2nd Timothy 2:15-16, “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. But shun profane and vain babblings: for they will increase unto more ungodliness.”
I love and support Pastor Steven Anderson, his family and ministry. I love the guy, truly. I love that he stands for truth and righteousness! I love that he is aggressive about soulwinning. Pastor Anderson has done extensive work to reach the Indians in Arizona, which is beautiful in the eyes of Heaven. So I don't like refuting him in my preaching. However, I must refute him when I believe he is wrong Biblically, because my loyalty is to God, not men.
Pastor Anderson teaches that Jesus went to Hell and burned in fire for three days. He plainly ignores Luke 23:43, “And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, To day shalt thou be with me in paradise.” Unless you believe that Hell is Paradise, you must concede that he is WRONG! Kindly said, Pastor Anderson just completely ignores passages of Scripture, which makes him a bad student of the Word of God.
The proper way to study the Bible is like a cool game my grandmother brought me from Sweden as a child. My mother's side of the family all came from Sweden. After my grandfather died (whom I never had the privilege of meeting), my grandmother and mother moved from Sweden to the United States, when my mom was 13 years old. The game I mentioned is called Husker Du, a Swedish game. It is a memory game:
The game board consists of a surface with holes in it, laid on top of a dial that contains several sets of small pictures. The holes are covered by markers at the start of the game, and the dial is rotated to line up one set of positions with the holes. On each turn, a player removes two markers to reveal the pictures underneath. If they do not match, the player replaces the markers and their turn ends. If the pictures do match, the player keeps the two markers and takes another turn. Once the board is cleared, the player holding the most markers is the winner. SOURCE
I learned from playing Husker Du how to compare symbols and find matches. Well, that is exactly how we are supposed to study the Bible. Little did I realize as a child, that my mind was being prepared to rightly divide the Word of Truth. The proper way to study the Bible is to compare Scripture with Scripture, and if the passages don't match, we've got the wrong interpretation. Only when all the pieces fit (match) do we know that we've got the correct interpretation.
Having said that, another horrible mistranslation by Pastor Steven Anderson is concerning the timing of the Rapture. Pastor Anderson boldly teaches in his 22-part 'The Book Of Revelation' video series:
No one preacher has done more damage doctrinally to Bible prophecy, than Pastor Steven Anderson. Kindly said, he does not rightly divide the Word of Truth (the Holy Bible). In part 10 of his 22-part series on 'The Book Of Revelation,' he boldly states that he is not setting any dates for Christ's coming, but then he major contradicts himself by saying (at 21:20 time in the video) that WE WILL KNOW (even being able to count the number of days) from The Abomination Of Desolation until Jesus' return. Folks, that is date setting! The Bible doesn't say that no man knows the time of Christ's return, except until The Abomination Of Desolation (AOD). The AOD (Matthew 24:15) is the prophetic event when the Antichrist claims to be God, and the False Prophet's erected image of the beast starts murdering people, all those who refuse to receive the Mark of the Beast into their right hand or forehead (Revelation 13:15-17).
In part 10 of his series, at 16:15 time in his video, Pastor Anderson errantly teaches that Jesus will return at the Rapture 75 DAYS after the Abomination Of Desolation. I made this helpful chart to help decipher what Pastor Anderson is errantly teaching...
This is bizarre! At 18:79 in part 10 of his video series, Pastor Anderson emphatically denies that he is setting a date for Christ's return. Huh? He sure is setting a date. His lame excuse is that we won't know when the Antichrist breaks his covenant with Israel. He says it could happen “behind closed doors” and we won't know. Yet, then he turns around and totally contradicts himself by teaching that we WILL KNOW once the Abomination Of Desolation happens. In fact, Pastor Anderson says we will even be able to COUNT THE DAYS until the Rapture 75 DAYS later!!! That is date setting my friends. Listen to him for yourself.
Pastor Anderson claims that Jesus never said no man would ever know. He cites Luke 21:28, “And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh.” If you read the preceding verses, it becomes very obvious that this is the Tribulation Period and Christ is speaking about His Second Coming, not the Rapture! Luke 21:25-27, “And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring; Men's hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken. And then shall they see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory.” Dear reader, this is not the Rapture!
People WILL KNOW the timing of Christ's Second Coming. From the time of the Abomination Of Desolation, there will be 1,290 days until Christ's return. What saith the Scripture? Daniel 12:11, “And from the time that the daily sacrifice shall be taken away, and the abomination that maketh desolate set up, there shall be a thousand two hundred and ninety days.” Then will follow The Judgment Of The Nations (Daniel 12:12), extending the days to 1,335. The blessed are the saved (the wheat), the one's not blessed are the unsaved (the tares) who will be cast into Hell. Those who are saved, and have survived until the end of the Tribulation, will go into the 1,000 year Millennium in their earthly bodies. They will not receive their glorified bodies until the end of the Millennium.
Pastor Anderson totally ignores Mark 13:32-37, “But of that day and that hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels which are in heaven, neither the Son, but the Father. Take ye heed, watch and pray: for ye know not when the time is. For the Son of man is as a man taking a far journey, who left his house, and gave authority to his servants, and to every man his work, and commanded the porter to watch. Watch ye therefore: for ye know not when the master of the house cometh, at even, or at midnight, or at the cockcrowing, or in the morning: Lest coming suddenly he find you sleeping. And what I say unto you I say unto all, Watch.” If Pastor Anderson is correct in his understanding of Bible prophecy, then several problems arise:
- We are commanded to LOOK for Christ's return. Titus 2:13, “Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ;” Now, if the Antichrist must appear first, and commit the Abomination Of Desolation before Jesus returns at the Rapture, then why would we LOOK FOR CHRIST. We should be looking for the Antichrist! It would be silly and a big waste of time to LOOK for Jesus, if He cannot come at any moment, and the Beast must come first.
- Pastor Anderson effectively denies the Rapture. If the Rapture and Christ's Second Coming are the same event (c.f., watch his video titled: 'The Rapture = The Second Coming'), then there really is no Rapture. How can there be a Rapture if they are the same event? Pastor Anderson sadly and heretically denies the Rapture!!!
- Jesus emphatically taught that His return would be without signs or warning. The apostles didn't know about the Rapture, but Jesus did. The Apostle Paul in 1st Corinthians 15:51 said he was revealing "a mystery" (the Rapture). But Jesus taught about future events which will happen during the Tribulation Period (c.f., Matthew 24 and Luke 21). These things were also a mystery! So I do think Jesus was speaking about His return at the Rapture in Mark 13:32-37. This must be the case, because people WILL KNOW the timing of Christ's return after the Abomination Of Desolation. There will be 1,290 days from the AOD until Christ's Second Coming (Daniel 12:11). The ONLY Bible doctrinal position that fits Mark 13:32-37 is a Pretribulation Rapture!!!
- There must be humans in their mortal bodies to go into the Millennium. If the Rapture and Christ's Second Coming are the SAME event, then all of the saints will receive their new glorified immortal bodies (fashioned like unto the Lord's resurrected body, 1st Corinthians 15:51-58; Philippians 3:21). So who will go into the Millennium Kingdom of Christ? The Bible teaches in Ezekiel 44-48 that there will be mortal humans living throughout the Millennium. Satan will be released from The Bottomless Pit toward the end of the Millennium, and will lead a rebellion of mankind against God (Revelation 20).
Pastor Anderson Teaches Rapture Is SAME As Christ's Second Coming
The term “Pretribulation Rapture” refers to the future prophetic event when Jesus Christ returns FOR His saints BEFORE the 7-year Tribulation period, when every born-again believer will be “CAUGHT UP” to meet with the Lord in the air (1st Thessalonians 4:17). Again, here is an easy way to remember these truths:- Jesus Christ came 2,000 years ago TO His own!
- He is coming at the Rapture FOR His own!
- And then He is coming 7-years later at the Second Coming WITH His own!
Luke 12:42-46, “Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come. But know this, that if the goodman of the house had known in what watch the thief would come, he would have watched, and would not have suffered his house to be broken up. Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh. Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his lord hath made ruler over his household, to give them meat in due season? Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing.”Notice that Jesus is addressing a “WISE SERVANT,” not the unsaved. I love what Peter asks Jesus in Luke 12:41. In essence Peter is asking: ARE YOU TALKING TO ME? Luke 12:40-41, “Be ye therefore ready also: for the Son of man cometh at an hour when ye think not. Then Peter said unto him, Lord, speakest thou this parable unto us, or even to all?”
For this main reason we KNOW that the Rapture must happen before the Tribulation period. If Pastor Anderson is correct in his unbiblical theories, then Christ's return cannot be imminent. Steve Anderson states in his video...
The preceding statement goes 100% totally contrary to the plainest teachings of the Bible:
Luke 12:42,44, “Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come. ... Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh..”So why couldn't Christ return at any moment? Why not I ask? Steve Anderson is WRONG, WRONG, WRONG! The Word of God is RIGHT, RIGHT, RIGHT!!! Jesus could return at any moment and every believer's body would be transformed “IN THE TWINKLING OF AN EYE.” 1st Corinthians 15:51-52, “Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.” And please notice that Jesus was speaking to His disciples, who called Him “Lord.”
“The Bible's real clear on what the coming of the Lord Jesus is—It is the Rapture! It is the trumpet sounding; It is us being caught up together with Him in the clouds. There are people out there who will tell you, that the Rapture and the Second Coming are two different things. We'll, either those people can't count; or they're basically just repeating what man has taught them instead of reading the Bible and seeing what God has taught them.” —Pastor Steven Anderson; a quote from the YouTube video title: “The Rapture = The Second Coming” (an excerpt from a sermon titled: '1 Corinthians 1' preached at Faithful Word Baptist Church)I humbly disagree! I love Brother Anderson and support his ministry, family and him personally. I love the guy, but I think he is very wrong on this vital doctrine! I love a guy who has fire in his soul while preaching! Brother Hyles used to say: I'd rather see a guy with wild fire than no fire! Amen! But RIGHT DOCTRINE MATTERS!!! Titus 2:13 commands every saint to LOOK FOR OUR SAVIOR'S APPEARING! Well if the wicked Antichrist must appear first, then why would we look for our Blessed Savior? There's nothing to look for! Why would I hope, wait and look for Jesus, when I know He cannot return until after the Man of Sin appears?
The truth is that Pastor Roland Rasmussen led Brother Anderson's mother and father to the Lord, and Dr. Rasmussen teaches the SAME EXACT false doctrine of a PreWrath Rapture. This is where Pastor Anderson learned this false doctrine. The only way that someone can teach that Jesus went to burn in Hell for three days, is to completely ignore Luke 23:43. The only way that a preacher can deny the existence of a place called Paradise in the Old Testament, is to ignore several passages of Scripture. And the only way that any preacher can deny a Pretribulational Rapture, is to completely ignore Jesus' words in Mark 13:32-37.
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