Andy that is pretty sporting of you. I'm a regular there and although I do actually love JD because of his child like heart toward the Lord and his passion with the word when on point, and also, his passion in ministries he is involved in like ending sex trafficking, helping the disadvantaged in the Hawaiin fires, and ministry connections even in Israel I believe--with all that I will admit it is a 30/70 chance if I listen to his updatesim. On average I will watch an update once a month just to stay in the mix. So you are quite the trooper. In part the reason it is only once a month is because there often is material in those updates that will depress or upset me (about he thinks upon or conveys it). So I think in my mind to maybe just let him go his own way...and keep the blood pressure down.
In some ways I feel bad for him. Because he has me as a pretty regular poster on his forum. And my Eschatology differs from mainstream watcher world in general. And of course that gap gets significantly wider when it comes to JD. And then he's got me, this guy on his forum often going against the narrative significatly. I think that speaks highly of him in the sense that its been 4 years of a regular poster adverse to significant areas of his theological premise in eschatology. In some ways, we could not be further apart--idealogically. So kudos to you for reading the updates every week. And kudos to him for longsuffering me.
As far as I can tell for the most part, the forum members accept that I am not there to cause trouble but to be engaged in discussion even though I differ with much of the forum there. One reason I stay is because I have a lot of history there. And the forum does have a certain family charm to it. Plus, the fact that they accept me, warts and all, sometimes surprises me. Because there can be quite a bit of adversity there. I like it there because it helps me consider some features of Eschatology I normally may not. And even though I have a fairly strong foundation for my convictions, I am open to nuances of where the way they are looking at things might matter on some level. Similar to how I like to watch An0maly on YouTube. Definitely not a theologian. But I like to see where those that have great concern with Trump might be coming from and what they are actually looking at.
I have 0 expectation JD will change his perspective. In posts I've left at JDF I have affirmed even there that it would seem the commitance of logical fallacy--making one's argument unfalsifiable seems to be in play at high crimes and mistameanor level. On one hand, "America will fall, and Trump will not be back with any significance because NAR worships him." And on the other hand, "If Trump does come back then he is false light and starter of a new Luciferian Enlightenment of America." So he kind of set himself up to have to believe his own narrative regardless of what reality dishes out down the road. I believe of all the things that might bother me about certain logic used from the pulpit, that one is pretty high (if not the highest). Because alternatively I clearly state my Eschatology and don't back down from it. While fully admitting to them I could totally be wrong. And if I am i'd be the first to admit it. But the way things are wired there eschatologically, the narrative is primed for either scenario. So if that forum were employment for me....i'm likely set for life. No shortage of lovingly and hopefully kindly going against the entirety of the grain.
. . . . .
Yes the mood there is anti-trump. But there are some who are nuetral. And some who are inclined to vote for Trump. Ironically, I don't mind the DTS there because they do all the research. I can just see at that point if here is any merit in the sense of how I am looking at things. Sometimes passions run high there and people get feathers ruffled and stop posting. As counterintuitive as I am to the JDF narrative, I do get discouraged if the anti-trump posters walk away. Because, for me, the best way to consider the value of my own "off the beaten path narrative" is to contrast it with the hardest hitting dirt clods thrown at Trump. I'd like to think it helps keep me honest. But when JDF goes too far off the deep end, its hard not to be further tempted into tripplying down on my views. I'm the kind of eschatology buff that is super interested in disproving their own narrative as a way of seeing if there is merit or if I am crazy. So its kind of important to find adverse opinion. Even with all the wild narratives there, they do also bring some pretty good challenges for the way I've been thinking though.
But yeah...it would shock me for JD to change his views. I think we stand more a chance of Elon Musk becoming a full on hot hearted new believer before that will happen. In fairness, I understand why JD feels like he does. Trump never disavowed the vaccine. And was like the grandfather of it. Seeing how dangerous it is and in bed with big pharma it is, it is understandable why he would see Trump as public enemy number one. And then to see Netenyahu offer Pfiser the health record data to all of Israel (in JD's world) would be placing JD into a full on thriller just short of "Why do we consider we are not in the tribulation right now?" So I can see why he would be deeply invested against Trump. He spent I believe over a year with update after update after update on the vax. In some ways I am grateful he took that mantle. Being the most prolific speaker from the pulpit against the vax.
But because of how passionate he was on that end of things, it would seem it was a frontier office to warn the people. And seeing one hold a rare office with such passionate alarm, it seems to have perhaps creeped into his psyche that God has him on a mission to rescue the world from Trump now. The irony there for me is, if Trump aligns with my Eschatology, JD would be going against the empire of reality. But even there, I would see him still have a different narrative than even if things move in the direction that might be in line with my thinking. And he will tell that story. And he will stick to it. In some ways that kind of eptimoizes the day and age we live in. Quadrupling down on convictions. Convictions are king. In the secular norm, it could likely be understood as 2 Tim 3:2.
In any event Andy its great you have a heart for him on some level. I feel bad sometimes when JD feels almost like the whole church is against him. In some ways I am proud of him for being tough enough to stand against the generic crowd view. Making decisions not to join prophecy seminars. It kind of makes him the total odd man out (when he was primed to be a Calvery Chapel watcher darling). JD could have become a huge watcher name (far beyond how it is now). To walk away from all that is pretty manly (even if those convictions are off). Its shows honest grit. So I find myself in an odd balance between not being on board with the generic Calvery Chapel watcher movement vibe nor the JDF watcher vibe (and in some cases "extremely" in opposition to it). So I guess a get a pretty good work out processing through my own theological grid upon eschatology.
In conclusion, I will admit I do have a special interest to be on JDF this Fall. Because in my eschatological views, this should be quite a barn burner. I'm interested to see how the forum does under wild water rapids I believe likely we be our portion this Fall. As I have seen, the narrative they go by there can easily splinter off into various threads of commingling counterintuitive reality perspectives. I used to think it will be awesome when Fall 2024 comes...to see the shock on their faces (this was back in 2021 even). Of course that is if whatever of my views might hold water. I imagined that day when JDF changed their view about Trump and many things. But now being this close to that Fall...plausible deniability will be plentiful it would seem. There does not seem to be any sign that no matter what happens, the JD perspective might change. Sorry to bring such Debby Downer news. But on the bright side, I could be wrong. And hope so. Blessings.
