I have to laugh whenever some religious person offers some dramatic interpretation that ignores the reality that would ensue if any of it was correct.
Example: a guy emerges as Antichrist. Nobody says "I have grave doubts about giving power to this guy" or "is that 999 on his head really 666?"
or "are we just nuts giving all our power to this foreign guy? Didn't the EU have lots of trouble voting to give up national power?" "What's the deal with massing an army near Meggido in Israel? I'm not becoming a soldier or cooperating with any draft!"
Or from a Witness perspective:
Before nations turn on religion, take note that many of them are strongly religious. So, we would have to see all Muslim nations suddenly give up Islam and start opposing it.
Does anybody buy into this?
If the Vatican has any political power ( it does), then it would turn on religion, too. Suddenly, the Pope decides that being Catholic sucks.
Here's another one: The End of the World gets triggered by tsunamis and asteroids crashing into the earth. Oddly enough, no amateur astronomer notices any large object hurling towards earth. I guess that they all went blind or drunk or something.
Oh, and let's not forget " at a hour you think it not, the Son of Man is coming". Not even believers notice.
metatron