About Lee

Lee William Brainard is a Bible teacher and author. The Bible is — by far — his favorite book. Lee reads it in the original languages (Greek and Hebrew), several literal English translations, the German (usually the Elberfelder), and the Greek OT (the Septuagint). His areas of study include the biblical languages, eschatology (prophecy), apologetics, the major theological controversies, ancient history (with particular interest in ancient catastrophism), and electric universe cosmology.

About Soothkeep

THE PURPOSE OF SOOTHKEEP

Think Outside The Fog…

of the status quo, the popular, the politically correct
of theological systems erected on philosophical errors
of sectarian prejudice and its resistance to truth
of the common mistakes in reason and thought

Set my people free…

from errors in matters of eschatology
from errors on God’s government and redemption
from errors that undermine the Bible and evangelicalism
from errors that promote hyperspirituality

UPWARD TREK
The Newsletter of Soothkeep Ministries

Elijah — I’ve Had Enough Lord!

One of the most encouraging verses in the Bible for me is 1 Kings 19:4. “But [Elijah] went a day’s journey into the wilderness, sat down under a juniper tree: and requested that he might die, saying, ‘I’ve had enough already, O LORD, take away my life. Things aren’t going any better for me than they did for my fathers.'” Some might wonder why I find so much encouragement in this. It’s very simple. Elijah was one of the most used men of God in the history of the world, yet he was wired no differently than I am. He had the same emotional weaknesses that I have. As James states it, “Elijah was a man with the same passions that we have” (James 5:17-18). The LWB version says, “Elijah was an emotional basket-case just

Work Out Your Salvation — Philippians 2:12

In Philippians 2:12 we read the startling statement, “Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.“ This verse has led various professing Christians to take up rather extreme positions. Some insist that Christians must work for their salvation. They say that if we do not work hard enough, we will lose our salvation, or fail to obtain it in the first place. This is a tragic error that overthrows salvation by grace through faith alone (Eph. 2:8-9). Others treat this passage like it was a leper, nervous about being defiled by its “borderline heresy” and skeptical of the orthodoxy of any man who dares to quote it. Thankfully, most Christians do not

Pretrib Arguments in the Didache (The Teaching of the Twelve)

INTRODUCTION One of the hotly disputed topics in the evangelical world today is the rapture. Will the church be removed from earth prior to the tribulation? Or will she go through the tribulation and suffer under the God-hating efforts of the antichrist? Intimately associated with this question is the question of the eschatological views of the early church fathers. Did any of them teach a pretribulation rapture? The answer to this question is a resounding, Yes! Many of them did. The focus of our attention in this article is the Didache, also known as The Teaching of the Twelve. Though some scholars date this document to the early second century, most commonly it is dated to the first century, generally AD 70 to AD 100. This puts it in competition for the earliest Christian

Irenaeus — Ground Zero for the Rapture Controversy in the Early Church

THE RAPTURE DEBATE AND THE EARLY FATHERS One of the most heated debates in the church today is whether the rapture of the church occurs before or after the tribulation. Will the church be on earth during the tribulation? Will she suffer under the antichrist? This controversy involves several intriguing historical questions. For instance, is the pretribulation rapture a recent innovation? Does it have a demonstrable history prior to 1830? Did any of the early church fathers teach a pretribulation rapture? My investigations have convinced me beyond all shadow of doubt that some of the early church fathers did indeed teach a pretribulation rapture. There are numerous clear pretribulation rapture references in the early church fathers, and this body of evidence is growing. Recent research in the untranslated Greek writings of the early church fathers

The New Birth — Rubber Stamp or Regeneration?

INTRODUCTION One of the major errors that has raised its head in the church over and over again since the days of the apostles is the gnostic understanding of the new birth. In a nutshell, this view of the new birth is comprised of two basic parts. First of all, the new birth is a transaction made upon the human heart that is little more than a rubber stamp. It doesn’t change the heart in any significant way. The new birth can exist for months or years without presenting any visible evidence. Secondly, the new birth is ministered to man through a salvation form. If you have done the form, you are born again, and you are justified by grace alone. Historically, this understanding of the new birth has been labeled antinomianism. This terminology, however,

How To Resolve Thorny Doctrinal Questions

Every serious Christian wrestles with thorny doctrinal questions that demand answers. What is the truth? Eternal security or falling away? Sovereignty or free will? Cessationism or non-cessationism? Pretrib or post-trib? There are dozens of questions that demand our time and tax our brains. How do we answer these doctrinal conundrums? Obviously, the correct answer is sola scriptura—the Bible is the ONLY rule of faith and practice since the close of the canon of Scripture in the time of the apostles. The spiritual man searches this book for answers to his doctrinal questions. And he tests potential answers by it. He understands that the word of God gives us the mind of God on every one of these doctrinal questions that we face. But we find a problem here. Despite the fact that the entire conservative

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VIDEOS

2 Thess 2:1 3 – Powerful Proof of the PreTrib Rapture

Lee Brainard examines the Greek grammar, translation choices, and historical context of this important passage to explain why it distinguishes the coming of the Lord and our gathering together unto Him from the Day of the Lord. In this episode of Prophecy in the Crucible*, Lee compares the King James Bible’s translation with modern translations, including the NASB and NKJV, and examines the Greek preposition *huper and its use with verbs of petition. He argues that the grammatical structure supports understanding the rapture as the reason believers should not be shaken by the prospect of the Day of the Lord. Points include: The meaning of 2 Thessalonians 2:1–3 in the pre-tribulation rapture debate. The distinction between the coming of Christ, the gathering of the Church, and the Day of the Lord. How different Bible translations

Rapture Nugget: The New Jerusalem

Discover the breathtaking glory of the **New Jerusalem and the Eternal State**! In this Rapture Nugget, Lee Brainard explores Revelation 21–22 and the incredible future God has prepared for believers. From the radiant city of transparent gold and foundations adorned with precious stones to the River of Life, the Tree of Life, and the believer’s eternal abode, discover what Scripture reveals about our future with Christ. Learn how the New Jerusalem relates to the Church, Israel, the pre-tribulation Rapture, and the Millennial Kingdom. Lee also discusses the Father’s glory illuminating the city, the absence of a temple, and the extraordinary possibilities of life in eternity. The glories of eternity are beyond what we can imagine—and we have only scratched the surface! Keep looking up! Your redemption draweth nigh. Key Scriptures: Revelation 21–22; John 14:1–3 To see

Thief in the Night. When?

When is the “thief in the night”? In this Soothkeep Q&A, Lee Brainard examines Matthew 24, the rapture, the Second Coming, the Day of the Lord, the days of Noah, and the timing of Christ’s return. He also answers questions about Ezekiel 45, the millennial kingdom, the bride of Christ, faith and works in James 2, Enoch and Elijah, Christian use of marijuana, clean and unclean foods, replacement theology, Ezekiel 38, and the Antichrist. A wide-ranging Bible Q&A focused on literal biblical interpretation, prophecy, salvation, and sound doctrine.

The Two Witnesses – When Do They Testify?

When do the Two Witnesses minister during the 70th Week of Daniel—the first half or the second half? In this Bible prophecy study, Lee Brainard examines 10 common arguments for placing the ministry of the Two Witnesses in the first half of Daniel’s 70th Week and then presents 6 arguments for why their ministry occurs during the second half, the time of the Great Tribulation. This study examines Revelation 11, the 1,260 days of the Two Witnesses, the 42 months, the 144,000, the Sixth and Seventh Seals, the Seventh Trumpet, the Second Coming of Christ, the Antichrist, Moses and Elijah, and the relationship between the Two Witnesses and the Temple in Jerusalem. Using a historical-grammatical approach to Scripture, this teaching considers the chronological and prophetic connections between Revelation, Daniel, Zechariah, Matthew, Malachi, and other passages

Time In Eternity

Will time exist in eternity, or will time cease to exist? In this message, Lee Brainard examines the biblical case for Time in Eternity and challenges the idea that time will cease to exist in the eternal state. Using Scripture, context, and careful reasoning, this study examines Revelation 10:6, Revelation 21:23, Revelation 20:10, Genesis 8:22, Psalm 102:26, Hebrews 1:12, and 1 Timothy 1:17. The message explores the meaning of “there should be time no longer,” the New Jerusalem, the new heavens and new earth, the phrase “ages of the ages,” and the biblical evidence for an eternal succession of moments. The central question is simple: If there is motion, seasons, days, years, and ages in eternity, does time actually cease—or do we simply have an eternity without the limitations of death and decay? A fascinating

The Resurrection of the Antichrist

Rerun Is the Antichrist’s resurrection a staged hoax or will he actually be raised from the dead? In this episode of Prophecy in the Crucible, Lee Brainard examines Revelation 13, Revelation 11, Revelation 17, and 2 Thessalonians 2 to explain why Scripture points to a literal resurrection of the Antichrist as part of the great delusion of the Tribulation. The video explores the Antichrist’s deadly head wound, his ascent from the abyss, the identity of the beast as one of the seven kings, the Roman emperor connection, Satan’s role, lying signs and wonders, and God’s purpose in allowing the great delusion. Key passages: Revelation 13:3, 11:7, 17:8–11; 2 Thessalonians 2:9–12; Deuteronomy 13:1–3.

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