Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves.You will recognize them by their fruits (Matthew 7/15-16)
Above: False teacher Paul Wilkinson teaches the pretrib rapture at Light and Life Preston Church which I believe is an Assemblies of God Gypsy church.
The dishonesty among pretrib rapture teachers is astonishing. Anyone tempted to believe this false doctrine should test the spirits. (1 John 4:1). Wilkinson is one of the worst offenders! He is a revisionist and has attempted to cover up the history of the pretrib rapture, which originated with cult leader and despot John Nelson Darby.*
The Day of the Lord
Interestingly, Paul precedes 2 Timothy 4:7-8 with a warning about people turning away from the truth and wandering off into myths. (2 Timothy 4:3-4). The pretrib rapture falls precisely into the "myth" category as a widely held but false belief.
I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by his appearing and his kingdom: preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching. For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths. As for you, always be sober-minded, endure suffering, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.
For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure has come. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that day, and not only to me but also to all who have loved his appearing. (2 Timothy 4:1-8).
This is the third time the expression "that day" is used in this epistle.
For this reason I also suffer these things, but I am not ashamed; for I know whom I have believed and I am convinced that He is able to guard what I have entrusted to Him until that day. Retain the standard of sound words which you have heard from me, in the faith and love which are in Christ Jesus. Guard, through the Holy Spirit who dwells in us, the treasure which has been entrusted to you. You are aware of the fact that all who are in Asia turned away from me, among whom are Phygelus and Hermogenes. The Lord grant mercy to the house of Onesiphorus, for he often refreshed me and was not ashamed of my chains; but when he was in Rome, he eagerly searched for me and found me— the Lord grant to him to find mercy from the Lord on that day—and you know very well what services he rendered at Ephesus. (2 Timothy 1:12-18).
The term "that day" in the scriptures does not refer to the rapture; it refers to the eschatological day of judgment, often called the Day of the Lord. On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’ (Matthew 7:22-23).
There are a hundred verses that refer to the day of the Lord in both the Old and New Testaments.* Below are three examples that confirm the Day of the Lord is the eschatological wrath of God.
But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a roar, and the heavenly bodies will be burned up and dissolved, and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed. Since all these things are thus to be dissolved, what sort of people ought you to be in lives of holiness and godliness, waiting for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be set on fire and dissolved, and the heavenly bodies will melt as they burn! (2 Peter 3:10-12 cf. 1 Thessalonians 5:2; Revelation 3:3).
Behold, the day of the Lord comes, cruel, with wrath and fierce anger, to make the land a desolation and to destroy its sinners from it. (Isaiah 13:9).
The great day of the Lord is near, near and hastening fast; the sound of the day of the Lord is bitter; the mighty man cries aloud there. A day of wrath is that day, a day of distress and anguish, a day of ruin and devastation, a day of darkness and gloom, a day of clouds and thick darkness, (Zephaniah 1:14-15).
The rapture is absolutely not a signless event.
Wilkinson: "There will be no signs before the rapture.. the world won't see this."
Below are specific rapture passages that absolutely refute Wilkinson's claim that the rapture is a signless event. The scriptures explicitly refer to "a great earthquake, cosmic disturbances, the sign of The son of Man, a loud trumpet, a loud command, the voice of an archangel, every eye will see him."
And Jesus said, “I am, and you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of Power, and coming with the clouds of heaven.” (Mark 14:62).
Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. Then will appear in heaven the sign of the Son of Man, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And he will send out his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other. (Matthew 24:29-31 cf. Acts 1:9-11).
Behold! I tell you a mystery. We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet.For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed. (1 Corinthians 15:51-52).
For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a loud command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will be the first to rise. / After that, we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will always be with the Lord. (1 Thessalonians 4:16-17).
Behold, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, even those who pierced him, and all tribes of the earth will wail on account of him. Even so. Amen. (Revelation 1:7).
When he opened the sixth seal, I looked, and behold, there was a great earthquake, and the sun became black as sackcloth, the full moon became like blood, and the stars of the sky fell to the earth as the fig tree sheds its winter fruit when shaken by a gale. The sky vanished like a scroll that is being rolled up, and every mountain and island was removed from its place. Then the kings of the earth and the great ones and the generals and the rich and the powerful, and everyone, slave and free, hid themselves in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains, calling to the mountains and rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of him who is seated on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb, for the great day of their wrath has come, and who can stand?” (Revelation 6:12-17).
Beware of false teachers who alter the Word of God!
I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: if anyone adds to them, God will add to him the plagues described in this book, and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God will take away his share in the tree of life and in the holy city, which are described in this book. (Revelation 22:18-19 cf. Proverbs 30:6).
Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth. (2 Timothy 2:15).
Paul Wilkinson is back on the scene after a prolonged absence. Very sadly, this period of difficulty doesn't appear to have done him much good, and he has failed to ask the right questions. In particular, his vice-like grip on the pretrib rapture remains unchanged. If he had sought the Lord about this issue, I believe his difficulties would have been resolved a long time ago.
In this video Wilkinson explains how he came to join an Assemblies of God Gypsy church in Wales following an alleged direct word he received from God. This is a huge red flag. The AOG is Pentecostal, known mainly for the false New Apostolic Reformation and Charismania. My prayer is that the Lord will lead the Gypsy community into all truth. (John 16:13).
In a previous post, I exposed Wilkinson's dishonest revisionism concerning John Nelson Darby and the origin of the pretrib rapture.* In reality, Darby claimed that he received the pretrib rapture by "divine revelation". His cultish behaviour and teachings caused a firestorm of opposition from "Open" Brethren leaders George Müller, Benjamin Wills Newton, Samuel Tregelles, and James Grant. These men denounced Darby as a despot who maligned scripture. Darby was also condemned by Charles Spurgeon and DL Moody.
Darby: "..what God has with infinite graciousness revealed to me concerning His dealing with the Church.."1
"..it was in this the Lord was pleased, without man's teaching, first to open my eyes on this subject, that I might learn His will concerning it throughout."2
In Wilkinson's own words, the pretrib rapture is "our blessed hope".
The phrase "the blessed hope" is found in Titus 2:13. This phrase emphasizes the Christian anticipation of future fulfillment and redemption and refers to the second coming of Jesus Christ. The pretrib camp has modified this phrase to explicitly refer to the pretrib rapture.
Wilkinson: "Of course there is that threat, there is that wrong teaching of tribulationalism, and it's around; the midtrib, prewrath, posttrib position that just blasts the hope out of the rapture." The prewrath view comes under special assault from pretrib teachers. Wilkinson quotes Tim LaHaye, whose comment reflects his "Left Behind" Mickey Mouse eschatology. Many Christians have rejected the false pretrib rapture in favour of prewrath precisely because it is a theologically bankrupt doctrine with no scriptural evidence to support it. (1 John 4:1).
There was a profusion of emotionalism in Wilkinson's talk but very little actual teaching. What concerned me very greatly is that the Gypsy church are teaching the pretrib rapture to their children and filling them with false hopes.. and so the deception continues.
Wilkinson briefly mentioned "the hour of trial" in Revelation 3:10 out of context.
Because you have kept my word about patient endurance, I will keep you from the hour of trial that is coming on the whole world, to try those who dwell on the earth. (Revelaiton 3:19).
Pretrib teachers falsely teach that the Antichrist’s great tribulation (thlipsis) and the day of the Lord’s wrath (orgé) are a single period. The scriptures as a whole describe the day of the Lord's wrath in very specific terms as a separate period that follows the Antichrist's tribulation. Believers will be rescued from the hour of trial/the day of God's wrath but not from the great tribulation. (1 Thessalonians 5:9; Revelation 6:12-17; Matthew 24:29). Wilkinson's emotionalism may be persuasive to some, but his self-indulgent displays are not a sign of doctrinal soundness and stability.
For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. (Ephesians 6:12).
In this post, I am focusing on the above video from the 39-minute mark, when Andy Woods and Paul Wilkinson discuss "..rehabilitating John Nelson Darby and C.I. Scofield, and why the doctrine of the pre-tribulation rapture is under such vociferous attack today". For Woods and Wilkinson, the pretrib rapture is a primary issue, aka "the blessed hope".
Darby's claim of direct revelation
Paul Wilkinson purports to be an expert on John Nelson Darby, having supposedly written a PhD thesis on the subject. In this video, Wilkinson blatantly distorts several facts about Darby, beginning with the false claim that Darby arrived at the pretrib view by studying the scriptures.
Wilkinson: "Where did his (Darby's) understanding of the rapture come from? It didn't come immediately, but as he himself writes, in his own writings, he got it from studying the word.." (49:00 mark)
Darby - in his own words, claimed that God Himself revealed dispensational hermeneutics to him directly.
Darby: "..what God has with infinite graciousness revealed to me concerning His dealing with the Church.."1
"..it was in this the Lord was pleased, without man's teaching, first to open my eyes on this subject, that I might learn His will concerning it throughout."2
Darby's claim of direct revelation from God puts the whole premise of his authenticity and the pretrib rapture on shaky ground. Darby put himself on the same level as the first-century apostles. (Galatians 1:12 cf. 1 Corinthians 11:23). It is not surprising that Darby claimed to receive "direct revelation" since he was associated with the Irvingites, who were pioneers in reviving the charismatic gifts of the Holy Spirit within the church. There are good reasons to believe that the Irvingites were precursors to the modern Pentecostal Movement.3 In our generation, many have learned painful lessons from recently exposed false NAR "apostles" and "prophets" such as Mike Bickle and Todd Bentley. It is a fatal mistake to buy into an alleged "prophetic word" without rigorously testing it against the scriptures. (1 John 4:1). Darby's claim was absolutely huge! He denied the very words of Jesus Christ Himself by announcing that the warnings in the Olivet discourse do not apply to the church. Wilkinson failed to mention that Darby's "direct revelation" was vigorously challenged by his contemporaries. In my view, the pretrib rapture is one of the biggest deceptions to be foisted onto the modern church. The pretrib camp has worked very hard to shoehorn the pretrib rapture into the scriptures. They have also made exhaustive efforts to prove that pretrib predates Darby and can be found in the Church Fathers. However, in both these endeavors they have failed miserably.4Believers should consider the consequences ahead of time before the false hopes of pretrib leaders fail to materialize and the Antichrist's persecution becomes a reality.
Woods: "My question for you is, is this a secondary issue, because a lot of people say 'don't get wrapped up in this, this is a secondary issue'? My other question.. Is the fact that pretribulationalism is always under assault proof that pretribulationalism is probably the right one?"
Wilkinson: "Is it a secondary issue? Well, the apostle Paul in Titus 2 said it's our blessed hope.. that's my hope, that's the church's hope.. Wilkinson continues with a lot of platitudes but he offers no exegesis of the various texts he cites. He completes his answer by trotting out the overused trope that Christians should be looking for Christ, not the Antichrist.
Woods:"What I am hearing you say is that this is not a secondary issue because what you believe about this changes your focus." Woods brings out another overused trope about bridegroom imagery with the excuse that if we go through the tribulation, then God is a "spousal abuser". This worn-out argument can equally be levelled against the martyrdom and persecution of Christians throughout church history. In the West, Christians are living in a persecution-free bubble, but this is not the case in many other countries. The scriptures warn us to expect persecution. (John 15:20; Matthew 5:11-12; 1 Peter 4:12-14; Philippians 1:29, etc.) When the Antichrist arrives at the midpoint of the 70th week, worldwide persecution against Jews and Christians will escalate exponentially. When God gives explicit warnings then we would be wise to take notice rather than bury our heads in the sand and be taken off guard! The very warnings that Jesus gave to his disciples about the end of the age in the Olivet Discourse are magicked away by pretrib teachers. (Matthew 24:4). Woods and Wilkinson can be in denial as much as they like, but their denial does not invalidate God's word!
Woods: "I don't think it is a secondary issue either and I mark and avoid people. I have a hard time appearing on their shows, appearing at their conferences.. A lot of them have contacted me and wanted to participate at our conferences and when I find out they are aggressively promoting some other perspective, I just have a difficult time unleashing them in front of God's people.."
To paraphrase Woods' second question: 'Because the pretrib rapture is always under assault is proof that it is probably the right doctrine..' This remark lacks depth and fails to adequately explain or respond to the major exegetical problems associated with the pretrib rapture. Woods should know better than to offer this kind of pat answer. The truth will always be attacked by those who oppose the scriptures, but on the other hand, false doctrines also come under heavy attack by those who rightly divide the word of truth and practice discernment. (1 Timothy 2:15).
Is the timing of the rapture a secondary issue?
I feel the same way as Andy Woods in reverse, i.e., I "mark and avoid" those who promote the pretrib view. (Romans 16:16-17). I am not willing to quietly sit in a congregation and watch others passively swallow the pretrib Kool-Aid to their own destruction. At best, I consider pretrib leaders to be heavily deceived; at worst, I consider them to be wolves. (1 Timothy 4:1). My concern is that when the Antichrist's persecution begins, many will fall away and apostatize. (Matthew 24:10). In other words, many will forfeit their faith on the altar of the pretrib rapture. The stakes are incredibly high! Pastors who fail to prepare God's people for the coming persecution are sinfully negligent. What will happen to pretrib teachers who fail to sound the horn? (Ezekiel 33:6). Woods has effectively shut down any challenge to pretribulationism, and it is difficult to miss his particular hostility towards the prewrath camp. He can't even bear to mention the name of Alan Kurschner or any other prominent prewrath teacher.
Woods: "Now we have this very perverted view of Rosenthall, and others came up with this, and there are some younger expondents and proponents of that view that I don't want to mention on this show because I don't want to promote their stuff.. They don't attack mid trib, post trib - they are always aiming their guns at pretribulationism. " This is not true! While the false pretrib rapture teaching is a major concern to those within the prewrath camp, other views have not been ignored! Midtribulationism does not come in for much critique because it is only held by a small minority and is easily debunked. However, postribulationism has received attention from Alan Kurschner and others.5
Paul Wilkinson's appalling distortion of John Nelson Darby
Wilkinson's claim that Darby was an innocuous guy who simply went around teaching the bible is outrageous. How did Wilkinson manage to miss the firestorm against Darby from "Open" Brethren leaders George Müller, Benjamin Wills Newton, Samuel Tregelles, and James Grant? These men denounced Darby as a despot who maligned scripture. Darby was also condemned by Charles Spurgeon and DL Moody. In addition, it is undeniable that Scofield was an absolute scoundrel.* I do not like to call anyone an out-and-out liar, but in this instance, I can't find an alternative explanation for Wilkinson's dishonesty. (Psalm 107:7; Proverbs 12:22; Ephesians 4:25).
For an accurate account of John Nelson Darby, seePapers of John Nelson Darby published by the John Rylands University Library at the University of Manchester.
Charles Spurgeon:
"Mr. Darby is, to all intents and purposes a thorough Pope, though under a Protestant name. He will never admit that he is in error; and therefore very naturally declines to argue with those who controvert the soundness of his views. How, indeed, could it be otherwise? If Mr. Darby holds, which he does, with a firm grasp, the principle that whatever conclusions he and those acting in conjunction with him may come to, express beyond all question the mind of the Spirit; and if those Darbyites who gather together in London, can go so far as to exclude all other denominations, even the most godly among them, 'believing themselves to be the one or only, assembly of God in London,' how need we feel surprised that Mr. Darby, as the 'prophet, priest, and king' of the party, should exercise a perfect despotism within the domains of Darbyism?"6
George Müller: "Scripture declares plainly that the Lord Jesus will not come until the Apostasy shall have taken place, and the man of sin shall have been revealed."7
Anthony Groves:
"As the years passed, he (Groves) became increasingly concerned with the drift of the Plymouth Brethren towards sectarianism under the leadership of Darby and aligned himself with George Müller. The split was complete in 1848 to form the Open Brethren and the Exclusive Brethren."8
Wilkinson: "I have to believe and accept and rightly handle the word of my Lord. That's how I'm going to be judged by my Lord.. Did I rightly teach His word? Did I rightly divide it? Did I faithfully teach it? Wilkinson is attending an Assemblies of God church in Wales. This is a huge red flag. The Assemblies of God are a Pentecostal denomination known for their involvement with the New Apostolic Reformation (NAR). Given Wood's opposition to the charismatic movement, it is strange that he would even consider unleashing a man like Wilkinson onto his audience. Wilkinson's suspect "words" from the Lord, his dishonesty and revisionism of Darby, and his emotionalism are indications of self-deception and instability. (2 Timothy 3:13).
Prov. 14:5 says "A faithful witness will not lie: but a false witness will utter lies." II Tim. 3:13 predicts: "But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived."
And now some facts about Dr. Paul Wilkinson who, unlike his American counterpart Thomas Ice, possesses an honorable doctorate from an accredited school, the University of Manchester.
My wife and I recall meeting the late great encyclopedia contributor Dr. F. F. Bruce and being invited to have tea with him in his office there. This occurred before I had written my first book, and Bruce was then excited over the long forgotten pretrib rapture history that we had already uncovered in libraries throughout England and Scotland.
Accidental omission when pursuing historical facts is one thing (and I've been guilty of this a few times). But deliberate concealment is something else - and not merely happenstance when it's a sustained pattern and others are aware of it and point it out to the offending person.
Wilkinson authored "For Zion's Sake: Christian Zionism and the Role of John Nelson Darby" published by Paternoster Press in 2007. He included an appendix on "Margaret MacDonald's Utterance" (p. 263).
His idolizing of Darby may have been his main motive for stopping his quotation of Margaret's 117-line pretrib revelation account (1830) at line 58 just before her statement of "the one taken and the other left" BEFORE she writes "Now will THE WICKED [Antichrist] be revealed" - what I have long viewed as her "main point." Wilkinson had to have been aware that others (Hal Lindsey etc.) have used her phrases in the same way - phrases briefly expressing the essence or "kernel" of the 187-year-old pretrib rapture view (a pretrib rapture before Antichrist's appearance). And since he'd rather credit Darby with pretrib origination, or at least the "revival" of it in the 1830s, he naturally yielded to temptation and quickly took the wind out of her Port Glasgow sails! Wilkinson must have also remembered that his friend and fellow revisionist "Dr" Thomas Ice, when supposedly quoting Margaret in an unbiased and uncensored way, stopped quoting her at line 55 and resumed quoting her in line 72! (Thomas Ice, "Why the Doctrine of the Pretribulational Rapture Did Not Begin With Margaret McDonald, Bibliotheca Sacra, 1990) Margaret's "revelation" (which is actually only her interpretation of Scripture) has two parts in what I call her "main point": (1) the rapture ("one taken" etc.) which happens before (2) the Antichrist ("THE WICKED") is revealed. Some revisionist pretribs omit the first part; others omit the second part. "Dr" Ice played it safe and omitted both parts of her "main point" in his Dallas Sem. journal article (above) so that he could brazenly declare that she did NOT teach a pretrib rapture! Not long after Joe Schimmel's blockbuster DVD "Left Behind or Led Astray?" came out, Wilkinson, imitating Ice, responded with his "Left Behind or Led Astray? - Exposed." Again he stopped quoting the Scottish lass at line 45! At about the same time Treena Gisborn (of "Wolves in Sheep's Clothing" blog fame) penned "Left Behind or Led Astray: Paul Wilkinson's Vitriolic Outburst at the Berean Call Conference 2015!!!" - a must-read for all who decry today's increasing revisionism by dishonest pretrib traffickers! I also added my thoughts in a net piece titled "Margaret Macdonald's Main Point." The revisionism continued in 2016 with a Pretrib Research Center video titled "Response to Left Behind or Led Astray?" starring Ice as well as Wilkinson. This time I spotted Wilkinson stopping at line 58 while quoting Margaret - his devious way of changing her from pretrib to posttrib. In fact, at the end while summarizing Margaret's main (pretrib) point, Ice said with a smirk "Can anybody find a pretrib rapture in that statement?" And Darby idolizer Wilkinson added: "This is posttrib. This is a posttrib rapture." (!) "Dr" Ice (whose "Ph.D" was lifted from an unaccredited seminary that was fined by the state of Texas for issuing illegal degrees!) also had the effrontery to declare that Irving and his followers never taught either pretrib or imminence! My book "The Rapture Plot" has a chapter with many quotes from the Irvingite journal "The Morning Watch" expressing any-moment imminence as well as clear pretrib statements (while Darby was still publicly defending posttrib historicism until his first clear pretrib teaching which didn't begin until 1839!). In Sep. 1830 "The Morning Watch" saw "Philadelphia" raptured before "the great tribulation." In 1832 John Tudor stated that "some of these elect ones shall...be left in the great tribulation...after the translation of the saints." In 1832 another writer spoke of "the translation of the living...of which we may daily expect the accomplishment." When surfing the net it isn't hard to find those who have interpreted "the one taken and the other left" the way Margaret did when she was expressing pretrib. The word "left" as in the "Left Behind" books etc. is the same as the "left" in her main point and we know that those bestselling books see a pretrib rapture followed by Hollywoodized scenes of a future great tribulation. John Walvoord's "The Rapture Question" (p. 110) shows that Robert Govett's partial rapturism was similar to Margaret's; Walvoord wrote: "The one left, according to Govett, is left to go through the tribulation." An interesting net piece titled "A Warning to Those Who Think They Are Saved" was a sermon preached by the well-known Dr. R. L. Hymers Jr. at the Fundamentalist Baptist Tabernacle in Los Angeles. He quoted Margaret's main point as found in Matt. 24:40-41 and stated: "I have become convinced that many people who believe they are converted are actually lost. I believe that they will be left behind when the rapture occurs...left behind to face the horrors...left behind on the earth to be tormented by the Devil." David J. Stewart, a well-known guest on TBN who's associated with Jesus-is-savior.com, sees a pretrib rapture in "the one shall be taken, and the other left" (Luke 17:35, 36) in his article "Left Behind at the Rapture" (2005, updated 2012). Wilkinson, by the way, cited only my 1975 book "The Incredible Cover-up" (instead of my 1995 book "The Rapture Plot" which is more valuable than my other books combined) when supposedly analyzing her in a fair way - and he analyzed her by deliberately omitting all of her main point so that he and Ice could lie together and tell the world that the pretrib originator was really teaching a posttrib rapture! For more on Margaret and Irving, Google "X-Raying Margaret," "Margaret Macdonald's Rapture Chart," "Pretrib Was New in the 1830s," "Edward Irving vs. John Darby," and "Pretrib Rapture Diehards."
Right now I will yield to temptation and quote Jeremiah 17:11 which says, in part, that "he that getteth riches, and not by right, shall leave them in the midst of his days, and at his end shall be a fool."
John Darby defender Dr. Paul Wilkinson dropped some names when beginning his rebuttal of the electrifying "Left Behind or Led Astray?" DVD produced by Joe Schimmel's Good Fight Ministries. And Wilkinson concluded, even before offering any evidence, that the DVD is full of "myths" and "lies"!
So I'll start my response to him with the following conclusions, even before offering any evidence, that have come my way: My first book "The Unbelievable Pre-Trib Origin" (1973) received undeserved kudos from "The Witness" (the oldest and largest Darbyist Brethren magazine in England) in April 1974: "What [MacPherson] succeeds in establishing is that the [pretrib] view outlined was first stated by a certain Margaret Macdonald...early in 1830." Later on world-class Australian scholar Dr. F. Nigel Lee (with nine earned doctorates) stated: "Dave MacPherson, in his various books, has made a major contribution toward vindicating Historic Christian Eschatology. The 1830 innovations of the disturbed Margaret Macdonald documented by MacPherson - in part or in whole - immediately spread to Edward Irving and his followers, then to J. N. Darby and Plymouth Brethrenism, and were later popularized by the dispensationalistic Scofield Reference Bible, by Classic Pentecostalism, and by latter-day pretribulationists like J. F. Walvoord and Hal Lindsey." And I haven't even thought of calling anyone a liar yet! While feeling unqualified to respond to some of Wilkinson's points, I will give the following facts: When Hal Lindsey's books see "the one taken and the other left" before the "man of sin" is revealed, we all know he's expressing the "kernel" of the pretrib view. But when Darby defenders read Margaret Macdonald's 1830 pretrib rapture account (where on lines 58-63 we see what I've long said is her main point: "the one taken and the other left" before "THE WICKED" is "revealed"), they sound like Wilkinson who, in his rebuttal, dares to declare that "her utterance bears no resemblance whatsoever to a pre-trib Rapture." Guess how he gets away with this. He stops quoting her at line 45 of her 117-line account and resumes quoting at line 60 and thus can omit quoting the rapture part ("the one taken") of her "kernel." Thomas Ice, Wilkinson's American counterpart, does the same nervy thing. When quoting her account in his 1990 BibSac article about her, he stopped quoting her at line 58 (just before "the one taken" etc.) and resumed at line 72 - and thus censored ALL of her "kernel"! For insights into Ice, Wilkinson should Google "Pretrib Rapture Pride," "Walvoord Melts Ice," "Thomas Ice (Bloopers)," and (by a British Ph.D) "Be careful in polemics - Peripatetic Learning." Wilkinson even calls Margaret a posttrib and somehow doesn't know that phrases like "The trial of the Church is from Antichrist" (lines 85-86) express her partial rapture view, that all partial rapturists (like Pember and Govett) talk the same way, and that even Walvoord's books describe partial rapturists as "pretribulationists"! (I also urge him to Google "X-Raying Margaret," "Margaret Macdonald's Rapture Chart," and "Pretrib Rapture's Missing Lines." And no one should confuse Margaret with Mary Campbell who was involved with telepathy and automatic writing.) When many including Darby visited Margaret in mid-1830, all (except Darby) concluded she was teaching a partial rapture form of pretrib. John Cardale visited the prayer meetings held in the Macdonald home and described them in his Dec. 1830 article in Irving's journal "The Morning Watch" (hereafter: TMW). Cardale listed 17 details about the speakers and what they taught. Amazingly, Darby's 1853 book described his visit to those meetings and listed practically word-for-word all of Cardale's details except one. Although Darby mentioned Margaret's "texts on overcoming" (the "tribulation" part of her "kernel"), he omitted the first half of her pretrib partial rapture "kernel" - what she taught about "the coming of the Lord" (rapture) as the church's "deliverance" before the "judgments coming on the earth" (which all, except Darby, understood as a pretrib separation!). Irving reflected her novel view in TMW in June 1831 when he saw a pretrib rapture in Rev. 12:5's "man child" who's caught up, and described the scene as the "two-fold company - the one gathered before , and the other after the travailing woman is cast out into the wilderness...." Is Wilkinson aware that TMW (Sep. 1830) was the first publication to publicly air pretrib? It saw "Philadelphia" raptured before "the great tribulation" and "Laodicea" left on earth. Meanwhile Darby was still defending posttrib in Dec. 1830 in the "Christian Herald." Darby idolizer Wilkinson was not happy when he heard Joe Schimmel saying that "the evidence is quite clear that Darby and his followers were late-comers to pre-tribulationism and that Darby was quite familiar with pre-trib teaching among the Irvingites before he accepted and then proliferated the doctrine...." Dr. Mark Patterson also states on the DVD that Darby learned the pre-trib rapture from Irving. Here's Wilkinson's knee jerk reaction to Schimmel and Patterson: "The evidence is not only unclear, it is non-existent!" And here's my knee jerk reaction to Wilkinson: My Google piece "Edward Irving is Unnerving" - which mentions Patterson and Walker - proves that the evidence for Irving is existent! Right now let's look briefly at the earliest "rapture" development of the Irvingites and the Darbyist Brethren during the contested period stretching from 1827 to 1839: 1827: A few, including John Bray, have claimed that Darby believed in pretrib this early. But Darby's first two papers (1827 and 1828) discussed only the "heavenly church" and the "church's unity" - and Darby then looked for only the posttrib "restitution" and "refreshing" in Acts 3. (I invite all to Google "Is John Bray a PINO?") 1829: Darby's first paper on prophecy. He expected only the Rev. 19 coming. And he showed Irvingite influence. He mentioned "Mr. Irving" five times, "Ben-Ezra" (Lacunza) once, and "Morning Watch" twice. Darby said he was an avid reader of Irving's works and journal and heard Irving preach. (My "Rapture Plot" discusses Darby on 145 pages.) 1830: Margaret had her pretrib revelation in the spring. TMW (Sep.) reflected her pretrib partial rapturism (church/church dichotomy) and saw worthy "Philadelphia" raptured before "the great tribulation" and less worthy "Laodicea" left behind. Darby was still defending posttrib historicism in Dec. in the "Christian Herald" and waiting for only Matt. 25's "judging of the nations." (Darby discusses TMW four times in his 1830 paper and five times in an 1831 letter. Let me add that from 1830 to 1833 TMW repeatedly taught pretrib and any-moment imminence while Darby was still defending the posttrib view, as my "Plot" portrays.) 1832: Darby still doesn't believe in a future Antichrist but only in "present antichristian principles." 1834: We find Darby and the Jews waiting for the same day (Heb. 10:37). 1837: Darby saw the church "going in with Him to the marriage [Rev. 19], to wit, with Jerusalem and the Jews"! 1839: Darby's first clear pretrib teaching. His pretrib basis then (and many more years) was Rev. 12:5's "man child" caught up before a 3.5-year tribulation - but Irving had been the first one to use this Rev. symbol for the same purpose in TMW in 1831!
True, one can find a few minor errors in the "Left Behind or Led Astray?" DVD being discussed because no one is perfect including me. But I believe that as the world gets even more scary and dangerous, more and more pretribbers will overlook any blemishes in the same DVD and will congratulate Joe Schimmel and his group for their foresight and love for God's everlasting truth.
but evil people and impostors will go on from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived.(2 Timothy 3:13)
Thomas Ice is is Executive Director of The Pre-Trib Research Center (PTRC). He founded the PTRC in 1994 with Tim LaHaye to research, teach, and defend the pre-tribulation rapture and
related Bible prophecy doctrines. http://pre-trib.org/about/dr-ice
"Dr" Thomas Ice received his PhD from Tyndale Theological
Seminary which is an unaccredited private Christian seminary with its
campus in Fort Worth, Texas.
"WorldNetDaily reported on March 7 that a Texas district court has ordered the Tyndale Theological Seminary to pay fines totalling $170,000 for issuing 34 theological degrees without receiving approval from the state education agency." http://www.preteristarchive.com/dEmEnTiA/2001_macpherson_deceiving.html
The key verse the PTRC use to promote the pre-tribulation rapture deception: Looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus (Titus 2:13). The PTRC works on the presupposition that "the blessed hope"IS the pre-tribulation rapture of the church. There are some very serious problems with this presupposition. The relevant word in Titus 2:13 is "appearing"epipháneia, literally an epiphany, afitting manifestation or a conspicuousappearing. Thisemphasises the impact that Christ's visibleappearance will have on the entire world when every eye shall see him, both the saved and the unsaved (Revelation 1:7). In the New Testament epipháneiaoccurs six times and it is always used of Christ's coming (once of His first coming, 2 Timothy 1:10). The context is the appearing of the glory further confirms this understanding since the glory will not be manifest until Christ's second coming to the earth. The blessed hope is synonymous with the parousiai.e.the second coming of Christ (Matthew 24:3, 27, 37; 1 Corinthians 15:23).
"PTRC wants to impact
Pastors and individual Christians with the central role and importance
that Bible prophecy, especially the any-moment possibility of the rapture,
should play in the life of the church. Dr. LaHaye and PTRC stresses
three practical implications that flow from the rapture teaching. The
first implication of pretribulationism is that it leads to godly living
in an unholy age. Next, this New Testament teaching promotes a strong
emphasis upon evangelism of the lost. Finally, when believers come to
understand this eternal perspective, it leads to a zeal for worldwide
missions." http://www.pre-trib.org/about
Exhortations to godly living in the New Testament do not hinge on a pre-tribulation rapture:
Therefore, preparing your minds for action, and being sober-minded, set
your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the
revelation (apokalupsis) of Jesus Christ.(1 Peter 1:13) The meaning of apokalupsis is to lay bare. It is the the manifestation of Jesus Christ, not in a pre-tribulation rapture, but his final advent.
Since all these things are thus to be dissolved, what sort of people ought you to be in lives of holiness and godliness, (2 Peter 3:11) This verse links godly living to the day of the Lord, not a pre-tribulation rapture.
The night is far gone; the day is at hand. So then let us cast off the works of darkness and put on the armour of light (Romans 13:12) the approaching parousia (see also Hebrews 10:37; 1 Corinthians 3:13).
.....for at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light (Ephesians 5:8; 1 Thessalonians 5:5; Luke 16:8; John 12:36). Christians are exhorted to walk as children of light because they belong to Christ.
See also 1 Peter 3:8-18, 2 Corinthians 7:1; 2 Peter 1:1-9 etc.
Similarly, evangelism and missions are centered on the salvation message i.e. the Gospel of Jesus Christ in the New Testament, not on a pre-tribulation rapture.
The doctrine of imminency, i.e. the teaching that the rapture could
take place at any moment, is not found in the Bible, rather it is an
induction.
Thomas Ice interprets the "falling away" in 2 Thessalonians 2:3 as the rapture, due to his interpretation of apostasia"the departure". 1 Timothy 4:1 demonstrates very clearly that apostasia is not the rapture - apostasy is defection, desertion, rebellion departure from a previous standing. There are several instances where the meaning of apostasia is clear: Luke 2:37, 4:13, 8:13, 13:27; Acts 5:37, 12:10, 15:38, 19:9, 22:29; 2 Corinthians 12:8; 1 Timothy 4:1; 2 Timothy 2:19; Hebrews 3:12. You cannot possibly get the rapture from apostasia!
Thomas Ice would have us believe that "the 24 elders"in Revelation 4:4 are the complete raptured church in heaven prior to the tribulation. This is yet another induction. Firstly, Revelation 4:4 is a description of the throne-room of God, there is nothing to indicate that it is a future event. Revelation 15:1-6 is a future scene withthose who had conquered the beast and its image and the number of its
name, standing beside the sea of glass with harps of God in their hands. This seems clear enough, but additionally, Revelation 5:8 has the 24 elders each holding a harp, and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints.This verse seems to indicate that the "elders" represent the saints, not that the saints are actually present. Furthermore the redeemed of Revelation 6:9 are not with the 24 elders around the throne of God, they are under the altar.The word "elder" is not used of angels in the scriptures, but neither are "elders" referred to as the complete church - elders are simply "elders", we are given no further information about their identity.
Thomas Ice et al are very adept at mis-translating the scriptures in order to advance their pre-tribulation deception. Theologians call it "revisionism" - I call it cheating! A terrible judgement awaits anyone who dares to alter God's word (Deuteronomy 4:2, 12:32; Proverbs 30:5-6; Revelation 22:18-19).
THE SORDID HISTORY: JOHN NELSON DARBY OR EDWARD IRVING?
Prior to the 1830s no one had heard of the pre-tribulation rapture theory. The church looked to the second coming, the parousia, as their hope for just over 1800 years, until Darby that is. Even today, pretribulationism is a doctrine which is held
exclusively by the western church, the rest of the Christian world holds
to theapostolic position. It was not until Darby departed from the apostles teaching and began to inflict pretribulationalism onto congregations, both in the UK and the US, that the deception began to take hold. In his own words, Darby's wish was that it would spread through the church like "leaven". The deception was further popularized in the US in the early 20th century by the wide circulation of the Scofield Reference Bible. Scofield's unholy life is a subject in itself; suffice to say that he was a dishonest man known for scandal, lies, fraud, adultery, forgery, drunkenness and disgrace. http://fortheloveofhistruth.com/2013/08/28/scofield-bible-part-2-re-defining-the-darkness-of-fraud-conspiracy-and-heresy/ http://proliberty.com/observer/20090507.htm
The PTRC credits John Nelson Darby, and Darby alone, with the pre-tribulation rapture
theory.
The above PTRC statement is very misleading. It appears that Darby did not clearly teach the pre-tribulation rapture until after the
split of the Brethren movement in 1839, twelve years after the date claimed by the PTRC. In fact, evidence suggests that Edward Irving and his
followers came up with all of the crucial aspects of dispensationalism
well before Darby. Irving published extensive pre-tribulation teachings in his journal "The Morning Watch" from 1829 to 1833. Furthermore, it seems inconceivable that Benjamin Wills Newton would have invited Darby to join the Plymouth Assembly had Darby held pretribulational views in 1831. It was not until 1834 that cracks began to develop in the relationship between Darby and Newton, when Darby began to shift positions and became increasingly convinced in a pre-tribulation rapture. Ordinarily these details would not be critical, but there are good reasons why the PTRC want to credit Darby as the originator of pre-tribulation theory and distance themselves from Irving. Irving was declared a heretic by the Church of Scotland in 1833 for teaching that Christ's human nature was sinful. Furthermore, Irving was a Universalist, an occultist and a false prophet (he predicted that Christ would return in 1864). Clearly Irving's pedigree is not conducive to the PTRC aims of promoting pre-tribulation rapture as a credible proposition. It has been suggested, and not without some foundation, that there has been a sordid cover up in order to credit Darby with pretribulationalism. This plot is promoted primarily through the prevarications of Thomas Ice, and more recently the PTRC's new thug, Paul Wilkinson, who is also a member of the PWMI in the UK. Wilkinson
has
recently conducted a vicious attack against Joe
Schimmel, Jacob Prasch and Joel Richardson, through his defective critique of the DVD Left Behind of Led Astray (LBOLA) by Good Fight Ministries. His subsequent rebuttal to the round table discussion is very
weak if not pathetic; he refuses to even answer certain questions
saying: "They are not worthy of comment". https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IiNjDYsHfh4&feature=youtu.be http://livestream.com/bereancallconference/israel2 http://www.pre-trib.org/articles/view/left-behind-or-led-astrayexposed-long-version
As General Director
of The Prophetic Witness Movement International (PWMI), Colin LeNoury's knowledge of the subject is embarrassingly
sparse. One would think that the General Director of the PWMI would be fully conversant with the history of the pre-tribulation rapture theory. In the DVD LBOLA, Le Noury says that Darby's pre-tribulation ideas ran concurrently with Edward Irving. This contradicts Ice and Wilkinson who say that Darby pre-dated Irving. LeNoury could not answer the question whether there was evidence that Darby's ideas about a pre-tribulation rapture had crystallized prior to 1830: "I am not sure. It is not an area I have researched deeply enough to say whether we have or not." Le Noury has also stated in the same DVD that there is no verse in the scriptures which proves a pre-tribulation rapture. Enough said I think!
THE RECENT SORDID HISTORY: HAL LINDSEY AND TIM LAHAYE
During the 1970's the pre-tribulation rapture theory came back into focus and was popularised by Hal Lindsey's book The Late Great
Planet Earth (1970), which has reportedly sold over 60
million copies. The film A Thief in the Night, which followed in 1972, was heavily influenced by The Late Great Planet Earth. In 1995, the pre-tribulation rapture theory was further popularised by Tim
LaHaye's Left Behind series of best selling novels which sold tens of millions of copies and later developed into amulti-media franchise. Needless to say, since the 1970s, the pre-trib industry has developed into big business worth millions of pounds.
Very little is known about Hal Lindsey's co-author Carole C. Carlson. This seems very odd for someone who has co-authored several best sellers. It has been suggested by some that Carlson is a Roman
Catholic nun writing under a pseudo name in order to hide her true identity.
Lindsey and Carlson went on to write several sequels, including Satan is Alive and Well on Planet Earth and The 1980s: Countdown to Armageddon. Carlson is also co-author of Escape the Coming Night with David Jeremiah. Why do we know so little about Carlson? Lindsey is also equally tight lipped about his four marriages. Should we take a man
seriously as a Bible prophecy expert who has been married four times and who has close associations with the apostate TBN TV station? According to several sources, the 2002 Alumni Directory of the
Jesuit Gonzaga University lists two of Lindsey's daughters as attendees. In addition to this, Lindsey is a false prophet (Deuteronomy 18:20; 2 Peter 2:1):
Despite all of the above, Thomas Ice refers to Hal Lindsey in glowing terms.
Tim LaHaye: "No single verse specifically states Christ will come before the Tribulation."
Tim LaHaye has strong connections with Sun Myung Moon, founder of the
Unification Church (the Moonies). Moon has proclaimed himself "the world’s new Messiah"
and "the Lord of the Second Advent." LaHaye was the chair of Moon’s
Coalition for Religious Freedom, and is reported to have received at
least half a million dollars in funding from Moon’s associate Bo Hi
Park. It is extraordinary to say the least that LaHaye and his wife have attended and spoken at Moon-sponsored
events without raising any theological objections to Moon's claims.
Tim LaHaye to Sun Myung Moon: "Your suffering will cleanse the sins of America."
The above information should be quite enough for any Christian to avoid Tim LaHay and Left Behind like the plague.However so called "prophecy expert""Dr" Thomas Ice
actually founded the PTRC with him!
What are we supposed to make of all this? I do not know what Thomas Ice and Paul Wilkinson are in reality, only God knows what they are. What I do question is:
Why, without one verse of scripture to corroborate it, do intelligent "Christian" men seek to promote pre-tribulation theory so vehemently?
Why do the PTRC and the PWMI promote flawed ideas of disreputable men like Irving, Darby, Lindsey and LaHaye?
Why did Paul Wilkinson seek to make the pre-tribulation theory a divisive issue at the Berean Call Conference this year?
Why did Paul Wilkinson seek to destroy the ministries of reputable biblical experts and teachers Joe Schimmel,
Jacob Prasch and Joel Richardson?
Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for
light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for
bitter! (Isaiah 5:20) We see so called evangelicals Rick Warren, Joel Osteen, TD Jakes etc. openly aligning themselves with Rome and Jesuit Pope Francis, but is there something just as sinister going on among "respectable" evangelical leaders who claim to be "Bereans"? I personally believe that there is.
Joe Schimmel and Jacob Prasch have stated that the timing of the rapture should not be a divisive issue. I agree that there are many genuine Christians who have been sucked
into the pre-tribulation rapture deception by their pastors and/or
denominations, and I am not saying that I would divide from these dear believers in Jesus Christ. My personal problem at this point in time is that I cannot maintain unity with those who in my view are deliberately perpetrating a deception which threatens to turn Christians away from their salvation. This is no small issue!I regard these men as false witnesses who are facilitating the "apostasia" (2 Thessalonians 2:3; Mark 10:19; Proverbs 12:17; 14:25). They muddy the waters and have sought to re-invent the sordid pre-tribulation rapture history with no scriptural basis to authenticate their position . I personally have no confidence in either Thomas Ice or Paul Wilkinson as true leaders of the church; I regard them as wolves in sheep's clothing (Matthew 7:15; 1 Timothy 3:1-13). I could no more fellowship with these men than I could with Benny Hinn!
I see nothing of the gospel on the PTRC website, all of their
time and substantial efforts are focused upon this deception to
the exclusion of the gospel itself.
.....and from among your own selves will arise men speaking twisted things, to draw away the disciples after them.(Acts 20:20)
Are we witnessing a replay of the schism between John Nelson Darby and Benjamin Wills Newton of the Plymouth Brethren in the 19th century? The recent remarks made at the Berean Call Conference by Paul Wilkinson bear an uncanny resemblance to Darby's treatment of, and vitriol towards, anyone who dared to hold a different view to himself.
John Nelson Darby (who did not believe in adult baptism) claimed to be the source of dispensational hermeneutics and the pre-tribulation delusion. Wilkinson credits Darby with "restoring this precious truth" and has obviously swallowed Darby's false claim to have discovered "new truth" or "rediscovered truth" that had been lost since the apostles (2 Timothy 3:13). Claims of direct extra-biblical revelation are of course the trade mark of many false prophets. Nevertheless, Wilkinson expects his hearers to buy into Darby's pre-tribulation delusion in spite of its obvious defects.
The dispute between Darby and Newton became intensely personal on a number of levels. Newton interpreted 1 Thessalonians 4:16 and 2 Thessalonians 2:1 as proof of a post tribulation, non-secret rapture. He viewed Darby's
dispensational and pre-tribulation rapture teaching as "the height of
speculative nonsense". The various disputes between the two men resulted in Darby accusing Newton of deception and
dishonesty.These charges were investigated by the elders at Ebrington Street and were dismissed. Actually, Newton's theology was very sound, especially in comparison with Darby's unscriptural rantings. This dispute was not about straightforward non-essential theological differences at all, it was underpinned by a dark spiritual battle between darkness and light. I say this because of Darby's intense hatred, character assassination and outright rejection of anyone who disagreed with him, which was anything BUT Christian. Does this sound familiar?
Brethren leaders George Müller, Anthony Groves and Benjamin Newton suffered intensely at the hands of Darby, who would broker no opposition to his sectarian views. Darby would not even tolerate anyone who wished to remain neutral. Darby's response to ANY opposition was to simply annihilate it. Those who disagreed with him were excommunicated. Why? - Because according to Darby, the Lord had personally revealed dispensational hermeneutics to him directly. In his own eyes this made him "right"and gave him liberty to butcher the body of Christ.It is difficult to argue against against a man with such obvious forcefulness, intelligence and powers of intimidation.
Charles Spurgeon: "Mr. Darby is, to all intents and purposes a thorough Pope, though under a Protestant name. He will never admit that he is in error; and therefore very naturally declines to argue with those who controvert the soundness of his views. How, indeed, could it be otherwise? If Mr. Darby holds, which he does, with a firm grasp, the principle that whatever conclusions he and those acting in conjunction with him may come to, express beyond all question the mind of the Spirit; and if those Darbyites who gather together in London, can go so far as to exclude all other denominations, even the most godly among them, 'believing themselves to be the one or only, assembly of God in London,' how need we feel surprised that Mr. Darby, as the 'prophet, priest, and king' of the party, should exercise a perfect despotism within the domains of Darbyism?. . ." http://spurgeon.org/s_and_t/dbreth.htm
George Müller:
"Scripture declares plainly that the Lord Jesus will not come until the
Apostasy shall have taken place, and the man of sin shall have been
revealed..." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_M%C3%BCller
Anthony Groves: "He (Groves) became increasingly concerned with the drift of the Plymouth Brethren towards sectarianism under the leadership of Darby and aligned himself with George Müller when the brethren split in 1848 to form the Open Brethren and Exclusive Brethren." http://self.gutenberg.org/article/WHEBN0005787956/Anthony%20Norris%20Groves
Was the same divisive spirit insidiously operating at The Berean Call Conference this year? Paul Wilkinson's attempt to discredit and undermine the ministries of Joe Schimmel, Jacob Prasch and Joel Richardson in the name of "love and truth" is quite despicable, and having looked into the history, the comparison is hard to miss!
Paul Wilkinson (looking suitably humble):
"This DVD is damaging, it's
destructive, it's dangerous, and it is thoroughly dishonest, and it is
one of the most abominable Christian DVD's I have ever sat through.
.....it is full of false accusations, unsubstantiated myths and lies."
"These men sadly are not doing what every pastor and every teacher is called ultimately to do if he is faithful to the word of God...."
"You will not hear these men talk about their love for Jesus; you will not see the tears fall down their cheeks; they will speak of the coming of the Lord very academically and very intellectually, but where is the heart, where is the love, where is the longing? It is not there. One of the reasons it is not there is that they are not pastors, they have not been called to take care of the flock, they have not been called to help prepare the bride for the bridegroom. "The integrity of that man! .....it (LBOLA) is thoroughly dishonest on all kinds of levels."
Apart from the above direct quotes, Wilkinson went into considerable detail, claiming: Joe Schimmel "tricked and deceived"Colin Le Noury (PWMI) into admitting that there is not one verse of scripture to prove a pre-tribulation theory. Realising Colin Le Noury's embarrassing blunder, their presumptuous attempt to force Joe Schimmel by dictatorial edict to omit Le Noury's quote from the LBOLA DVD failed! http://livestream.com/bereancallconference/israel2
We see a quite a different spirit operating in Joe Schimmel and Jacob Prasch: Joe Schimmel: "This
isn't something we should divide fellowship over as Christians, because
we recognise that this is an in-house debate. There are wonderful,
beautiful, good Christians on both sides of the issue in this debate." LBOLA
When they do refute the pre-tibulation delusion, Joe Schimmel and Jacob Prasch do not attempt to assassinate the ministries and reputations of those who genuinely hold this view.
Wilkinson, McMahon et'al should think long and hard about the consequences of attempting to destroy reputations and ministries over what is in fact based on nothing more than the unsanctified opinion of megalomaniac John Nelson Darby. Someone has commented that they should apologise and retract their remarks, but I see no sign of this happening any time soon.
If this is correct, then I do wonder whether God has given these men over
to the pre-tribulation delusion, and in light of their conduct, I also wonder whether there is a hidden agenda here (2 Thessalonians
2:11).
But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For
the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the
Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to
keep you from doing the things you want to do. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy,
drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you
before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of
God. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another. (Galatians 5:16-25)
Who is this that darkens counsel by words without knowledge? (Job 38:2)
The recent vitriol Paul Wilkinson displayed at the Berean Call Conference against the filmLeft Behind or Led Astray by Good Fight Ministries is an appalling attempt to discredit three brothers in Christ who reject the pre-tribulation rapture theory and who variously hold to a post-tribulation or intra-seal (pre-wrath) position!
The Berean Call Conference did not live up to its name - in reality they are anything but Bereans (Acts 17:11). Instead of providing us with a reasoned argument supported by the scriptures, Paul Wilkinson tore into Joe Schimmel, Jacob Prasch, and Joel Richardson like a savage wolf. I have rarely witnessed such an arrogant and abusive outburst against Bible teachers who are infinitely better qualified to minister to the body of Christ than himself, men who rightly divide the word of truth (2 Timothy 2:15).
Paul Wilkinson:"This DVD is damaging, it's destructive, it's dangerous, and it is thoroughly dishonest, and it is one of the most abominable Christian DVD's I have ever sat through. .....it is full of false accusations, unsubstantiated myths and lies."
Paul Wilkinson: "The origin of the pre-tribulation rapture..... is found right here in the word of God" (waving his Bible in the air), though he did not care to specify where exactly!
The Bible teaches us to gently warn our opponents (assuming of course that we are right - 2 Timothy 2:25; see also 1 Timothy 5:1-2). It is a pity that Wilkinson could not extend the same grace that Joe Schimmel and Jacob Prasch extend to their brothers in Christ who hold a pre-tribulation rapture view. Jacob Prasch has always maintained that the timing of the rapture should not be a divisive issue. His previous respect towards and friendship with those holding a pre-tribulation view, such as Dave Hunt, bears witness to this. Joel Richardson also came under fire from Wilkinson for daring to express his view without being "a pastor of the flock of Jesus Christ." Wilkinson is outraged thatJoel Richardson "would DARE........ to say that pastors are leading the flock astray." Joel Richardson is a student of biblical prophecy, an evangelist, and an author and speaker; just because he is not "a pastor" does not disqualify him from having a view on the matter, as Wilkinson infers! Are we back in the Dark Ages? MY QUESTION:How DARE WilkinsonprecludeANYONE from speaking out and expressing his/her concerns about this critical debate of our time? Wilkinson seems to put greater emphasis on the position of "pastor" (a superior being whom we should bow down and do blind obeisance to apparently) and worldly qualifications that glorify men more than the word of God. (Galatians
6:3; 1 Peter 5:3). He has insidiously voiced his own toxic opinion on this matter thereby predisposing his hearers into accepting it without providing any evidence to support it from the scriptures. In the process, he has maliciously attempted to harm the reputation and character of godly men, well known in their field, who are spiritually and academically head and shoulders above himself. Wilkinson's "thorough rebuttal" will apparently follow - but this is not the right way of doing things! There is clearly something very wrong here.
Instead of referring to the scriptures, Wilkinson made much of the supposed misinformation disseminated by Joe Schimmel in this DVD. Wilkinson insisted that Benjamin Wills Newton was NOT present with John Nelson Darby at Margaret McDonald's so-called "revelations" in Glasgow.For someone who constantly brags about his own integrity, Wilkinson has blatantly contradicted his own research, as demonstrated below! "John Nelson Darby and Benjamin Wills Newton, whom the Brethren sent on their behalf to investigate, came to the conclusion that these displays were demonic." Wilkinson, Paul Richard (2007). For Zion's Sake: Christian Zionism and the Role of John Nelson Darby. Paternoster. p. 192–93. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Margaret_Macdonald_%28Prophecy%29
The connection that Joe Schimmel makes between Margaret McDonald and John Nelson Darby is that she uttered revelations about the rapture before the Second Coming, which apparently was a novel idea at that time. What Wilkinson fails to point out is that there are different editions of McDonald's utterance. Apparently the earlier version has at least nineteen instances where the account adds a significant amount of words not found in the more condensed later edition. The link below does in fact show that McDonald's utterance bears some relevance to the pre-tribulation theory, and in this sense, she is part of the history. If there were any doubts about Joe Schimmel's meaning, surely most self-respecting Christians would have had the grace to ask him for clarification before accusing him of
dishonesty and vilifying him publicly! https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Margaret_MacDonald_%28visionary%29
Joe Schimmel: "Darby spent several days listening to Margaret McDonald's prophetic utterances about a secret second coming of Christ, which he and Newton came to believe were demonic in origin. However not long afterwards, DARBY HIMSELF WOULD FORMULATE HIS OWN NOVEL VIEWS ABOUT A SECRET COMING OF CHRIST."
"For years the subject of prophecy had occupied much of his (Edward Irving's) thoughts, and his belief in the near approach of the second advent had received such wonderful corroboration by the perusal of the work of a Jesuit priest, Manuel Lacunza, writing under the assumed Jewish name of Juan Josafat Ben-Ezra, that in 1827 he published a translation of it....." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_Irving
We should be very careful about callinganyone "a liar" (James 4:11). There are
some very serious anomalies associated with Wilkinson's attack against Joe Schimmel, and I think we should question the motivation behind his vicious outburst!
"Paul Wilkinson is the Associate Minister at Hazel Grove Full Gospel Church in
Stockport, England. He was converted to Christ in February 1990 whilst
studying Mathematics and Statistics at the University of York. He has a
BSc in Mathematics and Statistics, a BA and MA in Theology, and a PhD in
Religions and Theology. He has also studied at the International
School of Holocaust Studies at Yad Vashem in Jerusalem. In 2007 his PhD
thesis was published by Paternoster Press entitled, For Zion’s Sake:
Christian Zionism and the Role of John Nelson Darby.
Paul Wilkinson is a member of the Council of Prophetic Witness Movement
International in the UK, and a member of the Pre-Trib Research Center in
Lynchburg, Virginia." http://www.bereanwatchmen.com/index.php/guest-articles/paul-wilkinson
Now that we have got that out of the way and are suitably impressed, let us get on to the subject in hand i.e. the pre-tribulation rapture theory, which does not have one shred of evidence in the scriptures! Inconceivably, Wilkinson credits Darby with "restoring this precious truth" .....where did Darby restore it from exactly? Wilkinson cannot argue against the fact that the pre-tribulation rapture was unheard of prior to 1830. To insist upon a theory that no one in the Christian world recognized until it was invented by Darby?* in the 1830's is to compromise one's spiritual and academic integrity. Wilkinson accuses Joe Schimmel and his guests of propagating "myths", yet ironically there is no greater myth than the secret rapture theory!
Wilkinson must be completely delusional if he really thinks that he
can refute the following statements JUST BECAUSE HE SAYS SO, WITHOUT ONCE REFERRING TO THE SCRIPTURES! His behavior is just like that of his despotic hero, John Nelson Darby!
A pre-trib rapture cannot be proven from the Bible. Wilkinson: "YES IT CAN!."
Pre-trib pastors are failing in their role as pastors. Wilkinson: "NO THEY ARE NOT!"
Its history is sordid and scandalous. Wilkinson: "NO IT IS NOT!"
Its origins are occultic and demonic. Wilkinson: "NO THEY ARE NOT!"
The "theory" can be traced in some form to the Jesuits. Wilkinson: "NO IT CANNOT!"
If we consider that the pre-tribulation theory puts Christians in danger of falling away and losing their salvation, then the statement: "Pre-tribulation pastors are failing in their role as pastors" is perfectly reasonable.Those leaders promoting this theory should be warned about teaching as doctrines the precepts of men, a practice that Jesus Christ condemned (Matthew 15:9).
"I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: if anyone adds to them, God will add to him the plagues described in this book....." (Revelation 22:18 see also Deuteronomy 4:2). Error breeds error, and of course, the pre-tribulation theory stands in tandem with the error of imminence, which is another contrived doctrine not explicitly stated in the scriptures (2 Timothy 2:15; Galatians 5:9).
The main verses that support a post-tribulation/pre-wrath rapture are:
Immediately AFTER THE TRIBULATION
of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its
light, and the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the
heavens will be shaken.Then
will appear in heaven the sign of the Son of Man, and then all the
tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming
on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.And
he will send out his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will
gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the
other. The Lesson of the Fig Tree “From the fig tree learn its lesson: as soon as its branch becomes tender and puts out its leaves, you know that summer is near.So also, when you see all these things, you know that he is near, at the very gates.(Matthew 24:29-33, 36, emphasis added).
For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command,
with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of
God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with
them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be
with the Lord.(1 Thessalonians 4:16-17)
The dead in Christ rise FIRST on the LAST DAY preceding the rapture:
"This is the will of the Father who sent Me, that of all He has given Me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up at THE LAST DAY." (John 6:39, emphasis added)
"And this is the will of Him who sent Me, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in Him may have everlasting life; and I will raise him up at THE LAST DAY." (John 6:40)
"No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up at THE LAST DAY." (John 6:44)
"Whoever eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at THE LAST DAY" (John 6:54) 1 Thessalonians 4 is similar to what Paul says in two other passages, 1 Corinthians 15:51-54 and Philippians 3:20-21. At Jesus’ “coming” or “appearing”, those who are still alive will be “changed” or “transformed” so that their mortal bodies will become incorruptible, deathless.
Because you have kept my word about patient endurance,
I will keep you from the hour of trial that is coming on the whole
world, to try those who dwell on the earth.(Revelation 3:10) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yGi9PBUJwAg
Numerous proof texts and passages support a post tribulation/pre-wrath rapture.
The awful accusations Wilkinson levels at Joe Schimmel and Jacob Prasch are unsubstantiated; they are scripturally deficient, devoid of academic integrity, and spiritually toxic. He is embarrassingly guilty of the very accusations he levels at them i.e. dishonesty, false accusations, unsubstantiated myths and lies. We should not be surprised when Wilkinson's false words come back to bite him! (Galatians 6:7).
If Paul Wilkinson is so very confident about the pre-tribulation theory, then he should claim the $10,000 offered by Joe Schimmel to anyone who can show him one clear verse in the Bible that teaches a pre-tribulation rapture!
For they sow the wind, and they shall reap the whirlwind. The standing grain has no heads; it shall yield no flour; if it were to yield, strangers would devour it. (Hosea 8:7)
* Edward Irving published pre-tribulation teachings prior to Darby in his journal "The Morning Watch" (1830). It therefore appears that Darby was a plagiarist, and not the originator of the pre-tribulation theory. http://www.seeking4truth.com/john_darby.htm
