Trying to set a time line for such an event is a futile gesture in my mind and has been done so many times any new attempt has no credibility.
So far one of the main elements is missing in any case and that is the rebuilding of the Temple.
People claimed the end waa here when populations died off by the millions in the Middle Ages. Up to a third of some populations died. As to war and rumors of war when in the last two thousand years was there no war. Then look at the Viking invasions where murderous pagans rampaged among the Christians of Europe killing, robbing and kidnapping even going as far as Turkey. Think Somali pirates times a million. This era approached these horrors only during WWII. Violence and death overall of late have not been increasing but decreasing particularly non-Islamic violence.
Where is Islam in the Bible other than the references to the founder of the Arabs, Ismael?
Arrogantsob,
You said (with one long para deleted to be concise):
Trying to set a time line for such an event is a futile gesture in my mind and has been done so many times any new attempt has no credibility.
So far one of the main elements is missing in any case and that is the rebuilding of the Temple.
Where is Islam in the Bible other than the references to the founder of the Arabs, Ismael?
I would argue that everyone who plans ahead for ANYTHING is doing that very thing. What you are saying has no credibility is a part of human nature. We plan. We predict. We forecast. People who buy stocks and bonds care VERY MUCH what the market and the world will be like.
The Bible doesn’t specifically mention Islam, but why should it? What the Bible DOES do (Ezekiel 38-39) is mention the coalition of countries who will one day attack Israel under the leadership of Russia. The coalition is composed entirely of what are Islamic countries today, and they are the very countries that most actively hate Israel today.
Here is an identification of those countries:
http://www.theomegareport.com/articles/joel_rosenberg_0801.shtml
Joel Rosenberg, btw, is ANOTHER guy who has been identified by the media as having an incredible grasp of what WILL happen. He predicted a terror attack on the world trade center by terrorists flying an airplane. He predicted the US would take out Saddam Hussein. Before it happened.
And why? Because he believed the Bible, and wrote a novel based on a literal interpretation. He noticed that the Gog-Magog powers that invaded did NOT include Egypt and Iraq (Babylon); Egypt had already made peace with Israel; but Iraq? Under Saddam Hussein? So - BECAUSE he believed the Bible - he created a scenario in which Saddam would be taken out and Iraq would become a future ally.
You are entirely right: the temple WILL one day be rebuilt. That event will occur after the Antichrist assumes power and forms a pact with Israel (one the Bible says he’ll betray and break). The reason we don’t have a 3rd Temple is because we haven’t had Antichrist come yet.
And ANY legitimate student of Scripture would NOT have bought into your “Look at all those other people who believed we were in the Tribulation” precisely BECAUSE that hasn’t happened yet.
In any event, many of the events the Bible has predicted have occurred - specific things like a 200 MILLION many army and a route across the Euphrates - as opposed to general things like wars and plagues.
What Celente - and for that matter myself - are doing is like looking at cancer. Once you’re diagnosed with it, there’s nothing crazy about looking at how it will likely advance in the future. Celente is looking at incredibly disturbing 2008 economic data - economic data he largely predicted in advance in 2007 - and making reasonable predictions of what will happen in a few years.
Ask yourself: as we throw $7.4 TRILLION at our economic problems, do you not think it’s possible that our dollar will come to lose value? Do you not think that hyperinflation is at least a real possibility? Should wise people looking at what to do with their money not be at least a LITTLE interested in what will happen?