Toiwnz,
Thanks for the post brother. I hope this will generate a thoughtful discussion.
My testimony is the opposite. I was immersed in the doctrines that you are espousing and then I came into contact with premillenial, pretribulational dispensationalism. It took about a year of study (2+ and still going, really) before I could actually say that I really believed in things like the rapture. Needless to say other people were not happy with this, but I gave them a fair chance to state their case.
One time you said...
Quote:
|
This I know. I know Jesus came once and I know He's coming a second time.
|
This is interesting because the first coming of Christ was in two parts. First He came and appeared to believers only. Mary, Joseph, Shepherds, gentile kings. The second part of His appearing was his ministry to the lost sheep of the children of Israel.(Matt 15:24)
Why is it hard to believe that his first coming would be similar to his second coming? These two "appearances" were about 30 years apart. Why is a seven year difference so unbelievable?
I also researched the idea that these ideas are new. Much of that has to do with Roman suppression after Constantine "converted". He wanted the "new world order" to be positive and began suppressing the "Negative" pretrib, premillenialists. I would say that these doctrines were REDISCOVERED.
There is much more to be said on this issue. I hope this provokes some good discussion.