[quote]Sloth wrote:
Why assume the US has any meaningful role one way or the other?[/quote]
I’m not sure about you Sloth, but more than a few of my fellow Catholics do not see Revelation as prophecy as much as historical allegory.
[quote]mbdix wrote:
[quote]
The US is already in rapid decline. It is has lost international prestige beginning with Korea, then Vietnam, then Iraq thereby losing its potential to employ soft power and diplomacy. It is massively downsizing its military thereby diminishing its capacity to project power and influence global events. Its economically will soon come crashing down due to its massive debt. Its citizens have become conditioned to welfare addiction and to the pandering of demagogues. Its government is becoming increasingly centralised, authoritarian and top heavy. It is destroying its own productivity through draconian environmental legislation, oppressive taxation and anti-business legislation. Its birthrate is rapidly declining. Its borders are uncontrolled. A parasitic underclass of welfare bums has become a voting block that requires appeasement. Its citizens no longer have a sense of civic virtue and have no stomach for even minor military deployments. Its facing an aggressive, militant and nationalistic Russia; an arms race with China in the Pacific; hostile Communist regimes in South and Central America; a failing Mexican state overrun with violent drug cartels and corruption; Islamic fundamentalists. Shall I go on?[/quote]
Well, when you put it that way. [/quote]
A jeremiad if I’ve ever heard one.
[quote]Bismark wrote:
[quote]Sloth wrote:
Why assume the US has any meaningful role one way or the other?[/quote]
I’m not sure about you Sloth, but more than a few of my fellow Catholics do not see Revelation as prophecy as much as historical allegory. As one of the prominent Catholics on this board, what are your thoughts regarding the text?
[quote]Bismark wrote:
[quote]mbdix wrote:
An entirely temporal assessment I assure you.
I certainly hope so.
But with the AGW deniers, the young earth creationists, the Birchers, the Bundy style militias etc etc etc they’ve sure got their work cut out for them.
This Norwegian Social Democrat sure misses Bush senior…
Stated,
"…I was asking for general thoughts on America in end time prophesy as I cannot see it mentioned as a significant party involved or I might be missing something. "
"Based on it’s current support of Israel "
I feel that America will no longer be a viable force due to being stretched, militarily, all over the world and having received a demoralizing defeat or have joined those who oppose Israel, (as we see this happening today), (Gen. 12:3).
Revelation 13:7-8 states, speaking of the Antichrist, “…and power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations. And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him…”
“Nations” (Gk. phule) an expression used to describe all of humanity.
The authority and rule of the Antichrist will be extended, not just to the 10 nations he first controls (Rev. 17:12-13), but to the entire world. All those dwelling on the earth will bow down and worship him thus, no superpower, just another nation who aligns with the Antichrist who are all defeated at Armageddon (Rev. 19:17-21).
Alright, I barely get into stuff like this, but here goes…
The book of Revelation has little to do with the end of the world. If you look at the FIRST paragraph:
“1 The revelation from Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show his servants what must SOON take place. He made it known by sending his angel to his servant John, 2 who testifies to everything he saw?that is, the word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ. 3 Blessed is the one who reads aloud 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. (emphasis mine)”
When was Revelation written? Around 95 AD. The audience therefore could not be us in the 21st century.
What does Revelation mean to us? That no matter how much God’s people are persecuted, throughout past, present and future, God will avenge his people and defeat evil.
Revelation is considered the most difficult book in the N.T. To interpret. Although the original readers probably understood its message, in subsequent centuries varying opinions about the book have resulted in four major schools of interpretation.
(1) The preterist interpretation views the book and its prophecies as having been fulfilled in the original historical setting of the Roman Empire, except for chs. 19-22 which await future fulfillment.
(2) The historicist interpretation views Revelation as a prophetic forecast of the entire sweep of church history from John’s day to the end of the age.
(3) The idealist interpretation regards the book’s symbolism as conveying certain timeless spiritual principles about good and evil in history generally, without reference to actual historical events.
(4) The futurist interpretation approaches chs. 4-22 as prophecy concerning events in history that will occur only at the end of this age.
I’d personally consider Genesis the most difficult book to interpret.