Do all failed expectations of the past constitute "prophecy"?
The Book of Revelation
by under74 17 Replies latest watchtower bible
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Carmel
First it seems to me that most Christians have tunnel vision about to whom the last book of the NT was addressing. They think it is an exclusive document meant for them only. It would seem more likely that it is addressed to all of humanity if God is interested in us all. If that is the case then the seven churches takes on a completely different meaning. If it refers to the seven major world religions, for instance, we can look at some of the attributes of the world religions and see them described therein. The church of Philidelphia, of Brotherly Love, guess who?
If one makes them familiar with the history of Islam, much of the events in Revelations could easily apply to that religion..
Okay, where am I going with this...? Sorry, it's a Baha'i secret!!
Food for thought...
carmel
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under74
Thank you all very much!! It's really good to see what you all think and thanks to everyone for the links and other materials to look up.
Does anyone have any insight as to why so many American Christians take Revelation literally? I'm a little confused about this. I mean I know the US has a somewhat heavy history with Christian fanatics (no offence to anyone) like the Pilgrims and that during times of great change like the 1800s there's usually a rise in fundamentalist type religions that believe the world is at an end....this might explain the origins of some American religions but doesn't explain why the religions last or spread into other countries. I haven't lived outside the US and all I can think is America has a long running romance with the apocalypse but this doesn't explain everything. Anybody have any comments on this?
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A Paduan
Does anyone have any insight as to why so many American Christians take Revelation literally?
Who are "American Christians" ? Do you mean the fine clothed, major energy using, 'morally superior' occupiers of the native American lands ?
Those 'righteous folk' so hell bent on vengeance and their own righteousness that they know those WMDs are out their somewhere.
Mybe deep down they're expecting that justice has something adverse coming - something that tells them truth or maybe even effect their union carbide shares in Bophal. Who knows?
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Narkissos
Under74,
A very interesting book on American religion is French theologian Gabriel Vahanian's The Death of God, the Culture of Our Post-Christian Era (1961). He shows how the secular realisation of the Pilgrims' religious expectations in the building of a new society, a "new Jerusalem" on earth, coupled with the industrial revolution and technological development, resulted in the disappearance of eschatology ("end of times" perspective) in the mainstream faith and culture. But then the "missing" eschatology came back as the essential feature of 19th-century American religion, which was then more or less successfully exported to other then "developing countries". An good read anyway.
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lv4fer
I think it talks about the future. I do think John saw the future/wars etc and described it in a way he could because he was seeing things he didn't understand (airplanes, bombs, war, etc.) He described them as stinging scorpions, flying locusts etc. Actually planes, helicopters do look kind of look like huge flying insects. Hal Lindsey's books have some interesting insight into this. This is just my take on it
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justhuman
Here we go again!!!
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under74
A Paduan- Well...I get what you say. To be specific, American Christians as in Jehovah's Witnesses, Seventh Day Adventists, Mormons, Pentecostals, Evangelicals and those that keep track of the "Rapture Index" and believe the 2nd coming of Christ is dependant on Israel and...many, many more....but you probably knew what I meant, right?
Narkissos- Thank you very much for the suggestion. It sounds like a book I need to read and I'll have to find a copy.
justhuman- What? I don't think Brownboy's been around the thread. Nobody's fighting, just giving their opinions because I asked. Anyway, if anybody did start fighting...well, I can kill a thread even easier than I can start one :)