Thursday, June 22, 2006

Getting Ready For Armageddon

The apocalyptic activities of John Hagee, a popular evangelist, as well as Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad have caught the eye of a reporter in the Los Angeles Times:
For thousands of years, prophets have predicted the end of the world. Today, various religious groups, using the latest technology, are trying to hasten it.

Their endgame is to speed the promised arrival of a messiah.

For some Christians this means laying the groundwork for Armageddon.

With that goal in mind, mega-church pastors recently met in Inglewood to polish strategies for using global communications and aircraft to transport missionaries to fulfill the Great Commission: to make every person on Earth aware of Jesus' message. Doing so, they believe, will bring about the end, perhaps within two decades.

In Iran, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has a far different vision. As mayor of Tehran in 2004, he spent millions on improvements to make the city more welcoming for the return of a Muslim messiah known as the Mahdi, according to a recent report by the American Foreign Policy Center, a nonpartisan think tank.

To the majority of Shiites, the Mahdi was the last of the prophet Muhammad's true heirs, his 12 righteous descendants chosen by God to lead the faithful.

Ahmadinejad hopes to welcome the Mahdi to Tehran within two years.

Conversely, some Jewish groups in Jerusalem hope to clear the path for their own messiah by rebuilding a temple on a site now occupied by one of Islam's holiest shrines.

Artisans have re-created priestly robes of white linen, gem-studded breastplates, silver trumpets and solid-gold menorahs to be used in the Holy Temple — along with two 6½-ton marble cornerstones for the building's foundation.
It seems like even scientists like Hawking are planning for the end of the world.

John Hagee says a lot, as well as his Jewish allies:
"I truly believe John Hagee is at once a daring, beautiful person — and quite dangerous," said Orthodox Rabbi Brad Hirschfield, vice president of the National Jewish Center for Learning and Leadership in New York.

"I sincerely recognize him as a hero for bringing planeloads of people to Israel at a time when people there were getting blown up by the busloads," Hirschfield said. "But he also believes that the only path to the father is through Jesus. That leaves me out."

Meanwhile, in what has become a spectacular annual routine, Jews — hoping to rebuild the Holy Temple destroyed by the Romans in AD 70 — attempt to haul the 6 1/2 -ton cornerstones by truck up to the Temple Mount, the site now occupied by the Dome of the Rock shrine. Each year, they are turned back by police.

Among those turned away is Gershon Solomon, spokesman for Jerusalem's Temple Institute. When the temple is built, he said, "Islam is over."
Big statements.

Actually, from what I understand from the Qur'an, the Prophet Muhammad's prophecies, and even Biblical ones, Islam will be far from over. A quick Muslim layman's outline for the end times:

- Wars and rumours of wars (WWI and WWII).
- Other signs such as natural disasters and social behaviour changes (Raunch culture, SSM).
- Jews brought together (ie. in Israel).
- Crusader war between Christians and Muslims ("War on Terror?").
- Al-Aqsa Mosque destroyed, temple rebuilt = more war with Muslims.
- One world government formed by "Kings of the North" (EU, UN, neo-Rome).
- The antichrist or dajjal will rule.
- Antichrist will enslave the worlds people with "mark of the beast" (RFID chips?).
- Muslims will be the only ones to resist under leadership of Mahdi.
- Muslims will be surrounded, on the verge of defeat in Syria.
- Jesus will return, lead the Muslims.
- Armageddon in Israel, Jesus will kill the dajjal then abolish the cross.
- Muslims will conquer Rome, Jesus will live out the rest of his natural life.
- Things will fall apart after Jesus dies.
- Muslims will die out from disease, Qur'an will disappear.
- The Gog and Magog tribes will lay waste to what's left of the world.
- God will destroy the earth while those left on it will bear witness.
- Judgement Day!

Whew... Are you ready!?

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2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Everyobody knows that Armageddon is a Greek word and it is generally believed it stands for Har-Megiddo, i.e. the hill of Megiddo.

I don't have this feeling. I have the intuition the root of MMageddon are the lettres M-g-d (on being a Greek suffix and "Ar" or "har" meaning "hill"). I think the "g" was originally pronounces "g" like in "gold" hence, the Greek word "Ar-mageddon", but that in modern day language it shifted to a "g" like in "Algeria". If I'm right, ar-m-g-d means the hill of prosternation, of worshipping or in modern day language the Hill of the Temple. I just remark that both in the context of Johns Revelation and in the ontext of modern day history, this explanation fits in perfectly 'well'.

rgrds -wpjo

Anonymous said...

Everyybody knows that Armageddon is a Greek word and it is generally believed it stands for Har-Megiddo, i.e. the hill of Megiddo.

I don't have this feeling. I have the intuition the root of Armageddon are the lettres M-g-d (on being a Greek suffix and "Ar" or "har" meaning "hill"). I think the "g" was originally pronounced "g" like in "gold" hence, the Greek word "Ar-mageddon", but that in modern day language it shifted to a "g" like in "Algeria". If I'm right, ar-m-g-d means the hill of prosternation, of worshipping or in modern day language the Hill of the Temple. I just remark that both in the context of Johns Revelation and in the ontext of modern day history, this explanation fits in perfectly 'well'.

rgrds -wpjo