I make no bones about this — this column is a personal plea. Since I first began studying the rapture, I have been shocked by the attitude of many believers who have taken up the evangelical and apologetic banner of prophecy. It has become an excuse for arrogance, spitefulness, and harshness against believers and unbelievers alike.

Several months ago, I rented a copy of Left Behind, the movie. I sat, stunned, during the trailers as these promotional clips promised viewers hints of the blood, gore, and anguish that would follow the rapture as God poured out His fierce anger upon the earth. The pounding music, the seedy Hollywood presentation, and the deep, ominous voice-over invited Christians to come and enjoy the terror and suffering of the post-rapture world like spectators in a Roman coliseum.

And Christians will do it.

I have a friend who grew up in the South who has told me of a Halloween event called The Trail of Tears. In line with the fire and brimstone preaching for which this area is famous, this trail walks believers and unbelievers through a visual smorgasbord of crumpled cars, gashed foreheads, dead bodies, and half-starved men and women that will result from God's judgment. At the end, counselors line up to hit the traumatized participants with the salvation bargain: accept Jesus today or this could happen to you.

And Christians see this as “spreading the gospel of Christ.”

As I write this column, I am reeling from the response I received from a rapture enthusiast whose website I had visited. On the site had been an invitation: If I do not believe in a pretribulation rapture, would I please take this test? I did so, and the responses I received were condescending, arrogant, and in the light of his position as a professed believer, curdled my blood.

These are the men and women who claim to represent the Body of Christ. Oh, how we should be ashamed!

I am going to share with you two experiences I had on such websites. No names or web addresses will be given, and only portions of the correspondences will be shown. This is not to expose or shame those involved but to open our eyes to how we are behaving as Christians because, tragically, the content of these sites is not unusual. In fact, at least on the Internet, it is the norm.

The Rapture Site

I would like to share with you some excerpts from the website that challenged me, as a non-pretrib believer, to take a test. From the beginning, it was clear that the purpose of this test would open me to criticism from its author. I answered the questions honestly and biblically, interested to see what kind of response I would receive. It was not his answers I was interested in, but his attitudes. I was about to find out.

Here are some examples of the questions that were asked, and my answers:

What hermeneutic principle do you use to understand Scripture?

All scriptures to be taken literally unless clearly indicated otherwise by the text. All scripture must also be read in its historical, cultural, and scriptural context.

How do you determine whether something is symbolic or literal?

By the context. The Bible is very clear about when things should be taken literally and when they should be taken symbolically. It was Jesus' intention to bring to light, after all, not to hide.

How do you know for certain what a symbol means?

In most cases, it is interpreted elsewhere in the text. If it is not, we must rely on history or other factors to interpret it, but in these cases, we must respect that it is best speculation, not fact.

How many prophecies have been fulfilled in a symbolic manner?

None.

Clearly, he was leading up to something.

The Response

I received the reply a few days later. His first words were, “Here is your test results.” Right off the bat, I knew the writer had already taken the attitude: “I have the 100% correct answer to all of these questions and can grade you according to my perfect knowledge and understanding . If I say you are wrong, you are.” Scripturally and spiritually, that is very dangerous ground to be on.

Next, his grade on my answer regarding the hermeneutic principle:

My answer, "All scriptures to be taken literally unless clearly indicated otherwise by the text. All scripture must also be read in its historical, cultural, and scriptural context.," was graded as such: "Not good. Too much wiggle room. There is only one principle: `Take everything literally in context, unless the Scriptures say it is symbolic or unless it is physically impossible for it to be or to take place, with the exception of miracles...Use it!"

First, no reputable Bible scholar would agree with him. It is impossible to take scripture outside of its cultural and historical context. To suggest that we can look at all of scripture with 21st century eyes is arrogant, at best. Not everyone is aware of the importance of historical and cultural context, of course, so the more important issue was the attitude that accompanied this response. If I hadn't been taking this test for reasons of my own, I would have stopped right there. Even at this early stage, it had become clear that this writer was not operating in the spirit of Christ.

The writer found my answer about how to determine whether something is symbolic or literal, "by the context," equally deficient: “Not good," he wrote. "Harold Camping says the same thing and he takes virtually every prophetic passage to be symbolic. The only way to know is by using the principle I noted above. Use it!”

And so it went throughout the rest of the test. His assessments included: “Not good,” “Correct,” “Wrong!” and “Not even close. Try again.” His parting comment to me: “Study the Bible — NOT what men have written!

I could almost have laughed if I hadn't been so appalled. My whole reason for writing Before God's Wrath: The Bible's Answer to the Timing of the Rapture was that, when I began noticing the discrepancy between what I was being taught about the rapture in church, on television, and in books didn't match what I was reading in the Bible, I started an in-depth study with nothing but the Bible and a concordance for looking up the definitions of the original Greek and Hebrew words. And if readers get nothing else out of the book, my web site columns, my radio interviews, and personal conversations with me, it should be this: If you are a Spirit-led believer, you are capable of understanding everything God has for you in the Bible. In fact, it is your responsibility to do so. For we are promised, “You have no need that anyone should teach you, but the Holy Spirit will teach you all things.” The arrogance of this man's comment literally blew me away.

How is that, as Christians, we have come to think we know it all? That God has given us some special insight and position that allows us to treat others with disrespect? Do we really think that, if Jesus would approve us of such attitudes? That He would pat us on the back and say, “You go get `em, son. Let `er rip!”?

I responded kindly to his email, sharing with him a brief explanation of my thoughts on cultural and historical context and my background as a student of the rapture. This was his response: “I don't care about your book or your studies. Just answer the questions if you desire to learn.” After reading this response, I felt as if I needed to take a shower.

The Evangelism Site

The second example, if possible, is even worse. I visited this site some time ago, and when writing this column, I visited again to find that nothing had changed. This was the description under the site name on the search engine: [This site is] opposed to the homosexual agenda, the pagan agenda, the satanist agenda, the feminist agenda: Articles on the `pagan agenda' among others from the Born-Again Christian perspective.”

Is this how we want to identify ourselves as Christians? Jesus exhorts us to holiness, and the Bible is clearly and unequivocally opposed to homosexuality, paganism, Satanism, and other sinful agendas. But Jesus is just as opposed to all of the hateful attitudes exhibited in this description. Is it not true that, “the time has come for judgment to begin at the house of God,” and “it begins with us first” (1 Peter 4:17)? Because we are standing against someone else's sin, does this excuse our own?

After this introduction, when I clicked on the link to the site, I was immediately greeted with the following offer: “NEED HELP?! TURN TO CHRIST!” I thought, “Lord, forgive us, because we know not what we do.”

Scrolling down, the tirade continued:

“By clicking on the Main Directory above you are hereby acknowledging that you are at a CHRISTIAN website where Jesus Christ is KING and you understand this is a Christian website which proclaims Jesus Christ is KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS....."!

If you cannot accept these terms then ENTER AT YOUR OWN RISK of being offended when CONFRONTED with the fact of your SINFULNESS and YOUR LOST CONDITION. If you deny Jesus Christ then if you died the next second you would be sent into a Christ-less eternity of TORMENT and ETERNAL DAMNATION! All those who are lost and deny Christ enter in here AT YOUR OWN RISK of being offended and CONFRONTED WITH THE REALITY OF TRUTH

It then follows with an offer for site visitors who have friends, relatives, neighbors, who are witches, new agers or other types of occultists to be given the URL for this site. This was followed by the following: REPENT! BE SAVED! READ JOHN 14:6 ONLY JESUS CAN SAVE YOU FROM ETERNAL HELL!”

At this point, I had to stop reading because I was feeling physically ill.

My heart goes out to these writers, however, because I believe that they are sincere in their efforts to spread the gospel and to stand up for what they believe to be the truth. They may have no idea that their tactics bring shame, not glory, to the One they seek to justify.

Response of Love

I sent the following email to this site. I also encourage all readers to consider applying this advice to their own evangelistic efforts, whether in conversations with friends and relatives or their own debates with fellow believers:

When I loaded your site, I read your warning at the top of the page. I am an evangelical Christian that proclaims Christ as King of kings and Lord of lords, and yet I was offended by your site almost immediately.

When I read the words of the New Testament, I see that we are to be strong in our faith, willing to confront and expose evil and sin, and to stand firm in our convictions. But I also see that we are to do it with respect, humility, grace, and love. When I scrolled down your home page, I was deeply pained to see the approach you have taken.

urge you, in the love of our Savior Christ Jesus, not to change your message, but to change your approach. The message of Christ is sharper than a two-edged sword, and the gospel of Christ does bring division, but we ourselves are to be gentle, non-offensive in our approach. If unbelievers are offended, let them be offended by the words of Christ Jesus, not by our words or actions.

As a lover of Christ Jesus, I could not even enter your site. As a lover of Christ Jesus yourself, I plead with you to accept my comments in the spirit they were meant, in the desire to lift up the name of the Lord and bring Him glory and, by His love, to win lost sinners to repentance.

I never heard back.

To the rapture enthusiast, I wrote: “If you can conduct a discussion in line with the biblical principles of respect, love, and humility (James 3:13, John 13:34, 1 Peter 5:5), I would be happy to exchange ideas with you. If you cannot, I will respectfully decline.

Here was his response: "I ALWAYS e-mail with TOTAL LOVE of YAHSHUA. If you think not it's your lack of LOVE....I have NO intention of REBELLING against YAHWEH Elohim and allow a female to teach me! That is a SIN and an open act of rebellion against YAHWEH Elohim! In the UNDYING LOVE of YAHSHUA."

Ouch! He may as well have said, "Here, Lord, move this foot out of the way — yes, just like that, out of the path of my sledgehammer— while I CLOBBER Your other foot with this steel head!" WHAM! "Now, wasn't that thoughtful of me to move your other foot? See how much I love you?"

It is such a shame that this man would refuse to "rebel" against the Lord by allowing a woman to teach him, but he has no concern for rebelling against the Lord's command to love one another. How many others of us act much the same way? We love the Lord with one hand and clobber Him with another?

The Model of Christ

Unfortunately, these kinds of sites and attitudes are rampant among born-again believers on the Internet, in books, and in personal conversations. It is no wonder that we are hated by the world! If we take such attitudes and are hated by the world, let us not fool ourselves into thinking it is for the sake of Christ. It is not the gospel of Christ we are exposing them to, but the attitudes of our own hearts. These words are our own doing, our own flesh, that seeks its own.

Let us be aware of the attitude that we take with our brethren and with the world. Let us truly try to emulate the model that Christ has set before us and not bring shame upon His name. This is not to say that there is never a place for sharp words and rebuke. There is, but let it be sparing, used only when necessary, and guided by the Spirit. And, even then, let it be done in love.

After all, Jesus said, “If you love Me, follow My commandments.” Before going to the cross, He told His disciples, “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another” (John 13:34).

Paul wrote, "Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself" (Phil. 2:3).James wrote, “Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show by good conduct that his works are done in the meekness of wisdom” (James 3:13).

Peter wrote, “Yes, all of you be submissive to one another, and be clothed with humility, for `God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble” (1 Peter 5:5).

I've heard people argue, “Yes, but even Jesus had righteous anger. Look at how He turned over the tables in the temple and threw out the money changers. He wasn't a mamsy-pampsy guy.” No, He sure wasn't. But He was, and is, God. And He — not us  — is the righteous Judge. We, His bondservants, are told to strive for humility, gentleness, respect, and love.

And, prophecy enthusiasts, frankly, can be particularly prone to judgment. We see ourselves as knowing what others don't, putting ourselves up higher, somehow. Shame on us! In light of God's holiness, righteousness, and wisdom, the difference between a born-again Christian and the worst sinner is nothing. It is only our position in Christ that sets us apart.

Furthermore, when we are talking about prophecy, let us not take pleasure in the judgments of God. Even God Himself takes no pleasure in the judgment and eternal damnation of the souls He created to love. Christ died for us while we were yet sinners (Romans 5:8). Like those who are lost and perishing today, we, too, were once among them. If it had not been for God's mercy, we would still be lost in our sins, facing the same judgment. This is why the 70th Week is so long in coming. “God is longsuffering, not willing that any should perish but all should come to repentance” (1 Peter 3:9).

Are we somehow better than they? Because we chose to accept Him and they have not? No! We do not come to God. God Himself sought us out. If it were not for His call, all would perish — including you and me. “No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him” (John 6:44). It is God's grace and mercy that saves us, nothing more.

All Things Done in Love

So, this is my plea: All of our discussions, whether with unbelievers or believers, whether we are discussing prophecy, sharing the gospel, debating doctrine, exhorting to holiness, or any other thing, let us strive to meet these standards so that we will bring glory, not shame, upon the One who died for us. If we wish to love the Lord, we must love one another, because that was the wish of the Lord Jesus for us. If we do not, we are not in a right relationship with the Him. And if we think we are, the only ones we are fooling are ourselves:

"He who says he is in the light and hates his brother is in darkness until now. He who loves his brother abides in the light and there is no cause for stumbling in him. But he who hates his brother is in darkness and walks in darkness and does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded his eyes" (1 John 2:9).

So I urge you, my brothers and sisters in Christ, let us not walk in darkness, but in love, whether we are discussing the rapture, the gospel, or anything else. Because, as John has so clearly pointed out, if we walk in arrogance, pride, and hatefulness — even under the auspices of doing it for the kingdom of God — we are wounding the very One we desire to praise.

Recommended reading on the rapture debate