In a previous recent post there was a brief discussion between @channah and @robbie regarding sovereignty of God. I understand Anca’s view and for the most part we would see very similar. I am not altogether understanding Robbie’s view on sovereignty. It might be similar to Anca’s or it might be more like a compatibalism (which is common in reformed camps as well as several indepenent baptist churches) kind of view. Compatiblism would be the view that God has ordained everything before hand maticulously, but in that there is a mystery where free will also exists along that. Like both operating together.
That was the view i held while at Macarhur’s church for decades. However, since then I have come to understand predistination, ordaining, and sovereighty differently now. In general it would appear that the influences of Calvin on the Western world are rather significant. Much of Christianity would consider the belief system model of Calvinism vs. Arminianism. Arminias was a Calvinist but wanted to reform it. So Arminias came to different conclusions while still using Calvinist arguments to weigh things out.
As i have studied over the years, I would not consider myself a Calvinist nor Arminiast becausee they are two side of a similar coin if you will. The common denominator is how both camps view predestination, ordaining, and sovereignty. Whereas i would be more so categorically outside those views in what would be understood as Traditionalist or better: Provisionalist…this branch is found throughout the SBC. I’m not SBC, but Provisionism most closely aligns with how i would understand the biblical senses of predistination, ordaining, and sovereighty.
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WHY DID I JUST BRING ALL THAT UP? lol
Ok so the reason I am answering you this way brother is to help at least pepper our senses of differences in how our views are oriented toward looking at social/global events. Because of the dramatic shifts i have weathered over the years, my perspective upon making distinctions in matters that view mass portions of influence over society, states, countries, regions, and the world would fall much more in line with looking at the awessome sovereignty of God as understood through a Provisionalist mindset. Which of the three camps: Calvinism, Arminianism, and Provisionism, would have the most radical view upon free will (with the exception of one being able to lose their own salvation).
So when i look at global events, do i see Hagelian Dialectic? Yes. Of course. When i look at the US, do i see Hagelian Dialectic? Yes, or course. Where i would differ though is not that there is not controlled oposition (in general I believe it to be as dangerous to place over concern there as much as it woud be to place under concern there). But that i don’t make what is the enemy AND what of that is controlled opposition the wizard of Oz controlling reality. I would see the enemy along with its false opposition similar to how I might see any entity operating under heaven…having great extent of free will to have integrity or to function in deception, but subject to “extreme” conditions the Father has over His creation.
So in this way, where the hightened fever pitch of concern we have today in end times is focused on what elites and controllled opposition are doing (as a way to discern), I would more so have my eye on indicators more so of what God might or likely is doing with said enemy/controlled opposition. Even though there is great deception, great enemies, and great controlled opposition, to me, they are not the road map. In as much as we can determine from scrpture, amen…there by the grace of God go us. We will only have so much room to navigate there (knowing portions of it will be subject to the limited perceptions of our individual views upon scripture). But ultimately, the main Actor and Mover I watch for today is God. Because of Provisionism and the vast differences there in having come out of Calvinism, in some significant ways, this has helped me to, I believe…in general, have a much healthier respect to His sovereignty, predistination, and ordaining. Those were massively key ingredients in Calvinism/Arminiasm that consequently (I would say to my surprise) that seem to be also very core features as they pertain to escatology and some of the theological filters we might apply in the mix of how things play out. This would explain my continous leaning toward the character of God in our age. For as controversial a thing as “free will” has become, so equally it might be reflective of just how much a free will Agent the Father is also today. What i don’t believe in is “Open Theology.” But in comparison to how it seems to have become habitual today that we lean toward blueprints, in comparison to that, it might seem like my view is Open Theology. Its not. Just in comparison to how much import we place upon sovereighty given to systems of men…my perspective would instead place the bulk of that on God.
An example of this would be NWO. Escatatology today trafficks much according to what NWO is doing. I believe there is a place to consider them. But i am far far far much less open to be under the impression they have as much authority and standing as might be commonly found in the watcher community. So naturally, the blueprint i see will be different. And in comparison might even feel or seem to your perspective to be somewhat like Open Theology in comparison…
So i say all that to let you know that, sure only God knows how things will play out, but the boots on the ground thing i believe is way far too trusting upon the systems of men for my blood, brother. I mean to share that in a kind spirit. Alternatively, the best i can tell (and maybe the “actual” way things go is somewhere between my perspettive and yours) would be the following:
- Many false flags
- Trump win
- National Gaurd for voting
- Transistion away from globalsim
- Peace and Safety
- Abraham Accords Protection of israel (very counter intuitive)
- Ezekiell 38
- Tribulation
I would say this may take 2.5 to 5 years or so to play out. But the only boots on the ground i see in that picture for the US might be the National Gaurd for voting. As boring as this might be for the exciting end times, i believe it will be far more like Ozzy and Hariet / Leave it to Beaver / Norman Rockwell America for a few years yet to come. Not exciting. Won’t sell any books. Won’t get like a ton of views on social media. But I would say in general brother, we are going to often clash in view for the above stated reasons. Which is why i wanted to take the time to flesh that out so it would be hopefully less of a roadblock in our views. Blessing.s