Is The World Really Coming To An End?

[Saya]

[b]Yet another 60 page post... but hey, this topic deserves it. :)[/b]

Interestingly there are a number of religious texts such as the Quran which detail the end times, and or how they will be started. Strangely they all have a very similar premise (this of course implies no metaphysical explanation, merely a curiosity which has led me through studying various religious texts throughout the years). Every faith has their end times.

And yet I find a few simpler solutions at hand... simple in words and yet complex in meaning.

While it is above my expertise I believe that some account these strange, seemingly coincidental catastrophes as social problems dealt with collectively through psychological means and as time progresses so does similar cycles: for instance, there is a time period in which war movies are popular, not merely because of a war, but instead because of other things brewing, deep seeded hatred stirred up by random events, love movies follow similar themes, comedies and children's movies after periods of sadness and despair.

That being said I think the human mind tends to blow things out of proportion quite frequently. Since we are currently in a state of war (the United States and the rest of the world for all intents and purposes), there is a lot of unrest, uneasiness and much fear. Fear translates to hatreds and displays itself in the very movies we watch (it was no surprise that The Day After Tomorrow and War of the World's came out when it did). Is movies the only thing worth mentioning? Certainly not, people by and large are more nervous now then they were say when they received money back from the government under Clinton. Goofy example? Consider the music, the trends, and so on - at certain key points in time such trends rise and fall... that is certainly no coincidence.

That is not to say any one figure is at fault (I really and truly meant that Clinton bit as an example, nothing more), likewise there are periods of stagnation in which a lack of creativity is found. Many believe - as do I - that after such extended periods of time, to spice things up, aggression must be channeled out somehow in order to preserve the psyche, provide a sense of self so to speak to those who felt stupefied by a peace loving society. While I haven't lived a terribly long time I have noticed a number of social changes, social shifts, as well as emotional ones. It goes without saying that deep rooted psychological fears and emotions play a large role in government and society.

Psycho-historians (as I've studied under a few), would go so far as to say many of the wars in the past were started over psychological traumas the masses felt. For instance, consider Germany under the impression during the first World War that they were winning due to mass publishing on the topic in newspapers, only to find out that they lost and not only that but lost horribly and owed reparations. Likewise it is no surprise that future guilt and shame would be felt down the line for generations to come. It is no surprise then that the German people needed something strong, a strong government which emphasized strength, in at least words. It wasn?t any surprise then that a dictator took power. In the hearts and souls of those in a given society, secret wishes, feelings, and emotions are felt. For good or ill (and certainly for ill there, the will of the people were subconsciously heard). Consider the fact that present wars could have been influenced by the shame and wishes of individuals in key administrative positions based on past unresolved conflicts.

This is certainly not an attack on this administration; instead this is a downright fact concerning all administrations, concerning all people of power, concerning all peoples across the world: emotions play a heavy role in almost everything. And yet perhaps such things as war, death, destruction and the like was "wanted" or "desired" by the majority of people across the globe, as perverse as it sounds (truly dreadful, I admit), there is little other explanation for why intelligent individuals would put themselves in such positions knowingly. Merely food for thought.

Again, this isn't about the war at all... in fact it need not have anything to do with the war, social trends are important to note. To answer the question posed by the one who wrote created this thread, I feel that - again - certain things are blown out of proportion and then that leads to everyone getting on their bandwagons and preparing to jump off the edge. While it is a coincidence for those who believe in ?metaphysical? forces at work for all I?m concerned, it surely is no coincidence that all these things are arising at seemingly the same time.

[i]I guess put simply:[/i] people see what they want to see.
[i]And more crucial here:[/i] people get what they want, even if they don't openly know/think they want it.
[i]To those that might respond with ad hominem attacks regarding my paranoia:[/i] I don't actually think that [i]all[/i] key actions in society are motivated by such things but I do think it is a very big consideration. Mind you, neither do I feel that there is anything to be afraid of or suspicious of, after all, by my account we all do it. :)

[Marron347]

[FONT=Courier New][COLOR=DarkRed]I must first mention that I am not an expert on religion or on Christianity, of which I am part. I do not know everything, so if I have made a mistake, please argue your point against mine. :animeswea

The comments posted so far in this thread have inspired me to do some studying of the Holy Bible and some reflection on my own philosophy. I have derived six questions from the first post of this thread that I felt obligated to try to answer, as a Christian woman:

[B]Are we in the final days of Earth?[/B]
The "final days" of Earth can be interpreted to mean the days since Christ's promise to return. If those final days are what we are referring to, then yes, we certainly are. If we are speaking of the "final days" meaning a short period of time, then it is very possible, but the Bible says that no one knows the date that Christ will return. (Matthew 24:36) I believe that the final days are close, because of the signs of the times.

[B]How to current events apply to the final days?[/B]
These signs include false messiahs, wars/rumors of wars, famine, false prophets, and earthquakes, all provided by the Holy Bible in Matthew 24:4-7, 11, 12. This passage also states that the love of many will grow cold. It is true that these signs have been seen throughout history, so it is hard to tell if the wars, famine, natural disasters, and false prophets/messiahs are those Christ speaks of. Truly though, the love of many has grown cold. The cruelty of the world today is evident even on the evening news. New tragedies occur all the time. For instance, the murders and child molestation in the Groene family. I do not know if you know of that incident, because it was kind of local for me, but I know it was nationally covered.

[B]Is the Bible vague, and how does it apply to the last days of Earth?[/B]
The Bible is vague in that it does not give us enough information to figure out what the date of Christ's return is. However, it does give a great amount of information concerning the end of the world. Many people think that the book of Revelation is sealed and nearly immpossible to understand, but the Bible says that God offers a blessing to those who read Revelation and do what it says. The angel declares that the book is not sealed. (Revelation 1:3; 22:7-10) The language that is used in the book of Revelation is mostly borrowed from other books of the Bible, notably Daniel. Isaiah 28: 10 gives its own approach to interpretation of Bible prophecy. I believe that the Holy Bible is the Word of God and it gives us all we need to know to live a full and happy life, and to be ready for the end.

[B]What is the significance of "Armageddon?"[/B]
The word 'Armageddon" comes from the Hebrew phrase "Har Megiddon," which means "mountain of Meggido." The largest mountain in the Vally of Megiddo is Mount Carmel, where Elijah proposed a spiritual challenge to those involved in false religion.

[B]Is George W. Bush the antichrist?[/B]
George W. Bush is not the antichrist. He is too much of a fool; he could onlybe a pawn if anything. That is my opinion. In Thessalonians 2:1-4, the Bible says, among other things that the antichrist will pretend to be God. Bush claims to be a Christian and has not claimed to be God yet. Please update me if I am wrong.

I have additional information and insight on this topic, but some of it may seem offensive and I do not want to provoke anger or hostility. If you are interested in getting more information, please do not hesitate to send me a private message. I would be glad to help in any way I can. :animesmil

I must conclude with the message that we should just live our lives in the moment, though that is a very hard thing to do. Worrysome and frightening are the events that are unfolding. The best thing to do is to live a simple life, requiring only God's love and guidance. Even those who aren't Christians need not worry, and just try to be the best people that we can, remembering to love others as ourselves. The end will come when it comes.[/COLOR][/FONT]

[Blayze]

[size=1]In answer to the original question: no, I do not think that the world is coming to an end. Some people say that horrible things are happening now, signalling the Apocalypse, but much worse things have happened in the past, and the world has never ended then.

Natural disasters happen all the time, and if one destroys the Earth, then I guess that's just bad luck on our part. If a comet happens to stray from somewhere in the universe an collide with Earth, again that's just bad luck.

But as for Bush being the antichrist? No way. I would never have thought the Antichrist could be so stupid, for one thing. And anyway, if he really was the Antichrist, then you'd think he'd have done something by now, not just gone to war with any country that hasn't sent them a Christmas card in the last twenty years.

But to be fair, all religious people are allowed their own point of view, I'm not saying that any of them are wrong, I'm just saying that if the world is ending then what are we supposed to do about it? I say just sit back and relax, or try and live every day to its fullest, blah blah blah.
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[sakurasuka]

[QUOTE=Doomberg]Me as a atheeist I do believe in a thery[you mite have herd of it]it called science.science ancerse to all for my theroy there is no such thing as a begining with out a end dont you think

bye the way.if your a critian I am glad you are and I didnt mean to sound mean on my statements. :D[/QUOTE]

[SIZE=1]... I think you meant-[/SIZE]

[quote=Doomberg(Revised)]"[COLOR=Red]I[/COLOR] am an [COLOR=Red]atheist[/COLOR]. I do believe in a [COLOR=Red]theory[/COLOR] (you [COLOR=Red]might[/COLOR] have [COLOR=Red]heard[/COLOR] of it), it is called science. [COLOR=Red]Science[/COLOR] has the [COLOR=Red]answers[/COLOR] to all, and there is no such thing as a begining without [COLOR=Red]an[/COLOR] and, don't you think[COLOR=Red]?[/COLOR]

[COLOR=Red]B[/COLOR]y the way, if [COLOR=Red]you are[/COLOR] a [COLOR=Red]christain[/COLOR], I am glad you are. I didn't mean for my statements to sound mean or cruel. :D"[/quote]

[SIZE=1]Good lord, please learn to use proper grammar. Or at least proper spelling. I may not be the best speller-person-dude in the universe, but at least I know where question marks go... =/

Back on subject. Yes, I consider myself christain. No, I don't think Bush is the anti-christ. Yes, I think the end of the world will eventually come, maybe even soon. No, I don't think it will be in any of our lifetimes.

Also, I have a theory. I don't think that people go straight to heaven when they die. I think that the souls are resting until judgement day, when we will ALL be judged. In the bible somewhere it says that the angels are preparing for the arrival of God's followers, so how could they still be preparing if people are sifting in once they die? I know there are a kazillion arguments to that, but that's my theory. You can't argue with an opinion. That would be like trying to convince someone that the color blue is ugly. If they like blue, they'll never agree. If they don't like blue, then heck! You've got something in common with them!

Still, you can't argue with an opinion.[/SIZE]

[Starwind]

I feel the end coming, the signs are upon us. If you don't believe me, just a few weeks ago Ashely Simpsons new CD was the top seller in the country. That is one of the seven signs of the end. But seriously, I look to what's happening around us and look back to the ancient and even more recent prophicies. I know alot of people think that's a load of crap, but if you want some really interesting ones, look up Edgar Cacye. If you look at the world around us, I think it's easy to see taht we are destroying the world and it's all going to end soon. It may or may not be in our life times, that is yet to be seen. Regardless, we need to realize that with the world in the disorder it's in, and the recent chain of natural and man made disasters dating since 2000, one must face the fact we are are in one of the darkest periods in this worlds history. The world of the middle east stripped with war and ever one else is feeling the effects of this war as well. I feel that we need to slow our lives down and take in the world slowly, maybe through this we will be able to see whats coming at us before it hits us. I'm not a christian and to believe in an end of days you don't have to be. For generations, and through pretty much every culture, people have spoken of an end to all time. I believe that if you look closly at the old tales you will see that they all seem to agree on the same points of what it will be like, they may emphasize on area more, but they all say the same thing. The destruction of all forests, something we've been doing for decades. A darkening of the sky, again something we've been doing for decades. Escalting war and famine, something that can be seen if you ever bother to turn on the ten o'clock news. Times of great fear and panic, again something we are currently living in. If you look at eveything around us and look to the old scriptures of any society, they all pretty much say this stuff will signify the end of all time. These are all things we have done to ourselves, we are ther great harpenters of destruction. All we need wait for is the four horse men and thr trumpets of angles to play across the sky and that'll be the end. I don't believe eveything they mention is literal, I don't believe that angles wil come from heaven and below there trumpets unleashing unearthly disasters as they play. I beileve these are metaphors for what it will really be. What they mean, we'll just have to wait and hopefully never see.

[Lotica]

[QUOTE=Pagan][SIZE=2][FONT=Comic Sans MS]The pastor of the church I go to says we are in "the finals days". I consider this guy a nut case who wants the world to end soon so the doomsday sermon he's been preaching for the least 40 years wouldn't have been wasted. I'm not your textbook Christian I do believe there is a God among other things. But I don't think the world is ever going to end.

He baises his statements on the current events going on in the world today, and vague material mention in the book of Revelation. Sure it says there will be wars and natural diasters at the end of the world, but how do we suppose to know these just aren't changes being cause by global warming and a ignorant president.

But I can't shake the thoughts that these could possible be the final days of this world. The thing that's really gotten to me is the discovery of the oldest christ church near Armageddon. Sure wars will happen as long as humans have wants and needs and yeah I can say earthqukakes, storms, and volcanic eruptions are just a coincidence, but this church which was lost to time now being discovered near the supposed final battlefield has left me with a lost for words.

How much longer do you think we have? Is George Bush the anitchrist?
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How about asking your parents pastor about this scripture: Hebrews 29:6

[SIZE=2][COLOR=DarkRed]For then must he often have suffered since the foundation of the world: but now once in the [b]end of the world[/b] hath he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself.[/COLOR][/SIZE]

Maybe the system of antichrist is only that system that denies this scripture.
Maybe your parents pastor is the antichrist. :smirk:

[Guest Tucker |>4 |337]

The only end of the world we have to fear is that a giant meteor hits us. And I don't think that is gonna happen.
:animeangr