The Second Coming

[Questatement]

No person will have any doubt when Jesus comes, Christian or otherwise. The Faux-Jesuses you mentioned have proven themselves to be ordinary nut jobs. When the real Jesus appears he will by his actions prove his cause. I do fear although we have plenty more nut jobs to go through first and of course the Anti-Christ will have to make a move first. I am interested on any views anyone has to the identity of the Anti-Christ. Could I say please not Pope Benedict again (it has been suggested many times and lacks insight)

The best interpertation that exists today, assuming Christ's return is 'near,' is that the Antichrist will also be Islam's "Mahdi."

[Questatement]

This assumes that Jesus will indeed perform his miracles.

The only miracles prophesied to happen are as follows:

During the first half of the seven year tribulation -

1) Dreams and visions among Christians.

2) Two witnesses of God who preach the gospel of Christ and forewarn of the Antichrist's true identity and the divine 'wrath' to come. These witnesses will have the power to destroy their enemies by calling fire down from 'heaven.'

3) The Antichrist's "prophet" will also call fire down from the sky, by my guess, to demonstrate that the two witnesses are really nothing special. Sort of like when Moses went before Pharaoh with his staff. I'm not sure if the 'image' this prophet gives a ‘voice’ to is miraculous or just an allegory for something akin to a global surveillance/control system.

During the last half of the seven year tribulation as commenced by the killing of the last Christian(s), the killing of God's two witnesses, the Antichrist declaring himself as God in the newly built 3rd temple, and, as a result of the forementioned, a revival in Israel resulting in the newly converted Jews retreating to Petra -

The divine/supernatural judgment of God for a period of 3 1/2 years upon all but those protected in the ancient city of Petra, culminating in the return of Christ.

[Offeror]

A worthy endeavor.

But, of course, Islam is as much a load of crap as is christianity.

What kind of nutcase religion thinks that it is a good thing to kill innocent people by making oneself a human bomb? Really! This sort of conduct is somehow approved by a supernatural being? How fundamentally stupid.

If you think that a religion is so fundamentally stupid to say a thing like that, then I am indeed enlightened by your knowledge.

[Offeror]

The best interpertation that exists today, assuming Christ's return is 'near,' is that the Antichrist will also be Islam's "Mahdi."

I don't know about Christian but in Islamic tradition the Antichrist would be a different man than Mahdi you referred to. Mahdi and Jesus Christ would join forces to defeat the army of the Anti-Christ.

[Nervous]

What kind of nutcase religion thinks that it is a good thing to kill innocent people by making oneself a human bomb? Really! This sort of conduct is somehow approved by a supernatural being? How fundamentally stupid.

Hater much?
Islam isn't any dumber than any other religion.
All religions have nutcases, Christians believed in killing people for being bad painters.
Perhaps not in a suicidal way;
But I like to think Islam was just putting a creative touch on their insanity.

[gallo]

If you think that a religion is so fundamentally stupid to say a thing like that, then I am indeed enlightened by your knowledge.

We can only hope so. After all, what kind of evil being would approve of suicide bombers and airplane hijackers who fly them into buildings. Even though the object, in some cases, seems to be killing those who are not Muslim, recently these nutcase walking bombers have killed their fellow Muslims. Somehow their supreme being approves of this. Maybe it is the vicious killing of innocents that scores points with Allah.

[gallo]

Hater much?

Not really. Why do you say so?

Islam isn't any dumber than any other religion.

EXACTLY! They are all equally stupid.

All religions have nutcases, Christians believed in killing people for being bad painters.

But I am not aware of large numbers of christians who tried to kill hundreds of innocent people while killing themselves. That takes a special kind of crazy.

Perhaps not in a suicidal way;

When you consider that suicide is generally considered to be a sin among christians, and since a suicide is unable to repent for that sin, they are guaranteed (by christians) to go to hell. Apparently, Islam does not frown on suicide, and in fact honors it as an act that will guarantee entry into heaven, most especially if one manages to take innocent lives in the act of suicide.

But I like to think Islam was just putting a creative touch on their insanity.

Creative? It is a destructive touch to their insanity.

[el ايمان]

When you show me the Quranic verse commanding Muslims to fly planes into skyscrapers, I will concede that the Abrahamic God approved 9/11.

[Offeror]

When you consider that suicide is generally considered to be a sin among christians, and since a suicide is unable to repent for that sin, they are guaranteed (by christians) to go to hell. Apparently, Islam does not frown on suicide, and in fact honors it as an act that will guarantee entry into heaven, most especially if one manages to take innocent lives in the act of suicide.

And that is considered to be a sin amongst Muslims too, and yes a suicide is unable to repent for that sin so they are guaranteed Hellfire. (not only by Muslims but by the Abrahamic God, that should include all Abrahamic reilgions).

Islam does frown on suicide, and all the rubbish you have written just lacks evidence in the same way that atheists think our God does.

It seems like indoctrination works both ways. Bravo to the media for indoctrinating you guys.

[Questatement]

I don't know about Christian but in Islamic tradition the Antichrist would be a different man than Mahdi you referred to. Mahdi and Jesus Christ would join forces to defeat the army of the Anti-Christ.

In biblical prophecy, Jesus has no right-hand man type of side-kick.

Only the resurrected saints who will accompany Jesus when he returns to defeat the Antichrist and his armies.

[Nervous]

Creative? It is a destructive touch to their insanity.

Creative, destructive. It's all the same wgen your talking about religious homicide.

[notthecheatr]

But I am not aware of large numbers of christians who tried to kill hundreds of innocent people while killing themselves. That takes a special kind of crazy.

While suicide bombings and hijackings do appear to be primarily a phenomenon that occurs in certain sects of Islam (and it should be pointed out that this certainly isn't the mainstream Islam view nor supported by the Quran), I think the origin is probably a particular image of heroism that is actually somewhat common throughout the world, and does not necessarily bear any religious connotations. Most obvious example that comes to mind is the Kamikaze attackers, who believed in a version of loyalty and honor in which death is better than defeat. I believe this concept exists even among Christians, though not necessarily in the Bible, and of course we all know of the concept of "martyrdom" and dying for one's faith. I don't know that I agree with the concept, but I'm not sure it could legitimately be called "crazy" either. They have their reasons. They aren't psychopaths.

Killing innocents, women and children, could be easily compared to what the Hebrews did in the Old Testament. If Christians won't actually do these things, they will often defend those practices. So intellectually, the mindset is by no means unique to Islam, or even those sects of Islam.

You have to know your enemy to defeat him. The terrorism perpetrated by Muslim extremists is nominally religious in nature, but in reality it's political in nature. They're not blowing themselves up for God, they're blowing themselves up for the commander who told them to blow themselves up for God. Every time anyone calls it a "holy war" that belief is legitimized; every time the political circumstances are pointed out, the belief is shown to be nonsensical. Don't try to defeat the terrorists by attacking their religion; defeat the terrorists by showing that it isn't really about religion.