Thanks for sharing this Rose. In general, I studied a lot of the same kinds of themse JB and Zak convey. I did not find much to comment on with JB because I was still getting a sense about the Shindig and to me Zak's breakdown was easier to comment on. So I am blessed you might have some perspective in regards to JB. I kind of took his sense about apostasy to be from an American perspective because that is where he lives. As he stated. But I could affirm with significant weight you concerns.
I guess the one thing in relation to your insights that I can come along side them with is that, yes, I agree it is good to be careful how we define things. I have a long list of concerns there...lol. But on your point specific, the one thing I could share is a generic rubric monkey wrench of difference. Not in difference to your view. Actually it is in support of your view.
The overarching difference in how a plethera of watcher voices land in similar places as JB, to me, is one of exegesis blended with contemporary tunnel vision syndrome. What I mean by that is that foremostlly the difference in definition, to me, is largely exegetical. Then on top of that, how we settle differing exegesis into our own age (seeing perhaps our contemporary moment perhaps as too inviting to the exegesis of eschatology). In other words, if we use exegesis to see things stated for the tribulation as things that occur before the tribulation, we might be superimposing exegesis for a different era onto our contemporary moment. That is where I would see where his conclusions can be sourced from to mismatch alignment with modern day America.
Like I see Matt 24 talking into the Jewish mind for the tribulation. The popular thing to do today is see it for the gentile church age. Right there, there would be a hugely different proprotioning of how scripture might inform us by what it means by its phrases. Another place I would see this done similarly is 2 Thes 2. Pulling the strong delusion into a time before the tribulation even begins. Whereas exegetically I believe it is highlighting the time of the AC demanding worship. But because COVID and government overreach had such an impact on us, for us, it seems like perhaps that is the strong delusion. But again, to me this is a primary issues of how we handle exegesis. My understanding is that the strong delusion is for one slice of one era only in the tribulation. Not in the age of grace before it. Satan won't have all his lying wonders going on now. The beast coming out of the pit empowering him has not come yet. Nor has the 7 headed dragon yet landed on the shore. But because it is colorful, and because we see things so intense now compared to yesteryear, we factor in the strong delusion as though it were belonging to our era. Once there, we can make any kind of balloon animal shape out of that that suits our fancy. But to me, it is nothing more than us feeling the pinch of the end of the age of grace. Not the pinch of the tribulation nor the AC deception. Yet because it is colorful, it gets attention on an emotional level. We are human.
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And I believe the topper for that, for me, would be that the great falling away exegetically I would see for the time approaching the midpoint of the tribulation. Not the age of grace. And what we see now is so nothing in comparison to that time. Yet for us, because it is so different than what we have seen before, insist it must be the great falling away. That is not to say it is totally without warrant. Because I do believe we are at the miniature golf version of falling away. We in the age of grace have our own mirror like and much more subtle version of that, I believe. In looking at the horrors of the tribulation, we might not naturally think that there is all that much difference from day 1 of the tribulation and the midpoint. We have become accustomed to importing the beast system itself into the age of grace now. So to us, it kind of looks like it all just blends together. But seal 5 helps us understand that that time on earth in unprecidented. And what leads to God putting his master foot down in seal 6. Which leads us into the series of the trumpets which is the judgements falling into place the literal beast timeframe range. Satan's kingdom literally being set up on earth. But generically, I would see that as the period of the trumpets. Not the seals. And not the age of grace. But our tendency today is to blend all of those into one. So I believe inadvertently we lose distinction in ways.
I differ vastly on such John Macarthur has put forth. But even so, in that camp there are also many things that are actually real and true too. I used to constantly disagree with Macarthur on so many things. Only to find over time some things he lands on actually are likely more valid. That is the master struggle in circles like that. Because there are so many ways in which I would understand doctrines distorted. Yet also some very helpful practical things shared too. Mac's view on the great apostasy was just before the midpoint. Which at the time I thought odd. Because I thought it might be for the age of grace. What cements it for me is certainly not Jmac. But the trumpets. For they clearly display how the theme of the AC kingdom comes into reign. Unfortunately there are many evangelicals that see AC ruling for 7 years. Not just 3.5 (the second half). This escatological view would give rise to very different exegetical variant use. And tend to blend the end of the age of grace, the beginning of the tribulation, the midpoint and the end all together without much distinction. The beast that empowers AC to kill the 2 witnesses would be the point where the AC has all his lying wonders. Not before during the tribulation. .And certainly not in the age of grace. As far as I can tell scripturally. But that does not stop evangelicals from superimposing it on the age of grace. Or JB from superimposing it on America. Perhaps this gives some helpful guide why I would see radically different eschatology in general.
But for sure we do see a taste of great apostasy proper today. But to me a taste of and the literal thing only tasted of are two very different things and two very different eras. So yeah like in that way, I would agree very much with your concern. From an exegetical standpoint primarily. Blessings dear sister. Thanks for sharing.