THE EAR TICKLERS HAVE ARRIVED

THE EAR TICKLERS HAVE ARRIVED – by Joe Palcsak

In his tearful farewell address to the elders of the church at Ephesus, the apostle Paul highlighted an important and urgent warning: “Take heed to yourselves and all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood. For I know this, that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock. Also, from among yourselves men will rise up, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after themselves” (Acts 20:28-29). Paul’s warning became reality in the early Church as witnessed by Jude: “Certain men have crept in unnoticed, who long ago were marked out for this condemnation, ungodly men who turn the grace of God into licentiousness and deny the only Lord God and our Lord Jesus Christ” (Jude 4). Jude witnessed the very thing Paul foresaw, specifically that the time would come when people would promote a destructive, watered down, cheap grace gospel, contrary to the gospel taught by Jesus and all the apostles – a gospel of obedience and perseverance. In his pastoral letters to Timothy, Paul put it this way: “The time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables” (2 Timothy 4:3). Brothers and sisters, the savage wolves, the ungodly men who tickle the ears of the Church, have not only arrived but have set up shop in a great number of churches. They have seduced many Christians into a coma of comfort; the kind of lukewarm faith Jesus convicted the church at Laodicea of (Revelation 3:15-17).

The “good news” these savage wolves preach is a three-pronged attack against a real, living faith, designed to lure believers into a state of impotence and ineffectiveness. The three teachings are: 1) “Once saved, always saved (OSAS)” – meaning we have a faith that we cannot lose. 2) “Eternal Security (ES)” – our works are inconsequential and meaningless in the context of salvation. And 3) a “pre-tribulation” (PT) rapture – the resurrection of believers will occur before the “great tribulation.” These doctrines combine to seduce believers into a paradigm of lethargy, by teaching that all we need do to inherit eternal salvation and be spared from tribulation is to state “belief” in Jesus, and then go our merry way, knowing that whatever we do for the rest of our lives is of no consequence against our salvation. The same “rapture chariot” that whisked Elijah up to heaven will be swinging low to take us away from all trouble.

Does this sound too good to be true? It is. None of these three “teachings” were presented as doctrine until more than 1500 years after the resurrection of Jesus! He did not promote any of these, neither did the apostles, nor did the early church fathers. Even so, the big question is, are these doctrines biblical?

Once saved, always saved (OSAS) goes hand in hand with a misguided view of the importance works have in our walk with the Lord (ES). It is true that we are saved by grace alone. Salvation unto eternal life is through the precious blood of Jesus. He is the only way to salvation. Our works cannot save us. However, there is a big difference between understanding that our works cannot save us and believing that our works are without consequence. Knowing that our works cannot save us is to realize that we need a savior. Believing that our works are without consequence is to turn the grace of God into licentiousness.

Ear ticklers love to quote Ephesians 2:8-9 as scriptural evidence for the truth of their position: “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.” But does it truly follow that because our works cannot save us, our works are therefore meaningless? Many ear ticklers will often concede, “our works should be consistent with our faith,” but if they are also preaching a OSAS message, which is usually the case, such teaching becomes nothing more than an empty platitude. If we cannot lose our salvation, our works are truly devoid of consequence. Perhaps this is why the ear ticklers do not include verse 10 with verses 8 and 9 when they teach from Ephesians 2: “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.” If, as Paul tells us, we should walk in good works, what happens if we don’t? Nothing? If OSAS is true, there are no consequences. If there are no consequences, what purpose does verse 10 serve? It has been rendered completely meaningless. The Scriptures teach that our works do indeed come with consequences. This is not the same as saying consequences are necessarily the forfeiture of our salvation (although I believe it is possible in some instances). God blessed us with free will. He does not take our free will away when we pray “the sinner’s prayer.” We can, of our own volition, freely choose to reject the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ at any time. It is silly, dangerous, and unbiblical to believe that such rejection carries no consequence.

In Luke 6:46 Jesus says, “Why do you call me Lord, Lord, and not do what I say?” He goes on to point out that those who obey Him are building a good, solid foundation and those who do not obey Him are building a shaky one. We are indeed saved by faith alone, but what is faith? The Greek words used in the Bible which we translate as “faith,” and “belief,” encompass the concept of trust and obedience. Rightly understood, obedience is a work. Therefore, faith is not merely intellectual assent, it is also obedience and works, and the Scriptures confirm this. True faith encompasses both obedience (Luke 6:26, Romans 1:5, Hebrews 3:18-19, 1 Peter, 1:2) and works (Titus 1:16, Ephesians 3:10, James 2:20,24 and 26). In fact, the book of James makes it very clear that “faith without works is dead.” (Jame 2:26). In other words, apart from works, faith does not exist – there is no true faith then!

Consider this stern warning from Revelation 22:19: “If anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part from the book of life, from the holy city, and from the things written in this book.” Notice the phrase, “God shall take away his part from the book of life.” One must first be in the book to be removed from it. And according to Revelation 22:19, we can indeed lose our salvation!

Paul warned that “evil men and imposters will grow worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived” (2 Timothy 3:13).

THE RAPTURE

Paul used the Greek word harpazo in 1 Thessalonians 4, which means “to snatch away”. According to Paul, “The Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up (harpazo) together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus, we will always be with the Lord” (1 Thess. 4:16-17). He elaborates in 1 Corinthians 15, teaching the order of the resurrection: “Christ the first fruits, afterward those who are Christ’s at His coming” (v. 23). Then, after pointing out that we cannot inherit eternal life in our corrupt earthly  bodies  (verses 42-50), he promises, “We shall not all sleep (die), but we shall all be changed – in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet” (verses 51,52), reinforcing his teaching to the church at Thessalonica that this will be a sudden, instantaneous event which includes those who are both dead in Christ and alive in Christ. The apostle John calls it “the first resurrection,” confirming that the event is exclusive to those in Christ: “But the rest of the dead did not live again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection” (Revelation 20:5). Jesus simply calls it the resurrection. The concept of a resurrection exclusive to those in Christ is well established in the Scriptures, attested to by Jesus and the apostles. The question is, do the Scriptures tell us when this glorious event takes place? The ear ticklers would have us believe that it will occur before the onset of what they call “the tribulation period.” Does Scripture back this up? And what, exactly is this “tribulation period”?

It is critical to understand that most of those who teach a pre-tribulation (PT) rapture, hold as their foundational belief, that the PT rapture is true. This is a critical insight. Unlike the Bereans, who believed first and foremost that the Scriptures are true, and it is necessary to test all things against the Scriptures for confirmation (Acts 17:11), most PT teachers endeavor to fit the Scriptures into their paradigm, seeking ways Scripture can confirm the PT rapture, regardless of what they actually say. We can see this by examining doctrinal pillars upon which the PT case is built because they cannot be found in the Bible:

*A “third coming” of Jesus. Every Christian is “looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and savior Jesus Christ” (Titus 2:13). Jesus promised to return in Judgement immediately after gathering to Himself those who are in Him (see Matthew 24). This glorious appearing has come to be known as His second coming. But for the PT rapture to be true, there must also be an additional coming; one that occurs 7 years before His coming at the end of the age. Where does the Bible tell us about this extra coming of Jesus? Nowhere!  So why do the ear ticklers teach such a thing? Because the PT rapture must be true!

*A “secret coming” of Jesus to rapture His Church. Moreover, PT holds that this unbiblical extra coming will be a secret event. But when Jesus returns, He will be seen by both believers and unbelievers: “Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory (Matt. 24:30)”. Revelation 1:7 promises that “every eye will see Him.”  The apostle Paul taught the church at Thessalonica that “the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God” (1 Thess. 4:16). He taught the church at Corinth the same thing, saying that the dead will be raised at the last trumpet (1 Cor. 15:52). Paul directly contradicts the notion of a secret coming. So why do PT teachers insist Jesus is coming for His Church in secret? Because in order for the PT rapture to be true, it must be so!

*A seven-year tribulation period after the harpazo during which the wrath of God is poured out on the earth.  PT teachers believe there is a seven-year period spoken of by the prophet Daniel that will be fulfilled at the culmination of this age, and that, among other things, this period is the great tribulation Jesus spoke of in Matthew 24. There are many problems with this view. First, the PT view of Daniel’s prophecy is one of many. Some say this seven-year period has already been fulfilled, others say it is merely symbolic. Second, there is nothing in the Scriptures to suggest that the wrath of God – a.k.a., the Day of the Lord – at the end of the age will last for seven years. Third, the Bible never explicitly mentions a seven-year tribulation period. Finally, the great tribulation Jesus speaks of is a completely different thing than the wrath of God. God’s wrath is poured out by God through angels at the end of the age on those who disobey the gospel, through the trumpet and bowl judgements (Revelation 8-11, 16). Tribulation at the hands of the antichrist and those who dwell on the earth is promised to the saints (Matthew 24:9, 21-22, Revelation 6:9-11, 13:7, Daniel 7:25). So why do PT teachers believe that the wrath of God is the same thing as the great tribulation when the Bible lays out a clear distinction between the two? And why do they believe that the wrath of God will last for 7 years? Because for PT to be true, these things must be so!

*An entirely new category of saints in Christ. PT teaches that all believers will be raptured at Jesus’s secret coming and the rapture will leave no saints behind on the earth. How do the PT teachers reconcile this with Revelation 6:9-11 which says, “I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain for the word of God and for the testimony which they held. And they cried with a loud voice, saying ‘How long, O Lord, holy and true, until You judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?’ Then a white robe was given to each of them; and it was said to them that they should rest a little while longer, until both the number of their fellow servants and their brethren, who would be killed as they were, was completed.”? PT holds that the rapture occurs before Jesus opens the first seal in heaven. We learn that saints are still being martyred on earth with the opening of the 5^th seal. Do you see the problem? If all believers are raptured before any seal is opened, how is it that at the opening of the 5^th seal, believers are still on earth being martyred? According to the PT doctrine, because the rapture must be true, these poor souls have become believers after the rapture. So even though they are in Christ, they are disqualified from the “blessed hope” and must instead endure the wrath of God along with the unbelievers. This creates an entirely different category of saints, a category PT subscribers affectionately refer to as “tribulation saints.” In the pre-trib view, these saints – and only these saints – must endure the great tribulation. What does the bible say about this category of saints? Well…nothing. In fact, the bible promises all believers both tribulation in this age (John 16:33, 2 Timothy 3:12, Matthew 24:21, Daniel 7:21, Revelation 13:7), and deliverance from His wrath (Romans 5:9, 1 Thess. 1:10, 5:9, Revelation 3:10); no exceptions. Further, there is no indication that a single person will come to Christ while God pours out His wrath on the earth; indeed, the Scriptures indicate otherwise (see Revelation 8:13, 9:20, 11:10, 16:9-11). These verses indicate a clear absence of believers on earth during the wrath.  One final note: Recall that according to PT, the rapture occurs before any seals are opened in heaven. Look once more to Revelation 6:9-11 and notice that after the opening of the 5^th seal, the Lord tells the souls under the altar that something else must happen before He judges the world – more saints must be killed. The opening of the seals is well under way by this time, but the wrath of God is still to come! How does PT deal with this?

*God deals with Israel differently than He deals with the Church. What?! PT embraces a doctrine called dispensationalism which holds that history is divided into distinct periods (dispensations), and that God deals with people in different ways in different dispensations. In this view, God has different plans for Israel than He does for the Church. According to dispensationalism, we are currently in “the Church age” – a phenomenon that can be found nowhere in the Bible. In this age, God is dealing exclusively with the Church, having put Israel aside for a while. He will resume His program with Israel after He has completed His dealing with the Church, the culmination of which is the PT rapture.  According to the PT doctrine, God cannot deal with both Israel and the Church at the same time. This is not biblical!

Among other things, this view trades on a fundamental misunderstanding of what the Church is. The Greek word for church is ecclesia which means “called out ones” or “called out assembly”. God has always had His called-out people – His ecclesia, His Church.  God called out Abraham and His seed thousands of years before the establishment of “the Church,” which, according to most dispensational teachings, occurred at the first Pentecost (Acts 2), shortly after the ascension of Jesus. The first Christians were Jews and even today, they are turning in droves to their Messiah!  God is indeed dealing with both Israel and the Church at the same time. He always has been!

To summarize, the doctrine of the pre-trib rapture holds that in this “Church age,” God has temporarily put Israel aside to deal exclusively with His Church (because He is not able to deal with both at the same time; at least not on the earth). But He needs to turn His attention back to Israel, so He must first remove the Church, which He will accomplish by facilitating a third secret coming of Jesus in advance of God pouring out His wrath for seven years on both unbelievers and the hapless believers who missed the rapture conveniently called the “tribulation saints”. None of these things can be found in the Bible! Paul implores us, “Even if we or an angel from heaven, preach any gospel to you other than what we have preached to you, let him be accursed.” (Galatians 1:8). The gospel of OSAS, ES, and the PT rapture come to us through the ear tickling ravenous wolves we have been promised through the Scriptures. May God open their eyes, soften their hearts and expose the fallacy of their teachings.

Footnotes:

• There are many who have attempted to “prove” that the doctrine of dispensationalism was established early in Church history – such as the book Dispensationalism Before Darby by William C. Watson – but the weakness of this attempt is easily exposed.
• To legitimize a biblical basis for the category of “tribulation saints”, PT subscribers point to Revelation 7:9-14: “After these things I looked, and behold, a great multitude which no one could number of all nations, tribes, peoples, and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb…So he said to me ‘these are the ones who came out of the great tribulation.” Indeed, they have come out of the great tribulation, and we may call them tribulation saints, if we wish, but they are not a unique category of saints who needed to endure God’s wrath, unlike all other saints. The great tribulation is not the wrath of God, and the wrath of God is poured out on unbelievers (not believers) at the trumpet judgements and the bowl judgements. Notice that these judgements occur after chapter 7. (In light of this, I really do think it would be more honest for the PT subscribers to refer to them as “wrath saints” then! Obviously, biblically, there is no such thing.)

APPENDIX 1: SCRIPTURES THAT CONTRADICT THE DOCTRINES OF OSAS AND ES

Romans 11:21-22 – “If God did not spare the natural branches, He might not spare you either. Therefore, consider the goodness and severity of God; on those who fell severity but toward your goodness, if you continue in His goodness, otherwise, you also will be cut off.”

2 Corinthians 13:5-6 – “Examine yourself as to whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Do you not know yourselves that Christ is in you – unless indeed you are disqualified.”

Phillipians 2:12 – “As you have always obeyed…work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.” Notice that this verse clearly links obedience with salvation.

Phillipians 3:11-12 – “If by any means I may attain to the resurrection from the dead. Not that I have already attained or am already perfected. But I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me.” If the apostle Paul has confessed that he has not yet attained the resurrection of the dead, how can we claim that we have?!

Colossians 1:21-23 – “Now He has reconciled [you] to present you holy and blameless and above reproach in His sight – if indeed you continue in the faith.”

Titus 1:16 – “They profess to know God, but in works they deny Him.”

1 Corinthians 10:12 – “Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall.”

1 Corinthians 15:1-2 – “Moreover brethren, I declare to you the gospel which I preached to you, which you also received, and in which you stand, by which also you are saved, if you hold fast the word which I preached to you – unless you believed in vain.”

1 John 2:3-4 – “We know that we know Him if we keep His commandments. He who says ‘I know Him’ and does not keep His commandments is a liar and the truth is not in him.”

2 Peter 2:20 – “If, after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in them and overcome, the latter end is worse for them than the beginning. For it would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than having known it to turn from the holy commandment delivered to them.”

APPENDIX 2: VERSES FROM THE BOOK OF HEBREW – basically a continuation of Appendix 1, but all from the Book of Hebrews:

Hebrews 3:19 – “So we see that they could not enter in [His rest] because of unbelief.”

Hebrews 4:1 – “Therefore, since a promise remains of entering His rest, let us fear lest any of you seem to have come short of it.”

Hebrews 4:11 – “Let us therefore be diligent to enter that rest, lest any fall according to the same example of disobedience.” This verse clearly shows that faith equals obedience.

Hebrews 5:9 – “Having been perfected He became the author of salvation to all who obey Him.” Again, faith equals obedience!

Hebrews 6:4-6 – “For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted the heavenly gift, and have become partakers of the Holy Spirit, and have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come, if they fall away, to renew them again to repentance.”

Hebrews 10: 26-29 – “For if we sin willfully after we have received the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a certain fearful expectation of judgement and fiery indignation which will devour the adversaries. Anyone who has rejected Moses’ law dies without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. Of how much worse punishment, do you suppose, will he be thought worthy who has trampled the Son of God underfoot, counted the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified a common thing, and insulted the Spirit of grace?”

APPENDIX 3: JESUS ON WORKS

During His time on earth Jesus not only had a lot to say about the critical importance of works and obedience, but He also promised consequences (see, for example, Luke 6:46-49). We are going to focus on 7 letters He dictated through the apostle John to seven churches in Asia. These 7 letters comprise chapters 2 and 3 in the book of Revelation. Jesus begins each letter by stating, “I know your works…” In the case of 5 of the 7 churches, He promises consequences:

To the church in Ephesus, He says, “I know your works…Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent and do the first works, or else I will come to you quickly and remove your lampstand from its place – unless you repent.”

To the church in Pergamos, “I know your works…you also have those who hold the doctrine of the Nicolaitans which thing I hate. Repent, or else I will come to you quickly and will fight against them with the sword of My mouth.”

To the church in Thyatira, “I know your works…and I will give to each one of you according to your works.”

To the church in Sardis, “I know your works, that you have a name that you are alive, but you are dead. Be watchful, and strengthen the things which remain, that are ready to die, for I have not found your works perfect before God.”

To the church in Laodicea, “I know your works…because you are lukewarm and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of My mouth.”

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