IS THE END OF THE WORLD NEAR

[katsa]

I mean cyclones, earthquakes ... who knows what next ... everything seems to be moving downwards

 

[Barbara Allan]

Let us know when it's going to be and we'll go have Margaritas on the back porch and watch it from there.

 

[Biblereader]

Florida fires
They say some of these fires are being set by arsonists.
happens every year. Some weirdos set fires deliberately.

http://www.wftv.com/news/16232322/detai ... c&psp=news

Brevard, Volusia, seem to be worst hit, so far. Malabar and Cocoa are also
on fire.
Here's a map of the U.S, that shows current fires, indicated by red dots.
Click here: http://www.firedetect.noaa.gov/viewer.htm

 

[Biblereader]

And as he sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world?
4: And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you.
5: For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many.
6: And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet.
7: For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places.
8: All these are the beginning of sorrows.
9: Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name's sake.
10: And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another.
11: And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many.
12: And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold.
13: But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.
14: And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.
15: When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand
16: Then let them which be in Judaea flee into the mountains:
17: Let him which is on the housetop not come down to take any thing out of his house:
18: Neither let him which is in the field return back to take his clothes.
19: And woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days!
20: But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the sabbath day:
21: For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.
22: And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect's sake those days shall be shortened.
23: Then if any man shall say unto you, Lo, here is Christ, or there; believe it not.
24: For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect.
25: Behold, I have told you before.
26: Wherefore if they shall say unto you, Behold, he is in the desert; go not forth: behold, he is in the secret chambers; believe it not.
27: For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.
28: For wheresoever the carcase is, there will the eagles be gathered together.
29: Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken:

 

[samuel]

The four horsemen of the apocalypse, are messengers from God. The nearer they get, the louder that message becomes.

Our Lord gave us the signs to look for (Matt. 24), as the last act on the world stage plays out. Today I can see there are no props that are not either in place, or visibly coming into place for that last act to begin.

In fact it is already starting to play, you are going to see some changes in the next year or so, you might have not even dreamed of yet. I am not a date setter, nor will I try to make predictions outside of those things I can see. But time is running out fast for Satan, and he knows it.

If you have not accepted Christ as your savior, or have any doubt as to your position in Christ, its time to get all those matters straight. Its time if you know someone, a friend or relative that has not accepted Christ, that you make an appeal to them. Because we don't have a lot of time left.

 

[rainbow_promise]

Yes I believe the end is near. You can see right now the way things are in this country that things are quickly escalating from bad to the worst.

I really apreciated Biblereader's post. There is no proof better than the Bible.

As we get closer and closer to the end we need to be focused on Christ not the things going on around us. Things will be so bad soon that to focus on the issues rather than on C hrist will cause many to fall by the way.

The subject that you posted is a good one. I say that because it causes us to think about our life, and our priorities and how little time we have to get them in order.

 

[Biblereader]

AMEN! Praise the Lord for Samuel's witnessing!!

The four horsemen of the apocalypse, are messengers from God. The nearer they get, the louder that message becomes.

Our Lord gave us the signs to look for (Matt. 24), as the last act on the world stage plays out. Today I can see there are no props that are not either in place, or visibly coming into place for that last act to begin.

In fact it is already starting to play, you are going to see some changes in the next year or so, you might have not even dreamed of yet. I am not a date setter, nor will I try to make predictions outside of those things I can see. But time is running out fast for Satan, and he knows it.

If you have not accepted Christ as your savior, or have any doubt as to your position in Christ, its time to get all those matters straight. Its time if you know someone, a friend or relative that has not accepted Christ, that you make an appeal to them. Because we don't have a lot of time left.

 

[Biblereader]

As we get closer and closer to the end we need to be focused on Christ not the things going on around us. Things will be so bad soon that to focus on the issues rather than on Christ will cause many to fall by the way.

.

Thank you for saying that! Just yesterday, during bible study time, and after, I was thinking about
how important it is for us to train ourselves to FOCUS ON JESUS ALONE, and His holy Word, the bible, NOW, so that when the terrible times come, we will have a Rock and an anchor.

Advocate (1 John 2:1)
Almighty (Rev. 1:8; Mt. 28:18)
Alpha and Omega (Rev. 1:8; 22:13)
Amen (Rev. 3:14)
Apostle of our Profession (Heb. 3:1)
Atoning Sacrifice for our Sins (1 John 2:2)
Author of Life (Acts 3:15)
Author and Perfecter of our Faith (Heb. 12:2)
Author of Salvation (Heb. 2:10)
Beginning and End (Rev. 22:13)
Blessed and only Ruler (1 Tim. 6:15)
Bread of God (John 6:33)
Bread of Life (John 6:35; 6:48)
Bridegroom (Mt. 9:15)
Capstone (Acts 4:11; 1 Pet. 2:7)
Chief Cornerstone (Eph. 2:20)
Chief Shepherd (1 Pet. 5:4)
Christ (1 John 2:22)
Creator (John 1:3)
Deliverer (Rom. 11:26)
Eternal Life (1 John 1:2; 5:20)
Faithful and True (Rev. 19:11)
Faithful Witness (Rev. 1:5)
Faithful and True Witness (Rev. 3:14)
First and Last (Rev. 1:17; 2:8; 22:13)
Firstborn From the Dead (Rev. 1:5)
Firstborn over all creation (Col. 1:15)
Gate (John 10:9)
God (John 1:1; 20:28; Heb. 1:8; Rom. 9:5; 2 Pet. 1:1;1 John 5:20; etc.)
Good Shepherd (John 10:11,14)
Great Shepherd (Heb. 13:20)
Great High Priest (Heb. 4:14)
Head of the Church (Eph. 1:22; 4:15; 5:23)
Heir of all things (Heb. 1:2)
High Priest (Heb. 2:17)
Holy and True (Rev. 3:7)
Holy One (Acts 3:14)
Hope (1 Tim. 1:1)
Hope of Glory (Col. 1:27)
Horn of Salvation (Luke 1:69)
I Am (John 8:58)
Image of God (2 Cor. 4:4)
Immanuel (Mt. 1:23)
Judge of the living and the dead (Acts 10:42)
King Eternal (1 Tim. 1:17)
King of Israel (John 1:49)
King of the Jews (Mt. 27:11)
King of kings (1 Tim 6:15; Rev. 19:16)
King of the Ages (Rev. 15:3)
Lamb (Rev. 13:8)
Lamb of God (John 1:29)
Lamb Without Blemish (1 Pet. 1:19)
Last Adam (1 Cor. 15:45)
Life (John 14:6; Col. 3:4)
Light of the World (John 8:12)
Lion of the Tribe of Judah (Rev. 5:5)
Living One (Rev. 1:18)
Living Stone (1 Pet. 2:4)
Lord (2 Pet. 2:20)
Lord of All (Acts 10:36)
Lord of Glory (1 Cor. 2:8)
Lord of lords (Rev. 19:16)
Man from Heaven (1 Cor. 15:48)
Mediator of the New Covenant (Heb. 9:15)
Mighty God (Isa. 9:6)
Morning Star (Rev. 22:16)
Offspring of David (Rev. 22:16)
Only Begotten Son of God (John 1:18; 1 John 4:9)
Our Great God and Savior (Titus 2:13)
Our Holiness (1 Cor. 1:30)
Our Husband (2 Cor. 11:2)
Our Protection (2 Thess. 3:3)
Our Redemption (1 Cor. 1:30)
Our Righteousness (1 Cor. 1:30)
Our Sacrificed Passover Lamb (1 Cor. 5:7)
Power of God (1 Cor. 1:24)
Precious Cornerstone (1 Pet. 2:6)
Prophet (Acts 3:22)
Rabbi (Mt. 26:25)
Resurrection and Life (John 11:25)
Righteous Branch (Jer. 23:5)
Righteous One (Acts 7:52; 1 John 2:1)
Rock (1 Cor. 10:4)
Root of David (Rev. 5:5; 22:16)
Ruler of God’s Creation (Rev. 3:14)
Ruler of the Kings of the Earth (Rev. 1:5)
Savior (Eph. 5:23; Titus 1:4; 3:6; 2 Pet. 2:20)
Son of David (Lk. 18:39)
Son of God (John 1:49; Heb. 4:14)
Son of Man (Mt. 8:20)
Son of the Most High God (Lk. 1:32)
Source of Eternal Salvation for all who obey him (Heb. 5:9)
The One Mediator (1 Tim. 2:5)
The Stone the builders rejected (Acts 4:11)
True Bread (John 6:32)
True Light (John 1:9)
True Vine (John 15:1)
Truth (John 1:14; 14:6)
Way (John 14:6)
Wisdom of God (1 Cor. 1:24)
Word (John 1:1)
Word of God (Rev. 19:13)

 

[Godless Geek]

Paul of the New Testament thought that Jesus would come back in his lifetime and that the end was near. He was wrong. That was about 2000 years ago. Earth is around 4.5 billion years old, so it probably won't end soon. I would not worry about such things. Life is stressful enough without worrying that the world will end soon. If your god loves you he won't destroy your planet.

 

[Drew]

If your god loves you he won't destroy your planet.

Interestingly enough, my good Mr. Godless Geek, I, as a Christian, believe that God will in fact not destroy this planet. I say this with full realization that probably most Christians you will encounter believe that the earth will indeed be destroyed.

The picture of the New Testament, I claim, tells a different story than one that ends in cataclysmic destruction, notwithstanding some texts that might seem to suggest this. Instead, the story of the New Testament emphasizes the redemption and reclamation of the earth (and the entire cosmos), not its ultimate destruction.

Christians have this expression based on the word BIBLE - Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth. Jesus is not coming to take us away from the earth, He is coming to remake the Earth and resurrect us into bodies for an eternal, distinctly physical existence in His reclaimed world.

 

[destiny]

Jesus will intervene before the earth is completely destroyed; He will make a new earth.

“The present heavens and earth, by His word, are being reserved for fire, kept for the Day of Judgment and the destruction of ungodly men†(2Peter 3:7).


“But the day of the Lord will come like a thief in which the heavens will pass away with a roar and the elements will be destroyed with intense heat and the earth and its works will be burned up†(2Peter 3:10).


“The sun scorched men with fire†Revelation 16:8. (it's the sun, not global warming)


“A third of the earth was burned up and a third of the trees were burned up and all the green grass was burned up. A great mountain (asteroid?) burning with fire was thrown into the sea and a third of the sea became blood and a third of the creatures which were in the sea and had life died and a third of the ships were destroyed. And a great star (comet?) fell from heaven burning like a torch and it fell on a third of the rivers and springs of waterâ€Â
(Revelation 8:7-11).


“The inhabitants of the earth are burned and few men are left†(Isaiah 24:6).

“The hills melt and the earth is burned up†(Nahum 1:5).

“The stars will fall from the sky†(Matthew 24:29).

“The earth is broken asunder. The earth is split through. The earth is shaken violently. Thee earth reels to and fro like a drunkard and it totters like a shack “(Isaiah 24:19-20).

“There will be great earthquakes. The sun became black like sackcloth; the moon became like blood…The stars of the sky fell to the earth... The sky split apart like a scroll when it is rolled up…every mountain and island moved out of their place’ (Revelation 6:12-14).

More shaking of the earth.

“There will be great earthquakes and in various places plagues and famines and there will be terrors and great signs from heaven… There will be signs in the sun and the moon and stars and upon the earth great dismay among nations n perplexity at the roaring of the sea and the waves. Men fainting from fear as the powers of heaven will be shaken†(Luke 21:9, 25-26).

 

[Vic C.]

Nice job, Destiny. I know how hard it can be to put these apocalyptic-style prophecies into a perspective we can understand, heh?

Let me add one more:

Rev 21:1 And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea.

 

[destiny]

Thanks Vic... I borrowed some of that and added some of that. Hehe

Rev 21:1 And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea.

God one.. and "no more sea" would probably make a good topic too.

 

[Drew]

“But the day of the Lord will come like a thief in which the heavens will pass away with a roar and the elements will be destroyed with intense heat and the earth and its works will be burned up†(2Peter 3:10).

Despite appearances, this simply cannot mean that the earth will be destroyed. If it did, we would have a contradiction in the Scriptures, since Paul clearly shows us in Romans 8 that the present cosmos will not be destroyed, but will be rather be redeemed, transformed and restored:

I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us. 19The creation waits in eager expectation for the sons of God to be revealed. 20For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope 21that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the glorious freedom of the children of God.

I see no possible way to deal with this text that allows us to claim that the earth will be destroyed. It may be radically changed and altered, but we cannot have it destroyed, otherwise we have Paul making a false statement.

Let's look at the context of 2 Peter:

First of all, you must understand that in the last days scoffers will come, scoffing and following their own evil desires. 4They will say, "Where is this 'coming' he promised? Ever since our fathers died, everything goes on as it has since the beginning of creation." 5But they deliberately forget that long ago by God's word the heavens existed and the earth was formed out of water and by water. 6By these waters also the world of that time was deluged and destroyed. 7By the same word the present heavens and earth are reserved for fire, being kept for the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men.

8But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. 9The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.

10But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything in it will be laid bare

We have to let Peter tell us how he uses the word "destroy" (and not impose our views on him). And in verse 6, we get the clue as to what Peter means. In that verse, he uses the word "destroy" to refer to an event where we know that the world was, in fact, not destroyed - the great Noahic flood. Peter is using the world "destroy" in an entirely different sense than we usually do.

So Peter is not asserting the literal destruction of the earth after all. And that's a relief, because if he was, we would have a real problem with Paul in Romans 8.

 

[Drew]

“The stars will fall from the sky†(Matthew 24:29).

“The earth is broken asunder. The earth is split through. The earth is shaken violently. Thee earth reels to and fro like a drunkard and it totters like a shack “(Isaiah 24:19-20).

“There will be great earthquakes. The sun became black like sackcloth; the moon became like blood…The stars of the sky fell to the earth... The sky split apart like a scroll when it is rolled up…every mountain and island moved out of their place’ (Revelation 6:12-14).

More shaking of the earth.

“There will be great earthquakes and in various places plagues and famines and there will be terrors and great signs from heaven… There will be signs in the sun and the moon and stars and upon the earth great dismay among nations in perplexity at the roaring of the sea and the waves. Men fainting from fear as the powers of heaven will be shaken†(Luke 21:9, 25-26).

I suggest that many of these texts have been incorrectly interpreted as descriptive of the events in the last days. I am convinced by the arguments of NT Wright that Jesus is describing the coming destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD, and not an event in our future.

Here is Wright on this topic:

Alongside Jesus’ announcement of the (paradoxical) inauguration of God’s kingdom we find a constant warning: If the nation refuses to turn from its collision course with God’s purposes, the inevitable result will be terrible national devastation. Jesus couches these warnings in the standard language of apocalyptic prophecy. Just as Jeremiah had prophesied that the ‘Day of the Lord’ would consist not in the salvation of Jerusalem from Babylon but in her destruction at Babylon’s hands, so Jesus warns that the coming of the kingdom will mean, within a generation, destruction for the nation, the city and the temple that have turned their back on the true purposes for which they had been called and chosen (e.g. Lk. 13:1-9, 22-30, 34-35). These warnings come to a head in the great discourse (Mt. 24; Mk. 13; Lk. 21) in which the imminent destruction of Jerusalem and the temple is predicted.

 

[Drew]

There are lots of other scriptural arguments for the view that the New Testament paints a picture of the coming redemption and renewal of creation. Some of these are based on clear and direct statements - such as Paul's statement in Romans 8. Others are perhaps more subtle.

Consider just this for starters. On what day does God create man? The 6th day. What happens on the 6th day of Holy Week? Jesus is presented to the crowd by Pilate and Pilate declares "Behold the man!". This is what Adam's sin has led to - a suffering Messiah crucified on the same day of the week that Adam was created. Do you think this is a coincidence? Well, if so, there are more coincidences. What happens on day 7 in Genesis? God rests. What happens on day 7 of Holy Week? Jesus rests in the tomb (remember that the work of redemption was completed on the 6th day - Jesus cries out "it is accomplished").

Now what happens on the first day of the new week? Jesus rises and is mistaken for the gardener. John twice in the resurrection account of chapter 20 underscores that it is "the first day of the week".

What is the point? That God is undertaking a new creative activity - on day one of the Genesis account, He initiates the creation of the cosmos. On day one of the new week in John, we have Jesus rising and being mistaken for the gardener.

And in a very real sense, He is the gardener, risen to initiate the redemption of the entire created order - his garden (think of the Garden of Eden). Why do we think that its "all about us"?

God created the world and He declared it to be very good. He is not going to burn his creation away, He is going to restore it.

 

[Vic C.]

:-D You're assuming He was crucified on a Friday. 8-)

 

[Drew]

:-D You're assuming He was crucified on a Friday. 8-)

Is this not what the Scriptures teach? And what most Bible scholars believe to be the case?

 

[Vic C.]

:-D You're assuming He was crucified on a Friday. 8-)

Is this not what the Scriptures teach? And what most Bible scholars believe to be the case?

No and yes.

 

[Catholic Crusader]

The end of the world will be in about 35 years... ...for me, that is, And thats the only end that should concern us. End Times hype, from what I can see, does not improve our walk in Christ one iota.