by JimmyPage 29 Replies latest jw friends
I still believe it is a future skirmish that leads to a millenial reign of Christ.
I am not doctrinally dogmatic about how the events will play out (symbolic versus literal), only that I am not a fan of the rapture concept.
I still want to believe I will survive it but that is only because I am not ready to deal with the concept of dying.
Armageddon is a toponym found in only one single apocalyptic work out of a whole gamut of literature from the period (Revelation 16:16). It is simply the place where the kings of the East (the Parthians) and the client kings of the Roman Empire are gathered together "for the battle on the great day of God the Almighty". This battle is probably described in ch. 19 where the rider on white horse attacks "the Beast and the kings of the earth and their armies" (v. 19). That's about it. The many elaborate Armageddon scenarios produced through interpretation have attributed to this event the many details of the "Day of Yahweh" theophanies from the OT, or embellished it with their own idiosyncratic eschatological expectations.
Armaggedon is a fantasy, just like all of the other "prophecies" and explanations (Biblical and non-biblical) for divine participation in the affairs of man and the earth.
It's funny...even when I was a Dub I can remember standing in line at the supermarket checkout and laughing at the bizarre and outlandish predictions on the covers of the Enquirer and the Weekly World News. Also, do you guys remember the cartoons in lots of magazines poking fun at the misfit-looking guys carrying signs saying, "the end is near" ???
Over time I began to look at those tabloid headlines and think to myself that the Dub predictions, especially Armageddon, were just as ridiculous. Of course, there was a lot of other dubious Dub stuff I was thinking about, too. But, the realization was inescapable that the Dubs were just as misguided as the self-anointed cartoon prophets carrying "the end is near" signs.
I had a Catholic friend in high school, whose dad went to church but was also a very pragmatic guy. Whenever I tried to witness to him he would say that 'the end comes everyday for someone and that it has always been that way and will always be that way." Years later his comments have enduring value.
Sorry, but when it comes to the earth, the life on it, and the geologic/evolutionary processes that have been been at work for 100s of milliions of years, science is the only relevant domain to explain things. Any kind of supernatural explanation of how things have come to be or how things will happen in the future is a waste of time, effort and emotion if you are going to use them to make life-impacting decisions.
Some of the posters on this board are ardent about some divine interest in, or oversight of, the earth, humans, and the universe. That's fine, if it makes you feel good...it may or may not be so...but it can't proven empirically.
Alpaca,
I think your theory makes sense, especially, the end comes everyday for someone. Best to live life to the fullest, this may be all there is.
Armageddon = a great marketing strategy for books, movies and religion
Many ancient cultures had opposing gods, Jehovah was suppose to be the most powerful and violent of the gods
and he is shortly about to kill all infidels that do not believe in him.
But first he has to kill his brother Mohamed
Armageddon is something that takes place in my livingroom every time my bird picks the lock on his cage. Actually, he doesn't have to pick it any more since he broke it right off. Armageddon is an ongoing thing around here now.
W
Hey, Parakeet, you just inspired an idea for summertime apostafests -
BarBeQueMaGeddon!
WATCH in delicious fascination as pork spareribs meet their ultimate fate!
THRILL as raging torrents of Divine Antimatter cook a beef brisket to perfection!
REEL with delight at the sweet-smelling smoke rising up from the "pit of Gehenna!"
UNLOCK the secret herbs and spices in our ANCIENT OF DAYS BBQ SAUCE!
COMING TO AN APOSTAFEST NEAR YOU, SUMMER 2009!
"Lest these days were cut short, there would be no leftovers."
Finally-free: "Armageddon is something that takes place in my livingroom every time my bird picks the lock on his cage."
A friend of mine has a cockatoo that once chewed off an entire windowsill in half an hour. When my parrot chews on the woodwork, I call him my "home redecorator." My lower kitchen cabinets have rounded corners on them with handsome beak-mark detailing. Then there's the chewing of holes in the carpet -- a real conversation starter. And the chewing through electrical cords (luckily, he never got zapped). And finally, lots of little bite scars on my hands and arms -- better than tatoos. Aren't parrots great?
Nathan Natas: "BarBeQueMaGeddon!"
It's a bit of a tongue-twister, but the idea is great. Whenever the WTS starts pushing the big A myth, we apostates could hold celebratory barbecues for every failed end-date. I know the gb has wised up about naming a particular date or year, but we know when the "crisis" has passed (again). In fact, since Armageddon is due "any day now," we could have BarbecueMageddons every day. We could set up a little stage scene (like the dubs do at conventions) -- miniature buildings crumbling with painted-on flames, matchbox cars and tiny toy people could be suspended above a gaping cracks in the little streets. What to wear, though?
What to wear, though?
I think wash-n-wear stain resistant microfiber TOGAS would be de rigueur. Probably in a color to match the sauce.
"Our robes shall be made white in the sauce of the lamb - or Pork, or Beef, Bison or Venison."
Another idea:
A-PASTA-fests: spaghetti dinners. The pasta would be served with "Great Day of Jehovah's Arrabiatta" Sauce.
an excellent accompaniment to either would be "Jah's Grapes of Wrath" wine, also available as a spritzer.
Leolaia is the only person I've ever known who used the word "toponym" in a sentence.
"...I just handed my PinBall crown to (her) '
How do you think she does it?" I don't know.
'What makes her so good?'"
