What I’m working on…
June 5th, 2007
Like many of you I’ve been slogging away through this 40-day fast. I’m also a little on the busy side (in terms of being on a 40 day fast). Things are progressing nicely as we move towards our second prayer room - I feel as if we’ve entered the “calm before the storm” phase of things. Time will tell. My writing here has been sporadic, however, for a few other reasons - particularly a couple of projects I’m taking on over the next few months.
The project that has top priority (in regards to writing) right now is, I can now officially announce, that I’ve begun work on my second book. No title yet, but the subject matter is something that I care deeply about; namely, this question is on my mind: how do we know we’re in the end times? Obviously that subject was heavily on my mind when I posted the question to you a few weeks back, and it’s one that I am looking forward to fleshing out in more detail. What I care about the most is providing a tool for many to use to bolster their faith regarding what the scriptures say about the hour in which we live and the lifestyle that is therefore required to live - without apology.
What’s at stake
With the rise of preterism we are seeing a slight groundswell of momentum in some circles regarding the dismissal of the prophetic scriptures and their implications for the days to come. Preterism, for the uninitiated, is the school of biblical interpretation that dismisses the writings of the prophets in the Old Testament and the Book of Revelation in the New Testament to the past. All prophetic scripture, in other words, is seen as fulfilled by 70 AD. Most Preterists now waver a bit on the “all”, leaving the Second Coming as the one unfulfilled event to come - though the system still leaves any of the details that take place around the event of the Second Coming to the past. I find this theological system more troubling and dangerous than dispensationalism, or pre-trib theology. So I will be examining this system here and there in this space in the coming days.
Secondly, scoffers and mockers are sure to emerge as the hour gets late - Peter prophesied this two thousand years ago. There are many who have a vested interest in this time frame not being the end of the age, and will seek to convince any who listen of their mindset. Thus, those who seek to set themselves to live radically for Jesus in this hour are going to soon find themselves under assault, and I hope to help equip them to press on into the call of God in this hour for their lives.
Personal considerations
Beyond that, I wanted to break the news to you here to give you context on some of the posts that are going to pop up here and there over the coming weeks. Basically, I get to use this little wordcast to “explore the space” (as someone once said related to cowbells and Blue Oysters) and invite you into my thought processes as I write over the next month as well as discuss some related subjects that wouldn’t make it into the book itself. This seems like a fun experiment to me, I don’t know if this kind of thing is being done throughout the publishing world, and thought you might be interested in the process (somewhat). I’m sure someone more intelligent and more creative somewhere else in the blogosphere has thought of this concept, but how many of those guys believe that Jesus is going to shatter the nations at the valley of Meggido after He returns, followed shortly afterwards by the entrance of an impossibly huge floating city hovering over Jerusalem? I’m willing to bet my thought processes are slightly more quirky than theirs.
So, I hope (now that the ball is rolling) to post more frequently, not less. Let me know what you think. I still plan on continuing to post on different subjects such as the emerging church, the sermon on the mount, and other topics that interest me - this little journal has always been a means of expressing myself on topics I don’t normally get to write about - but I’m looking forward to the continuing dialogue regarding the last of the “last days”.
David
Entry Filed under: end times, life at ihop-kc
17 Comments Add your own
1. Aaron Kennedy | June 5th, 2007 at 7:47 am
that is pretty exciting to hear, can’t wait till its finished. I do wonder how to explain to people around me about my view of the end times without making it seem like its miles off. people really need to see how close it is to realise its importance
2. Jeremy | June 5th, 2007 at 11:38 am
Yay, sounds fun!
I love that you are going to approach it with a realistic perspective that goes along with your post a few weeks back of how we should live now in light of what we know is coming down the pipe from eternity into time.
I would love to hear you explore more in depth how we as believers can pull into our time what was reserved for the future. I’ve heard teachings (and im not sure on the Biblical, references of this so please correct me if I’m wrong), how David pulled into his day what was reserved for the future with the establishment of the Tabernacle of David. How David’s heart so moved the heart of God that He released a little bit of what He had planned for more fully in the future.
I guess it also kind of relates to Noah’s building of the ark being a prophetic scream to everyone around him. He knew the ‘end’ was coming.. How can we live like that now so that, like Noah, as we build this ark God has us working on, the rain of mercy and judgment can be released. I want my life to be a prophetic scream to everyone around me!
The end times are a good thing!
3. Cathy | June 5th, 2007 at 12:08 pm
Sounds great - looking forward to reading your next posts and book.
4. Brooke | June 5th, 2007 at 12:16 pm
How exciting! I’m reading your other book as we speak. I need to brush up on some endtimes facts before doing STI this summer so I’ll be (somewhat) ready for the hundreds of questions teenagers will be asking me.
Looking forward to the new book!
5. Ducky | June 5th, 2007 at 1:52 pm
This is going to be lots of fun.
6. Idhrendur | June 5th, 2007 at 6:19 pm
Well, I’m agreeing with everyone else that this sounds fun. I’ll confess that I’m a bit of a skeptic here, but I’m all for my perspective being shifted…
7. David | June 5th, 2007 at 7:05 pm
That’s my editor, “Ducky” that checked in earlier today - I’m really excited to work with her - she is a jewel (and a fantastic writer in her own right)
Idh - skeptic in what regard?
David
8. Jenn S. (a.k.a. Ducky) | June 5th, 2007 at 9:38 pm
I get to work with words and simultaneously learn more about the End Times. Some days I can’t believe I get paid for this.
9. Nathan | June 6th, 2007 at 5:52 am
I’m very interested to follow along the discussion, primarily as a lurker. I’m new the whole bridal paradigm, but I’ve fallen in love with it. It has finally made everything click together (I don’t claim to understand everything, but I’m certainly much further along than when I was a pre-trib guy).
When I talk to people about Jesus coming back, there’s a definite idea of “he’s tarried for 2000 years, why do you think he’s coming back in the next couple of decades?”… I combat this with “The most any of us has is 80 or so years, and we are not guaranteed our next breath.” That helps, but I would prefer for them to understand some of the ramifications of Christ’s return being imminent.
10. Idhrendur | June 6th, 2007 at 6:52 am
1. About the particular end-times theology you believe in.
2. Possibly about the fact that we’re living in the end times (though I’ll admit great ignorance on this point).
The thing is, I fully agree with the conclusions about the radical lifestyle we should be living, even though I don’t fully agree with the trail of logic leading to that conclusion.
11. Jake | June 6th, 2007 at 7:25 am
Fantastic stuff David. Looking forward to it! Im consuming your first book and this blog like crazy the last 10 days or so. Thanks so much for all your bringing to the table for us to feast upon.
12. David | June 6th, 2007 at 7:44 am
Jen - I think about that point every day of my life.
Nathan - hang on tight.
Idh - I love that. I want you to feel free to poke, question, and debate to your heart’s content. I have an ongoing relationship with a bunch of amillennial guys, and we go at it with abandon. I love it and them. But they’re wrong.
Jake - thanks to you as well, bro.
David
13. l | June 6th, 2007 at 7:57 am
This is officially the best blog I’ve read today.
14. Idhrendur | June 7th, 2007 at 6:28 pm
Kinda like all my Calvinist and Open Theist friends, eh?
15. The Hollow Man | June 7th, 2007 at 7:17 pm
off topic. You layout is broken in firefox. Your side bar sits below the content not next to it. I have the same problem, but only in IE.
16. Dave Rose | June 7th, 2007 at 9:48 pm
Sounds trippy Sliker! I’ll see if i can keep up.
17. Extravagant Waste of Love&hellip | June 8th, 2007 at 12:30 am
[…] thoughts tonight are about how we should live in this time in history. I just read that Dave Sliker is writing his second book, so I finally opened up his first book and it really made me think. […]
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