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•WHAT IF…•By Joshua AdamsThere is something that has troubled my spirit for a long time. Somewhere along the way, many believers stopped asking, "What does the Bible actually say?" and started asking, "What have I always been taught?" Those are not the same question.If a doctrine is true, it should not need assumptions to survive. It should stand on the written Word of God.The Scriptures plainly tell us that Jesus Christ is returning. They plainly tell us the dead in Christ will rise. They plainly tell us those who are alive and remain will be caught up to meet the Lord in the air. Those are facts. I believe every one of them because they are written.But where does the Bible plainly say the Church spends seven years in heaven before Christ returns to establish His Kingdom? Where does it plainly say there are two future comings of Christ separated by years? Where does it plainly say the gathering of the saints happens before every tribulation? It does not explicitly say those things. Those ideas are built by connecting passages through a theological system. They may be sincerely believed, but sincerity is not the measure of truth. The written Word is.Look at how the Bible ends. John does not see redeemed humanity living forever in heaven while the earth is abandoned. He sees the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God. He hears the declaration, "Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men." Heaven comes to earth. God dwells with His people. Creation is restored. That is the destination the Bible points toward from beginning to end.Jesus taught us to pray, "Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven." He taught us to pray for God's Kingdom to come to earth. Peter preached about the restoration of all things. Paul wrote that creation itself groans, waiting to be delivered from corruption. The story of Scripture is not God abandoning His creation. It is God redeeming it.This is why I challenge every believer to do something that should never be controversial. Read the text before reading the commentary. Let Scripture speak before tradition does. If a belief cannot be stated without adding words the Bible never says, then hold it with humility instead of certainty.I am not interested in winning an argument. I am interested in standing before Christ knowing I loved His Word more than my traditions. We should never be afraid to test every doctrine against Scripture. Truth does not fear examination. Only error demands blind loyalty.If what you believe is truly biblical, the Word will confirm it. If it is only inherited opinion, the Word will expose it. That is not rebellion against the faith. That is faithfulness to the Author of it.Stop asking what your favorite preacher says. Stop asking what your denomination teaches. Open the Bible. Read every verse in context. Follow the evidence wherever it leads, even if it costs you comfortable beliefs. The goal has never been to defend our traditions. The goal is to know the truth, because the truth has never needed our protection. It only asks for our obedience.#BibleStudy #EndTimes #Scripture #ChristianTruth #JesusChrist — in Palestine, TX.