End Times?

[JesusIsTheWay]

I just wanted to get a quick take on what people’s perception of the End Time’s would be?

For example, how accurately do you think the Left Behind depicts such events (except the obvious fictional characters and their personal storylines)? I just mean the overall interpretation… 7 year Trib (Will there be one)? The Mark of the Beast (what could it be)?

Or if anything else, what is YOUR interpretation?

 

[Bigwill]

Of course there could be a period of great tribulation. There already was one! Although Scripture can always be true on multiple levels, the predictions of Revelation most probably reflected the hundred or so years immediatly following Jesus’ death. (THIS generation shall not pass until all of these things have happened? Don’t you think it’s likely that the generation Jesus was speaking about has passed? Why are people still looking for the events to occur?)

The destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem in around 70 C.E. was the end of the world predicted. The tribulation was likely the wars taking place in and around that time period between the Romans (not the RCC, but Caesar’s army) and the Jews.

I’d reference you to a book by Carl Olsen, titled “Will Catholics Be Left Behind”. David Currie also has a good audio series and book titled “Left Behind: The End Times Error that Leaves the Bible Behind” (or something like that). Either reference would come in handy.

 

[Gratias_Grace]

JesusIsTheWay:

I just wanted to get a quick take on what people’s perception of the End Time’s would be?

For example, how accurately do you think the Left Behind depicts such events (except the obvious fictional characters and their personal storylines)? I just mean the overall interpretation… 7 year Trib (Will there be one)? The Mark of the Beast (what could it be)?

Or if anything else, what is YOUR interpretation?

Don’t let anyone frighten you with the stories that the catholic church Is the Beast of the revelation (or is marked as the beast).

I want to warmly reccomend Paul Thigpen’s “The Rapture Trap”. This book will help you sort things out, and you will learn the Churchs official teaching about the topic.

Personally I think that we are not to worrry about end times,because we are called to live the faith (love of God and neighbour) until we take our last breath.

Someone told me that St. Francis of Assisi , once, when asked about what he would do if it was Judgementday next day, his answer was that he would go out and watch his garden.

Isn’t that wonderful? We are only supposed to trust in God and do our work. God will take care of the rest.

1042 At the end of time, the Kingdom of God will come in its fullness. After the universal judgment, the righteous will reign for ever with Christ, glorified in body and soul. The universe itself will be renewed: The Church . . . will receive her perfection only in the glory of heaven, when will come the time of the renewal of all things. At that time, together with the human race, the universe itself, which is so closely related to man and which attains its destiny through him, will be perfectly re-established in Christ (CCC)

(Please excuse any spelligmistakes. English is not my first language),

God Bless!

G.G.

 

[Pax]

JesusIsTheway,

The left behind series is seriously flawed. I’ve read a number of the books to get a sense of where the authors are coming from. LaHaye’s scriptural understandings are seriously flawed. I’ll give but one example.

LaHaye interprets Matt 24:34-41 which talks about “one being taken and the other left” as the rapture. Instead this is a reference to punishment. This is clear by the mention of what happened in the days of Noah and Lot, and it even says that “…the flood came and took them all away.” Surely, this isn’t the kind of rapture anyone wants to be in…

The punishment understanding is further reinforced when we look at the companion verses of Luke 17:26-37 where the apostles ask “where, Lord [will they be taken]”, and Jesus tells them, “Where the body is, there the vultures will be gathered together.”

I would recommend getting John Martignoni’s free tape on this topic from the biblechristiansociety.com. You can also read, The Rapture Trap by Paul Thigpen, or Carl Olson’s book Will Catholics Be Left Behind. All three of these pretty well explore and shred the common rapture theology circulated by such works as The Left Behind Series.

 

[Buckeyejoe]

The entire theology of the Rapture is pure rubish.(I would debate any self proclaimed expert Protestant apologist on this subject)…There are no scriptures to support it. I did some pretty extensive research awhile back using reference material already mentioned above. It is amazing how something so unbiblical and so rediculous can be believed by christians.

And we are doing the same thing with the DaVinci Code!

Here’s one example: The 2nd coming. Jesus will return one more time right? Yes, but it’s not the rapture. Jesus only does a low level fly by, he comes close to the ground, sucks up the Fundamentalist born againer’s, and returns to Heaven, notice He does not do a touch down, so it cannot be confused with His 2nd coming.

His actual 2nd coming will be 7 years later, and He sticks around on the Earth for 1,000 years! But a few years before the end of this 1,000 year reign, (I guess 993 years into it) Satan is released from the lake of fire (This is not Hell) to deceive the nations for a short time. Then FINALLY Christ is really tired of this devil and He throws Him into Hell Fire permanently. And now comes the end of the world, final judgement.

And this is just the tip of the iceberg…The rapture is so corny it makes HeeHaw seem funny!

By the way the same folks who insit on Bible alone and NOTHING outside the Bible, brought you the rapture! Enjoy.

 

[bengal_fan]

The pope is the anti-christ and sunday worship is the mark of the beast!!! Flee from your false doctrines!!!

just kidding . i am a little slap happy right now. not sure where i stand, but i don’t think the theology of the “left behind” series is very accurate. as to the tribulation, the mark of the beast and what not, we’ll find out someday so why worry about it now? stay faithful to the scriptures and the apostle’s teachings and you will be fine

(again, a little slap happy. will try to go into a little more theological depth tomorrow.)

 

[Lorarose]

Tribulation? sure…but we are all called to endure our suffering with faith in God.

Rapture? No way.

Anti-Christ? yes

Appearance of the “two witnesses”? yes

Second coming of Jesus as part of the final judgement? yes

A literal thousand years of “heaven on earth?” I don’t think so.

 

[paxvobiscum]

Having been involved in Fundamentalism for years I can say the “rapture” beliefs are used primarily as scare tactics. I had to search long and hard to find where the belief came from, it’s not very clear “just from scripture”. Christ has died. Christ is risen. Christ will come again! One more time, and I wait in joyful hope! :bowdown:

 

[Smack_Daddy]

Chances are that we will die before the second coming of Christ, so we should be more concerned with our own end time and not worry so much about the end of the world.