Eschatology Series, Post #3: Christian Eschatology

Prior posts in this series:
http://saintsontheloose.blogspot.com/2015/01/film-comment-left-behind.html
http://saintsontheloose.blogspot.com/2015/01/eschatology-series-post-2-eschatologies.html

Christian eschatology is the study of the end times of the world as related to Christian doctrine. This is far less settled than many people think. Some Christians see eschatology as the major emphasis of their ministry activities while other Christians seem to be totally uninterested. Others merely point out that Christians are clearly instructed in the Scriptures to be ready for the end times but to not set dates. We are instructed to watch the signs and to stay aware. Much of the discussion centers on the book of Revelation.

There are numerous concepts in Christian eschatology which have engendered much discussion (and sometimes heated arguments leading to church splits) among the Saints. There seem to be as many opinions on this subject as there are Christians. Below is a short listing of some of the terms involved in the discussion.

ANTICHRIST: The Antichrist is a world religious and political figure in Christian Eschatology who represents everything opposed to God and Jesus. He is called the Beast and the Man of Perdition who will declare himself to be God. Some believe that he will be a human son of Satan. Others believe that he will be Satan himself. Some see the Antichrist as not a person but a political system or a false church system. Others say that he is in some way merely a symbolic figure representing the world system which opposes the teachings of Jesus Christ. Various persons throughout history have been suspected by some of being the Antichrist: The Roman Emperor Nero, Oliver Cromwell, the Pope, and even United States President Barack Obama. There is a number associated with the Antichrist, 666, which we are told is the number of a man. Intense numerological speculation has occurred with it being demonstrated, for example, that the Emperor Nero's name totals to the number 666. My view is that when the true Antichrist appears it will be readily obvious to members of the Body of Christ. 2 Thessalonians 2:3-4, 1 John 2:18, 2:22, 4:3, 2 John 1:7, Daniel 7:24-25, Revelation 13:5-8, 15:2

FALSE PROPHET: The False Prophet is a person who uses seemingly magical powers to convince people to worship the Antichrist as God. Some believe that he will be of Jewish origin, others that he will be a Gentile. Revelation 13:11-15, 16:13, 19:20, 20:10, Matthew 7:15, 2 Thessalonians 2:9

MARK OF THE BEAST: The Mark of the Beast is some sort of marking placed upon those persons who accept the divinity of the Beast/Antichrist. Without the mark, a person will be unable to buy, sell, or hold a job. Speculation as to the nature of the mark includes that it might be a tattoo, an actual branding, a bio-chip, or just the internal mark of having chosen allegiance to the Antichrist. Revelation 13:16-18, 14:9-10.

THE GREAT TRIBULATION: A time period ruled by the Beast during which Christians will be intensely persecuted and martyred. Revelation 6, Daniel 9:24-27, 12:1, 14:1-5, Matthew 24:21, Jeremiah 30:7, 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18, 5:2, 9, 1 Corinthians 15:51-53, Isaiah 2:2, 13:6-9, Joel 1:15, 2:1-31, 3:14, Deuteronomy 4:30, Zephaniah 1:1

THE MILLENIUM: A one thousand year time period during which Jesus Christ literally rules the entire Earth from His throne in Jerusalem. There are numerous comments and interpretations about this period: they include:
  1. Some insist that it is first mentioned in the Persian Zoroastrian religion and was copied by Christianity.
  2. The word merely means "a long time."
  3. The millenium is merely symbolic.
  4. We are in the millenium now and the world will progressively become better until the Kingdom of Heaven is finally achieved.
Matthew 24, 1 Thessalonians 4:16-18, Revelation

ARMEGEDDON: A terrible world-wide war provoked by the Antichrist in which the majority of the Earth's population will die. Daniel 9, Matthew 24, Revelation 4:19.

THE RAPTURE: The Rapture is the event when Jesus returns to take believers into the air with Him, leaving the Earth populated only by unbelievers. Exactly when, or even if, this occurs is disputed among Christian believers. There are many conflicting interpretations of this doctrine. 1 Thessalonians 4:16-18, Matthew 24:29-31, Mark 13:24-27, Luke 21:25-27, 1 Corinthians 15:52, Isaiah 27:13.

Book Comment: The Bible as History

Werner Keller's, The Bible as History, has sold over three and a half million copies since its first publication in 1956. There is clearly a reason why. Though there can be no absolute proof that the Bible is what it says it is, there is a continually building body of evidence that the Bible is historically accurate in its claims. Kings and cultures are mentioned in their correct historical context, the presented customs and practices reflect those which prevailed at the time the individual books were written, mentioned individuals are found in extra-biblical documents and archeological sites, and recorded weather and natural events correspond to known science.  Individuals and cultures mentioned only in the Bible have later been confirmed by archeology to be historical.  As Dr. Keller states, " Many events that previously passed for pious tales must now be judged to be historical."

In the thick book (almost 500 pages), Dr. Keller brings together evidence from archeological sites, history, meteorology, astronomy, architecture, sociology, geography, topography, agriculture, language translation, textile technology, and even botany, to give, as he calls it "a confirmation of the Book of Books." The massive weight of the evidence clearly points to the historicity of the Bible. This is a major work of apologetics.

Some readers may not appreciate or wish to accept all of Dr. Keller's conclusions, but as the renowned archeologist Andre Parrot said, "How can we understand the Word, unless we see it in its proper chronological, historical and geographical setting?"

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A general caution: books may give you wonderful new insights and explanations of subjects, but you should never base your Christian beliefs on any one book or the teachings of one person, no matter who they are. All teachings must be consistent with scripture. Read as the Bereans did, with discernment. “… for they received the word with great eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see whether these things were so.” Acts 17:11 NASB

Any doctrines must be consistent with the historical full body of Christian thought. Doctrines or teachings inconsistent with scripture in any way must be rejected. You would not eat cheese which had a fuzzy fungus growing on it.

福音歌 (The Gospel Song)

This is absolutely beautiful!  William Chong’s daughter loves her daddy and helps him sing his song.  William is a gathered worship leader at Howick Baptist Church in Auckland, New Zealand.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0OAPxinCISU

聖潔神以愛成為
完美人承擔我罪
十架上受苦犧牲
祂受死我得永生

Holy God, love becomes

Perfect bear my sins

Sacrifice on the cross of suffering

His death I have never

Shèngjié shén yǐ ài chéngwéi

wánměi rén chéngdān wǒ zuì

shí jià shàng shòukǔ xīshēng

tā shòu sǐ wǒ dé yǒng

Film Comment: The Wild Dogs

There are several films carrying the title of The Wild Dogs. This is the 2002 film directed by Thom Fitzgerald in Bucharest (Bucuresti), Romania. The film won 4 awards in 2002 from the Atlantic Film Festival and 4 nominations from the Genie Awards and the Taos Talking Picture Festival. It is not of Oscar quality, but it definitely will make you think, and squirm.

Several stories are twined together into a slice of several days in the life of the rich elite and the poor beggars of Bucharest. It takes place during the period of the "cull" of the wild dogs which basically overran the city after the fall of the Communist dictator Nicolae Ceausescu. The characters include, a highly reluctant city-employed dogcatcher; a Canadian pornographer in town to photograph fresh, very young meat; a cynical and corrupt diplomat and his disillusioned lonely wife; bands of abandoned children; hideously deformed "freaks of nature;" gypsies; beggars; and, of course, the dogs.

Unless you are a veteran viewer of hard-edged films I really can't recommend that you watch this. Some of it will make you angry, some of it will make you cry. Some of the language will offend you. You will not believe that Dorutu (a human torso) and "Sour Grapes" (whose knees bend backward as he walks around on all fours like a large crab) are real people, but they are. There were no CGI special effects involved in filming these characters.

The film causes extreme disagreements among its viewers. Some hate it, some say it is an accurate reflection of Bucharest. One Romanian emigrant said online, "Every country they got their poors." Claudita_993, a Romanian who resettled in Canada, said of the dogs, "I felt sorry for them and I despised them at the same time."

The point of the film, from a Christian perspective, is that the people in the film were the actual wild dogs, aimless and hopeless, scrounging each day just to survive, living utterly without purpose. There are no innocent people in the film, not even the children. The only innocents are the dogs. It is a powerful presentation of the sheer lostness of the world living without Jesus Christ.

Amazing Grace on a Wind-up Metal Musical Church Box

Little boxes such as these are often seen as children's toys. What a wonderful teaching tool.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zrctnKULkx0

Book Comment: Fruit Happens!

Michael Christopher’s book, Fruit Happens!, (2010) is a free Christian young adult novel distributed by the 1687 Foundation. The short (only 112 pages) is the story of an old man named Dellie O’Shea who is reminiscing about his boyhood adventures.  He is a retired stage singer and dancer who describes himself as  “little person” since he is 37 inches tall.

Dellie has adventures with a girl he probably loves. Her name is Paisley Baker, but Dellie calls her “Cake.”. “I’d known for some time that Cake Baker went to church every Sunday, but I hadn’t held it against her.”

This is a doctrinally sound book written in a conversational style.  The book is an easy read for its intended age group of age 10 to 14 year old readers. The point of the book is to explain the Fruits of the Spirit and how they develop in a believer.  The process of Sanctification is explained. The novel does a very good job of that. I do have problems with this book, however.

1.     All the children have the same “voice.” One of the marks of good fiction is the establishment of clearly discernable characters who “read” differently from one another.  The children all speak like adults. In fact, they all speak like the same adult, clearly the author.

2.     The book reads like a disguised sermon.

3.     The Bible study meetings develop along the lines of an outline with each child adding just the insight that is needed at that moment in the exposition.

4.     I do not think that any teenager who is not already a Christian will read this book. It will hold no appeal for non-Christians.

The book is a very clear in its explanation of several doctrinal points:

1.     The fruits of the Spirit are not natural to us. They develop within Christian believers because of the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.

2.     The fruits of the Spirit build gradually, with one leading to the next. God is conforming us to Christ. Sometimes we humans lurch forward in starts and sputters. The problem lies with us, not God.

3.     There are suggestions and study questions provided to aid the reader in expressing the fruits of the Spirit.

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.” Galatians 5:22-23

"Scripture quotations taken from the New American Standard Bible®,
Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973,
1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation 
Used by permission." (www.Lockman.org)

A link with a children’s sermon about the fruits of the spirit:

http://www.sermons4kids.com/fruit_of_the_spirit.htm

Hello, Honduras!

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