My opinion of "end times"

Not only has God provided sufficient biblical and contextual evidence for every generation of Christians to believe that they live in the "end times", He has provide each successive generation more biblical and contextual evidence that they live in the "end times" than the generations before them.

It is obvious, to me and many others, that the first generation of Christians, and those early generations of Christians who compiled the New Testament, were absolutely convinced that Jesus would return in their respective generations.

In my opinion, there is nothing theologically unsound about being left to sincerely believe that one lives in the "end times" nor is there anything unsound in having been wrong about that either.

 

We simply won't ever know until its already begun.

There is no possible way to predict when it will happen.

So just treat your death as the end time because that could come tomorrow for any of us.

I don't expect to go through the end times, and actually rather thankful I get to skip that.

 

To the best of my understanding, we are getting further from the beginning and closer to the end constantly.

 

It has been the end times since I was born. So this is something which each generation, some of them, will see as the end times. And they always pull out the scripture to prove it. lol

But unlike prior to 1945, humanity now has the means to turn this into a self fulfilling prophesy. We can end the world as we know it today, the entire world, by an exchange of nukes. And more than likely that is exactly how it will end. For you cannot trust human beings with such weapons, for we have a long history of crapping in our own beds. The existence of these weapons will insure we use them at some point, perhaps even the first missile being an accident. For as well as being war mongers, we are also accident prone. Between the two is the guarantee the end times will happen.

 

If there's ever a nuclear war during my lifetime I want to be right at the local ground zero.

 

The world ends for a lot of people every day. It ended for Billy Graham a couple of days ago.

 

I mean, I'm not certain exactly where the wrongness enters, but it seems strange to me to consider an idea to not be wrong when it consistently comes up with inaccurate predictions.

I don't know whether you'd say that the theology is wrong, or that the predictions are inconsistent with theology or that the problems arise somewhere else, but somewhere along that path, the line of believability is broken.

With a hit/miss ratio like this one, it behoves us to stop thinking about what our predictions are and focus more on the believability of those predictions.

 

I couldn't argue well against the idea that God not only provides sufficient contextual and biblical evidence to be left to believe that Jesus' return is immanent, but He also provides each successive generation with even more evidence than the generations before them.

 

Maybe he will get to the point in another 75,000,000 years.

 

I believe its all allegorical anyway.

Humans build themselves a Hell on earth founded upon the love of suffering while others escape and build utopic freedom among the stars. Or something.

Theres a myriad of possibilities when we stop trying to apply a literal interpretation of metaphysical dynamics and events.

 

Well, if generation upon generation has been incorrect about it, isn't the conclusion that whatever contextual and biblical evidence you're talking about simply isn't reliable?

 

It helps that the "signs" are so damn vague as to be useless. When has there ever not been "wars and rumors of wars"?

 

1) There is no proof for the Claim that God had something to do with anything in the Bible
2) That some fellow had a dream (Revelations) and attributed this to God does not mean that this dream is an accurate prediction of the Future not does it mean that this dream should be attributed to God.

Many others - Edgar Casey ... Nostradamas and countless others have had visions. These visions are no more or less valid than Revelations.

3) As you have alluded to - the prediction of the end times by Jesus in the Gospel of Matthew did not happen. Jesus predicted the world would end during the generation of those that were listening to him. It didn't happen.

Of course it is theologically unsound to believe that a prophecy that was predicted to happen 2000 years ago (and did not happen) would happen during our lifetime. This is not sound on a logical nor rational basis.

 

Just wait until the stars fall to Earth. And when those 2.6 cubic foot 100 pound hail stones start denting your car I'll bet you see the talking six winged lion...

 

I'm a panmillennialist. It will all pan out in the end.

 

Perhaps, but not necessarily.

 

Why not?

I might agree that it might not be enough to call it false, but I don't think we're justified in calling it reliable.

 

I say we just let these people believe they are in the "End Times" like all he ones before them. It is ha.rmless to everyone else and does provide a bit of entertainment listening to them quiver and worry. In another century we can do it all over so in essence it is perpetual giggle material

 

The implication is "reliable". Our inferences are not necessarily reliable.
I'm currently left to believe that the bible implies ideas about God that are not implied in the balance of creation. They are unique to the bible. I, and others, refer to those ideas as the Word of God. The Word of God is implied in the bible, but we do not attain to the Word of God directly by the inferences we take from the bible. We approach the Word of God by testing the inferences we take from the bible. "The Word of God is tested"; it is the product of testing.

"Because the bible says", amounts to nothing more or less than, 'because I infer'.
"Because the bible says", can only be employed by those who have not out grown their first impression of what the bible says.

As for eschatology, it's not even a curiosity. It just doesn't stir me. I pay it, and those who are passionate about it, due respect, but it's just not my thing. Perhaps that's because I am very confident that I am going to die. None of my adult life plans ever ended with my death. From about sixteen years old on, life plans that ended with one's death seemed brazenly shortsighted to me. For whatever reason, I have thought about, invested in, worked toward and otherwise accommodated my next life as I have this one. Oddly enough, this one hasn't been any the worse for it. I've even considered the idea that such a perspective could explain the better than average performance from a painfully average man.

 

2 Thessalonians 2:1-2,3-4 "1Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him,2That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand."

"3Let 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;4Who 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."

2 Thessalonians 2:9

"And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming:"

Consume:
337. anaireó
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
put to death, kill, slay, take up.
From ana and (the active of) haireomai; to take up, i.e. Adopt; by implication, to take away (violently), i.e. Abolish, murder -- put to death, kill, slay, take away, take up.


Spirit:
4151. pneuma
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
spirit, ghost
From pneo; a current of air, i.e. Breath (blast) or a breeze; by analogy or figuratively, a spirit, i.e. (human) the rational soul, (by implication) vital principle, mental disposition, etc., or (superhuman) an angel, demon, or (divine) God, Christ's spirit, the Holy Spirit -- ghost, life, spirit(-ual, -ually), mind. Compare psuche.


Destroy:
2673. katargeó
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
abolish, cease, cumber, do away
From kata and argeo; to be (render) entirely idle (useless), literally or figuratively -- abolish, cease, cumber, deliver, destroy, do away, become (make) of no (none, without) effect, fail, loose, bring (come) to nought, put away (down), vanish away, make void.

Put to death what? Abolish what?

The person? The works? The 'deal'?

Matthew 9:4-7
"4And Jesus knowing their thoughts said, Wherefore think ye evil in your hearts? 5For whether is easier, to say, Thy sins be forgiven thee; or to say, Arise, and walk? 6But that ye may know that the Son of man hath power on earth to forgive sins, (then saith he to the sick of the palsy,) Arise, take up thy bed, and go unto thine house. 7And he arose, and departed to his house."


Which would be easier? To cure a palsy man whole or to forgive?

To forgive.

Why would it be so difficult for Christ Jesus to 'right the wrong'?

 

[QUOTE="delade, post: 1068992246, member: 74166=QUOTE]" 2 Thessalonians 2:3Let 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;4Who 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."

2 Thessalonians 2:9

"And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming:"[/QUOTE]

 

How many That 'Wicked'(s) or 'The Man of sin'(s) do you think there might be? Would this person know for him/her self that he/she is THAT Wicked or THE Man of sin?

Is 'the mark' a literal mark? 7.6 billion persons somehow receiving 'the mark'?

If Satan, or the devil, is more a matter of the heart and not a matter of a fallen Holy Angel, are references to satan/the devil in The Holy Bible addressing 'the hearts that seek evil'?

Here is an example. The first mention of the word Satan is in 1 Chronicles 21:1

"And Satan stood up against Israel, and provoked David to number Israel."

David provoked himself to stand and order Israel to be numbered, after God had instructed against it. His own heart stood up to have Israel numbered.

Pride, self worth, evil ways,... they all come forth from the heart.

Matthew 15:19
"For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies:"

Jeremiah 17:9 "The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?"

Ecclesiastes 8:11 "Because sentence against an evil work is not executed speedily, therefore the heart of the sons of men is fully set in them to do evil."


Using the word, 'chronic-criminal', can be used interchangeably to those whose heart is set to do evil. You don't need religion to be a criminal.

You don't even need to be 'spiritual'.

It's GOD that gives life, to persons and ideas.

1 Corinthians 3:7 "So then neither is he that planteth any thing, neither he that watereth; but God that giveth the increase."

This even and is first applied to non ready receivers of His Word.

Sharing The Word of God to another is one thing. Talking and rejoicing in The Word of God with another is another thing.

There's not much rejoicing with a person nor much any can do with an unwilling hearer. 1 or 2 sentences is usually all that is needed... and if the hearer is unwilling, The Holy Spirit will lead you away. A person who works in sharing The Word of God knows this. Man, even Christians, is not greater than God.

It's HIM who leads; both to the individual and away from the same individual, to have HIS Word shared. Man does not do this.

Proverbs 16:9
"A man's heart deviseth his way: but the LORD directeth his steps."

THE LORD is not a Person that is taken along as in the jacket pocket. HE IS the ONE who keeps US. HE IS much, much GREATER than I.

 

I remember a massive hail storm in the Summer time, and We were transporting a Nun to Hospital, I was driving, My Partner was tending the Patient, and a Nun was in the front passenger seat, the Sun was out, and the hail was very large to the point I thought the windshield might be damaged, and I quipped, maybe it's the end !

The Nun was NOT amused at My small joke.

100 pound hail does not dent anything, lol....