Riverwalker

I would humbly submit that we don't choose our battles but rather they are foisted on us. Some just by the nature of being a Christian. These test our faith and cause us to grow and mature James 4:2 My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, 3 knowing that the testing of your faith produces [a]patience. 4 But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing. Some by our own foolishness. But I take heart that whatever it is that comes our way....will not be more than we can handle. Including the temptation to fail or collapse under the pressure 1 Cor 1013 No temptation [regardless of its source] has overtaken or enticed you that is not common to human experience [nor is any temptation unusual or beyond human resistance]; but God is faithful [to His word—He is compassionate and trustworthy], and He will not let you be tempted beyond your ability [to resist], but along with the temptation He [has in the past and is now and] will [always] provide the way out as well, so that you will be able to endure it [without yielding, and will overcome temptation with joy]. As Alive said...we are in a war, and when should keep our armor well kept and equipped. The one thing we MUST avoid is taking it personally. Because the reason we face these battles is because Jesus is our Lord

Because we lack a reference to the time when these things we will occur, its very hard to be dogmatic about future prophecy What we don't know When it will happen Who will be involved precisely How it will happen precisely What we can know It will happen Refer to #1 The biggest problem we can get into is to get dogmatic about what we THINK will happen. Many Jews missed the coming of the Messiah because they thought He would come as a conquering king. And He did, conquering sin and death and bringing victory and the kingdom of heaven to man. But they had very little concept of that reality. What they knew was Caesar, and Jesus did not march into Palestine with an Army of Angels to free them from Caesar as they thought He would, and they missed it. We too looking at future prophecy have no concept of the time and manner this will occur and we can miss it if we stubbornly hold to one Idea of how it will happen, or how it happened. If God did not tell us the details, (and He did not, He gave us an outline) then we have no business in filling in the details ourselves. It is very alluring to think you know something, or have a special vision, but in the end it is all just pride. People have been tussling over this for 2000 years and we are no closer to knowing the details than we were 2000 years ago. Be humble, content yourself to the realization that you cannot know it all...yet 1 Corinthians 13:12 For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known. And it is for a very good reason. We should not be focused on what is to come. We should be focused on now, and doing what we can for the kingdom now. Don't let your lamps go unattended being caught up in what will happen, and miss it when it happens.

We can all teach, we can all preach and our number one teacher is the Holy Spirit John 14: . 26 But the [g]Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you. That being said God has called and gifted some people to specialize in teaching the word, In breaking it down line by line, precept by precept. Doing expository work that can add more information on the bible than we could think to glean ourselves But as with everything that comes from man, and as Paul commended the Bereans. Take what you hear, compare it to the bible and see if its true. And my own advice would be neither completely accept or reject what you may hear, without consulting God.

Fac-ism?

I agree it is unnecessary , but it is what it is There is a great deal of of difference between Intellect, (which we all have) and intellectualism Adding -ism onto things changes them into evil Human Humanism Commune Communism Race Racism and so on when something becomes an ism it becomes a dogma and theology of its own

To the topic this is the pitfall of "Intellectualism" - Pride When someone does not think like you do, it can cause us to be offended

When we lose the love, we have lost everything. Yes we can disagree, even vehemently but we must never offend. And the best way to avoid offending people...is don't let them offend you. Say what needs to be said and then leave the rest to God. If it bounces off of them, just move on 1 Cor 13:13 Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal. 2 And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. 3 And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, but have not love, it profits me nothing. The hardest lesson for me to learn

Its n0t hard, You said Giod sent the Word. I am telling you God IS the word

The issue is this "At the beginning God sent the Word to do the Creation." Your words. God did not send the Word, He is the word" Whether you meant to or not your choice of words intimated that Jesus, The Word is God, IS NOT God And that IS wrong, desperately wrong.

The Word....IS God John 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. 4 In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. 5 And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not [a]comprehend it.

That is why the recipe we follow is the bible. The denominations of men have no say over Christianity. That is God's Pie

I find this kind of evidence to be self fulfilling. I have an desired goal (preterism) now what evidence can I find to support that? If that was the only thing keeping me from accepting preterism I certainly could not dogmatically say it was wrong. But the bigger issue here is that Jesus said He would return IMMEDIATELY after the tribulation. And that I cannot over look

I have seen it done right and wrong, and when it is done right it is beautiful, but when people are all fleshed out and looking to be seen, prideful and "Grabbing The Blessing" it is very wrong and very harmful My base definition of Charismatic is the worship and celebration of God through Spirit Filled Praise and Worship some times manifesting in workings of the Gifts of the Spirit, which I do believe are still in effect for today. Classic case of doing it wrong , in all my time in the charismatic church and coming up to the Altar to be prayed for I never once was "slayed" in Spirit, but in the beginning I did fall back because I thought it was expected. When I stopped falling some of the preachers would literally push me until I fell. This was all about the preacher and the powers Of his "gift" And then there were times I was with a group of believers and we prayed and praised and the Holy Spirit was there, moving on us, sometimes we were quiet and sometimes someone spoke a "word" and it was right on and lovely

Absolutely and scary. I used to worry about my dad walking around the corner when I was kid when I was doing something I shouldn't but now fuggedaboutit, I can't get away with nothing

Anywhere the Spirit of God is, is the temple, First it was a tent, then a building, and now it is us. The Holy Spirit is dwelling in our hearts

When I was in my twenties I 2was convince Christ was coming soon When I was in my thirties I was sure When I was in my forties I was pretty sure When I was in my 50's I was hoping Now that I am in my 60's I am not sure, and If comes to meet me, or I go to meet Him its all good There is no way of knowing. but you can keep yourself prepared

So true that is the flaw with preterism They think the tribulation has already come and Nero was the Antichrist, but unless the return of Christ happened sever years from the beginning of that, it was nit the tribulation

If I have to go out of the bible to see you making your point.....hard pass

Short Answer I am agreeing with you which part did I not make clear (I tend to muddle things from time to time)

It would have to be, to make this preterism the truth But it was written @ 90 ad

Really? Okay time to get off this Hamster wheel

IMMEDITALY yes indeed If Jesus has not returned (and I am pretty sure He hasn't) then he was not referring to the destruction of the temple which we knew happened in ad 70 years, twenty years before John had his revelation, WHICH seems pretty pointless IF this has already all happened

Yes in the first 2 verses He was talking about the Temple Then he talked about the signs of the end of the ages then He talked about the tirbulation Then He talked out False christs Then He talked about His return Then talked about no one knowing the day or the hour

And did this happen? in 70 ad? Did Jesus come back already? If so partner we are in big trouble