79 Percent of Evangelicals See Violence in Middle East as Sign End Times Are Near

[musterion]

Weird isnt it

"Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ; Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.
These things speak, and exhort, and rebuke with all authority. Let no man despise thee." Titus 2:13-15

1 Thessalonians 4:3 But I do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning those who have fallen asleep, lest you sorrow as others who have no hope. 14 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who sleep in Jesus.
15 For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who are asleep.
16 For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first.
17 Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord. 18 Therefore comfort one another with these words.

Yep. Suppressing verses like those is where the idiocy of the moral influence theory, or whatever it's variously called, comes from. Unbelief, plain and simple.

 

[glorydaz]

Loads to me but particularly the return of Israel as a nation, which was prophesied but not fulfilled till this last century - that would have been open and remaining before this century. I believe the unrest with islam also points to it.

Yep, and prior to the Jews returning to their homeland, many Bible scholars said, if they didn't know better, the Jews becoming a nation would be the sign of the beginning of the end. Many understand those who saw that nation born in 1948 were the generation that would not pass before the end came. I was born in 49, so I could very well see it. Besides the fact that we're seeing what was predicted by the prophets...the same countries....Israel being surrounded by enemies. Even the "beheading".....I always thought that was just a "figure of speech". Who could have imagined that would be a "signature" of this enemy in this day and age?

 

[glorydaz]

yes, Islam adherents also have end time beliefs as well as those of some other religions and faiths. Thats why i added an option 3 to the poll.

Indeed, they are parallel beliefs in fact. Eerily so....like a mirror image.

 

[steko]

Yep, and prior to the Jews returning to their homeland, many Bible scholars said, if they didn't know better, the Jews becoming a nation would be the sign of the beginning of the end. Many understand those who saw that nation born in 1948 were the generation that would not pass before the end came. I was born in 49, so I could very well see it. Besides the fact that we're seeing what was predicted by the prophets...the same countries....Israel being surrounded by enemies. Even the "beheading".....I always thought that was just a "figure of speech". Who could have imagined that would be a "signature" of this enemy in this day and age?

Youngster!

 

[glorydaz]

I hate to say this but...

They should have done this with Europeans' attitudes, to compare. I strongly suspect the proportion will be much lower.

I really do hate to say it because I bear no ill will at all and I hope you will not be upset by it, but I can only say what I observe. It is this: that in the USA you are very far away from the political struggles and wars and other conflicts around the world. You rarely speak foreign languages and don't tend to have deep experiences of foreign cultures. To you, when you hear of these things, they may seem aberrant, they may seem catastrophic and/or apocalyptic and they seem to an interesting extent somewhat removed from reality. In Europe we are closer to these conflicts and our cultures are considerably intertwined. Going to Spain, France, Greece, Croatia, Turkey, Italy and so on for a holiday is absolutely normal and commonplace. Owning a second home in one of these places is also fairly common. Me? I'm married to a lady who had dual nationality French/German (now naturalised British though) and between us we speak several languages fluently.
The international political events going on around us affect us directly and our reactions are practical and present. You don't have these connections to the same extent so you make sense of these events in a different way. You make them part of your world through religious and philosophical concepts but such concepts are not practical, they don't have direct effects on you. And in my view a lot of this kind of reaction is misplaced.

Go on, shoot me with one of those hunting rifles you have sitting in your kitchen cupboard!

Good thing I like you, or I might lay into you over this "notion".

No, we may be over here, but we are not "out there". With nothing but a Bible and a world map I could see this was going to happen.

 

[steko]

Indeed, they are parallel beliefs in fact. Eerily so....like a mirror image.

Yes, indeed, like Christ and antichrist.

 

[George Affleck]

Does anyone believe that 1st century Christians thought the end times were near?

 

[Crucible]

Does anyone believe that 1st century Christians thought the end times were near?

There hasn't been a single century since Jesus in which people haven't thought the Apocalypse was near. By the same point, it was never a universal notion either, though it echoed a lot during the Christian Crusades. But with that, there was a different sort of apocalypse in mind- a very Heaven on Earth, Church rules with Christ sort of thing rather than the Purge All deal.

 

[glorydaz]

Does anyone believe that 1st century Christians thought the end times were near?

I think they did, but they didn't know Israel was going to be dispersed for 2,000 years.

 

[steko]

Does anyone believe that 1st century Christians thought the end times were near?

Yeah, it's evident, and many times since.

 

[steko]

I think they did, but they didn't know Israel was going to be dispersed for 2,000 years.

Coincidentally, it's mostly those professing Christians who believe that GOD has no further purpose for that people or that land, who don't recognize that the end is near.

 

[Nick M]

Do you have any thoughts to what you believe it might be?

I dont think Israel will repent untill after the rapture and after the tribulation starts (the time of Jacobs trouble), but thats my thoughts on it.

Speculation is just that.

Romans 11

11 I say then, have they stumbled that they should fall? Certainly not! But through their fall, to provoke them to jealousy, salvation has come to the Gentiles. 12 Now if their fall is riches for the world, and their failure riches for the Gentiles, how much more their fullness!

25 For I do not desire, brethren, that you should be ignorant of this mystery, lest you should be wise in your own opinion, that blindness in part has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in. 26 And so all Israel will be saved, as it is written:

Yep, and prior to the Jews returning to their homeland, many Bible scholars said, if they didn't know better, the Jews becoming a nation would be the sign of the beginning of the end. Many understand those who saw that nation born in 1948 were the generation that would not pass before the end came.

People still say it even though the prophets were clear. Restoration comes after Jacob's trouble and he returns to his throne on earth. Not before. The Partition is a sign of nothing. A generation will not pass, yet many did.

Israel will be resurrected. Simon bar Jonah (Peter) is in his bone box near the temple. He is not in Rome. He will be resurrected and rule. The law will be written on his heart and he will keep the commandments. When Israel is resurrected, they will be restored, after the fact.

 

[glorydaz]

Coincidentally, it's mostly those professing Christians who believe that GOD has no further purpose for that people or that land, who don't recognize that the end is near.

True. I hadn't thought of that. :think:

 

[journey]

I'm also a Christian and voted yes. I definitely think there are signs around the world that the end of this Age of Grace may be drawing near. I'm ready, and it would make me happy if the Rapture happens tonight. All of my family are Christians, and we all feel the same way.

 

[glorydaz]

I'm also a Christian and voted yes. I definitely think there are signs around the world that the end of this Age of Grace may be drawing near. I'm ready, and it would make me happy if the Rapture happens tonight. All of my family are Christians, and we all feel the same way.

As this world gets uglier and uglier, the other side is looking better and better. No more sorrow, no more tears.....I'm ready for that. I'm ready to escape from the suffering and pain, and the EVIL that surrounds us.

 

[JosephR]

100 percent of evangelicals see a pagan god as YhVh.....

 

[User Name]

We've been living in the last days for the past 2,000 years according to Acts 2:17, Hebrews 1:2, 1 Peter 1:20, 2 Peter 3:3, 1 John 2:18, Jude 1:18.

 

[steko]

We've been living in the last days for the past 2,000 years according to Acts 2:17, Hebrews 1:2, 1 Peter 1:20, 2 Peter 3:3, 1 John 2:18, Jude 1:18.

Does the 'last days' period have a culmination or does it just go on forever?

 

[lifeisgood]

I am a Christian and I vote yes.

 

[User Name]

Does the 'last days' period have a culmination or does it just go on forever?

We have been living in "the last hour" (1 John 2:18) for the past 2,000 years. It could go on for another 200,000 years for all we know.