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Chapter 2: Today’s Headlines Written Nearly 2,000 Years Ago

Many Bible prophecies predict the conditions and events of our day as signs of the end of the world [or the "time of the end", aka End Times] — today's headlines written nearly 2,000 years ago. ...

[T]hese prophecies establish[ed] ... that we are living in unprecedented times prophesied in Scripture as the "end of the world" [End Times] ....

Daniel 12:1 and 4 give four signs that mark the "time of the end" [End Times], or end of the world:

1. A time of trouble such as never was since there was a nation;
2. Many shall run to and fro;
3. Knowledge shall be increased; and
4. Your (Daniel’s) people (Israel) delivered.

[1^st Sign] Unprecedented Trouble — Daniel 12:1

Wars: In the 20th Century over 100 million lives were lost through war. From 1990 to 1995, 70 states involved in 93 wars killed 5.5 million people. Forty wars were waged in 1999.

The unprecedented terrorism of September 11 marked 2001.

In his book Out of Control, Zbigniew Brzezinski, former National Security Advisor and professor of American Foreign Policy at John Hopkins University, notes that the 20th century began amid great hope and promise, but became the century of insanity. In elaborating on his observation of 175 million slaughtered in the name of the "politics of organized insanity", he says:

The population explosion and industrialization of Third World nations accentuate the oil crunch. Nations will go to war for oil. Many Third World nations [e.g., Iran and North Korea] ... are working on actual nuclear warheads. Such volatile weaponry in the hands of these [rogue] regimes spells trouble. The economic and political instability of the Soviet Union could result in a military coup [this continues to be the case for Russia, even after the implosion of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, or USSR, in 1990].

[...]

[2^nd Sign] Increased Travel — Daniel 12:1

[3^rd Sign] Knowledge Increased — Daniel 12:1

If the increase of knowledge from the dawn of history to the 1880s is given a value of one, then knowledge has doubled 16 times within the last 10 years. One hundred years ago, 90% of the world's population could neither read nor write. Today, 40% of the world's population can read and write, and in the Western world literacy has reached nearly 90%.

Ninety percent of all scientists who have ever lived are alive today. Fifty percent of the world's inventions have been created in the last decade [1990s].

Sophistication in communications allows man to see and hear throughout the world instantly. U.S. homes with telephone answering devices jumped from 31% in 1990 to 74% in 2000. Cordless telephones jumped from 25% in 1990 to 78% in 2000. In 1989 there were 3.5 million cellular telephone subscribers; by 1999 there were 86.0 million. In 1990 there were 9.9 million pagers; by 1999 there were 53.5 million.

In 1995, 31.7% households had personal computers; by 2000, 53%. In the last decade, 66.3 million computers were sold. In 1993 there were 3 million Internet users; by mid 1999 there were nearly 200 million; by 2000 there were 332.7 million.

[...]

Unprecedented travel and increase of knowledge [definitely] marks our day at the "time of the end" [End Times].

[4^th Sign] Israel Becomes a Nation — Daniel 12:1

Against this background, Matthew 24 becomes meaningful. "What shall be the sign of your coming [Greek, parousia], and of the end of the world [age]?" Matt. 24:3

Israel Restored

Several days later Jesus applied the lesson of the withered fig tree. He proclaimed judgment on the nation of Israel, "Behold, your house is left unto you desolate" (Matthew 23:38) because it had not borne fruitage to God. Israel was subsequently scattered and persecuted.

Israel's restoration is an outstanding sign of the end of the age [aka "time of the end"; End Times]. The fig tree coming back to life and putting forth leaves represents Israel coming to life as a nation, and receiving God's increasing favor. Historians agree that Israel's rebirth is a miracle of history. Never before has a nation been destroyed, its people dispersed to the ends of the earth and then — nearly 2,000 years later — its descendants regathered to their homeland and re-established as a nation.

Compare Luke 21:29-32 with Matthew 24:32-34. The restoration of Israel means the kingdom is at hand.

"And he spoke to them a parable: Behold the fig tree, and all the trees; when they now shoot forth, you see and know of your own selves that summer is nigh at hand. So likewise you, when you see these things come to pass, know you that the kingdom of God is nigh at hand. Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass away, till all be fulfilled." Luke 21:29-32.

The generation that witnesses Israel restored as a nation will also witness the complete end of the world or age, and the full establishment of the Kingdom of God.

Scriptures are charged with signs that have become the headlines of our day: Jerusalem is no longer trodden down by Gentiles (Lk. 21:24). Many new nations have gained independence (Lk. 21:29,30). Evil is exposed as never before (I Cor. 4:5). Most people, even the professedly religious, lack faith (Lk. 18:8). Men love themselves, have no respect for parents, and have no natural affection (2 Tim. 3:1-5). Turmoil grows between labor and capital (Jas. 5:1-4). Wars and war preparations intensify (Joel 3:9-11). All the while men proclaim "peace" (I Thess. 5:2,3). Men's hearts fail for fear (Lk. 21:36).

[...]

End Time [aka "End Times" and "End of Days"]
(en.wikipedia.org/wiki/End_time)

The End Time, End Times, or End of Days are the eschatological writings in the three Abrahamic religions (Judaism, Christianity, and Islam) and in doomsday scenarios in various other non-Abrahamic religions. In Abrahamic religions, End times are often depicted as a time of tribulation that precedes the appearance or return of the Messiah, a person who will usher in the Kingdom of God and bring an end to suffering and evil. Various other religions also have eschatological [End Times] beliefs associated with turning and redemption.

Abrahamic religions

1. Judaism

In Judaism, End Times are usually called The End of Days ... a phrase that appears several times in the Tanakh. Though the idea of a messianic age has a prominent place in Jewish thought, it is not a pre-ordained event but rather brought about by religious observance and good deeds.

The term may refer to a number of interwoven themes:

1. • Jewish messianism
   • The ingathering of the exiles
   • The land of Israel will turn from a desert into a garden, flourishing with fruits (Tractate Sanhedrin 98a).
   • Rebuilding of the Temple
   • Animal sacrifice or Korban ...


2. • The World to Come (Olam ha-Ba) is an ambiguous term that may refer to the afterlife, the messianic world, or the life of the resurrected

Tribulation recorded in the Old Testament:

Tumultuous events will overturn the old world order, as is recorded in these example verses contained in the following Old Testament verses of the Bible:

Deuteronomy 4:29-39 (King James Version): But if from thence thou shalt seek the LORD thy GOD, thou shalt find him, if thou seek him with all thy heart and with all thy soul. When thou art in tribulation, and all these things are come upon thee, even in the latter days, if thou turn to the LORD thy God, and shalt be obedient unto his voice; (For the LORD thy God is a merciful God;) he will not forsake thee, neither destroy thee, nor forget the covenant of thy fathers which he sware unto them. For ask now of the days that are past, which were before thee, since the day that God created man upon the earth, and ask from the one side of heaven unto the other, whether there hath been any such thing as this great thing is, or hath been heard like it? Did ever people hear the voice of God speaking out of the midst of the fire, as thou hast heard, and live? Or hath God assayed to go and take him a nation from the midst of another nation, by temptations, by signs, and by wonders, and by war, and by a mighty hand, and by a stretched out arm, and by great terrors, according to all that the LORD your God did for you in Egypt before your eyes? Unto thee it was shewed, that thou mightest know that the LORD he is God; there is none else beside him. Out of heaven he made thee to hear his voice, that he might instruct thee: and upon earth he shewed thee his great fire; and thou heardest his words out of the midst of the fire. And because he loved thy fathers, therefore he chose their seed after them, and brought thee out in his sight with his mighty power out of Egypt; to drive out nations from before thee greater and mightier than thou art, to bring thee in, to give thee their land for an inheritance, as it is this day. Know therefore this day, and consider it in thine heart, that the LORD he is God in heaven above, and upon the earth beneath: there is none else.

Isaiah 2:1-5 (King James Version): The word that Isaiah the son of Amoz saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem. And it shall come to pass in the last days, that the mountain of the LORD's house shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow unto it. And many people shall go and say, Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem. And he shall judge among the nations, and shall rebuke many people: and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks: nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more.

Micah 4:1-5 (King James Version): But in the last days it shall come to pass, that the mountain of the house of the LORD shall be established in the top of the mountains, and it shall be exalted above the hills; and people shall flow unto it. And many nations shall come, and say, Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, and to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for the law shall go forth of Zion, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem. And he shall judge among many people, and rebuke strong nations afar off; and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks: nation shall not lift up a sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more. But they shall sit every man under his vine and under his fig tree; and none shall make them afraid: for the mouth of the LORD of hosts hath spoken it. For all people will walk every one in the name of his god, and we will walk in the name of the LORD our God for ever and ever.

These events create a new order in which God is universally recognized as the ruler over His creation, which includes everyone and everything.

1.1 The Talmud

In other writings, one of the sages of the Talmud says:

"Let the end of days come, but may I not live to see them, because they will be filled with so much conflict and suffering."

The Talmud, in the tractate Avodah Zarah, on page 9A, states that this world as we know it will only exist for six thousand years. The Hebrew calendar (luach) functions completely on the assumption that time begins at the creation of Adam, the primordial man. Many people (notably Conservative and Reform Jews and some Christians) think that the years of the Torah, or Jewish Bible, are symbolic. According to the ancient Jewish teachings continued by today's Orthodox Jews, the years are literal and consistent throughout all time, with 24 hours per day and an average of 365 days per year. Appropriate calibrations are, of course, done with leap years, to account for the difference between the lunar calendar and the solar calendar, since the Jewish calendar is based on both. Thus the year 2007 equals 5767 years since creation of man on the present Jewish calendar. According to this calculation, the end of days will occur at or before the year 2240 (the year 6000 in the Hebrew calendar).

According to Jewish tradition, those living during the end times will see:

1. Ingathering of the scattered Jewish exiles to geographic Israel;
   
2. Defeat of all of Israel's enemies;
   
3. The land of Israel will turn from a desert into a garden, flourishing with fruits (Tractate Sanhedrin 98a);
   
4. Building (or divine placement) of the third Jewish Temple in Jerusalem and the resumption of the sacrificial offerings and Temple service;
   
5. Revival of the Dead (techiat hameitim), or the Resurrection;
   
6. At some point, the Jewish Messiah will become the anointed King of Israel. He will divide the Jews in Israel into their original tribal portions in the land. During this time, Gog, king of Magog Ezekiel 39, will attack Israel.

Magog will fight a great battle, in which many will die on both sides, but God will intervene and save the Jews. This is the battle referred to as Armageddon. God, having vanquished this final enemy once and for all, will accordingly banish all evil from human existence. After the year 6000 (in the Jewish calendar), the seventh millennium will be an era of holiness, tranquility, spiritual life, and worldwide peace, called the Olam Haba ("Future World"), where all people will know God directly.

"All Israel have a portion in the world to come." (Talmud Sanhedrin 10:1) The Ramban (Nachmanades) interprets the world to come as the ultimate good and purpose of creation. He therefore holds that the world to come actually refers to the resurrection of the dead. An event that will occur after the messianic age has already begun. The Ramban holds that all Israel, even the sinners, have a portion in this epoch of resurrection. (The Tzemach Tzedek, Derech Mitzvosecha, Law of Tzitzis) ....

2. Christianity

	In Christian theology, Christian eschatology is the study of its religious beliefs concerning all future and final events (End Times), as well as the ultimate purpose(s) of the world (i.e., mortal life), of humankind, and the Church. Where eschatology (Greek: ... eskhatos "last," ... logia "discourse") [i.e., "the study of the last"] refers to doctrine that represents a history of inquiry into the concept of the destiny of all things, in Christian context, this inquiry is vested in the prophesied purposes of God as documented in the Bible. [...] Schools of prophetic interpretation Generally speaking, there are four approaches or perspectives in Christian eschatology. The Preterist believes that most or all of the prophecies, especially of the book of Revelation, have already been fulfilled. Revelation is understood as predicting the fall of Jerusalem and the destruction of the temple, which was the event prophesied by Jesus that would signal the "end of the age" [aka End Times]. The opening and closing verses of the book of Revelation state that the events prophesied in it were to take place "shortly," and that the time was "near." [Rev. 1:1-3] [Rev. 22:7-20] The book fits into the category of a "covenant lawsuit," in which judgment is pronounced against the nation of Israel for violating the stipulations of the Mosaic covenant. It prophesies the end of that covenant, the beginning of the New Covenant, and the inheritance of the Kingdom of God by the saints. cf. [Daniel 7:18] [Dan. 12:1-7] The Historicist looks to Scripture, and especially to its fulfilled prophecies, for the religious significance in past or present historical events. They believe that most to all of the prophecies, especially of the book of Revelation, have been fulfilled or are going to be fulfilled between the ascenscion of Christ and the second advent. The Futurist looks for religious significance for the present time in events that are thought to be future in history or beyond history. The Futurists have been subdivided into Premillennialism, Postmillennialism, and Amillennialism, named after their particular interpretation of the "thousand years" of Revelations 20. The Idealist looks for regularities, patterns or laws of history or of the internal life which are of perpetual religious significance. These patterns may be continually displayed in history or displayed at numerous times or in a special context (such as in the Liturgy). Idealism may be combined with historicism or futurism, so that the pattern is an echo of a consummate or archetypical event sometime in history or at the end of the world. Additionally, some interpretations are purely metaphorical. Diversity of opinion arises when a particular passage concerning the kingdom of heaven is interpreted ideally, for example, which other groups interpret as history, and others as future or future beyond history. All of these would be opposed to a merely metaphorical interpretation of the same passage.      —  en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christian_eschatology

Some Christians in the first century AD believed that Jesus might return during their lifetime, because Jesus had said to his followers to be alert or be ready at all times. From this belief came the first evidence of the doctrine of Imminence. When the converts of Paul in Thessalonica were persecuted by the Roman Empire, they believed the end [or End Times] was upon them (see 2 Thessalonians chapter 2). This belief had largely dissipated by around AD 90, when Christians said, "We have heard these things [of the end of the world, aka End Times] even in the days of our fathers, and look, we have grown old and none of them has happened to us".

	Some interpret Rev 20:1–6, concerning the 1,000-year (or millennial) rule of Christ on Earth, to be a future age. [Millennialism] The belief that the Kingdom of God predicted by the Old Testament, the Messianic Age or Millennium of Messiah, is still future and will come about prior to the final judgment and final eternal state is called millennialism. A commonly accepted premise of millennialism is that this Messianic rule promised in the Old Testament has been postponed until God's purposes in the New Testament church have been fulfilled. Premillennialism is a futurist historical interpretation. It predicts that Christ's second coming will inaugurate a literal 1,000-year earthly Kingdom, at the conclusion of which will be the final judgment. Upon Christ's return many anticipate a partial resurrection, only of the faithful, who will reign with Christ for one thousand years. During this time Satan will be imprisoned or restrained in the Abyss or Bottomless Pit. At the end of the thousand years, Satan will be released to deceive the godless people of Gog and Magog, who will have re-accumulated during the Millennium. The wicked will attempt to surround the Holy City once more during this Millennial rebellion. Again they will be defeated and for all time. The Great White Throne Judgment will follow, and Satan will be cast into the Lake of Fire. The Devil will be condemned to hell for all eternity, together with those who have trusted in him rather than in God. This penultimate event is the Last Judgment of the Great White Throne. Each person will be consigned to either hell or heaven. The end of all things is a new heaven and a new earth, the mystery of an age of endless ages, when there will no longer be death and "God will be all in all" [1 Cor. 15:28]. This is that final moment of ultimate perfection and bliss toward which all orthodox Christians finally direct their hope. Premillennialists fall into two primary categories: historic premillennialism and dispensational premillennialism. Historic premillennialism is so-called because it is the classic form which may be found in writings of some of the early church fathers, although in an undeveloped form. The Montanist sect espoused premillennialism, and their "fanatical excesses" brought premillennialism into discredit with the wider church. Dispensational premillennialism is that form which derives from John Nelson Darby (1800-1882) and dispensational theology. It is dispensational premillennialism that first taught the notion of a pretribulation rapture. Pretribulationists believe that the second coming will be in two stages separated by a seven-year period of tribulation. At the first Jesus will return in the air to rescue those who are Christians at the time (the rapture). Then follows a seven-year period of suffering, in which the Antichrist will conquer the world and kill those who refuse to worship him. At the end of the seven years, the final witness will go out before men and angels, and Christ will return to the earth. He will defeat the Antichrist and rescue the Jews and those who have converted to Christianity during the tribulation. Dispensationalism has also spawned Midtribulationists, who believe that Christians will not be removed until 3-1/2 years of the final seven years of this age have elapsed. They place the Rapture when the Temple sacrifices have been halted and the Antichrist has enshrined himself in the Temple, calling himself God. Posttribulationists (generally the view of historic premillennialism) see no appreciable difference in the timing of the rapture and the "official" second coming. Thus they hold that Christ will not return until the end of the tribulation and that Christians will suffer for the faith as they bring forth the final witness associated with the fifth seal. The belief in the pretribulation or midtribulation rapture theories of dispensationalism is often criticized, on the grounds that it results in the division of Christ's single return into two stages. Some see it as an impossible "apartheid of the Elect" of sorts which is not seen in scripture. Pretribulationists defend it on the basis of a scripture passage which affirms that God has not appointed His people to wrath. Posttribulationists counter that the tribulation associated with the final witness of the saints is in no way connected to the wrath of God. This wrath of God will only come at the last day, and it will fall upon the heads of the wicked at the last judgment. Some specifically criticize dispensational premillennialism for anticipating the rebuilding of the Hebrew Temple and the offering again of animal sacrifices during the millennial reign of Christ. In dispensationalism the return of the sacrifices will be ceremonial in nature. Like the ceremony of Communion or the Lord's Supper, they believe that the sacrifices will be performed on the appointed feast days in the future Millennium. They say that the reason the animal sacrifices will continue is because they will be enacted as a memorial to the Savior who came to earth as the Sacrifice Lamb. However, critics view the idea of blood sacrifices reinstituted after Christ's return as incompatible with Christ's completed work and find the idea abhorrent. Postmillennialism is of two antithetical varieties, millennial and non-millennial. Some postmillennialists believe that the millennium is a future golden age, when Christian saints will reign over all of the earth before the return of Christ and the end of the world. This variety gained brief notoriety through the Anabaptist movement in the 16th century, in the segment led by Thomas Muntzer. Utopian ideals and Marxism in particular have at times brought about revivals of millenarian belief derived from this variety of postmillennial expectations.      —  en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christian_eschatology

The Apocalypse of John [aka Book of Revelation] and Gospel of John are held by most current Christian scholars to have been written at least a decade after the fall of Jerusalem in 70 AD, and especially around 90-95AD for those supportive of the Dispensationalism school of thought. This claim has been contested (See Preterism), and there has been much debate following the publication of Kenneth Gentry's work Before Jerusalem Fell, which book argues from archaeology and ancient texts (including the Book of Revelation itself) that the book of Revelation was written during the reign of Roman emperor Nero in the 60's AD.

Conservatives usually place the writing of the synoptic gospels [Matthew; Mark; and Luke] before the fall of Jerusalem. Liberal Christians place the writing of the three other (synoptic) gospels after the fall of Jerusalem. One prominent Australian theologian from Sydney, Paul Barnett, disputes this and places the writing of John's gospel at an early date.

Tribulation in the New Testament:

The prophetic theme of the New Testament also mirrors the Old Testament, namely, Tribulation. In the New Testament, Jesus refers to this as the "Great Tribulation", "Affliction", ... "days of vengeance" [and great distress].

Matthew 24:15-22 (King James Version): "When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand). Then let them which be in Judaea flee into the mountains. Let him which is on the housetop not come down to take any thing out of his house. Neither let him which is in the field return back to take his clothes. And woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days! But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the sabbath day. For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be. And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect's sake those days shall be shortened."

Mark 13:14-20 (King James Version): "But when ye shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing where it ought not, (let him that readeth understand,) then let them that be in Judaea flee to the mountains: And let him that is on the housetop not go down into the house, neither enter therein, to take any thing out of his house: And let him that is in the field not turn back again for to take up his garment. But woe to them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days! And pray ye that your flight be not in the winter. For in those days shall be affliction, such as was not from the beginning of the creation which God created unto this time, neither shall be. And except that the Lord had shortened those days, no flesh should be saved: but for the elect's sake, whom he hath chosen, he hath shortened the days."

Luke 21:20-33 (King James Version): "And when ye shall see Jerusalem compassed with armies, then know that the desolation thereof is nigh. Then let them which are in Judaea flee to the mountains; and let them which are in the midst of it depart out; and let not them that are in the countries enter thereinto. For these be the days of vengeance, that all things which are written may be fulfilled. But woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck, in those days! for there shall be great distress in the land, and wrath upon this people. And they shall fall by the edge of the sword, and shall be led away captive into all nations: and Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled. 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; 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. And then shall they see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh. And he spake to them a parable; Behold the fig tree, and all the trees; When they now shoot forth, ye see and know of your own selves that summer is now nigh at hand. So likewise ye, when ye see these things come to pass, know ye that the kingdom of God is nigh at hand. Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass away, till all be fulfilled. Heaven and earth shall pass away: but my words shall not pass away."

2.1 [Roman] Catholicism

Catholicism mainly adheres to the Amillenial school of thought, promoted by Augustine of Hippo in his work "The City of God". Augustine claims a non-literal fulfillment of prophecy. Catholics may also refer to Matthew's Gospel, Chapter 24, Verse 36, in which Christ is quoted as saying:

"No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father." (NIV Version)

While some who believe in the literal interpretation of the Bible insist that the prediction of dates or times is futile, some other writers believe that Jesus foretold of signs which would indicate that the "end of days" [aka End Times] was near. Some of these signs include earthquakes, natural disasters, civil problems, 'wars and rumors of wars', and other catastrophes. Of the precise time, however, it will come like a "thief in the night".

According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church, the Catholic beliefs concerning the "end times" [aka End Times] are addressed in the Profession of Faith.

2.2 Protestantism

Some Christian Millennialists concentrate on the issue of whether the true believers will see the tribulation or be removed from it by what is referred to as a Pre-Tribulation Rapture, a question which continues to cause divisions within evangelical Christianity.

Amillennialists [mostly Roman Catholics] believe that the end times encompass the time from Christ's ascension to the Last Day, and maintain that the mention of the "thousand years" in the Book of Revelation is meant to be taken metaphorically (i.e., not literally, or 'spiritually').

End-times beliefs in Protestant Christianity vary widely.

• Christian premillennialists who believe that the End Times are occurring now, are usually specific about timelines that climax in the end of the world. For some, Israel, the European Union, or the United Nations are seen as major players whose roles are foretold in scriptures.

• Among dispensational premillennialist writers, there are those who believe that Christians will be supernaturally summoned to Heaven by Jesus in an event called the Rapture, which occurs before the biblical "Great Tribulation" prophesied in Matthew 24-25; Mark 13 and Luke 21. The Great Tribulation is also mentioned in the last book of the Bible - the Book of Revelation.

'End times' may also refer simply to the passing of a particular age or long period in the relationship between man and God. Adherents to this view sometimes cite St. Paul's second letter to Timothy, and draw analogies to the late 20th/early 21st centuries.

Post-Exilic Hebrew books of prophecy such as the Book of Daniel and Book of Ezekiel are given new interpretations in this Christian tradition, while apocalyptic forecasts appear in the Judeo-Christian Sibylline Oracles and in the whole field of apocalyptic literature, which includes the Book of Revelation ascribed to John, the apocryphal Apocalypse of Peter, and the Second Book Of Esdras.

Most fundamentalist Christians anticipate that biblical prophecy will be fulfilled literally. They see current world and regional wars, earthquakes, hurricanes[, tsunamis,] and famines as the beginning of the birth pains which Jesus described in Matthew 24:7-8 and Mark 13:8. They believe that mankind started in the Garden of Eden, and point to Megiddo as the place that the current world system will finish, with the Advent of Messiah [aka Second Coming; Greek Parousia] coming to rule for 1,000 years.

Contemporary use of the term End Times has evolved from use around a group of literal beliefs in Christian millennialism. These beliefs typically include the ideas that the Biblical apocalypse is imminent and that various signs in current events are omens of a climax to world history known as the Battle of Armageddon. These beliefs have been widely held in one form, by the Adventist movement (Millerites), by Jehovah's Witnesses, and in another form by dispensational premillennialists. In 1918 a group of eight well known preachers produced a London Manifesto warning of an imminent second coming of Christ shortly after the 1917 liberation of Jerusalem by the British.

Religious movements which expect that the second coming of Christ, will be a cataclysmic event, generally called adventism, have arisen throughout the Christian era; but they became particularly common during and after the Protestant Reformation. Shakers, Emanuel Swedenborg (who considered the second coming to be symbolic, and to have occurred in 1757), and others developed entire religious systems around a central concern for the second coming of Christ, disclosed by new prophecy or special gifts of revelation. The Millerites are diverse religious groups which similarly rely upon a special gift of interpretation for fixing the date of Christ's return.

The chief difference between the nineteenth century Millerite and Adventist movements and contemporary prophecy belief is that William Miller and his followers fixed the time for the Second Coming by calendar calculations based on interpretations of the Biblical apocalypses; they originally set a date for the Second Coming in 1844. These sorts of computations also appear in some contemporary prophecy beliefs, but few contemporary End Times prophets use them to fix a date; their timetables will be triggered by future wars and moral catastrophes, and accordingly believe that God's judgment against the conflict-ridden and corrupt world is close at hand.

2.2.1 Preterism

Another view of the 'end times' known as Preterism differentiates between the concept of 'end times' and 'end of time', and promotes a different understanding of these prophecies, in that they took place in the first century, more specifically in year AD 70, when the Jewish Temple was destroyed, and animal sacrifices were stopped. In this view, the 'end times' concept is referring to the end of the covenant between God and Israel, rather than the end of time, or the end of planet Earth. Unlike all the other Christian theological systems, Preterism holds an exclusive and unique view on the nature and timing of the 'End Times', in that Preterists teach the 'end times' to be in the first century AD.

Preterists believe that prophecies such as the Second Coming, the defiling of the Temple, the destruction of Jerusalem, the Antichrist, the Great Tribulation, the advent of The Day of the Lord and the Final Judgment were fulfilled at or about the year AD 70 when the Roman general (and future Emperor) Titus sacked Jerusalem and destroyed the Jewish Temple, putting a permanent stop to the daily animal sacrifices.

Proponents of Full Preterism do not believe in the bodily Resurrection of the dead and place this event as well as the Second Coming in AD 70, whereas proponents of Partial Preterism do believe in a bodily resurrection of the dead at a future Second Coming. Full preterists contend that those who consider themselves to be partial preterists are actually just futurists since they believe the Second Coming, Resurrection, Rapture and Judgment are still in the future.

Many preterists believe the first-century living Christians were literally raptured off the earth to be with Christ. At that time, their bodies were changed to be like Christ's. Preterists also believe the term 'Last Days' or 'End Times' refers not to the last days of planet Earth, or last days of mankind, but to the last days of the Old Covenant, the Mosaic Covenant which God had exclusively with Israel until year AD 70.

According to Preterism, many 'time passages' in the New Testament indicate with apparent certainty that the Second Coming of Christ, and the 'End Times' predicted in the Bible were to take place within the lifetimes of Christ's disciples: Matt. 10:23, Matt. 16:28, Matt. 24:34, Matt. 26:64, Rom. 13:11-12, 1 Cor. 7:29-31, 1 Cor. 10:11, Phil. 4:5, James 5:8-9, 1 Pet. 4:7, 1 Jn. 2:18.

2.2.2 Dispensationalist prophecies

The reestablishment of Israel in 1948 provided a major impetus to the dispensationalist belief system. Israel's history of wars after 1948 with its Arab neighbors provided further research as was seen in at least one book by John F. Walvoord. After the Six Day War in 1967, and the Yom Kippur War in 1973, it seemed plausible to many Fundamentalist Christians in the 1970s that Middle East turmoil may well be leading up to the fulfillment of various Bible prophecies and to the Battle of Armageddon.

Leaders of the dispensationalist movement such as Hal Lindsey, J. Dwight Pentecost, John Walvoord, all of whom have Dallas Theological Seminary backgrounds, and some other writers, claimed further that the European Economic Community founded on the Treaty of Rome was a revived Roman Empire, and would become the kingdom of the coming Antichrist and the Beast. A revived Roman Empire also figured into the New Testament writers' vision of the future. The fact that in the early 1970s, there were (erroneously thought to be) seven nations in the European Economic Community was held to be significant; this aligned the Community with a seven headed beast mentioned in Revelation. This specific prophecy has required revision, but the idea of a revived Roman Empire remains. It is thought that it would be formed when the European Union becomes a single nation and emerges as a superpower. Under this thinking, the Antichrist will probably either be the President of the European Union or the President of its successor, probably a united Europe.

On 1 June 2000, Israel became an Associate Member of the European Union. This agreement was negotiated in 1995. This associate membership allows Israel to cooperate with Europe in industry, trade, transportation, communication, and energy usage. Israel is now officially linked to the so-called Revived Roman Empire. It is claimed that this associate membership of Israel with Europe establishes the relationship that Israel will have with the Antichrist.

The Beast (Antichrist) is believed to be the dictatorial leader of a "one world government". He would promise peace to the world while leading the world's population into apostasy, and impose a "one world money system" based on the number 666.

To quote Revelation 13, verses 16-18 (NIV):

"He also forced everyone, small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on his right hand or on his forehead, so that no one could buy or sell unless he had the mark, which is the name of the beast or the number of his name. This calls for wisdom. If anyone has insight, let him calculate the number of the beast, for it is man's number. His number is 666."

Thus, with this understanding, it was and is believed that everyone, in order to enter into this economic system, had to have the Number of the Beast some kind of mark branded on them. This created speculation as to the nature of the mark. One theory has a computer chip such as an integrated circuit being inserted or injected via hypodermic needle under the skin, perhaps a transponder, see also Microchip implant (human). As with the Roman emperors of ancient times, he would impose martyrdoms on those refusing to take this mark. At some point after his appearance, a large number of Jews would convert to Christianity and preach the gospel after the Christians had been removed by the Rapture.

Some believers in this theory began reading the newspaper headlines, concerned that some world leader might have the prophesied characteristics to be the Antichrist, and wondering whether the continuing Mid-East violence might be a sign of impending Armageddon. They were also concerned with such things as Social Security numbers and UPC barcodes, concerned that these tax identification numbers may be precursors to the Number of the Beast. The acceptance of this mark would mean that one's soul would receive judgment by damnation.

The Antichrist, (it is believed), will take center-attention on the 'world-stage' initially as a global peacemaker which Daniel mentions in Daniel 9:27. This coming prince will enter into a covenant or treaty with Israel for a period of seven years. Perhaps using global disarmament, he will promise to ensure peace in the world after a particularly destructive future war (this future war being a belief of post-tribulationists; not of Dispensationalists). His ally in world leadership will be the Whore of Babylon who is seen in vision by John, recorded in Revelation 17. John saw this mysterious harlot actually riding the beast and exerting some sort of control over it for a period of time. This mother-harlot entity heads up an apostate church or global system of false religion, which includes other, less influential churches.

At the midpoint of the final seven years, a world ravaged by plague and turmoil turns to the Antichrist to lead it. Their hope is that a world dictator will promise "peace and safety" and he will usher in a new age. The Antichrist, however, is possessed directly by Satan and will eventually display his true intentions. Again, in Daniel 9:27, the prophet states that at this time this "prince" will stop the daily sacrifices (which had been resumed again on the Temple Mount). He then commits an appalling sacrilege not unlike the outrages of the Greek Seleucid ruler Antiochus IV Epiphanes. Now fully revealed as the Beast, the Antichrist assumes global dictatorial rule and establishes his economic system based upon the mark of '666'. His persecutions of newly-converted Christians, as well as Jewish people at that time, will be unprecedented. This three and a half year period of intense tribulation was referred to by the prophets Ezekiel, Jeremiah, Joel, Daniel and other biblical prophets throughout the Old and New Testament writings. It was also spoken of by Jesus Christ in the Olivet Discourse and The Sheep and the Goats [parable]. In Revelation 13, the Apostle John sets the duration of this 'time of trouble' to 42 biblical months, or three and one-half years. This period is referred to by Biblical eschatologists as the"Great Tribulation". The period also coincides with the time of "Jacob's trouble" mentioned in the book of Jeremiah, and the trampling down of Jerusalem is referred to by John in Revelation Chapter 11.

Eventually, the Antichrist, under the threat of approaching 'kings of the east', commands his armies to attack this Asian threat. This campaign takes place in the valley of Megiddo, which according to the book of Revelation is the place known for the approaching Battle of Armageddon. The valley of Megiddo is situated as a great plain located northwest of Israel. At the climax of the story, Jesus returns in the Second Coming. He destroys the armies gathering for the campaign against Jerusalem. To quote the NIV version of Revelation 19:19-21:

"Then I saw the beast and the kings of the earth and their armies gathered together to make war against the rider on the horse and his army. But the beast was captured, and with him the false prophet who had performed the miraculous signs on his behalf. With these signs he had deluded those who had received the mark of the beast and worshiped his image. The two of them were thrown alive into the fiery lake of burning sulfur. The rest of them were killed with the sword that came out of the mouth of the rider on the horse, and all the birds gorged themselves on their flesh."

The separate destinies of the Church and Israel, a belief which is inherent in dispensationalism is a particular concern to some Jews and to some evangelical Christians. Evangelicals who reject dispensationalism, such as those who hold to a Post Tribulation Rapture (or more accurately a Post Tribulation Resurrection-Rapture), see both the Church and Israel entering the crucible of the End Time together. These Traditional Pre-Millennialists, as they are called, reject dispensationalism and its end time eschatology as setting forth a dubious eschatology of an "apartheid of the Elect". They consider the dispensationalist doctrine of a Pre-Tribulation Rapture to be self-serving and highly unlikely to be the true last days policy of the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Traditional Pre-Millennialists see all the covenant people of the God of Israel being refined together in the crucible of the end time. They also see the "royal priesthood and holy nation" referred to by Moses and by the Apostle Peter being unveiled in the Apocalypse as a single remnant Elect drawn out from Israel and from the wider Church in the nations.

Dispensationalism, in contrast to the Millerite Adventist movement, had its beginning in the 19th century, when John Nelson Darby, founder of the Plymouth Brethren religious denomination, incorporated into his system of Biblical interpretation a system of organizing Biblical time into a number of discrete dispensations, each of which marks a separate covenant with God. Darby's beliefs were widely publicized in Cyrus I. Scofield's Scofield Reference Bible, an annotated Bible that became popular in the United States of America.

Since the majority of the Biblical prophets were writing at a time when [Israel] was mostly Jewish, and the Temple in Jerusalem was still functioning, they wrote as if those institutions would still be in operation during the prophesied events. According to Preterism this was the very fulfillment of the prophecies. However, according to Futurists their destruction in AD 70 put the prophetic timetable, if there is one, on hold. Many such believers therefore anticipated the return of Jews to Israel and the reconstruction of the Temple before the Second Coming could occur. (See Christian Zionism)

[...]

Religions beyond the Abrahamic tradition

[...]

5. Buddhism

Siddha-rtha Gautama (Sanskrit; Pali: Siddha-ttha Gotama) [aka historical Buddha; and aka Shakyamuni] was a spiritual teacher from Nepal and the founder of Buddhism. The time of his birth and death are uncertain but a number of 20th-century historians have dated his lifetime from circa 563 BC to 483 BC. Some more recent scholars, however, have suggested dates of 410 to 400 BC for his death .... This alternative chronology, however, has not yet been accepted by other historians ....

This founder of Buddhism predicted that his teachings would disappear after 500 years. According to the Sutta Pitaka, the "ten moral courses of conduct" will disappear and people will follow the ten amoral concepts of theft, violence, murder, lying, evil speaking, adultery, abusive and idle talk, covetousness and ill will, wanton greed, and perverted lust resulting in skyrocketing poverty and the end of the worldly laws of true Dharma.

As part of Buddhist eschatology, it is believed that the era leading up to the coming of the next Buddha — Maitreya — will be characterized by impiety, physical weakness, sexual depravity and general societal disarray.

During the Middle Ages, the span of time was expanded to 5,000 years. Commentators like Buddhaghosa predicted a step-by-step disappearance of the Buddha's teachings. During the first stage, arahats would no longer appear in the world. Later, the content of the Buddha's true teachings would vanish, and only their form would be preserved. Finally, even the form of the Dharma would be forgotten. During the final stage, the memory of the Buddha himself would be forgotten, and the last of his relics would be gathered together in Bodh Gaya and cremated. Some time following this development a new Buddha named Maitreya will arise to renew the teachings of Buddhism and rediscover the path to Nirvana. Maitreya is believed to currently reside in the Tushita heaven, where he is awaiting his final rebirth in the world.

The decline of Buddhism in the world, and its eventual re-establishment by Maitreya, are in keeping with the general shape of Buddhist cosmology. Like Hindus, Buddhists generally believe in a cycle of creation and destruction, of which the current epoch represents only the latest step. The historical Buddha Shakyamuni is only the latest in a series of Buddhas that stretches back into the past.

[...]

Title: THE END TIMES 1of7 to 7of7
From: rencas
Added: March 07, 2007
Info-Description: [1of7] The End times in the word of Jesus.

[2of7] A message too the remaining elect. The 144.000 must be fulfilled.
   Be cautious that no one deceives you.
   Satan is at war with you and will not stop until you are spiritually dead.

[3of7 ???]

[4of7] 144.000 will rule as Kings with Christ.
   Not the entire world.

[5of7] The Tribulation
   144.000 will be transformed.

[6of7] Armageddon

[7of7 ???]

Title: We Are in the End Times Parts One and Two
From: mikejmon333
Added: July 25, 2006
Info-Description: [Part One] A description of what evangelicals believe according to one major cable News Network.
[Part Two] The guests on this panel are totally liberal and know nothing about the Word of God.