Glenn – No Beauty In The Beast – Israel Without Her Mascara

NO BEAUTY IN THE BEAST 7those in the apocalyptically-minded world of the Christian West) that there is no room for any additionalcommentary. It could be argued that the bank of debate is already bursting at the seems, and that myadditional two cents is not only going to overload the discussion, but as well differs in no substantiveway from the rest of the coins found within it. It is easy to see why there would be those who wouldargue this, particularly since it is a topic that seems to never take a break and therefore has become areligion in and of itself for many people.However, it is precisely because of the fact that it is the nucleus around which many Christians are livingtheir lives today that I have decided to add my voice to this contest. Understanding that doing so onlyadds to what has by now become a cacophony of sorts, (the noise that is produced by all of these variousinstruments within this discussion) nevertheless, I am of the opinion that most of those who are playingare on the wrong page and furthermore are not the musicians that they think they are. For the most part,they are simply making noise in the same way that a child who is unlearned in any of the disciplines ofplaying a musical instrument cannot help but to replace the peace of silence with the anxiety of nervegratingdiscord. It is not my intention to add to this discord, even though we must remember thatdissonance is going to be an unavoidable by-product of my ‘joining the band’ as it were, and even if I didmanage to play the piece perfectly.I once heard an individual in his attempt at scoffing at the business of believing in prophetic visions saythat were we to put 1,000 chimpanzees in a room, give each of them a typewriter and have them bang outa bunch of senselessness, that we could, after piecing together the various things that were produced,come up with a work of art. His assertion of course was that of typical rationalists who see an indivisiblebarrier between the natural world of human events and the divine world that created it. And in allfairness to the rationalists, this tendency that they maintain these days is completely understandable,given the times in which we find ourselves today. After all, a war against 1.5 billion people, with all thesuffering and injustice that accompanies it has been launched and fueled in no small part by the efforts ofthose who have taken the business of biblical prophecy to a new mania. In light of these facts, it is easytherefore to see why there would be those who would avoid trying to associate themselves with anystudy of biblical prophecy as if it were some kind of vessel containing the plague.I, however, take a different approach to this. To me it makes no sense to throw out the baby with the bathwater, as the rationalists will often do in their dismissing of prophetic words. I think that there are greatthings to be learned and gained by considering these things, and I do not subscribe in any way to the ideathat these events taking place and conforming as they have been to that which has been predicted centuriespast are but a fluke. And although I will only do the safe thing in coming to broad conclusions aboutthese things and of avoiding the minutiae that no one has the capability of discerning and decoding,nevertheless I have seen enough efficacy in the nature of these prophetic warnings for them to make abeliever out of me.Having said this, let me state then that it is my opinion that we are in the ‘end times’ that, centuries ago,were predicted to be forthcoming. I will ascribe neither a timetable nor hair-splitting particulars to thesethings in the same manner that many in this business do, a tendency that is a danger in and of itself foranyone trying to maintain any credibility. Nevertheless, there are generalities that can be safely adoptedwhen decoding all of this, something that for obvious reasons is in the best interests of all parties concerned.I do not subscribe to the way of thinking that many rationalists have adopted, namely that prophecy is onthe same level as palm reading and Tarot cards. Like all things, there are charlatans and there are bonafides, and to consign all of it to the realm of foolishness just because of the charlatans makes no sense,despite the fact that they possess such a formidable position in religious discussions today. For those