I believe we all have what we may call "defining moments" in life; when we hit a brick wall as it were, and realise that we are going nowhere. This happened to me around 1998-99, for until then I would watch the soaps religiously, especially Coronation Street, which, from memory, was then broadcast on Monday, Wednesday and Friday evenings from 7.30-8.00 pm. And if I knew there was any possibility of missing a show, I would pre-set the VHS video recorder (remember them!); so that I wouldn't miss anything, for often the last episode would leave you in a state of suspension, and you just had to know what happened next!
But, one day it suddenly dawned upon me (without any external influence-God apart!) that what I was watching was all make believe, and I asked myself some really serious questions as to why I was watching fiction that originated in the mind of a man that was perhaps no better than me, I was just filling my head up with junk!
I then pulled the plug on "The Street" and have never watched it since, praise God. Subsequently, I started to ask questions about life and attend the local Baptist Church, where I started my journey in pursuit of the truth. To cut a long story short, since that defining moment there have been many ups and downs, and it wasn't long before I realised that the minister of this Baptist Church wasn't teaching the truth, for he had no problem with evolution, and as for the Revelation; "don't go there!" So whilst still spasmodically attending this Church, I was searching beyond this false minister.
Slowly, but surely I began to gravitate toward eschatology, for I seriously started to believe that the Creator God in Christ, the Lord Jesus Christ, our Saviour would 'soon' return to this earth at "any moment"! Eschatology then somewhat began to consume me, I became totally absorbed with the rapture! I purchased and read every book I could find on the subject! Over the years after applying myself to much study of God's written word I came to the conclusion that certain events had to happen before the Lord's Return, and researched the Plymouth Brethren Movement that gave rise to pre-tribulationism under J.N.Darby, C.I. Scofield and others via the auspices of Margaret MacDonald, and Edward Irving. This novel doctrine came to the surface circa 1830,and was previously unheard of in some 1800 years of NT Church history, but it has now spread like wildfire to the point that it is now the predominant belief!
The point I am making is that after becoming a believer, I naturally wanted to know how and when the Lord would return, sounds logical I hope; for what true believer wouldn't? But my theology had become so lop-sided as it were, for I had studied eschatology to the detriment of all of the other great Bible doctrines!
I love this quote from Charles Spurgeon, from memory it goes something like this.
"If you were to take the most beautiful face in the whole world and increase her nose by one inch in length, would that face still be beautiful? Beauty, then I take it is proportion, so it is with the Scriptures."
Spurgeon was making this point in regard to the Plymouth Brethren movement, most especially the Darbyites who were known as the "Exclusives".
Many today, most especially the militant Pre-tribulation rapture teachers and preachers seem to be "one trick pony's", all their teachings are heavily interlaced with the rapture!
No comments:
Post a Comment