Originally published in "The Lord's Coming Herald & Wesleyan Bible Prophecy Advocate," Summer Edition 1999
When Is Jesus Coming Back Again?
The Bible answer is very plain: "In
such an hour as ye think not, the Son of man cometh." Now this verse does
not teach "any-momentness," or the idea that Jesus could come out of the clear
blue sky at any conceivable random moment. Jesus did not say that he would
return "at any moment." He said, "In such an hour as ye think not the
Son of man cometh." The one phrases does not necessarily incorporate
the other.
The phrase "in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man
cometh" means "surprising unexpectedness"; it neither logically
implies, nor rationally necessitates, the concept of an any moment secret rapture.
By any-momentness, of course, most people mean the secret,
split-off pretribulation rapture of the Church. It is the secret, split-off
pretribulation rapture of the Church that is expected to happen "at any
moment." Such is the teaching of Darbyism, or what is better known as
dispensational premillennialism.
Tragically, much of the modern Holiness Movement is hung-up
in Darbyism, and finds it very difficult to get beyond the prejudices and the
preconceptions of that system to deal openly and honestly with what the Bible
really teaches. Our goal in this ministry is to move men's minds along in ways
that will disabuse them of the fallacies of Darbyism, while at the same time
helping them to understand the alternative biblical end-time scenario. In the
short-term this process amounts to an awakening. In the long-run it will lead us
to a reformation.
Put very simply, the biblical alternative to Darbyism is what
the mainstream of the Christian church has believed for eighteen-hundred years,
namely, that Christ will come in the end of the world to resurrect the dead and
judge all mankind. This "coming" will arrive suddenly and unexpectedly, like the
flood that destroyed the godless masses of Noah's day. It will be preceded by
the unleashing of Satan (II Thessalonians 2:3ff; Revelation 20:7ff), and a
massive judgment of the earth by fire (II Peter 3:7ff). All this in direct
response to men's sin and wickedness, because they have forsaken the truths that
would have led them to salvation and true holiness, a moral and social
righteousness that is the fruit of biblical redemption.
We are saying plainly, friends, that the out-break of
antinomianism (meaning, "lawlessness") across our land today is preparing the
way for judgment and the quite possible soon return of Jesus Christ. And how
does popular dispensational premillennial end-time Bible prophecy teaching fit
into this picture?
Methodist theologian Dr. Daniel Steele told us how
one-hundred years ago, when he wrote the book A Substitute for Holiness,
or Antinomianism Revived: The Theology of the Plymouth Brethren Examined and
Refuted. Steele's point was that Darbyism, if accepted in Wesleyanism,
would destroy the Wesleyan Holiness Movement. How? By subtly corrupting her
theology until it is completely subverted from its original vision, form, and
power.
Friends, a Wesleyan-Arminian Holiness movement that
repudiated the classic five points of hard-shell Calvinism in creed, has yet
fallen hard for every one of them in practice. How? By accepting dispensational
premillennialism, which, in its logical outflow, is the most consistent form of
ideological antinomianism ever invented.
You have to think to see this, of course.
And why not? What is there to fear in reason, if—as we
teach—our entire personhood can be sanctified wholly?
Our point in this article?
Our point is this: Jesus taught us to know that when the
world is deceived and unexpecting then He will really come to judgment. "When
we think not"--that is when we are not thinking in categories that the Bible
really teaches--something else has diverted our attention--something like a
"false end-time Bible prophecy worldview"--something psychological that will
create a huge gap between our knowledge and reality.
Darbyism has effected just that cleavage.
In principal, then, Jesus foretold us to beware of the likes of the teaching of Darbyism. It will create a problem with our understanding. And when men's understanding is blindfolded, his compass to reality is likewise ill effected. Opposite effects are produced by the teaching of Darbyism than what were originally intended--it has a moral paradox to it that is seen in a modern evangelical fundamentalist church-world that has gone utterly secular and worldly under its influence--in keeping with the "antinomianism," which is the true character of this system of ideology.
The ten virgins of Matthew 25 fell asleep at the midnight hour (something like dispensational false teaching gets a hold of them--is this a prophecy of this very last days phenomenon, or what?), and as a result,
half of them missed heaven.
What Jesus really means is "be awake"--not physically, but in
your mind and heart. If you do that you will never backslide. You will be
"ready" when Jesus comes, either for you in the article of your physical death,
or "on the last day" and "at the last trump sounding."
Related Article Links
The Bible Doctrine Of Christ's Return
What Is The Awakening Of The Midnight Hour?