Eschatology or Bigotry?

"A couple of weeks ago on Glenn Beck's talk radio show, a woman called in to suggest that because President Obama appears to be raising the tax rate to around the same as what it was under President Clinton; is exercising some accountability mechanisms with banks and car manufacturers; and has approached the nations of the world with humility, he is a prime candidate for the Antichrist. "

This illustrates why the Church in the United States needs a robust, Biblical, eschatology now.

Many are fascinated by the Last Things, 'Prophecy', as it's colloquially called.

Bishop Tom Wright's got a good start on it, with his emphasis that going to heaven 'isn't the end of the world,' that ''There's life after life after death.' His point is that any disembodied existence with the Lord after the death of the body is temporary, an interim state, and that the final state of believers to forever is a corporeal existence in the resurrection body in the New Heavens and the New Earth.

Wright derives from this encouragement for the Church to be about her Lord Jesus' business, demonstrating to the world what his Kingdom'e going to be like, preaching the gospel at all times, even using words when opportune. I know Wright's on the right track, because when I think of his coming Kingdom his Spirit urges me in his words to 'keep busy till I get back.' [Luke 19:13] 'Thy Kingdom come' in my life.

But he's been scared off eschatology by the 'Left-Behinders,' as many main-liners and liturgicals have. The Rapture isn't called such but it's in the Bible, in the first book written of the New Testament:

'13 But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning those who are asleep, that you sorrow not, even as others who have no hope.
14 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so those also who sleep in Jesus God will bring with him.
15 For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive, remaining till the coming of the Lord shall not prevent those who are asleep.
16 For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet of God: and the dead in Christ will rise first:.

[Cf Psalm 47:5 God is gone up with a shout,
the LORD with the sound of a trumpet.]

17 Then we who are alive, remaining, will be caught up [harpagêsometha] together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so we will be with the Lord for ever.

[In our Mk II resurrection bodies; Christ's present body is the Prototype.]

18 So, comfort each other with these words. 1st Thessalonians 4. MyV.'

This fits right in with the Resurrection; it's simultaneous with 1st Corinthians 15:51:

'Behold, I show you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed

Although I don't agree 100% with Obama's economic policy, I don't think that makes him the Antichrist. According to the Bible, the Beast will exalt himself higher than God, and I haven't heard President Obama say anything like that yet.

As BlueDeacon says, the most important thing is to continue doing God's work until Christ comes back.

Some people (like this woman on the radio) tossing around the word "Anti-Christ."

As much as I might think that Rush Limbaugh or Michael Savage are idiotic, I certainly do NOT see either of them as "the Anti-Christ."

Let's not forget that the word "antichrist" doesn't appear anywhere in Revelation, nor does it ever denote some "son of Satan" figure who sets out to destroy the world. The word "antichrist" appears three times in the entire Bible - in 1 and 2 John - as a label for a teacher gone astray. They were teaching a doctrine that the writer of 1 and 2 John considered to be false teaching: "against" Christ, or antichrist.

Also, you'll never see the word with a capital "A," as if pointing out a specific person.

Just thought this would be good to add to the conversation.

Actually, that was the point -- someone tried to say that VI, S and A (in another numerical system) put together stood for that.

I stopped believing in the Antichrist whe George W. Bush,. came out as a false positive on my anti-Christo-meter.

Although I don't agree 100% with Obama's economic policy, I don't think that makes him the Antichrist. According to the Bible, the Beast will exalt himself higher than God, and I haven't heard President Obama say anything like that yet.

As BlueDeacon says, the most important thing is to continue doing God's work until Christ comes back.

Some people (like this woman on the radio) tossing around the word "Anti-Christ."

As much as I might think that Rush Limbaugh or Michael Savage are idiotic, I certainly do NOT see either of them as "the Anti-Christ."

Let's not forget that the word "antichrist" doesn't appear anywhere in Revelation, nor does it ever denote some "son of Satan" figure who sets out to destroy the world. The word "antichrist" appears three times in the entire Bible - in 1 and 2 John - as a label for a teacher gone astray. They were teaching a doctrine that the writer of 1 and 2 John considered to be false teaching: "against" Christ, or antichrist.

Also, you'll never see the word with a capital "A," as if pointing out a specific person.

Just thought this would be good to add to the conversation.

The beast and antichrists are different...

This might help in clarifying: http://deartheoph.blogspot.com/2009/05/anti-chr...

Actually, that was the point -- someone tried to say that VI, S and A (in another numerical system) put together stood for that.

"A couple of weeks ago on Glenn Beck's talk radio show, a woman called in to suggest that because President Obama appears to be raising the tax rate to around the same as what it was under President Clinton; is exercising some accountability mechanisms with banks and car manufacturers; and has approached the nations of the world with humility, he is a prime candidate for the Antichrist. "

This illustrates why the Church in the United States needs a robust, Biblical, eschatology now.

Many are fascinated by the Last Things, 'Prophecy', as it's colloquially called.

Bishop Tom Wright's got a good start on it, with his emphasis that going to heaven 'isn't the end of the world,' that ''There's life after life after death.' His point is that any disembodied existence with the Lord after the death of the body is temporary, an interim state, and that the final state of believers to forever is a corporeal existence in the resurrection body in the New Heavens and the New Earth.

Wright derives from this encouragement for the Church to be about her Lord Jesus' business, demonstrating to the world what his Kingdom'e going to be like, preaching the gospel at all times, even using words when opportune. I know Wright's on the right track, because when I think of his coming Kingdom his Spirit urges me in his words to 'keep busy till I get back.' [Luke 19:13] 'Thy Kingdom come' in my life.

But he's been scared off eschatology by the 'Left-Behinders,' as many main-liners and liturgicals have. The Rapture isn't called such but it's in the Bible, in the first book written of the New Testament:

'13 But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning those who are asleep, that you sorrow not, even as others who have no hope.
14 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so those also who sleep in Jesus God will bring with him.
15 For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive, remaining till the coming of the Lord shall not prevent those who are asleep.
16 For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet of God: and the dead in Christ will rise first:.

[Cf Psalm 47:5 God is gone up with a shout,
the LORD with the sound of a trumpet.]

17 Then we who are alive, remaining, will be caught up [harpagêsometha] together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so we will be with the Lord for ever.

[In our Mk II resurrection bodies; Christ's present body is the Prototype.]

18 So, comfort each other with these words. 1st Thessalonians 4. MyV.'

This fits right in with the Resurrection; it's simultaneous with 1st Corinthians 15:51:

'Behold, I show you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed

I think it is five times... better check that again! It is 5 times in 3 verses I believe. Here is my blogs about dispensationalism for any one else...

This is the beginning of the series ~ http://deartheoph.blogspot.com/2009/05/dispensa...

This is about the anti-christ and how we get what we have without it actually being scriptural ~ http://deartheoph.blogspot.com/2009/05/anti-chr...

This is about the fake tribulation ~ http://deartheoph.blogspot.com/2009/05/tribulat...

And this wraps it up (though I think I am going to do one on the rapture since everyone likes the subject) ~ http://deartheoph.blogspot.com/2009/05/last-of-...

A former pastor of mine gave a series of sermons on Revelations. He saw the anti-Christ as not so much a person as a way of thinking and living. We live in a time with a great reliance on institutions, be they financial, educational, government, or a myriad of others. So-called free trade plays into this one-world connection that was touted to bring peace and prosperity. These institutions take the place of the one true God in the form of our reliance and worship. Instead of thinking of a person, we should be wary of an over-reliance on governments, business, and philosophies that take us away from the worship of our Creator and Sustainer.

"A couple of weeks ago on Glenn Beck's talk radio show, a woman called in to suggest that because President Obama appears to be raising the tax rate to around the same as what it was under President Clinton; is exercising some accountability mechanisms with banks and car manufacturers; and has approached the nations of the world with humility, he is a prime candidate for the Antichrist. "

This illustrates why the Church in the United States needs a robust, Biblical, eschatology now.

Many are fascinated by the Last Things, 'Prophecy', as it's colloquially called.

Bishop Tom Wright's got a good start on it, with his emphasis that going to heaven 'isn't the end of the world,' that ''There's life after life after death.' His point is that any disembodied existence with the Lord after the death of the body is temporary, an interim state, and that the final state of believers to forever is a corporeal existence in the resurrection body in the New Heavens and the New Earth.

Wright derives from this encouragement for the Church to be about her Lord Jesus' business, demonstrating to the world what his Kingdom'e going to be like, preaching the gospel at all times, even using words when opportune. I know Wright's on the right track, because when I think of his coming Kingdom his Spirit urges me in his words to 'keep busy till I get back.' [Luke 19:13] 'Thy Kingdom come' in my life.

But he's been scared off eschatology by the 'Left-Behinders,' as many main-liners and liturgicals have. The Rapture isn't called such but it's in the Bible, in the first book written of the New Testament:

'13 But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning those who are asleep, that you sorrow not, even as others who have no hope.
14 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so those also who sleep in Jesus God will bring with him.
15 For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive, remaining till the coming of the Lord shall not prevent those who are asleep.
16 For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet of God: and the dead in Christ will rise first:.

[Cf Psalm 47:5 God is gone up with a shout,
the LORD with the sound of a trumpet.]

17 Then we who are alive, remaining, will be caught up [harpagêsometha] together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so we will be with the Lord for ever.

[In our Mk II resurrection bodies; Christ's present body is the Prototype.]

18 So, comfort each other with these words. 1st Thessalonians 4. MyV.'

This fits right in with the Resurrection; it's simultaneous with 1st Corinthians 15:51:

'Behold, I show you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed