CHRIS WICKLAND: RESISTANCE AND REVIVAL?

Time For Christians To Resist?

Chris Wickland recently came to my attention following the public reaction against King Charles III’s revised formulation of his role — retaining “Defender of the Faith” while also presenting himself as a "protector of faith within Britain’s multi‑faith society". Wickland’s subsequent protest outside Windsor Castle and his call for Christians to "resist", has prompted me to spend some time reviewing his teaching.1 This has left me with several concerns. I have included links at the end of this post that expand on the points summarized below.

Wickland is the pastor of Living Word Church in Titchfield and Bridgemary, Hampshire. A Pentecostal minister, he centres his work on prayer and revival. He presents himself as having a "prophetic" ministry and is active in the Living Word Church Network, an initiative aimed at planting churches across the south coast of England.

"Living Word Church Network is not a denomination but we hold to Pentecostal teachings. We believe in the Four Square gospel, also known as the Full Gospel. That is Jesus as Saviour, Jesus as Healer, Jesus as Baptiser and Jesus as soon coming King."2  

Red Flags

> The term “Four Square Gospel” originated with false teacher Aimee Semple McPherson during a 1922 sermon in Oakland and later shaped the identity of the Foursquare Church she founded in Los Angeles in 1923. Although the name is presented as drawing on biblical imagery of completeness from Exodus, Ezekiel, and Revelation, its doctrinal framing and historical associations are not something I would choose to identify with. 

> Wickland is ecumenical. Ecumenism treats doctrinal non‑negotiables as expendable in order to fabricate the appearance of unity. Anyone who does not abide in the teaching of Christ does not have God. (2 John 1:9).

> "Chris and Tracy Wickland and Congregational Pastors are Colin and Monique Gallaugher." Egalitarianism is unbiblical! 

> Wickland’s affirms the “five‑fold ministry”. The "five-fold ministry" is historically rooted in Latter Rain and Dominion Theology and was later absorbed into NAR hyper‑charismatic systems, where it functions as an extrabiblical, top‑down authority pyramid imposed on the church. The Greek of Ephesians 4:11–13 does not justify establishing a fixed, hierarchical five‑office governance model for contemporary church structures.

> Wickland asserts that biblical Tarshish should be identified with the United Kingdom and he uses that claim to argue that Ezekiel 38:13 places the UK outside the scope of Antichrist authority. The consensus amongst commentators is that Tarshish was located in the western Mediterranean, possibly Spain. It was known for its ships and trade. (Jonah 1:3; Isaiah 23:1). The mention of "all its villages" implies a network of trading communities.

 

Sheba and Dedan and the merchants of Tarshish with all its villages will ask, ‘Have you come to capture the plunder? Have you assembled your hordes to carry away loot, to make off with silver and gold, to take cattle and, to seize great spoil?’ (Ezekiel 38:13).

> There are several problems with the claim that Gog in Ezekiel 38-39 is the Antichrist. Those who teach that the Antichrist will be Islamic are in error for several reasons. One striking difference is that the Antichrist will be thrown alive into the lake of fire (Revelation 19:20), whereas Gog will fall and be killed on the mountains of Israel. (Ezekiel 39:4). 

> Wickland highlights reports of the Euphrates River drying up and connects this phenomenon to end‑time prophecy. This cannot serve as an eschatological indicator, since Revelation places the drying of the river within the bowl judgments—in other words, the Euphrates must still be present prior to that moment. The Euphrates has fluctuated for centuries. Modern fluctuations arise from dam systems, irrigation demands, and regional climate pressures. Treating contemporary water scarcity as prophetic fulfilment reflects interpretive error rather than responsible exegesis. Revelation 16:12 is an explicit prophecy, describing the river’s supernatural drying to prepare the way for the kings from the East and to initiate the gathering at Armageddon. (Revelation 16:12–16). Other passages—Isaiah 11:15, Jeremiah 50:38, and Jeremiah 51:36—use the image of the river’s drying symbolically to express judgment, desolation, and God’s sovereignty over nations.

> Wickland is an admirer of Charles Fox Parham. He recounts that, after praying about entering Pentecostal ministry, he interpreted the passing of a Parham‑branded bus as divine confirmation. This kind of interpretive reflex is characteristic of hypercharismatic spirituality. Anyone familiar with the documented history of Pentecostalism recognizes Parham as a racist and a cult leader.

John Collins: "Charles Fox Parham, often credited as a founding figure of Pentecostalism, was deeply entangled with fraud schemes, racial ideology, and extremist theology that shaped both his ministry and his legacy. His promotion of British Israelism, segregation, and apocalyptic communal experiments reveals a movement rooted not only in revivalism but also in white supremacy and exploitation."3  

> Wickland's recurring accounts of visions, angelic visitations, revelatory dreams and "words from the Lord", are, by definition, unverifiable.4  I have heard numerous similar narratives from figures such as Jesse Duplantis, Benny Hinn, Sid Roth etc. I treat such claims as non‑credible and categorize their proponents as individuals to be marked and avoided. (Romans 16:17-18). I have no doubt that the Lord can disclose things to His people, but such claims require testing. (1 John 4:1). I do not see that discipline operating within Pentecostal/charismatic environments.

Revival?

Wickland: "In 2018, I believe God gave me a significant prophetic word concerning the downfall of Theresa May, the unfolding of Brexit, and the restoration of some of Britain’s ancient spiritual paths, including the revival of monastic communities. Since then, I have received further prophetic insights regarding a coming revival. These speak of a move of God in the UK that will blend the ancient with the modern, that calls us to return to the old, sacred paths of Britain in order to safeguard our spiritual future."5

Monastic communities were never grounded in biblical practice, and any proposed blend of “ancient and modern sacred paths" is, at minimum, highly suspect.

Claims of a "great end-time revival" are extra-biblical constructions, not exegetical conclusions. The claim that scripture teaches an end‑time revival is unfounded; the biblical text provides no explicit support for such a doctrine. The dominant New Testament pattern points in the opposite direction: intensifying deception, apostasy, and judgment as the age closes. When challenged, Wickland simply goes into denial and presses on with his "revival" message regardless. 

Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and put you to death, and you will be hated by all nations for my name’s sake. And then many will fall away and betray one another and hate one another. And many false prophets will arise and lead many astray. And because lawlessness will be increased, the love of many will grow cold. But the one who endures to the end will be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come. (Matthew 14:9-14).

But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty. For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good, 4treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power. Avoid such people. For among them are those who creep into households and capture weak women, burdened with sins and led astray by various passions, 7always learning and never able to arrive at a knowledge of the truth. Just as Jannes and Jambres opposed Moses, so these men also oppose the truth, men corrupted in mind and disqualified regarding the faith. 9But they will not get very far, for their folly will be plain to all, as was that of those two men. (2 Timothy 1-8).

Is the rapture an afterthought?

Living Word holds a non‑replacement, premillennial position and rejects the pre‑tribulation rapture. These beliefs offer a corrective to erroneous frameworks such as amillennialism, postmillennialism, and the pretribulation rapture. However, Wickland's eschatology is problematic. He focuses on the resurrection of the dead, describing the rapture as an "afterthought".  

Wickland: "It is always the unrighteous being removed from the righteous not the righteous being removed from the unrighteous".  He refers to "one taken one left" This teaching is primarily located in Matthew 24:40-41 and Luke 17:34-36. These passages are often associated with the concept of the rapture, a future event where believers in Christ are taken up to meet the Lord in the air, as described in 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17.  In this view, those "taken" are the righteous who are gathered to Christ, while those "left" are the unrighteous who remain for judgment. The minority interpretation suggest that those "taken" are those taken in judgment, akin to the removal of the wicked in the days of Noah and Lot, while those "left" are the righteous who remain to inherit the earth. Wickland claims the Aramaic version of the New Testament implies a negative. The New Testament was primarily written in Greek with the earliest manuscripts being Greek. Although the Aramaic tradition is historically meaningful, it is not regarded as the original form of the text but as a translation derived from the Greek. The Greek manuscripts remain the most authoritative and widely accepted. When someone steps outside the primary textual witnesses to make a doctrinal point, it usually signals that the argument is being forced rather than grounded.

Noah was "taken" (he was delivered) in the arc before the wicked were destroyed. Similarly Lot was rescued by the angels before God's judgement fell on Sodom and Gomorrah. The Greek verbs paralambanō and aphiēmi support the consensus that those “taken” are gathered together by the angels for deliverance. (Matthew 24:31). paralambanō (to receive near, i.e. associate with oneself (in any familiar or intimate act or relation)"6  In this context, ἀφίημι is to 'leave alone'. The parable of the ten virgins also affirms that five are taken for deliverance and that five are left for judgement. (Matthew 25:10-12).

Bengels Gnomen: "Matthew 24:40,[1065] 41. Παραλαμβάνεται, is taken[1066]) sc. into safety, under protection; see Matthew 24:31.—ἀφίεται, is left) sc. in the midst of the dangers, whatever may occur.[1067]" 7

But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope. For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep. For this we declare to you by a word from the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. 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. Therefore encourage one another with these words. (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18).

Wickland's appears to believe the classic postribulation view which is problematic.8 The underlying issue is straightforward: believers accompany the Lord at Armageddon, which presupposes that their resurrection has previously occurred.

And this is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it up on the last day. For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.” (John 6:39-40, 44,54).

Posttrib interpreters correctly note that believers are raised on “the last day” (John 6:39–40) and equate this with Paul’s “last trumpet” in 1 Corinthians 15:52. The flaw is the assumption that Paul’s “last trumpet” corresponds to the seventh‑angel trumpet of Revelation 11:15. Revelation was not yet written when Paul composed his letters; therefore he cannot be referencing that later apocalyptic sequence. The more coherent textual link is Matthew 24:31, where the trumpet sounds immediately after the tribulation and marks the close of the age while still preceding the outpouring of divine wrath—the Day of the Lord.

Many interpreters fail to distinguish between tribulation (thlipsis) and wrath (orgé) in the book of Revelation. This distinction is exegetically indispensable. Thlipsis refers to the persecution unleashed by the Antichrist—the great tribulation (Matthew 24:21), whereas orgé denotes the outpouring of God’s wrath during the day of the Lord. Believers are explicitly informed that they are not appointed to wrath. (1 Thessalonians 5:9).

Revelation 6 makes this sequence clear: the day of the Lord begins only after the cosmic disturbances that follow the breaking of the sixth seal. (Revelation 6:12–14). This moment is defined by the declaration, For the great day of Their wrath has come, and who is able to withstand it? (Revelation 6:17). On this basis, prewrath interpreters argue that the rapture occurs between the sixth and seventh seals of Revelation. 

Several early documents including the Didache, Justin Martyr, and Tertullian confirm a prewrath rapture. The Didache specifically teaches that the Antichrist will appear prior to Christ’s return, at which point Christ will raise the righteous and deliver the faithful who have survived the tribulation from the divine judgment associated with the day of the Lord.9 

I have written a number of posts on this subject from a prewrath perspective. I also recommend Alan Kurschner's articles that specifically reference the weaknesses of the posttrib view.* 

A Gideon moment or a Hananiah moment?

Wickland cites Esther 4:14 - For such a time as this.. and the Gideon narrative in Judges 6:1–40 as rhetorical leverage for a call to “resistance” and a prophetic national revival. Peaceful resistance itself is not novel; it has always been the Christian mandate. The problem is that the churches have consistently failed, drifting further into apostasy; the present climate is a form of divine judgment. I remain cautious about sweeping “prophetic words” especially those offering national‑scale assurances. When such declarations collapse, the resulting disillusionment can be severe.

If Wickland genuinely believes that God will intervene and bring revival to the UK he must be certain that his prophecy is accurate — that we are not witnessing a Hananiah‑type moment of confident but unfounded assurances. Scripture consistently warns of significant end‑time apostasy rather than large‑scale revival, and that pattern should inform our discernment.

The public association between Bishop Cei (Ceirion) Dewar, Pastor Chris Wickland and Tommy Robinson, who presents himself as a recent convert, is well‑documented, including shared platforms and collaborative activity. My knowledge of Dewar is limited, but the available material indicates a confessional, exclusivist, anti‑ecumenical stance, with explicit rejection of mainstream Anglican structures and inter‑church cooperation. He also appears aligned with forms of militant Christian‑nationalist activism hence his association with Tommy Robinson.

The suggestion that believers should set aside theological differences and align themselves with Wickland, Dewar, and Robinson requires caution. Broad prophetic assertions about national revival demand testing and restraint. As 1 John 4:1 makes clear, not every spirit or proclamation is to be uncritically received without examination.

I would echo the words of Jeremiah.. Amen! May the Lord do so; may the Lord make the words that you have prophesied come true.. (Jeremiah 28:6).   

BUT - bearing in mind Wickland's poor theology and frequent suspect "words from the Lord" I am sceptical.

In that same year, at the beginning of the reign of Zedekiah king of Judah, in the fifth month of the fourth year, Hananiah the son of Azzur, the prophet from Gibeon, spoke to me in the house of the Lord, in the presence of the priests and all the people, saying, “Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: I have broken the yoke of the king of Babylon. Within two years I will bring back to this place all the vessels of the Lord’s house, which Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon took away from this place and carried to Babylon. I will also bring back to this place Jeconiah the son of Jehoiakim, king of Judah, and all the exiles from Judah who went to Babylon, declares the Lord, for I will break the yoke of the king of Babylon.”
Then the prophet Jeremiah spoke to Hananiah the prophet in the presence of the priests and all the people who were standing in the house of the Lord, and the prophet Jeremiah said, “Amen! May the Lord do so; may the Lord make the words that you have prophesied come true, and bring back to this place from Babylon the vessels of the house of the Lord, and all the exiles. Yet hear now this word that I speak in your hearing and in the hearing of all the people. The prophets who preceded you and me from ancient times prophesied war, famine, and pestilence against many countries and great kingdoms. As for the prophet who prophesies peace, when the word of that prophet comes to pass, then it will be known that the Lord has truly sent the prophet.”
Then the prophet Hananiah took the yoke-bars from the neck of Jeremiah the prophet and broke them. And Hananiah spoke in the presence of all the people, saying, “Thus says the Lord: Even so will I break the yoke of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon from the neck of all the nations within two years.” But Jeremiah the prophet went his way.
Sometime after the prophet Hananiah had broken the yoke-bars from off the neck of Jeremiah the prophet, the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah: “Go, tell Hananiah, ‘Thus says the Lord: You have broken wooden bars, but you have made in their place bars of iron. For thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: I have put upon the neck of all these nations an iron yoke to serve Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and they shall serve him, for I have given to him even the beasts of the field.’” And Jeremiah the prophet said to the prophet Hananiah, “Listen, Hananiah, the Lord has not sent you, and you have made this people trust in a lie. Therefore thus says the Lord: ‘Behold, I will remove you from the face of the earth. This year you shall die, because you have uttered rebellion against the Lord.’”
In that same year, in the seventh month, the prophet Hananiah died. (Jeremiah 28:1-17).

Wickland's self presentation as a "prophetic voice" for the UK is in my view both delusional and dangerous.

* Articles for Posttribulationism to Caonsider | Bible Prophecy Answers with Alan Kurschner

1. My Speech outside Windsor Castle. The Vexed Vicar
2. livingword
3. Charles Fox Parham: Fraud, Racism, and the Dark Origins of Pentecostalism - William Branham Historical Research
4. Witchcraft to Christ. The true story of Christopher Wickland
5. A prophetic word for Britain: Rediscovering the ancient paths
6. Strong's Greek: 3880. παραλαμβάνω (paralambanó) -- To take, to receive, to take along, to accept
7. Matthew 24:40 Commentaries: "Then there will be two men in the field; one will be taken and one will be left.
8. Rapture? End of the world and the apostate church
9. Microsoft Word - Prewrath - Early Church Fathers.docx

Further Information

The evangelist Sister Aimee McPherson was a fraudulent trickster – Historical articles and illustrationsHistorical articles and illustrations | Look and Learn
Women In Ministry Archives - BibleThinker.

The Five-Fold Ministry: How A Forgotten Idea Fueled The NAR | KCF | IHOPKC | Bob Scott | 560

One Taken and One Left Behind, and the Meaning of 'Where the dead body is, there the vultures will gather' in Luke 17:37 - Ep. 49

WOLVES IN SHEEP'S CLOTHING: FALSE PROPHETS AND BIBLE TEACHERS IN THE LAST DAYS: THE SEVEN YEAR TRIBULATION FALLACY

prewrath.pdf

The Islamic Antichrist Debunked | A Comprehensive Critique by Chris White

JD HALL: DISPENSATIONAL LEADERS CORRUPTION OF ZIONISM ?

Live with J.D. Hall - Is Your Church Part of the Israeli Political Influence Pipeline?

"In this in-depth conversation, Jeremy Slayden sits down with theologian and writer J.D. Hall to examine what they argue is a long-running influence campaign shaping modern American evangelical theology—particularly around Israel, Zionism, and dispensationalism. Hall traces his own journey from Southern Baptist pastor to outspoken critic of institutional evangelicalism, explaining how church growth strategies, donor money, and political ideology gradually displaced biblical theology in many churches.. 

The discussion explores how movements once considered fringe—such as dispensational Zionism—rose to dominance in the 20th century, and why many historic Christian theologians, reformers, and even America’s founders would have rejected modern claims about Israel being God’s continuing “chosen nation” apart from Christ. Hall also outlines why he believes social justice ideology and foreign political interests entered evangelical spaces through trusted theological institutions rather than overtly secular channels.

In the latter half of the conversation, the focus turns to Israel’s relationship with American Christians today. Hall argues that many prominent pastors and political figures now function less as Christian witnesses and more as ideological advocates, urging unconditional political, financial, and theological support for the modern nation-state of Israel—often without reference to the gospel of Jesus Christ. The episode challenges viewers to return to Scripture, test popular teachings, and reconsider long-held assumptions about theology, power, and loyalty."

Covenantal vs Dispensational Theology

Covenant theology took shape as a formal system during the 16th and 17th‑century Reformation. Dispensational theology arose in the mid‑19th century, chiefly through the work of John Nelson Darby in the 1830s–1840s. Both frameworks are therefore relatively recent theological developments, even though certain elements within each can be identified earlier in Christian history. The decisive point of separation between covenant theology and dispensationalism is their treatment of Israel and the Church: covenant theology collapses both into a single redemptive people, whereas dispensationalism maintains a structural, historical, and prophetic distinction between them. 

JD Hall reports that he grew up "loosely" within premillennial dispensationalism. His public theological commitments are now firmly Reformed, and he operates within a covenantal framework. He founded the platform later known as Protestia in the mid‑2010s under the original name Pulpit & Pen, with the rebrand to Protestia occurring around 2019. He now adopts an openly hostile stance toward dispensationalism, rejecting it outright and characterizing it as “poppycock” and “stupid". 

When asked why he changed his mind about dispensationalism he cited three passages: "God has a chosen nation, Who is it? He doesn't have two, He's got one.. Peter was talking to the church.. The bride is the church. Everywhere you look you see an affirmation of that.. Galatians 3 where the apostle Paul says it is those of faith who are the children of Abraham.. Romans 9 'not all of Israel are really Israel.." 

But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession, to proclaim the virtues of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light. (1 Peter 2:9).

You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed and heirs according to the promise. (Galatians 3:26-29).

For not all who are descended from Israel belong to Israel.. (Romans 9:6).

I have no problem with anything JD asserts so far. BUT, none of his assertions negates the legitimacy of God’s prophetic purposes for the Jewish people or for the land of Israel. 

Israel’s future repentance is a fixed element of biblical prophecy. Zechariah 12:10 and 13:8–9 describe a national turning to Christ in which a refined one‑third remnant is restored. Deuteronomy 30:1–6, Hosea 3:4–5, Hosea 5:15, Hosea 14:1–4, Ezekiel 36:24–28, Ezekiel 37:21–28, Jeremiah 31:31–34, and Romans 11:23–27 all present the same pattern: present unbelief, future crisis, national repentance, and final restoration under the Messiah. These texts collectively affirm that Israel’s current condition does not negate God’s promises, and that their future return to the Lord remains certain.

JD correctly notes that the Jewish people are presently cut off, yet Paul maintains that God retains the authority to graft them in again. Paul’s argument in Romans 11 is explicit on this point: And even they, if they do not continue in their unbelief, will be grafted in, for God has the power to graft them in again. For if you were cut from what is by nature a wild olive tree, and grafted, contrary to nature, into a cultivated olive tree, how much more will these, the natural branches, be grafted back into their own olive tree. (Romans 11:23-24).

Premillennialism was widely accepted doctrine of the early church. Key figures such as Papias, Justin Martyr, and Irenaeus were prominent proponents of premillennialism, i.e. they held that Jesus would reign for a thousand years before the final judgment:

1st–2nd Century (Apostolic & Sub-Apostolic Era) Papias of Hierapolis (c. 60–130) – Earliest recorded Christian to clearly teach a literal earthly reign of Christ after His return. Didache (late 1st century) – While not explicit, its eschatology aligns with an imminent return of Christ and a coming kingdom. Justin Martyr (c. 100–165) – Publicly defended premillennialism as a widely held belief among “orthodox” Christians.

Late 2nd Century Irenaeus of Lyons (c. 130–202) – Systematically connected Old Testament prophecies with a literal millennium in Against Heresies. Tertullian (c. 155–240) – Linked the resurrection of the righteous to a thousand-year reign before the final judgment.

3rd Century Hippolytus of Rome (c. 170–235) – Interpreted Daniel and Revelation literally, expecting a future Antichrist and millennial reign. Commodianus (mid-3rd century) – Wrote poetry describing the millennium as a time of peace and abundance.

Early 4th Century Lactantius (c. 250–325) – Gave one of the most detailed premillennial descriptions, portraying the millennium as a golden age on earth.

Shift in the 4th–5th Century Eusebius of Caesarea (c. 260–340) – Favored a more allegorical interpretation, influenced by Origen’s spiritualizing approach. Augustine of Hippo (354–430) – Popularized amillennialism, interpreting the “thousand years” symbolically as the present church age, which became the dominant medieval view.

Summary:  1st–3rd centuries: Premillennialism was common and often taken literally. 4th century onward: Allegorical and symbolic interpretations gained dominance, especially after Christianity became the Roman Empire’s official religion.

The Reformers introduced several important corrections, but their work was limited in scope, particularly in the area of eschatology. Their theological frameworks should not function as the controlling authority for contemporary doctrine. Our commitments are derived from scripture itself, not from figures such as Calvin or Luther. (2 Timothy 3:16).

JD’s discussion of alleged “dark money” influencing the Southern Baptist Convention and broader evangelical institutions raises a familiar claim: that wealthy donors and institutional elites are directing funds toward seminaries in order to steer future pastors toward culturally Marxist frameworks, with downstream effects on congregations. He cites Megan Basham’s Shepherds for Sale as reinforcing his view that the primary threats to doctrinal integrity are not external but embedded within seminaries themselves.

Jeremy Slayden’s observation is similarly diagnostic: believers often assume that a charismatic or seemingly upright figure on the platform must be delivering unfiltered truth, as though God would not permit otherwise. This naïveté—an uncritical trust in pastors and teachers—remains a significant vulnerability within the church. Confronting doctrinal error is costly, isolating, and often resisted, yet it is integral to genuine discipleship. (Matthew 16:24). Every New Testament book, with the exception of Philemon, warns explicitly about false teachers. (Acts 20:29; 1 John 4:1). The pattern is consistent: vigilance is not optional.

JD identifies 2006 as a definable turning point; a “reformed resurgence” that functioned as a corrective to dispensationalism and the widespread influence of the Scofield Reference Bible, whose ubiquity through Oxford University Press helped entrench Darby’s dispensational framework first articulated in 1821.

JD asserts that the State of Israel provides roughly $100 million annually to American evangelical institutions as part of a coordinated influence effort. He frames this as “Shepherds for Shekels”, suggesting that Israeli funding is used to shape a specific pro‑Israel narrative within US evangelicalism, positioning American Christians as a political protectorate for the Israeli state. I cannot independently verify JD’s claims, but this is the structure of the argument he sets out. As I listened, it clarified something I have long observed and found troubling, but have not previously been able to articulate: a directional agenda embedded within modern dispensationalism. Specifically, the pretribulation rapture doctrine, which is aggressively defended by figures such as Andy Woods, Lee Brainard, Paul Wilkinson, Jack Hibbs, and Amir Tsarfati. Their defense often relies on arguments that are methodologically unsound, selectively framed, or demonstrably inaccurate — including attempts to fabricate or misrepresent historical evidence in order to retroactively situate dispensationalism within the early church. JD’s thesis offers a coherent explanation for this pattern and accounts for the darker directional agenda evident within modern dispensationalism in a way that other explanations do not.

 

The pretribulation rapture doctrine remains the critical flaw within modern Zionist‑aligned evangelical systems. In this respect, dispensational teachers appear to function as political instruments, advancing an eschatological framework that is both unbiblical and strategically self‑defeating. Their teaching produces measurable harm for believers and for Jewish communities. The extreme position of John Hagee — that the gospel need not be preached to Jewish people — illustrates the doctrinal distortion at its worst. The challenge is to separate pretribulationism from the elements of dispensational theology that are biblically sound.

Further Links

*The Dave MacPherson Rapture Files Blogger: Posts

7 Pretrib Problems and the Prewrath Rapture (Full Movie)

MICHAEL GRANT AND THE PRETRIB RAPTURE

Will The Elect Be Deceived? End Times Study - Part 1

For false christs and false prophets will arise and perform great signs and wonders, so as to lead astray, if possible, even the elect.( Matthew 24:24). The question is not, “Can the elect be deceived?” That line follows Jesus’ prior warning, and the imperative is explicit: See that no one leads you astray. (Matthew 24:4; cf. 2 Thessalonians 2:3). Scripture places responsibility on believers themselves to remain alert, watchful, and resistant to deception. Jesus’ point is straightforward: vigilance prevents deception. This is personal responsibility, not an abstract claim that the elect are somehow immune by default.

Michael Grant (above) armed with his pretrib chart, not knowing that he has been sold a bill of goods. 

The casual way many pastors treat eschatological differences as relatively inconsequential is, in my view, reckless. Michael Grant’s “We can still be friends” sentiment is true at a relational level, but it does not diminish the seriousness of the debate. I regard this issue as critical and I could not sit under pretrib teaching or attend a pretrib church. I am persuaded that the pretribulation doctrine is a lethal error with potential devastating consequences for believers at the close of the age. Notably, Andy Woods and Paul Wilkinson—both aggressive OSAS and pretrib advocates—state explicitly that the rapture is not a secondary issue - they regard pretrib as "the blessed hope". 

Andy 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.."1 

 

I do not level this criticism against Michael Grant, but in a number of cases I have questioned the integrity of pretrib leaders.2 

Michael Grant believes that the apostasia (falling away) is already underway in our time. (Matthew 24:10). While I do not dispute the reality of contemporary widespread apostasy, Jesus’ teaching in the Olivet Discourse points to a specific, identifiable apostasia occurring at a defined moment within the eschatological timeline. Jesus specifically locates the apostasia as an event precipitated by the persecution that follows the onset of the birth pains. (Matthew 24:7–9). This corresponds to the abomination of desolation at the midpoint of Daniel’s seventieth week. (Daniel 12:11). Thus: “When you see the abomination of desolation standing in the holy place… then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains” (Matthew 24:15–16). Notably, Jesus directs this warning to His disciples i.e. believers.

The cosmic disturbances

Michael Grant is correct about the chronological linkage between 1 Thessalonians 4 and 1 Thessalonians 5, but he misidentifies the events. He asserts: “The rapture happens first, then the tribulation… Paul is connecting 1 Thessalonians 5 to the great tribulation of Matthew 24.” Michael Grant fails to distinguish between the great tribulation and the Day of the Lord. (1 Thessalonians 5:2). Exegesis requires a clear distinction between thlipsis (tribulation) and orgē (wrath), as reflected in Malachi 4:1; Zephaniah 1:7–18; 1 Thessalonians 5:1–11; and 2 Peter 3:8–13. The Day of the Lord is identified throughout scripture as God's specific wrath beginning with the trumpet judgements in Revelation 8 which are sounded after the seventh seal is broken. The ungodly anticipate God's wrath following the cosmic disturbances after the sixth seal:  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 6:15-17).

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).

Joel 2 describes the cosmic disturbances as happening before the day of the Lord.

The sun shall be turned to darkness, and the moon to blood, before the great and awesome day of the LORD comes. (Joel 2:31).

Now concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered together to him, we ask you, brothers, not to be quickly shaken in mind or alarmed, either by a spirit or a spoken word, or a letter seeming to be from us, to the effect that the day of the Lord has come. Let no one deceive you in any way. For that day will not come, unless the rebellion comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction, who opposes and exalts himself against every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, proclaiming himself to be God. Do you not remember that when I was still with you I told you these things? And you know what is restraining him now so that he may be revealed in his time. For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work. Only he who now restrains it will do so until he is out of the way. And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will kill with the breath of his mouth and bring to nothing by the appearance of his coming. The coming of the lawless one is by the activity of Satan with all power and false signs and wonders, and with all wicked deception for those who are perishing, because they refused to love the truth and so be saved. Therefore God sends them a strong delusion, so that they may believe what is false, in order that all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness. (2 Thessalonians 2:1-12).

There are not only substantial theological difficulties with the pretribulation rapture; this view is also plagued by significant historical problems.

In 2015, I encountered the research of historian and author Dave MacPherson (The Rapture Plot). Dave MacPherson’s staggering research documents the methodological problems in attempts to place pre‑tribulation rapture teaching before John Nelson Darby. He demonstrated that such efforts rely on historical revisionism and selective, decontextualised use of sources such as Morgan Edwards and Pseudo‑Ephraem. His work effectively dismantles claims of a pre‑Darby, pretribulational “left‑behind” eschatology prior to the Irvingite movement and Darby in the early nineteenth century. Dave and I became friends and he often sent me his articles to post on my blog. I am now in the process posting his work online for the benefit of those who are not aware of the history: THE DAVE MACPHERSON RAPTURE FILES Sight of MacPherson's research should be enough to send pretrib believers running for the hills!

I feel a pressing need to sit down with Michael Grant and work through this subject with him point by point. Being in the UK makes this impractical, but my hope is that he will reconsider his position and undertake further research and study. 

1. WOLVES IN SHEEP'S CLOTHING: FALSE PROPHETS AND BIBLE TEACHERS IN THE LAST DAYS: ANDY WOODS + PAUL WILKINSON: IS THE RAPTURE A SECONDARY ISSUE?

2. WOLVES IN SHEEP'S CLOTHING: FALSE PROPHETS AND BIBLE TEACHERS IN THE LAST DAYS: LEE BRAINARD AND TOM HUGHES: PRETRIB DISHONESTY

Further Links

7 Pretrib Problems and the Prewrath Rapture (Full Movie)
Bible Prophecy Answers with Alan Kurschner | Home | Bible Prophecy Answers with Alan Kurschner

ANDY WOODS: PRETRIB PRESUMPTION REVELATION 3:10

Andy Woods | A Closer Look at Pretribulationism and Revelation 3:10 | 2025

I know your works. Behold, I have set before you an open door, which no one is able to shut. I know that you have but little power, and yet you have kept my word and have not denied my name. Behold, I will make those of the synagogue of Satan who say that they are Jews and are not, but lie—behold, I will make them come and bow down before your feet, and they will learn that I have loved you. 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 3:8-10).

Revelation 3:10 reads: ὅτι ἐτήρησας τὸν λόγον τῆς ὑπομονῆς μου, κἀγώ σε τηρήσω ἐκ τῆς ὥρας τοῦ πειρασμοῦ τῆς μελλούσης ἔρχεσθαι ἐπὶ τῆς οἰκουμένης ὅλης πειράσαι τοὺς κατοικοῦντας ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς.

The preposition ἐκ, which denotes movement ‘out from within', frames the promise of deliverance from the ‘hour of testing’.

Peirasmou (testing) has a broad semantic range: it can refer to temptation, trials, or testing, and it can also describe what befalls unbelievers, including punitive judgment and wrath.

Importantly, Revelation 3 is not a rapture passage. The promise is directed specifically to the church in Philadelphia—the faithful church—and it is the only congregation to receive this assurance.

Andy Woods’ entire argument rests on the assumption that the tribulation is a seven‑year period—an error I have addressed repeatedly.* The pretribulation position collapses the tribulation and the Day of the Lord into a single seven‑year ‘tribulation period’, a conflation the text does not support.

Prewrath interpreters maintain that the church will be raptured before the Day of the Lord’s wrath, but not before the Antichrist’s great tribulation. Believers are promised deliverance from wrath—the ‘hour of testing’ (1 Thessalonians 5:9)—but not exemption from the Antichrist’s persecution of the church.

The decisive evidence for this interpretation is that the ‘hour of testing’ is directed toward those who dwell on the earth—that is, the earth‑dwellers, the global population. By contrast, from the midpoint of Daniel’s seventieth week onward, the Antichrist will dominate the earth and persecute believers. He and his hordes will not be subject to God’s wrath until the end of the tribulation, when the Day of the Lord is enacted through the trumpet and bowl judgments, culminating in Armageddon.

Immediately after the tribulation (θλῖψιν) 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).

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 (orgēs) has come, and who can stand?” (Revelation 6:12-17).

2 Peter 2 likewise distinguishes the rescue of the righteous from the subsequent judgment that falls on the wicked.

For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but cast them into hell and committed them to chains of gloomy darkness to be kept until the judgment; if he did not spare the ancient world, but preserved Noah, a herald of righteousness, with seven others, when he brought a flood upon the world of the ungodly; if by turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah to ashes he condemned them to extinction, making them an example of what is going to happen to the ungodly; and if he rescued righteous Lot, greatly distressed by the sensual conduct of the wicked (for as that righteous man lived among them day after day, he was tormenting his righteous soul over their lawless deeds that he saw and heard); then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trials, and to keep the unrighteous under punishment until the day of judgment, and especially those who indulge in the lust of defiling passion and despise authority. (2 Peter 2:4-9).

* WOLVES IN SHEEP'S CLOTHING: FALSE PROPHETS AND BIBLE TEACHERS IN THE LAST DAYS: THE SEVEN YEAR TRIBULATION FALLACY

7 Pretrib Problems and the Prewrath Rapture (Full Movie)

PAUL WILKINSON: DUMBING DOWN THE RAPTURE

The Simple Truth About the Rapture | Paul Wilkinson | Prophecy Watchers

It is difficult to see how Paul Wilkinson expects discerning viewers to take his contribution seriously when he chooses to appear as a guest on Prophecy Watchers with Gary Stearman. The ministry has accumulated substantial criticism: its heavy commercialisation, its constant product‑driven framing, its acquisition of a former TBN studio, and its self‑promotion through associations with networks like TBN, Daystar, CTN, and Cornerstone. Prophecy Watchers itself highlights these network connections as ministry “breakthroughs", presenting the TBN building purchase and Daystar acceptance as divine endorsements rather than routine media expansion. The platform is also widely perceived as excessively commercial, with nearly every teaching segment tied to DVDs, books, bundles, subscriptions, or “ministry support” packages, creating a closed loop where theological claims feed product sales. External observers echo this perception, describing the ministry as a money‑making scheme with paywall‑adjacent practices.1 In addition, Prophecy Watchers regularly features teachers whose doctrines are considered highly questionable in many conservative theological circles. Wilkinson’s appearance suggests that, for him, alignment on pretribulation eschatology overrides concerns about commercialisation, doctrinal instability, or platform credibility.

Now concerning the times and the seasons, brothers, you have no need to have anything written to you. For you yourselves are fully aware that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. While people are saying, “There is peace and security,” then sudden destruction will come upon them as labor pains come upon a pregnant woman, and they will not escape. But you are not in darkness, brothers, for that day to surprise you like a thief. For you are all children of light, children of the day. We are not of the night or of the darkness. So then let us not sleep, as others do, but let us keep awake and be sober. For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk, are drunk at night. But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, having put on the breastplate of faith and love, and for a helmet the hope of salvation. For God has not destined us for wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us so that whether we are awake or asleep we might live with him. Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing. (1 Thessalonians 5:1-10)

Wilkinson: "Paul is giving comfort to God's people, which is why Paul says in verse 18 at the very end, 'encourage one another. Comfort one another with these words'. Not 'scare the living daylights out of each other' as many in the church are doing with their tribulationism, but 'comfort, encourage one another.'"

The phrase “peace and security” is not a rapture marker; it is a Day‑of‑the‑Lord marker. It signals the shift from thlipsis (tribulation) to orgē (wrath). Believers are not appointed to wrath, but they will experience the tribulation. (Matthew 24:8,21, 29; Revelation 6:17; 12:17). Wilkinson collapses the distinction between thlipsis and orgē, yet scripture maintains that distinction with clarity.

It is the duty of every responsible interpreter to warn believers about the coming tribulation, not to give them emotional platitudes and false hope. We comfort one another with our ultimate hope, but there will be tribulation, both in the general sense and also in the ultimate sense, before the day of the Lord. Pretrib interpreters fail to prepare believers for this difficult time.

Wilkinson: "I believe this is pertinent to the church with all the talk of tribulationalism. 'You are going to go halfway through it, you are going to five-sevenths of the way through it, you are going to go all the way through it.. or there is no rapture.. we are in it now.' 'But I fear, lest somehow, as the serpent deceived Eve, so your minds might be corrupted from the simplicity (ἁπλότης) that is in Christ'  (2 Corinthians 11:3 NKJV). What does Satan want to do? He wants to complicate, he wants to confuse.."

Scripture explicitly places the rapture after the breaking of the sixth seal. (Revelation 6:17; Matthew 24:29–31). This is not an invention of prewrath interpreters, nor is it speculation. It is the plain sequence given in the text. Wilkinson doesn't engage in any technical discussion with the prewrath position; he simply lobs ad hominem attacks and mocks the word of God. 

But I am afraid that as the serpent deceived Eve by his cunning, your thoughts will be led astray from a sincere and pure (ἁπλότης) devotion to Christ. (2 Corinthians 11:3). 

The Greek noun ἁπλότης is translated in several ways across the lexicons. Although the NKJV and some other versions render it as “simplicity",  the term does not mean simplicity in the sense of something reduced, basic, or intellectually minimal. According to Strong’s, it derives from ἁπλοῦς and carries the sense of singleness — subjectively, sincerity without duplicity or self‑interest; objectively, generosity expressed in open‑handed giving.2 The core idea is an undivided, straightforward purpose that manifests as transparent sincerity and liberal generosity, not a call to simplistic thinking.

Wilkinson’s appeal to the “simplicity of the rapture”, combined with his assertion that he wrote his book for the Gypsy church because they are largely uneducated, functions as a calculated exploitation of a vulnerable population. He identifies those least equipped to resist him as the most suitable recipients of his claims. The same pattern is visible among Prophecy Watchers viewers, whose lack of discernment leaves them equally exposed. His dubious doctrinal assertions are funnelled toward those he presumes cannot test or critically evaluate anything he says. (1 John 4:1). Scripture repeatedly warns believers not to remain simple‑minded (naive) but to pursue understanding. (Proverbs 8:5; 9:4, 2 Timothy 2:15, etc.).* Peter explicitly acknowledges that some of Paul’s writings are hard to understand and are twisted by the ignorant and unstable to their own destruction. (2 Peter 3:16). In other words, not everything is simple, and responsible interpretation requires effort, study, and discernment. This does not require academic training, but it does require a deliberate willingness to seek understanding from the Lord — a request He answers when believers genuinely desire discernment. Wilkinson’s model bypasses this biblical expectation and instead treats doctrinal “simplicity” as a virtue, though scripture never does. Scripture teaches that spiritual truth is spiritually discerned, but this does not create an intellectual hierarchy or endorse a passive, unquestioning faith. It means the Spirit grants understanding as believers engage, examine, and think. No group is exempt from this responsibility, whether educated or not. Wilkinson’s effort to package the pretribulation rapture as a “simple” doctrine for an allegedly vulnerable audience does not shield them; it leaves them exposed to error with serious—potentially catastrophic—consequences. (Matthew 24:10).

Wilkinson says, “The rapture is not about a doctrine as such; it is about a Person… the Person of the rapture.” He is correct in principle, yet it is striking that when the disciples asked Jesus about the signs of His coming and the end of the age, His first response was a warning: See that no one leads you astray. (Matthew 24:4). In other words, devotion to the Person does not negate the need for doctrinal clarity or vigilance against deception.

In technical terms, the rapture occurs between the sixth and seventh seals of Revelation. Since no one knows the day or the hour, this is the only biblically responsible approximation available. To dismiss or mock what God has explicitly revealed about the timing of the rapture is not a minor offence; Wilkinson will ultimately answer for his contemptuous rejection of this clear biblical assertion. As I have repeatedly argued, those who ignore the scripture's explicit warnings about the tribulation will be disoriented and unprepared when confronted with the persecution of the Antichrist. Teachers like Wilkinson function as modern Hananiah figures—false prophets who refuse to rightly divide the word of truth and who cultivate false hope rather than sober readiness. (2 Timothy 2:15; Jeremiah 15:1–16).

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).

Now concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered together to him, we ask you, brothers, not to be quickly shaken in mind or alarmed, either by a spirit or a spoken word, or a letter seeming to be from us, to the effect that the day of the Lord has come. Let no one deceive you in any way. For that day will not come, unless the rebellion comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction, who opposes and exalts himself against every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, proclaiming himself to be God. Do you not remember that when I was still with you I told you these things? (2 Thessalonians 2:1-5).

1. Prophecy watchers-cult? : r/cults

2. Strong's Greek: 572. ἁπλότης (haplotés) -- Simplicity, sincerity, generosity, liberality

7 Pretrib Problems and the Prewrath Rapture (Full Movie)

Microsoft Word - Imminency versus Prophecy 3.7.doc

* Topical Bible: Simple-minded

CHRIS QUINTANA: WHITEWASHING CHUCK SMITH

Did Chuck Smith Make a False Prophecy? Here's What Scripture Says

Above: Chris Quintana's defence of Chuck Smith and his prediction that the rapture would occur in 1981 due to a misunderstanding of "this generation" in Matthew 24:34.

Chris Quintana spent several minutes insisting that Smith’s prediction was not a “Thus saith the Lord” prophecy—in other words, it was not a direct revelation from God. That distinction functions as an excuse, but it does not resolve the issue. Date‑setting is inherently reckless, and Calvary Chapel has been trying to defend Smith’s misstep ever since. Quintana’s approach feels like an attempt to whitewash a serious error—one that Smith never explained, never corrected, and never owned publicly.

Chuck Smith "I believe that the generation of 1948 is the last generation. Since a generation of judgment is forty years and the Tribulation period lasts seven years, I believe the Lord could come back for His Church any time before the Tribulation starts, which would mean anytime before 1981.

..However, it is possible that Jesus is dating the beginning of the generation from 1967, when Jerusalem was again under Israeli control for the first time since 587 B.C. We don’t know for sure which year actually marks the beginning of the last generation.”

“If the generation begins in 1967 instead of 1948, the timeline shifts, but the expectation remains within that window.” (1967 variant). pp. 35–36 of Chuck Smith’s 1978 booklet End Times. 

Smith’s 1981 rapture prediction was not an isolated remark; he repeated it in print, including in Future Survival (1973) and Snatched Away (1976), as documented by Calvary Chapel Wiki’s entry on the 1981 prediction.1  

People who acknowledge their mistakes demonstrate genuine integrity—something vital for all believers, but especially influential Bible teachers who carry public trust. Refusal to admit error is driven by fleshly impulses: fear of consequences and the instinct to preserve one’s image. Scripture offers no justification for either. Chuck Smith should have addressed his error publicly, but he chose not to. It is neither wise nor honest to excuse this or to attempt to sanitise his legacy by glossing over it.

Addressing the question: "this generation"

In Matthew 24:34, “this generation” is usually explained in one of three ways.

1. Preterist: Jesus is referring to His contemporaries.

2. Futurist: A future “fig tree generation”—the group alive when the end‑time events begin will live to see them completed.

3. Corporate Israel: “Generation” refers to Israel as a persistent, covenant‑breaking people, echoing Isaiah 6 and the recurring biblical theme of Israel’s resistance to God and rejection of the Messiah until the end of the age.

I find myself resonating with the third view, especially after hearing Peter Goeman’s argument.*

Further Concerns

Chuck Smith was ecumenical and made the unequivocal assertions that Roman Catholics are Christians! In his book, Answers For Today (1993), he made the following ecumenical statement:

"We should realize that we're all part of the Body of Christ and that there aren't any real divisions in the Body. We're all one. What a glorious day when we discover that God loves the Baptists! -- And the Presbyterians, and the Methodists, and the Catholics. We're all His and we all belong to Him. We see the whole Body of Christ, and we begin to strive together rather than striving against one another" (p157). (emphasis mine).

On another occasion, Smith stated unequivocally that Roman Catholics are Christians: "I had a cousin who was a mother superior in the Catholic Church and she was just a wonderful Christian. I loved her and we had great conversations together and I didn't try to convert her from Catholicism, nor did she try to convert me into becoming a Catholic.. it is just we both recognise that we had the same Lord and the same faith and so forth.." He goes on to say that the differences between Christians and Catholics are not that great - his conclusion: "Catholics are basically Christians too." 2  

Apart from Smith's false rapture prediction and ecumenism, he regularly appeared on the apostate TV network TBN. False teacher Paul Crouch referred to Smith as a "dear friend" after his death.3 Smith was also a "good friend" of false teacher Rick Warren. Friendships and associations with deceivers such as Paul Crouch and Rick Warren should be unacceptable to any believer committed to biblical integrity.

Smith also continued to sanction the ministry of his close associate, Don Stewart, after his adultery. Don Stewart left his wife and two teenage daughters for no good reason and married another woman in 2011. (Matthew 19:19).4 Smith and Stewart had a long association going back to the early days of Calvary Chapel at Costa Mesa, and they jointly hosted Pastors Perspective for a number of years. Don Stewart continues a high-profile ministry in association with Calvary Chapel despite being an adulterer! He is another "prophecy expert" and false teacher who relentlessly promotes the pretrib rapture error.

Chuck Smith, Paul Cain and the Branham Movement

John Collins, founder of William Branham Historical Research and the Leaving the Message YouTube channel, has documented extensive, verifiable connections between Chuck Smith and Paul Cain, whose ministry is explicitly framed as a continuation of Branham‑style, Latter Rain‑adjacent revivalism. Smith’s early ministry context placed him within the same networks. Collins has published evidence of a 1989 confrontation involving Paul Cain, Chuck Smith, and Jack Deere, following Smith’s public exposure of Cain’s homosexuality, high-flying lifestyle, financial misconduct, and fraudulent spiritual gifts. During that meeting, Cain warned Smith that “certain things could come out”, a statement Cain himself acknowledged as “spiritual blackmail”. Smith subsequently backed down, issued a public apology, and retracted his accusations.5

John Collins links this event to the rise of "cover-up culture" within Charismatic Christianity, and he asks some very pertinent questions: "And they (the allegations) would have caused Paul Cain severe damage to his ministry, and I don't know that he really would have recovered from this. And again, look at this intersection in time. Had Paul Cain been stopped, then would there have been an IHOP KC, if not an IHOPKC, how far would the NAR have developed with its seven mountains mandate agenda?"6 

 

In 2004 Cain admitted to being an alcoholic and a homosexual and agreed to a process of restoration.6 

Chuck Smith's theological departures are too substantial to minimise or whitewash. His date setting, ecumenism and associations with dubious figures such as Paul Cain represent serious breaches; they are not peripheral missteps. This pattern indicates his willingness to subordinate scripture when it conflicted with his objectives.

I value Chris Quintana’s ministry and regularly listen to his verse‑by‑verse teaching on YouTube. Even so, his loyalty to Chuck Smith is misplaced and contradicts the scriptures. Calvary Chapel’s commitment to the pretribulation rapture introduces yet another significant doctrinal problem, deepening the already‑troubling theological legacy associated with Smith. Chris Quintana would be well advised to reconsider his alignment with Smith and engage honestly with the documented evidence.

*   (543) 144: Defining "This Generation" in Matthew 24 with Dr. Peter Goeman - YouTube

1. Calvary Chapel Wiki / 1981

2. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nc9bNm62SCU

3.  https://www.tbn.org/press-releases/dr-paul-crouchs-statement-passing-pastor-chuck-smith

4. http://scatteredsheepreport.blogspot.com/2012/01/january-20-2012-show-my-perspective-on.html 

5. paul_cain_blackmails_chuck_smith_jack_deere_1989-10-09.pdf

6. Chuck Smith and the Rise of Cover Up Culture in Charismatic Christianity | 545

Further Links

http://calvarychapel.pbworks.com/w/page/. /1981 

Chuck Smith - William Branham Historical Research

7 Pretrib Problems and the Prewrath Rapture (Full Movie)

PAUL WILKINSON: PRETRIB RAPTURE UNDER ATTACK

The Rapture Is Under Attack… Here’s Why | Dr. Paul Wilkinson

In the above video, Paul Wilkinson explains that the inspiration for his latest book emerged in 2022, after a young minister in an evangelical Gypsy church asked him to provide evidence that the church does not go through the tribulation.

Brandon Holthaus: "The rapture comes under a lot of attack, and in the last five years.. it has been just viciously attacked, unlike I have ever seen. I mean, to the point that they call it 'cultic', they call it 'hasty theology', 'this is John Darby making up stuff', even saying 'this is a Zionist movement'... Why do you think, in your opinion, the rapture is being attacked like this?" 

Paul Wilkinson: "I think because this is what the apostle called 'our blessed hope'. Titus 2:13. That is the hope of every true born-again, spirit sealed, believing Christian that makes up the body of Christ, the bride of Christ, that at any moment our Lord Jesus, our heavenly bridegroom is coming to catch us away and our salvation is going to be completed through the redemption of our bodies. And so it makes absolute sense that Satan, our adversary, the accuser of the brethren, who hates God, hates the Lord Jesus, that he would do everything in his power, his limited power, to rob the church of her blessed hope, to distract the church, to confuse the church, to get the church fighting against one another.

The “blessed hope” expresses the believer’s expectation of final redemption at Christ’s second coming. The “glorious appearing” is understood as a reference to the rapture. (Matthew 24:30; Revelation 1:7). The two descriptions belong together, pointing to a single, simultaneous event that marks the Parousia. Unlike Wilkinson and other pretrib proponents who regard the Parousia as a two-stage event, prewrath proponents view the rapture and the resurrection as the initial event that will happen when Christ's Parousia begins. This can be demonstrated in various passages of scripture, e.g. 1 Corinthians 15:51, 1 Thessalonians 4:15–18, 2 Thessalonians 2:1, Matthew 24:27–3.1  Titus 2 connects the expectation of Christ’s return with a call to godly living, as does Hebrews 10:24–25. Titus 2—and scripture as a whole—does not present Christ’s appearing (the rapture) as an imminent event. 

Wilkinson: "The Daniel 9 prophecy is the clearest statement as to why we will not pass through the tribulation, because you get the tribulation defined as a seven-year period, the 70th week of Daniel's prophecy. And the angel Gabriel on behalf of Almighty God says, 'This period of 70 weeks or seventy sevens, including the final seven, the final seven years, is for your people, Daniel, and your holy city, which is Jerusalem, the Jewish people and the city of Jerusalem.' And then Gabriel makes it very clear what the purpose is to put an end to their sin and transgression. 

No interpreter with intellectual honesty can exegete Daniel 9 and extract a seven‑year tribulation from the text.  

Seventy weeks are decreed for your people and your holy city to stop their transgression, to put an end to sin, to make atonement for iniquity, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up vision and prophecy, and to anoint the Most Holy Place.
Know and understand this: From the issuance of the decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem until the Messiah, the Prince, there will be seven weeks and sixty-two weeks. It will be rebuilt with streets and a trench, but in times of distress.
Then after the sixty-two weeks the Messiah will be cut off and will have nothing. Then the people of the prince who is to come will destroy the city and the sanctuary. The end will come like a flood, and until the end there will be war; desolations have been decreed. And he will confirm a covenant with many for one week, but in the middle of the week he will put an end to sacrifice and offering. And on the wing of the temple will come the abomination that causes desolation, until the decreed destruction is poured out upon him. (Daniel 9:24-27).

Seventy weeks represent 490 years (70 × 7). The sixty‑nine weeks conclude with the death of Jesus Christ — “the Messiah will be cut off and will have nothing.” This leaves the final seven‑year period, the last “week". That week is marked by “a covenant with many", understood as an agreement between the Antichrist and Israel. Biblically, a covenant is a binding agreement or contract; it does not state or even imply the tribulation, and in fact suggests the opposite. Although the text does not specify the covenant’s content, only that it is “confirmed” or “made strong” for seven years, the one detail that can be inferred is that the Mosaic temple sacrifices and offerings are reinstated as part of it.

The midpoint of the seventieth week is the decisive turning point: the covenant is broken, sacrifice and offering are halted, and the abomination of desolation is set in place. Pretrib teachers such as Wilkinson have been repeatedly reminded that the period of the great tribulation is 3.5 years — “cut short” (Matthew 24:22). 

Wilkinson goes on to point out that theology was distorted by certain influential early church fathers and later reinforced during the Reformation. He observes that we have inherited a legacy of presuppositional theology and long‑standing distortions rooted in tradition rather than scripture. Consequently, Israel is dismissed, and the unbiblical claim that the church is the continued Israel has become the dominant position within many denominations. I agree that the Reformation ultimately distorted Christian soteriology and replaced the early church’s premillennial expectation with allegorised eschatological systems such as amillennialism and postmillennialism—positions that diverge sharply from the outlook of first‑century believers. 

While I share Wilkinson’s concerns about what I regard as "stunted theology" within certain Protestant denominations, I would point out that pretribulationalism is equally constrained by its own presuppositional framework—particularly the innovations introduced by John Nelson Darby, whose nineteenth‑century systematisation did much to entrench the pretrib rapture as a normative expectation. In practice, pretribulationalists have hindered sound premillennial eschatology by attaching it to a non‑biblical “left behind” narrative that many critical thinkers have dismissed and ridiculed as a theological train wreck. The early church consistently affirmed premillennialism but did not teach pretribulationism. Nevertheless, persuading committed pretribulationists of this distinction remains challenging, even in the face of compelling scriptural evidence. Prewrath teachers often struggle to have their material assessed fairly, because they are frequently viewed as adjacent to pretribulationism—a perceived synthesis of pre, mid, and posttrib positions—and are dismissed under the same assumptions.

The Imminency Problem

Wilkinson quotes John 14 in support of imminency. Imminency functions as the central pillar of the pretrib rapture framework, and its advocates tend to filter nearly every doctrine through that lens. Wilkinson describes the rapture as a “signless event"; in other words, no prophesied events must occur beforehand. According to Wilkinson, nothing needs to happen first; the rapture could take place at any moment: "The rapture could be right now, before we even finish this interview".

Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe in Me as well. In My Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and welcome you into My presence, so that you also may be where I am. You know the way to the place where I am going. (John 14:1-4)).

Imminence is not actually stated in these verses; it has to be inferred. Additionally, the text itself does not teach a signless, any‑moment return.

Holthaus: "What does imminency do for the believer as far as sanctification is concerned?" Wilkinson's response was twofold. Firstly, he claims that imminency is an incentive to preach the gospel since "we may not get another chance". 

The mandate to preach the gospel is not grounded in any doctrine of imminency. Scripture presents the motivation differently: Christ desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth (1 Timothy 2:4). Wilkinson has attempted to attach imminency to the Great Commission, but that connection is not supported by the biblical text. The genuine urgency arises from human mortality—each person has only the span of their own life in which to respond. 

And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age. (Matthew 28:19-20).

Wilkinson: "Number two, you are the bride. So watch how you live. Don't get yourself corrupted by the world. Don't be slumbering and sleeping, but be alert. Be vigilant. Gird up the loins of your mind because the bridegroom is coming."

The motivation to live a godly life is the desire of genuine spirit-filled believers to pursue a lifestyle that aligns with the teachings and character of God. It is a relational response to God’s love as defined in the gospel; it is not a reaction to an invented doctrine of imminency. Wilkinson alludes to 1 Timothy 4, which concludes with the command to "keep a close watch on how we live". This chapter is based on the danger of being corrupted by false teachers; it is not about imminency. 

Keep a close watch on yourself and on the teaching. Persist in this, for by so doing you will save both yourself and your hearers. (1 Timothy 4:16).

Bible Hub: "Living a godly life refers to the pursuit of a lifestyle that aligns with the teachings and character of God as revealed in the Bible. It involves embodying virtues such as love, humility, integrity, and obedience to God's commandments. This pursuit is central to the Christian faith, as believers are called to reflect God's holiness and righteousness in their daily lives."2 

Wilkinson: "So to put the church absolutely right to put the church in the tribulation destroys imminency because the essence of imminency is you just don't know but it's at hand. It is at hand. It is so close. So I think you know with John chapter 14 when the Lord Jesus he doesn't teach the rapture but he introduces it. "  (21:00 mark)

The Greek verb ἐγγίζω (eggizō) means “to approach” or “to draw near.” It comes from the root ἐγγύς (engys) meaning “near.” According to Strong’s 1448, the verb consistently expresses proximity—coming close, being near, or approaching.3 It does not carry a technical sense of imminence, nor does it inherently communicate that an event could occur at any moment.

A responsible interpreter who prioritises accuracy over theological prejudice will not import the concept of imminence into a verb that does not contain it.

Furthermore, Luke 21:25–33 shows that specific, identifiable signs must occur before the event in question. 

And there will be signs in sun and moon and stars, and on the earth distress of nations in perplexity because of the roaring of the sea and the waves, people fainting with fear and with foreboding of what is coming on the world. For the powers of the eavens will be shaken. And then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. Now when these things begin to take place, straighten up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.

And he told them a parable: “Look at the fig tree, and all the trees. As soon as they come out in leaf, you see for yourselves and know that the summer is already near. So also, when you see these things taking place, you know that the kingdom of God is near. Truly, I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all has taken place. Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away. (Luke 21:25-33).day

The day of Christ  v The day of the Lord     

Pretrib interpreters identify "the day of Christ" (Philippians 1:6,10; 2:16) as the pretrib rapture, while reserving "the day of the Lord" for Christ’s return with His saints, when divine wrath is poured out. Alan Kurschner notes, however, that although the KJV reads "the day of Christ" in 2 Thessalonians 2:2, the earliest and strongest manuscript evidence overwhelmingly supports the reading "the day of the Lord".4 

Matthew 24 and Revelation 6 present the rapture and the onset of God’s wrath as posttribulational events occurring on the same day, both introduced by cosmic disturbances. Revelation 6 further locates the beginning of "the day of the Lord" after the opening of the sixth seal, at the close of the tribulation. The text itself establishes this sequence:

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).

And I watched as the Lamb opened the sixth seal, and there was a great earthquake, and the sun became black like sackcloth of goat hair, and the whole moon turned blood red, and the stars of the sky fell to the earth like unripe figs dropping from a tree shaken by a great wind. The sky receded like a scroll being rolled up, and every mountain and island was moved from its place.

Then the kings of the earth, the nobles, the commanders, the rich, the mighty, and every slave and free man hid in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains. And they said to the mountains and the rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of the One seated on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb. For the great day of Their wrath has come, and who is able to withstand it?” (Revelation 6:12-17).  

Joel 2:31 supports the prewrath position by showing that the cosmic disturbances occur immediately before the day of the Lord. The sequence is explicit: the signs in the heavens precede the onset of God’s wrath.

The sun shall be turned to darkness, and the moon to blood, before the great and awesome day of the LORD comes. (Joel 2:31 cf. Isaiah 13:6; Zephaniah 1:7,14).

The pre‑trib rapture view is emotionally appealing, but it does not align with the scriptural evidence. When someone persists in an interpretation that can be shown to be incorrect, the matter ceases to be merely academic; unless they reconsider, they will ultimately give account to the One whose word they are handling. (Romans 14:12). I recognise that the pre‑trib position is deeply ingrained for Paul Wilkinson and others, yet sincerely held beliefs must still be tested when they fail to match the testimony of scripture. For that reason, I appeal to Paul Wilkinson to re‑examine his position, turn from error, and rightly divide the word of truth. (2 Timothy 2:15).

Wilkinson urges pre‑trib believers to "stay away" from those who disagree with him and accuses them of "mishandling God’s word". That is a serious allegation—one he should first apply to his own view, given the identifiable weaknesses within the pretribulational framework. Charges of mishandling scripture carry real weight, and in this instance, the caution of 1 John 4:1 is more fittingly directed back toward him.

1.The Second Coming (Parousia) Begins with the Rapture | Bible Prophecy Answers with Alan Kurschner 

2. Topical Bible: Living a Godly Life
3. Strong's Greek: 1448. ἐγγίζω (eggizó) -- To draw near, to approach, to come near
4. Does the 'Day of Christ' and the 'Day of the Lord' Refer to the Same Event? | Bible Prophecy Answers with Alan Kurschner

Further Links

7 Pretrib Problems and the Prewrath Rapture (Full Movie)

Prewrath copy

WOLVES IN SHEEP'S CLOTHING: FALSE PROPHETS AND BIBLE TEACHERS IN THE LAST DAYS: THE SEVEN YEAR TRIBULATION FALLACY