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Getting It Wrong: "Left Behind" and the Mainstream Press
BreakPoint with Charles Colson ^
| April 27, 2004
| Charles Colson
Posted on 04/28/2004 12:35:33 PM PDT by Mr. Silverback
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To: bondserv
Dan 9:25
25 Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the commandment to
restore and to build Jerusalem unto the Messiah the Prince shall be seven weeks,
> weeks of years
Errr... wait. The Biblical quote says "Weeks," not "weeks of years."
To: bondserv
> For further elucidation try:
> Link #1
> Link #2
Read 'em. But there seems to be a problem, unless I missed something: the Bible quote in question here jsut says weeks, not "week of years." Consequently, if we are to assume that "weeks" here means "weeks of years," then "weeks" *must* mean "weeks of years" *everywhere* in the Bible.
To me it just seems like a lot of torturing of the passages to squeeze out the desired results.
To: gawatchman
>this world will not recognize him for who he is because
certain events will not have occured (i.e. rapture) when he appears claiming to be Jesus.
People won't even know that they are in the tribulation.
Errr... if the "left behindeers" are correct, most of the world will suddenly be confronted with the fact that X million (however many) Christians just up and vanished. Were that to occur, the rest of the world would know that something is up, and since there's currently only one prophetic world view that includes the Christians suddenly going "poof," then the world would have a good idea what was up.
The Antichrist would have a hard time making any headway with hundreds of millions of people holding the script for the next seven years...
To: orionblamblam
Were that to occur, the rest of the world would know that something is up, and since there's currently only one prophetic world view that includes the Christians suddenly going "poof," then the world would have a good idea what was up. Did everyone who saw that Jesus' tomb was empty believe that he was risen from the dead, repent and become Christian?
People largely believe what they want to believe. If a Bill Clinton figure explained that it (the rapture) was some atmospheric event caused by global warming, you don't think people would believe it?
44
posted on
04/28/2004 11:42:46 PM PDT
by
Dianna
To: orionblamblam
Right, but contrary to popular belief, no one is going anywhere before antichrist appears on this earth at the sixth trump claiming to be Jesus come to take the believers home, and we will ALL be changed into a spiritual body at the same time at seventh trump following the tribulation and not until then. I do not know the exact miracles he will perform, but he is supernatural, and will be performing miracles as we are told in the following verse.
Rev 13:13 "And he doeth great wonders, so that he maketh fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men."
To: Wicket
We do know that God will give us the grace and strength necessary to stand, whichever of these is true.Glad we can agree.
46
posted on
04/29/2004 4:55:57 AM PDT
by
LearnsFromMistakes
(I will vote Democrat over my dead body. Then I will probably vote 3 or 4 times...)
To: Mr. Silverback
Mistakes like Didions and Frykholms are possible because of abysmal ignorance of religious truth among many reporters. At first blush this seems the reasonable explanation, but still, something must have acted as a catalyst; there is more at play than abysmal ignorance.
I enjoyed a series of Dirk Pitt novels, yet was never accused of being an Atlantis freak or Nazi conspiracy paranoid.
It all connects to the late 70s outing of the perverts and the deviants. Their quest for legitimacy fuels the mindless rage and constant search for a lever with which to finalize their transformation into "normalcy". They wanted toleration? They got it. They want more? they're doomed to fail, because faith is like an iceberg (no pun intended). That most of us do not wear it on our sleeve, like they wear their deviancy, does not mean it is not there. And it is difficult to dismiss. It is huge. The irritating bible thumpers are like the part of the iceberg above water. The real body of Christianity is hidden from view. But it thinks, it votes and it responds.
Good luck to idiot perverts and their sympathizers.
Most of us Christians do not advertise our faith, and it is a huge mistake to assume that it suddenly appeared with the publication of a series that is fiction.
D'OH!
To: Publius6961
Sorry, on my pc this isn't formatting into paragraphs for some reason. To a large extent I agree with you. Most Christians who take their faith seriously are not out grabbing the shirt collars of total strangers. They are, however, often doing what they can to help improve what is appears to be becoming a time and extent of evil not seen since the days of Noah. There are also some out there - abortion clinic prayer warriors, for instance - who are more visible and irritate the tar out of the left, doing what they can to stem the tide. In my view, there is a role for the "irritating Bible thumper" as well. If they speak the truth of the gospel, it will not return void. And in this time, I believe there is an increasing obligation to be ready (and eager) to discuss the real hope found in the gospel message. Politics is important - fighting the moral vacuum and influence of the Clinton administration - pro-life movement are examples, and those wonderful trends you mention from the 70's -but much of it has no eternal consequences. And works of fiction have their role - I understand that "Uncle Tom's Cabin" was hugely influential in the anti-slavery movement. I believe that Left Behind, because it presents the hope of the Gospel, will also have influence in those who are difficult to reach with a more straightforward Gospel message.
48
posted on
04/29/2004 6:41:39 AM PDT
by
Wicket
(God bless and protect our troops and God bless America)
To: AnalogReigns
You're welcome!
49
posted on
04/29/2004 6:44:51 AM PDT
by
kimmie7
(Thank God for Soldiers!)
To: Dianna
> Did everyone who saw that Jesus' tomb was empty believe that he was risen from the dead,
repent and become Christian?
No, because an empty tomb is hardly proof of anything, apart from a tomb being empty. If I showed you an empty Volkswagon Beetle, woudl you assume that the driver had been borne bodily into Heaven?
> If a Bill Clinton figure explained that it (the
rapture) was some atmospheric event caused by global warming, you don't think people
would believe it?
Not many. Millions or billions of peopel suddenly vanishing would be an unprecedented event, especially as there would be millions or billions of eyewitnesses.
To: gawatchman
> but contrary to popular belief...
Belief on this matter is all over the place. Given that The End Of The World is an intensely popular prophesy to make, and so far all such predictions have failed, I have no reason to believe that any variation on rapture/tribulation/antichrist/whatever end-of-world is likely to occur, either. I'm just pointing out that if things DID occur largely as the left behinders believe, Satan and the Antichrist would have to be astonishingly dim to play along.
To: Mr. Silverback
"...its possible to read and even enjoy a book without subscribing to its tenets."
I agree wholeheartedly. I'm an atheist and have enjoyed the first 4 books in the series. Although, the story is moving a bit slowly & some of the character development seems weak, something like a Tom Clancy experience.
To: Dianna
People largely believe what they want to believe. If a Bill Clinton figure explained that it (the rapture) was some atmospheric event caused by global warming, you don't think people would believe it? Yep... especially if there were a lot of churches and church people left behind agreeing with him.
53
posted on
04/29/2004 7:13:23 AM PDT
by
kjam22
To: highlander_UW
Quick, get this man a medal! Nah, you can just give me a ribbon. They're exactly the same thing, dontcha know?
[Begins limbering up his throwing arm]
54
posted on
04/29/2004 10:42:28 AM PDT
by
Mr. Silverback
(Dwight Eisenhower: "I will go to Korea." John F. Kerry: "I will go to Paris.")
To: orionblamblam
Satan is but a puppet, since his actions are pre-ordained. Satan would be thus no more accountable for evil actions than an AK-47 is to blame for being used to shoot a cop. ...all will be condemned who have not believed the truth, but have delighted in wickedness. 2Thessalonians 2:12
To: orionblamblam
Satan is but a puppet, since his actions are pre-ordained. Satan would be thus no more accountable for evil actions than an AK-47 is to blame for being used to shoot a cop. ...all will be condemned who have not believed the truth, but have delighted in wickedness. 2 Thessalonians 2:12
To: ladyinred
So there you paranoid liberal nut! (not you mr. silver, the author) No danger of that mistake. I'm only a paranoid nut, I haven't been a liberal for about ten years now. ;-)
57
posted on
04/29/2004 10:46:25 AM PDT
by
Mr. Silverback
(Dwight Eisenhower: "I will go to Korea." John F. Kerry: "I will go to Paris.")
To: Mr. Silverback
I tried to read the first book, Left Behind, but I was so bored that I didn't make it past 100 pages. The characters just did nothing for me. I couldn't muster enough interest in them to really care what happened to them. Needless to say, I've not read the others...
To: orionblamblam
This is where so many people without a desire to study the Bible fall into the trap of, "The Bible is obscure so it can't have any meaning for me personally".
I am glad that you are one of the people that has an interest to pursue the matter beyond merely passing it by without any further thought. As I stated in the beginning of the post, "God is a rewarder of the diligent student". He created us with the amazing capacity for understanding subtleties (eg. body language, reading between the lines, double intentions...). However, in this case, buried within the context, we have a straightforward usage of the Hebrew meaning "weeks" as in the following passage which I indicated in Link #2.
In the second link was posted:
Here is a perfect passage that illustrates how the word week is used to mean seven years.
Gen 29:26-28
26 And Laban said, It must not be so done in our country, to give the younger before the firstborn.
27 Fulfil her week, and we will give thee this also for the service which thou shalt serve with me yet seven other years.
28 And Jacob did so, and fulfilled her week: and he gave him Rachel his daughter to wife also.
Thank you for your interest, and I pray that this fulfilled prophecy produces a desire in you to seek God via His readily available message to you. The Holy Bible.
59
posted on
04/29/2004 1:59:05 PM PDT
by
bondserv
(Alignment is critical!)
To: stars & stripes forever
>>Satan is but a puppet, since his actions are pre-ordained.
> ...all will be condemned who have not believed the truth, but have delighted in wickedness.
2Thessalonians 2:12
Errr... a problem with that particular response. If there is *anyone* who would believe in God... it would be Satan.
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