20 Reasons the Church will miss the Great Tribulation - Jim Baxter - Bog

The subject of the pre-tribulation rapture has become a hotly debated subject in these last days, and in this book, I will attempt to show you from the word of God, exactly what we should believe as a united body of Christ. Growing up in Spencer, Oklahoma in the 1960's, I came from an average middle class family, and church attendance was not on our daily agenda. I had some good neighbors named Bob and Polly Jones, and they began to take me to church, and vacation bible school. I walked down the aisle at Dixon Baptist church, when I was 9 years old, and felt the joy of the Lord, and the Holy Spirits presence. I came to the Lord as a child, yet that doesn't mean I instantly became a bible scholar. I assumed everyone who went to church, went to a Baptist church, and the teachings of the Baptists I assumed were the only teachings concerning the Scriptures. So, the subject of the pre-tribulation rapture of the church, was an established fact for me. I am sad to say that after this my church attendance tapered off, until in my teenage years, I made no effort to serve the Lord. I was like David, down in the land of the Philistines, where I did not belong. But God had mercy on me, and brought me back into the fold in my early adult life. I became aware of the gifts of the spirit when I was about 23, and soon changed my church affiliation to the Assembly of God church. I did not forsake my early teachings in the Baptist church, I just felt that I had graduated from grade school, and was now in junior high. Then I met a man named Garland Blocker, and he introduced me to a higher calling in Christ. Most people thought he was crazy, as most people now think I'm crazy, but he introduced me to other theories concerning the rapture of the church. So, I went from a pre-tribulation rapture Christian, to a mid-tribulation rapture Christian, and even entertained for a short period of time, a post-tribulation rapture position. I could find Scriptures that seemingly supported all three positions, and it became very confusing. So about 5 years ago, I began to study the subject with much prayer, and I believe I can prove to you through the Scriptures, that the church will not be here when the mark of the beast is require to participate in commerce.