Posted on 11/26/2001 10:25:19 PM PST by MississippiMan
In talking with a Catholic scholar, I have become convinced the Book of Daniel describes past events, in particular Alexander's conquest.
Why don't you just stick with the really important threads you frequent, like "Tourist Guy" needs a Screen Name, or Barbie Turns Wild, Gets a Tattoo? You complaining about bandwidth rings a bit hollow.
The author of this post specifically asked that if the subject is not of interest that you keep your bigotry to yourself.
Anne Graham Lotz is one of the most gifted Bible Teachers of our day. She comes from a point of humility rather than pride when discovering and passing along, by the power of the Holy Spirit, the great and glorious truths found in God's Word. This particular book, is to me, like finding an old treasure chest (since I have studied Revelation many times and have even taught it to an adult Bible class) - opening it - and discovering anew the priceless treasures of the depths of God's measureless mercy, grace, HOPE, and provision for each of us through Jesus Christ!
Read it slowly and with prayer and the Bible open nearby - and I promise you a blessing that will reach into your heart, soul, and spirit as God's personal message to you through this anointed Teacher of His Word.
Nobody holds dispensationalism as a doctrine. It is not essential to the faith and most of the effective missionary work and preaching of the Gospel is now done by Evangelicals who are probably at least mildly dispensational. All of your bigotry is simply a product of your own prejudice. You are wrong wrong wrong.
It is true that our government has funded research on chip implants. They've actually found that there are two spots on your body that are most fit for chips. That is on the back of the hand and on the forehead. In those two spots conditions are superior for a chip to exist and it can actually get its energy to both send and receive signals from your body.
My own interpretation of Ezekiel 38 is that Gog is a name or title for the Man of Sin, and that between this prophecy and Revelation 13, the ten "horns" of the Beast are explained to us. Explaining my position fully would take up several pages as I identify Magog and the like (and no, I don't think Magog is Russia, though I think Meshech is), but it can be summed up that the Man of Sin's empire will be comprised of most of Europe, most of Africa, Greece/Turkey, Iraq, and Iran. Obviously, that means that he will have to conquer or otherwise rule a large part of the Muslim world.
The way I see it, this war could go one of two ways: Either we get what we want and moderate Islam becomes predominant in the Middle-east, or things will escalate and fundamentalist Islam will become even more entrenched.
In the former case, this opens the door for the kind of ecumenism with Islam that Pope John Paul II has been striving for his whole life. I'm not going to get into "pope bashing" here, but I honestly don't think that you can combine Christianity and Islam and get what Christ gave us on the cross. This would seem to tie into the woman of Rev. 17.
In the latter, we will eventually have another war between Islam and the West, and for various reasons I believe that the Man of Sin will emerge out of just that kind of chaos to take hold of the world's steering wheel, so to speak. He could conquer his three horns--probably Iran, Iraq, and Turkey--and be seen as a great hero for it.
All of this is just my humble speculation and opinion, of course. :^)
How close are we? I don't know. Given how fast we've seen the political and geographical landscape suddenly shift in our lifetimes, events could spiral into the 70th Week in the next couple of years, or they could drift along for another generation or two. I do think the former is more likely than the latter, but again, I don't see the direct fulfillment of any particular prophecy in recent events, only the setting of the stage.
Another Freeper has expressed the concern that if we look for the Antichrist, we will forget that the true Lord who lives in us. Well, I suppose that this can be a danger, but at the same time, all Scripture is God-breathed and beneficial to read and know (2 Tim. 3:16). This includes the passages that warn us of exactly what the Man of Sin will be like, what kind of signs will herald his coming, so that we will not be deceived. We can't afford to have spiritual blinders on given the deception that is playing itself out right now, and the deception that is to come.
At the same time, we have not been given a spirit of fear. I am reminded of the closing line of an episode of Millennium: "When the Evil One walks the earth, rejoice, for our Lord is soon to come."
Maranatha!
Yours in Truth,
The demonic Preterist point of view is an attempt to read all prophecy right out of the Bible and forbid its study. This view is twice specifically condemned in the NT itself.
"Women will rule over you and children will be your oppressors!"
That statement has always stayed with me since I read it years ago, because it fits so many American and Socialist European "families" (not FReeper families, tho'!)
g
Actually, if you read Matt. 24:29-31, Rev. 6:12-18, Isa. 2:10, 13:10 and 34:4, and Joel 2:31 one after the other, I think it's fairly evident that the sign of the darkening heavens immediately precedes and is a part of the Second Coming, not an occurance years in advance.
Yours in Truth,
The mental contortions of you folks are comical.
There are currently earthquakes in diverse places, there were earthquakes in diverse places 100 years ago, 1000 years ago, and 4 billion years ago.
Can you just go through step-by-step the logical process where you decided "earthquakes in diverse places" was a biblical prediction of CNN reporting on earthquakes and the avaliability of real-time earthquake reporting from worldwide seismic networks on sites like NEIC? I need some entertainment.
Because there was no CNN to report on the Cascadia subduction earthquake in the early 1770s it doesn't mean it didn't happen.
I'm going to enter some of that page tonight to more effectively contribute to this discussion that I started.
Again, thanks to those of you who have responded to the questions posed.
MM
When doing a study on this subject, I went back to some old Bible scholar books from the early 1900's that belonged to my great grandfather. These evidently came from his Seminary (he was Presbyterian Minister during the early 20th century). Anyway - it was amazing to read discussions of Bible Prophecy written before Israel was a nation "re-born in a day" in 1948. These 19th Century Bible Scholars agreed that in order for God's prophetic plan for this world to begin to move into its final stage - Israel (which at that time was a non-entity with ancient Israel occupied by Islamic people and the name was Palestine) would HAVE TO FIRST BECOME A NATION AGAIN! (I know all about the Zionist movement - so no need to discuss that aspect of the influence of that movement on these writers. These men were protestant, stodgy old Presbyterian Bible scholars. Anyway - all of them agreed that Israel had to come into existance again as a nation before any of the "end times" prophecies could proceed as per God's plan outlined in His Word. Of course, these men of God did not live to see that day occur. Anyone alive in 1948 saw this prophesied historical event take place. (In other words, these Bible Scholars could not possibly have imagined a Hitler or his concentration camps or the World War that threatened America and the rest of the free world. Yet, they SAW a "reborn Israel" as a certainty by simply looking at God's plan laid out in the Scripture.) (I don't have these books now - they were given to my Uncle after my grandmother died).
We can certainly look at the prophetic passages about what is to come on this earth with just as much certainty as those scholars looked to see Israel as a nation (when such an idea was just this side of preposterous to the world.) Many would say, then, there is no hope. I have felt that way some of the time looking at the awful horrors that will befall this world. Again, God is a God of HOPE, not of despair. He is a God of MERCY, even in the awful judgements to come. What is going to be crucial in the days ahead is the reliance upon God by individuals for day by day and moment by moment guidance and help. Even in the midst of the hell on earth that is coming, God will be there for deliverance for each of those who call upon Him in truth. It is a good idea to get started with that relationship now to which He calls "whosoever" will respond. And it is through Jesus Christ, our Redeemer, that we can come to know God....and to enjoy Him forever!
Yours in Truth,
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