Stuck in the Sixties: The AD60’s

The introductory post explains the purposes, goals and scope of this blog. If you have not read it, I suggest you start there and then, look through the posts to get a feeling for where I have gone and where I am going. But, if you don’t have the time, feel free to read this post alone. However, the blog is meant to be a series and so if you find it interesting you can go back and read it or, if you would prefer you can download a PDF of the entire blog. This PDF will be updated every Saturday so that it will have the entire blog, from first post to last, through the latest Saturday.

Here is a post I wrote on a yahoo group discussion group in 2003:

“This old hippie can still remember taking over the ROTC building at Central Michigan University.  Some of my friends are locked or stuck in the sixties.  They are unable to move on past what they remember as the glory days.  They still smoke a joint daily, with long hair, bearded, in bib overalls.  They grow their own.  They listen to the Beatles, Hendrix, Led Zeppelin and, the Grateful Dead.  You get the picture. . . . . Just up the street a town or two from my home is Berkeley and, if you drive through on any day, you can find the 60+ year old wearing an army field jacket with beard and long hair and, your mind is whisked back to the sixties.

The church is stuck in the 60's also; they are looking for the day of the Lord, the passing of the OC completely, the New Jerusalem and the New Heavens and the New Earth.  They are stuck in the AD 60's and the strong delusion of 2 Thess 2:11-12.  Scott, my brother, you have encouraged me to begin a series of posts to show how stuck the church is.  I'll try to make it no more than one a day.

This is the first and I may follow it with another today only;  If you feel that I have no business doing this then I hope you will delete the post.  When I'm done I'll quit.  I do love you all and I don't think that I am better or smarter.  I do think that dogma has a death grip on even the liberated.  Let's have a barbecue and roast some sacred cows”. (Joe Machuta, yahoo group posting 2003)

Here is a diagram that I made at that time to illustrate my understanding:

The above diagram is interesting to me. It illustrates the major events of the biblical story and the history of the church as well. The strong delusion and the new heaven and earth have progressed concurrently. Your view and belief will tell you if you are awaiting the fulfillment of the New Covenant or if you are living in the reality of it. 

Let’s look at one prophecy of Jesus that could clear up some confusion. Mat 24:15  "So when you see the abomination of desolation spoken of by the prophet Daniel, standing in the holy place (let the reader understand).” Many are awaiting the abomination of desolation but should they be? If you look at the red rectangle above, you will see that Jesus was talking about the event of the abomination and desolation of the temple. It was abominated in 167 BCE by Antiochus Epiphanes and Desolated in 70CE by Titus of Rome. The Jews believed that Antiochus Epiphanes was the fulfillment of the abomination of desolation spoken of by Daniel. (1Maccn1:47-48). Could it be that Jesus was pointing out that while it had been abominated that it was not yet desolated? I personally think so.... if you look at the diagram, the abomination and desolation make up a very small target on the total time line.

We will use this diagram to make other points in subsequent posts. Your comments are greatly appreciated.