← Jonathan Shuttlesworth
Jonathan Shuttlesworth
Israel, Dispensationalism, The Church, and The Pre-Tribulation Rapture
01:11:56
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- [00:03]
A
Welcome to the Jonathan Shuttlesworth podcast. To stay connected, go to revival today.com and now, here is evangelist Jonathan.
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B
Welcome to Pittsburgh. Glad you're back with us. I've really been enjoying. We're going to brand these for television. Fire by Night. So we're working on the graphics. I think it's out of trademark. That used to be a program that was on when I was a little kid, but it hasn't been on for a long time. So I was looking on ChatGPT whether I could get sued or not. But you know what? I'm already getting sued. So since I bought all those suits for court, might as well break them in tonight. Israel, dispensationalism, the church and the pre tribulation rapture. I've heard a lot of you reformed people get super cocky about these dispensationalists. Well, guess who's a dispensationalist? Me. So now you're going to get clapped back on harder than you thought. Cause I know my Bible, my friend, and I'm very confident in what I believe. I was also reading. Can I get. Can I get chatgpt? Who was the first church father to post scripture that believes in the restoration of a literal Israel and that God had a future plan for Israel?
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C
One of the earliest church fathers known for teaching that God had a future plan for Israel, specifically a literal restoration, was Entity Bar Kamius, early church bishop. Writing in the second century, Irenaeus believed in a future earthly kingdom where Israel would be restored and God's promises would be fulfilled, aligning with a millenarian perspective.
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B
Ah, so this idea was not introduced by some guy named Darby in the 1800s.
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C
Exactly. John Nelson Darby popularized dispensationalism in the 19th century, but he wasn't the first to see a future restoration for Israel. Some early church fathers like Irenaeus already believed that God had a continuing purpose for Israel in line with a future kingdom. Darby just systematized it in a way.
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B
Who was the first ancient church father post scripture that believed in a spiritualized Israel and that there would not be a restoration of of the physical nation of Israel?
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C
A key early church figure who leaned toward a spiritual interpretation of Israel was Origen, writing in the third century. Origin often emphasized an allegorical reading of scripture.
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B
Hold on a second. So then in the second century they were writing that there would be a physical restoration of Israel and then the idea that it was spiritual was introduced later. So in other words, the church did not believe in a spiritual Israel and that the church had Replaced Israel and then some guy named Darby flipped it in the 1800s.
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C
It's a bit more nuanced. Early church views varied widely. While some, like Irenaeus, anticipated a literal future fulfillment for Israel, many others, especially by the late second and third centuries, began to view the church as the fulfillment of Israel's.
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B
But who did you say was first? Didn't you just say Irenaeus was second century and the guy that wrote the other was third century?
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C
You're absolutely right. Iranius in the second century leaned toward a future for Israel, while Origen in the third century leaned toward a spiritual interpretation.
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B
Okay, so, yeah, so the, the initial teaching was for a physical restoration of Israel.
- [03:29]
C
It would be fair to say that some of the earliest voices, like Irenaeus did expect a literal restoration. However, these ideas were varied and by the time of figures.
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B
Let me ask you another question. Would it be unfair to say that the early church believed that the church had replaced Israel and then the view that there would be a physical kingdom of Israel was introduced in the 1800s by Darby?
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C
Yes, it would be unfair. Early church views were diverse. Some early church fathers believed in a literal future for Israel, while others began seeing the church as the fulfillment of the promises. Darby's 19th century dispensationalism was if you believe, that's good.
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B
If you believe, like we preach at this church and I didn't come up with my own doctrine. My doctrine, and I like the guys I'm consistent with. I dealt with this yesterday. You know, this is a theological framework that produced some guys that affected Christianity pretty positively. Oral Roberts, Billy Graham, my father. Who am I leaving out? T.L. osborne, Reinhard Bonnke. And I don't see it. Seems like the other side just likes to argue they live on X. I like living on X, but I live on X while I'm traveling to do things in real life. So we teach this. And so if I hear stray gunfire, I'm sure you hear it too. These dispensationalists. Oh, he's a dispensationalist. As if. As if your side has no holes in it. Now I'm not saying I can solve all problems like Calvinism and Arminianism. This stuff's been argued out forever. But don't act like because we believe in a rapture of the church, of the Lord Jesus Christ that we're idiots that got duped by some guy in the 1800s. I don't know what that Darby guy looks like. I've never owned his Bible or read anything that he Wrote mostly because he never wrote a video game instruction booklet. So let's deal with it. Israel dispensationalism, the church and the pre tribulation Rapture. By the way, if you've not come to see our new church in person, what the h are you thinking? Make this weekend the weekend you come Friday night miracle service here in Pittsburgh at the brand new church. Saturday Communion and baptism service 6pm Sunday 10am I'll see you then. 8pm I will see you in Toronto, which the registrations are piling up. Looking forward to seeing. It's gonna be a great night. One night only. May 2 Toronto DoubleTree by Hilton Toronto Airport West I'm starting to get people that are flying in from Canada, which is one of the reasons I felt to have it at the airport. Just like our church is right by the airport in Pittsburgh. You don't have to necessarily rent a car. Let's talk about the Rapture. The word Rapture is not written anywhere in the Bible. That's right, my friend, because the Bible is not written in Indiana where people spoke English. So the words are harpazo in the Greek and raptis in Latin. And Raptis is where you get rapture from the great catching away. Number two, you define the terms between Rapture, the great catching away. That is a signless event. There's no signs preceding the Rapture. So that's why you have to be ready all the time. Then you have the second coming, which has signs. You know, it can't happen until certain things happen. And then it happens right at Armageddon, the deliverance of Israel. There has to be an Antichrist and a world government first. So defining terms rapture and second coming, they're two separate things. I believe in anybody's theology. It's just the people that believe the other way believe the Rapture and second coming are going to happen like simultaneously or not, you know, not, but boom, boom. And then I would say the reason I'm not just doing this to argue theology. It is very important to have your doctrine straight on the Rapture of the Church of the Lord Jesus Christ. You've heard the three views. Pre tribulation, mid tribulation and post tribulation. If you think that you're gonna have to go through the tribulation, then you're gonna start leading your life towards. I think the dollar is going to collapse. I think oil is going to go to over $200. You're all. If you meet people, not all of them, but the majority of them, if you get into that. You get into this. I'm going to be here for the tribulation. I need to have, like, land in northern Saskatchewan to flee to. And it makes you defensive rather than productive. Now that as a whole, again, there's outliers, but there's a reason why there are no crusade evangelists that hold the other view of note. I've looked it up for two days now, trying to find, like, if I was on the other side, who has my side produced that did what Teal Osborne did and did what Reinhardt Bonnnke did? There's nobody. Because it leads. If you're going to be here where the Antichrist takes you over, it leads to getting the Jim Baker buckets of soup and plenty of ammunition. And, you know, we may build a farm at our church at some point so that people can have fresh food and we can give food to people that are poor. We will not build one so that when the world collapses, we can stay here as a church and eat the apples that we've grown. That's cuckoo talk. And it's not the mission of the church. So you will end up in some degree of being a defeatist.
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You.
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You. Okay, let me phrase it as kindly as I can. You stand a chance of becoming defeatist in your theology. All these people. Look, how. Why? Let me ask you a question. Why did I keep preaching during COVID and so many other people didn't? And basically everybody that kept preaching was pre tribulation rapture, with some exceptions, because the other. Here it is. This is it. This is the tribulation. So they went inactive. Because if you believe that. Now think of this. If you believe that, you believe there's going to be a period of time where the church is under the dominion of the devil and the Antichrist. And so when something like Covid happens, this is it. Then everybody starts scrambling to find every obscure scripture. In Isaiah, the woman took the child and hid. This is what the church has to do right now. They all. Because they have not settled this doctrine. I'm going to give you. I was going to do it in a different order, but I'm going to do this. 10 proofs of a pre tribulation rapture. And then I'm going to go back into that with 20 more things I studied. So it might take two days. 10 proofs of a pre. By the way, that's two separate broadcasts. I don't mean I'm going to keep you here for 48 hours. 10 proofs of a pre tribulation rapture. Number one. Write this down. Understanding the dominion of the church. I want to know from my friend, see what if you want to talk rapture, I don't go into rapture scriptures or Bible prophecy scriptures. I go in to Adam had dominion. Adam ceded his dominion to Satan. Romans 6:16. Whoever you obey becomes your master. And then Christ took the keys of dominion back. So though Satan is still the God of this world, those that are in Christ have dominion over him. If you believe the church is going to be here under the Bible says the Antichrist will be given authority over the whole earth. So at what point does Christ take the keys out of his hand, our hand, and hand them back to Satan? You don't understand dominion over the devil. You can't believe that Satan's under our feet and be afraid of COVID You can't believe Satan's under our feet and shut your church down because you heard there's going to be a war or whatever. See, the other way opens it to fear. Because if you believe the church is going to go through the tribulation, that at some point all the promises of Psalm 91. Why do you think that all the people that argue with me about prosperity and healing are all from this camp reformed or there are assemblies of God people that went and sat under reformed Bible college professors? Because you don't believe that there's absolute promises of healing and protection and prosperity. You believe at one point we're going to be hiding and hoping our heads don't get cut off. And I don't. Because there will never be a time when where Satan has dominion over the church. Christ is the head, we are the body. We're seated with Christ. When do we get unseated from Christ? And I'll be honest with you, I've never heard anybody. Now, I'm not saying they haven't, but this one I got myself. I've been preaching this for 15 years. I want to know if we have to go through the tribulation, at what point am I unable to just fly to where the Antichrist is and cast the devil out of him? I want to know at what point the devil and the beast and the false prophet have dominion over me and I have to hide from them. I'm not hiding from anybody. I just landed in a foreign country and when they asked for a bribe, I got in the guy's face and went, not giving it to you. And when another guy came over with a gun, I said, go ahead and pull the trigger. My president's looking for somebody to blow up. They backed off. I've been standing people down here in Pittsburgh State. We have dominion as the church. And when people don't have this theology straight, they don't have dominion. How many reformed people do you ever see cast out devils? Because if you don't understand a pre tribulation rapture, your dominion over the devil theology is jacked up. Number one, 10 proofs of a pre tribulation rapture. The strongest. The church will always be in dominion over the devil, all demons, all witches, everybody. The statue that talks, all the stuff in Revelation is under my feet. I'm not going to be here when it happens. That's why they're going to be able to do that. Because the thing that's restraining it and a lot of you watching aren't going to be here. The tribulation requires the absence of the church. Easy enough to understand. Number two, Revelation 1 through 3. The church is mentioned 19 times. And then what's Revelation 4:1? Then as I looked, I saw a door standing open in heaven. And the same voice I had heard before spoke to me like a trumpet blast. The voice said, come up here and I will show you what must happen after this. And then John is caught up into heaven. Isn't it interesting that Jesus addresses seven churches with instructions to the church? Then John is caught up into heaven, and then now what's the difference between the trouble you see in the world now and. And the tribulation and great tribulation. Because now everything that's happening is because of the penalty of sin. Sin brings forth death by itself without any help from God. But after the church is caught up into heaven, the problems aren't coming just from sin. God is judging the earth. He's opening up bowls. And again you and everybody get messed even. Amazing how unsure people are of their theology. You know, even full gospel pastors. Maybe this is the tribulation. Oh yeah. God's pouring his judgment out on the earth while I'm still here. How could he do that? He loves me. Me and him are like this. He's not judging me. He's not judging his children. He will not judge the world while his people are still there. So know the church is never mentioned again beginning at Revelation 4:1. Don't you think if the church had to go through the greatest time of trial, tribulation and testing that the world has ever known, maybe Jesus would might want to include one scripture or two that we could hold on to? Number three, Noah. He was sealed in the boat before the first drop of rain fell. He. He didn't have to swim for his life or find loose boards and doggy paddle. Until the flood was over, not one drop of rain fell. And by the way, who sealed him in the boat? An angel. Number four. Lot. As he waited, angels hurried him out of the city. Then the fire fell. Revelation 3. 10. Number 5. Because you have obeyed my command to persevere, this is written to the church. I will protect you from the great time of testing that will come upon the whole world. To test those who belong to the world. Let me see King James. Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation which shall come upon all the world to try them that dwell upon the earth. Back to nlt. So, two promises here. Two very important things. One is a promise. I will protect you from this great time of testing that will come upon who? Those that belong to the world. I don't belong to the world. I belong to Christ. We are promised to be kept from that. 5. Sorry. 6. 10 proofs of a pre tribulation rapture. Number 6. Matthew 13. Somebody planted tares among the wheat. No, it's not. It's not. 1 Matthew. You can just come back to me. Somebody planted tares among the wheat. Let's. Let's rip them out. No, you can't do that without hurting the wheat. First gather the wheat and put in a barn. Then burn the field. The wheat is us. The tears are the people that belong to the world. Jesus said so. He would.
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He.
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So when you hear, why does God allow this to happen? Because there would be no way to judge people right now without affecting his people. So first we'll get the wheat out of the field. Then we'll burn the field. And angels were the harvesters that gathered the wheat. 7. Second Thessalonians 2. 6. 7. And you know what's holding him back? For he can be revealed only when his time comes. By the way, we don't believe in an allegorical Antichrist. You know, the Antichrist spirits in the world right now. That's right, Small A. But then the Bible teaches there will be an Antichrist who in Revelation gives edicts and governs the world. A one world ruler, a false messiah. What's holding him back? For he can be revealed only when his time comes. 7. For this lawlessness is already at work. Secretly. You can see it clearly now. And it will remain secret until the one who is holding it back steps out of the way. So what? Something is holding back? The devil would like this to happen right now. But there's something hindering it. The restrainer, let me see. 7. In King James 2 Thessalonians 2, 7. For the mystery of iniquity doth already work. Only he who now letteth will let until he be taken out of the way. So who is restraining it? Finnis Dake said it can only be one of three things. And I think everybody would agree to this. They just pick different things. Human governments, the Holy Spirit or the Church governments will still be here after the Rapture and during the tribulation. The Holy Spirit will still be here. That's where the Jews turning to Christ come from. And the 12,000 Jewish evangelists from every tribe. What won't be here? Something is here now that won't be here then that's blocking the rule of the Antichrist again. Especially if you combine it with an understanding of dominion. It's the church. Number seven. The restrainer is removed. Number eight. There's no mention of a resurrection of the dead at the return of Christ. Because at the Rapture it's not just us that goes up. The dead in Christ rise and we that are alive and remain are gathered together with them. Number nine. If we had to go through the tribulation, there would be no comfort or encouragement. Now comfort and encourage each other with these words. What words? That we're all going to get our heads cut off and eaten by scorpion like creatures with nine eyes and the tail of a lion or whatever. The head of a horse. Yeah, not too comforting. There would be no comfort or encouragement if we were going through. And 10, Jesus is not having a marriage feast with a beaten bride that the devil's been able to beat the hell out of. You know, and bloody and rape. And then we go up as a bride on the wedding day covered in blood after having the Antichrist beat the snot out of us for seven years. Do you know, timing wise, while the world is chewing on their own tongues for food, we're going to be up having a meal with Christ at the marriage supper of the Lamb. That's what the Church is doing during this time. 10 proofs of a pre tribulation rapture. Number seven. Or sorry, and then now a new one. Seven raptures in the Bible where you can at least see the type of it, if not an outright rapture. Genesis. Because it sounds insane, right? I mean, of all the things that are in the Bible, the Rapture might be the most insane to believe in on its surface. That's why it always baffles me when people believe in the Rapture, but not that God can do a hundredfold return on your offerings. Oh, so you don't believe money can multiply when you put it in the kingdom of God, but you believe one day your clothes are going to be left in a neatly folded pile while you vanish into heaven? Okay, you and I guess have different degrees of what we find hard to believe in. So is this some concept that was introduced in 1800 that's nowhere in the Bible, or is it all through the Bible? Number 1 Genesis 5, 247 raptures in the Bible. Number 1 Genesis 5, 24 walking in close fellowship with God. Then one day he disappeared because God took him. Genesis 5, 24 number 1, Enoch number 2, 2nd Kings 2, 11. As they were walking along and talking, suddenly a chariot of fire appeared, drawn by horses of fire. It drove between the two men separating them, and Elijah was carried by a whirlwind into heaven. Number two, Elijah. Number three, Exodus 19, 3, 20 and 24. Then Moses climbed the mountain to appear before God. The the Lord called to him from the mountain and said, give these instructions to the family of Jacob. Announce it to the descendants of Israel. 20. The Lord came down on the top of Mount Sinai and called Moses to the top of the mountain. So Moses climbed the mountain, but the Lord said, go down and bring Aaron back up with you. In the meantime, do not let the priests or the people break through to approach the Lord. He will break out and destroy them. Keep going. Is there another verse? Let me get chatgpt. Where does the Bible say that? Oh, I see. So this is like a type of the Rapture climbs up the mountain and God buries him. Let me. Yeah, let me hear chatgpt. Explain to me how Moses died. God called him up to the mountain. We know that Michael and Satan argued over the body and that God buried him. But where would you see this as like a type of the Rapture?
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So Moses death is unique because. Yes, God calls him up Mount Nebo, lets him see the promised land, and then Moses dies there with God taking care of his burial. In terms of a type or foreshadowing of the Rapture, some people see parallels because Moses was drawn away from the people by God's direct call and. And no one witnessed his death or burial. In a typological sense. It's seen as a moment where God by his own power takes someone out of earthly reach. Of course, unlike a rapture.
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4 Acts 1, 11 men of Galilee, they said, let me see, 9. After saying this, Jesus was taken up into a cloud where they were watching and they could no longer see him. As they strained to see him rising into heaven, two white robed men suddenly stood among them. Men of Galilee. They said, why are you standing here staring into heaven? Jesus has been taken from you into heaven. But someday he will return. And again, that's why you can't have an allegorical return of Christ. You know the guy that translated the Passion translation, which is the most garbage Bible translation ever translated. And then, you know, he's in an interview. You know, the word cloud in the Bible can mean groups of people. And the Bible says he'll return in the clouds. Maybe he has already returned in us because we're the cloud of people. Yeah. No, you're not right. He literally went out of his body to heaven. And one day, just as you saw him go, he will return. Seven raptures in the Bible. Number four, Jesus. Acts 1:11, 9 through 11:5. Second Corinthians 12, 2:10. Paul said, I was caught up to the third heaven. You know what that is? The sky is the first heaven. Space is the second heaven. The third heaven's heaven. Heaven. I was caught up to the third heaven 14 years ago. Whether I was in my body or out of my body, I don't know. Only God knows. So there you have another one of it caught up into heaven. 2 Corinthians 12:2 to 10. Number six, first Thessalonians 5:9 to 11. Here's the next one. For God chose to save us through our Lord Jesus Christ, not to pour out his anger on us. Write that in the note, in the comments if you would, not to pour out his anger on us. And the tribulation is the time of God's wrath. It's not Satan's wrath. The bulls aren't being poured out from hell, they're being poured out from heaven. The vials. It's judgment from heaven. Christ died for us so that whether we are dead or alive when he returns, we can live with him forever. So encourage each other and build each other up, just as you are already doing. Number six, the church. Let me have chatgpt. Where's the dead in Christ will rise and then we that are in the twinkling of an eye, we that are alive and remain, will be caught up together to meet them in the air. So shall we ever be.
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That's from 1st Thessalonians, chapter 4, verses 16 and 17.
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Thank you. Paul is first. Thessalonians 4, 16, 17. Just for more on it. For the Lord himself will Come down from heaven with a commanding shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet call of God. First, the believers who have died will rise from the graves. That's why we don't cremate, which I hate to bring up because some of you will never hear another word. I had my grandfather cremated, okay? Yeah, but that's why you didn't know. And I'm not saying he won't be able to go to heaven, but he will be a pile of ashes in heaven. No, I'm kidding. He'll be fine. But that's why we have what's called a proper Christian burial. Because even your this body was redeemed by Christ. So we show it honor and burial. It's why you bury people like my grandfather, suit and tie, holding his Bible, ready to meet the Lord. Because the bodies are going to come up out of the ground. Then we who are still alive and remain on the earth will be caught up in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. Then we will be with the Lord forever. Keep going. So encourage each other with these words, not encouraging. If it happens at the end of the tribulation. 19. Oh no, it goes to 5, 1. So there you have it. Number 6, 7 raptures in the Bible, the church. So it's not just some askew principle that some guy named Darby worked into the Bible. It's in the Bible. Elijah was raptured, Enoch was raptured. Then you have the types of the rapture with Noah and Lot, where they're taken out and then the place was destroyed. Isn't it interesting that Jesus says, as it was in the days of Noah, so it'll be in the day when the Son of Man returns. As it was in the days of Lot. There wasn't judgment, they were taken out. And then the Judgment hit number seven, seventh rapture, Revelation 11. 11, 13. But after three and a half days, God breathed life into them. This is the two witnesses. And they stood up. Terror struck all who were staring at them.
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12.
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Then a loud voice from heaven called to the two prophets, Come up here. And they rose to heaven in a cloud as their enemies watched. At the same time there was a terrible earthquake that destroyed a tenth of the city. Seven thousand people died in the earthquake. And everyone else was terrified and gave glory to the God of Heaven. It's not some principle that's not there. It's all through the Bible, Israel, dispensationalism, the church and the pre tribulation rapture. Why should you not feel embarrassed to Believe in. It's funny, isn't it how this attack has come against the Rapture when basically you see the rapture is like right at the precipice of happening. I see it attacked on social media all the time. You even have people like Tucker Carlson, Kansas Owens, you know, podcast. I got no clue about the Bible laying into it. The attack against Israel. It stems back. You know, originally I was just going to do this 21 but it stems back to whether you are, you have the Reformed theology that the church replaced Israel or whether you have what we dealt with the last two nights that you know, I was talking to my father on the way home. If we're a branch that has been graft in to the tree, if God threw the tree away, then he threw us away with it. He didn't plant a second tree. Number one, why can you confidently believe in this? First Thessalonians 1:10 and they speak of how you are looking forward to the coming of God's Son from heaven. Jesus, whom God raised from the dead. He is the one who has rescued us powerful scripture who has rescued us from the terrors of the coming judgment. Titus 2:13 While we look forward with hope to that wonderful day when the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ will be revealed. Number one in believing how I'm preaching and teaching, then you're consistent with the Bible to believe in catching away. That can happen at any time. The New Testament repeatedly presents Christ's return for the church as able to happen at any moment with no required signs or events. First post trib or mid Trib views force you to wait for the Antichrist and tribulation signs killing that any moment. Hope. If the Bible keeps telling us to live in daily expectation of Jesus, how many future signs would you have to insert before that daily expectation stops making any sense? I mean basically you'd be able to time it to the exact year when the seven year peace pact is signed in Revelation. You would know when the rapture is going to be. Number two. Daniel 9:24 A period of 70 sets of seven has been decided for your people. Write that down for your people. This is God talking to Daniel about the Jewish people, your people and your holy city to finish their rebellion, to put an end to their sin, to atone for their guilt, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to confirm the prophetic vision and to anoint the most holy place. Number two, Israel is not the church. God drew that line in Scripture. Daniel 9:70 weeks are specifically for Daniel's people. And holy city, Israel and Jerusalem. The Tribulation is God's program for finishing with Israel, not the Church. Covenant theology's tendency to blur or replace Israel with the Church makes this hard to swallow without reinterpreting plain prophecy. If God says the 70 weeks are for Israel and Jerusalem, how many times would he have to repeat it before we stop treating the Church as the new Israel? Number three. The church ghosted. Revelation 4 through 18. I already covered this earlier. Revelation 1 to 3. The church is mentioned 19 times. Revelation 4 through 18. The church is completely absent. Church appears 19 times in Revelation 1:3 then vanishes completely through the Tribulation chapters, only returning at the end. The 24 elders in heaven seem to represent the Church already there. That's a massive structural clue. If the word church disappears the exact moment the Tribulation begins, what are the odds that that's an accident instead of a roadmap? Number four. First Thessalonians 5:9. For God chose to save us through our Lord Jesus Christ, not to pour out his anger on us. Revelation 3:10, which you already read, but we'll read again. Because you have obeyed my command to persevere, I will protect you from the great time of testing that will come upon the whole world to test those who belong to the world. Number four. Not appointed to wrath. Period. First Thessalonians 5, 9 says we're not appointed to wrath. Revelation 3:10 promises that were kept from the hour of trial coming on the whole world, not just protected in it. The seals, trumpets and bowls look like God's direct wrath, not just man's evil. If God says we are not appointed to wrath, how does protected while standing in the middle of it become the straightforward reading? It doesn't. Number five. Second Thessalonians 2, 6 and 7. We already read number five. The restrainer has to vanish first. Second Thessalonians 2 says the man of lawlessness can't be revealed until the Restrainer is taken out of the way. If that's the Holy Spirit working through the Church, removing the Church clears the way for the Antichrist. Closing question if the Restrainer must be removed before the Antichrist can appear, what else could the Restrainer possibly be if not the Spirit filled Church of the Lord Jesus Christ with dominion over the devil. The only other options are the Holy Spirit, which if he's removed and we're here, that's even worse. And then governments would be. But it's not governments, because the governments are going to come under the Antichrist. They'll still be here in the Tribulation. Six. Two comings, two phases. Not one trip. Two acts of Christ. Now write this down. The Rapture is Christ coming for the Church. The Second Coming is Christ coming with the Church. The Rapture is Christ returning for the Church. He never touches down. We're caught up to meet him in the clouds. The Second Coming is the return of Christ with the Church, with us on white horses behind him. Which is a problem if you have, if you're in the other camp first. Thessalonians 4, 16, 17. For the Lord. We already read that. Let me do Revelation 19, 11, 14. Then I saw heaven open. Then a white horse was standing there. Its rider was named faithful and true, for he judges fairly and wages a righteous war. His eyes were like flames of fire, and on his head were many crowns. A name was written on him that no one understood except himself. He wore a robe dipped in blood, and his title was the Word of God. The armies of heaven, dressed in the finest of pure white linen, followed him on white horses. The Rapture has Jesus coming for his saints in the air with no mention of judgment on the nations. The Second Coming has him returning with his saints to the earth to judge. They read like two phases separated by time. If one event meets us in the air and the other returns us to earth, returns to earth with us to judge the nations, why assume they're the same trip with zero time in between? Number seven. The time gap that post tribulation theology can't explain. Second Corinthians 5, 10. For we all must stand before Christ to be judged. We will each receive whatever we deserve for the good or evil we have done in this earthly body. That's called. Write this in your notes and in the comments. Bema Judgment. B E M A. This is not the white throne judgment. We're not judged for our sin. Our sin's been cleansed. You know, I don't want everybody to know that because there's a lot of Christians that still think, you know, one day I'm going to stand before God and answer for what I've done. Yeah, only if you haven't received Christ, then you're going to go to hell. But we don't answer as believers for our sins. Our sins have been cleansed and cast as far as the east is from the west. This is a judgment where our works pass through the fire and we're rewarded or unrewarded for what we've done while we're in our body. When does that take place? So in post tribulation, the Rapture and second coming happen simultaneously. And apparently in like three seconds, we all stand before the Lord and come back. Revelation 19:7 to 9. Let us be glad and rejoice, and let us give honor to him. For the time has come for the wedding feast of the Lamb, and his bride has prepared herself. She has been given the finest of pure white linen to wear. For the fine linen represents the good deeds of God's holy people. And the angel said to me, write this. Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding feast of the Lamb. These are true words that come from God. There has to be an interval between rapture and second coming for the judgment seat of Christ, marriage, supper of the Lamb, and the populating and populating the millennium with mortal believers, which I haven't gotten to that yet, but there's going to be believers in the millennium. Where did they come from? Who had them? A post trib rapture leaves no room for these. I mean, that'd be one quick meal if you believe in a post tribulation rapture. We're going to get caught up, have a meal, have the judgment, maybe the Judgment, then the meal, and then back down and white horses at once. I guess we get the marriage supper of the lamb and a stiver from started from a to go container. Can I get my to go my horse? I have to. If the judgment seat, the marriage supper and mortal survivors for the millennium all need time. How does collapsing everything into one split second moment leave any room for any of it? And again, a lot of the answers, it's not like these questions don't have answers. People have answers for them, but I don't think they're great answers. And then a lot of the answers come with allegorizing the Bible and making it symbolic. And I take the Bible literally. And again, if you don't take it literally, you had a great argument through May 13, 1948. But when the Jews literally returned to the same land against all odds, a nation was born in one day. And then think what's happened since then. There was no gay marriage in any country in 1948 and never had been. All of the wicked things that were unthinkable before 1948, all of the technological things that would be impossible, everyone seeing the Antichrist, how could they? You know, you read old study Bibles. Even if he was 900ft tall, everyone couldn't see him. They didn't know there'd be satellites. They didn't know everybody could see everything. Right now, like you're watching me in Pittsburgh. It's a good point. Pastor Tyler from Saskatchewan said God tonally changes beginning in Revelation 4. He's not nice anymore. You've rejected my son and spit in his face. I gave you ample opportunity to get saved. Now I'm going to kill you. That's how it goes. Number 8 Real comfort first Thessalonians 4:18 Paul tells the Thessalonians to comfort one another with the Rapture teaching. If they're going through the worst period in history first, that message doesn't land as comfort. If Paul commands us to comfort each other with the Rapture, how comforting is it? If the worst time in human history has to come first, there's none. 9. God always snatches the righteous before judgment Genesis 7:1 5 Noah Genesis 19:15 17 Lot God consistently removes the righteous before pouring out judgment. Noah before the flood Lot before Sodom Rahab before Jericho. That's a good one too. That is a great one. I left that one out. The Tribulation is divine on the 7:1 the tribulation is divine judgment on a global scale. If God always takes the righteous out before he pours out judgment, why would the biggest global judgment in history suddenly be the one exception? Number 10 the blessed hope is Jesus, not the Antichrist Titus 2:13 While we look forward with hope to that wonderful day when the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ will be revealed, Titus 2 calls it the blessed hope, looking for Jesus himself, not the Antichrist or surviving wrath. That fits a pre Trib removal far better than enduring the Tribulation first. If it's called the blessed hope, how blessed is it if we're actually supposed to look for the Antichrist in the mark first? Number 11 the last trumpet trap that backfires the last Trumpet trap backfires First Corinthians 15:52. It will happen in a moment, in the blink of an eye, when the last trumpet is blown. For when the trumpet sounds, those who have died will be raised to live forever, and we who are living will also be transformed. Reformed guys love to say the last trumpet, the seventh trumpet in Revelation. But Paul wrote Corinthians decades before Revelation was given. How could they understand a reference to something not yet revealed? Think of that. The Last trumpet in 1 Corinthians 15:52 can't refer to the last trumpet in Revelation. It hadn't been written yet. Paul's writing to the church in Corinth a few decades before Revelation gets written. How could they understand a reference to something not yet revealed? It makes more sense as a terminology of completion, not a specific tribulation trumpet. If Paul mentioned the last trumpet decades before John ever wrote Revelation, how could the original readers have possibly understood it as the seventh tribulation trumpet? You're welcome, Desiree. Thanks for the nice comments, everybody. Number 12 the bride is already dressed in heaven. Ephesians 5:25-27. For husbands, this means love your wives. As Christ loved the church, he gave up his life for to make her holy and clean, washed by the cleansing of God's word. He did this to present her to himself as a glorious church, without spot or wrinkle or any blemish. Instead, she'll be holy and without fault. Revelation 19:7, 8. Let us be glad and rejoice, and let us give honor to him. For the time has come for the wedding feast of the Lamb, and his bride has prepared herself. She has been given the finest of pure white linen to wear, for the fine linen represents the good deeds of God's holy people. The church is presented as a spotless bride, prepared and presented to Christ. But in Revelation, the bride is already ready and clothed in heaven before the second coming. You notice that that was Revelation 19. Before the second coming, the bride is already dressed with her husband Christ in heaven. The bride is already ready and clothed in heaven before the second Coming. When did that preparation happen if the church is still on earth during the Tribulation. If the bride is already dressed and ready in heaven before Jesus returns to earth, when exactly did the preparation happen if the church was still down here in the tribulation? 13 Matthew 24:37, 39 when the Son of man returns, it will be like it was in Noah's day. In those days before the flood, people were enjoying banquets and parties and weddings right up to the time Noah entered his boat. People didn't realize what was going to happen until the flood came and swept them all away. That is the way it will be when the Son of man returns. Number 13. Normal life until a sudden catching away. So Jesus didn't say, when I come back, the world is going to be in turmoil and worshiping the devil. No one is going to know what happened. Life is described as normal. Eating, drinking, marrying right up. By the way, that was one of the things that kept me going during COVID You know, the economy's gonna collapse and no it's not. There's gonna be eating and drinking, buying and selling, farming and building, people being married and given in marriage right up till the day. So anything that anytime anybody threatens that one of those things is gonna happen that there's not gonna be. There's gonna be a global food shortage. No, there's not. There'll be regionally and there'll be more and more of them and they'll be more severe, but there will always be eating and drinking. They'll always be buying and selling. Functional economy. Some of you have been listening to preachers that have called the all 26 of the last two financial crises correctly every year. I'm telling you, if you're not a member of this church, you know where are you going to get your food. Whatever you don't understand Bible prophecy and so you have fear. You're either going to have dominion or you're going to have fear. And what I'm teaching espouses dominion that does not match the conditions of the tribulation, global catastrophe and chaos. This fits a pre trib removal far better than a post trib scenario. If Jesus says life will be completely normal right until sudden judgment, how does a seven year global catastrophe full of chaos match normal number 14 Titus 2:13. While we look forward with hope to that wonderful day when the glory of our great God and savior Jesus Christ will be revealed. Let me take a little sippy. Believers are told to look for Christ, not a sequence of events. If the Antichrist mark of the beast and tribulation must come first one world government, then those not Christ become the true next thing. So number 14, how do keep your eyes locked on Christ, not the tribulation. That's what we're instructed. If scripture tells us to fix our eyes on Christ is the next thing. How does inserting the entire tribulation and Antichrist first not change what we're actually watching for? My dad used to wrote a song. I think he wrote it, he recorded it when I was a little kid. I'm not looking for a hole in the ground. I'm looking for one in the sky. And that's what this comes down to. If you don't understand this, you're going to build a bomb shelter and get 7 years supply of food. But if you understand this, your eyes are looking up. When's Christ coming back? I'm living ready for him. I'm not living ready for the Antichrist. I'm Living Ready for Christ. 15:0 Survival Manual for the Tribulation can you believe I'm going to get through? How Many total points? 37 I think today pretty, pretty proud. Pretty proud of myself. The Epistles give detailed instructions on ordinary life persecution, zero on tribulation specifics. The Epistles give Detailed instruction for suffering, persecution, church order, etc. But there is zero instruction for surviving the Tribulation, no guidance on the mark, antichrist fleeing, etc. Why would the Church go through the Tribulation and receive zero preparation from the Word of God? If the Epistles prepare the Church for every kind of suffering except the specific details of the Tribulation? Yeah, if God took time to lay out how to deal with literally everything but left out, like the scorpion with the lion's head that stings and what you should do when that happens. What are the odds we were ever meant to go through the Tribulation if there's no instructions on how to deal with it? 16 Revelation 7, 14. And I said to him, sir, you are the one who knows. Then he said to me, these are the ones who died in the Great Tribulation. They have washed their robes in the blood of the Lamb and made them white. Let me see 13 and 14 and I'll do King James, One of the elders answered, saying unto me, what are these which are arrayed in white robes and where did they come from? So there's already saints in heaven. Then this new crew comes. And I said unto him, sir, thou knowest. And he said unto me, these are they which came out of great tribulation and have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the lamb. And number 16. Tribulation saints get a different label. They are called those who came out of the Great Tribulation. They're distinguished from the church, not called the Church, not described as the bride. If it's the same group, why the different identity language? If tribulation saints get an entirely different label and description than the church, why treat them as the exact same group? 17 revelation 7, 4, 8. And I heard how many were marked with the seal of God? 144,000 were sealed from all the tribes of Israel. 5, 6, 7, 8, 9. After this I saw a vast crowd, too great to count, from every tribe, every nation, tribe and people and language standing in front of the throne and before the Lamb. They were clothed in white robes and held palm branches in their hand. Number 17. Why 144,000 Jewish evangelists if the Church is here? That one I'd really like an explanation on. Now the whole nation of Israel turns to God. 12,000 from every tribe are set apart as evangelists to preach the gospel. Why did they get.
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Why have them if I'm still here? What do you got to get new evangelists? I'm here. Why does there have to be new evangelists raised up. God raises up 144,000 from Israel during the Tribulation. If the church is still present with the Great Commission, why reintroduce a distinctly Jewish evangelistic force? If the church is still here with the Great Commission during the Tribulation, why would God suddenly need to raise up 144,000 Jewish evangelists instead? 18 second Thessalonians 2:4 talking about the Antichrist. He will exalt himself and defy everything that people call God and every object of worship. He will even sit in the temple of God. Now keep that up. When Tucker Carlson and Carrie Perjean said there's not going to be a rebuilt temple, Jesus said he's the temple. Okay, so then you believe the Antichrist is going to go inside of Christ or we don't believe in a literal Antichrist. Okay, so you believe the demonic spirit of Antichrist is going to enter into the temple of Christ. Me and you ain't having lunch. He will exalt himself and defy everything that people call God and every object of worship. He will even sit in the temple of God claiming that he himself is God. Number 18. The rebuilt temple proves Israel is back in focus. The Antichrist sits in a literal temple. This reflects a return to a Jewish centered system. Why would God revert to Israel focused structures? By the way, I'm going to make a little prediction here. The Bible says when everyone's saying peace and safety, then sudden destruction. So I believe this Iran stuff's going to get sorted out. And you know how like the Arab states are making the Abraham Accords to do business with Israel. This is not going to be Armageddon. What's going to happen is this is all going to get settled and everyone's going to be like what? You know, you know how the Bible says Israel will be enjoying a time of peace and prosperity? That's what's going to happen. Oh man, everybody's getting along, but they're not. They're going to be making plans behind the scenes while everybody's saying peace and safety. And then that's when the sudden attack's going to come. With China, Russia, Europe, everybody is going to turn on Israel. You can see it happening. The Antichrist sits in a literal temple. This reflects a return to a Jewish centered system. Why would God revert to Israel focused structures if the church supposedly the fulfillment is still the primary vessel on earth? If the church supposedly fulfilled everything Israel pointed to, why would God suddenly restore a literal Jewish temple and worship system in the Middle of the tribulation, You know, and I. Like I said, I'm not. It's not like there's no answers to these questions. I don't feel they're good answers. But there are answers. But you can't tell me that these are invalid questions. Or you could just dismiss someone. Oh, he's a dispensationalist. Yeah. There's a reason why giving you 37 of them in a little over an hour. Well, he's dispensationalist. You got major theological things to deal with yourself. 19. No mortal survivors left in the millennium. Revelation 24:6. Then I saw thrones and the so again, this is the judgment. And then you go into the millennium where Satan's bound for a thousand years. Then I saw thrones, and the people sitting on them had been given authority to judge. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for their testimony about Jesus and for proclaiming the word of God. They had not worshiped the beast or his statue. These are called tribulation saints, nor accepted his mark on their foreheads or their hands. They all came to life again, and they reigned with Christ for a thousand years. This is the first resurrection. The rest of the dead did not come back to life until the thousand years ended. Blessed and holy are those who share in the first resurrection from for them, the second death holds no power. But they will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with him a thousand years. Scripture shows a transition from this age to the millennial kingdom, with survivors entering in natural bodies. A post tribulation rapture collapses everything into one moment, leaving no clear mechanism for this transition. Does that make sense if the millennial kingdom needs mortal survivors and natural bodies to repopulate the earth? Because you know that, right? There'll never be a time where the earth doesn't have human beings on it. Everyone's not killed in the tribulation. So when we come back and rule and reign with Christ, there's going to be people on earth and the nations are going to, you know, you enter into another age. If the millennial kingdom needs mortal survivors and natural bodies to repopulate it, how does a last second post trib rapture leave any of them left alive? That's right, because everybody else is going to go to hell. So there's no good answer for that one. Number 20. Literal for the first coming, suddenly spiritual for the second. Question mark, write that down. Literal for the first coming, suddenly spiritual for the second. Reformed theology often spiritualizes Israel, the kingdom and prophetic timelines. But if you interpret prophecy consistently, literally, as you did with the first coming, a future Israel centered tribulation followed by a prior removal of the church fits cleanly without reinterpretation. If a plain literal reading works perfectly for the first coming of Christ, why switch to spiritualizing Israel in the timelines the moment it points to a pre Trib rapture? Because that's what you have to do. And that's what a lot of the answers would go around. Allegory. We don't believe that's literal. It was all literal for Christ's first coming, where he was born, how he was born, tons of details. Literal. For his death pierced my hands and feet. Why was the Bible so literal? Prophetically. And then now all of a sudden it's not. And it's just allegory. And a lion's not literally going to lay down with a lamb and Satan's not actually bound. Totally just, it's. No, I read it literally the whole way. Someone said pre Trib is a cult by definition. What's your definition of a cult? Because culture. You're not allowed to leave and I wouldn't care if I ever saw you again. So how's this a cult? I'd help gas up your car to drive as far away as you could. I'm the least culty, cultish person you'll ever meet because I like being by myself, not with a big group of people in a commune where they obey my orders. And this should help you understand why there's an urgency that we, that we have and that this, this theology that I'm preaching today has produced the most urgent preachers and effective preachers in the history of the church. Because I'm not, I'm not waiting for the bottom to drop out. I mean, look how. And I know reformed people, but I mean, if you're reformed, you would have to. We did it last night. In 400 years, you've produced 100 million believers and you're in decline at this hour. And when Azusa street hit and people got filled with the Holy Ghost and spoke in other tongues, this, this is what people went back to believing to. And it, it's produced 800 million Christians in a hundred years, 120 years. Because there's an urgency. We're not waiting for crisis. We're not waiting for the Antichrist. We're not waiting for the bottom to drop out when Covid hits. We're the ones that kept preaching. Even the ones that shut their ministry down still would do like the video screen behind them and calling for prayer and find a way to preach on tv. Thanks, Mark. It was great seeing you last Sunday. And I saw somebody in the comments said I'm millennial but also love you all. Urgency is the most important part. That's great. This, you know, and I don't want to get into it now, but there is what's called non essential doctrine, which is why, like when you have people write me online, you prosperity preacher, you're a devil. I hope you burn in hell. You think? Because even if you disagree with prosperity, you feel like that would keep me out of heaven. As somebody that confesses Christ as savior, the only way to heaven believes in literal sin and a literal hell, you know, you're nuts. And so I'd still be your friend, you still come to my church. But this attack against the rapture and like some guy in 1800 invented it is not true. People that say that aren't intellectually honest. And also what we believe and preach is very defensible, very defensive. There's top scholars that believe this that you can't rebut. You can disagree with them, but you can't shame them intellectually. This will help. You know why we're planting churches and on the move? Because Jesus is coming very soon, you know, tomorrow. Thanks, Janie. I appreciate that. Tomorrow I may take time and deal with timelines and why, you know, we're living so close to the end. I think I might do that and that'll put a nice bow on this. Then Friday miracle service here in Pittsburgh. Saturday baptisms and communion at 6pm and then I'm going to be in Toronto at 8pm Saturday night. That's interesting. On the app, somebody said, I enjoy the teaching of revelation, but our church has had two six week Bible studies on revelation. I learned more each time, but to me, not lots of joy in our church. I'd like to know what standpoint they come at it from. Because if you believe we're going through the tribulation, there's no reason to have joy. If you don't understand dominion, you will be a miserable Christian. Dominion over the devil. And if you do understand it, that's where I come from. Joy. Because the devil might not like you, but he can't even do anything to slow you down. And then Sunday, 10am here in Pittsburgh. If you've been wanting to check out our new building, I would love to see you this Sunday. You know, another question I would have for my reformed friends? You feel we replaced Israel, then why is it wrong? For me to preach prosperity because all of Abraham's blessings would be ours. Now pick something then. You should. You should be the most reformed people then should be the most hyper prosperity people on the face of the earth. Because if we replaced Abraham's seed, then we should. How do you not preach prosperity? You know, I'd like to ask somebody that because at some point you just seem like a negative person. We've replaced Israel, but also we can't have Abraham's promises. That was for them. So God. God had us replace Israel and wouldn't give give us the promises even though we're grafting the same tree. Come on. That part really doesn't make sense. And now you understand why I believe prosperity. Because I believe we were graft into that vine and everything that God gave to the Jewish people is ours. We're not lesser, we're graffed in. But God has not rejected Israel. The Bible says so. And I'm not. Again, I'm not taking it to the extreme that you got to back everything Netanyahu does and back anything the nation of Israel does. God's going to overthrow that system. But don't tell me like that. Carrie Jean said the land's worthless. You know, there is going to be a temple rebuilt there and the Antichrist is going to defile it and Christ is going to reign from that place. And I'm praying that you're gonna do what I made my decision to do, which is rule and reign with him. It's irritating, you know, for somebody to disagree with you theologically, like on prosperity. You're a dev like Justin Peters. You really think I'm going to hell and my wife's going to hell and my daughter's going to hell. You're as dumb as Catholics that tell people that their marriage isn't valid because they weren't married in a Catholic church. You've taken nonessential doctrines and elevated it to the place of burning people at the stake. And half these people, if they passed a law, would be happy to burn other Christians at the stake just like they did in the Middle Ages. Which is why no one's more for a separation of church and state than I am. If you had reformed people in charge of America with carte blanche, then America would be Christian Iran. You'd have morality police. You'd have adulteresses being stoned to death. You'd have people being whipped for their dresses being too short. And I'd be killed for preaching prosperity and healing and speaking in tongues. If you disagree with everything I taught tonight. You're still going to heaven. And you're still my brother or sister in Christ. I don't have a problem with it. I've spent zero time personally arguing with anybody on any of these things. Where you will go to hell is not repenting of sin. And, you know, I don't mean to dwell on this. I was on track to get done early, and I'm kind of ruining it now. But I feel like when your argument's weak, you have to demonize people. And guys like Justin Peters literally demonize people. He's a devil. Am I really, Ben? I got to be the best functioning demon possessed person in the history of the world? My clothes match. My underwear's inside my pants. You know, a lot of the demon possessed people you see on the street, the underwear is outside the pants. Come on, man. I'm demon possessed. And I can say stuff like, I love Jesus Christ with all my heart. He's the son of the. The only son of the living God. The only way to heaven. Come on. You know, I think it's just an easy way to keep your terrible view. Like. Like Carrie Jean and Tucker. These people are. Are wrong. Yeah, you want to talk Bible, Tucker? You want to talk Bible, Carrie Jean? And I would bet $100,000 of my own money that Justin Peters was around some people in Pentecostal and charismatic circles that were rough on him, praying to get him healed, didn't get him healed, and blamed him for not having enough faith. And it bothered him. But you know what? I'm sorry those people acted like that towards you. That does not give you carte blanche to demonize an entire sect of the body of Christ. That's 800 million strong. You think all of us are lying about healing power from God. That's changed our lives. It's not like nine people that have that testimony. You're dealing with a ton. They're all lying. All those videos I play, everybody's lying. They're deceived. I've deceived them into being actually healed and taking their oxygen out. God didn't do that. Come on. You're not a truthful person. Jesus is coming soon, and I want you to be ready to meet him. My goal is for you to go to heaven. The only reason I want you to come to my church is to aid you in going to heaven. You don't have to go. Go to heaven through my church. But we'll help because you'll be in a church here. That's not getting caught up in the spirit of this age. That doesn't change our doctrine because powerful groups want it changed on sin and homosexuality and whatever else. We don't back abortion. We haven't changed and we never will change. So you'd be saved, but our goal is for you to go to heaven. I'm not the great shepherd. Jesus is the great shepherd. My job is to steward the sheep he entrusts with me, and I do that to the best of my ability and to win the lost and make disciples. And I do that as best I can and devote as much time as I can towards that. And I hope you can feel the love we have for you that we want you to go to heaven. And if you're away from God tonight, I want you to pray this with me. Say this out Heavenly Father, I admit that I've sinned. I repent. I believe in my heart you raised Jesus from the dead. I confess with my mouth, Jesus is Lord and my Savior. Right now I receive forgiveness. By the blood of Jesus, I am saved. In Jesus name, Amen.
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