There is a man that I, for many years, have regarded highly for his knowledge of the bible and his doctrine. But recently I have discovered how he believes in future things. To me his eschatology is wrong. And because of that I have been sulking. I feel so disappointed in him. How can such a brilliant man be so wrong on this—not to believe in the rapture of the church?
I heard a 45-minute sermon by him on Daniel 9:24-27. He took it bit by bit, and he explained the pre-tribulation rapture view perfectly; and then, in just a few minutes, rejected it and taught his preterist view. He just couldn’t except that there is a gap of time between the 69th and 70th week. And he gave the lamest reasons. And then he preceded to cut down the rapture view and said that it all started in 1830 by someone’s vision. You may be aware of all the stories.
But since my great disappointment, and after much prayer, I have come to except that he is just a man who, like us all, is not perfect. And though I think he is wrong with his eschatology (and I try to keep an open mind), he is still very brilliant in his knowledge of the bible and a true believer. And like most scholars his age (he died in 1981), he just missed some of the best teaching on the pre-tribulation rapture. And I do believe that all those who were great scholars of the 1700s and 1800s didn’t hear too much about the rapture either.
But just because a doctrine comes late doesn’t mean that it is wrong. The belief in the rapture is fairly new, yet we believe that it is a correction of the error that the church has had for centuries. I think the apostle Paul has given us a good explanation of the rapture. But it is too bad that just a couple centuries later it was explained away by allegorical views.
But thank God, errors in eschatology will not disqualify a person for salvation. Though some will miss the joy of expecting Him, we who are believers will all meet together in the air before Him—regardless of how we believed.
Stephen Nielsen 