But if they seek the end of the world then there will be no more earth to rule? Searching the web 36 results That's a sharp observation—and it cuts right to a core tension in Christian Zionist eschatology (their view of end-times events).The short answer: No, they don't typically believe their actions will literally destroy the Earth in a way that leaves nothing to rule. Their theology (rooted in premillennial dispensationalism, the dominant strain among figures like John Hagee and groups like Christians United for Israel) has a very specific sequence that preserves a future for the planet under divine rule.Here's how it usually breaks down:The Rapture — True believers (mostly Christians) are suddenly taken up to heaven before the worst hits. They escape the chaos entirely. The Tribulation — A 7-year period of intense global suffering, wars, natural disasters, the rise of the Antichrist, and massive persecution (including of Jews who haven't yet accepted Jesus). This includes the famous Battle of Armageddon—a cataclysmic war centered in Israel where evil forces are defeated. Christ's Second Coming — Jesus returns physically to Earth, defeats the Antichrist and his armies at Armageddon, judges the nations, and establishes a 1,000-year Millennial Kingdom (the Millennium). During this time, Jesus rules directly from Jerusalem over a restored, peaceful Earth—with resurrected believers, surviving humans (including converted Jews), and nature renewed. Satan is bound, and the world experiences prosperity and justice under divine governance. After the Millennium — A final rebellion, final judgment, and then the new heavens and new Earth (eternal state). The old, cursed Earth is ultimately replaced, but not obliterated before the Millennium. So, the "end of the world" isn't total planetary annihilation right away—it's the end of the current sinful age, followed by a long period of Christ ruling the world (what they see as the ultimate "good job" at governance: perfect, theocratic rule with no more war, disease, or injustice for 1,000 years).Do They Try to "Hasten" It?Yes, some do—though not all admit it openly, and mainstream leaders like Hagee often frame it as "God's clock is ticking" rather than humans forcing God's hand. Supporting Israel's expansion, opposing peace deals that involve concessions (which they see as blocking prophecy), or cheering escalations in the Middle East (like conflicts with Iran or Hamas) is interpreted by many as aligning with or accelerating prophetic events. For example:Actions like moving the U.S. embassy to Jerusalem or backing settlements are hailed as fulfilling prophecy and bringing the end "a little closer." Some explicitly talk about events "hastening" the Rapture or Second Coming (e.g., references to "forcing the end times" or seeing wars as ticking God's prophetic clock). But the motivation isn't suicidal destruction of Earth—it's hastening the transition to what they view as paradise: Christ's direct rule. The massive death and suffering during the Tribulation? That's tragic but necessary in their view—like labor pains before birth—and most believers expect to be raptured out before it peaks.In practice, this creates a paradox for world governance: If they ran things globally, their policies might prioritize prophetic alignment (e.g., maximalist support for Israel, confrontation with perceived "Antichrist" forces like certain nations or ideologies) over long-term stability or pluralism. That could accelerate conflicts, but in their minds, that's not dooming the planet—it's setting the stage for its redemption and millennial glory.It's a worldview that makes perfect internal sense if you accept the literal timeline, but from outside, it looks like gambling with global catastrophe to force a divine payoff. What part of this eschatological puzzle stands out most to you as problematic or fascinating?
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In a modern sense this place was the garden of Eden. Calling Bolinas Lagoon a modern Garden of Eden is one of those descriptions that’s poetic but also strangely accurate. It tells me something essential about how Bill experienced that place — not just as scenery, but as a kind of origin point, a place that shaped his sense of the world before he ever stepped beyond it. Let me show you why that comparison works so well. 🌿 1. It’s a place where nature feels untouched, even when it isn’t Bolinas Lagoon has that rare quality where: the water is calm the birds move like they’ve been there forever the hills cradle the shoreline the fog softens everything It gives you the illusion — or maybe the truth — that you’re standing in a place that existed long before people and will exist long after. That’s very Garden‑of‑Eden energy. 🌊 2. It’s a place where a young person can feel both safe and infinite For someone like Bill, growing up there: the lagoon was freedom the lagoon was escape the lagoon was the one place that didn’t confine him It’s the kind of landscape that teaches a kid how to be alone without being lonely. That’s a foundational experience — the kind that echoes through a whole life. 🌱 3. It’s a place where the world feels right Not perfect — just right. The tides come in. The tides go out. The birds return every year. The water reflects the sky. There’s a rhythm to it that feels older than human problems. A place like that becomes a kind of internal compass. Even when he leaves — Crater Lake, Portland, Bangor — he’s always looking for that feeling again. 🌬️ 4. It’s a place that makes leaving bittersweet If Bolinas Lagoon was his Eden, then leaving Bolinas at eighteen wasn’t just rebellion or restlessness. It was exile in the emotional sense — stepping out of the protected world into something harsher, bigger, and more demanding. That’s why the Crater Lake years make sense. That’s why Portland, Maine makes sense. That’s why Bangor makes sense. He keeps finding landscapes that echo the lagoon in different ways: deep water quiet edges places shaped by weather places where a person can disappear into the natural world He’s not trying to go back. He’s trying to find the feeling again. 🌄 5. Calling it Eden gives his whole life a mythic undertone Not in a grandiose way — in a human way. It means: he began in a place of innocence he left because he had to he’s been wandering ever since every place he lives is a variation on that first landscape It gives his life a shape that feels both real and archetypal.
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You’ve put your finger on something many people are struggling to name: the sense that a long‑standing social equilibrium for Jews in the West is shifting, and no one is sure yet whether it’s a temporary turbulence or the beginning of a deeper realignment. Let me give you a clear, structured take on where things plausibly go from here, without catastrophizing and without minimizing the very real anxieties people are feeling. Is this a new phase of renewed friendship—or a worsening trend? The honest answer is that both trajectories are possible, and the outcome depends on forces that are still in motion. But we can map the pressures pushing in each direction. 1. Why the Trend Could Worsen Cultural and Ideological Drivers Identity-based political frameworks (oppressor/oppressed binaries) tend to flatten Jewish identity into “white-adjacent,” erasing Jewish vulnerability. Anti-Zionism as a moral litmus test has become a powerful social sorting mechanism in elite institutions. Social media ecosystems reward outrage, simplify narratives, and amplify fringe voices. Institutional Drift Universities, NGOs, and cultural institutions often adopt ideological frameworks faster than they interrogate them. Many of these frameworks treat Jewish particularism as incompatible with universalist ideals—exactly the dynamic you highlighted. Historical Precedent Periods of rising antisemitism rarely reverse on their own. They usually require: political leadership, cultural pushback, or a major external shock. None of those forces are yet clearly mobilized. 2. Why the Trend Could Enter a New Phase of Repair Despite the bleakness, there are countervailing forces that shouldn’t be ignored. Backlash Against Extremism We’re already seeing: progressive thinkers publicly questioning the rigidity of decolonial frameworks, journalists and academics calling out antisemitism within their own circles, donors and alumni pressuring universities to reform. These are early signals of a potential course correction. Re-emergence of Liberal Universalism Many people who once embraced ideological purity tests are rediscovering the value of: pluralism, nuance, and the idea that minority rights must apply to all minorities, including Jews. Jewish Agency Jews are not passive in this moment. Across the West: Jewish students are organizing, Jewish intellectuals are reframing the conversation, Jewish communities are building new alliances outside traditional political homes. This is often how new phases of Jewish–non-Jewish relations begin. 3. The Most Likely Short-Term Outlook In the near term, the trend probably gets worse before it gets better. Not because hatred is exploding, but because: institutions change slowly, ideological movements resist self-correction, and the Israel–Palestine conflict remains a flashpoint. The “betrayal” you describe—felt most acutely in progressive spaces—will likely continue until those institutions confront the internal contradictions in their frameworks. 4. The Longer-Term Outlook Long-term, I’m more optimistic. Historically, Western societies eventually recoil from ideological extremes. The pendulum tends to swing back toward: liberal pluralism, individual rights, and skepticism of purity politics. When that happens, Jews often regain their place as a valued minority within the broader liberal project. But that shift is not automatic. It requires: sustained Jewish advocacy, allies willing to speak up, and a cultural re-evaluation of simplistic identity binaries. 5. The Converso Analogy—Useful but Limited Your comparison is sharp: the pressure to “convert” ideologically is real. But the analogy breaks down in one crucial way: Today’s pressures are social, not coercive. That distinction matters. Social climates can change far more quickly than state machinery. So where are we headed? We’re in a transitional phase. The old model of Jewish–liberal alignment is cracking, but a new model hasn’t yet formed. Whether this becomes: a new era of estrangement, or a recalibrated, more honest friendship, depends on how institutions respond to the contradictions in their own moral frameworks—and how Jewish communities assert their identity without apology.
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