Who Preaches the Kingdom?

There are still plenty of Pentecostal and Baptist pastors who preach the return of Christ. One of the most well-known preachers of the past few decades is David Jeremiah. As of the date of this publication he is in his 80s and still preaching.

Many other Last Times preachers have already passed away: Hal Lindsey, Grant Jeffrey, Tim LaHaye, and Jack Van Impe. Although each of these was mistaken regarding the timing of the Rapture and the Tribulation, they awoke an interest in the study of the Last Times. God used them to inspire Evangelicals to research the Last Times.

The best current trend in teaching on the Last Times is the Pre-Wrath movement. It has captured the attention of many who were once Pre-Tribulationists (people who thought that the Rapture would occur prior to the Tribulation and that the Rapture would come unannounced—that the Rapture would be imminent).

The preachers of Pre-Wrath have a much better knowledge of End Times prophecy than the ones listed in the previous paragraph. Charles Cooper and Chris White are two worth mentioning. But they also come short. They have listened more to one another than to the Holy Spirit regarding the Last Times.

Survey Says...

Surveys demonstrate that Evangelical churches believe that preaching End Times prophecies from the Book of Revelation is important—One study says that 90% of Evangelicals believe so. Another survey says that 92% of Evangelicals (and 55% of Americans) believe that Jesus will return to Earth some day. That’s good.

The majority of Americans believe that Jesus is coming back. Even more encouraging is that in 2020 a survey demonstrated that 65% of Evangelicals in the U.S. believe that we live in the times that precede the Millennial reign of Jesus. That sounds like good news for the U.S.; however…

Cults vs. Heretics

Although 65% of Evangelicals believe Jesus will reign on the Earth for a thousand years is a positive sign, it’s not enough because they don’t know what that Kingdom will look like, nor do they preach it. In fact, it’s not their Gospel. They don’t preach the Good News of the Kingdom. They are fearful to announce it because the World will reject them.

Cult groups such as the Jehovah’s Witnesses (JWs) and the United Church of God (UCG) put much more emphasis on the Kingdom of God than most Evangelical churches. This is an astounding fact. But these groups, highly rejected by Evangelicals, have been proclaiming the Kingdom of God for decades, and they’ve been doing it with boldness! They’ve not wavered in the midst of much opposition—even with opposition coming from Evangelicals! Are these groups really as bad as Evangelicals make them out to be?

Well, yes. They’re really bad, but not because of the Hope they preach. They have other false doctrines that contradict other Truths.

The UCG is an offshoot of Grace Communion International/Worldwide Church of God, originally founded by Herbert Armstrong. They produce some of the most inspirational material on the Kingdom, but they do not exercise the spiritual gifts and they insist on practicing Old Testament holidays—so they are legalists. They don’t follow the Holy Spirit the way true New Covenant believers should follow him.

The JWs actively disseminate pamphlets illustrating a world at peace—the Kingdom with all its abundant blessings. You’ve probably seen their illustrations in their many publications, like the Watchtower. Although their understanding of the Kingdom is skewered [for example, they don’t believe that we will actually reign with Christ, and ignore the War of Gog and Magog], at least they announce Christ’s global Kingdom with confidence, and are willing to suffer rejection for preaching it.

Evangelicals condemn the JWs, members of the UCG, and other sects, but aren’t most Evangelical churches just as heretical? Don’t Evangelicals also deny fundamental doctrines? What makes these groups worse than Evangelicals?

Gauging Heresy

The definition of heresy is the denial of a fundamental Christian Truth. Well, the majority of Evangelicals deny the fundamental Truths of monotheism, baptism for salvation, the laying on of hands, the Resurrection from the Dead, judgment according to our works, and—the topic we’re addressing in this post—the Hope of the Kingdom.

To their credit, the UCG and the JWs have served a special purpose: conserving at least one fundamental doctrine, the One Hope—the message of the Kingdom. To the JW’s credit, they have also conserved the doctrine of One God. They are firm monotheists, as we all should be.

The best way of gauging heresy is to count how many of the basic Truths a church group denies. The group that denies more fundamentals is more heretical. For example, the typical Baptist church denies: 1. One God, 2. That Jesus came in the flesh, 3. the Hope, 4. the baptism of the Holy Spirit, and 5. the need for repentance for salvation.

How many fundamentals do the Jehovah’s Witnesses deny? They deny the One Spirit—and that’s the main reason to stay away from them—and with the One Spirit they deny the One Baptism (which only the Holy Spirit can give--but he's only the power of God, for them).

The JWs have very strange explanations of who Jesus is, but they do not deny the One God or the One Hope. Who are the heretics? There are probably a lot more than you think! And they might be worshipping in a place you would never consider to be heretical.

If in a given congregation they conceal the Kingdom, and do not reveal what the central message of Jesus Christ is--the Good News of the Kingdom--then wouldn't they be heretical? Wouldn't they be a false church? Concealing the Kingdom is a severe stumbling block and because it is a denial of one of the Seven Realities, it's heretical.