Steven, (Sorry haven't called, very
busy and sick with cold too lately, and have
to move again...)
I’m glad you want to discuss this
among us because this is very important for
us who believe in and look for our blessed
hope which is our rapture out of here before
the tribulation. My first reaction to this
man Michael Rood is that he is aptly named
and according to some scriptures, names
matter, but that is not why in and of itself
I have come to my conclusion that I have
about his message.
My view on him is that he is
relying on his own wisdom and ability to
“study the scriptures” and arrive at the
truth just as 1st century
Pharisees were doing concerning the messiah;
Jesus Himself accusing them of not being
able to discern the truth though they study
and think they know the scriptures. But God
has chosen to reveal Himself to the humble
and resists the proud.
What strikes me about this is the
similarity in the nature of the deception
between what the Pharisees did and what this
man is doing. The Pharisees were focused on
the end of time when the messiah would
destroy all His enemies and set up an
everlasting kingdom. They were so focused on
that that they refused to see any possible
scenario that could include a different
coming first that did something different
first and therefore they completely missed
their messiah when He was right there among
them. Their problem was that they wanted to
understand God’s ways using man’s reasoning
instead of by the revealing of the Holy
Spirit. Well, this Rood man is doing the
same thing here. He has viewed the
scriptures with a single minded view that
demands that Jesus cannot come back in any
way except at the end when He will destroy
all His enemies and only then can we be
delivered from our troubles. Though there
will be a delivering of saints at that time
and so it does say that, it certainly does
not do so at the exclusion of any other
deliverances coming earlier than at the very
end. Just as messiah would surely come at
the end but He came earlier first for a
different reason and they missed it.
He also did what many have
done with this scripture, 2 Thessalonians
2 which is to take what Paul meant as a
comforting word and turn it into a
disastrous word of doom. These Christians
had already been taught by Paul personally
that there was a tribulation and
Antichrist coming and that before it could
happen Jesus would be coming back to take
us to Himself that where He is there we
may be also. But evil men had come in and
made up a new doctrine that said that the
tribulation was already underway and they
were in it and also that those who had
already died had no hope of going to be
with Jesus because they thought that He
was coming back in their lifetime. Paul
was now writing to address these fears and
put the record straight. His whole point
was first, not to be fearful for their
loved ones who had already died for they
get to rise even before we do who are
alive at the time, but also do not let
anyone tell you that we are in the
tribulation, the great tribulation (double
emphasis to distinguish it from regular
troubles that we all have in the world)
for that day shall not come except the
rapture of us comes first and only then
can the Antichrist be revealed. So as long
as you are here, you are not in the
tribulation the great tribulation but are
to be always looking up for your
redemption draws nigh. This is our blessed
hope. We are told that there is a crown of
righteousness for everyone who loves His
appearing and not to let any man steal our
crown. What possible meaning would this
have if there was no appearing for us
except at the very end when it is all over
anyway? We are warned not to let any man
deprive us of this our hope specifically
Paul warns us to not let anyone sway you
away from holding this hope firm unto the
end. Whereas Rood turns this around and
says that having this hope is to have been
deceived and turned out of the way from
some other responsibility as a Christian
such as voting for godly politicians and
making our nation to be Christian etc..
This Rood fellow seeks to turn the
focus of all of us away from looking for our
blessed hope and instead look to trying to
reform this present world into a Christian
world by voting in godly men instead of the
worldly kind that this world loves. This was
never Paul’s message to the church at any
time. Neither was it ever Jesus’ message or
purpose for coming here in the first place.
Jesus came here to receive unto Himself a
people called out of the world into His
glorious kingdom which comes with no fanfare
but is within each of His people. He is
looking for a people who seek a city which
has true foundations not made with hands but
whose builder and maker is God and who are
not interested in returning to that country
from which they came out or seek to reform
it or vote in its presidents. For now we
desire a better country, that is an heavenly
wherefore God is not ashamed to be called
our God. This world is judged and will be
destroyed and its destruction will be
catastrophic but will begin like birth pangs
on a woman with child and therefore we can
know when things are getting close by how
severe and close together the contractions,
or disasters are getting to each other. We
can know that it is close and are instructed
that when we see these things BEGIN to come
to pass then look up for our redemption
draws nigh. Because we have kept the WORD of
HIS endurance He will also KEEP us FROM the
HOUR of temptation which shall come on all
the world to try them which dwell UPON the
earth. We won’t be upon the earth any longer
and we won’t be in the time/space continuum
any longer. That’s the only way we could be
kept from the very hour. If we were merely
protected through it we would still be in
the hour of it but to be kept from the hour
of it means we have to be completely removed
from this world and taken to eternity just
as Paul described and warned us not to let
anyone try to talk us out of this hope.
Isaiah 26:
19. Thy dead men shall live,
together with my dead body shall they arise.
Awake and sing, ye that dwell in dust: for
thy dew is as the dew of herbs, and the
earth shall cast out the dead.
20. Come, my people, enter thou into thy
chambers, and shut thy doors about thee:
hide thyself as it were for a little moment,
until the indignation be overpast.
21. For, behold, the Lord cometh out of his
place to punish the inhabitants of the earth
for their iniquity: the earth also shall
disclose her blood, and shall no more cover
her slain.
Clearly we are taken away first and
then the punishment comes not the other way
around as Rood is saying.
Isaiah 57: 1
...merciful men are taken away,
none considering that the righteous is taken
away from the evil to come.
My last thought on this Rood man
would be to ask you to compare his teaching
and personality with what the scriptures say
about how to distinguish anyone’s teaching
as to where it originates from and how to
know true teaching from God:
James 3:
13.
Who is a wise man and endued with
knowledge among you? let him shew out of a
good conversation his works with meekness of
wisdom.
14. But
if ye have bitter envying and strife in
your hearts, glory not, and lie not
against the truth.
15. This
wisdom descendeth not from above, but is
earthly, sensual, devilish.
16. For
where envying and strife is, there is
confusion and every evil work.
17. But
the wisdom that is from above is first
pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to
be intreated, full of mercy and good
fruits, without partiality, and without
hypocrisy.
18. And
the fruit of righteousness is sown in
peace of them that make peace.