My Journey of Faith - Part I

The Joshue journey....what would it be without explaining my journey, what I've gone through, or what I'm going through learning?  In all honesty, I haven't written a blog in quite some time now - but I think it might be a good thing to get back into it.

You see kids, this is the story about how...........naw - someone's already done that, besides I can do that - but perhaps having some reference material along the way can help tell that story too.

So - one of my last posts on Facebook(if the link doesn't work - scroll to the bottom to read what I wrote) was about some things I wanted people to understand about me when reading a something I'd post on Facebook.  One of the things mentioned was myself being a Preterist or someone following the fulfilled eschatology position of the Bible.  In simple terms for those who don't understand - I believe in the fulfilled eschatology(end times) position of the Bible.

What does this mean?  Well I'm sure that everyone has a core belief of a "end of the world".  When this is mentioned, different people will turn to the Bible to read things Jesus wrote in the Olivet discourse, some people will go and read Revelations, and some will even go and read of many plagues and curses mentioned in the Old Testament.

So - if I believe in the fulfilled end times position - that essentially means that everything from Genesis 1 through to Revelation 22 has been completed or fulfilled.

Now - to take on that belief isn't as simple as making the decision at that moment.  There were a lot of influences.  A lot of questions that couldn't be answered.  I still remember reading Jesus' sermon on the mount and just after the Beatitudes already having a question......now perhaps before getting to the question, I should explain what my beliefs and views were.

I grew up in family that did attend church - but I'll be honest when I say what I knew of Jesus or God was very little, in fact so minute, in fact I still don't know much, but I know tons more than I did back then if that says anything.  So one day I remember being at work, and someone introduced me to this doctrine of the Rapture.  I didn't know anything about this and I definitely didn't this was possible.  So this my friends brought me into the world of pre-millenialism, which is a belief that Jesus will return in the future at a unknown time, but those who believe in Him will be taken out of the world prior to the 7 year tribulation, prior to the great and terrible day of the Lord.  So I believed this, I knew just about every piece of biblical evidence to support this.

Now - to the question.......now this wasn't my only question - but this question was a key factor because it was something that Jesus himself said.

Jesus said in Matthew 5:17-18

Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil.

¹⁸ For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.

Now - what did he mean by this?  I'll be honest - I had no idea how to answer this.  I asked different people what Jesus meant by that - and I'd get the common answers like "well Jesus spoke in parables for a reason" and stuff like that, which I thought was complete crap.  How can nobody answer this question for me?  Yes  Jesus spoke in parables for a reason

Matthew 13:10-13 says:

And the disciples came, and said unto him, Why speakest thou unto them in parables?

¹¹ He answered and said unto them, Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given.

¹² For whosoever hath, to him shall be given, and he shall have more abundance: but whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken away even that he hath.

¹³ Therefore speak I to them in parables: because they seeing see not; and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand.

So it would seem that the people I were asking - themselves didn't understand.

So while I believed in Jesus and that He was the Son of God, and all those other Titles He has - I thought - How can I truly believe someone, or believe in someone I don't fully understand.

I remember the day like it was yesterday.  I was kneeling by my bedside praying - "God, I don't care whether the rapture is true, or whether it isn't - I just want to know the truth, I want to know you" - I remember praying this, and going to bed.  I was working overnights at the time and had a Facebook buddy who also worked overnights.  He sent me this link and asked what I thought about it.  So - I started reading......and while some of the stuff of what I was reading made sense, I was at a total loss of words.  I didn't know what to say.  Everything I believed was being ripped away from me.  I was like "what about the 1000 year reign with Christ?" - "what about going to heaven?" - "what about the judgement day?", and the list went on and on.

I don't think I read the Bible or did anything "religious" for a month or so.  I remember going back and at some point and started reading the Bible again, and for the first time ever got to Matthew 5:17-18 and it actually made sense.  Maybe because my faith in believing in an event had been shaken from me and taught me to seek God for who he is and not for what I would benefit out of it.  Now granted I did have some help with understanding this and it was taught to me like this....

Josh - do you believe we live under the Old Covenant or the New Covenant?  To which I answered the New.  He continued to state, well how can we live under the New if all isn't fulfilled until Heaven and Earth pass?

DING DING DING!  Bells going off for me here.

There is a mention of Heaven and Earth passing away and John seeing a New Heaven and a New Earth - but you almost need to be in Revelation 19-20-21 to get to that part.  So, unless all of that has happened - we're still under the old Covenant, which means we need to follow the old Covenant laws, and perform the sacrifices, and all that stuff....Stuff that as Christians we believe we don't have to do because we're in the New Covenant but somehow our New Covenant teaching includes a future return of Jesus and all of Revelation will only happen like 7 years prior to Jesus' return which is just OMG!

So - I know that taking this on, leads to other questions - trust me I've been there, and I'm still searching some of the questions.  Like what about Heaven and Hell?  What about the Antichrist?  What about all those things we believe if Jesus is returning in the future?  Exactly - as I said, my faith was shaken.  With that said, my faith was made stronger and I don't think there's much that could shake it at this point.

With all this said - I'm going to bring this message to an end - but be sure to know, I'll continue this journey and share some of the other questions that were answered through a fulfilled Eschatology viewpoint.