Kurgan Posted May 16, 2004 Share Posted May 16, 2004 The "end of the world/end of time" is a fascinating subject to speculate about. There have been tons of movies and books written about it (both pure fiction and speculation from a secular or religious point of view). And in 1999, 2000, and 2001 there were a TON of groups and individuals predicting the End. I even talked to one person (who shall remain nameless) who had a website predicting the end. The first prediction was in 2000, then revised to 2001, then to 2002 (and that was the last one I saw, now I can't find the site anymore). Suffice to say these people are really just guessing, having too much wishful thinking or too much paranoia. Yeah, there have always been Chicken Littles in this crazy world of our's. It's not hard to get upset, nervous or panicked what with all the chaos that goes on around this place! But, at least in the case of Christians, they would do well to re-read those passages in the Bible describing how we don't know "the day, nor the hour when the Son of Man will return" etc. The Bible gives no dates for the end of time, just as it gives no date for the creation of the world (something hardcore Creationists would do well to recognize). So I think these guys can be safely ignored (or talked to compassionately and firmly that they're barking up the wrong tree). The end might come anytime for all we know, scientists are constantly on the lookout for a comet or asteroid to hit our planet and wipe us out just like the Dinosaurs. Or we might blow ourselves up in a nuclear war or some disease(s) might wipe us out. Who knows? But it's best not to worry about those things too much, because there isn't much the average person can do to stop those sorts of things anyway. Leave it to the Scientists and Theologians to figure out. About the only thing we can prepare for is our own death. So live life as long as you have it and live it the best way you can, according to what you feel is right. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The_One Posted May 16, 2004 Share Posted May 16, 2004 Are you ready? http://www.raptureready.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crow_Nest Posted May 17, 2004 Share Posted May 17, 2004 Originally posted by jon_hill987 Well you would get good odds on that at the bookies, so if you know it to be true... mind you if there is going to be an alien invasion, you probably won't be needing the money. Are they going to be nice friendly aliens or will there be lots of teeth and tenticals involved? Jon in case you didnt know i wasnt serious about that alien thing it was only a joke. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Astrotoy7 Posted May 17, 2004 Share Posted May 17, 2004 Originally posted by |GG|Crow_Nest Jon in case you didnt know i wasnt serious about that alien thing it was only a joke. seriously, doesn't everyone love the crowski ! cmon crow, change your av man, and stop trying to scare everyone !! mtfbwya Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jon_hill987 Posted May 17, 2004 Share Posted May 17, 2004 Originally posted by |GG|Crow_Nest Jon in case you didnt know i wasnt serious about that alien thing it was only a joke. You shouldn't joke about that sort of thing, it could cause widespread pani, wait, what was that?... *runs to look out window* They are here, they are he.............. Hah, got you, you all thought there were aliens didn't you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kurgan Posted May 17, 2004 Share Posted May 17, 2004 Originally posted by The_One Are you ready? http://www.raptureready.com Not all Christians agree if "the Rapture" (ie: the one depicted in such works as "Left Behind") is even Biblically correct. The Parousia is mentioned in Scripture certainly, but the notion that someday (in the 21st century, within our lifetimes of course) all the "True Christans"(whoever they might be) are going to be whisked away to escape all persecution, while the rest of us sinners are going to be punished by the AntiChrist while the world is destroyed.... well, most Christians don't even believe that, and they're not just in denial, there are good reasons to believe that's too simplistic an interpretation (no offense). Remember, that while it's good "to be ready" (like I said, your own death is probably closer than the End of the World anyway), many have tried (and failed) to predict the end in the name of the Bible. Hal Lindsey wrote "The Late Great Planet Earth" in 1972 (I read it). He was a youth minister for Campus Crusade for Christ at the time. Anyway, he thought the USSR and the Revived Roman Empire were going to unite with "the Arabs" to invade Israel and that would be World War III: The Battle of Armaggedon, etc. Suffice to say that didn't happen and isn't likely to happen either (remember he based his whole theory on current events at the time). The trouble with theorists like him is that they take one big piece of the puzzle that happens to fit (namely Israel becoming a state in 1948) and they immediately assume that means the End is going to happen in their lifetimes. Even before that we had people like William Miller, who thought the world was going to end in 1843 (or 1844). He had huge support in the Protestant Christian community (not among Catholics, because he pinned the Pope and the RCC as the Antichrist and Whore of Babylon, etc in classic anti-Catholic polemic). Suffice to say, HE was wrong. But that didn't stop a woman and her husband from revising his ideas and founding the Seventh Day Adventist Church (saying that the End had already occured, but it occured in heaven, so we just didn't see it). Then we have the Jehovah's Witnesses who predicted the end of the world at least a half a dozen times (starting with 1914 and extending until 1975). Now considering all that happened in that time, it wasn't too outlandish to guess that we might be headin towards the end. But, again, suffice to say, it didn't happen. They don't make predictions like that anymore. The End Time predictors I have to assume really do believe they have found out the date that it's all going to come down, either through their own logic, a private divine revelation, etc. But I am skeptical and start to suspect that some people are just flinging around dates to try to scare up some extra converts to ingratiate themselves. I would think the inevitable embarrassment and loss of faith by some after their failure would outweigh any potential gain they might get from this kind of thing. But, Hal Lindsey (still with us) is still writing books about the end of time (he even did a TV spot one one of the Omega Code movies IIRC). Sigh... I predict (*puts hand to forehead in the tradition of Johnny Carson*) that everyone who predicts time of the end of the world (assuming they aren't God himself) will be wrong. There, place your bets now... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pie™ Posted May 17, 2004 Share Posted May 17, 2004 Originally posted by |GG|Crow_Nest Jon in case you didnt know i wasnt serious about that alien thing it was only a joke. What? You can't be serious? Did I just run around my block in my boxers screaming at the aliens for no reason?? Well, it was fun while it lasted :-\ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The_One Posted May 17, 2004 Share Posted May 17, 2004 @Kurgan: Yes, I am aware that the rapture is not a belief shared by all Christianity, but I thought I'd post the address of the website for those interested in reading it. It's also a great source of comedy - I'd personally recommend the FAQ section, some great questions, with suitably conservative Christian, right-wing answers. I don't go in for religion at all - in any shape or form - although I am quite interested in Christianty, despite not believing in any of it. The Bible is a mass of contradictions from cover to cover, and there are some crazy books in there - in particular the book of Revelations, easily the worst in the Bible. And those on the extreme right of the Christian Right worry me beyond belief. Many believe that the United Nations is a breeding ground for satanic activity. Among them, there seems to be some debate over who may be the antichrist - Tony Blair and The Pope are big contenders. In the current Middle Eastern climate, many of the "rapture ready" Christians believe that the rapture will come soon - hence their support of Bush's pro-Israel policy (if he can mix things up enough in the Middle East, Armageddon may not be that far off). But if you read raptureready.com, it is difficult to comprehend whether any human beings would actually qualify for an ascent into Heaven. Where some people get these notions is really beyond me, but if it is true, according to the previously posted website, I'm going straight to Hell - no contest. See you folks there Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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