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To: bluepistolero
I really haven't meant to cast aspersions, just helping to save you from yourself.

Okaaaay . . .

Eschatology, no matter what denomination or sect you belong to, is extremely difficult. For instance, not only must the history and belief of the Jews be contrasted and compared to the Christian, but the eschatology of the nation of Israel must be understood as well as the eschatology of the individual believer.

I think you over-complicate it. Frankly, while studying the historical beliefs of both the Jews and Christians (and I've done both, particularly in the ante-Nicean Church fathers) is interesting and sometimes edifying, neither is nearly as important as studying the Scriptures themselves. 95% of this work is simply comparing Scripture to Scripture and proposing some solutions on how the prophetic Scriptures fit together.

On the broad points of the eschatological scenario, the Scripture is pretty clear, despite all the muddying of the waters that some scholars like to do. There will be a time of increasing "birth pangs"--wars, famines, earthquakes, unrest, immorality, etc.--followed by the Man of Sin, the person we commonly call the Antichrist, proclaiming himself to be God in God's Holy Place. He will persecute God's people, both the Christians and the Jews, but before he can completely destroy them, the Lord Himself will come on the clouds of the sky to gather His Church, seal the faithful of Israel, and inaugurate the Day of the Lord, during which His wrath will be poured out and He alone will be glorified. This same scenario is given and expanded upon by Isaiah, Daniel, Zechariah, Yeshua Himself (the Olivet Discourse and many of His parables), Sha'ul, Kefa (Peter), and Yochanan.

On many of the specifics, I agree that it is less clear, and there are many details that I don't think we are meant to know until they actually happen--but which we are commanded to "keep" the Revelation and other prophetic Scriptures in our hearts so that we will recognize them when they do occur.

Having worked in publishing, I have to wonder who you intend for your audience to be.

Messianics and evangelicals, primarily. In point of fact, I already have a publisher interested in my book, and from the response I've gotten here on FR, I'd say that having an audience won't be a problem (though I doubt I'll ever hit the NYT bestseller list). And in answer to your other question, no, I've never published a book before (outside of small-print stuff when I was in college).

However, even if I had no audience, I wouldn't call the time I've spent on this book wasted. In point of fact, I started on this project simply for self-study to understand the Scriptures better. It was when I started showing my rough notes to people to get feedback, ideas, and corrections and many of them asked me to turn them into a book that I started fleshing them out, always in prayer and humility, ready to change my positions as I discovered new things in the Scriptures that contradicted or changed the direction of them.

It's been a wonderful experience, and if I never published a word, not one minute would have been a wasted moment--because in studying Revelation, I have come to a far deeper understanding of all the Scriptures, both prophetic and not.

Now, if you have specific nits to pick with what parts of the book that I've posted here that you are ready and willing to back up with Scripture and logic, I'm ready to listen. But if you're whole goal is to simply discourage me with "pious chatter" about how difficult the subject is, or how hard it is to get published, I'm sorry, but I've got better things to do with my time than to try to convince you that I'm "worthy" to write this book.

145 posted on 06/23/2005 8:36:02 AM PDT by Buggman (Baruch ata Adonai Elohanu, Mehlech ha Olam, asher nathan lanu et derech ha y’shua b’Mashiach Yeshua.)
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To: Buggman
but I've got better things to do with my time than to try to convince you that I'm "worthy" to write this book.

Perhaps, but if you are not worthy, then you are giving people false information, and so you are a false prophet. I personally would not want my theological information to come from someone who dabbles in the occult, for that is what tales of Merlin and dragons, and Dungeons and Dragons is. But then, that is me.

173 posted on 06/23/2005 7:44:07 PM PDT by bluepistolero
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To: Buggman

Buggman,

Your obvious humility alone makes reading your work a great bet in terms of return for effort.

Your obvious skills, capacities etc. only add worth.

I wouldn't be surprised at all to see it on best seller lists.


235 posted on 06/25/2005 9:50:27 AM PDT by Quix (LOVE NEVER FAILS.)
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