The telling of terrible things 'to come'.

[nobspeople]

Often, we hear certain believers spout that by doing something it will hasten the 'end times. I remember when Massachusetts was going to legalize same sex marriage, many christian leaders were saying 'this will bring about the end times!'*. Something similar was said when interfacial marriages were starting to be more common place.
I remember one promiment preacher claim 'if Bill Clinton gets elected, it will usher a quick ending to the world*'.
How many of us remember '88 reasons why the rapture will happen in 1988'? (for those interested in reading, the link is below).
For sure, there have been (and likely always will be) dooms day sayers getting (or trying to get) our attention.

For discussion:
Has ANY of these 'if X happens god will cause [insert terrible action here] to happen' soothsayers ever been true?
Billy was elected twice and presided over the greatest economic boom in history (some claim). And the world didn't end. Not only can gays get married in Massachusetts, but also the entire USA. And people aren't eating babies in the streets.
Or does god work in slow, methodologically nondescript ways (or whatever ever other kind of 'save face' you wish to use here)?


* These aren't direct quotes, but paraphrased to get the general point.
https://www.britannica.com/topic/88-Rea ... en-in-1988

[1213]

Often, we hear certain believers spout that by doing something it will hasten the 'end times....

Nowadays it is the climate change cult that mainly gives end times prophesies. Earlier they warned about ice age, if we don't reduce CO2, then it changed to warming and now they just say that change is gonna come. Maybe it is true. But, if we speak about Biblical end times, I think there is general idea that when people reject God and evilness grows great, it will be ended. It is not just future thing but something that has happened allegedly many times. For example the great flood was one of these events. So, in Biblical point of view, the more evil world becomes, the greater probability for the end. But, I don't think it will happen very fast or easily. For example in the Noah times, there was long time before the flood actually came and before it happened, the world was full of violence. Today we have lot of bad things in the world, but perhaps there is still enough reason to not end all. Telling that certain steps leads to destruction can be true, even if the first step doesn't cause instant end.

[TRANSPONDER]

I can recall a certain skepticism in my younger days when the headlines every other month had dire warnings of a global extinction in a drought or alternatively, a new Ice age. But a rise in sea levels was predicted and a capital city or two is now in danger now of vanishing under water. It's a better sign of events unfolding than anything the Biblical prophecies have come up with.

Yes, I know it's all supposedly happening, slowly, but you only know after the events, not before. The Bible apologists seems very adept at retrospective prophecy, but not too good at prediction.

And of course it makes no more sense that God would fret for a couple of thousand years before deciding to wipe humanity out, never mind repenting afterwards that He's done it, than he'd let Eden go ahead. Unless He does not know what's going to happen, in which case...prophecy can't be trusted in the very mechanics, as well as in the outcome (reminder , Tyre was not destroyed forever and was rebuilt, very soon).

[nobspeople]

I can recall a certain skepticism in my younger days when the headlines every other month had dire warnings of a global extinction in a drought or alternatively, a new Ice age. But a rise in sea levels was predicted and a capital city or two is now in danger now of vanishing under water. It's a better sign of events unfolding than anything the Biblical prophecies have come up with.

Yes, I know it's all supposedly happening, slowly, but you only know after the events, not before. The Bible apologists seems very adept at retrospective prophecy, but not too good at prediction.

And of course it makes no more sense that God would fret for a couple of thousand years before deciding to wipe humanity out, never mind repenting afterwards that He's done it, than he'd let Eden go ahead. Unless He does not know what's going to happen, in which case...prophecy can't be trusted in the very mechanics, as well as in the outcome (reminder , Tyre was not destroyed forever and was rebuilt, very soon).

To the bolded section above: YES!!!!!!!!!!
Speaking of destruction, I've always wondered about Sodom & Gomorrah. Seems they were 'so bad' that god wiped them out. And yet, in a world of several billion people, with rapes, murders, thievery, wars, and on and on and on, god hasn't wiped humanity out (maybe god's old and it's taking it more time to do so now?). Was S&G really that bad, or was it simply a natural calamity that was attributed to 'god', if it happened at all?

[1213]

...
And of course it makes no more sense that God would fret for a couple of thousand years before deciding to wipe humanity out, never mind repenting afterwards that He's done it, than he'd let Eden go ahead. Unless He does not know what's going to happen, in which case...prophecy can't be trusted in the very mechanics, as well as in the outcome

I think it is good that God is patient.

Or do you despise the riches of his goodness, forbearance, and patience, not knowing that the goodness of God leads you to repentance?
Romans 2:4

(reminder , Tyre was not destroyed forever and was rebuilt, very soon).

Sorry, because the ruins still exist, I don't think that is true. If people build a new Tyre next to old, it is not the same.