Posted on 10/12/2005 10:13:11 AM PDT by SirLinksalot
Pat Robertson's wrong
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Posted: October 12, 2005 1:00 a.m. Eastern
By Gary DeMar © 2005 WorldNetDaily.com
Pat Robertson is making predictions again. He's reading the Bible through current events rather than letting the Bible speak for itself.
In Matthew 24:7, Jesus says that "in various places there will be famines and earthquakes." He says nothing about an increase in their number or intensity. Luke writes, "There will be great earthquakes" (Luke 21:11). Jesus wasn't describing events that would precede the end of our time. Rather, He was describing signs that led up to the destruction of the temple in A.D. 70 that would take place before that first-century generation passed away (Matt. 24:33–34).
Like famines (Acts 11:28), "great earthquakes" are part of the biblical historical record. Two earthquakes are mentioned in Matthew – when Jesus was crucified (27:54) and when the angel came down to roll the stone away from the tomb where Jesus was buried (28:2). This second earthquake is said to have been "severe." Acts records "a great earthquake" that shook "the foundations of the prison house" (16:26).
Secular writers describing the period support the biblical record: "And as to earthquakes, many are mentioned by writers during a period just previous to A.D. 70. There were earthquakes in Crete, Smyrna, Miletus, Chios, Samos, Laodicea, Hierapolis, Colosse, Campania, Rome, and Judea. It is interesting to note that the city of Pompeii was much damaged by an earthquake occurring on Feb. 5, A.D. 63."
The number of earthquakes that were recorded during that first-century generation is staggering given the shortness of the time period. Josephus describes an earthquake in Judea of such magnitude "that the constitution of the universe was confounded for the destruction of men," the same language that is being used to describe this most recent earthquake. He goes on to write that this earthquake was "no common" calamity, indicating that God Himself had brought it about for a special purpose.
Another commentator writes: "Perhaps no period in the world's history has ever been so marked by these convulsions as that which intervenes between the Crucifixion and the destruction of Jerusalem." Since the generation between A.D. 30 and 70 is past, there is no reason to attach prophetic significance to earthquakes in our day as a fulfillment of Matthew 24:7 or Luke 21:11. They are not signs of the nearness of Jesus' return in our generation. They were a prelude to the coming of Jesus in judgment upon Jerusalem in the generation of the apostles.
Then there's the record of recent history. On June 15, 1896, the Sanriku tsunami struck Japan without warning. A wave estimated at more than 70 feet high hit a crowd gathered to celebrate a religious festival, killing more than 26,000 people. On Nov. 1, 1755, the great Lisbon earthquake generated a wave up to 20-feet high that struck coastal Portugal, Spain and Morocco. With an estimated population of 275,000, Lisbon was, in 1755, one of the largest cities in Europe. It was one of the most destructive and deadly earthquakes in history, killing over 100,000 people. The quake was followed by a tsunami and fire, resulting in the near total destruction of Lisbon.
Today's reported earthquakes are not unique, as proven by a thorough study of the Bible and the historical record outside the Bible. The greatest student of earthquakes was a Frenchman, Count F. Montessus de Ballore. From 1885 to 1922 he devoted his time to studying and cataloging earthquakes and came to an astonishing conclusion. He cataloged 171,434 earthquakes from the earliest historic times! The manuscript is stored in the library of the Geographical Society in Paris, where it occupies 26 meters (over 84 feet) of bookshelves.
As much as we might want to believe that we are the "Rapture Generation," there is no statistical or biblical evidence to support such a contention.
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Gary DeMar is president of American Vision and the author more than 20 books. His latest book is "Myths, Lies, & Half-Truths: How Misreading the Bible Neutralizes Christians ".
Folks,
Whatever your view of the end times is, at this point in time, you cannot use the frequency of today's earthquakes as an indicator, simply because of one phrase Jesus made in Matthew 24 at the Olivet discourse.
Read this article for example ---
http://www.livescience.com/forcesofnature/051010_end_of_world.html
End of the World? Not Likely, Scientists Say
By Ker Than
LiveScience Staff Writer
posted: 10 October 2005
03:36 pm ET
The recent spate of natural disasters affecting the globe "might be" signs that the Biblical apocalypse is near, says Christian televangelist Pat Robertson.
On an Oct. 9 episode of CNN's "Late Edition," the preacher noted that hurricanes such as Katrina and Rita and earthquakes like the ones that struck Pakistan this past weekend and the tsunami-causing one that struck Indonesia last December are hitting with "amazing regularity."
Scientists see Earth doing what she always does, however.
Latter days?
"If you read back in the Bible, [Paul] said that in the latter days before the [apocalypse] that the Earth would be caught up in what he called the birth pangs of a new order," Robertson said. "Well, what was called the blessed hope of the Bible is that one day Jesus Christ would come back again, start a whole new era, that this world order that we know it would change into something that would be wonderful that we'd call the millennium."
But before there can be heaven on Earth, there will be some "difficult days" which will be like "what a woman goes through in labor just before she brings forth a child," Robertson said.
Seth Stein, a seismologists at Northwestern University's Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences, thinks everything is as it should be, at least as far as earthquakes go.
"I don't think there's any reason to believe the frequency of large earthquakes has changed over the past million years," Stein told LiveScience. "That's contrary to everything we know about how the Earth works."
Earthquake Frequency
Average number each year globally:
Type Magnitude Average
Great 8+ 1 ¹
Major 7 - 7.9 17 ²
Strong 6 - 6.9 134 ²
Moderate 5 - 5.9 1319 ²
Light 4 - 4.9 13,000*
Minor 3 - 3.9 130,000*
Very Minor 2 - 2.9 1,300,000*
¹ Based on observations since 1900
² Based on observations since 1990
* Estimated
LiveScience / SOURCE: USGS
On average, there is at least one magnitude 8 earthquake every year and about 17 magnitude 7's, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. The Pakistan quake measured 7.6.
Location, location, location
Of course, some places on Earth are more prone to earthquakes than others.
Alaska is one of the most seismically active regions in the world – experiencing a major earthquake (magnitude 7.0 or greater) almost every year, whereas no earthquakes of more than moderate intensity have occurred within the borders of North Dakota during historical times.
"The largest earthquakes are on plate boundaries, where two plates are interacting, and the largest of these earthquakes occur on subduction zone boundaries, where you have one plate going under another plate," Stein explained.
Both the Sumatra earthquake and the Pakistan earthquake struck on subduction zone boundaries. The first happened as the India plate slid under the Burma plate and the latter one was the result of the India plate sliding under the Eurasia one.
Hurricanes are increasing
Concerning hurricanes, Robertson may be correct in observing that they're occurring more frequently than in the past.
According to the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR), the period between 1970 to 1994 saw on average about 9 tropical storms in the Atlantic basin, with about 7 of those turning into hurricanes. From 1995 to 2004, that number jumped to 14 tropical storms and12 hurricanes.
2005 is likely to surpass them all, said Kevin Trenberth, the head of climate analysis at NCAR.
"By several measures, this will end up being the most active storm season on record, it's not just number but also how intense they are," Trenberth said.
But scientists aren't willing to blame the apocalypse just yet. A decades-long cycle of busy and the quiet periods is evident in records dating back to the mid-1800s. This is not the first stretch of highly active hurricane seasons. It is just the first time so many people have lived near the coast during such an active period.
Natural cycles
Trenberth cites a number of factors responsible for the trend toward stronger and more frequent hurricanes being observed. These include natural variability in hurricane frequency and intensity, global warming, and El Niño, a warming of the waters in the off the eastern coast of South America that occurs naturally every 4-12 years.
"Following an El Niño there tends to be warmer sea temperatures," Trenberth said. "It changes the atmospheric circulation to create extra warming of the Atlantic [Ocean]."
As the surface of the Atlantic Ocean warms, more water evaporates into the atmosphere, which allows for stronger tropical storms. Global warming is believed to contribute to hurricanes in the same way, by warming up the ocean surface and putting more moisture into the atmosphere.
About Robertson's comments, Trenberth said that he "thinks its part of the general [socio-political] climate that seems to exists in the country today, fostered partly perhaps
BUMP
The last sentence should read :
About Robertson's comments, Trenberth said that he "thinks its part of the general [socio-political] climate that seems to exists in the country today, fostered partly perhaps by this administration and their lack of credence to science."
***It's these moronic "Christian" lonnies on TV that give Christianity a bad name. Jesus would have howled at this "end times" stuff.**
Way back in 1980, preachers were claiming the Return Of Christ was imminent within a few years.
Reagan was running for president against Jimmy Carter and HAL LINSEY wrote a book claiming we could forstall the end of the age IF we elected Reagan President!
It must have worked. But why were we later saddled with X42 for 8 years?
Besides earthquakes, there were also famines that hit Israel pre-70 AD. Paul himself travelled to Jerusalem with money for famine relief for those hardest hit.
I have always taken Jesus' words regarding "This generation" not passing till those signs occur, LITERALLY.
When Jesus said "This generation" in Matthew 24, HE LITERALLY MEANT WHAT HE SAID. Unfortunately, we go through a whole heap of innovative contortions to make "This generation" mean something other than the generation that was alive when Jesus spoke those words in order to fit our preconceived view of prophecy.
Unfortunately, I believe the generation that is now alive is notoriously "me-centered" (even many christians). They want everything in the Bible to center around us today.
I think it's appropriate to look at the original hearers/readers of the scriptures. Good interpretation will be the result IMO.
Great, supported answer.
Blessings to you and yours.
>>The Bible says that there would be earthquakes in divers places and California has more divers than any other place.<<
Damn, that's funny! LOL!
FTR, the countdown on earthquakes, pestilences, etc., began when the nation of Israel was restored in 1948. Nothing prior to that is relevant.
Much of what the Bible says are signs of the end of the world such as earthquakes, famine, and other natural disasters have been going on since time immemorial and will continue to go on as long as the Earth exists. In other words, the world will continue as it always has and we are not going to have a clue as to the "day or hour".
I really do wish my fellow Christians would stop always trying to predict the end of the world. It really makes all of us appear foolish to the rest of the world.
***I really do wish my fellow Christians would stop always trying to predict the end of the world. It really makes all of us appear foolish to the rest of the world***
I agree! Way back in 1981 I got into a discussion with a friend over the last days. He thought they would be in just a few years. I said just what I have posted here above and asked why put children through school or prepare for the future if the end is just around the corner? He just shook his head "NO" and went on his way.
Today he is building himself a $300000 house and we haven't talked about it since. That was 24 years ago.
"Mathew 24-31 Jesus gives us signs to look for of the destruction of Jerusalem, of thy coming, and the end of the world. "
I stopped here. The "end of the world"?
Nah. The world will change. Some call it being reconditioned but it will not end.
Isa.45:17
[17] But Israel shall be saved in the LORD with an everlasting salvation: ye shall not be ashamed nor confounded world without end.
Eph.3:21
[21] Unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen.
But as usual ... no one is interested in it. They prefer their own views.
There are other good articles on the linked site.
**I stopped here. The "end of the world"? **
You stopped? Even I know it means the END OF THE AGE but I am quoting from the KJV so no one can say a I am using a "mutilated" translation.
Isa.45:17
[17] But Israel shall be saved in the LORD with an everlasting salvation: ye shall not be ashamed nor confounded world without end.
Eph.3:21
[21] Unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen.
End of the age - church age and this are not the same.
A bit bitter I see.
The last book of the bible has an interesting history that I caught on one of the discovery channel stations and it really was talking about Rome. It does make for good scary rants by preachers from time to time....
When Israel became a nation too many started the count based on the Fig tree parable.
"25 years! they said! Christ will return." No show.
35 years! It WILL HAPPEN IN OUR LIFETIME! No show.
40 years! Remember the 1988 fiasco! I still have the booklet.
50 years! Armageddon 2000! No show.
I have lots of articles of so-called prophecies of Christ's return and he has been a no show.
I do not think the time is now because of something Christ said...When the son of man returns will he find faith when I come?
When the time is fulfilled He will return. It might be tomorrow or a thousand years from now.
the real reason are all the faults there. the biggest one being : "Bush's Fault".
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