Time's up for Christianity?

Tellyontellyon

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2 Peter 3:8
But 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.

By this thinking, if taken absolutely literally, it's only been two days since Jesus ascended...
If not taken absolutely literally, it means that the time for Jesus to return could easily be thousands of years in the future...

Will Christianity survive? The secular world, capitalistic values, scientific materialism, technology that distracts us etc... Christianity overall seems to be in decline, or somehow watered down. Is it too late?
 

ByTheSpirit

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"Christianity" will decline gradually. Because it's become to secular and has abandoned it's foundation. One storm will wash it away.

But you see the Church will continue to thrive because she is sustained by the Almighty. The church lives within the love and grace of God by faith and thus can never be defeated nor destroyed.

Not to mention when Jesus returns he says there will be believers on the planet so until he does return there will remain at very least a remnant of the faithful
 
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Deafsilence

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2 Peter 3:8
But 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.

By this thinking, if taken absolutely literally, it's only been two days since Jesus ascended...
If not taken absolutely literally, it means that the time for Jesus to return could easily be thousands of years in the future...

Will Christianity survive? The secular world, capitalistic values, scientific materialism, technology that distracts us etc... Christianity overall seems to be in decline, or somehow watered down. Is it too late?

It is correct, it is approaching two days since Christ's resurrection which will happen in 2031 (31 AD + 2000 years).
 
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roman2819

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It is correct, it is approaching two days since Christ's resurrection which will happen in 2031 (31 AD + 2000 years).

Agreed. Now we are in the 3rd millennium after birth of Jesus. After 2031, we will in the 2rd millennium after the resurrection. I believe Jesus will return in the 3rd millennium between now and next 1000 year, possibly before 2500 AD. The number 3 has significance in the Bible eg the Trinity, Jesus resurrected on 3rd day.
 
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Deafsilence

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Agreed. Now we are in the 3rd millennium after birth of Jesus. After 2031, we will in the 2rd millennium after the resurrection. I believe Jesus will return in the 3rd millennium between now and next 1000 year, possibly before 2500 AD. The number 3 has significance in the Bible eg the Trinity, Jesus resurrected on 3rd day.

Oh, it is much sooner than that. Just understand WHY they count to Pentecost even though it lands always on the same day which is the 9th day of the 3rd month.
 
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Ignatius the Kiwi

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I communities like the Amish can thrive by being less attached to the world, specifically the secular non-Christian society of the West, then yes. Christianity can survive and in time, thrive again. It's a matter of Christians recognizing what is in their interest as a community and living up to those standards.
 
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Deafsilence

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What is your source for 'two thousand years'? Or any other particular date? Is this a hunch?

No Hunch. I know when it will be. I have no doubt about when it will happen. I plan my life around that date. But it is not for you to know the times put in the Father's power. But by the Holy Spirit (His Spirit) you can know those times that are put in His power.

Act 1:6 When they therefore were come together, they asked of him, saying, Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel?
Act 1:7 And he said unto them, It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in his own power.
Act 1:8 But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the eart
 
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Deafsilence

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What is your source for 'two thousand years'? Or any other particular date? Is this a hunch?

Also, regarding the 2000 years, understand the following:

Hos_6:2 After two days will he revive us: in the third day he will raise us up, and we shall live in his sight.

2Pe_3:8 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.


Ancient writers in Christianity understood this. Here is a part from the Epistle of Barnabas.

The Epistle of Barnabas (translation Roberts-Donaldson)
CHAPTER XV.--THE FALSE AND THE TRUE SABBATH.

""And God made in six days the works of His hands, and made an end on the seventh day, and rested on it, and sanctified it." Attend, my children, to the meaning of this expression, "He finished in six days." This implieth that the Lord will finish all things in six thousand years, for a day is with Him a thousand years. And He Himself testifieth, saying, "Behold, to-day will be as a thousand years." Therefore, my children, in six days, that is, in six thousand years, all things will be finished. "And He rested on the seventh day." This meaneth: when His Son, coming [again], shall destroy the time of the wicked man, and judge the ungodly, and change the-sun, and the moon, and the stars, then shall He truly rest on the seventh day."
 
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Tellyontellyon

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I understand that that can be a gift of the Holy Spirit... Does it work like intuition? Do you get visions or messages, or dreams? How does the Holy Spirit communicate? I'm interested in such experiences.
 
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aiki

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2 Peter 3:8
But 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.

By this thinking, if taken absolutely literally, it's only been two days since Jesus ascended...
If not taken absolutely literally, it means that the time for Jesus to return could easily be thousands of years in the future...

Will Christianity survive? The secular world, capitalistic values, scientific materialism, technology that distracts us etc... Christianity overall seems to be in decline, or somehow watered down. Is it too late?

Only if Christianity is merely a human endeavor. But the last 2000 years, particularly, indicate that it isn't. Instead, where persecution is harsh, the Bride of Christ, the Church, is purified and strengthened, the crucible of suffering drawing off impurities, removing the "leaven" of carnality and sin from the Christian Church. And when the Church is made strong by these things, it moves in the World as God intended it should, serving Him powerfully and faithfully, reflecting Him, His eternal light and truth, to a World in darkness, hurtling toward an eternity of separation from God.

But, the modern Church is badly compromised. The World, its values, philosophies and ethics, have infiltrated the Church in a profound way, as you say, "watering down" the light and godly influence the Church is supposed to have in the World. Because this is so, God will act to purify the Church, not through providing it more ease, and affluence, and peace, which blessings He would prefer moved the Church to holiness and truth, but by hardship and pressure. If His children won't be moved to separate themselves unto Himself faithfully and carefully by the "carrot" of His kindness and love, God will move His children toward Himself with the "stick" of pain.

There will come a time, though, when God will bring the current, sin-corrupted world to its end, destroying it and replacing it with a new world in which only righteousness dwells. In the process of doing so, God will pour out His holy wrath upon the world, including the compromised, carnal Church, not to restore the Church and through it work to save the lost World, but to conclude things, once and for all, at the Final Judgment.
 
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Deafsilence

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I understand that that can be a gift of the Holy Spirit... Does it work like intuition? Do you get visions or messages, or dreams? How does the Holy Spirit communicate? I'm interested in such experiences.

For me is it is the ability to put together an understanding of earthly things into Spiritual understanding.
 
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Rachel20

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By this thinking, if taken absolutely literally, it's only been two days since Jesus ascended...

From what I understand of the rules of the original Greek, when Paul spoke of "these last days", it meant exactly 2 days (plural but without a numeric specifier). Then, given 2 Pet 3:8 and Psalm 90:4, it's very reasonable to take it as a literal 2000 years.

Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds; Heb 1:2

But this is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel;
And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams: Act 2:17-18

Christianity overall seems to be in decline, or somehow watered down.

To be expected:

Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; 2 Thess 2:3

And to the church of Philadelphia, promised to be kept from the hour of temptation, Jesus says they have a "little strength". Taken in military terms, it would mean they're small in number. It's also interesting that Jesus tells them he would make the hypocrites to know that he has loved them (Rev 3:9) So apparently the false church has everyone believing these are the despised.
 
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angelsaroundme

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Judaism has survived a long time. It's culture once revolved heavily around the temple and animal sacrifice. That changed and Judaism is still going.

“What are your multiplied sacrifices to Me?”
Says the Lord.
“I have had enough of burnt offerings of rams
And the fat of fed cattle;
And I take no pleasure in the blood of bulls, lambs or goats."
- Isaiah 1:11

Religions can be very enduring is my point. Hinduism has been around for ages as another example. I doubt Christianity will disappear.
 
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Sir Joseph

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Tellyontellyon, people have been citing 2 Peter 3:8 for many years in order to reconcile Genesis with evolutionary theory, and to use this passage to time Christ's return is equally unfounded. The scripture's context is concerning God's patience in not wanting anyone to perish, and that his coming is assured no matter how long it seems that everything goes on as normal. It has nothing to do with creation or pinning down a specific date for end times events.

Jesus made it clear that no one knows the day or hour of his return, and those false prophets of the past who set dates, with Jehovah's Witnesses leading the pack, should demonstrate the foolishness of trying to do so. Having said that, I do believe that current geopolitical events are lining up well with the prophesies of Daniel, Ezekiel, Jeremiah, and John. And with population growth, technology advancement, and cultural depravity all increasing so fast, it seems reasonable that the end times are near - as in decades perhaps; not centuries or milleniums. That's a perception and feeling though, not a calculated prediction.

With 2.3 billion people in the world professing Christianity today, the number is higher than it's ever been in (recorded) history - with Islam growing at a faster rate, but Christianity growing larger by number. As a Bible believing Christian, I have no doubt that Christianity will continue to exist through the last days and Christ's final return. However, the actual number of true Christians is certainly much lower than the statistics indicate, since the numbers represent what people attribute themselves to versus what they actually are. For example, both Christians and Catholics will often label themselves as such because they were raised in that environment, but not actually have a saving relationship with Jesus. The Mormons, Jehovah Witnesses, and other cult religions are also generally counted as Christian, though they certainly are not. In any case, Christianity is here to stay, but it's shifting geographically. Developed nations are seeing declining numbers while developing nations are seeing increasing numbers. Interestingly, China will soon have more Christians than any other nation.

As for the watering down or liberalizing of Christianity, I've seen that occur in the U.S. over the past 50 years as the nation has traded its Christian heritage for secular beliefs and values. It started with a series of Supreme Court decisions that have systematically taken God out of the public arena, replaced creationism with evolutionary teaching, and degraded the country's moral values. Thus, we now have a majority of Americans today professing to be Christian while openly rejecting the faith's foundations based upon the Bible. It's a sad state of affairs, but fortunately the truth of Christianity doesn't rest upon the actions or beliefs of misguided people.
 
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