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Biblic Philosophy
I have looked around a bit myself for the following question, and I will only take serious answers.
I would like to ask for links to text documents regarding revelation, and all the signs pointing to the return of Christ, and the end of the world, so to speak. I need info on the Anti-Christ. Some people believe he is already born. Some believed it was Hitler. Some believe G. W. Bush. I want opinions on this also.
For example When Israel becomes a state of its own, after that generation passes, Christ will return.
This is not exact quote....Obviously. However I need info of this nature. This is one of those signs. I need as much text and documents as I can possibly get.
Second, I need as many opinions from every perspective as possible. I.E. Atheists (I don't want "God doesn't exist. Don't worry about it.") I want reasons and such as to why you don't think it exists. All Beliefs are wanted here.
From what I have gathered, the Bible states after all signs are completed, Christ will return, and people get into Heaven, and the likes of this nature. The anti-Christ will be born. Do his 7 year business. Things will fall apart. Hell will be on earth, and so on. Most of the signs are done, and the end is near. What do you all think about this? I want as detailed answers as I can possibly get. I myself think the end could very well be soon. If you want to talk with me on this outside of advicenators, you can do so. Ask for my aim, or check my column. Solaris.
I did not go into too much detail, and I apologise. I want all of you to think about it really hard before you answer. Also...try to make the answers organized, and spelled correctly. Its easier on the eyes.
Thank you.
Solaris A.K.A. DemonDrummer21
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Want to answer more questions in the Miscellaneous category?
Maybe give some free advice about: Spirituality?
hey! um...i know you don't wanna hear my story, so i tell you this: i can help you because i am looking for the same answers myself!
anyways, i watched this documentury...
just like in Christ: The Father, The Son, and The Holy Ghost
The Anti-christ will have three
HITLER WAS THE FIRST! the second is coming soon.
the documentary said that next will speak well and be in a large state of power. it couldn't be G.W. Bush because he can't talk for shit. It will probably be after Bush.
if you wnat to talk about it more...IM me
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Okay..
I personally dont know too much about this stuff.. but I'll try my best.
I've heard that there was a prediction there was going to be a Pope who had a very long reign (the one who just passed away).. and then after that Pope there was going to be one with a fairly short reign. (The current Pope and, seeing how he is old now I can see how that may be true).
And then, it is said that the anti-christ will follow the current Pope's reign.
I dont know though. I heard during that time there will be a war between heaven and hell. To see those who are truly faithful to God. Those from hell will try to get people to go to their side (or so i've heard), and those who endure whatever they need to to proove they're faith in God will be let into heaven. .. I dont know for sure though.
And me, I've always thought I believed in God. Always. Hasnt been a time I havent. I have to admit though, lately I've questioned it. Just the process of life being like one huge game. I just dont get it sometimes and its hard to grasp the concept and PURPOSE of life sometimes. I dont even know how to explain it. I do believe in God, although there are always going to be those times I question it. I'm not an athiest.. I'm just still trying to figure out what I believe exactly. I have morality and all that, but personally, I'm indecisive and I'll have my nights where I pray and other nights where I think its useless (which I know isnt right, but still just a feeling I cant shake off)
I think God exists... just hard to know if he listens all the time. But then again I hear everyone has a plan. If this is making any sense at all.
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please dont rate me down for this, but i have wondered most of the same things, and i was extreamly currious, and read the answers that you recieved.
what i wish to say is thank you for asking this question!
-SLeK-
please, leave feedback!
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I was raised as a Christian, but often believed in different parts of many religions such as Hinduism, Paganism (which is not devil worship, it is simply a religion which is based in the belief that the earth is sacred), and most recently, thought of converting to Judaism. I have studied most religions in depth, and have come out with the belief that they are all different philosophical perspectives of the same thing. So I call myself an Agnostic. Here is what I think. The Bible used to be separate writings by various people who believed they had found the answer to life's existence. All had found some higher power in their lives, something that gave their lives meaning. Let me share an anecdote that I learned. Catholics and Lutherans were arguing over the Vatican and the Pope in an English class. It was very close to being divided straight down the middle, and the teacher came up with a solution. She placed a plant in the middle of the room, between the Catholics and Lutherans, and said "This is Fred. He is all-knowing, he is God. He is your higher power, your absolute truth, your meaning to life. I would like you all to draw Fred." Everyone drew Fred. When they had finished, the teacher said "You have all drawn Fred. Yet not one of your drawings looks exactly alike." Case and point. One clever student said "If we took a photograph, Fred would look the same." To which the teacher responded "Would he? You are all looking at him from different points, or, in the case of your higher power, from different backgrounds, upbringings, and perspectives of the world." I think this is the most important anecdote that has gone into building what I believe. I believe that each person must seek out his higher power, his absolute truth, and the thing that gives his life meaning. For each person it will be different, if only a little. My higher power has more to do with humanity than with an all-powerful God. If there were some Great Soul, I would think of it in the Hindu sense of Bramah, or in the Jewish sense of that God being shattered into tiny particles of light, each of which makes one soul on earth. Collectively, humans, and the living, breathing earth, and it's harmonious celestial dance throughout the universe, and all of the intricate workings of time and space, are eternal, and have meaning. Collectively, we are able to produce an answer to life, and it is all ideas come together, it is all human emotion, all passion for life, all human experience, conglomerate into one soul, which we become a part of, and our ideas perpetuated through it, when we die. The essence of life; thought, ideas, a soul, love, emotion; none of these can simply cease to exist when we die. We cannot create Artificial Intelligence because we do not yet understand the nature of what makes this ability to form ideas and to learn, but I do not think that it can simply cease to exist when we die, I think it must become a part of something so much larger. I used to think that we were prisoners of our own minds, but now I believe that we are simply limited by our perspective and our understanding. I believe that your mind is only limited by how far you can travel in it, and how many ideas and perspectives you can take in. I believe that true wisdom comes in the /want/, the /need/ to seek out some higher understanding. For that, I think you are wise. Okay, so I just briefly outlined my philosophy on God, Religion, and Life, and reading over it, I think I see a new perspective within my own. God exists, but not as a ruler sitting in the heavens watching life go on underneath him. God /is/ life, God /is/ love, God /is/ humanity and all ideas mixed into one.
Also, a note on your Anti-Christ. I do not think Hitler was the Anti-Christ, because the Anti-Christ could not teach the world so much. Think of what we have learned from him: The danger of unfounded prejudices, the knowledge that this must never happen again and what we must do to ever prevent it happening. The danger of ideas and the ability to convince the masses of them in conjunction with brilliance, for Hitler was brilliant. He came along at the right time with the right message and the right means to achieve what he wanted to achieve, power, and he did it. Truly evil though he was, he was brilliant. I also do not think George W. Bush is the Anti-Christ. He is doing what he believes is right, and is doing the best he can to guide his country through difficult times. I do not believe that he is solely after oil in Iraq, although I note the pattern throughout history that whenever America starts a pointless war it is always with the reasoning of "making the world safe for democracy." The world is as safe as we can make it, we cannot possibly eradicate all evil. We cannot possibly make absolute peace until all people are united under one government with one common goal and common beliefs, and that is one of the most dangerous forms of conformity. I'm rambling. I've told you my philosophy on life, and on religion, and on the Anti-Christ. It is simply my viewpoint, take it for what you will.
One last thing, about Revelations. I do not know very much about it, but I would like to draw your attention to a passage in the Koran, passage 9:11. It says something like "And the snake (symbol of middle-east) shall invoke the wrath of the mighty eagle, and there shall ensue such a great and terrible war as has never been seen by the likes of man, and it shall eradicate hatred and evil, and shall strip the land and create balance. And after the war has taken its course, there shall be a period of great peace throughout the land, and once more a Kingdom of Heaven shall be on earth." This sounds very much like what is happening right now, and as all the three religions claiming a common patriarch in Abraham (Christianity, Islam, and Judaism) have predicted similar things, and all seem to point to this time period and the events that are happening now, I believe that they are coming to pass. I hope this helps, and I feel thoroughly drained after thinking this hard about my own beliefs ;). Anyways, hope to hear from you sometime again.
Love,
Nevaeh
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Hello, Solaris.
I am a devout Christian. I believe with all of my heart that the Word of God - the Bible - is 100% true. I believe the book of Revelation is a fascinating, intricate, beautiful work. Now you know where I stand. Oh, all Scripture used is taken from the NIV (New International Version) of the Holy Bible.
If you believe in God, and His Word, you will know from this verse that the Revelations are true.
"The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show His servants what must soon take place. He made it known by sending His angel to His servant John, who testifies to everything he saw--that ism the Word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ. Blessed is the one who reads the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear it and take to heart what is written in it, because the time is near." -- Revelation 1:1-3
Basically, as you know, that is saying that God sent an angel to tell John what was going to happen. There are several instances of this happening; one of the most famous is Mary's encounter with Gabriel. (Matthew 1:18, Luke 1:26-27) John was on the island of Patmos, and he was in the Spirit of God, on the Sabbath, when God reveled this to him. John was commanded to write what he saw, thus we have Revelation. (Revelation 1:19) According to Revelation 5, Christ ALONE is worthy to break the seven seals.
The First Seal : Antichrist : "I watched as the Lamb opened the first of the seven seals. Then I heard one of the four living creatures say in a voice like thunder, "Come!" I looked, and there before me was a white horse! Its rider held a bow, and he was given a crown, and he rode out as a conqueror bent on conquest." - Revelation 6:1-2 -- This signifies the coming of the Antichrist. He is like a warrior. He will be charming, influential, and comes from the area around Germany and such. He will seem to be kind, compassionate, and will supposedly want "world peace." Many, many will fall into this trap. The Antichrist will die, and then be resurrected, at which point Satan himself will inhabit the body. The Antichrist begins as a 'normal' man who is under Satan's influence, but once the man dies, Satan will live in the body. More on this later.
The Second Seal : War : "When the Lamb opened the second seal, I heard the second living creature say, "Come!" Then another horse came out, a fiery red one. Its rider was given power to take peace from the earth and to make men slay each other. To him was given a large sword." - Revelation 6:3-4 - Though the horse and rider are simply analogies, the war will be very real. Men will have no value for human life. Wait⦠men have no value for human life now. Take abortions for example. When someone says that abortion is murder, hundreds of people will say, "Oh, it's just a fetus. It's not a 'real' baby until it's born." What a lie! It is a baby from the moment of conception on. What about the terrorists? They have no value for human lives. Or bombers, or suicidal killings, or serial killers. Already we have no value. Imagine how awful it will soon be.
The Third Seal : Famine : "When the Lamb opened the third seal, I heard the third living creature say, "Come!" I looked, and there before me was a black horse! Its rider was holding a pair of scales in his hand. Then I heard what sounded like a voice among the four living creatures, saying, "A quart of wheat for a day's wages, and three quarts of barley for a day's wages, and do not damage the oil and the wine!" - Revelation 6:5-6 - In these days, food will be scarce for believers. If you are a Christian, you will not be able to buy or sell anything without the Mark of the Beast. (more on that later) This mark will probably come in form of a small tattoo on the hand or forehead and a small computer chip inserted just below the skin on the hand. People without the mark will not be allowed to buy or sell anything. Though the tattoo can be foraged, the computer chip cannot. Hundreds of believers will starve for lack of food because, if you take the mark of the beast, you've sold your soul to the Devil.
The Fourth Seal : Death : "When the Lamb opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living creature say, "Come!" I looked, and there before me was a pale horse! Its rider was named Death, and Hades was following close behind him. They were given power over a fourth of the earth to kill by sword, famine and plague, and by the wild beasts of the earth." - Revelation 6:7-8 - there will be wars which will kill thousands of men, women and children. Famines and plagues will wipe out thousands more, and perhaps thousands of animals will be rabid or possessed? I don't fully understand that, sorry.
The Fifth Seal : Martyred Remnant : "When He opened the fifth seal, I saw under the alter of the souls of those who had been slain because of the Word of God and the testimony they had maintained. They called out in a loud voice, "How long, Sovereign Lord, holy and true, until you judge the inhabitants of the earth and avenge our blood? Then each of them was given a white robe, and they were told to wait a little longer, until the number of their fellow servants and brothers who were to be killed as they had been was completed." - Revelation 6:9-11 - Those who have been martyred for their faith will rise up and cry out to the Lord. They will be honored with white and then they will wait for their brothers to be slain. (what a thing to wait for.) This, too, is a little confusing to me. :-
The Sixth Seal : Anarchy : "I watched as He opened the sixth seal. There was a great earthquake. The sun turned black like sackcloth made of goat hair, the whole moon turned blood red, and the stars in the sky fell to earth, as late figs drop from a fig tree when shaken by a strong wind. The sky receded like a scroll, rolling up, and every mountain and island was removed from its place. Then the kings of the earth, the princes, the generals, the rich, the mighty, and every slave and every free man hid in caves and among the rocks of the mountains. They called to the mountains and the rocks, "Fall on us and hide us from the face of Him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb! For the great day of their wrath has come, and who can stand?" - Revelation 6:12-17 - All those who are not believers will attempt to hide from the wrath of God, but who can hide from Him who made the hiding places? These men know they are unworthy and sinful, but it is too late for them. They have sealed their fate. Everything will be chaos and in a state of unlawfulness. No man can stand against Him.
We'll get to the seventh seal later...
"After this I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, holding back the four winds of the earth to prevent any wind from blowing on the land or on the sea or on any tree. Then I saw another angel coming up from the east, having the seal of the living God. He called out in a loud voice to the four angels who had been given power to harm the land and sea : "Do not harm the land or the sea or the trees until we put a seal on the foreheads of the servants of our God." - Revelation 7:1-3 - There are these angels who will be able to cause harm to the earth, sea, and growing things. Another angel tells them not to harm anything until the followers of God have been sealed. I believe this seal can only be seen by fellow believers. I don't know what the seal will look like. Perhaps it will be a cross on the forehead, placed there by God. Or it could be a small Hebrew word, or name of God. I do not know. But believers will be sealed. Once you have the seal of God, you are destined for Heaven when you die. Or, if you don't die, you'll live in heaven when Jesus comes back.
Then we come to the 144,000 Jews from Israel. There will be 12,000 from each tribe : Judah, Reuben, Gad, Asher, Naphtali, Manasseh, Simeon, Levi, Issachar, Zebulun, Joseph, and Benjamin. (Revelation 7:4-8) Basically, there will be 12,000 Jews from each of the above listed tribes (from the Old Testament) that put their faith in Christ and are sealed.
"After this I looked and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people, and language, standing before the throne and in front of the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands. And they cried out in aloud voice "
"Salvation belongs to our God, who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb." All the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures. They fell down on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, saying : "Amen! Praise and glory and wisdom and thanks and honor be to our God forever and ever. Amen!" Then one of the elders asked me, "These in white robes--who are they, and where did they come from?" I answered, "Sir, you know." And he said, "These are they who have come out of the great tribulation; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. Therefore, ' " they are before the throne of God and serve Him day and night in His temple; and He who sits on the throne will spread His tent over them. Never again will they hunger; never again will they thirst. The sun will not beat upon them, nor any scorching heat. For the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd; He will lead them to springs of living water. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes" ' " - Revelation 7:9-17 - I believe this is the remainder of those who survived the Tribulation or died during it. They are followers, brethren. They were starved, tortured, and persecuted. Never again will they be hungry or thirsty, and when they cry, God will be there to wipe the tears from their eyes.
The Seventh Seal : Composed Of Seven Trumpets : "When He opened the seventh seal, there was silence in Heaven for about half and hour." - Revelation 8:1 - I'm not quite sure what the silence stands for, perhaps mourning?
The Seven Trumpet Judgments : Christ as High Priest : " And I saw the seven angels who stand before God, and to them were given seven trumpets. " - Revelation 8:2 - There are seven angels, seven trumpets. Makes sense. Revelation 8:3-5 tells of the angels burning incense as an offering to God. "Then the seven angels who had the seven trumpets prepared to sound them." - Revelation 8:6 - The angels got ready to sound their trumpets.
The First Trumpet : Hail and Fire : "The first angel sounded his trumpet, and there came hail and fire mixed with blood, and it was hurled down upon the earth. A third of the earth was burned up, a third of the trees were burned up, and all the green grass was burned up." -- Revelation 8:7 - Perhaps this is scorching heat which will cause things to spontaneously combust? Or perhaps this is in the literal sense, and hail and fire will be hurled towards Earth. That alone would be extremely frightening, how could someone go through something like this and NOT put their faith in God?
The Second Trumpet : Blood Water : "The second angel sounded his trumpet, and something like a huge mountain, all ablaze, was thrown into the sea. A third of the sea turned into blood, a third of the living creatures in the sea died, and a third of the ships were destroyed." - Revelation 8:8-9. I believe that the huge mountain is an analogy, but one third of the sea really will turn into blood, one third of the sea creatures will die, and one third of the ships in the sea will be destroyed.
The Third Trumpet : Bitter Water : "The third angel sounded his trumpet, and a great star, blazing like a torch, fell from the sky on a third of the rivers and on the springs of water--the name of the star is Wormwood. A third of the waters turned bitter, and a great many people died from the waters that had become bitter." -- Revelation 8:10-11 -- Basically, if taken in the literal sense, a great comet (star) will fall from the sky, and one third of the fresh waters will turn bitter, and a lot of people will die from the bitterness. The star could also be an analogy, and it simply means that one-third of the fresh water will turn bitter.
The Fourth Trumpet : Lost Light : "The fourth angel sounded his trumpet, and a third of the sun was struck, a third of the moon, and a third of the stars, so that a third of them turned dark. A third of the day was without light, and also a third of the night. As I watched, I heard an eagle that was flying in midair call out in a loud voice : "Woe! Woe! Woe to the inhabitants of the earth, because of the trumpet blasts about to be sounded by the other three angels!" " - Revelation 8:12-13 - So one third of everything in the sky is going to be blacked out, we'll lose one third of daylight, and one third of the night. The eagle calls out, warning the earth of what is to come, but only vaguely. I'm not sure if an eagle will actually call out, or if this is an analogy.
The Fifth Trumpet : Stinging Locusts : "The fifth angel sounded his trumpet, and I saw a star that had fallen from the sky to the earth. The star was given the key to the shaft of the Abyss. When he opened the Abyss, smoke rose from it like the smoke from a gigantic furnace. The sun and sky were darkened by the smoke from the abyss. And out of the smoke locusts came down upon the earth and were given power like that of scorpions of the earth. They were told not to harm the grass of the earth or any plant or tree, but only those people who did not have the seal of God on their foreheads. They were not given power to kill them, but only to torture them for five months. And the agony they suffered was like that of the sting of a scorpion when it strikes a man. During those days men will seek death, but will not find it; they will long to die, but death will elude them. The locusts looked like horses prepared for battle. On their heads they wore something like crowns of gold, and their faces resembled human faces. Their hair was like women's hair and their teeth were like lions' teeth. They had breastplates like breastplates of iron, and the sound of their wings was like the thundering of many horses and chariots rushing into battle. They had tails and stings like scorpions, and in their tails they had power to torment people for five months. They had as king over them the angel of the Abyss, whose name in Hebrew is Abaddon, and in Greek, Apollyon. The first woe is past; two other woes are yet to come." - Revelation 9:1-12 - so here we have this great big comet that falls to the earth. It opens up the Abyss (Hell?) and smoke pours out of it, but there is no fire. Hundreds of millions of freakishly dressed and freaky looking locusts - which have stingers - come out of this. Anyone who does not have the mark of God will be sought out and stung. There will be very few who can escape this torment. Anyone who is stung will call out for death, but they CAN NOT DIE. No matter what they do they will not be able to die. Those who try to find death will only make their suffering worse. The locusts will not harm believers or the plants. This is only the first woe.
The Sixth Trumpet : Army From The Far East : "The sixth angel sounded his trumpet, and I heard a voice coming from the horns of the golden alter that is before God. It said to the sixth angel who had the trumpet, "Release the four angels who ware bound at the great river Euphrates." And the four angels who had been kept ready for this very hour and day and month and year were released to kill a third of mankind. The number of the mounted troops was two hundred million. I heard their number. The horses and riders I saw in my vision looked like this : Their breastplates were fiery red, dark blue, and yellow as sulfur. The heads of the horses resembled the heads of lions, and out of their mouths came fire, smoke, and sulfur. A third of mankind was killed by the three plagues of fire, smoke and sulfur that came out of their mouths. The power of the horses was in their mouths and in their tails; for their tails were like snakes, having heads with which they inflict injury. The rest of mankind that were not killed by these plagues still did not repent of the work of their hands; they did not stop worshiping idols of gold, silver, bronze, stone, or wood--idols that cannot see or hear or walk. Nor did they repent of their murders, their magic arts, their sexual immorality, or their thefts." - Revelation 9:13-21 - So we've got these horses who don't really look like horses, who spit fire and sulfur and smoke from their mouths. They kill one third of the remaining people. Still, the people don't repent. :-( Very sad.
The Seventh Trumpet : Christ's Reign Foreseen : "The seventh angel sounded his trumpet, and there were loud voices in heaven, which said : ' "The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ, and He will reign forever and ever." ' And the twenty-four elders, who were seated on their thrones before God, fell on their faces sand worshiped God, saying : ' " We give thanks to You, Lord God Almighty, the One who is and who was, because You have taken Your great power and begun to reign. The nations were angry; and Your wrath has come. the time has come for judging the dead, and for rewarding your servants the prophets and your saints and those who reverence Your name, both small and great--and for destroying those who destroy the earth." ' Then God's temple in heaven was opened, and within His temple was seen the ark of His covenant. And there came flashes of lightning, rumblings, peals of thunder, and earthquake and a great hailstorm." -- Revelation 11:15-19 -- Christ's heaven will be moved to earth, and heaven will be opened and thunder, lighting, earthquakes and hail will pour from there. Christ will judge all who have died and His followers, and those who destroy the earth with their wickedness.
The rest I'll let you read from the following sites. I hope I've helped you out some.
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Thank you for asking this question, Solaris. It provoked much thought.
-FunnyCide
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huh
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I find discussions on Revelations to be kinda funny.
Revelations was about Roman Emporer Nero. "The mark of the beast" and "666" refer to Nero. Revelations is political commenarty through symbolism - they were not speaking of events to come, but of what was happening to early Christians in the time of the Roman Empire.
If you look at Daniel in the Old Testament, it is very similar - dark, world-ending, all-gonna-die type things - they reflect the times during which each was written.
I suppose some could write similar things about today. Is the world ending? Only if we let it.
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(Sorry this took so long, but you should be able to see why. ;-) This is just an overview on a few of the main topics. There's soooo much more, but it's all too much information for one time... All scripture here is from the King James Version and I used [Link](Mouse over link to see full location) for help in looking up the verses.)
THE ANTI-CHRIST:
The end-times Anti-Christ of the Bible can't be Hitler since Hitler is dead. According to the Bible, the Anti-Christ is going to go into the new Jewish Temple and declare himself to be God, about mid-way into the 7 year Tribulation.
Maitreya;
Many people who think we are living in the end-times do believe that the Anti-Christ is alive today. Some believe he is Maitreya ([Link](Mouse over link to see full location)) who has supposedly been making appearances for years. Some people think that Maitreya is a complete fabrication made up by Benjamin Creme.
At any rate, it is impossible for this Maitreya to be The Christ of the Bible as their site is trying to claim. Christ said to his disciples when they asked Him about the end-times: Matthew 24:23 - 27 "Then if any man shall say unto you, Lo, here [is] Christ, or there; believe [it] not. For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if [it were] possible, they shall deceive the very elect. Behold, I have told you before. Wherefore if they shall say unto you, Behold, he is in the desert; go not forth: behold, [he is] in the secret chambers; believe [it] not. For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be." (words and phrases written in italics in the Bible are between brackets [] )
Javier Solana;
A more likely candidate for Anti-Christ (in my opinion) is Javier Solana. Most people have probably never even heard of him, which is scary because he is, without a doubt, one of the most powerful people on the planet right now. He is the High Representative of the Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP) and the Secretary-General of both the Council of the European Union (EU) and the Western European Union (WEU). Here is Mr. Solana's official website, complete with picture: [Link](Mouse over link to see full location) He looks totally non-threatening in appearance... But appearance can be deceiving, of course.
His position as High Representative was created by the EU heads in December of 1998 and, out of over 1100 documents, this particular document's number was 666. That's right, Recommendation 666. See [Link](Mouse over link to see full location) for a summary of that document, and [Link](Mouse over link to see full location) for the full document. Coincidence? Maybe. Someone in the EU who just thought it would be funny? Maybe.
A book was written on this subject, called Recommendation 666. The website of the author has tons of info and opinions on the subject, (including a free online copy of the book) and a messageboard on prophecy and such too: [Link](Mouse over link to see full location)
Now, do I really think Javier Solana is the Anti-Christ? I don't know. Maybe not. I think, at the very least, the position created for him is ripe to be filled by the Anti-Christ. Maybe. Maybe not. I do think that some of the things lining up are very suspicious and it deserves a close eye: [Link](Mouse over link to see full location)
THE ISRAEL TIMELINE:
The Bible passage I quoted from above (aka The Olivet Discourse) is from a time when some of the disciples came to Christ on the mount of Olives and asked Him about the end-times. He said quite a lot of things: [Link](Mouse over link to see full location) But the one that seems to be discussing the timing of Israel's return is: Mat 24:32 - 34 "Now learn a parable of the fig tree; When his branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer [is] nigh: So likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things, know that it is near, [even] at the doors. Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled."
Because other places in the Bible refer to the children of Israel as figs and Israel as a fig tree (such as Hosea 9:10 ...I saw your fathers as the firstripe in the fig tree at her first time...) many people believe that the returning of the leaves on a fig tree means the return of the Jewish people to Israel. Israel was overrun by the Romans in 70 A.D. and scattered into every nation on the earth. On May 14, 1948, with a population of around 550,000, the new state of Israel was established. Israel recaptured all of Jerusalem in June 1967. So if the fig tree is Israel, and if Christ is saying "So likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things, know that it is near, [even] at the doors. Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled.", then it seems that within a generation of the reinstatement of Israel the end-times will come.
Then you have the discussion of, what is a generation? In researching, the answers appear to be somewhere between 40 years and 120 years, with 70 years being the most common. And when do we start counting? From 1948 when the state was established, or from 1967, when all of Jerusalem was actually captured? I don't know.
The Temple and the Sanhedrin;
Even if you don't agree with the interpretation of Israel becoming a nation again and the generation not passing, there is one thing that is spoken of very clearly. And that is that there will be a new Jewish Temple built sometime before the mid point in the Tribulation so that the Anti-Christ (the son of perdition) can sit in the temple and claim to be God. 2Thessalonians 2:3 - 4 "Let no man deceive you by any means: for [that day shall not come], except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God."
So the temple must be built and there has to "come a falling away". A more detailed look at what a "falling away" means can be found at: 2Timothy 3:1 - 7 "This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away. For of this sort are they which creep into houses, and lead captive silly women laden with sins, led away with divers lusts, Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth." -- Sounds kind of familiar, doesn't it?
Now, back to the temple. In order to build a temple correctly, an important thing was needed... The Sanhedrin. The Sanhedrin are: "a religious assembly that convened in one of the Holy Temple chambers in Jerusalem, comprised 71 sages and existed during the Tannaitic period, from several decades before the Common Era until roughly 425 C.E." But the Sanhedrin hadn't existed for a long time. There hadn't been a Sanhedrin in about 1,600 years. Until LESS THAN 1 YEAR AGO: [Link](Mouse over link to see full location) A quote from the story: "A unique ceremony - probably only the 2nd of its kind in the past 1,600 years - took place in Tiberias today: The launching of a Sanhedrin, the highest Jewish-legal tribunal in the Land of Israel."
The Jews believe the restoration of the Sanhedrin will precede the coming of the Messiah, as only the Sanhedrin has the authority to crown the Messiah as the Jewish King. Christians believe that the Jewish Messiah has already been here as Christ Yeshua (Jesus), but that most of the Jewish people rejected Him. Thus, Christians believe that the next "Messiah" that shows up is going to be the Anti-Christ, and that the Jewish people might be deceived into believing the Anti-Christ is their long-awaited Messiah.
The new Sanhedrin are already calling for the rebuilding of the temple: [Link](Mouse over link to see full location)
Pretty significant events here, if you ask me. So if the Jews come to some understanding with the Moslems regarding building the temple on the Temple Mount beside of the Dome of the Rock... Wow.
OTHER SIGNS:
Many of the signs are rather general, and can be said to have always been happening to one extent or another: Matthew 24:6 - 8 "And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all [these things] must come to pass, but the end is not yet. For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places. All these [are] the beginning of sorrows."
But some things are more specific: Daniel 12:4 "many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased." It's hard to imagine any other time in history that people had the ability to run to and fro like they do today. And knowledge certainly has increased. Think about how fast things have developed in the past 100 years or so. It's like 1,900 years of same-old same-old with minimal growth here and there, and then WHAM! Technological explosion!
1Thessolonians 5:1 - 3 "But of the times and the seasons, brethren, ye have no need that I write unto you. For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night. For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape." -- When they say peace and safety? Like a peace agreement of some kind, maybe?
Revelation 6:6 "And I heard a voice in the midst of the four beasts say, A measure of wheat for a penny, and three measures of barley for a penny; and [see] thou hurt not the oil and the wine." -- A penny was a day's wages. So that would be a day's wages for a loaf of bread or something like that. Could be economic collapse or a food shortage, perhaps. Maybe failed crops? Recently, honeybees are dying in massive numbers across the U.S. Honeybees are needed to pollinate crops! [Link](Mouse over link to see full location) I always wondered what the part that says: "and [see] thou hurt not the oil and the wine" meant. Then I read the honeybee thing and I also found out that most grapes and most olives (for olive OIL) are self-pollinating. So lack of bees won't hurt them. (they will be "hurt not") Now, I don't know if that's what the verse really means, but it's certainly something to think about, and it did freak me out when I found out about it!
Honestly there are so many other things, such as all of the seals and bowls and such in Revelation, the battle of Gog-Magog where Russia and another nation (maybe China) attacks Israel and loses (which is separate from the battle of Armageddon), the Rapture, etc... If you want any more specifics on anything, just ask. :-)
THE PRETERIST THEORY:
Some people, called Preterists, believe that end-times prophecy, and specifically the book of Revelation, has already happened back in 70AD with the destruction of the 2nd Temple. I don't agree with that at all. 1/3rd of the sun, moon and stars hasn't darkened... Christ hasn't returned like the lightning shining from east to west and seen by all nations yet... A 200 million man army hasn't marched towards Israel yet, a fiery mountain hasn't been hurled into the sea and 1/3rd of the sea animals haven't died and 1/3rd of the sea hasn't become blood... Hail and fire mixed with blood haven't been cast down onto the earth killing 1/3rd of the grass and 1/3rd of the trees... The falling star, Wormwood hasn't fallen to earth and caused 1/3rd of the rivers and springs to become bitter (poison)... And so on and so forth. If all the prophesies have already taken place, this should be the new heaven and earth (which isn't supposed to have a sea), and we should have bodies that don't age or get sick or feel pain. Which would mean that if all the prophesies have come true already, then God is a liar. I don't believe that at all. Again, you'll find some who believe otherwise, but I'm not one of them. I take what the Bible says literally. I don't want to face God on judgement day and say, "Oh, you mean you meant all that literally? My bad."
Preterist info:
[Link](Mouse over link to see full location)
[Link](Mouse over link to see full location)
MY PERSONAL FEELINGS:
Yes, I believe we are living in the end times, in the sense that the Tribulation could start soon. I've felt this way since I was young. I had a recurring dream that I would look up and see three moons in the sky, and then the world would end. Over and over, I dreamed this for many, many years. I would be different places in my dreams, but always when I looked and saw the 3 moons, the tribulation disasters started. When I told my grandfather about my dreams one time, he looked very surprised and told me that he dreams about the end of the world too... But in his dreams he would look up and see 3 doves and then the disasters would start and he knew it was the end of the world. I've always been freaked out by that. I don't know what the 3 moons/doves represent, except maybe the Trinity.
Of course, I realize that throughout the past hundreds and thousands of years people have thought they were living in the end-times. But they didn't have same reasons to as we do... Israel is back in the hands of the Israelis now, and we are living in that generation... The Sanhedrin have reformed after all this time, within this past year! We actually have the technology now for the "mark of the beast", as it could easily be a microchip-type device. And when have the verses about men being lovers of their own selves, boasters, proud, disobedient to parents, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God, etc. been more accurate than in these times?
How soon? I don't know. Assuming I would live a normal life span, I think it will happen within my lifetime. I might be wrong.
Now aren't you glad you asked? LOL! ;-)
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~We've been talking about this awhile, but I decided to post anyway. I waited too long for this question just to ignore it and let it slip off.
I'm a Zen Buddhist, however i've always been curious about philosophy ~ reguardless of religious boundaries. So I guess that makes my religion for the most part irrelevant. I can't say I know very much about any form of biblical apocalypse, well ~ an apocalypse at all for that matter. There are theories upon theories that can be given, however the one freshest in my mind is the end of the Mayan calendar. The Mayan's were quite advanced for their time in fields such as astronomy, and many people believe that the end of their calendar shows when they thought the world would end.
I however do not believe that mankind will ever destroy the earth, that is why I do not buy into the Hitler or George W. Bush theories. Much of that thinking has come from Michael Chrichton ~ He said through Ian Malcolm something along the lines of.
"It is arrogant of mankind to think that they can destroy the world. For things will adapt and evolve to meet the conditions of the planet, and thusly survive."
~That is not a direct quote, however a summary from memory (It's so much easier to get movie quotes than book quotes, however I don't recall that being in the movie. (They did great injustice to Malcolm in the movie.))
There have definitely been some very odd happenings as of late, while I doubt any of them are omens ~ It does make you wonder.
I am certain we will discuss this more later, and I want to leave some opening for conversation so I will leave you with that for now.
~Panramos
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