I was right there with you brother in the days when Elon was warning us to have safety nets from AI (the demon genie released from the bottle we can't stuff back in). Only for his neuro net to be the solution. We beat AI by controlling it through a chip in our head...lol. Also, priceless.
Due to some very challenging theological periods going on in my life (trying to get a handle on the strange conservative shift in the USA along with a Trump dynasty and what all was going on in those developments along WITH decoupling from reformed theology mixed in WITH...is it end times...lol), it shifted me from a standard central sense (somewhat then in 2017....semi-mainstream views) of how like what the pagans are doing and what their religious calendars indicate for us (having recently been pretty shocked with the Gotthard Tunnel Completion Ceremony), I was certainly in the groove then in what is seen now today from such as the likes of Tom Hughes, Billy Crone, Brandon Holthaus, JD Farag, Andy Woods, etc. I would say in respect to that, much of the evangelical world would lean to agree with you.
Sometime when i describe my views on eschatology to my own personal friends, what they hear is: "So, God, and country...America, Family and Apple Pie, right?" In fact one of my friends just yesterday sent me the song from Don McLean, American Pie. It made me laugh because although not nearly as in the past, sometimes i can get into some heated discussions that timing wise don't always end well. I had a doctors appointment where I would otherwise have wanted to really talk to my friend for at least another hour. So we texted pleasantries and then he sent my that song. You know, like a love dig...lol. He would be seeing things along the lines I had a decade ago and how much of evangelical Christianity might see it today (those of the not so much wordily sides of the church, amen). So i think you are in really good company. Amen.
So I know you are just sharing your views. Amen. And thank you for them brother. I know how sometimes i can sound. Sometimes it might be helpful to point out a sense of where I am coming from. Not that it changes the views of others. Just that I am hopeful to what ever degree I might, that I provide context for what I would believe could matter to great degree a little later on. But only the Lord knows. And even if so, if it might be relevant to some more than others...yeah its hard to say.
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Between 2016 and 2018 a came to see much of the direction our world is heading in to be a lot like is hyped in the media today. Even mainstream news uses terms like "Armageddon." I would see that age of Aquarius having arrived per our pagan calendars. And be able to see prophesy perhaps through the eyes of what the dark arts are up to. It was even during this time I would have perceived Trump as the AC. I was almost convinced way back then. I'm not saying or suggesting you see similar things. i am just laying out what I though like and why its different for me now.
However, in 2018 a number of events clustered around me to call into question. There were a lot of them. And each has its own story. But in general I began to take notice that themes in the age of grace seem somewhat different perhaps then what they end up like in the tribulation (should we be near). What that sort of thing does to eschatology is mess it up significantly. I'm not apposed to having feathers ruffled, I know i need it likely often. One of the reasons I am on this forum (besides liking the family and fellowship) is I kind of want to be where the views are different than mine. Because there really is no forum for my views. But this one would be very close to a lot barring some of my particular end times views that differ from mainstream evangelicalism. In a nutshell what that looks like is this: Things than occur in the age of grace belong to the age of grace. And things that belong to the tribulation belong to the tribulation. I believe there will be overlap. But I believe those two ages are as distinctly different as some may see they collide to a degree, even.
I don't know your views on eschatology and that is not really the point I am hopeful to make here. Rather, my main interest is to at least provide some context on a whole bunch of news articles i post. And the views I take on Musk, Trump, etc. And that is, this: I believe the age of grace is an age unto itself. And likely our place in it may likely also be in its wrapping up potentially. As that may be the case, I would see an incredibly high probability that the stories unfolding in our era likely have far more to do with the God of creations swan song to His creation as we know it. A moment of pause and reflection before the really big show. This is based on a number of biblical verses that underscore His character. So even though there might be a lot to not trust with certain folks, because of the transcendent nature of God, and the story His divine character is possibly telling in our era, to me, it has increasingly seemed helpful to understand context as if God were orchestrating themes to His creation about His character in swan song--eese. That may sound whacked...lol. But its not coming from a place of what I think about Musk or political leaders etc. It comes from a sense His character has interest in override. Me think.
The best snapshot example i can give is Abraham Accords. This looks like a dead ringer for the covenant the AC strengthens when he comes. Perhaps it is. But since the age of grace will likely not see the AC, i believe our age of grace context for the Abraham Accords is a) God's emblematic poster moment of so many Muslims (especially in Iran) coming to Christ (while much of the Christian world might just see it as blaspheme--co mingling Abraham with other religions--a maybe a late stage version too of making Israel jealous, still). & b) An economic Israeli road to Ez 38 peace and safety moment. We don't hear as much talk about that sort of connection. But it seems slowly some views are trickling in on that.
I could be mistaken about Ez 38 in a semi-near term. But the world map is increasingly (even aggressively) lining up quite a bit with the biblical snapshot photo op moment taken and recorded by God in Ez 38. As we increasingly see the actual socio-political climate and positionings line up with that, is kind of what we find today, i believe. My interest in that (having come from 25 years of being in some form of American reformed church biblical distortion) would hopefully go out with less distortion. Seeing how things make sense as they unfold regardless the surrounding narrative would be beautiful poetry for my heart. I don't have as huge an agency to operate in these days as I had in my youth. Where agency should have mattered more than adherence to bad doctrine. Now, I'd just like to see some things with a hopeful sharper edge...perhaps an avenue of many by which we may experience His divine spirit bearing witness of His great character and love in our lives.
We may be decades away from end times. In the event that themes of God's character extends itself in our age of grace, its just kind of the ways i would be looking at things. Thanks for posting your thoughts. I totally understand...lol. Blessings.
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Blessings.
