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June 25, 2008 at 21:35:13
Promoted to Headline (H3) on 6/25/08: by Dennis Diehl Page 1 of 2 page(s) |
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While Christmas may leave many with visions of sugar plums dancing in their heads, fundamentalist evangelicals and Bible prophecy nuts see dragons and beasts, men of sin and rebuilt temples. They see that tiny little sliver of land that has linked Africa to Europe and across which our pre-human ancestors strode, now called Israel, as the Promised Land for the Chosen People. All others, of course, are not so chosen or special. That’s the problem with the concept of the chosen people. Everyone else has to be the unchosen. And that's the way it feels today when it comes to the Middle East and all her people. These Bible literalists and prophecy geeks seek meaning for today from the Book of Daniel, with its statues of gold,silver, bronze and iron mixed with clay. They see rams and goats pushing their way across the Middle East and find meaning in the Kings of the North and of the South, though they can never quite figure out who’s who and when. They just adore Daniel 11, which they read like a newspaper with its four great beasts of the lion, the bear, the leopard and something more astonishing than the others, crashing its way across the planet. It has ten horns all with eyes and a little horn to boot. The meanings of it all are endless but they keep churches full. 
These beasts are world empires prophesied, except these descriptions were written after they had come and gone, but don’t bring that up to the read-the-Bible-as-a-newspaper crowd. Most Bible prophecy isn't prophecy at all, but that's for another time.
Later in the Gospels, we see that the end is really getting close now. Wars, rumors of wars, like that’s something new, are everywhere. Every earthquake, flood, tsunami, tornado and cold front just screams at us, “you can sure tell that Jesus has to return any day now.”
Weather can’t just be weather. It has to be prophecy come alive. Of course, it is just weather, but that won’t wash with those who play Bible Roulette with world news and natural disasters. It never dawns on them how God seems limited to expressing his wrath during the appropriate season or plate slippage in slippage-prone areas.
Enter the Book of Revelation. Written by who knows who under the influence of who knows what. Astro-theology at it's best. The Book of Revelation has been responsible for more insane Christian sects, cults and "send in your money because you won’t need it when this all happens", lunacy, than any book in the Bible. Replete with scrolls and lambs, seals and trumpets, vials and plagues, it’s a Fundamentalist preacher’s dream come true and not a bad fear mongering tool for government leaders who just know that Voice in their head is coming right from the throne room of God Himself.
I’ve kidded in the past about having met 23 of the Two Witnesses in my former life as a church pastor, lest you think I don’t know what I’m talking about on this topic. I’ve met a few more since. These are the two great ones, two men actually or Elijah and Moses, Amos and Andy , depending on who you ask, who torment us sinners the last three and half years before Jesus comes.
Of all things, the Two Witnesses just returned from Jerusalem where they set off to start their mission, but it didn’t go all that well, so they came home. Actually it’s a minister, who has rather lost his mind, that I knew in the church. He said the trumpets and seals would break open in April of 2008 and get louder and louder, ending in planetary death on a huge scale and nuclear explosions in our port cities this summer. Hey, it could happen, but that would not be prophecy come alive, it just might be the government needing to cancel elections. Who knows anymore?
Conveniently, he declared his wife the other witness. God works in families, you know.
Anyway, old Ron said that if by June of this year it was not obvious the Book of Revelation had come true as HE said, then he’d declare himself a false prophet because anything less would “be quite insane.”Well guess what? He changed the rules of engagement, kept his office as prophet, kept his dwindling church and kept the money. He’s also a liar.
What is Bible Roulette? Bible Roulette is the misuse of the Bible by religious zealots to promote governmental insanity on the world scene so that perhaps out of all the chaos of, say an attack on Iran and the ensuing explosion in the Middle East, Jesus, who loves all the little children of the world, well except Palestinian, Iraqi or Iranian, evidently, will come back and bring Peace.
Our President plays Bible Roulette every time he listens to the likes of John Hagee and his beer belly prophecies about what surely are his accurate views of the Bible and what it means for the Middle East and Christians all over the world. John Hagee plays Bible Roulette for a living.
Most fundamentalists and Bible literalist pastors do. You can get an amazing amount of mileage out of the Book of Revelation and spin it into a career. So do all the ministerial advisors to the candidates. Scary people actually whose mouths needs be shut at times, it seems to me, lest we end up, not with the return of Jesus, but only a large sanitation problem on a major part of the planet and world chaos.
Bible Roulette is currently responsible for more bad decisions in high places than one might ever wish to contemplate. It’s also quite possible that religious zealots who think they have influence in high places are being played the fool so that the narcissists and psychopaths in government can do what they want and prophet, or rather profit, from it all.
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Dennis Diehl is a former pastor of 26 years, who outgrew the Literalism of Fundamentalism. He writes about Pastoral and Church abuse and is available to speak on such topics or be helpful to any church suffering under abusive (more...)
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| 7 comments |
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Concerning Prophecy
I don't believe all prophecy is false. Current world conditions indicate we are "coming to a head" on many issues. In fact, any person can see that the world is at a crossroads. On the other hand, prophecy does not really affect how I live from day to day. The Bible makes it perfectly clear concerning the difference between right and wrong. As far as Hagee is concerned... I'm not a fan by any means. Even though I believe "rapture" is a distinct possibility, anyone who tries to force it by instigating tensions with the likes of Iraq or Iran is dead wrong. The country of Israel has received a "blank check" for far too long. The extreme religious right I believe is using Israel as an excuse for war-mongering. I don't believe "true Israel" is a country anyway, but rather the true believers of "Yahweh" who follow his commandments (a remnant). I agree with your view on self-proclaimed prophets and witnesses. It's best just to ignore them. "There is nothing new under the son". The question is will live your life like Jesus and have love for the destitute and lost and uneducated? Will you feed them, educate them, and love them? And at the same time will you hold in disdain the ones who manipulate these simple souls? The difference between true followers of Christ and the manipulators must be discerned. by Bob Gormley (1 articles, 0 quicklinks, 3 diaries, 1094 comments [65 recommended, 0 rejected]) on Thursday, Jun 26, 2008 at 10:04:36 AM  (0+)
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Prophecy
I understand the idea that some must be prophecy. I have soaked in prophecy as a pastor for three decades. It has been 100% wrong, 100% of the time when applied to things of our times so far. It's a dangerous ploy and often misused to motivate people with fear and guilt. Using it's potential as part of a foreign policy even if subconscious, is nuts... by Dennis Diehl (71 articles, 0 quicklinks, 3 diaries, 58 comments) on Thursday, Jun 26, 2008 at 10:28:23 AM (0+)
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Reply: Agreed
Agreed by Bob Gormley (1 articles, 0 quicklinks, 3 diaries, 1094 comments [65 recommended, 0 rejected]) on Thursday, Jun 26, 2008 at 10:36:28 AM (0+)
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Reply: It depends on the prophecy
Many prophecies are symbolic and were never meant to be taken literally, but false prophets today jump on them to claim their political aggression and "holy war" is justified. Even so, some prophecies are literal. For example: We are indeed suffing from wars and rumors of war, and from the "seven plagues" (diseases, famines, pestilence, earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, floods, and droughts) and "many other terrible things," just as Jesus prophesied. The son of man has indeed come, but has first been rejected by his generation and suffered many things, just as Jesus prophesied. The witness and servant of God (the son of man) has not caused his voice to be heard in public, but has sent his work before him, just as the prophet Isaiah prophesied. The Spirit of truth (through the son of man) has issued judgment, guided us unto truth, shown us things to come, and glorified God and the Ancient One (aka the Christ) who is in heaven with God. So, the most important literal prophecies have been fulfilled. It's just a matter of time before the world realizes it. by Ruth (4 articles, 0 quicklinks, 5 diaries, 273 comments [68 recommended, 0 rejected]) on Thursday, Jun 26, 2008 at 4:28:05 PM (0+)
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Outstanding!
This has GOT to be one of the best pieces of writing about our sorry state of affairs that I have read in ages. I think I will just stop writing and pass off copies of this to everyone. I am absolutely overjoyed by the notion that this lovely, frank and articulate message will really piss off a lot of people. What a (pardon the pun) Revelation! Thank you Dennis! by Ivan Hentschel (12 articles, 0 quicklinks, 10 diaries, 302 comments [4 recommended, 0 rejected]) on Thursday, Jun 26, 2008 at 1:34:11 PM (0+)
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Yes, and here's more, Dennis
You'll love this. Yesterday I submitted an article, now on the OpEdNews collumn, titled What Dyed-In-the-Wool Christians, Muslims and Jews Do Not Understand. And here's how it begins: It’s amazingly that so many things have been turned upside down and backwards, and so few people realize it. But, it’s just as the greatest and most true prophets predicted. That is, false prophets and spiritually blind shepherds have been leading their blind flocks far astray and alienating them from main-stream society, claiming to be the true Christians or Muslims or Jews. Of course, most Christians, Muslims and Jews are good people. But, in fact, many are not. False shepherds have created a group superiority complex in their blind flocks, leading them to believe they are "holier" than the rest of us. The false Christians claim they are waging a "holy crusade," and have even gotten their blind flocks to condemn and even kill those they judge as "godless" enemies, in a so-called "holy war." The false Muslims do the same thing, claiming they are waging a "jihad" against the "infidels." And the false Jewish leaders do the same thing, claiming that they are merely fulfilling prophecy by killing or driving out the enemies of God. The article goes on to point out why they are hypocritical and wrong, and and misunderstand divine will and intent. It also promotes the message that fully explains it all, written in the universal Spirit of truth. If you haven't read it, here's the address: http://reformationcomingsoon.bravehost.com by Ruth (4 articles, 0 quicklinks, 5 diaries, 273 comments [68 recommended, 0 rejected]) on Thursday, Jun 26, 2008 at 3:57:32 PM (0+)
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A NEW CONNECTION
I have recently been reading a book that establishes a very tight relationship between the Bushes and the Reverend Sun Myung Moon. The elder Bush gets paid $100,000.00 per appearance for the new Messiah, who, among other endeavors, has membership in the Carlyle Group, has massive holdings in armaments manufacturing, and owns vast media outlets that misinform the American public. Interestly enough, the Reverend Moon and his wife, the self-proclaimed "Perfect Couple", were crowned with crowns of rare jewels with over one hundred Senators and Congressman present in a fairly recent ceremony in a Congressional building. They actually wore royal robes. Most of the MSM covered the story up, but it did break a little and the Congressional electives present claimed they were tricked into attending. I suppose they were also tricked into staying. Interestingly enough, there is substantial evidence that Moon financed North Korea's nuclear development program for Reagan and Bush so that the Star Wars Initiative could be sold to the American public. Hence, Bush and Moon create the need for the armaments they can sell through their mutual holdings in the defense industry. Is this just greed, Mr. Diehl? After all, both men have wealth beyond any amounts they could possibly spend. Or could it be true that we struggle not against men, but against powers and principalities? by W.M.L. (0 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 537 comments [52 recommended, 1 rejected]) on Thursday, Jun 26, 2008 at 5:29:05 PM (0+)
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