Posted on 04/13/2005 5:34:42 PM PDT by Momaw Nadon
Amen
I know a number of people who really believe we ARE in the last days.
And what are yours?
It's called the preterist interpretation of the book of revelation. Try googling it. It's adhered to by many bible scholars, but not by many TV preachers who make a good buck by preaching that revelation is about our times.
A number of people have believed that many times before, and have been wrong - the millerites for example.
I am very familiar with the preterist position...and will tell you that MANY scholars reject it. And it is not just "TV Preachers"...the seminary where I was trained certainly did not accept it.
Thanks for the reminder. I think I'll tape it.
The programme, 'Revelations' offers an outstanding opportunity for Christians to defend their faith in a public forum, much as the recent best seller 'The Da Vinci Code' which was the subject of a Dateline NBC special immediately preceding the premiere of Revelations on NBC this evening.
We find the general suspension of disbelief, so common in Hollywood, to be here applicable literally as the mini-series has begun to deal with subjects which we consider by no means to be fictional. These would include; divine revelation to the New Testament Saints, miracles and the fulfilment of the soteriology of the Bible.
Of course, this series cannot be taken literally as a lesson in eschatological analyses, but must be considered in the light of its fictional nature, not unlike the Lahaye or Hannegraf works in the field recently, both fiction and of oppositional paradigms; preterism and futurism.
In the interests of full disclosure; this writer is by a majority of catalogues a believer in traditional Christian soteriology, to include; replacement theology, standard millenialism, Anglo-Davidicism and partial preterism ( refer to previous postings for more insight ) all in keeping with the Church's primary confession that "Christ has died, Christ is risen, Christ will come again ". Please note that this maxim rules out all dating, which, as we have argued, makes us God ourselves, as such it represents one of the grandest and most popular blasphemies abroad today. Its wide acceptance and forgiveness among the laity of many denominations is indicative of gross ignorrance and massive apostasy. This is a great falling away from the Faith.
Now the subject of dating is right out. Hopefully it will not become an issue in the context of this particular television mini-series. We cannot see any special predictions or other heresies promulgated as yet, albeit fictionally, within the production.
We shall venture other predictions throughout the course of these commentaries. Among the first of these would be that the production will very much avoid the figure of Christ ( who has in reality already won the final victory over death and Satan ) at least insofar as His salvation is concerned. No mainstream media outlets will 'tolerate the intolerance' that Christ is the only avenue to heaven, even 'good catholic' Bill O'Reilly recently ruled this essential tenet of our faith out. In such politicking with the faith that they are entrusted with, modern ministers are essentially brokering away the foundations of our faith. God help us.
The professor played by John Rhys Davies, whom we hope to see more of and suspect shall come to play an important role, stated early in the movie that his science had room for everyone even God... "If He would only make Himself known".
Let us all remember that He did make Himself known, that is what Easter is all about and that is the message that we have the opportunity to spread to our friends and loved ones in connection with this programme.
It's called idiocy from one's who don't even know what the book of "Revelation" pertains too.
There's no "S" in Revelation!
Worst of all, the grossly irresponsible pandering to the worst urban-legend myths about organ donation is going to cost lives.
SD
LOL!
True, but this series is not some sort of Bible study. The probably added the "S" as a way of saying "hey, we aren't doing a Bible study, we are doing fiction with some basis in the Bible"
In the first half hour a priest recognizes some Scripture and places it from the book of Revelation. Singular. No "s."
Which means, at least to me, that the writers do indeed know the proper name of the Bible book and were attempting something different.
SD
Agreed.
I was also impressed that the parish priest knew Latin :)
Well, it is fiction -- they were able to find a judge in Florida to stay a vegetative person's death.
SD
See, this show is unrealstic even without the supernatural stuff.
FYI
Where the Church StandsWhere does the Catholic Church stand on all this?
The Church does not endorse pre-millennialism. The Catechism of the Catholic Church explains: "The Church has rejected even modified forms of this falsification of the kingdom to come under the name of millenarianism." Indeed, the Nicene Creed, which is said at every Sunday Mass, appears to reject pre-millennialism, holding that Christ will return "to judge the living and the dead," not to reign on earth for a thousand years and then judge the living and the dead. Since the Church is not pre-millennial, the question of a pre-trib Rapture does not arise, as pre-tribulationism is a variant of pre-millennialism.
Though it does not use the term rapture, the Church does acknowledge that there will be an event where the elect are gathered to be with Christ. Scripture clearly declares it:
For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the archangel’s call, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first; then we who are alive, who are left, shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air; and so we shall always be with the Lord. (1 Thess. 4:16–17)The point of contention is the timing of this event: It occurs at the Second Coming, not several years before it. This is indicated by Paul’s reference to it taking place when Christ descends from heaven: the Second Coming. Scripture does not envision the Second Coming accomplishing the Rapture, followed by a "Third Coming" inaugurating the eternal order or the Millennium.This is a sensitive point for Dispensationalists, who try to overcome the "Third Coming" problem by arguing that the Rapture and the final coming of Jesus are simply "two phases of one coming." But this is rationalization. If Jesus comes to die for our sins, goes back to heaven, comes again to rapture his followers, goes back to heaven, and then years later comes again to slay the Antichrist, then that is three comings, not two.
What does the Church say about the Millennium? It has not authoritatively addressed the issue of amillennialism and post-millennialism. Indeed, it does not even use those terms. But it is clear that the Church adheres to what has been the dominant view throughout Christian history—that the Millennium is going on now. It equals or is roughly equal to the Christian age.
Does this mean that there is no reign of Christ? No. Christ is reigning now, from heaven. As he told the apostles, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me" (Matt. 28:18). And, discussing the resurrection of the dead, Paul explains:
But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep. For as by a man came death, by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive. But each in his own order: Christ the first fruits, then at his coming those who belong to Christ. Then comes the end, when he delivers the kingdom to God the Father after destroying every rule and every authority and power. For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. The last enemy to be destroyed is death. (1 Cor. 15:20–26, emphasis added)The destruction of death involves the resurrection of the dead—all of the dead, not just some dead, or death would not have been destroyed. This occurs in Revelation 20:13–14, which is after the Millennium (cf. Rev. 20:1–6).Thus Christ reigns—along with the saints (cf. Rev. 20:4–6)—in heaven, and this reign is extended on earth through the Church, which is an expression of the mystery of the kingdom of God (cf. Luke 17:20–21). Thus, we are presently living in the golden age of Christ’s reign.
Interesting, thank you very much.
bookmark thread for later.
Is it on nightly for 6 nights or once weekly for 6 weeks? THANKS!
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