From little up, I have been taught that in the End Times, there would be a pre-tribulation Rapture of christians.  Lately, I have been reading internet articles by writers who believe that the Rapture of christians will be post-tribulation.  They quote many Scriptures that support their thinking.  Where are the Scriptures that support the pre-tribulation theory?  I am confused and disturbed.  Please help.

Sincerely,
Confused And Disturbed

Dear Confused And Disturbed,

You, like so many others, are a victim of incorrect teaching regarding the book of Revelation.  The Scriptures never speak of a “rapture” event.  Every verse that is used to talk about a millennial tribulation or reign of Christ is a warping and perversion of the Scriptures.  The book of Revelation was a vision given to the apostle John that concerned the things “shortly to come to pass” (Rev 20:1) and events that were “at hand” (Rev 20:3).  We cannot explain the entire book in a short post, but we can direct you to our sermons and classes on this topic.  We have an entire series on Revelation taught by one of the AYP preachers that you can download as an mp3 or listen to online.  We highly recommend that you take advantage of this to see the entire book of Revelation in its proper context.

As a christian living in America, shouldn't we be concerned about the increasing number of Muslims in our country?  I read somewhere that in twenty years there will be enough Muslim voters in the US to elect a Muslim president.  Makes me worry that the period of suffering might be right around the corner.  Do you have any thoughts on this?

Sincerely,
Counting The Days

Dear Counting The Days,

One of the most enticing and alluring propositions in the world of religion is to try and pin specific dates to unfulfilled prophecies.  Yet, in the end, that allure always ends up as a wild goose chase.  As we said in the previous post, we cannot be dogmatic on the exact meaning of “the little time” of Rev 20:3.  If we can’t be dogmatic on that, then we certainly cannot be dogmatic on when such a time period would begin.  All we know is that the Lord does not abandon His people (Ps 37:25).  The Lord commands that we not be anxious or worry because He will always provide for those who seek first His kingdom, the church (Matt 6:31-33).  Where the Bible speaks, we will speak, and where the Bible is silent, we will be silent… and in this, the Bible is silent.  We’ll leave the prophesying up to the Lord; each day has enough trouble of its own (Matt. 6:34).

I know slavery existed in the Bible, but does that mean it’s not wrong?

Sincerely,
Abolitionist

Dear Abolitionist,

The Bible does not ever directly condemn slavery, but it does condemn treating slaves like property.  In the Old Testament, God allowed a bankrupt Jew to sell himself as a slave to pay off his debts, however he was not to be abused or mistreated by his owner (Lev 25:39-40).  God reiterates this idea in the New Testament.  Slaves are to serve their masters loyally and faithfully (1 Tim 6:1, Tit 2:9).  Masters are to treat their slaves as fellow humans, without threatening or hurting them (Eph 6:9).  Masters are to be just and fair to their slaves (Col 4:1).  God never says it is wrong to have slaves, but He very clearly denounces the brutality that we often associate with slavery.  If a slave master lived as God commanded, he would treat his slaves as hired hands… and many christians did just that in the first century.

However, God does make it clear that being a slave is a less than desirable situation.  Slavery is a reality that exists within various parts of the world, so it must be dealt with from a Biblical perspective, but freedom is always a better option (1 Cor 7:21).

Is it just me, or is this (Best-Selling Bible May Get Gender Update – NYDailyNews) just plain ridiculous?  I hope I'm not the only one offended by people trying to inject political correctness into God's word.

Sincerely,
He, She, & It

Dear He, She, & It,

We have written before on the problems that can be found in the NIV version (read “New International Version” for more details).  Whenever translators begin to use their authority and position to alter God’s Word, there is a problem.  Changing the pronouns within the Scriptures to be more gender neutral is not a translation issue; it is a personal agenda.

We live in a world that is increasingly politically correct, even to the point of being ludicrous.  Unfortunately, this is another example of people using the translation of God’s Word as an opportunity to further their individual attitudes.  This is one more symptom that occurs when we are wise in our own eyes (Isa 5:21).

The Bible speaks of a ‘Mystery Babylon’ in the book of Revelation.  God says to "Come out of her my people lest you share in her sins, and lest you receive of her plagues."  Several people believe that this refers to America and that christians should flee.  One verse says that Babylon will be destroyed and the "light of her lamp" will shine no more.  Some believe this is in reference to the Statue of Liberty.  I've watched videos, researched websites and government documents, etc. and have to agree that it is compelling, though I don't want to be one of those that are deceived either way.  Should christians flee at this time?  If so, where should they go?

 

Sincerely,
Fight Or Flight

Dear Fight Or Flight,

America has definitely made some very immoral choices in the last several decades, but no matter how bad it gets – America isn’t Babylon.  The book of Revelation deals with events that the apostle John said would, “shortly come to pass” (Rev 1:1, Rev 1:3).  The book of Revelation is an account of trials that the first century church was about to face at the hands of Rome.  It is a book of prophecy that applied almost exclusively (except for the last two chapters) to the brethren of the first century.  See the posts “Left Behind” and “I Was Told There’d Be Dragons…” for more details.

The mysterious Babylon of Revelation is, in fact, Rome.  We could spend a very long time explaining this topic, but here are a few of the biggest reasons why Rome is Babylon.

1. Rome fit the time period of the book.  John was writing to christians that needed to prepare for a great persecution from a world power.  The world power of their day was Rome.
2. Peter referred to the city of Rome as Babylon in 1 Pet 5:13.  Almost all commentators agree that Peter is referring to Rome.  Babylon was a well-known term used by christians to refer to the city of Rome.
3. Babylon was a city that had killed prophets, apostles, and saints (Rev 18:20-21, Rev 18:24).  Apostles only existed in the first century, therefore Babylon must be either Rome or possibly Jerusalem… but definitely not modern America.

This is only a short list of the reasons that Babylon is Rome and not any modern city or nation.  The list is short for sake of brevity, not for lack of further evidence.  Suffice it to say, America is never mentioned in the book of Revelation.  There may be a time when christians need to leave this country… but you won’t find that time specifically laid out in your Bible.