Future Events

We believe at the death of the body, the spirits and souls of believers go instantly into the presence of the Lord and that the Lord has a complex future plan for the earth and all people (I Cor. 15:50-58; II Cor. 5:6-8; I Thes. 4:13-18). The following is a description of some of these:

The blessed hope of the believer is the imminent, personal, pre-tribulational, pre-millennial appearance of Christ to rapture the church. His righteous judgments will then be poured out on an unbelieving world during the tribulation, the last half of which is the Great Tribulation. The climax of this fearful era will be the physical return of Jesus Christ to the earth in great glory to introduce the Davidic kingdom. Satan will be bound, and the curse will be lifted from the physical creation. Israel will be saved and restored to national superiority. Following the Millennium, the Great White Throne judgment will occur, at which time the bodies and souls of the wicked dead shall be reunited and cast into the lake of fire. Jesus Christ shall reign forever and ever as Lord of Lords and King of Kings (Isa. 11:1-2; Matt. 24:29-30; I Thes. 4:13-18; II Thes. 2:1-12; I John 4:3; Rev. 3:10; 20:2-3,11-15).

Charismatic Movement

We reject the Charismatic Movement, known by various designations, involving tongues experiences of manifold types and descriptions. We believe that speaking in tongues is not a sign of either regeneration or sanctification and that the New Testament gift of tongues is not in existence today. We believe that the gift of tongues was among those temporary spiritual gifts bestowed by God upon His churches in apostolic times, and that when its purpose was accomplished, the gift ceased (I Cor. 13:11). We believe that the gift of tongues was never required as an outward demonstration of either the baptism or the filling of the Spirit (I Cor. 12:13,30; Eph. 5:18).