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I live in Chapel Hill, NC where Bart Ehrman also lives. He is a leading scholar in academic research to compare and contrast the earliest copies of Bible texts to determine original meaning. I’ve heard his lectures many times and find them intetesting.

He first graduated Moody Bible College, then Wheaton College, then Princeton Theological Seminary and became a minister. His continued academic research in the Bible as a professor here at UNC has caused him to become an agnostic and leave the ministry.

While I don’t agree with many of his interpretations, I admire his work. Problem is, by searching and finding many mis-translations, he threw the proverbial baby out with the bath water and became an agnostic. He missed the greater message by focusing on minor errors.

The key to understanding the Bible is in the experience of what Jesus was trying to teach, not just an academic understanding. Fact is, it is impossible to understand academically without experiencing it. It’s like writing books on how to ride a bike without ever having experienced doing it.

I find the best method is to read the Bible and then ask the Holy Spirit or Helper Spirit for guidance in understanding through contemplative prayer. Not by ready books on what others think.

This leads a person to an experiential connection with Jesus in the heart rather than becoming like a legalistic Pharisee.

The most dangerous pathway in spiritual growth is through a spiritual ego where you form an ego identity around your religion. Then you fihht and argue to prove your correct to maintain your identity.

It is the pride in being right and the ego identity that blocks the experience of Jesus. It is far better to fall to our knees in despair and emptiness, asking God in prayer to guide us. That when miracles happen that guide us to the experience and a higher level of understanding that goes beyond words of description.

The upcoming tribulation is necessary to crush our egos and guide us to despair where we turn to God for help. When we are full of ourselves, we have no room for God.

One of my favorite scriptures is in the KJV Luke 17: 20-25

20 And when he was demanded of the Pharisees, when the kingdom of God should come, he answered them and said, The kingdom of God cometh not with observation:

21 Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you.

22 And he said unto the disciples, The days will come, when ye shall desire to see one of the days of the Son of man, and ye shall not see it.

23 And they shall say to you, See here; or, see there: go not after them, nor follow them.

24 For as the lightning, that lighteneth out of the one part under heaven, shineth unto the other part under heaven; so shall also the Son of man be in his day.

25 But first must he suffer many things, and be rejected of this generation.

This is supported by Matthew’s 24:23-27

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Matthew 24
King James Version
24 And Jesus went out, and departed from the temple: and his disciples came to him for to shew him the buildings of the temple.

2 And Jesus said unto them, See ye not all these things? verily I say unto you, There shall not be left here one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down.

3 And as he sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world?

4 And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you.

5 For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many.

6 And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet.

7 For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places.

8 All these are the beginning of sorrows.

9 Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name’s sake.

10 And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another.

11 And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many.

12 And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold.

13 But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.

14 And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.

15 When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand:)

16 Then let them which be in Judaea flee into the mountains:

17 Let him which is on the housetop not come down to take any thing out of his house:

18 Neither let him which is in the field return back to take his clothes.

19 And woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days!

20 But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the sabbath day:

21 For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.

22 And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect’s sake those days shall be shortened.

23 Then if any man shall say unto you, Lo, here is Christ, or there; believe it not.

24 For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect.

25 Behold, I have told you before.

26 Wherefore if they shall say unto you, Behold, he is in the desert; go not forth: behold, he is in the secret chambers; believe it not.

27 For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.

I recently had a very powerful vision where I was shown Matthew 24:29-30 and its meaning explained.

“29 Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken:

30 And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.”

Heaven is coming to earth as the Lord’s Prayer states, “On earth as it is in Heaven” but people will not see it as they will run in fear when the darkness first arrives. Just as Perfect Love casts out fear, holding onto fear blocks us from entering Heaven.