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Yakk · 10-25-2005, 01:27 PM

In Revelations, it is stated that even the angels do not know when the end will come. It is also stated that the end will come within the lifetime of those in attendence at one of the sermons recorded.

I personally would take this to mean that any belief that you know when the end will occur is hubris of the highest order. A quite explicit limit on when the end will occur, in that same book, was violated -- demonstrating that even explicit descriptions of when the end occurs should be viewed with a jaundiced eye. Vague predictions -- about numbers and signs and portents -- have been found to be true hundreds of times throughout history. The presumption that your life is somehow special and your life will witness the end times is a seductive one -- but it is simple pride.

If you believe a prophet has told you that you will live to see the end times, you are probably wrong. A holy prophet of God told people in the Bible exactly that, and it did not come to pass. Unless you place yourself above the Angels -- place yourself equal to God -- you cannot know when the end will occur.

Lastly, game-theoretically if you know when the game ends, the entire nature of the game changes. The uncertainty of the end of the world means that you must live your entire life as if it where your last moment, and be willing to stand up in front of your Creator and state "I am willing to accept your love." That is what the lesson of "the world will end, and you will not be able to know when" is -- be ready to meet your maker at each and every moment, and live a life of love and justice.

PS: While the evidence is pretty clear that the Bible is simply a document used to convince you to act in the benefit of the self-replicating idea complex called "the Church", I can presume the truth of the document and continue from that point. I am not an expert on the matter -- my post-secondary formal theology is minimal.

10-25-2005, 01:27 PM	#18 (permalink)
Yakk Wehret Den Anfängen! Location: Ontario, Canada	In Revelations, it is stated that even the angels do not know when the end will come. It is also stated that the end will come within the lifetime of those in attendence at one of the sermons recorded. I personally would take this to mean that any belief that you know when the end will occur is hubris of the highest order. A quite explicit limit on when the end will occur, in that same book, was violated -- demonstrating that even explicit descriptions of when the end occurs should be viewed with a jaundiced eye. Vague predictions -- about numbers and signs and portents -- have been found to be true hundreds of times throughout history. The presumption that your life is somehow special and your life will witness the end times is a seductive one -- but it is simple pride. If you believe a prophet has told you that you will live to see the end times, you are probably wrong. A holy prophet of God told people in the Bible exactly that, and it did not come to pass. Unless you place yourself above the Angels -- place yourself equal to God -- you cannot know when the end will occur. Lastly, game-theoretically if you know when the game ends, the entire nature of the game changes. The uncertainty of the end of the world means that you must live your entire life as if it where your last moment, and be willing to stand up in front of your Creator and state "I am willing to accept your love." That is what the lesson of "the world will end, and you will not be able to know when" is -- be ready to meet your maker at each and every moment, and live a life of love and justice. PS: While the evidence is pretty clear that the Bible is simply a document used to convince you to act in the benefit of the self-replicating idea complex called "the Church", I can presume the truth of the document and continue from that point. I am not an expert on the matter -- my post-secondary formal theology is minimal. __________________ Last edited by JHVH : 10-29-4004 BC at 09:00 PM. Reason: Time for a rest.