Not long ago, I posted about my deep suspicion that within my lifetime, we will witness a nuclear attack, either by a nation or a rogue agent. It will change everything. In a TED Talk a couple of years ago, Stephen Patrenek, former editor of Discover magazine, laid out the scientific consensus for the ten most likely ways for the world to end.
What do you think? Are we going to make it? Do you expect the human race to survive another five thousand years? Another five hundred? Through your lifetime?
And a question specifically for Christians. If a global catastrophe (either natural or human-caused) occurred and killed, say, 95% of the global population, how would that affect your faith?
That is when as a person I have been preparing for an overdrive of sorts.
I believe the rapture of the church would happen before a catastrophe of the 95% magnitude (during the Tribulation, all bets off). No, I don't expect you to agree with me. If something like that did happen, I would hope my faith would remain the same.
i dunno... i still can't wrap my mind around it all.
I'm not as versed in End Times theology as I'd like to be....
Anyone else think of "We're Not Gonna Make It" by The Presidents of the United States of America?
I think humans will survive until the second coming, and I don't know how long that will be.
A global catastrophe would not affect my faith.
I've thought about this recently with the whole North Korea threats and tests. I live in LA, so I'm ready to get out of here and go to a smaller city in the middle of nowhere. How's Wichita?
We will certainly experience a nuclear attack in the next 5-15 years. I would bet money on the west coast. But I don't think that it will be the end of this country, or anyone's faith.
Oh, and for the record, Israel is going to waste Iran. Just so when you see the news and CNN shows pictures of Tehran covered in smoke or nuclear fire, everyone will think "Hey, crystal air said something about this a few months ago!"
Everything is certainly getting scary with all of this global stuff but I think the rapture will come first too. Geez, it's hard for me at times now to keep my faith on personal issues, but I know what the Bible says and I believe it. I actually just ordered a book yesterday about this. It's the End of the World as We know it, by Jim Fletcher.
My faith would not be affected (given that I remain sane). Future events no matter how catastrophic don't change the reality of Christ and Him crucified in the past. The scriptures, witnesses and the historical reality of Christ don't become void should something happen that I can't understand or see God's providence in... Besides... He has promised it will all end some day right? A great day for those who believe and a beginning of horrors to those who are in their sins....
I am 95% certain I will find out what my faith meant in that case.
I don't know what will happen. I do know we're not on a good path as the human race though.
OK, wait. The asteroid chances make no sense at all. Considering we have no historical record of people dying from this, how can the odds be the same as airplane crash?
If anything, I would think my faith would grow stronger.
I actually think the same thing. Every since the first day I saw all that jazz about rockets and north Korean i keep thinking the end is near. A big rockets is just going to destroy everything because we are too stupid and stubborn to learn from out mistakes. I'm not sure if that's the same one i watched but I found the end by black hole to be the most interesting....for some reason...
Thank you for your supportive comments, and any comments at all on my Xanga.
I'm not sure,but I like listening to talk radio and when I found about the North Korea situation it scared me.Now I'm worried,but I don't think it would affect my faith,because it would be human stupidity and it's inability to compromise instead of God's doing.
Humans will survive a nuclear exchange no problem. An interstellar collision, a resillient air-borne virus, a sudden polar reversal, these might be more likely to challenge the continuation of humans (and most large mammals, etc). Barring those reasonably likely events, humans should be able to crowd out all the life on Earth going forward. Soylent Green, hmmm. Eventually we will have to colonize space, of course.
For the human race to last another 5,000 years....very unlikely, in my opinion. Another 500-- maybe. I am HOPING that it won't become extinct within my lifetime, lol, but you never know.
This video was great; I appreciate you for posting it! :D
That was extremely interesting. As a Christian, I don't know how my faith might be affected by that. I guess I've never had a reason to get out of my naive little bubble and start thinking that even though I believe there is a God that I should also think that he might still allow something catastrophic to occur on the Earth.
i don't take the book of revelation literally, since it was just one of many books written in that genre. people have talked about the end of the world since the end of the first millenium, so it's anybody's guess when it could happen. i think the most likely source of our annihilation will come from space. likely an asteroid. then again, if we can make it another couple hundred years, maybe we will have advanced beyond the planet. thus, if the planet is destroyed, the human race still goes on.
I believe that when the "catastrophe" happens... that's when your faith in God has to be the strongest. It feels funny for me to say, because I'm not all that strong in faith right now... but I still believe that he is there to guide me, and all the earth. Maybe I'm wrong when I say this... but I feel like there are tests that he puts out for us. It's just a matter of if we have faith in him or not. Am a right/wrong?
Do you know if this man is a follower of jesus or not?
in our lifetime ... unlikely, but eventually we'll probably kill ourselves.
I found the video absolutely fascinating, thanks for sharing. I have no idea how the world is going to end and I really am not too concerned about it. There was a point in my life where I was obsessed with End Times study and I found that it distracted me from the task at hand. Knowing how/when the earth would end makes our work no less urgent for today. But to answer your question, it would not shake my faith anymore than watching a nonbeliever die, having consciously rejected the life-giving gift of salvation, and to spend an eternity separated from their maker.
By the way...I do have to note, that every generation thinks that the world will mostly likely end in their lifetime (to some extent). The early church thought Christ would return within their lifetimes. So, the way I see it...He has to come back during someone's generation, so let's be about expanding His kingdom regardless.
I am not saying that you are doing this, because it's an interesting topic, but I do get a bit frustrated when believers talk about one earthquake, or a war or whatever and say: "clearly, this means Jesus is coming soon!" Really? There were earthquakes and wars in Jesus' time and right after.
Comments (27)
That is when as a person I have been preparing for an overdrive of sorts.
I believe the rapture of the church would happen before a catastrophe of the 95% magnitude (during the Tribulation, all bets off). No, I don't expect you to agree with me. If something like that did happen, I would hope my faith would remain the same.
i dunno... i still can't wrap my mind around it all.
I'm not as versed in End Times theology as I'd like to be....
Anyone else think of "We're Not Gonna Make It" by The Presidents of the United States of America?
I think humans will survive until the second coming, and I don't know how long that will be.
A global catastrophe would not affect my faith.
I've thought about this recently with the whole North Korea threats and tests. I live in LA, so I'm ready to get out of here and go to a smaller city in the middle of nowhere. How's Wichita?
We will certainly experience a nuclear attack in the next 5-15 years. I would bet money on the west coast. But I don't think that it will be the end of this country, or anyone's faith.
Oh, and for the record, Israel is going to waste Iran. Just so when you see the news and CNN shows pictures of Tehran covered in smoke or nuclear fire, everyone will think "Hey, crystal air said something about this a few months ago!"
Everything is certainly getting scary with all of this global stuff but I think the rapture will come first too. Geez, it's hard for me at times now to keep my faith on personal issues, but I know what the Bible says and I believe it. I actually just ordered a book yesterday about this. It's the End of the World as We know it, by Jim Fletcher.
My faith would not be affected (given that I remain sane). Future events no matter how catastrophic don't change the reality of Christ and Him crucified in the past. The scriptures, witnesses and the historical reality of Christ don't become void should something happen that I can't understand or see God's providence in... Besides... He has promised it will all end some day right? A great day for those who believe and a beginning of horrors to those who are in their sins....
I am 95% certain I will find out what my faith meant in that case.
I don't know what will happen.
I do know we're not on a good path as the human race though.
OK, wait. The asteroid chances make no sense at all. Considering we
have no historical record of people dying from this, how can the odds
be the same as airplane crash?
If anything, I would think my faith would grow stronger.
I actually think the same thing. Every since the first day I saw all that jazz about rockets and north Korean i keep thinking the end is near. A big rockets is just going to destroy everything because we are too stupid and stubborn to learn from out mistakes. I'm not sure if that's the same one i watched but I found the end by black hole to be the most interesting....for some reason...
Thank you for your supportive comments, and any comments at all on my Xanga.
I'm not sure,but I like listening to talk radio and when I found about the North Korea situation it scared me.Now I'm worried,but I don't think it would affect my faith,because it would be human stupidity and it's inability to compromise instead of God's doing.
Humans will survive a nuclear exchange no problem. An interstellar collision, a resillient air-borne virus, a sudden polar reversal, these might be more likely to challenge the continuation of humans (and most large mammals, etc). Barring those reasonably likely events, humans should be able to crowd out all the life on Earth going forward. Soylent Green, hmmm. Eventually we will have to colonize space, of course.
For the human race to last another 5,000 years....very unlikely, in my opinion. Another 500-- maybe. I am HOPING that it won't become extinct within my lifetime, lol, but you never know.
This video was great; I appreciate you for posting it! :D
That was extremely interesting. As a Christian, I don't know how my faith might be affected by that. I guess I've never had a reason to get out of my naive little bubble and start thinking that even though I believe there is a God that I should also think that he might still allow something catastrophic to occur on the Earth.
i don't take the book of revelation literally, since it was just one of many books written in that genre. people have talked about the end of the world since the end of the first millenium, so it's anybody's guess when it could happen. i think the most likely source of our annihilation will come from space. likely an asteroid. then again, if we can make it another couple hundred years, maybe we will have advanced beyond the planet. thus, if the planet is destroyed, the human race still goes on.
I believe that when the "catastrophe" happens... that's when your faith in God has to be the strongest. It feels funny for me to say, because I'm not all that strong in faith right now... but I still believe that he is there to guide me, and all the earth. Maybe I'm wrong when I say this... but I feel like there are tests that he puts out for us. It's just a matter of if we have faith in him or not. Am a right/wrong?
Do you know if this man is a follower of jesus or not?
in our lifetime ... unlikely, but eventually we'll probably kill ourselves.
I found the video absolutely fascinating, thanks for sharing. I have no idea how the world is going to end and I really am not too concerned about it. There was a point in my life where I was obsessed with End Times study and I found that it distracted me from the task at hand. Knowing how/when the earth would end makes our work no less urgent for today. But to answer your question, it would not shake my faith anymore than watching a nonbeliever die, having consciously rejected the life-giving gift of salvation, and to spend an eternity separated from their maker.
By the way...I do have to note, that every generation thinks that the world will mostly likely end in their lifetime (to some extent). The early church thought Christ would return within their lifetimes. So, the way I see it...He has to come back during someone's generation, so let's be about expanding His kingdom regardless.
I am not saying that you are doing this, because it's an interesting topic, but I do get a bit frustrated when believers talk about one earthquake, or a war or whatever and say: "clearly, this means Jesus is coming soon!" Really? There were earthquakes and wars in Jesus' time and right after.