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The International Prophetic Voice for the Endtimes

SalvationandKatrina

Rapture:When?AnotherFlood

BeforeNoah?Pg.44

The International Prophetic Voice for the Endtimes

JANUARY 2009$4.75

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

PosttribulationismPg.17

TheBloodofJesusPg.26

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8The SevenDispensations:TheAge of the ChurchBy Norbert Lieth

The age of the Church is described as the new covenantor the New Testament.It marks the end of the time of the law and the beginning of the time of grace.Thenewcovenant shows how all-embracing the work of Jesus isthat He accomplished for us on thecross.

17Posttribulationismby Dr. Ron J. Bigalke Jr. There are fourprevailing forms of modern posttribulationism:classic,semiclassic,futuristic,and dispensational. Some commoncharacteristics of this teachingare a denial of the

doctrine of imminency by most,the view that thechurchis the true Israel, and the idea that their beliefs are thesame as those held by the early church fathers andProtestant Reformers.

26The Blood of JesusBy Thomas Lieth The Holy God cannot havefellowship with man,who is contaminated by sin.Theprecious blood of Jesus was shed so that we might obtain entrance into theheavenly sanctuary.

MidnightCaJANUARY 2009

C O N T E N T S

COVER STORY

35 JAPAN

Researchers Make BrainTissues From Stem Cells

36 BRAZILSubsidies Dispute WithU.S.A.

38 CHINA

CommunistChina Offsets Falls in

the West

39 EU/USAEuropes Stance AlarmsChertoff

40 VATICANCatholics and

Muslims OpenLandmark Talks

41 EUROPEFinancial SocialismNot an Option forEurope

4 Editorial . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .ByArno FroeseHABAKKUK 1:1

16 HealthWise . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .ByDr.John Cionci HOW SAFE ARE OUR HOSPITALS?

30 Money: Ends andTrends . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .ByWilfred Hahn

ENDTIME SHOE: FITTING THE WORLD FOR TEN TOES PART I44 Letters to the Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .By Arno Froese

SALVATION AND KATRINA...RAPTURE:WHEN?...ANOTHER FLOOD BEFORE NOAH?

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DEPARTMENTS

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4 M I D N I G H T C A L L

The burden which Habakkuk theprophet did see(Habakkuk 1:1).

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Among the 12 Minor Prophets,Habakkuk is unusual. This isexpressed in the introduction:The burden which Habakkuk theprophet did see (verse 1). In mostcases of the 12 Minor Prophets we

read, the word of the Lord came to theprophet. Habakkuk begins by passing on hisburden. Obviously, this is spirituallyprophetic; it relates to heaven as well as theearth. He was a servant of God who was intouch with God. This becomes obvious whenwe read the last chapter of his book, A prayerof Habakkuk, the prophet.

Instead of showing us events to come,Habakkuk utters some vital questions directlyto the Lord: O LORD, how long shall I cry,and thou wilt not hear! even cry out unto thee

of violence, and thou wilt not save! Why dostthou shew me iniquity, and cause me to be-hold grievance? for spoiling and violence arebefore me: and there are that raise up strifeand contention (verses 2-3). The prophet isoverwhelmed by what he sees, iniquity spoilingviolencestrifecontention. Yetthe Lord does not give him an answer: He issilent. Habakkuk makes his case when hesays, and thou wilt not save!

Whose iniquity is God showing him? It is

the iniquity of Judah. Luther translates the

last words of verse 3: Violence supercedes judgment. The Tenakh reads: Judgmentemerges deformed. We further read in verse4: Therefore the law is slacked, and judg-ment doth never go forth: for the wicked dothcompass about the righteous; therefore wrong judgment proceedeth. This concerns Judah,because the 10-tribe Israel has already beendefeated and led into captivity to foreignlands. Although it doesnt say Judah, we knowthe identity because of the enemy who will judge Judah, the Babylonians.

Behold ye among the heathen, and regard,and wonder marvelously: for I will work awork in your days, which ye will not believe,though it be told you (verse 5). This verse al-most seems as if out of context. But when weread the entire book of Habakkuk, we realize

it is not. In the midst of greatest discourage-ment and severest judgment, there is a mes-sage of hope. The Apostle Paul on hismissionary journey comes to Antioch andpreaches in the synagogue, confirming to theman of Israel that prophecy is being fulfilled.Acts 13:39 reads: And by him all that believeare justified from all things, from which yecould not be justified by the law of Moses.Then he gives a serious warning, usingHabakkuks words: Beware therefore, lest

that come upon you, which is spoken of in the

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JANUARY 200 9 5

Published 12 times a year byMIDNIGHT CALL, INC.4694 Platt Springs RoadW. Columbia, SC 29170 USA

Founder Dr. Wim Malgo (192292)Editor Arno FroeseContributing Authors Norbert Lieth,

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OUR TASKMidnight Call Ministries is a nonprofit missionary organization,dedicated to proclaiming the entire Bible as the unfailing andeternal written Word of God, inspired by the Holy Spirit, and theunerring guide for the Christian faith.

The object of Midnight Call is to call people everywhere toChrist, to proclaim the Second Coming of Christ, to prepareChristians for His coming, and to uphold the faith and warn of false doctrines. Midnight Call magazine is available in twelvelanguages. All work done through radio, literature andmissionaries is supported entirely by the gifts and free willofferings of Gods people.

STATEMENT OF FAITHWE BELIEVE in the divine inspiration of the whole Bible andtherewith the infallibility of the Holy Scripture, which is GodsWord, and in the eternal Triune God: Father, Son and Holy Spirit.WE BELIEVE Jesus Christ, the Son of God, was conceived of theHoly Spirit, born of the virgin Mary, lived a sinless life, and shedHis blood to save mankind. He died and arose bodily the thirdday and later ascended into heaven.WE BELIEVE that the Lord Jesus Christ died in the place of each individual sinner and that all who believe in Him as theirpersonal Savior are justified through His shed blood and havebecome children of God.WE BELIEVE that Israel is Gods chosen people, and that therestoration of the Jews to their own land is the fulfillment of the Word of God.WE BELIEVE in the pretribulational appearance of Jesus Christfor the Rapture of His Church (all born again believers).WE BELIEVE in the immortality of our souls and the resurrection

of our bodies, and in the resurrection of the just and the unjust, theeverlasting blessedness of the saved and the everlasting punishmentof the lost.

The Prophetic Voice for the Endtimes PRINTED IN 12 LANGUA

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prophets; Behold, ye despisers, and wonder, and perish: for I work a work in yourdays, a work which ye shall in no wise believe, though a man declare it unto you(Acts 13:40-41).

Next comes the identity of the enemy who would destroy the kingdom of Ju-dah: For, lo, I raise up the Chaldeans, that bitter and hasty nation, which shallmarch through the breadth of the land, to possess the dwellingplaces that are nottheirs. They are terrible and dreadful: their judgment and their dignity shall pro-ceed of themselves. Their horses also are swifter than the leopards, and are morefierce than the evening wolves: and their horsemen shall spread themselves, andtheir horsemen shall come from far; they shall fly as the eagle that hasteth to eat.They shall come all for violence: their faces shall sup up as the east wind, and theyshall gather the captivity as the sand. And they shall scoff at the kings, and theprinces shall be a scorn unto them: they shall deride every stronghold; for theyshall heap dust, and take it (verses 6-10). Many translations use the word Baby-

lon instead of Chaldeans. This is a clear description of Babylons military force.There was no opposing them; they marched from victory to victory. While this speaks of the Babylonian enemy, we have sufficient reasons to be-

lieve that it also speaks of the end times.For example, Daniel 7:7, After this I saw in the night visions, and behold a

fourth beast, dreadful and terrible, and strong exceedingly; and it had great ironteeth: it devoured and brake in pieces, and stamped the residue with the feet of it:and it was diverse from all the beasts that were before it; and it had ten horns.Here we have the dreadful and terrible last Gentile world empire. During theBabylonian times, this empire was limited to the Mid East, but the last one is trulyglobal. The words, breadth of the land Luther translates, all of the earth; theNIV reads, who sweep across the whole earth. We must, therefore, come to theconclusion that this prophecy was not limited to the literal Babylonian Empire,but also incorporates the last one, which is called Mystery Babylon in Revelation17:5.

Especially in our days, we are witnessing the arising of a global world. This hasbeen made painfully aware during the worldwide financial meltdown, the closingof many banks, and the bankruptcy of innumerable businesses that were consid-ered to be rock solid investments previously. For the first time in history, a trulyglobal world is becoming a reality.

Look at verse 10: And they shall scoff at the kings, and the princes shall be a

scorn unto them. Literally, kings and priests in our days have been reduced tosymbolic figures, without power and without authority. The superpower of ourdays is the mixture of communism, socialism, and democracy. This new politicalphilosophy has flooded planet Earth, and there is no return.

But there is one fatal mistake Babylon made, and it is being repeated by todaysmodern Babylon. It is revealed in verse 11: Then shall his mind change, and heshall pass over, and offend, imputing this his power unto his god. Here we see re-vealed the power of Antichrist, the one who will change his mind and break thecovenant: Yea, he magnified himself even to the prince of the host, and by himthe daily sacrifice was taken away, and the place of his sanctuary was cast downAnd the king shall do according to his will; and he shall exalt himself, and mag-

nify himself above every god, and shall speak marvelous things against the God of

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gods, and shall prosper till the indignation be accomplished: for that that is deter-mined shall be done (Daniel 8:11; 11:36).

On the one hand, we see that this was fulfilled in King Nebuchadnezzar, whogives us his testimony in Daniel 4:30: The king spake, and said, Is not this greatBabylon, that I have built for the house of the kingdom by the might of my power,and for the honor of my majesty? On the other hand, however, it is yet to be fulfilledunder the auspices of Mystery Babylon, the global world. Here is the description theApostle Paul gives in 2 Thessalonians2:4: Who opposeth and exalteth himself aboveall that is called God, or that is worshiped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God.

Immediately after this horrible picture was revealed to Habakkuk, we read: Artthou not from everlasting, O LORD my God, mine Holy One? we shall not die. OLORD, thou hast ordained them for judgment; and, O mighty God, thou hast estab-lished them for correction (Habakkuk 1:12). This is in response to the threat of to-

tal annihilation by Babylon upon Judah: we shall not die. Habakkuk acknowledgesthat this terrible judgment coming upon his people is ordained from God; it is forcorrection, but it will not totally eradicate Judah.

Thou art of purer eyes than to behold evil, and canst not look on iniquity: where-fore lookest thou upon them that deal treacherously, and holdest thy tongue whenthe wicked devoureth the man that is more righteous than he? (verse 13). Thesestatements are written in a question form, yet resolutely declare Gods absoluteness.Yes, God sees everything, but He is silent because He knows the measure of evil thatis ordained. We are reminded here of Genesis 15:16, where God gives His promise toAbraham: But in the fourth generation they shall come hither again: for the iniquityof the Amorites is not yet full. Sin must bear fruit: it is the fruit of iniquity.

The prophet continues to ask, And makest men as the fishes of the sea, as thecreeping things, that have no ruler over them? (verse 14). Man, under the rulershipof the prince of darkness, the god of this world, has no connection to the leadershipof Godhe is totally lost. Here we are reminded of the words we read in Ephesians2:12: That at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealthof Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and withoutGod in the world.There is nothing more terrible than having no hope.Thankfully,the next verse begins with the word but: But now in Christ Jesus ye who some-times were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ (verse 13).

The next three verses describe the enemy, which in this case is Babylon. Yet when

we consider extended prophecy, we come to Satan himself, for he stands behindBabylon. He rules the world: They take up all of them with the angle, they catchthem in their net, and gather them in their drag: therefore they rejoice and are glad.Therefore they sacrifice unto their net, and burn incense unto their drag; because bythem their portion is fat, and their meat plenteous. Shall they therefore empty theirnet, and not spare continually to slay the nations? (verses 15-17).

This speaks of the commercial success of Babylon. They pride themselves in theirmaterialistic spirit: they rejoice and are glad. Next comes the worshiping of materi-alism, which is described in verse 16. They sacrifice and burn incense because of theriches they have gathered: they are worshiping the spirit of materialism.

Here we are reminded of Revelation 18:3: For all nations have drunk of the wine

of the wrathof her fornication, and the kings of the earth have committed fornication

To start or renew yourNews From Israel magazinesubscription, please use theorder form on insert, or call800-845-2420 and have yourcredit card ready.

In light of thetimes, NewsFrom Israel isa necessary monthlymagazine that willkeep you updatedon breakingdevelopmentsthroughout the

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with her, and the merchants of the earth arewaxed rich through the abundance of her delica-cies.This clearly reveals thespirit of intoxicationof material successpolitical, religious, and com-mercial.

We also see here a picture of the last churchmentioned in Revelation 3, the Laodiceans, whoproudly exclaimed: Iam rich, andincreased withgoods, and have need of nothing. But the Lordexposes the truth about the church in Laodicea:and knowest not that thou art wretched, andmiserable, andpoor, andblind,andnaked(verse17).

In recent months, we have been confronted by

a shadow of things tocome. The newsmedia pro-claims in large letters how a financial catastrophehas befallen planet Earth. Many prognosticatorssee this as a repetition of the Great Depression.But we can say with assurance that this is not thecase. Why not? There is a very specific reason:namely, the unity of the world. This financial fi-asco has touched virtually all nations of theworld; subsequently, all nations will have to par-ticipate in establishing a system that will guaran-tee peace and prosperity for the future. But werepeat, it is a deception. Peace and prosperity cannever be established until the Prince of Peacecomes, who will rule and judge the world inrighteousness. As believers, we know Him per-sonally because He is our peace, He is our future,and He is our eternity.

RecessionThe news media has made the word recession

becomea household name. Whatdoes itmean? It

is an undefined time period during which a na-tions economy is being reduced. Needless to say,this reduction is most painful for those who havelost secure jobs, but the effects of a national eco-nomic recession are felt by virtually all.

The business of publishing and proclaimingthe truth of the Word of God has been affected aswell. That in short is the reason for the reductionof pages in our next magazine [February 2009Midnight Call]. Cost cutting is a requirement. Wewould deem it irresponsible to reduce our sup-

port for the various mission projects that we have

under-written for many decades. Neither can weconsider the ceasing of our international publica-tions of Midnight Call one for Asia published inIndia, the other in Africa, published in Kenya.Our brethren rely on the constant spiritual foodthey receive through the magazines; conse-quently, there is not room for savings.

Also, we will cease to include the self-ad-dressed Business Reply envelope in the center of our magazine, beginning with the March issue.That will save several thousand dollars a month.The most significant cost savings is paper andpostage. Beginning with the February issue, Mid-night Callmagazine will be reduced to 28 pages.

The BurdenIt is our sincere hope that this recession will

only be temporary. But we have a controversy, be-cause recession does not affect the Word of God.The apostle Paul admonishes the believer to in-crease in the work of the Lord, especially in viewof the soon expected Rapture of the Church. Weread in 1 Corinthians 15:58 these words, There-fore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, un-moveable, always abounding in the work of theLord, forasmuch asye know that your labor isnotin vain in the Lord. Our prayers and the prayersof our many friends and supporters will be di-rected to our Lord based on the words found in 1Peter 5:7, Casting all your care upon him; for hecareth for you. It is significant that after thosewords were penned, the apostle Peter, inspired bythe Holy Spirit, continues, Be sober, be vigilant;because your adversary the devil, as a roaringlion, walketh about, seeking whom he may de-

vour: Whom resist stedfast in the faith, knowingthat the same afflictions are accomplished in yourbrethren that are in the world. But the God of allgrace, who hath called us unto his eternal gloryby Christ Jesus,after that yehavesuffereda while,make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you.To him be glory and dominion for ever and ever.Amen (1 Peter 5:8-11).

Thank you for your understanding andfaithful participation in abounding in thework of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that

your labor is not in vain in the Lord! MC

CorrectionIn our rush to print theDecember '08issue, we realize that asignificant error was madein the spelling of the word"Rapturism" in Dr.Bigalke's article "Pre-wrath Rapturism."Our apologies.

Note on theDispensationsFor those of you who arewondering what happenedto Part 2 of The SevenDispensations in theBible, it was featured inour November 2008 News From Israel magazine.Part 4 will be in theJanuary 2009 News From Israel. Both will be avail-able online at our website,and you may requestcopies from us as long asthey are available.

Atlantic CoastProphecyConferencePlease reserve theseimportant dates, 4th 6thOctober 2009 for our an-nual prophecy conferencein beautifulMyrtle Beach,South Carolina. This will bean important year to dealwith Bible prophecy, partic-ularly in view of the nearcollapse of financial andeconomic systems globally.Preliminary schedulingcalls for the followingspeakers: Norbert Lieth, Wilfred Hahn, Dave Hunt,Dr. Arnold Fruchtenbaumand myself. You do notwant to miss this importantconference. Mark thesedates on your calendar, soyou will have ample time toprepare to join us for thiswonderful event.

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8 M I D N I G H T C A L L8 M I D N I G H T C A L L

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The age of the Church is also de-scribed as the new covenant or theNew Testament. It is somethingnew, something that had not previouslyexisted. The new covenant shows howall-embracing and complete the work of

Jesus is that He accomplished for us on

the cross.The so-called age of grace began withthe first coming of Jesus, with His deathand His resurrection, as described in theGospels. Officially it began with the pour-ing out of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost(Acts chapter 2). It marks the end of thetime of the law and the beginning of thetime of grace. This extends in the Bibleright up to the last book, the book of Reve-lation, and ends with the rapture of theChurch of Jesus Christ. The time of the lawwas succeeded by the time of grace (He-brews 8:7 & 13). It is the new covenant inthe blood of Jesus (Luke 22:19-20).

The sixth dispensation: the time ofgrace (the age of the Church)

The new covenant shows how all-embracing andcomplete the work of our Lord Jesus Christ is,which He accomplished for us on Calvarys cross.

There is nothing greater. On the basis of this newcovenant, we are obedient (1 Peter 1:13-16 and John 15:9-14). We are not called upon in the epis-tles in the New Testament to keep the Sinaicovenant, but the commandment of Christ, thecommandment of the Spirit. We do not attain tosalvation through good works, but through salva-tion to good works. Through grace we have a newfoundation for obedience. The law of Christ isgreater than the law of Sinai (the theme of the let-ter to the Hebrews). The proof of true faith is a

changed life. True faith leads to true deeds of obe-

dience (James 2:14, 17-20 & 26; 4:17). This is theresult of salvation in Christ. We are earnestlywarned not to change the grace of God into lascivi-ousness or to use liberty as a cloak for sin (Jude 4and 1 Peter 2:16). True faith reveals itself through

deep reverence for God and the burning desire tolive according to the principles of His Word andwill. The Word of God says of the new covenant,the grace in Christ, He has made us competent asministers of a new covenantnot of the letter butof the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit giveslife. Now if the ministry that brought death, whichwas engraved in letters on stone, came with glory,so that the Israelites could not look steadily at theface of Moses because of its glory, fading though itwas, will not the ministry of the Spirit be even

more glorious? If the ministry that condemns men

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The so-called age of grace began with the first coming of Jesus, with His dHis resurrection, as described in the Gospels. Officially it began with the p

out of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost (Acts chapter 2). It marks the end of thethe law and the beginning of the time of grace.

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is glorious, how much more glorious is the ministrythat brings righteousness! For what was glorious hasno glory now in comparison with the surpassing glory.And if what was fading away (the Old Testament law)came with glory, how much greater is the glory of thatwhich lasts! Therefore, since we have such a hope, weare very bold. We are not like Moses, who would put aveil over his face to keep the Israelites from gazing at itwhile the radiance was fading away (2 Corinthians3:6-13, New International Version).

The old ministry (covenant) led to death, but in the

new way of ministry (the new covenant), the HolySpirit gives life. The Sinai covenant with its command-ments had a certain glory, but it faded away. The right-eousness that Jesus brought is far more glorious, for itleads to the goal and remains in eternity. This is whyChristianity far excels all other religions on earth.Faith in Jesus Christ offers assurance of salvation.Other religions say that you have to do something tobe saved. Jesus says, Believe and you will be saved.

A manual is good, but if you merely lay it on anappliance that is not working, this will not make it

run again. A manual can at the most diagnose

faults, but not mend them.But if the old appliance is re-placed by a completely newone, that is much better.This is what happens at thenew birth. Therefore if anyman be in Christ, he is anew creature: old things arepassed away; behold, all

things are become new (2Corinthians 5:17). If youadhere to the instructions inthe manual of the Bible, thenew life will be kept fromdamage.

The veil is removedin Christ

And not as Moses, whichput a veil over his face, that the children of Israelcould not stedfastly look to the end of that which isabolished (2 Corinthians 3:13). The fading gloryon the face of Moses was already a sign that the oldcovenant would fade. In Hebrews 8:13 we read, Inthat he saith, A new covenant, he hath made thefirst old. Now that which decayeth and waxeth oldis ready to vanish away. The temple did indeedvanish, with the whole priesthood, the sacrificesand all the things connected with them a few yearslater. The veil was torn when Jesus died on the

cross. God had made a completely new way. Thosewho cling to the old covenant, and think they canbe justified before God through the keeping of theOld Testament commandments without takinghold of Jesus, remain under the veil. This is theproblem of many Israelis todayand all peoplewho want to be justified through good worksalone. The Gentiles also have a veil (Isaiah 25:7),and this veil over the nations will only be removedin the millennium of peace. The individual personwho turns to Jesus will have this veil removed at

his conversion. This is the miracle of the new birth.


The veil was torn when Jesus died on the cross. God had made a completely new who cling to the old covenant, and think they can be justified before God through

of the Old Testament commandments without taking hold of Jesus, remain under

THE SEVEN DISPENSATIONS: THE AGE OF THE CHURCH

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As far as redemption is concerned, there is neither Jew nor Gentile; there difference between male and female.The difference under the new covenant, however,is that Israel has no more priority over theGentiles. Under the old covenant the Jewshad this priority as the people of God.Under the new covenant, however, Goddoes not reveal Himself to His peoplespecially. Man is saved exclusivelythrough Jesus. Without Him bothare lost, For there is no differ-ence between the Jew and theGreek (Romans 10:12). But

their minds were blinded: for untilthis day remaineth the same veil un-taken away in the reading of the oldtestament; which veil is done awayin Christ. But even unto this day,when Moses is read, the veil is upontheir heart. Nevertheless when itshall turn to the Lord, the veil shallbe taken away. Now the Lord is thatSpirit: and where the Spirit of theLord is, there is liberty. But we all,with open face beholding as in aglass the glory of the Lord, arechanged into the same image fromglory to glory, even as by the Spiritof the Lord (2 Corinthians 3:14-18). Those who read the Old Testa-ment without the New Testament will not findtheir way to the light.

The Ethiopian eunuch read in the book of Isa-iah and found no explanation for the verses he

was reading, until Philip the evangelist explainedit to him and pointed him to Jesus. And the eu-nuch answered Philip, and said, I pray thee, of whom speaketh the prophet this? Of himself, orof some other man? Then Philip opened hismouth and began at the same scripture, andpreached unto him Jesus (Acts 8:34-35). TheNew Testament is the Gospel of Jesus. The OldTestament testifies of Jesus, but the New Testa-ment testifies to His coming. Therefore theGospel of the new covenant must be proclaimed.

The veil will only be taken away in Christ.

Particular signs of the ageof grace

There is one new covenant, oneNew Testament (Matthew

26:28). All people are des-tined for salvation in Christ(John 3:16). Everyone whoaccepts this in faith is cho-sen in Christ (Ephesians1:3-5). The Holy Spirit

was poured out, and that

was the birth hour of theChurch (Acts chapter 2). Thebelievers of the new covenantare baptized into the body of Jesus at the new birth (1Corinthians 12:13). This issymbolized in physical bap-tism. Jesus Christ gave thecommandment to preach theGospel to all nations(Matthew 28:18-20 andActs 1:8). The Church isone body comprising Jewsand Gentiles. The partitionis removed (Galatians 3:28and Ephesians 2:13-14).As far as redemption is

concerned, there is neither Jew nor Gentile; there is no difference betweenmale and female. There are various ordinances wehave to consider; such as those concerning the

Church, creation, society and family, but beforeGod all are equal. Through this a new nation hascome into being. Besides the Jews and the nations,there is also the Church now (1 Peter 2:10, 1Corinthians 10:32)the Church that was chosenbefore the foundation of the world (Ephesians 1:4and 3:2-12). All nations come under the blessing of Abraham, just as God promised (Galatians 3:8-9).

Whoever believes in Jesus and calls upon His namewill be justified by the grace of God (Romans10:12). There is no longer a central sanctuary like

the tabernacle or the temple. People can find God

Redeemed!

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anywhere (John 4:21-24). They can callupon the Lord in any place at any time of theday or night, and are simultaneously in thesanctuary. The new age of grace is a divinemystery (Ephesians 3:4-6). Its conclusionwill be when the full number of Gentiles forthe Church is reached and the latter is rap-tured (Romans 11:25).

The unique position in JesusChristEveryone who believes in Jesus Christ is

born again (born of God, compare 1 John5:1) and has received the Holy Spirit (Gala-tians 3:2 and Ephesians 1:13). He or sheawaits the return of Jesus and the resurrec-tion from the dead (1 Corinthians 15), andhas eternal life (John 3:16). D.L. Moody, theevangelist, said before his death, Soon youwill read in the newspaper that I am dead.Dont believe this for a moment! I shall bemore alive than ever before. Every born-again per-son is liberated from the power of Satan and dark-ness and translated into the kingdom of the Son of God (Colossians 1:13). All their sins, past, presentand future, are forgiven (Colossians 1:14, Hebrews10:14). When a child of God sins, however, his fel-lowship with Jesus is clouded over. It is as with par-ents and their children. Whatever the child does, heremains the child of his parents. If a child is disobe-

dient, he can lose his fellowship with his father andmother in a sense, but he still remains their child.And if the child apologizes, fellowship is restored.This is how it is between God and His children. If somebody persistently clings to sin, however, andcontinually lives in it, we have to question their re-birth. Then they are probably merely nominalChristians.

Those who believe in Jesus are children of God(John 1:12-13), co-heirs of Christ (Romans 8:17)and belong to the body (Ephesians 1:22-23 and 1

Corinthians 12:13) and bride of Christ (2 Corinthi-

ans 11:2). The children of God are already blessednow with every spiritual blessing in the heavenlyworld (Ephesians 1:3 and 2:6). They have thepromise of the resurrection, i.e. the rapture (1Thessalonians 4:13-18 and 1 Corinthians chapter15). They are participants of the mysteries of God(Ephesians 3:4-6).

The failure of man in the age of

graceEvery dispensation ends with the failure of man.This will be no different in the age of grace. TheBible tells us clearly that most of the people in thisworld will reject the Gospel of Jesus and the rule of God (2 Corinthians 4:4 and 2 Thessalonians 2:9-12). Apostasy, deception and godlessness will in-crease at the end of the age (2 Thessalonians 2; 1Timothy 4:1; 2 Timothy 3:1; 2 Peter and Jude). Thelukewarm state of the church at Laodicea character-izes the age that is coming to its end (Revelation

3:14-22). The love of the truth is rejected. Wicked-

If a child is disobedient, he can lose his fellowship with his father and mothsense, but he still remains their child. And if the child apologizes, fellowshi

restored. This is how it is between God and His children.


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C O V E R S T O R Y

ness increases. Mockery and slan-dering Jesus will increase drasti-cally (Jude 15). Sins will break allrecords in every form.

The current craze for self-real-ization, the increasing tendencytowards self-assertion, immeasur-able self-overestimation, the pur-suit of profit and the increase of

crime amongst our youth we maysurely see to be the fulfillment of 2 Timothy 3:1-4: This knowalso, that in the last days periloustimes shall come. For men shallbe lovers of their own selves,covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobe-dient to parents, unthankful, unholy, withoutnatural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers,incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that aregood, traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God.

A German journalist said recently, The cur-rent atheism has actually become a new reli-gion. This is the apostasy from formerlybelieved Biblical confessions in the Western,Christian-influenced world. This apostasy of thelast times is described in many places in theBible: Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, thatin the latter times some shall depart from thefaith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doc-

trines of devils (1 Timothy 4:1; compare also 2Timothy 3:1ff, 2 Thessalonians 2:3 ff, 2 Peter3:3 and Jude 18-19).

The results of apostasy in theage of grace

The Church will be raptured. God will turn tothe remnant of Israel (Romans 11:25-28). Theapocalypse, the wrath of God, will come uponthis world (compare Romans 1:18; 5:9; 1 Thes-salonians 1:10 and 5:9; Revelation 6:16-17 and

11:18), and Satan will be cast down upon the

earth (Revelation 12:7-12). Therewill be a so-called Great Tribula-tion. An antichristian world em-pire will be set up under the ruleof the two beasts (2 Thessaloni-ans chapter 2 and Revelationchapter 13). Finally, the battle of Armageddon will take place be-tween Israel and the nations

(Revelation 16:16, Zechariah 12:3and Joel 3:1-2), before the returnof Jesus in great power and glory(Matthew 24:30 and Revelation19). God will rule over the re-maining Israelis and the nations

(Ezekiel chapter 20 and Matthew chapter 25).The antichristian dictator and the false prophet(the Antichrist) will be destroyed (2 Thessaloni-ans 2:8, Revelation 19:20-21 and Zechariahchapter 11).

The last age before the return ofJesus

The Bible says expressly that the age of theChurch is the last before the return of Jesus: Nowall these things happened unto them for examples:and they are written for our admonition, uponwhom the ends of the world are come (1 Corinthi-ans 10:11, compare also 1 Peter 4:7). The next eventthat the Church of Jesus Christ has to expect is the

Rapture. The Bible says in Hebrews 9:26 & 28,But now he has appeared once for all at the endof the ages to do away with sin by the sacrifice of himselfand he will appear a second time, not tobear sin, but to bring salvation to those who arewaiting for him.

Are we aware that we have nothing other to awaitthan the return of Jesus? The Church as such canexpect the return of Jesus at any moment! Whichgeneration that will be is another matter, however.

The end of the age of grace is approaching the

last time. This is connected, however, with the de-

JANUARY 200 9 13

The current craze for self-realization, the increasing tendency towards self-asimmeasurable self-overestimation, the pursuit of profit and the increase of cr

amongst our youth we may surely see to be the fulfillment of 2 Timothy 3:1-

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ception of the Antichrist: Little children, it is thelast time: and as ye have heard that antichrist shallcome, even now are there many antichrists;whereby we know that it is the last time (1 John2:18). We must assume that John wrote beyond histime prophetically for the last time. This could havebeen at that time even. The Christians reckonedwith the return of Jesus at any time. Even at thetime of John there were signs of the last time, but

the actual last time will come only when the An-tichrist himself appears on the scene and deceivesthe whole earth, to which Revelation 3:10 refers: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. Behold, I come quickly:hold that fast which thou hast, that no man takethy crown (Revelation 3:10-11).

We have every reason to assume that the Churchwill be raptured before the hour of temptationthrough the Antichrist. Yes, the Lord is comingsoon. He is at the door. The age of the Church iscoming to its close.

My dear readers, God has opened the door to

heaven so wide that it could not be open wider. If you have not gone through this door, then take theopportunity before it is too late. The door is Jesus.Go through it. You are invited as if to a great feast,to which you need bring nothing but yourself.

(309/MR0708)

We have every reason to assume that the Church will be raptured before the temptation through the Antichrist. Yes, the Lord is coming soon. He is at the

The age of the Church is coming to its close.


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O ur dear Brother, longtime friend, associate, andboard member of Midnight Call Ministries hasgone home into the presence of the Lord. We count it as a privilege that the messages pub-

lished in Midnight Call contributed decisively towardhis decision for Christ, who became his confessedSavior and Lord.

After Dr. Cioncis service at the Atlantic CoastProphecy Conference in Myrtle Beach in 2007, hewholeheartedly agreed to also serve at theCharleston Prophecy Conference in September2008. That was the first conference he had to cancel,

just a few days beforehand, due to health reasons. Afew weeks later, it became evident that his healthwas deteriorating. During a telephone conversation,the uniqueness of our brother was revealed in his

frank acknowledgement that his time was very lim-ited and that something new was awaiting. Immedi-ately 2 Corinthians 4:16 came to mind:

...though our outward man perish,yet the inward man is re-

newed day by day.

There were many extraordinary characteristics wehad the privilege to experience during our 22 yearsof fellowship, among which stood out his instantreadiness to serve at any time, anywhere. His enthu-siastic participation in the Lords work and the seem-ingly inexhaustible proposals he made in hiscapacity as a board member to improve, enlarge, andreach out with the message of the Gospel to peopleeverywhere was a special mark. Our brother hascontributed invaluable information, particularly inview of his medical expertise, which was greatly ap-preciated by our readers globally. Readers of theAfrican and Asian editions in particular, insisted thathis commentary be included in each issue.

Now that he has fulfilled his task and finished therace, he has obtained the rest: For he that is entered

into his rest, he also hath ceased from his ownworks, as God did from his (Hebrews 4:10). Weshare with our departed brother the peace of Godwhich passeth all understandinghe from heavenlyperspectives, and we who remain from earthly per-spectives. Our prayers are directed toward his familyand all co-workers and friends. Let us keep the joy,the courage and the faith, and hold onto Him who isour Eternity.

And the peace of God, wh shall keep your hearts and (Philippians 4:7).

O B I T U A R Y

Dr. John L . Cionc iMay 1923 November 2008

JANUARY 2009 15

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Oh my, where do I start? First, let mesay that no hospital is 100% free

from making mistakes. I will beginwith a long list of mistakes, in no particularorder: Transmitting infections; giving thewrong medication; giving too much of theright medication; giving too little of theright medication; skipping altogether theright medication; amputating the wronglimb; operating on the wrong limb; allow-ing patients to get bed sores; letting patientsfall out of bed by not putting up sideboards; letting patients fall who are med-icated or too weak to walk without help tothe bathroom; leaving intravenous lines intoo long until they become infected;botched surgery; leaving a gauze pad or asmall instrument inside a patient duringsurgery, after they have been sewn up; al-lowing a respirator or ventilator or otherlife supporting equipment to shut off inad-vertently; a food server leaving a patientsfood tray on his or her table, while he or

she is sleeping or unconscious, and pickingthe tray up an hour later, without anyoneknowing the patient never ate; doctorsmaking the wrong diagnosis; during opera-tions, giving the patients too much or toolittle anesthesia; misreading x-rays, EKGs,etc.; hospital laboratories incorrectly per-forming laboratory tests; every care-giver inthe hospital who touches patients and doesnot wash his or her hands every time be-tween seeing patients, and this includes

doctors and nurses; leaving a patient unat-

tended for hours after he or she has wet orsoiled the bed; nurses not answering the

nurses call button promptly when a pa-tient needs a bed pan, or something else,which may be a doctor, and the patienthas actually gotten worse, even to thepoint of dying.

I am sure there are other things that I donot know of, or have forgotten to mention.Now, lets get down to specifics. Here are twoheadlines from the Philadelphia Inquirer:Hospital Cleanliness Is Everybodys Busi-ness, May 30, 2008, and Hospitals Mis-takes Are Going Unreported, September 12,2008. The second one goes on to say that de-spite laws in Pennsylvania and New Jerseyaimed at reducing errors, compliance isspotty. So you see, some hospitals wont evenobey the law, even if it is trying to help them.

Yet hospitals are necessary and valuable.They take care of hundreds of thousands of people yearly, and make them better. They fixpatients who have been severely injured.

They have operated on untold millions andhave saved lives. The poor have nowhere elseto go when they are sick, or need help. Hos-pitals are our first line of defense during anoutbreak, or an epidemic. So, we must keep,support, and utilize them, no matter whattheir flaws may be.

Isaiah 41:10 states: Fear thou not; forI am with thee: be not dismayed; for I amthy God: I will strengthen thee; yea,I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with

the right hand of my righteousness.

Dr. John Cionci was aPhiladelphia native andgraduate of CentralHigh School, Universityof Pennsylvania, andPhiladelphia College ofOsteopathic Medicine.He was a member of

the AmericanOsteopathic Associationand Chair of the AIDSAssociation. He beganpracticing medicine in1950.

H E A L T H W I S E

Dr. John Cionci 536 Fort Washington Ave., Fort Washington, PA 19034

How safe are our hospitals?B y D r . J o h n C i o n c i

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by Dr. Ron J. Bigalke Jr.

JANUARY 2 009 17

The doctrine of the rapture in the history of the church is essentially a history

of pretribulationism. Although there are other historic doctrines related to

this history, there is not differentiation between the rapture and second

coming. Consequently, midtribulationism and pre-wrath rapturism have

minimal history (and perhaps it would be accurate to state that church history

of those doctrines is entirely absent). Posttribulationists will often refer to

their view as historic premillennialism.

PART I

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The term is not accuratethough, since the eschato-logical system of the earlychurch is difficult to classify. Thisdifficulty is the consequence of fre-

quent contradictory perspectives of the early church without any con-scientious regard for consistency.The early church was principallypremillennial. 1 Rather than adher-ing to a contemporary form of posttribulationism, the term im-minent intratribulationism 2 ismore accurate. In the midst of continual persecution, the earlychurch believed the tribulationwas presently upon them and an-ticipated the imminent return of

Jesus Christ within this context.Although indeterminate, the climax of the tribula-tion would be the rapture of the church. Therefore,the rapture was an imminent event. The belief in theimminent return of Jesus Christ by the early churchfathers is a primary aspect of pretribulationalthought. The absence of any systematic eschatologyby the early church fathers is the consequence of the

lack of consistency by them regarding the exactchronology of the premillennial return of JesusChrist.

DEFINING CHARACTERISTICS

Interestingly, posttribulationists such as Robert H.Gundry and George E. Ladd deny imminency, yetreference the church fathers frequently for allegedproof of their eschatological system. It would seemthat any references to the church fathers must ex-

plain how they could believe in imminency, yet also

think they were in the tribula-tion. It is understandable whythe early church did not givesystematic thought to eschato-logical doctrines. 3 However, it

is not clear why the majority of modern posttribulationistsdeny imminency. Althoughposttribulationists make fre-quent appeals to the church fa-thers for defense of their view,it is clear that there is a lack of continuity between the earlychurch and posttribulationiststoday. The early church simplydid not articulate a system-atized form of eschatologicaldoctrine.

The situation in the Christianchurch, immediately following the apostles, did not requirean extensive literature of its own. Men were expecting im-portant changes in the world. The authoritative teaching of the apostles was, of course, still fresh in memory, and thestruggle between Christianity and paganism had not yetassumed any large proportions. It was the twilight period,before the literature of the early church philosophers haddeveloped. Their first writings were not so much history, ex-positions, or apologies, as simply letters. 4

Another common feature of modern posttribula-tionism is the teaching that the church is the true Is-rael, which includes saints of all ages. Scriptureclearly teaches there will be a redeemed group of people in the future tribulation. The replacementtheology of the more common forms of posttribula-tionism believes this teaching to mean the churchmust experience the period of future tribulation. For

this reason, Israel and the church are regarded as a

Another common feature of modern posttribulationism is the teachingthat the church is the true Israel, which includes saints of all ages.Scripture clearly teaches there will be a redeemed group of people in the

future tribulation. The replacement theology of the more common formsof posttribulationism believes this teaching to mean the church mustexperience the period of future tribulation.

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single covenant community who experience thesame eschatological events.

Yet another common feature of posttribulation-ism is to make their position a matter of orthodoxy,since it was a view held by the Protestant Reformers.

Since posttribulationists believe their view to be thatof the early church fathers and the Protestant Re-formers, any deviation from the system is a move-ment from historic, orthodox Christianity. It shouldnot be a neglected thought that the church fathersheld to a form of posttribulationism because of theRoman persecution that they believed was proof they were experiencing the eschatological tribula-tion. The Reformers likewise believed they were inthe tribulation because of persecution from the Ro-man Catholic Church. Both were wrong since theireschatological thought was subjugated by their per-secution. Since they were wrong in equating generalpersecution with the tribulation, it should also fol-low that they were wrong in embracing a posttribu-lational eschatology. The four prevailing varieties of modern posttribulationism include: (1) classic post-tribulationism; (2) semiclassic posttribulationism;(3) futuristic posttribulationism; and, (4) dispensa-tional posttribulationism.

VARITIES OF POSTTRIBULATIONISMClassic Posttribulationism (J. Barton Payne)

Payne is perhaps the only writer of the twentiethcentury who held to the form of historic premillennial-ism as the early church fathers. He wrote The Imminent

Appearing of Christ to promote what he believed was theposition of the early church. Payne believed the posi-tion of the early church was both posttribulational andpremillennial. The classic view spiritualizes the tribula-tion and relates it with the current tribulations of Chris-

tianity. Payne is even critical of posttribulationists, such

as Ladd, who defended a future tribulation. AlthoughPaynes view is not popular among posttribulationists,the proclivity to spiritualize the tribulation is quite char-acteristic of other posttribulationists.

The Doctrine of ImminencyUnlike modern posttribulationists, Payne de-fended the imminency of the second coming, whichhe believed would occur simultaneously with therapture. Imminency was defined as an event al-most always of danger, which is impending threat-eningly; hanging over ones head; ready to befall orovertake one; close at hand in its incidence; comingon shortly. 5 To support his definition, Payne citedthe following verses: Matthew 24:38-39, 42; 25:13;Revelation 22:7, 12; cf. 3:11, 22:20. He concluded,It should therefore be clear at the outset that immi-nency does not mean that Christs coming must besoon. All forms of date-setting (which generally is soexecuted as to bring on the end-time in the contem-porary generation!) are forever ruled out. The day of Christs appearing rests in the hands of God, whichin its own times he shall show (I Tim. 6:15). 6

Paynes arguments for imminency were his most im-portant contribution to posttribulationism. Clearly,he believed that the return of Christ could happen at

any moment in time, and this belief so related withimminency indeed illustrates the second coming.Finally, the blessed hope, as it has been interpreted

by the classical view of the church, is one the full accom-plishment of which is imminent. Each morning, as theChristian casts his glance into the blueness of the sky, hemay thrill with the prayerful thought, Perhaps today!Or, if his particular skies be shrouded in gloom, still theblackest moment comes just before the dawn. His veryprayer of petition may be cut short by a great earth-quake (Rev. 6:12). Then, Look up, and lift up your heads;

because your redemption draweth nigh (Luke 21:28). 7

JANU ARY 2009 19

POSTTRIBULATIONISM

Unlike modern posttribulationists, Payne defended the imminency of thesecond coming, which he believed would occur simultaneously with therapture. Imminency was defined as an event almost always of danger,

which is impending threateningly; hanging over ones head; ready tobefall or overtake one; close at hand in its incidence; coming onshortly. 5

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Paynes defense of imminency is appreciatedamong posttribulationists. It should not be difficultto understand why imminency is a cherished doc-trine among those who study the numerous NewTestament passages that encourage Christians to an-ticipate eagerly the return of Christ for His church.However, Payne wrongly applied imminency to thesecond coming of Christ to earth rather than therapture before the tribulation. He believed many of

the prophesied events of the New Testament have al-ready been fulfilled in church history or in modernproblems of Christianity. Paynes defense of an immi-nent second coming required him to spiritualize theperiod of the tribulation. For the great tribulation,as classically defined, is potentially present, and per-haps almost finished: Look up! Your redemptionmay be today! 8

Semiclassic Posttribulationism (Alexander Reese)The semiclassic view is the most common form of

posttribulationism. 9 The view can be difficult, attimes, to summarize, as there is a rich diversity of in-terpretations among the posttribulationists. How-ever, some common details can be ascertained. Mostposttribulationists affirming the semiclassic viewcould be considered amillennial historicists. Theseposttribulationists believe the current age is thetribulation, so that discussions of a pretribulationalrapture are impossible. The semiclassic view couldnot be termed amillennial preterism, since they do

not insist that the majority of Bible prophecy has al-ready been fulfilled. The chief argument they stressis a historicist view of the present-day nature of thetribulation. The semiclassic view understands thechurch to already be in the great tribulation.

Although semiclassic posttribulationists believethe church is already in the tribulation, they do be-lieve some events of the tribulation are eschatologi-cal. It is because some events of the tribulation areregarded as unfulfilled that semiclassic posttribula-tionists anticipate specific events and persons domi-

nant throughout the tribulation as eschatological.

Since the classic view spiritualizes portions of thetribulation, it can anticipate the second coming asimminent. However, the semiclassic view cannotconsistently affirm the imminency of the secondcoming, since certain events and persons must stillbe revealed in fulfillment of all eschatologicalprophecy.

In 1962, J. Barton Payne described AlexanderReeses work as Pre-tribulationisms most detailed

refutation.10

Reeses arguments in his work The Ap- proaching Advent of Christ have certainly influencedposttribulational authors such as Norman F. Douty, 11

Alexander Fraser, 12 Robert Gundry, 13 George EldonLadd, 14 Dave MacPherson, 15 and George L. Rose. 16 Histhought has been significantly advanced by otherposttribulationists, who have further developed hisarguments.

The main argument of Reese concerned the tim-ing of the resurrection of the saints. Reese believedthe resurrection of the saints will occur simultane-ously with the resurrection in Revelation 20. Hewrote, . . . the Coming of the Lord synchroniseswith the resurrection of the saints. The latter followsimmediately upon the former. Nothing disputes this.. . . The time of the Rapture must stand or fall withthe time of the saints resurrection. . . . 17 Reese be-lieved the rapture was approaching, but rejectedthe doctrine of imminency. 18 He gave much emphasisto words such as appearing, the day, the end,and revelation as technical terms which made the

rapture and second coming the conclusion of thecurrent age. He believed certain aspects of the Bookof Revelation were fulfilled in the past and some ful-filled in the present day, but still anticipated the ful-fillment of all prophecies in an eschatologicalmanner. The first chapter of his work was an excur-sus on the seventy weeks of Daniel. Reese adoptedthe chronology of Sir Robert Andersons The ComingPrince, and even affirmed an undetermined inter-val between the sixty-ninth and seventieth week. 19

It is because he believed that a literal seventieth

week of seven years was yet to be fulfilledbefore

The semiclassic view is the most common form of posttribulationism. 9

The view can be difficult, at times, to summarize, as there is a richdiversity of interpretations among the posttribulationists.

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Christ will return to earththat an approachingadvent was the most Reese defended.

The Nature of the TribulationThere is general confusion about the nature of

the tribulation among posttribulationists. Somebelieve the church is already in the tribulation.For example, Rose equated the great persecu-tion of Acts 8:1-3 with the great tribulation inMatthew 24:21, since thlipsis is used inboth passages. 20 Since great persecution beganin the early church, and this is the same as thegreat tribulation, then the church could be un-derstood as already in the great tribulation. Suchnovel methods of interpretation ignore the clearteaching of Scripture through spiritualizing un-ambiguous language.

According to Daniel 12:11, the abomination of desolation will begin the 1,290 days, or 42 months(Rev 13:5), of great tribulation given as a definitesign in Matthew 24:15-30 that the second advent of Christ is approaching. Furthermore, Daniel 12:1teaches this period will be a time of trouble, such asnever was since there was a nation even to that sametime. The church has always endured persecutionsince its inception, but this cannot be compared to

the period that Daniel was describing. The greattribulation will end the current age prior to the sec-ond coming of Christ.

Reese did not teach that the current age is thegreat tribulation. He taught that the seventieth weekof Daniel was eschatological. He wrote, the escha-tological character of the Seventieth Week is as-sumed throughout this volume. 21 Reese wouldrightly agree with pretribulationists and posttribula-tionists, such as Gundry and Ladd, concerning theeschatological character of the tribulation prior to

the second coming of Christ. However, Reeses es-

chatology was not completely characteristic of a fu-turist. He rejected the extravagances of the Histori-cal School, but still believed some of the seven sealsof Revelation have already been fulfilled (or, at least,some have been opened) throughout church history.

Israel and the ChurchA common argument among posttribulationists is

to interpret the elect in Matthew 24:31 as referringto the church. Since the prophesied events of

Matthew 24:31 will occur during the time of thetribulation, then the church would experience thetribulation period (as posttribulationists understandthis verse). Reese described this group as follows:

In the Gospels, a people ignorant of the first princi-ples of Christ, ignorant of redemption, devoid of theSpirit, guided by select beatitudes and other snippetsfrom the Sermon on the Mount, and by the ImprecatoryPsalms; fulfilling Matt. xxviii. 18-20 in 1260 days; convert-ing countless millions of the heathen to Christ during theabsence of the Holy Spirit, yet, though preaching the

Gospel of that Kingdom [Matthew 24:14] whose very

JANUARY 2 009 21

POSTTRIBULATIONISM

Some believe the church is already in the tribulation. For example, Roseequated the great persecution of Acts 8:1-3 with the great tribulationin Matthew 24:21, since thlipsis is used in both passages. 20 Since great

persecution began in the early church, and this is the same as the greattribulation, then the church could be understood as already in the greattribulation.

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essence is righteousness and peace and joy in theHoly Ghost, they invoke terrible curses upon their en-emies, and their enemies children. Elect indeed!

To refute such supreme rubbish requires either avolume or a page; we can only give it a page, whichwill be sufficient for those ingenuous readers whohave followed us so far, and have seen that the saintsare raised at the Day of the Lord; that the Blessed

Hope is none other than the Glorious Appearing; thatthe Appearing, the Revelation and the Day of Christare for the Church; that the Parousia is not in secret;but in triumph. 22

His description is not an argument though; it isloaded with emotion and employed circular rea-soning to draw the conclusion that the elect is thechurch. Reese assumed at the onset of his argu-ment that the church is the elect in order to arguethe very point he was trying to prove. He statedthe church is the elect; therefore the elect inMatthew 24 has to be the church. The term electis not a technical term, though. It is a generalterm used to refer to the saved of all dispensa-tions. The context will reveal whether it is refer-ring to Israel or the church.

Tribulation saints are the elect of God, but thisis not to say that because they are elect, then theymust also be members of the church. The twoprincipal Old Testament words for gathering or

assembly, qahal and edah, and the New Testa-ment word for church, ekklesia, indicate an as-sembly of believers. Expressions such as inChrist or the body of Christ are particular tothe church as a unique group of the elect that isnot the same as the saints of all dispensations.Matthew used the term elect generally of thosewho are gathered at the end of the tribulation andwho will enter the millennial kingdom. The factthat there is no mention of resurrection and thecontext of the Olivet Discourse taken as a whole

demonstrates the elect as Israel. 23

Who Is Taken and Who Is Left?From the biblical standpoint, the day and hour of

Christs second coming is uncertain. In the OlivetDiscourse, Christ compared His second coming tothe skepticism rampant in the days of Noah. Keep-ing the analogy between the flood and the secondcoming would mean there will be signs beforeChrist returns to earth. However, as in the flood, the

unbelievers will continue living their lives as if therewas no judgment to come. Similar to the flood, thesecond coming will be preceded by warnings of itsapproaching but the day and hour is known only tothe Lord. Those left behind will be saved and thosetaken will experience judgment.

Since the time of the rapture is unknown, andthe time of Christs return in Matthew 24:40-41 isuncertain, posttribulationists feel justified in em-phasizing similarities to argue that the time of both events will occur at the end of the tribula-tion. Reese was aware of the majority interpreta-tion of dispensationalists: [they] have a shift toget rid of these damaging facts: they interpret theRapture in Matt. xxiv. 41, and Luke xvii. 34-5, asa seizure to judgement; the leaving as a leaving forblessing, in the kingly rule of the Son of Man. 24

Alexander Reese, a posttribulationalist, arguedagainst the idea of taking away to judgment bycontrasting the Greek word airo in Matthew24:39 with paralambano in Matthew 24:4041.

However, the following statement by Reesedemonstrates that he did not deal sufficientlywith contextual continuity: The use of this wordin the N.T. is absolutely opposed to this; it is agood word; a word used exclusively in the senseof take away with or receive, or take home.25

Reese was wrong in asserting that paralambanois always a good word. Although the word canrefer to a blessed event (John 14:3), it can also re-fer to a taking away to judgment. For example,

John 19:16 used it of the religious leaders who

took Jesus to be crucified. Likewise, Matthew

Since the time of the rapture is unknown, and the time of Christs returnin Matthew 24:40-41 is uncertain, posttribulationists feel justified inemphasizing similarities to argue that the time of both events will occur

at the end of the tribulation.

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27:27 records that the soldiers of the governortook Jesus before the Roman cohort, who pro-ceeded to mock and beat Him. Such usages canhardly justify the notion that paralambano is al-ways a good word. Contextually, airo and par-alambano are equivalent within the OlivetDiscourse.

Futuristic Posttribulationism

(George Ladd)The futuristic view is the form of posttribula-tionism advocated by George Eldon Ladd. Similarto Reese, Ladd demonstrated that the great tribu-lation is an eschatological event. His work, TheBlessed Hope, is an able defense of posttribula-tionism. Ladd informed his readers, The centralthesis of this book is the Blessed Hope is the sec-ond coming of Jesus Christ and not a pretribulationrapture .26 Whereas classic posttribulationism,and some semiclassic posttribulationists, could

embrace the doctrine of imminency, Ladd (simi-

lar to Reese) believed in a literalseven-year tribulation as fulfill-ment of the seventieth week inDaniel 9:27. Since he believedthe rapture and second comingoccur at the end of the tribula-tion, it was not possible for

Ladd to teach an imminent re-turn of Christ. The return of Christ can only come after theseventieth week prophecy isfulfilled in a seven-year escha-tological tribulation.

Some aspects of Ladds eschatol-ogy are similar to covenant theol-ogy. For instance, he believed thecovenantal promises in the OldTestament to Israel will be fulfillednot only by Israel, but also by the

church. However, he differed from covenant theologyin teaching that the great tribulation and the Book of Revelation are still future. Ladd attributed the rise infuturist interpretation of Bible prophecy to Darby andthe Plymouth fellowship, 27 and adamantly rejectedany dispensational interpretation. 28 He ignored themain reason for a return to futurism, which was therestoration of a literal method of interpretation.

A major argument that Ladd employed was

that posttribulationism is the orthodox positionof the church throughout the centuries. He de-voted two chapters to the history of posttribula-tionism, but it should be noted that his view of aliteral eschatological tribulation is unique to thehistory of the doctrine. Furthermore, he neveraddressed imminency as a common teachingamong the early church. It is puzzling that Laddsubtitled his work, A Biblical Study of the Sec-ond Advent and the Rapture, yet one-third of his biblical study is devoted to historical argu-

ments for posttribulationism.

JANUARY 2 009 23

POSTTRIBULATIONISM

Some aspects of Ladds eschatology are similar to covenant theology.For instance, he believed the covenantal promises in the Old Testamentto Israel will be fulfilled not only by Israel, but also by the church.

However, he differed from covenant theology in teaching that the greattribulation and the Book of Revelation are still future.

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Vocabulary of the Blessed HopeAlthough written by an Adventist, the fol-

lowing quote could just as easily been writ-ten by Ladd. So, the vocabulary of theBlessed Hope provides no basis whatsoeverfor a two-phase distinction of Christs return.

Its terms are used interchangeably to de-scribe a single, indivisible, posttribulationaladvent of Christ to bring salvation to believ-ers and retribution to unbelievers. 29 Laddsargument of the vocabulary attempted torender parousia (coming), apokalupsis(revelation), and epiphaneia (appear-ance) technical terms that must always referto one single coming of Christ at the end of the tribulation. However, there is no grammatical sup-port that any of the three Greek words should be con-sidered technical terms. Depending on the context, thewords can describe either the rapture or the secondcoming.

The first (and only) indication of the rapture in theGospels is John 14:1-3. The passage anticipated thebirth of the Church in Acts 2, so it could have oc-curred at any moment. This passage is an intimate de-scription, since the house is heaven, and there is nomention of judgment here. It is similar to 1 Thessalo-nians 4:17, where the emphasis is on being with

Christ. Whereas there are many signs for the secondcoming of Christ in the Olivet Discourse and the Bookof Revelation, there are none for the rapture. The us-age of same terms in the New Testament for the rap-ture and second coming does not prove they are thesame event. Context will always determine whichevent the writer had in mind.

Dispensational Posttribulationism(Robert Gundry)

The fact that Robert Gundry denied the doc-

trine of imminency makes his eschatological be-

liefs similar to the other three posttribulationalsystems already examined. However, theuniqueness of his posttribulationism is thatGundry interpreted prophetic passages with anentirely original methodology than previousposttribulationists. His eschatology, as pre-sented in The Church and the Tribulation, isbased on a threefold thesis:

(1) direct, unquestioned statements of Scripturethat Jesus Christ will return after the tribulation andthat the first resurrection will occur after the tribula-tion, coupled with the absence of statements placingsimilar events before the tribulation, making it nat-ural to place the rapture of the Church after thetribulation; (2) the theological and exegeticalgrounds for pretribulationism rest on insufficient evi-dence, non sequitur reasoning, and faulty exegesis; (3)positive indications of a posttribulational rapturearise out of a proper exegesis of relevant Scripturepassages and derive support from the history of thedoctrine. 30

Although Gundry listed the above threefold thesis

as the basis of his view, there are other aspects of his

Whereas there are many signs for the second coming of Christ in theOlivet Discourse and the Book of Revelation, there are none for therapture. The usage of same terms in the New Testament for the rapture

and second coming does not prove they are the same event. Context willalways determine which event the writer had in mind.

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The Blooof J esuThomas LiethForasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptiblethings, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradi-tion from your fathers; but with the precious blood of Christ, as of alamb without blemish and without spot (1 Peter 1:18-19).

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Every born-again Christian is indeed bought at avery high price, namely with the preciousblood of Christ. Neither gold nor silver nor allthe riches of the universe were enough to redeem usfrom the slavery of Satan, from original sin and sins wehave committed, so that we would be able to have fel-lowship with the heavenly Father. The high price of the precious blood of Jesus was necessary to atone forour guilt. From this we see two things:

First, the gravity of sin. It cannot be atoned forwith anything else: nothing can justify us from theconsequences of it but the blood of Christ.Through this the holiness of God is portrayed un-mercifully before our eyes. He, the holy andalmighty God, cannot have fellowship with the sin-ner. The holiness and purity of God, and the sin andimpurity of man are mutually exclusive, like fire andwater.

Second, the infinitely great love of God. Whenwe consider what the triune God was prepared togive, to sacrifice and to pay in order to reconcileus human beings, to justify and redeem us, we areleft speechless. This eternal, almighty and holyGod, who created heaven and earth; who is Lordover life and death; without whom nothing livingcould exist; who commands myriads of angels;and who could fill the universe with gold and sil-ver ... this immortal God was made man in JesusChrist in order to shed His blood and to die onCalvarys cross under torment of body, soul and

spirit. This is why this unique sacrifice of the Sonof God is unchanging and eternal. God could havenot paid a higher price. The fact that we are worththis shows how much we mean to God. His lovefor us is revealed in the sacrifice of His only Sonand His shed blood on the cross. The Bible de-scribes this unfathomable love of the eternal Godas follows, God commendeth his love toward us,in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died forus (Romans 5:8).

Now let us consider a few things that show us

the consequences of the blood of Jesus:

Forgiveness through the bloodThe writer of the letter to the Hebrews says to

his readers, inspired by the Holy Spirit: And al-most all things are by the law purged with blood;and without shedding of blood there is no remis-sion (Hebrews 9:22).

With the first sacrifice, directly after the fall of man, it became clear that there can be no forgive-ness of sins without the shedding of blood. This is

a principle that is valid right up to and beyondCalvary, the complete sacrifice of Jesus, the Lambof God. Without the precious blood of JesusChrist, there can be no forgiveness.

Redemption through the bloodThe apostle Paul writes: In whom (Jesus

Christ) we have redemption through his blood,the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace (Ephesians 1:7).

Redemption is connected with forgiveness, of course. Here it also applies: without the preciousblood of Jesus, there can be no redemption.

Cleansing through the bloodIn the first letter of John he says to the believ-

ers, If we walk in the light, as he is in the light,we have fellowship one with another, and theblood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from allsin (1 John 1:7).

Those whose sins have been forgiventhose

who are redeemed from sin and judgementthrough the blood of Jesuscan appear beforeGod. Only in this way is fellowship with God inHis holiness even possible.

Basically, the Holy God cannot have fellowshipwith man, who is contaminated by sin. Fellow-ship is only possible when a person is sanctified.This means, however, being cleansed from hissins, and this again is only possible through theprecious blood of Jesus. Where this cleansing hasnot or not yet taken place, there can be neither

access to God nor fellowship with Him. This princi-

JANUARY 2 009 27

Basically, the Holy God cannot have fellowship with man, who iscontaminated by sin. Fellowship is only possible when a person is

sanctified.

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ple is even hinted at in the Old Testament with itswashing and cleansing rituals that the priest had toundergo.

Justification through the bloodIn Romans 5:9 the born-again Christians are

told, Much more then, being now justified by hisblood, we shall be saved from wrath through him.

We can never justify ourselves before the holy

and righteous God. Every person of accountableage is responsible for himself and cannot excusehis sins. The precious blood of Jesus alone enablesus to be justified before the holy God. This is howit was when the children of Israel left Egypt. Theywere justified through the blood of the lamb that wasslain for each family, when I see the blood, I willpass over you (Exodus 12:13).

God was not interested in anything but the blood;that had to be there. If that was the case, the judgmentpassed over that house. If the blood was not visible on ahouse of the Israelites, there could be no justificationand therewith no escape for the inhabitants of it fromthe righteous judgment of God. It did not matter in theleast who lived in the house, whether they were reli-gious people or not, whether nice people or unpleas-ant. No, the only criterion was in whether or not theblood of the lamb was on the lintel and two side postsof the door.

Peace through the blood

In the letter to the Colossians we read, For itpleased the Father that in him (Christ)having madepeace through the blood of his cross, by him to recon-cile all things unto himself; by him, I say, whether theybe things in earth, or things in heaven (Colossians1:19-20).

When two people are reconciled, they make peacewith one another. Justification, cleansing, redemptionand forgiveness through the blood of Jesus lead topeace with God. Without the precious blood of Christ,there can be no peace between God and man, no peace

of heart, no peace on earth and no peace in heaven.

Sanctification through the bloodReferring to the sacrifice of animals in the Old Testa-

ment, whose blood was carried by the high priest intothe holy place, and whose bodies were then burnedoutside the camp for the forgiveness of sin, it says inHebrews 13:12, Therefore Jesus also, that he mightsanctify the people with his own blood, suffered out-side the gate.

Through the precious blood of Jesus Christ, born-again Christians are sanctified, set apart for God, andthus given an excellent status. True sanctification isonly possible through cleansing from our sins, and thiscan only take place through the blood of Jesus Christ.Those who have attained to cleansing from their sins inthis way are no longer children of darkness, i.e. Satans,but children of light, children of God (compare 1 John

3:1-2). Without the precious blood of Jesus, however,every person is a slave of Satan and a child of darkness.

Entrance into the sanctuary through theblood

This free entry through the blood of Jesus is por-trayed for us in Hebrews 10:19, Having therefore,brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the bloodof Jesus.

Through sanctification, we obtain entrance into theheavenly sanctuary. This had been exclusively reserved

for the high priests, and only once a year. Through the

Without the precious blood of Christ, there can be no peace betweenGod and man, no peace of heart, no peace on earth and no peacein heaven.

The Bloodof J esus

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restored fellowship with the holy God by means of the precious blood of Jesus, His children have notonly once a year, but at all times permission to en-ter into the holiest. As members of the Church of

Jesus Christ, we ourselves have become a temple,which the Holy Spirit has made His dwelling (1Corinthians 3:16-17).

Jesus Christ has achieved an eternal redemption forHis own, seeing His sacrifice is eternally valid. Now He

represents His own before the heavenly Father, By hisown blood he entered in once into the holy place, hav-ing obtained eternal redemption for usnow to ap-pear in the presence of God for us (Hebrews 9:12, 24).Through His blood we have been given the status of kings and priests: Unto him that loved us, and washedus from our sins in his own blood, and hath made uskings and priests unto God and his Father (Revelation1:5-6). In this connection it says in 1 Peter 2:9-10, Butye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holynation, a peculiar people; that ye should show forth thepraises of him who hath called you out of darknessinto his marvelous light: which in time past were not apeople, but are now the people of God: which had notobtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy.

Through the blood of Jesus, every child of God isnow permitted to enter into the holy place at any time,day or night, because they are a part of this. This meansin practical terms that if the temple still existed withthe holy place, every child of God would be able to en-ter it at any time, day or night. Without the precious

blood of Jesus, however, entrance into the holy pres-ence of God is denied.

Victory through the bloodAnd I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is

come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of ourGod, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of ourbrethren is cast down, which accused them before ourGod day and night. And they overcame him by theblood of the lamb, and by the word of their testimony;and they loved not their lives unto the death (Revela-

tion 12:10-11).

Through the precious blood of Jesus Christ, thevictory over death and the devil was accom-plished. If we have become Jesus property, wemay participate in the victory He achieved, andknow that since then death has no more powerover us. Eternal life is promised.

Eternal glory through the bloodIn the conversation that John had with the

Lamb concerning the innumerable host before thethrone, it was said to him, These are they whichcame out of great tribulation, and have washedtheir robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. Therefore are they before the throne of God, and serve him day and night in his temple:and he that sitteth on the throne shall dwellamong them. They shall hunger no more, neitherthirst any more; neither shall the sun light onthem, nor any heat. For the Lamb which is in themidst of the throne shall feed them, and shall leadthem unto living fountains of waters: and Godshall wipe away all tears from their eyes (Revela-tion 7:14-17).

Without the precious blood of Jesus, there is novictory, no eternal life, and therefore no glory.Anyone who says Jesus did not have to die on thecross for me has not understood the Gospel. Any-one who finds the message of the cross distastefuland loveless has no idea of the holiness and love of God. Anyone who merely worships the baby in the

manger and not the crucified Lord, has notgrasped anything of the gravity of sin and its re-sults.

It remains: without the precious blood of JesusChrist there is no forgiveness, no redemption, nocleansing, no justification and no peace. Withoutthe precious blood of Jesus, there is no sanctifica-tion, and without sanctification no way into thepresence of God. And without the precious bloodof Jesus there is no victory and no glory. Howshould we not thank God for the shed blood of Je-

sus Christ? 302/MR 0408

JANUARY 2 009 29

Without the precious blood of Jesus, there is no victory, no eternal life,and therefore no glory. Anyone who says Jesus did not have to die on

the cross for me has not understood the Gospel.

MC

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MONEY: ENDS & TRENDS$For more perspectives and resources on world economic and financial trends of interest to Christians,visit Wilfreds website http://www.eternalvalue.com for additional resources and subscribe to the freenewsletter Eternal Value Review: World Review and Market Monitor.

Endtime Shoe: Fitting the Worldfor Ten Toes Part I

The New World Orderknown also as the One World Orderattracts muchspeculative comment. It is best to stay clear of the extremism that is attracted

to this topic for example, refraining from pointless attempts to identify or tar and feather the mythical globalists or international bankers or Jewswho are supposedly scheming up diabolical plans for the world.

B y W i l f r e d H a h n

But there definitely is agreat conspiracy atwork. Soon, there willbe 10 kings that will givetheir support to the ultimateconspiratorthe Beast, the

in-the-flesh Antichrist. But a fewthings have to happen before thiscan occur. And, at least one of these things will involve America.

But first, a few comments about con-spiracy theories are in order. The Bibleclearly equates conspiracy schemes withthe antichrist spirit. Said Apostle John,This is the spirit of the antichrist,which you have heard is coming andeven now is already in the world (1

John 4:3). Everyone is vulnerable to

playing a role, whether small or large.There can be any number of antichristsin this sense, the Bible indicating thatthere would be many. Dear children,this is the last hour; and as you haveheard that the antichrist is coming, even

now many antichrists have come. This ishow we know it is the last hour (1 John2:18). Simply complying with theworlds values and its humanist agendamakes one a conspirator a mini an-tichrist. The spirit of the antichrist reallyaligns all individuals, groups and na-tions who betray a spirit of rebellionagainst God, whether elites or not.

But this should not make any com-plicit people our enemies or the target of

our condemnation. We are reminded

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Endtime Shoe: Fitting the World for Ten Toes Part I

that [] we wrestle not aga

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01 Jan 2009