Is Bush getting apocalyptic advice?

[Andy_Stephenson]

Aug. 13 — Is the Bush administration turning to a televangelist doomsayer for political predictions? Apocalyptic preacher Jack Van Impe is claiming that he was contacted by Condoleezza Rice’s office and the White House Office of Public Liaison for an “outline” of his take on world events.

http://www.msnbc.com/news/943879.asp

[Newsjock]

1. Rapture

I know I venture dangerously close to the "out there" school of tinfoildom in saying so, but I sometimes suspect that Whistle-Ass and Co. are driven by an honest belief in Rapture and their divine role in bringing it about.

It's precisely that type of ultrafundamentalist mind-set that scares the living daylights out of me, since it's completely unresponsive to logic and normal human perceptions of good and evil.

It also explains quite handily why this administration does what it does.

[LearnedHand]

2. Sometimes I really believe ...

KKK-Karl can whisper something like, "You know, Georgie Porgie, you've been chosen by god to usher in the rapture," and Whistle Ass thinks IT'S TRUE! I wouldn't be AT ALL surprised to find out GW actually believed that.

[izzie]

10. I did read a quote of his father that God talked to his son.

I have heard and read some of the right wing say this also. Makes my hair stand on end to be frank with you. Scary people.

[shugah]

13. aww, the rapture already happened

and as it turns out, nobody got it right, so they're all still here! ;-)

i do think that whistle-ass does play to the armageddon thing. whether he actually believes it or not :shrug: i know some fundamentalist christians who say that we are facing the end days, and that bush is playing the role he is supposed to.

that would be a great way to justify voting for the destructive bastard, wouldn't it? "i know he's evil and going to destroy the world, but that's what the bible says will happen, so what else can i do?" (note: my fundy friends voted for gore.)

[Garage Queen]

14. Well, sweetie, if you think you're in "tin foil" country...

then I'm right there with you. :tinfoilhat: I've been saying to my friends for MONTHS now that it seems like Bush is on his own personal Crusade to join his Maker, and is bound and determined to drag the rest of us along with him.

He's ruined the economy, he's destabilized the Middle East, and he's given the impression of wanting to bounce from one "evil-doer" country to another in order to get rid of their evil-doer leaders. There was even a recent article (Time magazine?) talking about how he puts snippets of hymn lyrics in his speeches to keep the Fundies in line.

Hey, chimpy! you wanna go meet Jesus? Fine, go right ahead. I'll pray every day (ala Pat Robertson) that you're able to make it a reality as soon as possible. But please, leave the rest of us out of it.
I'm not ready to go just yet.

[LearnedHand]

3. In fact,

I just googled this up:

<snip>

George W. Bush is certainly the plaything of such forces as the geopolitics of oil but it seems that he is susceptible to other even darker archetypal concerns. Let me be blunt. The man is delusional and the shape of his delusion is specifically apocalyptic in belief and intent. That Bush would attack so many vital systems on so many fronts from foreign policy to the environment may seem confusing from the point of view of realpolitik but becomes transparent in terms of the apocalyptic worldview to which he subscribes. All systems are supposed to go down so the Messiah can come and Bush, seemingly, has taken on the role of the one who brings this to pass.

<more>

http://www.lipsio.com/gainesvillehumanists/apocalypse.htm

[izzie]

11. He has that drunks make up I swear.

First he leans on his name, then bottle and now Bible. It is all the same. This way you need not think just blame it all on something else.

[shockingelk]

4. regardless of advice, he's apocolyptic and messianic

In his aircraft carrier speech, Bush wrapped it up with, "In the words of the prophet Isaiah, "To the captives, 'come out,' -- and to those in darkness, 'be free.'"
http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2003/05/iraq/20030501-15.html

Luke 4 (in which Jesus announces he is the Messiah): (emphasis added):

14 And Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit into Galilee, and His fame went out through all the region round about.
15 And He taught in their synagogues, being glorified by all.
16 And He came to Nazareth where He had been brought up. And as His custom was, He went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day and stood up to read.
17 And there was delivered unto Him the book of the prophet Isaiah. And when He had opened the book, He found the place where it was written:
18 "The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He hath anointed Me to preach the Gospel to the poor. He hath sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised,
19 to preach the acceptable year of the Lord."
20 And He closed the book, and He gave it again to the minister and sat down. And the eyes of all those who were in the synagogue were fastened on Him.
21 And He began to say unto them, "This day is this Scripture fulfilled in your ears."

This seems to be a thinly veiled suggestion that the "victory" in Iraq is associated with Jesus appearing on Earth.

And here:

"And my message to Saddam Hussein is that, for the sake of peace, for the sake of freedom, you must disarm like you said you would do ... the United States will lead a coalition of nations to disarm Saddam Hussein ... freedom is not America's gift to the world, freedom is a God-given gift to the world."
http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2002/11/20021103-3.html

He's saying that "freedom" is not "America's" gift, but God's gift, yet he Bush's personal ("my") message to Saddam it to disarm, so that gift may be received, but if Saddam didn't disarm, the United States would set the conditions for God's gift to be received. It's subtle, but it does seem he's saying that the United States is doing God's work.

[treepig]

9. another example of the 'irony-is-dead' world we're living in

or at least the world right-wing nutcases live in, i rather appreciate it myself.

i believe that in the passage you quoted, the accepted interpretation is that jesus was proclaiming a "year of jubilee" - something that was intended to be celebrated every 7 of 7 years (i.e, every 50th year). during the year of jubilee, all debts would be forgiven, all slaves freed, all properties returned to their original owners (that's a good thing, to keep unscrupulous robert murdoch-types from buying up all the media, to use a modern example).

back then, the year of jubilee was never celebrated in any meaningful way (of course not, why would the powerful allow it?). in fact, if you keep reading a couple verses after those you cite, you'll see that jesus's word incited a hostile crowd (no doubt egged on by the republican congressional aides of those days) to go throw jesus over a cliff.

so did bush really intend to evoke a reference to the year of jubilee? doubtful, because, if so, the iraqi oil would go straight back to its rightful owners (which is not halliburton!)

[Andy_Stephenson]

17. BTW the phrase he used.

I the one Jesus said the Anti Christ would use. Just something to chew on this AM.

[MinnFats]

5. bush & impish jack should recall Matthew chapter 7, verse 21

"Not everyone who says to me 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the ones who do the will of my father in heaven.On that (judgment) day many will say to me 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesey in your name, and cast out demons in your name and perform many great acts of power in your name?'" But I will say to them, 'I never knew you, and you were never mine. Get away from me, you evil-doers.'"

fine choice of words if y' ask me!
(that's not King James version verbatim, but it's close enough.)



remember also, an 'imp' is generally defined as a small demon.

[izzie]

12. I want to copywrite 'evil-doers' lets ask Fox if I can have those words.

n/t

[emad]

6. yes, like.....

ARMAGGEDONOUTTAHERE?

[Gin]

7. I hope the whole sick crew get raptured up at the same time...

We have had enough of these fools already. The earth will be a better place when the rapture takes all the "so called good" ones.

[greatauntoftriplets]

8. Remember how the Ray-goon regime

had an astrologer for an advisor? I'd believe anything of these idiots.

[bobthedrummer]

15. Dr. Billy G. ,Jack van Impe, Arnold Murray, and probably Houston's own

Tilton all would have some input with this ecumenical administration of nutz, they are like the Third Reich in the spiritual department-including the darkside, IMHO.

http://globalresearch.ca/articles/STA305A.html

[Bandit]

16. Why is it Bush* never seeks council of his own minister?

In fact why is it he will not even allow his own minister into the whitehouse? Does Bush* ever attend a church service?

[Andy_Stephenson]

21. Because his minister is a true....

god fearing man

[AntiCoup2K4]

18. Neither Bush Jr, or any other human being can "force" the Rapture...

...or Armegeddon, the Second Coming, etc.

Jesus told His disciples that not even He, the Son of God, knew the day or the hour these things would happen, but only God the Father. And God works on His own timetable.

[Mari333]

19. heres a good site on all that shite

http://www.iraqwar.org/Armageddonupdates.htm

[leftofthedial]

20. well, DUH

He's part fo a cult that places superstition over rationality.

We're all coming home to Jeebiz.

[leftofthedial]

22. well, DUH

He's part fo a cult that places superstition over rationality.

We're all coming home to Jeebiz, like it or not, if they have their way.