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A Book Review on:

CHRISTIANITY’S GREAT DILEMMA

Is Jesus coming Again or Is He Not?

Introduction:

WHAT A DILEMMA CHRISTIANITY HAS ON ITS HANDS!

Most world agree that mankind is riddled with unhelpful desires that lead us away

from experiencing happiness in this life or in the afterlife. And, I could see the change,

even if I was not old enough to realize what I was actually observing. But as I looked

around at what was happening, I began to see conservatism as a desperate clinging to

the past and the ways of old, of holding on to the status quo, and a violent resistance to

new and what some would describe as radical ideas. Through your indulgence, allow

me to continue fleshing out my thoughts to you while we both journey to understand the

great Christianity’s dilemma I am talking about. But, please let me borrow an experience

of someone that may be foreign to all of us, which at some point, may get us enlighten

from the discourse of many about Christianity’s great dilemma of today.

However, all the major world religions, except for Christianity, say the solution to

man’s dilemma begins with man. The truth of life thought in the Bible should continue

until His final coming on earth. This should not be interrupted nor distorted of the true

meaning of the preaches made about His return. For as long as I can recall, there have

been times I have considered myself a liberal. Liberal in terms of several things. But, it

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may be that I came to this decision because of some remarkable experiences and

observations, to which were very much conservative in thought and I was seeking the

ultimate act of childhood rebellion. But there were other factors involved as well. That

may have been noted by other readers, could be many times before. For Eastern

religions such as Hinduism and Buddhism, meditation permits man to conquer those

unhelpful desires, Islam and Judaism both instil human effort to satisfy their deity’s

necessities. Those were times of change that was recorded in various history across the

countries. That even the author of this book I’m about to review ask question several

times, “Is Jesus coming again or is He not?” A long debated question about the greatest

reverence for Jesus, the Bible and Christianity.

Reformed Jews for example, including Muslims select laws and rituals they think

are reasonable and discard the rest. This is perhaps they are hoping that God rate us

on a curve. What I mean, the great dilemma Christians have is not clear to them either.

For the longest years, ministers and pastors have been preaching us for the second

coming of Jesus, to which, now is facing a great discourse for the belief our ancestors

have lived and we are actually holding at this moment. The disagreement may be

largely keeping us in the middle and somehow confusing us to what really is the

dilemma from who, what, where and why it happened and reached this point.

I didn’t spent all my life in search to answer the similar question that the author

wants an answer, but I did bunch of reading and digging of facts from printed literature,

from conversation with the experts, and some relevant observations I have around.

Trying to extract facts that may lead us to an answer to the author’s question. There

have been no clear passage in the Bible nor written by experts that tells exact period or

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season will Jesus come again on earth. But, as always, the impossibility of fulfilling the

rquirements each religion demands has led many followers to give up complete

obedience to their religion’s standards.

IN THE GOSPELS WHEN DID JESUS SAY HE WAS COMING?

Let me begin this review with a story I have read several years ago. It was about

the story of a friend who just had his vacation from California for an almost three weeks

stay in the Philippines. Were it not for some problems in the pits of the past and a

misunderstanding of the rules of the race, but I was fascinated by the change in design

and how the tradition-bound US auto racing establishment wrote off the cars before

even seeing what they could do. As far as he could remember his Dad’s fancy hobby

was American racing. During that time as he storied, while American racing began to

change following the 1965 Lotus victory and the cars that race at Indianapolis are linear

descendants of those first Lotus-Fords, I don’t think that we can say the same thing

about the American automotive industry. Earlier that same year, government officials

defiantly announced that segregation would be a part of Alabama life. “Even though I

am Asian and might don’t have much knowledge about western life”, he said. ”I guess

my observation from the stories narrated to me and the insights of experts and book I

have read”. This point is intended as more subtle than it probably comes across as a

not. But is intended to amplify the primacy of God’s mysterious movement in our lives,

world, and times and there is no dynamic that has caught Him by surprise, or threatens

to undermine His plan.

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Upon hearing his story, my understanding led me to the rules of segregation.

Perhaps, it began to question the formal and informal rules of society. I noticed there

were written before about the nature of segregation and its effect on all the children of

the south, so I will not spend much time on that point here that much. But, as the Civil

Rights drama unfolded around in Memphis and the shadow of the Vietnam War passed

over many lives, as we watch them from movies and read from books, it continued that

conservatives speak with the same rhetoric, compelling adherence to the status quo

while, liberals sought change and equality. While the town where my few of my relatives

went to college were conservative, they said campus ministers were very much in the

forefront of bringing change to the area. It was their campus ministers who gave them

hope for positive change in life and these hopes invited further questions about what

liberals and conservatives were and should be. While, they begin to question what

many liberals are doing in today’s world. At that point, I still see conservatives longing

for the old days, no matter if they were good or bad. What would happen if we

presented Acts 4: 32 – 35 to people without any Biblical reference to the people and ask

them what they thought it meant? Bringing you back to the dilemma. It is not the Bible

who has mistaken but, again it’s the man, we who serve our own purposes and direction

that hold us to stay blinded and deaf of hearing the truth about His coming.

Let me get back to this thought that I wish to translate, if the whole congregation

of believers was united as one—one heart, one mind! They didn't even claim ownership

of their own possessions. No one said, "That's mine; you can't have it." They shared

everything. The apostles gave powerful witness to the resurrection of Jesus, and grace

was on all of them. And so it turned out that not a person among them was needy.

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Those who owned fields or houses sold them and brought the price of the sale to the

apostles and made an offering of it. The apostles then distributed it according to each

person's need.

Without a doubt, I think it would strike the reader, especially if they are a

conservative, as socialism have been given its very name and that doesn’t much satisfy

the thought. Although, I know I sound more philosophical but, revelations in this book

can be felt more if the reader will open its senses to get through the message.

Considering how Jesus went to narrowly defined the period and time frame for the

fulfilment of His prophecies. That if you weren’t read and truly understood the book

written by the author, you wouldn’t not really grasp the bulk of message it has on it.

Mathew 24:23, took emphasis on the generation today that comes fitting to the

message. This journey of reviewing needs to find scriptural passage to support this

claim of His coming.

IN THE REVELATION WHEN DID JESUS SAY HE WAS COMING?

In my opinion, after reading the book which really pushed me to do more digging

for facts and keenly studied events of the past. I think one of the problems with the

modern church, and Christianity in this country, is that we have forgotten what the early

church did and endured. We confuse the corporate church of today with the real church

and the message that it once presented, a message that threatened the very structure

of society, not because it was dangerous but because it was radical and went against

the status quo. As for me, with these facts that are being weigh over other facts, it

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seems to favour that there is a Second Coming. Although the Bible has some good

news and bad news when it comes to our eternal life and destiny. Some believers trying

to get around the prob;em and conclude that Jesus is coming soon. Some have thought

that this preaching is wrong and misleading. They believed that this is unacceptable. In

keeping with the recent academic trend, contemporary philosophers of religion have

been unwilling to maintain hard and fast distinctions between the two disciplines. As a

result, it is often difficult in reading recent work to distinguish what the philosophers are

doing from what the theologians (and philosophers) of past centuries regarded as

strictly within the theological domain. Indeed, philosophers and theologians alike are

now coming to use the term “analytic theology” to refer to theological work that aims to

explore and unpack theological doctrines in a way that draws on the resources,

methods, and relevant literature of contemporary analytic philosophy. The use of this

term reflects the heretofore largely unacknowledged reality that the sort of work now

being done under the label “philosophical theology” is as much theology as it is

philosophical.

We should note of what the Lord has revealed to us. “I am coming soon”, Jesus

said from Rev. 22:20. Everyone long for His return, but why do I want Him to come

back? Is it because I will be in His presence, away from sickness and death? Is it

because I am tired of living in a difficult world? Or is it because when you have loved

Him so much of your life when, he shared your tears and your laughter. How do we feel

about the Lord’s return? Let us long for the day passionately and earnestly for the

Lord’s come back, that could be very soon. But, what does waiting for Jesus’s return

look like in your life? Have you left something undone that you could attend to today?

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Look, for many people, the image of the church is one of “old” people who still

sing the same hymns from fifty years ago and are stunned at the idea of “modern”

music or prayers in a worship service. The church itself is characterized as a monolithic

if not utterly homogenous, group that punishes innocent reformers such as Galileo. We

see this over-commitment to the formal pronouncements of faith in resource-consuming

legal battles to force teaching of intelligent design as a viable theory of science. As for

me, the battles that conservatives fight regardless, if they be political or religious, are

battles of control, of saying that “I know what’s best for you when it comes to thinking

and I am going to tell you what to say and think.” Conservatives make it sound as if the

world will come to an end if liberal thoughts are allowed to pervade this world or if

innovative ideas are allowed to develop. This is clearly not a sustainable worldview in

an age that values the insights of new science and the comforts of modern technology.

That being said, I find it very disturbing that many of those who dismiss Christianity and

other religions as mere superstition also proclaim that those who believe in God are

fools. That may have sound not so good. While I can accept their choice to not believe

in God, I must ask what it is that they do believe in. For you simply cannot have a life in

which everything is empirical and there is no belief. There may be those who have

removed emotion from their lives and try to live and make decisions according to pure

logic as though they might transcend the problem of fitting theory to imperfect and

unfolding experience. But, it is a life devoid of laughter and crying, of joy and wonder. I

may have mentioned several emotions I have while reviewing the book but, my stand is

there is a Second Coming. I believe with conviction that there will be this sacred

homecoming of Jesus. That He will bring us to His Kingdom and these things that He

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promised will be fulfilled in God’s time. There are several factors that affect the thinking

of other groups that distracts the believers’ direction. Those that warrants the people to

be swayed in favour of them to dismantle the belief of the Christian’s community.

The book may have shed some insight that finds Christianity some sort of

troubling, and has come to be associated with political conservatism. No doubt, it is

possible one can be both, but when there are people in need and your words speak

against helping, for any reason, when you put the blame for a person’s poverty on the

person instead of the system, it is hard for me to see you as a Christian. When Jesus

started his mission, he announced that he had come to bring health to the sick and relief

to the oppressed. Jesus was a radical from the very beginning of his ministry and I don’t

see how you can be a conservative and accept that idea.

To bring health to a nation where there was no healthcare, to offer homes to the

homeless, and to bring relief are very much liberal ideas in a world where it is everyone

for themselves and what I have is mine and no one else’s. I will be honest and say that

when I hear someone tell me that the Gospel message is to make disciples of all

mankind I cringe. I do so because they often say it in terms of finality. As is the case in

so many instances of longstanding abuse of power and authority, Christians have come

to accept one translation of Jesus’s message as the “true” translation. But one

translation of the words that Jesus spoke and I am borrowing from Clarence Jordan,

another Southern Rebel in the liberal sense is that we are not to insist on a particular,

narrow interpretation of scripture but to show the world what it is that Jesus did and can

do.

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Let me use this Gospel passage John 20: 19-31 as a reference, which speaks of

those who believe in Christ, not because they had seen the Risen Christ but because of

what others had done and said. John repeats essentially the same message. It is what

others see and hear from Jesus’s followers that will lead them to Christ. This is a real

evidence that other groups is trying to induce confusion and conflict regarding the

teaching that there is a Second Coming. Different factions that surround the Christian

community is luring that attempted to split the churches of believers of Jesus’ second

coming.

Unfortunately, when you have a group whose words and actions run counter to

the message of the Gospel, it is very difficult to bring them to Christ. It was through my

reading of the Scriptures and my own life that lead me to that view. Somewhere along

the line, I came to think that it was those good civil works that were going to save me

from sin and death. It was pointed out to by a liberal pastor that one could not get into

heaven by proclaiming to be a Christian yet not believing in Christ. It is by the grace of

God and our belief in Christ that we are saved, not by the good that we do. But in

proclaiming that Christ is our saviour, we must work to bring about what he first

proclaimed. Good works are not the admission ticket but the natural and expected thing

of one who professes Christ as their personal saviour.

In my opinion, good alternatives will only come through Christ and a new life. I

may be a voice in the wilderness but I hope this is a call for others to speak out against

injustice and inequality, against the lack of healthcare and educational opportunities in

this country, against war. I encourage all of us to do what Jesus told Thomas that day in

the upper room so many years ago. To show the people that Christ has risen so that

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they too will believe. Show the people by working for the same things that Christ worked

for and be proud that you are a Christian and a liberal. It’s a dilemma day! Let’s open a

mixed bag of Christian predicaments. As we open the bag we consider how a Christian

is to react to some issues of the day. Walking in this world, can be difficult, but as God

has placed us here at this time in history we must reflect on the Biblical responses.

For now, let me throw you questions to answer that might help us all get through

the message of the book. How to deal with beggars? Should we be able to choose who

can or cannot come into our country? A reflection on how our bodies although breaking

down now, will eventually be replaced by God with perfect bodies. Are “church coffee

shops” a real issue? Should the modern church be regarded in the same way as the

Old Testament Temple? Does Christianity evolve to conform to culture? Let us try to

grab the meaning of these by looking back to the regarded dilemma of time on

Christianity’s.

One of the striking characteristics of the present time is its uncertainty as to the

nature of the ultimate religious loyalties. We all know perhaps, some may accept and

some may not, science, higher criticism, the disconcerting effect of evolution upon

authoritarianism, even the rise of a secularized social conscience, and the unfortunate

alliance of Protestantism with discredited pecuniary individualism of business. To count

with, the sudden and radical transition from the provincial estate of a nation of villagers

to a tense, highly mutualized, industrial civilization, dominated by the chaotic and

irresponsible life of the city. Lastly, the catalyst of a world-war. To which some of these

things have bewildered our spiritual leaders and made them loose their bearings.

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When the Baptizer began to prepare the way, he called for repentance, when

Jesus began his ministry in the Galilee, he called for repentance. Repentance is not just

saying one is sorry for what one has done in the past, repentance is the act of changing

one’s life and beginning anew. The people will see you proclaiming to be a Christian but

if your life is still focused on the “rat race” and your concern is for yourself and not

others, if you hold onto the status quo and deny others the same opportunities that you

have, then it will be very difficult for them to see in you what is seen in Christ. Everyone,

be they liberal or conservative today, seems stuck in their own old mind-set and, and

just as the Indy cars of the late 1950’s and early 1960’s were quickly outclassed and

outperformed by the new cars of the 1960’s, our retrograde left/right political

commitments are likely to go the way of dinosaurs. Unless better alternatives are

offered, this society, this civilization will not continue the progress forward that it has

made up until this point in time. Seemingly, others abuse riding the trend just to sound

cool and rock that they have intelligent opinion of seeing facts and clever enough to

make others believed that second coming is a superstition only. This has been a long

battle against those who patiently stand that the concept of second coming is theatrical

which serves the purpose of confusing the believers of Jesus homecoming.

The conscience of the church if this sounds not sarcastic to you, together with

the community, is little more today than a heterogeneous collection of moralities. This

prevailing uncertainty as to the bearing of religion upon life appears in the intense

attempts that are being made to reconcile of Jesus with the Christian’s patriot duties in

the present time. There is in spite of individual utterance of Jesus to the contrary, a very

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general conviction that the essential spirit and intent of his teachings are opposed. This

general conviction has given rise to an uncomfortable dilemma. As orthodox

Christianity, has always professed to do that have been built up within the historical

Christianity of false and should be repudiated.

On the other hand, this reality as hypothetical statement involves vicious and

intolerable rearranging with the facts of psychology and social evolution. Jesus

developed from childhood to maturity within the present social order would be an

entirely different personality, with a different measure of moral values, from the historical

Jesus whose moral sentiments were shaped by simple, peace-loving village life of the

Palestine of the first century. Although various attempts have been made to avoid this

dilemma reveal that chaos are prevalent in contemporary religious thought back, then.

Side by side with the utterances of Jesus stands the vast body of ethical traditions

gradually accumulated in the effort to rationalized the developing moral experience of

the church. In the course of time, however, the lust of secularized church for power, the

rise of a feudal society in which class distinctions were based upon status, the growing

emphasis of social values due to the development of trade and the emergence of an

intensive and self-conscious civilization made imperative to the formulation of social and

ethical philosophy that would assure church the continued loyalty of men showing that

the only in the church could all the values represented by the different social activities

find fitting recognition.

For hundreds of years already come and passed our generation, it has been a

similar preaching of pastors and ministers in their own churches. Believing that there is

second coming and that mere concept of waiting for several decades now, there is born

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a doubt and asking questions if there really is a second coming? What are the proof

which has been written that prove that He has not come yet and when He is actually

coming? God continues to speak to us through His word through the Bible. His counsel

is always sure and true for all people and every generation which we could find from

each pages of the book we are to review the God’s promises from which to draw

wisdom, courage and strength. Let us face this second coming of Jesus with a renewed

confidence in the Lord for indeed He promised never to leave us nor forsake us. Our

god is the God of unravelled starts and new beginnings for He is the one true concept of

constant in a world of change and uncertainty. That satisfies, restores, and renews

heart and soul of many. And, in almost many books about His coming, would say “this

could be the year!” There’s this pastor that on the first Sunday of each new year he

preached about the return of Christ, often quoting from 1 Thessalonians 4. His point

was always the same as everyone thinks. “This could be the year that Jesus will return.

Are you ready to meet Him? Many will never forget hearing the sermon. If that’s

true, I’m not sure I will be among those He’s coming for. But, I felt certain that my

parents would be going to heaven and I wanted to go too. In an increasingly chaotic

world, what a hopeful thought that this could be the year Jesus returns. More comforting

still is the anticipation that all who trust Him for salvation will be gathered together,

relieved from this world’s dilemma, sufferings, sorrow, and fear. We thus leave aside

such staple topics in philosophy of religion as traditional arguments for the existence of

God, the problem of evil, the epistemology of religious belief, the nature and function of

religious language. We also leave aside a variety of important but less-discussed topics

in philosophical theology, such as the nature of divine revelation and scripture, original

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sin, the authority of tradition, and the like. This may be relevant principle into the moral

order, but without it would have hardly able to include the radical pacifism of Jesus and

the profession of arms in the same general ethical scheme. The church in the blessing

of sword of the knight recognized the moral value of it. The modern conception of the

individual insists that the attainment of the moral ideal is only possible where each

shares as far as possible in the larger life of the whole. The principle of love is so

fundamental in the ethic of Jesus, is a comprehensive philosophy of civilization.

Filled with the passion and desire for justice comes to the ethic of Jesus which

demands something more sentimental to the passivism ethic of love. Religion and

ethics are not only differentiated, but the latter is preferred as giving the most effective

basis for action. There is, indeed inherent in the nature and constitution of which,

represent for the most part staunch churchmen who are more interested in

demonstrating the patriotism and loyalty of the church at this crucial moment than in

critical interpretation of the mind of Jesus. The gospel has nothing to do primarily with

the temporal but concerned with the eternal life. In this sense, it does not deal with

external arrangements and institutions but with the heart and its relations to God, its

divine grace and the forgiveness of sins. Apparently, the somewhat dubious role God is

forced to play in this philosophy. In so far as men succeeded in reorganizing their

religious loyalties it was from the subjective point of view. Moral obligations became for

the most part matters of inner attitudes. Spending ten hours a week in discussion with

other students presents some universal truths about human nature.

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THE LAST DAYS

Christianity’s dilemma is grounded primarily in the history, because Christianity is

a historical religion, hence the need for a brief historical analysis of the key lessons of

church history. The story of Christianity shows that it is possible to read the Bible as a

textbook on the pathology of religion giving rise to hypocrisy, idolatry, group egotism

and collective blindness. On the other hand the Bible can be read as a therapeutic text

overcoming the maladies of society by being a source of political renewal. The Christian

church has always played an ambiguous socio-political role throughout its history. In

some cases, the church has blessed and legitimated the state like the post-Constantine

era, while at times, the church observably some individual characters, has rejected the

status quo by affirming the reign of God and by calling for social justice against political

evils of the state. I feel it is essential to discuss this in the intention to give more light of

the facts laid down from the previous discussion.

In a time when ideological pragmatism 'distorts seeing and deafens hearing. In

conclusion believers do not have to proof that God exist through arguments for the most

they will get to be is great orators experts in the art of rhetorical presentation of ideas.

Strong arguments in favor of the existence of a Superior Intelligence exist but they of

necessity cannot demonstrate or proof God's existence. The second would transform

God into precisely that which the atheist criticize, an autocratic, tyrannical ruler. For

were God to create the ultimate utopia for mankind that would mean that he would have

to make people be good towards one another. He would have to control them as a

Puppet Master.

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Last days, end of the world, and Judgement day. For others they said, time is

nearing to end and second coming is very soon so, people must repent. One such

universal truth is that human beings do not like to change even for the better, and so

require some strong motivation before they budge. By strong motivation, of course, I

mean the pain of not changing outweighs the pain of changing, like a frog whose pot of

water has got just two degrees too hot. This confirms an observation that human life

tends to alternate between fruitless conversation and thoughtless action. We do, but do

not reflect on what we have done, and do not plan what we will do tomorrow. We think

about things, but generally avoid thinking about matters in which we might have to

reform our daily behavior or long-term goals.

Thus we remain in our comfortable but not that comfortable little bubble-boy zone

of intellectual and pragmatic stagnation. One great way out of this dilemma is to find

yourself in an even more uncomfortable dilemma. This time a formal logical dilemma, of

the kind so heuristically effective in Plato’s writings. Supposing divine revelation of some

kind, let us conservatively call the Christian Scriptures a divine revelation. The words on

the page are of God, from God, and for God’s purposes with men.

The Bible is divine in its teachings. It seems that human beings have a natural

understanding of how mind and body, how spirit and flesh interact. Looking at other

perspectives, Christian try too hard to convince naturalists to become dualists. Could

be, everyone is a dualist empirically, if not in their conscious worldview, being

acquainted as they are by everyday life with the connection of the immaterial conscious

self with the material unconscious world of body. We know that if you hurl an insult in

sound at someone’s eardrum, it will hit their soul.

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So if God has successfully communicated something deeply spiritual to us by

manifesting it in the physical form of a piece of paper, then whether or not the spiritual

fact and the physical fact are two different things, we must treat them with as one. For a

very long time in history, Europe and Asia knew little of each other, even though sharing

the same land mass. In the context of such a society, people tend to question the justice

of God and the relevance of the church as a primal move toward the search for justice.

A dilemma has two seemingly innocent premises and one conclusion. The first is

usually a pair of statements. The second is an either/or. The third is a conclusion that

follows deductively. Firstly, if the Bible is divine, then the physical book ought to be

treated with great respect, more respect even than that given human beings, who are

merely mortal; If it is not divine, then it’s teachings ought not to have a specially high

place in our lives. Secondly, either the Bible is divine or it is not divine remains a

comprehensive discussion. Therefore, either it ought to be treated with more respect

than human beings, or else its teachings ought not to have a special place in our lives. If

you do not like the conclusion, then what might be your opinion about this? The first

counter-argument that might surfaced was the book was reverencing itself.

THE END OF THE WORLD

At the heart of Christianity is the conviction that God has a purpose for creation,

and that her will impinges on the history of the world. In keeping with this conviction, the

Church, as a community of believers, consistently tries to interpret God's will in order to

align their lives and the lives of those around them to God's will.Theologically, the

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church is an assembly of the faithful who are called out to be instruments of grace in a

broken world. The understanding of the church as an instrument of grace to a broken

world is based on the Biblical text that the believers/disciples are the salt and light of the

world - a metaphor of justice and righteousness. Look at Matthew 5:13-16. The church

as an instrument of grace defines the mission and its nature of the church in terms of its

authority to 'preach. The church as an institution is a formal organization that sets out to

accomplish a specific purpose. It has its own proper sphere. Perhaps, from an authentic

theological perspective, the mission of the church cannot be understood and fulfilled

outside the world in which it exists, because its concern is not only the individual's

relationship with God but also the relationship between the same individual and the

world in which he/she lives.

Augustine argued that it was the obligation of the Christian to bring the state into

order because Christians are 'an assembly of reasonable beings bound together by a

common agreement as to the objects of their love. Augustine operated on the level of a

thin trajectory because he believed that even though the church was superior to the

state, the state was also obliged to help the cause of the church whenever it mattered

most. In addition, an authentic church with relevant modes of ministry remains the only

option for promoting a faithful and practical discourse within the present reality in an

attempt to move toward a meaningful future. Theologically, the church is modelled

around action and praxis propelled by the desire to image Christ's mission of redeeming

the world from all forms of societal evil, as evidenced by the declaration: 'I came that

they may have life, and have it abundantly (John 10:10b). It then follows that the

church's prophetic role in the context of social disintegration and national polarization

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demands a socio-political and economic engagement with the relevant arms of

governance and political players toward a socio-political contract which will give birth to

peace and democratic space for all. Any other option would be a disgrace to the church

of Jesus Christ who came to declare the good news to all.

Others said, the first Christians were uncompromisingly confrontational with

regard to the secular order. They believed that the state was ungodly while on the other

hand the state also viewed Christians as being in a deadly collision with the Roman

Empire. The post-Constantine era allowed the church to become an ally of the state.

Emperors became the compatriots of the bishops. In the same spirit the sovereign

autocrat was inevitably and immediately involved in the development of the church, and

conversely the church became more and more implicated in high political decisions. The

emperors saw Christianity as a means of promoting social stability for the common good

of the empire. During the medieval era, St Augustine's imperial theology promoted a

critical solidarity between church and state, hence he could argue that at times the

church has to say no and at times yes to state ideologies.

The modern church is characterised by powerful justice-conscious movements

within the established church denominations. These movements have promoted popular

pastoral declarations and affirmations which have become the rallying point of the social

renewal spirit in church circles. This is a good lesson regarding the meaning and cost of

discipleship, emphasising that there is no neutral ground for the church when it comes

to matters of faith and justice. In Latin America, the Medellin Conference (1968)

addressed issues of faith and justice in an honest way. We have a God given Biblical

and theological mandate to guide the nation and all leaders in making God's voice to be

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heard at particular times when He chooses to speak to His people on issues of justice,

peace, reconciliation, poverty and the liberation of the oppressed, please see Luke

4:18-19. In the same way we applaud and encourage positive actions and

developments.

A holistic approach towards an authentic theological discourse takes note that

God's salvific plan is non-selective and is premised on the call for peace, justice and

restoration without fear or favour. A living theology of the church has to appreciate that

there is need for both internal and external critique of ministry and service alike, as well

as rulers and systems of governance. Failure to take note of this aspect can result in a

selective approach to the church's prophetic responsibility. Given this instance, what is

of interest of the population which claims to be Christian? When it comes to the political

ideologies, the political field is characterized by violence. But considering the numerous

accounts of God's revelation in history, it is clear that God's majesty is inextricably

bound to social justice and holiness. What is clear is that true religion has to concern

itself with human and social transformation as it does with the spiritual dimension of life.

It is this reality which must inform Christian leadership that God's justice makes men

and women tremble because God judges the sinful world and God's holiness is

attractive.

THE JUDGEMENT DAY

Christianity should not be simply spiritualized because it is basically a way of life

in its holistic sense. It is an essential ingredient for existence and the promotion of good.

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This perspective of Christianity projects a clear prophetic responsibility. Many citizens

tend to interpret the lukewarm attitude of the church as compliance with the state's

institutions of repression and its ideology. Yet it is the divine mandate of the church to

be concerned about the well-being of God's people, just as God was concerned about

the welfare of the Hebrews who were slaves in Egypt. (Exodus 3:7-8). Historically, the

willingness to change (on the part of political players) comes about when ecclesiastical

institutions rise to challenge the stakeholders who are beneficiaries of the unjust social

structures and ideologies. The church must be conscious of the fact that throughout the

Biblical text the accounts of God's activities relate very closely to the marginalized

communities and the ordinary citizens whose existence is threatened by those who rule

over them.

Therefore, confessing faith in the transcendent God of the Bible within our socio-

political context is also a call to challenge the contemporary political and social ills of our

day. A prophet is a charismatic and fearless messenger of God. A prophet speaks and

declares divine oracles of faith without any attempt to edit the message. A prophet calls

people to order and right action. A prophet warns, corrects, rebukes and encourages

people toward keeping a clean sheet. Prophets seek to make a difference, they fight for

both moral and social justice and tell forth the consequences of disobedience or

indifference. They are concerned about deontology to which, obedience to the will of

God. A prophetic ministry does not compromise the universal truth that the church

believes in. It is from this paradigm that the church should give birth to a vision that

seeks to eradicate the social injustices that create negative class struggles. Sadly, the

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church is not spared from the demon of wealth accumulation while its congregants go

hungry.

Therefore, the church should set a clear agenda toward redeeming the situation

caused by socio-economic injustices, because it is a disgrace to all good and loving

citizens just as God is against all forms of oppression which are implicit or explicit in our

communities. The tendency for church leaders to be comfortable in their enjoyment of

the pleasures and privileges of this world, while the people they preach to be trampled

down by the evil structures of society promoted by the rich and powerful, is ungodly and

must be condemned as such.

From a social and historical perspective, it is common for people to turn to

religion and religious institutions for solutions to those problems that they lack power to

deal with. From the aforesaid perspective, the Christian church (as the largest single

religious institution in the land) has a moral responsibility to guide and counsel people

toward fighting for justice and peace in the land; the total good for God's creation.

Theologically, to emphasise social stability at the cost of renewal or to insist on the

indiscriminate dismissal of the social order in affirmation of God's eschatological

kingdom, is to fail to be Christo-centric.

From a theological viewpoint, it is proper to argue that without the church's vision

and guidance. The established fundamental thrust is that the church must be the face of

Christ in a hurting world so that it can bring about peace, justice and freedom to all. It is

therefore paramount that genuine church leaders should be able to discern God's plan

for an effective ministry in any setting and act as prophets and priests toward truth

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telling and healing of the social order. Both academics and church leaders have a moral

obligation to show the face of Christ in their society they live in without fear or favour,

because duty calls them to act. Jesus has been challenging the ultimate authority of

earthly kings, queens, presidents, and prime ministers ever since. We are ambassadors

for Christ. (2 Corinthians 5:20).

While this world may be our temporal home, it does not mean we are vagrants.

Being guests or ambassadors implies a level of responsibility and respect for our hosts.

If we visit family or friends and stay in a guest room, we dare not destroy the furniture,

leave a mess, or otherwise act like barnyard animals. As ambassadors, we will have

better results in the land of our service (ministry) if we understand the residents, culture,

economics, beliefs, and concerns. Good ambassadors do not become the people in the

land of their service; but, they know and understand them. We humans, even those of

us who are redeemed, struggle not to place too much faith in what we see. Despite the

scriptural admonition “what is unseen is eternal” (2 Corinthians 4:18) the things that are

seen are very appealing.

That which can be touched, seen, smelled, heard, and tasted is apparent and

appealing. Give a man of basket of fresh peaches right now and his mind probably will

not wander to the tree of life in the New Jerusalem that bears fruit each month of the

year. Similarly, we sometimes struggle to place the priority of earthly kingdoms within

the broader context of God’s kingdom. God’s kingdom challenges earthly political

paradigms, but is not itself earthly. It challenges the system of the cosmos without

absorbing the cosmos into itself. Christians in every generation and in every country of

the globe are to make disciples of all the peoples by means of the good news of Christ.

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We are salty and light-emitting when we bring the ethics, values, and righteousness of

the kingdom of God to bear on the ethics, values, and institutions of the kingdoms of

man.

In conclusion believers do not have to proof that God exist through arguments for

the most they will get to be is great orators experts in the art of rhetorical presentation of

ideas. Strong arguments in favor of the existence of a Superior Intelligence exist but

they of necessity cannot demonstrate or proof God's existence. The second would

transform God into precisely that which the atheist criticize, an autocratic, tyrannical

ruler. For were God to create the ultimate utopia for mankind that would mean that he

would have to make people be good towards one another. He would have to control

them as a Puppet Master. There may have been false teachings that have not screened

and spread already in literature and preached by known spiritual leaders to mislead the

people and believers, us Christians, to think of a problem that will eventually put us to a

great dilemma. Looking beyond this point of understanding, we must review although

some facts about His return and go back to the ancient histories written for our

understanding and refenece. Like the post-Constantine era allowed the church to

become an ally of the state.

Emperors became the compatriots of the bishops. In the same spirit the

sovereign autocrat was inevitably and immediately involved in the development of the

church, and conversely the church became more and more implicated in high political

decisions. The emperors saw Christianity as a means of promoting social stability for

the common good of the empire. During the medieval era, St Augustine's imperial

theology promoted a critical solidarity between church and state, hence he could argue

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that at times the church has to say no and at times yes to state ideologies. Augustine

argued that it was the obligation of the Christian to bring the state into order because

Christians are 'an assembly of reasonable beings bound together by a common

agreement as to the objects of their love. These kind of writings done by others will help

our study of finding the truth of life and bring the dignity of the Bible not destroy nor

distract the minds of the Christian community.

Human responsibility would be gone and we would be diminished to be less than

we can be. God may be hoping that we use our freedom and our conscience to act in

the best interest of others and not back-stab others to get what we want. He may be

respecting the freedom he endowed us with in order for us to be more than mere

animals driven just by instincts. For me if no one is willing to undergo such a test then

they should understand that their importunate demand for a proof of God only

demonstrates their lack of perception and failure to grasp what the idea of God entails.

Christianity is more often than not installed by the sword, anyone who does criticize it up

until now has found their head on a spike.

WHEN DID THE APOSTLES SAY JESUS WAS COMING?

It was never even revealed to who gets responsible about the dilemma or it is not

actually given in the different writings when really could be the Second Coming. If there

could be arguments, there may be in theIn the entire discourse of what churches

teaches about the Second Coming of Jesus and what the Bible actually tells us is the

kind of dilemma which the author wants to discuss in his writing.

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The Apostle Peter

The foregoing discussion might be out of tone but, likely seeing my point

would add up to the kind of understanding we can share towards this end of the review.

Into the High Middle Ages, Augustine's views were widely defended. According to the

Thomasic model, philosophy and theology are distinct enterprises, differing primarily in

their intellectual starting points. Philosophy takes as its data the deliverances of our

natural mental faculties, what we see, hear, taste, touch, and smell. It was during this

time however that St. Thomas Aquinas offered yet another model for the relationship

between philosophy and theology. These data can be accepted on the basis of the

reliability of our natural faculties with respect to the natural world. Theology, on the other

hand takes as its starting point the divine revelations contained in the Bible. These data

can be accepted on the basis of divine authority, in a way analogous to the way in which

we accept, for example, the claims made by a physics professor about the basic facts of

physics. Truly it is, and the return of Jesus is very near in this generation of time. “And

when the chief Shepard shall appear, ye shall receive a crown of glory that fadeth not

away”. This verse though is not as specific as we can expect but, it has something to tell

us to prepare about Jesus Second Coming. Undeniably, this promise of Jesus to those

who believes in His teachings and words became the structure of faith and tower of

hope and love that fuels the dedication and devotion of people to serve the purpose of

Christian life. Evidently, apostle Peter truly spread the word right and Jesus second

coming is not a mere gimmick or just a drama so others would have sympathy on

something not real. Jesus apostle like Peter have revealed on many different occasions

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for us to prepare ourselves to the promised second coming of Jesus. In many passages

in the Bible itself have proved that Jesus will come on earth for the second time to

redeem the world and live together in His Kingdom in Heaven.

It was never told even the precise period of His, Jesus coming on earth but, a lot

of predictions from the Bible already happened. Was it not enough for us to see the

truth? These data can be recognized on the basis of divine authority, in a way similar to

the way in which we accept, for example, the privileges made by a physics professor

about the basic facts of physics. Truly it is, and the return of Jesus is very near in this

generation of time. This can be called a modern day prophecies that are not healthy to

the spiritual health of Christians. This have ventured these to commercialize their

thoughts and sell books to serve their own good. Something is really wrong, that I could

sense.

At this point, we can tell that not most of the prophecies have been fulfilled. Thus,

it is absolute that the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ is nearing to refresh all our sins

and let us receive the Heavens above as He promised He will be coming for us. Look

again at Acts 3 of verse 21 with which Peter foretold “until time of restitution of all

things”. To which God Himself have spoken through His apostles in spreading His

teachings and Word of life about His holy return on earth to redeem the people of God.

The Apostle Paul

The foregoing discussion might be out of tone but, likely seeing my point would

add up to the kind of understanding we can share towards this end of the review. Into

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the High Middle Ages, Augustine's views were widely defended. It was during this time

however that St. Thomas Aquinas offered yet another model for the relationship

between philosophy and theology. According to the Thomasic model, philosophy and

theology are distinct enterprises, differing primarily in their intellectual starting points.

Philosophy takes as its data the deliverances of our natural mental faculties, what we

see, hear, taste, touch, and smell. These data can be accepted on the basis of the

reliability of our natural faculties with respect to the natural world. Theology, on the other

hand takes as its starting point the divine revelations contained in the Bible. These data

can be accepted on the basis of divine authority, in a way analogous to the way in which

we accept, for example, the claims made by a physics professor about the basic facts of

physics. Truly it is, and the return of Jesus is very near in this generation of time.Many

of the doctrines central to Christianity have important philosophical implications or

presuppositions. In this review, we begin with a brief general discussion of the

relationship between philosophy and Christian dogma, and then we turn our attention to

three of the most philosophically challenging Christian doctrines. Looking beyond this

question of His coming again. Let ourselves understand the trinity, the incarnation, and

the atonement. We take these three as our focus because, unlike doctrines about

providence or the attributes of God, these are distinctive to Christian theology and,

unlike for example the doctrine of original sin or the Real Presence of Christ in the

Eucharist, these have been the subject of a great deal of discussion over the past

couple of decades. “So the coming of the Lord was getting near and near. It is

indicatively true to the testament of Apostle Paul about the glory about to be revealed

which was similarly sounding from 1 Peter 5:1 which was “also a partaker of the glory

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that shall be revealed and the glory as about to come! There have been no traces of

deception to the teachings of Jesus apostles. The word of God has been preserved

thousand years, now. And the fact that will never be wipe out is Jesus though, didn’t use

time as measurement to let the people get aware about His return on earth remains us

the middle of intrigue really when the Lord is coming again for us. Although, if you are

going to read carefully the II Timothy 4:6 that the coming of the Lord is not hard to see

and believe in.

The reality of God is clearly primary to the “script” of that reality. This point

is intended as more subtle than it probably comes across as a not. It even took me a

long journey before I landed understanding the truth and allow not be shaken by others

of the truth in my hands. It hasn’t been until very recently that we all are able to pick up

a “book” and own a copy of “Holy Scripture.” Our salvation is secured in these dynamics

of God and His gift - this all goes to the primacy of “journey” in “hope of salvation,” trust

in His “cosmic” resolution of “end-game” strategy and sovereignty, and our desire to

participate in some small way within this comic plan battle. And, I’m reminded that while

the Bible is clearly critical to capturing, sharing, and protecting that story and history, it

is indeed secondary to the living reality of the Spirit of God - and this is demonstrated

through the observation that the “reality” of Christ and the movement of God through

history without an accompanying story in script of Holy Scripture, is entirely different

than a reality of a world with a book of script of Holy Scripture without an accompanying

reality of a Messiah and accompanying God moving through history. But is intended to

amplify the primacy of God’s mysterious movement in our lives, world, and times and

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there is no dynamic that has caught Him by surprise, or threatens to undermine His

plan.

On this way of seeing the two disciplines, if at least one of the premises of an argument

is derived from revelation, the argument falls in the domain of theology; otherwise it falls

into philosophy's domain. Since this way of thinking about philosophy and theology

sharply demarcates the disciplines, it is possible in principle that the conclusions

reached by one might be contradicted by the other. According to advocates of this

model, however, any such conflict must be merely apparent. Since God both created

the world which is accessible to philosophy and revealed the texts accessible to

theologians, the claims yielded by one cannot conflict with the claims yielded by another

unless the philosopher or theologian has made some prior error. But, generally the point

of view of many the coming of the Lord is a promised He never abandoned to fulfil His

words and promises to the people.

On the other hand, in the history of Christian theology, philosophy has

sometimes been seen as a natural complement to theological reflection, whereas at

other times practitioners of the two disciplines have regarded each other as mortal

enemies. Some early Christian thinkers such as Tertullian were of the view that any

intrusion of secular philosophical reason into theological reflection was out of order.

Thus, even if certain theological claims seemed to fly in the face of the standards of

reasoning defended by philosophers, the religious believer should not flinch. Other early

Christian thinkers, such as St. Augustine of Hippo, argued that philosophical reflection

complemented theology, but only when these philosophical reflections were firmly

grounded in a prior intellectual commitment to the underlying truth of the Christian faith.

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Thus, the legitimacy of philosophy was derived from the legitimacy of the underlying

faith commitments.

Since the deliverances of the two disciplines must then coincide, philosophy can be put

to the service of theology (and perhaps vice-versa). How might philosophy play this

complementary role? First, philosophical reasoning might persuade some who do not

accept the authority of purported divine revelation of the claims contained in religious

texts. Thus, an atheist who is unwilling to accept the authority of religious texts might

come to believe that God exists on the basis of purely philosophical arguments.

Second, distinctively philosophical techniques might be brought to bear in helping the

theologian clear up imprecise or ambiguous theological claims. Thus, for example,

theology might provide us with information sufficient to conclude that Jesus Christ was a

single person with two natures, one human and one divine, but leave us in the dark

about exactly how this relationship between divine and human natures is to be

understood. The philosopher can provide some assistance here, since, among other

things, he or she can help the theologian discern which models are logically inconsistent

and thus not viable candidates for understanding the relationship between the divine

and human natures in Christ.

A third reason is that a great many academic theologians also became skeptical

of our ability to think and speak meaningfully about God; but, rather than simply

abandon traditional doctrines of Christianity, many of them turned away from more

“metaphysical” and quasi-scientific ways of doing theology, embracing instead a variety

of alternative construal and developments of these doctrines—including, but not limited

to, metaphorical, existentialist, and postmodern construal. This, we might add, seems to

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be one reason why the methodological rift between so-called “analytic” and “non-

analytic” philosophers has to some extent been replicated as a rift between analytic

philosophers of religion and their counterparts in theology.

For most of the twentieth century, the vast majority of English language philosophy—

including philosophy of religion—went on without much interaction with theology at all.

While there are a number of complex reasons for this divorce, three are especially

important.

The first reason is that atheism was the predominant opinion among English

language philosophers throughout much of that century. A second, quite related reason

is that philosophers in the twentieth century regarded theological language as either

meaningless, or, at best, subject to scrutiny only insofar as that language had a bearing

on religious practice. The former belief (i.e., that theological language was meaningless)

was inspired by a tenet of logical positivism, according to which any statement that

lacks empirical content is meaningless. Since much theological language, for example,

language describing the doctrine of the Trinity, lacks empirical content, such language

must be meaningless. The latter belief, inspired by Wittgenstein, holds that language

itself only has meaning in specific practical contexts, and thus that religious language

was not aiming to express truths about the world which could be subjected to objective

philosophical scrutiny.

In the last forty years, however, philosophers of religion have returned to the

business of theorizing about many of the traditional doctrines of Christianity and have

begun to apply the tools of contemporary philosophy in ways that are somewhat more

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eclectic than what was envisioned under the Augustinian or Thomistic models. In

keeping with the recent academic trend, contemporary philosophers of religion have

been unwilling to maintain hard and fast distinctions between the two disciplines. As a

result, it is often difficult in reading recent work to distinguish what the philosophers are

doing from what the theologians (and philosophers) of past centuries regarded as

strictly within the theological domain. Indeed, philosophers and theologians alike are

now coming to use the term “analytic theology” to refer to theological work that aims to

explore and unpack theological doctrines in a way that draws on the resources,

methods, and relevant literature of contemporary analytic philosophy. The use of this

term reflects the heretofore largely unacknowledged reality that the sort of work now

being done under the label “philosophical theology” is as much theology as it is

philosophical.

In what follows, we provide a brief survey of work on the three topics in

contemporary philosophical theology that aside from general issues concerning the

nature, attributes, and providence of God have received the most attention from

philosophers of religion over the past quarter century. We thus leave aside such staple

topics in philosophy of religion as traditional arguments for the existence of God, the

problem of evil, the epistemology of religious belief, the nature and function of religious

language. We also leave aside a variety of important but less-discussed topics in

philosophical theology, such as the nature of divine revelation and scripture, original sin,

the authority of tradition, and the like. For discussions of work falling under some of

these topics, see the Related Entries section below, as well as the works under the

“General” heading in the bibliography.

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The Apostle John

Throughout the gospels, the first two persons of the trinity are referred to

as ‘Father’ and ‘Son’. This suggests the analogy of a family, or, more generally, a

society. Thus, the persons of the trinity might be thought of as one in just the way that

the members of a family are one: they are three individual human beings, but taken

together they are a single family. Since there is no contradiction in thinking of a family

as three and one in this way, this analogy appears to solve the problem. Those who

attempt to understand the trinity primarily in terms of this analogy are typically called

social Trinitarians. A passage which happen I read have been adopted to help us out

understand this book review. Until recently, it was fairly common to distinguish “Latin” or

“Western” models of the Trinity from “Greek” or “Eastern” models. Against this practice,

see especially Ayres 2004 and Barnes (1995b).Still, many regard the sort of unity just

described as not strong enough to secure a respectable monotheism. Thus, some

social Trinitarians have attempted to give other accounts of what unifies the divine

persons. Perhaps the most popular such account is the part whole model. C.S. Lewis's

version of this analogy (Lewis 1958, Bk IV, Ch 2) has it that God is “three Persons while

remaining one Being, just as a cube is six squares while remaining one cube”. More

recently, J. P. Moreland and William Lane Craig (2003) have argued that the relation

between the persons of the Trinity can be thought of as analogous to the relation we

might suppose to obtain between the three dog-like beings that compose Cerberus, the

mythical guardian of the underworld. One might say that each of the three heads or

each of the three souls associated with the heads is a fully canine individual, and yet

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there is only one being, Cerberus, with the full canine nature. Three “persons” of a sort,

and yet just one dog.

The Holy Spirit was upon Simeon so, it was no coincidence that he was in the

temple when Mary and Joseph presented their first born son to God. Simeon was not

longing for the glory days of Israel history, but looking ahead for the promised Messiah

who would come to redeem all nations. Like Simeon we could have an expectant, a

forward look in life because we know that one day will see the Lord. When Jesus

returns He will come down from Heaven with a group of powerful angels. He will give

relief to you who are troubled no matter what we endure on earth, we are safe for

eternity (2 Thessalonians 1:3-12). I am coming soon, Jesus said from Rev. 22:20.

Everyone long for His return, but why do I want Him to come back? Is it because I will

be in His presence, away from sickness and death? Is it because I am tired of living in a

difficult world? Or is it because when you have loved Him so much of your life when, he

shared your tears and your laughter. How do we feel about the Lord’s return? Let us

long for the day passionately and earnestly for the Lord’s come back, that could be very

soon. But, what does waiting for Jesus’s return look like in your life? Have you left

something undone that you could attend to today?

Let us always remember to ask God to keep us always mindful of His inevitable

return. Thank Him for the assurance that this world is not all we have but that a blessed

eternity awaits all who trust in Jesus. I just recalled a story told by a pastor in our church

stirring the sermon about “forward look. The sermon was a brief but meaningful one.

The pastor retold about a great Dutch painter Rembrandt died unexpectedly at the age

of 63, an unfinished painting was found on his easel. It focuses on Simeon’s emotion in

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holding the baby Jesus when he was brought to the temple in Jerusalem, 40 days after

His birth. Yet the background and normal detail remain unfinished. Some experts

believe that Rembrandt knew the end of his life was near and like Simeon was ready to

be dismissed (Luke 2:21-35).

I may have mentioned several emotions I have while reviewing the book but, my

stand is there is a Second Coming. Instead He is the one who is vital to understand,

and there won't be any wisdom to find, no matter if any of you become old and grey and

have studied all the books that these theologians have, if the wisdom is not gained by

faith it is not about Christianity at all. It is worthwhile reflecting on the fact that the vast

majority of human history has been set out within a context as a movement of God

through human history and shared personally and verbally, messaging in art, simple

stained glass murals, songs, etc.

It hasn’t been until very recently that we all are able to pick up a “book” and own

a copy of “Holy Scripture.” And, I’m reminded that while the Bible is clearly critical to

capturing, sharing, and protecting that story and history, it is indeed secondary to the

living reality of the Spirit of God - and this is demonstrated through the observation that

the “reality” of Christ and the movement of God through history without an

accompanying story in script (Holy Scripture), is entirely different than a reality of a

world with a book of script (Holy Scripture) without an accompanying reality of a

Messiah and accompanying God moving through history.

Therefore, keep watching because you do not know the day or the hour (Mathew

25:13). Jesus told this parable to emphasize that we need to be prepared for when He

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comes again we will give an account over the state of our hearts. Are we waiting and

ready? In reading the Bible on Mathew 25:1-13, every single detail will be revealed and

that should be the focus of our understanding.

This is in the context that there is also a differentiation of forces existing just

beyond a veil that has been self-constructed for the purposes of deceit and strategic

counter-movement to the forces of Light. To which we have to not only be vigilant and

bring to light, but to be as “wise as serpents.” This “counter movement of darkness” and

deceit is significantly different than scriptural content that works to deal in meaningful

truth and pursuit of life and love - even if it is rooted in what might be considered a

theological dogma within a particular Christian theology. There is no "dilemma". Faith is

choosing to believe something that empirical evidence does not indicate to us. Believe

whatever you choose to believe but don't expect others to make the same choices.

Science and religion are not in conflict with each other.

I don't pretend to think there is any chance of piercing your indisputable

command of theology and the history of the church and the process of myth making. For

our information, there have been roughly around and over 40,000 acknowledged "sects"

or denominations of the reformation, the Catholic Church, and the different branches of

Orthodoxy might be enough to render your last sentences as pretty close to

meaningless. Believe exactly the same things. Jesus himself said that scriptures, the

bible, with or without Apocrypha included is not what gives eternal life, and so evidently

not such an important thing when it comes to the big questions of life and death. That

being said, I find it very disturbing that many of those who dismiss Christianity and other

religions as mere superstition also proclaim that those who believe in God are fools.

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That may have sound not so good. While I can accept their choice to not believe in God,

I must ask what it is that they do believe in. For you simply cannot have a life in which

everything is empirical and there is no belief. There may be those who have removed

emotion from their lives and try to live and make decisions according to pure logic as

though they might transcend the problem of fitting theory to imperfect and unfolding

experience. But, it is a life devoid of laughter and crying, of joy and wonder.

The reality of God is clearly primary to the “script” of that reality. This point is

intended as more subtle than it probably comes across as a not. But is intended to

amplify the primacy of God’s mysterious movement in our lives, world, and times and

there is no dynamic that has caught Him by surprise, or threatens to undermine His

plan. And, our salvation is secured in these dynamics of God and His gift - this all goes

to the primacy of “journey” in “hope of salvation,” trust in His “cosmic” resolution of “end-

game” strategy and sovereignty, and our desire to participate in some small way within

this comic plan battle.

They are by definition two separate things that cannot prove or disprove the

validity of the other. Unlike every other religion in the world, Christianity does not require

that we earn God’s favour in exchange of His forgiveness but provides an answer to our

greatest dilemma. For how can a man be in the right before God? In Job 9:2, every

other religion answers that question with “work on it” but, Christians answers “through

His graces only”. So, my final opinion and my spiritual insight there is a Second Coming

that we all need to prepare with. Jesus won’t give us promises that will be made to be

just broken. Let us be ready for His coming again and may the Lord bless us to this

journey of waiting and preparing ourselves! There should be no dilemma. No one

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should stop asking everyone to prepare themselves for the second coming. One should

not stop preaching of the second coming. No one should regret of waiting too long.

Because Jesus never fails His children nor forsaken them for nothing. We should ask

everyone diligently of preparing our soul and our deeds should always follow the path

that the Lord has given us. A believer who have seen the problem may be blinded by

the details and had struggled in so many angles of a believer. Their faith may have

founded on the rocks and sands that hold its roots loosely grounded. Basing on facts,

events and disasters happened or passed the country already happened and revealed.

It was actually written without time period provided in the Bible. So, as to the coming of

Jesus in our generation. With an ever increasing number of students studying the Bible,

reading and researching alone would not suffice understanding mere facts stated in the

Bible. One should have the ability to read between the lines. The Bible should not be

read shallowly nor interpreted just depending in their own minds. The Bible should be

read with plain sight or just the understanding of a worldly apprehension of man. The

prediction from the Bible is precise but, the lacking part was the time frame provided

when these things will occur or happen. The Bible needs a soul prepared to understand

the real meaning and message of the Messiah, our Lord has given clear instructions of

His Coming and delivered these instructions to His disciples which have spread the

words of God. Is Jesus coming again or is He not should not be the question at this

point. But how much are we prepared to receive this understanding that our souls

should follow the Holy instructions to get focus on the necessary things for His return.

The purpose of this reverence of Jesus is to save us from hell and we should follow His

direction and work hard to follow his intention of bringing us to His Kingdom, our

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Almighty Lord Jesus, for he is coming soon! We have to desire meeting Him to heaven

where He have prepared rooms for each one of us. Although no time forecasted of His

coming we should not get blinded nor hindered of believing for His return. So, one has

to spend our lifetime preaching and teaching to the Return of the King Jesus Christ. We

will rejoin His Kingdom and be glad and feel only the joy of coming with Jesus on His

side in Heaven and paradise that He have prepared for us. Certainly, the author have

heavy feeling answering that there is no second coming. The Bible will never mislead us

to the truth, instead it is opening our eyes to see the real message without worldly

interpreting them alone. Up to this time, many may question but, this message of

offering eternal life continues to be preach by those who believe of His faithful coming

and that certainly soon!

This coming of Jesus which I don’t question nor doubt. Jesus is a perfect God

that would not put His children to hang and would never leave a message to mislead

His people on earth. His love is sufficient and His graces would always provide and

guide His children on this earth. He would not allow anyone to use His coming for the

churches to just commercialize His coming again on earth. Our grandparents and

ancestors have believed this promise of His return and we should hang on that promise

of His. This generation should understand and should not receive wrong messages to

shy away to the true meaning of His coming again. This must not just touch our

knowledge nor create controversy and lead us to doubt if Jesus is not yet coming and

when He would really come. It is evidently written in the Bible. His disciples have

preached His message to the people and have revealed life to many who have received

Jesus’ message. Everyone should began their journey inside the rim of their faith not

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the mere understanding of earthly soul. This would have probability of misleading us

and convex the truth of life and His return on earth. No one should be wronged by the

message of His coming again on earth. In many revelations that Jesus is coming and all

the fever that has been intended only to serve their own good and purposes, are

distractions laid to put away our focus on the very meaning of His return. We should not

allow this be hampered by many detractors around us. We must find were we are wrong

and bring back the integrity of teaching the Bible and Jesus words for our souls to be

saved. While I can accept their choice to not believe in God, I must ask what it is that

they do believe in. For you simply cannot have a life in which everything is empirical and

there is no belief. There may be those who have removed emotion from their lives and

try to live and make decisions according to pure logic as though they might transcend

the problem of fitting theory to imperfect and unfolding experience. But, it is a life devoid

of laughter and crying, of joy and wonder. I may have mentioned several emotions I

have while reviewing the book but, my stand is there is a Second Coming. there are

reasons for this why it is happening and we should be guarding our times because it is

our duty to prevent wolves trespass our backyards. In keeping with the recent academic

trend, contemporary philosophers of religion have been unwilling to maintain hard and

fast distinctions between the two disciplines. As a result, it is often difficult in reading

recent work to distinguish what the philosophers are doing from what the theologians

(and philosophers) of past centuries regarded as strictly within the theological domain.

Indeed, philosophers and theologians alike are now coming to use the term “analytic

theology” to refer to theological work that aims to explore and unpack theological

doctrines in a way that draws on the resources, methods, and relevant literature of

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contemporary analytic philosophy. The use of this term reflects the heretofore largely

unacknowledged reality that the sort of work now being done under the label

“philosophical theology” is as much theology as it is philosophical. Our faith and

thoughts should not be shaken that easy about the facts that is surrounding us nor,

distract us to move away from the truth which God, our Lord have offered us, as His gift

to the mankind. What would happen if we presented Acts 4: 32 – 35 to people without

any Biblical reference to the people and ask them what they thought it meant? Bringing

you back to the dilemma. It is not the Bible who has mistaken but, again it’s the man, we

who serve our own purposes and direction that hold us to stay blinded and deaf of

hearing the truth about His coming. Without a doubt, I think it would strike the reader,

especially if they are a conservative, as socialism have been given its very name and

that doesn’t much satisfy the thought. Although, I know I sound more philosophical but,

revelations in this book can be felt more if the reader will open its senses to get through

the message. Considering how Jesus went to narrowly defined the period and time

frame for the fulfilment of His prophecies. That if you weren’t read and truly understood

the book written by the author, you wouldn’t not really grasp the bulk of message it has

on it. Mathew 24:23, took emphasis on the generation today that comes fitting to the

message.

Our understanding to that message and our natural reaction to such demand is

no can measure up to the standard. If we are going to evaluate our status, we all

actually failed to deserve Jesus retribution. But God did for us the things we have never

done. He endured the punishment of men to gain our souls be saved from hell. And for

our transgression that these messages of God found our faith on Him not shaken by

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distractions of the truth. Conservatives make it sound as if the world will come to an end

if liberal thoughts are allowed to pervade this world or if innovative ideas are allowed to

develop. This is clearly not a sustainable worldview in an age that values the insights of

new science and the comforts of modern technology. That being said, I find it very

disturbing that many of those who dismiss Christianity and other religions as mere

superstition also proclaim that those who believe in God are fools. That may have

sound not so good. While I can accept their choice to not believe in God, I must ask

what it is that they do believe in. For you simply cannot have a life in which everything is

empirical and there is no belief. There may be those who have removed emotion from

their lives and try to live and make decisions according to pure logic as though they

might transcend the problem of fitting theory to imperfect and unfolding experience. As

we open the bag we consider how a Christian is to react to some issues of the day.

Walking in this world, can be difficult, but as God has placed us here at this time in

history we must reflect on the Biblical responses. For now, let me throw you questions

to answer that might help us all get through the message of the book. How to deal with

beggars? Should we be able to choose who can or cannot come into our country? A

reflection on how our bodies although breaking down now, will eventually be replaced

by God with perfect bodies. Others say that Jesus had not returned in the past and with

all sincerity the promise of the Lord is not lacking. But, Jesus is maybe delaying His

coming to be able to save more people to be saved and receive the message of the lord

about His return for the second coming. This scenario for others doesn’t make sense,

but for some it is equally important to know. It continued that conservatives speak with

the same rhetoric, compelling adherence to the status quo while, liberals sought change

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and equality. All these efforts trying to explain the passage for our understanding that

Jesus failure to come again t=in the first century. But this is just a rhetoric scenario

offered by the skeptics. In fact this idea only intends for us to look foolish of the details

that lacks basis and reference from the Bible. Many detractors claim that Jesus is with

the man for some 1,000 years lived on earth and preach the meaning of life and about

God’s love. The other 2,000 years many people in this time believe that Jesus will come

in this generation. But they have further concluded that this delay of His return is

intending for many people to know the Savior’s coming on earth and have them realize

the need to prepare for his coming again. It seems that human beings have a natural

understanding of how mind and body, how spirit and flesh interact. This objection

sounds like saying, “Jeffrey’s soul is criminal, sure, but the physical body in which the

soul lives and moves is not criminal. So let’s not put his body in jail, which would be

pointless.” The remaining option is what, to have “spiritual respect” for the teachings of

the Bible? We do, but do not reflect on what we have done, and do not plan what we will

do tomorrow. We think about things, but generally avoid thinking about matters in which

we might have to reform our daily behavior or long-term goals. Thus we remain in our

comfortable but not that comfortable little bubble-boy zone of intellectual and pragmatic

stagnation. One great way out of this dilemma is to find yourself in an even more

uncomfortable dilemma. This time a formal logical dilemma, of the kind so heuristically

effective in Plato’s writings. Supposing divine revelation of some kind, let us

conservatively call the Christian Scriptures a divine revelation. The words on the page

are of God, from God, and for God’s purposes with men. A dilemma has two seemingly

innocent premises and one conclusion. . Filled with the passion and desire for justice

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comes to the ethic of Jesus which demands something more sentimental to the

passivist ethic of love. Religion and ethics are not only differentiated, but the latter is

preferred as giving the most effective basis for action. There is, indeed inherent in the

nature and constitution of which, represent for the most part staunch churchmen who

are more interested in demonstrating the patriotism and loyalty of the church at this

crucial moment than in critical interpretation of the mind of Jesus. Th egospel has

nothing to do primarily with the temporal but concerned with the eternal life. In this

sense, it does not deal with external arrangements and institutions but with the heart

and its relations to God, its divine grace and the forgiveness of sins. Apparently, the

somewhat dubious role God is forced to play in this philosophy. In so far as men

succeeded in reorganizing their religious loyalties it was from the subjective point of

view. Moral obligations became for the most part matters of inner attitudes. Spending

ten hours a week in discussion with other students presents some universal truths about

human nature. One such universal truth is that human beings do not like to change

even for the better, and so require some strong motivation before they budge. By strong

motivation, of course, I mean the pain of not changing outweighs the pain of changing,

like a frog whose pot of water has got just two degrees too hot. This confirms an

observation that human life tends to alternate between fruitless conversation and

thoughtless action. Although various attempts have been made to avoid this dilemma

reveal that chaos are prevalent in contemporary religious thought back, then. Side by

side with the utterances of Jesus stands the vast body of ethical traditions gradually

accumulated in the effort to rationalized the developing moral experience of the church.

In the course of time, however, the lust of secularized church for power, the rise of a

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feudal society in which class distinctions were based upon status, the growing emphasis

of social values due to the development of trade and the emergence of an intensive and

self-conscious civilization made imperative to the formulation of social and ethical

philosophy that would assure church the continued loyalty of men showing that the only

in the church could all the values represented by the different social activities find fitting

recognition. I would need to see direct quote before responding to any such allegations,

but if it were true it is not really material and doesn't disprove an event. Major news

media organizations of today often misreport known historical events order all that time,

doesn’t disprove these events occurred. Nazareth did exist at the time. Pre-pottery

Neolithic b shows human habitation since 9000BCE in Nazareth. You seem to have a

delude view of the bible, probably to justify you Christian hatred and atheism. "The

Franciscan priest Bellarmino Bagatti, "Director of Christian Archaeology", carried out

extensive excavation of this "Venerated Area" from 1955 to 1965. Fr. Bagatti uncovered

pottery dating from the Middle Bronze Age in 2200 to 1500 BC and ceramics, silos and

grinding mills from the Iron Age some years in 1500 to 586 BC which indicated

substantial settlement in the Nazareth basin at that time. However, lack of

archaeological evidence for Nazareth from Assyrian, Babylonian, Persian, Hellenistic or

Early Roman times, at least in the major excavations between 1955 and 1990, shows

that the settlement apparently came to an abrupt end about 720 BC, when the

Assyrians destroyed many towns in the area." If the Director of Christian Archaeology

didn't find anything from the era, I would say it's an unbiased source. If we are to believe

this, you are only disproving your own arguments. Lack of evidence isn't evidence of

absence, it is evidence of lack of evidence. You have produced no evidence that

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Nazareth did not exist at the time of Jesus. One can live in an area, that is small and

leave behind no trace findable to modern archaeology. I am a firm believer in the

supernatural “unity” of Christ, Trinity, and the “simple” nature of what it means to

participate in the gift of grace, the near universal nature of the “failure of man” to

understand and participate in God’s plan much of the story of scripture. I am reminded

of the many examples of Christ’s gift of “living water” and life being as simple as the

faith to reach out and touch His garment, and we are “at the root” engaged in the

“mystery” which requires natural and supernatural revelation. This was a terrific

documentary that asks some tough questions that most Christian fundamentalists

refuse to address. The notion of a documentary of this nature existing even 50 years

ago for public consumption, would not have been tolerated, with very little air time even

today.

All intelligent creatures created by God had free will. One such creature

challenged Gods authority to rule and said God was a liar! Genesis 6:3. This spirit

creature became known at Satan the Devil. Which means adversary and opposer.

Jesus called this one the father of the lie. John 8:44. So in a sense evil created itself, in

that spirit creature angel who rebelled against God. Adam and Eve also rebelled against

God by disobedience. There is a great deal of evil and suffering in this world. This of

course is a very condensed brief explanation. I would encourage you to look deeper into

this subject and ask the next Jehovah Witnesses who knocks on your door about this

topic. I hope this is of some assistance to you. Unknown to Adam and Eve and the rest

of mankind we have all come under the influence of Satan the Devil as the Bible states

he is the ruler of this system of things. 1 John 5:19.

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Not surprisingly, reading many of the comments below exposes the stupidity of

any extreme nature. No thought of action, just thoughtless reaction. Those who have

'blind faith', without critical thinking, equally to those who have none at all. Devoid of

spirit – faithless. Those who fall in the latter category, need to ask themselves how they

can accept the notion of universal creation from nothingness without intent, as much as

those they chastise for not questioning that which they are being told. This epitomizes

the nature of ignorance for those who think only in terms of black and white, extremes

closing their minds to the possibilities of potentiality. The truth of everything since I am

no better or worse than those around me, I can only be thankful that I have been

privileged to live a life where I can ponder the 'truth of existence' without the need to

imply disparity where none exists! Today we are almost at dead odds, 'for' and 'against'

religion. There is no "dilemma". Faith is choosing to believe something that empirical

evidence does not indicate to us. Believe whatever you choose to believe but don't

expect others to make the same choices. Science and religion are not in conflict with

each other. They are by definition two separate things that cannot prove or disprove the

validity of the other. Your understanding of faith appears to be your dilemma because

which definition do you choose. Act 17:11, like many, you are defining "faith" as "myth",

whereas the basis of faith is trust, which can be placed in falsehoods as well as what is

real. The outcomes are the proof of faith, as to whether your faith is based on truth or

falsehood.

For instance, the Bible states, Jesus said that the scriptures do not impart life,

but He will give life to those who come to Him. If you do not genuinely apply a genuine

test and makes claims that Jesus did not rise from the dead, then you are false to

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yourself and a liar. If Jesus rose rode from the dead, then He is alive! If Jesus is alive

and you give Him opportunity to prove Himself and He doesn't then, you know that there

is not resurrection from the dead. Do whatever you like. There is no judgment for what

you do with your life on Earth. Let me tell you, my Bible knowledge is imperfect and if

God proves Himself and Jesus really did rise from the dead, you have found out the

truth about the resurrection of the dead. Now faith that has no works or outworking or

evidence that produces a result is not faith. By definition, god is intangible so no one

can produce a physical proof of his existence. Anyone is free to believe whatever they

like, claiming their belief is truly scientific is the error if they can't produce scientific

evidence.

CONCLUSION

Faith that does not have evidence in the present is false because it cannot

be proven. Hence, faith without works (demonstrable evidence) is dead (not faith).

So there is Second coming. Its just that we will never know the exact period when

He is coming to get us and join His Kingdom in heaven. If we are to find these

things in the way aligning from the purpose of the Bible, we would admit that there

should be no concept of dilemma neither confusion to what the Bible says about the

second coming of Jesus. You might want to revisit your own definitions, because what

you are saying is not making much sense; faith is a belief that has no proof nor
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evidence to substantiate it. Faith that does not have evidence in the present is not false

nor true, is it faith. It is pretty much alive if you choose to believe it. It is clear to me that

you do not have a good grasp of the theory of evolution, and it is peculiar how you ask

for proof for it, and remain perfectly happy with the resurrection of a man that you never

witnessed. Hope we get to understand each other. When I had my encounter with the

resurrected Jesus Christ, a definite change took place. I can tell you about it. If I were

deceived, then the change in my life and attitude and disposition, as well as the joy that

entered my being, which before I did not have, convinces me that what I feel is real.

We need to see someone’s intention or direction of his context of writing about

the confusion they kept on inserting to the minds of the people that Jesus have not

really returned and not really returning. This documentary is shoddy. The scholarship is

poor. The problem with historical facts is they cannot be verified, just interpreted.

Religion is "the quest for the truth". True religion is true science. Science can be tested.

For instance, if the evolution of the peppered moth is real, then the moth would not lay

eggs that produce caterpillars that morph into chrysalises to emerge as a peppered

moth. If the moth becomes a bird then we have proven evolution. Since it is yet to

happen, there is no evidence!

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