"The Cold War is over now."

Response to comment [from an atheist]: [Why do you believe it is still ongoing?] "[stage whisper] There are those who remain convinced that the Soviet Union did not actually collapse, but that the whole thing is just an elaborate ruse to get the West to drop its guard. [/stage whisper]"

There are those who remain convinced that the Roman Empire never collapsed entirely either.

[World Dominion - Whose Will it Be? By J. Vernon McGee] "...Now what are these last days, these latter times, that God is talking about? Well, the fourth kingdom takes place, of course, in the latter days. That fourth kingdom is Rome. Now, my friend, I want you to look at something that is without doubt one of the most amazing things in the prophetic Word. No man could have guessed like this. There are only four worldwide kingdoms represented by these four different metals. There is first of all the head of gold, specifically stated to be Nebuchadnezzar in Daniel 2:38. There are the chest and the arms of silver, clearly identified as Media-Persia, and the brass abdomen and thighs of Greece, the Graeco-Macedonian Empire. Then there are the legs of iron with feet of iron and clay, the Roman Empire, and there are no more kingdoms after that. Rome is the last worldwide kingdom.

Now will you notice, Rome came to a dissolution about the fourth century A.D. It was in the fifth century that the barbarian hordes poured into the Roman Empire, and my ancestors and maybe yours were in those barbarian hordes. It's awful to think that you and I had barbarian ancestors, but we did. The barbarians poured into that empire. It fell apart because it was rotten to the core. It was a dictatorship, the like of which the world had never seen. Edward Gibbon, in his Rise and Fall of the Roman Empire, has written:

The empire of the Romans filled the world, and when the empire fell into the hands of a single person, the world became a safe and dreary prison for his enemies. To resist was fatal and it was impossible to fly.

Robert Culver who more recently has written a brilliant book on Daniel says,

Two millennia ago, Rome gave the world the ecumenical unity which the League of Nations and the United Nations organizations have sought to revive in our time. The modern attempts are not original at all (as many of our contemporaries suppose), but are revivals of the ancient Roman ideal which never since the time of Augustus Caesar has been wholly lost.

Rome did not end. Rome fell apart, that's all, just came loose at the seams. It never died. Rome lived on and Rome lives today in the broken fragments of many countries of Western Europe." World Dominion - Whose Will it Be?

Response to comment [from an atheist]:  "...God is said to be all knowing so he would know that the Cold War is over."

"Nothing's over until we decide it is." ~ Bluto, Animal House Deut 30:1

"...[A]nd 'we' being the countries involved have decided that it is over."

God and his plan for the world. You're an atheist. Why are these things of interests to you? Mt 24:6

Response to comment [from a Christian]: "Was it over when the Germans bombed Pearl Harbor?"

Response to comment [from an atheist]: "Nah it ended when the French nuked Japan."

Response to comment [from an atheist]: "Because persecuting you is fun, SD!  Consider this: I'd persecute you even if you were an unbeliever..."

Um hmm (Lk 22:36). Just be glad that I don't breathe fire out of my mouth--or you'd be gone by now (Re 11:5).

"That verse from Revelation talks about harm."

The verse speaks about a future event. Two witnesses (probably Jews) will die in front of the whole world and be brought back to life again (Re 11:7-14).

"A pity there's no more detail than that.

I mean, there's falling down riddled with, say, bullet holes, and then popping up again while the wounds are closing up by themselves, and then there's falling down riddled with bullet holes, being rushed to a medical facility and emerging months later alive and whole."

You want more details about a history future that you don't believe.

"Re 11:5,6 While it is impossible to be dogmatic about the identity of these two witnesses, several observations suggest they might be Moses and Elijah: 1) like Moses, they strike the earth with plagues, and like Elijah, they have the power to keep it from raining; 2) Jewish tradition expected both Moses (cf. Deut. 18:15–18) and Elijah (cf. Mal. 4:5,6) to return in the future (cf. John 1:21); 3) both Moses and Elijah were present at the Transfiguration, the preview of Christ’s second coming; 4) both Moses and Elijah used supernatural means to provoke repentance; 5) Elijah was taken up alive into heaven, and God buried Moses’ body where it would never be found; and 6) the length of the drought the two witnesses bring (3½ years; cf. v. 3) is the same as that brought by Elijah (James 5:17).

11:5 fire proceeds … and devours. Probably this refers to literal fire. These two will be invincible during their ministry, protected by supernatural power. The false prophet will counterfeit this sign (13:3).

11:6 power to shut heaven. Miracles have often authenticated God’s messengers. Here, bringing a 3½ year drought (as did Elijah before them) will add immeasurable torment to those experiencing the worldwide disasters of the Tribulation—and exacerbate their hatred of the two witnesses. waters to turn them to blood. The earth’s water, already devastated by the effects of the second and third trumpets, will become undrinkable, adding immensely to the suffering caused by the drought.

11:7 the beast. The first of 36 references to this person in Revelation, who is none other than the Antichrist (see chap. 13). That he will ascend out of the bottomless pit indicates that his power is satanic. kill them. Their ministry completed, God will withdraw the two witnesses’ supernatural protection. The beast will then be able to accomplish what many had died trying to do.

11:8 bodies will lie in the street. Refusing to bury one’s enemies was a way to dishonor and show contempt for them (cf. Acts 14:19). The OT expressly forbids this practice (Deut. 21:22,23). the great city. Identifying Jerusalem as a city like Sodom and Egypt stresses the city’s wickedness. Its Jewish population will apparently be the focus of the witnesses’ ministry, leading to the conversions of v. 13.
11:9 three-and-a-half days. The entire world will watch (undoubtedly on the latest form of visual media) and glorify the Antichrist as the bodies of the dead prophets who have been killed begin to decay.

11:10 rejoice … make merry … send gifts. Wild with joy over the death of their tormentors, those who dwell on the earth (a phrase used 11 times in Revelation to speak of unbelievers) will celebrate the two witnesses’ deaths as a holiday.

11:11 breath of life from God entered them. The festivities, however, are short-lived as God vindicates His faithful witnesses by resurrecting them." MacArthur, John Jr: The MacArthur Study Bible. electronic ed. Nashville : Word Pub., 1997, c1997, S. Re 11:5

"So, these two witnesses will display comic-book-style superpowers?"

You will run for cover hysterically like a short Chinaman.

Response to comment [from a Christian]: No matter how long I disappear, when I return nothing here has changed. It's much like a bad soap opera. Serpentdove is one of those annoying caricatures that are so prevalent in the genre...Now once again, serpendove, tell us all just how it is going to be. We don't all have your wisdom.

You were gone?

Response to comment [from an atheist]: [Gozilla after Chinaman] "Would you care to make a wager on that?  Human beings have displayed supernatural/paranormal powers only in "Long, long ago and far, far away".  Here is an interesting correlation for you: as technology and scientific understanding advance, magic and supernatural powers and entities appear to diminish.  What explanation do you (or whomever you completely agree with) offer for this phenomenon?"

It hasn't happened yet. 

[Fire-breathing witnesses]" I harbor doubts that it ever will."

You don't believe the bible (Ps 106:24).

You said: "...[A]s technology and scientific understanding advance, magic and supernatural powers and entities appear to diminish."

Give an example of magic or supernatural powers and entities. It's bad luck to be superstitious.

"Show me a human being who breathes out fire like a dragon and I'll show you somebody with a mouthful of ethyl alcohol and a lit match."

I've never seen a human being who breathes out fire. Does that mean I never will? 2 Pe 3:4

[Give an example of magic or supernatural powers and entities. It's bad luck to be superstitious. ] "Do your own homework! Besides, you know exactly what I'm talking about."

If you see Mary in your falafel, I don't believe you. If Abraham Lincoln has visited you, that's a problem. If you can pick up a car because your child is stuck underneath, I'd say good job on your workout. Acts 17:22, 28:4, Mk 7:1-16

Response to comment [from an atheist]: "

Are you interested in this?: US ambassador has run-in with Russian TV

When do you think Russians won't act like Russians? Eze 38. Queue jeopardy theme (right click, open).

Obama to Medvedev: ‘After My Election I Have More Flexibility’