"To the one who is victorious, I will give the right to sit with me on my throne, just as I was victorious and sat down with my Father on his throne." Revelation 3:21 Do you know how terrifying it is to admit this? What I am about to say is almost as embarrassing as acknowledging that...
* I like Johnny Manziel. I believe his potential has yet to be tapped. Sure he is a cad, but he didn't win the Heisman for nothing. I know, sports experts think he is a washout. Should I be embarrassed? * I like Macaroni-n-Cheese. It is super easy to make and it really hits the spot when I am hungry. I know, food connoisseurs think it is low-brow, trailer park food. Should I be embarrassed? * I think the first Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory was terrific! Johnny Depp lovers will strongly disagree, but I believe Gene Wilder is so much better, smarter, crazier and cool as Willy Wonka. I even like the first Charley Bucket's hair, it was a lot like mine back in the day. Oh sure, people will say the newer Oompa-Loompas are way cuter. Should I be embarrassed? * And when it comes to discussing eschatology and end time events, I believe in the literal, 1,000 year reign of Jesus Christ in Jerusalem when he take the throne over the whole Earth immediately after his Second Coming. That means I am a Premillennial Dispensationalist. I am part of a dying breed. I can hear what the learned scholars and emerging theological consensus is saying about me now... - "Oh, you and your Scofield KJV Bible worship. When are you going to give up that dusty old stand-bye and come to the light of the new generation?" (Actually I am now transitioning into an ESV bible after years of preaching from the 1984 NIV.) - "Oh, you just want to escape the world, check out from the struggle of every day life, and be rescued. Dispensationalism is your way to not be engaged in the culture around you. Slacker!" (No, I do care about my neighborhood, I cut my grass, I support my brother-in-law who is working with the urban poor, and I am not hiding out in a bunker in Montana waiting while looking up in the sky to be extricated by Jesus. I still buy boxes of Mac-n-Cheese. I am still living the dream down here!) - "Oh, you are a Jack Van Impe follower and John Hagee fanatic. Always looking for the coming of Christ in the next headline." (Truthfully, both of those men and their fear mongering and bad hermeneutics drives me crazy. If I hear any more about the Blood Moons I think I will begin howling!) - "Oh, you have no respect for the rich history of great learning and intellect from reformed covenant men like Calvin, Luther, Augustine and Edwards? And you now are jumping on newer scholarship bandwagon like John Darby and other revivalist pastors?" (No, actually if you take Luther's view on the Anti-Christ you would be calling for the Pope's demise. Or did you know Jonathan Edwards was worse than Jack Van Impe? He saw the coming of Christ's kingdom every time the British Colonists won a battle against the French and Indians during the war in the early 1700's.) I am a Dispensationalist for a few main reasons. I try to use a straight interpretation (grammatical-historical approach) of the scriptures. As Professor Bernard Ramm says, "The literal interpretation as applied to any document is that view which adopts as the sense of a sentence, the meaning of that sentence in usual, or normal conversation or writing. It takes words in terms of normal usual designation." Oh, I know there are apocalyptic symbols in Revelation; and more often than not those symbols will often be explained in the context. Let me offer you one example in Revelation 20:2 - - it says Micheal the angel seized the dragon and threw him to the abyss. Critics will say, "Your literal wooden method of interpretation will have you believing in a literal dragon. Dragons are myths you fool!" No, I don't believe in a literal dragon because the symbol is immediately explained. Read the whole verse, "He seized the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the devil, or Satan." See how symbols will be explained if you keep reading? I also think those who revert to allegory as their mode of interpretation can cause God's word to read rather fuzzy and rubbery, like they are using the Scriptures as silly-putty. Covenant theologians often take tricky passages and with the tool of allegory make them seem to say whatever they want. I am not saying my method of interpretation is flawless, in fact the more I study the book of Revelation, the more confused I become at times. But I believe I am more restrained from wild speculation, because I do study scared. Listen to this verse by Peter: "Paul writes the same way in all his letters, speaking in them of these matters. His letters contain some things that are hard to understand, which ignorant and unstable people distort, as they do the other Scriptures, to their own destruction." (2 Peter 3:16) Did you catch that last part? Bad handling of Scripture leads to destruction. That terrifies me. So yes, I am looking forward to the rapture. I believe that some sort of Evil Empire will arise and Jesus will wipe it out with the word of his mouth. Yes, I believe Jesus is going to sit on a throne in Jerusalem, while I get to rule with him. I am still hoping to help out in New Zealand. I do believe I will drink some wine with my sisters, my brother, my mom and dad, my wife and kids, while we all laugh at my son Joseph as he goes swimming in the river of life. And yes, I think on that day, Satan will be utterly humiliated and we will all get to see it. I do have to admit one more thing: I don't want to suffer in the tribulation. So for that, I am glad I believe in the rapture! Does that sound crazy? Do I embarrass you?
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