Hey, 'my best guess' says you got 14-16 yrs to get your theology straight! - - - Updated - - - I heard that also, what was his rationale? I have 'backup' for my 'best guess!'
Don't particularly know, a quick googling suggests he had a few dates, 2060, 2034 and so on. There's some info on the wikipage, but I can't be asked to study it.
Read more at http://www.wnd.com/2008/09/75434/ Guess I'll have to carry this thread for you....looks like he was only off by about 30 yrs, end of Roman Empire 770 AD?
Theology? What is theology? I lift up my eyes to you, to you who sit enthroned in heaven. As the eyes of slaves look to the hand of their master, as the eyes of a female slave look to the hand of her mistress, so our eyes look to the Lord our God, till he shows us his mercy. Have mercy on us, Lord, have mercy on us, for we have endured no end of contempt. We have endured no end of ridicule from the arrogant, of contempt from the proud. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rfrm_2gIMYw
Using your God given reason when making theological conclusions does not equal a fall from faith, au contraire: it can increase it. We can see Paul making first steps in that direction when - contrary to his contemporary Christians expectations - the first Christians died without having seen a return of the Lord as they envisaged it. I suggest you try and follow. On that path you may find some European theologians, such as Anglican Professor of Divinity Keith Ward whom I mentioned before, quite inspiring. Or else - seeing that we're talking about the Pope - you might want to consider what our Catholic brethren have to say about the second coming: http://www.catholicapologetics.org/ap090500.htm
I agree on living the Christ-like life TODAY; but as one who studies ALL the scriptures and wants ALL of God that I can get by immersing myself in ALL of His word, I find extra comfort in seeing the end-times unfolding in front of me. For me, it helps build my faith; but where the ignorant will be bewildered when the times come. And as most Catholics dont read the Apocalypse (Revelation) as they arent encouraged too by the above statement, and so they remain ignorant of ALL of the scriptures. For many, 'ignorance is bliss,' and they prefer to remain as "Scripture Ostriches" with heads in the sand.... EDIT: Oh, btw: Revelation 1:3 Blessed is the one who reads the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear it and take to heart what is written in it, because the time is near.
Sometimes I have the feeling we made something wrong when we wrote the bible. Tell me: Who wrote in the bible that you should use the bible as a weapon against people you had learned to hate on no reason to do so? A bible is a heavy book. If you throw it on other people you could hurt someone. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=epxaCKGZzqg
No hate here, just the truth on how I was raised as a Catholic boy in a Catholic family--we were 'warned' against reading the Bible (had one on our coffee table but never opened, was more for good luck, just as when I wore a scapula and then a St. Christopher's medal as a teenager) as we couldnt understand it w/o a priest to interpret it for us....that was the history of the Romanist Church in Europe who kept their followers ignorant by having the Latin Vulgate which only learned monks & priests could read...
So would your faith be troubled if the end of the world came about not in the near earthly future but in millions of years to come? Mine would not be touched either way. To me the kingdom of God is already here, it enters the world whenever people do good and IÂ’ll be able to rejoice in its eternal reality fully in the moment I die like so many other Christians before me and probably many Christians after me. Your implied yearning that this world should end with our generation seems rather vain to me. Again I must refer you to Keith Ward, vaguely paraphrasing: "We must not take the scriptures literally but we must take them seriously." Taking the scriptures seriously is something that I would never accuse the Catholic Church of not doing, even though I often find myself at odds with it when it comes to the conclusions we arrive at. If you want to take the Book of Revelations seriously you ought to learn about the tradition of Jewish apocalyptic literature it stands in. YouÂ’ll find that the book of revelations is obviously not to be taken literally. Millennialists and dispensionalists who do, miss out on both its historical context and the depth of the symbolism it employs. I'm afraid it is them who are the "Scripture Ostriches" here.
Matt 24, 1 Thessalonians 5, 2 Tim 3-4 are just some of the end times scriptures that are not Revelation and appear to be given & to be taken literally. Jesus & Paul chose to talk about the end times, but some are overwhelmed by just thinking of an 'end' and have no interest in them. As Jack would say to those, "You cant handle the truth!" And has been said, "You get as much of God as you hunger for.".......some just arent too hungry. Personally, I want it ALL!
Are you one of those 'love or hate' ppl with nothing in between?! I love Catholics and try to set them free of the doctrines of men and man's organization. Felicity and I 'discuss,' often heatedly, but I dont have any bad feelings for her. Same with Sean Michael and Stmichaeldefendus, etc...and then there are ppl like you who I merely tolerate..but no hate here.
Okay - If I think about now - perhaps hate is sometimes better. Nevertheless you spoke nonsense. Take your example about the bible in the middle ages as an example. Latin was the lingua Franca of Europe - everyone who was educated spoke Latin. And books were unbelieveable expensive. How many people in your village are driving Porsche today? By the way: Francis of Assisi was ready to give his Porsche to a poor woman instead not to do what's written on his Porsche. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s9yuxhY0HvI
When I was a child the Mass was always in Latin. The ppl were responding to the priest in Latin phases and not really knowing what they were saying. I took 2 yrs of Latin in HS to be able to serve Mass more effectively as an altar boy. And so Latin was a 'high-language' of the educated back in the medieval times, and until the likes of King James, etc. the Bible was not available in English et al languages until the printed word. And so, Anobsitar, quit whining and tell me what you think of my guess for next (& 'last') Pope?! REF: http://www.politicalforum.com/religion-philosophy/288783-pope-resigns-4.html#post1062275361
Cardinal Peter Turkson (born 11 October 1948 ) [Peter the Roman?] Two Africans Among Candidates for Next Pope http://www.voanews.com/content/two-africans-among-candidates-to-replace-benedict/1601395.html
Matthew 24: the temple was actually destroyed in 70 CE, something the evangelist and his audience knew when the text was written. Christians were persecuted and yes, in many ways the world was as wicked then as it is now. This text calls on us to remain in Faith in all the troubles we’ll face during our time on earth, it does not imply your kind of end-time-theology. Actually with a truly literal reading Matthew 24:6 would suggest quite the contrary. Just like Matthew 24 1 Thessalonians 5 is perfectly readable if you don’t think of “the day of the Lord” as an historic event within our historical timeline but as a spiritual event out of time, probably occurring to each of us when we face eternity in the moment we die. If I take your understanding of it on board I wonder all the more how you can be so eager to interpret the supposed signs for said day into what you hear in the news. Verse 2 clearly tells you that such endeavor is futile. Again with your interpretation: what makes you think the ”terrible times” 2 Timothy mentions specifically mean our times? People have always been “lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boa(*)(*)(*)(*)l, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, 3 without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, 4 treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God”. There were loads of people like that in the times of the NT and there probably will be loads of them in centuries to come. Quite apparently you don’t even take the bible literally here: you project your own vain wishes into it in heavy dosage. Now if I was to interpret biblical passages about “the end” literally that would indeed make me lose interest. It becomes quite clear in these scriptures that Paul and the early Christians expected the literal “end-time” to be coming in their generation (for example 1 Thess 4,15). That was about 2000 years ago and yet the earth is still here. Fact. So I suggest you try to read these scriptures more like a Catholic or a mainstream Protestant would do. You might find that you’ll end up getting a much bigger portion of God by freeing yourself from your rather earthly literal perspectives of the 'end' and realizing that what is written about the “end” points us to an infinite divine reality, that all generations have a part in.
As all prophecy is for those who 'have ears to hear." The typology all thru scripture is 'deafening, except for those who refuse to see. There will be those virgins who are awake and waiting for the Bridegroom, and also those who are asleep, the foolish virgins (meaning Followers) that will miss Him. I profoundly adhere to this scripture given by Paul to Timothy: 2 Timothy 2:15 Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. And so I look for the consistency of the Spirit behind the types of future events and thus await with anticipation for His Coming...Maranatha (the Lord Cometh) 2 Peter 3 12 looking for and earnestly desiring the coming of the day of God, Alas, all that is left to be said, sleeper , is "Time will tell." <Not scriptural, but still valid> 1 Thessalonians 5:1-7 1 But concerning the times and the seasons, brethren, ye have no need that aught be written unto you. 2 For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night. 3 When they are saying, Peace and safety, then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall in no wise escape. 4 But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief: 5 for ye are all sons of light, and sons of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness; 6 so then let us not sleep, as do the rest, but let us watch and be sober. 7 For they that sleep sleep in the night: NOTE: Juno, I'll put you down as one of the "Peace & Safety" folks...
peter was the 1st pope it is not impossible to take the message to the whole world since he is the HEAD of the Earthly Church and questions by those under the pope are solved by him (with or w/o his cardinals) the Church is universal Catholic is Greek for universal a lot of ppl do not u/stand the Church But if they just realize tht Jesus founded ONE Church and that historically that Church cannot be other than the Roman Catholic... things are not so confusing
The Pope pulls a surprise...bet it wasn't really a surprise to lots of church guys......I have to laugh, can just imagine the bloody in-fighting, murderous plotting, finagling, positioning, and bribery as church guys jockey for postion as the next Pope...
