The Mark Of The Beast

[babylonsister]

http://digbysblog.blogspot.com/2010/06/blood-in-water-b...

The Mark Of The Beast

by digby

Yesterday I noted the assortment of conspiracy theories making their way from the far right fringes and I mentioned the fundamentalists in passing. Well, they're on it too. Newsweek reports:

A growing conversation among Christian fundamentalists asks the question that may have been inevitable: is the oil spill in the gulf a sign of the coming apocalypse?

About 60 million white evangelicals live in America, and about one third of them believe that the world will end in their lifetime, according to the Pew Research Center for the People and the Press. Broadly speaking, these Christians subscribe to a theology called "premillennial dispensationalism." In this world view, they are warriors on the side of God: a cosmic battle—culminating in apocalypse, judgment, and, finally, the reign of Jesus in “a new heaven and a new earth”—will come soon. The most determined of these believers mine the Book of Revelation for signs that the end is near. ..

Now blogs on the Christian fringe are abuzz with possibility that the oil spill is the realization of Revelation 8:8–11. “The second angel blew his trumpet, and something like a great mountain, burning with fire, was thrown into the sea. A third of the sea became blood, a third of the living creatures in the sea died, and a third of the ships were destroyed … A third of the waters became wormwood, and many died from the water, because it was made bitter.” According to Revelation, in other words, something terrible happens to the world’s water, a punishment to those of insufficient faith. The foul water, according to the New Oxford Annotated Bible, mirrors one of the plagues God called upon Egypt on behalf of his people Israel.
Though maybe it’s Revelation 16:3: “The second angel poured his bowl into the sea, and it became like the blood of a corpse, and every living thing in the sea died.”

Some interpreters are very sure: The oil spill matches biblical prophesy and is another predictor of the end. One commenter at Godlike Productions argues that the redness of the oil seen in pictures can be interpreted as blood. “The water is tinted red from the oil … it ACTUALLY looks like blood. coincidence??? NOT!!!!” On Facebook, at least two discussion groups are devoted to mining the parallels between events in the gulf and those predicted in the bible; and in a heart-rending interview with CBS, a Louisiana minister named Theodore Turner, whose congregation is one third fishermen, said he knew it to be so. “The Bible prophesized hardships,” he said. “If we believe the word of God is true—and we do—we also know that in addition to prophesying hardships he promised to take care of us.”

And guess who's the antichrist?

{A}ccording to such fringe commentators as this one, President Barack Obama embodies many of qualities of the Antichrist, as described in Revelation 13:5–7: “The beast was given a mouth uttering haughty and blasphemous words, and it was allowed to exercise authority for 42 months. It opened its mouth to utter blasphemies against God … It was given authority over every tribe and people and language and nation, and all the inhabitants of the earth will worship it.”

The conspiracy nuts are coming out if full force from every possible perspective. This is, in fact, the one that's least surprising.

What shocked me about the article was the final paragraph, which I think probably shows the distraction people at Newsweek are feeling as they wait to find out the fate of their magazine. Or perhaps they just feel liberated and able to tell it like it is for once.

Get a load of this:

Yet through a biblical lens, it’s hard to see the oil spill as anything but God’s punishment for greed and a disrespect of Creation—and both of those sins fall mostly on the shoulders of the Republicans, who have been aggressively lobbying for more offshore drilling, without, obviously, ensuring that appropriate safeguards are in place. (Remember “Drill, baby, drill”? According to OpenSecrets.org, Republicans in the last decade have far outstripped Democrats in donations from big oil, sometimes by a factor of four.) So the question for biblical literalists becomes one of political alliances. Does God wreak apocalyptic wrath on members of one’s own party—or only on the opposition?

Booyah!

[randr]

1. I think in a biblical sense oil would be our "apple"

[jaxx]

2. They just can't wait to die

so they find all the junk to make it happen if they wish hard enough. Freakin nuts!!

[RandomThoughts]

3. According to the writings of Revelation

I think it is best to not comment by interpretation, because of what that book says. Although I have noticed something, it specifically says 'number of a man' when referring to that topic.

And no person should worship a person, Only God Almighty deserves worship and the glory is his. And in my faith that is through Jesus Christ, that in spirit, is one with God and the Holy Spirit.

And the only people saying people are being worshipped are people that do not like people usually, as far as I can tell. I don't think anyone is saying any person is God.

Also much of it is interpretation, and context. It is possible for two people to see two different things in something.

[Cleita]

4. Horse pucky!

The author of Revelations seemed to be eating magic mushrooms and anyone reading it coming up with these conclusions probably are too.

[donco6]

5. Unfortunately, it'll really mess up the PreTribulationists.

The Rapture is supposed to happen before that event in Revelation. Oopsie!

[Dappleganger]

16. PreTribbers are so messed up.

They think that God is going to 'bless them' by snatching them up before the bad things happen, when everyone knows that most of the saints endured horrific circumstances (beatings, starvation, death, etc.). They forget that the Christian Church's roots are steeped in trial by fire.

[Sebastian Doyle]

17. Not to mention a couple of scriptures which are rather blatantly "anti-pre trib"

One is "He who endures to the end shall be saved". The other is "For the sake of the elect, those days should be shortened".

If all the good guys were Rapture-evacuated out before the shit hit the fan, then there would be nobody to endure who could be saved, since taking the mark of the beast is an automatic ticket to Hell.

[LARED]

6. This is a confusing statement

About 60 million white evangelicals live in America, and about one third of them believe that the world will end in their lifetime, according to the Pew Research Center for the People and the Press. Broadly speaking, these Christians subscribe to a theology called "premillennial dispensationalism."

Holding to a doctrine of premillennial dispensationalism does not mean you believe the world will end in your lifetime. I just wanted to clarify.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Premillennialism

[Sebastian Doyle]

7. Fundagelicals need to learn how to count

Barack - 6
Hussein - 7
Obama - 5

675 is not the number of the beast, you fucking idiots!

[AndyA]

9. No, but...

George - 6
Walker - 6
Busche - 6

is. There was an entire site that explained it all. I sure believed it, Bush and his family are certainly evil.

Out of 8 years, he probably worked 42 months...(drunk, of course...but on the job.)

[livetohike]

10. The biggest beast

Ronald - 6
Wilson - 6
Reagan - 6

and yet they all think he is a Saint.

[Sebastian Doyle]

12. Revelation DOES refer to a "first" beast and a "second" beast.

So it's plausible that Reagan could be the first, and Chimp the second.

The Beast will also have a "fatal wound that is healed". Reagan survived being shot, and later, a brain tumor (though that was after he was out of office)

Only problem there is that the Tribulation would now be over, and as fucked up as things are right now, we obviously aren't living in the millenial reign of JC.

[Ozymanithrax]

8. "was allowed to exercise authority for 42 months"

If that is true, does the 42 months begin in November of 2008 when he was elected or January 20th, 2009. Because that would be mean that the end will happen between September 4, 2012 and November 20th 2012. I mean, if the whole antichrist, Christ returning in the clouds thing is accurate.

[Sebastian Doyle]

11. Well, let's work the Mayan calendar thing in there.....

That gives us another month to pack our bags for either Heaven or Hell. (December 21, 2012)

[Ozymanithrax]

14. Prophesy, you got to love it. n/t

[Beacool]

13. Who cares about these nuts?

They've been calling Hillary the Whore of Babylon for years. They are the religious loony fringe. Woe to those who take them seriously.

[TK421]

15. GARGOYLES!!@!@ EVERYTHINGS DARK-SIDED!!!@!$

[Cha]

18. Not in my opinion.. it's a sign that republicon

(faux Christians) backed corporations need to get their shit together.

[cilla4progress]

19. The antichrist talk scares me...

I first heard about it last year. I am afraid it could motivate some crazy/crazies to go off, violently.

OTOH, I do believe the end of life as we know (knew) it....in the Gulf, at least, possibly the Atlantic..is at hand. Not god's doing; our own...

The bible is a book of "morality stories," that speak to universal issues, kind of like Shakespeare. I have no doubt, to some degree this was "prophesied," if that means, just humans doing the same stupid stuff over and over again...

"When will they ever learn...oh when will they...ever learn..."