infiniti@summerlands.com
Re: The Anti-Christ cometh... Revelations
Infiniti

Sat Jan 23 21:38:04 1999
: Re book of Revelation -- I distinctly recall, although I *br*: can't remember the reference, that the Book of Revelation *br*: says something about the fact that the hour of the second *br*: coming (whatever that is) is something that cannot be *br*: known... Therefore, the millenium marker coming up cannot be *br*: also the marker for the second coming by their lights -- *br*: since that's when a plentitude of certain flake *br*: denominations are predicting it...   *p*Well, yes, and no.  I have heard that saying before, but i have never read it.  In fact, the entire first second of the book is warnings to all sorts of people.  The wicked will not know their end, but the others will.  In fact, Revelations was write to be a warning to all, so that the task could be held back.*p*The Second Coming (when Jesus returns to guide the faithful away), Armageddon, and the end of the world are not the same thing.  The Second Coming will just happen, and that will bring an end to this world.  However, before that there is supposed to be the years of retribution (the Great Tribulation), during which time the Anti-Christ will run things.  The majority of Christians now believe that the Second Coming will happen within their lifetime (if, of course, they live to see an end to the Tribulation).  The Anti-Christ is a man who resembles Christ in almost every aspect (in todays standards - well educated, have a following, able to grab people's attention, and teaches his way).  The idea that he actually follows Satan or not is a little vague.*p*The Great Tribulation will be filled with pain, hate, poverty, and great richness to those that follow the serpent (Satan).  There is also a fair amount of mentioning of Babylon (Iraq), and a number of other specifically named locations.  And on that note...*p*Armaggedon is not a time, of an event, it's a place - "Then the spirits brought the kings together to a place that in Hebrew is called Armageddon" (Rev. 16:16).  Kind of puts a damper on the movie, doesn't it?*p*It basically boils down to, if you don't want to see an end to the world, don't name any nations Gog or Magog (Rev. 20:8), and no places Armegeddon, and the end of the world will be halted on a technicality <G>.*p*Seriously, however, every religion that had a "revelation" as to how the world would end had it come true.  This is true because of how you view the World as a word.  Way back when, the world really never stretched much further than the faith/culture.  Even the scolars didn't map the world as we did.  Each faith the ha an apocolyptic ending to the faith has died out in, poetically, those ways - except Christianity/Catholicism.  The big problem here is that, unlike any religion before, Christianity covers the entire globe.  Even though it is not the largest religion in the world, it is the biggest in those places that make thinks work (USA, Europe, Russia, etc.).  In a way, Christianity could meet it's end, and take us with it.*p*Now, as for this happening at the turn of the mellinia, it wont happen.  Revelations didn't seem to follow such a neat and tidy calendar of events.  If it were to happen, I doubt it would follow such a clock.  That's just a bit too movie/TV for me.*p*Besides, Y2K, and all the upcoming annoyances which most are thinking will be it, will happen 1999.  Most computers are set to recognize 9-9-99 as an invalid date.  September 9, '99.  Besides that, almost every computer made can be manually changed to 2000.  And, the biggest think everyone neglects to remember, there was life before computers!  Law enforcement still does almost everything via paper.*p*Count on one thing if nothing else - greed.  Several billion dollars would be lost if all this stuff were to actually happen.  No corperation is going to loose that kind of money.  And I'm not going to lay down quietly and fade away if the Second Coming is coming.*p*Besides, it doesn't matter.  John was stoned when he wrote Revelations. :)*p*Michael
Re: The Anti-Christ cometh...
Jehana
285
Sat Jan 23 20:16:04 1999