A Paradigm Shift - The end of the world?

How could the time have been near? When did Jesus return on a cloud? Where was the Anti-Christ? When did the stars fall out of heaven? When was the sun darkened? I'm still standing here, when did the world end?

Those are all questions I had. What I'm suggesting is, the New Testament writers and Jesus were not predicting the end of the world. They were predicting an end to the old convenient and the destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70.

Jesus said to him, "You have said it yourself; nevertheless I tell you, hereafter you will see THE SON OF MAN SITTING AT THE RIGHT HAND OF POWER, and COMING ON THE CLOUDS OF HEAVEN." Then the high priest tore his robes and said, "He has blasphemed! What further need do we have of witnesses? Behold, you have now heard the blasphemy... (Matt 26:64-65)

Question: Caiaphas the high priest tore his robe and said Jesus' statement was blasphemy, why?

Answer: Because Caiaphas being a high priest and a FIRST century Jew would have been very familiar with the Old Testament. More specifically, the prophets.

Caiaphas was very familiar with the language God often used in the prophets to pronounce judgment.

The oracle concerning Egypt. Behold, the LORD is riding on a swift cloud and is about to come to Egypt; The idols of Egypt will tremble at His presence, And the heart of the Egyptians will melt within them. (Isa 19:1)

Question: Did God literally ride on a cloud into Egypt? Did their hearts literally melt within them?

Answer: No... it was language that God often used when pronouncing judgment. Over and over again you'll see this in the prophets as you read through them.

Fast forward to the first century. Lets take a look at what Jesus was telling his disciples before he had been taken to Caiaphas the high priest.

"But immediately after the tribulation of those days THE SUN WILL BE DARKENED, AND THE MOON WILL NOT GIVE ITS LIGHT, AND THE STARS WILL FALL from the sky, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. "And then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the SON OF MAN COMING ON THE CLOUDS OF THE SKY with power and great glory. (Matt 24:29-30)

Sound familiar? Maybe not to you and I as twenty first century Christians, but to a first century Jew, you would have know exactly what Jesus was talking about; thus the reaction of Caiaphas. For the context of Matt 24:29-30, read the chapter.

Let's take a look at the prophets again:

Behold, the day of the LORD is coming, Cruel, with fury and burning anger, To make the land a desolation; And He will exterminate its sinners from it. For the stars of heaven and their constellations Will not flash forth their light; The sun will be dark when it rises And the moon will not shed its light. (Isa 13:9-10)

Read the context of Isaiah 13 and you see that God is pronouncing judgment on Babylon.

Question: When God judged Babylon, was the sun darkened and did the moon not shed it's light?

Answer: No... it was again language that God often used to pronounce judgment. Sure does sound like the end of the world though doesn't it?

Question: So Jesus must have been predicting the end of the world?

Answer: If He was, why was he telling THEM to flee Judea? See Matt 24:15-18. It doesn't make sense for Jesus to be telling THEM to flee Judea, if the judgment He was talking about was suppose to be a world wide judgment. You don't need to read the news paper to find out what he was talking about, you simply need to read history. Everything that Jesus predicted happened. The temple was destroyed (in A.D. 70) and those event took place just as Jesus said they would.

To Be Continued...

A Paradigm Shift - Time Statements

When I first started studying/debating the subject of eschatology, my claim to fame was my "literal interpretation" of the scriptures, as it is with most Dispensationalist. Well that is, until it came to statements regarding the timing of Jesus' return. You see, soon means far, near means 2000+ years.

My dilemma came when I noticed this:

And He said: "Take heed that you not be deceived. For many will come in My name, saying, 'I am He,' and, 'The time has drawn near.' Therefore do not go after them. ~ Jesus (Luke 21:8)

Here is the problem:

Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written in it; for the time is near. ~ John (Rev. 1:3)

The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light.~ Paul (Rom.13:12)

You also be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand. ~ James (James 5:8)

If the time wasn't at hand, and the time wasn't near, then Jesus said, "do not go after them". In other words, do not follow them. So, are we to assume that the writings of John, Paul and James are not inspired and that we're to simply disregard them? After all, they claimed that the time was near and it wasn't.

Well I don't think they had it wrong.

But... if YOU believe they had it wrong, what else do they have wrong??? Just something to think about.

To Be Continued...

A Paradigm Shift

I do not pray that You should take them out of the world, but that You should keep them from the evil one. ~ Jesus (John 17:15).

Geez... where do I start?

I'll start in the summer of 2005. I was fascinated by current events and had been for the past nine years. Every event was one step closer to the end and any minute Jesus could come back and take us out of this world.

A friend, (Jim Degulis) suggested that a few of us get together and study bible prophecy that summer. I thought this would be a great time to nail down from the scriptures themselves what I believe.

I knew well that there were those that held different views. I was also convinced that they (those holding different views) were blind, after all, look at the world around you, "how can they not see it". I myself held to Premillenial Dispensationalsim. That is, any minute the rapture of the church would occur, then the world would be ushered into seven years of tribulation. There is much more to the teaching, but those familiar with the view know what I'm talking about.

One of us (Jeff Geibel) in the group starting holding a view I had never heard of before. He had actually suggested the prophecies of the New Testament had actually already be fulfilled, that Jesus had actually already come back.

What???

I knew what I believed well, my only problem had always been supporting it with the scriptures themselves. For goodness sakes, prophecy experts had been writing best selling novels about it. How come I can't nail this down!

The following spring 2006, Jeff had started a bible study and did a powerful presentation on the Preterist view of Eschatology (the study of the end times). It was there I met a gentlemen by the name of Michael Loomis. I had a lot of questions, and Mike had a lot of answers.

Over the next couple of years, five of us (Jim, Javier, Jeff, Mike & myself) spent time dealing with all of my presuppositions and assertions. After all, I wasn't giving up the fight that easily. I knew what I believed, I just couldn't support it.

To be continued.

Left to Right: Jeff, Jim, Ron, Javier & Mike. Picture taken 11/17/2006, during a visit back to California.

The Truth Will Set You Free: Part 1

So, at this point, there are a lot of folks looking at their copy of "The Secret" (written by: Rhonda Byrne), and thinking: what a joke. All of those positive thoughts were suppose to bring wealth and prosperity. Well, for Rhonda, The Secret did bring wealth and prosperity, it's just that for her gullible followers, they're left with a book in their hands wondering what happened.

What happened you ask? You got duped. But... don't feel so bad, it happens to all of us at some point in time. Moving forward though, STOP buying into this garbage.

Now, for you Christian elite folks, don't think nobody remembers "The Prayer of Jabez" (written by: Bruce Wilkinson). Now, with all of the copies of that book that were sold, if it worked, we'd truly would be living in a different world.

You want something that works? Write a book appealing to the human desire for wealth and prosperity, tell people that if you just do one simple thing, it will ALL be theirs.

Don't forget to assure them, they CANNOT read negative things like this.

Chapter One: Some Initial Thoughts

I'm amazed at how much has changed in the last ten years. Spiritually speaking, ten years ago, if you would have told me, I'd be thinking the way I do now, I would have said he's back slided. Aww... what a little growing up and life experience can do for you.

I'm also amazed at how little has changed in the mindset of some.

I used to hear brilliant men say, "the more I learn, the more I realize I just don't know." To that I now say: AMEN!

These days, I'm a little less dogmatic on "absolute truth." But... that's OK, because faith needs to play a part somewhere (Heb 11:6).

Where is this all going? Not sure yet, possibly where I was and more on where I am now.

It's not what you think!

This is not about self promotion, although I may consider running for president one day. I actually have a couple things to say that you probably wouldn't read in a different format.

WARNING - You may get offended!