Hi,
It seems like you hold to the 4 theories, but don't believe in the complete accuracy of any of them.
I agree that someone who sets a date is probably going to be wrong. I believe that the Bible doesn't give a date for the rapt/resur., but does give the circumstances of the events leading to Jesus coming for the kingdom. (Rev 11:15)
For example, if someone believed that Jesus was coming for the kingdom at the 7th trumpet, then we can look at the events at the 6th trumpet for evidence of the circumstances. Then identifying the characters and entities, we can relate them to our present situation or not.
One part of the problem that people have is that they enter into study with preconceived ideas. They are mostly drawn from the 4 theories that are popular. I mean that when a person begins to study, they have to start some where.
Preterists want to jam everything into a 70 ad finish. They want to eliminate everything beyond 70 ad.
This theory hides the Roman iron nation after 70 ad saying that Nero was the beast. This is RCC teaching also.
Pretrib's want to eliminate the same time period, 70 ad - present, saying there is a "gap".
This also hides the iron legs/toes Roman dragon beast nation, after 70 ad - present. There is no gap in the legs/toes of the statue of Dan. 2.
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These preconceived ideas that there is nothing after 70 ad. or that there is a gap, cause many passages to be twisted to meet the standards of the principal that was wrong to begin with.
There is no gap in the prophetic time line. The trumpets tell the story of Israel the broken branches after 70 ad. And there is no gap in the 70 wks of Daniel.
This is another example. The idea that the AoD did not happen in 37-70 ad is to take the event out of the time frame context.
You agree that Matt 24 is about the 70 ad destruction, but then want to pull the event out of context and place it in a future from here time line, to agree with the 7 yr pre-trib theory. But the AoD did happen then, that is one reason that Jerusalem was destroyed.
In Daniel, the 69th week BEGINS when Jesus comes to begin His ministry, 30 ad., confirming the covenant between God and Israel. In the middle of the week Jesus dies, 69 1/2. Israel rejects the gospel Pentecost kingdom after 3 1/2 years, ENDING the 70 weeks, 37 ad.
The AoD happens within this time frame context. So in order for the AoD to happen, the context of the coming of Jesus and His ministry would have to happen again. In the context of the entire chapter, the 70 ad destruction is clearly seen, and that would have to happen again also.
Basically, pretrib is saying that everything that happened in the 30-70 ad time period must happen exactly the same, with the same events and characters and then have ANOTHER AoD.
That is why they believe that the temple must be rebuilt. This leads to things like believing that Jesus can't come for the kingdom until the temple is rebuilt, so man can control when Jesus comes and the by building the temple or not building it, and the Antichrist also.
But then that would fulfill the passages about the temple destruction in 70 ad. Why would you think that the AoD which is intertwined with the destruction in those passages did not happen? Jerusalem was destroyed. Just because some one said that you cannot prove that it did? Well, prove that it DID NOT happen! According to the context of the fulfilled prophecies IT DID!
It seems like you hold to the 4 theories, but don't believe in the complete accuracy of any of them.
I agree that someone who sets a date is probably going to be wrong. I believe that the Bible doesn't give a date for the rapt/resur., but does give the circumstances of the events leading to Jesus coming for the kingdom. (Rev 11:15)
For example, if someone believed that Jesus was coming for the kingdom at the 7th trumpet, then we can look at the events at the 6th trumpet for evidence of the circumstances. Then identifying the characters and entities, we can relate them to our present situation or not.
One part of the problem that people have is that they enter into study with preconceived ideas. They are mostly drawn from the 4 theories that are popular. I mean that when a person begins to study, they have to start some where.
Preterists want to jam everything into a 70 ad finish. They want to eliminate everything beyond 70 ad.
This theory hides the Roman iron nation after 70 ad saying that Nero was the beast. This is RCC teaching also.
Pretrib's want to eliminate the same time period, 70 ad - present, saying there is a "gap".
This also hides the iron legs/toes Roman dragon beast nation, after 70 ad - present. There is no gap in the legs/toes of the statue of Dan. 2.
--
These preconceived ideas that there is nothing after 70 ad. or that there is a gap, cause many passages to be twisted to meet the standards of the principal that was wrong to begin with.
There is no gap in the prophetic time line. The trumpets tell the story of Israel the broken branches after 70 ad. And there is no gap in the 70 wks of Daniel.
This is another example. The idea that the AoD did not happen in 37-70 ad is to take the event out of the time frame context.
You agree that Matt 24 is about the 70 ad destruction, but then want to pull the event out of context and place it in a future from here time line, to agree with the 7 yr pre-trib theory. But the AoD did happen then, that is one reason that Jerusalem was destroyed.
In Daniel, the 69th week BEGINS when Jesus comes to begin His ministry, 30 ad., confirming the covenant between God and Israel. In the middle of the week Jesus dies, 69 1/2. Israel rejects the gospel Pentecost kingdom after 3 1/2 years, ENDING the 70 weeks, 37 ad.
The AoD happens within this time frame context. So in order for the AoD to happen, the context of the coming of Jesus and His ministry would have to happen again. In the context of the entire chapter, the 70 ad destruction is clearly seen, and that would have to happen again also.
Basically, pretrib is saying that everything that happened in the 30-70 ad time period must happen exactly the same, with the same events and characters and then have ANOTHER AoD.
That is why they believe that the temple must be rebuilt. This leads to things like believing that Jesus can't come for the kingdom until the temple is rebuilt, so man can control when Jesus comes and the by building the temple or not building it, and the Antichrist also.
But then that would fulfill the passages about the temple destruction in 70 ad. Why would you think that the AoD which is intertwined with the destruction in those passages did not happen? Jerusalem was destroyed. Just because some one said that you cannot prove that it did? Well, prove that it DID NOT happen! According to the context of the fulfilled prophecies IT DID!