In Part 1 of this retrospective series of my experience with social media on Newsvine, I discussed the motivating factors that led me to study and write about current events. These factors include a night dream of Pope John Paul II, his legacy of Solidarity, and the plight of the Palestinians as inextricably intertwined with that of the Jews in the Middle East.
I discussed my methodology, philosophy of Solidarity, prophecies regarding Israel, and the lost teaching of Dual Messiahs in the context of the universal, historical Plan of Salvation designed to reconcile God with humankind and Jew with Gentile.
I proposed that when properly developed, Solidarity is a wholistic philosophy having the potential to form the basis of peaceful co-existence in the Promised Land for Jews, Christians, and Muslims. Instead of being the cause of division, religion may very well be the instrument that unites monotheists in a common bond.
In Part 1, I discussed Dual Messiahs as the first point in the most original and notable points of Solidarity Theology developed over the last seven years and communicated here on the pages of Newsvine. Part 2 is a continuation of this list:
2. Antichrist. I discovered the true Antichrist is not an impostor messiah. The confusion over the purpose for the Antichrist is the result of these factors:
A. The failure to understand the Hebrew Scriptures anticipate Dual Messiahs. Christians were warned by Jesus Christ to reject false messiahs. As the concept of Dual Messiahs faded, the Christian Movement embraced Jesus Christ as a solitary messiah without a successor. This notion is reinforced by select passages, such as Acts 4:12,
Neither is there salvation in any other [than Jesus Christ]: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.
B. The Antichrist is a second chance for the Jews. God made immutable, unconditional promises to the Jews that they would be preserved as the Chosen People and inherit the Promised Land.
C. Confusion over the meaning of "anti-". The prefix "anti-" as used when the New Testament was written in the first century has two meanings: 1) opposed to; or 2) in place of (but not necessarily opposed to).
The proper word to depict a figure opposed to Jesus Christ is a-christos rather than anti-christos. The Greek particle "a-" signifies negation whereas "anti-" signifies correspondence. "Anti-christos" refers to a deputy Christ who acts "on behalf of" or "instead of" Jesus Christ.*
D. Bias in translation. Translators of the Scriptures having lost sight of the doctrine of Dual Messiahs and thereby assuming any other messiah must be a pretender, they translated the passages dealing with the Antichrist to reflect a negative bias.
After 2,000 years of negative portrayal, it is a daunting task to persuade believers to reform their views, even if their lives depend on it. A messiah is always dispatched to the community of faith immediately prior to a major crisis.
3. Revelation a biography of the Antichrist. Under the figure of the Lamb, the Apocalypse of John describes the public career of the Antichrist in his effort to restore the Jews to messianic nationhood.**
Revelation has eluded explanation because it has been assumed the Lamb of Revelation depicts Jesus Christ. In actuality Jesus is the Lion of Revelation.***
The desire for truth as well as my immediate concern for the welfare of the Jewish people drives me to seek a comprehensive Middle East peace. The terms of peace are theological, political, and economic. Peace is more than the absence of conflict; a lasting peace must be rooted in reconciliation and social justice.
[ . . . to be continued. Please check back for Part 3.]
____________________________
* "The True Meaning of 'Antichrist'",
http://amberneve.newsvine.com/_news/2007/12/20/1177273-the-true-meaning-of-antichrist
"On Definitions: 'Anti-Christos' is not 'A-Christos'",
http://amberneve.newsvine.com/_news/2007/12/20/1177270-on-definitions-anti-christos-is-not-a-christos
** "Jesus Christ and the Antichrist, the Two Lambs of the Christian New Testament",
http://amberneve.newsvine.com/_news/2007/12/20/1177716-jesus-christ-and-the-antichrist-the-two-lambs-of-the-christian-new-testament
*** "Lion and Lamb in Revelation 5",
http://amberneve.newsvine.com/_news/2012/01/11/10121489-lion-and-lamb-in-revelation-5