Are you a Christian? Who cares what denomination or religious flavor you call home now or in the past. That's irrelevant. The Holy Spirit reveals the Truth to your heart. If you are a Believer, you have the Holy Spirit dwelling in you. You have the written Word that is alive and filled with God's Wisdom, and the Holy Spirit to guide you. Don't let any man, religious or otherwise, tell you what is Truth. That Revelation needs to come straight from the source to your spirit, and then let it renew your mind. The natural man will NEVER receive the things of God because they are spiritually discerned. (1 Corinthians 2:6-16, see also John 14 & Romans 8)
Have you ever read a passage or verse and it just explodes in your spirit? Suddenly the Truth of it is revealed? Or if you heard something preached that was contrary to God's Word, you sensed an unease in your spirit? Jesus tells us - the Holy Spirit will guide you into all Truth (John 16:13). And remember the disciples on the road to Emmaus - “Did not our hearts burn within us while he talked to us on the road, while he opened to us the Scriptures?” (Luke 24:32) Jesus is the Living Word, and the entrance of the Word gives light - even to the simple. (Psalm 119:130) Are you going to trust men, or the Author Himself who dwells in you? The religious will put you in the ditch. Stick with the Lord.
Rightly dividing the Word is such a simple concept it takes a theologian to screw it up. Here is my simple definition for your edification - What is written to the Body of Christ is to, for, and about Believers. What is written to Israel is FOR Believers, but not written TO them or necessarily ABOUT them. Failure to discern this simple formula has led to some grievous errors like replacement theology, and works-based religion.
The main problem I have with Dispensational theology is the arrogance of it. America isn’t really mentioned in the Bible because most of us will be “raptured” out of here. As if we are such better Christians than the rest of the world.
Do you take an unblemished lamb to church to sacrifice? Do you stone people caught in adultery? If you answered no to those questions, congratulations you are a dispensationalist. Welcome to the club. There is no arrogance about it. Its simply recognizing the Truth that God has dealt differently with people from different ages throughout time. At present, we are in the Age of Grace. This time was a Mystery, hidden in God until revealed through Paul in his latter letters. A simple comparison of Paul's teaching on the Body of Christ and the Mystery, to what was taught in other dispensations will show many differences. This often creates contradictions, unless you understand dispensationalism which negates many of those contradictions and brings clarity to God's Word.
What does America, a nation, have to do with Spiritual Truth? The BODY OF CHRIST, is made up of BELIEVERS. It is neither Jew or Gentile, male or female, but ONE BODY with Jesus as the Head, and only HEAD of the Body. Nationality, or even religious affiliation, is irrelevant. The ONLY judge that matters is our Father. If He has judged us righteous by faith, made alive in Christ and seated in Heavenly Places in Christ Jesus, who are you to question? You are either spiritually alive, or spiritually dead. There is nothing in-between. The "better than us" kind of thinking comes from people who believe in works-based religion. Its all about God's Grace in this dispensation. Love Himself chose to GIVE me life, and I received it with THANKSGIVING and JOY! Believers are HIS workmanship, so there is no merit, no reason for boasting or comparing. Here it is straight from the heart of God:
Ephesians 2:4-10 (KJV)
4 But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, 5 Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) 6 And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus: 7 That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus. 8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: 9 Not of works, lest any man should boast. 10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.
Not only have we killed millions of babies...
We? I certainly did not. The world is an ugly place full of darkness and spiritually dead people. Believers are in the world, but not of the world. If Believers were doing their job, exercising their faith, sharing God's Word, believing and praying, we could get people saved, filled with the Holy Spirit and transform this nation, and the world. Fighting a spiritual battle with worldly weapons is a recipe for failure. God knows the problems. He needs folks to exercise their faith and authority to turn the ship around.
I got news for you. Iraq, Syria, Nigeria,etc., they’re experiencing Tribulation now.
Yes, Believers as long as they are in the world will experience persecution. However, it is not THE Tribulation, BIG difference. Man is still judging on Earth. The time is coming for God's judgment, where man will literally say to the rocks - "Fall on us and hide us from the presence of Him who sits on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb; for the great day of their wrath has come, and who is able to stand?" That time has not yet come. And just to be clear, Believers will have no part in that time. God will turn His attention back to Israel and will work through them to preach to the nations.
Maybe you prefer God's judgment. For me, I will stick with His Grace, knowing there is nothing I can do to earn Life that would ever come close to what Jesus has ALREADY DONE. Its far better being COMPLETE in Christ.
Colossians 2:8-10 (KJV)
8 Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ. 9 For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily. 10 And ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power:
***8 Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ***
Dispensationalism = traditions of men. Yes I am a Christian and yes the Holy Spirit leads all to Truth the problem is men start to decide what truth is instead of following the Holy Spirit so that you can’t even decide amongst yourself whether it’s pre- trib or at the 3 1/2 yr mark. I have heard so many times and read numerous books many,many years ago and so many hoped and believed that the US was the “eagle” that was going to save Israel. I saw someone post it the other day. And that was my point which you completely ignored. Christians in this country have an arrogance about them that somehow we’re better than the rest of the world and that is why we are not mentioned in the Bible in regards to “end time prophecy,” because most of America will be raptured out of here. God is no respector of persons. And yes we as in we America will answer for our sins. That’s you and I, too. We will answer for what we didn’t do just as well as what we did do.