The 1000 year Millennium from the Bible

[TMSO]

Re the appeal exists even if God never intended…

This is junk, this is irrational. The warning of Acts 3, the prodding of Israel to be missionaries in Rom 10, 11, is utterly serious. How dare you think of such a fake God—to never intend those things He said. and then say that is Biblical.

Why do you respond to my statement that God is sovereign with "This is junk, this is irrational"? You can look all through scripture and see God showing two sides, but even so, stating only one will occur, and what that one WILL be. The other didn't disappear. LIfe still moved on as life. The appeal exists even if God never intended to allow an appeal. Why? Because life is life. God is not shutting down life. His determination runs with life. For example. All things work together for good for those who love the Lord. Look at Job. Was his family dying good? Was losing all he owned good? Was his wife turning on him good? How about his only friends? Yet, when all was said and done, what came out of all of it? Good, to the highest order. Life trodded along through bad things, and then worse things, then even worse, then a showdown with God Himself, and then, poof. Good things, GREAT things happened. Through the work of all that happened.

What warning in Acts 3? I see a prophecy where Moses gave warning to the Israelites with him, which Peter brings up in regards to Jesus being the one. " 22 For Moses truly said to the fathers, ‘The Lord your God will raise up for you a Prophet like me from your brethren. Him you shall hear in all things, whatever He says to you. 23 And it shall be that every soul who will not hear that Prophet shall be utterly destroyed from among the people.’" This was not given as a warning, but to tell the people that Jesus is the Prophet that Moses spoke of. As part of the gospel message Peter reminds them what Moses said in connection to this prophet. He then tells them to repent.

I see no prodding of Israel to be missionaries in Romans 10-11.
"Brethren, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for [a]Israel is that they may be saved. 2 For I bear them witness that they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge. 3 For they being ignorant of God’s righteousness, and seeking to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted to the righteousness of God. 4 For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes."

I see a call to repentance/salvation. Romans 10 speaks of Israel rejecting the gospel. That doesn't sound like a call to missionaries, but an explanation of events.
And then 11:
" I say then, has God cast away His people? Certainly not! For I also am an Israelite, of the seed of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin. 2 God has not cast away His people whom He foreknew. Or do you not know what the Scripture says of Elijah, how he pleads with God against Israel, saying, 3 “Lord, they have killed Your prophets and torn down Your altars, and I alone am left, and they seek my life”? 4 But what does the divine response say to him? “I have reserved for Myself seven thousand men who have not bowed the knee to Baal.” 5 Even so then, at this present time there is a remnant according to the election of grace. 6 And if by grace, then it is no longer of works; otherwise grace is no longer grace. [a]But if it is of works, it is no longer grace; otherwise work is no longer work."

Romans 11 speaks to Israel's rejection not being final. Again, not prodding to be missionaries.

God intends the things that He said, many of which you deny. Some which you seem to create from your beliefs and not from scripture. I believe God has determined what happens on this world, according to His position as Creator and as the sovereign ruler of Creation. What kind of ruler would God be, if He has no control over His domain?

 

[TMSO]

Please one idea/thesis per post. It is so confusing to follow. Final request

Re works based salvation.
???
They were not sought to be missionaries to put God in debt to them, but as the way to honor God for the gift of salvation. You have reversed cause and effect.

I must seriously consider stopping contact with you until you read The Covenant War.

So, a pay wall to discuss with you? I have to pay you to continue discussion?

 

[TMSO]

Re the disciples did not fail to be missionaries

Well, duh. The question was the bulk of the nation. If you knew Acts 26 , you would see Paul GENUINELY NOT FAKE appealing to Israel to be what he is except his chains.

He was not appealing to Israel. He appealed to Agrippa and to those listening to him that day.

"28 Then Agrippa said to Paul, “You almost persuade me to become a Christian.”
29 And Paul said, “I would to God that not only you, but also all who hear me today, might become both almost and altogether such as I am, except for these chains.”"

 

[EarlyActs]

I take you back to Deuteronomy, where God told Moses all the blessings that Israel would receive for accepting and following Him, and then told Him all the curses for not accepting and following Him. He then had Moses write down a song about what WILL happen to Israel because they aren't going to accept, and will absolutely reject Him. So were all the blessings a farce? Were they fake?

Consider driving. You are in your car and you come to an intersection. God has determined that you will absolutely turn left. So, if you look right do you see 1. a brick wall 2. A sign that says "God forbids you to go this way" 3. Or a normal turn that remains the scenic route? Why does God determining anything have to change the way that life unfolds? The potential ALWAYS remains, however, the potential will never be realized because the outcome has already been determined. That right turn still doesn't turn into a brick wall, a sign that says God forbids this turn, or any other blocking instance. Why? God doesn't mess around with the system of life. He works through it. Unless a miracle is happening, or a direct act of God, everything works according to the system, according to His determination. Yes it is difficult to understand. No, it doesn't cause it to disappear or change. God is not a construct of our mind, so things don't change because we don't understand.

Is that a way of saying that God doesn't know what is going on, and that I must not rock the boat by saying God does know? God can know the exact Date Time Group of Jesus return, but He couldn't know if Israel was going to reject or not? Is it not understood that the second coming of Jesus is directly influenced by what is happening on Earth? Did God change His plan when it became obvious that the Jews were going to reject, and had to change what He had planned/known from before the foundation of the world? I mean, scripture even says the book of life with everyone's name in it is from the foundation of the world. Again, if you read Romans 11, the drama is drama, and it has a Disney ending. His elect of Israel are saved. There is no sad ending where God destroys those that Paul said that God has not rejected. God is ever faithful to His promises, and His word.

I may look at it, however, all Paul ever said about the Jews (Nation of Israel) and the Gentiles is that they (the Jews) are our enemies for the sake of the gospel. That is it. Paul tells us in Ephesians that Jesus put to death the emnity that existed between the Jews and the Gentiles in His body. That emnity is gone. The only thing that stands between the Jews and the Gentiles is... the gospel. That is all. If there were more to it, then Paul would not say that all are equal in the church.

This 2nd guessing Giod stuff is horrid. It is not how anyone in the NT thinks.

If the Jews majorly did not pursue the mission, they would be miserably destroyed. There was no escaping that in that first generation setting. There is nothing theoretical and they could have avoided the slaughter. In the last lines of Acts Paul is still trying.

I’m not going to read about a dedicated text that has not vitality or tension or drama. Shove it.

I don’t need to know anything else. Everything else you said is not there, not for us to know, is not how the situation unfolded, etc. it is not real, and Paul said all that he was doing and saying was rational, in Acts 26.

 

[EarlyActs]

Why do you respond to my statement that God is sovereign with "This is junk, this is irrational"? You can look all through scripture and see God showing two sides, but even so, stating only one will occur, and what that one WILL be. The other didn't disappear. LIfe still moved on as life. The appeal exists even if God never intended to allow an appeal. Why? Because life is life. God is not shutting down life. His determination runs with life. For example. All things work together for good for those who love the Lord. Look at Job. Was his family dying good? Was losing all he owned good? Was his wife turning on him good? How about his only friends? Yet, when all was said and done, what came out of all of it? Good, to the highest order. Life trodded along through bad things, and then worse things, then even worse, then a showdown with God Himself, and then, poof. Good things, GREAT things happened. Through the work of all that happened.

What warning in Acts 3? I see a prophecy where Moses gave warning to the Israelites with him, which Peter brings up in regards to Jesus being the one. " 22 For Moses truly said to the fathers, ‘The Lord your God will raise up for you a Prophet like me from your brethren. Him you shall hear in all things, whatever He says to you. 23 And it shall be that every soul who will not hear that Prophet shall be utterly destroyed from among the people.’" This was not given as a warning, but to tell the people that Jesus is the Prophet that Moses spoke of. As part of the gospel message Peter reminds them what Moses said in connection to this prophet. He then tells them to repent.

I see no prodding of Israel to be missionaries in Romans 10-11.
"Brethren, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for [a]Israel is that they may be saved. 2 For I bear them witness that they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge. 3 For they being ignorant of God’s righteousness, and seeking to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted to the righteousness of God. 4 For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes."

I see a call to repentance/salvation. Romans 10 speaks of Israel rejecting the gospel. That doesn't sound like a call to missionaries, but an explanation of events.
And then 11:
" I say then, has God cast away His people? Certainly not! For I also am an Israelite, of the seed of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin. 2 God has not cast away His people whom He foreknew. Or do you not know what the Scripture says of Elijah, how he pleads with God against Israel, saying, 3 “Lord, they have killed Your prophets and torn down Your altars, and I alone am left, and they seek my life”? 4 But what does the divine response say to him? “I have reserved for Myself seven thousand men who have not bowed the knee to Baal.” 5 Even so then, at this present time there is a remnant according to the election of grace. 6 And if by grace, then it is no longer of works; otherwise grace is no longer grace. [a]But if it is of works, it is no longer grace; otherwise work is no longer work."

Romans 11 speaks to Israel's rejection not being final. Again, not prodding to be missionaries.

God intends the things that He said, many of which you deny. Some which you seem to create from your beliefs and not from scripture. I believe God has determined what happens on this world, according to His position as Creator and as the sovereign ruler of Creation. What kind of ruler would God be, if He has no control over His domain?

Just answer the question of the reality of Acts 3.

If half of what you say is true , every other line in the NT would be unbelievers saying it is fake , saying God doesn’t mean it, The apostles are idiots. I notice they never did. Bc there was always the real decision Israel coukd have made. Instead they are angry at their responsibility before God (end of Acts13) which your thinking evaporates.

You traffick in unreality, unlike the text.

 

[EarlyActs]

He was not appealing to Israel. He appealed to Agrippa and to those listening to him that day.

"28 Then Agrippa said to Paul, “You almost persuade me to become a Christian.”
29 And Paul said, “I would to God that not only you, but also all who hear me today, might become both almost and altogether such as I am, except for these chains.”"

He said the same things to Israel in Acts13 and Rom 10. You are just amateur.

In Acts 26 , he was at the center of civic power of Israel, with many temple staff in the room, bc they were trying anything to shut him down.

Can only take so much more of this nonsense.

 

[EarlyActs]

I take you back to Deuteronomy, where God told Moses all the blessings that Israel would receive for accepting and following Him, and then told Him all the curses for not accepting and following Him. He then had Moses write down a song about what WILL happen to Israel because they aren't going to accept, and will absolutely reject Him. So were all the blessings a farce? Were they fake?

Consider driving. You are in your car and you come to an intersection. God has determined that you will absolutely turn left. So, if you look right do you see 1. a brick wall 2. A sign that says "God forbids you to go this way" 3. Or a normal turn that remains the scenic route? Why does God determining anything have to change the way that life unfolds? The potential ALWAYS remains, however, the potential will never be realized because the outcome has already been determined. That right turn still doesn't turn into a brick wall, a sign that says God forbids this turn, or any other blocking instance. Why? God doesn't mess around with the system of life. He works through it. Unless a miracle is happening, or a direct act of God, everything works according to the system, according to His determination. Yes it is difficult to understand. No, it doesn't cause it to disappear or change. God is not a construct of our mind, so things don't change because we don't understand.

Is that a way of saying that God doesn't know what is going on, and that I must not rock the boat by saying God does know? God can know the exact Date Time Group of Jesus return, but He couldn't know if Israel was going to reject or not? Is it not understood that the second coming of Jesus is directly influenced by what is happening on Earth? Did God change His plan when it became obvious that the Jews were going to reject, and had to change what He had planned/known from before the foundation of the world? I mean, scripture even says the book of life with everyone's name in it is from the foundation of the world. Again, if you read Romans 11, the drama is drama, and it has a Disney ending. His elect of Israel are saved. There is no sad ending where God destroys those that Paul said that God has not rejected. God is ever faithful to His promises, and His word.

I may look at it, however, all Paul ever said about the Jews (Nation of Israel) and the Gentiles is that they (the Jews) are our enemies for the sake of the gospel. That is it. Paul tells us in Ephesians that Jesus put to death the emnity that existed between the Jews and the Gentiles in His body. That emnity is gone. The only thing that stands between the Jews and the Gentiles is... the gospel. That is all. If there were more to it, then Paul would not say that all are equal in the church.

No that’s not all he said. The real drama is there. They really did have to decide for or against the mission, and be ruined if they chose against.

If you would stop holding to 2 programs you could see this. There is one faith, one mission. God is not allowing people into the one joint body without belief on that mission.

 

[Mr GLee]

where God told Moses all the blessings that Israel would receive for accepting and following Him

Which Israel? Born again Israel or those not born again Israel . .dying mankind ?

Two sides to that coin. Outward Jew pertaining to dying flesh or inward of the Spirit of Christ .Remember whoever has not the born again of Spirit of Christ they simply do not belong to Christ .

Give to Cesar (dying mankind) what is his, the temporal seen. And give to the Holy Spirit of God what is His, the eternal not seen

Romans 9:6 Not as though the word of God hath taken none effect. For they are not all Israel, which are of Israel:

 

[TMSO]

This 2nd guessing Giod stuff is horrid. It is not how anyone in the NT thinks.

If the Jews majorly did not pursue the mission, they would be miserably destroyed. There was no escaping that in that first generation setting. There is nothing theoretical and they could have avoided the slaughter. In the last lines of Acts Paul is still trying.

They did reject and... they are still with us today. Which means that there is a different understanding of what God was saying.

I’m not going to read about a dedicated text that has not vitality or tension or drama. Shove it.

I don’t need to know anything else. Everything else you said is not there, not for us to know, is not how the situation unfolded, etc. it is not real, and Paul said all that he was doing and saying was rational, in Acts 26.

Out come the true colors.

 

[TMSO]

Just answer the question of the reality of Acts 3.

If half of what you say is true , every other line in the NT would be unbelievers saying it is fake , saying God doesn’t mean it, The apostles are idiots. I notice they never did. Bc there was always the real decision Israel coukd have made. Instead they are angry at their responsibility before God (end of Acts13) which your thinking evaporates.

You traffick in unreality, unlike the text.

Again, you are forcing yourself onto the text.

 

[TMSO]

He said the same things to Israel in Acts13 and Rom 10. You are just amateur.

In Acts 26 , he was at the center of civic power of Israel, with many temple staff in the room, bc they were trying anything to shut him down.

Can only take so much more of this nonsense.

So stop shoveling out the nonsense. I can't take it.

 

[TMSO]

No that’s not all he said. The real drama is there. They really did have to decide for or against the mission, and be ruined if they chose against.

You realize I read the whole thing and just spoke to some of it, because I am not about wasting my time correcting every little thing.

If you would stop holding to 2 programs you could see this. There is one faith, one mission. God is not allowing people into the one joint body without belief on that mission.

Again, I DO NOT HOLD TO TWO PROGRAMS. I guess that is true. No one is allowed into the joint body except by the merit of work. One has to believe in the mission. Jesus is not at all in that.

 

[TMSO]

Which Israel? Born again Israel or those not born again Israel . .dying mankind ?

He was talking to all Israel in Deuteronomy.

Two sides to that coin. Outward Jew pertaining to dying flesh or inward of the Spirit of Christ .Remember whoever has not the born again of Spirit of Christ they simply do not belong to Christ .

Give to Cesar (dying mankind) what is his, the temporal seen. And give to the Holy Spirit of God what is His, the eternal not seen

Romans 9:6 Not as though the word of God hath taken none effect. For they are not all Israel, which are of Israel:

That is true, but you apparently do not understand the purpose God had in Deuteronomy. It set up everything that has happened. They rejected God, they rejected His Son. (Sounds like a parable Jesus told.) Even though curses are mentioned, God more than once in prophecy said He will not reject Israel. (For the sake of the elect of Israel.) It is actually really deep and complicated.

 

[Mr GLee]

He was talking to all Israel in Deuteronomy.

That is true, but you apparently do not understand the purpose God had in Deuteronomy. It set up everything that has happened. They rejected God, they rejected His Son. (Sounds like a parable Jesus told.) Even though curses are mentioned, God more than once in prophecy said He will not reject Israel. (For the sake of the elect of Israel.) It is actually really deep and complicated.

Yes he was speaking to all or the multitude in parables,which without he spoke not But only the born again Israel heard the understanding. Not all Israel is born again Israel. Many hear but few are chosen unto salvation.

It's just like the new name the Father in Isaiah 63 promised to call his bride "Christian" in Acts a more befitting name to represent all the nations of the world .

God is the Holy Father of all nations not one.

Not all that that say they are Christians are .No different than the word Israel. Two kinds, those born again and those that remained unredeemed.

Its never about the flesh dying mankind powerless, carrying out there appointment death.

Hebrews 9:27 And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:

 

[EarlyActs]

They did reject and... they are still with us today. Which means that there is a different understanding of what God was saying.

Out come the true colors.

What is a different understanding? What I just wrote is the understanding of the NT, mostly.

 

[EarlyActs]

They did reject and... they are still with us today. Which means that there is a different understanding of what God was saying.

Out come the true colors.

???
Your theoretical views are not there in how NT people thought. They were very dialed in to their times and the tragedy of what would happen. They never sound like they are 2nd guessing God; it reeks.

Unfirruanately Christians are taught to ignore history, to 2nd guess God, and be “prophecy experts” and so when they read Luke-Acts they wind up with a train wreck of very flimsy propositions.

I’m asking you to be daring and be a historian first, almost to the point where you have no theology.

That’s the true color of the NT

 

[TMSO]

Yes he was speaking to all or the multitude in parables,which without he spoke not But only the born again Israel heard the understanding. Not all Israel is born again Israel. Many hear but few are chosen unto salvation.

It's just like the new name the Father in Isaiah 63 promised to call his bride "Christian" in Acts a more befitting name to represent all the nations of the world .

God is the Holy Father of all nations not one.

But He chose only One nation in which to place His name. Israel. And, knowing all, and knowing how they would act, He still did it. Why? The promises made to the forefathers/forebearers. The church is made up of Jews and Gentiles, but the foundation of the church is Israel.

 

[TMSO]

What is a different understanding? What I just wrote is the understanding of the NT, mostly.

If any Jew is that way is destroyed, how will any be saved? Paul is clear God has not rejected Israel. The Old Testament and New Testament is clear that there is a remnant. When one isolates from context, a lot of damage is done. In this case, isolates from the context of scripture. Yes those who reject are destroyed, however, we even get in Romans 11 that if they come to believe, God will not destroy, but will take them back.

 

[Josheb]

Revelation shows us the events at the end..

Revelation 20:1-15
1 And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand.
2 And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years,
3 And cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled: and after that he must be loosed a little season.
4 And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.
5 But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection.
6 Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years.
7 And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison,
8 And shall go out to deceive the nations which are in the four quarters of the earth, Gog, and Magog, to gather them together to battle: the number of whom is as the sand of the sea.
9 And they went up on the breadth of the earth, and compassed the camp of the saints about, and the beloved city: and fire came down from God out of heaven, and devoured them.
10 And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever.
11 And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them.
12 And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.
13 And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works.
14 And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.
15 And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.

Now here's a breakdown of each verse in Revelation 20..

vs. 1 - An angel descends from heaven with a key and a chain.
vs. 2 - He binds Satan for 1000 years.
vs. 3 - During the 1000 years Satan cannot deceive the nations any more.
vs. 4 - Martyrs are resurrected to reign with Jesus Christ for 1000 years.
vs. 5a - The rest of the dead will be raised at the end of the 1000 years.
vs. 6 - Those in the first resurrection will reign with Jesus for 1000 years.
vs. 7 - Satan will be loosed at the end of the 1000 years.
vs. 8 ; After the rest of the dead are raised, Satan deceives them again. There will be billions - like the sand of the sea. They are called Gog and Magog. Satan gathers them for a final battle.
vs. 9 - Satan and this host surround God's City. Fire comes down and devours them.
vs. 10 - Satan, the Beast, and the False Prophet end up in this lake of fire.
vs. 11 - Before this fire falls, a final judgment occurs.
vs. 12 - All the resurrected lost are judged.
vs. 13 - Another description of the resurrected lost being judged.
vs. 14 - Death and Hell are cast into the lake of fire, which is the second death.
vs. 15 - All the resurrected lost are cast into the lake of fire.

So what happens in the events that are shown to us here. We see that there is a good resurrection which is called the first resurrection at the beginning of the 1000 years in verses 4-6, whereas the rest of the dead are resurrected at the end of the 1000 years. Satan is bound during the 1000 years as we see in verse 3, but is loosed when the thousand years are done as we see in verse 7, and notice this is also when the rest of the dead are raised, see verse 5. Now with these dead which are not from the first resurrection, so they are the lost going to damnation, Satan gathers them for a final battle against God's City as we see in verse 8. A final judgment occurs, and then the lost are punished in the lake of fire, So who are the ones that will not see the first resurrection but come up after the 1000 years at the second one.

Christ clearly spoke of two resurrections when He said, "Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in their graves shall hear his voice, And shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil unto the resurrection of damnation" John 5:29.

The apostle Paul also spoke of these two resurrections when he said, "there shall be a resurrection of the dead, both of the just and the unjust" in Acts 24:15. So both Jesus Christ and Paul spoke of two resurrections, the first being the resurrection of life for the just, and the second being the resurrection of damnation for the unjust. Now Christ comes in the second coming to take the saints to heaven , but Christ does not step on earth, the saints are lifted into to the air from their graves.
1 Thessalonians 4:16-17
16 For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:
17 Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.

Both the Old and New Testaments are very clear on this issue.
1 Corinthians 15:16
For if the dead rise not, then is not Christ raised:

Isaiah 26:19
Thy dead men shall live, together with my dead body shall they arise. Awake and sing, ye that dwell in dust: for thy dew is as the dew of herbs, and the earth shall cast out the dead.

What does that have to do with the 1000-year millennium? According to Jude Satan was bound long before the book of Revelation was written. The book of Revelation explicitly states some of its events had already happened. Given the fact the Bible elsewhere states Satan was already bound, why do you read chapter 20's binding to be a future event?

Revelation 1:19
Therefore, write the things which you have seen, and the things which are, and the things which will take place after these things.

John had already seen the binding of Satan.

Mark 3:27
But no one can enter the strong man’s house and plunder his property unless he first binds the strong man, and then he will plunder his house.

Why do you think the 1000 year "millennium" is in our future?

Life will be restored to those saints who have died in the resurrection on the last day and they with those saints which are alive shall be taken up with the Lord.

Wait. People die in the resurrection? I thought the resurrection was when people are brought to life, not death. They are raised from the dead. Is that a typo?

 

[TMSO]

???
Your theoretical views are not there in how NT people thought. They were very dialed in to their times and the tragedy of what would happen. They never sound like they are 2nd guessing God; it reeks.

Paul didn't second guess God. When you read what he wrote, it is obvious that he already knew and understood.

Unfirruanately Christians are taught to ignore history, to 2nd guess God, and be “prophecy experts” and so when they read Luke-Acts they wind up with a train wreck of very flimsy propositions.

So why do you ignore Old Testament prophecy? Are you into Replacement Theology that thwarts the purposes of God? (A serious question, since I believe Replacement Theology thwarts the purposes of God. Obviously you don't have to answer, but the question is NOT rhetorical. There is no answer to fill in if you don't answer. I am asking seriously.)

I’m asking you to be daring and be a historian first, almost to the point where you have no theology.

The thing that bothers me the most about being a historian, is when I dive in, I find out how wrong people are. And then I'm wrong because I actually listened to them. However, they are talking about things that are history, claiming to have studied it. For instance, Darby didn't invent dispensationalism (at least the eschatology.) You can find it strewn throughout church history, and even in the eschatology that existed before Jesus was even born. There is history. Eschatology does not have history. It is probably the one eschatology that was invented, but when you here when it was invented, and why, it should make things clear. It was a Jesuit leader, during the counter reformation where they were trying to drag protestants back into the fold, and used eschatology. It was the 17th century when the first protestant accepted preterism, and he was a questionable liberal as far as theology goes. The guy who wrote the first book on preterism in the US back in the 19th century recanted. Preterism didn't become mainstream/popular in the US until the 1970s. Prior it was in liberal academic circles.

I have done (a little) research into the history of eschatology, and found a lot of deniers of said history out there. (And here.) I get tired, because it becomes obvious that so many don't care about that.

That’s the true color of the NT

You should read the Pseudo Ephraim. You may be surprised to find dispensationalism (escahtology) sprinkled throughout, and the pretrib rapture to boot. I like the futurism aim of it, in that the writer is saying that the end hasn't come yet, and it is 3-4 centuries after 70 AD. The writer still speaks to the immenent nature of the end. I liked it especially since he agrees that Enoch and Elijah will be the two witnesses in Revelation, and that they speak to... the Antichrist. So there is mention of him as well. 4th-5th century...