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If I’m ignorant of what Jesus as talking about perhaps you could outline the prophecies you are referring t.
I mostly consider mat 24 and 2 Tim 3. Maybe you could tell me what you believe Jesus predicted since that is the subject of this thread.
The 2000 decade was the least war filled decade in half a century.
Well we had two world wars previous to those 50 years but a third one could eclipse both. We both understand that there are natural fluctuations. Further, after two world wars, you would imagine people making a concerted effort to avoid war. But I think latter generations like now, have less concern about that. It looks to me like an eruption of wars is brewing as countries seem to be getting more hostile. Saudi Arabia vs Iran. China extending her realm to the detriment of her Asian neighbors and with the second biggest military budget in the world. ISIS, Syrian Government, Yemen, etc. Most importantly, the Middle East which the Bible mostly speaks about is almost hell on Earth in places and looks to be getting worse. Sunni vs Shia etc. Christians are almost extinct now, and the Jews will be surrounded by more hostile people then ever before. You can bet you will see horrible things come to pass in this region. As for New Zealand, well things are pretty good here. But New Zealand is not spoken of directly in scripture, but indirectly in at least one place.
In child birth, (not that I am an expert) one would expect the pain to get worse. That is no guarantee that every pang is worse than the previous one though, but the trend is for it to get worse until just before the visible kingdom, the worst time ever in history. This is how I see the world. You can think of it in these simple terms. In the past, man couldn’t destroy the Earth, now he can, and probably will bring about much destruction. I say this because there are an increasing amount of nutters out there with increasingly powerful technology and beliefs as prophesied that a time will come when men think that they do a service to God by killing you. When I think of Kim Jong-un in North Korea with his hand on the button of a powerful weapon, I shudder at the thought. Something will give, it is just a matter of time David.
More and more people seem to disbelieve the existence of God. More people seem to becoming self=absorbed in a world full of goods and the pressure of keeping up with the Jones’s (the pride of life). We had two 9.? earthquakes this century. Not sure how common these quakes are, but these were huge. Jesus said quakes will become more regular in diverse places culminating in the most powerful quake of all.
While you may doubt Jesus predictions based on your observations, I believe Jesus was right. Man hasn’t wrought destruction on himself yet, but just a matter of time. Even if he didn’t ignite one great bomb, pollution alone might kill us all given enough time. If man can solve his problems and handle his increasingly dangerous inventions, then our future will be like that of Star Trek. We will advance to the stars. But something tells me that man is incapable of making it that far. I do not have that much faith in humanity.
I guess we have to agree to disagree on this subject. Although the topic I started here was about terrorism. I think it is safe to say that this is getting worse. It leads the headlines each day. I do not remember terrorism dominating news in the 70’s 80s or 90s. And while the 00s had 9/11 and ensuing wars, I think the 10s have been more about terrorism than that decade. I am willing to bet that the 20s will be even worse. Expect regular lone wolf attacks in Europe almost on a weekly basis to larger more planed attacks happening more often. Perhaps ISIS terrorists will breach North American borders through Mexico. Who know, but know this, that they are planning our societies downfall as I type. Such a world will also lead to less freedoms for all as surveillance of the populace increases to counter the problem.
If I’m ignorant of what Jesus as talking about perhaps you could outline the prophecies you are referring t.
I mostly consider Matthew 24, 2 Tim 3. Maybe you could tell me what you believe Jesus predicted since that is the subject of this thread.
You said it. Matthew 24, Mark 13, Luke 21, 2 Tim 3. Add in The Book of Revelation but even Daniel, Ezekiel etc in as much as they talk about the end-times.
Been saying for some time that terrorists in the future will adopt drone warfare. This video makes it seem inevitable.
Prototype Quadrotor with Machine Gun
I still find it remarkable how violence is decreasing on the millennia scale, and the century scale and even the decade scale.
Graphs, and charts aren’t required for many categories of violence, since they went from legal and common place to almost non-existent:
HUMAN SACRIFICE extremely common for millennia, and even practiced among the Israelites. Similar with ANIMAL SACRIFICE. Common for almost all of history, JUDICIAL TORTURE was even practiced among the Israelites (stoning). SLAVERY, owning and beating humans you took captive when you committed genocide on other tribes, was common in the past, as was GENOCIDE, wiping out entire enemy tribes–get them before they get you. The DEATH PENALTY used to be common for numerous non-violent crimes, like stealing bread or even picking up sticks on the wrong day. For most of history, RAPE wasn’t taken seriously, and when it was, it was often a crime against the owner of the women and not against the women herself, since she had no rights and was basically viewed as property. CORPOREAL PUNISHMENT of children, went from beating with rods and then whipping to spanking, to now even spanking becoming illegal in state after state. BEATINGS AS GENERAL PUNISHMENT and PERSECUTION OF CHRISTIANS have vastly diminished. DEBTERS PRISONS are gone–people are no longer locked up and left to rot when they can’t pay their debts. The people on the $5, $10, and $20 American bills, all were challenged to duels. One backed out, and one died from a duel. DUELING has vanished. LYNCHING, once entertainment, declined to the point where it disappeared in the 1950’s. ANIMAL TORTURE as a form of entertainment (such as burning cats alive for centuries in Europe) and as a form of punishment (such as stoning criminal bulls or hamstringing enemy horses after all the men are killed) have fallen out of fashion. No wall exists around saskatoon, and few Canadians fear another country is going to conquer them, which was once the goal of virtually all countries.
The best indicator is HOMICIDE. And I find it the most remarkable of all. (It kills by far the most and when a body goes missing it gets written down. Whereas when a wife is beaten or something gets stolen it might not get recorded. And it’s the largest category, killing 6 times as many people as war. It’s the most significant.). Is HOMICIDE getting worse globally? (Millennia scale, century scale, decade scale)
Without looking at the data (evidence) which you said maybe wasn’t trustworthy,
Without looking at this data, these things above paint a picture of the general direction personal violence has taken in people’s lives through time. Since you have been born I know of only one category of violence that has risen, and it’s suicide, a category that is a bit different in that it doesn’t make the world more violent or dangerous for others. The number of WARS around the world, the number of WAR DEATHS per war, have been in decline ever since you were born. (Before 1945, European countries started two (yes 2) new wars every year on average for 600 years!! Always trying to conquer others.)
I’m just not sure which category of violence one would point to that has been increasing globally. HATE CRIME homicides against minorities (blacks in US)–they have followed the path of lynchings since they begin to be recorded and have declined. Changing attitudes caused these changes. We went from Rosa Parks to Obama, a black president in only half a century.
There are a dozen or so main categories of violence but they can be broken into subcategories. Which category of violence has risen globally since you have been alive? (I’m having trouble proving that ANY categories have risen, much less the overall trend of all violence globally.)
Suicide and terrorism or the two categories that have risen. But suicide is sort of a very different category of violence It doesn’t make the world more dangerous for others And terrorism, the numbers are so low they don’t even compare to all other categories of violence. But it is effective because it makes the news and does cause Terror in those who like to spread such stories. But compared to the global bonicide rate or war rate, terrorism is nothing. Terrorism has of course been around forever.
HOMICIDE is by far the best indicator becasue it kills way way way more than anything else and jomicides tend to get reported but rapes or assaults might not.
And homicide is way way way way down. It’s been falling for thousands of years. And continues to fall to this day.
Violence is decreasing and massively so.
I think you can agree that the Bible’s references to the world and the beast out of the sea is the Middle East. I think you can agree that Jesus spoke of a future world that was the Middle East or the world that surrounds Israel. Yes he made references to the whole Earth and ends of the Earth, but the Middle East is where his and toehr’s prophecies are centred. I also think you can agree that the Middle East became a lot more violent after Jesus passed away and today could even be the most oppressive time in history for that part of the world. Islam and Sharia Law has nearly made Christians extinct and many have been crucified and had their heads cut off, even in modern times. You have to have real faith to say you are a Christian or Believer in the Middle East because it can cost you extra taxes, persecution, and even your life.
But I think that you should also agree that Canada and New Zealand do not feature that much in the Bible, so applying our comfortable way of lives to somehow discredit Jesus seems silly to me. Even if violent deaths worldwide are down, I doubt that is the case for the Middle East.
But I do not think it takes a rocket scientist to see the future is not bright for some parts of the world that have lived in relative peace. Take Europe and Islamic immigration to that part of the world. Eventually their higher birthrate could make many parts of Europe Islamic. If that were to happen, then Christians and Jews living under Sharia would be tantamount to tribulation for them.
I think you need to travel a bit david. I have travelled the world and seen much suffering and danger. It amazes me when I return just have safe and ignorant of the evils in the world New Zealand is.
Personally I think Sharia Law outweighs homicide when it comes to violence and fear. I lived in Colombia where there is a very high homicide rate. At the time it was also the kidnap capital of the world, and of course there was the real risk of being in the middle of crossfire during their 50 or so years of civil war. But seriously, my life was normal there. Drank coffee every day, maybe went to a movie, had a job, took public transport. Just had to be very careful about where you went and made sure everything you had was secure. If you asked me which I prefer, a high homicide rate or living under Sharia Law, I take the former. In Colombia I can be a Christian and worship God openly and speak about Jesus the son of God in public if I want. I can buy a house and live happily there with my family. I doubt the same for Syria, Iraq, Yemen, Iran, Egypt, Saudi Arabia for example. While Colombia is very dangerous. it seems small in comparison to living in a country where evil principalities want you dead.
1 Corinthians 12:26 says that we are one body. If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it.
But if we ignore the suffering of our brethren in other parts of the world and think the world is getting better, then we turn a blind eye to their suffering. We should at least pray for them, but even less than that, we should acknowledge their tribulations. If we do not even do that, then we do not care and put our trust in the world which by the way cries peace peace. I do not believe their version of peace and safety. For a start, they do not care about those that belong to JEsus who are being persecuted, raped, and slaughtered. Europe and USA prioritize Muslim refugee over Christian refugee. Both countries have sat back and done very little about helping Christians. However, I think Trump is going to change that.
I know the world is filled with pain and suffering. I’m just suggesting that a world with a child mortality rate of less than 3% is much much better than the world of the past which had a child mortality rate of about 50%.
As an example, I know that 3% is really reallly bad and could be much much better. I’m just saying: 3% is much better than the last few thousand years which had about 50%.
And same with violence. Violence has massively fallen. This doesn’t mean it has disappeared and doesn’t mean it isn’t really bad in some places. But the places that are really bad today used to be considered good in the past. (Unless you are talking about isolated tribes, because many of them do have very high homicide rates).
I am not suggesting ignoring suffering or saying everything is good so don’t expect anyone. I’m saying: if the world is getting safer, more healthy, better fed, better medical care, and less violent, then we should acknowledge that.
There is this belief among advocacy groups that you have to say everything is very bad ad getting worse. They think this is the way to get money. But when the situation seems hopeless people don’t want to help. When people realize things are improving and helping out can actually make a difference they are more prone to help out. Acknowledging reality is all I suggest.
david, I think most of these benefits are directly resulting from increased knowledge. However, I do not think the world of the Bible, the Middle East is getting better. At one point it was predominantly Christian or there was at least widespread influence. But since that time, Christians are nearly extinct and this is directly attributed to a religion that believes that Jesus is not the son of God and believes in cutting off the heads and crucifying Believers. Overtime and through persecution and death, Christians went on the endangered list, while the religion of Islam now dominates. The seven Churches in Revelation for example are areas of the world dominated by Islam. Try to think of the tribulations that took place to result in this widespread death of the true faith. Also, take note that the world of the bible is the Middle East. We in the Western World tend to attribute the world to include us.
Of course if you take the whole planet into account, then yes, knowledge such as medical and scientific knowledge have helped the quality of life immensely. Inventions give us much more comforts as well. Even an old car today that many7 would be embarrassed to drive, surpasses the chariots of the Roman emperors. But I think you need to understand that the world of the Bible is the Middle East. It is where the Beast and Israel are located. This is where prophecy is centred and it is where Jesus will return. The Great Tribulation is centred here too.
I dot think it’s just knowledge that has made life better but also increased morality globally. Look at the homicide rate globally.
And as for the Middle East, I think you are comparing the Middle East (and we may as well throw Latin American countries in there too) to the rest of the world. And not comparing Middle East today to Middle East in the past.
Look at the bible account. Genocide. The Hebrew Scriptures is largely an account of genocides. Tribe after tribe being wiped out. It wasn’t just the Israelites that were doing this. Many think all war in the past was genocidal in nature. Kill them all before they kill you. Take the women or Virgins. Kill the babies and men. As horrible as you say it is today, we don’t see nation after nation of genoicde. In the Middle East, some of the nations still practice stoning (judicial toeture). That used to be what all the world did. And even the Jews used to do this. Now it’s just a few isolated parts of the Middle East rather than the whole Middle East and whole world.
I know the idea of terrorism is scary. It works and that’s why it’s used A few deaths done the right way create terror in people In the past, it was a real concern of people that their country be conquered Before 1945, European countries started a new war twice a year on average for the 600 years before 1945 Two a year! The world has constantly been trying to conquer other nations for all history often genocidally But now things are different for almost all of the world
The Bible is centred around the Middle East. And today, knowledge and technology can wipe out mankind. In the past, they fought with sticks and stones. Then spears and axes. Now an increasing number have nuclear bombs, microwave weapons, and the like. It’s the same mankind and all his imperfections coupled with advanced technology that makes the future worse because technology easily increases the scale. New Zealand, Canada, and Madagascar are not directly mentioned in scripture, but what is directly mentioned is Damascus, Jerusalem, Babylon etc.
Further, I think you underestimate how bad it is there today. You go on about homicide rates, but I lived in a country with one of the highest rates in the world, and yet I am sure it was nothing compared with living under ISIS and Radical Islam. I mean really, david. How can you compare an extinction event with homicide. What percentage of Believers are dead because of homicide? Not even 0.01% probably.
Islam has caused tribulations for Believers and others such as Jews. Personally, I would prefer to be a Believer under the Roman Empire than an Islamic State or living in Iran or Saudi Arabia. Yes Believers have nearly always had it rough, but we live in a time when Believers are nearly extinct in the Middle East. The seven churches are now almost entirely Muslim. That was never the case in the times of the Roman Empire. To some degree the Roman Empire succumbed to Christians to appease them and to also create a harlot religion. But the Islamic Caliphates succeeded where Rome failed. They seriously culled Christians in that area of the world. Rome gave up that strategy because they were not getting anywhere. The history between Christians being all over the Middle East to almost non-existence is a history of death, persecution, and a great falling away. Footage of ISIS has given the modern world a view of what it is like to live as a Believer.
Jesus was right when he said: “terrible times will come”. They have come and there maybe even worse times ahead. Jesus said those words while living under the reign of the Roman Empire and that kingdom was called a Beast. You can bet when he says terrible times will come, he meant times worse than the current day. And remember, he was not talking about Canada or Chicago. Nevertheless, you sound to me like you do not trust in Jesus words and prophecy to the degree that you even deny in your own mind the violence that must have taken place to nearly annihilate Christians from the world around the Great Sea.
What you need to realise David is there is a war against Christians. Those people that are dying, getting their heads cut off, the children who are being crushed to death are Christians. They are being killed in the name of a religion labels them infidels and commands that they are to be decapitated.
I saw thrones on which were seated those who had been given authority to judge. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of their testimony about Jesus and because of the word of God.
I understand that some from various religious groups are having their heads cut off.
What im suggesting is, this has always been the case. Judicial toeture has existed in almost all places through most of history and only recently fallen out of favour.
During the Black Death, they went from village to village burning alive all the Jews. They surely thought the world was ending. They didn’t u detests do why so many were dying so painfully. That time also had a lot of war and famine in the century which weakened them and made them nice and read for the pestilence. Back then, I u dersrand why almost everyone thought the world was ending. Christians, flagulents, walked around naked whipping themselves, bleeding, trying to get god to change his punishments. Blood spattered on the walls as they walked by naked. Everyone was scarred out of their mind and thought the world was ending. 25-30% of the whole world was quickly exterminated. Today is bad. Just not that different.
Extinction event? There have been 5 mass extinctions so far. The last one killed most dinosaurs and plants and animals.
We may have a 6th mass extinction. Or maybe we won’t. But homicide is an actual thing that actually happens. It’s not something that may happen. When thinking of violence people often look at what we are capable of, and of course technology has made us more capable of large scale violence. Yet, war deaths continue to fall. And not rise.
Im only concerned with what is. Not with what might be:
things are getting less violent but sure, as you say, they could get worse. But until they do, we should keep saying what is true: they are getting better and better globally. They may get much worse. But right now things are actually in fact not doing that. I’m only focused on what is real. Not on what might be.
Yes, Christians are nearly extinct in the Middle East, where they once were widespread. Islam has had a huge impact in that part of the world. The culling of their numbers was not peaceful, but could be described as tribulation. The Middle East is predominantly Muslim. One of the tenets of their faith is God has no son. What does scripture call people that deny this truth? A Christian living under Sharia is like a sheep among wolves that are ready to tear the sheep apart.
Hi T8,
Can you please give more details as to what you were shown?
Like what did the cars looked like. Also, what specifically was
significant about the part of the future that you were shown.
“Communicate” “with spirit” specifics are a interest of mine.Sorry, I just saw your question. I did mention these details in the opening post. However, I don’t mind mentioning them again.
The cars I saw had a different shape than they do now. They weren’t the traditional shape of bonnet and boot, but one room on wheels. But not just square or rectangular either, rather with a futuristic style and shape that looked good. More filled out, little wasted room by the look of it. I only saw three cars close up. I couldn’t see wheels, but that is not to say they didn’t have any. They glided or hovered passed me. Silent would be the word, but hearing the air rushing around them. While I had this vision back in the 1990s it is correct to say that cars seem to be evolving this way since. SUV’s look like an early prototype, but what I saw looked like years or decades after that.
The aircraft I saw I described as futuristic helicopters that swarmed toward crowds of people shooting at them indiscriminately. Twenty years later, I would say that drones today look like an early prototype.
Scripture says that fear is one of the signs of the end times and that men shall go to and fro, and knowledge shall increase. Being shown this terror/fear and transport fits the theme of the end times for me. This was shown to me because I had questions for God and he answered me. I asked him when these things would come to pass because I wondered if there was time for me to have a family etc before the end. After these visions, the answer I saw was that the time was not that imminent as some reckoned, but was still some time off. Even perhaps outside of my lifetime. Maybe, maybe not. These things could exist in the next twenty years, but that is just me guessing.
ISIS Declares To Muslims To ‘Hunt Down, Terrorize, And Slaughter All The Christians Of Egypt’
Christianity is under attack in Muslim nations in ways not seen for centuries. It is nothing short of a genocide as Islamic groups such as ISIS with complicit governments allow these people to commit heinous violence against the Christians without limit, and all the while the Muslims brag about it.
In a recent story coming out of Egypt, ISIS has encouraged Muslims in a new video to commit genocide against the Christians, vowing to terrorize, hunt down, and destroy every last one of them:
In a newly released 20-minute video, ISIS’ media wing in Egypt encouraged fellow jihadists to terrorize and kill Christians across the country.
Around 10% of Egypt’s population identify as Christians and most adhere to the Coptic Orthodox branch of Christianity. The minority is frequently targeted by terror attacks from either ISIS or the Muslim Brotherhood.
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