ummm, the end?

I heard on NPR this morning about an earthquake in Iran this morning, which led me to later go on a news website (*gasp*). Once there, I found all sorts of horrible news of death, dying and politics. It made me wonder if we are getting close to "the end." As laid out in the bible, at some point Jesus will come back, but before that, the condition of the world is supposed to get really crappy, and I wonder just how much worse things will get.

Anyone have any opinions about this? Do you think we are approaching an "end" or do you think the planet is pretty much here until the sun dies or we blow ourselves up with nukes?

Well, I don't particularly believe in all the "end times" stuff so I can't speak to it biblically.

But I do think it's a matter of perspective. There have been and will be many many times when things look really bad compared to other times. Whether this is just that clusters of crappy things happen at once...or just that there's always a lot of crappy stuff but a lot of it fades from memory as time removes us from it.� I mean, life must have seemed really bleak before a lot of diseases were "taken care of", but those weren't end times.

I mean...I kinda agree it looks kinda scary lately. But I also don't ever remember a time in my life when I didn't think to myself "wow, the world's falling apart." I think the bad stuff is always there. As is good stuff. But when you see a clump of it, it's hard not to ascribe something bigger to it.

But no. I don't think it's the end, biblically or otherwise.

To quote the Dead Milkmen, "life is shit." Well maybe not, but I certainly don't think that people dying and being shitty to each other is a sign of anything other than reality still being at play.

I think that people have been saying that we are some sort of end times since the bible was written - what do you think most of the prophets were talking about? "The end is nigh!" makes a great advertising slogan for the religiously nervous. Did I leave the stove on? Did I brush my teeth? Am I ready for the rapture?

most importantly, 'did I lock my keys in my car?'

or "did I take out the trash?"

or... like... do the damn laundry...?

but that only really applies if your swimming out in the pacific ocean

Also, if your usual process is to avoid most news, of COURSE it's going to look bleaker once you actually go look. But trust me, even when you're not looking, crappy stuff is happening.

Yup.
That's why it's best not to look.

;)

I read it was just the US testing its Earthquake Generation Weapon on Iran. Of course, that's what I get for reading Fark.

-- Pauley

maybe....but more likely is the fact that news people mostly report bad stuff. I mean, how often do you hear about good things happening on the news? People think its lame. I mean, if you saw a story about a cat getting saved from a tree, would you still hold that news station in high regard? (well, besides the fact that cats are cute)

This is sorta off topic, but not really: Anyone ever see the movie "Pay It Forward?" the world is shit. that was the message there. at the end at least. mostly.

> maybe....but more likely is the fact that news people mostly report bad
> stuff. I mean, how often do you hear about good things happening on the
> news?

It's a rare condition this day and age to read any good news on the newspaper page.

But love and tradition in the grand design, some people say is even harder to find.

Well, then... there must be some magic clue inside these tearful walls...

But it seems today that all you see is violence in movies and sex on tv.

but where are those good old-fashioned values, on which we used to rely?

Lucky there's a family guy!

lucky there's a man who, positivly can do, all the things that make us..

f'ing cry (that's what it always sounds like to me - I know it's "Laugh & cry")

Closed captioning does different ones on different days. I think it's meant to be whichever one you want. :)

Didn't people in Jesus' time think that they were in the "end times"?

Yes they did. And before, at the destruction of the first Temple.

The "end times" are near, always have been, always will be. The idea does get more popular at some times; The years preceding 1000 AD for example.

what about the recent tsunami? i hope jesus comes back. then he can convert me from judaism.

.oO
This is the end
Beautiful friend
This is the end
My only friend, the end
Oo.

That's exactly what I was thinking of. :)

I've always thought that thinking this is the end time is kind of arrogant. The history of humankind (even if we wnt to be specific, the history since Jesus) is so long and covered with wars and plagues and natural disasters, I think now with our overall long lives, good medicine, relative peace, and a global standard of living which is extraordinary, if there are end times, these are not they.

Let's assume for a moment that it is the end of days... what would you do differently?

Eat more chocolate

Work less.

Not that I don't love work... but... If I don't have to pay off my debts, then, wohoo!

Jerry Falwell predicted in 1999 that Jesus could return within ten years. But before that can happen, he said that the Antichrist must appear. Referring to the Antichrist, Falwell said: "Is he alive and here today? Probably. Because when he appears during the Tribulation period he will be a full-grown counterfeit of Christ. Of course he'll be Jewish. Of course he'll pretend to be Christ. And if in fact the Lord is coming soon, and he'll be an adult at the presentation of himself, he must be alive somewhere today."

Only 4 more years left. Hmmm....could it be George? I guess not, since he isn't Jewish, at least that we know.

Well, there's a Jewish guy we all know who many people refer to as God...

Lawrence, are you the Antichrist?

You have to ask? ;) *snicker*

-- Pauley

The Anti-Christ must be Jewish?

So we can't get an alien Anti-Christ with green antennae?

How disappointing.

how about green WITH antennae?

marry me?

awwww.

brilliant.

No!! Not Zim!! Not ZIM!!

Poor Gir......

Sorry i'm late, my tallest...