Armageddon?

Yeah, it seems the end of the world has been near for a couple thousand years.

I stopped believing in the news with the global ice age never materialized.

Heh, yeah. Me and Carl have been "Armageddon It" since 1987, baby. That's, uh, just the way we roll.

I guess with what's going on these days you can't help but wonder. But like Mason said, it's been talked about, and talked about for so long now; who knows when it will be! But not only those shows have been talking (I usually watch The Daily Show but haven't in a while), news reports, programs etc.

At the turn of the first millenium A.D. there was endless speculation that Jesus might be about to come back, just as at the turn of the second millenium. The truth is that at every appearance of some significant natural turning point, and at times of cultural crisis such as the one we are presently living through, the hope and the expectation of Christ's return makes itself felt.

Everyone hopes for a Deus ex Machina to save them when they feel powerless to save themselves. The fact that the myth of such salvation still takes a Christian form is a testimony, not to the likelihood or otherwise of Jesus' return, but to the depth of penetration into the culture of which it's a part that Christianity has achieved and maintains even into the present.

Myself, I'll believe Jesus is on his way back when his return is presaged by the appearance of herds of flying pigs.

Well I'm one of "those" Christians that think we are near the end. How near? Closer than yesterday.

I see the countries are all lined up as predicted. I see that Israel is in their own land as predicted before the end times could happen. I see we are nearing the time where we will not be able to buy or sell without being part of "the system" as predicted. As a business owner we've been watching the progress in this direction for years. Everything has to be done over the computer pretty much now for our business. We fought it as long as we could knowing quite well where it's going to lead us. It's not called the World Wide Web for nothing.

Christ himself gave the warning signs in Matt 24. Are we there yet? I would say we're pretty close. These happenings in Israel and the Middle East are either a preview or the real deal. If it's the real deal, start looking for a peace confirmation with what will seem like real peace for the first time (pseudo)and will last for a period of time. If we get real peace over there.....then I'd start looking up.

the turn of the first millenium A.D. there was endless speculation that Jesus might be about to come back, just as at the turn of the second millenium

reminds me of Peter when he said...."There shall come in the last days scoffers walking after their own lusts saying, Where is the promise of his coming? for since the fathers fell asleep all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation." Peter goes on to say that God is slow in coming because he has many more that he wants to usher into the kingdom before he comes back and to stay alert and ready.

No offense, KFC, but it is hard to understand how you can be arrogant enough to believe after a couple of thousand years of getting it wrong, you are able to get it right. Even if you count your criteria that Israel had to exist in its current form, for the last 50 years there's been people who have been making the same claim you are.

Don't you have to be just a little full of yourself to believe you know more than they did about something no one can really know?

I agree with KFC, we're getting closer every breath we take. It doesnt mean that it's going to be imminent. The day of the râpture is a mystery, and by definition a mystery is unknown to humankind. He will come when we expect him least (like a thief), in the mean time we need to be ready. Thats the only thing we should worry about (we = christians).

Myself, I'll believe Jesus is on his way back when his return is presaged by the appearance of herds of flying pigs.

I guess you've never seen a Pink Floyd concert.

Baker, this is not a KFC opinion but a well documented well thought out belief by millions of Christians. So go ahead and slam me some more. I'm getting used to it.

I agree with KFC, we're getting closer every breath we take. It doesnt mean that it's going to be imminent. The day of the râpture is a mystery, and by definition a mystery is unknown to humankind.

exactly. Well said. We are one day closer than we were yesterday.

I would never give a date...now that would be arrogant. All I'm saying is that Jesus gave us the signs to watch for and they should be like birth pains as we get closer. I see that as happening now. Either we are in the birth pains stage or we are going thru false labor. Time will tell.

I'm not slamming you, KFC, I'm just saying that there were probably millions of people who thought the black plague was a sign of the apocalypse, too. You know as well as I do that notable Christians in the 1970's were predicting it before now. People dressed up in sheets in the 1800's and went to mountaintops expecting the rapture that they just KNEW was imminent.

All I am saying is after 2000 years of bad predictions, how can you be so confident in the current thought? They believed they had biblical proof, too.

To: Iconoclast

I guess you've never seen a Pink Floyd concert.

When I see them flying over Richmond, Virginia, rather on the stage of a concert created by antediluvian hippies, I'll consider Jesus is on his way. Not before.

To: KFC

It's not only those who claim that Jesus isn't coming back who are scoffers. There are also those, like yourself, who make a mockery of his teachings. If I was still a Christian I'd be praying for Christ to take you 'home' as soon as possible, before you further corrupt the teaching with which you were entrusted and deter yet more from accepting the Christian revelation.

In the manner that you are deceived, so will you deceive others.

You know as well as I do that notable Christians in the 1970's were predicting it before now. People dressed up in sheets in the 1800's and went to mountaintops expecting the rapture that they just KNEW was imminent.

and you know as I know that these were not the mainstream. There will always be a extreme anything and if that's what you go by then you will have your point made. BTW I was in that 1970's group you're talking about.

One thing to remember, a true prophet will always be 100% accurate. That's one reason I'm not with the groups you mentioned above. I recognize they were in error in many ways, not just this one.

Nowhere did Christ tell us to go up on a mountaintop on a certain day and wait. He said no one would know the day or the hour. He said we are to go about our daily living but to be watchful and alert and keep an eye on the signs of the times. The mainstream historical Christian faith knew this. That's why they were not sitting on top of that mountain.