I always had trouble believing there was no Eagle to fly myself in the last days. I did argue that point with Dad, more than once.
When I lived in Seattle, my father and I did a lot of saturday morning discussions on the bible. He’s hard nosed about the KJV being the only “real” english translation. Meanwhile, I found it comical that my “KJV only” pastor, in just last week’s sermon, “re-interpreted” for the congregation a confusing word in the KJV to the very word the NIV uses. :-D
My father strongly believes the Pope is the antichrist. My take on all this stuff is that he could be, but I’m not standing firm on any of this prediction stuff. Look how it works in the bible. Nobody ever KNOWS what the prophesies mean before they happen except those given divine revelation.
And that was NEVER through a book sold at Costco.
I see most prophesy as having two main purposes:
1. Stating a message from God regarding why the thing prophesied about is going to happen.
2. When it happens, it is proven to be prophesy and, therefore, the message is amplified.
Sitting around trying to figure out what this or that prophesy means and trying to nail it to individuals and events is an exercise in futility. John the baptist KNEW who Jesus was when he saw him. He didn’t have to search and interpret prophesy or consult biblical scholars. God showed him what he needed to know, when he needed it.