I've specifically come to this board to see if there are people open to discussing views that don't necessarily align with any of the widely accepted eschatologies. I've noticed that people adopt an eschatology at some point in their walk, and seem to resist any change to that doctrine for most, or all, of the remainder of their walk. I've also been around long enough to see how this creates a situation in which these doctrines are preached by one generation of teachers, and the same lines are learned and regurgitated by the next. I seriously doubt that there's even 1% of popular preachers/teachers who have truly challenged their own eschatology - I mean really challenged it. It seems like almost nothing of what is taught has come from personal searching and digging for the truth. It's almost always playing it safe, trying to avoid criticism by rolling out the popular view, trying to avoid being called a heretic.
There has been discussion on this thread advising that, if we're reading something that nobody else is reading, then we should recheck what we've read and seriously question it. I agree with that. But I think that if you're agreeing with the popular interpretation, you should be equally careful and recheck it too. I'm pretty sure that people on this thread are familiar with the idea of progressive revelation - the idea that God will reveal more and more of his plan to His Church as time goes by. If you believe this, then you should expect people to receive new revelation from God as we draw closer to the end of the age. I don't know if this would come through one person or many. But I know that if it's truth, then the Holy Spirit will verify it to us. And in this Christian climate, where so many are anti-Bereans, believing what's popular without investigation, it's great to have a forum like this to meet like-minded people. Like-minded in the sense that they believe there may be more to learn than that which has been handed down.
I hope that I haven't offended anyone with what I've written. I seem to do that allot. I don't know what it is about me, but I usually draw allot of fire in every facet of life. I guess I lack some social skill that enables people to talk civilly to one another. If any part of this has offended you, just imagine a smiley-face emoji after that section of text and see if that helps.
I really respect your approach. I decided in my early 20's to not try to force puzzle pieces into places they didn't belong, no matter how similar they seemed. I guess it's a moreorless scientific approach to eschatology. I present a hypothesis, then I conduct a synopsis to see if that hypothesis lines up unambiguously. If it does, then I build from there. If I find something later that disproves my theory, then I go back to the last proven hypothesis and rework from there. Doing so has brought me to this interpretation:
1. The parable of the wheat and tares lines up with the woman fleeing to the wilderness in Revelation 12 and Babylon being found in the wilderness in Revelation 17. Jesus said, "You'll know them by their fruits." Babylon are the believers that follow after the world rather than following after Jesus.
2. The tribulation is intended to call the faithful out of Babylon, of the love for the world, and back to a right-standing with Jesus. This lines up with the prophesy of the Two Witnesses dressed in sackcloth. Like Zechariah and Haggai preached for the Jews to leave Babylon and return to Jerusalem to rebuild the city and sanctuary, the Two Witnesses, call the people of God to be a kingdom of priests like Zerubbabel & Joshua and rebuild the Church during times of tribulation.
3. The Euphrates River represents the boundary between the kingdoms of the world and the kingdom of God. There also Babylon is located. Living among worldly people that want to be citizens of God's kingdom but also build a life for themselves in the world. Very similar to the church in Laodicea. The sixth trumpet sees a third of humanity being destroyed by fire, also reminiscent of Jesus' telling the church in Laodicea to purchase gold refined in fire. In other words, "Come out of her, my people, so that you will not share in her sins, so that you will not receive any of her plagues..."(Revelation 18:4, NIV)
4. Sodom and Egypt represent the spiritual state of the Church when the Two Witnesses begin prophesying. Like the Israelites in the wilderness that longed to return to the comforts of Egypt, believers will be tempted to forsake their walk with Christ during the tribulation. Like Lot fled Sodom before God's wrath was poured out on the wicked, so too will only a remnant escape. This was the tough message for the church in Sardis. There were only a few there that had not tainted their garments with the wicked ways of the world.
5. The seven heads of the beast in Revelation 17 correspond with the spiritual state of the seven churches when John received Christ's messages for them. Five had fallen: Ephesus, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, and Loadicea. One was currently struggling and that was the church in Smyrna. The seventh church that was to come would be the church in Philadelphia, represented by 144,000 Israelites sealed with the name of God on their foreheads. They would be preserved during the great tribulation because of their faithful testimony.
6. Jesus said in John 15:10, "If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father's commands and remain in his love." He also said, "My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one's life for one's friends. You are my friends if you do what I command." (John 15:12-14). In other words, faithfulness to Jesus is keeping His teachings and laying down their lives for Him if called upon." These are the testimonies of the Two Witnesses. The Two Witnesses are represented by the church in Smyrna and the church in Philadelphia, the two lamp stands that would shine during humanity's darkest time. Some are persecuted and killed like the faithful in Smyrna while others are preserved in the wilderness like the woman in Revelation 12, the church in Philadelphia.
7. The parable of the sower shows us that the great tribulation will prove whether those professing Jesus's name and saying, "Lord, lord" truly follow Him or are just pretending. We have every opportunity before the tribulation to flee from Babylon. With social media exposing everything that is hidden, I hypothesize that a worldwide censorship is on the horizon and those who did not keep their lamps trimmed and oiled will struggle immensely to make the right choice. Among these are nationalists that base their Christianity on their national identity rather than on their citizenship in heaven. When all our secrets are exposed to the world and our vices are forbidden, what will preserve our testimony? This is heavy-hitting stuff, my friend.
