Some skeptics say no. Others, in blind faith because of their different religions or philosophies,
believe that it is so...but they don't really know, nor can they prove it.
But actually, several biblical prophecies that tell us about this era have been fulfilled...and there
is data to prove it.
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The biblical language of the prophecies.
Probably, the most common reason for so much misunderstanding and obscure interpretations of
the Bible is the fact that many of its writings are presented in an allegoric, metaphoric and symbolic language.
And why is this?
Couldn't these messages from above had been delivered in a simple language without the need of
metaphors or allegories?
The answer is no.
Human languages are poor to describe things and concepts far beyond the ordinary.
It does not matter which road you take to describe them, you will have to resort to the use of
allegories, metaphors, parables and symbols, taking objects and ideas that surround ordinary people to make those things and concepts comprehensible at least in a figurative and, therefore, incomplete manner.
Simply speaking, this is why the messengers of the Divinity used symbols and allegories (flying
scrolls, thrones, candlestands, oil vases, etc. etc.) to put in limited terms what is of an
indescribably superior nature. Of course, we have to consider the cultural context of the recipient of the messages. With this in mind, is only natural to learn that, for example, the punishments and consequences for evil behavior for the Eskimos or the Laplanders would be described as a cold of a terrifying magnitude, while for the inhabitants of warmer zones, the more suited allegory is that of a burning fire.
Imagine someone asking you to transcribe "War and Peace" by Leo Tolstoy, using a typing
machine which has four or five letter keys missing. Or try to play "Beethoven's Ninth Symphony"
on a piano that has three natural keys missing in each octave, let's say, do, mi and sol. In both cases,
your readers or listeners would have to rely on their imagination to deduce all that is missing due of the lack of enough elements to transmit that idea or concept.
After these examples, it will be easier to comprehend the reasons for that apparently obscure or ciphered language in which the prophecies about the Third Era were delivered.
An then, there is the problem of literal interpretations while reading the Scriptures, that leads to severe contradictions and dogmatism. Paul warns about this: "..for the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life". (2 Cor. 3:6)
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The Prelude of a New Era There are references in diverse passages from the Bible that, considering the explanation at the beginning of this page, are very clear and precise to describe the events that would be the prelude to the arrival of a new era for humanity, an era marked by great events of worldwide scale. But, how we can be sure of that these are the times of the end? In Luke, Jesus gives the sign to recognize the time of the end.
When Jesus warned His disciples about the arrival of false Christs and prophets, He gave a glimpse that His return was to be in spirit, which the following verse clears up even further:
Following is a description of the period that anticipated the opening of the Third Era and therein the Sixth Seal. From now on we will give you some references that were taken from the Encarta Encyclopedia by Grolier, which could be easily searched by anybody. |
Plagues
The black plague devastated Europe in the 16th
century and killed millions of people.
In America, millions of Indians died from various
contagious illnesses: syphilis, tuberculosis, etc.,
which were caught from the Spanish
conquistadors.
The Bubonic Plague also took millions of victims in Asia,
in Asia, Africa and parts of Europe during the 15th and
16th centuries.
Famines
Great famines during the 17th century devastated Europe,
Asia and Africa;India lost more than 10 million of its
people in 1769. Between 1845 and 1850 took place
in Ireland what is known as The Great Potato Famine
killing almost 2,000,000 people and in 1866, more
than 1,500,000 people died in Ovissa!
Earthquakes
Terrible earthquakes have devastated many nations
and areas of the world. Iran, Turkey, Greece, Argel,
Japan and South America have suffered repeatedly
massive destructions caused by these quakes.
Lisbon was destroyed in 1755 by an earthquake
that killed 60,000 people; Voltaire narrates this
in his novel "Candida". In 1812, the New Madrid
earthquake altered the Mississippi River's course.
War Rumors
It could be said, that after knowing the magnitude
of destruction that humanity reached during the two
World Wars, that the constant wars that spread
all over the world since the invention of the fire arms
in the 15th century were really rumors of genocidal
wars that would come later. The 30 Year War,
the 100 Year War, the Great War of Northern Europe,
The Crimean War, the War of the Seven Weeks,
the Civil War of the Ottoman Empire, the US Civil War
and many more give funereal testimony of this.
Nation Against Nation
Experts say that the Russian invasion by Napoleon in 1812
started a new way to begin a war, not only because of
religious motives between the small cities-state, but also
because of secular economical and political motives
among the great nations.
The Franco-Prussian War, the Russian-Japanese war
and several more; all of them were the prelude of a new
era for humanity and ended at the First World War.
A conflagration of such magnitude that humanity had
never witnessed, but that was easily surpassed by
the horrors of the World War II.
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Signs for the opening of the Third Era and with it, the Sixth Seal.
There are several prophecies that describe this Third Era,
prophecies that have come to pass in such a way that
can be corroborated by anyone. Joel's prophecy is particularly specific:
But, what about the signs in the skies and on earth? Did they come to pass? When and where? Let's see. |
Prodigies in
the Skies
1858, Comet Donati. The triple tail of this
phenomenon covered 50 degrees of arc in the sky.
It is calculated that this corresponded to lineal
figure of 70 million kilometers!
August 1862. The first of two meteor showers
(Perseids) observed from practically
everywhere in the world; scientists explain now
that they are a residue of Comet 1866 III
and flared up when entering
the earth's atmosphere.
November 1862. The second - and notable-
meteor shower, this one belonging to the
luminous residue of Comet 1866 I.
1882, the appearance of a comet close
to the sun, its brightness so unusual that
it provoked wonderment and terror in
many countries.
Prodigies on
Earth
This portion of the prophecy could have
a different interpretation from the natural
phenomena when we realize the great
and surprising advance of science and
human technologies. The list of inventions
and scientific discoveries since the 19th
century is long, and we will only mention
some of the more relevant.
1802. Fulton invents the boat with steam power.
1837. Morse invents the telegraph.
1839. Daguerre invents the first photographic camera.
1840. Cayley, considered by many the father of aviation,
invents the first flying machines for passenger
transportation.
1858. Marsh and Marsh invent the harvester.
1866. Tilston Bright installs the first transatlantic cable
between the U.S. and England.
1866. Nobel invents dynamite.
1868. Glidden and Latham invent the automatic typewriter.
1876. Graham Bell invents the telephone.
(It is also attributed to Elmo).
1877. Edison invents the phonograph.
1877. Berliner invents the microphone.
The sun in darkness
and the moon in blood
1833. The explosion of the Krakatoa,
the volcano between Java and Sumatra,
is perhaps the most impressive material sign
of all the ones that announced the arrival of
a new era and the fulfilling of the prophecies
of Joel and John in the Apocalypse.
The night of August 27, 1883; the most violent
volcanic eruption that is recorded in history,
it destroyed the island where it stood and the
consequences of such a disaster were felt all
over the world; the gas cloud, dust and vapor
were projected 27 kilometers into the sky,
and the ocean waves provoked by the
phenomenon reached more than 15 meters in height,
reaching as far as 12,000 kilometers and killing
thousands of people in the coasts of Java and Sumatra.
The sound from the explosion is considered the
greatest one in history. The dust cloud emitted by
the volcano covered the sun light for over a day and
after that, the moon looked like if it was painted red,
very much like the color of blood. During the following
three or four days, observers from all over the world
reported bright colorations during sunrise
and sunset due to the solar light refraction in the
suspended particles that were a product of the explosion.
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