My name is Joseph and Im seeking truth

[Joseph]

A few months ago I realized that my view of salvation was to small. As I came to embrace my union with Christ and the release from the evangelical pre-tribulation theology and the the teachers that had me captivated with the latest signs to watch for, and the websites I visited daily to watch and see if His return or how close to the tribulation we were. And the poor souls, not me that we be stuck for this coming tribulation period.    Well all of that thinking has crumbled, because I know that our Creator is loves and is committed to his creation, we bare his image and likeness and he sees the true value that we are.

My question is since I have abandoned my beliefs concerning the rapture/second coming, what is the truth?
I know the kingdom of God is within us/Emanuel/God with us, and Christ in us the hope of glory.  So do I just die and wait to be resurrected and get a new body or will Christ come a second time?  In your article on eschatology you mentioned that the Revelation and Matt. 24 were already fulfilled.  I guess my question is are we waiting for a future return or just live and die, and resurrect some day? 
Any comments appreciated.  Thank you.

[Lazarus Short]

WELCOME!

I happen to believe in "present truth," meaning (to me) the gradual, continual unfolding, unveiling of our knowledge of the Ways of God.  I see it more and more as the years roll by, and all eternity will hardly be sufficient to plumb the depths of God's riches.  I have no interest in pre or post trib issues, I don't subscribe to the Rapture, I just look forward to the Kingdom, and I note that God often did things differently than people expected at the time.

[Dandelion]

I am pretty 'old-fashioned' when it comes to the Resurrection, and end times.

Jesus will physically come back. As far as the Resurrection, I believe we will all meet with God upon our death, and that, because we don't live in time anymore, we will be united with all, once we are deemed ready for Paradise, with God and His Saints.

But, right now, we are here, on this website together, and I want to wish you a warm welcome. I am still relatively new myself. I love it here. Never knew about UR until a few months ago.....I was ready to hear the Good News, though, and accepted it after just a few months.

So happy for you to join us, Joseph!

:welcome:

:Gclap:

D.

[guest5685]

WELCOME JOSEPH  :dsunny:  I think you will enjoy this site and find the fellowship here friendly. We don't all agree on every minute detail but believe in a God of Love that does not fail nor abandon his kids. :HeartThrob:

[rosered]

  Hi Joseph !!! :welcome:

   Good post describing your thoughts  ,   and we are  all thankful   that it is the LORD  whom gives the increase  by HIS WORD of truth and  Spirit  of truth

  This  always   is  what changes our mind     , a new fresh and clean    hope by giving us His faith  and Love  to make all the difference  , we all have to grow in truth and grace   by His own power  and desire , keeping hope alive within us    ,  Christ in you,  the hope of  seeing Gods glory working  in all

I believe  like everything God has ever made    has meaning   ,    for the carnal mind it  has its purpose   , and so does the Spiritual,  mind of Christ

I do believe it is a process of exchanging     one  thing for  another and putting on Christ has a new meaning and purpose  , that we can only begin to understand

in the short time we are given to know Him in this  manner  ..... God has a plan  it is our   work to trust HIM    though it all   and we can  only do that by the LORD JESUS CHRIST     working in us all     , May God bless you and yours   with more and more of Him     :HeartThrob:

LOVE  does not fail and GOD IS LOVE,    the only foundation that stands the test of time and place and all things pertaining to HIS     complete  desire
It is not Gods will that none should perish   , and by sending the LORD JESUS CHRIST/WORD OF GOD   when He did  , turned everything around     from its course   being destruction   and death holding those  as prisoners    , come to set the captives free    by His own  WORD and Spirit of Life      He holds everything now and  will be taken away in Christ  that anointing work  by His own arm of Salvation    , whom is all in all
It is our work to trust Him  to the end ...    The Word testifies to these things as TRUTH   and By His own Spirit OF TRUTH they will come to pass   FAITH COMES BY  HEARING WHAT THE SPIRIT IS SAYING ...
We build upon the faith hope and love  God has  already supplied in Jesus Christ  the  gifts of His grace  to us  in blessing.....
  Romans 8 God Works In All Things
28And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.


29For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren;...

2 Samuel 16:12
It may be that the LORD will look upon my misery and restore to me his covenant blessing instead of his curse today."

Acts 13:48
When the Gentiles heard this, they were glad and honored the word of the Lord; and all who were appointed for eternal life believed.

Romans 1:7
To all in Rome who are loved by God and called to be his holy people: Grace and peace to you from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ.

Romans 8:30
And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified.

Romans 11:29
for God's gifts and his call are irrevocable.

1 Corinthians 1:2
To the church of God in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus and called to be his holy people, together with all those everywhere who call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ--their Lord and ours:

1 Corinthians 1:9
God is faithful, who has called you into fellowship with his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.

1 Corinthians 1:24
but to those whom God has called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.

2 Corinthians 4:15
All this is for your benefit, so that the grace that is reaching more and more people may cause thanksgiving to overflow to the glory of God.

Galatians 1:6
I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you to live in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel--

Galatians 1:15
But when God, who set me apart from my mother's womb and called me by his grace, was pleased

Galatians 5:8
That kind of persuasion does not come from the one who calls you.

Ephesians 1:9
he made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ,

Ephesians 1:11
In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will,

Ephesians 3:11
according to his eternal purpose that he accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Ephesians 4:1
As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received.

Philippians 3:14
I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.

Hebrews 9:15
For this reason Christ is the mediator of a new covenant, that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance--now that he has died as a ransom to set them free from the sins committed under the first covenant.

1 Peter 2:9
But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God's special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.

1 Peter 3:9
Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult. On the contrary, repay evil with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing.

Pretty amazing if you consider ''all things ''  are working together   by Him   and for us whom have been called out of the world / darkness into HIS GLORIOUS LIGHT     and His children of the DAY      :dsunny: :HeartThrob:

[marie glen]

hi Joseph! And welcome to tentmaker forum!

I believe all truth is in the bible.. believers the world over (and even on this forum) may not all believe the same but there's only one truth.. though it needs no defense nor arguments :laughing7:

As far as Jesus' return, I definitely believe He is coming back "and every eye will see Him" .."as you saw Him go, so shall you see Him return" Acts 1:19(?)

I believe 'tribulation' has always been going on, on planet earth.. (and especially now in the middle east) but will reach a climax, outlined in the book of revelation (and the prophets). As surely men's empires which are built on sand, like all other empires, can only 'crash and burn' - "judgment" I believe is the natural consequences and results of man's own doings, which we can see all the trends of in the world, pretty as ya please..

"immediately after the tribulation of those days... shall see the Son of man coming on the clouds.. He shall send out His angels to gather His elect from the four directions of the earth.." Matthew 24:28-31

from 1 Cor 15:52-55(?) "at the last trump(et)" (in the book of revelation it appears to me like mankind unleashes the split atom - "He comes in fire and with His angels" (2 Thessalonians 1:7,8?) (As the fire 'comes down' the saints/believers 'go up'? meeting the Lord at His coming..)

"the dead in Christ will rise first then we who are alive.. will meet the Lord in the air at His coming" 1 Thess ch 4

Zechariah 14:4 says His feet will 'touchdown' on the Mt of Olives...

And so begins the 1000 year reign of Jesus.. "the rest of the dead do not rise until the 1000 years are ended" Rev ch 20

At which time comes judgment 'day' ... at the end of (I believe) all those still not believing (if any) will spend a duration in the lake of fire

We're all pretty much agreed on here that time in the lake of fire is only of a duration, the original wording used, being aion (eon/age/duration, which can be long or short according to context..)

That New Testament is a very slim volume.. If we search God's Word all answers can be revealed.

It's great to share ideas.. even dreams and visions, but God's Word is truth and is the test for every idea and doctrine.

A little leaven (untruth) can leaven the whole lump/message. The more truth and only truth (w/o spot or wrinkle) the more effective the message.

I believe new age/gnostic thinking - a loose collection of the esoteric elements and 'higher knowledge' of the world's nonbiblical faiths is rampant in the world today and vastly growing.. and the christian will do well to be very well grounded in God's Word.

God can (surely?) only be perfect. Therefore, the 'end' result of all this (life as we presently know it and human history) can only be the best one possible.

"God is love" (1 Jn 4:8) and "Love never fails" (1 Cor 13)

God is perfect. And Perfect makes no mistakes. Loses nothing.

:Peace2: :welcome: :hithere: God bless!!

[Cardinal]

 :cloud9: Welcome to our tent of meeting  :banana: People's views on here as to how and when vary, but the one thing we agree on is love will conquer all in the end.

As for my view on the tribulation.....a tribulum was a threshing instrument designed to thresh the chaff off wheat, the good seed described in Matt. 13 and others. Now with that in mind, knowing the good seed is Christ in you, the hope of glory, might it not be that the trib has to do with revealing the glory? I'm sure you will be bless on here.....enjoy.  :HeartThrob:

[GodIsLove]

:cloud9: Welcome to our tent of meeting  :banana: People's views on here as to how and when vary, but the one thing we agree on is love will conquer all in the end.

As for my view on the tribulation.....a tribulum was a threshing instrument designed to thresh the chaff off wheat, the good seed described in Matt. 13 and others. Now with that in mind, knowing the good seed is Christ in you, the hope of glory, might it not be that the trib has to do with revealing the glory? I'm sure you will be bless on here.....enjoy.  :HeartThrob:

This is why I love it here--good insight Cardinal :)

[GodIsLove]

WELCOME!

I happen to believe in "present truth," meaning (to me) the gradual, continual unfolding, unveiling of our knowledge of the Ways of God.  I see it more and more as the years roll by, and all eternity will hardly be sufficient to plumb the depths of God's riches.  I have no interest in pre or post trib issues, I don't subscribe to the Rapture, I just look forward to the Kingdom, and I note that God often did things differently than people expected at the time.

:thumbsup: especially that last line :)

[GodIsLove]

Joseph, welcome! I hope you stick around! God has blessed you to receive the knowledge that He is bigger than we give Him credit for and He will accomplish his goal of reconcile all to himself! I love this place, I have gotten a lot of answers and inspiration here, and everyone is peaceful for the most part.
I look forward to hearing more from you :)

[Cardinal]

:cloud9: Welcome to our tent of meeting  :banana: People's views on here as to how and when vary, but the one thing we agree on is love will conquer all in the end.

As for my view on the tribulation.....a tribulum was a threshing instrument designed to thresh the chaff off wheat, the good seed described in Matt. 13 and others. Now with that in mind, knowing the good seed is Christ in you, the hope of glory, might it not be that the trib has to do with revealing the glory? I'm sure you will be bless on here.....enjoy.  :HeartThrob:

This is why I love it here--good insight Cardinal :)

:cloud9: All glory to Him. He's just never let me focus on the so called "signs" out there, but rather on what was going on in His Kingdom in myself and others. Besides, judgment begins in the house of the Lord, whose house we are, and if we pass through it, what out there can hurt us? Blessings....

[eaglesway]

I believe in a literal second coming of Jesus Christ at the end of this age, but really, all that matters is walking in union with Him in whatever time we are allotted. Being conformed to His image is the work of grace and it will be completed through His faithfulness in whatever trials we should be called to walk through.

I also believe there are ages through which God is working out the salvation of all and the restoration of all creation, and that we who are the first fruits of the kingdom of God in this age will multiply the work of reconciliation and restoration in ages to come, until God becomes "all in all".

But before all that, I hear Him say, "Today, if you hear my voice....."

We are given this day, in which we can walk in the Day as children of the light. If we do that the rest will take care of itself. :o)