Bible Prophecies

[Theland]

The Bible is full of prophecies, and those dealing with the end times describe with uncanny accuracy events in our present day world.
This cannot be mere coincidence.
Ignoring it must be a choice to indulge a personal bias.

[Jackdaw33]

Although it has become to mean such in modern times, the word prophesy does not mean to foretell the future, it merely means to speak out. So a biblical prophet was not saying what would happen because he had seen the future, but what he believed would happen if people didn't mend their ways. In the true sense of the word both Margaret Thatcher and Arthur Scargill were prophets.

[Togo]

I liked it better when a bloke stood on the street corner with a big placard shouting the 'end of the world is nigh'. At least you could disavow him personally in short sharp words. Usually suggesting short sharp movements.

[Hypognosis]

I'm not too keen on this thread descending into discussing word definitions but do prophets 'profess'? If not, then what is the difference?

Prophets presumably must be able to do, in their head, what science uses mathematical models and computing power to do: make forecasts.

Then again, don't theists usually treat prophets as mouthpieces of god: the predictions are god telling us how it is all going to be, not the prophet doing their own thinking?

[mibn2cweus]

If one ever hopes to make sense of or convey a meaningful message about anything, it is the preconceived ill-defined notion of a 'god' which one must first eradicate from ones vocabulary. The use of the term 'god' in any attempt to explain anything is no more than confirmation of ones own ignorance within the realm to which they apply that term.

An explanation is no less contrived than are the terms used in offering an explanation.

[Hypognosis]

@mibs

"An explanation is no less contrived than are the terms used in offering an explanation."

Yes but I had to use the word in order to state that "theists tend to say this".

[Togo]

Religion is regarded by the common people as true, by the wise as false, and by the rulers as useful. — Edward Gibbon

[birdie1971]

Theland - "No chapter and verse. The prophets describe the situation in the Middle East, the valley of bones is Israel, Jesus describes the world in end times, our world of violence wars wild weather, chaos, Imcould go on and on but it's there for your perusal."

Others have blown your claims out of the water. I won't bother to go over them again. The simple fact is that you've not been able to support your initial statement in any substantive way whatsoever.

I asked you for specifics. You declined. This is a complete failure on your part.

[Theland]

What do you think Revelation 17 is describing?

[birdie1971]

Theland - "What do you think Revelation 17 is describing?"

Don't try and turn this thing around on me. You were the one suggesting that, "The Bible is full of prophecies... end times... uncanny accuracy events in our present day world...", etc.

You're the one making the extraordinary claims - you tell me what you think Revelation 17 is describing.

[Theland]

The papacy

[Hypognosis]

Revelations as an allegorical attack on the See of Rome? Where have I seen that idea before? Only a few days ago, oddly enough.

If you can stand four pages of internet ding-dong about number base systems (the opening poster suffers a misunderstanding of base 60 which becomes progressively more hilarious but grindingly awful to watch, in equal measure) then try this :-

http://www.abovetopsecret.com/forum/thread5002/pg1

[jomifl]

when was revelations written?

[mikey4444]

JW's have been predicting the end of the world for more years than I care to remember, but its quite plain that we are all still here.

[birdie1971]

Theland - "The Papacy [in answer to my question, "you tell me what you think Revelation 17 is describing."]"

The Papacy? That's it? That's your answer to my above question?

You're not even attempting to engage any more. It is now clear to me and to everyone reading that you are completely devoid of answers of any kind. You can't even answer your own questions with anything resembling coherent sentences.

[wildwood]

I would rather believe that Earth's life came from Mars in an protein form, than from your hocus pocus deity. At least proof of that possibility is on its way.

[birdie1971]

^ I think that the "seeded" Earth hypothesis has legs. It has been demonstrated that bacteriological life can (and does) exist at such extremes of temperature and pressure that it's practically indestructible. The idea that microscopic life could be carried though the vastness of space on a comet or meteor is certainly less fantastical than the idea of an infinite creator deity with a fixation on human actions.

[birdie1971]

Jackdaw33 - "... Although it has become to mean such in modern times, the word prophesy does not mean to foretell the future, it merely means to speak out. So a biblical prophet was not saying what would happen because he had seen the future, but what he believed would happen..."

From where are you getting your linguistic information Jackdaw? I've never seen any evidence to support your assertion. You've also recently tried to suggest that the word "slave" meant "servant" in biblical times. Once again, where are you getting your information?

If you're making baseless claims, shame on you. If not, please share your sources so that we can all learn.

[SirOracle]

Jomifl....You ask when the book of The Apocalypse (Revelations,in English)was written.
To answer you it was written by St. John the Evangelist,on the island of Patmos about 96AD.

[jomifl]

Thanks Sir Oracle... So, about 100 years after the death of Christ, some unknown guy on a greek island writes a lot of predictions that make it seem as if he had been into substance abuse and they get incorporated into the bible which is in common parlance 'the word of god'. Not exactly scrupulous editing is it?