Originally published in "The Lord's Coming Herald & Wesleyan Bible Prophecy Advocate," October, 2007
A Very Sober Scene From The Coming Day Of Judgment
“Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in they
name? and in thy name have cast out devils? And in thy name done many wonderful
works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me ye
that work iniquity” (Matt. 7:12-13).
"Dispensational Joe" evangelist is now seen approaching the judgment bar of the
Almighty. Listen in with me to this conversation between him and Christ, the
Judge.
D. J.: “Jesus, I am so glad to see you! Are you now ready to receive me into your
eternal kingdom?”
Christ: “I’m sorry, Sir, but I guess I really don’t know who you are.”
D. J.: (Quite visibly shaken, and taken aback) “Why, Jesus, of course you know
who I am! I am your faithful evangelist, who has spent fifty years in ministry
preaching your gospel. Of course, you know me!”
Christ: (Looking very stern) “I’m sorry, Sir, but I really don’t know you. I
don’t think it was my gospel you were preaching for fifty years. I heard you
were postponing my kingdom at the end of Daniel’s prophecy of the sixty-nine
weeks. Did I ever say that I had postponed my kingdom to the Jews at the end of
Daniel’s prophecy of the sixty-nine weeks? And I heard that you were teaching
that I was coming back to set up my kingdom and reign on earth for a thousand years.
Where did I ever say that? And, Sir, I hear that you were teaching an any moment
secret pre-seven year great tribulation rapture of the church. Where did you
find that strange doctrine in my Word? No, Sir, you were preaching ”another
gospel” than the one I once delivered to the saints. I’m sorry, I don’t know
you, and cannot let you into heaven.”
D. J.: (Weeping and crying out in horror.) “But Jesus, have mercy on me! I
honestly though I was preaching your gospel, I really did! And beside that, I am
a good person, and totally sincere. You have to let me into eternal life!”
Christ: “I’m sorry you thought wrong about my gospel. You had my Word; you should
have studied it more carefully. If you had done that, then you would have known
that I did not postpone my kingdom to the Jews, or anybody else. You knew nobody enters heaven on
the merits of their goodness or their sincerity. You denied my great plan of
salvation in postponing my kingdom, and you lied about my second coming. You
sowed the seeds of lawlessness that corrupted my Church. For these reasons I
cannot let you into my eternal city. Depart . . .”
The shrieks of the dammed is heard coming from the end of the long corridor, as once confident "Dispensational Joe" is ushered in crushing despair to his eternal reward. Jesus said what he meant, and meant what he said, in Matthew 7:12-13, friends, and so it would behoove us all to take good heed to ourselves and to the doctrine.
POINT IS THAT intellectually shallow, emotionally prejudicial, modern dispensational premillennial end-time Bible prophecy "theorists" need to get "Judgment Day" dead serious about proving from the Bible the irrational idiocy that they teach. Otherwise, I am afraid that they are in for a very rude awakening on the Bible Day of Judgment, which many of them, obviously, don't even now themselves honestly believe in. If they did really believe in the universal Judgment Day taught in the Bible, then they would be among those preaching it constantly and plainly, instead of "dallying-around" in any moment secret "escapist" pre-tribulational raptur-ism, postponed kingdom-ism, and Jewish millennial reign-ism--all of which ideas of men are incompatible with divine truth.
As a once young and unlearned Christian I used to be seriously "intimidated" by the "Dispensational Joe" evangelist types. These always seemed to this then shy, backward boy to be so dogmatically stern and authoritatively overbearing. Now it's time for me, a mature and seasoned man of God myself, to turn the tables and be to them "Intimidator." No vindictiveness being shown here, friends, just a love for men's souls and a commitment to the absoluteness of that divine Revelation, known as the Holy Bible.
I know that many cannot psychologically "handle" the sort of old-fashioned Christian "fundamentalism" presented in this article. We best get used to it, however, friends, for such will be there to meet us all at the end of the way. I assure you that on the basis of the authority of God's Word. Remember this if nothing else: the only person we can possibly fool in the Christian religion, and in the final analysis, is ourselves.
Reason is the natural image of God in man. To violate reason in our religion, then, is to sin against that image of God in us that can never be erased. That is why the truth-claims of dispensational premillennialism need to be proven from the Bible, and not merely assumed on the basis of the general public's heresay. When an honest attempt is made to do exactly that, then what most people begin to find is that the system soon starts to fall apart. Sanctified reason and logic, when pursued, completely overthrows it.
"To the law and to the testimony, if they speak not according to this word, there is no light in them" (Isa. 8:20). . . . "He that hath my word, let him speak my word faithfully, what is the chaff to the wheat? saith the Lord" (Jer. 23:28).
This is not an emotionally-laden, subjectivistic "no preaching" service, friends, but the altar is still open for those who need to repent of their involvement in promoting the Scofield\Darby system of false doctrine.
Repent of wrong on the basis of knowledge and understanding alone. Emotion and experience are things that can take well take care of themselves.
A word to the wise is sufficient.
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