Panel Discussions with Dr. Samuel H. Sutherland, President of Biola, Dr. Charles L. Feinberg, Dean Talbot Theological Seminary, and Dr. Lloyd T. Anderson, Radio Bible Teacher
Q. It is a privilege to have Dr. Suther land and Dr. Feinberg here in the studio to sit around the Word of God with us as they lead us in looking at the questions of some of our friends. I am sure that it is going to be both an inspirational and informative period with our listeners. The first listener writes from Van couver, Canada and says, “I have care fully searched the Scriptures and can not see any other interpretation than that the church will not be translated until the end of the Tribulation pe riod.” This is based upon Revelation 13:7-10; 14:9-15 and several other por tions that are given in the letter. The listener would like to have some help. Dr. Feinberg, what would you scey regarding this? A. I would like to say, first of all, to our listeners in Vancouver, that I am sure that our friend has carefully searched the Scriptures and when he comes to the conclusion that the church will not be translated until the end of the Tribulation, basing it on Matthew 24 and Revelation 13, he is not doing justice to these passages. May I say that others in more recent years, that find the church in the tribulation, do so ip passages which have nothing, nothing to do with the church. Now in Revelation 13 the Scripture is speaking in verse 7 “. . . it was given unto him (that’s the first beast) to make war with the saints and to over come them: and there was given to him authority over every tribe and people and tongue and nation. And all that dwell on the earth shall worship him, everyone whose name hath not been written from the foundation of the
world in the book of life of the Lamb that hath been slain.” and at the end of the 10th verse “. . . Here is the patience and the faith of the saints.” Now friends, very carefully, now please, the reason some friends feel that these passages refer to the church is because they find the word saint. Now that is too narrow a delineate of the word saint. Abraham was a saint. Moses was a saint. Aaron was a saint. David was a saint. Saved ones in the Old Testament were saints as well as believers today are saints. But, some of our friends who are not careful in their Bible interpretation make saints to mean the church every time. Now that is an impossibility and in the 14th chapter of this Revelation verses 9 and 10 speak of those who do not receive the mark on their forehead and here is the patience of the saints, but they are tribulation saints from Israel. We know the church is not there because you find the end of the church’s moral, spiritual and religious history in the end of the third chapter. The fourth chapter begins with the 24 elders seated on t h r o n e s and crowned. Well the saints of God of this age of the church are seated in heaven before there are any judgments on earth, then if you’re going to find any decent chronology, and there’s wonder ful chronology in the Revelation, if the saints are seated in heaven in the fourth chapter you certainly aren’t going to find them on earth suffering or escaping suffering from the beast in Revelation 13 and 14. Now similarly and very carefully again and these exactly are the passages that so many folk use, not only our friends in Vancouver but friends in the 20
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