The Sign - The Abomination Of Desolation

How many times during the life of Jesus, as we have it in the Gospels, do Jewish apostles ask questions and receive answers? Are all the responses to their questions intended for Israel because the disciples were Jewish? No one is considering giving up the Lord's prayer (I hope) or the "Comforter" teaching of John, using this logic. Is literal Israel involved in all this? Yes, of course they are! But have we been grafted into the tree called Israel? (Romans 11:17-21) Yes, of course we have! Our fates intertwine.

The disciples asked for a sign, and they received one. A very specific event is foretold, after which Jesus will come. Let's look at this event: It is called by Jesus and Daniel, the abomination of desolation. It is an unthinkably evil occurrence that causes destruction, annihilation, a scattering, a desolate state of affairs.

Now, what in the world could do that? A clue is given: it "stands" in the holy place, Jesus says (24:15). The Jewish listeners knew that Jesus was speaking of their temple. Remember that John, who wrote more than 20 years after the Temple of Jesus' day was destroyed, is seen in the Book of Revelation measuring a Temple on earth. Oh, yes, there will be a Temple in the last days. Even as I write, preparations are being made to raise it up. Those who object to the idea of a Temple should read the latter portions of Ezekiel's book. Other prophets (Isaiah, Micah) saw the house of the Lord in the latter days. A consistent literal interpretation of Scripture demands such an edifice.

History records two times at least when the Holy Place was desecrated by something "standing" in it. Both Antiochus Epiphanes in 163 BC and Roman General Titus in 70 AD placed in the Temple things abominable to God. Once it was a pig. Once it was an idol. Both times desolations occurred immediately thereafter. There was a massacre of Jews, destruction, desolation both times. But Daniel who along with Jesus prophesied the abomination that makes desolate must have had in mind something even more horrible, for they both tie it to a time of incomparable agony. That time has not come yet because the agony itself is tied to the very end of all things, and that end has not come. Antiochus and Titus were only showing us

a little of what will happen when the Temple is occupied again and desecrated again.

But some ask, Can a Temple even be the real House of God again? I ask this: Was the Temple ever the real House of God, or was it merely a picture of Heaven, the Church, and the very Body of the Lord Jesus Who is the true Temple? The point we are making here is that antichrist and the Jews of that day will consider the Temple in Jerusalem to be holy, and a watching world will know exactly what is being said by its occupation.

Daniel in his 8th chapter speaks of daily sacrifices being taken away, an army's opposition, a "transgression of desolation," and the trampling of the sanctuary. He is told in the same chapter that all of this is to happen in the time of the end (8:9-19). Then in the retelling of these events in chapter 11 and 12, the same events are tied to "a time of trouble such as never was..."

Similarly, Jesus mentions not only the same desecration of the temple, but the surrounding of Jerusalem with armies in Luke 21:20-24, the parallel passage to Matthew 24. Here is mentioned the "times of the Gentiles", making many think that the period from Titus' devastation until the Jews return to their Temple is such a time. But in fact, Revelation 11:1-2 clearly states that the time of total Gentile domination in this context is three and one half years.

Daniel and Jesus both saw the end times. The abomination that made desolate in Antiochus' day was already history when Jesus prophesied. And now, the destruction of Jerusalem by Titus is history, and the predicted coming of Jesus has not materialized. So we must look to the future for fulfillment of both of these prophesies.

Paul adds the final piece to the puzzle when he describes in II Thessalonians 2, one who will sit in the Temple of God himself! If a pig or a statue has such a horrible effect on the region, what happens when the arch-enemy of God himself declares his deity and challenges God face to face?

Exciting, yet dreadful days ahead. Let us be ready to carry our cross wherever He leads.

http://chosunhouse.com is a website I put together a few months back to get the word out to believers that they need to pray for North Korea. Just about every day I'm writing a blog featuring some news, a book, or a story of North Korea. There's a live news feed on the site, lists of resources, picture essays, and ways to respond to the overwhelming need in North Korea. Let's love Chosun together!

And who am I? A man found of God over 50 years ago, called to the ministry, serving the Lord as needed in my world. Married, member of a local church in the Chicago area, with full time work in public education. Who are you? Would love to fellowship with believers who respond on my site.

He Refused to Drink It

Two amazing things took place just before the crucifixion of Jesus. First, someone was caring enough in the midst of that hardened crowd, to reach out to the Master and offer Him a way to ease His pain. Was this the standard thing to do? Doesn't seem to me that one would be "nice" to a murderer or thief. But somehow compassion reached the Son of God, as someone was able to see the senselessness of this particular crucifixion.

The other amazing thing is that Jesus refused to drink what He was offered. It's amazing to me because I tend to be an escape artist when it comes to pain and suffering. If they would, I'd let them put me out at the dentist's office.

But through the years I've been able to say with the Pharisee, I'm sure glad I'm not like the people of the world. I don't drink or do drugs or smoke. I don't alter my mind or body at all, and escape my troubles and fears by some substance. Then it hit me, not too long ago. I've been using the television to dull my senses to the pain of Christ in the world today.

By God's grace, on June 26 I was delivered from the real culprit of American society. There are many believers like myself who would never think of hitting the bottle, but when they need "fellowship", they turn on the TV. If they lack companionship, they turn on the TV. When things get tough, they turn to television. When they're feeling good, even about the Lord, they celebrate by watching a little TV. When their mind gets hungry, when they're bored, they lack vision, they want to relax, escape...oh for any number of reasons, television is king.

I believe now that the television-movie industry is drugging American Christians, de-sensitizing them to the realities of the Holy Spirit, and delaying any true revival.

Could it be that Christ Himself would like to be the One we turn to in all the above situations? Could it be that God would have us fill our minds with God's vision, not tele-vision?

How many times did I lose the program that God had just given me in His Word by having it buried in the program of some man. How many times have I laughed my way out of the deep walk in the Spirit He was desiring. How many hours-days-years gone, with no way of recovery...

I speak not as judge. I speak as one set free, who wants his friends to have the same joy. I have not regretted my decision. Though it is only 3 weeks old, life is already taking much better turns. I am thinking my own thoughts, going the way I was intended to go, hand in hand with Christ. Doors are opening. Life is fuller. I highly recommend a Hollywood-free life to all who can hear me.

If Christ Jesus refused to drink the cup that men gave Him so that He could drink the cup the Father gave Him, well, should that not be the Model I place before me?

Look for Bob Faulkner's home page on http://sermonaudio.com There you will find a combination of love for the Scriptures and a desire for North Korean believers to have their needs met. There are nearly 300 blogs , over 200 Bible teaching MP3's, lists of resources, NK picture albums, and ways to respond to the overwhelming need in North Korea. Let's love Chosun together! Contact me any time at diakonos5@yahoo.com

And who am I? A man found of God over 50 years ago, called to the ministry, serving the Lord as needed in my world. Married, member of a local church in the Chicago area, with full time work in public education. Would love to fellowship with believers who respond .

Tithe Versus Free-will Giving

Ten has always been the symbol of fullness, and when giving a tenth of your income, it symbolizes the total; it represents everything that you've earned. All things belong to God & has to be seen as such (cf. Ps.50:10; Hag.2:8; Deut.8:18; 1Cor.4:7; Jas.1:17).

However, it is important to distinguish between the tithe & free-will giving to the church.

The tithe was implemented in O.T. times when Israel was a theocracy and not a democracy, i.e., when it was a God-ruled nation. The tithe was meant to provide for the rulers of Israel ... the Levites' tax (Lev.27:21, 28, 30, 32; cf. Lev.7:34, 36; Num.18:26). They were required to give another ten percent every year that was to go for the funding of the national holidays & national feasts, etc. (Deut.12:17; Deut.14:22-26). This was to take care of national unity & national religion. And yet another ten percent was required every third year that was to go to the poor as welfare (cf. Deut.26:12; Deut.14:27-29).

That means that 231/3% were annual funding for the government. The tithe was related to that & was never related to free will giving or spontaneous giving. It was required taxation, and in Mal.3:10 where He says, "Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, ..." it means that we should pay our taxes. I.e., the tithe in the Old Testament was not free will giving to God out of love, but it was a compulsory paying of taxes.

In O.T. times there was free will giving too (Prov.3:9), to give & honour the Lord with however much they wanted, and for that there was a principle (Prov.11:24). That principle was reiterated by Jesus in Luke 6:38 & similar ones are found throughout Scripture (see Acts 4:35; cf. Acts 6:5; 2Cor.8:2, 5; 2Cor.9:6-8; 1John 3:17; Jas 2:17,20,26). God wants us to do good to others, whoever they are, and so we have to be ready & eager to share wherever the government doesn't provide (cf. Heb.13:16; Acts 20:35).

So what is the proportion of giving? How much are we to give? What does Paul say in 1Cor.16:2? You are to give just exactly what you in your heart determine. Let every one of us purpose in his heart what he will give, but be sure that it's not grudgingly or of necessity, because the Lord loves a cheerful giver (cf. 2Cor.9:7).

The period for giving is the first day of the week, because that is what they did back then (cf. 1Cor.16:1-4). And this was done so that when a need came along, they didn't have to traumatise it & get everybody all worked up so that they gave emotionally. Likewise, we need to learn to deal systematically, week by week, with stewardship, so that when needs come there'll be money available. This forms a great part of our faithfulness ... giving to God out of love and not out of some emotional stimulation.

Deon (Ditto / D)

When Peace Comes

I dedicate this article to my brothers and sisters in North Korea, who suffer unimaginably as I write. For them, that is the believers in Christ, the subject of this piece is incredibly delicious. Oh that all of God's people could think it so.

Most people get to Revelation 21 and 22 and take a deep breath. No more vials. No more trumpets. No more seals. No more monsters. Smooth sailing. That's mostly true, but one of the biggest puzzles for me is the timing of this bit of prophecy.

When will arrive the "new heavens and the new earth"? Peter in his epistle sees it coming directly after the present age. The prophets likewise see a time of worldwide peace directed by the Jewish Messiah at the end of the present era. I lean that direction too, for those reasons, and others I will mention. But if that is true, then

• the Bible nowhere speaks of what eternity will be like.
• chapters 21 and 22 are out of order, and go back before chapter 20, which brings readers not only to, but through, and after, the millennium.
• the last recorded event in chronological time is the vanishing of heavens and earth, followed by the judgment of the damned in the Lake of Fire.
• the "new heavens and the new earth" are merely a healed planet, not a brand new creation as in Genesis 1.

Whether the magnificent descriptions of the last two of the Bible's chapters are the millennium or the period following it, one must admit that the Bible does not spend much time talking about things that are so very far away. We will have, after all, 1000 years to hear about the plan for the next phase of our existence. Truly it has not entered into our mind the things God has prepared for us.

But I was saying I tend to agree with the millennial interpretation here. The phrases used are very reminiscent of prophets like Isaiah. Things that happen are very this-worldly. Kings and nations are mentioned, nations that are slowly being healed from the ravages of the governments of men. And very significantly, even though Jesus has everything under control, there is still the potential for evil, as ordinary men live on into this time period. Our city is indeed holy and wonderful, but the whole world is not fully aligned to these things. All of this points away, I think, from an interpretation that says these two chapters are about eternity.

The set-up will be much as Rome dreamed it was going to be hundreds of years back. Their timing was a bit off. There shall indeed be a world empire ruled by the church, but it will be the glorified church descending from heaven, with Christ at the helm, not a military-based empire with a mere human at the head.

At the end of the 1000 years, the evil potential is gathered together for one last assault against the Righteousness enthroned in Jerusalem. Christ is victorious, and now it's time to move on to places as yet unspoken to human ears. What an adventure awaits!

Let us put all things away from our lives that do not matter, so as to be sure not to miss what will surely come our way. Never have God's promises failed, even when we did not fully understand them. They will not fail now.

http://chosunhouse.com is a website I put together a few months back to get the word out to believers that they need to pray for North Korea. I have created over 200 blogs and the site features a live news feed , lists of resources, picture essays, and ways to respond to the overwhelming need in North Korea. Let's love Chosun together! Contact me any time at diakonos5@yahoo.com

And who am I? A man found of God over 50 years ago, called to the ministry, serving the Lord as needed in my world. Married, member of a local church in the Chicago area, with full time work in public education. I love to write Scriptural works. Who are you? Would love to fellowship with believers who respond .

Are The 66 Books Enough?

One thing that the historic Roman church system, the Mormons, the Muslims, the Jehovah's Witnesses, and many charismatics, all have in common: they all believe that the revelation of God's teachings is not yet finished. In their thinking, it not only can change at any time, but has changed often.

Then there is that other group. Narrow, they are called. They believe that the foundation was laid by prophets and apostles (Ephesians 2:20) who literally laid down their lives for what they gave us. They believe that to add on to the revelation of the 66 books is prohibited and dangerous (Revelation 22:18-19).

The Old Testament canon, or list of books, ends with the prophet Malachi, written several hundred years before Jesus came. And by the time He came, religious Jews had added countless rules and regs to God's utterances. Jesus rebuked the religious leaders of His day for their add-ons, which he called "the traditions of men."

In the same way, the New Testament ends with Revelation, written in the old age of the last apostle. It was obviously to be the last, as verses at the end also suggest strongly. But through the years, Roman tradition has been added on. Joseph Smith has been added on. Watchtower documents and a whole new Bible have been added on. The Book of Mormon has been added on. And countless visions and dreams have been lifted to the status of God's revelation and foisted upon God's sheep who seem to graze just about anywhere they are led.

It is the contention of Bible believers that writings that in any way contradict the original books must be discarded or clearly labeled as "good reading but not inspired of God." And those books that do say the same thing as the Bible are superfluous and should also be set aside.

What we have in the 66 books is enough. The foundation was laid perfectly. On that solid rock of revelation the church continues to base its life.

We have been told in this generation that we are in basic agreement with Roman teaching and should start re-thinking the Protestant reformation. After all, we only differ on some "later traditions" of Rome. But if you are drinking a juice that is in every respect the same as mine except for some later drops of poison that I have squeezed into your drink, you are about to die. So it is with the poison of human tradition when it is added to God's Word. It did not work for the Pharisees rebuked by Jesus. And the rebuke of God will come upon all those in our time who have defiled the message from heaven, even if, as Jesus said, it is the least of teachings.

Let us beware of tampering with Holy things! Traditions of men make the Word of God lose its power and effect. Traditions of men will kill.

Some examples of Roman add-ons:

• The Word: Jesus is our Mediator alone. Rome: Mary also mediates along with Jesus.
• Jesus: "It is finished," the sacrifice is made, once for all. Rome: Jesus dies on our altars constantly.
• The Word: We are saved by grace through faith. It is the gift of God, not of works. Rome: Any person who believes he is saved by faith alone is anathema.
• The Word: Water (baptism) cannot take away the filth of the flesh (sin). Rome: Even its babies must pass through the water.
• The Word: The Holy Spirit represents Christ to us. Rome: The Pope is our representative (vicar).
• The Word: We can know we have eternal life! Rome: Such presumption is sin.
• The Word: We are to be buried with Him in baptism. Rome: Any amount of water will do.
• The Word: Mary had sons and daughters after Jesus was born. Rome: Mary is ever a virgin.
• The Word: Jesus lives to make intercession for us. Rome: Mary is the intercessor.
• The Word: Only God is omnipresent. Rome: Mary can hear and answer all prayers.
• The Word: For believers, absent from the body means present with the Lord. Rome: There's a major stopping-off place called Purgatory after we die and before we see Jesus.
• The Word: Idolatry is condemned. Rome: It's OK, if the statues are Bible characters, especially Jesus and Mary.
• The Word: Confess your faults to each other and to God. Rome: There's still a priesthood between the people of God and Himself.
• The Word: Marriage is honorable. Most of its main characters were married, including church leaders. Rome: The leaders of the church must refrain from marriage.
• The Word: All foods created by God are good. Rome: Some are not.

You see how it goes? The time would fail me to tell of angels and candles and saints and miracles. Of relics and bingo and collars and tonsures. Of scapulars and rosaries and rituals and masses. These are traditions for which men have instituted crusades, massacred people groups, fought for power, sold out to the Enemy.

Yet, with such horrible fruit, the Roman system continues to proclaim these items as truth. And men keep trusting these traditions, imperiling their eternal souls.

Traditions of men can also be enumerated in great quantity from Islam, Mormonism, the Watchtower Society, and all the rest. All of them seem to start out with a Bible base, but the add-ons of humans and demons have brought many to eternal loss.

I leave you with Paul's words on this matter: "Brothers, stand fast and hold the traditions which you were taught [by apostles], whether by word or our epistle, and withdraw from every brother who walks disorderly and not according to the tradition which he received from us [apostles].

Paul [the apostle]

As always, I commend to you our brothers and sisters suffering for Jesus' sake in North Korea. I pray that when they are released it will be into the light of God's pure Word and not into a murky blizzard of the doctrines of men.

http://chosunhouse.com is a website made to ask believers to pray for North Korea. Recently I have added Bible teachings to the menu. There are nearly 300 blogs , a live news feed , lists of resources, picture essays, and ways to respond to the overwhelming need in North Korea. Let's love Chosun together! Contact me any time at diakonos5@yahoo.com. Audio teachings at sermonaudio.com under my name.

And who am I? A man found of God over 50 years ago, called to the ministry, serving the Lord as needed in my world. Married, member of a local church in the Chicago area, with full time work in public education. Would love to fellowship with believers who respond .

My Love - A Poem About One's First Love

There are three main reasons why someone comes to Christ and receives Him as Lord and Savior of their lives and drives men and women to their knees before Him.

One reason is through a realization of the holiness of God and the unholiness, wretchedness of man and the complete realization that God is everything and you are nothing. Second reason is brought about with a very real and overwhelming fear of God's wrath and the final expression of His wrath being hell. Plus, the reality of what we really deserve from God is to spend the rest of eternity separated from Him in hell. Third reason comes about by falling head over heels in love with the loving Savior, Jesus Christ.

To fully realize how much Jesus Christ loves you and how much you mean to Him. My reason for first accepting Jesus Christ into my heart and life was reason number three. No one introduced me to Him, He just revealed Himself to me in a personnel, intimate way that I will never forget. At the start of my freshmen year in high school, all of my childhood friends moved away and I was left alone. In addition, I did not feel a lot of love at home from my parents and my one younger brother. I entered high school alone, feeling unwanted, unloved and consequently became depressed.

Looking back at my freshmen year, I would say the hardest part of being and feeling alone was not actually being alone or feeling disconnected from people but instead feeling that I wasn't valuable enough, for anyone to want to get to know me.

I always knew about God but I did not know Him; there is a tremendous difference between the two. Growing up, my parents would often take my brother and me to church. And during elementary school I would go to Bible class which was held once a week in a trailer and lasted about an hour. Church and Bible class is where I learned about God and some of the stories in the Bible. However, as far as I can remember, no one really taught me how to know God personally and intimately. Having no one to talk to during my freshmen year, I decided to take on the endeavor of getting knowing God by talking to Him.

My getting to know God started in conversations with Him, actually, I'm the one that did all of the talking so I guess it wasn't much of a two way conversation. Many times these conversations took place in an oak tree. However, whenever I talked to God I would request one desire, which was for God to take my life literally. Looking back, I realize that I wasn't getting to know God and certainly had no real clue to who He was. For God is the God of life and not death. And when one realizes God's love for them and embraces that love then one cannot help but to live life to the fullest. Jesus said, "..I have come that they may have life and life to the full." (John 10:10).

God is a rewarder of those who seek Him, no matter how one starts the seeking process. A couple of months into my freshmen year of high school, God sent me a friend and someone that He can talk through. His name was Ken Caster and he was a junior at my school. I met Ken while I was sitting alone at the lunch table in the cafeteria. As I was eating Ken approached me and sat down. He then did something that no one else had ever done, he asked me my name.

Ken did not immediately start preaching to me about Jesus. Really he didn't talk at me, spilling out theological and evangelical useful information. Instead, he simply started asking questions about me, he started to get to know me. I did not know it the time but it was at that moment I was talking face to face with God; for by just seeking to get to know me, Ken was displaying the character and heart of Jesus. For in every believer God lives and when we walk in obedience in accordance with God's holiness and His love then Jesus, who is also God (John 1:1-3,14), is manifested through the life of the Christian.

After several weeks from the first meeting with Ken I started going to Campus Life, there I met more of Ken's friends who quickly became my friends. Campus Life was a ministry which met once every other week. During the meetings there would be an icebreaker, then an open discussion about contemporary issues and how they relate to the Christian life. At the end of every discussion, a leader or someone would wrap up the discussion and the meeting would close with a social time. Someone working with Campus Crusade for Christ were in charge of these meetings. I am sure that during these meetings, Ken or someone told me about Jesus but I don't remeber anyone telling me the Gospel or salvation.

Towards the end of March of my freshmen year, Ken invited me to see a Christian comedian named, Ken Davis in concert. It sounded fun so I agreed. In April Ken and some of his friends picked me up and took me to the concert. During the show I could not remember the last time, if any, I laughed and not only laughed but laughed so hard, that at times it was hard for me to breath. Towards the end, when the laughing stopped, Ken Davis proceeded to tell us about the Gospel of Jesus Christ. This was the first time when I heard about the Man, the God and the Savior that I would fall in love with.

At the end of his message Ken Davis asked everyone to bow their heads and not to think about anything. He asked, while heads bowed, to let the Holy Spirit move and allow God to talk to our hearts.

This night was the first night when God spoke and I listened. While my head was bowed God did speak to me, not with words but with His love and I began to feel and sense Jesus Christ's presence, His loving presence, all around me and inside of me, and for the first time in my life I did not feel alone. Then Ken Davis asked if anyone wanted to accept Jesus into their heart and if so to come up front.

Without thinking, I slowly stood up with my head still bowed and I slowly made my way up to the stage. As I was making my way up I began to lift my head and shame started sliding off me like butter and acceptance started to clothe me.

While I was walking down the aisle and up towards the stage, I did not look to the right or to the left but looked straight ahead then up towards the heavens, it was like I was looking straight into the loving eyes of the Savior.

For it was that night I saw the face of my love but it wasn't my fleshly eyes that beheld Him but my spiritual eyes that beheld Jesus Christ, my love. It was that night I knew I would never again be alone. After much rejoicing with Ken Caster and his friends I went home and headed up stairs to my bedroom.

In my bedroom alone but yet not alone I made a vow I said, "Jesus, I want to live for you no matter what. If it is cool or uncool, if it is the right thing to do or the wrong thing to do, I will live for you. Since then I started conversing with God and now I try to do the majority of the listening. When God speaks to me, many time I hear his words and feel His arms around me and His love warming my heart and spirit on cold, dark nights.

It was on one of those nights that I wrote my first poem called "My Love." Other poems would follow mainly about Jesus, which comes from my new heart that I received the night when I accepted Jesus Christ into my heart and life, at a Christian comedian concert in April of my freshmen year of high school.

My Love

I remember when I first fell in love,
your gentles like a dove,
your voice calling me
to be your love.

I remember when I first held your hand,
as I promised to cherish you
in this foreign land.

When times come when I feel lost and scared,
I hear your voice saying,
"You have nothing to fear,
remember you are mine,
All of this because I care."

For I know, I am the apple of your eye,
before you I was nothing but now I am something,
by the result of your love that will never die.

There was a time, long ago
when you proved your love for me,
and showed me once and for all,
You will never let me go.

For my sins you died upon a tree,
with powerful action,
on the cross,
you displayed your love for me.

When I heard you had died, I started to cry,
but tears of sadness turned to tears of joy,
when you arose and appeared by my side.

Soon you told me you had to leave,
to prepare a place for me,
where we will be together for eternity.

My love, there are still times when I feel discouraged,
when I grow suddenly afraid and loose all courage,
tough still I am quick to rejoice,
for you have promised me,
you will come back for me,
and with your sweet voice,
call me by name to join you in eternity.

Jeff Dalton
317-902-2266
http://www.gracereminders.com
Reminding people of God's grace with one word at a time.

The Scant History Of The Pre-Tribulation Rapture Theory

We must travel 1400 years from the first mention of a pre-tribulation "catching away" before we find another word about it, and the source we find is not altogether convincing. The story goes that a Mr. Morgan Edwards was in his 20's at the writing of this paper, and wrote it for a college professor who wished Edwards to defend the literal interpretation of Scripture, a process not in vogue in that day. To do so, Morgan invented "a new doctrine" which it seems he did not espouse for himself, but rather he theorized as an intellectual pursuit. He even used Acts 17:19, 20 on his title page: "May we know what this new doctrine is of which you speak? For you are bringing some strange things to our ears." Morgan actually quoted the words of pagan philosophers!

And Mr. Edwards certainly would have delighted the men of Mars Hill, for not only does he come up with a pre-tribulation rapture, he also speculates that the lake of fire is in the moon, and that all planets in the solar system are inhabited. Some historians looking for the modern beginnings of pre-trib teaching discount Edwards altogether.

So there is this fourth-century hermit and a Bible college student on assignment espousing the pre-trib view, and they lived 1400 years apart. Not exactly a part of the "stream of revelation" one would expect for such a serious doctrine, if it be serious.

Historically, I suggest that 1830 is a more substantial date for the beginning of this doctrine . It was during this year that 15-year-old Margaret Macdonald, a "prophetess" of the newly arising Pentecostal movement in Scotland, uttered a vision that stated that Christians were to be raptured just prior to the Great Tribulation.

This event surely causes many, especially the Pentecostals of our own day, to give pause. Surely if something was spoken by a "word from the Lord," one cannot take it lightly, they reason. Yet these same people would have to take the words of Jesus and Paul lightly, to believe Margaret. One sadly lacking gift in the explosion of charisma over the years has been the gift of discernment, whereby utterances should, yea must, be challenged and compared to what God has already said. And when it is discerned that deception is at hand, a further discernment is needed, namely the identification of the spirit coming forth into the meeting and the subsequent repudiation of it along with the teaching it promotes. One doesn't

see this too often. It seems Margaret was not challenged then and is not now.

Within a year or two afterwards, Presbyterian pastor Edward Irving, of "Irvingite" fame in London (The Catholic Apostolic Church), heard about this dream, developed it theologically, and began teaching the pre-tribulation rapture to his congregation. By the time dispensationalist Darby got hold of it, it was already circulating fairly well. But Darby we will talk about another time.

For now, the point is made, I think, that the idea that Christ will catch away His bride before trouble breaks out planet-wide, then come back in 7 years to set up His Kingdom, having left "tribulation saints" behind to be punished for their lackadaisical ways... historically, it's just not there.

http://chosunhouse.com is a website I put together a few months back to get the word out to believers that they need to pray for North Korea. Just about every day I'm writing a blog featuring some news, a book, or a story of North Korea. There's a live news feed on the site, lists of resources, picture essays, and ways to respond to the overwhelming need in North Korea. Let's love Chosun together!

And who am I? A man found of God over 50 years ago, called to the ministry, serving the Lord as needed in my world. Married, member of a local church in the Chicago area, with full time work in public education. Who are you? Would love to fellowship with believers who respond on my site.