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I am looking forward to seeing many friends in eternity. The invention of the internet has created so many friendships that there are many I will not meet in person until we meet in paradise. Neil is one of those. I will have to look for a familiar pirate when I get there.

Thomas That was a super post. Wish I had found it earlier. Will come back to and check your facts. I can't wait to get back home.

LifeHiscost Thanks for sharing After 26 people checked out my link, I thought: I can do better-- so I updated my previous post below: "Study Revelation in connection with Daniel, for history will be repeated" {1888 1491.1} Isa_45:1 "Thus saith the LORD to his anointed, to Cyrus, whose right hand I have holden, to subdue nations before him; and I will loose the loins of kings, to open before him the two leaved gates; and the gates shall not be shut;" Dan 5:6 "Then the king's countenance was changed, and his thoughts troubled him, so that the joints of his loins were loosed..." During the orgy the night that ancient Babylon fell, the joints of the king's loins were loosed. Dan 5:27 "TEKEL; Thou art weighed in the balances, and art found wanting." Dan 5:28 "PERES; Thy kingdom is divided, and given ..." [to those who Cyrus was to rule] Dan 5:29 "They clothed Daniel with scarlet, and put a chain of gold about his neck, and made a proclamation concerning him, that he should be the third ruler in the kingdom." [Kings Nabonidus, Belshazzar, Daniel] "Rev 18:2-3 "Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen...for all nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, and the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her" [as ancient Babylon was fallen, so was papal Babylon] Pope Benedict resigned 28 February 2013 in the midst of a fornication scandal that focused on its priests' "loose loins". The prophetic earth is fallen: when USA committed the priests' fornication (gay sex) to be America's law of the land. The Supreme Court of apostate protestant America was fallen on June 2015 when it embraced papal Babylon's fornication Papal-Babylon now has two living popes/kings as ancient Babylon had 2 kings until Daniel was made 3rd ruler There is soon to be a third pope/king when Babylon's history repeats. Because ISIS is drying up the Euphrates River [people (Rev. 17:15) along Euphrates are fleeing for their lives] "The pope is the Vicar of Christ" When will Satan personate Christ? When history is repeated and Babylon has its third ruler/king? Pope Francis is a Short-Timer - Loudcryer right again? https://youtu.be/258evSZHtZ4 You don't have long to wait to see Satan personate Christ. " Satan will not only appear as a human being, but he will personate Jesus Christ; and the world who has rejected the truth will receive him as the Lord of lords and King of kings. He will exercise his power, and work upon the human imagination." {RH, April 14, 1896 par. 6} There is more, but this is a quick synopsis to say that Jesus is even at the door. “Though no man knoweth the day nor the hour of His coming, we are instructed and required to know when it is near. We are further taught that to disregard His warning, and refuse or neglect to know when His Advent is near, will be as fatal for us, as it was for those who lived in the days of Noah not to know when the flood was coming. And the parable in the same chapter contrasting the faithful and the unfaithful servant, and giving the doom of him who said in his heart, ‘My Lord delayeth His coming,’ shows in what light Christ will regard and reward those whom He finds watching, and teaching His coming, and those denying it. ‘Watch therefore,’ He says; ‘blessed is that servant, whom his Lord when He cometh shall find so doing’ [Matthew 24:3, 33, 42-51]. ‘If therefore thou shalt not watch, I will come on thee as a Thief, and thou shalt not know what hour I will come upon thee’ [Revelation 3:3].” (GC88 370.2) Christian regards.

(anon. artist)

I disagree, although I have no respect for Trump, I say that Rubio and Cruz are a worse choice!! They are like little babies.

hch, I guess I’ll get straight to the point since as you say you have plenty on your plate. Shaky Methodological Foundation: Ignoring Revelation’s Own Explanation I agree that “Revelation explains itself.” The thing I find odd is that you’re using Rev. 12 to explain Rev. 17. But Rev. 17, (as testified by the angel himself in v.7: “I will tell you the mystery of the woman, and of the beast with seven heads and ten horns that carries her”), is itself the explanation as to who the Beast is in Rev. 13. Rev. 12 does not tell you it is the explanation to Rev. 17 or 13 at all. My question is therefore, why reject Rev. 17’s own interpretation in favour of one that you made up? That is in my view an erroneous and shaky foundation of interpretation. Fact Disputed 1: The Roman Empire as the 7th Head So whilst I agree with your list up to Roman Empire as #6, your 7thone is at odds with the explanation given in Rev. 17.10, which states in reference to the 7th, “the other has not yet come.” That would be odd, don’t you think, if the 7th head were the “Pagan Rome [that] killed the Manchild” because the Roman Empire was extant at the time the vision was revealed to John, and the killing of the Manchild had already passed, but the text says it had “not yet come”? If it had “not yet come” it surely could not be the Roman Empire which did come and remained until 1453. Do you see my point? Therefore, calling your interpretation “fact” is rather misguided. Interlude: The Beast’s Similarities with the Dragon Just a side note. Why the Beast is similar to the Dragon is telling of a greater truth – that Satan has his own Anti-Trinity, where the 7-headed Dragon Satan has his own ‘son,’ so-to-speak, in the form of the 7-headed (Antichrist) Beast, who is in turn supported by a Dragon-Speaking Lamb Beast (Rev. 13.11) otherwise known as the False Prophet (Rev. 19.20). Notice how the Beast is given the Dragon’s “throne” (seat of kingship) as well as his “power” and “authority” (Rev. 13.2), and how the Dragon-Speaking Lamb has that same “authority” (“it exercises all authority of the first beast” Rev. 13.12). Also notice that at the end of the entire saga all 3 major antagonists that are condemned in the “lake of fire” as a triplet: the Devil, the Beast and the False Prophet (Rev. 20.10). Fact Disputed 2: Alleging the Beast of Rev. 13 to be Papal Another “fact” that you describe is that the Beast in Rev. 13 is a “Papal Beast.” I know this is the standard Adventist so-called ‘fact’ but is it a Biblical/Historical fact. One of the first most obvious features described of the Beast is that it is composed of a Leopard, Bear and Lion (Rev. 13.2). This obviously hearkens back to Daniel 7.1-6’s Lion, Bear and Leopard Empires of Neo-Babylon, Achaemenid Persia, and Macedonian Greece. What defines any empire is its territories (“a major political unit having a territory of great extent or a number of territories or peoples under a single sovereign authority, especially one having an emperor as chief of state” - http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/empire) - it wouldn’t be called an empire if it had none. If you look at any map of those empires (see attached maps) they cover huge swathes of the Middle East. What is discrediting to the Papal interpretation is that the Pope has never had an empire with significant control of those vast areas of the Middle East. The Dynasties of the Islamic Empire on the other hand have, all the way up until the First World War in fact, until the carving up of the Islamic Ottoman Empire by the British, the French and the Russians (http://www.britannica.com/event/Sykes-Picot-Agreement). Fact Disputed 3: The 1260-Year SDA Interpretation Does Not Match Historical Reality A note about the 1260-year period. This idea that the Papacy began its persecution or its ascendancy in 538 and ended in 1798 is totally discredited, and its about time that we looked at the actual historical facts. The Real Date of the Destruction of the Ostrogoths: 535-554 The claim is that in 538 the Ostrogoths were at last uprooted to allow the Pope to begin its reign of terror. Firstly, the Ostrogoths were not destroyed or uprooted in 538. The actual assault on the Ostrogoths began in 535 by order of the Roman Emperor Justinian to recover Roman territory. The actual final destruction of the Ostrogoths occurred in 554: “A period of instability then ensued in the ruling dynasty, provoking the Byzantine emperor Justinian to declare war on the Ostrogoths in 535 in an effort to wrest Italy from their grasp. The war continued with varying fortunes for almost 20 years and caused untold damage to Italy, and the Ostrogoths thereafter had no national existence.” - Encyclopaedia Britannica, “Ostrogoth,” http://www.britannica.com/topic/Ostrogoth. This fact is so well established that even Adventist scholar, Church Historian and Retired Professor at Andrews University, Samuele Bacchiocchi PhD, acknowledges this glaring fallacy: “Historically, our Adventist church has interpreted this prophetic period as representing the 1260 years of Papal domination from 538 to 1798. Supposedly the prophetic period of the Antichrist began in 538 when Justinian’s general, Belisarius, defeated the Ostrogoths, thus enabling the Pope to regain some of his power… This interpretation poses two major problems, which thinking Adventists have long recognized. In fact during the past few months I have received several email messages and calls from pastors who have asked me to help them understand more fully what really happened in 538. The first problem is the questionable significance of 538. We noted earlier that Justinian’s triumph over the Ostrogoths in 538 was short lived, because under their new leader, Totila, the Ostrogoths quickly recaptured most of their lost territories. In other words, this event did not significant boost the power of the Papacy, which still faced constant harassments from various rulers for centuries to come.” - Samuele Bacchiocchi, End Issues Newsletter No. 86, “Islam and the Papacy in Prophecy”, (6 July 2002), http://www.biblicalperspectives.com/endtimeissues/eti_86.html. Did you notice when Bacchiocchi alluded to the emails and calls from pastors asking for clarity on the issue? It is rather telling that even Adventist leaders are perplexed at the traditional interpretation that doesn’t match with the historical record. The Real Date of the Pope’s Rise to Political Power: 756 In actual fact, the clear year as to the Pope’s rise to temporal political power was the donation of lands under the Frankish ruler Pipin III to Pope Stephen II in 756, incorporating Central Italy into the “Papal States”: “When the Lombards threatened to take over the whole peninsula in the 750s, Pope Stephen II (or III; 752–757) appealed for aid to the Frankish ruler Pippin III (the Short), who “restored” the lands of central Italy to the Roman see, ignoring the claim of the Byzantine Empire to sovereignty there. This Donation of Pippin (756) provided the basis for the papal claim to temporal power.” – Encyclopaedia Britannica, “Papal States,” http://www.britannica.com/place/Papal-States. The Real End of the Political Rule of the Papacy: 1870 As we all know, the official interpretation is that the “political rule of the papacy [came to] an end” in “1798” after Pope Pius VI was taken prisoner (General Conference of Seventh-Day Adventists, Seventh-Day Adventists Believe… A Biblical Exposition of 27 Fundamental Doctrines, (Review and Herald Publishing Assoc.: Maryland, 1988), p. 156.). But is that actually true? Did the “political rule of the papacy” end in 1798? Lets look at some real facts. First of all, the breaking up of its territory began in 1790. And yes, subsequently, Pope Pius VI’s refusal to accept this state of affairs did lead to his imprisonment in 1798 and his subsequent death in 1799. But what Adventist experts completely fail to mention is that his successor, Pope Pius VII became defiant of Napoleon, ultimately helping defeat Napoleon, and eventually led a resurgence in Papal popularity, in the aggrandisement of Papal State territory, and even, unwittingly, Papal authoritarianism. In other words, Papal political power was restored: “The Emperor’s [Napoleon] bullying of Pius aroused a far-reaching sympathy and respect for the Pope, especially among northern Catholics, who helped align Pius with the allies who eventually defeated Napoleon. In June 1812 Napoleon transferred Pius to Fontainebleau, where he forced the Pope to sign a humiliating concordat on Jan. 25, 1813, which Pius renounced two months later. Released in 1814, Pius was greatly acclaimed en route to Rome. The Congress of Vienna (1814–15) restored nearly all the Papal States, including Rome to Pius, who then sought to reestablish the church on traditional foundations… Ecclesiastically, Pius revived the Society of Jesus (1814) and encouraged the religious orders to reorganize themselves… In the tradition of the humanist popes, he sponsored educational reform and the establishment of Rome as a cultural centre. Despite his efforts to adapt the papacy to the political, intellectual, and social conditions of the modern world, the reinstatement of authoritarianism in the Papal States was inevitable, and a “government by priests” followed his death and the dismissal of Consalvi.” – Encyclopaedia Britannica, “Pius VII,” http://www.britannica.com/biography/Pius-VII. All this goes to prove that 1798 is hardly likely to be the end of the “political rule of the papacy.” The exact opposite is true in fact. However, there is an actual clear year of the end of the papacy’s “political rule.” The piecemeal dismemberment of the Papal States recommenced in the 1850s due to nationalist movements sweeping the region, until finally in 1870 the complete annexation of the Papal States was achieved and the political temporal power of the Papacy came to a complete and utter end: “In the course of the Risorgimento (the 19th-century movement for Italian unification), the existence of the Papal States proved an obstacle to national union both because they divided Italy in two and because foreign powers intervened to protect papal independence. Annexation of the Papal States to the new Italian nation, however, was eventually achieved. After Austria’s defeat in 1859, several territories detached themselves from the Papal States and joined the kingdom of Sardinia. In 1861 all the former papal territories, with the exception of Rome and its surrounding region, joined the new kingdom of Italy. Rome and its patrimony remained separate only because they were protected by French troops, who eventually withdrew in 1870 during the Franco-Prussian War. Italian troops entered Rome on September 20, 1870; after a plebiscite in October of that year, it became the capital of Italy. The Papal States had finally come to an end. Pius IX refused to accept the new political situation or to recognize the loss of papal temporal power, and he and his successors remained self-described “prisoners in the Vatican.” The question of the pope’s relation to the Italian state was unsettled until the Lateran Treaty of 1929 set up the independent ecclesiastical state of Vatican City.” – Encyclopaedia Britannica, “Papal States,” http://www.britannica.com/place/Papal-States. Conclusion So as you can see, all of these so-called “facts” that you present, when checked against actual historical facts, are nothing more than fictions. I would be careful to prematurely and presumptuously state “fact” before I had verified it if I were you.

That story has stayed with you for years . It was worth telling. I was just reading a book on prayer today. It goes with your story. God is just waiting to answer prayers that haven't been prayed yet. You didn't receive because you didn't ask!!

In the morning after Super Tuesday, Carson posted on his Facebook page that he was not discouraged and would stay in as long as God continued to open doors for him. In the evening of the same day he announced he was dropping out. Sounds to me like he got a phone call. A recent poll showed that he is the favorite among Republican voters to be a VP choice. Posts about him on Facebook receive more "likes" than any of the other Presidential candidates for either party. In an interview with Katy Couric, when asked what are his future plans, he said he plans to continue helping the nation. When she asked how, he reminded her that before becoming a Presidential candidate, he was working on the speaker circuit and writing articles which he plans to return to doing. I think David is right, Carson's run for office probably has not hurt his bank balance too much. In fact, from what I have read, he didn't run out of campaign donations and still had money to keep going. His books are selling more and he will probably increase his speaking fee now. I am not a conspiracy theorist but sometimes certain events make one scratch his head. The radical right-wingers like Sean Hanity, Glenn Beck and Rush Limbaugh talk about the "establishment" but I am not convinced there is an "establishment". I suspect there are just different groups of allied people. Certainly there are influential people that, when working together, have an incredible amount of power. These groups are made up of currently-elected politicians, members of the media and business people with a lot of resources. They made sure that Nwet Gingrich didn't get the nomination. Such a group is now working to make sure Trump doesn't get it. Grassroots candidates like Carson do not stand a chance because they don't have people in these influential groups pushing for them. It will be an interesting election season this year for sure. Whatever happened to keeping political threads out of Town Hall?

Surprise! I am becoming more positive about Trump, as this mess goes on. Why? Because I am coming to the idea that we cannot trust Trump to do what he says he will do. he just may be to smart for that. The Republicans may be correct in telling us that we cannot trust him.

C'mon, Gay, If these guys thought God told them to do something and they acted upon it, they were exercising their faith in spite of the fact that they may have been wrong about God's "revelation". I have frequently acted on my assumed faith in what I thought God was telling me, only to find out in hindsight I was wrong. God bless them for trying; and in doing so just maybe inspired a few people to consider Jesus. Anything people of faith do to publicize the Kingdom can't hurt. Let's face it - the whole idea of what Christians believe sounds crazy to 70% of the world. If these candidates, though their witness in their campaign, touched anyone's heart for the Kingdom, then they did a good thing. Even though I agree that he probably wasn't presidential material this time around, I think Dr. Carson touched a soft spot in many hearts with his campaign. I wish him nothing but the best.

It depends on which parts you believe. Are we talking about micro-evolution or macro-evolution? I personally believe that the theory of evolution exists (as a theory), but I don't believe most of what that theory teaches about the origins of life or the development of species. I don't think that belief in evolution must always lead to apostasy, but it certainly influences people in that direction. Of all the people I know, those who believe that the theory of evolution is true are far less likely to believe that God and the Bible have any legitimate authority over people's lives.

Wow MCBGM - I didn't see that coming. When I told AliAgins above that there were a diversity if opinions out there, I didn't imagine they were THAT diverse.

Assuming the Beast (or at least one or more horns) is radical Islam, and the harlot is apostate Christianity, the harlot is deceived into thinking she can control the beast. She is deceived; and the beast will devour her. True believers will not by deceived. I infer from the phrase "if it were possible", that it is not possible to deceive the elect. So Jesus was correct (as always). He is NEVER wrong! Kind of a leading question. Do you actually think that I would say Jesus was wrong about anything? I'm guessing radicals in this country have the same types of credit cards that you and I have. I imagine that ISIS folks in Syria and Iraq use explosives, guns and knives as credit cards. No need to repay debts that way. When/if the wealth of the oil- and mineral-rich Islamic nations is withheld (or withdrawn due to the region's geopolitical instability) from the west and their merchants; or these countries suddenly default due to the cataclysmic drop in commodity prices currently occurring, the merchants will weep bitterly. The fall of one system will precede and precipitate the fall of the other. We live in a global economy where the domino effect is alive and well. If a mere 7% slowdown in the Chinese economy almost brings the world to its knees, think of what a collapse of the OPEC nations would do.

Really? Ask the people who live under jihadi rule in Syria, Iraq, Libya, Tunisia, Yemen, etc. If somehow the flow of oil out of the Persian Gulf is interrupted by radical Islamic action (Iran?), Many large and mighty corporations and financial institutions would crater within months. Look at all of the accumulated oil wealth in the Middle East - much of it controlled by fairly fundamentalist Muslims who are allegedly our "friends" (in spite of the fact that many terrorists who have attacked the west come from their countries). Look at the influence that the Muslim Brotherhood has in the US under the present administration. Radical Islam or the sovereign countries that harbor it deserve a higher place on the "List of Potential Beast Powers" than any other worldwide entity I can think of at this time. The coming elections in the U.S. could determine just how far the jihadi movement will get before the politically correct western world understands the catastrophic scenario in front of them. I just hope that we can wake up before we realize that the war is already lost. At the very least, radical Islam is one of the horns (maybe the prominent one) of the beast upon which the harlot rides in Rev. 17.

Thomas the Doubter: Good points that you brought up. The issue is that the Bible does give us a groundwork, a basic scheme. You can find a good summery of it in "The Role of Israel in Old Testament Prophecy" and in Deuteronomy 4. Then you find chapters that refer to coming close to this outline and from these you can see more of what could have happened and less speculation. I do see the issues in radical Islam as part of the beast, but as for the heads, we have to remember that like the 5th head the 7th head will look very Christian, enough to if it were possible to deceive the very elect. I do not see Islam fitting this condition. We also don't find Radical Islam controlling everyone's life and finances. And we are finding the great corporations and banks fulfilling these prophecies. A few years ago already the Council of Foreign relations had an article on a post radical Islam world. The banks and corporations run them too and will get them to start dancing to their tune.