context context context

The one word you hear from a real estate agent when asked whats most important in their job--------location!!!! As far as understanding Scripture goes, context is everything. As you have seen, like in my previous post about satan, I am seeing traditional concepts and beliefs about certain subjects in a whole new light. The Bible is very silent about the origin of satan. I mean we know the traditional understanding is that he was once an angel who fell because he wanted to overthrow God and place himself above God. Hmmmmm sounds alot like adam and his desire to be like God via eating of the tree of good and evil. The name satan in the hebrew and greek means adversary. The name demons means slanderers. Whenever anyone opposes God and His authority, are they not acting as His adversary and therefore being a satan??? Some ideas to ponder.

The context of the Bible is to a jewish audience. They were His chosen people and He created a covenant relationship with them. God is the maker of ALL creation, all people groups, animals and so on. He specifically chose the Israelites to be the ones He would use in order to reveal Himself to the entire creation. Language can be tricky, the word *world* is used many times throughout the Bible. The context determines how it is to be interpreted. We need to put on glasses of the audience God and Jesus were speaking to. They had a very solid understanding of what was meant by Jesus and the other writers of the New Testament, as well as fully knowing the Law and the Prophets. When *world* is used in the NT it means the world of the people according to covenantal understanding. It is the local world dominated by the Romans and the world of covenant relationship to God. It is not intended to mean the entire world,the whole planet. Back then those people would have no point of reference for taking *world* to mean the entire planet. I hope your all with me here, please ask for more clarification in comments or emails if you need it.

One of the most difficult aspects of all Christianity is eschatology, aka last things and end times. Futurism, aka premillennial dispensationlism, is the predominant view now and has been for a long time. The interesting thing is it did not come into existence until the 1800's!!!! Preterism, aka past fulfillment, was a view that was held by many in the early Church and down thru church history. Many atheists and skeptics point to Jesus declaring to His generation that He would return again before they passed away, as never having happened and thus Jesus lied. Even CS Lewis said this was the saddest blot on all of Christianity. Funny thing is, Jesus DID return!!! He came back in glory and judgment in 70AD when the Old Covenant was done away with and the Law and sacrificail system was abolished. Jesus made a New Covenant which restored all who believe in Him back into relationship with God and having eternal life. Look at Matthew, the olivet discourse. Jesus tells His disciples of his death burial and resurrection and His coming again. Why would He tell them this in the way He did if He really was meaning to speak to all of us 2,000 or so years in the future??? Jesus did NOT lie!!!! He came back, only it was not a physical return. No where does He say that it would be physical though again context context context. A book, *Like Father, Like Son* by Don Preston explains very thoroughly. He also has a website, eschatology.org where he has lots and lots of info you can explore and he has a forum where you can ask questions and challenge any idea and understanding.

I hope this whets many an appetite to search and find for fresh understanding as to what the Bible has to say. I hope anyone feels free to di8scuss any wonderings that come to their mind and please anyone who likes to send me and email, i love taling to anyone. I know this is somewhat brief but i hope to share more as time goes on and provide sources for anyone to further their own curiosity if they so choose.