Christianity
has had at least three end-times interpretations from the Bible over
its history (hermeneutics). The popular evangelical interpretation
has been popular in the U.S.A. since the mid 19th century. It's easy
to teach and a powerful tool for conversion and control during
difficult times. It is wrong though.
Old
Testament prophecy led up to Jesus who fulfilled scripture. He was
also the most accurate prophet in addition to being the Messiah or
Maudi. Unfortunately most Christians in some way misunderstand the
prophecies of the Lord and misunderstand John's book of Revelation
too. The Biblical apocalypse occurred in the first century a.d. just
as Jesus said.
Matthew
24 verses 1 & 2 And
Jesus went out, and departed from the temple: and his disciples came
to him for
to shew him the buildings of the temple. And
Jesus said unto them, See ye not all these things? verily I say unto
you, There shall not be left here one stone upon another, that shall
not be thrown down."
Foretelling
the apocalypse accurately, the Lord foretold what should occur after.
He would leave and the Holy Spirit would appear and the kingdom of
God would build to become a majority. The building up of the kingdom
of God would occur until the age of the gentiles was fulfilled.
The
Lord described the apocalypse content in some detail. Later in
Matthew 24 he mentions the persecution of Christians, and after that,
with mention of the witness to all the nations of the world, is a
reference to the great commission. And this period of building up the
kingdom of God continues presently, and could go on for a month or
thousands of years, until the age of the Gentiles is fulfilled.
"Then
shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye
shall be hated of all nations for my name's sake. And then shall
many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one
another. And
many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many. And
because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold. But
he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved. And
this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a
witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come."
Christian
pastors are not being helpful to Christians or the nation politically
in adding to the panic of a challenging social environment with
wrong-headed theology about a Biblical apocalypse ahead. The world
will have more conflict of course, and people may destroy much of it
or even the viability of the ecosphere of the Earth however that is
incidental. The kingdom of God building up in new people over history
will continue into the future as God deems it useful. Then when
Gentiles can go no farther the Lord will return. Attempting to
precipitate a fulfillment of Gentiles probably isn't a good social
engineering plan.
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