The Church in the West has largely been without persecution. There are two reasons why this might be:
After Christ's crucifixion, Christians were heavily persecuted by the Jews. Later, the Roman Empire began attacking Christians, throwing their children into the arenas to be eaten by hungry beasts while their parents were made to watch, among other things. Then, when the Papacy came to rule, for the next 1000 years Christians who opposed the Roman Pontiff were hunted, tortured, and put to death. Today, if you read Voice of the Martyrs or Gospel for Asia, you will find many stories of Christians being persecuted and put to death. Jesus said, "If the world hates you, you know that it has hated Me before it hated you" (John 15:18). Paul said, "All who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted" (2 Tim. 3:12). Persecution has always been a part of the Church and always will be; where persecution exists, the Church thrives. The Bible nowhere promises a "Great Escape." This is an arrogant presumption made by false prophecy teachers who are too cowardly to live out their faith (if they even have any) and experience persecution.
Are American Christians more important to God than African Christians? Chinese Christians? Russian Christians? Middle Eastern Christians? Many pew-sitters seem to think so. They will not say it in proper words, but it is a fair inference to make based on their erroneous extra-biblical beliefs. The "Rapture" is a recent doctrinal concoction. The Christian Church, for its first 1800 years, never taught or believed any such thing! The hundreds of thousands of great godly minds that the Church produced during these years, though they had read 1 Thessalonians 4 repeatedly, apparently failed to understand this important teaching about the so-called "Rapture." Dispensational theology is, at its foundation, conceited! It trivializes the sufferings of the early Church, as well as the Church in third-world countries.
Dispensationalism "...reinforces anti-intellectualism by its general indifference to serious engagement with culture. Put simply, it is a form of the earlier false polarization and shrunken pietism reinforced by a distracting preoccupation with the end times."1
It is high time that Christians woke up and left this aberrant theology lying dead in its grave—where it belongs! As Christians, we must reject anything that does not stand up to biblical scrutiny. This doctrine cannot be supported or substantiated in or by Scripture when proper hermeneutical reading and exegetical interpretation are applied. If all of God's people used the same hermeneutical principles, they would all believe the exact same thing. Plain and simple, the Bible does not support the concept of a "secret rapture" or "great escape." This false teaching and arrogant presumption needs to be repented of by God's people—immediately!
1 Os Guiness.
- God has protected the Church in the West so that we can give aid and comfort to those who suffer these persecutions, or
- We in the West do not really have any strong convictions about our faith and, therefore, our enemies are not threatened by our existence.
After Christ's crucifixion, Christians were heavily persecuted by the Jews. Later, the Roman Empire began attacking Christians, throwing their children into the arenas to be eaten by hungry beasts while their parents were made to watch, among other things. Then, when the Papacy came to rule, for the next 1000 years Christians who opposed the Roman Pontiff were hunted, tortured, and put to death. Today, if you read Voice of the Martyrs or Gospel for Asia, you will find many stories of Christians being persecuted and put to death. Jesus said, "If the world hates you, you know that it has hated Me before it hated you" (John 15:18). Paul said, "All who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted" (2 Tim. 3:12). Persecution has always been a part of the Church and always will be; where persecution exists, the Church thrives. The Bible nowhere promises a "Great Escape." This is an arrogant presumption made by false prophecy teachers who are too cowardly to live out their faith (if they even have any) and experience persecution.
Are American Christians more important to God than African Christians? Chinese Christians? Russian Christians? Middle Eastern Christians? Many pew-sitters seem to think so. They will not say it in proper words, but it is a fair inference to make based on their erroneous extra-biblical beliefs. The "Rapture" is a recent doctrinal concoction. The Christian Church, for its first 1800 years, never taught or believed any such thing! The hundreds of thousands of great godly minds that the Church produced during these years, though they had read 1 Thessalonians 4 repeatedly, apparently failed to understand this important teaching about the so-called "Rapture." Dispensational theology is, at its foundation, conceited! It trivializes the sufferings of the early Church, as well as the Church in third-world countries.
Dispensationalism "...reinforces anti-intellectualism by its general indifference to serious engagement with culture. Put simply, it is a form of the earlier false polarization and shrunken pietism reinforced by a distracting preoccupation with the end times."1
It is high time that Christians woke up and left this aberrant theology lying dead in its grave—where it belongs! As Christians, we must reject anything that does not stand up to biblical scrutiny. This doctrine cannot be supported or substantiated in or by Scripture when proper hermeneutical reading and exegetical interpretation are applied. If all of God's people used the same hermeneutical principles, they would all believe the exact same thing. Plain and simple, the Bible does not support the concept of a "secret rapture" or "great escape." This false teaching and arrogant presumption needs to be repented of by God's people—immediately!
1 Os Guiness.