MY CELL PHONE AND THE MAYAN CALENDAR
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It had reached a point where a full charge on my cell phone battery provided me with only about five minutes of phone use before going dead again. But I really didn't want to splurge and shell out money for a new cell phone battery until I saw whether or not the world survives the Mayan calendar doomsday prophecy. I mean, why purchase a new battery if I'm not going to need one after December of next year?
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But I just couldn't stand it anymore, and yesterday I forked over the cash (or, to be more accurate, "forked over the plastic") and bought a new battery. I'm sure this will come as welcome news to those friends of mine who have called me over the last few years, while my cell phone battery was slowly dying, only to have our conversations abruptly end when the line went dead. How many conversations ended with me saying something like, "Uncle Sam can take the Patriot Act and shove it up his--" or "The TSA can take their full-body scanners and stick 'em where the sun don't--"?
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Anyway, I should be able to finish my thoughts from now on, and I expect this cell phone battery to last me until I grow deaf . . . or until next December 21st, if that represents my Day O'Croaking.
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MY FAVORED VERSION OF THE "HO BIB"
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I'm sure I have mentioned more than once on my blogs that I read from The Holy Bible daily, and that I work my way from Genesis to Revelation each and every year - beginning the process again every New Year's Day (better known on my blogs as "Margarita Day").
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I doubt that any of y'all doubted me, but just in case one or two of you are the Doubting Thomas sort, I have photos for proof. On Christmas Day of 2002, my Ma (may she rest in peace) gave me what I had hoped to get: THE HOLY BIBLE From The Ancient Eastern Text, translated into English from the Aramaic by George M. Lamsa. This immediately became my primary Bible, although I do still occasionally compare verses with the New American Standard translation and the King James Version.
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In December of 2002, my Bible looked essentially like this:
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Today, however, it looks like this:
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As you can see, where I once read the HOLY BIBLE, I now study the HO BIB. (Ha! Forgive me, Father, for I have sinned.)
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The pink color in the upper right section of the cover is actually where the inscription that my Ma wrote in red marker on the inside of the cover has bled through over the years.
All of the following Biblical passages come from this George M. Lamsa translation of God's Word.
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END-TIME BIBLE PROPHECIES EXAMINED
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I would now like to share with you a little insight that I may have acquired in the process of diligently studying the Holy Bible for the last 16 years. I am going to propose a rather unique interpretation of a few verses from the Bible, from both the Old and New Testaments, and post it here just for consideration. Please understand that I am in no way stating or even implying that this interpretation is correct; I am not dogmatically insisting that my take on this is valid. In fact, to be quite upfront about it, I myself do not even necessarily believe the theory I am about to propose to you.
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I feel it's important that we keep an open mind about Biblical texts, that we remain inquisitive but flexible, and refrain from making statements like "such-and-such is so" until the accuracy of the statement has been indicated to us beyond any reasonable doubt. There are plenty of Biblical passages that I take a firm interpretive stance on, but there are many other verses for which I am willing to consider multiple interpretations and take a "wait and see" attitude.
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The following interpretation, in which I have correlated a seemingly End-Time prophecy from the Old Testament with End-Time prophecies from the New Testament, is a prime example: I am not making any claims for this interpretation beyond the statement that I believe it to be reasonable and possibly correct, and I offer it merely for your consideration. Your own take on these verses may be superior to mine.
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WHAT DOES LAHAYE SAY?
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There are some mainstream Christian preachers and teachers who believe that the United States of America does not prominently figure in the Biblical End-Time scenario. One of those persons is Tim LaHaye, of 'Left Behind' fame. LaHaye states:
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One thing is clear when taking all of Bible prophecy together, the United States does not seem to be an end times player.
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Russia, Israel, the former Roman Empire nations, China, Germany, Turkey, and the Arab alliance are all referred to; but there is no mention of the United States. All of which leads me to conclude that something dreadful is going to happen to either render the world’s only super power impotent in the last days or at best nullify her influence.
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Tim LaHaye is far from alone in this thinking. However, there are others who take a nearly 180 degree different view of things. For example, The Philadelphia Church of God, which believes the End-Time prophecies that, on the Biblical surface, appear to relate to Israel, in actuality are largely intertwined with the future of the USA and Britain. You can study their take on this by requesting free literature from them, most notably their 1967 book 'The United States And Britain In Prophecy' updated in 2007.
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WHAT DO I SAY?
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I'm not taking a stand either way. I haven't concluded that all Biblical End-Time prophecy relates to Israel and the East, nor that none of it relates to the United States and the West. But I do have some ideas about a few specific End-Time Biblical verses that I find intriguing and somewhat compelling.
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REVELATION CHAPTERS 17 AND 18
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It was quite some years ago when it first occurred to me that the wicked city referred to as "BABYLON THE GREAT" or "THAT GREAT CITY BABYLON" might possibly be New York City.
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In chapter 17, verse 5, we find this about a mysterious woman: And upon her forehead was a name written that not all could understand: Babylon The Great, The Mother Of Harlots And Abominations Of The Earth.
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Later verses in the same chapter reveal more about her: I will tell you the mystery of the woman and of the wild beast that carries her, which has the seven heads and the ten horns. ... Here is understanding for him who has wisdom: The seven heads are seven hills on which the woman sits. ... And the ten horns and wild beast which you saw shall hate the harlot, and shall make her desolate and naked, and shall eat her flesh and burn her with fire. ... And the woman whom you saw is that great city which has dominion over the kings of the earth.
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It should be noted that some Christian writers believe that the great city Babylon, which also happens to represent or from whom the Anti-Christ emerges, is symbolic of the Roman Catholic Church. One of the principal reasons for this being that Rome has often been referred to as "the city of seven hills" [Google it] - a Biblical reference found in Revelation 17:9 (and which I quoted above).
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Now, I'm not nearly so convinced that the seven hills on which the woman sits represents Rome and/or the Roman Catholic church.
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I am inclined to believe that Saint Paul may have spoken of the future Roman Catholic Church in a negative manner in 1st Timothy Chapter 4: Now the Spirit says expressly that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, following after misleading spirits... Who prohibit marriage, and demand abstinence from foods which God has created for use and thanksgiving of those who bellieve and know the truth.
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What significant religious organization prohibits its ministers from marrying and prohibits the eating of certain foods (meats) at certain times?
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So, yes, there is a basis for suspecting that Saint Paul might have prophetically frowned upon the future Roman Catholic Church, but I am less convinced that the reference to the woman who sits upon the seven hills represents that same body.
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We learn even more about this great city Babylon in the 18th chapter of Revelation, which includes an account of her destruction:
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Come out of her, O my people, so that you may not become partakers of her sins and lest you be smitten by her plagues. ... Therefore her plagues shall come in one day, death and mourning and famine, and she shall be burned with fire; for mighty is the Lord God who judges her.
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[Don't forget that in the 17th chapter of this book, we were told that the ten horns and wild beast which you saw shall hate the harlot, and shall make her desolate and naked, and shall eat her flesh and burn her with fire.]
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Revelation 18:9 - 20: And the kings of the earth who committed adultery and lived deliciously with her will weep and mourn and wail over her when they see the smoke of her burning. Standing afar off for the fear of her torment, saying, "Woe, woe, that great city Babylon, that mighty city! For in one hour you have been condemned."
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The merchants of these things, who were made rich by her, shall stand afar off for the fear of her torment, and they shall weep and wail, saying, "Woe, woe, that great city, which was clothed with fine linen and purple and scarlet, inlaid with gold, and precious stones and pearls! For in one hour these great riches are destroyed." And every shipmaster and all the travelers in ships and sailors and all those who labor at sea stood afar off, and cried when they saw the smoke of her burning, saying, "What city is like to this great city!"
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...that great city, where all who had ships on the sea were made rich by reason of her preciousness! For in one hour she is destroyed." Rejoice over her, O heaven and angels, apostles and prophets, for God has avenged you on her.
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What do we learn from these passages? For one thing, Babylon the Great is an exceedingly influential city of commerce. She has dealings with nations the world over. She is also obviously a seaport city - rich and powerful. And yet somehow this great city is entirely destroyed in a single hour, and the nature of her destruction, which includes tremendous burning, causes sailors to keep their distance.
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Could anything but the raining down of nuclear missiles destroy such a rich and powerful city in just a single hour and include great burning? And is there any seaport city in the world today that can match New York for power and prestige? Any other city which has business dealings the world over and "which has dominion over the kings of the earth"?
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One thing I feel fairly safe in saying: If the destruction of the great city Babylon, spoken of in the 18th chapter of Revelation, pertains to our day, then the city these passages point to must almost assuredly be New York City. What other seaport city in the world even comes remotely close to meeting the Biblical description of that great city Babylon? "What city is like to this great city!" [Rev. 18:18]
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It's my belief that if the Babylon of Revelation 18 is NOT New York City, then the events being described in this chapter must be quite far down the road yet, because I believe it would likely take at least a few generations before any other seaport city in the world could reach the magnitude of power, riches, and influence that the Bible attributes to Babylon in Revelation 18, and which New York City enjoys at the present time.
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BUT WHY NEW YORK CITY?
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I suppose the first question that one who isn't really aware of some of the subterfuge that has been ongoing within the American governmental/economic system for over one hundred years now might ask is: Why would God consider New York City to be "Babylon", and why would God punish it?
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Well, the answer to that is quite simple, but it will require some serious research on the part of my reader before he or she will accept my word for this.
To put it simply and plainly, New York City is the heart and soul of the United States of America, and the United States has essentially become the bully of the world. That's not to say that there isn't plenty of wickedness to be found in every nation the world over. There IS! In fact, wickedness is the SOP (Standard Operating Procedure) of "this world". Don't take my word for it - read your Bible!
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But the single most dynamic, underhanded, influential, and diabolical location of wickedness in "this world" is New York City. Why? Because it's the most powerful and influential economic center on planet Earth. To put it all in a nutshell, New York City is home to the Harold Pratt House, which is located at 58 East 68th Street in Manhattan, and Pratt House is the home of the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR), which is basically the operational entity for International Bankers - our ruling Elite - who direct both foreign and domestic policy and who have had a stranglehold on this country since the founding of the Federal Reserve System in 1913.
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It is the International Bankers - directing our mainstream media, our entertainment companies, our economic decisions, our judicial rulings, our security matters, and our political policies via our representatives in Washington D.C. - who decide the fate of America. And these same International Bankers influence much of the rest of the world by exerting control over global economic entities such as the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund.
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But I don't want you to take my word for this; research it yourself. You might consider starting with the books 'THE CREATURE FROM JEKYLL ISLAND: A Second Look At The Federal Reserve' by G. Edward Griffin, and 'THE SHADOWS OF POWER: The Council On Foreign Relations And The American Decline' by James Perloff.
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I hate to be the one to break it to you, but this country's salvation will NOT come from Washington D.C. Many of our elected politicians are CFR members who do the bidding of the International Bankers. And all but a couple of those politicians who are not CFR members are too cowardly and/or too interested in maintaining their comfortable jobs in Washington to tell You The People what is really going on!
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Nearly all of our Congressmen and Senators are hand puppets or marionettes, operated by the International Bankers. And that goes for most of your favorite political analysts as well. If what I am telling you here comes as a surprise, then you can be sure that your favorite political talking head (whether he be Chris Matthews, Rush Limbaugh, Michael Moore, or ol' Marshmallow Head himself - Glenn Beck) hasn't been telling you the whole truth and the most important part of the truth. Yes, you've been betrayed by your Washington representatives and by your watchdogs.
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Washington D.C. doesn't give the marching orders to the rest of this country. The marching orders come from International Bankers based on Wall Street and at Pratt House, home to the Council on Foreign Relations.
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STRETCHING SYMBOLISM TOO FAR?
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OK, now I want to really challenge you here to stay with me. Admittedly, this is where my Biblical interpretation begins to get rather speculative, and perhaps too imaginative. Nevertheless, these ideas have occurred to me and do seemingly tie in with my concept, if in fact I'm on the right path with these verses.
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I'll be the first to say it: this starts to sound a shade "wacky" but... if perhaps I am on to something with this theory that the "Great City Babylon" equals "New York City", the 23rd verse in Revelation 18 might actually be hinting at this. It says: And the light of the lamp shall shine no more at all in you; ... for your merchants were the great men of the earth; for by your sorceries were all peoples deceived.
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What specific thing symbolizes New York City more than any other? The Statue Of Liberty, right? Even over and above the Empire State Building, when one thinks of New York, Lady Liberty comes immediatly to mind. And what is Lady Liberty doing? She's holding up a torch - a light or lamp - that shines forth, and which has been poetically described as a call to "Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free", which is inscribed on a plaque at the base of the Statue. Lady Liberty and the light she holds aloft is the most iconic image representing New York City to Americans and to the rest of the world.
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If that were the only symbol I could point to which seemed to indicate that New York is the Great City Babylon, I would have been hesitant to mention it at all. But it so happens that I've found a similar symbol in the Old Testament that I think adds a little weight to the above speculation. We turn our pages back now to . . .
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ZECHARIAH CHAPTER FIVE
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In the fifth chapter of Zechariah we find, in part, the following prophetic passages. Be aware that the word "ephah" is an ancient Hebrew measurement equal to approximately a bushel. The word can also mean something that is dark or gloomy:
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Then he said to me, "This is the curse that goes forth over the face of the whole earth; for every one who steals shall be judged according to its contents; and every one who swears [falsely] shall be judged according to it.
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Then the angel who talked with me went forth and said to me, "Lift up your eyes and see what is this that goes forth." And I said, "What is it?" And he said to me, "This is an ephah that goes forth, and in it are the transgressions of the whole earth."
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And behold, a talent of lead was lifted up, and a woman was sitting in the midst of the ephah. And he said to me, "This is wickedness." And he cast her into the midst of the ephah; and he cast the talent of lead upon its mouth.
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Then I said to the angel who talked with me, "Where are they carrying the ephah?" And he said to me, "To build for it a house in the land of Babylon; and it shall be established and set there upon its own base."
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Wait for it now . . .
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Might this be "the woman" and might this be the "lamp" which represents "that great city Babylon" and who is "established and set there upon its own base"?
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LASTLY, "THE SEVEN HILLS"
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And in conclusion, let's backtrack to the 17th chapter of Revelation. Regarding the mystery woman, we learned there that upon her forehead was a name written that not all could understand: Babylon The Great, The Mother Of Harlots And Abominations Of The Earth and that the seven heads are seven hills on which the woman sits.
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The seven heads appears to be seven rulers representing seven hills, or lands, upon which the woman sits, or has dominion.
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Now, note what is upon the Statue Of Liberty's head. What does Lady Liberty wear? It is a diadem, or crown. And what is protruding from that diadem or crown? It is SEVEN rays! Wikipedia tells us that "The seven rays form a halo or aureole. They evoke the sun, the seven seas, and the seven continents."
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Seven continents! Continents are land masses. And might not seven land masses be described in the Bible as "seven hills"?
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The International Bankers dominate the United States and have incredible influence on the rest of the world - that is, the seven continents. They operate first and foremost out of New York City. New York City is represented by a "woman" with a "lamp". She sits upon her own "base", and wears a diadem or crown that represents global impact - an influence over the "seven hills" or continents of the world.
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"And the woman whom you saw is that great city which has dominion over the kings of the earth". [Rev. 17:18] "What city is like to this great city!" [Rev. 18:18]
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What city on Earth is like New York?
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Fiction or Nonfiction?
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Well, that's my interpretaton and I'm sticking with it (until something more logical comes along). It may be that most of my grades are poor: An "F" in 'End-Time Studies' or 'Eschatology'; an "F" in 'Presentation'; and an "F" in 'Plays Well With Others'. But I believe I deserve passing grades in 'Independent Thinking' and 'Originality'.
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Incidentally, in case anyone is interested, the story of my life has been published and is now available on a Pulitzer Prize-winning Post-It note titled 'BAD BREATH AND BEYOND (And Even Worse Theology)'. Buy it wherever prostitutes are sold!
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Stephen T. McCarthy visiting
"that great city Babylon" in 1983.
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~ Stephen T. McCarthy
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YE OLDE COMMENT POLICY: All comments, pro and con, are welcome. However, ad hominem attacks and disrespectful epithets will not be tolerated (read: "posted"). After all, this isn’t Amazon.com, so I don’t have to put up with that kind of bovine excrement.
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