It gets the troops whipped up.
This lot seems maybe not totally secure in their beliefs.
I would wish this lot would be secure first in their Faith in our LORD. If Dispensationalism is consistent with the true Faith, then all would be well. Unfortunately, Dispensationalism trumps most of Scripture and thus is contrary to the Faith. For a crowd that believes in "free will", and "choose you this day who you will serve" ironically applies to them, this is one of those Choices.
Admittedly, I use plenty o' Smack Down™ in the theater of posts on this subject but the audience is a community of entertainment consumers rather than theologians, and I have noticed sadly that doctrines and orthodox theology are of little consideration, thus the amp'd up rhetoric.
GiovannaNicolette is performing a great service to those of the Faith in bringing us these posts as it gives us insight at many levels to what influences guide their feelings. This desperate appeal to History through the complete deconstruction of the word "Dispensation" and the liberal use of the Fallacy of False Equivocation is an excellent example of insecurity in their pet beliefs. The "S&P hits a change of 666 points makes it the Mark of the Beast" sophistry was comedy satire at its best. Yet this crowd was poking in to that steaming pile of bovine excrement trying to find oracles in the movement of the maggots.
What bothers me most about those who hold on to Dispenationalism is the remarkable disability to take the abstract concept and form concrete images and analyze the repercussions of these ideas.
For example, they talk about loving Jews, a demographic that has been historically the most antagonistic towards Christians, they also love to characterize all non Dispensationalists of being anti-Semite for reasons never disclosed, yet it is they that teach that God will, in the Future, not regraft them (Ro 11:23), but will slaughter two-thirds of them in a bloody holocaust (Zech 13:7-9).
Students of the Bible and History know that Zechariah 13:7-9 speaks of the war with the Romans that Flavius Josephus graphically documents in this book "War of the Jews". The two thirds that died were the ones who stood in Jerusalem screaming at Pilate the demand to crucify our LORD saying "His blood be on us and on our children" (Mt 27:25). In the Olivet Discourse, our LORD plainly said that "when Jerusalem is surrounded by [Roman] armies" (Lk 21:20) suddenly will come the death and destruction that could be avoided by those who were "ready" (Parable of Ten Virgins) who would "flee to the hills of Judea" (v21) (the one-third that survived).
So here history clearly tells us of fulfilled prophecy, something that we don't have to wait for, but has already happened. God's Judgment was placed on those who actually crucified our LORD and their children, exactly as they had demanded. In contrast, those who claim to love the Jews, give no reason whatsoever why God will isolate and strike down two-thirds of today's Jews in a bloody holocaust. Who is the monster here?
So do we accept the Dispensationalists' brand of love that has God slaughtering off his "Chosen People" for no reason whatsoever, or do we accept the Justice of our LORD who sent His Son to warn the people of coming judgment, gave them clues and things to look for, practically begged them to seek the signs, ordered them to Repent, told them exactly why they would suffer (Parable of the Wedding Feast), and the people demanded that God Judge them for crucifying the Messiah. So He did as He said He would and as the People demanded. Furthermore, in His warning on the Mount of Olives, He told them exactly how to escape this Wrath if they had ears to hear. He also gave them a window of time when this would take place - "this generation". And in our LORD's mercy, He patiently waited until the very end of that generation before He came in His glory to Judge them in 70AD (not to be confused with the future Parousia). Zechariah foretells that one third would find His Mercy and not perish in the Roman siege - a promise of Hope and Redemption.
But in the upside-down, deconstructed, double-minded world of the Dysfunctionalist, instead of seeing God's Justice and Love, they prefer to have their god perform capricious and wanton slaughter of their god's "Chosen" and "loved" people. If their god slaughters his own people for no good reason, what makes them think that this same hateful and capricious god will "rapture" them when its most convenient for them to make their exit?
I see a little problem with your theology here...
Zec 13:8 And it shall come to pass, that in all the land, saith the LORD, two parts therein shall be cut off and die; but the third shall be left therein.
Zec 13:9 And I will bring the third part through the fire, and will refine them as silver is refined, and will try them as gold is tried: they shall call on my name, and I will hear them: I will say, It is my people: and they shall say, The LORD is my God.
If the events of Zachariah 13 happened in 70 A.D., then a third of the Jews called on Jesus and were saved at that time...And we KNOW that didn't happen so Zachariah 13 HAS to be future...
And the Ten Virgins???
The ten virgins didn't wander off into the hills; none of them did...They were preparing to meet the Bridegroom...
Mat 25:10 And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came; and they that were ready went in with him to the marriage: and the door was shut...
The Bridegroom didn't show up in 70 A.D....
That's the problem with non-dispensationalists...They have all these 30,000 plus verses of scripture and they don't know what to do with them...They run them all together and end up with a mess...
The Jews of Zachariah did not accept Jesus as their Lord in 70 A.D. and the Virgins who had kept their lamps full did not run off into the wilderness in 70 A.D....AND, they did not go with the Bridegroom to the Wedding in 70 A.D....It's all future...
In contrast, those who claim to love the Jews, give no reason whatsoever why God will isolate and strike down two-thirds of today's Jews in a bloody holocaust.
Rev 1:7 Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him. Even so, Amen.
Sorry, Jesus didn't show up in 70 A.D....But he will show up, in the future...