![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
And even if it isn't, we should live like it is anyway. (I have the insatiable urge to quote the evil preacher Caleb from Buffy, "I'm sorry, I didn't hear that last part on account of her neck snapping. Did she say the end was near, or here?")
All joking aside, I've been reading my Bible more, as par the usual daily reading that usually ends up with me reading something in the realm of the prophetic. I love to read Revelation, and sometimes some Daniel, but last night and this morning I've been reading the gospels where Jesus explains the signs of the end of the age and of his coming, then proceeds with the various parables to hammer the point home more. It's always interesting to me to see how the various prophecies not only fit together so well, but really flesh out the various parts of the end.
Daniel was the first to see the end, but was only able to say so much as it was not yet time. He was told to seal it up. Then Jesus came and gave the important signs to watch for--false prophets, earthquakes and famines, wars and rumors of wars, the abomination that causes desolation standing in the holy place, false christs, etc.--and that those last few years will be mercifully short. And then John was given the great Revelation, the vision that fleshed everything out that was said before. The mark of the beast, the anti-christ, great and terrifying catastrophes, the seven years of tribulation and great tribulation, beheadings for believers, all these in a fixed, albeit confusing at times, time line.
One of the things that I've always thought interesting is that there have been various times in the past when people have seen some of the signs and thought the end was near, often even with an anti-christ (I think the Pope has often been considered the anti-christ in the past), but it has clearly not been the end. I think the problem, among several things, is that only some of the signs have happened, and we cannot know the date when God will decide to start things rolling. I once read an interesting position someone had that perhaps Satan has had someone in the wings every century that passes in hope of this time being the correct one, but I'm not sure what to think of that. Really though, there are certain things that people seem to forget when looking at the signs.
Sure, there are always going to be a few here or there that come to pass, but the trick is to be looking at all of them. It's like a big combination lock. The thing won't open if you only get half of the numbers right. Even more importantly though, is that there are a few key signs that are so important that none of the others really matter without them. Such as the third temple Israel for one. It has never been built, period. But when someone starts building it, then one key and final ingredient is put into place, and last I heard, there have been blueprints and everything drawn up and the sight selected. I think there's even an official website for it. Of course, the position is currently about where the dome of the rock is, so it's going to require something, well, biblical, to get permission from the muslims. Another important sign people tend to forget (and that's not even counting about the one that says the earth shall wear out like an old garment. I think that one keeps getting closer.) is that the whole world shall be united under one power. Not once has a single world power ever truly controlled the whole world. I mean, the biggest kingdom was probably Rome, and they only had a fraction of the globe.
My brain just derailed, so I'm going to stop for the time being and eat something.
All joking aside, I've been reading my Bible more, as par the usual daily reading that usually ends up with me reading something in the realm of the prophetic. I love to read Revelation, and sometimes some Daniel, but last night and this morning I've been reading the gospels where Jesus explains the signs of the end of the age and of his coming, then proceeds with the various parables to hammer the point home more. It's always interesting to me to see how the various prophecies not only fit together so well, but really flesh out the various parts of the end.
Daniel was the first to see the end, but was only able to say so much as it was not yet time. He was told to seal it up. Then Jesus came and gave the important signs to watch for--false prophets, earthquakes and famines, wars and rumors of wars, the abomination that causes desolation standing in the holy place, false christs, etc.--and that those last few years will be mercifully short. And then John was given the great Revelation, the vision that fleshed everything out that was said before. The mark of the beast, the anti-christ, great and terrifying catastrophes, the seven years of tribulation and great tribulation, beheadings for believers, all these in a fixed, albeit confusing at times, time line.
One of the things that I've always thought interesting is that there have been various times in the past when people have seen some of the signs and thought the end was near, often even with an anti-christ (I think the Pope has often been considered the anti-christ in the past), but it has clearly not been the end. I think the problem, among several things, is that only some of the signs have happened, and we cannot know the date when God will decide to start things rolling. I once read an interesting position someone had that perhaps Satan has had someone in the wings every century that passes in hope of this time being the correct one, but I'm not sure what to think of that. Really though, there are certain things that people seem to forget when looking at the signs.
Sure, there are always going to be a few here or there that come to pass, but the trick is to be looking at all of them. It's like a big combination lock. The thing won't open if you only get half of the numbers right. Even more importantly though, is that there are a few key signs that are so important that none of the others really matter without them. Such as the third temple Israel for one. It has never been built, period. But when someone starts building it, then one key and final ingredient is put into place, and last I heard, there have been blueprints and everything drawn up and the sight selected. I think there's even an official website for it. Of course, the position is currently about where the dome of the rock is, so it's going to require something, well, biblical, to get permission from the muslims. Another important sign people tend to forget (and that's not even counting about the one that says the earth shall wear out like an old garment. I think that one keeps getting closer.) is that the whole world shall be united under one power. Not once has a single world power ever truly controlled the whole world. I mean, the biggest kingdom was probably Rome, and they only had a fraction of the globe.
My brain just derailed, so I'm going to stop for the time being and eat something.
