Oh Magog! Why End-Times Buffs Are Freaking Out About Syria

[formercia]

http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2013/09/syria-joel-rosenberg-damascus-countdown-magog

—By Tim Murphy
| Wed Sep. 4, 2013 3:00 AM PDT
In early 2012, best-selling novelist Joel Rosenberg came to Capitol Hill for a meeting with an unidentified member of Congress to discuss the end of the world. "I thought the topic was going to be the possible coming war between Israel and Iran," Rosenberg explained on his website. "Instead, the official asked, 'What are your thoughts on Isaiah 17?'"

For the better part of an hour, Rosenberg says, the writer and the congressman went back forth on something called the "burden of Damascus," an Old Testament prophecy that posits that a war in the Middle East will leave Syria's capital city in ruins—and bring the world one step closer to Armageddon. As Rosenberg put it, "The innocent blood shed by the Assad regime is reprehensible and heart-breaking and is setting the stage for a terrible judgment."

But Rosenberg and his anonymous congressman aren't alone in viewing Syrian president Bashar al-Assad's actions through a biblical lens. With Congress set to vote next week on the authorization to use military force in Syria, the Damascus prophecy has taken on a new significance among the nation's End Times industry—writers and pastors who believe the world is hurtling toward the return of Christ as forecasted in the Book of Revelation—and its adherents in the pews and in public life. On Saturday, Rosenberg will travel to Topeka, Kansas, at the invitation of Republican Gov. Sam Brownback, to discuss the situation in the Middle East.


The idea behind the prophecy is a fairly straightforward one. In Isaiah 17, the prophet explains that, in the run-up to Armageddon, "Damascus is about to be removed from being a city, and will become a fallen ruin." The implication is that it will be leveled by God on behalf of Israel as part of the last great struggle for mankind.

--snip--

The Crazies are at it again.....

[corkhead]

1. They'll be around until it actually happens, or there is no longer any profit in it.

[postulater]

2. Surely they meant Detroit.

[Berlum]

3. The "End-times Industry" (R - Mammon))

There you have it. Evangelical RepubliWankers (R-Mammon) see yet another way to milk CashMoneyBucks from the True Beeleevers.

[ebbie15644]

4. My dad is an "end timer"

I tell him he should be rejoicing because that meant he will be in heaven sooner, unless he is afraid of the other result, lol!

[Frustratedlady]

6. That is what I've always questioned, as well...

I have a friend who is terrified of the End Times and I've always wanted to ask why? She is obsessed with religion, prays over everything (even buying a motor home) and stresses herself out to the point where she is going to kill herself in the process. I believe this is the 3rd time she's convinced herself the End Times are near.

In fact, the whole darned family is messed up over religion. They are so terrified, you can't reason with them. It has gotten worse since Obama was elected. These pure Christians have a difficult time hiding their bigotry and greed.

[LiberalElite]

8. Ever watch Hoarders?

There's one segment from, I think, late 2012 featuring a woman whose trailer was completely filled with stuff she was saving for those who would be "left behind." Out of space in the trailer, she then moved to a house and filled that one too.

[ebbie15644]

10. They are afraid of the god they supposedly love

[Blue Owl]

5. Oh. Ma. Gog.

[riqster]

13. OMG

Clearly planted in our culture by the devil himself, that acronym was.

[LiberalElite]

7. They never stop -

http://www.prepperwebsite.com/

[packman]

9. Pass the Mayo

That Prepper site is a real hoot- the one I like is, "How to make mayonnaise after the Apocalypse". I can just see the family gathered around the ruins of civilization, eating their Bacon/tomato/lettuce sandwiches and thanking the lord that they had the foresight to learn how to make mayonnaise.
That being said, I spent some time reading about some rather fasinating things on the site, now I know how to make fire from friction and reclaim some old double-edge razor blades.

[Judi Lynn]

11. The Christian brotherhood named "The Family" in Washington, D.C.,

Kansas Governor Sam Brownback's old nest, has influenced harmful decisions made all over the world.

They are probably having around-the-clock prayer sessions currently, hoping for the most profitable outcome.

The Wiki. on this group:

The Fellowship, also known as The Family,[1][2][3] is a U.S.-based religious and political organization founded in 1935 by Abraham Vereide. The stated purpose of the Fellowship is to provide a fellowship forum for decision makers to share in Bible studies, prayer meetings, worship experiences and to experience spiritual affirmation and support.[4][5]

The organization has been described as one of the most politically well-connected ministries in the United States. The Fellowship shuns publicity and its members share a vow of secrecy.[6] The Fellowship's leader Doug Coe and others have explained the organization's desire for secrecy by citing biblical admonitions against public displays of good works, insisting they would not be able to tackle diplomatically sensitive missions if they drew public attention.[6]

Although the organization is secretive, it holds one regular public event each year, the National Prayer Breakfast held in Washington, D.C. Every sitting United States president since President Dwight D. Eisenhower, including President Barack Obama, has participated in at least one National Prayer Breakfast during his term.[7][8][9][10]

The Fellowship's known participants include ranking United States government officials, corporate executives, heads of religious and humanitarian aid organizations, and ambassadors and high-ranking politicians from across the world.[1][11][12][13][14] Many United States Senators and Congressmen who have publicly acknowledged working with the Fellowship or are documented as having done so work together to pass or influence legislation.[15][16]

In Newsweek, Lisa Miller wrote that, rather than calling themselves "Christians," as they describe themselves they are brought together by common love for the teachings of Jesus and that all approaches to "loving Jesus" are acceptable.[16] In contrast, Jeff Sharlet, who was interviewed on NBC News and wrote a book, The Family: The Secret Fundamentalism at the Heart of American Power,[2] and an article in Harper's[17] about his experience serving as an intern in the Fellowship, has stated that the organization fetishizes power by comparing Jesus to "Lenin, Ho Chi Minh, Bin Laden" as examples of leaders who change the world through the strength of the covenants they had forged with their "brothers".[14][16]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Fellowship_(Christian_organization)

[center]





Traffic jam ahead?[/center]

[fasttense]

12. I love how they go to heaven fully dressed.

You can't go naked into heaven.

That last depiction seems to be of people being raptured to space ships. Are the aliens god?