Latest news with #endtimes
Daily Mail
3 days ago
- Politics
- Daily Mail
Experts' chilling clues the Book of Revelation predicted today's bloody Middle East conflict
A wild conspiracy theory is taking social media by storm amid the escalating conflict between Israel and other nations in the Middle East. It says that the colors of the Palestinian flag represent the four horsemen from the Bible, suggesting armageddon is near. The Book of Revelation describes the four horsemen as signs of end-times events, representing conquest shown in white, war in red, famine as black and death is described as pale, often depicted as green. Some social media users have drawn parallels between these colors and the Palestinian flag, which has been prominently displayed at global protests amid the escalating conflict that began with Hamas 's October 7, 2023. The theory also references the Book of Ezekiel, which prophesies an invasion of Israel by nations including Persia (modern-day Iran), Cush (Sudan), Put (Libya), and others, which some conspiracy theorists claim foreshadowed current tensions between Israel and Iran. However, many Christian scholars reject this interpretation, emphasizing that the horsemen's colors are symbolic, not literal, and unrelated to any national flag. 'The Book of Revelation uses vivid imagery to convey spiritual truths, not geopolitical predictions tied to specific modern symbols,' said Dr Sarah Thompson, a biblical studies professor at Jerusalem University. Rabbi Jonathan Cahn, a controversial figure known for linking biblical prophecy to current events, has fueled the theory, stating in a recent video: 'The Bible places Israel at the center of end-times events. 'The colors of the horsemen appear where there's rage against Israel, pointing toward Armageddon.' Pastor Steve Cioccolanti has also claimed that the ongoing conflict between Israel and other Middle Eastern nations signals unfolding end-times prophecies. In a sermon that has gone viral on social media, Cioccolant argued that the colors of the Palestinian flag align with the four horsemen described in the Book of Revelation, symbolizing conquest, war, famine, and death. 'God isn't randomly choosing colors,' Cioccolanti said. 'There's a purpose and message behind the colors we see.' He extended this theory to the flags of other nations, including Jordan, Sudan, the UAE, Libya, Kuwait, Syria, Iraq, and Afghanistan, suggesting their shared color schemes tie them to biblical events. The resurfaced sermon comes amid heightened regional tensions, particularly following Israel's June 12 airstrikes on Iranian nuclear facilities and military bases, which prompted Iran to launch retaliatory missile strikes. At least 224 people have been killed since Israel began bombing Iran on Friday. Several of the nations Cioccolanti referenced, including Syria and Iraq, have publicly condemned Israel's actions. Dr Thompson cautioned against such interpretations, saying: 'These theories risk oversimplifying complex geopolitical conflicts through a speculative lens.' While the origins of the conspiracy tying the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse to the conflict in the Middle East are unknown, the view has circulated for years amid Israel's tensions with its neighbors. Cioccolanti, Cahn and numerous online commentators have kept the theory alive by continuously pointing to the colors of the horses in Revelation and matching them to flags of Middle Eastern countries. This view traces back to a form of biblical interpretation called dispensationalism, which interprets Revelation as a literal roadmap for future events. It gained momentum in the 1970s and 1980s, a period when wars in the Middle East were frequently in the headlines, and it has resurged in popularity in the age of social media and YouTube preaching. The author of Revelation is traditionally identified as John, believed by many to be the Apostle John, who also wrote the Gospel of John. Christian tradition says John wrote Revelation while in exile on Patmos, a small island in the Aegean Sea that is part of Greece's Dodecanese group of islands. Patmos is a significant pilgrimage site for Christians today. According to biblical scholars, John received a series of vivid visions and messages from God through an angel, which he was instructed to record and share with the seven churches in Asia Minor. The book describes a dramatic sequence of events leading up to the 'end times,' including natural disasters, plagues, persecution, chaos and the opening of seven seals that unveil a dramatic future. Revelation 5 opens with John seeing God holding a scroll sealed with seven seals, a document believed to contain judgments and plans for what's to come. The only one worthy to break the seals is the Lamb, a symbol for Jesus Christ, who was slain but has triumphed. 'I watched as the Lamb opened the first of the seven seals. Then I heard one of the four living creatures say in a voice like thunder, 'Come!' John wrote in Revelation 6:1. The subsequent passages describe the Four Horsemen riding forward, while the following seals unveil further upheaval, including the persecution of martyrs, a great earthquake and the darkening of the sun. When the seventh seal is opened, silence falls in Heaven for about half an hour, marking a dramatic transition to the next series of judgments. Some interpreters and conspiracy theorists say these biblical descriptions are more than just ancient symbolism, but view the events described in Revelation as a road map for understanding current upheaval in the Middle East. Cioccolanti also mentioned Ezekiel 38–39 during the sermon, which describes a prophecy about a future invasion of Israel by a coalition of nations, led by a ruler called 'Gog' of 'Magog.' The nations mentioned in scripture include Persia (modern-day Iran), Cush (Sudan), Put (Libya), Gomer and Beth-togarmah, which is now Turkey. The chapters say that Gog will form an alliance with this group of nations and attack Israel, believing it to be vulnerable and unprotected.
Washington Post
02-06-2025
- Business
- Washington Post
Putting Biden's head on a stake is not helpful
We're all doomed. These are end times, children. Resistance is futile. Oh wait. Never mind. Of course it looks and feels this way, and we nervous cases can argue that this is true, at least for the poor, the world's starving, the Constitution, the economy and the Earth. Pick pick pick. Yet there are many reasons for hope that we can turn this around.
