Looks interesting I will check it out. Just wondering, I get a letter from the True Good News" substack where the author says that people who believe that we are in the last days of the Bible are wrong and it already happened back in AD 70, and that people are interpreting Revelation wrong. Have you heard of this? What is your opinion David? I really value your wisdom so I thought I would ask.
This idea is not new. It’s called “preterism.” It has been around for a long time. Some preterist ideas date back to the early days of the church as they struggled to understand why Jesus hadn’t returned in just a few years. And then the doctrine really got established a few hundred years ago. I think it’s wrong. When Jesus returns, the world will know it.
Think about it. It already happened and yet everyone missed it? That seems unlikely, no? If the last days happened back then, what age are we living in now?
Read about Jesus’s second coming in Matthew 24:
23Then if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ!’ or ‘There he is!’ do not believe it. 24For false christs and false prophets will arise and perform great signs and wonders, so as to lead astray, if possible, even the elect. 25See, I have told you beforehand. 26So, if they say to you, ‘Look, he is in the wilderness,’ do not go out. If they say, ‘Look, he is in the inner rooms,’ do not believe it. 27For as the lightning comes from the east and shines as far as the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. 28Wherever the corpse is, there the vultures will gather. 29“Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. 30Then will appear in heaven the sign of the Son of Man, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. 31And he will send out his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.
When Jesus returns it going to be a big deal, the biggest deal that ever was. If Jesus already returned, who saw him? Because the prophesy says that everyone will see him. If it already happened people certainly would have written about it.
So, if you encounter one guy in the corner claiming that everyone else missed it but that he has special knowledge, you can generally ignore that.
As for Revelation, there are lots of interpretations. Almost all of them will be wrong at some level. Personally, I discount anyone who insists that their interpretation of Revelation is correct. Anyone who is being honest approaches those prophesies with humility, not with any certainty other than they will be fulfilled and that looking back from a future time we will know that they were fulfilled perfectly. But from where we are now, I don’t think anyone can interpret those prophesies with any certainty. To be clear, that doesn’t mean that we can’t have theories or discuss them. We can and we should. But just beware people insisting that they have it all figured out and that everyone else is wrong. That’s usually the hallmark of a cult selling a false Christ.
I knew I could count on you David. Since I am a fairly new Christian I didn't trust my instincts and I'm still learning. They say to ask a mature Christian when needing an answer. I have been contradicting him (substack author) but he keeps coming back with verses. It didn't make sense since the evil is still active on this planet and if Jesus already returned, wouldn't they be in the lake of fire? I asked Holy Spirit to show me the truth, then I saw your post, so maybe I was supposed to ask you, lol.
At any rate, thank you for your time and your help, I appreciate it.
Your instincts are spot on. Take it to the Holy Spirit and ask him to show you the truth. Ask a mature Christian for help. I’m happy to help, but also find someone in your local church, if that’s possible. Most of these false teachings are not new. People have been making the same arguments for centuries. Often, as you read through the verses around the verses they cite, you’ll find a complete rebuttal of whatever they are saying. In other words, they’ll just take a verse out of context and ignore the verses that contradict whatever point they are arguing, sometimes just the previous verse or the next verse. And beware people that start throwing around Greek and Hebrew words and whose argument rests on their claim that everyone else is translating those words wrong. The people who translate Bibles generally know their Greek and Hebrew (and you should avoid translations where they don’t—another Christian can help you with that—the Passion translation being one of those bad cases). All the big translations are good. See my article about translations back in the archives.
That was excellent! Thank you David.
Why am I not surprised that no one knows about this tomb. They don’t want people knowing the Bible is true, do they!
There is nothing new under the sun.
Looks interesting I will check it out. Just wondering, I get a letter from the True Good News" substack where the author says that people who believe that we are in the last days of the Bible are wrong and it already happened back in AD 70, and that people are interpreting Revelation wrong. Have you heard of this? What is your opinion David? I really value your wisdom so I thought I would ask.
Here is a link to the substack
https://substack.com/@mosesgnana
This idea is not new. It’s called “preterism.” It has been around for a long time. Some preterist ideas date back to the early days of the church as they struggled to understand why Jesus hadn’t returned in just a few years. And then the doctrine really got established a few hundred years ago. I think it’s wrong. When Jesus returns, the world will know it.
Think about it. It already happened and yet everyone missed it? That seems unlikely, no? If the last days happened back then, what age are we living in now?
Read about Jesus’s second coming in Matthew 24:
23Then if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ!’ or ‘There he is!’ do not believe it. 24For false christs and false prophets will arise and perform great signs and wonders, so as to lead astray, if possible, even the elect. 25See, I have told you beforehand. 26So, if they say to you, ‘Look, he is in the wilderness,’ do not go out. If they say, ‘Look, he is in the inner rooms,’ do not believe it. 27For as the lightning comes from the east and shines as far as the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. 28Wherever the corpse is, there the vultures will gather. 29“Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. 30Then will appear in heaven the sign of the Son of Man, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. 31And he will send out his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.
When Jesus returns it going to be a big deal, the biggest deal that ever was. If Jesus already returned, who saw him? Because the prophesy says that everyone will see him. If it already happened people certainly would have written about it.
So, if you encounter one guy in the corner claiming that everyone else missed it but that he has special knowledge, you can generally ignore that.
As for Revelation, there are lots of interpretations. Almost all of them will be wrong at some level. Personally, I discount anyone who insists that their interpretation of Revelation is correct. Anyone who is being honest approaches those prophesies with humility, not with any certainty other than they will be fulfilled and that looking back from a future time we will know that they were fulfilled perfectly. But from where we are now, I don’t think anyone can interpret those prophesies with any certainty. To be clear, that doesn’t mean that we can’t have theories or discuss them. We can and we should. But just beware people insisting that they have it all figured out and that everyone else is wrong. That’s usually the hallmark of a cult selling a false Christ.
I knew I could count on you David. Since I am a fairly new Christian I didn't trust my instincts and I'm still learning. They say to ask a mature Christian when needing an answer. I have been contradicting him (substack author) but he keeps coming back with verses. It didn't make sense since the evil is still active on this planet and if Jesus already returned, wouldn't they be in the lake of fire? I asked Holy Spirit to show me the truth, then I saw your post, so maybe I was supposed to ask you, lol.
At any rate, thank you for your time and your help, I appreciate it.
Your instincts are spot on. Take it to the Holy Spirit and ask him to show you the truth. Ask a mature Christian for help. I’m happy to help, but also find someone in your local church, if that’s possible. Most of these false teachings are not new. People have been making the same arguments for centuries. Often, as you read through the verses around the verses they cite, you’ll find a complete rebuttal of whatever they are saying. In other words, they’ll just take a verse out of context and ignore the verses that contradict whatever point they are arguing, sometimes just the previous verse or the next verse. And beware people that start throwing around Greek and Hebrew words and whose argument rests on their claim that everyone else is translating those words wrong. The people who translate Bibles generally know their Greek and Hebrew (and you should avoid translations where they don’t—another Christian can help you with that—the Passion translation being one of those bad cases). All the big translations are good. See my article about translations back in the archives.
Thank David, great advice. We sure do have to be wise as serpents these days!