Are we living in the end of times?

[BlakeGood88]

This world is beginning to worry me! The shootings, the disasters, and people on the internet cannot be happy and always complain and not to mention, are downright mean to others. I don't know what to say but I really don't see mankind being around for another 100 or so years, at the rate we're going. It's getting really bad. First of all, when I was around on the internet, back in my childhood and teenage years, the complaining was never this bad! I mean people still complained but they were more grateful. Nowadays websites like IMDb and IGN are filled with nothing but hate! Then we had a shooting Las Vegas and it was a 62 year old man! That last time an old man shot someone, was like 37 years ago in 1980; it was John Lennon. Anyways, I'm aware that there are multiple timelines and parallel realities and I hope when I reincarnate, I choose a different timeline and not the same one as 1988A-now, I hope 1988B and beyond isn't as bad as this. I remember in Back To The Future Part 2, they showed us a decent future. Too bad the actual future turned out to be not that great! Anyways, what are your thoughts on this?

[Tobi]

I don't want to offend anyone here so I will try to be careful. But there is a religious turn of thought or belief system that believes that when the "End Times" happen with much degradation, tragedy, catastrophe, destruction....then Jesus Christ will return to Earth.
There seems to be even a welcoming of cataclysmic events and all the destruction that brings, because it is a harbinger of Christ's return.

In my heart I do not feel Jesus Christ would wish us to have to go through all that hell while he hovers there in the ether waiting to come back to us in physical form in some grand gesture.

He is already alive. He is with us as much as we attune to Him, and open our Hearts to Him.

To answer your question "Are these the 'End Times'?"
Gosh....how do I know? Yes some very very bad stuff is happening world wide. I cannot explain why. It certainly is a wake up call to anyone who has choice and is aware, to really work to get their act together to try to make this a better world.

[Busby]

May I just say that there have been times when things were much worse in the world that most of us here understand. I was a child in England during the war when bombs fell in the night, windows blew in and destruction was everywhere. Fire, death, blood running in the gutters, horror, fear.
Not only England of course but many other countries where it could be said Armageddon was taking place. But it wasn't. And it won't. It's all made up through man's wrong thinking.

And here's a good question; how will you know that it is Armageddon? I'm pretty sure the peoples of Hiroshima and Nagasaki thought it was if they had time to think during their last split seconds of mankind's most disgusting moment. But the two cities are back in business, better than ever. Not of course because of those weapons but because man's spirit rises again and again.

The world is a better place that it ever has been. Poverty and hunger is disappearing, medicine is improving- Look at China and India, they are starting to form their future, rising from poverty and dirt. There are lots of people everywhere who want to help and lots of people who do help. If our politicians would stop threatening and offer to help one another we'd begin to get somewhere. If we want it to change for the better then we'll have to do something about it. It's our problem and has nothing to do with an angry god or a devil.

Obviously there are those things that trouble our souls; forests being chopped down, plastic in the oceans, nature being destroyed - and all the rest. In some countries this is done in the name of 'freedom', but don't forget, we reap what we sow. That's fair enough.

[Morpheus]

Originally Posted by Tobi

I don't want to offend anyone here so I will try to be careful. But there is a religious turn of thought or belief system that believes that when the "End Times" happen with much degradation, tragedy, catastrophe, destruction....then Jesus Christ will return to Earth.
There seems to be even a welcoming of cataclysmic events and all the destruction that brings, because it is a harbinger of Christ's return.

In my heart I do not feel Jesus Christ would wish us to have to go through all that hell while he hovers there in the ether waiting to come back to us in physical form in some grand gesture.

He is already alive. He is with us as much as we attune to Him, and open our Hearts to Him.

To answer your question "Are these the 'End Times'?"
Gosh....how do I know? Yes some very very bad stuff is happening world wide. I cannot explain why. It certainly is a wake up call to anyone who has choice and is aware, to really work to get their act together to try to make this a better world.

Back in the 1970's I came to Faith and was visiting the Christian bookstores. I recall Hal Lindsay's "Late Great Planet Earth", wherein he described the end of days scenerio, not so much as an affirmative action against a rebelliant humanity, but a withdrawal of the Holy Spirit of God.
Which would involve largely the "Rapture", so called.

Wherein, the world would be bereft of the redeemed of God, and saved, including those in government who were of concience, and spiritual and moral compass.

My thoughts in later years was that this spiritual event would most likely occur during a man made event, of global impact, and scope.

What non believers ignore is that the invisible is the greater reality, not the visible and material world.
Even science attests to this today.

Meanwhile, though while the scriptures and prophecy tells us that incredible turbulence is goung to occur, that Jesus stated has never occurred, nor will again on earth, that there are verses in the Bible stating,
"World without end."

[Morpheus]

So, yes and no.

When you look around today, what do you see?

[Busby]

Yes and No indeed. How will each of those 8 billion Earth people know that Armageddon has (finally) struck if each one of those 8 billion can't see that some of the 7,999,999 others are all either being 'saved' or dying horrible deaths. Just being blown up on an underground train won't do the trick...

A wider view is clearly desired to suit the circumstances.

About 50% of them don't know what Armageddon 'represents' so while they are being tortured to death by burning or having their limbs ripped off they'll be in dire need of some express religious instruction. Carried out by loving angels maybe.

Mind you, I would understand when some of them (difficult to hazard a guess) would tell the loving god now appearing on the horizon after threatening them for 2000+ years to get lost.

I would.

[Morpheus]

Your obviously sarcastic reasoning is faulty, Busby.

I could go into it, or perhaps someone else would like to address his snarky response?

[FallingLeaves]

well i'm not sure what you were thinking but my own thought is, the problem isn't all the people who told god to just shove it... the problem is the myriad of people who claim to be on god's side but have no clue that they in fact quite aren't.

[Busby]

Originally Posted by Morpheus

Your obviously sarcastic reasoning is faulty, Busby.

I could go into it, or perhaps someone else would like to address his snarky response?

I'm perfectly happy with my reasoning Morpheus, nor do I look upon it as sarcastic but as a valid POV.

[Dargor]

Well one thing is for sure, it's going downhill with humanity and the planet, and something is to be expected that may happen between now and anytime soon. You have to be ignorant and blind if you're going to deny this...