Comment by nickpsecurity
20 hours ago
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.
Why do you have to stray so far away from the topic related to this article?