Well, it’s been a while since my last blog update. Bloem LTT, a week of being horribly sick, some scary times about my income and business, and a whole lot of things inbetween – finally, I get to write a blog entry. Yay! And, let’s hope it’s an interesting one.
Basically, last week when I was horribly sick I was watching TBN at home and listening to a ‘prophetic conference’ that happened somewhere (with some guy speaking who I can’t remember.) Medicine sometimes does that to you. It also makes you incredibly paranoid. After watching the guy talk about who he thinks the anti-christ is and all this information about an organisation called the Club of Rome (google them and check out their site), I kind of suffered from some minor paranoia and worry about what is going to happen next.
In fact, for many years now, I’ve been slowly trying to undoctrinate (if that’s a word) myself from all the conspiracy theories I had been taught at previous churches (didn’t you know the pulpit is a place to discuss conspiracy theories?) And try and find out what the different views of ‘eschatology’ (the doctrine of last things) were. To my surprise, I found the recent ‘pre-trib’ view (the one about a rapture and a 7 year period of the antichrist ruling… basically, the “Left Behind” novels) only came out in the last 100 years. Before that, Christians were either post-mils or a-mils (which, basically believe that the church is slowly becoming more and more victorious.) I obviously don’t have the space to discuss the differences here, only that I have really got a different view on the subject now. One where I’ve been trying to make the book of Revelation relevant to my life. All the books of the Bible have a practical application – something you need to ‘do’ or watch for, in order to continue in the race and receive the prize. Revelation is certainly no different. Only that, I’ve never been able to read it without trying to make predictions. I don’t think that’s the purpose of the book.
In truth, The Beast represents the world systems while the false prophet represents religiosity and false spirituality. The Anti-Christ almost seems to embody both, but represents man setting him/herself above God and claiming to be God. How much of this is in my own life? Do I trust The Beast – the world systems – more than I trust God? How much of my christianity is just religion? Just ceremony and lip service to God? How much of the anti-christ doctrine – that I am the center of the world, and the most important – is in my thinking? In my living? Do I wear the mark of the beast on my hands (what I do) and on my forehead (the way I think?)
Personally, I think Revelation is there to show us who our enemies are. We don’t wrestle against flesh and blood – we wrestle against the Beast, the false prophet and the antichrist. We wrestle against these spirits in ourselves, our churches, and throughout world history – evidenced by things like communism, nazism, fanatical and fundamentalistic religion, economic ruling etc. etc. It’s all there – spread across history. But you know what? Every rebellion against God will be put down and defeated by Christ, until he puts everything under His feet. And we defeat these things – and ultimately Satan – through the preaching of the Word of God (see Rev 19 and Rev 20.) THAT’s exciting.
My problem with the idea of the rapture is that most people have this attitude that “the world can go to hell, cause we’re out of here.” It’s like the church has this silent attitude that if things get worse – the better. Because that means Christ is coming soon. No wonder we don’t have much influence in the world like we used to – there are christians that actually WANT things to get worse. This is not the attitude of Christ and the Kingdom. We should be influencing our world, working against poverty and the Beast, fighting AGAINST the spirit of the anti-christ, exposing the false prophet in religion. Not secretely hoping evil would grow so that we can high-tail it out of here!
And God’s promise is that we WILL succeed. Micah 4 tells about ALL the nations coming to God, wanting to follow His ways. And that they’ll beat their swords into plowshares, no longer learn war and war against each other anymore. This is supposed to be the kingdom dream. This is supposed to be what we’re working towards – peace, joy and love to and for the world. Only the Gospel can do this. We should be busy working, not sitting around watching prophetic conferences and marveling at organisations that are trying to make a one world government.
Well, I still have lots to say but we can leave it there for now 
6 comments
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October 25, 2007 at 2:14 am
Jon Edwards
Wow, what you are saying is what I believe! Bravo and Amen to you! Have you seen MacPherson’s bestseller “The Rapture Plot”? Armageddon Books carries it and it is about 300 pages of dynamite documentation he uncovered in libraries in Britain relative to the 19th century origin of pretrib. Really shocking and startling stuff. He has some web items also. I am finding that many these days are giving up pretrib for other views like mid, prewrath, or posttrib. So – good things are happening! Jon
November 1, 2007 at 3:21 pm
stray
Thanks Jon! Will be taking a look at MacPherson’s stuff… sounds interesting. I think I’m also more interested in seeing how this interpretation also works itself out in our current context – ie, what we are to do as the church NOW, in our context. Thx for commenting!!
November 24, 2007 at 9:40 am
Rick
Seven King – are seven King of the Beast.
The Dragon – Rome gives its power to the Beast.
Rome only gave power to the Roman Catholic Church and it became “The Holy Roman Empire.
This Papal Power ascended up from the bottomless pit of time as the Popes ascend into power.
Revelation 13 also tells of the English Reformation and the inquisitions that led people captive by the sword.
no one might buy or sell that keep the original Sabbath Day except those who would change it “the Roman Catholic Church” from the original Day Saturday to Sunday 321AD.
The image is also known to the Roman Catholic Church as “the Pretended Church” we know it as the “Church of England”.
666 is the number of a Man which explains this time of events in Revelation 13.
If you don’t know what time it is this number help you to understand.
The wisdom is not found in the world of education and theology but rather from the Bible itself.
Numbers chapter 1 helps with understanding the language of this passage also Acts chapter 1.
Time and place can be measured by the reign of a ruler/king.
Let’s Define 666:
The law makers over England at the time of the English Reformation.
House of Commons = 659
King = 1
His wives = 6
Henry VIII
Builds the image “The Church of England”
A renown prince of his fathers house.
The number of his name is the number of his group – Acts 1:15 which is a total of including himself 666
Also Seven King are:
The Seven Papal names since the Deadly Wound was struck to the head of the Roman Catholic Church by Napoleon in 1798.
John Paul = Short space
the Eight king is of the seven names but after John Paul.
The wound was healed Feb. 11, 1929 Lateran Pact Treaties
The word Armageddon means “Community of Egidio”
I hope these thing help.
Rick
My Sites – http://www.RevelationMan.Blogspot.com
http://www.TheSeventhVial.Blogspot.co
November 25, 2007 at 2:13 pm
stray
Thanks… but how is that relevant to what we as Christians should be DOING?
December 24, 2007 at 3:09 am
Roy Ramos
Hello from Chicago Illinois.
The term that you may want to look up is “dispensationalism”. It is because of this theology that we get this “Pre-trib” view. Technically this view is as old as the Church itself. Basically, it means that certain prophecy is for the Church and a few prophecies are strictly for the Jewish people. In Daniel chapter 9 God, via an angel, said that there will be 490 years ["70 weeks"] of Jewish history left. He goes on to tell Daniel that year 483 comes to an end when “the annointed one” [Messiah] is cut off. Someone did the math and realized that the only historical event that happened on that [Good] Friday was that Jesus of Nazareth was crucified by the Romans. You should check out Charles Ryrie “Dispensationalism Today”. He addresses Macpherson’s diatribe against so-called “Pre-tribbers”. Apparently Mr. M wasn’t exactly forthcoming in this book.
For conservatives, moderates, and for liberals (who hold that the Bible speaks of miracles)…they don’t really disagree with this view. The problem is that God spoke of 490 years of Jewish history and only 483 years have taken place.
Depending on who you talk with; you’ll probably here one of three views. Either the 7 years occurred already, will occur sometime in the future [7 year Tribulation], or is symbolic and won’t occur at all.
I would have to say that I lean towards the futurist 7 year tribulation view, but I try to discourage people from following some really wacky conspiracy-minded people who shouldn’t be allowed anywhere near a pulpit.
I think scripture should be studied more than what some men [good intentions that they may have] are currently teaching. We are told…”commissioned” I think the word is…to go out into the world and share the Gospel. I always say if you want to change the world for the better; if you want to impact your community; and finally on your deathbed if you want to say “I made a difference during my life”…share Jesus.
Finally you should read a story about two kings found in 2 Kings. In chapter 20 we read about one king who knew disaster was coming, please note his response. Later on we read in chapter 22 about another king who was told about “evil coming” and see his response.
Whether judgment is physically coming in a 7 year period or comes when we come before God’s throne; those who reject God’s free gift will see doom. This doom could have been avoided if we stop looking for an Anti-Christ and start sharing the Gospel.
December 27, 2007 at 12:18 pm
stray
Thanks Roy, I really like your enthusiasm in your last statement : “This doom could have been avoided if we stop looking for an anti-christ and start sharing the Gospel.”
I agree with this completely!
I think I still struggle to link pre-trib eschatology with a real sense that God is renewing all things through the Gospel. In other words, we are called to be the salt of the Earth. If we believe it’s God’s will for the world to become more and more evil, we will have a very ‘hands-off’ approach. If we believe that God’s will for the world is for it to become more and more renewed, we might have a very ‘hands-on’ approach. In studying the fruit of pre-trib, has the end result been hands-off or hands-on? Josiah was hands-on (2 kings 22) although you could be right that it depends on attitude, not so much on theology. But, then again, it may be useful to examine Josiah’s theology… since he was quite convicted of the law, it may be useful to check out what the law said. The law would have had a significant impact on Josiah (interesting to note – that before the book of the law was found, Josiah was walking in the ways of the Lord – in the ways of his father David – vs 1.) His response to the law (repentance) means a trust in the promises of the law (blessing would come.) If we are going to draw a straight analogy to our situation, if the world repents tomorrow, will blessing not come? Of course it will. And it is God’s will that ALL be saved.
Interesting post… has sparked off some thought, that’s for sure!