God really got my attention.

Mark Church.

At age 18-19 (in 2002), when I decided to give God a chance to prove HIMSELF, I was in the U.S. Air Force and had made it past boot camp. As I was in my Tech school training, I developed exercised induced asthma (which wasn't that severe), but they don't even allow you to stay in if you have it a little bit. I was being discharged and didn't know what I was going to do when I got out. I need to add that I was in boot camp when the Trade Towers were attacked on September 11th, 2001. So one night a few weeks before they gave me my DD214 (discharge papers) and sent me home, I broke down in the shower and cried out to God.


I said, "God, if you're even real, please show me who you are and what purpose I am here for. I want to know if you're Buddha, Jesus, Krishna, Allah, Mohammed, etc.. (every name I could think of that had a religious "Messiah/God" connotation). 30 minutes after I got out of the shower, my sister randomly called me. Before I could say anything, she said that she was just in the bathtub "30 MINUTES" ago (exact same time I had been in the shower) praying to "JESUS" that I would get out of the military. First of all, she did not know that I was already getting discharged for a slight form of exercise induced asthma. Secondly, she was not a believer in anything at that time, but decided to call out to "JESUS" specifically and told me that's who she prayed to SPECIFICALLY, without me saying anything to her at all.


I told her that I was just in the shower praying to God to show me who HE was, and HE used her to give me that confirmation. She was blown away, and I think it influenced her faith as well. I honestly did not expect an answer from God so quickly. From that point onward, God was revealing HIMSELF to me more and more. I came in to it all with an open mind, even after that spiritual occurrence happened, because I wanted to know for sure. But at the same time I wanted God to know that I was going to HIM my best shot. In Deuteronomy 4:29 and Jeremiah 29:13 it says that if you seek HIM with all of your heart, you will find HIM. I literally did that, and I surely did find HIM.


After I finally got sent home, I ended up meeting a guy who introduced me to a pastor. I stayed with this pastor for 3 years (2002-2005). It was a non-denominational church (leaning more toward pentecostal / charismatic teaching). I remember singing songs about Christ's return, and just always believed that bible eschatology was speaking not only about our future, but about our very NEAR FUTURE.


After I left in 2005, I began enlarging my borders, via searching out different teachings in Christendom. I was exposed to Jehovah's witnesses, Mormons, 7th Day Adventists, Messianics, Catholics, etc.. and the list goes on. It got me very confused, so I eventually stopped going to denominational congregations of men.


I began researching and studying things on my own. Well, in November of 2008, I was not even searching for anything in particular on you tube, when I came across a video series by Ken Gentry. He was speaking about the true identity of the Beast in the book of Revelation.


I watched the videos a few times through, and took a whole day (over 10 hours) pausing the videos every few seconds, so that I could take down notes. Every time I thought that he would get stuck, he always brought to light something that I had never seen or heard before.


Never in my christian walk before that did anyone challenge me to study 1st Century history (particularly the time period between 30-70 AD). I was so amazed and shocked by it, that I actually put it on the back shelf for 2 years (from November 2008-December 2010). In December of 2010, I felt the Lord prodding me to study more. For the past 7 months now I've done so much extensive study, and I can truly say without a shadow of a doubt that Preterist belief is correct in terms of eschatology.


After all of the confusion and perplexity I went through with the different denominations, doctrines, teachings, etc.. I finally found a system (Preterism) that made sense. I have been hooked on studying it out more thoroughly ever since, and I will until the day I die.