Mark of the beast?

Gulliver wrote: I came across this: When the Beast comes, it will distinguish the people and declare who is a believer and who is a disbeliever.  Ahmad recorded that the Prophet said: �The beast will appear and he will brand the people on their noses.  The people will then go on living with this branding such that a person will buy a camel and when he is asked, �From whom did you buy it?� he will reply, �From one of the branded people.�� (Al-Albani)

peace to all , i'll be sharp and fast.

Edited by Nazarene - 03 January 2009 at 2:27pm

I wonder if you are being influenced by all this 'end times' stuff Adam. I was reading something the other day, where it seems that the 'right wing' Christian element in US is pushing what is happening in the Middle East - pro Israel, in the belief it will hasten the second coming of Christ. And that the president of Iran has a similar agenda in hoping for the second coming of Al Masij (Jesus).

I dunno how much, if any truth in that. Though from reading some things out there about 'raptures' and 'rapture ready' and 'left behind', it makes me wonder. A bunch of nutters pulling us all into hell - not a second coming of anyone, least of all Isa/Christ.

I had a friend over twenty years ago. Jimmy. God rest his soul. He died a few years back, older than me. He said when he went, died, he wanted it to be fast. He had spent his life working in hospitals and saw a lot of prolonged painful deaths. He was walking out through his front door one day, took a pain in his chest, massive heart attack and dropped dead.

He used to have all these books and things. No internet then, about end of the world prophecies, end times, three days of darkness, nuclear holocausts and the rest. Had me demented. lol  Lot of things out there and people who would have you believe the world was gonna end tomorrow. There were all these predictions of this, that, and the other gonna happen, and when. Never did. Worried and fearful over nothing. No wonder he took a heart attack.

I let go of all of that a long time ago. Preferred to look to and depend on the Love, Compassion and Mercy of God/Allah, and pray for peace in the heart of the individual, society and the world. We will all die one day. Whether we drop dead at the front door from a heart attack, or annihilation in a nuclear disaster, we will die and leave this world.

Like you were saying in an earlier post. I think the only important thing is to cultivate a loving relationship with the God you choose to love and who loves you. Carry you through this life, whatever is thrown at you, and into the 'next'.

The world has never been any different I don't think. People will always be as they are, people, and we are here for a very short time to learn something.

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I wonder when that comet is due to arrive ;-) lol  First time the world was destroyed by water. It's supposed to be 'fire' this time. Maybe that's the real 'fire of hell' sent to destroy the corruption in the world.

I think you were asking about it being enough to repent to be forgiven of sin. If God is all Mercy and Compassion and most Forgiving, then yes it should be. We need to have faith, trust in God for this. I think repentance is about realising we are doing something wrong, harmful to ourselves, and ultimately to others, and knowing we have to work at changing that behaviour - regeneration, spiritual growth, new life. I think God forgives us as much as we forgive others, and ourselves. All about restoring balance and healing. Bring life to 'death'.  Resurrection.  Resurrection begins in this life, not the 'next'.


When you think about 'hell.' If you write the word 'forever' a zillion, zillion times. Whatever a zillion is. And each time the word represents a zillion zillion zillion years. Eternity would not even have begun. What could human beings do to warrant such a punishment ? Not trying to say there is no 'hell' - just what it actually means. In the natural/material Creation, everything is recycled. Maybe it's the same in the Super Natural, Spiritual 'Creation'. In 'time' - all is restored to what was intended.

There is a line in the bible.........   

"I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us. The creation waits in eager expectation for the sons of God to be revealed. For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the glorious freedom of the children of God"