Ray a Day Guest Post: Nigel

Here is a guest post by Nigel!

This section was quite interesting as it's something I have never really looked into very much 'End Time Prophecy'

Here is what the 'Atheist' has to say.

The question raises (for me at least) the whole issue of the rapture. Proof for the existence of God? I think that would pretty much do it for me... According to the myth, people will vanish, the dead will rise and head off to heaven - and will most likely be under the control of a Jewish homosexual world leader... Let us not forget that we will also get a red moon and a black sun - a huge meteor will burn one third of the grass and trees - 200 million horse like creatures will run rampant - oh and fresh water will become blood. Tell you what, if all that bunk comes to pass - I will have another think about this god, I can't promise anything, even then, but I will certainly have another think. Really water turned to blood and horse-like creatures - golly.

Wow scary stuff. I thought I better look up and see if his claims really fit the bible. Now some of this stuff was actually a lot harder to pin down than I expected. Lots of hits in google for Homosexual Jewish Antichrist, but frankly not many of them seem to specify bible verses to back up the claims. This is nothing against our 'Athiest' because a quick google will indicate that many many people (like John Hagee) think this is all true, but the biblical basis is actually pretty thin.

Apparently the origin of the Antichrist being Gay Jew is this verse.

Daniel 11:37 Neither shall he regard the God of his fathers, nor the desire of women, nor regard any god: for he shall magnify himself above all

And Jewish is also apparently from a Tribe (Dan) being mentioned in Jerimiah 8:16 and NOT mentioned in Revelations 7.

Here is the relevant verse about the sun and moon being covered.

Revelation 6:12 And I beheld when he had opened the sixth seal, and, lo, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became as blood;

And of course Water to Blood is a relatively common bible theme including

Revelation 11:6 These have power to shut heaven, that it rain not in the days of their prophecy: and have power over waters to turn them to blood, and to smite the earth with all plagues, as often as they will.

Revelation 16:4 And the third angel poured out his vial upon the rivers and fountains of waters; and they became blood

The Meteor has name by the way, 'Wormwood'.

Revelation 8:7-11 The first angel sounded, and there followed hail and fire mingled with blood, and they were cast upon the earth: and the third part of trees was burnt up, and all green grass was burnt up

And the second angel sounded, and as it were a great mountain burning with fire was cast into the sea: and the third part of the sea became blood;

And the third part of the creatures which were in the sea, and had life, died; and the third part of the ships were destroyed.

And the third angel sounded, and there fell a great star from heaven, burning as it were a lamp, and it fell upon the third part of the rivers, and upon the fountains of waters;

And the name of the star is called Wormwood: and the third part of the waters became wormwood; and many men died of the waters, because they were made bitter.

And here is our Army of Monsters. (Horse-like doesn't really begin to describe it)

Revelation 7-10,16

And the shapes of the locusts were like unto horses prepared unto battle; and on their heads were as it were crowns like gold, and their faces were as the faces of men.

And they had hair as the hair of women, and their teeth were as the teeth of lions.

And they had breastplates, as it were breastplates of iron; and the sound of their wings was as the sound of chariots of many horses running to battle.

And they had tails like unto scorpions, and there were stings in their tails: and their power was to hurt men five months

And the number of the army of the horsemen were two hundred thousand thousand: and I heard the number of them

Wow some fantastic stuff there, lets see what Ray has to say.

May I say respectively, you may have been watching too many Hollywood movies, or the Discovery Channel, or maybe reading stuff on weird Web sties, or eating too much cheese before you got to bed (that can cause bad dreams).

I wonder if Ray included Kirk's 3 'Left Behind' films in this assesment?

I would suggest that you take a deep breath, then read the Bible with a humble hear, praying that God would show you what is prophetically symbolic and what is literal. If you don't do that, you will end up with the nightmare that you have just related. The Bible is a book filled with symbolism - from Ezekiel's wheels, to the dreams of Joseph and Daniel, to the Book of Revelation, and of course, many of the words of Jesus. Again some things are literal and some are symbolic.

Wait, what? Did I read that correctly...

Again some things are literal and some are symbolic.

Huh, ok, so Ray is quite happy to accept that some of the Bible is symbolic. Just not Genesis 1&2 I guess. Couldn't possibly be, No way, No how.

When Jesus said that He was "the Door," He didn't mean a do with literal hinges that swing back and forth. He is the entry to heaven(see also John 14:6). When He said that his flesh was meat and we were to eat it, He wasn't speaking of cannibalism. We spiritually "taste and see that the Lord is good." When He held the cup of wine and said "This is My blood" and told us to drink it, He wasn't speaking of His literal blood (He couldn't have been, because His blood was still running through His veins)

Wine is often used as a symbol of blood - Jesus turned the water into wine at the Cana wedding, and God turned water into blood with the plagues of Egypt. All these symbols and events have hidden and wonderful meanings behind them for the are willing to dig a little. If you think about it, thing that we value in life usually have to be searched out - gold doesn't just like on top of the ground. You have to search for it. It's the same with the silver, diamonds, pearls, etc, and it's the same with Biblical gems. You have to dig a little to find the riches.

Alright so this hits on one of the I find quite interesting about the way people view the bible. You read it, and then interpret it. You decide to take what sections literally, and what symbolically, and then decide what the verses actually mean. It really is a case of 'Pick your own biblical meaning', no wonder there are so many branches of the church.

As much as I would like to be, I am not a prophecy expert of a even a prophecy buff. I don't get too deeply into it, because so many people end up with weird and strange scenarios, and what's more they all they it right. I prefer to put my time into trying to read people like you with the Gospel. Your salvation is finitely more important to me than my eschatological interpretation.

So basically Ray is saying "Eh, I don't know anything about bible prophecy, don't ask me, get saved"

Then why include this question in the book?