I must say i am so thrilled to see this thread. And so great to have you here in this way Dicv.
What an entrance...lol. Whooyah! I'd expect nothing less actually. Because this brother has been a faithful evaluator of the watcher themes for 4 years on JDF. And he provided us with the deepest researched video I had ever seen on Darby. Like the Dodgers winning the world series...stuf. It was Pulitzer Prize level. And this is coming from one who sees things quiet differently than JDF in many places. So a S
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WELCOME BROTHER. DICV has landed
I am so blessed to see all us of together. I am really blessed with all the discussion of best ways to consider some future postings with how Dicv does his thing. As well as Jane's level of conversation. Much blessing to you Jane
As for the JD thing, I had been a regular and constant poster there for four years. And it is much to JD's great credit (and the mods TWI and Jason) to be so gracious to permit such differences of opinion there. Because I would constantly fall into that category. If JD ever date set, I'd probably still check him out from time to time, but that's just me. However I don't consider what JD has done as date setting for the record. He is just head over heels in love with our blessed hope. There is no other pastor I have ever seen having such the hots for the rapture as JD. To me its part of his charm and child at heart nature toward the word and Lord.
There are other things that concern me quite a bit more...which had been no secret over there. The closest I would say JD came to date setting was intermingling with Craig Bong and endorsing his material. For the record, I like a lot of Craig Bongs stuff. The guy is a UN research head. So I understand Pastor JD using his material and highly endorsing him. But part of the watcher movement problem in general I would see today is sort of a sense that we really see something we may not actually be seeing. It can almost be like we want to help God with prophecy and super charge every little thing...and parade it down front street. But this is a temptation for many in the watcher movement. The thing with Craig Bong is that he was strongly "implying" that the tribulation would soon start right after December 2023 (kind of like a prophet lite). And I did not think it was healthy to encourage that way of thinking. I'm a cessationist, so I have a pretty easy time dismissing everything off the top. But that does not stop me from considering how God might be using different people today. He has categories I am not aware of. So I like to keep my ear to the ground. And why I was so active on JDF. But yeah, I'd say Craig Bong's take invited to the pulpit was the closest i've seen JD get to date set. And I would see it as definitely a concern. But it wasn't exactly date setting. Just hint hints and nudge nudges. Which, in my opinion, the church is far better of without.
The reason why I might still tune into JD from time to time even if he date sets, is because I have higher concerns I would already consider him as having crossed the line. So date setting would be just another item in the goody bag...lol. I actually have a lot of respect for the man though. Even though I see it very differently than he. It takes a lot of heart to remove oneselve from the extremely lucrative and Wall Street appeal of and in the prophecy circuit. And he did. That makes him in my book a maverick. And today, that is beautiful. I juxtapose that with a blanket safety net concept I think in terms of, Laodicean. I believe we are in that Laodicean age. I believe Laodicea was saved, but way off. So if this is a Laodicea AGE...lol...I imagine the majority of us are quite off when it comes to eschatology. So if we are all wrong...it can only get better to look for gems where they might be found. And in the Laodicean climate, I tend to gravitate to those things that would maybe be something I am more biased against. Because the other rubrick I see for our age is the super hero of Irony.
So with JD, his views on America in prophecy, the Luciferian Light perspective, and his take on deception being the rubric for our age (although understandable of course in ways) concern me way far more than how close he may get to date setting. Because in those things he tends to superstructure metanarratives I believe are absolutely in opposition to end time prophecy. So what's a little date setting in comparison
What I am grateful for though is his stance on pretrib rapture. I would rather have he with that and with it other potential baggage than not believe in pretrib rapture. What I like about JD is that God uses him in my life. I was coming out of some pretty scarry, for me, Christian doctrine issues. And JD's take on Ez 38 in 2017/18 (as well as the Christian ABC's) helped me to understand there was a world outside my theological bubble...which was not exactly a safe place to be. So God used JD to challenge my own dangerous exposure to bad doctrine. And that maybe Ez 38 was kind of a thing...lol. He did an excellent job on that, really--JD's earlier years on Ez 38. Plus Pastor JD agrees with Andy Woods view on the book of Hebrews. The Kadesh Bernea view. Which is really rare...but wow...the best I believe I have seen for that book of the bible.
As JDF is closing now (for the most part), I sent JD's church a thank you letter in their contact form. Letting them know how incredibly helpful JD's ministry has been for me coming out of some difficult Lordship Savlation distortions. And his forum, a haven for recovery. At heart, I don't think JD could ever do something to keep me from ever considering him in my life because God granted me such growth under the umbrella of His servant Pastor JD. And I may never see eye to eye on many things with JD, but I would always be interested in what's going on with him. Because in the grand scheme of Christendom in the last days, I believe he has a pretty major seat at that table. One example of this is the vaccine. He helped a lot of people not take that bogus thing. Howeverm, in contrast, on that note too though I don't view the vax as a type of the mark to come as he does. I understand using that analogy can be helpful though. I'm not all into science changing our DNA so as to at some point (like the mark of the beast) put us in an unsavable category. This would be one controversial issue with JD I can think of...that is DEFINATELY not mainstream. But what is accepted in much larger circles is Heiser's view with Enoch. I used to believe that. Even mainstream ministries like John Macarthur's church believe that angels mated with humans before. I believe that most of my Christian life. But in recent years I have dramatically changed my view on that. The best evidence is that the Septugient version of Gen 6 tells a different story...and is one ancient witness to where even the 2nd century church fathers (many of them) probably got that Enoch thing wrong. To me, this is Hollywood. But like I said I used to believe it for decades.
My overall experience and heart toward JD is gratitude. I have seen what it looks like to have and be super normal and yet super fringe simultanously unawares. I was there. Looking fringe does not scare me in the least. At least its out in the open and manageable in discussion. Its the devil in the details we can't see I believe that are far more dangerous. If I were to attend JD's church, I'd pick the front down because I would want to give the man a huge bear hug after the sermon. A sincere bear hug that would propably alert security...lol. Because in my eyes he is kind of a superstar on many levels. I understand the range of how to look at JD may be a variable on this forum. But after reading all this here that I share that many have heard over and over and over again (because I'd post just as straight forward on JDF), JD permitted such freedom of forum opinion on the forum naming him. That speaks hugely to the man's character in an age of cancel cutlure. I may disagree with many things concerning JD. But on that one, he's got me. Blessings.
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