Comment by FarmerPotato | Hacker News Reader

Comment by FarmerPotato | Hacker News Reader

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Unfortunately, evangelicals have been pushing this interpretation since the 1980s, at least. Many of them voted for Reagan. In my circle of family and friends, several of them were military or contractors with secret-level clearances, ie serious people.

When I read this, I just thought "Oh so its metastasized now."

Those among them who voted for Trump in 2016 hoped for the end times. The whole thing about Trump being "anointed by God to use as he did King Saul" was mainstream in mega-churches at that time. Combine that with decades of recitals that the End Times would be near when Israel's capital moved to Jerusalem (Trump proclaimed that as a handout to evangelicals) and all the nations would come to Megiddo to do battle... this is a well-trodden story.

> evangelicals have been pushing this interpretation since the 1980s, at least

Source? I would have thought it was way older. (Counterargument: high-octane crazy tends to mellow with time.)

Not sure what source you're asking for... my source is my memory. But here is a brief reading list.

Yes, I'm aware that the theology goes back to the 1890s. I don't know the details. Those details are jammed further down than the story of Americans forgetting that their stone monuments to the 10 Commandments were put up in public spaces as a tie-in with Cecil B. DeMille's movie.

Brief Reagan-era End Times Bibliography

Hal Lindsay: The Late Great Planet Earth. 1970.

Henry Morris: The Revelation Record. 1983.

Salem Kirban: 666 & 1000.

Tim LaHaye: dozens of books, and Left Behind novels. Political actor.

You can check out thought leaders in the NAR (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Apostolic_Reformation).

"The US is uniquely responsible for bringing about the end times through violence in the middle east" has been a belief system amongst a subset of american evangelicals, many of whom hold significant power, for a while. But it hasn't been around forever. It really is an idea that grew out of the late 20th century.

They are referring to the current crop of brimstone evangelists that used their pulpit to push their extremism to great political effect. Jerry Falwell was one of the pioneers.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moral_Majority

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