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.