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ChristPeri,
I think I have a concern that will really grip you. I can tell you are very concerned that the truth of the Gospel and of God's commands be taken seriously by our generation, and that you have that concern even if certain prophetic events don't take place. I do too.
You may know from other theology study that all religion was pretty much put in the irrational cateogory in the previous century. One form of it was existentialist, another neo-orthodox. Dr. Schaeffer (L'Abri Fellowship International : The Official Website) would summarize it by saying that those teachers thought the Bible was historically false but "spiritually" true. This was a very broad meaning of spirituality, like what Jung would use in psychology, but that is a separate question.
Because of this kind of set back, and general cynicism, when Israel 1948 happened, many Christians began to think that all that modern thought had been upstaged. Or actually began to think so later with the efforts of, say, Lindsay, to make it more readable or commonly understood. There was some conception that God had reasserted himself historically to "answer" the modern skeptics.
There was actually a mistake in this, though, which showed up in 1981. By 1981 (40 years after 1948 minus 7) the scheme Lindsay had made so popular should have taken place. As you may know, this lead to tons of publications and attempts to clarify or qualify it all, and still does. Many people have done what Pastor Camping did 2 years ago, because the pull is there: it would just make sense that a person should be able to logically quantify what is going on and come to a chrono-mechanical "truth" that could be published for today.
I think you will find that this type of effort has had the opposite effect; it has diluted the power of the Christian message. And not just because one guy who got national press was wrong. That was merely one of many waves after Lindsay was wrong.
So because I grew up in that, in a youth group that read THE LATE GREAT PLANET EARTH more than the Bible, or before the Bible, I have sought to find something for our generation to sink into, that would answer the split-knowledge world Schaeffer described. The answer is not in modern eschatology or modern events. However the perception of many Christians is that truth is supposed to be that way and so the modern Israel thing seems just right. They don't mind total conflict with the letter to Hebrews, so Israel is "restored" but it is irrational. They jump to the future as soon as they read anything in Mt 24A, but truth is irrational so that's fine. They split Dan 9's 70 weeks apart, and ignore how much detail in the 'war will continue' paragraph is similar to the DofJ, but truth is irrational, so splitting and ignoring is just fine. They don't read Josephus because it is not "Biblical," but truth is history-free and irrational, so they are doing exactly what the modern idea of true dictates.
Instead, the answer is in the NT background, which, unfortunately but not surprisingly, you seem to have no background. The sense of the reality of God's judgement that comes through the horrendous destruction of Jerusalem as described in Mt 24A and Lk 19 and 21 is, may I say, bone-crushing. How could anyone doubt the day of God's justice once you've had the least glimpse of what is actually being said there?
then there is the martyr-quality vitality of the apostles faith, because they knew Christ was now enthroned as Lord and Christ (Acts 2, Eph 1). Roman administrators quaked in their seats as they listened to Paul explain this world was God's kingdom (Acts 25, 26). Contrast this with the incessant debate today about escaping hardship in this world through the rapture. Not exactly the same thing. And there is all the postponement people saying Jesus/Paul were not really talking about what the OT said would happen when they referred to the kingdom of God. How odd that Christians should not want a manifestation of the reign of God to present to the world, but are willing to say that's what we have in modern Israel with its layers of complications!
I'm sure your intentions are very genuine as you try to find a reality in modern events, but the modern irrational jumps may have beat you to it and had too much effect on our generation already.
I think I have a concern that will really grip you. I can tell you are very concerned that the truth of the Gospel and of God's commands be taken seriously by our generation, and that you have that concern even if certain prophetic events don't take place. I do too.
You may know from other theology study that all religion was pretty much put in the irrational cateogory in the previous century. One form of it was existentialist, another neo-orthodox. Dr. Schaeffer (L'Abri Fellowship International : The Official Website) would summarize it by saying that those teachers thought the Bible was historically false but "spiritually" true. This was a very broad meaning of spirituality, like what Jung would use in psychology, but that is a separate question.
Because of this kind of set back, and general cynicism, when Israel 1948 happened, many Christians began to think that all that modern thought had been upstaged. Or actually began to think so later with the efforts of, say, Lindsay, to make it more readable or commonly understood. There was some conception that God had reasserted himself historically to "answer" the modern skeptics.
There was actually a mistake in this, though, which showed up in 1981. By 1981 (40 years after 1948 minus 7) the scheme Lindsay had made so popular should have taken place. As you may know, this lead to tons of publications and attempts to clarify or qualify it all, and still does. Many people have done what Pastor Camping did 2 years ago, because the pull is there: it would just make sense that a person should be able to logically quantify what is going on and come to a chrono-mechanical "truth" that could be published for today.
I think you will find that this type of effort has had the opposite effect; it has diluted the power of the Christian message. And not just because one guy who got national press was wrong. That was merely one of many waves after Lindsay was wrong.
So because I grew up in that, in a youth group that read THE LATE GREAT PLANET EARTH more than the Bible, or before the Bible, I have sought to find something for our generation to sink into, that would answer the split-knowledge world Schaeffer described. The answer is not in modern eschatology or modern events. However the perception of many Christians is that truth is supposed to be that way and so the modern Israel thing seems just right. They don't mind total conflict with the letter to Hebrews, so Israel is "restored" but it is irrational. They jump to the future as soon as they read anything in Mt 24A, but truth is irrational so that's fine. They split Dan 9's 70 weeks apart, and ignore how much detail in the 'war will continue' paragraph is similar to the DofJ, but truth is irrational, so splitting and ignoring is just fine. They don't read Josephus because it is not "Biblical," but truth is history-free and irrational, so they are doing exactly what the modern idea of true dictates.
Instead, the answer is in the NT background, which, unfortunately but not surprisingly, you seem to have no background. The sense of the reality of God's judgement that comes through the horrendous destruction of Jerusalem as described in Mt 24A and Lk 19 and 21 is, may I say, bone-crushing. How could anyone doubt the day of God's justice once you've had the least glimpse of what is actually being said there?
then there is the martyr-quality vitality of the apostles faith, because they knew Christ was now enthroned as Lord and Christ (Acts 2, Eph 1). Roman administrators quaked in their seats as they listened to Paul explain this world was God's kingdom (Acts 25, 26). Contrast this with the incessant debate today about escaping hardship in this world through the rapture. Not exactly the same thing. And there is all the postponement people saying Jesus/Paul were not really talking about what the OT said would happen when they referred to the kingdom of God. How odd that Christians should not want a manifestation of the reign of God to present to the world, but are willing to say that's what we have in modern Israel with its layers of complications!
I'm sure your intentions are very genuine as you try to find a reality in modern events, but the modern irrational jumps may have beat you to it and had too much effect on our generation already.
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