Doomsday Prophecies, End Times, Revelation and Predictions

After the staggering response I received to my hub about the Strange Noises and Weird Sounds in the Sky - Heard from Around the World, it was clear to me that Doomsday Prophecies and Predictions were the next in line to tackle as best as I could. This topic is pretty overwhelming, and really, I was not sure one that I even wanted to tackle. It was apparent to me that even when trying to categorize this hub that this topic was going to probably go down many paths in the comments section here. I struggled with what category to put this under - does it belong under education? Or does it belong under religion and philosophy? It is science related or more for entertainment?

Decisions....decisions....

Being the inquisitive soul that I am, I must confess that one of the forums I go to daily is called Godlike Productions - which would best be categorized as a "fringe" website. Although just recently an "official" member there, I have been a fairly active contributor there for over 4 years.

Why do I go to GLP? Basically to get news before the mainstream news gets it - and also to see what new trends and odd going ons are happening in our world on a daily basis. I don't go there to debate things but just to be informed. The other website I go to almost daily is Steve Quayle's. There I also follow trends and find news that we tend not to hear in our mainstream media. The next site I follow is Global Disaster Watch, which has daily updates on record breaking disasters from around the world (it's a great non-profit educational site ran solely by a lady named Crystal) Every couple of days I also pop into Jim Sinclair's Mine Set website, where Jim discusses the global economy. So, through these few websites, I feel I have a pretty good "pulse" on what's happening around the world - breaking news, financial news and any "strange or odd" occurrences that might spark debate or further investigation.

So you ask, what do those sites have to do with Doomsday prophecies, predictions, Revelation and the Apocalypse?

One of the over-riding themes that seem to keep popping up at all of these sites is predictions for Doomsday, either by the readers or the site owners and contributors (except for Sinclair's site, I like to follow him to make sense of how finances could relate to economic doomsday) Now I'm not saying that I'm an expert on any of this stuff, because I'm not - all I am saying is that doomsday prediction and prophecies, and their relation to revelation in the Bible, are very intriguing to me. And based on my research - they are very intriguing to many people.

Now before we get any further into this I will offer up my own theory on why people are so interested in doomsday and the apocalypse, and before you start throwing tomato's at your screen bear with me here.

I believe (and notice that emphasis on I) - that the reason so many people are intrigued by death, the Apocalypse, and Doomsday is because in our original state (our created state) we were not supposed to die. We were originally created to be around forever, so the thought of death and doomsday is foreign to us - it just does not make sense. In my own humble opinion, it does not make sense because we were not supposed to experiences death or doomsday. So yes, to believe this means I have to believe in a God and creator, which I do. So that's where I get my premise for this.

A blogger named Shannan Parker, that I ran across while researching this, couldn't have put my thoughts into better words:

"We wrestle with the reason and search for more detail because death was supposed to be foreign to us. We seek and create answers to cope with the mystery of the unknown. Before Adam and Eve bit into the forbidden fruit we had no knowledge of what we call death. Sorrow was not part of our design. We invited this in when we decided to have our eyes “opened” to be like God “knowing good and evil.” (Gen. 3:4-5). It was at this moment in time that redemption’s plan was set into motion."

And I have to say, there is not much written about this. It is extremely hard to find much about why "is death so weird to us" anywhere on the Internet. Perhaps it's something we always wondered about but just never asked about - since it's an inevitable fact of our lives?

OK, with putting that aside for now (if you are still reading this - thanks), doomsday prophecies and apocalyptic predictions are not a new topic that has just gained popularity because of the Internet Recorded accounts of Doomsday prophecies and predictions date back over 4,000 years:

ca. 2800 BC: According to Isaac Asimov's Book of Facts (1979), an Assyrian clay tablet dating to approximately 2800 BC was unearthed bearing the words "Our earth is degenerate in these latter days. There are signs that the world is speedily coming to an end. Bribery and corruption are common." This is one of the earliest examples of the perception of moral decay in society being interpreted as a sign of the imminent end.

(kinda sounds like today, doesn't it?)

(from A Brief History of the Apocalypse)

So does this mean because doomsday did not happen then that it will not happen in our lifetime? That too many people have called wolf over that last few thousand years to make it even believable now?

To that, and to all others that try to predict Doomsday or tell us that the end of the world is here, I am going to say this: Yes, once again I will bring "religion" into this but this is what I truly believe, and why I believe that NO ONE can predict the end (and yes the basis for this means that I not only believe in God, a creator, but I also believe that Jesus was his son) If you are still reading this congratulations. People that disagree with me or threw tomatoes have probably disappeared by now...

Jesus Christ Will Return "like a thief in the night" (A Surprise, Suddenly)

1 Thessalonians 5:2-4 (NIV) for you know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. 3 While people are saying, "Peace and safety," destruction will come on them suddenly, as labor pains on a pregnant woman, and they will not escape. 4 But you, brothers, are not in darkness so that this day should surprise you like a thief.

"The Holy Scripture does not state in 1 Thessalonians 5:2 printed above that Jesus Christ will return during the nighttime, anymore than the Holy Scripture states in 1 Thessalonians 5:4 printed above that Jesus Christ will return during the daytime. For Jesus Christ to return to the earth when it is only nighttime everywhere on earth would be impossible, as there is concurrently daytime and nighttime simultaneously on the earth. The Holy Scripture states that Jesus Christ's Second Coming will be an unexpected and sudden "surprise," "like a thief" is a surprise."

So, IMHO, no one knows what day that "sudden surprise" will happen. No one knows the date, the time or how. Just that it will. Once again, that puts us on edge. Makes us want to listen to people talking about the sky falling!

1. Aliens
2. Black Holes
3. Cosmic Impact
4. Gamma-Ray Burst
5. Infection
6. Nuclear War
7. Robots
8. The Sun
9. Supervolcanoes
10. Zombies

Ah that's a load of cr$$ some of you might be saying. I came here to find out about the end of the world! I want a day, I want a time, I want to know if it's going to be Doomsday by a mega quake or Doomsday by an asteroid hitting us!! This isn't fair you spouting your religious beliefs to me!!

And what about this whole Revelation thing I keep hearing about? Is it true that scriptures in Revelation are coming to pass during our lives?

In all fairness to those that would like to know what others believe, to the right are the top ten predictions for how we are all going to die: (not in order of belief or fear-from Live Science)

Some of you may be irritated that I seem to make light of something so serious - well I make light of it all perhaps because honestly, I feel a little unnerved at the thought of getting hit by an asteroid (you know how people sometimes smile or laugh at inappropriate moments - well that's me right now)

Honestly, how do we deal with these ever increasing predictions of doom and gloom , the end of the world, the apocalypse, the 2012 Mayan prediction that this year is it? DOOMSDAY? It is a scary subject! It truly is frightening to think about a super volcano exploding and wiping out much of earths population (if not all of us)

Once again, I take us back to what I originally said was my belief - we feel frightened and scared of these things because in the beginning, we were not made to experience this type of fear. We were not made to face death, or to even have to think about it. That's my humble opinion, and I'm sticking to it. If you have read this entire article I thank you from the bottom of my heart - and I hope you don't lose sleep over things we have no control over. The only things we have control over is what we personally believe, and as for me you know what that is. I'd like to leave you with one of my favorite scriptures that assures me that every day I am looked over and taken care of by God - that I - nor any of us - are not meant to fear the unknown:

So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand....ISAIAH....41:10

(Dorsi Diaz is a freelance writer and publisher who writes on many thought provoking subjects)