Eschatology Is Not A Side Issue! (To Rapture, Or Not To Rapture?) ESCHATOLOGY IS NOT A SIDE ISSUE. This is one of the most, if not the most important issue facing the Church today. The Rapture theology is as old and developed in the same historical stage of Mormon and Jehovah Witness teachings. Sadly, these three doctrines evolved and gained momentum in the same time era. The question we should be asking is not, are you pre, mid or post?, all three stem from the same idea, and that idea is that Messiahs Kingdom is yet future, a someday Kingdom, one that will eventually arrive, hence all three views are three views of Postponement Eschatology i.e. we postpone the rule and authority of Messiah and His Kingdom to some day that could happen anytime in the indeterminate future. Is this what the bible really teaches? ENTER PENTECOST: Acts 2:29-33 Brethren, I may confidently say to you regarding the patriarch David that he both died and was buried, and his tomb is with us to this day. 30 And so, because HE WAS A PROPHET and knew that God had sworn to him with an oath to SEAT ONE IF HIS DESCENDANTS UPON HIS THRONE, 31 he looked ahead and SPOKE OF THE RESURRECTION of the Christ, that He (Christ) was neither abandoned to Hades, nor did His flesh suffer decay. 32 This Jesus God raised up again, to which we are all witnesses. 33 Therefore having been EXALTED TO THE RIGHT HAND OF GOD, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, He has poured forth this which you both see and hear. DAVIDS THRONE: Reality check! Davids Throne will not rest in an earthly Jewish Government in the somewhere future! Davids Throne was elevated to the Heavens at the Right Hand of God in The Resurrection of Christ! God will not take THIS ELEVATED THRONE AND BRING IT TO A LOWER POSITION! When Jesus resurrected/ascended, He received all Authority and Power in both Heaven and Earth, period (Matt 28:18). There will never be a day when King Jesus will have more AUTHORITY than what He has presently. Jesus ascended 2000 years ago to the Father and received His promised Kingdom as observed by Daniel the prophet... (Dan 7:13-14 13 “I kept looking in the night visions, And behold, with the clouds of heaven (remember Jesus ascend and was received in Acts 1 in a cloud) One like a Son of Man was coming, And HE CAME UP (ascension) to the Ancient of Days And was presented before Him (God The Father). 14 “And to Him (Jesus) was given dominion, Glory and a KINGDOM, That all the peoples, nations and men of every language Might serve Him. His dominion is an EVERLASTING DOMINION Which WILL NOT PASS AWAY; And His kingdom is one Which will not be destroyed.) BINDING THE STRONGMAN: Again, there will never be a day when King Jesus will have more authority than what He has presently, Jesus already BOUND THE STRONG MAN, His Cross, Death, Burial, Descent, Resurrection, Ascension and Enthronement WAS ENOUGH...and eschatology IS NOT A SIDE ISSUE...What we believe about eschatology is what we believe about Jesus Himself! A POSTPONED KINGDOM?: Do we postpone His Kingdom? Or do we realize His Kingdom came 2000 years ago on Pentecost when Jesus from the RIGHT HAND OF GOD poured our The Holy Spirit on the Church? Remember you can separate the Spirit and The Kingdom, The Kingdom is not in meat and drink, but in...The Holy Ghost (Rom 14:17), and it is our responsibility as the Church (The Vehicle of His Kingdom Purpose) to fill all things with His glory (Eph 4:10) until all of His enemies have been made footstool for His feet (Ps 110, Acts 2, 1 Cor 15, Heb 10:12-13). We as His Church have purpose, and must plan long term and ttransgenerationally. Jesus WILL NOT return to receive His Kingdom, He received it as we have seen through scripture by means of His resurrection and ascension/enthronement... He will however one day, ON THE LAST DAY (1 Cor 15) return to consummate His Kingdom, at which time He presents to His Father a perfected Kingdom, and God will be ALL IN ALL. 1 Cor 15:22-26 For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all will be made alive. 23 But each in his own order: Christ the first fruits, after that those who are Christ’s at His coming, 24 then comes the end, when He hands over the kingdom to the God and Father, when He has abolished all rule and all authority and power. 25 For He must reign until He has put all His enemies under His feet. 26 The last enemy that will be abolished is death. WHY DOES IT MATTER? What you believe about eschatology ultimately determines how you plan and build for the future. If you believe you are here on earth to soon leave in the rapture, or even if you believe that you are here to soon square off against some Mr. Nasty in a Great Tribulation will indeed determine your entire paradigm of Christian thinking/living. Will the world keep getting worse until we hand over everything Jesus died to build to the Antichrist as we fly away in defeat? Or do we soul search, and using not only common sense, but also a contextual historical hermeneutic, reexamine the prophecies of Matthew 24, Mk 13, and Lk 21, and realize that the very generation that Jesus was addressing was looking into His eyes on the Mt of Olives that very Day in History! Will we dare take a look at history, and see that in AD 70 Jerusalem was indeed burned to the ground by Rome led by Prince Titus, and the OLD COVENANT age of Moses completely faded away, hence completely fulfilling the prophecy of Matthew 24? If we will risk stepping out of out the “Dispensational Box”, God will rip the lid off, and open us all up to a Fresh Hope for the future! A Freedom in Christ where ALL THINGS ARE STILL POSSIBLE, One where we and our children, and our children’s children change history, shake the nations with God’s glory, and ultimately change the entire word!
Posted on: Sun, 17 Aug 2014 03:22:42 +0000
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