresses current signs of our times.

Also, please write to us and ask for the booklet  NOW The Rapture? (Part 1).  The call to be biblically literate is the main emphasis of this appeal.  It is NOT posted online for the main reason of seeking to be heralds of God’s Truths in a variety of genre.  Why?  If steps are taken to close certain web sites due to the threat they pose to the worldly system, we want to have multiple ways to get the important information out to those who would still consider it.  So please, take the Berean Challenge found in the booklet, Now The Rapture? (Part 1).  Please include $5 to help cover our costs when you write.  Sorry, no email requests at this time, please.

For more end-time data from the One who knows, see the list of Scriptures on the following web sites:

          www.endmin.org          “First Things First” Page

          www.FinalTrumpet.org             “Passages” Page

          www.EnduranceMinistries.com           Opening Page 

          www.endmin.com         “Our Concern”  &  “Crucial Passages” Pages

(We are still developing the Future Destructive Global Dogmas page on this site.  Please return at a later time.)