Opening Comments For Gary Stearman's
"The Reason for the Rapture"
By William Handschumacher
Why do we discuss the Rapture
on this website?
Because it represents the
final stage of Christian
Salvation, which is only
obtained by Grace through
faith. (Eph. 2:8-9)
"So Christ was once offered
to bear the sins of many; and
unto them that look (watch)
for Him, shall He appear the
second time without sin unto
salvation." (Hebrews 9:28)
Sooner or later, any serious student of the Bible discovers the following disturbing characteristic about church leaders, Bible teachers - and Christian people in general.
It's almost impossible to
find two Christians - or
two churches that agree
on everything in the Bible.
Yet, Saint Paul commanded us
to; "all say the same thing".
This statement represents the dilemma we face when deciding whether to provide information from other ministry websites, which is why we constantly point visitors to a disclaimer that explains our actions - available HERE.
As a result, no visitor to our website should think that providing this Bible study means that we agree with all the teachings of Gary Stearman and Prophecy Watchers (and its guests). Likewise, no visitor should think that we agree with all fundamentalist groups, some of which work to undermine or 'explain away' the New Testament teachings concerning the Spirit-filled life, which we embrace. Gary seems to hold to a strong evangelical/fundamentalist background - similar to our own. As a result, he embraces the "essential doctrines of the Christian faith" required for authentic salvation ... just as we do.
The following Bible study by
Gary Stearman entitled ;
"The Reason for the Rapture"
contains crucial information for
the entire Christian Church--and
for that reason should not be
withheld because of a few
disagreements concerning other
issues, which are now common in
the church.
Gary previously worked with J.R. Church on the program "Prophecy in the News". He inherited the program after J.R's death on March 22, 2011 - and generally continues his ministry through "Prophecy Watchers". I consider Gary Stearman and J.R. Church to be among the most accurate and balanced Bible prophecy teachers in the Church today.
Some Personal Comments About
Replacement Theology
After my involvement (and eventual exit) from an abusive discipleship and shepherding church over 40 years ago ... I ask the Lord to show me what went wrong. This began my spiritual education in 'Christian Apologetics', which is an unpopular area of ministry that identifies false teachings, cultic activity and wrong denominational doctrines that seek to replace true Christianity. The New Testament refers to it as; "contending earnestly for the faith" as taught in Jude 1:3-4. Contrary to popular church teachings, contending for the faith is a crucial part of preaching the Gospel of Christ and the ability to correctly interpret Bible prophecy. By drawing our attention to the popular yet erroneous doctrine of Replacement Theology, Gary also seems to hold to this important Biblical objective - and our ministry follows this same path.
In various studies over the last 40 years, I was shocked to learn that Replacement Theology (replacing Israel with the Church in Scripture) is a dangerous heresy that is now taught as "Historical Christianity" (Some refer to it as "Biblical Christianity"). This means it can be found, in varying degrees, almost everywhere in the world-wide Christian Church - especially among denominations that either ignore or distort Bible prophecy. Its primary error is claiming that Israel is eternally rejected by God for crucifying Christ - which is now a dominant belief within Christendom. However, regardless of its popularity ... this belief is rejected in the New Testament (See Saint Paul's comments in Romans 11:1-21). Yet despite this official Divine rejection, the many supporters of Replacement Theology continue to insist that God has replaced Israel with the Christian Church; which they now refer to as; "The New Israel".
This causes inexperienced Christians
to treat Israel and Church as being
'interchangeable' in Scripture,
specifically in the Old Testament...
and the early parts of the New
Testament.
As a result, whatever God commands or instructs Israel to do ... Replacement Theology insists that He's saying the same thing to the Church as "The New Israel". Even worse, the doctrine's supporters claim that Israel's role in the Bible is now transferred to the Church ... which is a popular belief that corrupts our understanding of Bible prophecy. For these reasons, Saint Paul commanded that "Israel and the Church", often referred to in the New Testament as "the first (or old) covenant and the second (or new) covenant), must be "rightly divided" (separated and treated independently) to properly interpret the Scriptures and avoid error (See 2 Timothy 2:15 and Hebrews 8:6-13). Yet, many in the Christian Church ignore Paul's warning.
Replacement Theology radically corrupts
the Gospel of Christ into something God
never intended. As a result, it qualifies
as a dangerous heresy that tricks many
into embracing its teachings as Biblical
truth.
Taking all these things into
consideration, we hope you find
Gary Stearman's teaching helpful
in your walk with our Lord Jesus
Christ.
In Christ,
Rock of Offence Ministries
Note: If this link becomes obsolete
or inoperable, you can access a local
backup copy of this study in PDF
format HERE
We have also included two additional
links to information that complements
the previous Bible study.
The Rapture is the Resurrection
By Gary Stearman (YouTube Video)
The Evil of Replacement Theology
By Dr. David Reagan
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