First, let me say that I am 100% Open Theist. Pinnock , Boyd, Sanders, godrulz and clete are my heroes. :chuckle:
The future is not settled!
So, I am wrestling with the portrayal of God in the end times presented by the whole “Left Behind” crowd.
I’m willing to concede that there just in fact might be a literal 1000 year reign, give or take a few days. And even that the 999 years 11 months and 359 days,11 hours, 43 min, and 16 seconds, (not taking into account leap year, of course) will most likely be preceded by great tribulation (we can expect it). But, if God finds only 143,999, will he coerce one? Now, don’t go getting all bent out of shape on the numbers. The question is just HOW LITERAL?
Ahhh. Good, some of your questions were just making me wonder. That's great to hear.
Yah know, fulfilled prophecies are more my "Thing," like most of the book of Daniel. But that book is easy because every other chapter there's an angel commentating.
When you take the numbers in the book of Daniel, such as the years prophesied until Jesus' death, some people will tell you it was dead on target. They count leap years and everything. Bob Hill has something about that on biblicalanswers.com.
So it is not too far fetched to believe God can do that. Even with free will agents.
Another thing is that God seems to use numbers as symbols. Why is everything divisible by 12 half the time, or why does it deal with 7s? Look at all the 3s and 10s. It is hard to ignore, and I have not studied it, but I think there is something going on there.
But with any prophecy, its true goal is to encourage repentance or encourage people to seek God. If God said it would happen, it is because he knows it will. But if they repent, he can change that.
If 3 years into it, 2/3 of the world sees "Hey, didn't the prophet John say Israel would be dooobed? Hmmm, maybe super cool dude is the antichrist after all, lets repent" then God just may stop it. If he doesn't he is probibaly just testing these people using Satan's handy work...
As to the whole terrorist thing. My take on it involves pre-trib views that all christians will be saved from wrath. Israel, the nation, will be left and the witnesses will then turn to believers. When war is waged, it is going to be on Israel and her allies. War is dirty and unfair, but it will hardly be like the war on terror. Nations and people of those nations are at war.
The government who wages the war is going to be tentacle such that it kills anyone who opposes it's religion (as is done often in history) and those christians love God more than our lives.
It will be a sad time, but one that is decisive. I believe it will happen because of this... The world will be come saturated with people who have made their final decision. Practically no more wishy-washy "I am for God, I am not". Everyone will have made their choice. Then God will act to change their minds, and some will.
But after this testing it will be clear, those who don't follow REALLY made it clear where they stand. And those who do follow REALLLY REALLY made their stand. At this point, what else is there to do with earth but to start new?
God will establish his kingdom. For 1000 years people will live there, and time has a way of weeding out even more wishy-washy, and that last testing will be the end for this world, and a new one will be in its place.
At this point we all will be where we truly want to be, with God, or away from him.
God seems to be giving us all the best chances to change he can.