What’s the allure of the views of Bible prophecy that dismiss God’s promises to Israel and exalt the church as God’s kingdom on the earth? Why do many teachers go astray from what the words of Scripture tell us about our future as well as that of the world?
These questions again came to my mind after I received an email boasting that “dispensationalism is on the decline.” By that, the writer meant that many Christians are turning away from our belief in Jesus’ thousand-year rule on the earth. As evidence, he cited Kirk Cameron’s apparent switch from belief in a pre-Tribulation Rapture to the more popular Dominion Theology, which teaches that the church will usher in millennial conditions on earth before Jesus returns to the earth.
As I thought about the email heralding the merits of this variant approach to the end times, I began to see a pattern of why so many adhere to beliefs that deny Jesus’ imminent appearing.
It’s Popular
I responded to the email by stating that our beliefs are not a matter of what’s popular, but they must find their basis in the words of Scripture. Sadly, a great many churches adhere to the beliefs of Dominion Theology, namely that world conditions will get better, not worse. This viewpoint stems from the errant teaching that God has rejected Israel and the church is now God’s physical kingdom on earth, but takes it a step further by asserting that the church, not Jesus, will bring kingdom conditions to the nations.
Its adherents also claim that antichrist is not a person, but rather a spirit that the church will defeat.
The teachings of Dominion Theology do not match the words of Scripture, not at all. Paul referred to antichrist as the “man of lawlessness” (2 Thessalonians 2:3) and distinguished his person from the “mystery of lawlessness” that was already at work in the world in his day (and continues to our day). He also revealed that the Lord would “kill” him at “his coming” (2:7-8).
The Lord will end antichrist’s reign of terror on the earth, not the church.
Jesus warned His disciples that the world would “hate” them (John 15:18-25); He never promised that they or the church would win the world over to their side. The Lord told us to expect persecution, not applause.
It’s Experiential
When it comes to alternative beliefs regarding future things, human wisdom and experience play a significant role. The email I received mentioned a book, Victorious Eschatology. In the book’s description on Amazon, the author referred to his experiences that led to his passionate belief that the church would triumph over all the world’s ills.
Unfortunately, human wisdom and experience fueled by emotion lead many astray from the truth of God’s word. I remember watching a video of an author who described his personal encounter with God that led him to believe that everyone would someday receive eternal life regardless of what they believe or do. Sadly, his persuasive and passionate presentation likely appealed to many Christians who lack a basic understanding of the Bible.
Is it not the same with cults and false religions? They often start with someone claiming to have an encounter with God through which they received special revelation that negates the clear teachings of God’s Word.
My belief in Jesus’ imminent appearing is deeply personal. I can relate several stories, some emotionally charged, of how the Lord used my beliefs to comfort and encourage me in the darkest of times. However, that is most definitely not why I’m convinced Jesus is coming to take us to glory before the start of the Tribulation. I believe what I do about the Rapture and its timing because the words of the Bible support my eager anticipation of His appearing.
It’s New
It’s insanely ironic, is it not? Many of the same people who vilify the Rapture as a belief that no one held before John Darby in the 1800’s promote Dominion Theology because . . it is new. Yes, they do!
Based upon new revelation supposedly given to newly appointed apostles and prophets, its adherents cling to the hope that the church will usher in kingdom conditions on the earth. Even one of the name of the names for this teaching, New Apostolic Reformation (NAR), emphasizes its recent nature.
Its beliefs are not new, not at all. They represent a rehabilitated postmillennialism that flourished in the nineteen and early twentieth centuries. The two world wars put an end to its teaching that the church would bring kingdom conditions of peace and righteousness to the world. Despite the rampant lawlessness of our day amid more rumors of war than we can track, the adherents of Dominion Theology believe that the church can inaugurate kingdom blessings on the earth.
Identifying the church as God’s physical kingdom on earth goes all the way back to Augustine, who popularized this idea in the fifth century. Dominion Theology is but a different wrinkle to the Dark Ages’ belief that God had called the church to physically rule over the nations.
It’s Not Taught
False teachings, particularly in regard to eschatology (the doctrine of future things), flourish today because of a lack of sound biblical teaching on the matter. Most pastors either ignore Bible prophecy or teach that the church is God’s promised kingdom on the earth (or will be).
We base our hope of eternal life on the words of the New Testament. The same must be true of what we believe about the Rapture, the Tribulation, Jesus’ return, and His reign over the nations. The words of Revelation 19:11-20:10 dispel all the NAR beliefs as well as its basis in Replacement Theology. These teachings rely on human-based interpretations of the book of Revelation rather than what the Apostle John plainly tells us about Jesus’ Second Coming, when He brings His kingdom comes to earth.
When we let the words of Scripture speak for themselves, they lead us to a belief in the pre-Tribulation Rapture. Our hope does not rest on human wisdom or experience, but rather upon what the Bible says.
