Sooner or later, I
knew that CAP would run
into a major defining moment. Before I send out Study 3, we need to
address the issue that makes it the defining moment. So, following the ancient
wisdom of ‘fools rush in where angels fear to tread’, I have decided to wade
into the matter.
There is a major theological dichotomy which exists
in the Christian community,
especially in the evangelical family, of which I am a member. There are
literally millions of Christians, mostly evangelicals, who believe that the
Kingdom of God will begin when Christ returns (the 2nd coming) and
will rule for a thousand years. This is further complicated by a belief by some
that Jesus will ‘whisk’ Christians away from the coming ‘tribulation’, and then
return them to rule over the earth with Him after a few years. I personally believed that for almost 30
years, having been taught that in my church.
Countless millions
of books have been sold by various authors predicting when and how this will
take place. I recall trying to prove this to myself during that time, but I
could never do that from the Bible logically. It just seemed so convoluted
biblically that I couldn’t follow it, but I accepted it as true.
About ten years ago, I was motivated to study the terms that I was vaguely familiar with
– pre-millennialism, a-millennialism and
post-millennialism. Frankly, at that time, I couldn’t coherently explain any of
them.
After a few years, I
finally discovered that I had been a pre-millennialist. Those are the guys I
mentioned earlier who believe in the literal 1000 year future Kingdom of God,
instantly created by a discontinuous event, when Christ returns. The problem
with that concept is that it totally contradicts Christ’s own examples of what
the Kingdom is like. In fact, after extensive study on this subject, I
discovered that the post-millennialists have all the biblical logic on their
side. It’s a little bit embarrassing to admit at this time that I couldn’t see
how the Kingdom of God was explained by Jesus’s own words.
If you would like a
further, detailed summary of my ‘conversion’ please send an email and I will
send out a complete outline of the research I followed.
Suffice it to say,
some might be offended by what they read here and in the next few studies. I
can imagine that after years (or decades?) of believing something to be true,
it would be a shock, to discover that it wasn’t. I know how that is. It
happened to me also. It was a bit of a shock, but I wasn’t offended. Relieved
actually, because it all made sense.
The
‘future instant Kingdom appearance’ (pre-millennialism) theory and the ‘Kingdom
now, in time and on earth’ phase (post-millennialism) are diametric opposites.
They are mutually exclusive – they can’t both be right. The Bible doesn’t allow
us to choose our own interpretation. The Bible explains the Bible.
Another item,
related to this subject, came to my attention from Dr. Marshall Foster’s DVD
set “From Terror to Triumph”, when he stated that our view of the
sovereignty of God is based on our theology. God is the ultimate authority.
Every being in the universe is accountable to Him, believer and unbeliever
alike. If that is the case, how can two dedicated Christians believe and act
differently when they say they believe the same Bible and worship the same God?
It’s their theology – their knowledge of God. We act on what we assume to be
true. The trouble is not only what we don’t know, it’s what we assume to be
true - but isn’t so! There
is no greater pitfall than assuming that what we have learned is the final
truth of the matter. We always must be ready to challenge our own beliefs and
be able to defend them based on knowledge, wisdom, reason and logic. If we’re wrong, we must admit it. Christian
life is not an ego trip. This is an ongoing lifelong assignment. Joel McDurmon,
in his book “Biblical Logic”, defines it this way: “Logic
is the systematic study and practice, of discerning and telling the truth.” It
never ends, as in ‘prove all things and hold on to that which is good’.
When information challenges our belief system, do we ask: Is that true? Or do
we react emotionally to protect our pre-conceived opinion? The apostle Paul
commended the Bereans for their willingness to always check the scriptures to
see if what Paul spoke was true. So should we.
The only thing I can
say is that you have to prove it yourself. The Bible is the standard.
If there is someone
who thinks I have been deceived, please show me how – and in detail – from the
Bible.
Keep in mind, any
resources, like books, videos, etc. are a track for us to run on. Christian
authors for centuries have written wonderful insights into God’s purposes, but
they all must be tested against the Berean standard, to see if the scriptures
back up what they say.
Study-3 will be out
in a few days
I ask for your
prayers always. May God bless all our efforts!
All comments are
welcome!!!!!
