Antichrist | Even at the Doors blog

Posts Tagged ‘Antichrist’

The Great Apostasy and the Second Coming of Jesus Christ

Sunday, April 3rd, 2011

(April 3, 2011) “8 When the Son of Man comes, will He find faith on the earth?” (Luke 18:8) I believe this is one of the most intriguing things Jesus said during His earthly ministry. To whom was He directing this question? Was He trying to motivate the Disciples to spread the faith? No, He knew they were going to preach the gospel throughout the Roman Empire and lead many to faith in Him (Luke 21:12-15). Was He trying to motivate future generations which would include us to spread the faith? No, because in Matthew 24:14 He stated as a fact that the gospel would be preached in all the world and then the end would come. Or was He asking a rhetorical question of Himself? I believe that He indeed was making a statement with this question indicating that true faith would be lacking on earth when He returns again. The context of this question begins in the last section of chapter 17 of Luke where He describes His second coming. He immediately follows this with a parable of the Unjust Judge and persistent prayer in the first seven verses of chapter 18. The meaning of this parable is that His followers should be persistently praying that His kingdom would come without further delay. He concludes this parable by asking if He will find faith on earth when He does come again. The answer to this question lies in biblical prophecy.

The Tribulation Period

The apostle Paul’s first written letters were to the Christians in the Church of Thessaloniki, Greece. He wrote them circa 50-52 A.D. which was about twenty years after the crucifixion, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus Christ. End-Times prophecy pervades these two letters and reveals that the early Church had a tremendous interest in the second coming of Jesus and the events leading up to it. In chapter four of 1 Thessalonians Paul explains the event that Christians call the Rapture or taking away of Christians from the earth. Chapter five discusses the timing of the Day of the Lord. In chapter two of 2 Thessalonians Paul speaks of the evil ruler (whom Christians call the Antichrist) and the events surrounding his ascension to power:

“1 Now we request you, brethren, with regard to the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to Him, 2 that you not be quickly shaken from your composure or be disturbed either by a spirit or a message or a letter as if from us, to the effect that the day of the Lord has come. 3 Let no one in any way deceive you, for it will not come unless the apostasy comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction, 4 who opposes and exalts himself above every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, displaying himself as being God. 5 Do you not remember that while I was still with you, I was telling you these things? 6 And you know what restrains him now, so that in his time he will be revealed. 7 For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only he who now restrains will do so until he is taken out of the way. 8 Then that lawless one will be revealed whom the Lord will slay with the breath of His mouth and bring to an end by the appearance of His coming; 9 that is, the one whose coming is in accord with the activity of Satan, with all power and signs and false wonders, 10 and with all the deception of wickedness for those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth so as to be saved. 11 For this reason God will send upon them a deluding influence so that they will believe what is false, 12 in order that they all may be judged who did not believe the truth, but took pleasure in wickedness. 13 But we should always give thanks to God for you, brethren beloved by the Lord, because God has chosen you from the beginning for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and faith in the truth.” (2 Thessalonians 2:1-13)

Paul states that the Antichrist will come to power and enter the rebuilt third Jewish Temple in Jerusalem and will declare himself to be God. Then Jesus will return and destroy him at His second coming. However, before that happens there will be an apostasy or falling away from the Christian faith which will cause the world to look for an earthly leader to rule over them. They will reject the truths of God’s word concerning His Son Jesus Christ and turn to Satan’s son for their earthly salvation. These events are corroborated in chapter 13 of the Book of Revelation which talks about how the beast or Antichrist will deceive the whole world.

Jesus also warned that many would be led astray from Him, the true Messiah, just before His second coming:

“3 As He was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him privately, saying, ‘Tell us, when will these things happen, and what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?’ 4 And Jesus answered and said to them, ‘See to it that no one misleads you. 5 For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will mislead many…21 For then there will be a great tribulation, such as has not occurred since the beginning of the world until now, nor ever will. 22 Unless those days had been cut short, no life would have been saved; but for the sake of the elect those days will be cut short. 23 Then if anyone says to you, ‘Behold, here is the Christ,’ or ‘There He is,’ do not believe him. 24 For false Christs and false prophets will arise and will show great signs and wonders, so as to mislead, if possible, even the elect. 25 Behold, I have told you in advance. 26 So if they say to you, ‘Behold, He is in the wilderness,’ do not go out, or, ‘Behold, He is in the inner rooms,’ do not believe them. 27 For just as the lightning comes from the east and flashes even to the west, so will the coming of the Son of Man be.” (Matthew 24:3-5,21-27)

The Great Apostasy

In his second letter to Timothy and the last epistle he wrote, Paul issues two warnings about the apostasy coming in the last days:

“1 But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come: 2 For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, 3 unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, 4 traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, 5 having a form of godliness but denying its power.” (2 Timothy 3:1-5)

and:

“1 I solemnly charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by His appearing and His kingdom: 2 preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort, with great patience and instruction. 3 For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires, 4 and will turn away their ears from the truth and will turn aside to myths.” (2 Timothy 4:1-4)

Jesus said that the signs of the last days would be like labor pains (Matthew 24:8), meaning they will get more and more intense in nature and come closer and closer together. Thus, the apostasy will also be great with those who turn away from the true faith of Jesus Christ just before His return. Paul described the beginning of the end of true Christianity by stating that people will have “a form of godliness but denying its power”. The Christian Church began its slide toward this final, great apostasy with the Age of Enlightenment beginning in the late 1700s. The world then was declaring that reason should triumph over superstition and religious authoritarianism. This led to the decline of the Church and to the denial of the supernatural aspects of the Bible while at the same time giving rise to secular humanism and liberalism. Although Protestant churches went on having a form of godliness, they denied the power thereof which eventually led to the near extinction of any Spirit-filled churches in Europe by the 21st Century. It appears that Islam is now filling the vacuum left by the exit of true Christianity in Europe.

Elements of the modern Christian Church in America seem to be fulfilling Paul’s final warning that “the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires, and will turn away their ears from the truth and will turn aside to myths.” There are church leaders who teach that the orthodox doctrine of eternal Hell and torment is false and that a loving God would not punish someone forever. Consequently they support the heretical doctrine of Universalism which states that every human being will eventually experience salvation whether or not they receive Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. Others teach that all religions have good aspects to them and that believing in Jesus is only necessary for those of the Christian faith. Therefore we can be united with those who have chosen to find God through other faiths. If Christians declare that Jesus is the only way to salvation then they are being intolerant of those of other faiths. If Christians state that homosexuality or abortion is sinful then they are narrow-minded bigots and hatemongers who don’t care about or love others. Experience, sentimentality, and relativity dominate the teaching of these modern church leaders while sound biblical doctrine is reinterpreted or dispensed with altogether. All of this leads many in the modern church movement to denigrate and disparage those Christians who maintain a belief in the doctrinal truths of God’s word. Tragically, I believe it will cause many in the future to participate in the great apostasy that is going to occur during the End-Times.

When the Son of Man returns will He find faith on earth?

There are a couple of other prophecies which have a bearing on the answer to this question. The first is the Rapture of the Christian Church. If the Rapture occurs before the Tribulation Period, there will be no Christians left on the earth at that time. However, God seals 144,000 Jews who will apparently lead millions to Christ during that seven-year period of Tribulation. But John sees many of those same millions of new believers in heaven after they had been martyred by the Antichrist and his followers. Thus, after the Rapture and the apostasy and the martyrdom of the Tribulation saints and the devastation of the earth because of God’s judgment, it appears that there will be few left who have faith when Jesus returns at His second coming. There will be more goats than sheep on earth at the time of His return (Matthew 25:31-46).

having a form of godliness but denying its power.”

Tags: 2 Thessalonians 2, 2 Timothy, Antichrist, apostasy, false teaching, heresy, Jesus Christ, modern Church, Second Coming, The Rapture
Posted in Archives 2011, Jesus Second Coming, Tribulation Period | 2 Comments »

Governmental monitoring spreading

Sunday, August 29th, 2010

(August 29, 2010) In 1965 Intel co-founder Gordon E. Moore wrote of a technological trend in a paper. The paper noted that the number of components in integrated circuits had doubled every year from the invention of the integrated circuit in 1958 until 1965 and predicted that the trend would continue “for at least ten years”. His idea that technology capabilities doubles every two years (another Intel colleague declared that computer performance doubles every eighteen months) became known as Moore’s Law. As one who was born in 1958 I have seen Moore’s Law come to pass in my lifetime. Personal computers, smartphones, digital video and audio, space exploration, electronic financial transactions, global communication, and many other technological innovations have been developed over the last few decades. This could be the fulfillment of a prophecy spoken in the Book of Daniel, “4 But thou, O Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book, even to the time of the end: many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased.” (Daniel12:4) As Moore’s Law states knowledge is increasing at an exponential rate.

The advent of the digital age may also have another prophetic ramification. God revealed the events of the End-Times to His servant John in the Book of Revelation. At one point John sees the most evil world leader ever to live rise to power on the global scene. Part of this leader’s power includes the ability to monitor the financial transactions of the citizens under his authority, “16 And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads: 17 And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name. 18 Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred threescore and six.” (Revelation 13:16-18) Recent news events illustrate that this monitoring capability may be available at any time in the near future if not already:

“Government agents can sneak onto your property in the middle of the night, put a GPS device on the bottom of your car and keep track of everywhere you go. This doesn’t violate your Fourth Amendment rights, because you do not have any reasonable expectation of privacy in your own driveway – and no reasonable expectation that the government isn’t tracking your movements. That is the bizarre – and scary – rule that now applies in California and eight other Western states. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, which covers this vast jurisdiction, recently decided the government can monitor you in this way virtually anytime it wants – with no need for a search warrant. It is a dangerous decision – one that, as the dissenting judges warned, could turn America into the sort of totalitarian state imagined by George Orwell. It is particularly offensive because the judges added insult to injury with some shocking class bias: the little personal privacy that still exists, the court suggested, should belong mainly to the rich.” (The Government’s New Right to Track Your Every Move With GPS; Infowars.com)

Forbes.com has story on Full-Body scanners:

“As the privacy controversy around full-body security scans begins to simmer, it’s worth noting that courthouses and airport security checkpoints aren’t the only places where backscatter x-ray vision is being deployed. The same technology, capable of seeing through clothes and walls, has also been rolling out on U.S. streets. American Science & Engineering, a company based in Billerica, Massachusetts, has sold U.S. and foreign government agencies more than 500 backscatter x-ray scanners mounted in vans that can be driven past neighboring vehicles to see their contents, Joe Reiss, a vice president of marketing at the company told me in an interview. While the biggest buyer of AS&E’s machines over the last seven years has been the Department of Defense operations in Afghanistan and Iraq, Reiss says law enforcement agencies have also deployed the vans to search for vehicle-based bombs in the U.S.” (Full-Body Scan Technology Deployed In Street-Roving Vans)

Backscatter Van

A Fox Television website reports on biometric vending machines:

“Your thumbprint might soon be the key to an afternoon candy bar. A Massachusetts based vending machine company is joinng the growing ranks of companies that are field-testing new technologies. Next Generation Vending and Food Service is experimenting with biometric vending machines that would allow a user to tie a credit card to their thumbprint. ‘For a certain demographic that is pretty cool,’ says company president John S. Ioannou. Next Generation is currently testing about 60 of the biometric machines in various locations in the northeast. The company is also testing other technologies. Ioannou says the key to the transforming the vending machine business is making the consumer feel more engaged.” (Vending Machines Of The Future)

The San Jose Mercury News reports:

“California officials are outfitting preschoolers in Contra Costa County with tracking devices they say will save staff time and money. The system was introduced Tuesday. When at the school, students will wear a jersey that has a small radio frequency tag. The tag will send signals to sensors that help track children’s whereabouts, attendance and even whether they’ve eaten or not.” (California students get tracking devices)

As with most technology there is an upside and a downside to it. The point of these and other monitoring technology stories is that when this evil world leader does rise to power the technology will already be in place for him to monitor his citizens’ behavior and financial transactions. It is possible that the events John witnessed in Revelation are in the not-too-distant future.

Tags: Antichrist, biometrics, mark of the beast, monitoring, Revelation 13, technology
Posted in Archives 2010, Global monitoring, Governmental monitoring, Revelation 13 Antichrist | No Comments »

Is it all falling apart? (even if it is God is stll in control)

Saturday, June 19th, 2010

(June 18, 2010) The subtitle of my blog is What in the world is going on? Looking at news events occurring around the world I think an even more appropriate question is, Is it all falling apart? In my lifetime (52 years) I have seen dramatic changes in socioeconomic, cultural, and technological spheres of human existence. Although the modern era may have begun during the European Renaissance, culturally in the areas of intellectual and artistic pursuits and politically through revolutions, I believe current modernity grew out of the Industrial Revolution of the 19th Century. Prior to that time human life moved at a much slower pace. Travel was powered by horse or sailing ship. Although the printing press had been around since the 15th Century communication still traveled only as fast as the horse or ship could carry it. With the advent of the 20th Century human innovation had made great strides in improving the human condition. The breadth of human existence had been dramatically changed in the areas of medicine and health, working and manufacturing, travel, education, and communication. Of course technological advancement also led to greater destruction in warfare. In the Nuclear Age humanity is capable of destroying the earth for the first time in human history. The prophet Daniel may have spoken of this development, “1 And at that time shall Michael stand up, the great prince which standeth for the children of thy people: and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time: and at that time thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book. 2 And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt. 3 And they that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament; and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars for ever and ever. 4 But thou, O Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book, even to the time of the end: many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased.” (Daniel 12:1-4) It is possible that verse four of this passage could refer to human’s increased abilities to travel (“to and fro”) around the world (both physically and communicatively) and that knowledge would increase to a point where technology would be man’s final attempt to replace the God of the universe with the god of human intellect.

I came across two news items that have related themes concerning mankind’s future. The first item concerned an Australian scientist who declared that humanity will be extinct in one hundred years because of global warming (Our own extinction is forecast, but he’s going by dead reckoning). The second article dealt with the possibility of a cosmic apocalyptic event destroying the world (The end of the world as we know it). Although both articles approach their subjects in a somewhat lighthearted fashion, they do raise the more serious point of how long can the human race continue to exist in a seemingly and rapidly deteriorating sequence of events.

Many economies of the world are either struggling (Europe, America) or may be adversely affected because of the economic globalization that has taken place in the last few decades. Rogue states such as North Korea and Iran threaten the stability of the world with nuclear ambitions or realities. Likewise, Islamic terrorism will continue to plague the world. The Internet has made information and communication, both good and evil, easily accessible to a majority of the earth’s inhabitants. Dehumanization of the weakest among us exists in the abortion movement, human trafficking, and religious oppression of women and children.

From an Americentric point of view, the “United” States of America is more divided than at any time since the Civil War. I believe the polarization that exists in America today is actually worse than the divisions that existed during the War between the States. Those divisions were based on an immoral economic system that used the enslavement of black Americans as its foundation. Current divisions are based on religious, political, and social ideologies. Wars may be fought over any one of these reasons but religious ideology is usually not changed by outside influences. Thus, polarization based on religious belief will remain because such belief comes from the core of a human being.

Globally, economic hardship is turning some country’s citizens against their own governments. Many countries are becoming divided over immigration and Islamic influence within their borders. Christianity’s influence has diminished greatly in many parts of the world where it once flourished. Political correctness trumps the idea of right and wrong as decreed by God. The world is united in one area. It is becoming increasingly unified in its opposition to Israel.

On a more local level, I heard a sheriff from a southern Ohio county whose budget is being reduced express the dilemma that many law enforcement agencies in America and around the world are facing as the economies of the world continue in a downward spiral. He said he was going to have to release prisoners, reduce law enforcement staffing, and that district attorneys are going to have to choose which cases to prosecute in light of manpower shortages. It is worth noting that one of the signs Jesus declared would occur during the End-Times was, “12 Because lawlessness is increased, the love of many will grow cold” (Matthew 24:12) If the economy doesn’t recover sufficiently, these types of problems are going to keep surfacing. People have lost their jobs and homes. Our current government wants the people to look to it to solve their problems. However, a government’s resources is based on the amount of taxes it collects from its citizens. Once that source has dried up the people will have no earthly place to turn to for help. During the last national economic crisis President Franklin Roosevelt told the American people that the only thing they have to fear is fear itself. Fear is a powerful motivator. Ironically, it took a World War to alleviate the fear of America. Conversely, it was the same type of fear that led Germans to hail Adolph Hitler as their savior. In the future I believe that the world’s fear will lead it to hail another man as their messiah. This man will be worse than all the other dictators who came before him.

The Bible makes it clear that things will only get worse for the world before the second coming of Jesus Christ. The apostle Paul wrote, “1 This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. 2 For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, 3 Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, 4 Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; 5 Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof.” (II Timothy 3:1-5) Jesus Himself stated there would be wars and rumors of wars, famines, earthquakes, pestilences, false religious leaders. Paul wrote, “2 For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night. 3 For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape.” (I Thessalonians 5:2-3) They will experience this false peace and safety only after they have given into their fears and looked to the Antichrist instead of Jesus Christ to save them.

In any event, technology and globalization appears to be leading humanity back to its primal goal of replacing worship of God with worship of humanity which occurred at the beginning of history at the Tower of Babel:

“1 And the whole earth was of one language, and of one speech. 2 And it came to pass, as they journeyed from the east, that they found a plain in the land of Shinar; and they dwelt there. 3 And they said one to another, Go to, let us make brick, and burn them thoroughly. And they had brick for stone, and slime had they for morter. 4 And they said, Go to, let us build us a city and a tower, whose top may reach unto heaven; and let us make us a name, lest we be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth.” (Genesis 11:1-4)

Humans wanted to make a name for themselves and reject the name of God. God intervened with His judgment and scattered humanity across the earth. Likewise, during the End-Times God will intervene one final time when He judges the earth for unifying around the Antichrist and his mentor the Devil.

The Good News for those whose hope is in Jesus Christ is that no matter what happens now or in the future, the world is not falling apart:

“15 [Jesus] is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. 16 For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities–all things have been created through Him and for Him. 17 He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together.” (Colossians 1:15-17)

Jesus Christ is holding the entire universe together. Christians have nothing to fear but unbelief itself.

Tags: America, Antichrist, Apocalypse, Jesus Christ, Matthew 24, Tribulation Period
Posted in Archives 2010, Tribulation Period | No Comments »

Mayan prophecy is not Biblical prophecy (nor is Nostradamus etc.)

Thursday, June 10th, 2010

(June 13, 2010) My last post dealt with increased solar activity and attempts by some to link it to Mayan Prophecy. There seems to be a diverse opinion on the meaning and nature of the Mayan Prophecy. The Mayans observed several calendrical cycles for their various social, agricultural, commercial and administrative endeavors and each of which had a religious element in or religious aspect to them. One of the calendars, the Mesoamerican Long Count calendar, is the one that pertains to the Mayan Prophecy. This Long Count calendar constitutes a period of time consisting of 5125 years. The current Great Cycle of the Long Count will conclude on December 21, 2012. What happens after that seems to be open to conjecture. Beginning in the 1960s some Mayan researchers suggested that some type of apocalyptic event would occur at that time. Since then others have stated their belief that a new age of enlightenment will come upon mankind and the earth. Some believe that there will be some form of Milky Way galactic alignment on the Winter solstice (December 21) of 2012. As I pointed out in my last post, Hollywood has taken the Armageddon approach to 2012 and this is the idea which seems to have taken root in popular American culture. Therefore, I am interested in seeing how the months and weeks leading up to December 21, 2012 play out. The media hype may surpass that which occurred prior to the Y2k scare of 1999. I have read that modern-day Mayans themselves attach no import to the Mayan Prophecy. I believe they have the correct approach to this “event”.

From a Christian perspective I think it is possible that on December 22, 2012 people will use the failure of the falsely perceived Mayan prophecy to disparage Biblical End-Times prophecy. The two are completely unrelated. Bible prophecy concerning the first coming of God’s Messiah was 100% accurate. So too will Biblical prophecy concerning the Messiah’s second coming be 100% accurate. I’m not talking about my or other prophecy commentators’ interpretation of End-Times prophecy coming true but the Biblical events themselves will happen however they develop. People should not look to Nostradamus, New Age prophecies, psychics, oracles, or any other form of prophetic avenues to see what the future holds. The Devil has a general, if not specific, knowledge of God’s plans for the future (“Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea! for the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knows that he has but a short time.” - Revelation 12:12). I believe he has used and will continue to use false prophets of the world in order to diminish the efficacy of God’s prophetic word. Some have accused Dispensationalist Christians of detracting from the primacy of preaching the Gospel in favor of stressing End-Times prophecy.

Should Christians talk about the End-Times?

I wrote an article on my website titled Should Christians talk about the End-Times?. In this article I answered this question:

[beginning of my article] “There are Christians who do not agree with me that the End-Times should be discussed as a topic of the Christian faith. I do not mean to single out any one leader as holding this position because there are other Christian leaders who subscribe to this belief. However, I believe that one pastor’s point of view is representative of some of these other leaders. In his book The Purpose Driven Life, Rick Warren broaches the issue of End-times prophecy:

“Today there’s a growing interest in the second coming of Christ and the end of the world. When will it happen? Just before Jesus ascended to heaven the disciples asked him this same question, and his response was quite revealing. He said, ‘It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.’“ [He footnotes Acts 1:7-8] “When the disciples wanted to talk about prophecy, Jesus quickly switched the conversation to evangelism. He wanted them to concentrate on their mission in the world. He said in essence, ‘The details of my return are none of your business. What is your business is the mission I’ve given you. Focus on that!’ Speculating on the exact timing of Christ’s return is futile, because Jesus said, ‘No one knows about the day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.’ [He footnotes Matthew 24:36] Since Jesus said he didn’t know the day or hour, why should you try to figure it out? What we do know for sure is this: Jesus will not return until everyone God wants to hear the Good News has heard it. Jesus said, ‘The Good News about God’s kingdom will be preached in all the world, to every nation. Then the end will come.’ [He footnotes Matthew 24:14] If you want Jesus to come back sooner, focus on fulfilling your mission, not figuring out prophecy.” ["The Purpose Driven Life", by Rick Warren, pp. 285-286, Zondervan]

Pastor Warren’s application of the quote of Jesus just before His ascension into heaven is somewhat in error. He is correct in that God’s mission for the first disciples was to spread the gospel throughout the world. That mission continues to this day for the followers of Jesus Christ. However, is Pastor Warren’s contention that Christians should not discuss the End-Times consistent with the rest of the New Testament?

I find it ironic that the two scripture passages he quotes to support his belief come from chapter twenty-four of the gospel of Matthew. That entire chapter is about the second coming of Jesus and the events that lead up to it. It starts with the disciples asking Jesus the very question concerning the End-Times. In His response, did Jesus tell His disciples that it was “none of their business”?

“1 And Jesus went out, and departed from the temple: and His disciples came to Him for to shew Him the buildings of the temple. 2 And Jesus said unto them, See ye not all these things? verily I say unto you, There shall not be left here one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down. 3 And as He sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto Him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world? 4 And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you. 5 For many shall come in My name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many. 6 And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. 7 For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places. 8 All these are the beginning of sorrows. 9 Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for My name’s sake. 10 And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another. 11 And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many. 12 And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold. 13 But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved. 14 And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come. 15 When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand:) 16 Then let them which be in Judaea flee into the mountains: 17 Let him which is on the housetop not come down to take any thing out of his house: 18 Neither let him which is in the field return back to take his clothes. 19 And woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days! 20 But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the sabbath day: 21 For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be. 22 And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect’s sake those days shall be shortened. 23 Then if any man shall say unto you, Lo, here is Christ, or there; believe it not. 24 For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect. 25 Behold, I have told you before.” (Matthew 24:1-25)

Why did Jesus tell the disciples what the signs of the end would be if He didn’t want them to discuss it? Why did the Holy Spirit inspire Matthew to include this chapter in his gospel if He didn’t want future generations to know about the End-Times? The answer is that God does want His followers to know what is going to happen at the end for at least two reasons. One is that Christians are to find hope and comfort in the return of the Lord. The second is that Christians are to warn humanity that one day God is going to judge the world and its inhabitants.

The First Century Christians in the Church of Thessalonica, Greece, were concerned that their dead brethren would miss the second coming of Jesus. The apostle Paul responded to their fears in one of the first letters he ever wrote:

“13 But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope. 14 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with Him. 15 For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. 16 For the Lord Himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: 17 Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. 18 Wherefore comfort one another with these words.” (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18)

Paul is describing an End-Times event that Christians call the Rapture. In verse 13 he expressly tells the believers, that unlike unbelievers, Christians have hope. He tells them to “sorrow not, even as others which have no hope“. In verse 18 Paul tells Christians to “comfort one another with these words“. Here Christians are told to take hope and comfort in these End-Times events. It doesn’t mean the Thessalonians were to ignore spreading the gospel and meeting the needs of others. As a matter of fact, the verses preceding this passage tell the believers how they are to live their lives:

“1 Furthermore then we beseech you, brethren, and exhort you by the Lord Jesus, that as ye have received of us how ye ought to walk and to please God, so ye would abound more and more. 2 For ye know what commandments we gave you by the Lord Jesus. 3 For this is the will of God, even your sanctification, that ye should abstain from fornication: 4 That every one of you should know how to possess his vessel in sanctification and honour; 5 Not in the lust of concupiscence, even as the Gentiles which know not God: 6 That no man go beyond and defraud his brother in any matter: because that the Lord is the avenger of all such, as we also have forewarned you and testified. 7 For God hath not called us unto uncleanness, but unto holiness. 8 He therefore that despiseth, despiseth not man, but God, who hath also given unto us His holy Spirit. 9 But as touching brotherly love ye need not that I write unto you: for ye yourselves are taught of God to love one another. 10 And indeed ye do it toward all the brethren which are in all Macedonia: but we beseech you, brethren, that ye increase more and more; 11 And that ye study to be quiet, and to do your own business, and to work with your own hands, as we commanded you; 12 That ye may walk honestly toward them that are without, and that ye may have lack of nothing.” (1 Thessalonians 4:1-12)

In another letter Paul told a fellow Christian leader that believers were to look for the return of Jesus Christ:

“11 For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, 12 Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world; 13 Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ.” (Titus 2:11-13)

Again, the verses immediately preceding this passage instruct believers on how to live their lives in a Christian manner. However, Paul stated that they were to look for the second coming, not ignore it, because it would give them hope.” [end of my article]

In the Book of Revelation Jesus told His servant John to write down the things he saw. Why? Because like the rest of the prophecies of the Bible future generations of Believers were to learn what God had done through fulfilled prophecy and what He will do in the future leading to Jesus’ second coming and the events that occur afterward. In Isaiah chapter 46 God states, “9 Remember the former things, those of long ago; I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like me. 10 I make known the end from the beginning, from ancient times, what is still to come. I say: My purpose will stand, and I will do all that I please.” Why would God declare the end if He didn’t want humans to know what was going to take place in the future? The answer is that God does want us to study prophecy since He stresses that it is one proof that He is God. At the same time He also wants us to preach and live the gospel until all the world has heard it.

“Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come”

Jesus Himself said His followers were to “42 Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come…44 Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh.” (Matthew 24:42,44) We cannot know the day or hour of Jesus’ return but we can look for signs that it may be close. The apostle Paul wrote,“1 But of the times and the seasons, brethren, ye have no need that I write unto you. 2 For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night. 3 For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape. 4 But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief. 5 Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness. 6 Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober.” (I Thessalonians 5:1-6) Therefore, as “children of God’s light” we should watch for the signs of His second coming. What are some of the signs to look for?

I believe one of the most important signs has already come to pass: The formation of the modern state of Israel. Several End-Times events revolve around the rebuilding of the Jewish Temple in Jerusalem. That was not possible until the Jews returned to the land in 1948. Since then the Jews have made all the utensils, priestly garments, and items to be used in the Temple services (see The Temple Institute website). Also the Antichrist is going to enter the rebuilt Temple and show or declare Himself God.

I believe the signs Jesus said to watch for would happen after Israel’s rebirth. One of these signs was to look for the rise of false messiahs. Some believe that a leader will come to prominence in Europe. Walid Shoebat thinks the Antichrist will come out of Turkey and that Turkey plays a large role in events leading up to the battle of Armageddon. It is interesting that Israeli authorities allowed the Turkish flag to be displayed on the Temple Mount last week. If Mr. Shoebat is correct then watching news events (like Turkish-led flotilla incident two weeks ago) that involve Turkey and Israel might prove revealing.

Revelation chapter 13 indicates there will be a global economy, global government, and global religion. Obviously the groundwork for globalization in each of these areas has occurred in our lifetimes with the advent of the computer/information age.

We need to keep an eye on Israel to see how isolated it becomes from the rest of the world. If its staunchest ally America turns its back on Israel (as seems to be happening) then that would clear the way for the Gog/Magog invasion prophesied by Ezekiel to take place. Zechariah chapter 12 states that at the end the entire world will come against Israel.

Some think the Rapture will occur before any of these signs occur. They maintain the Day of the Lord begins with the Rapture and there are no more signs that have to take place before that event. However, there is an interesting prophecy in the last book of the Old Testament that garners little attention or discussion in prophecy circles, “5 Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD: 6 And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse.” (Malachi 4:5-6) Because the Jews of Jesus’ time knew this prophecy they were questioning the fact that the prophet Elijah was to come before the Messiah appeared. (Jews to this day set out a cup of wine for Elijah during the Passover Seder hoping he will come through the door and usher in the Messianic Age). Jesus responded to the Jews’ question saying, “’11 Elijah is coming and will restore all things; 12 but I say to you that Elijah already came, and they did not recognize him, but did to him whatever they wished. So also the Son of Man is going to suffer at their hands.’” 13 Then the disciples understood that He had spoken to them about John the Baptist.” (Matthew 17 :11-13) Notice that Jesus said Elijah came (in the form of John the Baptist) but also that he is coming in order to restore all things. Clearly the second reference speaks of the End-Times when the Messiah comes and restores the Kingdom (Acts 1:6-8). Thus, it is possible that either the prophet Elijah himself (since he never died) or someone who, like John the Baptist, comes in the form of Elijah before the Day of the Lord. The question is when does the Day of the Lord begin. If at the beginning of the Tribulation Period then his appearance may be next on God’s prophetic calendar.

I believe with the formation of Israel we are living in very interesting times. As Christians we need to look to God’s word for what His plans are for the future of the world. The world will continue to look outside the Bible for the answers concerning future events but they will be deceived as Jesus warned would happen. As children of God’s light Christians need to keep their eyes on Jesus, preach and live the Gospel, and warn others of the wrath to come either in this life or the next one.

Tags: 2012, Antichrist, Apocalypse, Armageddon, Book of Malachi, Elijah, Jesus Christ, Jewish Temple, Jews, Matthew 24, Mayan Prophecy, Messiah, Tribulation Period, Turkey
Posted in Archives 2010, Tribulation Period | No Comments »

President Obama pledges new “international order”

Sunday, May 23rd, 2010

(May 23, 2010) In a speech before West Point cadets President Obama declared that the world needs a new international order. (At West Point, Obama offers new security strategy – Washington Post) This article reports, “In a commencement speech to the graduating class at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, the president outlined his departure from what Bush had called a ‘distinctly American internationalism.’ Instead, Obama pledged to shape a new “international order” based on diplomacy and engagement.”

It is worth remembering that in 1991 President George H. W. Bush also called for a New World Order:

Former Nixon Secretary of State Dr. Henry Kissinger spoke of the New World Order in 2007:

and again in January 2009 of President Obama’s role in helping to further the creation of a New World Order:

Western prophecy students have long stated the Bible implies that during the End-Times there will be some type of global governmental entity in place. This government will be ruled by an evil leader whom Christians call the Antichrist. It appears his ascendancy will come at a time of world financial and military crises.

According to this article President Obama recognizes that the world is indeed interconnected and something needs to be done because the world is headed towards global disaster, “In his speech — the ninth wartime commencement in a row — the commander in chief, who is leading two foreign wars, expressed his faith in cooperation to confront economic, military and environmental crises. ‘The international order we seek is one that can resolve the challenges of our times,’ he said in prepared remarks. ‘Countering violent extremism and insurgency; stopping the spread of nuclear weapons and securing nuclear materials; combating a changing climate and sustaining global growth; helping countries feed themselves and care for their sick; preventing conflict and healing its wounds.’”

How soon the rest of the world is willing to cooperate will most likely depend on when global events intensify to the point where a charismatic leader will be able to seemingly have the answers to the world’s problems.

From an Eastern prophetical perspective the Antichrist will be the Islamic messianic figure Muslims call the Mahdi. He will rise to rule over a revived Islamic caliphate. Muslims too, like Christian prophecy students who believe the Antichrist will come in the midst of worldwide crises, believe the Mahdi’s ascendancy will occur at a time of globl chaos. In my article Islam and End-Times Prophecy concerning Walid Shoebat’s 2008 book God’s War on Terror I wrote:

“President Ahmadinejad of Iran opened his 2005 United Nations address with a prayer: “From the beginning of time, humanity has longed for the day when justice, peace, equality, and compassion, envelop the world. All of us can contribute to the establishment of such a world. When that day comes, the ultimate promise of all Divine religions will be fulfilled with the emergence of a perfect human being who is heir to all prophets and pious men. He will lead the world to justice and absolute peace. O mighty Lord, I pray to you to hasten the emergence of your last repository, the promised one, that perfect and pure human being, the one that will fill this world with justice and peace.” President Ahmadinejad is not the only one calling for the return of Al-Mahdi. According to Mr. Shoebat, the Iranian Hojjatieh Society (considered a lunatic fringe by mainstream Shi’a Muslims) believes they can hasten the return of the Twelfth Imam (The Mahdi) by creating a period of chaos on earth. He says they are so extreme that the Ayatollah Khomeini banned them in 1983. He quotes Israeli Prime Minister Benyamin Netanyahu as saying the cult of Mahdi in Iran is why it will be very dangerous if Iran acquires nuclear weapons. The cult of Mahdi is not limited to Iran alone as Mr. Shoebat states there are several Mahdi sects in Iraq. He believes that many Muslims will rise up as claimants to the position of Mahdi in fulfillment of Jesus’ last days warning, “Watch out that no one deceives you. 5 For many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will deceive many…23 At that time if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ!’ or, ‘There he is!’ do not believe it. 24 For false Christs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and miracles to deceive even the elect—if that were possible. 25 See, I have told you ahead of time. 26 So if anyone tells you, ‘There he is, out in the desert,’ do not go out; or, ‘Here he is, in the inner rooms,’ do not believe it.” (Matthew 24:4-5,23-26)”

Mr. Shoebat also mentions the “international order” in his book:

“A Caliphate would not have to be entirely successful for it to present a serious challenge to the international order. This scenario underlines the saliency of the cross-cultural ideological debate that would intensify with growing religious identities…The IT revolution is likely to amplify the clash between Western and Muslim worlds…The appeal of a Caliphate among Muslims would vary from region to region, which argues for Western countries adopting a differentiating approach to counter it. Muslims in regions benefiting from globalization, such as parts of Asia and Europe may be torn between the idea of a spiritual Caliphate and the material advantages of a globalized world. The proclamation of a Caliphate would not lessen the likelihood of terrorism and in fomenting more conflict, could fuel a new generation of terrorists intent on attacking those opposed to the Caliphate, whether inside or outside the Muslim world. The nation-state will continue to be the dominant unit of the global order, but economic globalization and the dispersion of technologies, especially information technologies, will place enormous new strains on governments. Growing connectivity will accompany the proliferation of virtual communities of interest, complicating the abilities of states to govern.” ["God's War on Terror: Islam, Prophecy and the Bible, by Walid Shoebat, p. 452; Top Executive Media, 2008]

A new international order is in the world’s future. Whether it is of a Westernized or an Islamic nature remains to be revealed.

Tags: Antichrist, Caliphate, global economy, global government, globalism, Mahdi, new international order, new world order, President Obama
Posted in Archives 2010, global government | No Comments »

The Revived Islamic Caliphate

Sunday, May 16th, 2010

(May 15, 2010) Three months ago I wrote an article for my website titled Islam and End-Times Prophecy and also posted it to this blog. The article is a synopsis of Walid Shoebat’s 2008 book God’s War on Terror: Islam, Prophecy and the Bible. In this book Mr. Shoebat shows how Islam could fulfill many of the prophetic descriptions the Bible reveals of End-Times events. I believe he makes many compelling points to support his position on Islam’s possible role in fulfilling God’s apocalyptic plans. Today I read a headline on the Drudge Report that illustrates precisely what Mr. Shoebat wrote in his book two years ago.

In his book God’s War on Terror Mr. Shoebat compares the Islamic messiah called the Mahdi with the description of the biblical Antichrist. He points out that both the Antichrist and the Mahdi will seek to change God’s laws (Daniel 7:25). In this case the Mahdi will institute Shari’a Law as much as he can. In another parallel, according to Islamic scholars, the Mahdi will occupy the Temple Mount and reign from there (Matthew 24:15; II Thessalonians 2:4). Mr. Shoebat makes forty-three comparisons overall between the Antichrist and Islam’s future ruler, the Mahdi.

One of the most interesting insights he offers concerns the revival of the Islamic Ottoman Empire in the End-Times. This Turkish Empire began in 1299 A.D. and was ruled by a sultan. In the early 1500s the Ottoman Empire’s sultan also assumed the title of Caliph of Islam. The Empire eventually spread over three continents. On March 3, 1924 the Turkish government formally abolished the Islamic Caliphate. Concerning this event Mr. Shoebat states in his book:

“Biblically, the Empire of the Antichrist will not be a new empire; rather it will be the revival of a previously great empire that will have suffered what the Bible calls a ‘fatal head wound’. (Revelation 13:3) But the wound will be healed and the empire will be revived from the dead as it were: ‘And the beast [Antichrist Empire] which I saw was like a leopard, and his feet were like those of a bear, and his mouth like the mouth of a lion. And the dragon gave him his power and his throne and great authority. And I saw one of his heads as if it had been slain and his fatal wound healed. And the whole world was amazed and followed after the beast.” (Revelation 13:2-3)

“Today the Caliphate exists only in the desires of hundreds of millions of Muslims worldwide who want to revive this beast that was slain March 3, 1924. The last Caliphate–the Ottoman Caliphate–was officially abolished by the first President of the Turkish Republic, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk. The abolition of the Caliphate is profoundly significant for our study. For it was on this day that the Islamic Empire, led by a sitting Caliph for over fourteen hundred years suffered a fatal head wound. The position of “head of state” of the Islamic Empire was severed.” ["God's War on Terror: Islam, Prophecy and the Bible, by Walid Shoebat, p. 81; Top Executive Media, 2008]

Thus, Mr. Shoebat believes that the Islamic Empire will rise again and be governed under Shari’a Law in the form of a Caliphate. The ruling sultan and caliph of this revived empire will be the Islamic messianic figure called the Mahdi. That is why this headline on the Drudge Report caught my attention: “Iranian cleric urges creation of ‘Greater Iran’; caliphate would rule Middle East, central Asia…” The link led to an AP news story (Iranian cleric wants creation of ‘Greater Iran’) which reports:

“A radical cleric called Saturday for the creation of a “Greater Iran” that would rule over the entire Middle East and Central Asia, in an event that he said would herald the coming of Islam’s expected messiah…He also said its formation would be a prelude to the reappearance of the Mahdi, a revered ninth-century saint known as the Hidden Imam, whom Muslims believe will reappear before judgment day to end tyranny and promote justice in the world. ‘The Islamic United States will be an introduction to the formation of the global village of the oppressed and that will be a prelude to the single global rule of the Mahdi,’ the Hezbollah newspaper quoted him as saying.”

I would strongly recommend that any student of Bible End-Times prophecy read Mr. Shoebat’s book for a perspective that many Western prophecy commentators may have missed.

Tags: Antichrist, Caliphate, Islam, Islamic Empire, Mahdi, Revelation 13, Walid Shoebat
Posted in Archives 2010, Revelation 13 Antichrist | 6 Comments »

Technology, Government Monitoring, Economic Crisis

Friday, May 7th, 2010

(May 6th, 2010) There have been several news stories recently that may be prophetically related to the global government and economic devastation John saw in the Book of Revelation:

“1 And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast [i.e. the Antichrist] rise up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the name of blasphemy. 2 And the beast which I saw was like unto a leopard, and his feet were as the feet of a bear, and his mouth as the mouth of a lion: and the dragon [i.e. the Devil] gave him his power, and his seat, and great authority. 3 And I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death; and his deadly wound was healed: and all the world wondered after the beast. 4 And they worshipped the dragon which gave power unto the beast: and they worshipped the beast, saying, Who is like unto the beast? who is able to make war with him? 5 And there was given unto him a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies; and power was given unto him to continue forty and two months. 6 And he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme his name, and his tabernacle, and them that dwell in heaven. 7 And it was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them: and power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations. 8 And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world. 9 If any man have an ear, let him hear…11 And I beheld another beast [i.e. the False Prophet] coming up out of the earth; and he had two horns like a lamb, and he spake as a dragon. 12 And he exerciseth all the power of the first beast before him, and causeth the earth and them which dwell therein to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed. 13 And he doeth great wonders, so that he maketh fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men, 14 And deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by the means of those miracles which he had power to do in the sight of the beast; saying to them that dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the beast, which had the wound by a sword, and did live. 15 And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed. 16 And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads: 17 And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name. 18 Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred threescore and six.” (Revelation 13:1-9,11-18)

God revealed the End-Times to His servant John and told him to write down the things he saw occurring on the earth (Revelation 1:11). In chapter 13 of Revelation John wrote that he saw a man ascend to power out of the sea (of humanity). This man channels the full authority and might of the Devil to mesmerize the world to follow after him. He will use the forces of Hell to gain dominion over a large part of the earth. He will be so powerful that the world will ask “Who is like unto the beast? who is able to make war with him?” A religious leader will rise at the same time and cause the world to worship the Antichrist. This False Prophet will develop a global economic system where no business transactions can take place unless the participants have pledged their allegiance to this evil leader and received his mark of identification. Of course, a military and economic system of of this magnitude would require the constant monitoring of the people who will make up his empire. Modern technology has made this scenario that John witnessed feasible for the first time in human history. Recent headlines demonstrate that the technology needed to carry out such an endeavor either has been or will be developed in the near future to allow this man to fulfill the prophetic vision that John saw.

One other event which God showed to John was the circumstances under which the world would unquestionably follow the Antichrist and allow him to take on the mantle of global savior or false messiah as Jesus called him in chapter 24 of the Gospel of Matthew. John wrote:

“5 And when he had opened the third seal, I heard the third beast say, Come and see. And I beheld, and lo a black horse; and he that sat on him had a pair of balances in his hand. 6 And I heard a voice in the midst of the four beasts say, A measure of wheat for a penny, and three measures of barley for a penny; and see thou hurt not the oil and the wine.” (Revelation 6:5-6)

John saw a series of events that took place on the earth during the End-Times. The first part of this series included the opening of seven seals which begin the seven-year Tribulation Period or time of trouble that is coming upon the whole earth. The opening of the Third Seal speaks of an economic crisis that occurs on a global scale. He sees that people have to spend the equivalent of a day’s wages just to purchase food. In the End-Times teaching of Jesus he declared that there would be famines in the earth (Matthew ch. 24). The Antichrist will seemingly have the answer to this economic devastation and all he will require of the world to solve the problem will be allegiance to himself and his empire. It is worth noting that Adolph Hitler rose to power when Germany experienced terrible economic distress immediately following their defeat in World War I. The German people were so desperate (There is a famous photo of a German taking a wheelbarrow full of money to buy food) that they swore allegiance to Hitler and looked to him as the savior of Germany. Instead he led them to worse destruction and ruin than they had experienced after the first World War. Likewise, the people of the world will look to the Antichrist as the savior of the world and this time it will lead to the destruction and ruin of the earth. Some Western Bible scholars believe that he will come out of Europe while others like Walid Shoebat think he will come out of Turkey. Either way for him to rise to power and fulfill biblical prophecy the technology has to be in place for him to control his earthly empire.

Financial Times – US prepares to push for global capital rules – This article illustrates the interconnectedness of the economies of the various countries of the world and the desire for international regulations governing these economies.

Washington Times – Bank bill could help feds snoop, GOP warns - This concerns a congressional financial regulations bill. This article states, “The consumer protection bureau, to be part of the Federal Reserve, and the financial research office, proposed within the Treasury Department, could gather information on financial transactions right down to consumers’ loans, according to critics, who said this is the first time the government would cast such a wide net. “They both have sweeping authority to collect information about financial transactions, and there’s little to ensure they aren’t going to collect detailed information, personal financial transactions,” said Jim Harper, director of information-policy studies at the Cato Institute.“ The point is that the technology is available to keep track of private citizens financial transactions.

Reuters – Many possible triggers for wider euro debt crisis - This article discusses the dire economic straits of the European Union. One day economic chaos will lead to the rise of the Antichrist.

London Daily Telegraph – New speed cameras trap motorists from space – A new type of speed cameras use satellites to measure average speed over long distances are being tested in Britain. The article reports, “The company said in its evidence that the cameras enabled number plate capture in all weather conditions.” This technology would allow governments to track individual’s movements.

Philly.com – Lower Merion report: Web cams snapped 56,000 images- Philadelphia school district uses free laptops with active webcams to take photos inside students’ homes. Government uses technology to intrude into citizens’ personal lives.

British Technology website The Register – Google Street View logs WiFi networks, Mac addresses - This story relates, “Google’s roving Street View spycam may blur your face, but it’s got your number. The Street View service is under fire in Germany for scanning private WLAN networks, and recording users’ unique Mac (Media Access Control) addresses, as the car trundles along. Germany’s Federal Commissioner for Data Protection Peter Schaar says he’s “horrified” by the discovery. “I am appalled… I call upon Google to delete previously unlawfully collected personal data on the wireless network immediately and stop the rides for Street View,” according to German broadcaster ARD. Spooks have long desired the ability to cross reference the Mac address of a user’s connection with their real identity and virtual identity, such as their Gmail or Facebook account.”

Agence France-Presse (AFP) - Police cameras to flood Manhattan to prevent attacks - The article states, “The high-tech system, modeled on the “ring of steel” in London’s financial district, is already in service in lower Manhattan, where Wall Street and the World Trade Center reconstruction site are located. Headquartered at 55 Broadway, the Lower Manhattan Security Initiative goes far beyond the traditional hodgepodge of police cameras, such as the 82 devices installed around Times Square. Instead, an integrated system maintains an unblinking eye, not just watching, but constantly collecting license plate numbers and video of pedestrians and drivers, as well as detecting explosives and other weapons. An important component of the program is coordination between the police network and private businesses’ cameras, something that has not been established in Times Square, causing detectives significant extra work.”

The Washington Examiner - New recycling bins with tracking chips coming to Alexandria - “That cash — roughly $180,000 collected from 19,000 residents– will pay for new larger recycling carts equipped with computer microchips, which will allow the city to keep tabs on its bins and track resident participation in the city’s recycling program. “If you know who’s participating in the programs, you can focus your education and outreach to those who are not participating,” said Stacy Herring, Alexandria’s recycling coordinator.” Notice the phrase about keeping track of those who are not participating. The Antichrist and his government will also track those who have not sworn their allegiance to him and participate in his global society.

The Pennsylvania Department of Taxation put out an interesting video in order to recoup lost tax revenue:

Though this is just an advertisement one day such governmental monitoring may be used during the Tribulation Period. As you can see by the headlines above and many others like them, technology is available to implement the global economic and religious systems John saw in Revelation. All that is needed is for the Antichrist to rise on the world scene and exploit the technology to achieve global dominance.

Tags: Antichrist, mark of the beast, monitoring, Revelation 13, technology, third seal, Tribulation Period
Posted in Archives 2010, Global monitoring, Governmental monitoring, Revelation 13 Antichrist | No Comments »

“Christian” Militia vs. the Antichrist and Christianity

Tuesday, March 30th, 2010

(March 30, 2010) Over the last few days the FBI has conducted raids against a Michigan-based militia group over a three-state area. The headline on the London Daily Mail website read, FBI launches raids on Christian militia group which is ‘preparing for battle against an Anti-Christ’ The article reports, “FBI agents arrested at least three suspected members of a Christian militia group during raids across three states over the weekend. The raids took place in Michigan, Indiana and Ohio and were targeted at the Hutaree group which claims to be preparing for a battle against ‘an Anti-Christ’. A law enforcement official said the people arrested, believed to include the leader of the militia, face gun charges.” It goes on to quote the militia’s website, “We believe that one day, as prophecy says, there will be an Anti-Christ. Jesus wanted us to be ready to defend ourselves using the sword and stay alive using equipment.”

The leader of this militia group called the Hutaree was David Brian Stone. According to a different article (Christian militia accused of plotting to kill cops) his ex-wife said, “It started out as a Christian thing. You go to church. You pray. You take care of your family. I think David started to take it a little too far.” The article goes on to report, “Prosecutors said Stone had identified certain law enforcement officers near his home as potential targets. He and other members discussed setting off bombs at a police funeral, using a fake 911 call to lure an officer to his death, killing an officer after a traffic stop, or attacking the family of an officer, according to the indictment. After such attacks, the group allegedly planned to retreat to “rally points” protected by trip-wired explosives for a violent standoff with the law. ‘It is believed by the Hutaree that this engagement would then serve as a catalyst for a more widespread uprising against the government,’ the indictment said.”

vs. Christianity

I have a problem with this story on several levels. The first is with the term Christian Militia.The online Random House Dictionary gives the following definitions for the word militia:

1. a body of citizens enrolled for military service, and called out periodically for drill but serving full time only in emergencies.

2. a body of citizen soldiers as distinguished from professional soldiers.

3. all able-bodied males considered by law eligible for military service.

4. a body of citizens organized in a paramilitary group and typically regarding themselves as defenders of individual rights against the presumed interference of the government

The militia in question would fall under the fourth definition. From a biblical point of view (and the only one that ultimately matters) Christians are called to obey governments and their ruling leaders as long as their laws don’t contradict the laws of God:

“1 Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God. 2 Therefore he who resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment. 3 For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Would you have no fear of him who is in authority? Then do what is good, and you will receive his approval, 4 for he is God’s servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword in vain; he is the servant of God to execute his wrath on the wrongdoer. 5 Therefore one must be subject, not only to avoid God’s wrath but also for the sake of conscience. 6 For the same reason you also pay taxes, for the authorities are ministers of God, attending to this very thing. 7 Pay all of them their dues, taxes to whom taxes are due, revenue to whom revenue is due, respect to whom respect is due, honor to whom honor is due.” (Romans 13:1-7)

The exception to obeying governing authorities is when rulers tell you to do something that is contrary to God’s word:

“26 Then the captain with the officers went and brought [the disciples], but without violence, for they were afraid of being stoned by the people. 27 And when they had brought them, they set them before the council. And the high priest questioned them, 28 saying, ‘We strictly charged you not to teach in this name, yet here you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching and you intend to bring this man’s blood upon us.’ 29 But Peter and the apostles answered, ‘We must obey God rather than men.’” (Acts 5:26-29)

For example, I believe abortion does contradict God’s law but unlike China, America does not force its citizens to have abortions. I do believe Christians should use all the spiritual, political, legal, and civil means at our disposal to overturn the abortion laws in America. But God is the One who declares, “Vengeance is Mine; I will repay, saith the Lord.” (Romans 12:19)

Concerning the issue at hand, this militia group is not Christian by its actions nor their belief system when it comes to fighting and disobeying the government. Pastor John McArthur of Grace Communnity Church gives the following definition of a Christian:

You have been delivered from error into truth – That is you believe and understand the full truth of the Gospel and what it declares about Jesus Christ (Ephesians 1:13)

You have been delivered from sin into the righteousness of Jesus Christ and the good fruit that bears (Romans 3:21-26)

You have been delivered from this present age into the eternal kingdom (Galatians 1:4)

Conversely then a non-Christian would reject the truth of God’s word. I know that God says we should not sin yet I do sin. However, I acknowledge that God’s truth declares sin is wrong even though I struggle with it. If I say that sin is okay then I would be rejecting the truth of God’s word and would not be a Christian. To say that everyone who calls themselves a Christian is in fact a Christian is not true. Jesus Himself declared:

“15 Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. 16 Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? 17 Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. 18 A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. 19 Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. 20 Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them. 21 Not every one that saith unto Me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of My Father which is in heaven. 22 Many will say to Me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Thy name? and in Thy name have cast out devils? and in Thy name done many wonderful works? 23 And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from Me, ye that work iniquity. 24 Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of Mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock: 25 And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock. 26 And every one that heareth these sayings of Mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand: 27 And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it.” (Matthew 7:15-27)

vs. Antichrist

Another problem I have with this story is the belief of this militia that they will fight militarily against the Antichrist. When the Antichrist arises to power and enters into the Third Temple in Jerusalem he will lead an army against God’s people:

“1 And I saw a beast rising out of the sea, with ten horns and seven heads, with ten diadems upon its horns and a blasphemous name upon its heads. 2 And the beast that I saw was like a leopard, its feet were like a bear’s, and its mouth was like a lion’s mouth. And to it the dragon gave his power and his throne and great authority. 3 One of its heads seemed to have a mortal wound, but its mortal wound was healed, and the whole earth followed the beast with wonder. 4 Men worshiped the dragon, for he had given his authority to the beast, and they worshiped the beast, saying, “Who is like the beast, and who can fight against it?” 5 And the beast was given a mouth uttering haughty and blasphemous words, and it was allowed to exercise authority for forty-two months; 6 it opened its mouth to utter blasphemies against God, blaspheming his name and his dwelling, that is, those who dwell in heaven. 7 Also it was allowed to make war on the saints and to conquer them. And authority was given it over every tribe and people and tongue and nation, 8 and all who dwell on earth will worship it, every one whose name has not been written before the foundation of the world in the book of life of the Lamb that was slain. 9 If any one has an ear, let him hear: 10 If any one is to be taken captive, to captivity he goes; if any one slays with the sword, with the sword must he be slain. Here is a call for the endurance and faith of the saints.” (Revelation 13:1-10)

Whether this is an Islamic army or European army is open to prophetic interpretation. The Antichrist will use these armies “to make war on the saints and to conquer them”. However, the Lord Jesus Christ will lead His glorified army and defeat the Antichrist and his forces:

“3 I have commanded My sanctified ones, I have also called My mighty ones for Mine anger, even them that rejoice in My highness. 4 The noise of a multitude in the mountains, like as of a great people; a tumultuous noise of the kingdoms of nations gathered together: the LORD of hosts mustereth the host of the battle. 5 They come from a far country, from the end of heaven, even the LORD, and the weapons of His indignation, to destroy the whole land. 6 Howl ye; for the day of the LORD is at hand; it shall come as a destruction from the Almighty. 7 Therefore shall all hands be faint, and every man’s heart shall melt: 8 And they shall be afraid: pangs and sorrows shall take hold of them; they shall be in pain as a woman that travaileth: they shall be amazed one at another; their faces shall be as flames. 9 Behold, the day of the LORD cometh, cruel both with wrath and fierce anger, to lay the land desolate: and He shall destroy the sinners thereof out of it. 10 For the stars of heaven and the constellations thereof shall not give their light: the sun shall be darkened in his going forth, and the moon shall not cause her light to shine. 11 And I will punish the world for their evil, and the wicked for their iniquity; and I will cause the arrogancy of the proud to cease, and will lay low the haughtiness of the terrible.” (Isaiah 13:3-11)

“1 Blow ye the trumpet in Zion, and sound an alarm in My holy mountain: let all the inhabitants of the land tremble: for the day of the LORD cometh, for it is nigh at hand; 2 A day of darkness and of gloominess, a day of clouds and of thick darkness, as the morning spread upon the mountains: a great people and a strong; there hath not been ever the like, neither shall be any more after it, even to the years of many generations. 3 A fire devoureth before them; and behind them a flame burneth: the land is as the garden of Eden before them, and behind them a desolate wilderness; yea, and nothing shall escape them. 4 The appearance of them is as the appearance of horses; and as horsemen, so shall they run. 5 Like the noise of chariots on the tops of mountains shall they leap, like the noise of a flame of fire that devoureth the stubble, as a strong people set in battle array. 6 Before their face the people shall be much pained: all faces shall gather blackness. 7 They shall run like mighty men; they shall climb the wall like men of war; and they shall march every one on his ways, and they shall not break their ranks: 8 Neither shall one thrust another; they shall walk every one in his path: and when they fall upon the sword, they shall not be wounded. 9 They shall run to and fro in the city; they shall run upon the wall, they shall climb up upon the houses; they shall enter in at the windows like a thief. 10 The earth shall quake before them; the heavens shall tremble: the sun and the moon shall be dark, and the stars shall withdraw their shining: 11 And the LORD shall utter His voice before His army: for His camp is very great: for He is strong that executeth His word: for the day of the LORD is great and very terrible; and who can abide it?” (Joel 2:1-11)

“11 Then I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse! He who sat upon it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and makes war. 12 His eyes are like a flame of fire, and on His head are many diadems; and He has a name inscribed which no one knows but Himself. 13 He is clad in a robe dipped in blood, and the name by which He is called is The Word of God. 14 And the armies of heaven, arrayed in fine linen, white and pure, followed Him on white horses. 15 From His mouth issues a sharp sword with which to smite the nations, and He will rule them with a rod of iron; He will tread the wine press of the fury of the wrath of God the Almighty. 16 On His robe and on His thigh He has a name inscribed, King of kings and Lord of lords. 17 Then I saw an angel standing in the sun, and with a loud voice he called to all the birds that fly in midheaven, ‘Come, gather for the great supper of God, 18 to eat the flesh of kings, the flesh of captains, the flesh of mighty men, the flesh of horses and their riders, and the flesh of all men, both free and slave, both small and great.’ 19 And I saw the beast and the kings of the earth with their armies gathered to make war against Him who sits upon the horse and against His army. 20 And the beast was captured, and with it the false prophet who in its presence had worked the signs by which he deceived those who had received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped its image. These two were thrown alive into the lake of fire that burns with sulphur. 21 And the rest were slain by the sword of Him who sits upon the horse, the sword that issues from His mouth; and all the birds were gorged with their flesh.” (Revelation 19:11-21)

“3 Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; 4 Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God. 5 Remember ye not, that, when I was yet with you, I told you these things? 6 And now ye know what withholdeth that he might be revealed in his time. 7 For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way. 8 And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of His mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of His coming: 9 Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders, 10 And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved.” (II Thessalonians 2:3-10)

These passages speak of the Lord leading His army in the last days. It is not the militias who will defeat the Antichrist and his armies but rather the Lord Jesus Christ who will destroy them.

Tags: America, Antichrist, militia, Revelation 13
Posted in America, Archives 2010 | No Comments »

POLL: 14% of Americans believe President Obama is the Antichrist! He’s not but he is treading on dangerous ground

Friday, March 26th, 2010

(March 26, 2010) According to a recent Harris poll 14% of the American people think that President Barack Obama may be the Antichrist! Strictly speaking, an American President would not meet the requirement of either the Eastern interpretation or the Western interpretation of End-Times biblical prophecy which declares where the Antichrist rises to power. According to Eastern commentators like Walid Shoebat the Antichrist will come from the Turkey/Syria/Arabia region of the world. Western commentators declare that the Antichrist will come to power in Europe. The Bible does not allow for America to play a direct role in Biblical prophecy and thus an American president could not be the Antichrist. However, I believe President Obama is treading on dangerous ground with recent displays of his attitude toward opposition to his Healthcare legislation and toward Israel.

In previous posts I have made it clear that the United States of America has to become either militarily, economically, or politically unwilling or unable to protect Israel at some point in the future. Without American protection Israel would be susceptible to Ezekiel’s prophesied invasion by the nations surrounding it. Recent events would seem to indicate that this is closer to happening then at any other time in America’s history.

President Obama campaigned on the idea of change for America and the people elected him to the office of the Presidency. Whether his policies lead to the type of change the American people wanted remains to be seen. The historic passage of Universal Healthcare legislation this week may lead to worsening economic conditions for the United States in the next few years. One troubling aspect to the divisive Healthcare issue was President Obama’s most unpresidential response to critics of this policy: “He mocked Republicans for acting as if the bill would lead to “Armageddon.” ‘After I signed the bill, I looked around to see if there were any asteroids falling, some cracks opening up in the earth,’ Obama said, adding it turned out to be a nice day and ‘birds were chirping, folks were strolling down the mall.’” (Obama dares Republicans to seek healthcare repeal) I cannot believe that God is pleased with this type of arrogance coming from a world leader. However, President Obama displayed a further arrogance during the same week he signed the Healthcare legislation into law.

While U.S. Vice-President Joe Biden visited Israel on March 10, 2010 Israel’s Interior Ministry (without Prime Minister Netanyahu’s knowledge) announced that it would build 1,600 housng units in East Jerusalem for its citizens. This caused quite a diplomatic uproar between America and Israel. When the Prime Minister of Israel came to Washington D.C. to meet with President Obama to discuss the Middle East peace process and recent events in Israel he was treated with contempt by the President. The Times of London described the reception that the White House afforded to Mr. Netanyahu:

“For a head of government to visit the White House and not pose for photographers is rare. For a key ally to be left to his own devices while the President withdraws to have dinner in private was, until this week, unheard of. Yet that is how Binyamin Netanyahu was treated by President Obama on Tuesday night, according to Israeli reports on a trip viewed in Jerusalem as a humiliation. After failing to extract a written promise of concessions on settlements, Mr Obama walked out of his meeting with Mr Netanyahu but invited him to stay at the White House, consult with advisers and ‘let me know if there is anything new’, a US congressman, who spoke to the Prime Minister, said, ‘It was awful’. One Israeli newspaper called the meeting ‘a hazing in stages’, poisoned by such mistrust that the Israeli delegation eventually left rather than risk being eavesdropped on a White House telephone line. Another said that the Prime Minister had received ‘the treatment reserved for the President of Equatorial Guinea’.” (Binyamin Netanyahu humiliated after Barack Obama ‘dumped him for dinner’)

Political columnist Linda Chavez perceptively wrote, “Judging by his actions to date, President Obama appears to have an almost visceral antipathy toward Israel. He’s happy to bow and scrape to Saudi King Abdullah, to have photo ops with Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, and, as he made clear during the campaign, would even open his door to Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and Korean leader Kim Jong Il if only they would deign to sit down for a chat. But Obama gave Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu the bum’s rush on his recent visit to Washington. No photo ops, no joint press conference, no diplomatic niceties whatsoever. Why? Because the Israeli government had the temerity to announce plans to build housing units for its own citizens in its own capital. The White House claims that building additional units for Jews in East Jerusalem imperils the “peace process.” But the so-called settlement issue is simply a convenient excuse to distance the administration from Israel. There is nothing in the United States’ self-interest that would prompt this reversal of more than 60 years of U.S. pro-Israel policy, so the explanation has to be some deep-seated animus by the president. Israel remains the only true democracy in the Middle East, one with whom we share a common set of values and history. By contrast, it is surrounded by countries ruled by autocrats or downright tyrants, many of whom are committed to wiping Israel — and all the Jews who live there — off the face of the earth. Were it not for the consistent support of the United States over decades, both moral and strategic, Israel’s enemies might well have succeeded in doing so.” (Bum’s Rush for Bibi)

Political intellectual and analyst Charles Krauthammer wrote, “So why this astonishing one-sidedness? Because Obama likes appeasing enemies while beating up on allies — therefore Israel shouldn’t take it personally (according to Robert Kagan)? Because Obama wants to bring down the current Israeli coalition government (according to Jeffrey Goldberg)? Or is it because Obama fancies himself the historic redeemer whose irresistible charisma will heal the breach between Christianity and Islam or, if you will, between the post-imperial West and the Muslim world — and has little patience for this pesky Jewish state that brazenly insists on its right to exist, and even more brazenly on permitting Jews to live in its own ancient, historical and now present capital? Who knows? Perhaps we should ask those Obama acolytes who assured the 63 percent of Americans who support Israel – at least 97 percent of those supporters, mind you, are non-Jews — about candidate Obama’s abiding commitment to Israel.” (The Biden Incident)

I believe President Obama’s arrogance in dealing with Israel is a dangerous path for him to follow. God promised to Abraham that He would bless those who bless Abraham (i.e. his Jewish descendants) and curse those who curse him (i.e. his Jewish descendants) – “1 Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father’s house, unto a land that I will shew thee: 2 And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing: 3 And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.” (Genesis 12:1-3) In the prophetic Book of Joel God states, “1 For behold, in those days and at that time, when I restore the fortunes of Judah and Jerusalem, 2 I will gather all the nations and bring them down to the valley of Jehoshaphat, and I will enter into judgment with them there, on account of My people and My heritage Israel, because they have scattered them among the nations, and have divided up My land.” (Joel 3:1-2) In the last days God will judge those who have divided up the land of Israel. If President Obama pursues a policy of disengagement with Israel America may no longer find itself under God’s blessing.

in 1899 Mark Twain wrote:

“If the statistics are right, the Jews constitute but one percent of the human race. It suggests a nebulous dim puff of star dust lost in the blaze of the Milky Way. Properly the Jew ought hardly be heard of; but he is heard of, has always been heard of. He is as prominent on the planet as any other people, and his commercial importance is extravagantly out of proportion to the smallness of his bulk. His contributions to the world’s list of great names in literature, science, art, music, finance, medicine, and obtuse learning are also way out of proportion to the weakness of his numbers. He has made a marvelous fight in this world in all the ages, and has done it with his hands tied behind him. He could be vain of himself and be excused for it. The Egyptians, the Babylonians, and the Persians rose, filled the planet with sound and splendor, and faded to dream stuff and passed away. The Greeks and the Romans followed and made a vast noise and they are gone. Other peoples have sprung up and held their torch high for a time. But it burned out, and they sit in twilight now, or have vanished. The Jew saw them all. Beat them all, and is now what he always was, exhibiting no decadence, no infirmities of age, no weakening of his parts, no slowing of his energies, no dulling of his alert and aggressive mind. All things are mortal but the Jew. All other forces pass, but he remains. What is the secret of his immortality?”

I cringe when I hear a political leader finish a speech with “God bless America”. Our nation has killed more than 40 million unborn babies since 1973. Pornography and homosexuality are part of our modern culture. Religion is told it has no place in the public arena. I believe the only reason God hasn’t judged America until now is because we have protected Israel and therefore God has blessed us as He promised He would in Genesis ch. 12. If we turn away from Israel I believe He will remove His blessing from us. If it is His will for America to fall in order to fulfill Ezekiel’s prophecy then America will fall. President Obama may be the instrument He uses to initiate His unfolding plan for the future. Mark Twain listed the historical empires that conquered the Jews and Israel. The Egyptian Empire, the Babylonian Empire, the Persian Empire, the Greek Empire, and the Roman Empire all met their demise yet the Jewish nation of Israel and its people are still with us as Mr. Twain points out. The American Empire may be the final addition to this list if we turn our backs on the Jewish nation of Israel, “the apple of His eye”. (Deuteronomy 32:10)

Tags: Antichrist, decline of America, Genesis 12, healthcare, Invasion of Israel, President Obama
Posted in Archives 2010, Israel and Ezekiel | No Comments »

Earthquakes; Global Tax & Money; Government Monitoring; Islamic Ire; Doomsday Clock

Monday, March 1st, 2010

(March 1, 2010) In the wake of the earthquakes in Haiti and Chile, MSNBC has an article on the increase of earthquakes around the world. (Big quake question: Are they getting worse?) The author writes, “One scientist, however, says that relative to the time period from the mid-1970s to the mid-1990s, Earth has been more active over the past 15 years or so.” He quotes a geophysicist as saying, “We still do not know the reason for this yet. Could simply be the natural temporal variation of the stress field in the earth’s lithosphere.” (The lithosphere is the outer solid part of the Earth.)” Jesus gave signs to His disciples to look for when the end is near, “3 As He sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him privately, saying, ‘Tell us, when will this be, and what will be the sign of Your coming and of the close of the age?’ 4 And Jesus answered them, ‘Take heed that no one leads you astray. 5 For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and they will lead many astray. 6 And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars; see that you are not alarmed; for this must take place, but the end is not yet. 7 For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines and earthquakes in various places: 8 all this is but the beginning of the labor pains.” (Matthew 24:3-8) Leading into the End-Times Jesus said that false religious leaders, wars, famines, and earthquakes would increase in various places. He likened these events to labor pains which means they will become increasingly more painful and occur closer and closer together. The recent earthquake activity may be a precursor to what Jesus says will happen before the end.

Global Economy

The Prime Minister of England said that a global tax is near. (Global bank tax near, says Brown) The article states, “Gordon Brown said on Wednesday the world’s leading economies were close to agreeing a global bank tax, amid hopes in Downing Street that a deal can be concluded at the G20 summit in Canada in June.” U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi endorses a global tax on stock trades and other financial transactions. (Pelosi Endorses ‘Global’ Tax on Stocks, Bonds, and other Financial Transactions)

In a related story the International Monetary Fund proposed a new global reserve currency. (Head of IMF Proposes New Reserve Currency) The article states, “the head of the International Monetary Fund, suggested Friday that the organization one day might be called upon to provide countries with a global reserve currency that would serve as an alternative to the U.S. dollar.”

The London Telegraph Newspaper economics commentator, Edmund Conway, recently wrote a column titled “I’m Dreaming of a Cashless Christmas” in which he said “This is a bold statement to make: currency has been an integral part of our world, in one way or another, since 3,000BC. But the simple fact is that we can survive without it. In fact, abolishing notes and coins could make the world and its economies far less dysfunctional.” (I’m Dreaming of a Cashless Christmas) Some of the comments that followed his article brought up the issues of the “Mark of the Beast” and the “New World Order”. This caused Mr. Conway to write a followup article: (The New World Disorder) “A couple of weeks ago I wrote a column about the possibility that at some point in the future we may abandon cash in favour of electronic payments. I expected to receive a pretty healthy dose of criticism for what was a pretty radical suggestion; what I hadn’t expected was the direction in which that criticism would soon flow. Within a few comments, I was being accused of being part of a vast global conspiracy to create a New World Order (NWO, I gather one should shorten it to) in which the absence of cash would be a key factor. Well, to be more precise, the end of hard currency would also coincide with the introduction of a world government, a world currency and so on – you get the general idea.” He goes on to say he is not part of any conspiracy to “replace national governments with an international super-authority, though I’m flattered some of our readers believe I would ever be considered by the authorities to be worth involving in such an enterprise.” However, Mr. Conway makes an observation about possible collusion amongst the world’s governments that I believe overlooks the bigger picture:

“And yet rumours of an NWO are still more pervasive than ever before. Why? In part, because members of governments around the world do talk to each other a lot, most often in open and usually well-reported fora (ie the IMF, UN, EC, Davos, the G7 and G20 etc). The whole premise of many of these multilateral meetings is precisely in order to forge a more internationalist style of politics where every country’s leadership thinks not merely of their own voters but also of the interests of overseas nations when they create policy. But this push is less an attempt to create an NWO than it is to avert the opposite – the threat of war. Remember – these institutions were set up in the wake of the Second World War, when politicians were trying to pull every lever they could to ensure there wouldn’t be a third war. So the conspiracy theorists are right: there is a push towards international government – but to suggest they could overreach each nation’s individual national interests is really endowing them with far more capability than they have…

Throughout my time covering economics and politics for a number of newspapers, I have come over time to the conclusion not that there is a carefully orchestrated global plan being masterminded by leading politicians (be it to create a NWO or, in some other way, to dupe people out of their liberty or prosperity) but that the politicians and policymakers have less of a clue about what to do than the rest of us. It’s been obvious every step of the way through this financial crisis – and that to me is actually rather scarier than the idea of a conspiracy. Are these people, who have stumbled their way from one disaster to another, really capable of engineering a global conspiracy, overturning peoples’ deep local tribalism? Not a chance.”

I agree with Mr. Conway that the politicians of the world are incapable of uniting the earth under one “flag”. However, the Bible declares that one man, unlike any other human who has ever lived, will by demonic power unify a large part of the earth’s governments under his administration: “4 And they worshipped the dragon [the Devil] which gave power unto the beast [the Antichrist] and they worshipped the beast, saying, Who is like unto the beast? who is able to make war with him? 5 And there was given unto him a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies; and power was given unto him to continue forty and two months. 6 And he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme his name, and his tabernacle, and them that dwell in heaven. 7 And it was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them: and power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations. 8 And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.” (Revelation 13:4-8)

Whether or not these economic policies take place, it is just another indicator of the technological state of the world which allows for the global monitoring of financial transactions and the unification of the global economy. The Bible declares in the last days that some type of global economic system will be in place and run by the Antichrist and his government. “16 And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads: 17 And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name. 18 Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred threescore and six.” (Revelation 13:16-18)

Government Monitoring

There have been some recent news stories (just like the global economic monitoring that is now technologically possible) about government monitoring in other areas of citizen’s lives. In Australia, the government has monitored Australian’s waste usage with microchips placed in their trash cans. (Spy chips hidden in 2.5 MILLION dustbins) The U.S. Department of Homeland Security and the National Security Agency said they may use a software technology called Einstein to monitor Internet communications on private networks in order to combat cyber attacks. (Feds weigh expansion of Internet monitoring) Neither of these stories necessarily impute a sinister motive on the part of these governments in using the technology available. The point is that the technology is available for the first time in history to closely monitor the habits and behaviors of human beings. One day an evil government will use this techonology for its own evil designs.

Islamic Wrath

Libyan leader Moamer Kadhafi has called for Jihad against the country of Switzerland because of that country’s ban on the building of Islamic minarets. (Kadhafi calls for jihad against Switzerland over minaret ban) Kadhafi stated, “It is against unbelieving and apostate Switzerland that jihad ought to be proclaimed by all means…Jihad against Switzerland, against Zionism, against foreign aggression is not terrorism.” This is not the isolated rambling of a rogue dictator as Hamas, Hezbollah, Iranian Leaders, and Saudi Arabian Wahhabism have illustrated over and over again. The one world religious system spoken of in Revelation ch. 13 may refer to Islam’s attempt to convert the rest of the world to their faith and laws.

Doomsday Clock; Supernova

The Doomsday Clock, an invention of scientists originally used to illustrate how close the world is to nuclear devastation and now includes climate devastation, was set back recently because of the policies of President Obama. (Doomsday clock is moved one minute further AWAY from fateful midnight… thanks to Obama) This article reports, “The Doomsday Clock was created in 1947, two years after the U.S dropped the first atomic bombs on Japan in World War II. It was originally set at seven minutes to midnight. It has been altered 19 times since then by the Bulletin’s scientific board. The latest recorded time was two minutes to midnight in 1953 as the Cold War heated up between the U.S and Soviet Union.” I find it ironic that this clock was created in 1947 because in November of that year the United Nations voted to create the nation of Israel. The next year on May 14, 1948 the nation of Israel was born. This event started the real Doomsday clock. God laid out a timeframe in the Book of Ezekiel:

“1 The hand of the LORD was upon me, and carried me out in the spirit of the LORD, and set me down in the midst of the valley which was full of bones, 2 And caused me to pass by them round about: and, behold, there were very many in the open valley; and, lo, they were very dry. 3 And he said unto me, Son of man, can these bones live? And I answered, O Lord GOD, thou knowest. 4 Again he said unto me, Prophesy upon these bones, and say unto them, O ye dry bones, hear the word of the LORD. 5 Thus saith the Lord GOD unto these bones; Behold, I will cause breath to enter into you, and ye shall live: 6 And I will lay sinews upon you, and will bring up flesh upon you, and cover you with skin, and put breath in you, and ye shall live; and ye shall know that I am the LORD. 7 So I prophesied as I was commanded: and as I prophesied, there was a noise, and behold a shaking, and the bones came together, bone to his bone. 8 And when I beheld, lo, the sinews and the flesh came up upon them, and the skin covered them above: but there was no breath in them. 9 Then said he unto me, Prophesy unto the wind, prophesy, son of man, and say to the wind, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe upon these slain, that they may live. 10 So I prophesied as he commanded me, and the breath came into them, and they lived, and stood up upon their feet, an exceeding great army. 11 Then he said unto me, Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel.” (Ezekiel 37:1-11)

In 1948 I believe that God raised the Jews from their “graves” and returned them to the land of Israel as a dry, secular nation. The next stage in the process involves putting sinews or muscles on the nation of Israel. This is mere speculation on my part but it may be that the powerful Israeli military may be a partial fulfillment of this part of Ezekiel’s prophecy. Muscles are an indicator of the strength of a body and the Israeli army has been an indicator of the strength of the Jews’ will to survive and live.

The next phase of the dry bones vision stated that the nation of Israel would have flesh and skin put on it. The Bible does not speak highly of human flesh. It uses “flesh” as a metaphor for our sinful natures, which try to please God by good works or rebel against Him by evil works. I believe it is possible that when the Jews rebuild the third or Tribulation Temple, this will fulfill the flesh stage of their rebirth as a nation. They will believe they are honoring God with their new Temple and sacrifices yet the Antichrist will actually be using them for his purposes.

This brings us to the final stage of the dry bones vision. God declared that He will put His breath or Spirit in the nation of Israel and they will be His people and He will be their God. This will take place at the second coming of Jesus Christ. The prophet Zechariah spoke of this event:

“And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications: and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn.” (Zechariah 12:10)

This passage is a reference to the second coming of Jesus Christ when the whole world will look on Him whom they pierced. God at that time will pour out His Spirit upon Israel and they will receive God’s Servant Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior.

The last part of this vision of Ezekiel’s declares that God’s Servant will be King over the Jews and the land of Israel. Again, this refers to the Messianic Kingdom over which Jesus will reign.

Thus, I believe the real Doomsday Clock began ticking with the creation of the modern state of Israel.

Tags: Antichrist, doomsday clock, earthquake, economy, Islam, Israel, Matthew 24, monitoring, Revelation 13, technology
Posted in Archives 2010, Global monitoring, Governmental monitoring, Israel and Ezekiel, Revelation, Revelation 13 666, Revelation 13 Antichrist | No Comments »

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