AN OLIVE BRANCH - NO THORNS, HONEST!

I have been following the recent discussions about the "rapture" of the church. I put it in quotes because it can be a controversial doctrine in Christian circles. A friend pursued this subject with me, and I obligingly (and willingly) joined him.

We believers must wrestle with the Scriptures and allow God to win. It usually happens when a brother or sister, who has a better handle on that Scripture than we do, comes and shows us where we are wrong in our thinking. This is God's grace, and nothing less.

To recap, I Thessalonians 4:13-18 says:

"The Coming of the Lord

13 But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep, gthat you may not grieve as others do hwho have no hope. 14 For isince we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him jthose who have fallen asleep.

15 For this we declare to you kby a word from the Lord,4 that lwe who are alive, who are left until mthe coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. 16 For nthe Lord himself will descend ofrom heaven pwith a cry of command, with the voice of qan archangel, and rwith the sound of the trumpet of God. And sthe dead in Christ will rise first.

17 Then we who are alive, who are left, will be tcaught up together with them uin the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so vwe will always be with the Lord. 18 Therefore encourage one another with these words."(Biblia.com)

This passage describes an  event future to its readers: the Rapture of the Church in the first century A.D.  Paul is explaining to the church at Thessalonica that their grief over lost loved ones who believed in Christ is not hopeless. They would indeed see them again - at the Rapture!


So Who Are "We?"

The argument is over whether the "we" in verses 15 and 17 (orange with yellow) includes the readers in Thessalonica, or is it only the writers of the epistle--or is it something else.  The "exclusive-we" is a Greek form of the word that defines a group as being separate from its audience, i.e. we - but not you.

This is indeed a valid argument. But "context is king," as Ed Stevens* says. To say that it excludes the readers of Paul's epistle to the Thessalonian church is hard to swallow. I would say that it distinguishes between the living saints and those who are dead:

  "...we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord will not precede [go before] those who have fallen asleep."(v.15)

 Therefore, the exclusive-we, in context, distinguishes the living body of believers from those who are dead!

Whew!

* Ed Stevens was interviewed by Michael Loomis on AD70.net for the program, "Then and Now." This podcast helped me to solidify the explanation and understanding of the fulfilled view of the Rapture.

His notes are here:

A LONG-OVERDUE APOLOGY

To my readers (both of you :), I owe an apology for my selfish and misleading commentary in this blog.

Yes, I am a sinner. I know that not everyone is a believer in and follower of The Son of Man/God, the only Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Therefore, I want to apologize if anything in this blog has given Him a bad rap in the eyes of those who do not follow Him -- yet.

Especially in the eyes of those who do follow Him, I must repent of anything that causes a stumbling block to their walk with the Savior.

Whew!

WHO WANTS THEIR WORLDVIEW ROCKED?

I do! I do!

I have to ask myself: why have I allowed my long-cherished, ubiquitous, and infallible(?) doctrine of the future Second Coming of Christ to be challenged by a bunch of "heretics" known as Preterists? 

 Don't get me wrong:  I believe Christ came, just as He said He would.  I believe He is with us, and that His Kingdom is here-and-now, and forever! I also believe we may be misunderstanding the timing and method of it if we say He has not come yet.

So sit back, relax-- and be challenged.

THINGS THAT MAKE YOU GO "HMMM"

"President" Barack Hussein Obama II's "Long-Form Birth Certificate"
(click above)

I invite you to open this document and examine it closely by zooming in with Ctrl++ (or "View/Zoom/Zoom In" on the menu bar at the top).

• Why do typewriter and print/stamp inconsistencies look manufactured?   The words all look uniform in darkness and clarity except for the occasional, strategically-placed faint/corrected character or smudged stroke. They look like they were created manually with graphic art software. 

• Call me a conspiracy theorist (please).  But why does the certificate consist of a paper stock background with an image of a printed, bound leaf superimposed over it, instead of just one unified form?

• Also, why is the certificate's background pattern, wicker basket cross-hatching, not bending with the image on the paper?  Hmmm?

Kind of makes me think there may be a case of fraud here.

BLOG DESCRIPTION UPDATE

In order to continue providing you my readers with, well, continuous improvement, I revised my blog's description (see above).  I figure I can blog about any major cosmetic changes I make so we can both reflect on where we have been and where we are going.

AT THE FOOT OF THE CROSS

I have changed my blog's header to reflect a new image which I created from a photo I took in San Diego while on vacation. It was at a landmark whose name escapes me.

It certainly reflects my worldview. Or it should.

EXPLORING A PARALLEL UNIVERSE

The alternative to seeking employment at a "company" is working for yourself.  In my case, that would be an alternative universe-- a "pipe dream" -- a fantasy worthy of its expending my mental energy when the prospects of getting something I can do for a living seem bleak at best.

Welcome to the world of web design! It is a world in which its citizens explore the possibilities of an alternate universe of autonomy, or self-rule (limited by reality).

JUST CHECKING IN

A blog is a journal, of sorts. It is an online window to the soul of the writer. A blogger must come up with something worthwhile and substantial to blog about, or he perish.

More to come...

HERE I STAND

Though with fear and trepidation, I post this brief article as a herald to the New Reformation of the Christian Church on the subject of eschatology.

Just as the cry of Martin Luther in 1517 was, "the just shall live by faith"(Habakkuk 2:4), so the cry of 2012 shall be, "This generation shall not pass away until all these things take place."(Matthew 24:34)

This is a "time statement" in the New Testament worthy of all acceptance.

COSMETIC TWEAKS

Today finds me tweaking my blog's appearance while listening to AD70.net radio. I think I am pleased with it enough to leave it alone for now.

THE BOOK OF REVELATION "DATING GAME"

It seems that The Venerable Bede, of Old English fame, favored a "later date" of 84 A.D. (later than the early date of the 60's A.D., but earlier than the official  "late date" of 95 A.D.) for the writing of the Book of Revelation by the Apostle John.  You may find Bede's reference to this in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle at The Gutenberg Project.

This throws a bolt, rather than a "wrench," into the full preterist machine. I consider myself a FP, in that I believe Jesus' prophecies regarding the end or destruction of the Old Covenant were fulfilled in 70 A.D.

Therefore, I highly doubt that there will be a future coming in judgment on the earth by Christ because I have been looking at the preterist interpretation of these events. Their fulfillment eliminates all futurist speculations about everything in the Book of Revelation. That is what appeals to me about it (Harold Camping and others notwithstanding).

Of course, let us not go beyond what Holy Scripture says, and presume that God is "done" with everything else in the world.

He isn't!

14 But as for you, zcontinue in what you have learned and have firmly believed, knowing from whom1 you learned it 15 and how afrom childhood you have been acquainted with bthe sacred writings, cwhich are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. 16 dAll Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, 17 that ethe man of God1 may be complete, fequipped gfor every good work.(II Peter 3:14-17 ESV)

PRAYER

It seems reasonable to me to:
  
   a) try Blogger's new interface
   b) pray to God all the time
   c) blog about praying

...because I am sitting here blogging instead of praying!

GOT 1:19:58?

I know.  It is a cheesy title for a blog post.

But I wanted to post a link to a long video I watched (after watching all of Don Preston's most recent videos on YouTube-- whew!).  Here it is:

A Primer On Preterism (Pastor Alan Bondar)

And here is the video!




If you have some time, and you have been sufficiently "brainwashed" (hee hee), then most of this video will make sense to you.

SAVE THE DATE

Well, here we go!  July 19-21, 2012!

Time limits me from elaborating.  But suffice it to say I am interested in this debate between postmillenialism and preterism.  Both are to be properly understood. Perhaps it is all academic.  But are we not called to "reason together" with our Creator?

I knew you would agree.



Of course, you may also visit Don's websites (Eschatology.org and BibleProphecy.com) as well as his YouTube channel.

FEAR OF THE UNKNOWN

(Peter Ramirez: taken from Seal Tour boat, San Diego, CA)

Sometimes, blogging can feel like a stab in the dark.  I wonder if anyone reads it.

Still, angels and demons alike can read it (I have yet to receive any feedback from either... :)

Oh, oh!

PRESSURE MAKES US CHRISTLIKE (I HOPE)

The daily demands of simple caregiving for my parents can be taxing.  They can take their toll, along with the anxieties and concerns over many opportunities arising out of other things in life which God gives me (and allows).

The above video has absolutely, positively nothing to do with that.  But I wanted to post something visual to enhance the post.

REALITY HITS YOU HARD, BRO!

Power Lines Fall on Crashed Vehicle, Driver Trapped: MyFoxPHOENIX.com

9-11 TRUTH MOVEMENT

Well, let me just say, first of all, that I am happy to try Blogger's new blog editor interface-- which you cannot see (heh, heh!).

Secondly, I want to post a link to the best defense of the 9-11 Truth Movement I have seen to date.

ALIVE AND BLOGGING

That's right!  You guessed it! It's time for me to post another blog entry for cyber-posterity!  Another stab at digital glory gone awry (maybe).  To what do I owe this bit of inspiration, this flash-in-the-pan flight of fancy?

Hurry, my ego is deflating!

Oh, well. I thought I would say more.  But alas, it's bedtime...

Zzzzz...

ISLAMIC TERRORISM BY THE NUMBERS

For some unexplainable reason, I have been inspired to install a widget on my blog which tracks Islamic terrrorist attacks.  It is available from TheReligionOfPeace.com.  Here it is.

You may also view this handy widget down below this page on the right side.  God save us in Jesus name, amen!