Discussing the end of times

[VCR-2000]

I want to know and understand why Christians emphasize the end of days or chaos and disaster scenarios. Hearing discussion about it sets me off and it existentially scares me.

I now believe we could very well be in the end times because words of the Bible happen to correspond a lot with today's news in the recent past. But I am scared to experience things like all-powerful evil leaders with no accountability, not being able to make a living, being persecuted and killed in horrific ways. And that it is prophesied and pre-determined to happen and I can't do anything to stop or avoid it from happening to me.

The other part is that I would rather see the world change and have a better positive future than seeing its existence canceled. I honestly long more for a world where banks, entertainment, media, sports, corporations, etc. still exist but this time they are in line with more traditional or Christian values. I am also relatively young and thinking about not getting to do certain things I want to do. Ideally I don't want my existence to end until at least my 60s and I want to die in a relatively peaceful world, but I might not get to have that.

I guess I just don't want to worry about things happening. If an asteroid or nuclear war broke out and was going to hit me, I'd rather be in blissful ignorance in my last moments than be spend it living in anxiety over warning. So guess I'm asking why Christians want to warn others about a future imminent time, but it scares some people or makes them anxious even if it isn't intended like that.

 

[d taylor]

-​

A asteroid will not strike or a nuclear war will not break out. But for the earth a bad time is a coming, just do not know exactly when. But for believers currently living, they will be taken away from this world wide tribulation.

 

[HTacianas]

I want to know and understand why Christians emphasize the end of days or chaos and disaster scenarios. Hearing discussion about it sets me off and it existentially scares me.

I now believe we could very well be in the end times because words of the Bible happen to correspond a lot with today's news in the recent past. But I am scared to experience things like all-powerful evil leaders with no accountability, not being able to make a living, being persecuted and killed in horrific ways. And that it is prophesied and pre-determined to happen and I can't do anything to stop or avoid it from happening to me.

The other part is that I would rather see the world change and have a better positive future than seeing its existence canceled. I honestly long more for a world where banks, entertainment, media, sports, corporations, etc. still exist but this time they are in line with more traditional or Christian values. I am also relatively young and thinking about not getting to do certain things I want to do. Ideally I don't want my existence to end until at least my 60s and I want to die in a relatively peaceful world, but I might not get to have that.

I guess I just don't want to worry about things happening. If an asteroid or nuclear war broke out and was going to hit me, I'd rather be in blissful ignorance in my last moments than be spend it living in anxiety over warning. So guess I'm asking why Christians want to warn others about a future imminent time, but it scares some people or makes them anxious even if it isn't intended like that.

All of the hoopla you hear about the end times is nothing more than a bunch of hand-wringing on the part of some that is all but meaningless. Things are getting bad right now and they will continue to get worse until one day they get better. The hope is that we live to see them get better. You say that you'd like to see the world in general be "in line with more traditional or Christian values". That is the more likely outcome.

 

[trophy33]

I want to know and understand why Christians emphasize the end of days or chaos and disaster scenarios. Hearing discussion about it sets me off and it existentially scares me.

I now believe we could very well be in the end times because words of the Bible happen to correspond a lot with today's news in the recent past. But I am scared to experience things like all-powerful evil leaders with no accountability, not being able to make a living, being persecuted and killed in horrific ways. And that it is prophesied and pre-determined to happen and I can't do anything to stop or avoid it from happening to me.

The other part is that I would rather see the world change and have a better positive future than seeing its existence canceled. I honestly long more for a world where banks, entertainment, media, sports, corporations, etc. still exist but this time they are in line with more traditional or Christian values. I am also relatively young and thinking about not getting to do certain things I want to do. Ideally I don't want my existence to end until at least my 60s and I want to die in a relatively peaceful world, but I might not get to have that.

I guess I just don't want to worry about things happening. If an asteroid or nuclear war broke out and was going to hit me, I'd rather be in blissful ignorance in my last moments than be spend it living in anxiety over warning. So guess I'm asking why Christians want to warn others about a future imminent time, but it scares some people or makes them anxious even if it isn't intended like that.

"End of times" happened in the 1st century.

And now, you have suddenly plenty of time to live your life without searching for the end of the world in every secular news and without reading unending never-fulfilled fantasies of eschatological futurists.

 

[Benjamin Müller]

I want to know and understand why Christians emphasize the end of days or chaos and disaster scenarios. Hearing discussion about it sets me off and it existentially scares me.

My church is heavy on prophesy and all the doomsday events listed: war, famine, pestilence, persecution, captivity and so forth. The reason why we study prophesy, is so we can guard ourselves against famine, against the captivity, and hopefully against the war and the pestilence and the persecution.

We don't talk about to fear-monger or tell spooky stories just to scare the pants off of people. We do it to warn people that these things are coming and prepare for it.

Quite honestly, it's the end of the world as we know it and I feel fine - I honestly do because we've been mentally and spiritually preparing ourselves for what's coming. Ever since I was a kid, I've been hearing this stuff.

But everyone is led in different ways to prepare: some people in the church focus on building their spiritual fortitude, others build underground bunkers; others stockpile food; others ammunition; others buy land, dig wells and set up solar power. No one prepper is alike and I think part of that is because God knows exactly where we're going to be and what we're going to need so he drives one person to do one thing while others do another thing.


I certainly don't have an underground bunker lol, but I don't judge anyone as crazy who might have one, because maybe God drove them to that to keep them safe. So if someone is compelled to do one thing or another, I think it's meant to be.

With the knowledge you have, what do you feel compelled to do? That is the question.

I now believe we could very well be in the end times because words of the Bible happen to correspond a lot with today's news in the recent past. But I am scared to experience things like all-powerful evil leaders with no accountability, not being able to make a living, being persecuted and killed in horrific ways. And that it is prophesied and pre-determined to happen and I can't do anything to stop or avoid it from happening to me.

God gave us prophesy so that we can avoid it. Seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things will be added unto you. If you seek God, He will not forsake you.

What is coming for the world is pre-determined, yes; but that is for the world--that doesn't mean God won't save individual people who call on Him.

The other part is that I would rather see the world change and have a better positive future than seeing its existence canceled. I honestly long more for a world where banks, entertainment, media, sports, corporations, etc. still exist but this time they are in line with more traditional or Christian values. I am also relatively young and thinking about not getting to do certain things I want to do. Ideally I don't want my existence to end until at least my 60s and I want to die in a relatively peaceful world, but I might not get to have that.

Jesus Christ is coming to set up His Father's Kingdom. He will rule over the whole world as King of Kings and Lord of Lords. He is going to set up a Utopia where we can all enjoy life to its fullest in line with Christian values. I highly doubt in the Millennium there will be banks and corporations though. Ideally people will hold onto their own money. I could argue that corporations are of the devil, but I won't get into that. Lol. But everyone can have their business. Mom and Pop stores would come back. The economy would be relatively localized.

But how Christ sets up the kingdom will be perfect, so however it's done to the smallest detail isn't really important for us to know now. But we can trust it will be perfect and just.

I guess I just don't want to worry about things happening. If an asteroid or nuclear war broke out and was going to hit me, I'd rather be in blissful ignorance in my last moments than be spend it living in anxiety over warning. So guess I'm asking why Christians want to warn others about a future imminent time, but it scares some people or makes them anxious even if it isn't intended like that.

Hosea 4:6 My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. Because you have rejected knowledge, I also will reject you from being priest for Me; Because you have forgotten the law of your God, I also will forget your children.

It's ignorance that destroys people.

You don't have to feel scared or worried because God will protect you and bring you through the Great Tribulation, if you're willing to obey Him. It's easy to hide ourselves from the future and sleepwalk into disaster, but the question is what will you do when you awake to disaster?

I truly believe these things are coming, so I can't comfort you and say, ah, don't worry, you'll be fine. If this is weighing on you, perhaps, God wants you to be proactive about these things.

I think perhaps also, part of it is you're grieving for future losses. I can understand that, but a Christian's life is one of sacrifice. We all will have to put our life on hold when these days come. It's like when the day is absolutely beautiful out; perfect weather, and you'd like to go swim in the pool and have fun and enjoy life, but the weather man says a big bad storm is coming, so you put play on hold in order to button-down the hatches, put boards over the windows, secure everything so it doesn't blow away.


Perhaps, this is something you need to come to terms with? But that doesn't mean you can't continue living. God has promised us a New World and that World is worth living for. The storm will pass over.

 

[Clare73]

I want to know and understand why Christians emphasize the end of days or chaos and disaster scenarios. Hearing discussion about it sets me off and it existentially scares me.

I now believe we could very well be in the end times because words of the Bible happen to correspond a lot with today's news in the recent past. But I am scared to experience things like all-powerful evil leaders with no accountability, not being able to make a living, being persecuted and killed in horrific ways. And that it is prophesied and pre-determined to happen and I can't do anything to stop or avoid it from happening to me.

The other part is that I would rather see the world change and have a better positive future than seeing its existence canceled. I honestly long more for a world where banks, entertainment, media, sports, corporations, etc. still exist but this time they are in line with more traditional or Christian values. I am also relatively young and thinking about not getting to do certain things I want to do. Ideally I don't want my existence to end until at least my 60s and I want to die in a relatively peaceful world, but I might not get to have that.

I guess I just don't want to worry about things happening. If an asteroid or nuclear war broke out and was going to hit me, I'd rather be in blissful ignorance in my last moments than be spend it living in anxiety over warning. So guess I'm asking why Christians want to warn others about a future imminent time, but it scares some people or makes them anxious even if it isn't intended like that.

First of all, much of this private interpretation of prophetic riddles which are not spoken clearly (Nu 12:8) is contra-NT.

I would suggest you take your understanding of the future from NT teaching, not from OT and NT figurative prophecy.

 

[VCR-2000]

My church is heavy on prophesy and all the doomsday events listed: war, famine, pestilence, persecution, captivity and so forth. The reason why we study prophesy, is so we can guard ourselves against famine, against the captivity, and hopefully against the war and the pestilence and the persecution.

We don't talk about to fear-monger or tell spooky stories just to scare the pants off of people. We do it to warn people that these things are coming and prepare for it.

Quite honestly, it's the end of the world as we know it and I feel fine - I honestly do because we've been mentally and spiritually preparing ourselves for what's coming. Ever since I was a kid, I've been hearing this stuff.

But everyone is led in different ways to prepare: some people in the church focus on building their spiritual fortitude, others build underground bunkers; others stockpile food; others ammunition; others buy land, dig wells and set up solar power. No one prepper is alike and I think part of that is because God knows exactly where we're going to be and what we're going to need so he drives one person to do one thing while others do another thing.


I certainly don't have an underground bunker lol, but I don't judge anyone as crazy who might have one, because maybe God drove them to that to keep them safe. So if someone is compelled to do one thing or another, I think it's meant to be.

With the knowledge you have, what do you feel compelled to do? That is the question.

God gave us prophesy so that we can avoid it. Seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things will be added unto you. If you seek God, He will not forsake you.

What is coming for the world is pre-determined, yes; but that is for the world--that doesn't mean God won't save individual people who call on Him.

Jesus Christ is coming to set up His Father's Kingdom. He will rule over the whole world as King of Kings and Lord of Lords. He is going to set up a Utopia where we can all enjoy life to its fullest in line with Christian values. I highly doubt in the Millennium there will be banks and corporations though. Ideally people will hold onto their own money. I could argue that corporations are of the devil, but I won't get into that. Lol. But everyone can have their business. Mom and Pop stores would come back. The economy would be relatively localized.

But how Christ sets up the kingdom will be perfect, so however it's done to the smallest detail isn't really important for us to know now. But we can trust it will be perfect and just.

Hosea 4:6 My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. Because you have rejected knowledge, I also will reject you from being priest for Me; Because you have forgotten the law of your God, I also will forget your children.

It's ignorance that destroys people.

You don't have to feel scared or worried because God will protect you and bring you through the Great Tribulation, if you're willing to obey Him. It's easy to hide ourselves from the future and sleepwalk into disaster, but the question is what will you do when you awake to disaster?

I truly believe these things are coming, so I can't comfort you and say, ah, don't worry, you'll be fine. If this is weighing on you, perhaps, God wants you to be proactive about these things.

I think perhaps also, part of it is you're grieving for future losses. I can understand that, but a Christian's life is one of sacrifice. We all will have to put our life on hold when these days come. It's like when the day is absolutely beautiful out; perfect weather, and you'd like to go swim in the pool and have fun and enjoy life, but the weather man says a big bad storm is coming, so you put play on hold in order to button-down the hatches, put boards over the windows, secure everything so it doesn't blow away.


Perhaps, this is something you need to come to terms with? But that doesn't mean you can't continue living. God has promised us a New World and that World is worth living for. The storm will pass over.

That reply actually gave me some comfort.

 

[BobRyan]

I want to know and understand why Christians emphasize the end of days or chaos and disaster scenarios. Hearing discussion about it sets me off and it existentially scares me.

It is because the Bible spends so much time on that subject starting in the Old Testament and going all through the New Testament

See --

Daniel 7
Revelation 1
Revelation 13
Revelation 14
Revelation 15
Revelation 16
Revelation 19
Revelation 20
Matthew 24
....

I now believe we could very well be in the end times because words of the Bible happen to correspond a lot with today's news in the recent past.

exactly!!

But I am scared to experience things like all-powerful evil leaders with no accountability, not being able to make a living, being persecuted and killed in horrific ways. And that it is prophesied and pre-determined to happen and I can't do anything to stop or avoid it from happening to me.

yes you can

The other part is that I would rather see the world change and have a better positive future than seeing its existence canceled.

The Bible says that when Christ appears he will destroy all the lost (see 2 Thess 1) and will take all the saints to heaven (see John 14:1-3, 1 Thess 4:13-18)

But before He appears a lot of bad things happen on Earth to the Saints who are living in a world where satan is called "the god of this world" 2 cor 4:4.

Ideally I don't want my existence to end until at least my 60s and I want to die in a relatively peaceful world, but I might not get to have that.

The Bible offers you eternal life. For those living at the end of time - (which we are) some will never die at all - but they will go through some difficult times. Like Elijah in 2 Kings 2 - there is a group taken directly to heaven when Christ appears. But also like Elijah they suffer some persecution in their life.

Others will live and die on Earth living as faithful children of God - good soldiers for Christ that endure trial and persecution. Then are resurrected on that same day that the living righteous are taken to heaven.

I guess I just don't want to worry about things happening. If an asteroid or nuclear war broke out and was going to hit me, I'd rather be in blissful ignorance in my last moments than be spend it living in anxiety over warning.

The Bible says the world does not end in Nuclear war nor does it end because a big asteroid hits it.

We have had wars in the past and an atomic bomb or two dropped - but God has reserved the actual end of the world for Himself. He will take control and He will rescue the saints according to the Bible.

So guess I'm asking why Christians want to warn others about a future imminent time

Noah had a message about the end of the BECAUSE God gave him "the rescue plan" that avoids the horrific ending.

Noah needed to share that rescue plan. Christians have the exact same mission.

 

[Benjamin Müller]

BobRyan is correct in regards to earth not ending in nuclear war or an asteroid. Except those days be shortened, no flesh shall be saved alive. Jesus Christ returns to cut those days short so we do not escalate into nuclear war. We're certainly not heading towards a world-wide dystopian wasteland.

Joseph and Noah are prime examples of preparing for hard times.

Do what God is compelling you to do. If you feel like you don't know where to start, just start out small.

Revelation 3:10 Because you have kept My command to persevere, I also will keep you from the hour of trial which shall come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell on the earth.

Don't give up! God has promised those in his church who keep his command and preserve will be kept from the hour of trial.

 

[Hazelelponi]

I want to know and understand why Christians emphasize the end of days or chaos and disaster scenarios. Hearing discussion about it sets me off and it existentially scares me.

I now believe we could very well be in the end times because words of the Bible happen to correspond a lot with today's news in the recent past. But I am scared to experience things like all-powerful evil leaders with no accountability, not being able to make a living, being persecuted and killed in horrific ways. And that it is prophesied and pre-determined to happen and I can't do anything to stop or avoid it from happening to me.

The other part is that I would rather see the world change and have a better positive future than seeing its existence canceled. I honestly long more for a world where banks, entertainment, media, sports, corporations, etc. still exist but this time they are in line with more traditional or Christian values. I am also relatively young and thinking about not getting to do certain things I want to do. Ideally I don't want my existence to end until at least my 60s and I want to die in a relatively peaceful world, but I might not get to have that.

I guess I just don't want to worry about things happening. If an asteroid or nuclear war broke out and was going to hit me, I'd rather be in blissful ignorance in my last moments than be spend it living in anxiety over warning. So guess I'm asking why Christians want to warn others about a future imminent time, but it scares some people or makes them anxious even if it isn't intended like that.

The majority of Christians don't have this dispensationalism view of the end times that is so popular in current works of fiction, or various YouTube channels... Those authors are in it to make a fast buck and shock and awe sells books and makes people click links.

The real story of the end times is more boring than all that...

The point of the Book of Revelation is that in the end, no matter how powerless we feel to change things, or how powerless we are in the face of governments that aren't always just, Christ prevails over all evil in the end. That's a promise.

While things may be getting worse here in America, that doesn't mean things aren't fine somewhere else.

There is one thing constant, that there will be wars and rumors of war (just look at history and we see this), there will be famine and plagues (again, a quick look at history will tell you this also)

But all this is part of the human condition... It doesn't mean that Jesus is coming back anytime soon - in fact, this is exactly what the Bible says to us.

Matthew 24:6 says when we see these things the end is still not come so don't be alarmed.

Why? Because it's part of the human condition of fallen man, and fallen earth.

So while we've not seen war on our soil in our lifetime, it doesn't mean others haven't, and if war comes to this soil it doesn't mean that the end is here.

The Bible says don't be alarmed - so just live your life the best you can in Christ, or seek salvation in Christ if you haven't already. Our salvation is the point.

We are facing a lot right now, but that doesn't mean Jesus is coming back tomorrow... Or before your 100th birthday. Just worry about dealing with life as it comes... Not as it could come according to some, but as it is actually coming.

 

[VCR-2000]

The Bible says the world does not end in Nuclear war nor does it end because a big asteroid hits it.

I used the nuclear war and asteroid examples to illustrate my point, I didn't necessarily think the Bible said that specifically.

 

[DragonFox91]

Most churches I've attended don't pretend to be able to predict what happens in the End Times other than in the very end we'll be judged, & there'll be a new literal Earth & Heaven where Jesus will rule forever & ever over the righteous who's name was written in the Book of Life.

They don't get into what's happening on a global scale & how that relates to the End TImes , or 'this passage will be fulfilled when X happens' or 'this passage was fulfilled when Y happened.'

The emphasis is how do we be obedient to God today & what he wants from us today. Any talk of End Times is regulated strictly to the final couple chapters of Revelation.

I won't lie tho, I do find End Times talk in regards to how prophecy has been or will be fulfilled interesting, but at the same time it seems like a lot of guesswork by people.

 

[Clare73]

Most churches I've attended don't pretend to be able to predict what happens in the End Times other than in the very end we'll be judged, & there'll be a new literal Earth & Heaven where Jesus will rule forever & ever over the righteous who's name was written in the Book of Life.

They don't get into what's happening on a global scale & how that relates to the End TImes , or 'this passage will be fulfilled when X happens' or 'this passage was fulfilled when Y happened.'

The emphasis is how do we be obedient to God today & what he wants from us today. Any talk of End Times is regulated strictly to the final couple chapters of Revelation.

I won't lie tho, I do find End Times talk in regards to how prophecy has been or will be fulfilled interesting, but at the same time it seems like a lot of guesswork by people.

And a lot of personal interpretation of these prophetic riddles not spoken clearly (Nu 12:8) is in contradiction of authoritative NT apostolic teaching.

 

[Sir Joseph]

I want to know and understand why Christians emphasize the end of days or chaos and disaster scenarios. Hearing discussion about it sets me off and it existentially scares me.

Most Christians I know or meet aren't really interested in prophesy, past or future. It's complicated and might be considered a negative topic as you feel yourself. While disagreeing with many of the views here, Benjamine rightly points out one goal of learning about end times prophesy is to help us prepare for it, should we actually encounter that time. Let me add a few more specific reasons for studying the topic:

With nearly 1/3rd of the Bible concerning prophesy, it's evident that God wants us to study the matter, be it fulfilled or future events.

Knowing end times prophesy can help us potentially understand geo-political events occuring in the world, thus making the Bible more interesting, relevant, and important to us. For example, Israel becoming a nation in 1948 and Russia becoming closure to Iran today have huge prophetic implications that a mature Christian should care about - the nearing arrival of Jesus' second coming.

Knowing the signs of the end times helps us better understand the cultural changes occuring in the world around us. As society's moral values decline with right being called wrong and wrong being called right, the Christian can counter the pressure with Biblical insight of why this is happening.

Knowing end times prophesy can help us better understand man's purpose and impact upon the world and thus shape our demographic and environmental views more consistently with Bible truth.

Knowing the signs of the end times opens up a huge opportunity for witnessing. Consider the wide variety of cultural, political, and world issues we face today that can be discussed. What starts as someone's comment about Israel's illegal land occupation, Islam being a religion of peace, or morality being relevant can strategically be steered towards a Bible discussion.

Finally, knowing end times prophesy can help us keep our problems and lives in perspective. Whether we're studying about the rapture or tribulation, it all leads up to Jesus' second coming, thus making our temporary health, finance, work, or other life problems seem a bit less important.

Bible prophesy can be very complex, with some of it never being known with certainty. But that doesn't mean we can't understand and benefit from much of it. I consider it just one of the many faith related topics that a Christian should care about that ultimately helps us be wiser so that we can influence others better.

 

[VCR-2000]

I might make a longer reply to that later. It's a big wall to cover.

Most Christians I know or meet aren't really interested in prophesy, past or future. It's complicated and might be considered a negative topic as you feel yourself. While disagreeing with many of the views here, Benjamine rightly points out one goal of learning about end times prophesy is to help us prepare for it, should we actually encounter that time. Let me add a few more specific reasons for studying the topic:

With nearly 1/3rd of the Bible concerning prophesy, it's evident that God wants us to study the matter, be it fulfilled or future events.

Knowing end times prophesy can help us potentially understand geo-political events occuring in the world, thus making the Bible more interesting, relevant, and important to us. For example, Israel becoming a nation in 1948 and Russia becoming closure to Iran today have huge prophetic implications that a mature Christian should care about - the nearing arrival of Jesus' second coming.

Knowing the signs of the end times helps us better understand the cultural changes occuring in the world around us. As society's moral values decline with right being called wrong and wrong being called right, the Christian can counter the pressure with Biblical insight of why this is happening.

Knowing end times prophesy can help us better understand man's purpose and impact upon the world and thus shape our demographic and environmental views more consistently with Bible truth.

Knowing the signs of the end times opens up a huge opportunity for witnessing. Consider the wide variety of cultural, political, and world issues we face today that can be discussed. What starts as someone's comment about Israel's illegal land occupation, Islam being a religion of peace, or morality being relevant can strategically be steered towards a Bible discussion.

Finally, knowing end times prophesy can help us keep our problems and lives in perspective. Whether we're studying about the rapture or tribulation, it all leads up to Jesus' second coming, thus making our temporary health, finance, work, or other life problems seem a bit less important.

Bible prophesy can be very complex, with some of it never being known with certainty. But that doesn't mean we can't understand and benefit from much of it. I consider it just one of the many faith related topics that a Christian should care about that ultimately helps us be wiser so that we can influence others better.

I guess it's just the realization that humanity's existence all along is finite or that there is someone up there who has written not only the beginning, but an end of it, and that there isn't going to be a future so to speak. I guess the truth that this life is all planned from the beginning to end is uncomfortable for me.

I am young and don't have relative experience, I wanted to die as an older man that can look back and has had a modest to great quality of life. I'd rather see the culture and society change for the better or in a more Christian-like direction rather than see it merely "ended" if you understand what I am trying to mean. Like how in the past culture and society had relative prosperity and people in a lot of ways had a relatively better quality of life arguably.

You will probably say that I just need to accept it, but I can't reconcile this sometimes. That's it?

 

[Benjamin Müller]

I might make a longer reply to that later. It's a big wall to cover.

I guess it's just the realization that humanity's existence all along is finite or that there is someone up there who has written not only the beginning, but an end of it, and that there isn't going to be a future so to speak. I guess the truth that this life is all planned from the beginning to end is uncomfortable for me.

I am young and don't have relative experience, I wanted to die as an older man that can look back and has had a modest to great quality of life. I'd rather see the culture and society change for the better or in a more Christian-like direction rather than see it merely "ended" if you understand what I am trying to mean. Like how in the past culture and society had relative prosperity and people in a lot of ways had a relatively better quality of life arguably.

You will probably say that I just need to accept it, but I can't reconcile this sometimes. That's it?

I recommend you do a study into the Millennium when Christ sets up His Father's Kingdom and reigns for 1000 years.


I'm not telling you to accept that the world is ending, because the world itself isn't ending so much as a better world is coming. If you look at just American history, after each war there was economic and social booms. Prosperity after the American Revolution; The Industrial Revolution after the Civil War; America's Leap onto the World Stage after WW1 and 'the Roaring 20s'; and then the Boom during the 50s after WW2, and after each war there was an increase in quality and prosperity until the 1950s became the pinnacle of success.

I do believe we are going to go through troubling times, but once those times are over, we will have the ultimate economic and social boom and this time in a Christian direction, because Christ will be king.

It says woe unto you who desires the day of the Lord, for the Day is darkness and not light. So it's not a time we should be exceptionally eager for, but we should be praying Thy Kingdom Come, and looking ahead to the day when nothing will hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain.

According to the 4th Turning, the millennial generation is the 'Hero Generation'; we are to 'fight the good fight', so to speak. and probably a certain number of Generation Z bleed over into the Hero Generation as well. One things for sure is I want to live through this so I can recount it to future generations. Perhaps I'm being conceited but I want all future generations to look back on my time and those who survived as the Greatest Generation.

We fight not against flesh and blood but against powers of darkness. Those who are victorious aren't going to be remembered as those who 'fought the Nazis' or 'fought the redcoats'; they will be remembered as those who fought against the powers of darkness: against Satan and his demons and that we overcame through faith in Christ. And that is a glory worth more than our forefathers, in my opinion. So I'm going to fight this through. I'm going to survive and see the end of all things and be there to help rebuild the new world.

I get that your grieving the life you were hoping to live, but in light of what you are facing, I would say you need to set new goals for yourself. It can take time to grieve and I'm sure you're going through all the stages, but this world under the power of Satan is coming to an end and Christ is bringing in a new world that you can help build. There is really nothing forbidding you from pursuing your avenues of interest in the World to Come. We will be free to good. What would you like to do, say 15 years from now, to help rebuild the world?

The Parable of the Cities in Luke 19 shows that individuals will be rulers over cities. What would you do with five cities or ten? I already have ideas on what I do with a couple cities. I'm even thinking about how I want the future family homestead.

The other thing, is studying the Millennium, it looks like individuals won't be dying at 70-80 years old, but that they may indeed live the full 1000 years. God has promised Eternal Life to those who obey. I've got a lot of things I'd like to do that's going to require living forever.

Don't stop daydreaming on your goals; maybe rework them a little but don't give up. You've got an eternal life waiting for you; this bump in the road won't last forever. But joy in God's kingdom will last forever. If you want to talk privately, just shoot me a personal message.

 

[Sir Joseph]

I might make a longer reply to that later. It's a big wall to cover.

I guess it's just the realization that humanity's existence all along is finite or that there is someone up there who has written not only the beginning, but an end of it, and that there isn't going to be a future so to speak. I guess the truth that this life is all planned from the beginning to end is uncomfortable for me.

I am young and don't have relative experience, I wanted to die as an older man that can look back and has had a modest to great quality of life. I'd rather see the culture and society change for the better or in a more Christian-like direction rather than see it merely "ended" if you understand what I am trying to mean. Like how in the past culture and society had relative prosperity and people in a lot of ways had a relatively better quality of life arguably.

You will probably say that I just need to accept it, but I can't reconcile this sometimes. That's it?

I can appreciate your views VCR-2000 because I had an extraordinary life of outdoor work, fun, and adventures that I would not have wanted to miss. Since retiring 8 years ago, I still miss it all dearly, but Benjamine finishes with a great point about the end times' millennial kingdom that gives me hope and comfort.

Honestly, I can not comprehend eternity, heaven, or my existence there, though I trust it'll be unimaginably wonderful. The millennial kingdom though seems closer and more imaginable. And significantly, I believe that the saved saints of this world who rule with Christ in the 1000 year earthly kingdom (including me) will have duties and responsibilities to perform. Will I get to play sports, chase girls, and take camping trips? I don't know, but I do expect the Lord to give me a job with authority, satisfaction, and pleasure matching or exceeding what I had before. For the saints there with resurrected bodies, the literal, 1000 year time period should be a great gig to look forward to.

I think a young Christian in this world today is in a win win situation. He can plan and enjoy a good life here and now with a reasonable chance of carrying it out to fulfillment. At the same time, he can take comfort in knowing that a future, better life and world exists after this one. If he happens to die or be raptured at a young age, I think the superior joy of the next life will diminish any feelings of loss or deprivation from this life.

Finally, I propose this tangible suggestion of help in your matter. There are many biblical issues to explore, study, and learn - a lifetime's worth for a Christian's walk in his faith. While I wouldn't suggest you fear or avoid any eschatology sermons, I think you can pursue other equally important topics with your personal growth studies. In other words, focus on what you're interested in. If you study constantly through the years, you'll eventually get exposed to all the issues.

 

[ViaCrucis]

I want to know and understand why Christians emphasize the end of days or chaos and disaster scenarios. Hearing discussion about it sets me off and it existentially scares me.

I now believe we could very well be in the end times because words of the Bible happen to correspond a lot with today's news in the recent past. But I am scared to experience things like all-powerful evil leaders with no accountability, not being able to make a living, being persecuted and killed in horrific ways. And that it is prophesied and pre-determined to happen and I can't do anything to stop or avoid it from happening to me.

The other part is that I would rather see the world change and have a better positive future than seeing its existence canceled. I honestly long more for a world where banks, entertainment, media, sports, corporations, etc. still exist but this time they are in line with more traditional or Christian values. I am also relatively young and thinking about not getting to do certain things I want to do. Ideally I don't want my existence to end until at least my 60s and I want to die in a relatively peaceful world, but I might not get to have that.

I guess I just don't want to worry about things happening. If an asteroid or nuclear war broke out and was going to hit me, I'd rather be in blissful ignorance in my last moments than be spend it living in anxiety over warning. So guess I'm asking why Christians want to warn others about a future imminent time, but it scares some people or makes them anxious even if it isn't intended like that.

"End times scenarios" is really only the imaginitive playground of some Christians. For most Christians, while we do believe that there will be a conclusion to history, there will be an End--in technical theological jargon, called the Eschaton meaning "Last Thing(s)"--the details about it are relatively small.

The historic and orthodox Christian view boils down to a fairly brief summary: Jesus will come again some day, but when is unknown to everyone except God. When Jesus returns He comes as judge, the dead will be resurrected: the righteous to eternal life and the wicked to judgment. Then God will make all things new, the renewal of all creation.

With that brief summary one may ask things like, what about the Antichrist, what about Armageddon, or various doomsday scenarios. Well, simply put, those aren't important.

Let's just take one of those, the idea of "The Antichrist". There just isn't anything resembling a consensus about the Antichrist within Christianity, there have been, and are, lots of opinions and speculations, but outside of a handful of fringe theologies "The Antichrist" is a rather open idea. IN fact, there isn't even a consensus that "The Antichrist" is a singular individual. The only time the Bible itself uses this word is found in the letters of 1 and 2 John. In John's letters he writes, "You have heard that antichrist is coming" but then says, "even now many antichrists have come". John then goes on to say what "antichrists" are, he uses the word to describe certain heretics that were around during his time, they are heretics who denied that Jesus was human, in other words they were Docetists. Docetism was an early heresy that said that Jesus only seemed to be human, but wasn't actually human. In fact, it is precisely here because of John's condemnation of Docetism as antichrist that legends grew about John's antagonistic relationship with the heretic Cerinthus.

Among a number of the early fathers of the Church, a synthesis view arose taking a variety of disparate biblical texts to try and create a portrait of Antichrist, where Antichrist came to be viewed as (at least) a single individual; so for example "The Beast" and/or "The False Prophet" mentioned in the book of the Revelation, the "man of lawlessness" mentioned by Paul in his 2nd letter to the Thessalonians, came to be viewed as possible descriptions of this Antichrist figure. Some went further, trying to find all sorts of details through--fairly imaginitive--interpretations of the Bible. St. Hippolytus of Rome, writing around the early 3rd century, crafted a portrait of Antichrist where he would be a Jewish individual born from the Tribe of Dan, the way he did this was by looking at a passage in Genesis where the Patriarch Jacob told his son Dan that he would be a lion's whelp. As Christ was a Jew from the Tribe of Judah (called a lion), thus Antichrist would be a Jew from the Tribe of Dan (called a lion's whelp). It's rather far-fetched, but this is the kind of imaginative work some were doing.

In the 16th century, some of the early Protestant Reformers saw in the institution of the Roman Papacy the fulfillment of "The Antichrist". While this view was a fairly nuanced one, not really stating that any specific Pope was the Antichrist but rather the power of the Pope is antichrist because of its temporal grasp over worldly power and the perception by the Reformers that the Papacy was actively against reforming the Church through the Gospel. Some later Protestants would take this idea and go wild with it, creating elaborate end times theories and anti-Catholic conspiracy theories, especially in the 19th and early 20th centuries. These have continued to feed into modern End Times conspiracy theories and scenarios.

But the simple fact of the matter is that "Antichrist" is never mentioned anywhere in the Bible as a single individual who will act as a kind of "end times" antagonist, let alone provide any biographical details that one could try and look at. And yet, accusing this or that person, or creating elaborate scenarios about the Antichrist have been a very popular endeavor for a number of Christians over the centuries. In the last hundred years alone you can pretty much take any famous person, any politician, any wealthy individual, just about anyone at all and find someone who has been convinced that they're the Antichrist.

When we look at the historic confessions of Christian faith, however, we simply don't find any of these scenarios, or any conspiracy theories, or any elaborate graphic details. It's all pretty simple: Jesus will return to judge, the dead will rise, and there will be life everlasting in the future World.

Personally, I just don't give credence to those people who claim to have all this knowledge about "the end times". There is a lucrative market for "end times" books, and I think it all amounts to little more than grifting. Those who claim to be "prophecy experts" are a dime a dozen, they all contradict one another, and I don't take them seriously because I don't think they take the Bible seriously. They claim the Bible says X, but when you ask them to show you where the Bible says X, they simply throw out all critical thinking, or bothering with context, and just stitch together bits and pieces, a few words from a verse here, a few words from a verse there, and then claim they've solved some long lost biblical riddle. They are, from my perspective, simply those whom the Scriptures call "wise in their own eyes".

-CryptoLutheran

 

[jayem]

Here's my naturalistic take on eschatology. I'm ignoring events like asteroid impacts. The fossil record indicates that all mammalian species seem to disappear after 1,000,000 years. Current Homo sapiens has been around for slightly more than 300,000 years. So biologically speaking, we're one of the new kids on the block. Unless we do something massively and overwhelmingly stupid to our environment, we still have a decently long time on this planet.

Of course, the Sun is constantly fusing hydrogen atoms into helium. And fusion converts part of the mass into energy. Which is radiated into the solar system as heat, light, and other EM waves. This means our Sun is constantly losing some of its internal mass. And less mass means less gravity. Eventually, the Sun won't have enough internal gravity to maintain its size. It will become a red giant and expand outward, engulfing Mercury, Venus, and possibly the Earth. But even if the corona doesn't fully engulf our planet, Earth will be vaporized from the heat, However, that's about 5 billion years away. I won't worry about it.