Fables of the End Times

Posted : 15 Jun, 2013 05:09 AM

Fables of the End Times



In four places Paul warns against believing in fables, which are false

doctrines concerning prophecy about the end times. I Timothy 1: 4, I

Timothy 4: 7, II Timothy 4: 4 and Titus 1: 14 all warn about accepting

fables, which are man made prophecies about what is going to happen in the

end times.



"And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned

unto fables.' II Timothy 4: 4



"For we have not followed cunningly devised fables, when we made known unto

you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of

his majesty." II Peter 1: 16



The dispensationalist teaching of a pre-tribulation rapture of the

dispensationalist church is such a fable.



Yet the fable of the pre-tribulation rapture of the dispensationalist church is only a small part

of the reason why the dispensationalist doctrine is another Gospel (Galatians 1: 6-9). This man made

theology contradicts the teachings of Paul from the revelation given to him by the risen Christ (Acts 26: 14-17). Dispensationalism does not acknowledge the transformation of physical Israel to the spiritual house of I Peter 2: 5, 9 (II Kings 21: 13, Isaiah 29: 16 and Jeremiah 18: 1-6). Physical Israel was transformed, and those of physical Israel who rejected that transformation were no longer a people of God; they were no longer the elect, but all those of Israel reborn in Christ (John 3: 1-7) are now the elect of God.



Dispensationalism does not acknowledge Romans 11: 17,19, 20, on those of physical Israel in unbelief being broken off, Romans 9: 6-8, Romans 2: 17-24, 28-29, or Galatians 4: 25-26, and for these reasons is another Gospel. Dispensationalism says God now has two different peoples, all physical Israel and the church, a teaching that runs head on into what Christ says in John 10: 16, "And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd."



The fables about the end time scenario have distorted the understanding of what the tribulation as a definite period of time is all about.



On this topic of God giving those in false doctrines over to their doctrines, II Thessalonians 2: 10-12,

"And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved.

11. And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie:

12. That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness."



Those who do not have a love of the truth that they could be saved but are fixated in their false doctrines, or in strong delusion, are, in effect, in captivity to their false doctrines.



Just as the people of physical Israel in the time of Jeremiah (whose ministry was from about 626 BC to 586 BC) were sent into literal captivity in Babylon, so the people in the timeline of the New Covenant at the time of the end are sent into spiritual captivity to their own false doctrines. The Great Tribulation of Matthew 24: 21 is judgment by God for being in false doctrines, and that judgment consists of being brought into captivity to spiritual Babylon, or Christianity in false doctrines taught by the huge number of false prophets (Matthew 24: 11).



Look at Matthew 24: 29-30: "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:

30. 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."



Now wait a minute. Matthew 24: 29 says that after the tribulation, then

will the heavens be shaken. The question then becomes, what is the tribulation?

The dispensationalist end time scenario says the tribulation is a seven

year period of great distress due to frightening earth changes and other plagues which

hinder, terrorize and kill many people. So, to avoid the tribulation, the man made

theology of John Darby, C.I. Scofield, Lewis S. Chafer and many

contemporary Christian celebrities following them say that the church will

be raptured off the earth to escape this horrible period at the time of the

age.



Within the man made theology of Darby and others the pre-tribulation

rapture was postulated - taught without Biblical support - to take the church

off the earth during the tribulation when God turns to deal with physical Israel,

a period Darby originally said was to be a return to the dispensation of law for the Jews.

Since the Christian church, Darby believed, would not accept a return to the dispensation of law,

it had to be raptured from the earth before the tribulation begins.



Daniel 12: 1 says "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."



Zephaniah 1: 14-17 says "The great day of the LORD is near, it is

near, and hasteth greatly, even the voice of the day of the LORD: the

mighty man shall cry there bitterly.

15.That day is a day of wrath, a day of trouble and distress, a day of

wasteness and desolation, a day of darkness and gloominess, a day of

clouds and thick darkness,

16.A day of the trumpet and alarm against the fenced cities, and

against the high towers.

17.And I will bring distress upon men, that they shall walk like blind

men, because they have sinned against the LORD: and their blood shall

be poured out as dust, and their flesh as the dung."



Then, Isaiah 26: 20-21 says "Come, my people, enter thou into thy

chambers, and shut thy doors about thee: hide thyself as it were for a

little moment, until the indignation be overpast.

21. For, behold, the LORD cometh out of his place to punish the

inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity: the earth also shall

disclose her blood, and shall no more cover her slain."



The time of trouble in Daniel 12: 1, the day of wrath of Zephaniah 1:

15, and the indignation of Isaiah 26: 20 are all about the judgment of

the Lord on those claiming to be his people because of their failure

to obey his commandments, by their specific sins and their following

of false doctrines. The Great Tribulation of Matthew 24: 21 is about

the same period of judgment by the Lord.



Paul in I Corinthians 10: 11 says "Now all these things happened unto

them for ensamples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom

the ends of the world are come."



The falling away from obedience to the commandments and truth of the

Lord shown by Jeremiah, which resulted in judgment as a literal

captivity of physical Israel to Babylon can be seen to be re-enacted

toward the end during the period of the New Covenant.



Christians are predicted to fall away from the truth into false doctrines by II

Thessalonians 2: 2-3, Luke 13: 21, Matthew 24: 11, I Timothy 4: 1, II

Timothy 3: 1-9, II Timothy 3: 13 and a few other texts. Matthew 24:

11, Revelation 13: 11-18 and II Peter 2: 1 say that many false prophets were to arise and deceive

many. Revelation 13: 11-18, on the second beast, is about a metaphoric

concept which has been called the False Prophet who represents many

false prophets.



Jeremiah 23: 1-2, 31-32 and Jeremiah 29: 8-10 give the reason why God judged physical

Israel in the time of the Babylon captivity in about 586 BC.



Jeremiah 23: 1-2 says "Woe be unto the pastors that destroy and scatter the sheep of my pasture! saith the LORD. Therefore thus saith the LORD God of Israel against the pastors that feed my people; Ye have scattered my flock, and driven them away, and have not visited them: behold, I will visit upon you the evil of your doings, saith the LORD." Scattered is not limited to dispersing the people of physical Israel over the earth, though that also happened to some extent. Scattering also refers to diminishing the spiritual power of physical Israel, as in Daniel 12: 7, which talks about scattering the power of the holy people.



Then God in Jeremiah 23: 31-32 says "Behold, I am against the prophets, saith the LORD, that use their tongues, and say, He saith. Behold, I am against them that prophesy false dreams, saith the LORD, and do tell them, and cause my people to err by their lies, and by their lightness; yet I sent them not, nor commanded them: therefore they shall not profit this people at all, saith the LORD."



"For thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; Let not your prophets and your diviners, that be in the midst of you, deceive you, neither hearken to your dreams which ye cause to be dreamed.

9. For they prophesy falsely unto you in my name: I have not sent them, saith the LORD.

10. For thus saith the LORD, That after seventy years be accomplished at Babylon I will visit you, and perform my good word toward you, in causing you to return to this place." Jeremiah 29: 8-10



Physical Israel was judged and began to be sent into a literal Babylonian captivity in about 586 BC. After this period of seventy years, under Ezra, and Nehemiah and Zerubbabel many of physical Israel

returned to Jerusalem, and the wall and temple were rebuilt. A remnant of Israel, led by Ezra, Nehemiah and Zerubbabel and some others was allowed by God to restore physical Israel at that time. This restoration by a remnant can be seen as an example (I Corinthians 10: 11) for the work of Christ in an end time remnant (Revelation 12: 15-17) within a battle between the remnant who are led by Christ and the Dragon, who leads the world. The world is in the church in false doctrines.



In Jeremiah 50 and 51, Jeremiah the prophet uses the literal captivity in Babylon - of seventy years - as a metaphoric concept called Babylon. Israel is predicted to be in captivity to what is called Babylon though this Babylon in Jeremiah 50 and 51 is not the literal and physical Babylon in the Near East.



"My people hath been lost sheep: their shepherds have caused them to go astray, they have turned them away on the mountains: they have gone from mountain to hill, they have forgotten their restingplace....Remove out of the midst of Babylon, and go forth out of the land of the Chaldeans, and be as the he goats before the flocks." Jeremiah 50: 6, 8



God calls his people out of Babylon as a metaphoric concept for being in false doctrines.



Jeremiah 51: 6 again calls God's people out of metaphoric Babylon. "Flee out of the midst of Babylon, and deliver every man his soul: be not cut off in her iniquity; for this is the time of the LORD's vengeance; he will render unto her a recompence."



The metaphoric concept called Babylon begins to take on meanings additional to the people claiming to be of God being in false doctrines. Babylon also becomes, in part, the evil and corruption of the world. "For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world." I John 2: 16 "Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding." Proverbs 3: 5 In taking on that which is in the world, the Christian church leans to man's own understanding and does not rise up spiritually out of the flesh.



Jeremiah 51: 9 says "We would have healed Babylon, but she is not healed: forsake her, and let us go every one into his own country: for her judgment reacheth unto heaven, and is lifted up even to the skies."



"And thou shalt say, Thus shall Babylon sink, and shall not rise from the evil that I will bring upon her: and they shall be weary. Thus far are the words of Jeremiah." Jeremiah 61: 64



In the New Covenant timeline the falling away from obedience to the doctrines given by the Lord is repeated. II Thessalonians 2: 2-3, Luke 13: 21, Matthew 24: 11 and other texts predict a falling away from sound doctrine. And the metaphorical concept called Babylon is repeated for the Christian church. This is in Revelation 17 and 18. Revelation 17 opens the discussion of metaphoric Babylon in our time in talking about "Mystery Babylon, the Great, the Mother of Harlots and Abominations of the Earth." Babylon is, first of all, religion in apostasy. It is the Christian church in false doctrines to which it is in captivity.



Revelation 18: 4 repeats Jeremiah 51:6, in calling God's people out of Babylon. "And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues."



Then, there is the interesting statement in Revelation 18: 23, "And the light of a candle shall shine no more at all in thee; and the voice of the bridegroom and of the bride shall be heard no more at all in thee: for thy merchants were the great men of the earth; for by thy sorceries were all nations deceived."



The light of a candle refers to Christ's light (John 8: 12). But in Matthew 5: 14 Christ says "Ye are the light of the world." Before falling away into false doctrines, Christians were the light of the world.



"Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men." Matthew 5: 13



"Savour" is from the Greek word moraino, Strong's Exhaustive Concordance number 3471, which is from Number 3474, moros, "dull, or stupid." Our English word moron comes from moros. Having the light of Christ, and being the salt of the earth, is a state of the spirit and mind which is the opposite of being dull or stupid. In the falling away (II Thessalonians 2: 3) those who still claim to be the people of God are also given over to a state of cognitive dysfunction or dumbness.



In Revelation 18: 23 the voice of the bridegroom and the bride is heard no more in Babylon, the metaphoric concept for being in false doctrines and not having the mind of Christ or his light, and including the corruption of the world, which is partly brought on because the Christians have lost their light and their savour. The bride of Christ does not speak within Babylon because the elect are not in Babylon.



The voice of the bridegroom is heard no more in Babylon, within the camp, because Christ is out in the metaphoric wilderness, outside the camp (Hebrews 13: 13), outside of Babylon. Christ is in the wilderness where in Revelation 12: 6, 14 the metaphoric woman flees. In Revelation 12: 15 the serpent casts out a flood from his mouth to carry away the metaphoric woman and her seed the remnant. But in Revelation 12: 17 the remnant is said to keep the commandments of God and to have the testimony of Jesus Christ. Keeping the commandments of God does not mean following the ceremonial law, but it means obeying Christ by following his doctrines. Since the remnant in the wilderness has the testimony of Christ, Christ speaks truth into their spirits and minds. And they have ears to hear him.



The tribulation is not the only thing end time Bible prophecy says is to

occur. Paul says in II Thessalonians 2; 3-4 that "Let no man deceive you by

any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away

first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition;

4. Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that

is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing

himself that he is God."



This has been made into another fable, that the one man super anti-Christ

figure will brake his treaty with the nation of Israel and will literally

come and desecrate the newly re-built temple in Jerusalem, by literally

sitting in it. In the world of fables most prophecy has to play out in a

literal way; the language of metaphor is not understood by those who make

up the fables.



The temple is the Christian believer in I Corinthians 3: 16-17 and I

Corinthians 6:19, and a concept called the man of sin is predicted to

occupy, or sit, in the hearts of those who claim to belong to Jesus Christ.

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