These days we seem to have come to a time in which whatever has to do with doctrine is out and whatever has to do with relationships is in. If there was ever a time in which we emphasized doctrine and left out relationships, we may have now gone to the other extreme. Now we seem to downplay the importance of doctrine and are playing up the importance of relationships. I believe we must understand that the word "relationship" is kind of like gravity. The fact is, everybody has a relationship with everybody else including God. The question is not shall we or shall we not have relationships, rather it is what kind of relationships will we have.

What kind of relationships we will have with each other and with God will depend 100% on the doctrines that we espouse. A particular doctrine is ultimately about principles or points of view that we hold to be true. Our relationships then are based on what we believe to be either true or false and amount to what may be called our doctrine of life.

What form our relationship with God and with each other will take will be based on what we believe is true or false, right or wrong. The point that I am trying to make is that relationships with each other or with God cannot be separated from doctrine. Our success and failure in relationships will depend completely on whether the life doctrine that we hold is true or false.

Among some there is the feeling that our church has too many doctrines. Inasmuch as the doctrines of a particular church are no more or less than its understanding of reality, I am baffled when I hear some people say our church has too many doctrines.

I have a question for those who may think we have too many doctrines. Which doctrine don't you wish you knew? Which bit of eternal reality would you prefer not to be aware of? Though it has been said that ignorance is bliss, it could also be said that there comes a time when ignorance of a particular reality can be dangerous to our well being. Fifty million people died during the Middle Ages because they didn't understand the doctrine that the bubonic plague was carried by fleas. In the Middle Ages ignorance was not bliss but death. In the Middle Ages what you didn't know killed you.

What might be called the hottest thing in evangelical church doctrine these days is what has become to be known as the doctrine of the Secret Rapture--simply known as the Rapture. The devil has institutionalized this false doctrine during our watch and it has been nearly universally accepted as truth. Unless the doctrine of the Secret Rapture is countered it will effectively zero out the truth about last day events as taught by our church. In this sermon I am going to talk to you about the Secret Rapture--not because I believe that Adventist have fallen for it--but because we must understand that what we teach about the end-time events is not just another option out there, and it simply isn't true that it makes no difference what you believe as long as you believe.

Friends, our brothers and sisters in Christ in other churches are in mortal danger. And what for them seems to be good news in reality is bad news, and could cause them to be deceived and follow the Antichrist, thinking that they are doing the will of God. Let's review the facts of the matter.

Those who teach the Secret Rapture believe the coming of Jesus will be in two separate events. First, He will come secretly to take the church to heaven, and then, seven years later, He will come in an open demonstration of power and glory. In between those two events, they believe the Antichrist is supposed to come into power, and during that time the Great Tribulation period will take place. The Rapture doctrine teaches that Jesus will save people in both of these comings. In other words, if you don't get saved at the secret coming, you can be saved in the second.

There is a lot to be argued in favor of this doctrine--at least from a human point of view. First, if, so to speak, you miss the first train you can always catch the second. The other point is that those who go out on the first train won't have to be present on earth for what the Bible describes as the Great Tribulation. Though the doctrine of the Secret Rapture appears to be, for the saved at least, a win/win scenario, the truth is the Bible nowhere speaks of these two separate comings of Jesus. That is, there is no second stage of His coming that occurs seven years after the so-called Rapture.

The truth is, the coming of Jesus, the Resurrection, and the catching up of the saints to meet the Lord in the air all take place at the same time at the end of the world. This is why Jesus said in Matthew 28:20: "Lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world." Why would Jesus promise to be with the church unto the end of the world if He intended to come seven years before the end to take them out of the world?

The Secret Rapture doctrine contradicts the words of Christ in Matthew, chapter 13, when He said that the wheat and the tares would grow together until the end of the world. According to the two-stage theory of His coming, both groups would not grow together until the end of the world; the righteous would be separated from the wicked seven years before the end.

There are other serious problems with the doctrine of the Rapture. Another one is the matter of the resurrection. Speaking of the righteous, Jesus said in John 6:40, "...and I will raise him up at the last day." No one would deny that the last day means the last day of the world. Paul wrote that the saints are caught up to meet the Lord at the same time the dead in Christ are raised. He says, "For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, and with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air" (1 Thesselonians. 4:16,17).

The Bible clearly teaches what the coming of Jesus will be like and what will happen when He comes. Listen to these important texts from the Word of God:

Speaking of the lost it says, "And said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb: For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?" (Revelation 6:16,17).

"For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be" (Matthew 24:27).

"In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed" (1 Corinthians 15:52).

"Our God shall come, and shall not keep silence: a fire shall devour before him, and it shall be very tempestuous round about him" (Psalms 50:3).

"Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him. Even so, Amen" (Revelation 1:7).

"And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory" (Matthew 24:30).

Listen to this text. Matthew 24:31: "And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other." This verse is clearly speaking of the time when Christ comes to gather His saints. These texts speak for themselves. There can be no doubt. It is an error to say that the coming of Christ to gather His saints will be in secret.

The text that forms the foundation of the doctrine of the Secret Rapture is Matthew 24:40, 41: "Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left. Two women shall be grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken, and the other left."

If that was all there was to it, maybe there could be a case for a secret coming of Christ. But to understand what Scripture is saying in these verses we need to read the preceding three verses; they are Matthew 24:37-39: "But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be."

A person doesn't have to be a rocket scientist to see that Jesus is drawing a parallel between His Second Coming and the days of Noah. Those who went into the ark in Noah's day were saved while those who refused were left outside. What were they left for? For another chance? No. They were left to be destroyed by the Flood, and Jesus says it will it be like that when He comes at the end of the world. One will be taken to heaven with Jesus, and the other will be left for destruction.

Luke 17:26-37 makes Christ's illustration even clearer:

"And as it was in the days of Noe, so shall it be also in the days of the Son of man. They did eat, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, and the flood came, and destroyed them all. Likewise also as it was in the days of Lot; they did eat, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they builded; But the same day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed them all.

"Even thus shall it be in the day when the Son of man is revealed. In that day, he which shall be upon the housetop, and his stuff in the house, let him not come down to take it away: and he that is in the field, let him likewise not return back. Remember Lot's wife.

"Whosoever shall seek to save his life shall lose it; and whosoever shall lose his life shall preserve it. I tell you, in that night there shall be two men in one bed; the one shall be taken, and the other shall be left. Two women shall be grinding together; the one shall be taken, and the other left. Two men shall be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left.

"And they answered and said unto him, Where, Lord? And he said unto them, Wheresoever the body is, thither will the eagles be gathered together."

In verse 36 the statement is made: "Two men shall be in the field; one shall be taken, and the other left." In verse 37 the disciples asked the question: "Where, Lord?" You see, they wanted to know where those who didn't go to heaven were going to be left. Jesus' answer is clear, "And he said unto them, Wheresoever the body is, thither will the eagles be gathered together." Jesus was telling them that the bodies of the wicked are going to be left on the ground for the vultures to consume.

Another text, which is used to establish the theory of a secret coming of Jesus, is the one that refers to Him coming as a thief in the night. Those who teach the Rapture theory assume that, if the Bible says that He is going to come as a thief, it must mean He will come quietly and secretly. One of the texts that speaks of the coming of Jesus as being like a thief is 2 Peter 3:10. It says, "The day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat."

Come on now! The reference in this text to coming like a thief has nothing to do with coming secretly, because the text tells us that the heavens will pass away with a great noise! If coming as a thief is the Secret Rapture, which they say takes place seven years before the end of the world, how can the heavens and earth pass away? The heavens and earth could not pass away seven years before the world ends, because when that happens it will be the end!

Jesus Himself explained what He meant when He said, "Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come. But know this, that if the goodman of the house had known in what watch the thief would come, he would have watched, and would not have suffered his house to be broken up" (Matthew 24:42,43). The text is saying the thief would come unexpectedly when the owners were not expecting it. Jesus said his coming would be the same way. It would take people by surprise because they would not be looking for it.

This should settle the matter, but those who teach that the coming of Jesus is in two stages say that they can prove it from the Greek. They say the Secret Rapture is the Greek word "parousia," and that Christ's supposed coming seven years later is the word "apokalupsis," which refers to His coming in power and glory. I don't know how they can say this, because the words parousia and apokalupsis are used interchangeably in the Bible.

Paul uses the word parousia in 1 Thessalonians 4 where he speaks of the coming of our Lord, which they are calling the Secret Rapture. But then he goes right on to show in 2 Thesselonians 2:8 that this parousia will destroy the Antichrist. Those who believe in the Rapture say that the antichrist will not be destroyed until Jesus comes in power and glory, which they claim is the apokalupsis. The fact is, that using their reasoning, you can't get there from here.

Beyond a shadow of a doubt parousia and apokalupsis refer to the same event. In Matthew 24:37 we read, "But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming (parousia) of the son of Man be." Luke says the same thing only another way, "As it was in the days of Noe... Even thus shall it be the day when the Son of man is revealed (apokalupsis)" (Luke 17:26-30). These texts alone prove that the coming (parousia) of Christ and the revelation (apokalupsis) of Christ are the same thing.

I don't want to appear to be unkind, but the whole doctrine of secret rapture is built upon concepts and ideas that are not found in the Bible at all. Yet they are being repeated so often that most Christians just assume they must be biblical.

The Secret Rapture teaches that there is a seven-year interval between Christ's secret coming and His coming in power and glory. If this were true it would only be logical to assume that the Bible must speak frequently of a seven-year time period. But it doesn't. There is not one single Scriptural reference which links a period of seven years to the end of the world or to the coming of Christ. Those who teach the Rapture theory refer to seven years of tribulation without offering any Bible proof or explanation.

The supposed seven years which are pivotal to the doctrine of the Secret Rapture have been lifted completely out of context from Daniel 9:24-27. In these verses God reveals the time period that would be the period of probation of the nation of Israel. It says, "Seventy weeks (weeks of years) are determined upon thy people...to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins (verse 24).

The prophecy is simply saying that 490 years would be set aside as a time of probation for Israel. God raised Israel up to prepare the world for the coming of the Messiah and they would be given 490 years to do it. Of course, the seventy weeks that are referred to in the verses are prophetic time and each day represents a literal year (Ezekiel 4:6). So the seventy weeks would be a literal period of 490 years; after that time the Israelites would no longer be the people of God. They would be rejected as a nation because they had rejected the Messiah.

The seventy weeks are not just a floating event that we can start and stop or take apart as we wish. The Scripture indicates when the time began and this then locks up when it ended. Daniel 9:25 states that the prophecy was to begin with the decree to restore and build Jerusalem, which occurred in 457 BC (Ezra 7:13). From the date 457 BC then the Jews would have exactly 490 years to do what they were going to do, and that would be to opt out of God's original plan for them by rejecting the Messiah. The 490 years ended in AD 34, and it was then that the Jews ceased to be God's chosen people. They couldn't have it both ways and, by the way, neither can we.

Daniel 9:25 says that, after sixty-nine of those prophetic weeks had passed by, the Messiah would be anointed. That would be 483 years from 457 BC; 483 years then bring us to the year AD 27, which was the very year that Jesus was baptized by John and was anointed by the Holy Spirit for His ministry. Since even the word "Messiah" means Anointed One, this had to be the fulfillment of Daniel's prophecy that the Messiah would appear in AD 27.

Although seventy weeks were assigned to the Jewish nation, Christ appeared as the Messiah after sixty-nine weeks. What was supposed to happen during the seventieth week? Daniel 9:27 tells us, "And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week and in the midst of he week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease."

The expression "the midst of the week" would be three and a half prophetic years from the date of His baptism. And so exactly as predicted, the ministry of Jesus lasted for three and a half years, and in the spring of AD 31 He was crucified. When that happened the veil of the temple was torn in two (Matthew 27:51). This meant that the era of animal sacrifices, which pointed forward to Christ, was over. Another three and a half years takes us up to the end of the seventy weeks. During those three and a half years the disciples preached mostly to the Jews. In AD 34 the seventy weeks ended. Stephen was stoned and the gospel began to go to the Gentiles (Acts 8:4).

You see, God didn't give up on the Jews as a nation just because they made the decision to execute the Messiah. He gave them time to repent and get a new start. But it didn't happen. So God decided that He would have to find another way. From then on He would deal with them on a one by one basis. The Bible tells us what happened. Matthew 21:43, "Therefore say I unto you, The kingdom of God shall be taken from you, and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof."

Matthew 23:38: "Behold, your house is left unto you desolate."

Galatians 3:28,29: "There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus. And if ye be Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise."

Romans 9:6-8: "Not as though the word of God hath taken none effect. For they are not all Israel, which are of Israel: Neither, because they are the seed of Abraham, are they all children: but, In Isaac shall thy seed be called. That is, they which are the children of the flesh, these are not the children of God: but the children of the promise are counted for the seed."

Romans 2:28,29: "For he is not a Jew, which is one outwardly; neither is that circumcision, which is outward in the flesh: But he is a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter; whose praise is not of men, but of God."

These texts are clear that, in the eyes of God, Israel is not a particular nation, but it is people of any race or nation that have accepted His Son as the Savior of the world.

And so the rapturists get their seven years of tribulation by lifting the seventieth week of Daniel's prophecy completely out of it context and putting it in the future. But in order to prop up the concept of two comings of Jesus they had to find a prophetic time period that would fit the concept and that was all they could find.

An interesting thing is those who believe in the seven years of tribulation agree that the sixty-nine weeks of Daniel 9:25 refer to the period before Christ's first advent, but then they insert a 2,000 year gap before the seventieth week is fulfilled. It is through this manipulation of God's Word then that the rapturists extend the time of the Jewish probation; and based on this, they teach that all Jews will be saved in a great second chance, which will occur during the seven years after the Secret Rapture takes place.

Friends, the house that errors build may be beautiful and appealing, but it must not be judged on how it looks or how attractively it may be described. To discern error we must look at the foundations on which it is built, and the fact is that every premise on which the doctrine of the Secret Rapture is built is unscriptural and therefore is false.

Perhaps the most glaring inconsistency of the Rapture theory is that it also teaches the Antichrist will not appear until after the saints are taken to heaven--seven years before the end of the world. I don't know how anyone who has ever read 2 Thessalonians 2 could be deceived in this respect.

Paul settles matter for us in the first few verses of 2 Thesselonians, chapter 2, verses 1-4, where he has written:

"Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him, that ye be not soon shaken in mind or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand. Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day (that is the day of the coming of Jesus) shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin (Antichrist) be revealed, the son of perdition; Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God."

The words of Paul are so clear. How can they be plainer? These verses tell us that Christ's coming will not take place "except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed." Show these words to any child who has learned to read--show them to anyone not prejudiced by private interpretations--and he will say, "These verses say that the man of sin (Antichrist) is going to be revealed before Jesus comes.

To lock up the matter and throw away the key, we see that Paul is not referring to some superman who will suddenly appear 2,000 years after his epistles. He writes in verse 7 of chapter 2, "for the mystery of iniquity doth already work." Friend, even in Paul's day he was beginning to see the emerging spirit of the antichrist. By the sixth century AD Antichrist was alive and well, although the Antichrist will make his final move just before the return of Christ.

Verse 8 of chapter 2 says, "And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of His coming." This text is clearly saying that Antichrist will be destroyed when Christ comes.

Revelation 20:4 reveals that some of those who are raised in the first resurrection will be those who refused to worship the beast and receive his mark. It says:

"And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years."

The doctrine of the Secret Rapture claims that the emergence of the Antichrist and the imposition of his mark happens after the first resurrection and the secret rapture of the saints.

You may be interested to know that, although the doctrine of the Secret Rapture teaches that the Antichrist doesn't come to power until after the rapture, this is not what the Protestant churches historically believed. At the time of the Reformation, most of the reformers understood that the prophecy of the Antichrist referred to the Papacy, which ruled the Christian world during the Middle Ages. Of course, Rome did not appreciate that fact and made it a priority to do away with this interpretation.

It comes as no surprise then that toward the close of the century of the Reformation two Catholic scholars set themselves to the task of taking the Papacy out of the loop in respect to the Antichrist. A Jesuit named Alcazar advocated the idea that the prophecies of Antichrist were fulfilled before the popes ever ruled in Rome and therefore could not apply to the Papacy. This is called the preterist view, which means that the Antichrist came before the days of the Papacy.

Another Jesuit priest named Rivera developed what is called a futurist view of the Antichrist. This is the view that is held by those who believe in the Secret Rapture, and that is that the Antichrist will come in the future. I don't need to tell you how the Papacy must feel about the doctrine of the Secret Rapture, because it allows the papal system to proceed with its agenda without being unmasked for what it really is as was intended by Bible prophecy.

It was not until around the year 1830 that the two-phase coming of Christ began to be taught. In a Scottish church, which was pastored by a man named Edward Irving, a young lady named Miss Margaret McDonald gave what was believed to be an inspired utterance. She spoke of the visible, open, and glorious Second Coming of Christ. But as the utterance continued, she spoke of another coming of Christ--a secret and special coming--in which those who were truly ready would be raptured.

Her view was taken up by a well-known Church of the Brethren preacher named John Darby. He was the one who was largely responsible for introducing this new teaching on a large scale. The teaching spread to the United States in the 1850s and 1860s, but the concept of a two-phased coming of Christ received its biggest boost when a man named Cyrus Scofield incorporated the concept into the notes of his Scofield Reference Bible, which was published in 1909. The view has become nearly universal since the 1960s, when a man named Hal Lindsay wrote a book entitled, The Late Great Planet Earth.

One of the most dangerous concepts of the Secret Rapture, as far as our personal salvation is concerned, is that it teaches that during the Tribulation those not raptured will be given another chance to be saved.

When Jesus comes the second time, Revelation 14:14 says He has "in his hand a sharp sickle." The coming of Jesus will be the time of reaping after sixty centuries of sowing of the seeds of sin. The coming of Jesus will be the harvest time, and Matthew 13:39 tells us that the harvest is the end of the world. Revelations 14:16 says, "And he that sat on the cloud thrust in his sickle on the earth; and the earth was reaped." The bottom line to all of this is, there can be no saving after the reaping of earth's harvest at the coming of Christ.

Friends, the Bible clearly teaches that Jesus Christ will come a second time in glorious majesty to take His redeemed home with Him. It will be a personal, visible, and earthshaking event that everyone alive will know about. The righteous will be caught up to meet the Lord in the air (1 Thesselonians 4:17) while the wicked will be slain by the brightness of His coming (2 Thesselonians 2:8). Let us carefully study our Bibles so that we will not be deceived.

Jesus knew there would come a time in which there would be false doctrine concerning His coming, and so He said, "If they tell you that I am in the desert, don't believe it." Today He would say, "If they tell you that I am going to come secretly, don't believe it."

How thankful we can be for true doctrine. True doctrine will keep us from being deceived just before the Close of Probation. Friends, it is a mistake to think that it makes no difference what you believe as long as you believe. You can have all the faith in the world, but thin ice will still not hold you up.

Jesus said that when we know the truth we will be free: not only free from the power of sin in our lives, but free from the error that has always been the smoke screen behind which Satan advances his kingdom. Thank God for His Word, which in the 21st century is a lamp unto our feet and a light unto our path!

Don't let anyone lead you to believe that we have too many doctrines. God knew what the deceptions of the last days would be, and He sent a messenger that would help us to understand. To be forewarned is to be forearmed. Unless error is revealed for what it is, many of our brothers and sisters in other faiths will be carried astray by every false wind of doctrine. The devil has a vested interest in keeping the Seventh-day Adventist church from teaching its doctrines, which are present truth for this time. And he will do all in his power to cow us and to intimidate us, and will use all his evil genius to get us to back down and out so that he may take the center stage in the final events, which are soon to take the world as an overwhelming surprise.

We must do all that we can while there is still time. We have been given a message of life in a time of death. We have been called to the kingdom for such a time as this.