Do you believe in the apocalypse as described in Bible ??? I've read this chapter many times, but still don't know what to make of it. For those who don't know this prophecy, click here... Discuss...
I think the best way to interpret the book of Revelation is to see it as a symbolic picture of the destruction of Jerusalem and the Jewish temple in 70 AD. As a genre, apocalyptic literature is political commentary dressed up in figurative language. The purpose of the book of Revelation is to show that judgment has come upon Jerusalem for rejecting Christ and that the covenant is now being transfered over to the Christian Church. I will do a little research for you and try to find a good article on this. Peace.
I agree, I've always found two schools of the bible, those who take it literally and those who take it symbolically. I always felt if it is true, its going to be symbolically. No literal seven horsemen of death or some such thing. But the seven countries of death or seven plagues or something like that. But it really is a scary story.
70 AD was a scary time. If you do a google search for "preterist" you will get this school of interpretation. Basically, it sees that book of Revelation as a symbolic portrait of 1st century Rome, Jerusalem, and Christianity. Its good stuff. Within preterism, there are two camps: Full Preterists argue that the second coming of Christ has already happened. Partial Preterists argue that everything is fulfilled except the second coming of Christ. This will happen in the future at some unspecified time.
Jesh, Btw, a good book on biblical interpretation to read is St. Augustine's "On Christian Doctrine." Here is a good link for studying it. http://ccat.sas.upenn.edu/jod/augustine/ddc.html
2012 Ok so I have watched a lot of these shows lately about the bible code, devine visions of Mary and stuff like that. In the devine visions of Mary there was a group of children who supposedly saw here and said that in their lifetime the end times would come. They are still alive. Another group said that the secrets Mary gave them would slowly be revieled. The third secret says that at the end of the visions in the place of one of the first sightings there would appear an indestructable holy sighn and end times would follow. In the 90's in Egypt over 100,000 people saw the Virgin Mary almost nightly, this includes Muslims as well and Egypts President, walking around the top of a churh at night. The countries government even did what they call one of the most intense investigations ever done and labelded it REAL. Now a few years agoe I was watching a show on thy Myan (?) calander. It places the end times in 2012 as well. And a startling amount of their prdeictions have been true. Now in the Bible codes the date of end times also came up 2012. It refrenced a giant meteor that will be racing towards earth, but also refrences a passage that says "And I will crush it to dust" refering to the meteor. Now the bible doesn't say that the world will end, and most who studie it do not believe this either. It is not the end of all things, but a change in all things. A change in how we live our lives. All things must change but this is to be drastic and devastating. The bible says there will be 1000 years of war followed by 1000 years of peace. Many think that the end times have already begun! What about you? If it has, are you ready? What do you believe will be your place in it. Will you dissapear and ascend to heavan or will you stay behind to suffer as a non believer, or maybe even your place as a believer is to stay behind and be a soldier for god in the new turbulant world, bringing some bit of peace and hope to those who need his light. What do you believe.!?
I believe this is all a load of crap, pardon my language. I have read up on this, and found it not to be worth the time it took to read about. But IF it did miraculously come true, I'm not worried, I live my life the way I think is best, and if that isnt good enough for God, then I dont really care. You cant live your life trying to please other people, even God.
Get your asbestos undies on cause theres a few folks here that'll jump all over that. Me? I think live your life however you feel best. If your a believer, fine, but don't step on anyone elses toes.
"The end of the world is nigh!" Some fringe Christian groups (or cults, depending on your point of view) have regularly predicted the coming of the apocalypse. I believe the Jehovah's Witnesses have fixed the very date that it would happen on more than one occasion. But then it didn't happen... which must have been very disappointing for them. You'd think after the first time that someone would smell a rat. But I think people will believe any old rubbish if they really want it badly enough.
There are multiple competing interpretations of John's "Revelation of Jesus Christ," as the book is also known. (The first sentence begins with those words.) Some say it was fully fulfilled in the first century. Some say almost everything therein was fulfilled in the first century. Some say it speaks of a particular seven-year period of "tribulation" yet to come. Some say it speaks of the entire post-Easter age. Pick whichever you like best. There's good and bad reasons for each interpretation.
Thanks. The reason I brought this up is simple. Just look around us... wars, famine, natural disasters etc. If you are a true believer in this matter, then you are probably convinced that it could happen any time now.
But we've been having wars, famines, and natural disasters on a regular basis for millenia. Nothing has changed.
I read that stuff. It reads like stereo instructions. I am a Christian man, I do not fear god but I do believe. I have been baptised (Southern Baptist) and all the stuff that goes along with it. What we are looking at in the bible is a few things. 1. What has already proven to be inncorrect translations. Parts of the bible as we know it are wrong, lost in translation from a dead language. Scholors have admited it. We are not 100% sure what it says. 2. Translations and word based on man's personal belief and opinion. Much of the Catholic, or dare I even say Christian doctrine is based on the prefrences of men throughout the ages. What they believed should be, and what they wanted to see happen. It seems that even now adays many priests do not have a full and complete belief in god. 3. If it is correct, the bible says that not man on earth nor angel in heaven will know the day of the end. Only God will know. So any person or group who say that it is on this day and this way is either full os crap, crazy or plain liars... Or the bible as the word of God is wrong. 4. Since Jesus's time man has constantly feared the End of Days. They have always saw the signs and insisted that they were right around the corner from judgement. Well in one case they are right. We all are right around the corner from judgement. We will all die eventually and find the truth out. So the best and most logical course of action is one on the safe side. People say they don't care now, but if it is all true and you keep this attitude then your attitude will cost you eternal damnation and pain unimaginable. If it is wrong then you have nothing to loose but a life and then nothing. To me life is best lived this way. Believe in a higher power and learn faith and to be humble. Live your life the best you can by doing for mankind more than for self. Live your life, don't just let it pass you by. A life wasted can not be gotten back no matter what the truth is. If there is nothing else after this life than at least die having the satisfaction that you did your best to raise yourself in stature and moral consiousness. You lived your live with honor and there are no regrets!
Hmmm, what do I believe? Based on the historic evidence of all of the people in the past who have attempted to predict the rapture (Millerites as one example of a millenial cult), I'm prepared to make a $1000 bet that 2013 will role around and most of us will all still be here arguing if ye old squid can really beat that bear (and no the ones who are missing were not carried to heaven in a mass event). Look, attempting to predict the end of days is the height of human pride and ignorance. Hell, its even against established scripture (the entire I Thessalonians 5:4,9-10 - Theif in the Night Thing). - Matt
I believe little to nothing about anything in the bible, and certainly dont believe for a second in things such as the apocolypse, rapture, "miracles", or any of the other alleged stories. If these sorts of things ever take place it will be of our own doing and completely separate of the nebulosity found in biblical text.
I think our business is not to worry about the future, tomorrow outside of our lifetimes. Our business is to worry about today and the days in our life that our children live in. We should be putting more into being neighbors and custodians of this planet, developing our culture and technologies to work in harmony with one another and the world and universe around us. We waste way to much energy worrying about the future past the imediate and the end of our days. If we did things right on this planet we would not have to worry about it to begin with.
This issue has been discussed several times on MAP. The short of it is that people do know what the Bible says. Maybe you don't, but other people do. For example, the NT sold in stores today (John's Apocalyps being a NT book) is 98% the same as the original NT. We have fragments of the original NT dated to a few decades of Jesus' death and resurrection, and complete books dated not long after that time. The remaining 2% or so of errors affect no point of doctrine. None. If you have a Bible with study guides, the different word choices are noted in footnotes.
Yes, very well put. I like the way Jesus said it a little better, though... Mathew 6:25-34 25"Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? 26Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? 27Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? 28"And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. 29Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 30If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? 31So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' 32For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. 34Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.
That makes me think of those Hindu holy men in India who just wander from place to place and rely on alms. No ties, no commitments, no responsibilities, but total faith in God (or whatever) to provide. That is real faith, I suppose, and the ultimate freedom. Bit scary though.
