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Today, many Christians are following the false docrine of Pre-Tribulationism which teaches that before Antichrist is revealed, Christians will be secretly gathered, or “raptured” as they call it, before the Great Tribulation. But this belief is not supported by scripture in any way whatsoever. Christians should take the firm position that there is nothing in scripture whatsoever that supports the teaching that Christ gathers his believers before the Great Tribulation.

Scripture commonly uses the metaphor of a "whore" to describe those who stray from God and instead pursue the things of the world. The title of this article is not intended to shock or offend. It comes directly from the scenario depicted in the book of Revelation of one such "whore" which has now emerged and who shall ultimately rise to power with Antichrist.

As history has played out, Pre-Tribulationism now fits into a broad and developed, heretical political theology called Christian Zionism. Christian Zionism is different from original Zionism. Zionism origniated after the Nazi Holocaust, essentially as an ideology of self-protection. Quite understandably, surviving Jews wanted to protect themselves from future potential Hitlers. Zionism was the name given for the ideology of Jewish self-protection.

But nowadays, conflicting opinions exist as to what actually constitutes Zionism, much like Americans hold conflicting opinions on patriotism even though historical patriotism once held near universal meaning. But whatever the case, the historical original Zionism involves protecting Jews from hostility. Note that Zionism usually carries with it the idea of nationalism as a primary means of protection -- that by nationalizing, Jews can better protect themselves. Zionism should not be confused with what is now widely known as Christian Zionism. The two are distinct.

Christian Zionism is a movement that is rooted primarily on false eschatology, the main pillar of which is Pre-Tribulationism. Christian Zionists want to speed the fulfillment of their incorrect understanding of Bible prophecy, particularly their "rapture," by engaging in an activist political agenda aimed at restoring Israel to its biblical boundries and by reinstituting Levitical temple worship.

In recent years, many if not most Christians were Pre-Tribulationists, but they did not participate in a Christian Zionist agenda, mainly because the times simply did not yet allow the emergence of such an agenda. So one can be a Pre-Tribulationist without necessarily being a Christian Zionist.

But this is less and less the case as unwary Pre-Tribulationists have replaced the old base of the Republican party, not merely as Christians and patriots who have private eschatalogical beliefs, but as activist Christian Zionists. Whereas in the past, the agenda of Christian Zionism did not exist in American politics, it is now a main engine of the Republican base, i.e. restore biblical Israel and Levitical temple worship.

The difference between latent, seemingly harmless Pre-Tribulationism and the Christian Zionist agenda is that the latter offers many horrors., not the least of which is the moral blank check Christian Zionists write themselves to treat Palestinians as sub-human and restore Israel at all costs, even if that cost has to be measured in human life. In the Christian Zionist agenda, anything in the way of restoring biblical Israel must be destroyed. In recent times, Jerry Falwell told Hardball's Chris Matthews that he believes the Palestinians should be completely removed from within the biblical boundaries of Israel. Matthews was left speachless at Falwell's proposition of an inhumane and heartless mass-eviction, and perhaps all the more because the obscene proposition was made in the name of God and Christ. Jerry Falwell believes the Bible commands this, when in fact it does not. But because Christian Zionists continue to be deceived that they have a mandate from the Bible for their agenda, they feel their ends justify any means. The days of innocent Bible fundamentalism have passed from us.

Christian Zionists often imagine that they are at war with the nations surrounding Israel. They often imagine that the Bible is God's geographic deed for the exact boundaries Israel, and that they are the instruments of God through which these boundaries should be enforced. And it is just this that has some citizens of the nation of Israel wary of Christian Zionists. Unfortunately, Christian Zionists are ready to fight for Israel whether Israel wants them or not. And in spite of the warnings of some alarmed individuals, Christian Zionist political support is embraced by the Israeli government, because it strengthens their regional power, thus giving them leverage against hostile Arab states that they would not otherwise have. This leverage already extends to high levels in Washington with the likes of Republican, Congressman Tom Delay. In other words, the Israeli government is willing to play to the Christian Zionist crowd in exchange for raw power that they do not have of their own.

Those advancing the Christian Zionist agenda number in the millions and have captured mainstream, national media attention. Today, Christian Zionism is rampant in not only political settings but also in the institutionalized church. Christian Zionism deceitfully and seamlessly blends into nearly any evangelical church and most of the time begins quietly, almost innocently, as if no change in doctrine had ever taken place. But the leaven of Christian Zionism has leavened the whole lump, and this is why there are millions of supposed Christians who have fallen into this heretical deception.

The major problem with Christian Zionism is that it prepares this particular church to fulfill her apocalyptic role of whore riding the beast to power. Following his rise to power, which is facilitated by the whore, Antichrist confirms the covenant, allowing Israel to rededicate the Temple anew. Indeed, Hannukah means "rededication" and celebrates the rededication of the Temple after the successful Macabeean revolt against Antiochus Theos Epiphanes (which means "Antiochus 'the god' Made Manifest"). A future rededication will be made possible only by the politcal agenda of Christian Zionists and in rejection of Jesus Christ for useless Levitical temple worship. The red heifer, which is necessary for purification (Num. 19), will be sacrificed at a third temple in Jerusalem to initiate Levitical temple worship in rejection of Jesus Christ. Such an event shall directly fulfill the prophecied actions of Antichrist, the particular church that rides on his back to power, and the Israel that accepts the false refuge, a refuge apart from God, that Antichrist offers (Is. 28). The author is firmly convinced that this particular sacrifice, the sacrifice of the red heifer, fulfills the necessary confirmation of the covenant, as depicted in Daniel 9:27.

Here is where it really hits: The agenda of Christian Zionism is to confirm the covenant! And when the covenant is confirmed, that means the Great Tribulation is only 1,260 days away from its beginning -- the Abomination of Desolation. The Great Tribulation, as spoken of by our Lord Jesus, is an intense time of trial and suffering for the saints of God. But the Christian Zionists who have just politically empowered Antichrist to confirm the covenant will not recognize this, because they will still be expecting a PRE-Tribulation "rapture" that is not coming. They will be caught in the trap! The best hope for them is that they will accept torture or martyrdom at the hands of Antichrist, while the worst possibility is that a trapped Pre-Tribulationist could take his mark, his name, or the number of his name, "because after all the 'rapture' has not yet come, so this can't be the mark of the beast... can it?"

The Christian Zionist agenda is a necessary element for the fulfillment of prophecy in that it convinces Christians to ride the first beast, who is Antichrist, to power. No doubt, Antichrist will be a "Christian" president, who is not president, but king, not of the United States, but rather Prophetic Babylon of both the Old and New Testament (Is. 14). When factored with the Christian Zionist agenda, the Pre-Tribulation gathering is not only a false hope but also a death trap, with the potential for causing many to lose their souls by embracing the false security of the beast, his mark, his name, and his number.