Comment by aetherspawn
5 months ago
There is a prophecy in the Bible that says Babylon will never successfully be rebuilt. Isa 13:19, 20.
5 months ago
There is a prophecy in the Bible that says Babylon will never successfully be rebuilt. Isa 13:19, 20.
It's amazing we're living in a time again where we have to know the bible to predict government policy
I'll settle for what came long before it.
Unlike other religions, it said a lot of things that have come true:
1. Jerusalem would get destroyed with the temple, the Jews scattered, persecuted, then Israel recreated, big exporter of produce, many trees, survives all its enemies, and yet wouldn't be able to rebuild the temple on one piece of land. All came true and it's the only country to ever re-appear like that.
2. Revelation says they will try to build a world government with one currency. They'll financially cut off, or cancel, dissenters. The elites have been repeatedly trying to do that for decades.
3. Society itself would change. People would be godless, apathetic, focus on money/pleasure, disobedient to their parents (family disintegration), violent, etc. People would listen to whoever tickled their ears, or told them what they wanted to hear. Famous preachers would be false teachers, perform fake miracles, and do it for ego and money.
4. Revelation talks of a new Babylon that was a huge, imperialist nation (or religion) that gets most of the world under its influence, is one of the richest in history, and (strangely) exports sexual immorality to other nations. Aside from imperialisma and capitalism, the U.S. exported sexual immorality worldwide through porn industry, Hollywood movies, and funding LGBT promotion. Whatever it is, God destroys the new Babylon likely via the consequences of its own worldviews.
I put more of these up here:
https://gethisword.com/signsofthetimes.html
I'll be glad if Babylon is never raised. It deserved to be destroyed for all the cruel things it did which it never repented of. Over there, they still chase the false religions and practices that tore their country to pieces. If the repent, and turn to Christ, we will see a transformation of the nation like the people of Ninevah saw in Jonah's day.
> Truly I tell you, this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened. Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away. Matthew 24:34–35
Of course when the prediction doesn't fit, the Cirque du Soleil level mental gymnastics come out to explain how "this generation" didn't actually mean that.
Meanwhile, scientists predict solar eclipses with 100% accuracy. Among many other physical phenomena. Much of that knowledge was ascertained despite religion relentlessly persecuting those seeking out answers about our universe.
> Unlike other religions, it said a lot of things that have come true...
I can promise you that followers of every religion have made this same claim and also have a list of "proof". They don't look at each other and go "darn, that Christianity keeps getting it right somehow!".
I highly recommend checking out The Demon-Haunted World by Carl Sagan [0]. It is a great way to improve anyone's baloney-detector kit. We all want to understand our world, but some "answers" are pure Grade-A baloney.
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[0] https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17349.The_Demon_Haunted_...
You're quoting one that's intentionally vague, likely a double fulfillment. Those have elements of present and future in them with recurring patterns. That genre in Hebrew literature is highly subject to interpretation where even Christians can't agree on what the specific timing of fulfillment would look like. That's often not the point either since times were symbolic for Hebrews.
Let's look at it real quick:
https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew%2024&ve...
Proper interpretation starts with the opening, or thesis statement. The chapter you're citing opens with the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem. It had Herod's support. So, it was unlikely Rome would destroy it. It's unlikely not stones would he left given its strength of construction. Yet, that's exactly what happened after they killed Jesus and in the lifetime of some present ("this generation").
Then, the topic changes partly during a private conversation. Now, we have multiple comtexts. Jesus refuses to tell them the timing. Instead, He focuses them on the behaviors of people and key circumstances to watch out for.
He says many false prophets, including fake versions of Jesus, will show up first. Watch out for those. We've since seen many claim to be the reincarnation of Jesus or warped versions of Christianity that elevate mere humans to equal or have priority over Christ and His teaching. Catholicism, Islam, Jehovah's Witnesses, Mormonism, Prosperity Gospel, Social Gospel... it keeps happening.
We will see some dramatic increase in wars, famines, and earthquakes. That's vague. In the past 100 years, we have seen the world go to war, famine in the richest nation during COVID, and scientists speculating about why earthquakes increased.
He says that's "the beginning of the birth pains." So, these happen before other things. In Hebrew and Greek styles, this also tells us Jesus is describing a process more than a specific event in time. At any point, His words might be referring to some aspect of the process or a specific event. Be careful of that if interpreting.
He says "you" will be delivered up to tribution, be hated for His name's sake, and betray and be hated by one another. This happened in the Apostle's time. It also happens today where Christianity is illegal in many countries, censored in many more, and mocked in others. The Gospel is persecuted more than any other religion. In my area, rap songs about dumping women you use for sex or murdering people in your neighborhood are played openly in stores but they ask us to quiet down about Jesus to not offend people. "Or leave."
And then the Gospel will be proclaimed to all nations "and then the end will come." There's a specific criteria where all people groups, which is what the Greek word meant back then, must hear the Gospel to cause or finish what He is saying.
Then, the rest references more details of the overall process. That generation did see the process begin with some fulfillment. He said people standing there would see Him come in glory. The next chapter or soon after is The Transfiguration where people saw Him in glory. So, that happened already.
Evangelicals want the rest to happen. We're doing our part. Of 7,000 people groups, we have gotten the Gospel to around 4,000 with 3,000 left. The Bible was translated to 2,000+ languages. Even Facebook AI team used it for mass-multi-lingual since no other book is as widely translated as the Bible (as predicted).
The one work God said was His proved to be the most inclusive and globally impactful with same positive changes, answered prayers, anf miracles happening. As before, even enemies of Christ persecuting Christians met Him and were transformed. It keeps proving out.
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I upvoted you because I agree with some of the points you've made. With that Jesus Christ thing as such not so much.
Essentially much of what you wrote can be traced to much older sources, countlessly translated, and very probably distorted, because there is always loss in translation.
While from a conspiracy theorist view, Jesus Christ, and what happened to him, can be seen as a later 'invention', made up by whomever, for whichever reasons.
As can be Islam. No matter what they say about the 'holy Qoran' being 'checksummed', and whatnot else.
Why am I even responding to you? Well, because in my younger years (mostly 1982, other place(s) in 1988 & 2004) I did wonders, too.
Impossible things. But with witnesses, sometimes documented by X-Rays directly afterwards. Other times with medical staff watching while I did it(healing about a dozen sick kids in one wing of a child hospital), at other times healing and rejuvenating several female teachers, healing and rejuvenating a very old and sick nun( 90+ years old, eaten up by cancer, to about 25 biological age), leading up to having sex with a bunch of them, in their chapel, on their altar, because the acting chief nun insisted, and I've been like why not? :-)
Leading to a Jesuit trying to exorcise the devil out of me, which ended very bad for him :-) In one of the rather luxurious appartments/condos right below https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34464465
edit(timeout): If you're wondering why you can't find anything about the events I've mentioned, that's because I insisted that the involved parties keep their mouths shut about my identity, that I don't want to see any of this reported in the media, at the times newspapers, radio, or TV. Even to the police, or firemen, when they were involved. (Like trying to break open doors with an axe, when I've been doing my stuff, and some panicked bystanders called them)
I don't care about 'followers', groupies, fans, admirers, 'disciples', publicity and fame. Never did.
They are distractions. And a potential hassle.
As the metaphor of some allegedly crucified guy shows very well, doesn't it? :-)
I appreciate your interesting response. I'll start with an oft-repeated myth that falls apart under scrutiny:
"Essentially much of what you wrote can be traced to much older sources, countlessly translated, and very probably distorted, because there is always loss in translation."
Your claim assumes that whatever published document appears to be older was (a) older than any oral traditions, (b) the original claim, and (c) true, or more true than the later one. Then, any published works that come later are inventions or distortions rather than the truth. We have literally millions of counterexamples today disproving all of those premises.
Today, we see most people racing to be first to publish or to market often do shoddy work or lie or scheme to succeed. The people who move more slowly and carefully are often more accurate.
Most traditions and stories don't even get published. They're almost all oral traditions among friends. This was more true back in ancient days with their transmission done carefully. Whoever wrote something first had more money. We see today that whoever has more money for publishing isn't the first or most honest in many cases. The corporate media dumps out so many lies we can't count them.
The polytheistic works show many changes as they morphed from a few to thousands of gods and mythical stories. The Bible is firstly monotheistic which was a mind-blowing concept in that region. People are jailed or killed for claiming only one God even today. Next, the Bible gets extended in a backwards-compatible way by over a dozen authors from different walks of life and time periods. Then, it has history backing it up which was often challenged by atheists before that history showed up.
Then, there's the miracles. They have multiple witnesses, some who were skeptical or enemies of Jesus Christ, backing up His miracles. We've seen these follow the real church for a long time in areas where the Hindus and Buddhists say they never saw miracles before. Further, Jesus Christ had perfect character, didn't sin by using people for sex as you claimed to, and also never changes. He is the same yesterday, today, and forever which is comforting given His promise of salvation never changes for those who repent.
Most of what you described wouldn't come from God. It's out of character for Him. All of those encounters, done in Christ and righteously, would've instead been a nice testimony of loving, upbuilding acts. It's instead just hedonism that might be severely punished by God. That would mean you got your power from the Devil, lied about it, or imagined it. I've prayed you repent and are healed of whatever is going on with you.
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