Posted on 05/22/2015 4:54:44 PM PDT by OK Sun
I have been taught Dispensationalism from my mother’s womb. I was born in a dispensational environment. It was assumed at my church to be a part of the Gospel. There was never another option presented. It made sense. It helped me put together the Scriptures in a way that cleared up so much confusion. And, to be honest, the emphasis on the coming tribulation, current events that prove the Bible’s prophecy, the fear that the Antichrist may be alive today (who is he?) was all quite exciting. But what might be the biggest attraction for me is the charts! Oh how I love charts. I think in charts. And dispensationalism is a theology of charts!
The first time I came across someone who was not a Dispensationalist was in 1999. I am not kidding. It was the first time! I don’t think I even knew if there was another view. It was when I was a student at Dallas Theological Seminary (the bastion of Dispensationalism) and I was swimming with some guys who were at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. Once they discovered I was a dispensationalist, they giggled and snickered. They made fun of the rapture, the sacrificial system during the millennium, and the mark of the beast (which, at that time, was some type of barcode). It was as if they patted me on the head and said “It’s okay . . . nice little dispensationalist.” I was so angry. I was humiliated. I was a second-rate theologian. They were “Covenantalists” (whatever that was). But they were the cool guys who believed in the historic Christian faith and I was the cultural Christian, believing in novel ideas.
(Excerpt) Read more at reclaimingthemind.org ...
Christ promised the Catholic church to be with her until the end of time.....
one does not need to take sides of this “debate”. The truth is no human really knows these things. No one. Live each day as if it were your last because no one knows when Christ will return and no one knows how all this works.
"There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling. One Lord, one faith, ONE BAPTISM, One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all." Eph. 4:4-6.
Baptism BY the Holy Spirit INTO Christ. That is what places us into the Body of Christ and it is a Spiritual baptism. Not water.
Dispensationalists believe that the dispensation of the grace of God began with Paul and not before. Eph. 3:2,3,5,6,9.
That the Day of Pentecost does NOT mark the beginning of the Church the Body of Christ, since Paul says HE was given that ministry from Christ, and he wasn't saved until Acts 9, so the Body of Christ could not have begun before then.
That’s all? I remember reading that John Bunyan said he could have been a Baptist except that they worshipped Water Baptism as an idol. Words to that effect anyway.
All I know for sure is that in the end, every last thing written about in the Bible will have come to pass.
I think that is basically all. Water baptism. Dispensationalists see it as part of God’s program under the Dispensation of the Law, like circumcision. And if water baptism were required in this dispensation of grace, there would be 2 baptisms, not the one that Paul described in Eph. 4:4-6.
Christ promised “THE CHURCH” (ALL THOSE WHO BELIEVE IN JESUS CHRIST AS THEIR SAVIOR); to be with US until the very end.
The Catholic Church is a “denomination”. However, I’ve known a few Catholics in my lifetime who were definitely believers in Christ.
You choose.
Quite frankly, nobody has to agree with me.
I just know what I believe.
Again, not man’s “wrath”, nor even satan’s...
“The” tribulation is God’s wrath.
God, by His very nature, cannot rain down His wrath on a blood bought, Spirit indwelt believer.
mark
btlr
Yes, “wrath” of men and satan...never “THE” wrath (tribulation) of God.
We are blood bought and Spirit indwelt and the Father cannot (by His very nature)rain down His wrath on His Church.
The Church has always been a target for man/satan’s “wrath”.
If anything, the Church grows under such persecutions.
“THE” wrath (THE tribulation)is God’s. As bad as things have been and will be, we will not suffer the Father’s wrath.
Amen and Amen.
OK Sun,
Realize that there are a number of “approaches” to systematic theology.
I have friends in both camps.
At the risk of vastly oversimplifying things for the sake of an easy discussion, Dispensationalists believe God has a future for Israel. That He will fulfill His promises under their covenants. This future is a separate future than the one He has for His Church. They interact, but one is an earthly people, with earthly promises. The other is heavenly people with heavenly promises.
Other systems of theology believe that the Church fulfills the promises made to Israel and there is no longer a future fulfillment of the promises to Israel.
I try to remember that there are a very small number of things in Scripture that I would be willing to die for as convictions.
I am not willing to die for most of the things believers argue over and that remain unresolved after centuries. If it were absolutely clear, everyone would agree.
That said, I’ve oversimplified for the sake of explaining.
I wish you every blessing.
Think carefully here. After perhaps 2 years of preaching the gospel that Christ gave Peter and the 11, they did not have the slightest idea what the Lord was talking about when He predicted His death. (Luke 18:31-34). Obviously, the "gospel" which they preached was not the "gospel" which Paul later preached or the "gospel" by which we are saved (1 Cor. 15:1-4). The "gospel" which they preached was "the gospel of the kingdom" (Matt.9:35, Luke (:2), NOT "the preaching of the cross.".
That Kingdom gospel will once again be preached, when Israel is once again God's people (beginning with the tribulation). So you see, His promise to be with ISRAEL until the end of time IS TRUE.
Agreed and agreed.
The US could be destined for some of the stuff going on in the rest of the world...
but...no believer will suffer “The Wrath”, which definitely comes from the Father.
I guess I can’t speak for all Baptists, by I, as a Fundamental Independent Baptist (our church is not bound to a convention, association, or hierarchy) was taught to trust in nothing for salvation but the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
Soon after, I was shown Scripture about baptism. I was specifically shown it was NOT necessary for salvation (the thief on the cross next to Jesus wasn’t baptized), but was shown that if I gladly received Christ as Saviour (Acts 2:41) and that if I believed with all my heart (Acts 8:37), I should get baptized.
Essentially, I was taught that baptism (immersion) was something you did outwardly to show the inward decision you made in your heart to trust Christ—as opposed to being sprinkled as a baby as payment for sin.
The Christ that was hung on the cross, buried for three days, and risen again did that for me! I’m trusting him and no one else.
Nope...the Catholic church was the Only Christian church for 1,600 years...denominations are named to give an identification to all the wannabees that sprang up over the years...in our city we have church of the heartland, new life alliance church, shiloh christian church, akron church of the brethren, Yorktown road church of Christ, Christian heritage fellowship church....nazarene chhurch,
I would suggest that we should look at the scriptures and discover whether or not what is being preached as Gospel is indeed what the scriptures say.
It was for this the Bereans were complimented by Paul in the scriptures.
They did not merely take the reasoning of men, or reference to a few scriptures to support an supposition. They looked up the scriptures and reasoned over them.
I would suggest your argument is based on logic, extended from a few scriptures.
I have heard it all before “God will not rain wrath upon the Church” therefore, the Rapture MUST occur before the Tribulation. Note this is a logical argument, it is NOT based on scripture.
I have done a lot of searching, and believe me, I would LOVE to find absolute proof of a pre-trig rapture, but there is nothing to connect the suppositions!
There are a few passages, that one can link by a trumpet, but even that’s assuming its’ the same trumpet referenced in two places.
Be careful NOT to base your belief on any suppositions of Man.
What will happen when true believers fall into persecution —— what will happen to those who think that God somehow won’t allow this children to undergo persecution?
Please, Please do not assume you will not have to face a time when you wiill be faced with death or renouncing you faith....The amount of persecution world-wide is going up every day....
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