Are we living in the end times?

Look at me!!! ©

This is my friend's weblog that I received this morning:

WASHINGTON, D.C., JULY 26, 2006) -- I've been invited to attend the speech by Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki to a Joint Session of Congress at 11am eastern today. I'll post an initial report from the Capitol on my weblog immediately following the speech, and update it later in the day.

At 3:15pm, I'll be on CNN's "Live From..." with Kyra Phillips. Author Jerry Jenkins of the LEFT BEHIND novel series and I will discuss our new books (THE RAPTURE and THE COPPER SCROLL, respectively) and the topic: "Is the fighting in Israel increasing interest in the End Times?"
The quick answer: Yes.

Curiosity about the End Times is definitely spiking, and not just among Christians. Believe it or not, I'm finding that mainstream reporters and producers along with a growing number of U.S. and foreign political leaders are fascinated by the issue.

Over the past year, I've been invited to speak at the White House, to Members of Congress, to Congressional chiefs of staff, to CIA officials and to diplomats and other leaders from Israel and even Arab countries about the link between Middle East events and Bible prophecy. They've been asking because my novels keep having an eerie way of foreshadowing actual coming events, and each of my novels are based on End Times prophecies that could indicate the return of Jesus Christ is drawing near.

Since the fighting in the Mideast broke out two weeks ago, I've done more than 60 radio, TV and print interviews. Nearly all of them have been about whether the events were watching play out in the Middle East were foretold by the Biblical prophets, and what should we be looking to see happen next.

What's more, consider some of the articles that have run in recent days:

In a USA Today article entitled, "In The Headlines, Glimpes of the Apocalypse," columnist Chuck Raasch asked quite pointedly: "Are these the end of times?"

"You can't look at the headlines these days and not conjure up apocalyptic visions," he wrote. "With the war in Iraq persisting, with fresh fighting in Afghanistan, with missiles raining down on even Nazareth, the hometown of Jesus Christ, the world's most powerful governments and the United Nations appear unable or unwilling to stop a chain of events that may be spinning out of earthly control."

Raasch is not alone.

* A headline in the Waco Tribune-Herald asked: "Are We Living In The Final Days?"

* A Columbus Dispatch headline asked: "Is The Mideast Rupture A Sign of the Rapture?"

* Salon.com declared: "The Apocalypse Is Drawing Closer!"

* Last Friday, MSNBC devoted a segment of its Middle East coverage to asking whether current events suggest we are living in the last days before the return of Christ.

* Newt Gingrich, the former Speaker of the House, added fuel to the fire when he said he believes we are living in "the early stages of World War III."

* And not long ago, Senator John McCain speculated on NBC's "Meet The Press" that if Iran obtains nuclear weapons, "I think we could see Armageddon."

While it may be tempting to some to dismiss such language as overly dramatic, it is worth keeping in mind that Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has told colleagues that he believes the end of the world is just two or three years away. He believes that the way to hasten the coming of the Islamic Messiah known as the "Twelfth Imam" or the "Mahdi" is to launch a global jihad to destroy the Jews of Israel and the Christians of the United States. What's more, Ahmadinejad is feverishly trying to build, buy or steal the nuclear weapons to bring his Shiite end times beliefs to fulfillment.

That said, are we really living in what some call the "last days" and others call the "End Times"? Jerry Jenkins and I will discuss it briefly on CNN at 3:15pm. More detailed answers are on my weblog.

To visit Joel's website: www.joelrosenberg.com

Member

well, we could 1) throw our hands in the air and pray, because if it is prophetic there is nothing we can do about it. 2) you can spread the word and create unrest for everyone and let them be just as miserable as you, because now they "know". 3) If you believe the articles, you can also act like someone that knows their end is near and "make nice" with enemies and family. Or lastly, you can believe that you can change the prophecy. I choose #3, there is an end for all of us, individually, anyway. I can die tomorrow. I'm good. If a doctor told me that I 3 months, I would be more miserable than if I got struck my a car in 3 months and died instantly. Of course, with the extra 3 months of knowledge, I "do" have time to settle things for my kids. But with an "end of the world", my kids die too.

So.......end of the world.........I don't want to know, but thank you very much.

Member

For "the end of the world," is it limited to the end of mankind or does the entire physical world cease to exist?

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the kilted one

Member

this gets said any times there is tension/war in the mid-east someone starts this "Chicken Little" routine.

when the flames lick at my feet i'll be concerned

Member

Well, for my money when the "real" end time arrives we will know it. In the meantime I'll concentrate on the "good news" aspect of the Bible and New Testament.

Actually, based on the "Left Behind" series, Catholics like me will be left behind. When I was growing up anyone that wasn't Catholic was not going to make it to heaven. Then came Vatican II and all Christians were "united" in a brotherhood of belief in Jesus. Ergo we were all going to make it. Oh well, I was wrong.

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I See Dead People

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Are we living in the end times?

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