During the time I pastored a small church in eastern Iowa, now just over forty years ago, the pastor of the Methodist church called and asked me to come to his office. When I arrived, I saw he had been studying More Evidence that Demands a Verdict by Josh McDowell. I remember that he asked me a few questions about the book before telling me that he was a pastor for twenty years before he became a born-again believer.
Last week, the Lord reminded me of his startling confession, and I began wondering what made the difference between knowing God’s Word and the arrival of saving faith. Surely he had often read the Bible and preached from it many times. The answer came as I remembered the book he was reading at the time, one that defended the veracity of Scripture. He now trusted its life-giving message, which led him to believing in Jesus.
Why is it that so many professing Christians refuse to believe the words of Scripture? Jesus said this in John 14:6, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” Despite the unmistakable clarity of His message, many insist that He isn’t the only path to eternal life. A well-known “evangelical” pastor teaches that God saves Muslims apart from their belief in the Savior. Why would he make such a statement that not only contradicts Jesus’ words but the entire New Testament?
Many Bible scholars, who are far more intelligent than I, read the same promises that the Lord made to Israel and teach that somehow they no longer apply to the descendants of Jacob. Despite their wealth of knowledge regarding Scripture and its original languages, they don’t believe what the Lord clearly says about the future restoration of Israel. Why is that?
Even fellow believers, who read the same New Testament that I do, ridicule the whole idea of a Rapture. I have heard several pastors, even those who had a solid grasp of the basics of the Gospel, deny that there is such a thing as the Rapture and preach that all believers will die before the Lord returns. They don’t believe what Paul wrote early in his ministry when he expressed his hope that he might be among the saints who would be alive at the time of Jesus’ appearing (1 Thessalonians 4:16-17).
Why do even pastors who claim that the Bible is inerrant go off on tangents that contradict the words of Scripture? I believe there are two key reasons for their unbelief.
A Refusal to Submit to the Words of Scripture
It remains a mystery to me why so many teachers of God’s Word submit to what it reveals about the saving message of the cross, yet refuse to do so when it comes to future things.
Instead of relying solely on what the Bible says about prophecy, many pastors and Christians adopt variant beliefs after reading books that contradict what the Bible says about the future of Israel. One pastor told me he adhered to the belief in a pre-Tribulation Rapture until he read two such books. Now he believes there’s no such thing. For him, human wisdom trumps all that the New Testament says about our future as believers.
During the past several years, I have crossed paths with many pastors and Christians who retrofit the words of Scripture to fit their own wisdom-based beliefs about future things. They say that the book of Revelation is either allegory, past history, or previously fulfilled prophecy up to the point of the White Throne judgment in 20:11. Reliance on their own insight blinds them to the most thrilling truths in all of God’s Word pertaining to our future as the redeemed. They refuse to accept the plain sense of Scripture.
Is it not this same form of unbelief that keeps many pastors from talking about what lies ahead for the saints and the world? They don’t believe that the Lord will honor a willingness to preach all of Scripture, especially such things as the Rapture or Millennium. Gifted preachers attract large numbers of people to their churches, resulting in multiple services and church plants. Their exclusive emphasis on this life, however, leaves their congregations in the dark regarding what lies ahead for the world.
Pride
Another primary reason that keeps many from submitting to the words of Scripture is something we all deal with on a daily basis: pride. It’s something that keeps many people from believing what theologian Jonathan Edwards said long ago, “You contribute nothing to your salvation except the sin that made it necessary.” Pride keeps them bound in their unbelief.
I have often witnessed the bond between pride and a refusal to believe what the Bible says about the Lord’s restoration of Israel and the Rapture. One pastor roared with laughter as I showed him the biblical basis for Israel’s future restoration as a nation. Is it not this same proud spirit that lies behind much of the mocking we endure because of our belief in Jesus’ imminent appearing?
Please know that I struggle with pride on almost a daily basis. I often need to remind myself that it’s only because of the Lord’s grace and great mercy toward me that I have a ministry of writing about our exciting and glorious future as New Testament saints.
In the months following my visit with the Methodist pastor, opposition surfaced in his church because he believed and preached the Gospel. Those opposing forces later succeeded in having him removed as their pastor. Many in his congregation proudly refused to submit to the words of Scripture and persisted in their unbelief regarding the saving message of the cross.
I know most of you experience rejection and ridicule because of your adherence to what Scripture teaches about the Rapture and the fast-approaching Tribulation period. But take heart; Jesus sees and will surely reward your perseverance and longing for His appearing (1 Peter 1:6-9; 2 Timothy 4:8). Perhaps soon, we will all be with the Savior in Heaven with glorified bodies.
