What to say to protestants who believe we are in end days?

[Fidelis]

My advice is is to educate yourself by visiting the following site:

carl-olson.com/rapture_articles.html

Then recommend this book to your friend:

amazon.com/gp/product/0785266429/002-6768794-0359241?v=glance&n=283155

It is from a Protestant perspective, but many Protestants won’t read Catholic material if you give it to them. The author systematically, from Scripture, tears down the subjective, unhistorical and unbiblical facade upon which Dispensationalism (the “Left Behind” theology) is built.

 

[heartaflame]

Well, we really are in the end times. Ever since the Resurrection we have been in the end times. St. John tells us that Our Lord’s Coming is sooner than we expected. I think that we all think, or hope, that the Second Coming will come during our lifetime. If God had told us the “when”, thousands of generations thus far would have gone into despair. Yeah, the world is in pretty dire straights now, but weren’t they in dire straights during the times of Nero and Diocletian? The Second Coming is what gives us hope, but as St. Paul told his listeners, “he who does not work should not eat” You see, the people thought that the Coming was going to be in the very near future, and they weren’t doing their share of the load. I wonder if some of that is happening to some of our Protestant friends, and even some Catholics. I don’t know…

 

[Fidelis]

We have been in the End Times since Christ ushered them in by his death, resurrection and ascencion:

Heb 1:2 -
but in these last days he has spoken to us by a Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world.

1 John 2: 18-19
18 Children, it is the last hour; and as you have heard that antichrist is coming, so now many antichrists have come; therefore we know that it is the last hour. 19 They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us; but they went out, that it might be plain that they all are not of us.

 

[kage_ar]

As someone who grew up around Rapture “experts” and well know teachers of that theory - I suggest you buy and read “The Rapture Trap” by Thighpen then read David Currie’s “Rapture, the End Times Myth that leaves the Bible Behind”. Thes books are FANTASTIC!

 

[larry_j]

How about…“Say, ya woldn’t want to sell your new lawnmower cheap???” a little humor (I hope) there

 

[PraRFLEsEkHm]

Hi

Just my :twocents: but…

If you think about it logically for a minute, it all makes perfect sense: If you belong to a ‘once saved always saved’ church - what else is there left for you to do but focus on Prophecy? You’re already saved so there really IS nothing left - you could leave the Church and be just fine, although they’ll never actually TELL YOU that…but isn’t that what ‘saved’ means really according to their definition? How else do you keep people coming back to the pews but to keep them interested in things that are ‘Just around the Corner’ like the tribulation hour, the anti-christ and 666. Ya gotta keep them ‘hooked’ somehow, and all this eschatology does just that. It’s one way to keep people coming back and ‘tithing’, as well as bring in new converts.

It’s addicting reading all this stuff as well, comparing theories (Pre-trib, Mid-trib, Post-trib rapture) and re-re-re-reading Revelations and Daniel to find more clues to the rapture doctrine maybe someone missed, or “we’re in this vial or that seal or maybe even this trumpet - and here’s why”; scanning the headlines for news about radio chip use, natural disasters, the EU, and Middle East happenings for more proofs and clues as to ‘who’s who’ in the endtime game; and on top of it all - recruiting more people into the hype by using the ‘grab lines’ mentioned in another post here.

I’m NOT saying that ALL Protestant Churches are like this. A few of the ones I attended actually taught fairly accurate Catholic teaching (Whether they knew, or would believe it, or not ) and tend to play down the rest of the nonsense - at least from the pulpit, but the majority do fall into this catagory, in my own experience. They are empty of any real Biblical truth or practice, and rely on hype and theory to keep people coming back, with just enough basic Bible teaching to keep it all together. It’s what the masses seem to want - again…in my experiences anyway. People WANT the hype and the theory - maybe it keeps their mind off of their conscience…I know it did mine for quite awhile.

What to say to these people, in my opinion, comes down to TRUTH: The sword of the Spirit. Pray and let the Spirit speak through you. By ourselves - we can do NOTHING. All our own words and reasonings will fall on deaf ears and hardened hearts - because their minds are attuned to the reasonings and rationale of men already telling them what they WANT to hear: emotionally charged 'sermons' telling them they have nothing to fear anymore because all they have to do is 'lead others to this same salvation' to gain higher rewards (The more sinners you 'save' - the greater your reward); mixed with the certainty that nothing can take away their salvation Who is coming to get them any minute now and that proof is all around them. The only One who can break through this wall of denial to even plant a seed is the Holy Spirit through people who know the real Truth. Pray for them, and Pray when you are with them for the Lord to give you the words for THAT person. Again, in my experience anyway.  :)

Peace

John

 

[TOME]

I would like to build on Heartaflames’ answer. What to say to Protestants who belive we are in the end times tell them they are “Right” and we have been since Christ Jesus’ Resurrection and Ascension.

Which is why, Jesus warned us to be always viligant and prepared for His second coming at the end of time and why Christ taught us that the way to be viligant and prepared is to follow his teachings on how we should be living as found in Matthew 25: 31-46.

And to really bring home this last point, to our sisters and brothers who hold that the scriptures are the literal Word of God and therefore inerrant, remind them of the necessity of always living a life of Christian Charity (Good Works???) demanded by Christ Jesus of His followers (Mt 25) is because according to Jesus Himself, not even He knows when the day or hour will be, only the Father knows (Matthew 24:36). So live today as if it was your last because it just may be, but this isn’t necessarily a bad thing if you have live your life doing the good works of Christian Charity and have stop worring about wars, volcanoes,earthquakes, plagues etc., etc., etc…

 

[shannin]

Jocelyn:

I have a protestant co-worker who always says,“We are in the end days.” This is her answer to all bad that is happening in the world. I usually don’t say anything to this, because I am afraid that she will be raptured during the conversation and I may be left behind.
In all seriousness, how should I respond to this?

With this … http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b381/sclafrance2/rhinothong.jpg

 

[pacersFan]

Most of the people I’ve met with this mindset are using it as a crutch to help themselves get through their daily lives. I’d just let them speak their piece, and then move on to the next topic. If nothing else, it should be added motivation for them to live better lives.

 

[x4us]

Like other posts have said, we have been in the “end times” since the Ascension - and as other posts have said, we may be close to the end of this age - Mother Agelica thinks we are towards the end times. I guess the question is, how do we live each day? Do we love the Lord our God w/ all our hearts, souls and minds and love our neighbor as ourselves? If we are doing that, then we can have peace, even if the end of time is drawing near.

 

[wisdom_3_5]

I have some friend who point to all the earthquakes, tsunamies, hurricanes etc. are happening so much now as opposed to before. I usually point out that communications are better now than they were before, reporters are always looking for a story, and she’s probably paying more attention to what’s going on in the world now than she did when she was 12 . Its not for us to know when the “end times” are, but to “stay awake, be ready”

 

[slewi]

I usually don’t say anything to this, because I am afraid that she will be raptured during the conversation and I may be left behind.

That was the best thing I’ve read all day. U made me laugh out loud! I like u!

S

 

[BryPGuy89]

Jocelyn:

I have a protestant co-worker who always says,“We are in the end days.” This is her answer to all bad that is happening in the world. I usually don’t say anything to this, because I am afraid that she will be raptured during the conversation and I may be left behind.
In all seriousness, how should I respond to this?

It is a common beleif, though no scriptural backbone, you can’t bluntly tell her beleif is unorthodox, but should maybe consider trying to share your faith with her and see if she could see the lack of evidence of the “rapture”. These events in the world seem worst now then when they happened before only because human populatios are so large that they are more damaging to us. Weather wise these things are proven to happen every few hundred years, and the world unrest is the tentions of billions of people over often silly things.

 

[m134e5]

I don’t think there is much you can say to them. Just pray that they see the fallacy in this ‘theology’. They cram this stuff into kids from a very early age. They have videos and books for all age groups cramming this stuff into them. They have intense summer programs and even year-round programs for children to fill them with their views, so they can’t see things in any other way- unless the Holy Spirit enlightens them.

I had to sit through the “Thief in the Night” series when I was about 10 and it was awful. In the movie, even a little girl took the mark of the beast! Heartless? VERY! But it is so ingrained in their circle, they don’t see it that way at all. They think they’re one of the ones who will be raptured- so they’re not afraid- they see it as fact, whether it is comfortable or not. They’re not afraid to inform those they don’t think will make the cut of their ‘evil ways’ either (yet they don’t offer much help to them other than to tell them to pray it away).

I’ve heard people pointing fingers at various people who they think might be the antichrist. I’ve heard it’s Benjamin Netanyahu recently. I’ve also heard it was Pope John Paul II. I even heard it was Prince William, and this was about 10 years ago- he was just a kid then! This kind of talk was part of normal conversation too.

Really, there’s not much that can be done other than to pray that the Holy Spirit would enlighten them to the Truth of the Catholic Faith.

 

[m134e5]

rayne89:

She hears that stuff in church everytime she’s there, it’s drilled into their heads. She gives us end time movies (which my FIL illegally copies ), we just pitch 'em after they go home.

Don’t throw them away- save the tapes to record shows and movies you want to see but can’t watch when they happen to be showing.

 

[John-the-Seeker]

Just for clarifiation, when someone says we are in the end times, it should not be confused with the end of the world, for as scripture tells us, only the Father knows when the end of the world will be. We are, in my opinion and apparently according to a previous post Mother Angelica also believes, near the end of an age or an era but not the end of the world. The next point has also been made, what good does it do to look for this sign or this message to guestimate the second coming? For some people, the end of time, as time exists only on Earth, will come today. What happened a moment ago cannot be changed, it is already written in the Book of Life, what will happen a moment from now is the future and it might not be your future for in the moment you might be standing before Jesus accounting for how you have used the moments alotted to you. So the only time you have is this moment and in this moment lies your whole Eternity. In this moment you have the opportunity to be as good an imitator of Jesus and Mary as you can be. Use this moment wisely and let tomorrow take care of itself for today has troubles enough of its own.