Be Not Deceived
Description
What if what you've been taught about the end times ... isn't the whole story?
For decades, many Christians have embraced the belief that they will be taken from the earth before the tribulation begins. It's a comforting idea-but is it what the Bible actually teaches?
In Be Not Deceived, Susan E. Jeans invites readers into a careful, Scripture-driven examination of one of the most widely accepted-and rarely questioned-doctrines in modern Christianity. With the spirit of the Bereans, who "examined the Scriptures daily to see whether these things were so," this book challenges readers to move beyond tradition and test every assumption against the Word of God.
Through a thorough and accessible exploration of key passages, Jeans:
- Examines the foundations of pretribulation theology and where it may fall short
- Clarifies the biblical meaning of the Great Tribulation and the Day of the Lord
- Explores the timing of the rapture in light of the full counsel of Scripture
- Warns of the spiritual danger of unpreparedness in the face of coming persecution
- Calls believers to steadfast faith, endurance, and discernment in the last days
This is not a book written to provoke fear-but to inspire readiness.
Whether you are firmly convinced of your position or simply seeking clarity, Be Not Deceived will challenge you to think deeply, study diligently, and anchor your beliefs in the truth of God's Word.
Because in the end, it is not tradition-but truth-that will sustain your faith.
More details
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Content
Forewordxvii
Prefacexviv
Acknowledgmentsxxiii
Glossaryxxvii
Section I: The Foundation - A foundation must be laid before a case can be built1
A. Misleading terminology clouds understanding1
B.The predominant prophetic worldview today is shaped by modern dispensationalism2
Section II: The Risk of Deception - Pretribulationism creates the risk of believers being deceived and falling away from the faith39
A. It is spiritually dangerous to fail to prepare for persecution39
B. It is important for all believers to be prepared to suffer persecution and to be faithful unto death40
C. The prewrath rapture position is an alternative, though it, too, has problems42
Section III: The Pillars - The pillars of pretribulationism must be compared to the biblical text43
A. Pillar 1. The seven years of the seventieth week of Daniel 9:24-27 are all a time of tribulation44
B. Pillar 2: All seven years of that tribulation are God's wrath in the day of the Lord45
C. Pillar 3. Believers are spared from God's wrath in the day of the Lord60
D. Pillar 4. The rapture is imminent77
Section IV: The Day of the Lord - The Day of the Lord is a unique biblical period of time81
A. The Day of the Lord has distinctive characteristics81
B. Signs will herald the onset of the day of the Lord90
C. Is the Day of the Lord the wrath from which believers are spared?95
D. The Day of the Lord does not fill the entire seventieth week but occurs only in the latter part of the second half of the seventieth week96
Section V: Believers on Earth During Daniel's 70th Week - Other reasons believers will be on the earth for at least a portion, if not most, of the seventieth week of Daniel141
A. The Lord has always had witnesses on the earth141
B. The church is not absent from Revelation after chapter 3162
C. The great tribulation will serve as God's cleansing, refining, and purifying of what is today's Laodicean/Thyatiran church, at least in America193
D. The prewrath rapture position is based upon the belief that the rapture will occur just prior to the commencement of the day of the Lord214
Section VI: "The Last Day" - Is "the last day" the millennium?223
A. The resurrection of the dead is associated with "the last day"224
B. There are differing opinions regarding the age of the creation227
C. What is the dispensationalist view of "the last day"?231
D. There are other problems with limiting "the last day" to the millennium236
Section VII: Conclusion - Believers cannot be complacent about deception241
A. Each believer will be accountable to God242
B. To avoid being deceived, each believer should study the Bible thoroughly, as the end of days draws ever closer244
Afterword257
Appendix A:Biblical Texts Regarding Expected Tribulation in This World259
Appendix B:Biblical Texts Regarding God's Testing of His People and in Afflicting Them as Punishment265
Appendix C: Biblical Texts Regarding God's Corrective Discipline and His Provision in Times of Testing273
Appendix D: Biblical Texts Regarding the Identity of Daniel's People, Israel277
Appendix E:Biblical Texts Regarding the Day of the Lord281
