This was that.
The predorist view is that all the Bible was fulfilled, if that’s the case, how do we explain our existence and purpose? It’s an easy viewpoint to see the fulfillment but leaves a huge void.
The Futurist viewpoint is a Christian escological view that interprets the Bible as futuristic events being literal and physical.
I’d say the majority of churches today fall into the Futurist category. The Predorists mindset is growing quickly.
The only way to reconcile the differences is to reread the Bible with a timeframe in mind.
Passages are misinterpreted by the futurist, they overlook scripture and apply it to something to come. I believe this happens because they don’t understand hyperbole. The Prophets spoke with hyperbole, they never spoke exactly what was going to happen.
If I were to tell someone, “I heard some earth shattering news today!” nobody would think that the news I heard actually shattered the earth.
When Joel prophesied about the end times with the darkening of the sun and moon and the pillar of smoke, we can’t take that literal! It’s hyperbole, let’s use scripture to prove it because it’s already been laid out in front of us. Peter, in Acts 2 is filled with the spirit and is preaching to the crowds. It was such an amazing event, a couple disciples, being uneducated, fisherman, speaking in people‘s native tongues. This is unheard of, It is so amazing, the spirit being poured out. It’s so out of this world, that it’s as if the sun darkened the moon turned to blood and there’s pillars of smoke.
Peter even said that this is the fulfillment of the passage in Joel.
“But this is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel;”
Acts 2:16
This was that! This was that, it cannot be anything else. Knowing the prophecy was misunderstood by myself; because the churches incorrectly preached and taught what they don’t study and have been doing so for many years. I can now be more secure of my interpretations moving forward. The churches don’t like it when members think outside their doctrinal structure.
The siege of Jerusalem at that time was a major event. This was the end for Jerusalem and the temple. Christ even tore the curtain from the top down signifying that, try is all coming to an end. There’s passages about people fleeing to the mountains, woe to women having babies, babies needing their mother’s milk. This time in history was a monumental event like in the days of Noah. The siege was all fulfillment of prophecy. This was the destruction of Israel. They killed their Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. The siege happened just before Passover, probably when people were coming to Jerusalem from abroad.
According to Josephus, an eye witness historian, the city was ravaged by murder, famine, and cannibalism. “Wars of the Jews” book 6
The days would be shortened for the sake of the elect. This happened, as the siege happen very quickly because the amount of people that came in for the Passover and not enough food to go around for the people they were starving eating their babies and they were conquered. Just as the Old Testament prophesied.
Paul, was alive during this time and recorded a lot of what happened. His message would be separate from the message of the apostles because the time was up for Israel, everything to do with Israel, the Sabbath day all the laws, everything was completely destroyed, and God turned his back on Israel for good. Final. There is no more Israel. We are not descendants of Israel, we are not whatever I’ve been taught by the Protestant Reformed Churches of America. Paul’s message would have to be for everyone today, Paul’s message would be God‘s gracious mercy in giving the kingdom to the Gentiles.
Can you start to see? I was brought up in the Baptist church for 25 years, I switched to the Protestant Reformed church for another 15 years, then a Bible church for another 5 years. If the churches knew the scriptures, there wouldn’t be so many denominations.
Read the scriptures know your history, understand what cognitive distance is. Open your heart and mind to God alone.
