Ricardo: > Mmmm..... no, I still hate you.
:) That makes me smile, mainly because I predicted you'd say that. > > I'm eschatologically speaking a preterist, so I don't know how that > comment > > is supposed to relate to me. > > > Eschatology? Yes I like that (the 'other' meaning). Now "preterist" I > had to look up and that gave another meaning to eschatology. :) I was worried you'd confuse it with "pederast" because of the word sound similarity and your likely familiarity with that concept, but I'm impressed you did the scholarly thing instead. ;) > BTW, after I've burned you for heresy we might start trying to figure > out how many angels will fit in a pin's head. Heresy? It's the only interpretation of Jesus' direct promises of his immanent parousia in that generation IMHO that makes sense, and it fits with what Daniel and John predicted, once you decode their symbolism in the context of the "those of us who are alive and remain" (the apostles). It's the main reason I don't think Obama is "the" anti-Christ per se, but one of many antichrists and false prophets about which Scripture speaks, who deceive many Christians into working iniquity. Just happens to be one in a particularly powerful position, which is never a good thing. All schemes to interpret it in a futuristic sense have been confounded by history since 70 AD. This is the way God often operates. Many folks are going to be disappointed (and in history have been disappointed) when they realize they allowed a great evil to happen, and they're NOT going to be slurped up into the clouds and out of moral responsibility for what they did. I think my biggest problem with fellow Christians who still look to the "rapture" as a get-out-of-trouble-free pass is that they miss the point of discipleship. > > >> Why? Is she ugly? > >> > > > > Not at all. Somehow I got lucky. :) > > > So somehow we both got lucky? (when I finally get to meet her, I mean) > Though now that I think of it, russians are so tragic about life.... > Hey! Maybe that's why you keep making up all this antichrist stuff > (though if you are really a preterist the antichrist has come and gone > a > long time ago). Preterism looks at the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD and end of Israel as a nation for almost 2K years as the metaphysical "turning point" between two covenants, and fulfillment of all key promises of scripture, at least as they pertain to the old covenant. The "end of the world"/"end times" was referring to Israel as a divinely anointed people in the context of the old covenant. The Israel of today bears no relation to the Israel of old, which is long gone, though it does serve to remind modern Jews of the "blessing/curse" deal God made with them---the "curse" part of which has been their lot since 70 AD, because of their stiff necks and refusal to perform their end of the bargain. Their track record with God (like anybody else's) sucks, and while God will never break His covenant, we can break covenant with God, and look out. My main reasons for supporting Israel over the Palestinians is political and not theological per se--they're simply more civilized, the term being understood over there on a relative basis. I don't support them for scriptural reasons, like many of my Republican friends do who happen to be dispensationalists still of the opinion that all is not yet fulfilled. I have many Jewish friends, and some of them are actually Christians. I half-jokingly think the solution to the conflict is to get Mel Gibson and Stephen Spielberg to collaborate on a Hollywood replica of Israel in southern Kaliforniastan, and let the Palestinians have that dust bowl near Jordan. But I know they'd just migrate to Kaliforniastan so they could continue to harass Jews; that's kinda the point of the "curse" side of the covenant, and that is their role as the descendants of Ishmael. Anyway. The futurist interpretations make Jesus look wrong when he promised fulfillment during that generation, and one of His more tangible, verifiable predictions -- that not one stone of the temple would be left unturned -- actually happened on time and on budget in that generation, as he verily, verily promised. Many Christians actually don't know that, to my surprise. Damn public schools! Let's say I'm totally wrong and the parousia is still in the future. The key point is simply to be spiritually ready at any time to meet your maker, and not try to guess the hour, or neglect your duty in the meanwhile. Insofar as I often feel fear about what's going on, I'm reminded of my carnal nature and need to get back into a right relationship with God, but this would be true if I were a dispensationalist as well. Because I don't think "the end" of which Jesus spoke "is near" I tend to look at the long term consequences of things a bit more seriously, but at least I know Satan and his crowd have already been defeated spiritually, and everything we see around us is the outward working of that spiritual reality in time and space, and our role in it still matters because we still have free will to cooperate or not with God's plot in this great cosmic drama. I struggle like any Christian with the existential implications of Scripture for life, but know in my heart Jesus is who He says he is, did what He promised, and ultimately will whip me into shape, as long as I daily choose to follow Him. You'd do well to get to know Him. He's not at all like we Christians often make him appear, fools that we often are. :) > > > >>> But in this I am glad I can serve to help even you feel better, > too. > >>> > >> :) > >> > >> It's good to make you glad :) > >> > > > > And I'm glad that it's good that I'm glad that you feel better! > > > ditto. Same here! > > > >>> Jesus bless you! > >>> > >>> > >> Lucifer give you light! > >> > >> > > > > Ha! Is that like ACORN giving legal and tax advice? > > > > > You missed it. You being some kind of a linguist and all I thought > you'd > get a reference to the meaning of the name 'lucifer' and the 'light' > he's supposed to give you. Or maybe I'm missing the ACORN joke........ > yes, probably both are lousy attempts at humour. Well I did get the "light" reference (Lucifer once upon a time being an "angel of light" and all that), but Satan (the adversary) is his name today and he has as much light in him to give as ACORN workers have common sense, moral decency and intimate knowledge of the tax code in them. But you're right, neither jokes were the highlights of our respective OT careers. ;) - Bob _______________________________________________ Post Messages to: [email protected] Subscription Maintenance: http://leafe.com/mailman/listinfo/profox OT-free version of this list: http://leafe.com/mailman/listinfo/profoxtech Searchable Archive: http://leafe.com/archives/search/profox This message: http://leafe.com/archives/byMID/profox/[email protected] ** All postings, unless explicitly stated otherwise, are the opinions of the author, and do not constitute legal or medical advice. This statement is added to the messages for those lawyers who are too stupid to see the obvious.
