
09-26-2005, 05:56 AM
|  | Wooden Poster | | Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: St. Cloud, MN Age: 46
Posts: 149
| | | USA to become a third world country??? A close friend of mine who is a Christian claims that the USA's government is in cahoots with the European Comunity and plans to change the USA into a third world country to set up for the rule of the Anti Christ. He says it is in Bible prophecy(sp?). Is it really true that there are ZERO canidates that really wants restore the middle class to its former glory? Even if I do well financially or do well in some stock trading which I plan to do I am worried there won't be a middle class left within my lifetime and everyone except the top 1% would NOT have enough money to go to theme parks! Than places like Holiday World, WDW, and Cedar Point may become a thing of the past! :-(
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09-26-2005, 06:39 AM
| | Let gravity do the work. | | Join Date: May 2001 Location: Los Angeles, CA Age: 22
Posts: 7,432
| | | Stop scaring yourself. It's not happening. :rolleyes: | 
09-26-2005, 07:09 AM
| | The Electronics Guru | | Join Date: Jul 2001 Location: Kentwood MI Age: 24
Posts: 2,709
| | | Thank you for being the tool to spread overzealous sensationalism.
To be honest, there hasn't been a superpower in history that can stand the test of time. The United States is the only real military superpower, which also has the benefit of being an economical superpower. I am begining to sense strong corruption in our political system. It boggles my mind how trivial how the presidential election has got. It's no longer who's best for the position. It's who can impress the average american the most. The national debt is at astronomical proportion. If you layed our debt in $1 bills end on end, you could lay them out on earths orbit around the sun with some overlap. I wouldn't doubt that America as it exists today, won't last too much longer.
I've personally read the bible more thoroughly than 90% of christians. It is to the most part, outdated and based on a completely different political system than exists in America. The 70's had it's "end of the world" scare. Guess what, I'm still here. I've seen plenty of videos from back then depicting the begining of the end.
The whole book of revelations is full of all kinds of such crap. To paraphrase that book " The whole world is coming to an end, everyone is going to die and be tortured for eternity. The exception are those who have a place in heaven that will live in a huge city with transparent gold streets, thick jewel walls and foundations, and fruit of life..." | 
09-26-2005, 07:53 AM
|  | Pixar Poster | | Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Iowa Age: 16
Posts: 2,391
| | | ^There is no such thing as a book of the Bible called "revalations." There is a "revalation," however.
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09-26-2005, 08:02 AM
|  | Wooden Prefab Poster | | Join Date: Aug 2003 Location: nearby Age: 19
Posts: 5,146
| | | So then, If I don't beleive in the Christian bible, I won't have to believe any of this hooplah is actually going to happen. Heh, loophole. | 
09-26-2005, 12:49 PM
|  | Just a swingin' | | Join Date: Sep 2001 Location: Charlotte, NC Age: 36
Posts: 11,379
| | | [QUOTE=PINK FLOYD FANA]He says it is in Bible prophecy(sp?). [/QUOTE]
I don't know what Bible he's reading, but my Bible never mentions America. There's only one vague prophecy that you might could say is about America but nothing to do with what he is thinking.
The only way America could become a 3rd world country is if our economoy collapsed and that ain't going to happen any time soon.
Don't believe everything you hear.
__________________ ThrillNetwork Editor - Formerly known as bgwfreak Go Carolina Panthers! | 
09-26-2005, 01:55 PM
|  | Minetrain Poster | | Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Yorktown, VA Age: 21
Posts: 83
| | | Yes, like posted above. There is no way it will happen. If it did we all wouldnt be alive by the time if even took action. Also about the bible like posted above I dont know what one your reading, if you think about how long ago it was written there wasnt America back then, unless nostradamus wrote it then there was no way of predicting America.
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Never regret!
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09-26-2005, 02:13 PM
|  | Minetrain Poster | | Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Ulysses, Kansas Age: 18
Posts: 44
| | | Well I believe the Bible...and here's my opinion from what I know...
No one honestly knows how the end of the world will happen. It may be that the US gets completely abolished by nukes, or it may be exactly the same as it is today...just with a leader that doesn't like to get involved.
One other option is some kind of world government that takes power.(Which, if were to happen, we wouldn't see it for another 100 years or so.)
Just my 2 pennies.
__________________ -Jeremy- -:Worlds of Fun Owns!:- -:-Kansas State fan no matter how bad they are!-:- | 
09-26-2005, 07:40 PM
|  | Been Here Since the Begining | | Join Date: May 2001 Location: Tampa area Age: 38
Posts: 3,550
| | | Ok, as a Christian and a minister, let me simply say, sorry, wrong. Bzzzzzz. Major misreading and mishandling of Scripture, as well as a complete misunderstanding of prophecy and what it says.
While there are some out there that believe the Bible says that, they're inserting things that aren't said in Scripture, and adding in symbolism to say what they want rather than take it for what it says.
Quite simply, no one is really sure exactly how what is talked about in Revelation is going to play out. Shoot, there are even some firmly convinced that it already happened hundreds of years ago (though I do disagree with them) America won't become a third world country. If anything, it may become a victim of it's own arrogance all the way around, along with it's own infighting among the people. But as others have said, the US and America aren't even mentioned in the Bible, outside of some very iffy and not very accurate attempts to put a symbol for it in the Bible.
__________________ Have you read my number 1 best seller? There will be a test! ~God
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09-27-2005, 02:03 AM
|  | PBS mind in an MTV world | | Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: Where Eli's older brother plays Age: 40
Posts: 2,422
| | | Prophecy is one of the most fascinating subjects in the Bible to study. It's not all in Revelation, either.
As a Christian, I frequently hear other Christians comparing current events to end times prophecy. There are certainly some events going on these days that fit very well into the end times prophecy.
But, what I remind myself (and them) is that if you take any historical era, and look at the events of the time closely, you can find things that fit. For example, during his rise, Hitler had a lot of characterisitics that is is foretold will be present in antichrist.
I'm not saying that what we're seeing now aren't portents of end times- they might be. The point is: We don't know. We can't be sure, because that's the way God designed it.
And of course, there are many who don't believe in Bible prophecy, anyway. (at least not yet)
For those who have interest, I recommend the "Left behind" series of books by Tim LaHaie and Jerry Johnston. They are a good read, even if you're not a believer. Please note that the books are not telling us how things will happen, they're telling us how things COULD happen. The story fits scriptural prophecy, but it is a fictional account of one of a myriad of ways that things could happen.
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09-27-2005, 04:14 AM
| | The Electronics Guru | | Join Date: Jul 2001 Location: Kentwood MI Age: 24
Posts: 2,709
| | | I personally see the prophecy and visions of the coming revelations in the book "the revelation" as to be highly targeted for subjective translation and understanding.
To understand the intentions of scripture, it is of upmost importance to view it objectively. To view it subjectively is to essentially buy a blank bible and write your own.
Often the most powerful statements are the least understood. For instance, Einstein's theory of reletivity can be written in very compact notation. Over 98% of people cannot get any understanding of it untill it's expanded. If you download a zip file, your computer can't use it untill it is unzipped or expanded. The scripture protrayed in the bible is compact and can also be expanded. An example of that is the Left Behind series.
In these days and ages, words can be used to portray a different image while being 100% correct for practical purposes in general manipulation. In the past, the U.S. government used the phrase "neutralization of soft targets." One could deduce that phrase to have many many meanings, pretty much the worst was the truth. It was used when anti-personnel bombs were dropped on large groups of people. Millions of dollars were spent to find the best way to phrase justifications of the war on Iraq. For instance, to produce the most negative thoughts on groups who oppose the United States they are called terrorist groups or regimes. Another example is that the evacuees of New Orleans were called refugees. While completely true, it's using the word for manipulation purposes. The simple fact is that the word refugee has been used frequently for years desensitizing it's meaning. In a realistic sense, the only way I see them as refugees was in the way they were and are being treated. The more accurate description for them are victims.
Anyone who cannot provide a full translation of scripture objectively and and without altering the meaning behind, cannot provide an accurate translation. Taking the scripture out of context is translating it inaccurately.
The first post in the thread is a product of scripture taken out of context. | 
09-27-2005, 03:16 PM
|  | Go Mark! | | Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: Charlotte, NC Age: 18
Posts: 1,207
| | | This is stupid, you can make the bible say whatever you want it to.
And I hate to burst some people's bubbles, but when the bible was written (I'm mostly the new testament), the authors weren't thinking about America in the 21st century, the were thinking of the struggles and problems faced by first century christians. Many people have created really *******ed up stories from the gospels and the letters of paul, and are obviously too dense to think of the bible in the historical context...
Oh, and Pink Floyd Fana, it would probably be best to discount most of what your friend says about religion.
__________________ Asia: four little letters, four billion little people.
Last edited by Cephas; 09-27-2005 at 03:21 PM..
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09-27-2005, 03:42 PM
|  | Inverted Poster | | Join Date: Jun 2001 Location: Columbus, Ohio Age: 32
Posts: 861
| | | The book of Revelation is not about our times today. It was full of terms used by early christians to communicate under fear of persecution from Rome. Yes it does invovle some prophecy, but most of what you will read in that book has already happend in the first few centuries.
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09-27-2005, 04:47 PM
|  | Just a swingin' | | Join Date: Sep 2001 Location: Charlotte, NC Age: 36
Posts: 11,379
| | | This pretty much sums it up.
__________________ ThrillNetwork Editor - Formerly known as bgwfreak Go Carolina Panthers!
Last edited by Wes; 10-06-2006 at 02:01 PM..
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09-27-2005, 07:39 PM
|  | Go Mark! | | Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: Charlotte, NC Age: 18
Posts: 1,207
| | | ^Those signs...they're everywhere...CC...TN... :eek:
The end [b]IS[/b] near!
__________________ Asia: four little letters, four billion little people.
Last edited by Cephas; 09-27-2005 at 09:14 PM..
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