Interesting thread (peace to you all!).
If I were a prophet, and could tell the future the first thing I would look into is the next lottery number
I'm not sure prophets can tell the future, per se, dear Miz Wuz (peace to you, my sistah!): my understanding is that they can only share what they're GIVEN to share, and have no knowledge of their own as to future events. So lotteries would probably be out of range for them. Now, a diviner (which is not a prophet)? That might be another story. Although, "all money ain't (necessarily) good money" (they are buttloads of TV shows about people who won the lottery and wish they hadn't... as well as those that did and are still glad they did), so...
All the prepping in the world does you no good if you can't handle the physical stress of dealing with an emergency.
I agree with this to some extent... but I would think being prepared MENTALLY and EMOTIONALLY... so as to be capable of DEALING with the situation... would outweigh being physically prepared. If you can't focus, stay focused, think straight, problem-solve, and make decisions... NO amount of "pumped-upness" is gonna help you. You have to be able to assess the situation... then figure out what to do (how to use what you have, how to find/make what you don't have but need)... to survive the longest. I know some folks that are in GREAT physical shape that I KNOW couldn't think their way out of a paper bag.
Also, wilderness survival is not exactly the same thing as, say, survival in an urban disaster... and vice versa. New Orleans after Katrina didn't HAVE to happen the way it did. Many unprepared MINDS... on EVERY level... is what caused THAT fiasco.
My survival "problem" would be overcoming the sight of blood. For some reason, it always makes my knees buckle. If my LIFE depended on it, though... or someone else's... I would find a way to get over it. Absolutely. I've had to before, so I know I can do it.
If someone has proprietary access to future events that involve the fate of the known world and choose NOT to bring it to the proper authorities then that person should be condemned for jeopardizing humanity (which includes EVERYTHING we have done to get to this point).
Not sure I can agree with this, dear Sab (peace to you, as well!). I mean, the track record is that such folks are never believe such ones (just spend eons lauding them AFTER the event, you know, when everyone wants to go, "He told ME first! Yeah, I knew ALL about it!"). To the contrary, they are almost always labelled as kooks, or enemies of the state, etc., and either locked up and/or put on heavy, mind-altering meds... or killed. Along with their families. I mean, there is the assumption that world governments don't already know things that are prophesied - but that's not a wise assumption to make, IMHO.
Don't fool yourself: the world governments and most of their leaders aren't actually interested in the "people". You know, the "47"... or more... "percent"? The people who run the world don't believe the world is FOR the "people" but rather, that the "people" are really nothing more than an expendable inconvenience most of the time.
To disregard science in such a context would be to doom us all.
Not necessarily - those who might be affected by the "doom," perhaps (although, I believe in a resurrection, so depends on which event is really "doom")... but not sure you can say "us all." But consider the choices: put something out there... and lose everything - family, friends, livelihood... mind... even life - or remain quiet and let those who also know (and SHOULD do something about it) work it out. That they DON'T is... whose fault?
And you can't just blame the governments/leaders: the world (i.e., the "people") doesn't WANT to know about such things. If they did, every person would unequivocally evacuate a potential disaster area when they are ORDERED... if not at least warned.. to do so. And no one would die in floods, eruptions, hurricanes, etc., that didn't HAVE to... because they HEEDED the warning. But folks are often more concerned about their THINGS/possessions... than their lives. It is the human condition.
In all seriousness, what IF a comet hit and this prophetess somehow survived. Would she emerge from the destruction wearing a crown?
If he emerged, he would probably be just as devastated with grief as anyone else. I mean, if he KNOWS there's a comet coming (and it's true) AND knows that there is NOTHING that ANYONE can do about it (and THAT'S true)... why send everyone into a panic? They can't DO anything about it. No, hear what I said: I did not say "they MIGHT be able to stop it, so he should give science a chance to seek a solution." I said he KNOWS they can't do anything about it. Meaning, if they COULD, then his prophecy that they CAN'T... would be false, yes? As would his prophecy that a comet IS coming in the first place (what, one part is true and one part isn't?? If ANY part is false, then I would say one should consider that ALL of it is false). And if the first is FALSE... because he's not 100% certain a comet IS coming (in which case he should keep his mouth shut anyway)... why send people into an unnecessary panic? Why SAY anything at all?
Because imagine the reception for this: "Hello, NASA? Yeah, well, I think... I mean, I know... well, I don't really know but I'm almost certain... but I can't say fer SURE... that a comet is going to hit the earth. What am I basing that on? Well, on... well, I think it's on... wait, no, maybe it's because... Look! Don't ask me any questions! Just BELIEVE me when I tell you I THINK a comet's gonna hit the earth!"
Yes, I can see THAT sending folks to stand at attention...
I just can't see the other survivors appreciating the fact that she knew about it all along and didn't inform the right people.
I would think that depends. I mean, if he says what I stated above, "Look, folks, yeah, I knew a comet was coming; I also knew there was absolutely nothing anyone could... or would... do to stop it, and so why rob those people of their last years of happiness?"... would they really take issue? I mean, if they did, he could also say, could he not... "And if you mess with me, a little sumthin' sumthin' is gonna happen to you, too!" Whether THAT'S true or not. Right? Because he's already established a track record for being accurate by the fulfillment of the event. Who's gonna question him now?
No, I think that MOST of the survivors would probably be trying to be his BFF and try to find out what's gonna happen next and/or what they should do NOW.
Again, interesting thread. I personally wouldn't pay too much attention to a "doomsday" prophet... unless it was my Lord warning ME of what is coming (so I could prepare). Whom I would listen to because he's never lied to me before. Everyone else? Well, they're either gonna have to show me some proof... or my Lord is going to have to corroborate. Since it's more likely that my Lord will tell me whether it's true or NOT... I'll stick to listening to him.
Peace!
A doulos of Christ,
SA