User Panel
User Panel
User Panel
LA, USA
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Posted: 3/7/2024 7:37:14 PM EDT
[Last Edit: Tech-Com]
If you believe in the future rapture of the church, you must also conclude that the blood of Christ has been powerless in Heaven for thousands of years.
Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed (1 Corinthians 15:51) Consider the above verse where Paul confirms even years after the death of Christ that people still sleep in the grave when they die, but he is also saying that some of his audience would live to see the fulfillment of Matthew 24. In Matthew 24 Jesus promises to gather his elect within 1-Generation. The reason these things occur within 1-generation is because those of that generation are eyewitnesses of the victory of Christ, and their testimony will be presented in Heaven. Since the writings of Paul indicate that those that had died in Christ were asleep during the time he was authoring most of the New Testament we must define what event occurred that broke this chain of sleep and how they were brought into Heaven to provide their testimony as proof along side the blood of Christ. The event of their gathering is described in Matthew 24 and their testimony in Heaven is described in Revelation 12. If (those who were witnesses to the miracles of Jesus and his victory on the cross, those elect first fruits that were the first to believe in Christ) were not taken by Christ within 1-generation. Then how else would they awake from their sleep and provide their testimony in Heaven, and if they are still asleep and not in Heaven, then the Blood of Christ has yet to be presented as evidence. Thus, Satan would still be at the throne of God even to this day, and the blood of Christ would have yet to reveal its power in Heaven, and all our loved ones would still be asleep in their graves. However, by the below verse we understand that those dead in Christ helped conquer Satan in our past! Thus the period of sleep of those dead in Christ was interrupted by Christ when he took them some time after Paul wrote his epistles, since we know their testimony was used during Revelation 12, which was a past event! Now have come the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God, and the authority of His Christ. For the accuser of our brothers has been thrown down he who accuses them day and night before our God. They have conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony. (Revelation 12:10-11) Rejoice, that Christ came and gathered these witnesses and that Satan was thrown out of Heaven, for now when a believer dies we do not sleep, but rather we enter immediately into Heaven as our deeds are left behind having been nailed to the cross with Christ! And I heard a voice from heaven telling me to write, "Blessed are the dead those who die in the Lord from this moment on." "Yes," says the Spirit, "they will rest from their labors, for their deeds will follow them." (Revelation 14:13) With Love, Jesse |
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FL, USA
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Posted: 3/7/2024 8:22:56 PM EDT
[#1]
Right after the death of Jesus there were four 'branches' of Christianity. Three were by three of the twelve Apostles and the other was by Paul, who had never personally met Jesus. Paul traveled out of the area of Roman influence, because of that, his version survived while the others were killed off in the persecutions. That is important as Pauls' version of Christianity was seen as the wacky far out version compared to the others, and that is what later became modern Christianity. so I have read.
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Posted: 3/7/2024 8:42:02 PM EDT
[#2]
On the 7th Trump Jesus is coming back. And not until then.
You got the “Modern” part right. It was invented about 1830. It’s not Bibical. |
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LA, USA
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Posted: 3/7/2024 9:04:42 PM EDT
[Last Edit: Tech-Com]
[#3]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By Oldgold: On the 7th Trump Jesus is coming back. And not until then. You got the "Modern" part right. It was invented about 1830. It's not Bibical. 31And He will send out His angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather His elect from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other. 32Now learn this lesson from the fig tree: As soon as its branches become tender and sprout leaves, you know that summer is near. 33So also, when you see all these things, you will know that He is near, right at the door. 34Truly I tell you, this generation will not pass away until all these things have happened. (Matthew 24:31-34) 29Then Jesus told them a parable: "Look at the fig tree and all the trees. 30When they sprout leaves, you can see for yourselves and know that summer is near. 31So also, when you see these things happening, know that the kingdom of God is near. 32Truly I tell you, this generation will not pass away until all these things have happened. 33Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will never pass away. (Luke 21:29-33) Now both this Last Trumpet and this Kingdom occur in Revelation 11. In the above verses Jesus said both of these events would occur within 1-generation. 15Then the seventh angel sounded his trumpet, and loud voices called out in heaven: "The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ, and He will reign forever and ever." (Revelation 11:15) So if these events did not already occur in the past how can we say Satan has been cast out of Heaven or that our Lord is a King of a Kingdom? For Revelation 12:10-11 says the Kingdom came when Satan "was" defeated in Heaven. This event begins when the Trumpet is sounded and the witnesses are gathered. If it did not sound heralding the Kingdom of our God then Satan is still in Heaven. Now have come the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God, and the authority of His Christ. For the accuser of our brothers has been thrown down he who accuses them day and night before our God. (Revelation 12:10) One of the greatest misunderstandings surrounding Revelation is that people believe it is a book about the future when it clearly states it is about past, present, and future events. Therefore write down the things you have seen, and the things that are, and the things that will happen after this. (Revelation 1:19) In conclusion we should acknowledge that the last trumpet, the gathering of the witnesses, the beginning of the Kingdom of God, and Satan being kicked out from Heaven are a series of connected events that are in a mutual relationship across several verses and authors, and Revelation 12 describes the ending sequences of these events as having already occurred. With Love, Jesse |
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TN, USA
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Posted: 3/7/2024 9:31:40 PM EDT
[#4]
Thanks OP.
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LA, USA
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Posted: 3/7/2024 9:49:49 PM EDT
[#5]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By MaximusEmanatus: Thanks OP. |
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WV, USA
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Posted: 3/7/2024 9:49:57 PM EDT
[#6]
We are also told in the Bible that 1 day in Heaven is equal to 1000 yearson Earth....so it has not really.been very long
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USA
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Posted: 3/7/2024 9:55:23 PM EDT
[#7]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By MarkHatfield: Right after the death of Jesus there were four 'branches' of Christianity. Three were by three of the twelve Apostles and the other was by Paul, who had never personally met Jesus. Paul traveled out of the area of Roman influence, because of that, his version survived while the others were killed off in the persecutions. That is important as Pauls' version of Christianity was seen as the wacky far out version compared to the others, and that is what later became modern Christianity. so I have read. Paul’s epistles are 100% congruent with the gospels. Stop being a heretic. |
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USA
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Posted: 3/7/2024 9:59:30 PM EDT
[#8]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By FennRx: Paul’s epistles are 100% congruent with the gospels. Stop being a heretic. Amen! |
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LA, USA
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Posted: 3/7/2024 10:05:15 PM EDT
[Last Edit: Tech-Com]
[#9]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By badguybuster: We are also told in the Bible that 1 day in Heaven is equal to 1000 yearson Earth....so it has not really.been very long 12Here is a call for the perseverance of the saints who keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus. 13And I heard a voice from heaven telling me to write, "Blessed are the dead those who die in the Lord from this moment on." (Revelation 14:12-13) And I believe Peter's response to the impatient scoffers references this same need for perseverance mentioned in Revelation 14. 8Beloved, do not let this one thing escape your notice: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. (2 Peter 3:8) |
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Posted: 3/7/2024 11:11:55 PM EDT
[#10]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By Tech-Com: One of the greatest misunderstandings surrounding Revelation is that people believe it is a book about the future when it clearly states it is about past, present, and future events. Agree. Well said. |
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Posted: 3/7/2024 11:16:02 PM EDT
[Last Edit: monadh]
[#11]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By MarkHatfield: …and the other was by Paul, who had never personally met Jesus. You might want to modify that statement to “…who had not met Jesus prior to his death, burial, resurrection, and ascension.” There was no mistaking Who Paul met on the road to Damascus. And Paul’s words deviating from the the rest of the teachings found in the New Testament? Paul was faithful to the teachings of Jesus and he delivered the words given him by the Holy Spirit through sufferings that were not any less than any other Apostle, and you or none here can even begin to imagine the price he paid for his faithfulness to Jesus. Heretic you may be, but arrogant is certain. Where do people come up with this manure? |
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Posted: 3/8/2024 12:59:11 AM EDT
[#12]
Well, that was a very different take. I guess sometimes FPNI doesn't apply.
I've never heard Protestants or Catholics ever describe the Pauline epistles as wacky. |
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USA
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Posted: 3/8/2024 1:31:45 AM EDT
[#13]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By monadh: You might want to modify that statement to “…who had not met Jesus prior to his death, burial, resurrection, and ascension.” There was no mistaking Who Paul met on the road to Damascus. Came to say this. He fell to the ground and heard a voice say to him, "Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?" 5 "Who are you, Lord?" Saul asked. "I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting," he replied. 6 "Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do." 7 The men traveling with Saul stood there speechless; they heard the sound but did not see anyone. My memory isn't perfect, but I don't recall any accounts of Christ appearing to anyone else after his ascension. |
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LA, USA
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Posted: 3/9/2024 12:29:54 PM EDT
[Last Edit: Tech-Com]
[#14]
Here are some more verses we can't ignore and I'll be incorporating them as well.
Then Jesus said to them, "Truly I tell you, there are some standing here who will not taste death before they see the kingdom of God arrive with power." (Mark 9:1) But I tell you truthfully, some who are standing here will not taste death before they see the kingdom of God." (Luke 9:27) But Jesus remained silent and made no reply. Again the high priest questioned Him, "Are You the Christ, the Son of the Blessed One?" "I am," said Jesus, "and you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of Power and coming with the clouds of heaven." (Mark 14:61-62) |
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Posted: 3/10/2024 11:54:20 AM EDT
[#15]
I like TheWarDoll's take.
Here's a story for you. I was helping a friend renovate their first home, many years ago. It was a beat up place built in the 40s, but still something to be immensely proud of as a first time home owner. We were ripping apart the ceiling to do some repairs when we found that the problems up there weren't cosmetic like we had originally hoped, but more structural and serious. "Whatever, lets just patch it up. I'm not gonna be here very long." Those words echo in my mind when I think back to that day, because almost 20 years later he still lives there. The ceiling we never properly fixed ended up leaking water years later into his newborns nursery room, and what could have been an easier fix that would have taken some hard work over a few days, ended up being a month long project to restore his entire roof and attic. The point of this story though, has nothing to do with home repairs. It is a metaphor for the absolute disastrous state of our western society at the hands of Christians eagerly anticipating a rapture event that will never happen, resulting in their gross negligence of the stewardship of this nation that will leave their children and many generations to come in a thousand year reign of chaos and death. "I'm not gonna be here very long." I'm sure you've already heard that the beliefs of rapture and dispensationalism were propogated and directly funded by zionist groups, or if you've read into the studies of RC Sproul you'll find that almost all of Jesus prophecy about the end of the age has already been fulfilled in 70 A.D. You could even make the case that we are removed from the earth before the bowls of wrath are poured out, halfway throught the Tribulation, but the point remains - what if he doesn't come back for a thousand years? We've forfeited everything that's taken countless generations of blood sweat and tears to build, allowed our institutions and national morality to be sacrificed on the altar of progressivism, and given our culture over to perversion and immortality because, as many have said, "these things must take place." Let me tell you, if there's is truly one argument for the rapture, it's that Christian men would be such a bulwark against the evil that's prophesied to come, that the Lord would be forced to remove us from this place or else our presence would prevent it from coming to pass. I understand that wisdom is not being right, but understanding that you could be wrong. He may come tomorrow to establish His earthly kingdom for the thousand year reign, and I would rejoice if He did. But I'll say this. If we are to survive, and if our children are to have any hope for a future, you better dig in, stack up, and fight like He's not coming back.
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USA
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Posted: 3/22/2024 3:21:14 PM EDT
[#16]
This guy makes a compelling argument that the popularized dispensationalist view has it backwards about the rapture.
 The Rapture is NOT in the Bible I think he is correct. |
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Posted: 3/22/2024 6:59:08 PM EDT
[#17]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By WhiskersTheCat: I like TheWarDoll's take. Here's a story for you. I was helping a friend renovate their first home, many years ago. It was a beat up place built in the 40s, but still something to be immensely proud of as a first time home owner. We were ripping apart the ceiling to do some repairs when we found that the problems up there weren't cosmetic like we had originally hoped, but more structural and serious. "Whatever, lets just patch it up. I'm not gonna be here very long." Those words echo in my mind when I think back to that day, because almost 20 years later he still lives there. The ceiling we never properly fixed ended up leaking water years later into his newborns nursery room, and what could have been an easier fix that would have taken some hard work over a few days, ended up being a month long project to restore his entire roof and attic. The point of this story though, has nothing to do with home repairs. It is a metaphor for the absolute disastrous state of our western society at the hands of Christians eagerly anticipating a rapture event that will never happen, resulting in their gross negligence of the stewardship of this nation that will leave their children and many generations to come in a thousand year reign of chaos and death. "I'm not gonna be here very long." I'm sure you've already heard that the beliefs of rapture and dispensationalism were propogated and directly funded by zionist groups, or if you've read into the studies of RC Sproul you'll find that almost all of Jesus prophecy about the end of the age has already been fulfilled in 70 A.D. You could even make the case that we are removed from the earth before the bowls of wrath are poured out, halfway throught the Tribulation, but the point remains - what if he doesn't come back for a thousand years? We've forfeited everything that's taken countless generations of blood sweat and tears to build, allowed our institutions and national morality to be sacrificed on the altar of progressivism, and given our culture over to perversion and immortality because, as many have said, "these things must take place." Let me tell you, if there's is truly one argument for the rapture, it's that Christian men would be such a bulwark against the evil that's prophesied to come, that the Lord would be forced to remove us from this place or else our presence would prevent it from coming to pass. I understand that wisdom is not being right, but understanding that you could be wrong. He may come tomorrow to establish His earthly kingdom for the thousand year reign, and I would rejoice if He did. But I'll say this. If we are to survive, and if our children are to have any hope for a future, you better dig in, stack up, and fight like He's not coming back.
Postmillennialism teaches that Christ will return and that we are to prepare the way. When he returns it will be in glory and it will be a ruler returning to his own. Dispensationalism teaches that Christ will come back a little bit to sneak away some people then come back for real later and what we do here doesn’t really have any effect on that. Besides, I do not believe our final destination is a disembodied spirit place of some sort. I believe in a bodily resurrection, as stated in the Bible, and the final destination is creation perfected. |
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Posted: 3/22/2024 7:23:10 PM EDT
[#18]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By King_Mud: Postmillennialism teaches that Christ will return and that we are to prepare the way. When he returns it will be in glory and it will be a ruler returning to his own. Dispensationalism teaches that Christ will come back a little bit to sneak away some people then come back for real later and what we do here doesn’t really have any effect on that. Besides, I do not believe our final destination is a disembodied spirit place of some sort. I believe in a bodily resurrection, as stated in the Bible, and the final destination is creation perfected. Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By King_Mud: Originally Posted By WhiskersTheCat: I like TheWarDoll's take. Here's a story for you. I was helping a friend renovate their first home, many years ago. It was a beat up place built in the 40s, but still something to be immensely proud of as a first time home owner. We were ripping apart the ceiling to do some repairs when we found that the problems up there weren't cosmetic like we had originally hoped, but more structural and serious. "Whatever, lets just patch it up. I'm not gonna be here very long." Those words echo in my mind when I think back to that day, because almost 20 years later he still lives there. The ceiling we never properly fixed ended up leaking water years later into his newborns nursery room, and what could have been an easier fix that would have taken some hard work over a few days, ended up being a month long project to restore his entire roof and attic. The point of this story though, has nothing to do with home repairs. It is a metaphor for the absolute disastrous state of our western society at the hands of Christians eagerly anticipating a rapture event that will never happen, resulting in their gross negligence of the stewardship of this nation that will leave their children and many generations to come in a thousand year reign of chaos and death. "I'm not gonna be here very long." I'm sure you've already heard that the beliefs of rapture and dispensationalism were propogated and directly funded by zionist groups, or if you've read into the studies of RC Sproul you'll find that almost all of Jesus prophecy about the end of the age has already been fulfilled in 70 A.D. You could even make the case that we are removed from the earth before the bowls of wrath are poured out, halfway throught the Tribulation, but the point remains - what if he doesn't come back for a thousand years? We've forfeited everything that's taken countless generations of blood sweat and tears to build, allowed our institutions and national morality to be sacrificed on the altar of progressivism, and given our culture over to perversion and immortality because, as many have said, "these things must take place." Let me tell you, if there's is truly one argument for the rapture, it's that Christian men would be such a bulwark against the evil that's prophesied to come, that the Lord would be forced to remove us from this place or else our presence would prevent it from coming to pass. I understand that wisdom is not being right, but understanding that you could be wrong. He may come tomorrow to establish His earthly kingdom for the thousand year reign, and I would rejoice if He did. But I'll say this. If we are to survive, and if our children are to have any hope for a future, you better dig in, stack up, and fight like He's not coming back.
Postmillennialism teaches that Christ will return and that we are to prepare the way. When he returns it will be in glory and it will be a ruler returning to his own. Dispensationalism teaches that Christ will come back a little bit to sneak away some people then come back for real later and what we do here doesn’t really have any effect on that. Besides, I do not believe our final destination is a disembodied spirit place of some sort. I believe in a bodily resurrection, as stated in the Bible, and the final destination is creation perfected. Agree. Even putting aside faith, consider the following: God created souls without form. God also created beings with form but without rational spirits. Being as we are the only creation with both physical form and rational spirits, it does not seem like God to waste part of that gift. And being as God is perfect, he doesn't make mistakes. However, obviously I'm also self aware enough to know he might have a totally different plan for us that we cannot fathom. But using my human logic and faith, that's the answer I've come to |
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Posted: 3/22/2024 10:11:22 PM EDT
[Last Edit: King_Mud]
[#19]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By WhiskersTheCat: Agree. Even putting aside faith, consider the following: God created souls without form. God also created beings with form but without rational spirits. Being as we are the only creation with both physical form and rational spirits, it does not seem like God to waste part of that gift. And being as God is perfect, he doesn't make mistakes. However, obviously I'm also self aware enough to know he might have a totally different plan for us that we cannot fathom. But using my human logic and faith, that's the answer I've come to Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By WhiskersTheCat: Originally Posted By King_Mud: Originally Posted By WhiskersTheCat: I like TheWarDoll's take. Here's a story for you. I was helping a friend renovate their first home, many years ago. It was a beat up place built in the 40s, but still something to be immensely proud of as a first time home owner. We were ripping apart the ceiling to do some repairs when we found that the problems up there weren't cosmetic like we had originally hoped, but more structural and serious. "Whatever, lets just patch it up. I'm not gonna be here very long." Those words echo in my mind when I think back to that day, because almost 20 years later he still lives there. The ceiling we never properly fixed ended up leaking water years later into his newborns nursery room, and what could have been an easier fix that would have taken some hard work over a few days, ended up being a month long project to restore his entire roof and attic. The point of this story though, has nothing to do with home repairs. It is a metaphor for the absolute disastrous state of our western society at the hands of Christians eagerly anticipating a rapture event that will never happen, resulting in their gross negligence of the stewardship of this nation that will leave their children and many generations to come in a thousand year reign of chaos and death. "I'm not gonna be here very long." I'm sure you've already heard that the beliefs of rapture and dispensationalism were propogated and directly funded by zionist groups, or if you've read into the studies of RC Sproul you'll find that almost all of Jesus prophecy about the end of the age has already been fulfilled in 70 A.D. You could even make the case that we are removed from the earth before the bowls of wrath are poured out, halfway throught the Tribulation, but the point remains - what if he doesn't come back for a thousand years? We've forfeited everything that's taken countless generations of blood sweat and tears to build, allowed our institutions and national morality to be sacrificed on the altar of progressivism, and given our culture over to perversion and immortality because, as many have said, "these things must take place." Let me tell you, if there's is truly one argument for the rapture, it's that Christian men would be such a bulwark against the evil that's prophesied to come, that the Lord would be forced to remove us from this place or else our presence would prevent it from coming to pass. I understand that wisdom is not being right, but understanding that you could be wrong. He may come tomorrow to establish His earthly kingdom for the thousand year reign, and I would rejoice if He did. But I'll say this. If we are to survive, and if our children are to have any hope for a future, you better dig in, stack up, and fight like He's not coming back.
Postmillennialism teaches that Christ will return and that we are to prepare the way. When he returns it will be in glory and it will be a ruler returning to his own. Dispensationalism teaches that Christ will come back a little bit to sneak away some people then come back for real later and what we do here doesn’t really have any effect on that. Besides, I do not believe our final destination is a disembodied spirit place of some sort. I believe in a bodily resurrection, as stated in the Bible, and the final destination is creation perfected. Agree. Even putting aside faith, consider the following: God created souls without form. God also created beings with form but without rational spirits. Being as we are the only creation with both physical form and rational spirits, it does not seem like God to waste part of that gift. And being as God is perfect, he doesn't make mistakes. However, obviously I'm also self aware enough to know he might have a totally different plan for us that we cannot fathom. But using my human logic and faith, that's the answer I've come to I kinda get what he means by “fight like He’s not coming back” but I think that really misses the mark. He’s got it backwards in that things won’t get so bad that the Church is defeated and that Christ returns at the last second. The Church will prevail, slowly but surely. You should labor with all your might because the King of Kings is coming home and we are preparing the way. It’s a certainty that emboldens the heart and gives strength to the faithful. Labor for Christ and the glory of His Church, not in desperation but with the conviction that God rules now and forever more. Things look bad now but look how far the Bible has spread and how available it is around the globe. Look at all the churches that have sprung up in defiance of wokeism and all the modern nonsense. Look at how many good Christians are alive today. Look at the strong groundswell of traditional values in opposition to wokeism Man is inextricably linked with the Earth because we were created to tend and grow it, to subdue it and exercise dominion over it. Not dominate it - that’s different. God created this for his throne and we have the privilege of doing God’s will. That’s why faith without works is dead. |
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Posted: 3/22/2024 10:17:38 PM EDT
[Last Edit: MRW]
[#20]
Triple
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Posted: 3/22/2024 10:18:11 PM EDT
[Last Edit: MRW]
[#21]
Tap
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Posted: 3/22/2024 10:18:42 PM EDT
[#22]
Israel is not the Church.
The Church is not Israel applying Scripture for one to the other is where most of these confusions arise |
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Posted: 3/22/2024 10:28:53 PM EDT
[#23]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By King_Mud: I kinda get what he means by “fight like He’s not coming back” but I think that really misses the mark. He’s got it backwards in that things won’t get so bad that the Church is defeated and that Christ returns at the last second. The Church will prevail, slowly but surely. You should labor with all your might because the King of Kings is coming home and we are preparing the way. It’s a certainty that emboldens the heart and gives strength to the faithful. Labor for Christ and the glory of His Church, not in desperation but with the conviction that God rules now and forever more. Things look bad now but look how far the Bible has spread and how available it is around the globe. Look at all the churches that have sprung up in defiance of wokeism and all the modern nonsense. Look at how many good Christians are alive today. Look at the strong groundswell of traditional values in opposition to wokeism Man is inextricably linked with the Earth because we were created to tend and grow it, to subdue it and exercise dominion over it. Not dominate it - that’s different. God created this for his throne and we have the privilege of doing God’s will. That’s why faith without works is dead. Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By King_Mud: Originally Posted By WhiskersTheCat: Originally Posted By King_Mud: Originally Posted By WhiskersTheCat: I like TheWarDoll's take. Here's a story for you. I was helping a friend renovate their first home, many years ago. It was a beat up place built in the 40s, but still something to be immensely proud of as a first time home owner. We were ripping apart the ceiling to do some repairs when we found that the problems up there weren't cosmetic like we had originally hoped, but more structural and serious. "Whatever, lets just patch it up. I'm not gonna be here very long." Those words echo in my mind when I think back to that day, because almost 20 years later he still lives there. The ceiling we never properly fixed ended up leaking water years later into his newborns nursery room, and what could have been an easier fix that would have taken some hard work over a few days, ended up being a month long project to restore his entire roof and attic. The point of this story though, has nothing to do with home repairs. It is a metaphor for the absolute disastrous state of our western society at the hands of Christians eagerly anticipating a rapture event that will never happen, resulting in their gross negligence of the stewardship of this nation that will leave their children and many generations to come in a thousand year reign of chaos and death. "I'm not gonna be here very long." I'm sure you've already heard that the beliefs of rapture and dispensationalism were propogated and directly funded by zionist groups, or if you've read into the studies of RC Sproul you'll find that almost all of Jesus prophecy about the end of the age has already been fulfilled in 70 A.D. You could even make the case that we are removed from the earth before the bowls of wrath are poured out, halfway throught the Tribulation, but the point remains - what if he doesn't come back for a thousand years? We've forfeited everything that's taken countless generations of blood sweat and tears to build, allowed our institutions and national morality to be sacrificed on the altar of progressivism, and given our culture over to perversion and immortality because, as many have said, "these things must take place." Let me tell you, if there's is truly one argument for the rapture, it's that Christian men would be such a bulwark against the evil that's prophesied to come, that the Lord would be forced to remove us from this place or else our presence would prevent it from coming to pass. I understand that wisdom is not being right, but understanding that you could be wrong. He may come tomorrow to establish His earthly kingdom for the thousand year reign, and I would rejoice if He did. But I'll say this. If we are to survive, and if our children are to have any hope for a future, you better dig in, stack up, and fight like He's not coming back.
Postmillennialism teaches that Christ will return and that we are to prepare the way. When he returns it will be in glory and it will be a ruler returning to his own. Dispensationalism teaches that Christ will come back a little bit to sneak away some people then come back for real later and what we do here doesn’t really have any effect on that. Besides, I do not believe our final destination is a disembodied spirit place of some sort. I believe in a bodily resurrection, as stated in the Bible, and the final destination is creation perfected. Agree. Even putting aside faith, consider the following: God created souls without form. God also created beings with form but without rational spirits. Being as we are the only creation with both physical form and rational spirits, it does not seem like God to waste part of that gift. And being as God is perfect, he doesn't make mistakes. However, obviously I'm also self aware enough to know he might have a totally different plan for us that we cannot fathom. But using my human logic and faith, that's the answer I've come to I kinda get what he means by “fight like He’s not coming back” but I think that really misses the mark. He’s got it backwards in that things won’t get so bad that the Church is defeated and that Christ returns at the last second. The Church will prevail, slowly but surely. You should labor with all your might because the King of Kings is coming home and we are preparing the way. It’s a certainty that emboldens the heart and gives strength to the faithful. Labor for Christ and the glory of His Church, not in desperation but with the conviction that God rules now and forever more. Things look bad now but look how far the Bible has spread and how available it is around the globe. Look at all the churches that have sprung up in defiance of wokeism and all the modern nonsense. Look at how many good Christians are alive today. Look at the strong groundswell of traditional values in opposition to wokeism Man is inextricably linked with the Earth because we were created to tend and grow it, to subdue it and exercise dominion over it. Not dominate it - that’s different. God created this for his throne and we have the privilege of doing God’s will. That’s why faith without works is dead. We're on the same page, I just think we interpreted it differently. We both agree we are at our best as subcreators and giving praise to God. What I got from that is there are people who go through life and throw their hands up, saying "world is screwed, Jesus will right it, end times are now" End times prophecy has been around forever, and I guess my point is we're better off serving God now than giving up. One of the many reasons I love Christianity is because it places service to his glory above everything. To be fair, I'm far from perfect and I'm really bad at rendering to Caesar what it his. There's some pretty cool Theology I've read, mostly Catholic, which points to a schitzo sense of man where we are either our own lords (read: do whatever we want with the earth) versus we're a cancer in the earth. But neither is a proper Christian belief, by teaching nor by logic. |
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