Text 568, 68 rader
Skriven 2005-11-25 02:46:20 av Steve Asher (3:800/432.0)
Ärende: "End Of The World"
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The "Mahdi" will not provide a solution to earth's problems,
and many people will place their trust in a false messiah, the
Beast whose number is 666.

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Don't Panic, It's the End of the World
By Observer Staff
Nov 24, 2005 - Vol.VIII Issue 46

War may hang as grim threat over the Middle East, but for some 
people in Yemen the current situation has a strange silver lining.

The political situation of accusation and recrimination may seem to
have no end, yet some religious scholars oddly welcome it - because
they see the trouble as a sign that heralds the Mahdi's redemption of
the world.

The Mahdi, from the Arabic al-mahdi-, literally "he who is rightly
guided," from hada-, "to lead in the right way", is the Muslim messiah
who is expected to appear in the world sometime before it ends.

Just as the American Christian evangelist Pat Robertson claims the
recent wave of natural disasters points to the return of Jesus, so
Sadeq al-Haymi, a 70-year-old religious elder in Sana'a, claims the
troubles in the Middle East point to the Mahdi's coming.Indeed, Al-
Haymi, who counts prayers with an antique rosary in his hand, actually
smiles when he talks about Syria and its strained relations with the
USA.

"The world only needs one more thing for it to end," he said. "Perhaps
an embargo on Syria might be the final sign that foretells the return
of the Mahdi. The Mahdi will appear at the end of time." He continued:
"War and an embargo on Syria could be those very signs of a change.
When the Mahdi comes he will create a strong Muslim caliphate that
reverses injustice and spreads justice across the world."

Surprisingly, Al-Haymi is not too concerned about his forecast for
apocalypse, exuding a chirpy fatalistic enthusiasm for destruction.

"What is the use of fearing something since everything is
preordained?" he says. "This is the end of the time and after that,
God's kingdom will dominate. Then there will be no other powers
conflicting, no American-Iran conflict, no Israel-Palestine conflict,
there will be only God showing the people how powerful he is."

[...]

"It all marks one thing: The End Is Coming," she prophesied
cheerfully, adding in a sweeping comment that the "Jews and the
Christians are all behind it", although she struggled to explain
either how or why - nor provide any evidence to back up her claim.

"The world's military buildup is now at its apex," she continued
undeterred. "It is preordained. There only needs to be a spark to
start a devastating war, nuclear weapons are used and humanity will 
be back to the Middle Ages."

                              -=<*>=-

Full article at "Yemen Observer" 
http://www.yobserver.com/news_8704.php


Cheers, Steve..

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 * Origin: Xaragmata / Adelaide SA telnet://xaragmata.thebbs.org (3:800/432)