JoeyDay wrote:
Tim Mierz wrote:
As for whoever asked about what happens to those who never heard about Jesus? Well, after Christ's second coming there will be witnesses sent by God to help those who never knew of the way. It's a kind of second chance.
Tim, can you help me understand what you mean here? I've never heard this doctrine taught in a Christian church, and I'm wondering if you can back it up with any scriptures, or if this is simply your opinion. It's a comforting doctrine, to be sure, but are you accepting it because it's comforting, or because you've seen that it is biblical?
I believe it because it is Biblical. Here's a quote (with references) from a favorite book of mine, "Bruce & Stan's Guide to the End of the World" (a must-read for Christians and non-Christians alike:
(under "The First Half of the Tribulation - The Antichrist is a Great Imposter")
Quote:
God appoints two people to be His special witnesses to the Jews in Jerusalem and in Israel. They preach about God's salvation, which is available only through belief in Jesus Christ. God supernaturally empowers these 'two witnesses' to perform miracles which bring credibility to their claims (Revelation 11:3-6).
Revelation 11:3-6; New International Version
Quote:
(3) And I [God] will give power to my two witnesses, and they will prophesy for 1,260 days, clothed in sackcloth. (4) These are the two olive trees and the two lampstands that stand before the Lord of the earth. (5) If anyone tries to harm them, fire comes from their mouths and devours their enemies. This is how anyone who wants to harm them must die. (6) These men have power to shut up the sky so that it will not rain during the time they are prophesying; and they have power to turn the waters into blood and to strike the earth with every kind of plague as often as they want.
This is directly after the rapture, after all of Christ's followers are raised up with him to heaven (and will come back to fight with God's armies in the battle of Armageddon; I'll talk more about Armageddon later). Everyone will look at each other after all of God's people are completely gone. Tons of explanations, all absurd or just plain wrong, will come up, including UFO abduction and instant death from some other "deity", after sudden anger with these so-called disobeyers of the "true God". Soon, after all this commotion goes from horrible to worse, a peacemaker from Europe or the Middle East will seem to have a solution to everything and everything will seem harmonious. He will negotiate a peace treaty with the Palestinians and Jews, favoring the Jews, and a seven-year treaty will be established. This person becomes more and more popular, and thus more powerful. Everyone loves him. He's all-around Mr. Awesome. (Right now is around the time the two witnesses mentioned above start doing their stuff.) Suddenly, half-way through the treaty, this leader breaks the treaty. He severly persecutes the Jews. He drops his whole charade of debonair suaveness. He reveals his true nature as the Antichrist. People will rise up against him, and kill him. And then, Satan uses his power to resurrect the Antichrist, counterfeiting Jesus Christ's own. He gains more and more power, and soon people start worshipping him. Demonic miracles and eventually the "mark of the beast" soon are the foundation of a new, antiChristian religion worshipping the Antichrist. He forms an enormous army, and heads to the east with a 200 million soldier army, to the field of Megiddo, where Armageddon takes place.
From Bruce & Stan's Guide:
Quote:
Armageddon is going to be a battle unlike anything the world has ever known. At the same time, military powers from the four corners of the globe will converge upon Israel to battle for world domination.
As the Antichrist's forces near Israel, the Messiah comes again, but this time not meekly in a manger. He is now the fierce military leader the Jews of around 30 AD wanted. On his side are the angelic army and the Christian saints who have risen up to him. In the final battle, Jesus Christ battles alone against all the evil forces, and will triumph.
Armageddon is not the world exploding or an asteroid smashing into Texas or a big ol' nuclear bomb. It's the final battle, and the earth is not destroyed. Rather, the evil forces are, and the earth will later be restored and refreshed, its capital being the "New Jerusalem".
Phew, lotsa typing. Hope that clarifies my point though