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bryte-eyed-athena · 4 years ago

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A New Earthseed Community

I used to imagine what life would be like in a dystopian society where everything has collapsed or is on the verge of collapse. This Earthseed community project has given me the opportunity to actually put some serious thought into how a community might survive in a world that has gone off the rails. However, I am going into this making a few assumptions. First, the world I am envisioning my community living in is very similar to the one depicted in Parable of the Sower. I was considering writing journal entries like Lauren did, but then I thought that was too much like fanfiction. Instead I am going to simply respond to the questions. Second, this is an established community that has already done the hard work of gathering trusted people, escaping to a safe area, and building the community. I’m trying to think about how to make this community survive, as well as thrive, long term after it has already been established. Third, the community has decided to give their settlement a name so I will refer to them as “The Dandelion Community”. Hopefully trying to envision this ideal community can help me with thinking of solutions to solve our real world problems.

Explain two real-life issues that make it necessary to create your Earthseed community. What are you seeking shelter from?

Climate change is wreaking havoc all over the world as it exacerbates natural disasters and displaces millions of people. In California the climate will get hotter and wildfires will cause more damage. Climate change also disproportionately impacts low income people of color who do not have a refuge to escape to once the environment becomes hostile. These are the groups of people that are going to be impacted the most negatively and they are the ones who require shelter and protection.

Police brutality has impacted communities of color and immigrant communities the harshest due to the influence of systemic racism and capitalism. It has created a culture of fear and violence which harms us physically, mentally, and spiritually. It is a system that must be entirely abolished in order for all marginalized people to feel safe. If it cannot be abolished then we must seek refuge in areas where the police don’t exist and have no power.

Quote two Earthseed verses from Parable of the Sower and show how you will apply them to your community. You may be creative in your interpretation.

“All successful life is Adaptable, Opportunistic, Tenacious, Interconnected, and Fecund. Understand this. Use it. Shape God.”

The Dandelion community understands that there will be numerous challenges for them to face if they want to survive. But life is not just about survival it is also about being able to live well. This verse will inspire the community to see their existence as more than just a fight for survival. It will motivate them to seek success defined in these terms. They will internalize this message and learn to be adaptable to new challenges. They will either seek opportunities or turn their dire circumstances into one. They will tenaciously fight for themselves and for their fellow members. They will feel connected with the community and other people they meet on the outside. They will also try to make sure that all their endeavors are fertile in order to produce more good to balance all the bad in the world. With this verse in their hearts they will be able to Shape God.

“Embrace diversity. Unite— Or be divided, robbed, ruled, killed By those who see you as prey. Embrace diversity Or be destroyed.”

Out of all of the Earthseed verses, this is the one that defines the human story. Centuries of conflict and horror could have been avoided if we sought to embrace diversity and unite with our fellow man. Instead, this planet has been divided and conquered over and over. The Dandelion community will refuse to be divided, robbed, ruled, or killed by any one. Their strength will be in unity and the bonds they form with each other will heal them internally. The diversity of body ability, ethnicity, gender, sexuality, faith and so on will give the community a unique advantage to respond to change. The diversity of opinion and experience would be a useful tool and not seen as a hindrance.

Explain where you will create your Earthseed community to be safe.

Safety comes from being in a defendable area surrounded by people with the skills and tools to survive. The Channel Islands National Park is a chain of four islands off the coast of Santa Barbara. It is too far away to swim to and there is enough land to support a large community if they are spread across all the islands. The Dandelion can reserve certain areas for small villages that contain homes, libraries, and facilities to create goods. The rest of the land can be used for farming sustainably as well as a training/play area for children. Once the community is able to build boats they can start to fish farther out into the ocean to provide more variety in their diets. These islands would be easy to defend since they are isolated and far away from the coast. Swimmers wouldn’t be able to get there and the community could devise ways to sabotage the waters so boats wouldn't be able to get through. The islands are also large enough that a stable and thriving community could be built there so people can live peacefully.

Who can join your community and why? Who can’t join? Why not?

Anyone can join as long as they are willing to learn skills and be ready to contribute. They are expected to be understanding of others and respectful of diversity. They also must dedicate themselves to protecting all members of the community from external threats. It is also important that they understand that joining a community means truly becoming an engaged member of the community. This means that they make the effort to be a part of people’s lives and make positive contributions no matter how small. They must want peace and understand that it takes hard work to create the conditions for peace and love to flourish.

What will your leadership model be for your community?

The Dandelion community is very mutual aid based so it is important that every member has a voice and opportunity to exercise power. There will not be a single leader since teamwork and communication are valued highly here. Instead there will be a group of around ten people who gather and discuss the problems of the community no matter how big or small. The community will also gather in weekly town halls to address any grievances or solutions they have directly to the group of leaders. During that meeting they will try to create solutions that take into account the needs and wants of the community. After a month this group of ten people will be replaced with a different set of ten people. Anyone can volunteer to be a member of the group and it's basically first come first serve. Eventually as the group rotated members monthly every person in the community who wanted to be a leader would have been a leader at least once. This way the burden of leadership is shared equally across the community. This also means that no one person can hold total power and become a tyrant. It also means that there will always be someone in charge and someone the group can defer to in order to make a final decision.

Create a future technology (one on the horizon, not something like teleportation or time travel) to help improve life at your Earthseed community.

A water filtration device will be necessary to support the community. It would be non polluting and powered by solar energy. Once water is filtered from the ocean the community members can all go and get as much as they need. There will not be a plumbing system so people will have clay jugs to transport their clean water.

A series of solar powered radios set all around the island chain will help make communication easier and faster. If an urgent warning needs to be sent out people will be able to hear it on their radio. It will also make internal communication easier so people could just ask for things without having to travel.

Long range portable telescopes will help the defenders of the island see any oncoming threats. They will also be a good educational tool for the children when they want to see the stars.

Most importantly would be a submarine that can be used to travel to the mainland safely. The island won't be able to provide for every need and there will be times where trash needs to be disposed of. A submarine with a renewable energy source would be a good way to travel and maybe explore other places that could be safe as well.

Explain/show how your Earthseed community will SURVIVE.

The Dandelion community will survive by using knowledge collected in books and by forging strong community bonds that will encourage mental health. Books on indegenous and sustainable farming practices will help the community create a replenishable food source that feeds everyone. If there are surpluses, scouts could travel to the mainland and give it away. Books about fishing and the ocean would help the community fish safely and prevent overfishing. Books on natural medicine and surviving in wilderness environments can help the community treat and prevent illnesses as well as be attentive to their surroundings. Other books on math and literature and technology can help with basic education and entertainment which will help the community feed their minds and souls. All of this knowledge will help the community become self reliant and understand the world better which will help them Shape God.

Explain/show what TWO steps your Earthseed community will make to build a better future, i.e. education, housing, conservation, farming, etc.

The Dandelion community recognizes the importance of education and that learning can happen at any point in life. All members of the community will be educated equally and on the same topics. They will learn the basics like reading, writing, and math. They will also learn survival skills, how to cook and clean, how to swim, and how to use tools and weapons. They will also learn how to be sustainable and not harm the environment. As they grow older and develop their own interest they can divert into different fields. Some may wish to become teachers, potters, weavers, fishers, farmers, writers, etc. New members that come from the mainland will also be educated in the same way and if they have certain skills then they will be asked to contribute their knowledge as well. Innovation and creativity are encouraged, but above all the survival of the whole must be put first.

Hopefully the environment of peace and love will encourage the community to want to share their resources with others. One of the reasons Lauren’s original community fell was because outsiders thought that they were rich. In reality, that wasn’t the case, but Lauren’s family was still better off than most. If the Dandelion community found a way to share their resources and beliefs with those on the mainland they would be able to create more stable communities. The best defense against criminality and violence would be to remove the factors that cause it, in this case poverty. By sharing their technology and knowledge the Dandelion community would be able to lift people out of poverty and create stable communities across the coast line. Once those communities are stable enough they would also be able to create stability even further inland. This will ensure the longevity and survival of the Dandelion community.

#parable of the sower #earthseed #Lauren Olamina #afrofuturism

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ashfaqqahmad · 5 years ago

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Can religion be logical 7

Click here to read the previous part of this article

Theory of development of the embryo

Well now let’s get to the development of the embryo. According to Moore it was not possible for anyone to have this information at that time, but was it really right for Moore to think so? Use your brain here and think of ancient times, two thousand to five thousand years ago.

At that time, civilizations were flourishing in three formats – tribals living in forests, villagers doing agriculture and animal husbandry, and third, living in cities, who used to buy and sell food and other things necessary for sustenance.

In these cities, prostitution was an acceptable and respected occupation available for entertainment. Even the Bible mentions prostitution, according to the Mahabharata, there were thousands of prostitutes in Hastinapur. Cyprus, Sicily, Kingdom of Pontus, Cappadocia were the main centres of prostitution in Greek civilization.

How did humans start their journey on earth

In India, the nagarvadhus were prepared for this, in Nepal, there was a ritual for prostituting girls named deuki, in Jerusalem there used to be a temple for erotic activities, in Greek civilization, it was named as ’holy sex.’

When Pompeii, which was destroyed in Mount Vesuvius explosion 2000 years ago, was dug up in 1748, a brothel was also found with the city, with ten rooms and paintings depicting coitus. It is said that it started with the union of the king of Sumeria and the goddess of love Inanna in the Sumerian civilisation. Then sex was not a taboo in any civilization. Rati was the goddess of sex in India, whereas in Greek civilization Aphrodite was respected for it.

Most of the big cities were inhabited on the seaside, where outsiders used to come for business and these brothels strengthened the economy of the state. Now use your brain that the women who had chosen prostitution would not have gone to that profession for reproduction and the measures of contraception were also not prevalent at that time.

There were no contraceptive measures at that time

And whatever little were there were strange and dangerous. Egyptian documents show that one and a half thousand years ago, they used to fill crocodile faeces, honey, sodium bicarbonate solution to prevent the entry of sperm into the female vagina. In the medieval period, the ovary and a bone of the animal named Vezal were tied on the thigh of the woman. In China, they used to make a solution of lead and mercury in some way and used to drink it, which was life-threatening. In Greece, the woman was given the water in which the blacksmiths used to cool their tools.

what possibilities are there in the universe outside our planet

Obviously, all these measures were dangerous, unsafe and uncertain so the women would get pregnant. Now if you think that medical practices were negligible at that time, then you are wrong. In the Indian territory and Unani system of medicine in Central Asia and Europe, Ayurveda is very old. In 2600 BC there was Imhotep in Egypt, whom Sir William Osler called the real father of medicine.

So when women used to conceive, measures were also taken to abort it. It is a matter of fact that even today, in rural society, many native methods of abortion are in vogue.

Now bypassing Mr Moore, use your wisdom that if an embryo from a week to a foetus, three to four or five months is being aborted, would it not be noticed or seen by people (at least by the woman who is pregnant)?

When they stopped menstruating, could they not know about their pregnancy and then different stages of the foetus through abortion that it first takes a leech-like appearance and what forms it takes further?

If God is there then how can it be from the point of view of science

Apart from this, there is miscarriage which has been there as a normal process since the time of existence of women. Do you believe that before the eighth century there was no miscarriage and they were not aware of the different conditions of the foetus in the womb?

Understand these things in such a way that there were no flush toilets then, to flush away the foetus rather most people would go in the open for excretion or to throw such undeveloped (early stage) embryo. so it was nothing like unknown or unique that nobody knew before mentioned in the Quran in the eighth century.

It is worth noting here that the Quran itself asks to understand such things and does not claim these to be real. But ever since people like Zakir Naik have started finding science in religious books, such common things are also being proclaimed as a miracle.

Is it really a miracle that two oceans do not mix

Another miracle most talked about in the Quran is related to Surah Rahman‘s verses 19-20, referring to the meeting of two seas which do not mix with each other. This miracle has two categories – one is its state and the other is how this miracle on the ground was revealed.

First, understand the scientific reason for it not being mingled. This unique union happening at a very familiar place (propagated by Muslims) is the Gulf of Alaska, where cold, freshwater melts from the glaciers and meets the saltwater of the Pacific ocean. Now since the density, temperature, etc. of the water on both sides are different, they do not meet with each other and at its junction, the foam wall is formed.

The truth is that it does not occur in only place. In other places, where freshwater (clean) of the rivers comes into the saltwater of the sea, it maintains its own existence, but it happens on a small scale so it is not discussed. You can see it at the merging of Ganges and Yamuna. In Uttarakhand, you can see such scenes in many places. If you watch the Factomania program on BBC Earth, then you can also do such experiments at home. The other truth is that this combination is not permanent and gradually the water melts.

This occurs due to the different densities of water

This happens because of the density of water and you can take an example of the Dead Sea between Jordan and Israel where the density of water is so high that you can never drown in it. Since it is natural and the believers believe that nature is created by God, then they can say that God did it. Else there is nothing like a miracle in it and if it is a miracle then everything associated with nature is a miracle and every invention is a miracle.

what are the possibilities for new writers

Now come to another aspect that how this incident was recorded in the Quran? How the writer came to know and about it? For this, you have to go back to the past again.

Stories of mystery and adventure have always been the centre of human interest. Today, we can see ‘Pirates of the Caribbean‘, ‘Mysterious Island‘, ‘Gulliver‘ type films made on those sea voyages, but in earlier times all these stories were written and people would read them with great enthusiasm. ’Gulliver’ and ‘Sindbad‘ are perfect examples of this.

If you are above forty, you must be remembering the stories you heard from your grandmother in your childhood, because then there were limited means of entertainment and storytelling was an ancient and important art, which has been going on since the early days of civilization.

Storytelling was a common art in those days

It was the practice of this storytelling that created the folk tails, the most important of which were the stories of the ships. You can take Sindbad the sailor as an example. In those times, when there were very limited means of entertainment, people who had long sea voyages by ships were full of hundreds of stories. Some of which were based on their imagination (Arabian Nights type), some on personal experiences and some might be folk tales of other countries or simply, the exchange of cultures.

How to write a book in Microsoft word

They used to narrate those stories in gatherings, in taverns, in hotels and in private get-togethers and thus the stories from distant countries, seas and islands used to reach people. Nine and a half hundred years before Christ, there were some harbour cities in Israel which were established by King Solomon’s (Sulayman), due to which they had commercial contacts with a large terrain.

So there can be two kinds of possibilities. First, a sailor might have seen this sight and then described it to others, other that it is not even mandatory in the context of the Gulf of Alaska, might have been seen elsewhere.

Along with this, there is a fact that Muhammed saheb had gone with his uncle to Sham (Syria) in his childhood, for business and in Sham also, harbour cities were the main trading centre. Do the rest calculation by yourself.

Click here to read the next part of this article

इस लेख को हिंदी में पढ़ने के लिये यहाँ क्लिक करें

#islam #quranic science #islamic miracles #surah rehman

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giftofshewbread · 7 years ago

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Rapture & Pretribulation Rapture Made Simple

By David Cogburn Published on: October 20, 2017

The Rapture: What is it?

It is Jesus coming to claim His bride, the church, and bring her back to His place in heaven. Why does He do that? Because we are in a period of time called the church age or the age of Grace. It initially began with the resurrection of Christ, but “officially” began at Pentecost when the Holy Spirit was poured out and indwelt all believers. From that day until now, all believers are born again with the Holy Spirit residing in them during this church age, which has a beginning at Pentecost and an end when Jesus comes for His bride and takes her back to heaven to be with Him.

Why is the church referred to as the bride of Christ?

A marriage relationship is the strongest, most intimate relationship God has set up. It is when two become one, and it means this in a much stronger context than simply physical union. We often say our spouse is our “soul” partner. We are “two become one” soul partners. Jesus says in John 14:20 that “I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you.”

That is Divine God being “two become one” through our bride and marriage relationship with God. This is the most intimate relationship God provides. Not even the angels have this type of relationship with God. AND since the church is called the bride of Christ, it is important to examine the Jewish betrothal customs to see how this betrothal relationship unfolds.

When a Jewish bridegroom proposes to his perspective bride, he offers her a cup of wine. If she drinks from the cup, she has accepted his proposal. Next, the bridegroom goes away to prepare a place for them to live, sometimes back to his father’s house. When he is through preparing a place for He and his bride to live, he comes back for her. She has been waiting, not knowing when he will come back. When he comes back, there is a shout and a blowing of a trumpet or shofar. He gets his bride and takes her back to his place for a wedding and a wedding feast, which lasts seven days.

How does this line up with the church?

Jesus’ proposal to the church occurred at the last supper, when He had wine with His disciples, and told them He would not drink from the wine cup again until they were in His Father’s house. He then went away to prepare a place for He and His bride to live – in heaven. In John 14:2-3 He says, “In my Father’s house are many rooms. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.”

We, the bride of Christ, are still waiting for Him to return to take us back to His place in heaven. In 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17 it says, “For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever.” THAT is the rapture, and THAT is when Christ comes to take us back to His place in heaven.

The wedding feast lasts for a week, but in this case it will be for a week of years; and we shall see why in a moment. Jesus “promised” that He has prepared a place for us and that He will come and get us at some point. The rapture is the fulfillment of that promise.

Is the rapture the same thing as the Second Coming of Jesus?

No. What happens at the rapture is that Jesus comes back in the “air” ONLY for His bride, the church, to take her back to heaven for the wedding feast. It is immediately following the wedding feast at the end of the week-long feast of years in Revelation 19 that Jesus returns to Earth “with His bride, the church;” and THAT is His Second Coming. Matthew 24 says that every eye shall see Him as He comes back to judge the surviving wicked, and to rule over planet Earth.

He will rule from Jerusalem during a period of 1,000 years called the millennial reign of Christ. It will be an unprecedented time in history. His church, who are now immortal beings, will physically and visibly be reigning on Earth with Jesus. Human beings will co-exist alongside visible immortal beings. Only believers who survive the seven-year tribulation will be allowed to enter into the 1,000-year millennial reign of Christ.

What happens between the rapture and the Second Coming of Christ?

It is important to remember that God “still” has a covenant with the Jewish people, in which He told them that there is a time coming when they will receive their long-awaited Messiah. And they, Israel, will be the “predominant” nation on earth and will be held in high esteem. This covenant is spelled out in Daniel chapter 9 in what is called the 70 weeks of Daniel prophecy. This, too, is 70 weeks of years, which begins when the Jews in Israel, who have been in Babylonian captivity, are allowed to return and rebuild Jerusalem. And it says from that time until after 69 weeks or 483 years, the Messiah will be cut off or killed. That lines up in time with Jesus being crucified. The 490-year time-period “clock” of years stops due to the crucifixion of Christ, leaving a period of one week of years, the 70th week still remaining.

This 69 weeks of years is a covenant God has with Israel and does not include the church. The church never spent one day inside that first 69 weeks of years. The 69 weeks stopped when Jesus made His triumphal entry into Jerusalem on the donkey, and was rejected and crucified. Up until the church age, God used the nation of Israel to bring about revelation of Himself to the rest of the world through His word, written by Jewish authors, and through the Jewish people, since Jesus is from the linage of David – in fulfillment of Bible prophecy.

Following the crucifixion of Jesus, God turned from Israel to the “church” to bring about revelation of Himself to the world, and that is where we still are today. One of the main reasons for the rapture is for the Lord to bring the church home so that God can now turn back to Israel and restart the 70 weeks clock again. This is in order to fulfill His promise to the Jewish people, to bring them their Messiah and fulfill His other promises to them. This last 70th week of seven years is also called the seven-year tribulation period, in which God pours out His wrath on Earth and sees to it that Israel will “finally” recognize Jesus as their Messiah (Zechariah 12). They will call on Jesus to save them when they are surrounded by all nations, who want to destroy them at the battle of Armageddon. THIS is when Jesus returns at His Second Coming. He comes back to save Israel and to set up His reign on Earth for the 1,000 years.

Since the church did not spend even one day inside the first 69 weeks of God’s covenant with Israel, there is no reason to think it will spend even one day inside the 70th week, which is the seven-year tribulation period. This also shows why it is necessary that the rapture will be a “pretribulation rapture” versus a mid-trib or post-trib rapture.

What other evidence is there that the rapture will be pretribulation?

There are many, many people who have differing views as to whether the rapture will occur before the seven-year tribulation, during the middle of it, at the end of it, or somewhere in between. Let’s see what the Bible has to say.

Since the seven-year tribulation period is described in great detail in the book of Revelation, let’s begin there. As the book of Genesis tells us how everything began, Revelation tells us how everything ends. In the first three chapters, the church is mentioned around 27 times. There is symbolism in the book of Revelation, but the symbolism is explained as to what it is. In chapter 1, John sees seven lamp stands, and they are described as representing the seven churches. Seven is a number of completion with God, and this is also symbolic as representing all churches for all times.

Chapter 4 begins like this: In verse one John says, “After this I looked and there before me was a ‘door’ standing open in heaven. [Remember this door for later]. And the voice I had first heard speaking to me like a ‘trumpet’ said, ‘Come up here and I will show you what must take place after this.'”

This clearly is a wonderful picture of the rapture: there is a trumpet call, and the bride is called to heaven, and “I will show you what must take place after this,” meaning after the bride is in heaven.

John immediately describes seeing the Throne Room and says he sees the seven lamp stands “again,” which represent the seven churches that were on earth but now all reside in heaven. Following this is when the scrolls are opened and all of the events of the seven-year tribulation are described. The church is not mentioned even one time during this seven-year period from chapter 4 to chapter 19, when finally it mentions the church at the wedding feast with Jesus at the end of the tribulation. Immediately following the wedding feast is when Jesus comes back to Earth with His bride, the church, to save Israel in His Second Coming. This is “strong” evidence in Revelation that shows a pretribulation rapture versus one occurring during the tribulation.

Many people think the church will not be spared the tribulation period, and that we are to be persecuted, but is that what the Bible says?

First, we need to recognize that Jesus died on a cross to save us from our sins and to also save us from God’s wrath. He took on God’s wrath for us at the cross. And yes, Christians have suffered much persecution and endured “man’s” wrath from its beginning until now. However, the tribulation period is described as a period of God’s wrath on Earth – not man’s wrath on Earth. God has already saved us from His wrath that will be poured out on earth during that time.

Rev. 3:10 describes Jesus speaking to the churches: He says, “Since you have kept My command to endure patiently, I will also keep you from the hour of trial that is going to come on the whole world to test the inhabitants of the earth.”

Twice in the Bible in the Old Testament and New Testament, a day is represented as 1,000 years with God; thus, an hour is represented as clearly a very short period of time. This clearly has to mean the seven-year tribulation period of God’s wrath that He has prophesied will occur before His Second Coming. He is telling the churches that He will keep us “from this hour of trial that is to come upon the whole earth.”

Another strong evidence for a pretribulation rapture occurs in 2 Thessalonians, Chapter 2

This chapter talks in detail about a time when the antichrist is ruling the earth and sets himself up to be God; but it says that the antichrist CANNOT be revealed until the Restrainer is removed from the scene. Since the Bible says the antichrist will be a person controlled by Satan, who is it that can restrain Satan? Clearly, the only one who can restrain him is God Himself; and since God the Holy Spirit resides inside all believers, it is necessary to remove all believers in order that the Restrainer, the Holy Spirit, is removed from the scene. This occurs pretribulation. THEN Satan can bring about his plan to control a one-world leader called the antichrist.

Pre-Fulfillment and Fulfillment

There is a very “interesting” example of a pretribulation rapture in Genesis, Chapter 6. The Bible has quite a few examples of something happening in the Old Testament that is a pre-fulfillment, and then something much bigger called a fulfillment happening later, often in the New Testament. A great example of this is when Jesus said in Matt. 12:40, “For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of a huge fish, so the Son of Man will be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.” Jonah was the smaller pre-fulfillment, and Jesus the greater fulfillment.

In Genesis,chapter 6, God refers to Noah and his family as the righteous on Earth. He wants them to enter the ark, for in seven days He is going to bring down His wrath and judgment onto the earth. This is a picture of God taking the righteous on Earth, Noah and his family, and putting them in a safe place, the ark, for a period of seven days until His judgment begins upon the earth. This is a pre-fulfillment.

The greater fulfillment is talked about in Matt. 24: 37-41 when Jesus says, “As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark; and they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away. That is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. Two men will be in the field; one will be taken and the other left. Two women will be grinding with a hand mill; one will be taken and the other left.”

This is saying that, just as people were unaware in the days of Noah, so will they be unaware in the end of days; and it shows the rapture represented by the man and woman “being taken” during this time and the other two left.

The greater fulfillment is that the church is considered the righteous on earth; and here we have God taking the righteous on earth, the church, and putting her in a safe place–heaven–for a period of seven years before He comes back to judge the earth. Of course, this seven years is the time of the wedding feast already mentioned.

We have another example of this in Genesis 19:12 where God is getting ready to pour out His “wrath” and destroy Sodom and Gomorrah. He sends His angels to save Lot and his family from His wrath. Indeed, the angel even says he cannot destroy Sodom and Gomorrah “until” Lot and his family are in a safe place. Once they are, then God’s wrath destroys Sodom and Gomorrah.

However, I have saved the best for last.

One of the most powerful, if not “the” most powerful verses in the Bible that talks about the rapture, not only describes the rapture beautifully but describes it point blank as a pretribulation rapture. AND it occurs in the Old Testament. Isaiah 26:19-21 says this: Verse 19 describes the rapture; “But your dead will live, Lord; their bodies will rise—let those who dwell in the dust wake up and shout for joy—your dew is like the dew of the morning; the earth will give birth to her dead.” This is clearly a beautiful picture of the rapture.

Verse 20 further describes this as a pretribulation rapture: “Go, my people, enter your rooms and shut the doors behind you. [Remember John saying he saw an open door in heaven in Revelation, Chapter 4?]. ‘Hide yourselves for a little while until His wrath has passed by. See, the Lord is coming out of His dwelling to punish the people of the earth for their sins.”

This is a strong picture of the church being called up to heaven. Why? Because the Lord is getting ready to bring down His wrath onto the earth to punish the people for their sins. The church is “behind” the doors, and it even describes the time of God’s wrath on Earth as a “little while,” corresponding to the “hour of trial” that is to come upon the whole world (Rev 3:10).

These are all good examples of a pretribulation rapture. They are by no means exhaustive, but strong enough by themselves to give a pretribulation rapture far greater weight than biblical evidence to support a mid-trib or post-trib rapture. Post-trib is really a non-issue because, if the rapture occurred at the very end of the tribulation, there would be no “believers” to enter into the 1,000 year millennial reign of Christ, as they would all have just been raptured. The only ones left would be unbelievers who are not allowed to enter the 1,000 year millennial reign of Christ.

I hope this is helpful to those who care about the rapture and “when” in relation to the seven-year tribulation that it occurs.

Maranatha! Come quickly Lord Jesus!

#rapture #pretribulation #pretrib #tribulation period #70th week #daniel #prophet #truth #bible #revelation #harpazo #catching away #Jesus

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aion-rsa · 8 years ago

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Green Lantern Corps: 15 Cameos We Need To See

“Green Lantern” from 2011 left the majority of geeks with a bad taste in their mouths. Many saw it as a failure due to its heavy-handed comedy from Ryan Reynolds, who starred as Hal Jordan, while others felt that Martin Campbell’s film suffered from a weak, unbalanced script that didn’t do the concept of a space saga true justice.

RELATED: Green Lantern Corps: 15 Lanterns We Want to See On Film

This led to the DC film-verse being curated by Zack Snyder through movies such as “Man of Steel” and “Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice,” setting up this year’s “Justice League.” With whispers that a Green Lantern may appear in it and that Warner Bros. are eyeing a Green Lantern ensemble film in 2020, the rumor mill’s in overdrive as to who the studio is eyeing to don the emerald rings and reignite the franchise. While they ponder, CBR decided to look at 15 cameos we hope to see!

SPOILER WARNING: Major spoilers ahead for DC’s slate of movies and Green Lantern comics!

SUPERMAN

Zack Snyder made it clear that Superman (reprised by Henry Cavill) has a big role to play in “Justice League.” After being killed by Doomsday in “BvS,” fans are eager to see how he’s resurrected, especially with Apokolips’ first wave of invasion imminent in the form of Steppenwolf. Whether or not the League actually interacts with a member of the Green Lantern Corps, it’s very much out in the open that Snyder’s filmverse is cosmic-oriented and that the door’s open for space aid.

This paves the way for Superman to appear on Oa as an emissary from Earth, requesting the Corps’ assistance for the incoming Darkseid war; or the story could be shaped where the Lanterns themselves find crucial information at their galactic doorstep, leading to the Sector 2814 (Earth-protecting) Lanterns coming back home to defend the planet alongside the League. The cavalier Hal Jordan meeting this stoic Kryptonian is a mouth-watering prospect which will surely have DC fanboys in raptures, especially with a potential clash of leadership philosophies awaiting.

THE ENTITIES

While the 2011 movie touched on Parallax as the embodiment of fear, eventually corrupting Sinestro, there’s a new opportunity here to traverse the entire emotional spectrum driving life in the DC universe. These entities, each with their own distinct appearance and emotional powers, directly represent the spectrum, and the colors of the rainbow. When combined, their energies form the white light that is in essence the power of life and creation. Red (rage) is embodied by The Butcher (a demonic bull), orange (greed) by the serpent-like Ophidian, yellow (fear) by the insectoid Parallax, and green (willpower) by the fish-like Ion.

Blue (hope) is embodied by the bird-like Adara, indigo (compassion) by the cephalopod figure called Proselyte, and lastly, violet (love) by another insect-like being of energy called the Predator. They’re more than avatars for their respective emotions as they are also seen as the engines of their respective corps, helping power their affiliated teams and their batteries in the eternal war of light. Imagine the visual spectacle they’d provide, even for just a few minutes, adding depth, scale and backstory to the motivation of every colored Lantern and their overall ambition.

CORPS MEMBERS

In Campbell’s film, not many Green Lanterns got enough screen time, apart from Hal and Sinestro. This was understandable as it dealt with the dynamic of Hal’s love for Earth and Carol Ferris, alongside his duty to train with Sinestro. This time around, however, it seems that things will be more focused on the Corps as opposed to just Hal. John Stewart is expected to be a main figure, of course, but we’d love to see the likes of Kyle Rayner, the future White Lantern, and the brash Guy Gardner in the mix.

As for alien species, Kilowog and Tomar-Re are among the few we hope play more prominent roles as opposed to how peripheral they felt in 2011. Soranik Natu, Sinestro’s daughter, is another addition that could foreshadow conflict with her father’s Yellow Corps, as well as Arisia, a love interest that brought quite a bit of drama to Hal’s off-Earth activities. Other candidates include the overly-aggressive female, Boodikka, and Sodam Yat, who actually became the host for the all-powerful Ion entity.

NEKRON

Nekron is the embodiment of death and the reason why “Blackest Night” rocked the DC universe. He hatched a plan to destroy his opposite number, the embodiment of life simply called The Entity. This was executed via a resurrection scheme involving his Black Lantern Corps, the Anti-Monitor’s power, Scar (a corrupted Guardian), as well as a tether to the living world, Black Hand. Nekron ended up being foiled by Hal Jordan, who, along with a few others, temporarily became a White Lantern in the process.

This particular villain heavily influenced Geoff John’s vision of the ominous Book of the Black in “Green Lantern” lore, with the writer painting him as a highly powerful dark force, one that was strong enough to comfortably defeat the Spectre in battle. This soulless creature has the ability to raise the dead, grow in size and kill through his signature black energies. Maybe in explaining the Green Lantern oath or hinting at the legend of the aforementioned Book, we could see the Guardians depicting Nekron as the boogeyman to their illustrious Corps, hinting at an early sign of fear, perhaps?

GREEN ARROW

Sticking to the green theme, there could be an opportunity here for Green Arrow to cameo in the franchise’s revamp, given that Warner Bros. hasn’t made any announcement as to the movie fate of Oliver Queen. While the emerald archer’s in full swing on the CW’s “Arrow,” Hal nodding to the days on Earth with his old friend could be ideal to tell the 1983 story from Dennis O’Neil and Neal Adams, where Ollie’s sidekick, Speedy, was revealed to be a heroin addict.

This was part of DC’s plan to boost “Green Lantern” sales and was a critically received arc, with the revolving stories Hal and Ollie faced being more sociopolitical and grounded, such as corruption, racism and pollution. Their storied history was quite emotional, eventually dovetailing into Ollie feeling remorse for killing a man, which could provide more fodder for the writers to flashback to and show the heroes as truly human. They may not be the most dynamic of duos, but ’80s geeks know how enjoyable Hal and Ollie were as a gritty buddy-cop duo.

VOLTHOOM: THE FIRST LANTERN

Volthoom was a human from an alternate universe who tried to harness the essence of The First Ring, created by Krona, who himself was observing the beginning of the universe. He became unstable but very powerful and was locked away by Oa’s Guardians in the Chamber of Shadows in a black hole. They eventually siphoned his power to create The Third Army to replace the Green Lanterns.

Volthoom eventually broke free and waged war on the various Corps, destroying Sinestro’s homeworld (Korugar) in the process. It took Hal Jordan and Nekron to defeat him, but what makes this character truly intriguing is the sympathy you felt for him due to his treatment by the Guardians. He was curious and terribly human, and even if in just recapping a story in a flashback as told by the Corps seniors, the tales of the First Lantern could set the precedent as to just how tricky things can get with the lure of willpower. They could also touch on how skeptical someone has to be when it comes to the Guardians’ at-times suspicious actions.

MONGUL

Mongul has been one of DC’s biggest galactic threats, often tussling with Superman and other members of the Justice League. What gives this behemoth extra oomph is the weapon known as Warworld, a planetary engine capable of massive destruction similar to the Death Star, as recently seen on “Young Justice.” With Darkseid opening the door to more galactic threats in Snyder’s film-verse, Mongul, due to his super-strength, near-invulnerability and thirst for power, would be another great addition to the mix.

What makes him even more ideal to appear in this movie is the fact that he took over Sinestro’s Yellow Lanterns, renaming them “The Mongul Corps,” only for Sinestro to return and pummel him on Korugar to take back his army. In the past, Mongul also destroyed Hal Jordan’s home, Coast City, and ran afoul of other Green Lanterns such as Kyle Rayner and Sodam Yat later on. He was created by Len Wein and Jim Starlin, who also co-created Thanos, so that in itself could signal that he’s destined for the big screen. We need more alien powerhouses and Mongul definitely fits the bill.

BLACK HAND

Geoff Johns used “Secret Origins” to start updating William Hand as someone obsessed with death, who would go on to become Nekron’s link to the living world. Hand was Nekron’s tether to bringing about the “Blackest Night” prophecy to extinguish life in the DC universe. The former Guardian Scar helped resurrect him as the embodiment of death, after which Hand would go on to lead the Black Lanterns in their war against the other colored Corps.

While this may be biting off too much in the first movie, it would be nice to see the earlier aspects of Black Hand pop up somewhere as he did manage to invent a device that was able to absorb the energy of a Green Lantern power ring. Johns eventually retconned this as being built by the Red Lantern leader, Atrocitus, but that shouldn’t rule out a cameo. Maybe his family’s funeral home, where Hand began his dark descent, could appear, or maybe it’s in a prophecy that warns the Sector 2814 Lanterns that Earth could well be hosting Nekron’s avatar to pure destruction. If the fall of the emotional spectrum is to be foreshadowed, this villain is a must-have!

MOGO: THE LIVING PLANET

We know what you’re thinking, we mentioned other Green Lanterns making a cameo above, but Mogo’s such a grand one that he deserves his own special entry. Created by “Watchmen” creators Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons, Mogo acts as a haven for Green Lanterns to recharge and was thrust into an even bigger spotlight than usual in “Blackest Night,” housing the rings of his fallen comrades.

He ended up proving crucial in destroying the Black Lanterns, but this corrupted Mogo and he was destroyed by John Stewart, only to reform in the New 52 where the Guardians tried to use him as part of their Third Army plot. Mogo would continue to help his brethren, even becoming the new Green Lantern headquarters after the First Lantern debacle, proving that he steadfastly remains as loyal as he is big. He channels the energy from the Green power battery and also guides the Corps’ rings to new bearers. If anything, his cameo would be a great combination of spectacle and fan service, which could rival James Gunn’s Ego (another living planet) in the “Guardians of the Galaxy” sequel.

ALAN SCOTT

Alan Scott was the supernaturally-powered Green Lantern of Earth-2 and a key hero in the Justice Society of America. His earliest incarnation saw him become mystically imbued by a lamp, made from the metal of a mysterious meteor that fell from the sky with a green flame. His powers are usually hinted as being connected to the power of the living world. In his New 52 reboot, it was revealed that the source of this power was actually the energies from The Green, similar to Swamp Thing.

It’s unlikely that he’ll share this same space-war universe on film, but maybe he can be mentioned as part of an old fable or joke. Imagine also if we see the Lanterns in their civilian identities back on Earth, and we see Scott in a comic or a cartoon or television show. Ideally, we’d love to see Corps members meeting him on Earth-2, but with the multiverse yet to be fully touched on by Snyder, we’ll settle for any tease we can get for Scott, one of DC’s most endearing and beloved characters.

STAR SAPPHIRE

Carol and Hal Jordan have endured an emotional rollercoaster together. She’s been tied to Hal’s past ever since he lost his father, but her duties as Star Sapphire, chosen by an alien race called the Zamarons, led to several conflicts with the Green Lanterns. She took the villainous role in this feud, especially with the emergence of the Predator, who strongly corrupted her. Eventually, Carol would lead her Corps down a more heroic path, but her relationship with Hal remained forever strained.

This saw her, despite fighting alongside Hal in several battles, eventually falling for Kyle Rayner and even becoming a White Lantern herself. The good thing about this movie not focusing completely on Hal is that we can steer clear of this complicated relationship. Blake Lively did a decent job in 2011, but their romance saturated the movie; when it comes to the Corps, fans will be looking for less love stories and more all-out wars. If her squad cameos, however, it’ll whet our appetites for future explanation; but for now, their past is best alluded to instead of expanded upon. Less love, more fight please.

JESSICA CRUZ & SIMON BAZ

In the comics, Jessica Cruz was forced to don Volthoom’s power ring, which, despite’s Hal tutelage, tried to assert its evil dominance over her in “Darkseid War.” She barely escaped death, with the Black Racer purging Volthoom from her instead. She was then granted a Green Lantern ring in the aftermath. Simon Baz, on the other hand, was a hothead who was chosen by a malfunctioning ring (due to a scheme by Hal and Sinestro), and eventually earned galactic cred against The Third Army and First Lantern.

After endorsing the inexperienced duo as Justice League material, Hal fused their power batteries into one, which can only be accessed when they are together, to ensure they cooperate to graduate from rookie status. With both now intrinsically linked, it’d be nice to see them before they became Lanterns, back on Earth, even if it’s through meeting one of the official Green Lanterns in civilian form. They’ve added diversity to the books through Cruz’s Hispanic heritage and Baz being the first Middle Eastern-American and Muslim Corps member, so why not extend that to the film franchise?

KRONA

Krona, a disgraced Malthusian (the Guardians’ race), proved to be a major thorn in the Green Lanterns’ sides. Obsessed with witnessing creation, he empowered The First Lantern and created a gauntlet which harnessed willpower: the basis for the Green Lantern power ring. His laundry list of no-no’s runs very deep as he was also responsible for the Manhunters (watchdogs of the old cadre of Guardians) attacking Sector 666 and, last but not least, he was a key pawn in Nekron’s “Blackest Night” assault.

What makes the villain’s cameo here an integral one is how he was retconned to tie in to the emotional entities and was revealed to be their original custodian. Krona used his gauntlet to control them in “War of the Green Lanterns” and exact revenge on Oa and its Guardians, who were originally from Krona’s planet, Maltus. His movie cameo could be tied in to when the entities and their emotional tags are glossed over. Krona may not have been a full-fledged Guardian, but he drastically shaped the landscape of the emotional spectrum, as well as the major events that ensued.

OTHER CORPS

Geoff Johns’ modern reinterpretation of the Green Lantern mythos saw him bring the emotional spectrum and all the Corps to us in a way we never thought possible. His stories were exceptionally crafted, which bodes well for the DC filmverse as he’s also a chief architect there. There’d be nothing better for a Green Lantern fan than seeing a montage of the various Corps with one or all of their leaders in the movie’s finale, hinting at big things to come.

Imagine seeing Atrocitus and his enraged Red Lanterns, Larfleeze, the greedy individual who makes the Orange Lanterns so funny yet so dangerous, as well as Saint Walker and the inspirational Blue Lanterns. The most certain bet would be one of Johns’ favorite stables, the Sinestro Corps, but if the franchise is heading down that “Blackest Night” to “Brightest Day” path, then we can’t wait to also glimpse the Indigo Lanterns, perhaps the most alien and unique of them all, along with the Star Sapphires, who have just as much emotional baggage with Hal’s squad as Sinestro’s team. We’re all in and all ready for this war of light!

SINESTRO

To wash the taste of the first movie out of our mouths, the best thing to do would be to not use Sinestro as a major character. Having him lurking in the shadows and making an epic cameo a la Palpatine in the “Star Wars” prequels would be a better direction. After all, it would be boring rehashing him as Abin Sur’s student who trained Hal and then turned on the Green Lanterns.

His villainous legend as the leader of the Sinestro Corps, harnessing the power of fear and Parallax, would be mysterious and silently threatening, also reducing potential convolution in the script. This is the kind of cerebral game Sinestro would play, looming overhead, monitoring the other colored Corps, and waiting like a serpent to strike when the time was right. It would also hype fans even more for when he does eventually come knocking on Oa’s door, via the “Sinestro Corps War,” to undo what he helped build in his altruistic days. In the relationship between Hal and him, the less said, the better, because their dynamic is so strong, we’d be able to fill in the words and betrayal which Hal undoubtedly feels, as well as Sinestro’s resentment.

Thoughts on our picks? Let us know in the comments who else you’d like to see cameo!

The post Green Lantern Corps: 15 Cameos We Need To See appeared first on CBR.com.

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