Expert: Clifford H. Readout, Jr. - 4/16/2008

Question
My Pastor states he learned the pre-trib theory in Bible school hence thats what he believes although he cannot answer post trib questions and seems puzzeled at them. He now makes more statements of Jesus's immenant return although Christ and Paul both warned against this. " be not deceived by man "  Anyway I am a converted pre-tribber after much study...the last 5 years..  
 I was wondering what you are and does it matter to you.

Answer
Dear Keith,

This is one kind of question I normally would choose not to answer, preferring not to interfere with a pastor’s ministry to the congregation for which he is responsible. Nevertheless, I am going to answer your specific question because doing so may not pose a problem. I will ask you three questions first, though, and hope you will provide the answer to them for me.
1. “What difference does it make “what I am” and if this doctrine matters to me?
2. What texts do you think demonstrate a warning against the doctrine of the “imminent return of Christ”?
3. Is it possible that those texts apply to a time period after the “catching away of the Church” and warn against those announcing and promoting false Christs?

Are you saying that you are converted to or from belief in the “pre-tribulation rapture” doctrine?  If you find yourself disagreeing with your pastor’s teaching on the subject I suggest you go to him privately, entreating him as a father, but certainly not challenging him or rebuking him for error. He may be able to answer your questions with less difficulty than you imagine.  Be ready to ask specific questions about passages you think may indicate a different doctrine.

Now your two-part question:
1. “I was wondering what you are”
2. “and does it matter to you.”

1. I had the privilege of attending several “prophesy conferences” sponsored by a denomination. They brought several men known to be the best advocates of each of the three dominant “pre-millennial” doctrines, “Pre-Tribulation,” “Mid-Tribulation,” and “Post Tribulation.” Each teacher presented an listing of reasons why his view was correct, another of the errors of the other views, and all were given opportunity to answer the objections of the others.  I made a three-column written record of all of it, listing the points of each team in its own columns, and crossing out those that were answered by the other teams.  The only position that survived the process was the “Pre-Tribulation” doctrine.  Since then I have spent many years studying prophecy, and teaching it from time to time, as the Lord directed. I have discovered many other reasons to believe the “Pre-Tribulation” doctrine.

2. It does matter to me, but not quite enough for me to consider it a salvation issue in some cases.  I am convinced that the mid and post doctrines are seriously flawed, contradict some important Biblical concepts.  I am deeply concerned that the advocates of those positions violate several important rules of Scriptural exegesis. Nevertheless, there are issues I consider much more important, so I have chosen not to debate this issue, only teach about it from time to time as the Lord directs.

I look forward to hearing from you with the answers to the questions I wrote above.

Thanks again for writing.

Yours for Truth,

CR