Will Christianity Die?

[metis]

No, that’s not correct but people do have strange opinions.

Prove it.

The concept of a millennial reign only shows up in Revelation, and the early Church concluded that it should not be taken at the literalist level. Jesus stated that his reign started with the Body he created both on Earth and in Heaven.

 

[Heyo]

The "rapture" was introduced to the Israelites during the 2nd Temple Period and slowly made its way into the theology ofJudaism and later Christianity. It was Persian first. The nation who occupied Israel.


Zoroastrians-Their-Religious-Beliefs-and-Practices-MaryBoyce.


Revelations

But Zoroaster taught that the blessed must wait for this culmination till Frashegird and the 'future body' (Pahlavi 'tan i pasen'), when the earth will give up the bones of the dead (Y 30.7). This general resurrection will be followed by the Last Judgment, which will divide all the righteous from the wicked, both those who have lived until that time and those who have been judged already. Then Airyaman, Yazata of friendship and healing, together with Atar, Fire, will melt all the metal in the mountains, and this will flow in a glowing river over the earth. All mankind must pass through this river, and, as it is said in a Pahlavi text, 'for him who is righteous it will seem like warm milk, and for him who is wicked, it will seem as if he is walking in the • flesh through molten metal' (GBd XXXIV. r 8-r 9). In this great apocalyptic vision Zoroaster perhaps fused, unconsciously, tales of volcanic eruptions and streams of burning lava with his own experience of Iranian ordeals by molten metal; and according to his stern original teaching, strict justice will prevail then, as at each individual j udgment on earth by a fiery ordeal. So at this last ordeal of all the wicked will suffer a second death, and will perish off the face of the earth. The Daevas and legions of darkness will already have been annihilated in a last great battle with the Yazatas; and the river of metal will flow down into hell, slaying Angra Mainyu (their Satan) and burning up the last vestige of wickedness in the universe.


Ahura Mazda and the six Amesha Spentas will then solemnize a lt, spiritual yasna, offering up the last sacrifice (after which death will be no more), and making a preparation of the mystical 'white haoma', which will confer immortality on the resurrected bodies of all the blessed, who will partake of it. Thereafter men will beome like the Immortals themselves, of one thought, word and deed, unaging, free from sickness, without corruption, forever joyful in the kingdom of God upon earth. For it is in this familiar and beloved world, restored to its original perfection, that, according to Zoroaster, eternity will be passed in bliss, and not in a remote insubstantial Paradise. So the time of Separation is a renewal of the time of Creation, except that no return is prophesied to the original uniqueness of living things. Mountain and valley will give place once more to level plain; but whereas in the beginning there was one plant, one animal, one man, the rich variety and number that have since issued from these will remain forever. Similarly the many divinities who were brought into being by Ahura Mazda will continue to have their separate existences. There is no prophecy of their re-absorption into the Godhead. As a Pahlavi text puts it, after Frashegird 'Ohrmaid and the Amahraspands and all Yazads and men will be together. .. ; every place will resemble a garden in spring, in which


there are all kinds of trees and flowers ... and it will be entirely the creation of Ohrrnazd' (Pahl.Riv.Dd. XLVIII, 99, lOO, l07).

:informative:

 

[Apostle John]

Prove it.

The concept of a millennial reign only shows up in Revelation, and the early Church concluded that it should not be taken at the literalist level. Jesus stated that his reign started with the Body he created both on Earth and in Heaven.

The Book of Revelation is the words of Lord Jesus. Also Matthew 25:31 onwards hasn’t taken place yet:-

31 “When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory. 32 All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats. 33 And He will set the sheep on His right hand, but the goats on the left. 34 Then the King will say to those on His right hand, ‘Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.

 

[metis]

The Book of Revelation is the words of Lord Jesus.

Nope, it was not he but John on Patmos who wrote it, but those who specialize in ancient Hebrew tell us that there appears to have also been another author as well.

Also Matthew 25:31 onwards hasn’t taken place yet:-

31 “When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory. 32 All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats. 33 And He will set the sheep on His right hand, but the goats on the left. 34 Then the King will say to those on His right hand, ‘Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.

You are conflating the "judgement", which occurs later, with the "millennial reign".

 

[Apostle John]

Nope, it was not he but John on Patmos who wrote it, but those who specialize in ancient Hebrew tell us that there appears to have also been another author as well.

You are conflating the "judgement", which occurs later, with the "millennial reign".

Keep up the blather, you will be an asset for the Antichrist.

 

[metis]

Keep up the blather, you will be an asset for the Antichrist.

Obviously, you never seriously studied Christian theology because you keep on making elementary mistakes. So, if the best you can do is to spout an ad hominin insult, then that says a lot about you.

 

[ADigitalArtist]

No, I don't think Christianity will die any time soon. I do think majority practice will continue to change and be eventually unrecognizable from today. Hopefully for the less conservative/bigoted as has been the trend in most places in the world. But there's no telling the future.

 

[joelr]

The Bible is the only Scripture that is God’s Word.

Every religion makes that claim. None has evidence. What is your evidence, because it says so?

The rest are poor imitations likely set up by Satan causing all these tribal differences. Satan knows the future as well as God from the Garden of Eden. It’s why some tribes believed in resurrection but others didn’t before the Bible came to be.

Satan is the Angel of Yahweh and works for him. So that doesn't make sense.
The NT is all Greek and Persian theology so that would actually be the poor imitation if anything.

In the 1st century Justin Martyr used that apologetic, that Jesus looks so much like older Greek deities that it was Satan who made it look that way to fool Christians (it's because they copied Greek myth). If archaic Iron Age superstitions and magical beings are your thing then ok. I'll stick to reality and what is true.

Justin: Be well assured, then, Trypho, that I am established in the knowledge of and faith in the Scriptures by those counterfeits which he who is called the devil is said to have performed among the Greeks; just as some were wrought by the Magi in Egypt, and others by the false prophets in Elijah's days. For when they tell that Bacchus, son of Jupiter, was begotten by [Jupiter's] intercourse with Semele, and that he was the discoverer of the vine; and when they relate, that being torn in pieces, and having died, he rose again, and ascended to heaven; and when they introduce wine into his mysteries, do I not perceive that [the devil] has imitated the prophecy announced by the patriarch Jacob, and recorded by Moses? And when they tell that Hercules was strong, and travelled over all the world, and was begotten by Jove of Alcmene, and ascended to heaven when he died, do I not perceive that the Scripture which speaks of Christ, 'strong as a giant to run his race,' has been in like manner imitated? And when he [the devil] brings forward Æsculapius as the raiser of the dead and healer of all diseases, may I not say that in this matter likewise he has imitated the prophecies about Christ? But since I have not quoted to you such Scripture as tells that Christ will do these things, I must necessarily remind you of one such: from which you can understand, how that to those destitute of a knowledge of God, I mean the Gentiles, who, 'having eyes, saw not, and having a heart, understood not,' worshipping the images of wood, [how even to them] Scripture prophesied that they would renounce these [vanities], and hope in this Christ. It is thus written:

 

[Apostle John]

Satan is the Angel of Yahweh and works for him. So that doesn't make sense.

It’s perfect sense. Satan keeps His own, practitioners of His many religions in a drunken stupor, completely drunk. I could tell them, give them evidence to try and help but those held in this stupor will stay that way. Even seeing the Antichrist later, they will be drunk.

 

[idea]

No, I don't think Christianity will die any time soon. I do think majority practice will continue to change and be eventually unrecognizable from today. Hopefully for the less conservative/bigoted as has been the trend in most places in the world. But there's no telling the future.

I traveled to S. America with some Christian relatives. While traveling, we happened across a *Christian* church. People there were dressed in animal skins, were dancing and drinking corn-beer, pouring beer on ground for something like the sky, fire and earth? some strange version of the trinity? There was one white guy dressed as a traditional priest but the rest was.... not Christian. (my relatives were rather upset haha) I guess Christmas, Easter, none of it is Christian - it was just interesting to see it playing out in real time, how beliefs change.

In Russia the old churches have been converted into museums - people visit them as a historic site, like you would visit a historic house or old homestead in the US.

 

[joelr]

It’s perfect sense. Satan keeps His own, practitioners of His many religions in a drunken stupor, completely drunk. I could tell them, give them evidence to try and help but those held in this stupor will stay that way. Even seeing the Antichrist later, they will be drunk.

That isn't related to the question or topic.
It doesn't make sense because Satan works for Yahweh. Are you saying Satan gets Yahweh drunk? You still need evidence for Satan even being real. But in the story Satan and Yahweh are working together.

Yahweh sends a "troubling spirit" to torment King Saul as a mechanism to ingratiate David with the king.[24] In 1 Kings 22:19–25,[25] the prophet Micaiah describes to King Ahab a vision of Yahweh sitting on his throne surrounded by the Host of Heaven.[22] Yahweh asks the Host which of them will lead Ahab astray.[22] A "spirit", whose name is not specified, but who is analogous to the satan, volunteers to be "a Lying Spirit in the mouth of all his Prophets".[22]

Yahweh asks one of them, "the satan", where he has been, to which he replies that he has been roaming around the earth.[26] Yahweh asks, "Have you considered My servant Job?"[26] The satan replies by urging Yahweh to let him torture Job, promising that Job will abandon his faith at the first tribulation.[28] Yahweh consents;

Yahweh sends the "Angel of Yahweh" to inflict a plague against Israel for three days, killing 70,000 people as punishment for David having taken a census without his approval.[18] 1 Chronicles 21:1[19] repeats this story,[18] but replaces the "Angel of Yahweh" with an entity referred to as "a satan".[18]

 

[muhammad_isa]

Satan and Yahweh are working together..

No .. G-d is independent of His creation.
satan is merely a created being, as are we.

G-d allows satan to work evil .. just as He allows us to exercise our free-will.
Your literal translation of the OT is in error.

 

[joelr]

No .. G-d is independent of His creation.
satan is merely a created being, as are we.

G-d allows satan to work evil .. just as He allows us to exercise our free-will.
Your literal translation of the OT is in error.

Satan is a huge rip-off of the Persian devil, right down to a final war where everyone gets resurrected and lives in paradise on Earth.

Of course you are saying a translation of a mythology is in error because an equally fictive myth tells you? That is your proof? A man claims an angel gave him stories that contain no new science, philosophy, math, or anything except different versions of a story and wisdom already around for centuries at the time....
The Old Testament, no that isn't literal, it's the one you follow, that's the literal one. Wow, well played, excellent logic.
Once again, let me guess, it's true because it says so. Fantastic.

 

[Muffled]

I'm sure dozens of religions the world over, all throughout human history, said the exact same thing. Yes, Christianity will die. I believe we're watching it die right now. Because it has become indolent, self-serving, and hypocritical. It no longer lives up to it's message, and has not for a very long time. People - actual people, not politicians and propagandists - are sick of it, to the point that even active Christians want nothing to do with Christianity. It is rotten from the inside out, and the infection has gone too deep; it will die, and maybe when enough time has passed there will be something new born again from it.

I believe it will never die because it will always exist in me.

 

[Muffled]

IMV, that is what Christianity is (not the religion)

Christianity is God working righteousness in us, Islam is righteousness so ingrained in us we wouldn't think of doing anything else.

 

[Muffled]

The person is already a person whereas the zygote/embryo/fetus lacks the physiology necessary to be sentient.

I believe the spirit is present and that is always sentient. I believe that comes across in "The Search for Bridey Murphy" when regressed to the sojourn in the womb she told what it was like.

 

[muhammad_isa]

Once again, let me guess, it's true because it says so..

I merely explained that your interpretation is in error.
My word against yours.

 

[TLK Valentine]

Die? Probably never.
Change? Absolutely.
Change into something that today's Christians wouldn't recognize? Inevitably.

 

[joelr]

I merely explained that your interpretation is in error.

Right, and your evidence is IT'S TRUE BECAUSE IT SAYS IT'S TRUE.

My word against yours.

No, not really. In fact, not at all.
You have no evidence for any God. I do have the lack of evidence for any God on my side.

You claim a myth is true but have no evidence to support it. Also needs angels to be real and they have to speak to people.
We have no evidence of angels, no evidence they speak to people.
BUT, we do have massive evidence people make up religious fiction. Especially about angels. Mormonism is based on a visit and messages from an angel. Now it has millions of believers.

Then, Satan. No evidence for devils.
We do have evidence the Angel of Yahweh in the OT was changed because of exposure to the Persian devil and became like him in the NT.
Suspiciously they had a devil at war with God and humanity, a revelation end times myth before Christianity had any such thing.
Looks like they decided to use that for themselves.

As to free will, nope, not in OT. But eventually it came out that God was allowing free choice to choose sin or not.
But guess what the Persians already had while occupying Israel?

"Freewill, choice


the basic Zoroastrian doctrine of the existence of free-will, and the power of each individual to shape his own destiny through the exercise of choice. "

Looks like they used that concept as well.

So, no, it's your beliefs based on mythology vs empirical evidence from historical knowledge. I know you keep trying to frame it like it's just 2 peoples beliefs, but it isn't. That cognitive bias might be part of what allows you to continue to misrepresent these facts.

 

[muhammad_isa]

So, no, it's your beliefs based on mythology vs empirical evidence from historical knowledge..

What utter nonsense!
Why would one interpretation be right and the other wrong, when you don't believe in either?

eeny meeny miny mo