At an Hour That You Think Not

By Dr. Randal J. Hiester

A theological subject debated over and over again without resolution is eschatology. Although the study of last things involves several subjects, the all-important matter is the return of the Lord Jesus Christ as promised. For 180 years, fundamentalist teaching has touted a pre-tribulation rapture of the church. When a careful Berean style inspection of Scripture is utilized, of necessity you must acknowledge the pre-tribulation teaching holds no water. The words of Jesus and a close evaluation of the writings of the apostles make clear what many responsible bearers of truth have muddied. After reading this book, may you find yourself closer to understanding the truth of Jesus words and less inclined to accept without inspection of the Word, those who teach otherwise.

Endorsements

Dr. Hiesters rich heritage of faith and scholarship are represented in this work. His book engages some of the most difficult questions of eschatology. This is a refreshing and challenging exposition which will help the reader gain a richer understanding of the truths of Scripture.

Erik Wiedman, Educator

Dr. Hiester demonstrates how eschatology can be understood by a child of God. Incredibly eye opening and life changing!

Daniel Gross, Elder

I think it is possible that your book may be the best and most comprehensive study on the matter presently available.

Mark McCormack, Editor

• Language: English
• Publisher: WestBow Press
• Release date: Feb 17, 2012
• ISBN: 9781449739409

Dr. Randal J. Hiester

Dr. Randal J. Hiester started teaching the Word of God as a seventh grader. He participated in preaching competition on an international and local level via youth group. He has an MMin in pastoral counseling, a ThM, and a ThD. Dr. Randal J. Hiester has communicated the Word of God for three decades, including pastoring the last eight years. This subject is a result of more than three decades of study, and a message for all to read. The focus is what Jesus said rather than what scholars through the years applied to His words. Dr. Randal J. Hiester is a bi-vocational pastor residing in central Pennsylvania. He is married with three children and is privileged to preach the unsearchable riches of Christ each Lord’s Day.

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AT AN HOUR

THAT YOU THINK NOT

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Dr. Randal J. Hiester

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Copyright © 2012 Dr. Randal J. Hiester

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ISBN: 978-1-4497-3941-6 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4497-3942-3 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-4497-3940-9 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2012901824

Unless otherwise indicated, scripture quotations are taken from the King James Version of the Bible.

Printed in the United States of America

WestBow Press rev. date: 2/15/2012

CONTENTS

DEDICATION

FOREWORD

CHAPTER I

CHAPTER II

CHAPTER III

CHAPTER IV

CHAPTER V

CHAPTER VI

CHAPTER VII

CHAPTER VIII

CHAPTER IX

CHAPTER X

CHAPTER XI

CHAPTER XII

CHAPTER XIII

CHAPTER XIV

STUDY AIDS

BIBLIOGRAPHY

DEDICATION

This dedication will come as no surprise to any who know me. The man to whom this is dedicated meant more to me than life, and had a great impact on my life. No other man can compare to this man when it comes to studying the Word of God. He knew the Word inside and out, and yet he never acted like he knew more than the next. A dear friend of his once said, If you squeezed Howard, Scripture would come out. Not only did he read the Word; he lived it. I sought his spiritual insight above any pastor, teacher, or theologian I ever met. I did not have everything in life growing up, but I had something only a dozen other people could claim. A few called him son, some called him teacher, others called him friend, but I call him dad.

God, in April 2004, according to his eternal plan chose to take my father, Howard Leroy Hiester Jr., home to heaven. Thank you dad for being the Father you were. Thank you for the godly example you left for each one of us. You are dearly missed. For all you taught, for all you were; this is dedicated to you with great love.

I am eternally grateful to my wife Michele, daughters Melissa and Andrea, and son, Caleb. They have surrendered much time and consideration while I have over the years studied to show myself approved.

I also want to thank Mark McCormack for his diligent editing and thoughtful suggestions in the final draft. Your generosity and time are greatly appreciated.

Finally, I would be remiss if I failed to thank all who were a part of my home Bible Study and teaching ministry at Faith Bible Church. Your encouragement has meant more than words can say. Thank you for being students of the Word!

FOREWORD

When and how the world will come to an end is a question most people wonder about at some point in their life. It is nearly as fundamental as the question of our own mortality. Our own individual end, of course, is certain; within few years, our bodies will deteriorate back into the elements from which they came. James said, Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away. (James 4:14)

But, what about the end of the world? Can we know with any kind of certainty when the world will end? Can we know how it will end, or what the circumstances will be at that time for ourselves or our loved ones? The Bible contains answers to these questions.

God, in his infinite wisdom and love for us, has given us the Bible - the Word of God - to instruct us in the truth and to answer many important questions about life, including many about the end of time. God does not want us to be ignorant about these things, and in fact; very specific information and instruction is given by the prophets, the apostles, and especially Jesus himself emphasizing the importance of these matters.

The answer to every question cannot be found in the Bible; it does, however, provide the answer to every question, which God deems necessary for us to know. And, in the case of eschatology, there is a wealth of information. Unfortunately, most Christians think the study of eschatology is too mysterious and complex for the ordinary person to understand, and there are two main reasons for this:

1.   The whole study of eschatology does include mysteries and complexities that only God understands.

2.   There are various conflicting theories about the end times, and how they will unfold.

In order to address the first issue, using an analogy, let us consider the science of medicine; clearly, if you want to know as much as possible, it would be good if you became a doctor, but; you don’t need to get your doctorate in order to have a very good understanding of basic first-aid. In the same sense, it isn’t necessary to have a theological degree in order to have a good basic understanding of what the Bible teaches about eschatology.

To address the second issue; it may be said that it has only been in recent church history that major differences in eschatological theory have emerged. Whereas the Bible has always been very clear, consistent and relatively simple in its teaching; other doctrines have infiltrated the church and conspired to confuse the issues and deceive believers. These other doctrines misinterpret scripture, and they are easily refuted because their interpretations twist the scripture in such a way that it would necessarily contradict itself. The Bible never contradicts or disagrees with itself: all scripture is harmonious. This, then, becomes a very good test to see whether a certain interpretation - exegesis- is true or not.

The rapture theory is the most popular new idea these days, and unless you’ve been living under a flat rock you have probably at least heard about it. It has been popularized by the book and movie series Left Behind, and is propounded as gospel truth by many churches. This theory claims that all those people who are saved by Jesus Christ will suddenly disappear from the earth at some point in time before the Great Tribulation. Supposedly, this sudden disappearance will be totally unexpected and may happen at any moment. But where did this theory come from? It is not mentioned in the Bible. Is there any scriptural evidence that this will take place? This, along with various other end-time theories will be looked at in depth in this book.

This book then, is a frank and reliable guide through those scriptures which deal with eschatology and focusing especially on whether or not the pre-tribulation rapture theory has any validity. It shows clearly and concisely what the Bible actually teaches about end times, and how the Bible is completely harmonious with itself in all of these teachings: Old Testament and New Testament alike. It will show you how the Bibles teachings coalesce with the textual context, and how they are so thoroughly explicit and concretely supported by other scripture as to be inarguable. You will be able to realize the truth and recognize the deception involved in the arguments for other theories. You will see how scripture states the truth, and then reinforces it time and again by other scriptures. Dr. Randal Hiester has plumbed the depths of scripture in order to display the various facets of this subject in vivid detail, and offers many charts and references to explore if you wish; but, even a cursory reading of this book will bring to you a much greater clarity of understanding. This book has been an epiphany to me personally. After reading and listening to various other teachings on eschatology, which left me confused, unsure and hungry for the truth, I feel that Dr. Hiester has delivered the meat and potatoes, along with a generous portion of apple pie and ice cream.

The story of how this book has come about is in itself an interesting vignette and deserves to be told. First let me briefly introduce Dr. Randal J. Hiester, the author of this book. He is now Randy to me, since I know him as a friend and a good brother in Christ. I hope he will not mind if I refer to him as Randy hereafter. Everyone else we know does.

Randy is the pastor of a reformed church in Pennsylvania. He is married and has three children. I first met him when a good friend of mine - Joe - who was attending Randy’s church, invited me to visit it with him. I could tell from Randy’s knowledgeable and heartfelt teaching that; here was a man who took very seriously the scripture that adjures us to; Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. (2 Timothy 2:15)

A while later I was visiting my friend Joe and we got to talking about end times. He pulled out a big notebook and handed it to me. I asked him what it was and he told me it was Randy’s doctoral dissertation and was about eschatology. I was rather taken aback by this revelation as I picked up the big notebook and hefted it; it was pretty heavy. I had never even seen a doctoral dissertation before and thought it might be kind of fun to look through so I asked Joe if I could borrow it. He said he didn’t think Randy would mind, so I took it home and it sat unlooked at for a few months till I had run out of reading material and decided to pick it up. As I began reading it I realized that it was a work like no other. There were no vague ramblings alluding to theories and conjectures. Here was, laid out in simple plain language, eschatology in an easy to understand format that made sense, was perfectly logical, and pulled all the scriptures together in a compatible cohesive way.

Initially, being mildly interested in eschatology, I thought that it might give me a slightly better understanding of a very interesting yet confusing subject, fraught with dark mystery, and unknowable by any but cloistered monks after prayer and fasting with, perhaps, a little self flagellation. So, I was surprised to find that reading this book, in conjunction with the scriptures, served to enlighten me rather more substantially than I first thought possible. I now realize that the subject can be studied comprehensively, and though there are things which will remain a mystery, there are also many things which are knowable and uncontestable in the light of the plain word of God and common sense. I see now that there is a learning curve that must be attained in order to see how scriptures fit together to form a clear picture. At the same time there is a plethora of stand alone scriptures that declare Jesus intent to raise us on the last day, the just and the unjust alike. This treatise explores the subject in great and straightforward detail and makes it easier to understand than any other source that I know of. In fact, it would be hard for anyone to read it and not discover the truth unless they are set in their ways, and refuse to acknowledge that some theories are groundless.

So, it was with all this in mind that I decided to e-mail Randy to tell him what I thought of it and ask him if he had ever considered turning it into a book. His dissertation, I felt, was truly a groundbreaking work, and so very relevant to our times. It was like finding a real treasure. Interestingly, Randy was not considering publishing the work at that time. As his doctoral dissertation, it might have remained undiscovered, a dusty tome on my friends bookshelf. I say this not to claim credit for discovering it, but to point out that this work was done purely for spiritual and academic reasons, and not just to make a buck. We ended up getting together to discuss the feasibility and appropriateness of turning it into a published book. After much prayer, discussion and some positive feedback from other people, Randy decided to pull the trigger. We know that this book will shake things up a bit, and that is a good thing. It’s about time this issue was wrestled with.

At the beginning of my study I believed that the study of eschatology was an interesting yet rather unimportant subject in the life of a Christian, considering that it is not specifically required to get into heaven. It was not until I began studying that I realized that among the majority of evangelical churches there is a great misunderstanding of the scriptures regarding pre-tribulation rapture. It became apparent that this misunderstanding, propounded as gospel truth from the pulpits of the largest and most powerful churches in America, cannot be a good thing. I began to realize the ramifications of blessing and sanctioning these false theories. If people expect to be raptured out of the tribulation because their pastors teach them this, then they are going to be very disappointed when the reality of persecution sets in. Could this be one reason for the great falling away in the end?

When the tribulation begins in earnest, Christians will be hard pressed to maintain their walk with God when faced with the earth shattering events prophesied in the end. Christians who believed they would be raptured out of it may be easily persuaded that, because they were taught wrongly about the rapture, they may have been wrong about Christianity altogether, especially when they are being forced to declare allegiance to the antichrist or face persecution or even death. Thus, it becomes clear that teaching this false doctrine is dangerous, possibly disastrous, except that we know that God has all in hand.

I think it is possible that this book may be the best and most comprehensive study on the matter presently available. Of course, it is now in your hands and you, hopefully with a discerning spirit, will now be the judge. To those (if any) who are not convinced, and in the end disagree, let me just say no hard feelings. While we believe that this is an important work, and while we would like you to agree; in the final analysis it is whether you believe in the one and only true Son of God that will get you into heaven. It is only faith in our wonderful Lord and Savior - Jesus- which makes us brothers in the one true vine. We struggle to understand the things of God as well as we may - as mere infallible mortals - but; For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts. (Isaiah 55:9); So saith the Lord.

Therefore; whether we agree or disagree on this, let us continue to love one another as Christians, and try to be as understanding of each other as possible. The closer we get to the end times, the more important it will be for us to be united as Christians and not divided by denominations or other divisiveness. In the end, we only have God and each other for company. Let us, as Paul commanded, treat each other as parts of our own body, which we are in the form of the Church: For as we have many members in one body, and all members have not the same office: So we, being many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another. (Romans 12:4-5)

Your fellow brother in Jesus Christ,

Mark McCormack

CHAPTER I

PERSONAL STRUGGLE

I was fortunate as a teenager to be part of what I would consider the finest youth program. I recall in the eighth grade that the church I attended, Bible Baptist Church of Shiremanstown, Pennsylvania converted the youth program to a formalized program under the umbrella of Word of Life Club, out of Schroon Lake, New York. The program is first class. It is known for involving and encouraging teens to use their God-given talents for the glory of God. The teens do so by competing with other Word of Life Club participants at area, regional, and national competition sites. The areas of competition include: singing, instrumental music, creative writing, story telling, Bible quizzing, and preaching. The latter, as you might assume, is the arena I competed for five years.

It was either the spring of 1980 or 1981, after I presented my sermon before the youth group, the well-loved mentor and youth pastor, Pastor Charles Cole, gave an assessment of my initial presentation. This was common as he did this with all participants for all categories of ministry, in order to help fine-tune our presentation prior to area competition. That year he made just one comment. I am certain he did not realize this comment would linger with me for many years, and prompt me to search deep into the subject that we are about to delve into. The comment was: Your message was great. The only thing I need to caution you about is you used a Second Coming verse to reference the rapture. My response was a sincere pointed question, How can you tell the difference?

I cannot recall the youth minister’s response to that question, if indeed there was a response. I do remember thinking; it shouldn’t be that difficult to tell the difference. The verse I used sounded doctrinally correct and, with my limited knowledge, appeared to fit the context, so how could it be wrong. No wonder so many people steer away from eschatology (the study of last things). No marvel that things which are tough to interpret just through superficial reading, are not considered further. It stuck with me for many years. I have come to the realization—through careful study and most importantly the Holy Spirit giving understanding to the truth contained in the Word of God—that the reason I was confused as a teenager, is because there is no difference.

This reason gave birth to at least a dozen concerns that I either had or through study of the Word, became a question mark to me. It is possible the reader may find him/herself asking the same questions.

Not knowing who the reader is, I need to take a moment and define the difference between the rapture and the Second Coming of Christ for those who are new to this subject. The Second Coming is defined in Scripture as the event when Jesus Christ returns to earth at the end of time, in power and great glory and exercise judgment on mankind. He will usher in His eternal kingdom after separating His own (called sheep) and those who have rejected Jesus as the Messiah (goats). The goats are exited into eternal damnation and the sheep into life eternal in heaven.

The heavily taught and touted rapture theory is the teaching that seven years prior to the Second Coming of Christ, a secret event occurs where all believers in Christ are raptured away from the earth, unknowingly, unexpectedly, with no sign nor eyewitness of the event. The teaching is eagerly embraced among many fundamental circles because there is a good feeling to this teaching. You escape what the Bible calls Great Tribulation which occurs the last seven years of planet earth.

The following considerations are a concern were we to assume the rapture is a valid event. We will discuss the validity of each in short order:

1.   Multiple Judgments: If the rapture took place today, believers in Jesus Christ are caught up to heaven and stand before the Judgment Seat of Christ where all believers are judged. Seven years later all Tribulation Saints are judged. One thousand years after that (1007 years from the time of the rapture) those who have died outside the family of God are judged at the Great White Throne Judgment and condemned to hell. Three judgments, with separated categories of believers or non-believers, are not in agreement with the examples that Jesus gave concerning judgment day.

2.   Segregated Judgments: Jesus said in the parable of the wheat and the tares in Matthew chapter thirteen, that the wheat and the tares will be allowed to grow together, and at the harvest they will be separated. According to Jesus in Matthew 13:39, the harvest is the end of the world. If the harvest is the end of the world, then you have a hard time explaining how the believers can be raptured seven years or 1007 years prior to any other group of people, and have judgment take place in that forum. Judgment must be in one forum, at the same time, and all must grow together until the end of the world.

In addition, Jesus says in the same parable that at that judgment, the tares are the first ones separated, and prepared for burning. Prepared for burning is referencing the penalty of sin, that being the lake of fire and brimstone. "Let both grow together until the harvest: and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them: but gather the wheat into my barn. (Matthew 13:30) Note gather ye together first the tares". You rarely, if ever hear that preached in fundamental circles, yet it is straight from the Redeemer’s lips.

In the parable of the sheep and goats Jesus said that all people (nations) will be gathered before Him, and He will separate the sheep from the goats. And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats: And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left. (Matthew 25:32-33) How can the sheep and goats be divided one from the other if the judgment of the two groups occurs one thousand or more years apart? They all must be at judgment at the same time or these two parables make no sense or they are at best misleading.

3.   Frivolous Bookkeeping: If the dispensationalist thought pattern of eschatology is correct, and judgment of the saved is separate from those who will perish in hell, than the use of the Lamb’s Book of Life is frivolous—that is—a waste of time at both judgments. Why would an angel open the Lamb’s Book of Life to see if someone’s name is written in it, if the only people at the Judgment Seat of Christ are believers, and the only ones present at the Great White Throne Judgment are non-believers? It would stand to reason that all that stand before the Judgment Seat of Christ are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life, and all present at the Great White Throne Judgment are not written in the book. It wouldn’t make sense for God to have an angel take the time to open a book and check for billions of names which are not written in that book. He wrote the book, and therefore certainly knows the names written therein. I contend, based on Jesus words, the reason why the book is checked is because all mankind, from Adam forward, are summoned before the Creator at the same time. Therefore, some are written in the book, and many others are not.

4.   Partial Marriage: No one was ever partially married. While teaching a series of lessons on this subject at a home church, I asked if anyone was partially married. It was obviously meant as a rhetorical question where the answer was of course not. Instead the wife of a good friend of mine raised her hand. Jodi said, I feel like I am only half married to Dan. The other half is married to ice hockey. We all got a chuckle out of it, but the reality is, no one is half married; you are either married or you are not. Yet if you choose to accept the popular teaching of eschatology, the Marriage Supper of the Lamb takes place in heaven while the Tribulation takes place on earth. During the Tribulation some will come to saving faith in Christ. These individuals, fortunate that they have come to faith in Christ, however, unfortunate in that they will never be married to the groom, Jesus Christ. The marriage of the bride, the Church of Christ, is already complete, and you can’t add to the bride sometime after the wedding, unless your name is Laban. It makes no sense that those individuals are part of the family of God, are redeemed by the blood of the Lamb, are considered to be the bride of Christ, and yet will not participate in the marriage ceremony. The Marriage of the bride to Christ must take place when all Saints of all ages are together at once; otherwise the marriage is not complete.

5.   Tribulation Promised: At no time since the call of Abraham, up to and including the Church, has God promised exclusion from trials, troubles, or tribulation. In fact we are told the opposite. These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world. (John 16:33) The text does not say The Tribulation, but does say that we can expect tribulation. We live in a world that does not care for Christians or the religion and morals we represent. In His high-priestly prayer in the garden of Gethsemane, the Savior prayed to the Father, I have given them thy word; and the world hath hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. (John 17:14)

Many converts have become martyrs for their faith. Throughout history Israel has spent generations and hundreds of years enslaved to heathen