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Originally Posted by Dave
Witness Lee could say he knew the purpose of God but WL also has a body of work that you can look at (writings and practical application in the LC) and determine that he was confused or if not confused then misleading. Was the purpose of God to make WL an apostle in the lineage of Martin Luther to lead Christians to another confusing denomination? Has God really been waiting 2000 years for Christians to get their act together in LCs around the globe so he can return to set up his kingdom? My point is, “What is he waiting for?”
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There may still be folks in the LC who believe that they are what God is doing on the earth today. There are others who can look at the Bible and see a different time table for eschatology. Personally I have given up on certainty about anything metaphysical. It is as you commented before "beyond my paygrade." Did you ever see "Waiting for Godot" by Samuel Beckett? Here's an excerpt. Does it sound familiar?
VLADIMIR:
Did you ever read the Bible?
ESTRAGON:
The Bible . . . (He reflects.) I must have taken a look at it.
VLADIMIR:
Do you remember the Gospels?
ESTRAGON:
I remember the maps of the Holy Land. Coloured they were. Very pretty. The Dead Sea was pale blue. The very look of it made me thirsty. That's where we'll go, I used to say, that's where we'll go for our honeymoon. We'll swim. We'll be happy.
VLADIMIR:
You should have been a poet.
ESTRAGON:
I was. (Gesture towards his rags.) Isn't that obvious?
Silence.
VLADIMIR:
Where was I . . . How's your foot?
ESTRAGON:
Swelling visibly.
VLADIMIR:
Ah yes, the two thieves. Do you remember the story?
ESTRAGON:
No.
VLADIMIR:
Shall I tell it to you?
ESTRAGON:
No.
VLADIMIR:
It'll pass the time. (Pause.) Two thieves, crucified at the same time as our Saviour. One—
ESTRAGON:
Our what?
VLADIMIR:
Our Saviour. Two thieves. One is supposed to have been saved and the other . . . (he searches for the contrary of saved) . . . damned.
ESTRAGON:
Saved from what?
VLADIMIR:
Hell.
ESTRAGON:
I'm going.
He does not move.
VLADIMIR:
And yet . . . (pause) . . . how is it –this is not boring you I hope– how is it that of the four Evangelists only one speaks of a thief being saved. The four of them were there –or thereabouts– and only one speaks of a thief being saved. (Pause.) Come on, Gogo, return the ball, can't you, once in a way?
ESTRAGON:
(with exaggerated enthusiasm). I find this really most extraordinarily interesting.
VLADIMIR:
One out of four. Of the other three, two don't mention any thieves at all and the third says that both of them abused him.
ESTRAGON:
Who?
VLADIMIR:
What?
ESTRAGON:
What's all this about? Abused who?
VLADIMIR:
The Saviour.
ESTRAGON:
Why?
VLADIMIR:
Because he wouldn't save them.
ESTRAGON:
From hell?
VLADIMIR:
Imbecile! From death.
ESTRAGON:
I thought you said hell.
VLADIMIR:
From death, from death.
ESTRAGON:
Well what of it?
VLADIMIR:
Then the two of them must have been damned.
ESTRAGON:
And why not?
VLADIMIR:
But one of the four says that one of the two was saved.
ESTRAGON:
Well? They don't agree and that's all there is to it.
VLADIMIR:
But all four were there. And only one speaks of a thief being saved. Why believe him rather than the others?
ESTRAGON:
Who believes him?
VLADIMIR:
Everybody. It's the only version they know.
ESTRAGON:
People are bloody ignorant apes.
He rises painfully, goes limping to extreme left, halts, gazes into distance off with his hand screening his eyes, turns, goes to extreme right, gazes into
distance. Vladimir watches him, then goes and picks up the boot, peers into it, drops it hastily.
VLADIMIR:
Pah!
He spits. Estragon moves to center, halts with his back to auditorium.
ESTRAGON:
Charming spot. (He turns, advances to front, halts facing auditorium.) Inspiring prospects. (He turns to Vladimir.) Let's go.
VLADIMIR:
We can't.
ESTRAGON:
Why not?
VLADIMIR:
We're waiting for Godot.
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We all were led to believe that we were bringing the Lord back but it doesn’t appear that was realistic. So here we are, as Christians, running around, preaching the gospel, praying, being led by the Spirit, reading our Bible etc. We just keep doing this decade after decade, century after century, and millennium after millennium, to what end---going to heaven? I thought the whole idea was that Christ was going to return to bring in the kingdom---that was his purpose…why did he inspire to have the book of Revelation written for goodness sake? Do you think the earlier writers of the NT would have imagined that he would not have set up his kingdom by now? Based on Jesus' statements, Jesus didn't nor did Paul nor did the others who wrote inspired letters believe it would be thousands of years in the future before Christ would set up his kingdom if he ever does. Is God playing a joke on us? In any case, is the Spirit of Life leading us around in circles? While the Bible tries to make it clear that no would know the day or hour but the Father no one was anticipating thousands of years would go by before it happened. What's wrong with this picture?
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The irony is, we are in the midst of an environmental apocalypse as we speak. Maybe you're looking in the wrong place. At the risk of sounding like a broken record let me replay this for you "Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you."