Witnesses Unto The End

[Bluefinger]

Many have been interested in what is going to happen and when they hear about it, they are struck in awe. Lets not be carried away for all these prophecies are not predictions but messages to us. They are saying the time of Jesus's return is soon, so let him not find us with blemish. Here is what the Apostles and even Jesus had to say about signs that the end was soon.

1 Peter 4:1 ¶Forasmuch then as Christ hath suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves likewise with the same mind: for he that hath suffered in the flesh hath ceased from sin;

2 That he no longer should live the rest of his time in the flesh to the lusts of men, but to the will of God.

3 For the time past of our life may suffice us to have wrought the will of the Gentiles, when we walked in lasciviousness, lusts, excess of wine, revellings, banquetings, and abominable idolatries:

4 ¶Wherein they think it strange that ye run not with them to the same excess of riot, speaking evil of you:

5 Who shall give account to him that is ready to judge the quick and the dead.

6 For for this cause was the gospel preached also to them that are dead, that they might be judged according to men in the flesh, but live according to God in the spirit.

7 ¶But the end of all things is at hand: be ye therefore sober, and watch unto prayer.

8 And above all things have fervent charity among yourselves: for charity shall cover the multitude of sins.

9 Use hospitality one to another without grudging.

10 As every man hath received the gift, even so minister the same one to another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.

11 If any man speak, let him speak as the oracles of God; if any man minister, let him do it as of the ability which God giveth: that God in all things may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom be praise and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.

12 ¶Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you:

13 But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ's sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy.

14 If ye be reproached for the name of Christ, happy are ye; for the spirit of glory and of God resteth upon you: on their part he is evil spoken of, but on your part he is glorified.

15 But let none of you suffer as a murderer, or as a thief, or as an evildoer, or as a busybody in other men's matters.

16 Yet if any man suffer as a Christian, let him not be ashamed; but let him glorify God on this behalf.

17 For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God?

18 And if the righteous scarcely be saved, where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear?

19 Wherefore let them that suffer according to the will of God commit the keeping of their souls to him in well doing, as unto a faithful Creator.

1 Thessalonians 5:1 ¶But of the times and the seasons, brethren, ye have no need that I write unto you.

2 For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night.

3 For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape.

4 But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief.

5 Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness.

6 ¶Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober.

7 For they that sleep sleep in the night; and they that be drunken are drunken in the night.

8 But let us, who are of the day, be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love; and for an helmet, the hope of salvation.

9 For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ,

10 Who died for us, that, whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with him.

2 Peter 3:1 ¶This second epistle, beloved, I now write unto you; in both which I stir up your pure minds by way of remembrance:

2 That ye may be mindful of the words which were spoken before by the holy prophets, and of the commandment of us the apostles of the Lord and Saviour:

3 ¶Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts,

4 And 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.

5 For this they willingly are ignorant of, that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the water and in the water:

6 Whereby the world that then was, being overflowed with water, perished:

7 But the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men.

8 ¶But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.

9 ¶The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.

10 But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.

11 ¶Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness,

12 Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat?

13 Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness.

14 Wherefore, beloved, seeing that ye look for such things, be diligent that ye may be found of him in peace, without spot, and blameless.

15 And account that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation; even as our beloved brother Paul also according to the wisdom given unto him hath written unto you;

16 As also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things; in which are some things hard to be understood, which they that are unlearned and unstable wrest, as they do also the other scriptures, unto their own destruction.

17 Ye therefore, beloved, seeing ye know these things before, beware lest ye also, being led away with the error of the wicked, fall from your own stedfastness.

18 But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and for ever. Amen.

Jude 1:10 But these speak evil of those things which they know not: but what they know naturally, as brute beasts, in those things they corrupt themselves.

11 Woe unto them! for they have gone in the way of Cain, and ran greedily after the error of Balaam for reward, and perished in the gainsaying of Core.

12 These are spots in your feasts of charity, when they feast with you, feeding themselves without fear: clouds they are without water, carried about of winds; trees whose fruit withereth, without fruit, twice dead, plucked up by the roots;

13 Raging waves of the sea, foaming out their own shame; wandering stars, to whom is reserved the blackness of darkness for ever.

14 And Enoch also, the seventh from Adam, prophesied of these, saying, Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousands of his saints,

15 ¶To execute judgment upon all, and to convince all that are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have ungodly committed, and of all their hard speeches which ungodly sinners have spoken against him.

16 These are murmurers, complainers, walking after their own lusts; and their mouth speaketh great swelling words, having men's persons in admiration because of advantage.

17 But, beloved, remember ye the words which were spoken before of the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ;

18 How that they told you there should be mockers in the last time, who should walk after their own ungodly lusts.

19 These be they who separate themselves, sensual, having not the Spirit.

20 But ye, beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost,

21 Keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life.

22 And of some have compassion, making a difference:

23 And others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire; hating even the garment spotted by the flesh.

24 Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy,

25 To the only wise God our Saviour, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever. Amen.

So here are some clear indications of the end:

Many will scoff and mock Christians.

Christianity will be unpopular.

Many will be lustful people and intollerable of those who don't follow them

Many will speak bad of things they don't even understand about Jesus

People will be turning to the world for Peace and Saftey

This is among the many things to take place in the end.

Now, here are some other signs that Jesus himself gave to us to look for:

Luke 21:25 And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring;

26 Men's hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken.

27 And then shall they see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory.

28 And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh.

So here is clear indication that the end is coming. The signs in the sun, moon, and stars have happened already. In 1780, the sun was darkened at 11am and didn't return until the following day. The moon was also red for three days! Now, since when is it normal for a solar eclipse to last all day and a lunar eclipse to last three days? Also, in 1833, a huge meteor shower fell. It was so great that the people witnessing it could have sworn that God's judgement was coming upon the earth. Indeed it was, but not yet. The meteor shower was so great that a person could have sworn it was daytime at night. More than 10,000 shooting stars flew across the sky per hour. Thats alot. There has never been recorded a greater meteor shower than this one.

The distress of the nations is very obvious. It says they are perplexed because of the tossing of the sea and roaring of the waves. This reminds me of the year with the most hurricanes, 2005! But not so much that. There was also recorded more than 100 tornadoes in a location in one day! Not only this, the siesmic activity of sliding plates cause great tsunamis that tear at our borders. Ontop of that, we have the greenhouse effect trapping more gases than normal and its heating out water to the point that the water is melting one of our polar ice caps. When this ice cap melts, there will be more tossing of the sea and roaring of the waves due to both climate change and geological change. Yet people take this for granted and all the while scoff while it is happening. They claim they can fix it, but just when they do, wars start happening, people start dieing, oil gets burned, trees are burned down, more CO2 is released into the air, not including the volcanoes, emmissions from cars, and power plants. And the fear falling upon men could very well be the chaos that this world is in and as far as terrorism may be concerned, I think we are scared of a bit more than we need to be scared of. Then the powers of heaven shall be shaken, this mean that there will be instability in the atmosphere (IMO) and will cause chaos on earth. Then shall Jesus come and deliver those that truly follow him. This is how the Bible states it. God bless.

[Pontius Pilate]

So here is clear indication that the end is coming.

Only if you believe in mythology!

[zandore]

End of the world myths

Aztec Mythology - End of the World

The Aztecs had an extremely complex calendar system based on the stars. They used this calendar not only to create holy days and times, but also to determine the course of human life on earth. The Aztecs believed in the Legend of the Five Suns, the times of which coincide with periods in their history. Each sun is a period of time wherein there is peace and life. Once a sun dies, however, the world is absorbed in chaos as the gods destroy the world and renew it. There are only five suns, and we are presently on the fifth. The first sun was the Sun of Precious Stones, destroyed by Tezcatlipoca in its entirety with jaguars. The second sun was the Sun of Darkness, where life was destroyed by a large hurricane sent by Quetzalcoatl. The third sun was the Sun of Fire. Life was destroyed by a rain of fire created by Tezcatlipoca. The fourth sun was the Sun of Water, destroyed by a large flood of Tlaloc. The final sun that now exists is the Sun of Movement, Tonatiuh the Rising Eagle, destined to end in 52 years by a large earthquake that will tear the earth apart.

Ancient Egyptian Mythology - End of the World

The Egyptians believed in the afterlife and the continuation of mankind forever. They did not provide for a definitive end of the world in their mythology. Rather, the Egyptians once considered the end of the world and its subsequent prevention.

Ra sent out his eye in the form of the goddess Hathor to destroy those who would not worship and believe in his good name. Although he only meant to destroy the evil in mankind, Hathor slaughtered many and was said to "wade in blood." In order to prevent her from destroying the entirety of mankind, Ra tempts her with a flood of barely beer dyed red to resemble blood. She becomes drunk and forgets her thirst for man's blood, saving the world from her deadly rampage.

Indian Mythology - End of the World

Indian myths agree that the Universe ends in cycles, cycles that mirror those of birth and death in human life. The world ends through fire and flood, but is reborn, similar to resurrection in other Hindu beliefs.

The story of the avatars in Hindu mythology provides more depth to the resurrection pattern. Vishnu, the second member of the Indian Trimurti, or trinity, is the Preserver of Order. When universal chaos descends upon the world, Vishnu saves mankind by appearing in a certain form, known as an avatar. Out of the ten avatars that Vishnu will fulfill before the Universe ends, he has taken the form of only nine: a fish, a turtle, a boar, a lion-man, a dwarf, a Brahmin, the epic hero Rama, the famed god Krishna, and Buddha. The tenth form is known as Kalki, the man riding upon a horse. Vishnu will come to Earth as this form in order to destroy it and recreate it.

Jewish Mythology - End of the World

The Jewish Apocalypse holds similar themes to both Christian and Muslim Apocalyptic tales, but lacks in elements such as a defined hell and afterlife.

According to the Torah, a Messiah will arrive to lead the people of the world. While the actual details of the Messiah's actions are unclear, the Messiah will abolish all of the sin and evil present in the world. The Torah emphasizes the Messiah's role as the model leader.

Details concerning heaven and other forms of after life are not expressly discussed in the texts concerning the Jewish Apocalypse.

Norse Mythology - End of the World

Before the end of the world, three winters without summers in between will happen in Midgard, and order will be lost in the human world. Fathers will fight their sons, siblings will commit incest, mothers will seduce their children, and brothers will tear at each other's hearts. Midgard will be consumed with war.

The wolves Skoll and Hati will swallow the sun and moon, and the great wolf Fenris, son of Loki the trickster god, will run loose and kill Odin the All-Father, who steps forth to fight him. Odin's son Vidar will avenge Odin by tearing Fenris apart. Thor will battle the Midgard serpent and slay him but be slain himself by the serpent's venomous fumes. Many gods as well as all men and women save two, Lif and Lifthrasir, who seek shelter under the branches of Yggdrasil, will die. The sky will fall into a pit of flames and the earth will sink into the sea.

After the end of the world, the earth will rise renewed out of the sea and flourish. Grain will grow where no grain was sown; Lif and Lifthrasir will repeople the new world with their offspring and descendants. Odin's sons as well as his brothers Vili and Vé will reconvene with the other surviving gods on the plain of Ida, where Asgard used to be, and hold council. They will reign over the new world as the ruling gods. So the earth was begun, and so it shall end.

Zoroastrian Mythology - End of the World

Within Zoroastrianism there are two paths to the end, the end of the individual and the end of the world. The two are related in terms of judgement, individual (soul only) and universal (body and soul after resurrection). The individual is judged based on their actions and will go to heaven or hell accordingly. However there is also a universal judgement that will decide the fate of the entire world.

Zoroastrians believe that the history of the world is twele thousand years long, with four distinct periods. In the first period good and evil are separated, in the second the good world is invaded by the evil and the third is when the fight between the two forces intensify. In the final period evil is defeated and goodness prevails. The final period commenced with the birth of Zoroaster and has not yet finished. In the final three thousand years, Zoroastrians expect three saviors to come at thousand-year intervals. The first one will be called Aushedar, “the developer of righteousness”. Aushedar will be born from a virgin and will also be a child of Zoroaster himself whose seed has been preserved in a lake. When the fifteen year old virgin bathes in the lake, she will be impregnated and the first savior will be born.

When Aushedar turns thirty, the sun will stand still for ten days right above head. This is where the sun stood before Ahriman (Evil) attacked the perfect world. Through the coming of the savior, some good will prevail and for three years people will live more harmoniously, conditions will improve and the renovation of the universe will start. Some harmful creatures belonging to the forces of evil, such as wolves, will perish.

The second savior will be called Aushedar-mah and he will be born born in the same manner as the first savior. The sun will stand still for twenty days this time, the period of renovation will last for six years and more harmful creatures will perish. The original perfect state of the world, as it was at the beginning, will draw closer. Men will stop eating meat and will only drink water. However this is not the end of Evil, he will reappear in form of Azhi Dahaka (Zahak in Shahnameh), a monster who was earlier defeated and imprisoned on top of Mount Demavand by the hero Thraetaona (Thahmoureth). The monster will escape, invade the world and smite the sacred elements of fire, water and vegetation. Another hero Keresapa (Jamshid) will rid the world of Azhi Dahaka and the power of evil will be further reduced. However, Azhi manages to escape.

During the third and final stage, the last savior Soshyant is conceived in the same manner as his predecessors and will eventually defeat all the forces of evil. The perfect state of the world arrives when death, disease and all forces of evil and disorder are forever defeated. Soshyant raises each of the dead from the spot where they died. All people will be lead to the place of judgment where they will see the good and bad deedsof their lives. Then the wicked will go to the hell and the good to heaven for a period of three days and three nights. This last judgement of the individual will be only concerned with the soul, while the universal judgement will be concerned with both body and soul and will involve the resurrection of the body. Humans as whole beings will put through several tests such as passing through molten metal.

The hot metal will flow over and purify the earth and return it to a perfect and unified state. The stream of molten metal will sweep over all men and make them pure and uniform as well. The gift of immortality will be conferred when Soshyant, acting as a priest, celebrates the final sacrifice with the last animal (the ox) to die in the service of man. From the fat of the ox and the mythical White Hom (Haoma a sacred mix used in ceremonies) from the cosmic ocean the elixir of immortality will be prepared. Ahriman and Azhi, will run into Hell to escape and the molten metal will destroy Hell and Azhi. Ahriman will become impotent and be annihilated. After the earth is leveled and humans restored to their ideal unity of body and soul, the whole creation will again be the perfect combination of spirit and matter that God intended it to be.

And of course this one

Christian Mythology - End of the World

The Christian Apocalypse as described by the Book of Revelation is quite possibly one of the most famous End of the World stories. The book itself is described as a scroll with seven wax seals. As the scroll unravels, a series of events unfolds, beginning with many wars, famines, disease epidemics, and other heavenly signs to alert the world of an oncoming crisis. After this series of natural disasters, a political ruler called the Antichrist will appear and establish control over the entire earth.

The Antichrist will be backed by a religious ruler, known as the false prophet. Together, they will establish a unified social, economic and religious system that dominates the world. The only thing opposing them are the people of God and two prophets called the two witnesses, who appear in Jerusalem and begin to speak out against the Antichrist and his rule. Also present in the first half the Book is a terrible beast. The beast is not described in great detail but scholars argue that the beast itself represents the oppression faced by the early Christians under Roman rule.

The last half of the book concerns itself with the overthrow of the Antichrist. The beast, the false prophet, the Antichrist, and eventually Satan himself are overthrown with judgments and plagues. These judgments and plagues include asteroids hitting the earth and water turning to blood. Finally, Jesus Christ returns as a glorious warrior on a white horse. He defeats Satan and sends all of the nonbelievers to an eternity in hell, a great fiery lake of constant torment. The followers of Christ are led to heaven on a new Earth with no suffering or sin.

Pick your poison....

[TheEssenceofExcellence]

Great post Bluefinger. God bless you for spreading the word, Amen.

[Bluefinger]

End of the world myths

Aztec Mythology - End of the World

The Aztecs had an extremely complex calendar system based on the stars. They used this calendar not only to create holy days and times, but also to determine the course of human life on earth. The Aztecs believed in the Legend of the Five Suns, the times of which coincide with periods in their history. Each sun is a period of time wherein there is peace and life. Once a sun dies, however, the world is absorbed in chaos as the gods destroy the world and renew it. There are only five suns, and we are presently on the fifth. The first sun was the Sun of Precious Stones, destroyed by Tezcatlipoca in its entirety with jaguars. The second sun was the Sun of Darkness, where life was destroyed by a large hurricane sent by Quetzalcoatl. The third sun was the Sun of Fire. Life was destroyed by a rain of fire created by Tezcatlipoca. The fourth sun was the Sun of Water, destroyed by a large flood of Tlaloc. The final sun that now exists is the Sun of Movement, Tonatiuh the Rising Eagle, destined to end in 52 years by a large earthquake that will tear the earth apart.

Ancient Egyptian Mythology - End of the World

The Egyptians believed in the afterlife and the continuation of mankind forever. They did not provide for a definitive end of the world in their mythology. Rather, the Egyptians once considered the end of the world and its subsequent prevention.

Ra sent out his eye in the form of the goddess Hathor to destroy those who would not worship and believe in his good name. Although he only meant to destroy the evil in mankind, Hathor slaughtered many and was said to "wade in blood." In order to prevent her from destroying the entirety of mankind, Ra tempts her with a flood of barely beer dyed red to resemble blood. She becomes drunk and forgets her thirst for man's blood, saving the world from her deadly rampage.

Indian Mythology - End of the World

Indian myths agree that the Universe ends in cycles, cycles that mirror those of birth and death in human life. The world ends through fire and flood, but is reborn, similar to resurrection in other Hindu beliefs.

The story of the avatars in Hindu mythology provides more depth to the resurrection pattern. Vishnu, the second member of the Indian Trimurti, or trinity, is the Preserver of Order. When universal chaos descends upon the world, Vishnu saves mankind by appearing in a certain form, known as an avatar. Out of the ten avatars that Vishnu will fulfill before the Universe ends, he has taken the form of only nine: a fish, a turtle, a boar, a lion-man, a dwarf, a Brahmin, the epic hero Rama, the famed god Krishna, and Buddha. The tenth form is known as Kalki, the man riding upon a horse. Vishnu will come to Earth as this form in order to destroy it and recreate it.

Jewish Mythology - End of the World

The Jewish Apocalypse holds similar themes to both Christian and Muslim Apocalyptic tales, but lacks in elements such as a defined hell and afterlife.

According to the Torah, a Messiah will arrive to lead the people of the world. While the actual details of the Messiah's actions are unclear, the Messiah will abolish all of the sin and evil present in the world. The Torah emphasizes the Messiah's role as the model leader.

Details concerning heaven and other forms of after life are not expressly discussed in the texts concerning the Jewish Apocalypse.

Norse Mythology - End of the World

Before the end of the world, three winters without summers in between will happen in Midgard, and order will be lost in the human world. Fathers will fight their sons, siblings will commit incest, mothers will seduce their children, and brothers will tear at each other's hearts. Midgard will be consumed with war.

The wolves Skoll and Hati will swallow the sun and moon, and the great wolf Fenris, son of Loki the trickster god, will run loose and kill Odin the All-Father, who steps forth to fight him. Odin's son Vidar will avenge Odin by tearing Fenris apart. Thor will battle the Midgard serpent and slay him but be slain himself by the serpent's venomous fumes. Many gods as well as all men and women save two, Lif and Lifthrasir, who seek shelter under the branches of Yggdrasil, will die. The sky will fall into a pit of flames and the earth will sink into the sea.

After the end of the world, the earth will rise renewed out of the sea and flourish. Grain will grow where no grain was sown; Lif and Lifthrasir will repeople the new world with their offspring and descendants. Odin's sons as well as his brothers Vili and Vé will reconvene with the other surviving gods on the plain of Ida, where Asgard used to be, and hold council. They will reign over the new world as the ruling gods. So the earth was begun, and so it shall end.

Zoroastrian Mythology - End of the World

Within Zoroastrianism there are two paths to the end, the end of the individual and the end of the world. The two are related in terms of judgement, individual (soul only) and universal (body and soul after resurrection). The individual is judged based on their actions and will go to heaven or hell accordingly. However there is also a universal judgement that will decide the fate of the entire world.

Zoroastrians believe that the history of the world is twele thousand years long, with four distinct periods. In the first period good and evil are separated, in the second the good world is invaded by the evil and the third is when the fight between the two forces intensify. In the final period evil is defeated and goodness prevails. The final period commenced with the birth of Zoroaster and has not yet finished. In the final three thousand years, Zoroastrians expect three saviors to come at thousand-year intervals. The first one will be called Aushedar, “the developer of righteousness”. Aushedar will be born from a virgin and will also be a child of Zoroaster himself whose seed has been preserved in a lake. When the fifteen year old virgin bathes in the lake, she will be impregnated and the first savior will be born.

When Aushedar turns thirty, the sun will stand still for ten days right above head. This is where the sun stood before Ahriman (Evil) attacked the perfect world. Through the coming of the savior, some good will prevail and for three years people will live more harmoniously, conditions will improve and the renovation of the universe will start. Some harmful creatures belonging to the forces of evil, such as wolves, will perish.

The second savior will be called Aushedar-mah and he will be born born in the same manner as the first savior. The sun will stand still for twenty days this time, the period of renovation will last for six years and more harmful creatures will perish. The original perfect state of the world, as it was at the beginning, will draw closer. Men will stop eating meat and will only drink water. However this is not the end of Evil, he will reappear in form of Azhi Dahaka (Zahak in Shahnameh), a monster who was earlier defeated and imprisoned on top of Mount Demavand by the hero Thraetaona (Thahmoureth). The monster will escape, invade the world and smite the sacred elements of fire, water and vegetation. Another hero Keresapa (Jamshid) will rid the world of Azhi Dahaka and the power of evil will be further reduced. However, Azhi manages to escape.

During the third and final stage, the last savior Soshyant is conceived in the same manner as his predecessors and will eventually defeat all the forces of evil. The perfect state of the world arrives when death, disease and all forces of evil and disorder are forever defeated. Soshyant raises each of the dead from the spot where they died. All people will be lead to the place of judgment where they will see the good and bad deedsof their lives. Then the wicked will go to the hell and the good to heaven for a period of three days and three nights. This last judgement of the individual will be only concerned with the soul, while the universal judgement will be concerned with both body and soul and will involve the resurrection of the body. Humans as whole beings will put through several tests such as passing through molten metal.

The hot metal will flow over and purify the earth and return it to a perfect and unified state. The stream of molten metal will sweep over all men and make them pure and uniform as well. The gift of immortality will be conferred when Soshyant, acting as a priest, celebrates the final sacrifice with the last animal (the ox) to die in the service of man. From the fat of the ox and the mythical White Hom (Haoma a sacred mix used in ceremonies) from the cosmic ocean the elixir of immortality will be prepared. Ahriman and Azhi, will run into Hell to escape and the molten metal will destroy Hell and Azhi. Ahriman will become impotent and be annihilated. After the earth is leveled and humans restored to their ideal unity of body and soul, the whole creation will again be the perfect combination of spirit and matter that God intended it to be.

And of course this one

Christian Mythology - End of the World

The Christian Apocalypse as described by the Book of Revelation is quite possibly one of the most famous End of the World stories. The book itself is described as a scroll with seven wax seals. As the scroll unravels, a series of events unfolds, beginning with many wars, famines, disease epidemics, and other heavenly signs to alert the world of an oncoming crisis. After this series of natural disasters, a political ruler called the Antichrist will appear and establish control over the entire earth.

The Antichrist will be backed by a religious ruler, known as the false prophet. Together, they will establish a unified social, economic and religious system that dominates the world. The only thing opposing them are the people of God and two prophets called the two witnesses, who appear in Jerusalem and begin to speak out against the Antichrist and his rule. Also present in the first half the Book is a terrible beast. The beast is not described in great detail but scholars argue that the beast itself represents the oppression faced by the early Christians under Roman rule.

The last half of the book concerns itself with the overthrow of the Antichrist. The beast, the false prophet, the Antichrist, and eventually Satan himself are overthrown with judgments and plagues. These judgments and plagues include asteroids hitting the earth and water turning to blood. Finally, Jesus Christ returns as a glorious warrior on a white horse. He defeats Satan and sends all of the nonbelievers to an eternity in hell, a great fiery lake of constant torment. The followers of Christ are led to heaven on a new Earth with no suffering or sin.

Pick your poison....

Nice try, but I'm not talking about all the others. This topic is about the Bible's prophecy. Lets stick to topic. If you don't want to talk about it, then please don't post.

[Bluefinger]

Only if you believe in mythology!

Notice that this is in the SPIRITUALITY, RELIGION, AND BELIEFS forum and not in the SPIRITUALITY VS. SKEPTICISM forum. I put this post here because I don't want to debate it, I want do discuss it. Is that okay?

[zandore]

Notice that this is in the SPIRITUALITY, RELIGION, AND BELIEFS forum and not in the SPIRITUALITY VS. SKEPTICISM forum. I put this post here because I don't want to debate it, I want do discuss it. Is that okay?

Sure!

debate

: a contention by words or arguments: as a : the formal discussion of a motion before a deliberative body according to the rules of parliamentary procedure b : a regulated discussion of a proposition between two matched sides

discuss

1 obsolete : DISPEL

2 a : to investigate by reasoning or argument b : to present in detail for examination or consideration <discussed plans for the party> c : to talk about

3 obsolete : DECLARE

- dis·cuss·able or dis·cuss·ible /-'sk&-s&-b&l/ adjective

- dis·cuss·er noun

synonyms DISCUSS, ARGUE, DEBATE mean to discourse about in order to reach conclusions or to convince. DISCUSS implies a sifting of possibilities especially by presenting considerations pro and con <discussed the need for a new highway>. ARGUE implies the offering of reasons or evidence in support of convictions already held <argued that the project would be too costly>. DEBATE suggests formal or public argument between opposing parties <debated the merits of the amendment>; it may also apply to deliberation with oneself <I'm debating whether I should go>.

[Bluefinger]

Sure!

debate

: a contention by words or arguments: as a : the formal discussion of a motion before a deliberative body according to the rules of parliamentary procedure b : a regulated discussion of a proposition between two matched sides

discuss

1 obsolete : DISPEL

2 a : to investigate by reasoning or argument b : to present in detail for examination or consideration <discussed plans for the party> c : to talk about

3 obsolete : DECLARE

- dis·cuss·able or dis·cuss·ible /-'sk&-s&-b&l/ adjective

- dis·cuss·er noun

synonyms DISCUSS, ARGUE, DEBATE mean to discourse about in order to reach conclusions or to convince. DISCUSS implies a sifting of possibilities especially by presenting considerations pro and con <discussed the need for a new highway>. ARGUE implies the offering of reasons or evidence in support of convictions already held <argued that the project would be too costly>. DEBATE suggests formal or public argument between opposing parties <debated the merits of the amendment>; it may also apply to deliberation with oneself <I'm debating whether I should go>.

I'm sorry. Let me be more specific. I don't want to argue the validity of the subject or even argue at all. I want to hear opinions on what many think about this specific post. I'm not talking about other beliefs and end time stuff. I was specific and want to talk about this. If you have nothing to say on it, why say anything at all?

[zandore]

That is what I was doing in my first post of this thread.

[Wayfarer]

Luke 21:25 And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring;

26 Men's hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken.

27 And then shall they see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory.

28 And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh.

It says also, further on, in Luke 21:32 "Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass away, till all be fulfilled".

2000 years have gone by and that generation is dust--the generation Jesus spoke of. Not us.

[Pontius Pilate]

Before you take the word of apologistic website, you need to research the subject. Your wonderous happenings, such as the darkening of the sun darkening and not returning until the following day, can be explained easily. Here are some observations from witness of this phenomenon:

Prof. Daggett remarked the low-level clouds took "a strange yellowish and sometimes reddish appearance...an unusual yellowness in the atmosphere made clean silver nearly resemble the colour of brass." Nathan Read saw "a uniform cloud appeared of a cast compounded of a faint red, yellow & Brown." Others remarked on the hue thrown on grass and foliage. "An uncommonly lovely verdure, a deepest green, verging on blue," observed Williams. Dr Samuel Tenney viewed "so enchanting a verdure as could not escape notice, even amidst the unusual gloom that surrounded the spectator."

Our biggest clue as to the cause of the darkness comes from the observations of Williams of the nature of the rain that had fallen on Cambridge. "The water...was found to have an uncommon appearance, being thick and dark and sooty...I examined a quantity of this matter; and in taste, colour and smell, it very plainly appeared to be nothing more than what the gentleman observed at Ipswich, — the black ash of burnt leaves, without any sulphureous, or other mixtures." In Ipswich MA, rainwater collected in tubs was covered by a black scum like ashes and gave a strong sooty smell, according to Reverend John Lathrop. Jeremy Belknap of Boston noted the air smelled like a "malt-house or coal-kiln" during the darkness.

It was further noted that this phenomenon was observed only from Maine to New Jersey. The rest of the country (that which was settled at the time) did not report anything unusual. Seems that your god was only able to affect a very small part of the Christian world with his “Warning of the End”! I would think that he would want to give all of his children equal warning, not just a small portion of a small newly established country, far from the main concentration of Christians. As for unusual meteor showers….gad man, have Christians reverted to primitives, afraid of meteor showers and trying to read messages from god in them?

How can you blow off those “end of the world” myths, they have as much validity and “proof” as does your mythology.

[Bluefinger]

Before you take the word of apologistic website, you need to research the subject. Your wonderous happenings, such as the darkening of the sun darkening and not returning until the following day, can be explained easily. Here are some observations from witness of this phenomenon:

Prof. Daggett remarked the low-level clouds took "a strange yellowish and sometimes reddish appearance...an unusual yellowness in the atmosphere made clean silver nearly resemble the colour of brass." Nathan Read saw "a uniform cloud appeared of a cast compounded of a faint red, yellow & Brown." Others remarked on the hue thrown on grass and foliage. "An uncommonly lovely verdure, a deepest green, verging on blue," observed Williams. Dr Samuel Tenney viewed "so enchanting a verdure as could not escape notice, even amidst the unusual gloom that surrounded the spectator."

Our biggest clue as to the cause of the darkness comes from the observations of Williams of the nature of the rain that had fallen on Cambridge. "The water...was found to have an uncommon appearance, being thick and dark and sooty...I examined a quantity of this matter; and in taste, colour and smell, it very plainly appeared to be nothing more than what the gentleman observed at Ipswich, — the black ash of burnt leaves, without any sulphureous, or other mixtures." In Ipswich MA, rainwater collected in tubs was covered by a black scum like ashes and gave a strong sooty smell, according to Reverend John Lathrop. Jeremy Belknap of Boston noted the air smelled like a "malt-house or coal-kiln" during the darkness.

It was further noted that this phenomenon was observed only from Maine to New Jersey. The rest of the country (that which was settled at the time) did not report anything unusual. Seems that your god was only able to affect a very small part of the Christian world with his “Warning of the End”! I would think that he would want to give all of his children equal warning, not just a small portion of a small newly established country, far from the main concentration of Christians. As for unusual meteor showers….gad man, have Christians reverted to primitives, afraid of meteor showers and trying to read messages from god in them?

How can you blow off those “end of the world” myths, they have as much validity and “proof” as does your mythology.

Funny. If I was describing Norse prophecy, or muslim prophecy, many would be genuinely interested. The moment some describes Bible prophecy they don't want to hear it. However, you did provide input on the specific topic, so I will venture in this one. I guess, a little knowlege about Revelation may help.

Revelation 6:1 ¶And I saw when the Lamb opened one of the seals, and I heard, as it were the noise of thunder, one of the four beasts saying, Come and see.

2 And I saw, and behold a white horse: and he that sat on him had a bow; and a crown was given unto him: and he went forth conquering, and to conquer.

3 ¶And when he had opened the second seal, I heard the second beast say, Come and see.

4 And there went out another horse that was red: and power was given to him that sat thereon to take peace from the earth, and that they should kill one another: and there was given unto him a great sword.

5 And when he had opened the third seal, I heard the third beast say, Come and see. And I beheld, and lo a black horse; and he that sat on him had a pair of balances in his hand.

6 And I heard a voice in the midst of the four beasts say, A measure of wheat for a penny, and three measures of barley for a penny; and see thou hurt not the oil and the wine.

7 And when he had opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth beast say, Come and see.

8 And I looked, and behold a pale horse: and his name that sat on him was Death, and Hell followed with him. And power was given unto them over the fourth part of the earth, to kill with sword, and with hunger, and with death, and with the beasts of the earth.

9 ¶And when he had opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of them that were slain for the word of God, and for the testimony which they held:

10 And they cried with a loud voice, saying, How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth?

11 And white robes were given unto every one of them; and it was said unto them, that they should rest yet for a little season, until their fellowservants also and their brethren, that should be killed as they were, should be fulfilled.

12 And I beheld when he had opened the sixth seal, and, lo, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became as blood;

13 And the stars of heaven fell unto the earth, even as a fig tree casteth her untimely figs, when she is shaken of a mighty wind.

14 And the heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together; and every mountain and island were moved out of their places.

15 And the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman, and every free man, hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains;

16 And said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb:

17 For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?

Key thing to know here. When the seven seals were presented, they were presented to a Lamb that had just been slain, thus we place the seal opening in A.D. 30, when Jesus had just been crucified, died, resurrected, and ascended into heaven.

The first seal is the Apostolic Church era in which the Apostles preached the Gospel to all the earth (known world at least). This was from A.D. 30- 100. The second seal is the Post-Apostolic and Ante-Nicene era, in which the heresy took its best form and the Romans started persecuting the Christians. There was a Jewish man by the name of Bar Choba who claimed to be the Messiah and said he would overthrow Rome. Well they tried to rally the Christians against Rome, but they declined. This angered the Jewish people and so they started persecuting the Christians. Eventually the rebellion was crushed and the Christians were given a break. On and off, the Romans persecuted Christians, however, Diocletian decreed an all out extermination of Christians that lasted about 10 years. This era of persecution was from A.D. 100-325, when Constantine declared Christianity a legal religion.

This is where the third seal comes in. The bishops in Rome appealed to Constantine and gave him the title Bishop of bishops, even though he didn't even accept baptism until before he died (he tried to cheat the system, but he was already wrong to start off with.) First off, the Romans didn't want to give up their pagan practices when Constantine declared Christianity as the official religion of the Roman Empire. So the bishops compromised by putting saints in place of pagan heroes, angels in place of pagan gods, Mary in place of the queen of heaven, and even changed the worship of the Sabbath from the seventh day to the pagan sun god worship day, the first day. This indeed made the falsehoods out weigh the truth and made the truth scarce. Yeah, the council of Laodicea wasn't as pure as many thought. This time from extends from A.D. 325 to 590, when Pope Gregory the Great led the Roman Church into a time known as the Dark Ages.

The fourth seal starts with Pope Gregory the Great, who was the last Roman Bishop and the Medieval pope. During the time from A.D. 590 to 1814, most of Europe was plagued either with civil war, crusades, plagues, inquisitions, great famine, instability, and moral darkness. The things that they thought were righteous in their minds were the most abominable things to God. It was during the 12th century that just after the beginning of the crusades and Christian persecutions by the Holy Roman Empire, Europe was stuck with Great Famine (A.D. 1315-1317) and then was ravaged by the Black Death (A.D. 1347-1351) when about a fourth of Europe died. They though it was spread by the cats and dogs, but was really spread by rats and fleas. Thus was the plague spread when the slaughtered cats and dogs made good food for the blighted rats and fleas.

The fifth seal indicates that there was great persecution of the saints (which started mainly with Pope Innocent III (A.D. 1161-1216) in and didn't end until about 1689 when the Thirty Year War was ended. Thus was the persecution of the saints cut off, lest they had be competely devoured. During this time, nationalism started rising with the rebellion of many European states. During this time was the saints to wait, so that the nations would take their place either for God or against God. When the prostestants took their form and nationalism was on the rise, an earthquake in Lisbon shook the town killing an estimated 60,000 to 100,000 people on November 1, 1755; on all saints day (a day to commemorate the dead saints and martyrs. I find this well put). During this time a rationalism called the Great Enlightenment came about.In 1798, Napoleon overruled the Papal states and the pope was led captive. However, this ended in 1814, when Napoleon abdicated his throne. This didn't stop him until his death however. In 1849, the papalstates were again overrun and the Roman Rebublic was established, being one of the first to outlaw capital punishment. All this deteriated the authority of the pope. Even the pope did not get dominion back until 1929, but Catholicism wasnt' the official italian state religion until 1984.

Seeing that the papal power was snuffed for a short while, lets go back to all saints day on Nov. 1, 1755, shortly after the persecution of the saints ended. The sixth seal is the strange phenomenons. The first, when the sixth seal is broken, is a great earthquake. Following the Timeline and the day it was opened, we see that the placing was correct and on time. Then in 1780, the phenomenon (that can be speculated in any direction, from judgement of God to the forest burning [which if causing a fire this big would leave an impression til today IMO.]) of the sun and moon happened. This was over Canada and U.S., which at the time were European Colonies. Not even the New world could escape God's attention. Though this seems merely coicedence, thats all up to speculation. But it agree's with the sixth seal and the time line.

The stars falling from the sky are in order as well. Even to be the greatest of the Leonid meteor showers recorded to date. It was so bright that people were awakened from sleep either by people shouting or by the light it produced. This could be all speculation, but it follows the timeline.

The next is yet to happen. It says that the heaven will depart like a scroll is when its rolled together. Yet if you look further on into the trumpets in Ch. 8, it talks about 1/3 of the sun, moon and stars. Thus the heavens are still there, so what is the heaven that departs? Its obviously something we would notice. I have my theory on this, but its only a theory. Notice that it says that the heaven (or sky) departs. IMO, I think this is the ozone layer depleting. The reason why is because of what is given in verse 14 in conjunction with it, the islands and mountains (hills) being removed from their places. In essence, this is speaking of the islands and hills dissappearing. We know its not from an earthquake, because people wouldn't be running into caves in verse 15-16, if there was a great earthquake. So here is my take on it. The heaven departing like a scroll is both the ozone layer depleting as well as the whole global warming beginning. The waters get heated and the ice cap melts. Sea levels raise about 300 feet, swallowing up the coastlands (speaking of Eastern America witnessing the darkness of 1780, and the meteor shower of 1833,) this would deffinately cut the cake for the new European Colonies. compare this to what I first posted and you'll get a broader understanding of why I find it to be true. I think its intruiging and exciting to know that Jesus is coming soon. I can't wait to see him.

[Bosanchero]

Why is it that every time something happens it turns out to be MESSAGE FROM GOD of some sort, Thousands die in wars (Message from god)

Thousands die in NY 9/11(Message from GOD)

Katrina kills Thousands (Message from GOD)

Earthquaqes in middle east take countless lives (Message from GOD)

Well If You Call all These MURDERS messages from GOD than i want nothing to do with this GOD who kills his own creation to get point across,

[Bluefinger]

Why is it that every time something happens it turns out to be MESSAGE FROM GOD of some sort, Thousands die in wars (Message from god)

Thousands die in NY 9/11(Message from GOD)

Katrina kills Thousands (Message from GOD)

Earthquaqes in middle east take countless lives (Message from GOD)

Well If You Call all These MURDERS messages from GOD than i want nothing to do with this GOD who kills his own creation to get point across,

Its not about murder. You can call the death of every person and living thing murder because I guarantee that none of those wanted to die and was forced to. That bug you squashed; that was murder. Man murdered himself when he chose to disobey God at the garden of Eden and has since. Its about the choice on how you CHOOSE to live, not WHEN or HOW you die. People are so worried about living so happily that they forgot what life was all about. OH, and if you recall, God didn't murder people in the seven seals. He doesn't start judgement until the trumpet and seven vials. By that time, everyone knows of God's redemption and those who refuse it have no excuse. During the seven seals, people murdered people. We know that because we can look in history and see it for ourselves. Do you know who was the murderers? It was those that persecuted true Christianity, even the Holy Roman Empire; especially when the Papacy rose to absolute power while influencing Germany like a puppeteer. If you refuse to believe this, thats your choice. As for me, I'll just dust my shoes off.

And as for weather, its up to you. If you want believe Hurricane Katrina was a judgement from God, so be it. But know this, people knew the hurricane was coming, they knew it was going to be disasterous, yet they stayed anyway. It sounds like this forum. I'm speaking of a coming time of tribulation on earth when the heavens are shaken and the earth struck with disaster and yet no one cares. I think its symbolic for those that have an opportunity to save themselves, but reject that opportunity are the ones that set themselves up for judgement.

Edited May 5, 2006 by Bluefinger

[Bluefinger]

And 9/11 was murder by men (whoever did it) and its the people who saw it as a judgement from God. I do not think it was a judgement from God. I think it was nations fighting against nations and kingdoms against kingdoms, setting up and tearing down borders and preparing themselves for war against Jesus.

[Pontius Pilate]

The moment some describes Bible prophecy they don't want to hear it.

Could it be that most consider it to be the mythology of a dying religion?

[Bluefinger]

Could it be that most consider it to be the mythology of a dying religion?

Is it most, or is it most in your opinion. Is it just you? I'm not here to speak to the NB's, I'm here to speak to the Christians. That was the general crowd I intened this for. If you want to read it and speak, fine. But if you don't care, then why post? I'm here to talk about it, not argue about its validity. This is the SPRITUALITY, RELIGION, AND BELIEFS forum. Someone posted about the mark of the beast and no one seemed to mind. I don't see what is so bad about speaking about something else in the VERY SAME BOOK.

Edited May 5, 2006 by Bluefinger

[Pontius Pilate]

Power to you...as long as you don't attempt to use scare tactics by claiming natural phenomena are "signs of the impending end of the world" from your god! It just points out how fraudulent Christians can be in attempting to support their superstition.

Edited May 5, 2006 by Pontius Pilate

[zandore]

Some facts for you blue: religioustolerance.org

[Bluefinger]

Power to you...as long as you don't attempt to use scare tactics by claiming natural phenomena are "signs of the impending end of the world" from your god! It just points out how fraudulent Christians can be in attempting to support their superstition.

It sucks that you can't see Christianity for what it really is. Now, any time someone speaks of the Return of Jesus or the supremacy of God's law, it automatically conjures up bad memories in history when people didn't follow God correctly. I would explain this to you, but you have shown the attitude that you don't want an explanation. So I'll keep my peace.

[Bluefinger]

Some facts for you blue: religioustolerance.org

I see what you are saying. But its a boastful assumption to think that there aren't many Christians on here. I've seen plenty.

[Pontius Pilate]

It sucks that you can't see Christianity for what it really is.

No, what sucks is that I CAN see Christianity for what it really is and has always been...Mythology that has initiated more torture, death, enslavement and evil that any other belief system in history!

[zandore]

I see what you are saying. But its a boastful assumption to think that there aren't many Christians on here. I've seen plenty.

But we were talking about the total number of Christians in the world.

[Scripture]

But we were talking about the total number of Christians in the world.

or the US and Canada according to your "Fact" website

[Scripture]

No, what sucks is that I CAN see Christianity for what it really is and has always been...Mythology that has initiated more torture, death, enslavement and evil that any other belief system in history!

"The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God." 2 Corinthians 4:4 - NIV