Understanding Daniel 8:14
Understanding Daniel 8:14
Q. I was recently reading commentary about the temple mount and Jewish vs Muslim control of the site. One commentator wrote, “He (God) made a promise that from the shattering of Persia in 333 BC it would be 2,300 years until the sanctuary would be returned. Read Daniel 8 subtract 333 from 2,300 and see the date of a promise kept?” The date is 1967, after the Six Days’ War. Is what this person is saying true? Was the outcome of the Six Days’ War prophesied in the bible? Or are these verses talking about something else? Thank you for your time.
A. This interpretation is incorrect in almost every way. First, the prophecy of Daniel 8:14is about the first Abomination of Desolation under Syrian King Antiochus Epiphanes in 168 BC long after the Persians were defeated. Second the figure 2300 is described as the number of evenings and mornings. Since it takes 1 of each to make a day what we’re talking about here is 1150 days, or 3 years and 70 days, not 2300 years. This was the duration of time the Temple lay desolate, being reconsecrated by the Maccabees in 165 BC. And finally, the Temple was not reconsecrated in 1967. It didn’t even exist.
(National Geographic) PROPHECY OF THE MAYA: WHAT IS THE DRESDEN CODEX?
2012: COUNTDOWN TO ARMAGEDDON
THE PROPHECY OF THE MAYA
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Credit: National Geographic Channel Click image to see full size. | |
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Credit: National Geographic Channel Click image to see full size. | |
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Credit: National Geographic Channel Click image to see full size. |
WHAT IS THE DRESDEN CODEX?
The Dresden Codex is an ancient Maya text. While the Codex is known for its precise recording of lunar and solar eclipses, it is also recognized for hieroglyphs and icons that some say predict the destruction of the world. The Codex is currently located at the Saxon State Library in Dresden, Germany.
HISTORY
The Maya civilization paid great attention to one of the world’s most astounding natural phenomena: the eclipses of the sun and moon. They recorded these events and other astronomical phenomena in paper books created out of a type of bark. These books are now commonly referred to as ‘codices.’ During the invasion of the Americas, the Spaniards intentionally destroyed many of the books, however, four are known to have survived. They are known as the Dresden, Madrid, Paris, and Grolier codices.
THE MAYA CALENDAR
The Maya had several calendars: one, known as the tsolkin, was made up of 260 days. Another, referred to as the Long Count calendar, acted as a reference for historical events in Maya society. Because of the organization of the Long Count calendar, the dates can be linked to our Western calendar, allowing historians to measure the accuracy of the Maya’s method. The Long Count calendar began at 13.0.0.0.0; and in 2012 it will reach 13.0.0.0.0 once more, for the first time in over 5,000 years.
LUNAR AND SOLAR ECLIPSES
Illustrations in the Dresden Codex appear in the forms of both hieroglyphic scripts and icons. The illustrations specifically referencing eclipses are known as ‘eclipse glyphs.’ There are reports that during a lunar or solar eclipse, old Mesoamerican civilizations reacted with fear. Mesoamericanists have described scenes of chaos that included shouting of war cries and weeping. It is possible that murders also occurred during the solar eclipses as many may have feared that the world would truly become dark forever.
2012
Some people believe the text of the Dresden Codex predicts the end of the world in 2012. Many see a dragon-like being while others see an animal more like a crocodile. The creature, residing in the sky, has water pouring from its mouth, creating a world covered by water. The Maya Goddess O, also known as Chac Chel, is pouring water from a jar. The word Chac can mean both “great” and “red,” while Chel means “arc of heaven.” The combination of the color red with images of the full moon represents a prediction of strong rains. A menacing figure at the bottom of the page holds weaponry over the Earth. A number of anthropologists believe that two phrases in the Codex, meaning “black sky” and “black earth," imply the end of the world. While some believe the Maya were predicting a massive flood, there are numerous theories: everything from storms, to the crumbling of society’s ecosystems, as well as the reversal of the Earth’s magnetic fields. Still, anthropologists generally see the images in the Codex as simply part of Maya cosmology.
Read more: http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/episode/2012-countdown-to-armageddon-4438#tab-the-maya-codices#ixzz0X4b3eM3f
Chinese State of the Art AirCraft
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Why a Pre-Trib Rapture? ~ J.R.Lawendowski
| Why a Pre-Trib Rapture? |  |  |  |
| Written by J.R.Lawendowski | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Thursday, 16 August 2007 12:42 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| The Differing Theories Before I go into why I believe that a Pre-Tribulation Rapture is the most correct, doctrinally based interpretation of scripture I feel it fair to at least present the other views of rapture timing held by other people. There are 5 main views for the timing of the rapture. The diagram below lays them out on a timeline with the Tribulation:
Let me define each theory for you:
Of these views the Pre and Post Tribulation Rapture theories are the most common. What is the Rapture? The Rapture is the Blessed Hope amongst Christians. After it occurs those who are left behind will be in a state of confusion and sorrow, they will be searching for answers. There are those who may call it the Vanishings, the disappearances or one of many other names, but you will know that millions of people vanished in the twinkling of an eye. There will be those that try to concoct many different stories of what occurred. It may be alien abductions, some freak nuclear accident or they may even say it was God removing "evil" from the world. Be mindful, it was not one of those things, it was what Christians call the Rapture. In <1 Thess 4:13-18>, <John 14:3> and <1 Cor 15:51-58> it can be seen what has occurred, the Lord himself has returned for his Church. The word rapture comes from a fourth century Latin vulgate translation of the Greek word harpadzo(occurring in 1 Thess 4:17) and has been picked up by many as the best single word to express the event it describes. Some translators have rendered the word "caught up" or "snatched". Basically the Lord will return and with the sound of a trumpet all both those who have died in Christ (accepted Christ prior to their death) and those who are alive in Christ (current believers) will be taken up to meet the Lord in the air in the twinkling of an eye (by the way that's 1/1000th of a second). Why do I feel the Pre-Trib Theory is the best? I have many reasons for believing that the Pre-Tribulation Rapture position is the correct one. When one reads through the primary and supporting verses of the Rapture and takes into account the prophecies relating to the Tribulation and the Second Coming it really becomes quite clear. Also the Rapture is not a unique concept in the Bible, for example Enoch experienced something similar to the Rapture...really? An Old Testament Rapture?...Sure, take a look at <Genesis 5:24.> A book I recently read lays out seven key points to support a Pre-Trib view and even had an acronym to make it easy to remember: P - Place of the church in the book of Revelation. P - Place of the church in the book of Revelation. None of the key New Testament passages that deal with the Tribulation mention the presence of the church. R - Removal of the restrainer Though it may be hard to believe, the age in which we now live is described as the age of restraint 2 Thess 2:6-7>. Something or someone is holding back the full blast of evil that is to come when the Antichrist is unleashed. That someone is the Holy Spirit working through the church. When the church is removed, the Holy Spirit will be "removed" thus the restrainer is removed. The way I see it is at this point in time (now) the Holy Spirit is both working through the church and actively "knocking" on the hearts of men. Following the Rapture the Holy Spirit will be waiting to be asked in (so to speak). E - Exemption from the divine wrath The Bible promises that God's people are exempt from the coming Tribulation <1 Thess 1:9-10>, <1 Thess 5:9>, <Rev 3:10> along with others). T - Twenty-four elders In Revelation there are 12 references to a group of beings called the "twenty four elders" (Rev 4:4,10;5:5;6,8,11,14;7:11,13;11:16;14:3;19:4). The fact that they are mentioned twelve times makes them key players in Bible Prophecy. There are four main views concerning the identity of these elders. There are clues throughout Revelation that lead me to believe that they represent the Raptured church. They are "the Title", "the Number", "The Position", "The Crowns", "The Clothing", "the Praise", "the Distinction" and "the Location". R - Rapture of the Church versus the return of Christ Set the events of the Rapture parallel to the Second Coming and you decide:
I - Imminence The Rapture is presented in the NT as an even that from man's viewpoint could occur at any moment, and believers are to be looking for it all the time (1 Cor 1:7; 16:22, Phil 3:20; 4:5; 1 Thess 1:9-10; Titus 2:13; Heb 9:28; Jude 1:21). Only the pretrib position allows for an imminent, any moment, signless coming of Christ for His own. B - Blessed hope. The truth of the Rapture is intended to be a comfort and blessing to the Lord's people. It is our "blessed hope" (Titus 2:13). The blessed hope of the Rapture is that Christ will come for the faithful prior to a time of worldwide devastation. What Bible passages support the Pre-Trib Rapture? There are three primary verses that teach about the Rapture: 1 Thess 4:13-18, 1 Cor 15:42-56, and John 14:1-3. Furthermore there are MANY verses that support the Rapture position in what they speak of in context to the end times and the Rapture. Here are several supporting verses: Romans 8:16-25; Romans 14:10-12; 1 Cor 3:13-15, 4:5, 7:29-31, 15:22-23; 2 Cor 4:14, 5:1-5,10; Eph 4:30, 5:27; Phil 1:6,10, 2:16, 3:9-11; Col 3:4; 1 Thess 1:10, 2:19-20, 3:12-13, 5:9, 5:23; 1 Tim 6:14-15; 2 Tim 1:12, 4:8; Titus 2:13; Heb 10:25,37, 11:35; James 1:12; 1 Peter 1:5,7,13, 4:7, 5:4; 2 Peter 1:11; 1 John 2:28, 3:2-3; 2 John 1:8; Rev 4:1-11, 5:1-14, 22:12. Isn't the Pre-Trib Rapture a recent view? One of the arguments most opponents to the Rapture use is that it can't be right as it was a theory developed much later in comparison to other views. They all say that it began around 1830 through the ministry of J.N.Darby. Actually the pretrib rapture position does have historical precedent. A sermon was delivered in AD 373 by the Byzantine leader Pseudo-Ephraem entitled "On the Last Times, the Antichrist, and the End of the World" or "Sermon on the End fo the World". This includes a concept very similar to the pretrib rapture. Read that sermon by Clicking Here. When will the Rapture Occur? Honestly, time will tell. There are no specific dates nor events that are required for the Rapture to occur. And to set a date for a projected return is not a good thing to do, no one knows but the Father (Matt 24:36, 42, 44; 25:13; Acts 1:7). If you hear someone setting a date for the Rapture you can know two things right away...He's wrong and he's not paying attention to what's written in the Bible. Are those left behind lost? Will they have a second chance? Since God is the God of second chances, I believe everyone will have a "second chance" if you will. If you read through Revelation, it has a purpose to cause people to repent. More importantly look at the Two Witnesses and the sealed 144,000. Their sole purpose is to evangelize and bring people back into the fold. Furthermore there are references in Revelation to the innumerable amount of people who were saved in the Tribulation (Rev 7:9-17). |
Rapture Circa 1700's.......Pre-American Rapture teaching....Morgan Edwards
He served several small Baptist congregations in England and Ireland.
Edwards emigrated to America and in May 1761 became pastor of the Baptist Church in Philadelphia. Edwards founded the first Baptist college in the Colonies, Rhode Island College, which we know today as Brown University.
In recent years, Edwards has become known for being one the earliest promoters of a pre-tribulation rapture, debunking the idea that John Darby invented the concept.
May we know what this new doctrine, whereof thou speaketh, is for thou bringeth certain strange thins to our ears: We would know, therefore, what these things mean.
ACTS XVII. 19. 20.
Millennium
And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which-had not worshiped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon there foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years. But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished:
This is the first resurrection
. Rev. XX. 4, 5.
And is it come to my lot to treat of the Millennium, or Christ thousand years reign on earth? Thousand pities, fir, that you had not allotted the task to one of these older and abler students! But since it is your pleasure, I will do my possible: and in the attempt will work by a rule you have often recommended, viz. " To take the scriptures in a literalSense, except when that leads to contradiction or absurdity."
I need say no more to inform you, sir, that I with to be understood as a minister of the letter only while I treat of the said Millennium.
Very able men have already handled the subject in mystical, or allegorical, or spiritual way: and could I rest satisfied with their sentiments, I might have colleted those sentiments, and deliver, them perhaps) with applause; as that would show my reading, and, at the same time, free a novice from the affectation of singularity and taking too much upon him, like another son of Levi.
And glad I am that I may speak freely to the matter.
It is what I could not have done in a late reign, for fear of being called a fifth monarchy man (as Venner and his company); and being cut to pieces by soldiers. But George the second is not Charles the second: George (whom God long preserved) is not afraid of the fifth monarchy, nor would be loth to give up his kingdom to him by whom kings reign and princes decree justice. But enough of preambling.
Come we now to the doctrines of the Millennium; some of which are visible in my text; as
I. There will be. Two resurrections;
For a first resurrection supposes a second; and the supposing and supposed are in my text. Paul advances the same doctrine in his first letter to the Thessalonians ' ' the dead in Christ shall rise first." (Chap. iv. 16). But more of this in another place.
II. The distance between the first and second resurrection will be somewhat more than a thousand years.
I say, somewhat more; because the dead saints will be raised, and the living changed at Christ's " appearing in the air" (1 Thes. iv, 17); and this will be about three years and a half before the millennium, as we shall see hereafter: but will he and they abide in the air all that time?
No: they will ascend to paradise, or to some one of those many " mansions in the father's house of God" (John xiv: 2), and to disappear during the foresaid period of time.
The design of this retreat and disappearing will be to judge the risen and changed saints; for " now the time is come that judgment must begin," and that will be at the house of God" (1 Pet. iv. 17): to this • refers that part of my text, " and I saw thrones; and judgment was given,"
viz. 'the saints were judged, and their rewards specified; of. -Which, mark hereafter.
Knowing all this, the devil will follow to accuse the brethren to the judge; and will continue at it day and night in hope of preventing their acquaintance: their pleas against him will be those borrowed from the " blood of the lamb, and the word of their testimony:" by these they Will prevail in judgment; and their accuser wi1l be hurled down to the earth by the strong arm of Michael; and with him will come, that notable voice;
''Wo unto the inhabits of the earth for the devil is comeDown among you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time;" viz. three years and a half, as before (Rev. xii. 7-11).
Add to the above, that between the end of the, millennium and the second resurrection the devil is to be let loose, and Gog and Magog's army to be destroyed, which will require a considerable time, tho' John calls it " a little season." (Rev. xx. 3.)
2012 Bunker Sales Booming
2012 Bunker Sales Booming
Brian Camden of Hardened Structures Hardened Shelters, in response to a question about bunker sales, says they are unable to keep up with demand. He estimates they have already constructed over 1,000 doomsday bunkers across the USA, with a further 100 under construction.
The shelters are capable of withstanding earthquakes, tsunamis, solar flares, impacts and armed assaults. He says that most of his customers are “millionaires building bunkers beneath remote retreats”.
The above image provides an indication of how serious some 2012 bunkers are. As well as 2012 shelters, the company also converts disused missile silos, many of which are available for private purchase.
Apart from the odd kook like Tom Cruise, this is about all the information you will ever read about these bunkers. Owners are typically very wary of talking about them, from fear of unwanted publicity, unwanted attention from the authorities, and unwanted local knowledge of a safe place to head for.
Lessons From The Millennium
More on Lessons From The Millennium
Q. This doesn’t mean that the people are sinning during the millennium when Satan is bound for that time does it, but that after his release he is able to convince man to sin again, as he did Eve in the garden? And he will be released for a time, which could be quite a period of time, as in the days of Adam to Noah, it didn’t take long for the whole earth to become evil.
A. Yes, I’m afraid it does means that on Earth there will be sin in the Millennium. That’s why there will be daily offerings for sin in the Temple right from the beginning (Ezekiel 46:13). In the most personal sense, it’s not Satan that causes natural man to sin, it’s natural man’s sin nature. I believe that one purpose of the Millennium is to demonstrate that there are no circumstances under which natural man can live a life pleasing to God. All Satan does at the end of the Millennium is to organize and lead the rebellion against God that will have been building in the hearts of men all along.
What is the year 2012 Mayan prophecy?
What is the year 2012 Mayan prophecy?
Question: "What is the year 2012 Mayan prophecy?"
Answer: The ancient Mayans, based on star charting, prophesied that December 21, 2012 would be the end of the world (or at least some form of universal catastrophe). Meso-American star charting started around 680 B.C. by the Olmec civilization who were recording astrological patterns in the sky and eventually shared this information with the Mayans.
The Mayans had a long history of tracking the winter solstice (probably for planting crops) and creating calendars (at least 17 that we know of). At some point, they developed the belief that our sun is a god and that the Milky Way, called the “Sacred Tree,” was a gateway to the afterlife.
After learning from the Olmecs, they began keeping records of the stars’ patterns of movement and continued to do so for the next 200-300 years. The Mayans then developed their own calendar (The Long Count) ca. 355 B.C. They were able to use their observations and mathematical prowess to calculate the future movements of stars across the sky.
The result was that the Mayans discovered the effect of the earth’s wobbling as it spins on its axis. This wobbling rotation causes the stars’ patterns of movement to drift gradually in the sky (called “precession”) in a 5,125-year cycle. The Mayans also discovered that once every cycle the dark band at the center of the Milky Way (called the Galactic Equator) intersects with the Elliptical (the plane of the sun’s movement across the sky).
During that year, the sun reaches its solstice (a brief moment when the sun’s position in the sky is at its greatest angular distance on the other side of the equatorial plane from the observer) on December 21 for the Northern Hemisphere and June 21 for the Southern Hemisphere.
That year, the solstice occurs at the moment of the conjunction of the Galactic Equator with the Milky Way. The year this occurs (in relation to our Gregorian calendar) is A.D. 2012, and happened last on August 11, 3114 B.C. With Mayan mythology teaching that our sun is a god and the Milky Way is the gateway to life and death, the Mayans concluded that this intersection in the past must have been the moment of creation. Mayan hieroglyphs seem to indicate that they believed the next intersection in 2012 would be some sort of end and a new beginning of a cycle. The Mayans also believed that the blood of human sacrifices was what powered the sun and gave it life.
All the so-called “Mayan prophecies of 2012” are nothing more than wildly speculative extrapolations, which are based on the yet uncertain interpretations by scholars of Mayan hieroglyphs. However, the truth is that apart from the astrological convergence, there is little indication that the Mayans prophesied anything specific regarding the events of this distant future. The Mayans were not prophets; they were not even able to predict their own cultural extinction.
They were great mathematicians and accomplished sky watchers, but they were also a brutally violent tribal people with a primitive understanding of natural phenomena, subscribing to archaic beliefs and the barbaric practices of blood-letting and human sacrifice.
There is absolutely nothing in the Bible that would present December 21, 2012, as the end of the world. While that date is no less valid for an end-times event than any other future date, the Bible nowhere presents the astronomical phenomena the Mayans pointed to as a sign of the end times.
It would seem very inconsistent of God to allow the Mayans to discover such an amazing truth while keeping the many Old Testament prophets ignorant of the timing of the events. In summary, there is absolutely no biblical evidence that the 2012 Mayan prophecy / prediction of doomsday is in any sense valid or probable.
Accepting the Mayan 2012 prophecy logically requires acceptance of the following theories: our sun is a god; the sun is powered by the blood of human sacrifice; the creation moment occurred at 3114 B.C. (despite all evidence that it happened much earlier); and the visual alignment of stars has some significance for everyday human life. Like every other false religion, the Mayan religion sought to elevate to the point of worship that which was created in place of the Creator Himself.
The Bible tells us about such false worshipers:
“They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator” (Romans 1:25), and “since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities – His eternal power and divine nature – have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse” (Romans 1:20).
To accept the Mayan 2012 prophecy also denies the clear biblical teaching about the end of the world, because Jesus told us
“…of that day and hour no one knows, no, not the angels in Heaven, nor the Son, but the Father” (Mark 13:32).
In 2012, neutrinos melt the earth's core
During an early screening of Roland Emmerich's latest disaster flick 2012, which opens today, laughter erupted in the audience near the end of the film thanks to corny dialogue and maudlin scenes (among the biggest guffaw getters: a father tries to reconnect with his estranged son on the telephone, only to have the son's house destroyed just before he could say anything). Nobody wants to take anything seriously in a movie like this, in which digital mayhem is the draw. But if it were an audience of physicists, the laughter probably would have started in the first five minutes. You can't take any of the science seriously, although I give the filmmakers credit for creativity.If you haven't heard, December 21, 2012 is supposed to be the day that the Mayan calendar ends (it doesn't really) and therefore somehow marks the end of civilization as we know it—notwithstanding the fact that the Mayan civilization ended centuries ago. (NASA has a goodQ&A site that debunks the 2012 apocalypse nonsense.)
Thankfully, the movie 2012 doesn't dwell on ancient predictions. Instead, it takes us straight to the, er, science.
The premise: the sun's 11-year activity cycle reaches a peak in 2012. (A recent analysis led by the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration actually pegs the peak to occur in May 2013, and it will be less intense than previous peaks.) For some reason, the neutrinos from the sun start behaving differently: they begin interacting frequently with matter, rather than largely passing through it harmlessly. The filmmakers could have easily invented entirely new particles for the job—call them bambinos, say—but perhaps that's too silly.
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In the movie, the "neutrinos" heat up the earth's inner core, making it boil. That in turn destabilizes the overlying layers (outer core and mantle), making the crust buckle, rise and shift by thousands of kilometers.As a result, skyscrapers topple, bridges crumble and runways fracture (always in the direction of take-off). People scream, puppies live, heroes escape, villains try to but die, and supporting cast members face their demise. (My favorite here: Danny Glover, famous for portraying a long-suffering cop in the Lethal Weapon movies, plays the U.S. president who decides to go down with the White House—and seemed to be on the verge of saying, "But I was only two days from retirement.")
If neutrinos behaved the way they are described in the film, then there wouldn't be much to film. Particles that can heat up the solid iron inner core by thousands of degrees should have cooked the earth's surface dry before Woody Harrelson gets the chance to steal all the scenes he's in. The inner core is under about 350 gigapascals of pressure (three million atmospheres), which is why it's solid. Just how hot the inner core must get to liquefy under that pressure is not known for sure, although Anneli Aitta of the University of Cambridge gives it a try in this paper (pdf).
Which is not to say there are no hazards from an overactive sun. Intense solar activity can disrupt satellite orbits and communications; in 1989, it triggered a widespread blackout around Quebec.
On the other hand, neutrinos might not be so harmless. Physicist Juan Collar, now at the University of Chicago, theorized in 1996 that the death of certain kinds of stars could produce so many high-energy neutrinos that they would interact with atoms in organic tissue and lead to mass deaths from cancer. The frequency of such stellar deaths, though exceedingly rare, is consistent with mass extinctions in earth's history, he argued.
Alas, destroying civilization with slow deaths from tumor formation probably doesn't translate well to the big screen. All the puppies would die, too.
Scences from 2012 courtesy of Columbia Tristar Marketing Group
Unity? The Church Against The Rapture ~ Jack Kelley
The Church Against The Rapture
Opinion by Jack Kelley
When the Christian community gets united behind something we’re a force to be reckoned with. The 2004 Presidential election was a good example. Many of those 35 million extra votes George Bush got were from Evangelical Christians. Sadly, things like that don’t happen very often anymore. Even 9/11 didn’t produce any long term change toward unifying the Body. But try to imagine this if you can. Imagine how different this country would be today if all Christians held a Christian world view, were convinced that the Lord was coming back for us very soon, and were living their lives accordingly. Can you even begin to see the difference we’d be making? It would be amazing. America would be compared to the Israel of Solomon’s day.
To prevent the tremendous effect we would have for good, the enemy has implemented a divide and conquer strategy. He knows that as long as he can keep the Body of Christ fractured he can keep us weak. Over the years, he’s mounted a number of campaigns to implement this strategy. Gifts vs. no gifts, the inerrancy issue, and the proper method of interpretation come to mind. But one of his most successful efforts has been to take advantage of the fact that for His own reasons, God has chosen to keep the Rapture’s timing a secret.
The clues He’s given us point to our departure happening prior to the beginning of Daniel’s 70th Week. But right from the beginning Satan influenced Church leaders to conclude that denying the pre-trib pre millennial view would keep us focused on the things of this world instead of always looking up, waiting for the Lord. So even though Paul very clearly taught a pre-trib rapture of the Church, and John revealed a 1000 year Kingdom to follow it, alternate views have sprung up almost continuously since then.
Take Your Pick
Amillennialism came along in the early 400’s to teach believers not to expect any literal Kingdom, ever. It told believers that the 2nd Coming took place when Jesus came into their hearts, that the Church Age is the Millennium and that end times prophecy is not meant to be taken literally. This removed a major obstacle to having Christianity recognized by Rome.
Post millenialism taught that the 2nd Coming would take place after the 1000 year millennium which is really a golden age of Christian prosperity and dominance in the world. The prosperity gospel and Dominion theology are offshoots of post-millennialism.
The Post Tribulation Rapture view denied the doctrine of imminence by placing the Rapture after the Tribulation. Look for the anti-Christ, it says, not the Christ. Mid-Trib (aka Pre-Wrath) is a compromise between the pre and post trib views that denies imminence as well. Replacement Theology was to deny that the re-birth of Israel is an end times sign. Preterism denies all future prophetic events. Kingdom Now, or Dominionism, contends that the Lord can’t come back until we’ve done our part by converting the world. As a result of Dominionism millions of believers have been looking all their lives for a great revival that’s never coming, instead of looking for the Lord, who is.
The combined effect of all this is that most believers have been lulled to sleep with no clue as to how close we are to the End of the Age. While prophecies that Christians have been anticipating for nearly 2000 years are being fulfilled right before their eyes, they’re more concerned about the long term mortgages on their homes and the interest free financing on their cars. Having sufficient retirement income far outweighs stockpiling treasure in heaven on their list of priorities. Their endless quest for bigger and better toys distracts them from the boredom of lives that have been rendered meaningless, without purpose. False teaching about the End Times has left them ignorant of the closeness of the Lord’s return and complacent about their faith. It has stolen their joy, quenched their spirit, and made them no better off spiritually than the unbelievers who surround us. They sometimes get fired up on Sunday, but by mid-week you’d never know it happened.
Here’s what that means. According to recent surveys in the USA, less than 10% of born-again believers have a Christian world view. That means over 90% of us have been seduced into a pursuit of the same materialistic goals as our unbelieving neighbors. Over 40% have never given the first dime to the Lord’s work. Even more have never shared the Gospel with anyone. Some studies show that the abortion rate among Christians is the same as for unbelievers, as is the divorce rate, and two out of three of our children will stop going to church the minute they have a choice.
I lay most of the blame for this at the feet of so-called theologians who’ve let themselves be influenced by Satan while charged with the responsibility of teaching the Word of God. Remember, Paul’s words to the Corinthians:
For such men are false apostles, deceitful workmen, masquerading as apostles of Christ. And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light. It is not surprising, then, if his servants masquerade as servants of righteousness. (2 Cor. 11:13-15)
Knowingly or not, these people have bought into Satan’s lies and have taught those entrusted to them that God’s word isn’t true.
The Greatest Generation
What the secular media calls America’s greatest generation, those who fought and won WW2, is also the generation that sat in the pews of the great denominational churches of the 40’s and 50’s. There they were taught that God didn’t create the Heavens and the Earth in 6 days and Moses didn’t write the Torah. Daniel didn’t write Daniel, Isaiah didn’t write Isaiah, Jesus didn’t feed 5000 or walk on water, and on and on. To make God small enough to fit in their minds the denominational theologians made Him too small to meet our needs. Amillennialism became their eschatology of choice because with a God that small it was easy to believe that nothing was ever going to happen. He isn’t really going to return, they say, and even if he does it certainly won’t be now. Some were actually saying that he had died. Because of their teaching, millions of Christians are asleep at the switch during the most important and exciting time in the history of man.
It’s not because prophecy has ever failed, it’s because like the Saducees before them, the theologians stopped believing it and so the teachers stopped teaching it. Jesus addressed this in his letter to the Church at Sardis, a model of the mainline denominations. Remember, therefore, what you have received and heard; obey it, and repent. But if you do not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what time I will come to you. (Rev. 3:3) The Saducees missed the chance to be on the Lord’s team at the time of the first coming because they stopped believing the prophecies. Liberal theologians and their students are missing the 2nd one for the same reason.
Now another great attack against End Times prophecy has come in the name of the Emerging Church. Leaders of this movement don’t teach the Bible much at all because their success is based on saying nothing that could offend the people in their pews. Consequently there’s no talk of being born again or getting ready for the Lord’s return. They talk of being followers of the Lord not just believers in Him, but in truth there’s very little discussion of what either means. Their pews and their bank accounts are full, and their members are kept busy with projects that often do a lot of Earthly good but aren’t designed to bring any one any closer to the Kingdom. The study of prophecy is viewed as non productive and a distraction from their goals, one of which is to strive for a 50/50 split in their membership between believers and non-believers. The reason for this is that the non-believers can help to form a consensus that will draw the believers away from the moral and spiritual absolutes of traditional Christianity. As with the revival seeking Charismatics there is a thread of dominionism running through the emerging Church’s doctrine. It helps keep them focused on the things of this world.
Which One Are You?
So the liberals are amillennial and couldn’t tell a rapture from a rupture. Pentecostal, charismatic, and emerging congregations are often dominionists, although for different reasons. Catholics and some conservative protestants are post-trib. Almost all have been tainted by replacement theology, and hardly any study prophecy. That leaves the evangelicals and even among us there’s growing disagreement.
It’s popular to just smile and say of the protestant church, “On the essentials of salvation we all agree, but in the non-essentials there’s room for lots of different opinions.” Baloney. The Bible is not a document written to provide a debating society with lots of different positions. It’s the Word of God and it’s not subject to man’s opinion. Though we may not like it all, we don’t have the right to re-interpret it to suit our desires.
But while we sit around arguing about what it says, the world is falling apart and the time is getting short. The Lord’s coming back and 90% of the Church is distracted by the world and doesn’t have a clue it’s about to happen.
God said, “I make known the end from the beginning, from ancient times, what is still to come. I say: My purpose will stand, and I will do all that I please … what I have said, that will I bring about; what I have planned, that will I do.” (Isaiah 46:10-11) It’s not that He’s stopped performing on this promise, it’s just that most of the Church has stopped believing it and no longer expects it.
Of the 5 crowns believers can win as rewards for the way they live, one will be given to those who long for His appearing. (2 Tim. 4:8) It has always fascinated me that it’s called the Crown of Righteousness. Most folks would think that one would go to those who led exemplary lives. Not so. Our righteousness is imputed to us by faith. Longing for His return is a sign of faith in His promise that He will. (John 14:1-3) I wonder how many of those they’ll be handing out.
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