On December 31, 1999, I was at a New Year's Eve party at a friend's house. We were having a great time, but just underneath the surface of the fun was a bit of apprehension. For nearly a year, it seems that all we had heard about was Y2K, the theory that as soon as all the computers in the world needed to read "2000," they would shut down because they could only read the "0" and would not know how to interpret that information. As the clock ticked toward midnight on that night, we sat around the t.v., watching Dick Clark in Times Square, wondering if the lights and t.v.'s and computers around the world would suddenly fail. As we know, nothing happened that night, or any other night since then. The problem, however big it might have been, was fixed, and our computers were saved.
Y2K is certainly not the first time that a prediction of the end (in a big sense) has been made. It is most certainly, however, one of the least significant. Throughout time, predictions of the end of the world have been announced, and for the most part, the book of Revelation has provided the catalyst for those predictions. Here are a few of those predictions:
1) Otto III predicted that the world would end in 968 based on the occurance of an eclipse (Rev 8:12)
2) Pope Innocent III predicted 1284 as the last year by taking the number 666 (Rev 13:18) and adding that number to the year that Islam was founded.
3) The Jehovah's Witnesses predicted 1914 as the end of the world based on a prophecy in Daniel 4, which is roughly equivalent to Rev 5:12). [http://www.smu.edu/smunews/revelation/predictions.asp]
It seems that the more we try to understand the events, natural and man-made, that happen in our world, the more people turn to the Bible for answers. In many cases, we would consider this a good thing -- look to God, revealed in the Bible, for help in our times of need. In some cases, however, looking to the Bible for answers only provides more confusion, especially when we turn to Revelation to predict the end of the world as we know it. As we begin our study of Revelation, I would like to know what you have been taught about this book. What good is it? Why is it in the Bible? What can it tell us about the end times?
22 comments:
The end of time is always going to be up for debate. Is there really a mathmatical formula that will allow us to know when the big bang is going to occur. I have always been told that Revelations is bad and that if you are a bad person you need to read Revelations, because it will tell you how christians are going to be punished. I have always been scared of the book of Revelations because it has always had negative attributes. On Sunday mornings, while listening to a sermon, I have never heard a pastor say anything positive, we have always heard about "hell, fire , and brimstone". With those thoughts in mind why would anyone in their right mind even want to know how it will all end. That just goes back to God's plan. If God knows everything then there is nothing I can do but live my life day by day and hope that I am living the way God wants me to.
I believe that the end of time is something that nobody can predict. It will come whenever people on earth stop carrying to the point where the Earth will simply die. As for the book of Revelations, I don't think it would be a good thing to refer to as it is mostly negative. But maybe there will be a big positive change in the way this world is going and erase every prediction of the end of the world.
I agree with the first two people.When we talk about that we dont know what is going to happen, and what to expect. God already have a plan for us and he sees what we a re going to do befor it happens. So the only thing that we have left is to live life, and enjoy it. When they brought up Revelations that book do have a lot of negative things in it, but they are apart of the bible and its apart of us rather we like it or not
As the actual blog stated, the end of the world is something that people have been trying to predict for centuries. It is just something that can't be done, it is like the other three people said, it is a part of Gods plan and maybe it wasn't meant for us to know when the world will end. Maybe thats why it hasn't happened yet, he is just waiting to catch everyone by suprise to see who truly has faith, because as we can tell from the book of revelations, it's going to be pretty rough when the end comes. As the other people have said, all we have been taught is that basically it is going to be hell on earth for the people who are caught in between. So all we can really do is believe in God and live to how we think we can best serve God and just allow our faith to carry us through whatever type of struggle we may encounter.
I am personally not worried about the end of time. I know that I am going to met Jesus in the sky and go up to heaven. I don't understand why people try to predict it. At my church we talk about a series of events that needed to take place before it happened, and they say they have already taken place. I agree with jim about how it will be hell on earth, but this doesn't scare me. I don't know too much about revelations. I have learned about what will happen when the rapture takes place and the years after it. I think the book does a lot of good if you want to know about all that will take place. I agree with jrohland about it being Gods plan. Nobody can predict when it will take place, just let God plan happen. Revelations is something I would like to learn a lot more about. The next time my church has a bible study on it I plan to attend.
the way i look at Revelation is that everything in life has an end, just the same way everything that goes up will come down eventually. So maybe it's going to be the same with the world we live in, but i disagree on people saying that it's going to happen soon or very far from now. We do not even know if we are going to die today or tomorrow so how do we know when the world is going to end. we should just live for today but at the same time plan for tomorrow cause it might come.
Revelation is a very difficult book. people always have predictions to when the world is going to come to an end but in the bible, Jesus said "For he will come like a thief at night for his people" and that is talking about God. we dont know when God is coming and we are not suppose to know. i think Revelation was put in the bible to scare us and make us want to do good because it puts fear in us.
Just now before I started typing there I gave this huge sigh like 'what in the world do I say now'! As for the end of time I think it will come when it is time, it seems like it may be the end of time now or about to be prepared for it with all the natural disasters (I won't even get started on that). I was never raised a 'church goer' or have I ever been. I wish that I could tell you in all honesty what I believe and have been taught about the book of Revelation but I cannot say. I am entitled to my opinion as anyone else and I do not believe that someone thousands of years ago predicted the end of times to be now, then, or have any power what so ever to do that. Our extinction and our time will come when it comes.
I have also been told that Revelation was some book to read. It talks about the end of the world. I try not to ever think about that because if it is my time to go I am going to leave this earth whether I'm ready or not; so I agree with tburton on that point.Marvin torvic has a good point when he states that Revelation implies everything in life has an end, just the same way everything that goes up will come down eventually. I have to disagree with kwame because I don't think this book was placed in the bible to scare us, but to inform us. God wants us to be aware of all our surroundings and that all good things will come to an end and that he will someday come back for his people.
I have not read a lot of Revelations. I have tried in the past but find it confusing and kind of depressing. I see Revelations as an important book because it does tell us about the end of times. It gives us insight into what is to come so we can be ready. The world is not going to last forever. Jesus said to be ready because no one except for God knows when Jesus will return and the end of times. I beleive what is in Revelations and that everything will happen as it said. I am somewhat ready for the end of times to see if the events in Revelations come true, but kind of scared because some of the events seem terrifying.
When i hear Revelation, the first thing that comes to mind is apocolypse.In my opinion i see Revelation as a book to what will happen to those who are not faithful to God. I also think that the Christian Religion does focus more on fear. You fear you will go to Hell if you are not faithful to God. You hear more about hell then heaven in the bible. Maybe this book was put in the Bible to scare us for not believing in God.
Blake Hughes
Revelations is something that i was not very familiar with. But from what i have learned so far, people have many different interpretations of it. What i got from revelation is that the end of the world is going to come when god gives very blatant symbols and the world goes corrupt. I also believe that there is no way that we can predict when the world is going to end besides these clues. People today look at all of the bad in the world and not the good. This is why everyone says the world is coming to an end. Revelations is good to help us realize what not to do to keep the world in existence.
The book of Revelation is good in that is allows us to know what the future will hold. I believe that the book of Revelation is in the Bible because most people take life for granted, but the Revelations allow people to gain a new perspective of life and realize what they need to do before the end of time comes. The book of Revelations tells us that before the end of time there will be a judgment day in which one will either go to heaven or hell.
I believe that in any religion of the world there will be a story of how the world will suddenly come to a end. For example, the Myans believe that in the Year "2012" the world well come to an end. Could the myans be correct all the other prodiction the have prodicted has be true. Humans just don't know, but has to question when because something that we are not sure about. I believe the Book of Revelaton was written to scare people into doing the right things in life because one day God is going to come back and Judge us and our way of living. But if so wouldn't everyone be going hell? People are not perfect no matter how HOLY you think are, and yes you have committed a sin at one point in your life. But, going back to the main topic I believe that there are a book of Revelation to scare people to do GOOD.
I believe that in any religion of the world there will be a story of how the world will suddenly come to a end. For example, the Myans believe that in the Year "2012" the world well come to an end. Could the myans be correct all the other prodiction the have prodicted has be true. Humans just don't know, but has to question when because something that we are not sure about. I believe the Book of Revelaton was written to scare people into doing the right things in life because one day God is going to come back and Judge us and our way of living. But if so wouldn't everyone be going hell? People are not perfect no matter how HOLY you think are, and yes you have committed a sin at one point in your life. But, going back to the main topic I believe that there are a book of Revelation to scare people to do GOOD.
I remember when the Y2K situation occurred because my father would stop talking about it. it was all over the news everyone was getting worried because they didn’t no what to expect for the year 2000 coming in. people were in the stores buying generators and buying more can food cause people are scared they are going to run out of food and that there lights are going to go off. even my father had bought a generator and a lot of can food he was the one that told everyone that the world was going to come to an end and that people needed to do this and do that but it was funny that it didn’t happened on the year 2000 but be careful because you never know when it can happen or if it will happen so be careful.
I dont know a whole lot about the book of revelations, but what I do know is that my grandmother refuses to read it, she says that if it happens in her lifetime then she will deal with it but as for now she does not want to think or worry about the end of the world. As Marvin Torvic said we should just live for today but at the same time plan for tomorrow cause it might come. I like that. Like most of the others have said I believe that there is no way to perdict the end of the world. And for that matter why would you want to. If someone did accurately perdict the end of the world, what do you think would happen? I think that there would be mass confussion and panic. I also agree that the book of revelations was meant to scare us and instill fear. I think that is the basis of all relegions to get to a better place and not to go to hell. If it was not for hell pr the idea of hell how many people do you think would strive to live good lives? Right now there are people that do things that they know they shouldn't knowing that they could possibley go to hell. How many more would do the same if there were no repercusions for there actions
Raised as a Lutheran, the Book of Revelation has always been a "Baptist thing." That's not meant in a bad way. Revelation, the rapture, The End - it's just not really something Lutherans think about too much, or talk about too much. And in a way, I kind of like that. We aren't living our lives in fear, as Robert said, and we aren't living good lives just to an end of getting to heaven. That's one of the things I like best about my faith. I'm not living for the "end times," I'm living here today because this is what I have, and Christ is here today. That's why I personally don't put a huge emphasis on the belief that Jesus is going to "come again." He's here in our midst today, and if you live that way, it doesn't really matter when the end of time is coming. My boyfriend and I talk about this sometimes, and we agree that worrying about the end of the universe is just a waste of time, because there's nothing you can do to stop it anyways.
I believe the New Testament is about hope, and Revelation is no exception. This semester, a small group has been discussing readings from Revelation with Pastor Todd. We've learned that if you don't put so much emphasis on the bad, on that "fire, hell, and brimstone," and instead focus on the good in Revelation, it's a beautiful picture. Over and over again, it mentions a "great cloud of witnesses," a "countless crowd" of people worshiping God constantly. The "gates are always open," and there is no darkness. And that sounds pretty good to me.
I personally have not heard that much about Revelations until I listened to the lectures in class. Before then, I have only heard things about how bad the earth is going to be when this occurs. Ironically on Sunday, my Pastor had a sermon on Revelations and the things that we needed to do before the end of the world. I didnt look at Revelations as a horrible book and afterwards explained to my grandfather what we had learned. I'm not scared of the end of time and I dont want to know when it is going to occur. I agree with Tburton when she says that she doesnt know why people want to predict it. The end of the world should have occured atleast 100 times by now if all the predictions were correct. We just have to live everyday like it is our last. The only person that knows when the end of the world is coming is God, and it should stay that way!
I haven't really heard about the revelations but i gained some knowledge during class. I remember the Y2K situation, everyone was scared but I think that was just a hoax for everybody to get the economy straight because everyone was buying food and everything else so they could be ready for what was in store for them. I hear time after time that when you cant tell winter from summer that indicates the end is near. The weather is different all the time one minute you can wear shorts then the next you will have to put on a coat. Last saturday at the football game it was hot and I have never been hot in december.
Just like in Does God Have A Plan? I said God does have a plan and if he believes the world will soon end then thats his decision not the book of revelation. I mean revelation may a book where there is signs of the world ending don't mean no one can really judge and tell everyone when the world will end. People have their opinions about everything don't everyone will believe their opinions. I believe what Robert Lambert said when people have different believes or people have different judgements to believe when the world is going to end. Thats strickly in God's hands not no human.
I believe that only God knows when the end of time will come. We can predict things all we want, but there is only one person who knows the truth. He is the one that created the world. Also, if we were to believe and take everything that the Bible says for a fact then we would be confused, because the Bible does not agree with itself sometimes. I have been taught that there are hints into what is going to happen, but those hints are figerativly speaking.
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