You might just catapult me in to another deep-thinking funk on that one.
Pleased to be of assistance
You were never denied the opportunity to speculate and form your own opinion. For many of us it's a wonderous thing. Enjoying your threads, as usual
Bible-Believing and the End Times
by jgnat 41 Replies latest watchtower beliefs
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LittleToe
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Narkissos
One interesting thing in the NT is that it testifies both to an early (not necessarily the earliest) short-term expectation and the gradual loss of it (cf. the rewriting or the parables in Luke, where the master is gone for a long time; the shift from temporal to spatial categories in Johannine post-Pauline literature, e.g. Colossians-Ephesians, "up vs. down" instead of "soon vs. now"; 2 Thessalonians, 2 Peter, etc.).
Many Christians read Revelation as if it were the last NT book to be written, due to its place in the canon, and I guess this contributes a lot to the recurrent revival of the "end times".
As for the psychological motivations for that, I started a related topic some time ago: http://www.jehovahs-witness.com/6/99779/1.ashx
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bebu
1CO 7:29 What I mean, brothers, is that the time is short. From now on those who have wives should live as if they had none; 30 those who mourn, as if they did not; those who are happy, as if they were not; those who buy something, as if it were not theirs to keep; 31 those who use the things of the world, as if not engrossed in them. For this world in its present form is passing away.
I think from the get-go people were admonished to live as though they were ready for anything to happen, so not to invest themselves too heavily into what is transient. Whatever 'end times' may come for our race, we all have an end time of our own to keep in view. "This too, shall pass" happens on our private scale, as well as larger ones.
Living wisely takes death into account. There is no reason to say 'now we have to pay more attention to how we live (that is, to live wisely)'. ...When was that command ever rescinded?
bebu
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daniel-p
I think its simply a biological clock sort of thing. Every generation has its end, and the feeling of not having enough time affects the more rational senses in some. They infuse this into their faith, come up with some sort of life-after-death scenario, and want to believe it so much they teach it to others in order to validate it to themselves subconcsiously. I think this is the case with the Apostle Paul - where already having the dynamic religious fervour and self-righteousness of the Pharisees bled into his need to explain his sudden crisis of conscience.
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Star Moore
0kay, so I know this will sound very strange to you all....But I think the time of the end started around 9/11. Also I have recognized a warrior, judge who is battling the governments and high officials whom I believe is the "son of man in a cloud" or with his identity obscurred. Yes, don't laugh, I think "Michael, is standing up on behalf of his people"..Dan. 12:1. "The daystar has risen in my heart" IIPet. 1:19 And that he is a HUMAN....I've been afraid to say it..but here it is. And he is to me, more wonderful that any human could be.
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Kristofer
I'm a Christian through and through but I'm caught between two points of view.. One being that most of the persecution talked about in the End Times seemed to happen right after the death and ressurection of Christ. I think since then, we've been living in the "last days." However, I believe it's very possible that the physical coming of Christ may not happen for hundreds of more years. I think a lot can also be said about each of us individually in our last days if you think about our own mortality, when we die. I think the overall message in Rev is that we WILL be judged and things WILL be set straight. I don't think WHEN is really important. Whether it happens tomorrow, in a hundred years, either way, you will face your maker and you don't know when that's gonna be. All you can do is be the best person you can be from day to day and take comfort in your faith. I think if we are to take Revelation literally, I think the world is going to be in much worse shape than it is now before it happens. Christianity is still predominant. I DO think that you can see early signs now of society becoming completely secularized and religion taken out of every aspect of life. I think in about 200 yrs, it's easy to imagine a society without faith. I just hope God holds out long enough to make the Watchtower's predictions completely moot!
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AuldSoul
Dennis Kucinich? John Kerry? George W. Bush? Al Sharpton? Jon Stewart? Steven Colbert? Jimmy Carter? Bill Clinton? Hill Clinton? Arlen Specter? Ted Kennedy? Ronald Reagan? Ah-nold Schwarzenegger?
Who, Star? I await your reply with bated breath. Hurry up and respond, so I won't get brain damaged.
Respectfully,
AuldSoul -
bebu
A computer hacker, sounds like to me.
bebu
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jgnat
Star Moore, you haven't perchance, met Brown Boy on the streets of New York? Just wondering...