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The thoughts that I am about to share with you are of grave importance, yet easily ignored. Many just simply don't want to face or talk about the reality of this subject yet none the less it doesn't change the reality of it. Christians should be the most honest people on the face of the Earth, yet we find ourselves being persuaded by the feelings and beliefs of others to the point that we allow ourselves to become dishonest. This can only bring problems and consequences that will only increase within the Church, the Body of Christ.

To be pre-tribulation, mid-tribulation or post-tribulation are decisions that we must make for ourselves. The liberty to make these decisions is something that every believer must have in order to follow the teachings of the Bible. Yet many pastors and leaders will not allow their congregations the freedom to do this. 1st Corinthians 14:29: Let the prophets speak two or three, and let the other judge. Do we allow this to happen? Since we believe that Paul was writing under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit then we must believe that what he is telling the Church is what God wants us to do. If God wants us to do this, then we must have the freedom to do so. Paul was telling us that if someone in the Church speaks to us under the inspiration of God, or we believe that they believe that they are speaking under the inspiration of God then we should listen, but not only listen but to judge what they have to say. How do we do this? With the Word of God, if the Word of God doesn't verify what is said then the teaching that we are receiving is probably not correct.

One of the things that has happened over the past several hundred years is denominational boundaries that have been created by men to protect their own denominational beliefs. Some of these beliefs are over a hundred years old. Martin Luther was considered a rebel when he broke with the Catholic Church and started what we call the reformation. Yet within our protestant beliefs we are as guilty as the Catholics for imposing beliefs and using peer pressure and non-acceptance as a tool to persuade others to believe the way we do. We do not give the Holy Spirit free reign to lead others or ourselves if we are not careful. I believe that we should give others room to study the Bible and be taught by the Holy Spirit. We should have foundational beliefs but when it comes to prophesy it should be an open arena for Bible discussion.

If you are not a pastor or minister with an organization you are probably not aware that in most organizations you must believe in pre-tribulation rapture in order to be ordained, to work in or receive a license with their group. Some in their local church covenants among the Baptists, Assembly of God and many others require this or you cannot be one of them. This would be understandable when it comes to basic church doctrine such as the trinity, grace, the preaching of the cross, the deity of Jesus and so forth, but over Bible prophecy? It's amazing! The book of Daniel is perfectly clear that it would not be revealed until the last days. Prophecy is a mystery and not basic church doctrine and should not be treated as such, God told us to individually judge it. Yet the major denominations have dug trenches and built walls around it. In the process they have made themselves to appear to be ignorant and uneducated in many cases.

John Hagee a great preacher that studied at Southwestern Bible Institute near Dallas preaches on a regular basis that an angel is going to preach the Gospel to the world in the last days during the tribulation. To believe this is as ignorant as believing that the world is flat. But, in order to maintain his past college teachings and in order to keep from losing his license he continues to hold to what he was told to believe and teach. He as thousands of other ministers are theological puppets and controlled by the organizations that they preach for rather than having the spiritual liberty to seek after the truth from their own hearts. This is found through the revealing of the Word of God. It is hard for ministers to depend on God when their income is threatened by not preaching pre-tribulation rapture. So it goes unchallenged and if they think about it they quickly push it out of their minds for fear of losing their jobs, etc. We need more people like Martin Luther in our time to help the Church in America find that they can serve Christ in the spirit of liberty rather than the spirit of bondage that is a chain to their organizational laws. It is just as binding as being under the Law of Moses yet they believe that they are free. We have not been free born until we are able to serve Christ from the heart and not serve the organization, especially when it goes against the grain of God's Word. This means whether we get paid for it or not.

The other chain to God's people in organized churches is the congregation it's self. People who read the book of Revelation and find that what they are commonly taught really has little basis fear to say anything because of the fear of rejection from the pastor and other members of the congregation. In questioning anything about pre-tribulation teaching they are quickly condemned by others as being a troublemaker or ignorant rather than being allowed to do any real study. So these thoughts are trampled under foot by many well meaning Christians that do not realize or consider that the Bible commands us to judge prophecy. We need to study the Bible for the truth and realize that we are not under bondage to believe that everything we have been taught in the past is necessarily true. Most organizational doctrines on the book of Revelation are over a hundred years old and were unrevealed at that time. There are many Christians that are not going to a local church sometimes wandering from church to church because of being rejected by other Christians. This rejection comes to them because of their desire to find honest answers. If not given the opportunity for true discussion then there is little opportunity for them to have any honest dignity or find any purpose for themselves. If they are to blindly accept everything that they are being taught by the organization then they become theological puppets just like the rest.

Any time prophecy teachings become locked up into church organizational laws it is almost impossible to discuss the validity of the teaching. Most organizations, ministers and congregations automatically challenge anyone who has questions, sadly not with proof but with scorn. Yet it is a strange thing that many make boast about pre-tribulation rapture being the most popular teaching on the subject of the rapture. How could it be anything else? If we go through personal rejection and criticism for searching for the truth then most of us retreat back into our shells of indifference. Charity goes out the window and walls are built. Am I offended? Hardly, I have learned to live with rejection, but many write to me about the offence. I am rejected by most of the ministers I know. Not because I don't believe that Jesus is the Son of God, or believe in grace, or don't believe in the blood of Jesus, or the trinity or that Jesus is deity, but because I have a different point of view in prophecy. It's ok with me. Is it ok with God?

I don't mind not being chained to an organizational theological point of view and that I am free to go to God to get the answers. I don't go to bed at night knowing that I have taught something that the organization requires rather than what I truly believe comes from God. Preaching the Word in my own local church and to those who are willing to listen is enough for me. When I die and go to face God with what I have openly taught to others it will be with good conscience knowing that it was not compromised by my desire to make a living or a name for myself. I would like to ask a question to other Christians about this subject, are you being honest with yourself? My prayer to God is that you are and that this writing will somehow change the way many feel about their brothers and sisters in Christ that desire to know more about prophecy. They deserve the right to know for themselves.

Your brother in Christ
Tommie Spurgeon