The End of the World

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Posted by: pb49r Original: 10/19/2009 2:48 PM Views: 60 Comments: 12 eProps: 20 Read Comments Post a Comment Back to Your Xanga Site

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2 eProps from: radicalramblings YouTOme mpwarren boricua_chic_2008 Lighthouse_Oceanlover Socrates_Cafe gnostic1 The_James_Blog ProudToBeAChristianFruitcake tychecat

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Monday, October 19, 2009

Much has been said lately about a Mayan calendar that is thought to indicate that the world will end in 2012. I would ask if others agree with me that this is unnecessary date setting, and seems unwarranted for a Christian? I believe it is clear from what Jesus said to his disciples in Acts 1, that no one knows the day, nor the hour (let alone the year, or the month of the year) when the Son of Man will come. I know of no other event that any of us should be concerned with.
Having said that, I want to also say that we were given signs to watch for, and many more of those signs have been fulfilled in the past 20 years, than in the previous 30, which exceeded the signs of the previous 100 before that, especially as it relates to the nation of Israel, Russia, and the areas now occupied by Iraq and Iran. There is a sense in which we are seeing the end signs far more now than ever before. And don't we see a great apostasy among believers? We are living in a time when far too many claiming disciples are rejecting the very basic doctrines of our faith, and far more are excusing behavior that was severely sanctioned in past generations. Have we no seen the apostasy and realized that was one of the signs Jesus gave?
I believe God gives to any open heart a certain portion of His divine wisdom and council in the ways of God. I believe that many of the past civilizations had a knowledge of the "God who is there", even if they did not acknowledge the true God of Heaven. So, if there is a prophecy in their literature that has the ring of truth, why should we be surprised? It just may be another prophecy of what God is about to do. OR, it could be nonsense and we should not worry about it. I take it as a possible sign post urging me, and all I love, to get ready; Jesus is coming.

Posted 10/19/2009 2:48 PM - 60 Views - 20 eProps - 12 comments

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(a) I don't think that we can know the exact day, as you said
(b) I do think that many of the signs that we were told to watch for, are here
(c) The Mayans themselves disclaim any intention of their calendar signifying the end of the world... that seems to be a Western idea projected onto them and their calendar

Posted 10/19/2009 2:53 PM by radicalramblings

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I agree this is well balaced wisdom here

Posted 10/19/2009 3:01 PM by YouTOme - reply

Man seeking salvation from man. Jesus said that no one knows the day or the hour; not the Angeles in heaven, not even the Son, but only the Father. But we who choose to believe, need only to look to the word of truth to find the warning signs, and if we remain alert and prayerful, if our ears are tuned to his voice above all others, we will not be decieved.

Posted 10/19/2009 3:32 PM by mpwarren - reply

I agree with this. Nobody knows when the world is ending. Revelations says a lot about it and it's not something everyone will know ahead of time. Mankind can speculate about it but will never know. I think we should focus on being saved or born again and not so much on when Christ is coming, because it all goes together anyway meaning if you are not saved or born again you will surely die. We should live for Christ today and believe so that we may be saved when the end comes and not worry that we didn't live for Him in this life. He who lives in Christ will never die but have Everlasting Life. Great blog!

Posted 10/19/2009 4:00 PM by boricua_chic_2008 - reply

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Agreed!

Posted 10/19/2009 4:05 PM by Lighthouse_Oceanlover

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This is certainly not the first time in recorded history when many people became convinced that "The end is nigh". It's pretty easy to find signs and portents if you are looking for them. As I understand it, the mayan calendar was a very complex measurement of intersecting solar and astronomic cycles, with the cycles ending in (by some modern translations) 2012. The cycle will begin anew after that date and the Mayans thought that the new cycle would mean an entirely new human situation - sort of like the Hippy "Age of Aquarius".
Christian cosmology focuses on the Second Coming of Christ with similar dramatic changes in the human condition, but despite many predictions over the centuries, it apparently hasn't happened yet.
Is there an inborn drive in Humans demanding some kind of cataclysmic change every so often?

I've linked you

Posted 10/19/2009 9:07 PM by Socrates_Cafe

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@Socrates_Cafe - I think people seek the comfort that comes with knowing that winter will end; that the sun will return to end the night;that dad will return from the hunt; that a child's sickness will pass; that our problems will end . The people in power or seeking power notice the warmth that comes with successfu,l reassuring prediction and seek to predict the unpredictable. Also having a ready answer and a brave face can be good if you are a parent, a captain in a storm, or a leader of a religious movement. And, finally, people like to watch the end of a game more than the finish and like to think that they'll be there to see the wrap-up of a race, their child's education, creation etc.

Posted 10/19/2009 11:42 PM by gnostic1 - reply

Good points. I've always found it funny, on a related note, that people derive all these end of the world dates from "Bible code", all the while entirely ignoring a direct Jesus quote that says it's impossible to know. It's like somehow these guys spend all these hours "cracking code", but nonetheless totally failed to read that one line actually spoken by Jesus. He didn't say "no one will know the date or hour...without a decoder ring."

Posted 10/20/2009 11:52 AM by The_James_Blog

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I think, that should Jesus return, I want to be caught doing what He said to do (witnessing) and be caught not doing what He said we would never be able to figure out. Rather than be caught doing something he said we would never figure out, and be too busy with that, to do what He said to do.

Does that make any sense?

Posted 10/20/2009 9:46 PM by ProudToBeAChristianFruitcake

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The "Twilight of the Gods" theme seems to be built in to many religious dogmas - The most pessimistic is the Nordic religious belief that the Gods and humans are engaged in a continuous struggle with the forces of destruction and that they are doomed to lose. Sort of a recognition of entropy, I suppose.
In Christian theology, how to you understand this problem to be handled (or avoided) ?

Posted 10/21/2009 11:57 AM by tychecat

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@tychecat -

If you are asking about the frustrating happening that everything is growing old, the book of The Revelation reveals a time when there will be a New Heaven and New Earth. If that is not what you mean, I need an explanation of what you mean.

Posted 10/22/2009 1:17 AM by pb49r - reply

@Socrates_Cafe -

I think so. Humans look for a cataclysmic change every so often. Your mention of the new age, perhaps an Age of Aquarius thing: that would fit with the scheme of the Rapture away of believers to leave the Earth in the possession of the Man of Evil, who will try to have the Golden Age of Man celebration ended by the return of Jesus.

Posted 10/22/2009 1:21 AM by pb49r - reply

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