Jeff, you're right. It does boggle the mind. Here's the first part of 2 Thess 2 for context...
"Concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered to him, we ask you, brothers, not to become easily unsettled or alarmed by some prophecy, report or letter supposed to have come from us, saying that the day of the Lord has already come. Don't let anyone deceive you in any way, for that day will not come until the rebellion occurs and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the man doomed to destruction. He will oppose and will exalt himself over everything that is called God or is worshiped, so that he sets himself up in God's temple, proclaiming himself to be God.
Don't you remember that when I was with you I used to tell you these things? And now you know what is holding him back, so that he may be revealed at the proper time. For the secret power of lawlessness is already at work; but the one who now holds it back will continue to do so till he is taken out of the way. And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will overthrow with the breath of his mouth and destroy by the splendor of his coming. The coming of the lawless one will be in accordance with the work of Satan displayed in all kinds of counterfeit miracles, signs and wonders, and in every sort of evil that deceives those who are perishing. They perish because they refused to love the truth and so be saved. For this reason God sends them a powerful delusion so that they will believe the lie and so that all will be condemned who have not believed the truth but have delighted in wickedness."
But to address the issue about schools as terrorist targets - and this has been posted on FR in the past: do as the Israelis did when their schools were targeted by the PLO. They armed the parents and hired guards to be with the children on field trips and it stopped the attacks dead in their tracks.
How many of our childern will need to be sacrificed in our country on the altar of political correctness and liberalism before we implement the same safeguards?
My mind is quite "boggled" also. I am seeing so many people, who I have known all my life, fall victim to these lies and embrace the enemy. Very good solid "once" grounded in The Truth Believers are falling away.....
Ever so very important right now to hold on to The Truth with all our strength which comes from HIM.
I am always amazed at the reaction of the American people to various events. I am setting on the local circuit court jury this month, so have plenty of hurry up and wait time in the local court house.
Yesterday a gentleman struck up a conversation with me about the Cheney/Edwards debate. He started right off by telling me he thought Edwards did a fine job and that Cheney seemed bewildered by Edwards answers. As the conversation continued he told me he had two sons in the military and both had been to Iraq. I told him I had spent 25 years wearing a uniform and understood the sacrifices being made each and every day by our young men and women in uniform. I told him that I had spent a year in Viet Nam with no purple heart, but that I felt it was time well spent, and that without the young soldiers we have now in harm's way we would have more 9/11's.
He just simply clammed up. No response or reply, just pure silence. Later in the day I was approached by a man of about 30 who thanked me for my service and told me that I was 100% right on track. That if the Kerry/Edwards team gets control of the Whitehouse it will make Klintoon's eight years seem like a stroll in the park. He elaborated on how Kerry would give in to every foreign government and the UN on national security issues. His one problem with Bush is the lack of a solid policy on keeping our borders with Mexico and Canada secure.
"I know...it's been prophesied and we are literally seeing it fulfilled...still, it boggles the mind."
So true ... and you have people like Kerry wanting to stick their heads in the sand and help form a one world government and people are falling in line. THAT is what he wants ... the incremental way of course!