Goodnews Christian Ministry

Questions
From Our Readers

e-mail address:
askgoodnews@gmail.com

You might want to write down the following address.
It is a different site where this same page may also be found:
http://goodnewsspirit.com/questions

May 28, 2010
Question::

Under the heading, The Peope of the Past,
The Clock of God, Chapter 3, The Return of God,
You write:

There is a fundamental difference between the people who died before the flood and those who came afterward, and for this reason, Peter tells us that Jesus had to preach twice. He said that Jesus went down to preach to the dead after he was crucified. "I went down into the countries underneath the earth, to the peoples of the past." (Jonah 2:7).

Here is the KJV version of Jonah 2:7:
"When my soul fainted within me, I remembered the LORD: and my prayer came in unto thee, into thine holy temple."

Jonah 2:6 is a little bit like your posted verse, but that too is very different.
Thought you would like to know :)

Thanks much for your website - I have enjoyed reading some of it.­Ms.M

Answer:

Thank you for your input. I have amended the chapter in question to clarify the text.

"It was only to seek and find His lost children that God allowed Babylon to come into existance.

Despite its miraculous rebirth, this world is not destined to last either. According to the Apostle Peter, the earth is going to be destroyed (2 Peter 3:5-10; 1 John 15-17) and for the very same reason that Eden was destroyed. Babylon is just a temporary replacement of Eden -- made only for our rescue by Jesus. It has no other meaning.


The People of the Past

There is a fundamental difference between the people who died before the flood and those who came afterward, and for this reason, Peter tells us that Jesus had to preach twice. He said that Jesus went down to preach to the dead after he was crucified (1 Peter 3:18-20).

The prophet Jonah alludes to Jesus' post-crucifixion decent into Sheol (Jonah 2:3-7), with Peter, inspired by the Holy spirit revealing that He had gone down into the countries underneath the earth, to the peoples of the past. The text of Jonah's verse 3:7 is vague in the Greek and has been interpreted by some writers in almost those exact words. There is no question that the Apostle Peter saw Jonah's prophecy that way.

When Jesus did this, he did not go to the people who had died on earth before he was born, he went instead to those who had died before the flood took place. (1 Peter 3:18-20). This means that everyone who was born on earth after the flood occurred (even though they came and went thousands of years before Jesus appeared) God was able to rescue from our own scriptures.

How He was able to do this is a mystery, but Jesus confirmed it when he said, "On judgment day the men of Nineveh will stand up with this generation and condemn it, because when Jonah preached they repented; and there is something greater than Jonah here." (Mt.12:41).

But those who lived in Eden had to be preached to another way. They had no faith and went right on sinning up until the moment their world was destroyed. That is why Jesus had to go to them in spirit after he was crucified.

"In the body he was put to death, in the spirit he was raised to life, and, in the spirit, he went to preach to the spirits in prison. Now it was long ago, when Noah was still building that ark which saved only a small group of eight people 'by water'...that these spirits refused to believe." (1 Peter 3:20).

The dividing line that separated those souls from ours was a boundary of both faith and flood. Everyone born in Babylon is descended from Noah, and therefore has come to life in the seed of faith.

The people of Eden were just the opposite. Since they had no faith, God had no power to raise them up to see Christ the way He was able to do with us. Their souls could not be raised to life in this world because of their lack of faith, and for the same reason there is little likelihood that any of them listened to Jesus when his spirit preached to them in their captivity either."

Since babies are born pure and have no sin why do you insist they have to be baptised? I think baptism is not necessary in Christ anyway. Just loving Jesus should be enough. ­OP

Answer:

We were all born on this earth tainted with sin ­ a deep, scarring permanent sin caused by the contamination of Satan. Both the New and Old Testaments teach this. It is the single reason why sacrifice (to expiate sin) is at the heart of both books of the Bible.. The Old Testement puts the moment of this contamination at the Garden in Eden.

Scripture's message is clear: everyone born after Adam and Eve carries Satan's mark of sin on their souls. This includes babies.  Satan's mark is invisible. You cannot see it. It is present in infants and adults alike. No one is born pure.

This stain has nothing to do with sinning in the sight of the people. In the Book of Revelation it is the mark of the Beast, i.e., the mark of Satan's rebellion against God. The dark shadow of that rebellion covers us all. Satan's stain is present on our souls because of the Law.  It means "born contaminated".

There is only one way to remove this mark.

Jesus died on the cross (God's only Son died on the cross) to make the sacrifice demanded by the Law necesssary to remove that invisible stain of sin. Why on earth would He go to the cross for any other reason. That was the whole purpose behind the need of crucifixion. His death was a legal sacrifice ­ the ultimate sacrifice ­ because it was made by God Himself.

God is not lawless. He keeps the Law.

Jesus went to the cross to pay the penalty the Law demands of us. He paid that penalty in our place. He went there specifically to cleanse us of sin, legally.

He died for the world, but his death did not save the world in mass.

Jesus Christ represents a decision. Every person on earth must choose for themselves whether they accept His sacrifice in their name or not. Every person on earth has to decide for themselves whether to follow Jesus or not.

If they choose Christ, each person has to be marked with the water of baptism to legally acknowledge their acceptance of God's offer. That is because the Law demands that our bodies be marked with the sign of His covenant in order for it to take effect on each of us personally. This is all very legal, because it is the legal action that takes us out of the Law and therefore away from its power to condemn.

"My covenant shall be marked on your bodies as a covenant in perpetuity." (Gn.17:13).

Done one time only, baptism's cleansing is permanent.

"Through the Law I am dead to the Law, so that now I can live for God. I have been crucified with Christ, and I live now, not with my own life, but with the life of Christ who lives in me." -Gal.2:19.

Christ's mark on our bodies is the only thing that can take us out of the Law. That is why no other religion or faith can lead to the kingdom of heaven. Its gates are barred by the Law. And only Christ can get us out of the Law.

"I tell you most solemnly, anyone who does not enter the sheepfold through the gate, buts gets in some other way is a thief and a brigand." (John 10:1)

"Anyone who believes in the Son has eternal life, but anyone who refuses to believe in the Son will never see life; the anger of God stays on him." (John 3:36)

In the Hebrew theology, the priest made this mark with the blood of a sacrificed lamb or goat. But everyone, including the priests themselves knew that their mark was not pure enough under the terms of the Law to effect a lasting cleansing of the soul. That is why they had to do it over and over again. No matter how many sacrifices they made, the people remained in the Law.

Baptism in Christ takes us out of the Law of sin and death. That breaks sins power over us. But in order to make that break complete we need to incorporate the Spirit of Christ withini us. We have to believe in Jesus. (Baptism's permanence depends on the presence of the Holy Spirit).

In his Gospel, John said: "I tell you solemly, unless a man is born through water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God..." (John 3:5)  

This shows that the gate to salvation has a lock that requires two pass keys.

The two, water and Spirit, do not have to arrive at the same time. This is proved by the fact that most Christians were baptised as babies, 'on account'. While the water of baptism purifies our soul (takes the mark of the Beast off of it), the Spirit gives our soul a new character. It implants the Gospel in our heart, changing our nature from secular to Christian, remaking us in the image of the Gospel taught by Christ.

"I am the resurrection. If anyone believes in me, even though he dies he will live, and whoever lives and believes in me will never die." (John 11:25-26).

The Spirit makes the mark of baptism (its cleansing action on or soul) permanent ­ therefore both parts are essential. Both water and the Spirit.

We can see that because we all continue to sin after baptism. That is why we spend so much time in repentance asking that our forgiveness be perpetuated by our faith. The Spirit, through the cross can grant us that request any time it is asked (and even when we forget to ask) but only if we have broken with original sin through baptism, first.

 

Please explain your interpretation of the quotation on your Q&A page dated 4-3-10: "the mother of seven sons grows faint, and breathes her last. It is still day (Christ is still being preached), but already her sun has set. Shame and disgrace are hers..." (Jer.15:9). In my Bible that quotation is stated, "The mother of seven swoons away, gasping out her life; Her sun sets in full day, she is disgraced, despairing". ­PL

Answer:

Note:

In the King James Bible, that quotation reads, "Her sun is gone down while it was yet day; she hath been ashamed and confounded..." In the NIV it reads: "The mother of seven will grow faint and breathe her last. Her sun will set while it is still day; she will be disgraced and humiliated..."

This is a prophecy in the book of Jeremiah. It relates to the people of God being handed over to their enemies in the last days (Jer. 15:6) because they have rejected the words of Jesus Christ and turned their backs on Him.

It describes the fate of the Church in the day of Wrath ­ a church buried in scandal.

Its first focus can be found in the allegory in the Second Book of the Maccabees relating to the death of the mother and her seven sons in the days leading up to the appearance of Antiochus IV Epiphanaes (the despotic Greco-Syrian leader who had himself crowned king of Egypt and ordered the desolationg sacrilige erected in the Jewish temple in association with his massacre of its people) (2 Macc.7:1-9; Dn. 9:27: Matt.24:15).

That first focus shows that a correlation exists between this scandal and the Antiochus figure to come. It is wickedness that brings the wrath.

Historically, Jeremiah's prophecy relating to that Maccabean allegory has been variously interpreted by scholars as applying to the events of 167 B.C., or to the destruction of Jewish Jerusalem at the time of Vespasian and Titus in 70 A.D. when they burned down Herod's temple and took the Jewish heirarchy into a slavery that became the great Diaspora that we see today. The fact that the Romans soon erected a temple to Zeus on what had been the grounds of the Jewish temple seemed to many a proof of this correlation.

Jeremiah's words likely encompass both of those events, but only as a foretaste of what is still to come. His prophetic projection more accurately points to the end-time war on the Christian Church that is developing now in our own time. In the Book of the Maccabees, the mother is the last to die (after her seven sons). But in Jeremiah's prophecy, written two hundred years before the book of Maccabees, she is felled first, crushed by scandal and disgrace.

Perhaps both will hold true in certain ways when all is made known, but the Jeremiah version is far more in keeping with the scandal now sweeping across the mother church.

As regards the Church and its relation to the wrath itself, remember, just after Jesus rose from the grave, He appeared to the Apostles and pointedly told Peter how he would die:

"I tell you most solemnly, when you were young you put on your own belt and walked where you liked; but when you grow old you will stretch out your hands, and somebody else will put a belt round you and take you were you would rather not go." (John 21:18).

What applies to Peter also applies to the Church.

Their fates are inseparably locked together.

In the Book of Maccabees, the primary focus is on the seven Maccabean sons as they die, one at a time, each in defense of Judaism. As each one dies, the mother stands at their side championing their cause and cheering them on in their defense of the faith. Then she, too, succumbs.

Those seven sons, visible at the time of the Maccabees were difficult if not impossible to recognize in the Roman destruction of Judaism. Especially since no swift success followed the fractious Jewish efforts in their divided defense against the invaders. It has taken almost 2000 years for a Jewish presence to re-establish itself in the Holy Land in the wake of that loss.

That contrasts with Christianity where the seven sons have been clearly visible since the beginning, easily relating to the seven churches to whom the Book of Revelation is dedicated (Rev.1:4-20). The figure 'seven' is metaphore. In numerology it is a symbol of totality and completeness and perfection. The mother is the City of David in exile. At the center of this Davidic city is Peter, ("Petra. the Rock").

While this Christian city, too, has been in exile for almost 2000 years from the Holy Land, it's time has been spent in a continuous preaching (by the seven churches) of the Gospel across the world. That message has accomplished the rescue of a vast column of believers, leading them, year by year, to salvation in the true Jerusalem of God, a kingdom not of this earth, .

In Jeremiah's prophecy, after the mother's fall into disgrace, the seven sons are shown to fall as well.

"And the remainder of them I shall hand over to their enemies to be cut to pieces ­ it is the Lord who speaks." (Jer. 15:9).

That prophecy is stated a different way in the book of Isaiah, but it says the same thing. And again, it relates to Peter, the head of the Church (Mat.16:18-20):

"I will place the key of the House of David on his shoulder...I drive him like a peg into a firm place; he will become a throne of glory for his father's house. On it they will hang all the glory of his father's house, offspring and issue, all the least of vessels from cups to pitchers.

That day ­ it is the Lord God who speaks ­ the peg driven into a firm place will give way. It will be torn out and will fall. And the whole load haning on it will be shattered, for the Lord has spoken." (Is.22:22-25).

Jeremiah's prophecy declares that the attack against the mother and her sons will come because huge numbers have turned their back on God. A similar assessment is incorporated in Paul's prophecy contained in his second letter to the Thessalonians concerning the final days.

"The reason why God is sending a power to delude them and make them believe what is not true is to condemn all who refused to believe in the truth and chose wickedness instead." (2 Thes.2:5-12)

Daniel, whose prophecies are specific to the end of time, clearly reiterates a future Maccabean-like Antiochus kind of madman, and foresee his attack on the perpetual sacrifice and the desecration of the holy altar. But not in a Jewish sense. His prophecies all revolve around a "son of man" identical in description to Jesus Christ (Dn. 7:13-14).

In Daniel's description, the altar and holy place desecrated are not in Jerusalem. They relate to the exile ­ to Babylon and Christianity (Micah 4:10). The rebuilding Daniel discusses relates to the Jerusalem of heaven, not earth. We can be absolutely certain of this not only because Daniel tells us so (Dn.7:9-23), but because all of his words relate to the end of the world, a time still in our future (Dn.12:4). And that future revolves, as it has for the last 2000 years, around Christ, not Moses.

All this speaks to the wrath ­ a wrath that falls on the whole world and all its people, not just Christians or Jews (Rev.17:15-17; Is. 24:1-6; Dn. 7:19-23). It has been blocked for almost 2000 years by someone scripture recognizes, but does not name.

According to Paul, before the wrath can crush the church, that person has to be removed (2 Thes.2:7).

In the book of Daniel we are told that the one removed ("cut off" or assassinated) is "an anointed one", i.e., a bishop of high standing in the church (Dn. 9:26). That assassination relates back to Onias, the beloved high priest betrayed by his successor, Menalaus, a malignant church figure associated with Antiochus Epiphanes. It also relates to the secret third prophecy of Fatima, only recently revealed by Vatican officials. Her prophecy describes the fallen bishop as the "man in white", a reference to the Pope.

The highest bishop in the Roman church is the guardian on earth of the perpetual sacrifice, the communion service. This suggests that the perpetual sacrifice, itself, has much to do with blocking the wrath. For once the person guarding it is felled, Daniel tells us, the madman will be able to abolish this sacrifice (see Ch. 25, Babylon), and in the process bring the world to its end.

God has blocked the wrath for the sake of the harvest. Abolishing the perpetual sacrifice cancels the harvest.

"The earth is defiled under its inhabitiants' feet, for they have transgressed the law, violated the precept, broken the everlasting covenant. So a curse consumes the earth and its inhabitants suffer the penalty, that is why the inhabitants of the earth are burnt up and few men are left." (Is.24:1-6).

This last verse comes from the prophet Isaiah. You can see how many books of the Bible all come together to provide descriptions relating to this important prophecy describing the terrible blow the Church must endure in its final days before Christ returns. It is the church's share of the cross.

According to Daniel (Dn. 12:7), The madman will crush the power of the holy people (the City of David), as he brings a wrath of fire to the earth just before that Return occurs.

The seven sons (the 7 churches) are shown to fight valiantly against the madman in what appears to be a losing battle. But God comes to their aid at the last minute (Dn. 7:21-22), just as the evil one stands poised to destroy Jerusalem once and for all (Dn.11:45).

Freed from its exile, the City of David will return to Jerusalem by way of the desert, and finally to the East gate of the temple mount where the reunion between the two houses of Israel will be accomplished. It is at that very moment that Christ will return in a blinding flash of light seen instantly from one part of the earth to the other.

After that, the cause for which the mother and her seven sons gave their lives will prove victorious, just as it was prophesied to be at the time of the Maccabees. God will rule in favor of the saints.

And Christ and His people shall reign in that victory over death, forever.

 

About Paul's predicted "rebellion" in 2 Thessalonians 2:3, which you say is going on now, when did it begin? ­GH

Answer:

The seeds of the rebellion started with Martin Luther's revolt in Germany. His thesis created a schism in the northern European church communities that led to their trying to break away from Roman rule in the late middle ages. It plunged much of the area into 250 years of bitter warfare with the Catholic Church.

Those wars were devastating. They changed the entire political and religious landscape of northern Europe and were instrumental in the foundation of the United States of America as thousands tried to flee to a safer geographic sanctuary.

The warfare tore the northern European Church apart. Jesus has said that a house divided against itself cannot stand and this warfare was so vast and involved so many that this aphorism has truly been put to the test by the ensuing circumstances. The warfare in many quarters is still going on. The protesters have divided themselves over and over again through quarrels and disagreements so that today the entire Protestant Reformation has the appearance of a patchwork quilt of hundreds, if not thousands of competing theologies and beliefs.

Into the cracks of this battered foundation has seeped a secularist philosophy of government that is particularly antagonistic to Christianity and has sought to separate the latter from temporal government rule ­ in other words, to throw God out of the throne-room. The European religious warfare and the fear of Catholicism driving it, gave the proponents of secular ideology a quantum leap in power.

The doctrine of this separatist movement is actually spelled out in clear legal terms in the Constitution of the United States, inserted there by certain of the Founding Fathers at the time of our goverment's inception.

In the United States, that doctrine of isolation was not carried out immediately, prevented for almost 200 years by an unwritten compromise that allowed religion not only to play a key role in governing U.S. morality, but to display a ubiquitous array of religious artifacts and images in the form of crosses and Ten Commandment displays in public areas. That compromise was overturned in 1963 by a Supreme Court decision.

Since that date, all the crosses and commandment displays have been torn down and Christian morality toppled by a secular morality championing gay rights, pornographic displays, abortion on demand and an academic and corporate war on everything "Church".

In Europe, its faith already shredded, there was no compromise. Secular rule was instituted there very earty. This was profoundly illustrated in the 19th century, when Napolean took the crown out of the Pope's hands and proceded to crown himself king.

This was followed by a stunninig and explosive reincarnation of atheism across the Eastern world and throughout much of Asia.

History shows a steady erosion of faith throughout Europe, with Church-state governments there collapsing one after the other into secular temporal rule, so that by the time of Adolph Hitler, almost the entire western world in Europe had evicted the presence of God from the governance of their respective nations.

It was out of this secular and atheistic darkness that Hitler and Joseph Stalin emerged.

This really represents the heart of the revolt ­ separation of Church and State. That is because it overturns what God through the Holy Spirit put in place at the beginning of the Christian era just after the religion left the catacombs.

And if all this external rebellion wern't enough, the scripture's warn that in the last days the mother church will be destroyed by scandal ­ a shameful internal break with faith so grave her image will not recover from it:

"the mother of seven sons grows faint, and breathes her last. It is still day (Christ is still being preached), but already her sun has set. Shame and disgrace are hers..." (Jer.15:9).

Even this prophecy seems now visible.

All this presages the advent of the second war of the end between God and this world (Rev.20:7+).

In an earlier time, the Church's climb out of the catacombs signaled the end of the first war in that sequence (Rev.19:11-20). An immediate cooperation between Church and State followed and it launched the Christian era. It began with the Edict of Milan, signed by the Roman Emperor, Constantine in 312 A.D.

What ensued was a "millenium" of relative peace that allowed Christ's word to be preached to all the nations with little interference from world forces. This preaching was facilitated by the fact that the spiritual Church and temporal government ruled together in relative harmony. The Church sat at the king's side, and there was for the most part, intellectual and spiritual agreement between the two powers.

To facilitate this "millenium", Satan was removed and locked in the Abyss. This incarceration lasted for at least 1600 years (during much of the term of Christ's preaching). This broke Satan's personal "hands-on" command of world forces. Paul prophesied that Satan would be released and allowed to return when the people revolted. And since that rebellion seems well in progress, the sign of Satan's return should be quite evident in recent world changes.

John, in the Book of Revelation says that on his return, Satan will mobilize all the nations of the world for war (Rev.20:7-9).. His powers of deception will be great, but made greater still by God's intent to enhance them (2 Thes.2:11-12). There will be a planet-wide clammoring for warmongering, and the military battallions raised in its pursuit will be vast, the likes and numbers of which have never been seen before on earth

We have observed thousands of hours of newsreel images displaying just these kind of never-before seen mobilizations and weaponry ripping the world apart now for almost a hundred years. they include two world wars, a third that left the planet armed to this day for a hellish firestorm (euphemistically called a "cold war"), and many, many more. And with the nations now united in universal revolt against Christian power it is reasonable to conclude that Satan has definitely left his prison cell and re-taken command of his world.

And what we have already seen appears just a prelude for what is to follow.

The prophecy in Joshua tells us that the Christian era will last "almost" two days (Joshua 10:12-14). The prophecy relates not to solar time, but to Atonement time. The "day" this prophecy speaks to is the "Day of Atonement", the time of the preaching of Christ's Gospel (the "light" of this world).

In Joshua's words, the daylight (the Day of Atonement) will shine continuously for "almost two days" before it sets ­ making one day into almost two. The Bible informs us that a day to God is like a thousand years to man. If this correlation (a day to a thousand years) applies here, the phrase "almost two days" means just under 2000 years. Since this is the year 2010 of the Christian calendar, we seem to be incredibly close to the maximum reach of this prophecy right now.

The question is, in this calculation, what is the date that the light of God began shining on earth?  Most scholars believe that Jesus began His preaching about the year 27 A.D. Probably a more likely year to begin the calculation, though, is the first Pentecost (either 30 or 33 A.D.) when the Holy Spirit returned with the Word glorified (a process that clothed it in the Holy Spirit, giving it the power of resurrection into eternal life).

For earlier dates there may be questions. But there can be no question that God's "Son" has been shining on earth every day since that first Penetcost. That date defines the age of Christ's Church.

Either way, that puts the 2000-year mark at, or just under, 20 years away. The qualifier "almost" 2000 years, obviously shortens it to less than 20 years, and no one but God alone knows by how much. But since it is so close, whether or not this prophecy applies will be known quite soon either way.

What the world will see in the absence of the Word of Christ proclaimed, is darkness. If the solar sun continues to be an accurate metaphore, the first images after "Son-set" will be a murkey twilight, followed very quickly by almost no Christian light at all.

This brings the night ­ the second war of the end-times. It brings a world ruled completely by secular and/or atheistic forces, militarily united with the people of an alien god keen on warmongering (Dan.11:39).

It is hard to imagine all that happening so soon. It proffers almost no time left for repentance. It speaks to a harvest virtually complete. Twenty years seems like so little time. Yet it contains over 7000 days ­ a vast amount of space within which change can occur ­ either for salvation or otherwise.

These prophesies are true. Anyone reading this who hasn't repented and turned to Christ yet, should do it now. Every sign points to a single reality, that there is no time left to procrastinate.

The resurrection promise of Easter is still valid. More so now, because the last shall be first.

 

Did they take the abortion provisions out of the Health Care Bill before they passed it? ­PL

Answer:

There never were any abortion provisions in the Health Care Bill. The only reference in that bill about abortion is that the new law cannot be used to fund abortions. A senator was so concerned that someone might not read that clause that he demanded it be put in there again. So it is in there twice, like an exclamation point.

The bill will save thousands of lives and help millions of Americans battle catastrophic illness and disease. There are many who say it doesn't go far enough, but it goes vastly farther than the circumstances it overturned. Those who fought to make this bill law have helped the sick and poor, both young and the old, in extraordinary ways.

Jesus, in the Book of Matthew tells us that at the Last Judgment, God will line up all humanity on two sides. He will then ask 6 questions. Entrance into heaven will be determined by the answers contained in God's Book of Life in relation to this exam (Mat.25:31-46). One of these six questions concerns the sick.

Those who toiled to come to the aid of the sick in support of this bill can now all answer "yes" to this question, and, in many ways, to the other 5 questions as well.

The use of the abortion question (which was never a part of the sickness bill in the first place) to try to stop the measure was a clear example of Christ's warning about not trying to nullify the word of God by means of a tradition.  In this case, a pretext about money that had nothing to do with caring for the sick.

Take note of the language that was demanded by the anti-abortion forces: it concerned payment (money), not abortions per se. It's all about money.

God has given us a clear mandate, one on which salvation itself is centered, that we have a responsibility to help the sick ­ a "we" that not only includes our own fate individually, but our nation's fate as well;

"Yes, in wickedness they go to any lengths, they have no respect for rights, for orphans' rights, to support them; they do not uphold the cause of the poor. And must I not punish them for such things - it is God who speaks - or from such a nation exact my vengeance?" (Jer.5:28-31)

The health bill is all about the cause of the poor.

The insertion of abortion into the Health bill was a smokescreen because that issue was never in the bill in the first place. The real subject underlying all the arguments is, and was, finance. The god of this world is money.  And here, it, too has been used to try to make the word of God null and void. Going to great lengths to try to abrogate scripture's order with specious excuses, the forces trying to block God's mandate have pitted their own god (money) against the God of all creation.

Yet the Bible's command remains true. Any country that does not support the rights of its poor is heading for ruin.  Until that bill was passed, every modern nation in the world provided health coverage to all its people except the United States. Even after the bill was passed, the fighting against it has caused millions to be left out.

To have concern for the embryo in the womb is a good thing, but to show no regard for that being once it comes out of the womb shows a lack of human compassion that is mind-numbing­ one that in truth seems to reach all the way back to the point of conception.

The nation found trillions of dollars to give tax breaks to the wealthy. If found trillions of dollars to wage war. It found trillions of dollars to bail out the banks and Wall Street from their wicked recklessness. It consistently finds trillions upon trillions of dollars for much more besides. It can fulfill God's mandate regarding the rights of the sick and diseased as well.

America cannot survive the alternative.

When Idi Amin stole all the money in Uganda's treasury and took it to his village. He stacked it thickly against the outside walls of his hut, completely surronding those walls all the way up to the ceilings. There all of Uganda's monetary wealth sat month after month through dowpour after downpour until eventually all the money rotted away and sunk down to become one with the mud it had stood upon. that is the fate of this world's god.

The Health Care Bill is a good thing. Our nation and our people are in better shape because of it.

 

I have another question. Why did you put the Israeli settlement issue with Hillary Clinton and Vice President Biden on your time-line page?  The news says it is just a small family squabble that has been blown all out of proportion by the Obama government. ­PL

Answer:

In Bible prophecy, those Israeli settlements are much more than a small family squabble.

According to Jeremiah (Ch.42-46), those settlements will figure prominently in the invasion of Jerusalem by the combined forces of the East when they come streaming across the dried-up sands of the Euphrates river in the waning days of time.  Moreover, it is that same invasion (sparked by those settlements) that ultimately brings to world-dominating power, the wicked and self-styled Persian prince scripture calls the "Beast" (whose actions actually end time).

Family squabble, indeed. Whose family are they talking about?

Over the last 2000 years the world has witnessed an extraordinary "Diaspora" in which the House of Israel, having been forced by God in the first century to leave the Holy Land, has been living ever since in an exile directed by God...captive to a foreign empire called "Babylon".

"Writhe, cry out daughter of Zion, for now you have to leave the city and live in the open country. To Babylon you must go and there you will be rescued; There God will ransom you out of the power of your enemies." (Micah 4:10).

Bible prophecy makes clear that this exile, wrapped in the treaty of the cross (Jesus, the king of the Jews, was sold to Babylon for 30 pieces of silver), cannot end until the Prince of Persia comes to power and issues a decree mandating that end. (2 Chron. 36:19-23).

To date, no such Persian prince has ever come to power. Not since the time of Cyrus. Therefore, the prince prophesied is still in the wings.

In Jeremiah's writings however (those that discuss the future return of the Jews to the land of Israel) there is a portion dedicated to an EARLY return, before the king of Persia comes to power. It is allowed by God who moves, not the king of Persia, but the king of Babylon to have a change of heart and allow a small group of Jewish refugees with strong army ties to return to Israel under strict specifications. (See Jeremiah Chapters 42-45).

One of those specifications forbids Israel from building Israeli settlements outside the borders mandated by the United Nation's (Babylonian) decree. The other restriction demands that Israel remain peaceful (not inclined to warfare) and that it not sign a military pact with "Egypt".

"If you are willing to remain peaceably in this country, I will build you and not overthrow you; I will plant you, not tear you up. For I am sorry for the evil that I have done to you. Do not be afraid of the king of Babylon any longer; do not fear him for I am with you to save you and deliver you from his hands. I will take pity on you, and move the king of Babylon to pity you and let you return to your native soil." (Jer.42:1-12).

"But if you say: We do not want to stay in this country; if you disobey the voice of the Lord your God, and say: No, the land of Egypt is where we want to go...that is where we want to live; in that case, remnant of Judah, listen to the word of the Lord... God the Almighty, the God of Israel, says this: If you are determined to go to Egypt, and if you do go and settle there, the sword you fear will overtake you, there in the land of Egypt; the famine you dread will follow on your heels, right into Egypt; you shall die there. All the men who are determined to go to Egypt and settle there shall die by sword, famine and plague: not one survivor will escape the disaster I mean to bring them."

These scriptures warn that if those Israeli settlements are built where God has forbidden them, they will be the magnate that actually draws those eastern troops (and all the destruction they portend) in across the Euphrates River. The warnings are so severe that disobedience would seem to be unthinkable:

"The remnant of Judah who resolved to come to the land of Egypt and to settle there, I will remove: they will all perish in the land of Egypt; they will fall to the sword or perish of famine, from least to greatest: by sword and famine they will die; they will be an object of execration and horror..." (Jer. 44:12).

"I will deal as severely with these who who have made their home in the land of Egypt as I dealt with Jerusalem, with sword, famine and plague. Of the remnant of Judah settled in the land of Egypt, not one survivor is going to escape to return to the land of Judah where they long to live once again. For none of them are going to return, except for a few refugees." (Jer. 44:13-14).

After that invasion, and faced with the certain obliteration of the rest of its country by the sheer size and power of the invasion troops, Israel is able to save itself, according to Daniel, only by capitulating to the demands of the eastern forces that they sign a treaty mandating a nation-wedding between Israel and someone else. The likeliest candidate for this eastern-brokered union would be Palestine. Such a union would combine Palestine and Israel into a single country (Dan.11:17).

That is a fate Israel and everyone else would expect to be mortal, and it is to this expectation that the final line in Daniel's prophecy reads, "...but this will not last or be to his advantage." (Dan.11:17). In other words, it does not work to Israel's demise, just the opposite because God is at the helm, and His decision is in Israel's favor.

All this occurs before the prince of Persia comes to power, and the settlements play a key role in it.

The king of Babylon, in this case the United Nations, brokered a codicle to the dispersion treaty as a merciful compromise to a battered people, invisibly orchestrated by God (a fact not known to any of them), through the prophecies of Jeremiah. That is why Israel exists in Palestine today.

Reading Jeremiah's prophecy we can see that this alteration to the treaty (the mandate that Israel be exiled to Babylon) will be brokered between Jewish army leaders (a small segment of the Diaspora population) and the king of Babylon. These army leaders are allowed under the new agreement to take a remnant of Jewish citizens back to the land of Israel to settle in lands assigned to them by the king of Babylon.

Anyone who has viewed the movie, "Exodus" can see how accurately today's circumstances fit with Jeremiah's predictions.

Specific to this allowance, the king of Babylon is given by God authority to define the borders these Jewish refugees are to stay within. Jeremiah tells those Jewish citizens and army leaders that they may return peaceably and in full accordance with God as long as they stay within those borders. If they do not, the terrible disasters described above will overtake them.

"Understand this clearly: today I have given you solemn warning. You were playing with your own lives when you made me your envoy to the Lord your God and said, 'Intercede for us with the Lord our God: tell us what the Lord our God orders and we will do it'. And now that I have told you, you have not obeyed the voice of the Lord your God today, or any part of the message he gave me for you. So understand this clearly, you are going to die by sword, famine and plague in the place where you have been wanting to go and settle." (Jer.42:20-22).

The current "squabble" focuses precisely on this exact incindiary issue ­ Jewish settlements in Arab land; in land forbidden by the United Nation's mandate when allowance was given by the world for the current Jewish return to the land of their Hebrew forefathers.

This prophecy states that the catastrophe will occur because the Jewish government undertook to defy God's instructions given to them through their prophet ­ instructions which they ignored, or perhaps didn't even bother to read.

Does this prophecy have meaning for today?   Not all Arabs are Egyptian, but all Egyptians are Arabs. The prophecy does not have to reach far into metaphore to apply. Either way, the prophecy forbids going beyond the borders assigned..

That order clearly has been defied. Thus the settlements­Jewish settlements in Arab land­is a portent for disaster however it is deciphered. Or whenever. And in today's world we can see that the dominoes are all falling in the direction of the prophecies. Western troops now stand guard at the Euphrates, right where Jeremiah put them before the invasion (Jer.46:1-12).

Those settlements are looming larger every day.

Why did you put the Texas textbook issue on your time-line page for the year 2010? ­PL

Answer:

Because of its vast national impact.

According to news sources, more than 80% of all state school systems in the United States use Texas textbooks (and their content) in their teaching curriculums. Consequently the schoolbook publishing industry in America is primarily a Texas operation. The current recommendations (which will receive final vote in May) will define most of America's textbooks for the next 10 years.

One of the issues attacked in these new changes involves the separation of church and state clause inserted by Thomas Jefferson in the foundation documents of the country.

This clause is demonized in some of the changes.

The controversy is the central thorn driving the Right-Wing civil war in America at the current time.

The U.S. Supreme Court launched America into this controversy in 1963 when they not only upheld the Jeffersonian clause but narrowly defined it in a way that overturned an unwritten compromise that had been in place since 1776 allowing the worship of the Christian God to flourish in America, both domestically and in government as long as that worship did not politically favor a particular church organization.

The current Christian-political outrage may be sweeping us toward both.

What exactly is or was the rebellion Paul predicted in his letter to the Thessalonians (2 Th 2:3)? ­NK

Answer:

That revolt applies to the Church and relates to the last days.

Historically, two profound spiritual rebellions have rocked the Christian religion over the last 500 years. The first was the Protestant revolt begun in 1517 with Martin Luther, etc. The second was the revolt of the nations when their kings evicted God from His seat at the royal table.

By dismantling the unity that had existed between the state and church, the leaders of the western nations, acting in concert with one another, effectively terminated the seventeen-hundred-year long reign of Christ on earth (Ps.2:1-12).

The first revolt led to the second.

The Protestant rebellion plunged many of the European nations into a violent period of warfare that lasted about 250 years. It splintered the Christian Church in Europe, transforming it from a single entity into literally hundreds of sects. The warfare and the fracturing left the close relationship between the temporal (state) powers and spiritual (church) powers in Europe broken and foundering.

It was at this point that the American colonies in 1776 posted a document that declared a separation of church and state. In the light of the spiritual rebellion that had just rocked Europe, this document had a profound effect on the governments of the western world. In less than 200 years, every western nation on earth joined America in declaring the notion of temporal and spiritual unity void.

The Church was thrown out of government. Out with it went Christ and God. From that point on, political rule in the western world became state rule, nothing else. This is not the world our forefathers grew up in. For most of the last 2000 years, all these rebelling nations served God and worshipped His Christ.

"The nations come to your light and kings to your dawning brightness....Foreigners will rebuild your walls and their kings will be your servants.

For though I struck you in anger, in mercy I have pitied you. And your gates will lie open continually, shut neither by day nor by night, for men to bring you the wealth of the nations with their kings leading them; for the nation and kingdom that refuses to serve you shall perish, such nations shall be utterly ruined." (Is. 60:3, 10-12).

It is clear in the prophecies of scripture that temporal and spiritual unity was to be a hallmark of the messianic age (Zech.3:8-10; 4:1-14+).

"Now listen, HIgh Priest Joshua, you and the friends who sit before you­for you are men of good omen. I now mean to raise my servant Branch...These are the two anointed ones who stand before the Lord of the whole world." (Zech 3:8-10, 14).

"Here is a man whose name is Branch; where he is, there will be a branching out...He will sit on his throne as ruler. And a priest shall be at his right hand. Perfect peace will reign between these two; while the crown will be a glorious memorial...in the sanctuary of the Lord." (Zech. 6:12-14).

There are so many references in scripture to the close association between the temporal and spiritual powers during the messianic age, that the Essenes in Qumran (the people who wrote the Dead Sea Scrolls) expected there to be two messiahs, not just one. They forsaw one as a high priest and the other as a king in the image of David, with both arriving at the same time.

What the Essenes did not know was that the Messiah would be God, Himself. The earthly government He set in place therefore, would, of necessity, be structured below Him. And it was to that underlying government the prophecies actually spoke.

Consequently the temporal and spiritual powers foreseen by scripture described, not the Godhead, but the structure of the government He, Jesus, left in place on earth when He returned to the Father. We see this union made manifest in Peter and Paul. Together, they constitute the high priest and the "Branch" prophesied by Zechariah, a perfect union between church and state.

The Church, under the direction of the Holy Spirit, has perpetuated this relationship in all who have come to rule under Peter and Paul. It started as soon as the Christians were allowed to leave the catacombs.

In Constantine and the Bishop of Rome, a close unity between state and church was set in place by the Spirit. This tight-knit bond between temporal rule and spiritual rule gave Jesus the seat of honor at the royal table of Babylon (Jer.52:31-34).

A similar kind of unity followed (in a Peter and Paul image) across the western world for over a thousand years (a fact that allowed the messianic age on earth to flourish).  The head of the Church symbolically wore the mantle of Peter. The head of the state, in his conversion to Christ, symbolically put on the robe of Paul. This is a relationship that was repeated over and over again, nation by nation, across the earth in Christ throughout the millenium.

The dissolution of that spiritual and temporal bond could first be seen with Napolean. It occurred when he took the crown at his coronation out of the Bishop's hands and placed it on his own head by his own hand. In that action, the break between Peter and Paul was made manifest before the eyes of the world.  By 1963, 159 years later, every western nation on earth had followed Napolean's lead.

This revolt by the nations constitutes the kings' writ of divorce from God (Jer.51:9; John 3:19).

The messianic age is the millenium (the thousand years of Church rule on earth). It is also the "Day" of Atonement, the time of God's offer of peace to the people of the world. The termination of the temporal and spiritual unity that structured this time period seems to me to be the Great Revolt described by Paul in Thessalonians.

It is a huge deal ­ "...kings on earth rising in revolt, princes plotting against God and his Anointed, saying,
'Now let us cast off their bonds! Now let us throw off their yoke!" (Ps.2:2-3).

Even though the date of this revolt is very close to our own time, we can see clearly the falling away of the people from Christ that has accompanied it. Churches are closing all over the world. The Cathedrals in Europe exist now, only as tourist attractions. Some nations in Europe have Christian populations less than 5% of their total numbers. Atheistic governments, unknown during the messianic age, have blossomed across the planet, their mortal wound healed for all to see. At the same time, paganism, under its modern name "secularism", has experienced a spectacular rebirth.

In the same sentence he used to issue his prophecy of revolt, Paul indicated that it was leading directly to the identity of the Madman being revealed. The recent world wars argue that Satan has already been released from his prison in the Abyss (Rev.20:1-3, 7-9).  According to scripture, the revolt, the world wars, the attack on the Church and the appearance of the man of perdition all correlate with Satan's return, an event that possibly coincided with Tsunguska.

The exact dates are not known. Nor are the dates for what still lies ahead: The rise of the East (Is.13:17-19), the fourth kingdom of Persia coming to power (Dn.11:2), the appearance of the ten nations (Rev.17:12), the invasion of these forces across the Euphrates (Rev. 16:12), the attack on Israel (Dn.11:16), the Madman's furious assault on the Church (Dn.11:30-32)...all these events still lie in a nearing future as the falling away foreseen by Paul continues unabated.

The termination of the temporal and spiritual coalition that structured the messianic age is a profound event in the history of Christianity. It has ushered the world out of the troubled peace of the Christian millenium, and launched us into the second war of the end times. This has plunged us squarely into the last week in Daniel's prophecy (Dn. 9:26-27).

The kings' revolt shows clearly that we are the rear column of God's harvest, among the last in the line.

There is an allegorical corrolary in scripture to what we are witnessing today. It involved the final stages of the Hebrew exodus from Egypt. The Pharaoah of Egypt who, at first had been urging the Israelites to leave with Moses and journey to the Promised Land, abruptly changed his mind. Satan entered him and he suddenly saw the departing tribes as criminals.

He gathered his forces and set off to attack the rear-guard of the Hebrew column as it made its way across the parted waters of the Red Sea. It was a fatal mistake. He did not recognize God's presence in the column. The kings today have failed to see the Son's presence as well.

"Why this uproar among the nations?
Why this impotent muttering of pagans­ kings on earth rising in revolt,
princes plotting against God and his Anointed, saying,
'Now let us break their fetters!
Now let us throw off their yoke!'

The One whose throne is in heaven sits laughing, God derides them.
Then angrily he addresses them, in a rage he strikes them with panic,
"This is my king, installed by me on Zion, my holy mountain.

Let me proclaim God's decree:
he has told me, 'You are my son,
today I have become your father.
Ask and I will give you the nations for your heritage,
the ends of the earth for your domain.
With iron sceptre you will break them, shatter them like potter's ware.'

So now, you kings, learn wisdom, earthly rulers, be warned:
serve the Lord, fear him, tremble and kiss his feet,
or he will be angry and you will perish,
for his anger is very quick to blaze.

Happy all who take shelter in him." (Ps.2:1-12).

 

How can you say the millenium has already happened? ­KL

Answer:

There are two schools of thought on this. Historically, early Christians believed the rule of Christ had not yet occurred. They were correct. Hidden in caves and catacombs and being hunted like wild animals, they were in a world where the spiritual and political reign of Christ had not yet taken place. That all changed when the Church came to power and exercised its authority across the planet.

The thousand years of Christian rule relates to Satan's imprisonment in the Abyss (Rev. 20:1-3). That "thousand-year" incarceration not only allowed Christian rule to occur on earth, it vastly speeded the process, decreasing the time needed for God's completion of His harvest of souls.  Christ's thouisand-year rule on earth and Satan's imprisonment both occurred at roughly the same time; they coincided with one another, the one empowering the other.

Most Christian Bible scholars equate the "triumphalism of the Church" ushered in by Constantine and Theodosis, with the thousand-year reign of Jesus that scripture predicted. It is hard to argue that they were wrong. Now that it has ended; now that the Christian church has been stripped of its authority over the nations, that reign is easier to see today. The sudden absence of Church influence over international morality, after almost a dozen centuries of having controlled it completely, is palpable.

The Baptist church and its modern evangelical affiliates are convinced of the opposite. Clinging to the view of the earliest Christians, they ignore the fact of the Church (its 1700-year rule on earth) believing instead that Satan has not yet been jailed and Christ's earthly reign has not yet taken place. Scripture's insistance that Christ's kingdom is not of this earth they ignore. They see a flesh and blood Jesus returned to earth from heaven and overseeing a resurrection not into an eternal life in heaven, but into a much shorter thousand-year flesh and blood reign on this planet, centered in Jerusalem.

The disagreement hinges not only on disagreement about the Church's place in history, or the fact that God's kingdom exists in another part of the cosmos (or beyond) in a place far removed from this planet (John 18:36), but on the date of the first resurrection as well, because that, too, is part and parcel of this same prophecy (Rev. 20:4-6).

"...they came to life, and reigned with Christ for a thousand years. This is the first resurrection; the rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were over. ·Happy and blessed are those who share in the first resurrection; the second death cannot affect theme but they will be priests of God and of Christ and reign with him for a thousand years." (Rev. 20:5-6)

Many Bible scholars equate this early resurrection with the original Apostles, and with a date coinciding closely with the death of Nero (68 A.D.) who had been responsible for putting so many of these original Christians to death in the empire.  Such a date would have excluded the Apostle John who did not die with Peter, Paul and all the other Apostles when they passed away under Nero's extraordinary persecution. John continued to live for almost another 30 years.

Instead of participating in the first resurrection, then, John would have had to stay behind (with "the rest of the dead").and wait for resurrection later.  For this reason, Jesus' comment to John about having to stay behind is fascinating because it argues strongly for just such an early first resurrection. John wrote at the end of his Gospel that Jesus told Peter He wanted John to remain behind till He returns:

"The rumor then went out among the brothers that this disciple (John) would not die. Yet Jesus had not said to Peter, "He will not die', but, 'If I want him to stay behind till I come'." (John 21:23).

Having missed the first resurrection, he would have had to stay behind to be with "the rest of the dead" (Rev. 20:5) who were to be raised at Jesus' Second Coming ("when the thousand years were over").

An early date for this first resurrection is also argued by the fact that Jesus told His disciples on another occasion "I tell you solemnly, there are some of these standing here who will not taste death before they see the Son of Man coming with his kingdom." (Mat.16:27-28).

This is thought to be a reference to the transfiguration, which, in the course of scripture, seems to have happened only a few days later; but it could have wider implications. The writer of the Acts of the Apostles wrote of Stephen, when he was stoned to death,, the following words: "But stephen, filled with the Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at God's right hand. 'I can see heaven thrown open', he said, 'and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God'." (Acts 7:55-56).

Even though it was was widely outlawed, the Christian religion in its earliest days (during its first three centuries) spread like wildfire across the Roman world. Despite it's growing acclaim and acceptance by thousands, it was viewed just the opposite (with often vicious hostility) by government officials. Laws were put in place to persecute those found practicing Christ's teachings.

Much of the Christian population in Rome had to hide in the catacombs to escape the wrath of the Roman authorities and soldiers. Despite an intense martyrdom that bloodied the face of eastern Christianity during this same period, those western Roman catacombs became the defining element characterizing the 300-year wrath that began the Christian Era. The Book of Revelations portrays those intensely violent years as a "battle", the first of two that would occur during the era of Christian rule on earth­ one at the beginning of the spread of the faith and the other at its end, when faith is predicted to collapse under assault.

In the year 313 A.D., that first "battle" (or war) officially ended when the Roman emperor Constantine reinstated Christians to legitimate Roman life by signing into effect an emperial proclamation to that effect, a document known as the Edict of Milan. Constantine went even further. Because he and his mother had both become Christians themselves, Constantine began bestowing his personal political favor on those of similar faith.

"Pilate wrote out a notice and had it fixed to the cross; it ran: 'Jesus the Nazarene, King of the Jews'...So the Jewish chief priests said to Pilate, 'You should not write "King of the Jews", but "This man said: I am King of the Jews"'. Pilate answered, "What I have written, I have written'." (John 19:19-22).

The Jewish elders did not want Jesus to be their king so they sold Him to Rome for 30 pieces of silver. As king (made so in writing by the Roman authority in charge) a treaty of peace with Babylon was signed by Him in the blood of the cross. And so to Rome He went, taking everyone with Him by God's direction.

"Writhe, cry out daughter of Zion, for now you have to leave the city and live in the open country. To Babylon you must go and there you will be rescued; There God will ransom you out of the power of your enemies." (Micah 4:10).

"In the year he came to the throne, the king of Babylon pardoned...the king of Judah and released him from prison. He treated him kindly and allotted him a seat above those of the other kings who were with him in Babylon. So (the king of Judah) laid aide his prisoner's garb, and for the rest of his life always ate at the king's table. And his upkeep was permanently ensured by the king (of Babylon) for the rest of his life, day after day until his dying day." (Jer.52:31-34).

In 391 A.D., Theodosus, a subsequent emperor of Rome, signed Constantine's favor of Christians into law by ordering all Roman pagan temples closed, and declaring Christianity the official religion of the entire Roman empire. At that moment, world paganism was outlawed. Atheism was forbidden. Not only it's rites and ceremonies, but its very existance on earth was banned. The king of Babylon had put Jesus in charge of all he posessed.

And so, from Babylon, the graineries of heaven overflowed into the mouths and hearts of the pagan world.

"The king gave orders to release him, that master of nations set him free, putting him in charge of his household, in control of all he possessed, to train his officials as he thought fit and convert his elders into sages." (Ps.105:20-22).

Throughout all those years, the only diety officially recognized across the vast reaches of a globally expanding western world was the God of Christ. During that time, Christianity ruled the religious and political framework of the western world, (all its people and all its nations). The Eucharist was the food of the world.

Until the 16th century A.D. a nearly homogenous church heriarchy remained in effect. After that, the Church splintered and began to devolve into warring factions pitting church against church, nation against nation and people against people. In 1776 a document was signed in the "new" world, the global importance of which in terms of Christianity's future was not immediately recognized. It banned the Church from government, giving total political authority to the secular state, and forbidding Christ from participating in any way in that rule.

Given the overwhelming Christian influence in the fledgling American nation, the wording was immediately compromised in hundreds of unwritten ways, but the handwriting for the future was on the wall (or, in this case, in the Constitution). All it awaited was a judicial body willing to cancel the compromises.

Historically, the reign of Christianity over the earth turned out to be Christ's age of peace on earth, but it was a troubled peace. In this violent world, it existed only because God had Michael the Archangel incarcerate Satan and bind him in spiritual chains, locking him away in a prison in the Abyss. That imprisonment tipped the scales God's way.

He did this so that Christ's brief offer of peace and reconciliation with the Creator could be broadcast across the entire earth quickly. Once that intent has been satisfied, say the prophecies, the world's people and their authorities will revolt against the rule of Christ. Following that rebellion, say the scriptures, Satan is to be released from his chains and allowed to return to the planet to delude its people and mobilize them for world war (Rev. 20:8).

Historical events suggest that Satan's release has already taken place. These point to a date late in the 19th century, or very early in the 20th when all the major nations on earth tumbled together into chaos and began mobilizing for world war.

In the endless global warfare and lawlessness that has followed since then, the political rule of Christianity on earth has been brought to an end; toppled completely by the atheistic and secular forces that have returned Satan's flag to the emperor's pole.

Coupled with the return of those godless forces from the Abyss, churches everywhere have suffered vast losses in both attendance and rolls. During the last 100 years, the people of the world have changed their gods, and they have done so with alacrity, decrying the "horrors" of the Christian era they have helped to fell.

It was only because Satan had been imprisoned by God that the western world came under the rule of Christian forces. It could not have happened otherwise. Without that imprisonment, the world would have experienced an entirely different history ­ one not architected to protect its course through the removal of Satan, the enemy Commander and Chief, and the concomitant presence of a mighty Church committed to defending the faith against all the heretics that rose to try to destroy it. Without that politically protected and powerful Church in place, vast numbers of the world's people would have been blocked from hearing Christ's voice.

The harvest would have failed, much in the same way that is happening today upon his return.

The current rebellion that has witnessed all the governments on the planet evicting the guidance of God from their ruling chambers is not an evolution towards enlightenment. It is a chaotic secular wind that scripture insists is ushering in a reign of violence greater than any ever known before. And it is happening because despite hearing Christ's message of peace, the world has rejected His teaching and shown it intends to follow another course, the one on which Satan has set his sails.

All this follows the course of predictions set forth thousands of years ago in scripture. We are watching the living proof of those prophecies take place before our very eyes. Just as they have up to this point these predictions will continue to unfold exactly as written . That continuation in the prophetic sequence is one of the strongest proofs there is of the truth of Christ and the truth of the scripture that pedicted Him.

 

Why does Daniel refer to his vision in terms of weeks rather than years? ­GS

Answer:

The 70 weeks in Daniel describes 70 weeks of years. Their are 7 days in a week. To the ancient Hebrews, seven was the perfect number, it meant fulfillment, and 70 was the number that designated completion. The understanding is metaphoric. It is prophecy. The subject of the time period covers the rebuilding of the temple in its entirety (from beginning to end).

This rebuilding was done in Jesus Christ. Therefore the period (Daniel's 70 weeks) describes the Christian era. His book is a pointed prophecy covering the last 2000 years, but with a primary focus on the events of the very end, the period that comes after the 2000 years, the 70th week.

Moses quantified this same period, also defining it metaphorically but in a three-day format (Exodus 19:10-11) that terminated in the face-to-face appearance of God before His people. The compromise at Sinai moved those three days forward to the appearance of a Messiah (Exodus 20:18-19; Dt.18:14-19).

Jesus' death on the cross and the offer of forgiveness implicit in that sacrifice moved them forward again, to Christ's Return. Thus both era's (Daniel's and Moses') begin with Jesus' birth in Bethlehem and detail the series of events that come after that birth.

In Moses' 3-day format, each day represents a thousand years. The first two involve the time of washing and cleaning (repentance and baptism) that characterize the era of the Christian Church on earth. Since those first two days (those 2000 years) began at the point when "B.C." (before Christ). became "A.D." (anno Domini) and ended in our own time, just a few years ago, we can see the actual moment of change when it passed from washing and cleaning to tribulation by looking at the world's common calendar.

In that calendar, the third day (the time of travail) began on January 1st, 2001. The attack by the East on the West nine months after the beginning of that third day (in the event known as 9-11) has put the world on notice that not only have we entered the third day, but with it the last "week" in Daniel's set of weeks has dawned as well, the 70th and last week in his vision (Dn. 9:24; 27).

Daniel's last "week" is a grievous period of tribulation divided into two parts (Dn.9:26-27). Both bring widespread chaos to the earth (war and all the devastation decreed). No one knows how long the first part of this last week will last. The second part, though, occurs more quickly. It unfolds over 3-1/2 years according to Daniel, and begins with the assassination of the anointed Bishop, the abolition of the Eucharist, and a violent war on God's Church and people. That last half-week ends with the return of Jesus Christ.

We are not yet in the second part. We have just entered the first ­ the moment of the rise of the East and with it the ten nations that accompany and help empower that rise.

The rebuilding of God's temple has been accomplished in Jesus Christ. It is a temple nearly completed now. We are the living stones that make up that spiritual house (1 Peter 2:5). The temple of God is made up of people who house Jesus, God and the Holy Spirit in their hearts. It is a living temple. The Book of Revelation testifies to this in absolute terms, saying that there is no "temple" in the heavenly Jerusalem because God and Jesus are themselves the temple and their house, the holy of holies, dwells only in people's hearts (Rev.21:22-23).

Those who look for a physical temple to appear in this world's Jerusalem look in vain. Such seers have only a limited understanding of Christian revelation. They came in late and threw out so much of what the Holy Spirit spent centuries putting in place that they now stand mystified by the revealed truths. Not even the creed, or in many cases the cross itself have withstood their demolition of traditional Christian understanding. No wonder so many now chase after myths.

There is to be a focus on this world's Jerusalem in the last day battles but that is because the Madman to come will be obsessed with the idea that he himself is a god ­ the god of this world. To prove this he will feel the need to take control of the two cities on earth which share claims to God's holiness and lie outside of the Madman's own domain, i.e., the City of David in Rome and the city of Jerusalem in the land of Palestine. He will capture the one (Dn. 8:10-12) and surround the other with his forces in preparation for his culminating attack (Dn.11:45).

At that point, God will suddenly intervene and bring forth a hail of cosmic phenomena, and with it the disappearance of the enemy, and then, in the salvation of the Jews, the brilliant Return of Jesus Christ.

Then all people of the world will be judged for their behavior in accordance to what is written about them in the heavenly books. Many will be saved because they believed and acted accordingly before it was too late. The rest, turned away, will weep and mourn bitterly for their failure to act when they had the chance.

 

What is it about the Old Testament that makes it such an attraction with certain churches? ­PL

Answer:

It is being taken literally. This dramatically magnifies its credibility. It also represents a return to the old ways, and in the case of a literal Old Testament versus a metaphoric New Testament, that kind of restructured diefication signals a desire to return to Egypt. There is a precedent for that in scripture, and in the case of the Old Testament, precedent means prophecy.

At the time the Israelites were journeying out of Egypt toward the Promised land, a large segment of these travelers grew weary of their trek through the desert and revolted (Exodus 32). In this rebellion they turned back to Egypt in their thoughts. This occurred during Moses' absence, while he was on the Mountain with God.

These Hebrew revolutionaries represented such a sizeable majority among the Israelite tribes that, in their numbers they were able to pervert the very structure of their faith. They convinced Aaron to fashion a god to go before them as a symbol of their return. Aaron took their gold and out of it moulded for them the effigy of a calf. In the ancient East, the bull was worshipped as a god.

Aaron's calf of gold symbolized that the Israelites had taken to worshipping as a god, this world, its ways and its money rather than the Lord. When the people saw the effigy a shout went up, "Here is your god, Israel", they cried, "who brought you out of the land of Egypt!" Together they worshipped it and offered it sacrifice (Ex.32:8).

God informed Moses of the rebellion and signaled He was going to destroy the Israelites on the spot for their apostasy. Moses argued for clemency and begged God to wait until His visitation to carry out the sentence. God agreed to Moses' request.

The corollary to that ancient rebellion is happening now once again. The ways of Egypt that the Christians of today are demanding a return to is their way of life before the difficult commandments of Christ altered it. Their religious focus has changed from the parables of the Christian Gospel to a literal Old Testament with its easy human-nature values touting revenge, fear, war, and hatred of outsiders.

Today, Aaron's calf is full grown and represented by the statue of the sacred bull that stands in front of mankind's new altar of worship, Wall Street. The gold is self-explanatory. Embracing militancy and all the trappings of worldly society, the people that once followed Christ are worshipping money once again. To them the Old Testament is literal and personal wealth is its reward. Saying the word "Jesus" simply gives it credibility. It is Jesus stripped of His Gospel.

These are rebels. They view the New Testament metaphorically because it allows them a multiplicity of interpretations. They take the Old Testament literally because it has become their god. In this exchange they have gone back to Egypt.

In proof of this, we now hear charges being leveled against the New Testament saying that its text has been perverted by "liberals" and "socialists"; contemptuous comments that are demanding changes in the Gospel's wording to show how God really favors the rich. Such charges constitute blasphemy of the Holy Spirit.

They say "Jesus, Jesus" in lip service, but it is not Jesus they take literally, it is the Old Testament. Their true concern is not compassion for others, but governmental politics. They have embraced this world as their god. In this corollary, an absent Moses on the mountain corresponds to an absent Jesus in heaven with God. Meanwhile, here on earth, Aaron with the people of Israel around him has segued into the church with its flock.

The golden heifer is the perversion sweeping through large segments of the modern church as its ministers rape traditional church teachings. In this revolt, many ministers have joined their flocks in extoling the virtues of Babylon, worshipping money and clammoring for war; others march to glorify homosexuality, while still others have made themselves busy molesting the children. This is the nature of religion under the influence of Aaron's golden calf.

This revolt is a clear indication of the decline of faith at the end of the harvest. A weariness is sweeping the church because of the difficulty of the journey and it is because of this fatigue, said Jesus, that God cut the time short otherwise no one would be saved. Paul warned that this moment in church history would be coming in his 2nd letter to the Thessalonians (2 Thess.2:11-12). This delusion is the precursor to the wrath and the darkness it portends is, in itself, a herald of the final days.

As it is written in the scriptures, it is in the abandonment of the Gospel, the tabernacle of the Testimony of Jesus Christ, that this wrath occurs:

"...the Levites (are) to serve the tabernacle of the Testimony..they are to take care of it and pitch their camp around it. In this way the wrath will be kept from falling on the whole community of the sons of Israel." (Num.1:48-53).

Take refuge in Jesus while He is still to be found. His refuge is true and the safety He offers is eternal life.

 

Is it too early to know who is the False Prophet (in the Book of Revelation)? ­JT

Answer:

There are different prophets that might qualify since differing prophets exist depending upon which system of government one looks, and the characteristics of the age in which they live. Much of the East has chosen Muhammed as the prophet of God. For almost 2000 years the West has centered on Jesus. But that belief system is changing now with the advent of science and the atheistic forces that control it.

The two fundamental gifts God gave to mankind were Jesus Christ's sacrifice which took away our sins, and His Testimony, the Gospel of God (the Bread of life), which has power to give us eternal life.

In the case of the latter (the Gospel) the Apostle Paul pinpoints the world's opposition to Jesus' prophecy less in religious terms than secular. To Paul, it is man's philosophy that is the great dispenser of fallacy on earth (1 Cor.1:1 and 2). His assessment shows that a chasm exists between faith and knowledge. Moreover, the worldly philosophy Paul warned against is inextricably bound to the world's academic system.

It is a fateful alliance.

In Greek times, a symbiotic opposition of similar character was clearly demonstrated by Antiochus IV Epiphanes when he ordered a Greek learning and physical education facility, called a Gymanasia (actually a school with an overarching emphasis on Greek sports) to be erected next to the Jewish temple in Jerusalem at the time of the desolating sacrilige ­ about 167 B.C. (Dan. 8:11-12).

Antiochus' sole intent was to convert Jewish students to Greek thinking and practices (including accepting his sports oriented Athenian gods). This transformation required that they desert their Hebrew faith. Many did. So many, in fact, that his facility and the Jewish opposition to it led directly to and through the desolating sacrilige in the Temple next door, to the war of the Maccabees.

We can see through the lens of Jesus and Daniel that the Book of Revelation has centered its prophecies of the Beast and False Prophet on a replication of the events surrounding the desolating sacrilige in the Book of Daniel (Mat. 24:15). The beast still to come will be an Antiochus-like figure. There will be another desolating sacrilige­this time against the Eucharist, the truth of the perpetual sacrifice in the visions of Daniel (Dan. 8:12).

In the midst of all this will be the people of a foreign god (Dan.11:39).

To some, the book of Revelation seems to reveal that both the beast and false prophet existed in past times (before 95 A.D.) and were both consigned to the flames of hell 2000 years ago. This relates to the "mortal wound" described in the Book of Revelation.

If this were the case, how were they able to get out of those eternal flames to reappear now (in our very near future)?  Scripture explains this by showing a multiplicity of figures. The beast had 7 heads. That's seven individuals, i.e., seven beasts.  The Apostles considered Nero the sixth.  Assuming Adolph Hitler was the seventh (and there is every indication he was), all seven have now come and gone.

The one left still to appear, the Madman of Revelation, will be, according to scripture, a reincarnation of one of the past seven. Since this is the case with the Beast, the False Prophet should follow suit. In other words, even though the Athenian gods worshipped by the Greeks and Romans are all dead and gone, their philosophic opposition to God lives on in other forms. And in current times, the focal point of that opposition is centered in a missapplication of science, specifically in those who try to use science to advance the growth of atheism

Essentially, the philosophies entertained by this world are pitted against the teachings of Jesus Christ, and in the last days, the substance of the warfare between them will likely be centered in an atheistic scholastic/sports framework as it was at the time of Antiochus IV Epiphanes. We saw that same kind of framework with Adolph Hitler and again with the Soviet Union. In the case of these latter two, the academics represented the strict views of a party platform and replaced free and open discussion or debate in science. All dissidant voices were stilled by imprisonment and execution.

It was the same with China. When the forces of atheism were successful in their war against the old government, their first move in power was to remove all the teachers, especially in the colleges and universities, and exchange them for the illiterate farmers who tilled the fields. Instantly the educators became the laborers, and the farmers the university professors. In the exchange, science became the slave of war machinery and propaganda.

The attempt to pervert scientific thought by all these groups shows what a powerful belief force science has become in the modern world. Truth and science are becoming synonymous.

The enchantment with sports, common to all, shows an extraordinary fascination with the human body ­ a worship of the flesh. This fixation is evident in many forms, sexual and otherwise, especially warfare. Atheism, combined with these physical obsessions, speaks to the worship of man himself, not tolerating any living entity higher or stronger or more beautiful. No masters. It sees man as master. It sees faith as weakness owing to its subservience to a greater power.

The false prophet in the Antiochus system of academics was the family of Athenian gods. They changed their names under the Romans, but remained philosophically the same. So sure of that system's association with the false prophet were the Apostles and early Christians that they looked for the beast to erect a statue of Zeus on top of Jerusalem's Temple Mount. The Jews were of similar mind. So when it actually came to pass, they saw Daniel's prophecies fufilled.

We can now see that fulfillment as preface. It was a road sign from God pointing to the future.

When communism raced across the eastern hemisphere in the early 20th century, it did so under the banner of atheism. Atheism at the head of government was banished with Christ. Edicts by the Roman emperors Theodosus and Galerius 300 years after the crucifixion of Christ demanded the worship of Jesus Christ around the world and forbid atheism in any form. As a result, in the advance of the Church across the planet governmental atheism disappeared completely.

It's rebirth on earth 1700 years later in the form of Marxist communism was a seminal moment. It marked the healing of what scripture calls the mortal wound (Rev.13:3; 13:14).

Atheism is the Anti-christ. As such it represents the fundamental and overriding religious opposition to God on earth. It's philosophy is very much false prophecy as far as Jesus Christ is concerned. Is it THE False Prophet? It certainly fits the format defined by Paul, and its growth since its birth in the last century has been formidable.

Between 1910 A.D. and 1989 A.D, atheistic communism was able to envelop 1/3 of the population of the earth in its race to become the strongest belief system in the world. Those who follow Mohammed constitute roughly another 1/3 of the world's population. Until recently, Christians made up the final 1/3rd. The conversion of Russia has changed those balances, but the rise of academic atheism, especially in the west has counterbalanced those figures.

There is an overwhelming volume of prophecies in scripture that show the East deposing the West as the world's great superpower just before the End. That did not occur during the first 2000 years of the Chrisian era. Using the Bible's formula that a day to God is like a thousand years to man, this means it did not occur during the first two days, which Moses called the two days of "washing and cleaning" (Exodus 19:10).

We interpret that to mean baptism and repentance (i.e., an era often described as the millenium­the Day of God on earth). Consisting of 2 days made into almost one by an act of God (Joshua 10:13), the day of God is the period of divine light during which the people are baptised, and hold themselves in readiness for the third day, the day of God's descent (Christ's Second Coming).

The tribulation that brings that cleansing period to an end, then, must be an early earmark of the third day in that metaphoric trilogy.

Using the Christian era as our guide, the third day began January 1st, 2001 A.D. On that day we entered the third millenium of Christ. Nine months later (the time it takes for a child to grow in the womb), the East formally attacked the West in what many are calling the "Pearl Harbor" of a coming war between the two ­ where terrorism and the destabilization of civilization seem to have become the first weapons of choice. The third day of Christ is destined to be a time of misery and suffering duing which every prophecy concerning that distress will come to pass.

This includes a crushing blow against God's Church (Dan.12:7). That assault will usher in the time of darkness that Jesus warned was coming to the earth when it would become almost impossible to do God's work.

Since the prophecies show the rise of the East centering at first in the northernmost reaches of the Eastern Hemisphere, the Middle East does not seem to be at the architectural hub of this movement in its early years. That leaves a system opposed to God, centered in the far north at the helm of the warfare, atheist in nature, but using foreign religious elements in the structure of its armies.

Daniel says it will command a military satellite of 10 nations, one that seems to include China. Although Russia's return to faith has become the stuff of legend, China is still firmly controlled by the forces of atheism.

With the chief architects and spokesmen of science proclaiming, as they do today (in large numbers, and in major print) that their studies prove that faith in God and those who hold to such faith are "delusional", there is no question that the scientific community is being used to spew out false prophecy, or that it inspires false prophets; and with worldwide acclaim championing scientific truth as the real truth of the universe, it is hard not to think about it as constituting the philosophic ideology preached by the False Prophet.

Out of the scientific community pours a growing stream of those on earth who reject not just belief in Jesus Christ, but even the notion of God's very existance. These figures are the chief priests of the new atheism. What makes their prophecies global is that the vast majority of planetary citizens are accepting their assessments without question, and so in the grand scale of two sides in the choosing, are lining up on the side of the disbelievers and thus proving themselves to be the community scripture terms "Babylon".

In this case, the prophet opposing Christ in our current system is focused on man's burgeoning belief in himself, using his misinterpretations of science as proof that he has no rivals. With science controlling reason, and the enemies of God controlling science, such proofs present a formidable foe. Philosophically science is considered irrefutable. It's declarations are global. And that voice today is arguing fiercely against the existance of God.

So compelling is the world's growing belief in science that many Christians think nothing of using it like a microscope to test the words of the New Testament. Did Jesus walk on water? Could He cure broken bones, the blind or deaf?  Could He raise the dead? Is there a resurrection?  In its arrogance, science demands on its own terms a rationale to Christ's assertions ­ a codicle to faith ­ one that brings doubt to faith and shreds the weak like grass before a scythe.

Faith reels under this onslaught; proof that the world has found a new god ­ one overtly atheist in nature ­ a prophet it believes in more than Jesus or Buddah or Mohammed. This new system of belief is a global phenomenon and reaches across all borders and religions.

The war between the two does not center (as it would appear) on various church ideologies that differently postulate speculative dates and ages as we see in questions like evolution, it goes much deeper than that. It strikes at the heart of God's very existance. Jesus says there is a God; science under current management says no.

In this sense, they have their prophet, and we, ours.

This doesn't mean the major discoveries of science are false, most appear quite accurate; it means interpretations of those discoveries are being missused by leaders in the discipline to promote the false conclusion:that no Creator can possibly exist and that to believe otherwise is delusional. That is a fatal teaching. It is even bad science.

There are great numbers of people who believe science and religion equally and see the first supporting God and bringing understanding to His ways, but such voices no longer hold sway. It is not science saying no to God, it is those who control its teaching ­ the ones who interpret its prophecies incorrectly that offer it up now as a belief, just as they did during the days of Hitler when he proposed his thesis of a master race, and of the pollution of inferior races that needed extermination.

Because so many believe in the truth of science, it has become the ideal tool of despots. Today it is atheism that has science in its grip. Atheism is a religion of purely Satanic character. One with only a single avowed goal ­ to do away with belief in God entirely for the purpose of the purity of what it considers academic reason. It is Hitler's ideology reborn in a new way.

The scriptures do not describe the world of the future as coming under the influence of an evil religious ideology. While they describe the Madman as using the people of an alien god to help him in his defenses, everything said about him indicates he will consider himself a god ­ one who honors the god of fortresses, a man of war who honors a god unknown to his ancestors with gold and silver, precious stones and valuable presents. He will be heedless of his fathers gods and he will consider himself greater than them all (Dan.11:37-39).

"This is the Enemy, the one who claims to be so much greater than all that men call 'god', so much greater than anything that is worshipped, that he enthrones himself in God's sanctuary and claims that he is God." (2 Thes. 2:1-4).

With hydrogen bombs and all the other ghastly weapons produced by science, its servitude to a military master other than itself tracks closely scripture's words on the subject. Especially when, in this sense, a false prophet emanating from a misinterpretation of science can serve both East and West with equal facility.

It s not hard to imagine a world not far away bristling with scientific inventions, satellites, rockets, supersonic aircraft, all armed to the teeth with the fire of the sun, spouting messages of evil, and made visibly manifest to the world through the medium of talking heads, boldly officious, perhaps as they were to the mind of John when he was shown them in vision.

To him they looked like the multitude of statuettes sold in his markets as divinity, but now gargantuan in size, focused on a single individaul, and beaming down from a giant wall screen, speaking and moving as if alive.

"Then I saw a second beast; it emerged from the ground; it had two horns like a lamb, but made a noise like a dragon. ·This second beast was servant to the first beast, and extended its authority everywhere, making the world and all its people worship the first beast, which had had the fatal wound and had been healed. ·

And it worked great miracles, even to calling down fire from heaven on to the earth while people watched. ·Through the miracles which it was allowed to do on behalf of the first beast, it was able to win over the people of the world and persuade them to put up a statue in honour of the beast that had been wounded by the sword and still lived.

It was allowed to breathe life into this statue, so that the statue of the beast was able to speak, and to have anyone who refused to worship the statue of the beast put to death." (Rev. 13:5-15)

In this sense, the False Prophet does not tell us there is a different God. It tells us there is no god except the Beast. This is the ultimate heresy, the declaration that man himself is greater than God.

Many questions remain, however. Scripture shows the False Prophet's appearance coming, not with the early empire of the East but with its successor (Dn.11:21+). The False Prophet seems to arise with the Madman, the one they call the Beast. (Rev.13:11+).

The Beast will be a person far more associated with Persia in particular than was the first empire. He is described in scripture as the Prince of Persia, and in early Christian prophecies as a reincarnation of Nero at the head of a Parthian (Middle-eastern army) which he will use to recapture Rome; and from there, launch his final attack on Jerusalem.

Given the religious nature of Persia today, a religious prophet, rather than an atheist may very will be at the foundation of these prophecies. A careful reading of Daniel however, shows that if religion is a part of this second Eastern regime, it will not be anything like any religion extant in the Middle East today. More likely, it will be Caesarian in nature. Far more like Nero in character. It will be a perversion of religion, with an obsession for war and riches and the pre-eminence of a man over God.

The appearance of both of these individuals (Beast & False Prophet) is still quite a ways away. Many prophecies have to be completed before either appears on the world stage.

In the meantime, atheism remains Christianity's greatest threat in today's world, and with its seizure of the way science is currently portrayed, the principal engine powering the growth of atheism in the modern era. From grammar school through post-graduate school in every nation of the world, those teaching science seem to be overwhelmingly united in their willingness to use it as a tool in their campaign against the existance of God.

That speaks to the indoctrination of our children in a way little different than the Gymnasia next to the Temple in the days of Antiochus. The results, too, are proving similar, and the trajectory as well.

 

How close is it to the Rapture? ­JG

Answer:

The rapture concerns the Second Coming of Jesus Christ. About that moment, the New Testament gives us the following description. It comes from the Apostle Paul:

"At the trumpet of God, the voice of the archangel will call out the command and the Lord himself will come down from heaven; those who have died in Christ will be the first to rise, and then those of us who are still alive will be taken up in the clouds, together with them, to meet the Lord in the air. So we shall stay with the Lord forever." (1 Thes.4:16-17).

The faith that has energized the Church for the last 2000 years sees this moment as a singular point in time when Jesus will return visibly before all people. The argumentative polemics that seek to fracture this moment into two returns, the first invisible and involving only certain Protestant righteous have stirred great controversy of late, but lead away from the faith first taught. The Rapture and the end of this world are one and the same.

"To turn now, brothers, to the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and how we shall all be gathered round him, please do not get excited too soon or alarmed by any prediction or rumor or any letter claiming to come from us, implying the the Day of the Lord has already arrived. Never let anyone deceive you in this way.

It cannot happen until the Great Revolt has taken place and the Rebel, the Lost One, has appeared. This is the Enemy, the one who claims to be so much greater than all that men call 'god', so much greater than anything that is worshipped, that he enthrones himself in God's sanctuary and claims that he is God." (2 Thes. 2:1-4)

"Surely you remember me telling you about this when I was with you? And you know, too, what is still holding him back from appearing before his appointed time. Rebellion is at its work already, but in secret, and the one who is holding it back has first to be removed before the Rebel appears openly." (2 Thes. 2:5-7)

Prophecy when it is fulfilled will always surprise us ­ even more in the way that it happens than by the fact that it happens. It never comes as we expect it. It comes as written, but never as expected.

A recent example of this can be found in the prophecies of the Book of Revelation documenting the fallen towers in New York (Rev.18). The writing was astonishing in its accuracy, but most of us before the planes attacked, envisioned an entirely different kind of unfolding. By the way it came to pass, we could not have been more stunned.

In a similar vein, the biblical experts in Judea at the time of Jesus had no idea that He was the Messiah the scriptures predicted. They knew the Bible backward and forward, they were aware of all the predictions about the Holy One Moses had promised, they waited for him with enormous anticipation, yet looking at Him in person they scoffed at the idea he was the one they were waiting for. But look what happened. They were looking with their expectations, so their eyes deceived them.

This is the way it is with prophecy when it comes true.

All that is predicted will happen. Scripture's prophecies all come true. It is God's will. Jesus said so (Luke 21:22). It will happen in exactly the way it is written. Yet much of this unfolding goes unseen. So busy are people looking the other dirction, they fail to notice. Most of what we wait for are human predictions that go far astray from the words of scripture. All the speculations that go beyond the Bible's own words are suspect. Those are expectations, not Bible prophecy.

Complicating Bible prophecy, the Holy Spirit has directed that its prophecies be fulfilled in more than one way, with one or more apparent fulfillments preceding an ultimate completion to come. There is often more than one fulfillment to each prophecy. This was necessary so that the Bible stay relevant over several thousand years.

This dualism follows a precise theme (scripture's prophecy itself), but it comes in different ways. Not only physically, but spiritually as well. It has to pass back and forth through the boundaries of matter and spirit. That necessitates metaphore. In Christ, there is a spiritual meaning to every prophecy. All this dualism can be summed up in the Bible's declaration that all the works of God go in pairs by opposites.

We can see this in the very structure of the religion itself. God's religion has come to us in two formats. First as Judaism and then as Christianity. First as a physical religion and then as a spiritual religion. First Moses and then Jesus.

Moses brought the prophecy of the Messiah. Jesus is the Messiah. The first was reflected light and the second the true light of God. The religion of the Hebrews was the reflected light of Moses. His words were an interpretation of the light he saw on the mountain. That reflected light (his interpretation) had no life in it because it was not the true light of God.

Jesus, on the other hand was the light ­ the light that gives eternal life. He was no reflection. Jesus was the Word of God itself, come down from heaven in person. There is nothing in Moses that can even compare to that.

Jesus is God. That is the teaching of the Trinity.

This is why no one can be saved by Moses. There is nothing in Moses that gives eternal life; he simply leads us toward the light that is Christ. Moses points us in the right direction. The Mosaic religion was a physical reflection of a greater truth to come.

So it is with the Old Testament relative to the New. The Old Testament leads us to the New Testament. It is in the New Testament that we find our God. The old was prophecy. Jesus was anticipated there, but not seen..

In the same way that the moon provides no life-giving energy, but by the sun all things on earth grow, so it is through Christ, not Moses that all things come to eternal life. So important is this message, that God has manifested the cosmos in its metaphore ­ in the form of sun and moon. Did He do it on purpose? I think He did.

It is much the same with the duplication of prophecy. The destruction of the World Trade Centers in New York presents a physical reflection of a greater truth still to come. A far greater destruction still awaits the true towers of Babylon. In the same way, the attempted assassination of Pope John Paul in 1981 was a physical reflection of the Fatima prophecy, but not the perfect truth of it. That also is still to come.

These visions involve dual physical realities. One has already occurred and another will follow. In the second example we have a prophecy which seems not to come from the Bible. But when we look closer, it did. Not just in the assassination of Onias III (2 Mac.4:30-38), but in the writings of Daniel (Dn.9:26) which drew from Onias' historical setting. There is one that holds back the appearance of the Beast and he must be cut off before that Madman can appear openly. Lucia tells us who that "one" is.

Since prophecy is fulfilled both literally and physically, scripture's dualism is compounded. Not only may the physical fulfillments be repeated, the ultimate fulfillment of all prophecy is spiritual. A spiritual truth is at the core of all prophecy. Thus God has ordained that prophecy unfold before us in multiple formats to sharpen our understanding and to prove the truth (the essence of scripture's prophecy) in advance.

When Bible prophecy is fulfilled, we can expect to see it arrive in installments. Usually it happens in two's. But there may be more. The first is designed as a proof of what is to follow, and a warning that the prophecy is true. It comes as proof that God's path is leading as specified. The attacks on the towers in New York carried with them just such a warning. Revelation's prophecies relate to "Babylon", a spiritual city, not just to New York. It is to that spiritual end that the prophecy ultimately leads. That is the core of the prophecy.

Babylon serves mammon, not God. The towers in New York were dedicated to money ­ to world trade. Their footprints stood in the shadows of Wall Street. The towers represented the pinions on which stood the entire financial system of the world ­ the twin towers of mammon ­ the stock market turned casino on one side, and the real estate bubble with all its hocus-pocus credit swaps on the other. So in the prophecy we see the forces of money structured in two towers toppled by the prophecies of God. In spirit then (in terms of the two spiritual cities of the Bible), Babylon and Jerusalem meet head-on. The culminaton of this collision is the Wrath.

The Return of Christ cannot occur until the Wrath has run its course. The Beast cannot appear until the Prince of the Church has been "cut-off".

The fulfillment of prophecy will always bring surprise. The same can be said for the Rapture or anything else we expect ­ even the nature of our heavenly bodies. Our expectations always mask the realities hidden from view behind the words of God. Many expect a pre-tribulation rapture. But the Bible says nothing about that.

Instead, the Bible promises a Great Revolt ­ a huge falling away (2 Thess.2:3). The Christians are to disappear from earth in great masses, but through unbelief, not by sudden rapture. This enormous collapse in the faithful comes in the form of a secular revolt, with polls showing Christian ranks falling precipitously ­ from over 80% to 40% and below ­ when numbers drop so low that America becomes like the other countries, its own mission field.

Knowledge of this great falling away comes to us from scripture, it is not speculation. And we can see it happening all around us right now.

One thing is certain, all prophecy coming from scripture is inexorably true. It will happen. Very often quite different than expected, but perfect in the words that describe it's unfolding and the path down which it leads.

American troops are now lined up near the Euphrates river. A similar line of western troops at that location was prophesied over 2500 years ago by Jeremiah in relation to his "proof of all his prophecies". This was in regard to the fate of a prophesied Jewish homeland reborn from Diaspora to militancy rather than peace. The western troops described by Jeremiah were said by him to be "Egyptian", a nation whose army had signed a military alliance with the Jews of Cyrus' time to insure their protection.

So here we are. Today America, acting like that Egypt of prophecy with its own troops at the Euphrates has a similar military alliance in place with Israel. This has all the earmarks of prophecy fulfilled. If so, the prophecies have not only shown us that this would happen, Jeremiah's words tell us what happens next ­ they lead us to the unfortunate proof he offered.

Prophecy is at the very core of belief. Jesus Christ was promised in scripture to appear. He was called the Messiah and came as predicted. When He departed, He promised to return. Between those two appearances Jesus structured a harvest of souls ­ a harvest enabled by the cross and based on compassionate behavior toward all people. The time is short because the life of the earth is short. It is caught between two destructive pinchers ­ man on the one side and nature on the other. Jesus' short mission and its interpretation have been often maligned, but through it all God's goal has been accomplished. Those who have turned their lives over to Him in humility and perseverence, in their salvation will be proved victorious.

Prophecy is the one thing the enemy can't counter. It is easy to invent a religion, but to put one together with thousands of prophecies in place that must occur to prove it is without precedent in human history. Down through the ages, piece by piece, the world has been able to watch the fulfillment of this prophecy unfold in real time. What mind could have done this? ­to bring forth one religion whose sole purpose it was to prophecy (and thus prove) a second one ­ a divine one to come that features God Himself offering total forgiveness and true eternal life.

Thus God has built His two religions in the same format that He structured the prophecies themselves. In a bed of predictions. He has even architected the cosmos in the very same metaphore. No matter which way we look (if we bother to look), we see His truths. It is incredible. And the focal point of all of it is the Second Coming.

Those who think they can prevent this Return with scoffing delude themselves. It is a part of the architecture of everything. It will happen exactly as predicted. Once and for all.

Please list the nations that belong to Babylon and the ones that belong to God. ­NT

Answer:

That really isn't possible any more.

Jesus was sent by God to call us out of Babylon's spiritual captivity. We make that exodus through baptism and conversion and a life dedicated to the obedience of the commandments Jesus preached, especially the commands of service ­ to love one another ­ to feed the poor, give drink to the thirsty, food to the hungry, comfort to the sick, help to widows and orphans, and to live a life of humility and compassion in the ways of the Lord.

Virtually all the nations of the world have descended at this point to a level of behavior Jesus needs to lift us out of in order to save our souls.

Secularism and atheism coupled with ridicule for all things holy have returned almost every nation on earth to Satan's command (rule). For this reason we now live in a time much like the one that faced the Church and its earliest Apostles 2000 years ago where the people not yet baptised lived in captivity to and within a spiritual empire called Babylon.

The 1700 years of Christian rule in the world has run its course. What will follow is something quite different. Jesus said the time of God's offer would be short. We can now see with increasing clarity the parameters of that abridgment. Though long prophesied, its ending comes surprisingly unforeseen.

Starting late in the 18th century and building slowly through the 19th, then rapidly as the 20th century unfolded) a giant wave of secularsim swept unchallenged across the earth. In its wake, virtually every western country on earth has removed Jesus Christ from His guiding position at the moral helm of their nations. At the same time, the Bible as the moral authority of western world government has been abandoned and discarded.

This has produced a major changing of the gods on earth.

Early in the 20th century, as the nations began this accelerated move away from God, political atheism was reborn in Russia. From there, under the influence of Karl Marx and others, it flowed into many nations in the orient as well as Eastern Europe. This embrace of a culture at war with God, and the secular mentality that enabled it, is the resurrection of Babylon. Atheism is a part of secularism so both East and West have collaborated in its return.

Prophecy describes this extraordinary pheomenon as the mortal wound healed.

This reincarnation on earth of godlessness, is, for the most part, a one-way street as far as God's offer is concerned. The harvest is coming quickly to an abrupt end. Jesus Christ will not be returned by the world's citizens to His position of authority over this world. This is for real. The revolt is terminal.

Almost to a one, the nations have signaled they are finished with Jesus Christ. Increasingly, their citizens (the people of Babylon) feel the same way. They have listened to what He had to say; been instructed by their leaders to follow the pattern He directed, tried that course, and are now rejecting it openly.

And that is the reason for the Supreme Court decisions, for the plummeting church memberships and for the closing of large numbers of church buildings. The people of the world are discarding His offer. This is exactly what prophecy said they would do.

This change of heart is the reason for the Judgment.

With few captives left to find, and a harvest that is almost over, the world is now entering the final stages of gleaning in God's spiritual search. These are Babylon's last days. The harvest is almost over. The fields are being prepared for ploughing. The tares are being gathered for the fire.

Drowned out by a cacophany of evil, Christ's message of salvation now falls unheard on a vast sea of ears. Buried in the flashy symbols of our time (money, false witness and the fast life), a power of deception has descended on the earth in keeping with God's promise in 2nd Thessalonians 2:10-11. It is a cloud of darkness, and it is bringing the "night" Jesus warned about.

It is true that Russia has converted and rejected communism and its atheism, and returned that nation to rule in Christ. This astonishing development has completed the 2nd prophecy of Fatima. It has proved Lucia's prophecy true.

But her third prophecy will be proved true as well.

Between her two revelations lies the time of the Wrath. Not the end of the world. That will come later. For now we are entering the night Jesus warned about.

With Satan's full powers put at their disposal, his forces will use them to darken almost all of the earth. Russia's return to Christian rule will not withstand the ferocity of this assault on its newly recovered faith.

Even in America, the fracture lines can be seen. Christianity is splintering into pockets of faith, driven there by enemies growing ever more hostile to the doctrine of Christ ­ enemies who disseminate the hatreds, fears and greed of an unfoldng culture that now seems to seethe with rage against compassion in all its forms. It is a rage that has incorporated even the religious ­ even the children of God if that were possible.

One nation, the Vatican, still rules in Christ. Beyond that there are very few nations on earth that have resisted the temptation engineered by Satan to expel the teachings of Christ's Gospel from official society. The separation of God from Babylon is now virtually complete.

This is the way it must be. It is written in the Book of Revelation that when Satan returns from the Abyss he will mobilize all the nations in the four quarters of the earth for war (Rev.20:7-8). This we have witnessed and are continuing to witness because he is here now, mobilizing every man, woman and child who will listen, for war and hatred in keeping with God's prophecy.

Where did compassion go? (Mat.24:11-12)

When the coming night (the Wrath Jesus warned about) has run half its course (Dan.9:27), Peter's successor will fall (2 Thess.2:7). Prophecy tells us he must be removed before the Beast can appear openly. The two witnesses will be silenced (Rev.11:1-10). But they will rise again (Rev.11:11-13). The Wrath will be short. But it must happen before the end can come. The night is close at hand, but its darkness will be temporary.

We must brace ourselves in faith and hold on until the dawn. Jesus has promised that dawn will come. Therefore, it will return.

Jesus will return as God ­ just as He promised.

Hey, just wondering??? If the law of Moses was done away with but not the law of God which is what I have always believed then what about the commandment to Honor the Sabbath and keep it holy? How do we do that with the kind of jobs today? Example: Shift work? I understand that the first 5 commandment involve God and the last involve man. Jesus summed it up Love God and love others. Thanks for your help ­MT

Answer:

You answered your own question. Here's more.

Implicit in the Mosaic understanding to honor the sabbath is the Law of God in Christ. It was of this underlying framework in the Mosaic code that Jesus said:

"Do not imagine that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets. I have come not to abolish but to complete them. I tell you solemnly, till heaven and earth disappear, not one dot, not one little stroke shall disappear from the Law until its purpose is achieved. Therefore, the man who infringes even one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be considered the least in the kingdom of heaven; but the man who keeps them and teaches them will be considered great in the kingdom of heaven." (Mt.5:17-19).

That Jesus understood there to be a specific day called "the Sabbath" can be seen in His response in saying "the Son of Man is Master of the Sabbath" (Mk.2:27-28). He did not intend to do away with the Sabbath. Instead, He changed the celebration of that occasion to spirit and truth. A key part of that spirit was, as you say, to do good on the sabbath, i.e., to keep the day holy.

Paul's teaching shows that the Sabbath day is related in a special way to the "day of atonement", i.e., the day the light of Christ shines on the earth. His light has been so shining from the first Pentecost to now. Even though that "atonement day" looks long to us from our perspective almost 2000 years later, Jesus said the light it gave would be short and when it was over, darkness would return. That means the Gospel will be taken away. We only have that "one day" (extended "almost" to two by prophecy ­ Joshua 10:12-13) to do our work in God's word.

Thus the prophecy indicates this 'day of atonement" will not last a full 2000 years, so it is quite possible we are very close to the end of the world's opportunity for salvation at this very moment, increasing dramatically the imperative for action in the now. This end-time imperative is why we read in the Book of Hebrews the following admonition:

"Do not stay away from the meetings of the community as some do, but encourage each other to go; the more so as you see the Day drawing near." (Heb.10:25)

The "Day" Paul speaks of references God's promise of the day of rest which is to follow our work in the Lord. The Sabbath day of rest is a microcosm of that promised moment, (the Day) to come.

Paul has written that as that Day grows near, the days of bewitchment will grow stronger, and the temptation to fall away will grow greater:

"But when the Rebel comes, Satan will set to work: there will be all kinds of miracles and a deceptive show of signs and portents, and everything evil that can deceive those who are bound for destruction because they would not grasp the love of the truth which could have saved them." (2 Thes.2: 9-10).

"The reason why God is sending a power to delude them and make them believe what is untrue is to condemn all who refused to believe in the truth and chose wickedness instead." (2 Thes.2:11-12).

It was Jesus' custom to go to the synagogue and preach on the sabbath (Mark 6:2; Luke 4:16; 4:31, etc). This was in keeping with His command that a light must be put on a lampstand, not hidden under a bushel. He went both where and when the people expected the Word to be preached. They were congregated there specifically for that message. "Where I am there will my servant be also." (John 12:26).

Jesus said the sabbath was made for man, not for God (Mk.2:27-28). This was a critical revelation. It was for our own benefit that God ordered a day of rest. When we do manual labor without sabbath rest, it is our own choice to do that. God did not mandate that kind of labor. Usually even critical care occupations in the most strategic areas of hospital work offer every other weekend off each month.

In Moses (incorrectly thinking that the sabbath was made for God) the Sabbath obligation was considered an absolute in every way. In Christ, that obligation has been tempered, first by His disciples who changed the day of the sabbath from Saturday to Sunday to make it coincide with Jesus' resurrection, and second by mercy.

The Apostles of the Church had every right to do both. Jesus gave them that right when He told them, "I tell you solemnly, whatever you bind on earth shall be considered bound in heaven; whatever you loose on earth shall be considered loosed in heaven." (Matt 18:18; John 20:23). Their rights under this dictum were so complete they were able to rescind virtually all the commands of the Torah (the Jewish Law) with respect to Christians and to restate them in their own way (Acts 15:7-29). Our New Testament is the result of that action.

Jesus is the master of the sabbath because it is He who leads us to that promised day of rest. We spend our lives in Christ laboring in His commandments in expectation of that time of rest promised at the end of our toil on this earth in His name.

"The Holy Spirit says: If only you would listen to him today; do not harden your hearts, as happened in the day of Temptation in the wilderness, when your ancestors challenged me and tested me though they had seen what I could do for 40 years...I swore that not one would reach the place of rest I had for them." (Heb. 3:7-12).

"Even though they ate from the rock that was Christ and even though they drank from the rock that was Christ, their corpses littered the desert because they failed to please God." (1 Cor.10:8).

"And those who made God angry for forty years were the ones who sinned and whose dead bodies were left lying in the wilderness. Those that he swore would never reach the place of rest he had for them were the ones who had been disobedient. We see, then, that it was because they were unfaithful that they were not able to reach it." (Heb. 3:17-19).

"Be careful, then: The promise of reaching the place of rest he had for them still holds good, and none of you must think that he has come too late for it. We recieved the Good News exactly as they did; but hearing the message did them no good because they did not share the faith of those who listened." (Heb. 4:1-2).

"(Because) those who first heard the Good News failed to reach it through their disobedience, God fixed another day when, much later, he said 'today' through David...If only you would listen to him today; do not harden your hearts.

If Joshua had led them into this place of rest, God would not later on (through David) have spoken so much of another day." (Heb. 4:6-8).

"There must still be, therefore, a place of rest reserved for God's people, the seventh day rest, since to reach the place of rest is to rest after your work, as God did after his. We must therefore do everything we can to reach this place of rest, otherwise some of you might copy this example of disobedience and be lost." (Heb. 4:9-11).

In these verses we can see how important to our faith the day of rest is. It is the day of salvation; the day of the Return of Jesus Christ as promised. Since the Sabbath day recapitulates in a weekly rotation the absolute day of rest promised by God to the Israelites, each sunday brings that ultimate day closer.

Scripture is clear. Our need to attend church does not decrease with time. It increases. That admonition is not in the Bible by accident. The Holy Spirit had great purpose in putting it there. We should heed His words and be careful not to be disobedient

"...You see America as the Kittim of prophecy, a country more powerful even than the beast, and the world's final hope for victory over the forces of Satan on earth..." ­ZP

Answer:

This iis not the question, but I will address it as if it were.

In the view of a great many Christians today, we are in the last days. If we accept that understanding to be correct, then it seems certain that America is the "Kittim" of Daniel's prophecy. That prophecy (and others) describe Kittim as a powerful far-western island-like nation surrounded by seas and stamped into history at the end of days. In composite, they describe much more.

Since America fits all those prophetic descriptions so well, and no other nation has (over the next hundred years) the capacity to rise to such a dominating strength, or of replacing the United States in all the ways foreseen and described, we cannot even imagine another contender for Kittim's title.

Added to that, Isaiah shows in his 'end of the world' Apocalypse (chapter 24) that this same nation will be among the last bastions on earth where the overt worship of Jesus Christ continues to be broadcast in loud voice as it does in America today:

"They lift up their voices, singing for joy; they acclaim the majesty of God from the sea. Therefore in the islands they give glory to the Lord, in the islands of the sea, to the name of the Lord, the God of Israel. From remotest earth we hear songs, 'Honor to the upright one'. But 'Enough, enough!' I say. 'Woe to the traitors who betray, to the traitors who treacherously betray!' Terror, the pit, the snare for you, inhabitants of the earth..." (Is.24:10-17).

Isaiah shows the Wrath will come in the very midst of this worship, and in spite of it. These voices, regardless of their strength are the only ones left on earth broadcasting Jesus Christ to an otherwised darkened world; everyone else has abandoned Jesus and forsaken Him.

That timing is now. Everything is in place. To make it different would require centuries and unimaginable changes. If Kittim is not America, then the End is not even close. Daniel's words concerning Kittim must be about America especially if we are to entertain any of the assumptions surrounding the messianic fervor popular today, i.e., the idea of the nearness of the Return of Christ.

Given current conditions, in keeping with the descriptions outlined in the prophecies, America (acting out the visions of Kittim) will block the forces of the beast just before the final end of the Wrath takes place. Our power to do this is already in place.

Our power to do this does not necessarily mean that America's military forces will be more powerful than those of the beast at the time of the End. The threat of America's vast and sophisticated nuclear arsenal alone, pitted against those of the East can easily rule the impasse.

This impasse blocks the beast, but only for a time. Kittim is not the salvation of the world or the sword that defeats Satan.

Scripture shows it to be an impasse that will be violently broken (Rev.17:16; Dan.11:44; Is.24:6).

Those last verses show that at the end of time all those rockets will be fired, regardless. That is the final stage of the Wrath, Kittim not withstanding. The only victor in this holocaust will be Jesus Christ as He gathers all who have followed Him during the course of their lives, and leads them (leads us) to His new kingdom, "a kingdom not of this earth" (John 18:36).

Those who teach that the planet will survive this fusilade, do so in direct contradiction of the scriptures...not just Christ's announcement above, but the fiery passages of Peter's second letter (2 Peter 3:7 & 3:10). To announce a future that is otherwise is simply wishful thinking by visionaries who must re-write the Bible to make their alternate impressions come true.

The thousand-year reign of Christ on earth is not a future event. It was the reign of the Christian Church. History shows us that it has already come, and is now passing by. It is a reign in its final moments.

The Church's ruling sceptre (the power of the Gospel over the nations) has already been broken.

The world's revolt against Christ is in its final stages because, over the last 100 years all the nations have rejected Jesus Christ, banishing Him from their governments and rejecting his Gospel as mankind's moral base. Christian morality has vanished. It has been replaced by a new morality so foreign to Christian sensibilities that it literally shrieks of blasphemy.

Daniel has written that the nation (the great horn) that achieves the two victories at the Euphrates will be broken and its empire scattered to the four winds soon after the second horn is defeated (Dan.11:4). Since history shows that the United States is the nation and the western world the empire that has won those victories (the two Gulf wars), America seems preordained to Daniel's fate. According to Daniel, its empire will be broken up and parcelled out when God gives the signal.

Daniel wrote that the timing for this signal will occur soon after victory at the Euphrates is declared, when western troops defeat the second horn of the ram (Dan. 8:7), and while its troops still guard outposts at the banks of that river (Jer. 46:2; Rev. 16:12). This speaks to the moment of victory in the second Iraq war. The announcement of this victory is close. There is a common wisdom in Washington these days that the proclamation of this second victory is either in place now or within months of occurrance.

According to Jeremiah, the signal itself will be an assassination (Jer.44:29-30). God will hand over the head of the western world to his enemies.

"And here is the proof for you ­ it is the Lord who speaks ­ that I mean to deal with you in this place: so that you may know that the words with which I threaten you will come true. The Lord says this: I will hand the pharaoh Hophra, king of Egypt, over to his enemies and to those determined to kill him, just as I handed Zedekiah king of Judah over to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, his enemy who was bent on killing him." (Jer.44:29-30).

This event, says the Bible is to be the "proof" of Jeremiah's predictions concerning the Wrath that is to follow. It puts into place Jeremiah's final prophecy for the world (Jer.51:58).

Concomitantly, it speaks to an imminent and abrupt termination of American dominance over the world.

This is not Jeremiah's vision alone. All the prophets have joined in this discourse.

Daniel's vision implies that our world-dominating status will change dramatically and precipitously. America will survive, but its empire status will end. What does this mean? How does the sudden collapse of the western world, foreseen by Daniel, square with the power of a Kittim that later is able to force the mightiest army the world will ever see (the vast forces of the North and East in the last days) to withdraw in fear?

These prophecies show America with two metaphoric names in scripture. The first is "Egypt", the second, "Kittim". It is as if there are to be two "America's". The first as an empire (our nation today) and the second, the same nation, but in a different form. It is the second that blocks the beast in the very final days.

What conditions could precipitate such a swift and dramatic collapse in our international strength, a collapse that shatters one identity and precipitates another in our national identity and character?  Isaiah has written a verse in prophecy which indicates America (guised as "Egypt") may be devastated by civil war

"I will stir up the Egyptians against each other and they shall fight every man against his brother, friend against friend, city against city, kingdom against kingdom." (Is.19:2).

Will civil war shatter us and rip away our authority among the nations and help bring down the western world?

America has already shown itself in modern times to be the "Egypt" of Jeremiah's prophecies. As did Egypt at the time of Jeremiah, it is the United States today that blocks the forces of the East at the Euphrates river. We are the nation standing at that "Maginot-like" line, and thus fullfilling Jeremiah's vision (Jer. 46:2). More than that, we are the "Egypt" Israel has turned to for military support (Jer. 42:18).

On this point all the prophets agree. Here is Isaiah's warning to Israel not to seek military assistance from this "Egypt":

"Woe to those who go down to Egypt to seek help there, who build their hopes on cavalry, who rely on the number of chariots and on the strength of mounted men, but never look to the Holy One of Israel nor consult the Lord...The Egyptian is a man, not a god, his horses are flesh, not spirit; The Lord will stretch out his hand to make the protector stumble; the protected will fall and all will perish together." (Is.31:1-3).

Thus Isaiah's prophecy of civil war in "Egypt" may be aimed at circumstances today in the United States in fulfillment of this scripture. If so, the primary prophecies for such an event are in place and coming to a focal point fast. The division of our nation today in religion, politics and race is as grave as it has ever been, mimicking in crucial ways the darkest moments of the 1860's. It is proceding along the same fracture lines.

The deep political hatred that has split our nation in half and pitted the two sides against one another is at fever pitch. We are at an incindiary point in our history. There is gasoline everywhere and a burgeoning band of crazies rising up looking for matches. A black president sits precipitously close to a metaphoric Dallas. Racial relations are collapsing as we watch bringing both fuse and fuel into certain contact. And that, too may be a part of the prophecy.

With an eye on nothing but controversy and ratings, our press has encouraged and enabled the wrath. We are on the razor-edge of a rage that could see every city in our nation burned down overnight, a boiling rage now held back only by and for Jeremiah's moment.

That moment alone, in Jeremiah's words (when the western world's great leader is cut off) is to be the "proof" of all the prophecies concerning the Wrath. According to Jeremiah, it will put the world on notice.

Quickly the ten nations will form. Revelation's predicted invasion across a dried-up Euphrates riverbed (Rev.16:12).will soon follow, bringing the hordes of the North and the East torrenting into the lands of the West. Their coming will be as Joel has described (Joel 2): They will stand in Jerusalem. The holy city will be spared only by a treaty.

According to scripture, that invasion will insure that the reign of violence across the planet will not stop until humanity on earth is a fraction of its current size (Is. 24:6) and Jesus returns to rescue those who, throughout history have held onto their faith until the End. These chosen represent 2000 years of people down through the ages who elected to believe in Jesus Chrst and set their lives in His truth.

Kittim, you see, is not a rescue. It is only a moment in time.

Jesus Christ is the rescue.

 

A question about Christians, our times and the tribulation. ­DK

Answer:

Scripture has predicted this course of events (a global tribulation preceding the Return of Christ) but Christians should not be overly worried about this. The sufferings we bear are our share of the sufferings endured by Jesus in His rescue of our souls from death. Even terror at its very worst will rarely duplicate that received by Jesus in our name. More than 2500 years ago, Jeremiah wrote:

"The wall of Babylon has fallen. Go out of her my people; save your lives, each one of you, from the fierce anger of God. "But do not be faint hearted! do not take fright at rumors hawked round the country; one rumor spreads one year, next year another follow; violence rules on earth and one tyrant cancels out another." (Jer.51:44-46).

Violence and terror are nothing new on earth. Those in Christ must suffer alongside those who are not. Yet in Christ, the obstacle of misfortune is tempered by the knowledge that the suffering will be temporary and short-lived. More than that, we are protected by our faith and Christ's promise to rescue us from evil.

There is a time reserved in prophecy for an increase in the terror and wrath, and we may be entering that moment in history now, but as Christians we are still protected by our faith.

There are ministers who use dark occasions such as these as an opportunity to terrify those they lead with dire warnings of divine wrath and chaos as if it were Christianity's own behavior producing these effects. They preach to the wrong audience. It is rarely those in church attendance that have promoted God's wrath. Instead it is those outside who frustrate Him ­ those who deny Him or refuse to accept His offer of eternal life.

And even then, God does not meet such obstinant behavior with wrath.

Behavior has its own consequences, irrespective of God's hand. A driver who drinks when he drives is likely to visit terrible wrath on the innocent people he impacts, but that catastrophe was not God's doing. When a large portion of the population of a nation or world become irresponsible in their behavior, the results are magnified. Terrible consequences will be the inevitable result.

The Wrath described in scripture's prophecies is not much different than this. It is little different than the drunk driver on the highway, but vastly magnified. It is when the whole world decides to turn their back on God (on Jesus and His Gospel). In this special case (in the vacuum of a collapsed faith) God's Holy Spirit will be withdrawn on a vast scale. This is not God wielding weapons of His divine wrath against a disobedient people ­ instead, it is the world's loss of God's protective hand shielding them from harm. The whole world is handed over to its own serendipitus fate.

This is what makes Christians different ­ through faith they retain the protection of God's shield. We have escaped serendipity. God's Spirit does not leave us, no matter how grave the disaster ­ no matter how far into apostasy the rest of the world plunges.

It is those who refuse to accept the safety of the Church that must fear the terror of the times. Man in the flesh without God is a wild animal. On this earth he comes armed with terrifying weapons with little self-control or thought of compromise, while ever hounded by the dark urgings of the spirit of Satan.

Jesus did not promise great things for us in this world. He told His apostles that they would have trouble here, but that God would guide them safely through this rocky landscape to His own kingdom, a world of eternal life where all things exist in and of God's benevolent will ­ where the wildness of Satan is non-existant.

We need to hold on to that faith and use this violent occasion as a means to do good in compliance with God's Gospel.

"I will raise up shepherds to look after them and pasture them; and they shall fear no more nor be dismayed; not one shall be lost­it is the Lord who speaks." (Jer.23:4).

 

Why did Jesus rename Peter? ­NT

Answer:

Originally, Peter's name was "Simon". He and his brother Andrew were the first two disciples Jesus called to be Apostles. Simon continued in his original name during a portion of Jesus' ministry, but at a key point in time, Jesus changed it to "Peter" (Mat.16:18).

Everyone who agrees to follow Christ becomes a new person. They have passed from a being of this world to a new creation in the kingdom of heaven, a kingdom not of this earth. Because in this process we do not physically die the moment we become Christians, a way to denote this change is by taking a new name. A practice born out of this can be seen in the Roman church where those baptised take the names of one of the saints of the past, ( a person of their own choosing or a person of their family's choosing).

In most cases, our new names remain unknown. They will be revealed later at the resurrection.

In Simon's case, Jesus chose the new name he was to receive and voiced it publicly. He selected the name "Peter", a name that related to the very nature of Simon's role as far as the Church is concerned. The name means "Rock". The symbolism not only stands for the stability of Christ's new Church on earth, it stands for a change in its very nature, a change in the way our worship of God is to be conducted.

Up to that time, the temple of God related in Hebrew worship to a place ­ to a building, and to the exact location of that building on earth. It was fixed in Jerusalem, on the temple mountain, and on a particular rock on that mountain. The temple rock had been singled out by king David as the very stone on which Abraham had, under God's instructions, sacrificed a ram in place of his son. From that time on, it was considered the holiest rock in the world and the only place where the Hebrew temple could be built.

It is easy to see in David's Psalms how firm the relationship between "rock" and "God" had become in the Jewish mind (Ps.18, 43, 61, 71, 94, 95, etc.). All of these were drawn upon a relationship that was firmly based in the Torah, the Hebrew Law (Gen, 1:31+; Dt. 32:4-39).

It was accepted by the Jewish elders that David's rock was the only place on earth where God could dwell. That is why everyone had to go there to worship Him. That is why Solomon and Herod built their temples to God on that rock. That is why the Muslims, when they captured Jerusalem more than a thousand years ago, built their own temple (the Dome of the Rock) on that same rock, the rock of Abraham.

When Jesus changed Simon's name to "Rock", He signified that God had moved the temple off of David's rock, off of Mount Moriah (the Temple Mountain), and even out of Jerusalem. Instead, He had placed it in the heart of everyone who recognizes and accepts Jesus as Savior and Lord of thieir lives (Is.22:19-23).

Simon was the first person on earth to officially voice this recognition and acceptance (Mat.16:18).

In that recognition, he became what Aaron (the brother of Moses) had only prefigured, the high priest of the new Church Christ had been sent to build on earth. On Peter's shoulders the rest of us stand. We become a royal priesthood offering the sacrifices that Jesus has made acceptable to God ­ mercy, justice, and good faith. The true sacrifices God wants from us are the spiritual sacrifices of behavior (1 Peter 2:.9-10).

Jesus has removed the "Holy of Holies" from a specific building in Jerusalem and placed it in the center of our souls. Each Christian carries a part of this divine altar within us so that we may offer those sacrifices during the course of our daily lives in Christ. It is a living Temple, and each of us are stones making up that spiritual building (1 Peter 2:4-8).

This is why no physical temple can ever be rebuilt. God has not only changed its location, but its very nature. The temple of Christ has replaced the temple of Moses. There can be no return to Moses. He was only the guardian, not the true Father. The temple of Moses was a guardian temple, awaiting the true structure of God's temple, which is the very nature of Christianity itself. That is God true temple on earth.

A physical building would be a false temple. A building can be a citadel (a refuge), but never a temple. There is only one temple, and if we are in Christ, it is withiin us, wherever we are.

 

I have a question regarding a statement you made about the people who wrote the Dead Sea Scrolls. You said they expected two messiah's. Did they think they were coming together or at different times? What does the Bible say about this? ­JA

Answer:

The Essenes, the authors of the Dead Sea Scrolls, were a prophetic organization, secretive, very religious and convinced they were living in the days the messianic vision was to be fulfilled. They were a Jewish cult. Theirs did not constitute mainstream Jewish beliefs. They refused even to enter the Jewish temple in Jerusalem.

When the Messiah appeared, the Essenes expected a final-day battle where human forces would join those of God against the armies of the world. Leading both angels and Israelites, this temporal Messiah, a fierce human warrior, would spearhead his divine army to a rout of the world enemy (the forces of Satan) and in the process, establish Jerusalem as the capitol city of the earth in a world-dominating kingdom of God.

They saw one transcendant and divinely chosen warrior, but were convinced he would be accompanied by a divinely chosen priest. Together, according to Essene writings, these two would rule Israel and the world once God's regime had taken control of it.

Some scholars are convinced the Essenes arose in the shadow of the Hassideans ­ a military organization, passionate and nationalistic, built by the Maccabee's to help wrest Judea from the clutches of Antiochus IV Epiphanes in the 2nd century B.C.

It is obvious in their writings the Essenes felt those officiating in temple services at the time of Herod had betrayed the trust of the scriptures.

As a consequence they broke with the Temple that bore Herod's name and refused to enter therin. Instead, they built a desert enclave in Qumran above the Dead Sea where they studied the scrolls of scripture, wrote extensive commentaries on their interpretations of these documents, and awaited the Messiah's imminentally expected appearance.

They studied the scriptures in minute detail and arrayed themselves in specialty groups, especially with respect to the Old Testament prophets. In their combined observations, they became convinced that there would be two Messiah's, a warrior and a priest, and that both would appear at the same time.

In scripture, the expectation for divinely inspired temporal and spiritual leaders in the messianic era was almost foundational. Israel was a theocracy. It followed the pattern of the Torah (the Law) which structured the partnership of Moses and Aaron (and the architecture of ritual they represented) at the pinnacle of Hebrew liturgy and politics.

Thus this dual expectation of leadership structured in Moses and Aaron followed through Hebrew history and can be seen in the people's demand for a king (with a high priest at his right hand). This led to David, and to a succession of kings and priests until the deportation to Babylon when Israel's monarchy ended.

In the final days of the exile, with the monarchy vanished, at least one prophet heralded the twin relationship in messianic terms. See Zechariah's proposed vision of a post-exilic "Joshua" and "Branch" (also named "Zerubabbel") ­ Zech.3 & 4. It was most likely Zechariah's writings that cemented the Essene view.

Their great expectation zenithed in a holy pair completely invisible to the Essenes. It arrived in the person of Jesus, the ultimate King (God Himself in the flesh) and in Michael, the divine spiritual guide who assists Him as the Guardian Angel of the people of God. "In all this there is no one to give me help except Michael, your prince." (Dan.10:21. See also, Malachi 3:1-3). In these two, Christianity sees all of human history incorporated, past, present and future.

Throughout the entire exodus, these two bookended the procession of refugees that made the journey from Egypt to the Holy Land during their 40-year trek across Sinai ­ the pillar of cloud in front and the angel of God at the rear of the departing column. (Exodus 14:19-20). This pattern will persist to the End. We have Jesus leading us now and in the final moments of history will appear Michael at the end of the procession.

The flight of the Exodus was, in reality, an allegory that pointed to our escape from Babylon under the leadership of Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit. It pointed to our liberation from Babylon by the Messiah.

"Writhe, cry out daughter of Zion, for now you have to leave the city and live in the open country. To Babylon you must go and there you will be rescued; There God will ransom you out of the power of your enemies." (Micah 4:10).

"Go away! Go away! Leave that place, touch nothing unclean. Get out of her, purify yourselves, you who carry the vessels of the Lord. But you are not to hurry away, you are not to leave like fugitives. No the Lord will go in front of you, and the God of Israel will be your rear-guard." (Is.52:11-12).

Scripture's vision did not forsee two "Christ's". Jesus is God and the Godhead is singular. There cannot be two Messiah's.

Instead, the Holy Spirit has revealed that scripture's vision focused, for the most part, on two earthly leaders. It followed in the pattern of Moses and Aaron. It focused on the two men chosen by God to head Christ's Church in Jesus' absence, i.e., two religious men, eminently holy, but below God Himself. These two turned out to be Peter and Paul.

Peter and Paul were for the New Testament what Aaron and Moses were for the old.

Christianity has persisted in this relationship down through history. In the shadow of Peter and Paul, we have seen a similar ruling pattern repeated again and again in the close relationship between the various Bishops and kings of the nations of the western world throughout history as, together, both temporal and spiritual leadership have supported Christ during troubled times, in a relationship that has co-ruled the world in His name down to almost our own time.

This is the pattern of government that produced the Christian era on earth.

Today that bond has been broken as the nations have revolted against Christ. The temporal part of this relationship has abandoned God and become secular. This rebellion was prophesied in 2 Thessalonians 2:3-4, and stands as a signal that the rest of Paul's prophecies (the dark night of godlessness he forcast in his writings as the consequence of this revolt) has begun to descend on a house now divided (2 Thes. 2:9-12).

 

For additional information on Qumran, see our paper, "The Dead Sea Scrolls"

 

"In addition to Russia and China, the Shanghai group includes Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.  Iran has permanent observer status along with India, Pakistan and Mongolia." ­10
­CM

Answer:

This is a reader update on the idea that the developing Shanghai Alliance might be the formative nucleus of the 10 eastern nations prophesied for the last days by Daniel, in his book, and by John in the Book of Revelation.

See Goodnews question page, June, 2006

 

Have you noticed the world is getting angrier? We need Jesus now more than ever. ­GA

Answer:

Anger is said to be one of the four stages of loss.

In individual terms, these stages happen over several months. In national terms or world terms, where vast populations are involved, the stages may take decades to work themselves through.

The greatest loss that could possibly happen to mankind is to lose God. This has happened to the world over the last 100 years or so. Jesus Christ and His Gospel, the flagship of the world for the last 1700 years, have been ripped out of the nations by their political leaders. The United States was ordered by its Supreme Court to follow this pattern in 1963.

The American politicians in subsequent decisions have concurred in the erradication of God from the state, thus solidifying the forfeiture and guaranteeing its permanence. The rule of the Christian Church on earth has ended.

The reverberations of that catastrophic loss have rippled through society ever since.

Anger is the third stage.

Since, in the case of God, the loss involves an invisible, intangible and hidden hunger, this anger cannot be focused on its real source. Instead it is an anger that is shotgunned throughout society, with every aspect of it, a target.  Some are able to buck the rejection and ridicule of God and find their way to the outlawed church, but for most, the loss is permanent.

The final stage is acceptance. The outcome points to a secular society, godless and atheistic, the fulfillment of 2 Thess.3:9-12.

 

If God made us in his own image does that mean God has arms and legs like we do? ­KK

Answer:

No.

Scripture does not say that God is made in man's image, just the opposite. It says that God has made us into His image

Jesus said God is spirit.

"Flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, and the perishable cannot inherit what lasts forever." (1 Cor.15:50).

In order to make us into His own image, God imparted into us His Holy Spirit. According to Paul we died to our body of flesh when we were baptised into Christ (see below) and in that moment, were reborn into a spiritual body whose form and shape will not be revealed until the resurrection.

What the exact form and shape of that new body is, Jesus and scripture do not say. Perhaps it is because we have no way to comprehend it ­ it is eternal. It can navigate the entire universe. It encounters no barriers.

In order to wear that body, our soul had to be made sinless. This is why Jesus died on the cross ­ so that our soul might be made into a vessel so clean and holy that we could be remade in God's image by housing the Holy Spirit within it.

The Holy Spirit brought our new body to us ­ a tiny child of a body that needs to be nourished with the food of heaven so that it can grow up strong and eternal. We are fortifying it into adulthood now by obeying Christ's Gospel. That is the spiritual food that leads to our new life in God's kingdom. Jesus called His Gospel the "bread of life".

In baptism our soul is cleansed in Christ's blood and our body of flesh is destroyed, replaced by an invisible body of spirit that is made in the image of God ­ a body we cannot see until the day of the End.

Until then, all we can do is speculate on its true nature. The following are some of the things revealed about that nature in scripture:

"You who wanted no sacrifice or oblation, prepared a body for me. You took no pleasure in holocausts or sacrifices for sin; then I said, just as I was commanded in the scroll of the book, 'God, here I am! I am coming to obey your will'." (Ps.40:6-8)

"Brothers and sisters: It is written, the first man, Adam, became a living being, the last Adam a life-giving spirit. But the spiritual was not first; rather the natural and then the spiritual. the first man was from the earth, earthly; the second man, from heaven. As was the earthly one, so also are the earthly, and as is the heavenly one, so also are the heavenly. Just as we have borne the image of the earthly one, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly one." (1 Cor. 15:45-49

Remember, we have gone through massive supernova explosions and a Big Bang to get here. The fact that we exist now in the flesh, made in fire out of nothing but an array of electrical charges is a kind of guarantee that we can exist again in any form God wishes to mold us. Our flesh is made out of this creation (this universe) but our new body will be made out of the new creation God is making in heaven.

"You have put on a new self which will progress towards true knowledge the more it is renewed in the image of its creator; and in that image there is no room for distinction between Greek and Jew..." (Col.3:10).

"In him you have been circumcised, with a circumcision not performed by human hand, but by the complete stripping of your body of flesh. This is circumcision according to Christ. You have been buried with him, when you were baptised; and by baptism, too, you have been raised up with him through your belief in the power of God who raised him from the dead." (Col.2:11-13).

"Someone may ask, 'How are dead people raised, and what sort of body do they have when they come back?'...Whatever you sow in the ground has to die before it is given new life and the thing that you sow is not what is going to come..." (1 Cor.15:36-37).

"You sow a bare grain, say of wheat or something like that, and then God gives it the sort of body that he has chosen: each sort of seed gets its own sort of body." (1 Cor.15:37-38).

"...There are heavenly bodies and there are earthly bodies; but the heavenly bodies have a beauty of their own and the earthly bodies a different one...the stars differ from each other in brightness.

It is the same with the resurrection of the dead: the thing that is sown is perishable but what is raised is imperishable; the thing that is sown is contemptible but what is raised is glorious; the thing that is sown is weak but what is raised is powerful; It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body and there is a spiritual body." (1 Cor.15:40-44).

Using such metaphore, God has, throughout scripture, revealed deep mysteries that few on earth know anything about. When asked about these secrets, Jesus told His apostles: .

'The mysteries of the kingdom of God are revealed to you; for the rest there are only parables, so that 'they may see but not perceive, listen but not understand'." (Lk.8:9-10; Is.6:9) "For anyone who has will be given more, and he will have more than enough; but from anyone who has not, even what he has will be taken away." (Mt.13:12).

It was very important to Jesus that we contemplate these unknowns (the differences between God's world and this world), and understand their true meaning (especially with respect to the parables), so that we see more clearly into the mind of God.

"If you do not understand this parable", he once asked (his apostles), "how then will you understand any of the parables?" (Mk.4:13-14).

The language of God is a language of metaphore. It is the only way of describing a world vastly different than our own.

The kingdom of heaven is vastly different. We have no basis in our understanding to even contemplate such a world, because in it even the atoms and molecules, if there are such things there, are of another kind. It is a construct that allows unimaginable freedom of movement throughout creation, unbound from the crutches of oxygen or wings or motors, and impervious to every kind of danger that stalks the natural creation.

The idea that there could be a form of life outside of biology is something one might see in science fiction shows like Star Trek or hear in the casual conversation of various physicts and astronomers, but to most the concept seems nonsensical. Yet this is precisely what the heavenly Host implies. The kingdom of God constitutes a vast civilization of eternal beings as real as you and me, yet entirely outside the realm of biology. Most likely, outside the realm of matter entirely. Who are they and what are they? All we know about them is that they are like us, but they are spiritual beings.

They are living beings with spiritual bodies. They have their own body but it is different from ours. In the form of the angels, these heavenly beings are around us right now, in our very room at times ­ yet we cannot see them because God has ordained they be invisible to our vision. They can pass right through walls. Jesus did this when He materialized in front of His apostles after His resurrection (John 20:26)..

It is important that we think of angels here, because when asked about our nature in eternal life, Jesus said we will be like the angels (Mt.22:29-30; Luke 20: 34-38). Because we are immortal, there will be no giving or taking in marriage; no male and no female.

Since our entire existance here is predicated on the pleasures and conditions that make up this world, an environment so foreign to this may seem frightening to some, or at the very least uncomfortable to current understanding of the way things should be. Yet a great many of the pleasures of this world come from Satan, not God. They are perversions of the Creator's intent. With Satan and his intrusions here removed, our world would be vastly different.

Those differences are highlighted in the degree to which most people approach Christ. What are we willing to give up for Him? "I am sorry, I cannot attend the meal you offer, I have to go feed my cows." What do we hold onto the tightest? These sacred cows are a reflection of the magnetism of Satan's appeal. Thiey also show the strength of faith. Weak faith clutches the things of this world. Stronger faith gives them up, trusting instead on God and obeying Him despite the loss (of worldly pleasures and goods) incurred.

In our physical birth into this world, we (and the people before us) have spent thousands of lifetimes exploring its nature and trying to find out what it is about and how it is constructed. Yet in all this time we have barely scratched the surface of its complexity. And this is the world God is discarding. Think of the kingdom of God which is eternal ­ how much more complex and beautiful we will find it. Especially since evil does not exist there. The polarity of this world will be left behind. Even the metaphore that describes that polarity will vanish. There will be no night; no darkness at all (Rev. 21:25).

Those who are blind to God cannot accept these things:

"The language of the cross may be illogical to those who are not on the way to salvation, but those of us who are on the way see it as God's power to save. As scripture says: I shall destroy the wisdom of the wise and bring to nothing all the learning of the learned. Where are the philosophers now? Where are the scribes? Where are any of our thinkers today? Do you see how God has shown up the foolishness of human wisdom? If it was God's wisdom that human wisdom should not know God, it was because God wanted to save those who have faith through the foolishness of the message that we preach." -1 Cor.1:18-21.,

"How rich are the depths of God­how deep his wisdom and knowledge­and how impossible to penetrate his motives or understand his methods! Who could ever know the mind of the Lord? Who could ever be his counsellor?..." (Rom.11:33-35).

 

I read one of your question answers concerning the Jewish "Feast of Tabernacles". You likened it to Christian communion. On what do you base your observation? ­NK

Answer:

In the Hebrew calendar there are three primary feast days during the liturgical year. The first is "Passover", celebrating the exodus of the House of Israel from captivity to Egypt, the second, on the 50th day afterward, is called "Weeks", celebrating the first fruits of the harvest, and the third is the "Feast of Tabernacles", the feast of ingathering from the harvest (see Lev. 23:1-44).

These three feast days are a command of the Hebrew Law, the Torah. That means that God must honor them in the way of His own choosing. This He has done.

Christianity (formed in the schematic of the Hebrew Law) has superimposed on these three required festivals the spiritual counterparts which the Hebrew days metaphorically represented. Passover is replaced by the Easter ritual from crucifixion to resurrection. The day of First Fruits is replaced by Pentecost, the anniversary of the appearance on earth of the Holy Spirit; and the feast of Tabernacles is replaced by the communion service, the holy meal of the churches.

Each one of these three festivals honors a member of the Holy Trinity. Easter for Christ, Pentecost for the Holy Spirit and the Day of God for the Father.

A part of the ritual of the feast of Tabernacles required the Israelites to live for seven days in shelters (or tents) to remind them of the period of the exodus when all the tribes had to live in such tents when the Lord brought them out of the land of Egypt (Lev. 23:42-43).

These shelters correspond to the multitude of Christian churches scattered across the world and within which we now live as Jesus Christ leads us from the land of Babylon to God's new kingdom in heaven. All this is what the Israelite feast actually stood for, the true "exodus" to eternal life.

Leading this feast, five days before it's beginning, is the Day of God. In the Hebrew liturgy it is called the "Day of Atonement" (in Hebrew, "Yom Kippur"). It is the highest holy day in the entire Hebrew liturgy.

In Christianity we recognize the Day of Atonement as the Day of Christ. It is the day of His Sonlight shining on the earth. It began on the day of Pentecost when the Holy Spirit first appeared on earth in 30 A.D. and it represents all the days the Gospel of Jesus Christ has been preached across the earth from then to the present day. The light of God's day, though now waning, is still shining. It will continue to shine until the beast orders it to be turned off. This will occur when he desecrates the perpetual communion sacrifice (Dan. 9:27; 8:10-12).

The term of God's Day of Atonement is the meaning of the "7 weeks" and "62 weeks" in the prophecy of Daniel. The Bible tells us that a day to God is like a thousand years to man. A prophecy in the Book of Joshua tells us that God will make the sun (the Son of God) stand in the sky long enough to make one day into almost two. To man, that means almost 2000 years.

If this prophecy is literal and is based on the first Pentecost, it means the light of Christ will go out before 2030 A.D.

In Daniel's prophecy of the "7 weeks" and "62 week", the first part (the 7weeks) stands for the first war against Christianity ­ a war that drove the developing church into hiding (its time in the Roman catacombs). The "62 weeks" almost certainly began when Constantine issued his "Edict of Milan", allowing Christianity to leave its hiding places and be proclaimed publicly across the world. Christ's religion was embraced by the empire and given favored status over all other forms of worship.

In that same prophecy in the Book of Daniel, the last week (a terrible week divided into two parts) follows the "62 weeks". This last week of the world will produce two kngs of the East in sequence, who, one after the other, will conquer most of the world militarily, crushing the western world and toppling the religion of God. In the first part of this week, the feast of the tabernacles (communion) will be gravely threatened. In the last half of that week (the 3 and 1/2 year reign of the beast), it will be outlawed.

And then the end will come (Dn.12:7). The trumpet will sound and Jesus will return in glory.

The feast of holy communion represents the "wedding feast" that all who choose Jesus are to share in the kingdom of heaven following our resurrection at the end of the world. That is what the feast of the tabernacles is ultimately pointing to.

 

How much time do we have till the world ends? ­GA

Answer:

At the dawn of the 20th century in the earliest days of the1900's, the science fiction writer H.G. Wells was permitted by God to envision a bomb that could wipe out entire cities in a single explosion. Wells called his device the "atom bomb".

God used Wells to signal to the world that He was about to put into man's hand an instrument so lethal it had the capacity to destroy the entire world in a single hour. This invention arrived in 1945, fulfilling Wells' vision, and giving man the capability to bring to fruition the darkest prophecies of the Book of Daniel and John's Book of Revelation.

In hindsight, Wells' vision had put the world on notice that the peace treaty God had initiated through Jesus' sacrifice on the cross was nearing its point of termination. Jesus warned that it would only be in effect for a short time.

That treaty (which allows the life of this earth to continue) is perpetuated by the communion sacrifice, and is held in place by agreement of both sides. Christians are required to remain humble and without ambition except to do good, while Babylon is required to allow its Christians to leave by the path of the Gospel without interference.

The allegory of this pact can be seen in Pharaoh's edict at the time of Moses allowing the Israelite captives to leave Egypt and make a trek to the Promised Land. Pharaoh agreed to let them go, but, as that exodus neared its end, changed his mind and attacked the rearguard of that departing column. He did not honor his word, nor is Babylon honoring the treaty of Christ which the Mosaic exodus allegorized.

This world only exists for the journey of Christianity to the kingdom of heaven. The treaty of Christ has given it extra life only for that purpose.

The global impositions we have seen initiated over the last century against Christian preaching point to a hardening of Babylon's heart. This includes the Soviet and Asian mandates to atheism, the religious intolerance of the Middle East and the global shift to secularism.

This escalating worldwide attack over the last 100 years on the teaching of the Gospel are early warnings that what took place in Pharaoh's palace are about to be duplicated against Christianity. It tells us the attack is near. The nations are no longer encouraging their citizens to listen to Christ's call. Instead, they are throwing up an ever increasing sequence of roadblocks to thwart that exodus and to discourage belief in the veracity of God's emissaries.

In the meantime, stockpiles of weapons capable of delivering the instant annihilation of almost all life on this planet are glutting silo's across the earth and dozens of nations are clammoring to add thousands more to the inventory. God, in the person of Jesus Christ, declared this world evil. It should have been destroyed at the very moment He preached, but God allowed it to live temporarily with His treaty of peace. This gave time for the righteous to be rescued. Jesus went to the cross specifically for that purpose.

Now, with the treaty nearing collapse under a burgeoning weight of wickedness, the mandate for the continuation of the evil planet is in dire jeopardy. The harvest is almost complete. Everyone seeing this transition progress, should note with care what they see and turn to Jesus for salvation and the protection of God. It is past time to enter His shelter.

The day of the End is known only to God and no one can foresee its moment, but we have been warned that before it happens, an intense darkness will descend on the land, snuffing out the light of the Gospel, causing people to run to and fro looking for God but not finding Him. The shadows of that darkness are represented by the changes that have roiled the Christian world over the last 100 years. These changes are the signs of its approach.

When the light of this world is taken away it will be too late (except for a very few) for anyone to accept God's offer of eternal life. Do not wait for the End. Work while you still have the light .

"As long as the day lasts I must carry out the work of the one who sent me; the night will soon be here when no one can work. As long as I am in the world I am the light of the world." (John 9:4-5)

 

Will there only be 144,000 saved? ­NA

Answer:

This question relates to the Book of Revelation, Chapter 7, verses 3-8 (& 3:9-17).

The number in question does not square with either the prophesies (both New and Old Testament), or with Jesus' teaching. Nor does it square with the numbers themselves. Christ has been preached for almost 2000 years. Much of the population of the earth over that time has been Christian. The 144,000 is not a number for the 21st century alone, or for 2009 alone. It is a number for all time.

Divide 144,000 by 2000 years (the number of years that have passed since Christ was crucified and you get 72 people a year. That covers all religions and all areas of the earth, and is a number that continues to get smaller every year as the distance in years from the date of the crucifixiion continues to increase.

72 itself is a very small number. Count the people in your church. 700? 2000? 8000? That's not in your denomination, it is in your current church building. How many Christian churches are there in America? In the world? Now figure out how to pick just 72 Christians from all over the world ­ from all the churchs across the face of the earth, combined, discarding everyone else.

Are those who feel they can be saved without going to church included as well? Will any of them be a part of the 144,000? Add them to the list of candidates for salvation and the number shrinks again.

Even if you just count churches alone, most churches will have zero. There are tens of thousands of churches across the planet today, and only 72 people can be selected out of all of them put together. Entire denominations may have only one or two people in a whole year.

Statistics show 87% of U.S. citizens are Christian. There are 350 million U.S. citizens. Eighty-seven percent of that number is 304 million people. Out of this you get 72 people? In fact, much less because world-wide the Christian population numbers almost 2 billion people. The statistics say 72 people out of the whole world. Out of 2 billion Christians?

If only one Christian in each state of the Union were saved, that would be 50 in the USA alone, leaving only 24 for the whole rest of the world, Canada, Mexico, S.America, Europe, Africa, Asia, Australia, etc.?

Adding in all those other countries, it would be more like 8 or 10 Christians in the entire USA. More than 40 states would produce none at all. If God's salvation were in numbers that small, God could rightly be accused of making what amounts to an impossible promise. No common people would have a chance. Even most of the Mother Theresa's would fail. This is just the opposite of Christ's promise. Obviously this interpretation cannot be true.

Closer inspection of the prophecy shows it isn't true. The 144,000 prophecy is metaphore. The number itself is metaphore. It details a specific group of the saved, not all of them. For in the very next paragraph of the same prophecy in the Book of Revelation we are shown a vast throng of "saved" who number more than the sands of the sea:

"After that I saw a huge number, impossible to count, of people from every nation, race, tribe and language; they were standing in front of the throne and in front of the Lamb, dressed in white robes and holding palms in their hands..."

"...One of the elders then spoke, and asked me, 'Do you know who these people are, dressed in white robes, and where they have come from?' I answered him, 'you can tell me, my lord'. Then he said, 'These are the people who have been through the great persecution, and because they have washed their robes white again in the blood of the Lamb, they now stand in front of God's throne and serve him day and night in his sanctuary; and the One who is on the throne will spread his tent over them. They will never hunger or thirst again; neither the sun nor scorching wind will ever plague them, because the Lamb who is at the throne will be their shepherd and will lead them to springs of living water; and God will wipe away all tears from their eyes." (Rev. 7:9-17).

Now that fits the promise. Everyone who chooses to accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, and tries to follow Him as best they can.

The road is narrow, yes, but it is not an impossible journey. The promise of an easy burden and a light yoke is true (Mat.11:28-30). Prophecy says that stumbling is allowed. It says that perfection is in progress (i.e., making headway), getting up from a fall and getting back on the road (i.e., returning to the path of Christ) (Ps.101:2,6). . The lesson the Exodus teaches is 'Don't turn back'. And Jesus Christ has said the same. Don't lose faith.

The Book of Revelation shows that no matter how low a person's faith gets, it can be rescued by their returning to the way of Christ. 'Think where you were before you fell...return to that...' (Rev. 3:2; 3:18-20)

 

This subject has been covered before in different ways on previous question pages.
To view these go to: "The 144,000"

I am actually surprised at how eerily quiet everyone has been about the sudden rise in popularity and power of our current president and the Biblical story of the rise of the antichrist. I am not trying to equate the two (I'll wait to see if time takes care of that for me), but I have always wondered how someone could have a vision so opposed to the Christian worldview and yet be hailed by so many as a great person - without someone publicly making the comparison. I always felt that the Left Behind series and so many other end-times fiction writers were unable to create a convincing scenario or series of events that could lead to someone "coming out of nowhere" to gain such power. Yet, we have someone who appears to be in his position solely based on empty promises and rhetoric. I suppose he is not the first world leader to come from nowhere, but to become the President of the US used to imply that a person had a serious resume' of service and experience...(It) shows how easily people are fooled or how shallow their judgment can be. (We) need to look beyond the surface of our elected leaders. We simply appear as hooligans voting for whoever will give us the most stuff. For the most powerful nation in the world to have done that is very disturbing. I see a trend that will result in (if it hasn't already) an elected leader who will quickly and easily steer the nation to idol worship. And the majority of the people will joyfully, cheerfully follow with 24/7 gala coverage by an adoring media.I have been mulling this over since the day after the election when a close friend (who supports Obama) told me - at church - "isn't it really nice to have someone in the white House who can speak so well". ­JF

Answer:

The popularity of the Antichrist does not extend to America. The Bible shows America as his enemy:

"At the time appointed he shall return and come into the south; but it shall not be this time as it was before. For ships of Kittim shall come against him, and he shall be afraid and withdraw, and shall turn back and be enraged..." (Dan. 11:29-30).

This passage in scripture clearly shows America to be at the doorstep of war with the Antichrist. From the reading, the standoff seems to be much like the Cuban missle crises of 1962. America will prove the stronger in this conflict, but it will only intensify the hatred between our country and the beast, as the rest of this scripture indicates.

The Antichrist amasses his popularity among his own ­ among the people of the East ­ the Parthians ­ the people of Asia and the Euphrates. Even the Europeans will cower before him. But not the United States. He will build his popularity slowly much in the way Bin Laden (in his attempt to mobilize the vast Muslim world against America) has done. It will be the same with the Antichrist. He will build a popularity in the same theatre of focus ­ aiming to impress the vast populations of the ten nations of the East.

The fact that Barack Obama is president of the United States eliminates him from consideration. If you check the full complement of the prophecies in the Bible concerning the Antichrist, you will see that Obama's position commanding the American presidential office, all by itself, negates any possibility of his being the Antichrist.

Even more important, Barack Obama has testified to the world that he is a Christian. This also excludes him.

Because he embraces Jesus Christ as his Lord and savior, he has divorced himself from Satan. Like the rest of us who have chosen Christ as our Lord, he lives under a blanket of grace. The Apostle John has specifically written in scripture that no one who calls himself a Christian can be considered the Antichrist (1 John 4:15).

"The man who denies that Jesus is the Christ ­ he is the liar, he is Antichrist; and he is denying the Father as well as the Son, because no one who has the Father can deny the Son, and to acknowledge the Son is to have the Father as well" (1 John 2:22-23).

Barack Obama has acknowledged the Son.

"If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in him, and he in God." (1 John 4:15).

Because John's words stand sealed in scripture, his statement acts as divine prophecy.

It not only means that Barack Obama cannot be the Anitchrist, it shows that the Antichrist will never voice acceptance of Jesus. John's statement is not just an absolute, it is a two-way street. The Antichrist will never embrace Christianity. And because Obama believes in Christ and has made this testimony public, he will never be the Antichrist.

Scripture's prophecies, as I have shown below, reveal that the Antichrist will arrive on the scene screaming terrible blasphemies against the Holy Trinity, against Christians and against the Church. And he will mobilize his enraged followers to do the same. He never endorses Christianity, just the opposite.

Jesus went to extraordinary lengths to insure that Old Testament scripture proved true. God will go to even greater lengths to make sure the prophecies of the New Testament prove true as well.

Paul expanded on John's prophecy:

"Face plain facts. Anybody who is convinced that he belongs to Christ must go on to reflect that we all belong to Christ no less than he does." (2 Cor. 10:7).

Everyone who embraces Jesus Christ begins a journey which is a trial by fire that tests and hones faith. We may stumble many times in this journey because we are imperfect, but as long as we persist in our faith, get up and continue on the journey, we remain on the path towards eternal life. It is God's decision who it is that is successful on this journey, not ours. For our part we must not judge other Christians, because it is God who is leading them through the fire of cleansing, not us. We cannot read the mind of the Holy Spirit.

We do know that as we judge, so will we be judged.

There are many, many Christians who seem not to live a perfect "Christian worldview" kind of life, but the Holy Spirit is often able, in His own way, through fire, to reformat their faith and bring them to the salvation they are working toward. Scripture tells us we need to pray for them.

Popularity does not make a person the Antichrist.

Barack Obama is popular because people feel he is committed to straighten out the mess our country is in. The nation is mired in the deepest recession the world has experienced in over 60 years, we are faced with Muslim terrorism, two active wars, bankrupting health costs, a financial catastrophe unseen since the Great Depression, and now a pandemic virus with possible lethal potential. Hope that he can be constructive against these malignant forces makes Obama popular.

Don't focus on popularity ­ especially American popularity. We are the only nation in the world whose defacto national anthem is a call for God's blessing: "God Bless America". We are a blessed country and the Beast does not come from here.

Remember, the Bible does not say that everyone on earth will worship the Antichrist, just non-Christians. It says everyone EXCEPT those who live in Christ:

"...and all who dwell on earth will worship it (the Antichrist), every one whose name has not been written before the foundation of the world in the book of life of the Lamb..." (Rev. 13:7-8).

Those whose names are written in the Book of Life will not worship the Antichrist when he appears.

When the Bible says that the "world" will worship the beast, remember there are only 350 million people in the entire United States put together. The world houses over 6 billion people. That's "B", billion. The world outnumbers us almost 20 to 1.

The East owns the extraordinary population numbers, not America. Think China, Indonesia, India, the "Stans" and so forth. A huge number of these people are atheists and non-christians. They have already been duped. "World" popularity demands an eastern Antichrist. Remember, in scripture the army of the Beast is described in terms so prodigious only the East could provide them; soldiers that number like the sands of the sea:

"Sound the trumpet in Zion, give the alarm on my holy mountain! Let all the inhabitants of the country tremble, for the day of God is coming, yes, it is near. Day of darkness and gloom, day of cloud and blackness. Like the dawn there spreads across the mountains a vast and mighty host, such as has never been before, such as will never be again to the remotest ages." (Joel 2:1-2).

"When the thousand years are over, Satan will be released from his prison and will come out to deceive all the nations in the four quarters of the earth, Gog and Magog, and mobilize them for war. His armies will be as many as the sands of the sea; they will come swarming over the entire country and besiege the camp of the saints, which is the city that God loves." (Rev.20:7-9).

"The Lord says this to you, 'Do not be afraid, do not be daunted by this vast horde; this battle is not yours but God's. March out against them tomorrow (but) You will not need to fight' ..." (2 Chron. 20:15-17).

The Antichrist rises to power in the East.

Barack Obama has risen to power in the West. These origins are polar opposites. The prophecies are very clear on the location of the Madman's appearamce (where he comes from). His origin is shown in the prophecies to be near the Black Sea. That's over near the Euphrates, just above Asia Minor. He is shown to command a Parthian army. That is a combination of Persian and Asian forces.

In the prophecies that army is hostile to America because we are aligned with Israel. The President of the United States sends his ships to block the Beast's army from invading Israel (Dan.11:29-30). So how could he possibly be the beast?  Not only that, read in the following quotation how powerful America is in relation to the Antichrist:

"At the time appointed he (the Antichrist) shall return and come into the south; but it shall not be this time as it was before. For ships of Kittim shall come against him, and he shall be afraid and withdraw..." (Dan.11:29-30).

He shall be afraid?

At the very height of his power, the Madman is shown in the Book of Daniel to be blocked by American warships ­ by the ships of Kittim (a mighty naval power in the western coastlands). Afraid, the Antichrist shall turn back. If this happens anytime in the next century we must assume that he will be thwarted by the U.S. Seventh Fleet.

Barack Obama is the commander and chief of that fleet, so if it happens on his watch, how can he be in two places at once?  How could he attack himself?

Scripture gives us a description of the Antichrist that is so detailed, a grammar-school sleuth would have no trouble identifying him when he appears. Don't isolate these prophecies by choosing just one. Take them all together. Each prophecy tells us a part of the Antichrist's profile. When all the verses about him are added together, the details spell out his entire personna.

If you are searching for a candidate for the Antichrist that fits scripture's descriptions to a "T", try Bin Laden. He meshes with prophecy's mold so well, it is chilling. He rose up with a small following out of obscurity in the East, without election or royal credentials. He has no office and since he has chosen to dwell in a cave, he has no country. This is a profile very similar to the one detailed in the Book of Daniel.

Coming out of Persia without a country, and wrapped in the robes of intrigue, Bin Laden has spent his early career warmongering in hiding. He has been around now for more than 12 years and yet is still working his intrigue out of the shadows, from a cave.

"...there will rise a wretch: he will not be given royal honors, but will insinuate himself into them in his own time and gain possession of the kingdom by intrigue." (Dan. 11:21-22)

The Antichrist seems to use the same kind of tactics Bin Laden is using to try to secure his own grasp on world power.

The Antichrist comes with several names in scripture. they describe his character. He is called the Beast, the Destroyer, the Prince of Persia, Gog, the King of the North, the Lawless One, the Man of Lawlessness, the Rebel, the Madman, the Wicked, the Wretch, the Man of Sin, the Man of Perdition, the Son of Perdition, the Lost One, Blasphemy, even Daystar (Is.14:12-13+) This because his appearance directly precedes the Return of Christ.

The Antichrist will have no power of his own.

"His power will gather strength ­but not through power of his own..." (Dan. 8:24).

Isn't that how we see Bin Laden? No kingdom, no army, no navy, no air force. Just a small rag-tag group of thugs ­ but now, even without a country or army, growing so strong in his warmongering he is able to pit himself successfully against all the worlds greatest nations and militaries simultaneously.

Where does Barack Obama fit in this profile?  He is just the opposite ­ he comes with enormous power of his own. He has been chosen by the people and duly elected to command the most powerful empire in the history of the earth. Elected by the people, his claim to authority is legitimate. As president of the United States, he is the most powerful and influential man in the world today.

When the Antichrist appears, he will mimic Bin Laden ­ at first, an obscure warmonger without any army, navy, airforce or weapons.

"Still conspiring, he will go from treachery to treachery, ever growing stronger despite the smallness of his following." (Dan. 11:23).

Read that again: "the SMALLNESS of his following". That is coupled to Daniel's words "ever growing stronger" in the quotation above. Together they show a slow ascent to strength, not an overnight catapult into command of the world's most powerful empire. Bin Laden has been growing stronger for 12 years and he is still in hiding. All the while, his popularity is growing among the Muslim youth.

Scripture's prophecies talk about the Antichrist's warmongering ­ his crushing defeat of armies (Dan.11:22), his invasion of nations, his plundering of the people and the institutions in the nations he conquers, the distribution of that plunder to his "Friends", etc. The Antichrist is a man of war, not peace. He comes with a brutal sword.

Even now while still operating from a cave, without any throne, or army (without even a country), Bin Laden has shown himself to be one of the more barbaric personages in history. Aside from directing multiple wars, he straps bombs on women and children and coerces them to go out and blow themselves up in the markets and cafe's simply to kill as many shoppers as possible. Using such measures, he is slowly ascending toward a future still unknown, and all the while gaining popularity among his own.

Will the Taliban give him Afghanistan? Pakistan?

Will Bin Laden prove to be the Antichrist?  He is probably too old. The End is likely not so soon.

If he is not the Antichrist himself, he has certainly presaged key parts of the model the Madman will follow. The Antichrist will gain popularity among his own the way Bin Laden has done­trying bit by bit to mobilize the entire Muslim world (a third of the world's population) into combat against the West. So far Bin Laden has failed in this effort, but his other successes to date have been extraordinary.

Scripture shows the Antichrist bolstering his popularity by offering not to crush those who agree to join his circle of "Friends" (Dan.11:39). The Bible writes of these "friends" as if they are some kind of exclusive club, a national "order" that is given special favor, even land and financial assistance ­ a group in which the populace covets membership, especially to escape the horrors that are unleashed on those outside.

There is a reason scripture refers to the Antichrist as the "Madman". He is a monster. He will be as crazed as Hitler. Don't be looking for a "nice guy" (in American terms). He comes on the scene shouting incredible blasphemies, fomenting vast hordes into frenzied mobs.

"In his own time he will invade the richest provinces, acting as his fathers or father's fathers never acted, distributing plunder, spoil and wealth among them, plottings his stratagems against fortresses ­ for a time. He will rouse his strength and his heart against the king of the South with a great army." (Dan.11:24-25).

The Antichrist rises in the East, not the West. He wars against the "king of the South" (the Israeli-American alliance). He will be white, not black. His predecessor rises in an area that seems to be Moscow and he himself will come from somewhere midway between Moscow and Iran. His allegiance will be with the Persians (the Parthians) and, like a returning and reborn Nero, he will lead these troops (the soldiers of the ten nations of the East) to Rome to rebuild his empire there.

Enraged by his embarrasing defeat at the hands of the Amerians, Daniel shows he will turn on the areas already under his control. In an attempt to destroy Christianity, he will vent his fury on the Holy Covenant and on all who worship Jesus. He will order the assassination of the Pope and set up his throne in the Vatican.

"This is the Enemy, the one who claims to be so much greater than all that men call 'god', so much greater than anything that is worshipped, that he enthrones himself in God's sanctuary and claims that he is God." (2 Thes. 2:4).

"Then they fortified the City of David with a great strong wall and strong towers, and made this their Citadel." (1 Macc.1:33-35)

From this platform the Madman will launch the final war against Jerusalem.

None of this is imminent. It is still a long way away. First, world power must shift according to the prophecies: The East will topple the West from its leadership post, and secure that pinnacle of influence for itself (Dan.7:23). A world war will occur, and at least two more wars against Jerusalem will take place before the final war begins (Dan.11:16; 11:30; 11:45).

All this is in scripture in its prophecies about the Antichrist. It is spelled out in newspaper-like detail, especially in the Book of Daniel.

Most of the Eastern Hemisphere will be under the Madman's control, but even there, his reach will not be complete. We can see this by the fact that he attacks Jerusalem. If he controlled Israel, he wouldn't attack it.

We can also see other nations in that area still out of his grasp as well.. Among these are the kingdoms of "the South". Daniel says (of the Antichrist) that developments in the East (apparently the Far East) will worry him, as will reports coming from the north (Dan.11:44).

If the Antichrist had total control of the world there would be no ships to oppose him and no place for him to attack. No kingdom of the Souith. There would be no ships of Kittim to block his way. There would be no Jerusalem outside of his reach. All of these circumstances, detailed in scripture, show a United States and an Israel existing outside of the Beast's empire ­ standing in opposition to him.

Since the Beast is killed and his army destroyed by God before it is able to topple Israel, how can anyone say that the Madman controls the whole world?  He never does.

The Bible can only say that because scripture shows there is more than one "Beast".

The greater world control goes to the Dragon, the father of the Antichrist. He, too is the Antichrist.

The Bible not only calls the Madman the Beast, it calls Satan the Beast too. (Note that in the Book of Revelation the Madman [the beast] is one of the seven "heads" of the Beast).

"And I saw a beast rising out of the sea, with ten horns and seven heads...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. "Men worshipped the dragon, for he had given his authority to the beast, and they worshipped the beast, saying, 'Who is like the beast, and who can fight against it?'

Confusing? One represents spiritual control (atheism, secularism) and the other represents physical control, the physical capture of nations.

 ...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, and all who dwell on the earth will worship it, every one whose name has not been written before the foundation of the world in the book of life..." (Rev. 13:1-9)

There are two Beasts, one physical and the other spiritual. According to this passasge of scripture, both are worshipped. Also we can see in this passage that the worship of the beast will equate to authority. Those who commit themselves to the secular way will be selected for leadership. These leaders will lead their nations away from God.

Much of this has already taken place. The world's gods are changing as we watch.

Even in the darkest hours of the End, there will still be some people who reject the beast . These are the people on earth who have been chosen by God for eternal life. These include Christians and Jews, the people of the two houses of Israel.

Thus it will be Satan, not his Antichrist who gains total control of all the nations. He is doing this by moving the leadership (and with them the public) philosophically out of Christianity and back into secularism and from there into atheism, i.e., into a philosophy of godlessness. So that in the end, every nation on earth will reject Jesus and His Gospel.

Where the Bible speaks about total commitment to the beast by the world, it points to secular philosophy. It speaks to spiritual control. It speaks to virtually the total rejection of Jesus by the nations.

World leaders are throwing God out of favor, out of their schools, out of their government, and out of their cities, by changing the philosophical framework guiding human civilization. Science and education are being morphed into the new gods. In the end, Religion will be treated as a fable. This is the darkness of the dragon that Jesus warned was returning,. His words speak to a descending spiritual darkness endorsed by the leaders of the nations ­ a darkness that will cover the whole earth.

And we can easily see this black cloud coming now. It is here today. Almost every nation on earth has already thrown God out of their government. Separation of State from Church is a ubiquitous term all across the world, not just in the United States.

By abandoning Jesus Christ, the nations have rebelled against God. Jesus said in the beginning that they would do this. And that is what brings the Wrath ­ the fact that they have turned their back on God.

"On these grounds is sentence pronounced: that though the light has come into the world men have shown they prefer darkness to the light because their deeds were evil." (John 3:19).

Scripture indicates that the rebellion we see now will accelerate and get much worse. Almost everyone will abandon their Christian worship as far as God is concerned. The world will be a spiritual wasteland before the End comes. Not just some of the churches will close, but most of them will follow in shuttering. Many will be forced to close:

"Determined to destroy us once and for all, they burned down every shrine of God in the country. Deprived of signs, with no prophets left, who can say how long this will last?" (Ps. 74:8-9).

"The city of emptiness is in ruins, the entrance to every house is shut. There is lamentation in the streets: no wine, joy is quite gone, gladness banished from the country. Nothing but rubble in the city, the gate is smashed to pieces; and so it will be on earth, among the peoples, as at the beating of the olive trees, as at the gleaning of the grapes when the grape harvest is over." (Is. 24:10-13).

"Oblation and libation have vanished from the house of God. The priests, the ministers of the Lord are in mourning." (Joel 1:9).

Those who are committed to sin will attack the Bible philosophically. As their ranks swell, this attack will grow increasingly fierce. They will call Christians bigots for clinging to God's righteousness, and blaspheme the scriptures for the very same reason. In their contempt for the Holy Spirit, they will pummel Christians with ridicule and violence. Throughout the nations there will be great social pressure (peer pressure) to abandon Christian doctrine.

When Adolph Hitler came to power, a large part of the population of Germany worshipped him and strew rose petals in his path where he walked, not just because his people loved him, but also because his "brown shirts" were in the crowds taking careful note of all who did not applaud or cheer. Hitler's popularity was driven by an engine of fear. Hitler was an insanely brutal madman, and all were advised to worship him or else.

The same will be true of the Antichrist, only more so.  He will not be a man of peace. In the same way that Hitler focused his rage on the Jewish people (one of the two houses of Israel) the Antichrist will focus his rage on the rest of the House of Israel: Christians and the Holy Covenant. He will mount repeated campaigns to destroy Israel.

He will emerge like Bin Laden, a proud and haughty-faced warmonger in hiding who loves killing, who hates Christians; who also hates Jews; who hates both houses of Israel and is determined to rid the earth of them. That is how scripture shows the Antichrist presenting when he appears.

Blocked by the ships of Kittim, the Madman "will return and take furious action against the holy covenant and, as before, will favor those who forsake that holy covenant.

Forces of his will come and profane the sanctuary citadel, they will abolish the perpetual sacrifice and instal the disastrous abomination there. Those who break the covenant he will corrupt by his flatteries, but the people who know their God will stand firm and take action.

Those of the people who are learned will instruct many; for some days, however, they will be brought down by sword and flame, by captivity and by plundering. And thus brought down, little help will they receive, though many will be plotting on their side. Of the learned some will be brought down, as a result of which certain of them will be purged, purified and made white ­ until the time of the End, for the appointed time is still to come." (Dan. 11:30-35).

The fact that the United States is shown in the Bible opposing the Beast militarily (and with such might that the Antichrist runs away in fear), and the fact that we are shown to be aligned with Israel in the final war indicates we are a country that has been endowed with favor by God. The Antichrist cannot arise here. When the rest of the world chooses to follow the Antichrist, we choose to stand by Israel.

Our gravest danger is Jeremiah's 40:29-30 prophecy ­ an act that could dictate the destruction detailed in Jeremiah 45:4 be launched now instead of in a more distant future. The timing for that destruction requires western troops to be stationed at the Euphrates river (Jer. 46:5-8). That is where western troops are now based. We have been there since 2003. Thus conditions are ripe for the catastrophe (Is. 24:1-6).

The world stands at one of the most dangerous crossroads it has ever encountered, and the public knows it. Not just in America but everywhere. The people want hope. Barack Obama may not be able to solve these problems, but he does offer a measure of hope. A far greater hope is Jesus Christ. The Bible shows that without Him the world will collapse and terrorism will fill the vacuum.

At the end of the terrorism a person who hates Christians, one who proclaims openly that Jesus is not the Christ, will come to power.  He will never say that he is a Christian. Just the opposite. Scripture shows that from the very beginning, he will loudly and wildly revile God and voice to the heavens his blasphemies against Jesus and the Holy Covenant (Rev.13:5). His mouth will be filled with great boasts (Dan.11:8):

"The king will do as he pleases, growing more and more arrogant, considering himself greater than all the gods; he will utter incredible blasphemies against the God of gods, and he will thrive until the wrath reaches bursting point; for what has been decreed will certainly be fulfilled." (Dan.11:36).

"How much longer, God, is the oppressor to blaspheme, is the enemy to insult your name forever? Why hold back your hand, why keep your right hand hidden? ...Now, Lord, remember the enemy's blasphemy, how frenzied people dare to insult your name. Do not betray the soul of your dove to the beast...Respect the covenant! We can bear no more ­ every cave in the country is the scene of violence! ...Rise, God, say something on your own behalf, do not forget the madman's day-long blaspheming, remember the shouting of your enemies, this ever-rising clamour of your adversaries." (Ps. 74:10-23).

"For forty-two ' months the beast was allowed to mouth its boasts and blasphemies and to do l whatever it wanted; ·and it mouthed its blasphemies against God, against his name, his heavenly Tent and all those who are sheltered there." (Rev. 13:5-6)

Such will be the character of the Antichrist when he appears. Such also will be the character of those who follow him.

Those of us who love God and worship Jesus will be kept safe from them. God will raise us up in His name.

It is our own behavior and our own faith that we must look to, not scan the horizon for a spectre whose appearance is still a long way off. When we see the Antichrist it may be too late.to act.

We can do nothing about the Beast, but we can escape him. Jesus gave us the way.

In the current edition of the National Geographic there is an in-depth article on the conversion of Russia to Christ. Since the renewal's beginning in 1987 when the communist Soviet Union collapsed, this transformation from atheism to the Gospel has been spectacular. "In 1987 there were only three monasteries in Russia; today there are 478. Then there were just two seminaries; now there are 25. Most striking is the explosion of churches, from about 2,000 in Gorbachev's time to nearly 13,000 today" (Serge Schmemann, National Geographic Magazine, April 2009). The fall of communism has not only spawned there a vigorous rebirth of the Russian Orthodox church, Christianity and the Russian state have become intertwined in it. Prime Minister Vladimir Putin (vigorously pro-Christian) has called the church "as vital to Russia's security as its nuclear shield" (Ibid).

With this regeneration of Christian faith in Russia as a backdrop, remember that Sister Lucia, the primary visionary in the 1917 Fatima apparitions announced that the second of the three mysterious prophecies associated with that event called for everyone to pray for the conversion of Russia. The call seemed an act of futility when Lucia first revealed the prophecy in the1930's. It widened even further over the ensuing decades ­ cascading by the 1980's into what seemed a pipe-dream so far from reality that the possibility of its fulfillment was dismissed by most people out of hand.

A nearly successful assassinaton attempt on the life of the Pope by a rumored agent of the Soviet Union in 1981 steeled the impasse and seemed to illuminate beyond all doubt, the throne of Satan on earth, as it pushed the battle line between the powers of earth and God right up to the front door of heaven.

Six years later that line appeared to vanish. The impossible had happened. Russia had converted! Now over 20 years old, a renewed Christian Russia has not only converted, its transformation has been spectacular. Atheism's authoritarian stranglehold on that nation has given way to a burgeoning faith in Christ, awesome by any calculation and fiercely championed by Russia's political leaders. Despite overwhelming odds, Lucia's prophecy has come true.

Our own political leaders in the west, having just thrown Jesus Christ out of our government and out of our schools can only stand and watch in disbelief.

Jeremiah wrote in his biblical prophecies that the cup of the Messiah would first be offered in Jerusalem and from there pass west across the world like the transit of the sun, making its way full circle around the earth to the river (the Euphrates) where the "king of Sheshak" would be the last to drink. Sheshak is considered by most scholars to be Iraq, the same Iraq where almost 5000 American troops have given their lives trying to bring democracy and with it, freedom of worship to that area.

The mass held in the "Green Zone", king Saddam Hussein's Baghdad Palace, in 2003 by the American forces, speaks to the Sheshak prophecy. Concomitant with that full circle of the Gospel around the globe and its deep penetration into the Asian continent has been the conversion of Russia. Both events offering certain proof of the prophecies that foretold them.

The cup of Christ has indeed circled the globe. Not only that, it has reached its final frontier.

All the prophecies fulfulled in our time seem to have the same ring of finality to them. The rebuildng of Jerusalem, the "maginot-like" line at the Euphrates, the arrival of the the "third day", the swift appearance and quick passage of the 7th head of the beast (Adolph Hitler), the reappearance of Sodom and Gomorrah, the recent rejection by the western nations of Christ after almost 2000 years of embrace, the strengthening of the nuclear arsenal with all the nations mobilizing for war, and gathering around Jerusalem, the ships of Kittim, the return of atheism, love in most people turning cold, the time of terrorism, the fall of the towers, the rise of Persia and the East, the roaring of the seas and earthquakes in diverse places rocking the cities.

The signs are warnings that everything Jesus said will come true. Everything. We are very close to the end of days when salvation's offer will cease. Who is it that dares forbid us to pray?

"Which of you listening to this, will pay attention and mark it, against the time to come? Who handed Jacob over to the robber, Israel to the pillagers? Was it not the Lord? We had sinned against him, we had refused to follow his ways or obey his Law. On him he poured out the blaze of his anger and the furies of war. It enveloped him in flames and he did not notice, it burned him up, and he gave it no thought." (Is. 42:23-25)

How can we tell the good prophets from the bad ones?­OL

Answer:

Paul said, "Keep to what is written". That means, stay with the bound scriptures, especially with the Gospel of Jesus. Anyone who follow's Paul's formula should be quite safe from false prophecy.

The main reason why the prophecies in scripture are so much more important than those uttered by the people surrounding us now is because God promised that the Bible's words would all come true. That promise does not hold true for the oracles uttered by ministers and other current seers.

With them it is maybe yes and maybe no. As Paul said, we see dimly (1 Cor.13:12).

Not so with scripture. Jesus confirmed that it was God's intent to keep His promise to make the prophecies in scripture come true. In fact, Jesus went to great lengths to prove that intent. Thus our faith assures us the prophecies that are written (those that have stood in scripture for the last 2000 years) are sure.

Because they are divinely programmed to come true, scripture's visions speak to us about the truth of Jesus Christ. Each time a prophecy happens as predicted, further confirmation of His truth is revealed. This should bolster faith and cause large numbers of people to navigate towards Him. Surprisingly, it doesn't. We find ourselves today in a time where, despite the fact that the prophecies of scripture are being fulfilled in numbers as large as any time in history, church attendance is in free-fall.

This also speaks to prophesy. Paul, in his letter to Timothy said,

"The time is sure to come when, far from being content with sound teaching, people will be avid for the latest novelty and collect for themselves a whole series of teachers according to their own tastes; and then, instead of listening to the truth, they will turn to myths. Be careful always to choose the right course; be brave as you suffer your trials for Christ and make the preaching of the Good News your life's work as you fulfill your ministry in the service of the Lord." (2 Tim. 4:3-6)

We have surely entered the time Paul was talking about. That is why it is so important we listen more closely to Jesus than anyone else, so that we are not tempted to be moved by the collection of teachers that turn out myths instead of the truths of God.

Jesus told His followers:

"This Good News of the kingdom will be proclaimed to the whole world as a witness to all the nations. And then the end will come." (Mat. 24:14).

In 1963 Billy Graham, preaching to 100,000 people in the coliseum in Los Angeles, remarked that his words (the very words they were hearing) were being broadcast at the same time across the entire world both by radio and television. He said that each time he spoke he was able to preach the Gospel to more people than had all the apostles and ministers in the first century put together.

He said that in1963, almost 50 years ago. Imagine how far-more-reaching the ministry is today than then. Especially now that Christ's message is being carried not just by radio and TV, but by satellite and internet. Truly Christ's prophecy about the global extent of His ministry has been fulfilled in virtually every possible way. Jesus said that when this reach of the Gospel had been achieved...then the end would come. (Mat.24:14).

That prophecy has come true in our own time. Not yet in the End forseen, but in the reach of the Gospel.

In the Book of Jeremiah it is written that, starting with Jerusalem, every nation on earth must drink from the cup (that is the Gospel) ­ a drink so powerful that many will be driven mad by it (Jer. 25:15-29). Jeremiah said that the "king of Sheschak will be the last to drink as God's cup makes its transit across the world. The translation of Sheschak is Iraq, a Moslem nation where the preaching of Jesus has been forbidden since 600 A.D.

All that changed in 2003 when American troops held communion ceremonies in Saddam Hussein's palace in the Green Zone. The country of Iraq has since gone mad, with war ravaging every quarter of the country for 6 years straight. More importantly, the cup of God has come full circle in terms of prophecy.

In 1947 a Jewish nation was restored to Palestine by the United Nations. In Jewish terms, at that moment, the rebuilding of Jerusalem was at hand. This fulfilled a great many prophecies in scripture. It was a seminal moment in Jewish history promising to put an end to the great Diaspora ­ the 2000-year separation of the Jewish people from their holy city.

Not even this has stemmed the falling belief in Jesus Christ across the world. A virtual cascade of prophecies have now been completed as written ­ end term prophecies pointing to the fact that the grandest of all the prophecies, the Return of Jesus Christ, is growing very close. And yet, in the face of a multitude of such prophecy-confirming events, all the people of this world can do is scoff.

That is why, in this shortness of days we must prepare for even greater displays of false prophecy:

"But when the Rebel comes, Satan will set to work: there will be all kinds of miracles and a deceptive show of signs and portents, and everything evil that can deceive those who are bound for destruction because they would not grasp the love of the truth which could have saved them. The reason why God is sending a power to delude them and make them believe what is untrue is to condemn all who refused to believe in the truth and chose wickedness instead." (2 Thes.2:5-12).

This is why I say to cling very close to Jesus. His words are the litmus test of prophecy. He comes to us in the name of God. The others come in their own names. Jesus said we will know them by their fruits. Instead of kindness and love of others, they promote the opposite. Overwhelmingly, their true god is money. So make the Word your home and listen to Jesus when He speaks. He really does know what He is talking about. Everything He said is coming true.

 

Questioning your writing re the "Christian era" you miss the complexity of history and present a benign and simplistic alternative that never was. Church rule was harsh and violent rule. If we have learned one thing in the study of history it is that religion is the driver of armies. ­KI

Answer:

It is not religion that is the salvation of man, but Jesus Christ.

Everything Jesus said is true.  And one thing He said was that He had not come to bring peace to the earth, but battle. "Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth: it is not peace I have come to bring, but a sword. For I have come to set a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. A man's enemies will be those of his own household." (Mt. 10:34-36).

Not only does this warfare reach down into our households, it stretches all the way up to the churches, synagogues and mosques throughout the nations. It divides Christ from religion; as much as it does from non-religion.

The warfare is there because the world hates Jesus and everything He stands for. That is why Christians find themselves perpetually under seige. It is not Christ who brings the war ­ He has brought peace ­ it is His enemies that raise the sword against Him and against all who follow Him.

That is because His Word accuses them of sin.

And warns them that if they do not change they are going to die in their sins.

Even so, Any study of the thousand-year history of Rome ­ from Romulus to Romulus ­ will show there has been little correlation between religion and war over the long course of that history. The warfare that wracked the world in Roman times, though constant, was almost never driven by religion. Religion was persecuted, often violently, but was incidental to the ambitions drving a millenium of Roman sword.

Studying the previous regimes of world history before Rome we see the same intitiatives and motives. Religious factors were rare. Human ambition and an overarching thirst for power have been the driving motives for warfare on this planet.

According to the prophecies of scripture ­ prophecies written long before the fact ­ God dictated that He would make the religious views of the Messiah cover the world. This He did. It was into a world racked by war and violence that God inserted His Christ. His teaching preached peace and love and motivated a vast population to pursue such principles. Under the umbrella of a very powerful Church God placed the children He had found. The Lord then aligned that Church with the strongest and most powerful nations in the world.

Under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, the world's sword was purposely placed in the hands of those who protected the Church. The first world emperor to discover this fact was Constantine. It was this same formula, reenacted again and again over the course of history by other world leaders that produced, guaranteed and perpetuated the preeminence of the Christian era on earth.

God grasped the world on purpose and made it follow the course He dictated. The world had no choice in the matter, proved by the fact that Michael was ordered to lock Satan in the Abyss and keep him there in chains for the millenium prophesied. That left Satan's angels bereft of leadership.

God's purpose was to find the lost children of Israel ­ those who had been stolen from God and hidden in all the hollows of Satan's illicit kingdom. Jesus' singular purpose was to lead these captives out of harms way ­ to a place of certain safety.  God fashioned the earth just for this purpose, making it reflect His aims, forcing it to fitfully follow the course He dictated until the harvest was complete.

The only way God's reality can be seen is to believe wholeheartedly in the truth of Jesus Christ and the Word He preached. That is the meaning of faith. Any other belief will precipitate a different view.

This world does not know or even care about God's purpose. It doesn't believe in God. The world has invented its own purpose and that false reality is the view we have been raised up here to know and follow. The world sees our existance here like a fair full of bargains and our life in it like a game. It regards ethics as a smokescreen for suckers.

Thus we have before us a way of righteousness and a way of evil. This is the crossroads. Between these two roads is the choice of life's travel we must all make; that we were all born to make.

God said the Christian religious era would be short-lived and we have observed it breaking down over the last several centuries as the ambitions and greed that underlie human nature have percolated back up through the populations, increasing as their faith has waned.

Today the bonds that tied the Church to the strong nations of the world have been broken. That alliance is gone, vanishing with the disappearance of world faith, and it has left the Church vulnerable to assault and violent overthrow.  Even within the Church, civil wars have produced great fracture lines throughout its structure. This has weakened it further still.

Having abandoned faith in Christ and the peace He proposed, the strong nations are now forming bonds with His enemies. The sword of battle will remain firm in their hands, driven as it always has been by politics and nationalism. Unrestrained by compassion or love, these strong nations will set the world on fire, proving once and for all that war was never driven by those who obey Christ, but by the overwhelming absence of such people.

 

With the world making a mockery of marriage and the laws of God, especially the United States, how do we fight against these laws? These men and women that sit in high places and pass laws that are an abomination in the sight of God and his followers, what is the answer? We that want to follow God and stand tall during these terrible times in a country where morality is fading fast..The Bible said what man thinks he will do and now they are passing laws that all are expected to follow and they are despicable.. Besides our faith and prayer, what are we to do? ­CFM

Answer:

The times have changed. The world of Christian times is being slowly replaced by non-Christian elements in keeping with prophecy:

"The Spirit has explicitly said that during the last times there will be some who will desert the faith and choose to listen to deceitful spirits and doctrines that come from the devils; and the cause of this is the lies told by hypocrites whose consciences are branded as though with a red-hot iron." (1 Tim.4:1-3).

"You may be quite sure that in the last days there are going to be some difficult times. People will be self-centered and grasping; boastful and unappeasable; they will be slanderers, profligates, savages and enemies of everything that is good; they will be treacherous and reckless and demented by pride, preferring their own pleasure to God. They will keep up the outward appearance of religion but will have rejected the inner power of it. Have nothing to do with people like that." (2 Tim.3:1-5)

God said the time for the harvest would be short. The world is in the process of secularizing (terminating God's harvest). This has coincided with Satan being allowed to exit the Abyss where he was kept in chains for the period of time God allotted for the harvest (Rev.20:1-10).

Christ's harvest could not have occurred in perfection had Satan remained free during its course. That is why God had Michael lock him in chains for the 1000 years (a day made into almost two according to the prophecy in the Book of Joshua 10:12-14).  In his return, Satan has reorganized his forces and is mobilizing the world for war. This is all in keeping with the prophecies in the Book of Revelation (Rev. 20:7-8), and in fact, throughout scripture (Dn. 9:26; Joel 1:16-18; 2 Thes.2:9-12, etc.).

This battle is described briefly in Daniel (Dn.10:13-21).

"The prince of the kingdom of Persia has been resisting me for twenty-one days, but Michael, one of the leading princes, came to my assistance. I have left him confronting the kings of Persia and have come to tell you what will happen to your people in the days to come. For here is a new vision about those days..." (Dn.10:12-14).

"Do you know why I have come to you? It is to tell you what is written in the Book of Truth. I must go back to fight against the Prince of Persia, and when I have done with him, the prince of Javan comes next. In all this there is no one to lend me support except Michael your prince on whom I rely to give me support and reinforce me." (Dn.10:20-21).

The spiritual forces of God are pitted against the spiritual forces of the nations of this world. We can see this relationship measured in Daniel's verse in terms of the prince of Persia and the prince of Javan. Persia, as we have seen embraced the teachings of Mohammed 600 years after the crucifixion of Jesus and immediately mounted three great wars against the people and lands of Christ.

Javan (the west) is now warring against Christianity in a different way, but just as spiritually antagonistic. This is happening in the ways your describe.

All this is the beginning of the time scripture terms "the Wrath" ­ the time of the Great Tribulation. This time of fury is the great chaos (global sin) that begins Satan's attempt to overthrow the Church:

"...when the measure of their sins is full, a king will arise, a proud-faced, ingenious-minded man. His power will gather strength ­ but not through power of his own ­ he will plot incredible schemes, he will succeed in what he undertakes, he will destroy powerful men and the people of the saints. Such will be his resourcefulness of mind that all his treacherous activities will succeed. He will grow arrogant of heart, take many unawares and destroy them. He will challenge the power of the Prince of princes; but, no hand intervening, shall himself be broken." (Dn. 8:23-25).

"It (this horn) grew right up to the armies of heaven and flung armies and stars to the ground, and trampled them underfoot. It even challenged the power of that army's Prince; it abolished the perpetual sacrifice and overthrew the foundation of his sanctuary, and the army too; it put iniquity on the sacrifice and flung truth to the ground; the horn was active and successful." (Dan. 8:9-12).

Prayer gives God the means to fight the Wrath's persistant encroachment (note the spiritual warfare Jesus tells Daniel He and Michael are waging against the princes of Persia and Javan above). But as you have noted, prayer is waning. With the schools not allowed to talk about God (and actually able to mock Him), the young are being bred outside faith in Jesus.

It is going to go the way scripture describes, but that does not mean we should just give up. That would be to lose our faith as well, and thus our lives in Christ. Faith is very powerful and even a small amount can have a mighty impact.

Not only that, faith in Christ brings to our souls enormous peace. In these times, there is no peace outside of Him. Jesus puts us squarely into the 23rd Psalm where rod and staff truly do comfort and still waters abound; where there is nothing to fear; where absolute safety is assured forever.

The laws against God you write about come from our national leaders. In America, our constitution has language that seems to structure it against Christ, but it was not meant to be that way. Our earlier leaders understood this. That is why a compromise structure existed here from 1776 to 1963. We are a nation where 87% are stated to be Christian. We need to impress on our national leaders the need to return to some sort of compromise between the wording of the constitution and the morality of faith that made our nation so great in its first 200 years.

The truth is, we need our own form of "K" street in Washington. Much smaller groups have had enormous impact far beyond their size in lobbying there against God in opposition to His holy Word.

 

What is the "WRATH"? When is it coming? How soon?­GA

Answer:

The wrath is the time of tribulation warned about in scripture.

There can be little doubt that it is here now ­ that it has already started. To see that we have only to look to the extraordinary global calamities that have wracked the world since the beginning of the 20th century. Who could ponder that uninterrupted cascade of disasters which began even before the century appeared and have tumbled unabated into this century as well with increasing fury, and not see global wrath?

Into that space are crammed two world wars, almost every city in the Europe and Asia bombed to rubble and burned to the ground, the massacres of repeated genocides, more than a hundren million people killed, 500 million more maimed and injured ­ radiation and poison gas; horrors far worse than anything ever seen before on earth by man.

During this same period, every nation in the western world has rejected Jesus and His Gospel. They have cast Christ out of all their governments. In that rejection, the mortal wound Jesus delivered to Babylon has healed.

Absolute proof of that healing was made manifest when atheism as a major system of world government returned from its 2000-year hiatus, suddenly blanketing Russia, China and all their satellites ­ a third of the world ­ practically overnight.  Atheism had been held back by the Church. Governmental atheism was not allowed to exist on earth during the reign of Christ. It had been forbidden for almost1600 years.

On top of that return, the fourth kingdom of Persia, described by Daniel in his visions of the End (Dan.11:2), is now rising to power as we watch. Western troops have been sent to the Euphrates to block it in fulfillment of the prophecies (Jer. 46:1-10).

Mindless of the dark and towering waves approaching our shores, the government of the United States has expelled God from any participation in the governance of its people. The schools are forbidden even to mention His name. His words ridiculed, the name of His Son is becoming anathama to an entire global population.

None of the cataclysms of the 20th century have turned the people to God. And that is why they continue. Despite a ceaseless staccato of disasters, most have ignored it all and gone on in the same way as before, more stubborn than ever in their rejection of Him. No nation is listening anymore to the Lord. Instead, they ridicule the idea of a Creator in creation, and increasingly see God as a Bronze Age bias that needs expelling.

That vision, verbally expressed is blasphemy of the Holy Spirit. Scripture is very clear about what it brings.

"God will arm creation to punish his enemies; he will put on justice as a breastplate...he will forge a biting sword of his stern wrath, and the universe will march with him to fight the reckless. Bolts truly aimed, the shafts of lightning will leap, and from the clouds, as from a full-drawn bow, fly to their mark; and the catapult will hurl hailstones charged with fury. The waters of the sea will rage against them, the rivers engulf them without pity. The breath of God will blow against them and winnow them like a hurricane. So lawlessness will bring the whole earth to ruin and evil-doing bring the thrones of the mighty down." (Wis.5:17-24).

Now in the dark clouds of a recession so cavernous it may cut deeper than any depression the country has ever seen, a wrenching poverty has suddenly covered America like a blanket. Unemployment is surging around the world, threatening global stability. The banks are failing, finances are bankrupt, Wall Street has collapsed in shame and businesses are failing in thunderous crashes everywhere as the politicians play games ­ some so aloof they remain unaware of the dire situation that faces their constituents. A growing number of economists expect a return of normalcy to be decades away.

What has suddenly encompassed us is not a passing event. It is nothing like the past. Everything has changed. The 20th century was not an aberration. The Wrath is a rising tide of catastrophe, punishing not all at once, but in inceasingly bitter stages so those inclined might still recognize the truth and repent. It is not God's wish that any person perish. He came to save everyone ­ everyone possessing the courage to listen to Him.

Listening to Jesus ­ taking His words to heart ­ that is the light at the end of this tunnel. In God, rescue is certain!  All His promises still hold true.  Tough times will not change that.

(For more on this, see "Tribulation")

Will Gabriel sound the 7th and last trumpet at the 2nd coming of the son of David and could Gabriel possibly be David? And who are the 7 spirits of God in Revelation?? ­R

Answer:

The 12-page exegesis you provided with your questions (answering your own questions) details a well-defined thesis, but it doesn't fit the format of traditional Christian understanding. By making a u-turn out of the New Testmant back to the Old, you glorify what oughtn't be glorified: angels and Old Testament figures for instance. And you make up your own definitions concerning many of these things.

The traditional thinking in Christianity is that it is not uncommon in scripture for angels to appear in the form of people and talk in human voices. An angel is a heavenly being that can, among other things, take the form of a man and speak like a man. This is obvious in Joshua's description of his meeting with the arch-angel Michael (Joshua 5:13-15). So common was this transformation, the Bible talks about our entertaining angels without even realizing it (Heb.13:1).

Jesus said the obverse was even more true. "For at the resurrection men and women do not marry; no, they are like the angels in heaven." (Mt.22:29-30). According to Jesus they are the same as the angels of heaven (Luke 20: 34-38), "and because those who are chosen are children of the resurrection, they are sons of God", i.e., not just angels, but a unique and surpassing category of being ­brothers and sisters of Jesus the Christ ­ and therefore sons of God.

As we can see on earth looking at brothers and sisters of the king, it is the status of royalty.

Speaking of elevaton to that unique and surpassing category of being, Jesus said the least person who follows Him is greater than anyone of the past (Mt.11:11). In this sense no one can justify glorifing figures from the biblical past without recognizing that the least Christian is greater than them all ­ greater than Moses, greater than Joshua, greater even than Elijah.

Jesus told us that John the Baptist WAS Elijah, thus it was Elijah by inference that Jesus referred to when He said that those who obey Him are greater:

"I tell you solemnly, of all the children born of women, a greater than John the Baptist has never been seen; yet the least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he is. (Mt.11:11).

The advent of Christianity infinitely transcends the era and figures that heralded it.  It is those who have heared, followed and obeyed Christ's Gospel who are this world's greatest figures. That includes even David.

The word 'David' in scripture is a messianic metaphore, but David himself was a man whose own lineage is well defined in scripture. He was no angel in any sense of the word. And he was not descended from an angel.  In fact, Peter revealed David never ascended into heaven. He is still in his tomb awaiting the judgment (Acts 2:34). Remember, David is the one who ordered one of his generals to certain death because he lusted after the man's wife and wanted to marry her. Which he did.

When scripture uses the term "son of David", it is always in the metaphoric sense, alluding to the oft repeated prophecy that declared He would descend from David's root. Jesus, born into the lineage of David through Mary, fulfilled this prophecy.

David was a king of Israel. Long after Israel's monarchy disappeared, Jesus was declared a part of this royalty by Pontius Pilate.  Pilate's station ­ his absolute command over Israel ­ gave him authority to do this. Thus both the lineage and the prophecies of kingship apply to Him. It is the David of prophecy, not the David of history that defines Jesus.

The Book of Revelation describes Christianity in terms of seven churches. The 7 spirits (angels) described in the Book of Revelation are the heavenly guardians of these churches. Scripture shows they are to be held accountable for their guidance (see Rev. 2 & 3). The number seven has to be metaphoric because there are more than seven churches. Many more.

We are far closer to the end of the harvest on earth today than to its beginning. Thus we can now see clearly the structure of Christ's 7 churches. They number in the thousands, a vast number that shows not a literal, but a metaphoric relationship to the number 7.

Seven is a number which, in its symbolic sense, has always meant "perfection", "completion" or "fulfillment".

The same symbolism applies to the number of angels God has assigned to oversee the immensity of all these denominations and churches. God has assigned as many as needed to oversee the job. He has assigned fulfillment and perfection. When the job is done we will see that it has been done both completely and perfectly.

The name of the angel who blows the final trumpet is not what is important to us. If it were the Bible would inform us clearly. It is assumed in Christianity that it will be Gabriel. What IS important is that as soon as the trumpet sounds, the Archangel will call out the command and Jesus will return (1 Thess.4:16).

Moses is considered the author of the Law. That is because the core of the Old Testament (the Torah) was written by him. In the same way, much of the the New Testament was written by Paul. Thus Paul is to Christianity what Moses was to Judaism.  

Furthermore, Jesus appointed Peter to be the head of the Church, i.e., the priest in charge ­ a station far higher than the one occupied by Aaron, Moses' brother in the Old Testament. Aaron and Moses merely anticipated the higher stations in God's Church. Peter and Paul assumed them.

Peter and Paul were always the rightful heirs. That is because the religion of God infinitely transcends the religion of Moses. In Christianity, Jesus has lifted religion up to divinity.

The bread of life comes from Jesus not Moses. Eternal life comes only through Jesus. There is no eternal life in Moses. That is why we can't go back to the Old Testament. We must stay with Christ. The writing of all the prophets was about Jesus. Even the Book of Daniel defines an attack, not on Mosaic worship, but on Christianity and Christian worship. The Hebrew religion existed only to proclaim and prophesy the Messiah.

The 2 witnesses of Christ on earth are Peter and Paul. The sackcloth they preach from takes its name from the traditional black sackcloth-like cover of the Bible. We know them by their words, and their words come to us only from that Book.

Who is Peter? Who is Paul? Who is Jesus? We know them only by their words and by the power of the Holy Spirit who guides us in the understanding of their words. We open the pages of the New Testament, and there they are.

The traditional Church teaches that we must stay in the New Testament. Jesus did not come to lead us back to the Old Testament . He came to fulfill the testimony of the old, yes, but in the NEW understanding that He brought down to us from heaven. The Old Testament only alludes to that new understanding (see John 6 :32-35).

The Old Testament had a violent understanding. Jesus led the Law out of that violence into peace.

 

...about the illegal immigrants. Do you think they should be deported or forgiven? ­PL

Answer:

In most ways that's a state issue. Peter said that God has given government officials authority to punish lawless behavior. Only when the law comes into conflict with the Gospel, is there a problem. In that case we should obey God.

Fortunately, those instances of conflict are still rare. The Gospel does not promote lawlessness. Being meek amd humble, giving money to the poor, feeding the hungry, giving drink to the thirsty and tending to the sick are virtually always legal actions. More than that, they are the very threads of the wedding garment.

There are several passages in scripture in which God orders the protection of fugitives:

"Listen! Fugitives and runaways come from the land of Babylon to proclaim in Zion the vengeance of the Lord our God." (Jer.50:28).

"You inhabitants of Tema go and meet the fugitive and give him bread; since these are fleeing from the swords, from biting swords, from bent bows, from the stress of battle." (Is.21:13-15).

"Hide those who have been driven out, do not let the refugee be seen...be their refuge against the destroyer." (Is.16:3-4).

"Do not take your stand at the crossroads to cut off its fugitives. Do not hand over its survivors on the day of distress. For the day of God is near for all the nations. As you have done, so will it be done to you: your deeds will recoil on your own head." (Obadiah 7:14-15).

On TV a year or two ago law enforcement authorities entered a church where an illegal alien worked and had taken refuge. They dragged her out to be deported because she was in violation of the law. This event highlights a second side in this issue.

In scripture we, ourselves are the fugitives. And that is what these biblical passages are referring to. We are on the run trying to make our way from this world to the kingdom of God ­ trying to escape with our lives from a world filled with evil, and all the while fighting a spiritual blockade set up by Satan to prevent us from entering the domain of God.

This blockade was erected by Satan to insure that each of us be carefully sifted so that our illegal nature might be exposed.

It was Satan, in trying to bring us into the disfavor of God, that labeled us "illegal" in the first place. Not only that, he proved it.  In successfully tempting Adam and Eve he indelibly stained all mankind with a lawlessness mark that blocked the vision of man from the sight of God.  

As far as heaven and God are concerned, we were created to be the newcomers. Scripture tells us that it was Satan's enormous jealousy against our being selected by God to enter what Satan had considered his exclusive domain that caused him to mutiny, fomenting the great rebellion that set the universe on fire and engulfed the entire creation in war.

Spewing out a flood of propaganda, Satan was able to convince 1/3 of the angels of heaven to back him in his contempt for us, and to help him in his efforts to keep our souls unrighteous. They are still fighting that fight today, still filled with hatred and contempt for us despite God's fury at their efforts.

In that anger, God has defeated Satan's forces in heaven, thrown them all down to earth and condemned them to death. At the same time He sent his only Son down to grant us, through the Law, a pardon from sin.

Jesus died on the cross to take our illegality away. He paid our penalty by dying in our place and in our name. His death washes away the sins of everyone who takes refuge in Him and guarantees them free entrance into heaven. Those who refuse to accept His offer of safe passage must remain outside. Those who make their way in illegally (without a wedding garment) will be expelled (Mat. 22:11-14).

On account of his treacherous cunning, Satan has been allowed to sift us all like wheat. That's where everyone reading this page is right now ­ a fugitive and a runaway from Babylon, on a journey from illegality toward becoming a son of God ­ being sifted by Satan ­ a trial by fire designed to prove our faith in Jesus Christ ­ a faith that offers us the only passage there is out of death.

It is an easy faith. All it requires is baptism in the name of Jesus Christ and a life of humility and compassion ­ being meek amd humble, giving money to the poor, feeding the hungry, giving drink to the thirsty, tending to those in need and forgiving all we would ordinarily condemn.

Simply put, we must live as the Gospel teaches. Not just when we think about it, but 24-7. And when we stumble ask God for forgiveness. The cross is there for that very purpose so that every sin be erased.

 

I read the following on your web site, but I cannot find scripture verses that support this understanding. Please help. Thanks. ­A

"And that seed had nothing to do with evolution. It was breathed into man's flesh when the conditions were right. The universe was made only for Christ's appearance in it. It was made so that evil could be destroyed."

Answer:

Paul wrote that "flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, and the perishable cannot inherit what lasts forever." (1 Cor.15:50).. It is shown in the Old Testament that the flesh is the clothing of the soul. Just as clothing can be replaced while the person remains the same, so the body can be replaced while the soul remains the same. In Jesus we die to this body and are raised up in a new one, of God's design (see 1 Cor.15:35-44). That is what it means to be born again.

"In him you have been circumcised, with a circumcision not performed by human hand, but by the complete stripping of your body of flesh. This is circumcision according to Christ. You have been buried with him, when you were baptised; and by baptism, too, you have been raised up with him through your belief in the power of God who raised him from the dead." (Col.2:13).

In Jesus' parable of the mysterious growth of the seed we read this:

"This is what the kingdom of God is like. A man throws seed on the land. Night and day, while he sleeps, when he is awake, the seed is sprouting and growing ­ how, he does not know. Of its own accord the land produces first the shoot, then the ear, then the full grain in the ear. And when the crop is ready, he loses no time: he starts to reap because the harvest has come." (Mark 4:26-29).

The seed has produced its fruit.

In this parable we are shown not the growth of the human body from a baby into an adult, but the growth of the Word of God within it, changing the internal thinking and therefore the behavior of the person so that their physical and spiritual actions come to mimic as closely as possible the actions of God.

This can happen at any bodily age. What has been changed is not the body but the growth of the soul within the body in gaining the strength it needs to overcome the natural impulses of the body to follow the world. It is this growth process that enables the soul to navigate the body away from worldly ways and along God's path of righteousness instead. As Jesus said, "the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak". (Mat. 26:41).

What is changing in this process is the strengthening of faith within the soul to the point where it can overcome the body and guide it to produce the behavioral fruit of God. This process is described by Jesus in His parable of the seed cast into the ground.

This seed (God's Word) was breathed into man's flesh when he first heard the Word of God preached to him. The age of the man or woman receiving the seed of this sowing is irrelevant. Only the hearing matters ­ the moment when the veil is torn. Just as a seed is cast into the ground, the seed of Christ (the Holy Spirit) enters a person to do its mysterious work ­ to save the soul it has entered.

It is in this way that evil is destroyed (Mat.24-30).

The universe was made only for this sowing. We know that because Jesus said, "Heaven and earth will pass away, but my word will never pass away" (Luke 21:29-31).  Once the sowing and reaping is completed, this universe will be replaced by God's new kingdom, a kingdom that Jesus said "is not of this world" (John 18:36).

When we read the Apostle Peter's words, we can see the extent of the difference between this universe and God's new kingdom. The difference between them is enormous:

"They are choosing to forget that there were heavens at the beginning, and that the earth was formed by the word of God out of water and between the waters, so that the world of that time was destroyed by being flooded by water. But by the same word, the present sky and earth are destined for fire, and are only being reserved until Judgement day so that all sinners may be destroyed." (2 Peter 3:5-7).

I am endlessly amazed by the Book of Revelation and how closely it matches the things we are seeing now. Who still doubts that we are living in the last days? ­PT

Answer:

Not just the Book of Revelation. The whole Bible.

What has been shown by events over the last 20 years is the absolutely certainty with which we can plot current history on the template of the Bible. Not only can the past be plotted on that template (including the recent past) but the future as well, and with astonishing clarity.

Why does scriptural prophecy work? Because it all points to Jesus and to His divine reality. The Old Testament was created for one overarching purpose ­  to be a prophecy that God Himself would come into the world in the form of a Messiah that everyone must listen to. All who follow Him will be saved.

That Messiah was Jesus. He perfectly fulfilled all the prophecies made about Him long before He appeared. Even to the last which said the world that believed in Him would end up rejecting Him and thus usher in the bitter age of Wrath that follows the rejection of God's treaty for peace on earth.

His appearance proves the world was made for us. All of this, complex as it is, has been constructed to give us a chance to escape death. Jesus died on the cross for one purpose only ­ to give us that opportunity. All who accept God's offer by rejecting sin and turning to the righteousness of the Lord will live forever. Jesus will raise us from the dead.

All who listen to Him and put His words into practice will be resurrected to a new life, far more sophisticated than this, a life of absolute perfection, to live forever with God.

 

The sudden collapse of AOL's member web page server on Halloween night not only vaporized a vast network of AOL customer web pages, it took our own AOL presence with it as well. That collection of web pages has been up since 1995 and was our second oldest web site on the internet. We are not new to having ISP servers and their companies suddenly vanish, be sold or tampered with, but this loss was particularly unsettling.

We don't know the financial circumstances at AOL, and our old e-mail address there is still in working order, but a change of venue in light of the current economic situation in the country seems to be prudent. No ISP pulls the plug on its internet servers except under extraordinary circumstances.

For this reason, we have opened a new e-mail site on Google's "gmail" service. The address is as follows:

askgoodnews@gmail.com

All future e-mail to Goodnews Christian Ministry (questions as well as requests) should be directed to us through this new internet address.

TL

Persia. Esther. Purim. When? Where? Xerxes?? ­ER

Answer:

The biblical story of Esther does not match well with history. It is set in a hazy period after Babylon's defeat by Persia (thus after the Persian proclamation allowing a Jewish return to Jerusalem has been issued) but while the bulk of Jewish people are still resident in Mesopotamia. In other words, before most have left.

The importance of Esther's story is magnified by the fact that it seems to define one of the seven nations and personages designated in scripture as a "head" of the beast. Moreover, out of it comes a significant Hebrew holy period called Purim.

Add to that Persia's overarching significance in End-time prophecy and the possibility that Persia will field the 8th "head" of the beast, the fog surrounding the historical data becomes an extraordinary puzzlement. The study of prophecy depends on such data to triangulate circumstances in its proofs, and we are left here with one side of that triangle virtually missing.

We will never know the actual historical structure in this story; whether the featured king is Xerxes or how and where Esther and Vashti fit into a format that seems to preclude them. Fortunately there is so much written in scripture about the final era of history (the era Esther's story points to); and those events are scattered across so many divergent parts of scripture that deciphering involves a different process.

We have to put them together like pieces of a puzzle. Into this jumbled network must fit the events of the Maccabees, Antiochus IV Epiphanes, Daniel's 8th chapter, sections of the Book of Revelation, Mosaic declarations, Jesus' words, Paul's, even the Book of Chronicles. Much of this, material far afield from the geography and time frame circumscribed by Esther's residence in Susa.

It points to such a pivotal future event, we must take this story on its face (what God has given us) and ignore the forgotten elements that veil our understanding of its historical structure. Esther is a story about the future, pure and simple.

The fact that it is shown to take place after Babylon's defeat by Persia, and after Cyrus' proclamaation freeing the Jews from their dispersion, but still during the time of dispersion, places it (in terms of prophecy) within the 3-1/2 year period of the beast. That means it hasn't happened yet.

It happens after the Madman's forces have desecrated the holy place, trashed the perpetual sacrifice and after he has proclaimed an end to the Treaty of Peace Jesus made with Babylon on the cross. It takes place after the western world (excluding the United States) has been toppled by the forces of the East.

In other words, this is, without question, an event that borders the very end of time itself. The figures in the story represent the heirarchy of heaven engaged in a battle for the souls of the people of God against Satan and the planetary emperor Satan empowers here at the moment of the world's end.

When we fit into that story the parts we now know through Jesus, we can see that the king is God (the Father, Son and Holy Spirit); the first queen (Vashti) represents that part of the world that refused the banquet of Christ, while Esther represents the new Creation (the new Jerusalem), the queen of that banquet , i.e., Christ's bride (Rev.21:9).

Michael the Archangel is represented by Mordecai while Satan is Haman, the evil Persian prince who struggles to exterminate Esther's people (all who accept God's offer to attend His banquet, the wedding feast of the Lamb ­Rev.19:9). This is a story of two wives and spiritual combat. It invokes images of Sarah and Hagar, while revolving around the Eucharist; the communion sacrifice and Satan's hatred of God's people, the two houses of Israel.

It ends in Satan's defeat and the rescue of all he intended to put to death,, all those whose names are written in the Lamb's Book of Life.

 

I am struck by the riches in many churches-the golden goblets and all the golden filligree and all their opulence. Don't you think this money should be given to the poor instead of being lavished on the priests for their luxury just to impress ignorant worhippers?...(That) would be more in line with what Christ said don't you think?­NP

Answer:

You see scripture fulfilled, but instead of glorifying God, you rail about the richness of the cathedrals, saying the money should have been spent on the poor instead. Yet most people who say such things would rarely give their own money to the poor, no matter what the circumstance ­ even if their lives depended on it ­ and it does.

The finery has been diverted by God into the churches as proof of the reign on earth of Christ. What you see in all that filligree and do not understand is God fulfilling prophecy. Because it is prophecy no man has power to thwart it, perhaps even to temper it.

Here are some quotes from scripture. There are alot more as well.

"Strangers will be there to feed your flocks, foreigners as your ploughmen and vinedressers; but you, you...will feed on the wealth of nations and array yourselves in their magnificence." (Is. 61:5-6).

Above you the Lord now rises and above you his glory appears. The nations come to your light and kings to your dawning brightness...At this sight you will grow radiant, your heart throbbing and full; since the riches of the sea will flow to you, the wealth of the nations come to you; camels in throngs will cover you, and dromedaries of Midian and Ephah...bringing gold and incense and singing the praise of the Lord. (Is. 60:2-6)

All the flocks of Kedar will gather inside you, the rams of Nebaioth will be at your service. They will come up, for acceptance, to my altar, to adorn the Temple of my glory. (Is. 60:7)

And your gates will lie open continually, shut neither by day nor by night, for men to bring you the wealth of the nations with their kings leading them; for the nation and kingdom that refuses to serve you shall perish, such nations shall be utterly ruined. (Is. 60:11)

The glory of Lebanon will come to you, with cypress and plane and box, to adorn the site of my sanctuary, to glorify the resting place of my feet...You will be suckled on the milk of nations, suckled on the riches of kings, and you shall know that I, the Lord, am your savior, that your redeemer is the Mighty One of Jacob..." (Is. 60:13-16)

The conversion of the thief on the cross, does it prove salvation is possible without baptism? ­JW

Answer:

According to Billy Graham, the two thieves on the cross stand for us all. One decides for Christ and the other rejects Him. This is the decision God has placed before all of mankind. In our lives on earth we are all on crosses beside Jesus, condemned for original sin because of Satan's apostasy.

Like Jesus, we have all been born into a life that leads to death. The Law's stern sentence hangs over our souls like a sword of Damocles. We can escape it's command for our death by accepting Christ as our Lord and Savior. One person on the cross next to Jesus did that. The other scoffed at what he considered nonsense and forfeited the opportunity God had offered him. Isn't that the same with all of us?

The story of the cross is the fundamental oracle of Christianity.

Jesus saves all who believe in Him. Those who refuse to believe in Him refuse the chance to escape with their life. (John 11:25).

As far as baptism is concerned, willfully refusing to be born of water and the Spirit is an act of fundamental rebellion, not much different, actually, than jumping off a skyscraper to prove God's salvation. Scripture is clear, we are not to put God to the test, especially in this case where it is His own orders that command it:

"I tell you most solemnly, unless a man is born through water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God..." (John 3:5)

Your interpretation of Daniel 11:3-4 differs remarkably from other Christian sources. You claim the verse relates to the United States and "its sudden fall from world power, ending a western-world rule that has stretched from the days of Alexander the Great..."

Do you think the current financial crisis is the cause for this collapse? ­IT

Answer:

I believe it will prove to be a major factor.

The current global financial crisis promises to be of such proportions that it will forever alter the direction of history. It is a fulcrum that will produce vast changes in the world's political spectrum, just as happened in 1929. That crash brought Adolph Hitler to power and everything he represented.

The current crash may well precipitate the definitive formation of the ten nations Daniel predicts are destined to play such a profound role in the final warfare. The entire political structure of the last days may become visible in the bleakness of the days just ahead.

When we add to this devastating crash the fact that we seem to be living in the time of the mainstreaming of Daniel's visions, we must look for a correlation between the two. Whether or not it proves to be a key factor in catapulting the East to global power, we will just have to wait and see.

Remember, two other prophecies may possibly dovetail here as well. And neither have yet occurred (Jer.44:29-30; Rev. 8:8-9; Ez.27:34; ). A "perfect storm" of factors may be involved in the collape of the rule of the West.

Daniel's visions bring us into that collapse ­ a new era on earth ­ the last frame of history. Its message has remained a mystery for over 2500 years. Daniel's book was ordered sealed by God (Dan.8:17), and its true meaning forbidden to be unveiled until the last days were upon the earth (Dan.12:8-9).

And here we seem to be.

This new era can be traced back many years ­ perhaps to the beginning of the 20th century. Much of it seems to have been set in motion 60 years ago (in 1948) with the return (under Babylon's dictation) of a Jewish state in the land of Israel.

This mandate by the world's nations set in motion a conditional reprieve from the exile (i.e., the Diaspora) with power, if the conditions imposed were obeyed by the Israelites, to bring the Diaspora to an early end. All this is covered in the prophecies of Jeremiah, chapters 42 through 45.

We know that the current state of Israel relates to Jeremiah's prophecies because the current return has its genesis in Babylon, not Persia. Everywhere in the Bible and its prophecies, it is Persia, through its prince, not Babylon that ends the Diaspora (see 2 Chron. 36:14-21). The current Diaspora, now almost 2000 years long, proves that the temporary reprieve in 538 B.C., was simply the last element in the Bible's oracle relating to the exile of the House of Israel from the Holy Land ­ an oracle whose fulfillment still awaits.

Only in Jeremiah do we find a codicil to that prophecy. It offers an early reprieve by Babylon (not Persia). Jeremiah's lone prophecy comes with strict provisions attached, which, if not met, will doom the early return and revert the clock of return back to Persia..The current state of Israel came into being by a vote of the United Nations of Babylon. The vote was not unanimous. The Arab nations were fiercely opposed to it.

Just as Jeremiah said they would, the current nation of Israel stands in gross violation of the terms of its return and thus nakedly vulnerable to the harsh elements of revocation Jeremiah predicted for it (Jer. 44:12-14).

As Daniel's events unfold we can watch them as we would roadsigns on the highway to the Last Days. That is why his book is in scripture. Already we have seen its precipitating events unfold over the last several years. The two Gulf Wars have taken place. The Ram and the He-Goat. Saddam Hussein, like Nebuchaddnezzar, hauled unshorn from his cave. His death at the hands of the Persian-leaning Shiite Muslims. Now, as the prophecies continue to unfold, Persia stands at the river, war-axe clearly in hand. Opposing those forces are the American troops standing in the memories of the Egyptian footprints of history and prophecy (Jer.46).

Already the sudden collapse of the western He-Goat (Dan.11:3-4 ­ the verse in your question) seems firmly in progress ­ its vast financial base vaporized before the world's eyes in just the last 3 months. The fourth kingdom of Persia not only stands at the river, it has launched a Pearl Harbor attack on the western world that has locked both giants in a war of escalating terror designed to drag 2/3rds of the population of the earth into a conflagration for all ages ­ precisely the charcoaled outcome documented in the prophecies.

All this has happened because Satan has been released from his prison in the Abyss where God had kept him chained for almost 2000 years ­ imprisoned there so that the world could be led to Christ.  Now, with God's harvest nearing its end, the Book of Revelation tells us his release will be followed by warfare all over the earth. War waged by the kings of the East ­ Persia, the ten nations, and the great king of the far North ­ against all the rest of mankind ­ against Christ and against Israel (Rev. 20:7-10).

The Return of Jesus Christ in glory will end Satan's madness, and bestow eternal life on all who had the faith to believe in Him and follow Him.

How can we be sure this is the time for Daniel's visions to unfold ­ for all the nations gathered for war and all these other things to occur?. Because seven years ago the world entered the "Third Day" of Christ. The day structured for Jesus's return.  And because the Church and its offer of forgiveness has been rejected by all the nations of the western world.  And because Christians everywhere are increasingly villified by the people of the world for their "bigorty" against sin.  And because that sin has hypnotised the world wherever the wind of electrons has flowed and carried it.  And because there is still much more to come.

Because every vision will be fulfilled precisely as written.

Is Passover as described in Leviticus 23 a thing of the Jews or did the creator 'God' say that these things were his and did not belong to any man or the Jews?

Is the savior, messiah, the living word, the Living Passover Lamb who fulfilled these things spoken of himself, of his BEING the word? ­RR

Answer:

The Old Testament is a book of prophecy ­ virtually all of it's stories, oracles revolving around a future time structured in the advent of Jesus the Christ. It's full message promised the coming of a "Messiah", a Savior, to the House of Israel who would bring completion to the Law, by perfectly aligning the Law of Israel with the Law of God (Mat.5:17).

The promises contained in the Old Testament were made to 12 tribes. The Jews were not alone ­ they were not a single factor in those promises. They were but one of those twelve tribes.

Salvation did not exist in the Old Testament or in any of its rituals. All these were meant to be in place to act as the guardian of Israel's 12 tribes until the moment the Savior arrived with the full word of God and the true power of heavenly salvation. That Savior turned out to be God Himself in the flesh and person of Jesus Christ, His Only Son.

In His arrival, the Old Testament was transformed ­ all of its prophecies fulfilled in God's New Testament ­ a book filled with the words and processes of a salvation only promised in the Old. Moreover, Jesus expanded the expected range of God's salvation, increasing it from the 12 tribes of Israel to include all the people of the world; all who agreed to accept Him as their Lord and savior.

Passover was an allegory ­ Jesus Christ is its full meaning. Your second sentence(above) is correct. He alone is the Paschal Lamb of God. All who have faith in Him and do what He says will live forever.

I am a disciple of Christ, with no "formal" training as a theologian or preacher.  I have studied the old and new testaments in detatil for many years and have developed my own understanding of the Word.  I figured out long ago that human intellect has much less to do with this understanding than does faith.  I have that faith and accept the Word of God as a child.  I have achieved this despite my education and career as an engineer.

In your opinion, am I qualified to perform baptisms for my children, and would this be acceptable to God? ­MS

Answer:

This is a theological question. I am not qualified to answer it. Theological questions are the domain of others. This web site is set up to examine Bible prophecy.

There is much in prophecy to suggest the absolute need for baptism, but far less on its correct implementation  (See "Baptism").

It is a commonly held belief in the Christian Church that baptism is a chain of anointing. It stretches back to the Apostle Peter and John the Baptist. Almost all agree, it is necessary to be baptised into this chain before one is eligible to anoint anyone else in Christ Jesus. The ministerial process in all traditional churches makes certain this chain remains unbroken in its ministers through anointing, laying on of hands and training.

If you were baptised into Christ by a minister in a Christian church when you were an adult, child, or infant, this would make you eligible. If not, most in the Church would say no. The theology is not important here, it is the unbroken chain stretching from Christian to Christian all the way back to Peter and the Apostles.

The reasoning is based on the idea that baptism is a legal contract between the person being baptised and God. When it is entered into and administered as Jesus authorized it, it breaks your soul's bondage to the Law, setting you free from its sentence of death (through Christ's sacrifice in your name on the cross). Baptism is your acceptance of His sacrifice and official public recognition of your acceptance of obligation to follow the Gospel of God (i.e., repentance and conversion).

In the process, theology (i.e., all the churches) act as the Law, so they can stand in for Moses. They sit in the seat of Moses for this very purpose. This is also why Paul said, "Through the Law I am dead to the Law".

When baptisms are performed in Christianity outside the traditional church circuit, they are almost always performed as an emergency measure when there is no time (or minister available). We see this frequently in pediatrics, especially in neonatal ICU's when a code blue is imminent or in progress. A baptised Christian nurse, doctor or other care-giver will perform the baptism if the parents wish it done.

Your situation is not an emergency. You would be acting as a minister of your own church. Most churches when viewing the certificate of baptism you issue to each of your children in this case would want to re-baptise them (for insurance) if they ever decided to attend a church different than your own later.

In the event that you yourself have not yet been baptised by a Christian or Christian minister, you might want rethink your idea. Just a thought.

Subject: Does God Give us Names from the Bible?

Every time I read the Bible I feel that God chastise me and my Biblical name is Israel. Does (God) talk to us through Biblical name? ­BY

Answer:

The name "Israel" applies to a whole group of people in the same way that "American" applies to a whole group of people. The name "Israel" is the way God speaks to us in a group. God speaks to us individually through the New Testament, especially through its Gospels, and through our conscience in relationship to those teachings.

Does God give us new names? Jesus, appearing to Saul in a vision changed Saul's name to Paul. He also changed Simon's name to Peter (Rock). Upon that Rock He built His Church. When people are baptised in the Greek and Latin churches, they take new names based on the Christian saints of old. It is promised in scripture that we will all be given new names in Jesus Christ for the new kingdom.

"My servants are to be given a new name." (Is.65:15).

Are these new names from the Bible? In most cases, probably not. There are not enough words in the Bible, let alone names there to cover the vast multitude Jesus has deemed to be saved (see Revelation 7:9).

We all bear in ourselves the name Jesus Christ. We have all been baptised in the name of Jesus Christ. Acts 2:38.

"My dear people, you must not think it unaccountable that you should be tested by fire. There is nothing extraordinary in what has happened to you. If you can have some share in the sufferings of Christ, be glad, because you will enjoy a much greater gladness when his glory is revealed. It is a blessing for you when they insult you for bearing the name of Christ, because it means that you have the Spirit of glory, the Spirit of God resting on you. (1 Peter 4:12-14)

"The ban will be lifted. The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in its place in the city; his servants will worship him, they will see him face to face, and his name will be written on their foreheads." (Rv.22:3-34).

When the ban is lifted we will each receive our own new name as well:

"If anyone has ears to hear, let him listen to what the Spirit is saying to the churches: to those who prove victorious I will give the 'hidden manna and a white stone -- a stone with a new name written on it, known only to the man who receives it." (Rev. 2:17).

 

With everone talking about 1929 happening again, do you think Jesus will return with the Rapture to rescue us before the economy gets really bad? ­MK

Answer:

No.  The end of the world is not close. What is close is the time of tribulation, a key event in the return of darkness foretold by the scriptures.

The return of darkness represents a sea change on earth. In it the light of Christ that has illuminated the world with a noon-like brilliance over most of the past 2000 years will be dimmed dramatically, fading to a faint glow not easily found in the blackness of the faithless world that is soon to come.

In the turbulence of the days ahead Jerusalem will be overrun with armies, war will rage on earth, poverty will increase and rioting, much of it intense, will span the globe. The earth will quake, great signs will fill the cosmos and even the oceans will rail. These are only some of the things that have been predicted to follow the world's rejection of the words of Jesus Christ; the world's refusal to embrace the salvation God sent to us in the form of His eternal Son.

Those who preach an imminent rapture are wrong. Even more important, Jesus warned us not to follow them.

"Take care not to be deceived,' he said 'because many will come using my name and saying, "I am he" and, "The time is near at hand". Refuse to join them." (Luke 21:8).

For there are many days still to go before Christ returns. First must come the tribulation, and in its wake, a time of intense darkness. That darkness will last for many days. That is because everything that was prophesied for those days must occur before the end comes.

We find ourselves today not far into the beginning of this tribulation. The ten nations of the East, even though they stand now in nearby wings have not yet been made manifest, nor have the northern kings and their vast eastern armies. These are the hordes predicted to crush the power of the West and ultimately launch a devastating assault on the Church.

"...and you will be hated by all the nations on account of my name. And then many will fall away; men will betray one another and hate one another. Many false prophets will arise; they will deceive many, and with the increase of lawlessness, love in most men will grow cold; but the man who stands firm to the end will be saved." (Mat. 24:9-13).

The Bible tells us that lack of faith can hasten this time of wrath, a wrath we see coming now at increasing speed, even unfolding as we watch, a sure indication that faith is dissolving across the earth in a very big way.

How should a Christian handle this time of wrath? We must brace ourselves in Christ who has promised to wrap us in His protection, allowing us to escape with our lives, and to live safely forever in His eternal kingdom. Even though the world plunges into darkness, we must keep God's light burning in our soul so that we never lose our way. We are not a part of the world. Jesus has separated us from it...and from its fate.

"I have told you all this so that you may find peace in me. In the world you will have trouble, but be brave: I have conquered the world." (John 16:33).

"You did not choose me, no, I chose you; and I commissioned you to go out and to bear fruit, fruit that will last; and then the Father will give you anything you ask him in my name. What I command you is to love one another." (John 15:16-17).

 

The false prophet as science??  SCIENCE???
Science is an academic discipline, not a religious fanatic. ­KO

Answer:

On April 12th, 2007, Pope Benedict issued the following statement about science:

"In denying the existence of a Creator, science oversteps its competence & becomes its own system of belief." (Pope Benedict, 4/12/07)

There is a straight line linking that statement to the Book of Revelation.

In declaring that the creation has no Creator, science has expanded itself from a prophet of knowledge (especially of nature) into a prophet of religion...a system of belief. It is a transformative move.

The False Prophet (the Second Beast) in scripture is all about belief. That is what this aspect of the Beast represents. It encourages on earth the rejection of belief in God, and, instead, appropriates that faith, redirecting it to itself, and through itself to the 1st Beast.

Remember, the 1963 Supreme Court decision (a U.S. government decision) centered on the presence of God in the academc system. In that decision God was banished from the American classroom (in fact even from the buildings and school grounds on which those classrooms stood). No one was allowed thereafter, even to speak God's name. There was no room there for two gods. The academic system had chosen theirs, and banished the Father of Christ. The American Constitution, the government ruled, demanded this separation.

It was argued at the time that the move protected only the purity of academic knowledge. It was not made to advance the teaching of atheism to the country's children. The papal statement proves otherwise.

In scripture the False Prophet's teaching is to encourage everyone to support secular government (the First Beast). This Second Beast is firmly opposed to religious governance unless religion accepts its teaching and submits to its view of orthodoxy. When theologians say that Jesus could not possibly have fed 5000 with just a few loaves and fishes, or walked on water (or most important, resurrected Himself bodily from death), concluding that such actions "fly in the face of science", they have embraced today's science as the ultimate arbitor of their faith.

Finding itself in a world certain of its truth, science has set itself up in its "overstep of confidence" to act in a way remarkably similar to the False Prophet.

Many of science's conjectures are predictive. In its studies of archeology it tells us about the past. In its studies of the cosmos it tells us what is going to happen in the future. In its study of evolution it tells us where we come from. Thus it acts as a prophet ­ In fact, it is the only prophet that most people in this world today will listen to with a willingness to accept its teachings at face value.

When science talks, the people listen. It is a prophet, pure and simple. And though usually well-meaning, it's statements are always false. Their conclusions represent a sub-microscopic view of a vastness beyond the capabilities of the human mind to cope. Already science has discovered there are as many stars (like our sun) in our own galaxy as there are grains of sand on all the beaches of the world.

If that is not enough to boggle the mind, consider new scientific evidence showing there are as many galaxies as there are grains of sand on all the beaches of the world. Then look at the vastness of the beach and consider all the beaches of the world. All that sand.

And each grain holding within itself as many suns as there are grains of sand on all the beaches of the world.

With only a tiny sample of such a vast reality at their disposal to study, it is no wonder that new textbooks and new postulates continually replace the flood of errors new discovery brings to the scientific table.

The entire system of academics, including science, is a world of untruths and half-truths. The search is continuous. That is why new textbooks have to be written every year. Each new book is accepted as unequivocably true even though next years text will correct it again. Thus always wrong, it is never wrong in the sight of those who believe in it.

There are other candidates for False Prophet to be sure, but none that field such an extraordinary worldwide audience of worshipful, and essentially godless believers.

Science transcends all countries and borders. It is worshipped everywhere in every country as Babylon's last word on prophetic certainty. We can't say that science IS the False Prophet of scripture, but it has gone farther than any other past entity in world history in fulfilling the prophecies relating to it. It is the world's Decider, and it has decided there is no God.

Science, when it is working under God benefits mankind in extraordinary ways, but when it works in opposition to God it becomes a monster. Science not only produces medical miracles, it has brought to the planet thousands of hydrogen bombs, flinging the fire of the stars from heaven down onto the earth precisely in the way described of the False Prophet.

Those that argue for a traditional religious prophet, disregard Satan's ease in producing a changed playing field. Paul's second letter to the Thessalonians shows the Rebel associated with a "power" of deception...a power to delude the populace and make them believe what is untrue. "There will be all kinds of miracles and a deceptive show of signs and portents, and everything evil that can deceive those who are bound for destruction because they would not grasp the love of the truth which could have saved them", said Paul of this power. (2 Thess. 2:9-12).

We live in a time of powerful signs and powerful evils. They spew out from the magic of television and pour forth across theatres from nation to nation. A steady drumbeat of Satan argues incessantly that sin is righteous and the true evil is not to embrace that notion. Thus blasphemy of the Holy Spirit has risen from the depths to become the new public rationale.

In the debris of this onslaught of evil, the churches lie scattered and torn, banished from the country's academic institutions and government, shunted to the sidelines for its wisdom ­ now seen as bigotry and ignorance, all but irrelevant to the advancing culture. This too has already happened. So where is the power of delusion Paul warned was coming? Look around. It is here now, just as you see it.

Forty-five years after 1963.

According to scripture, The False Prophet will be a servant to the first beast and extend the1st beast's authority everywhere. The First beast (pagan or secular government) had a fatal wound inflicted by the Sword of Christ. Witness the worldwide victory of Christianity on earth that replaced that pagan government once the wound had been inflicted.

That wound has now healed. Secular government has returned. The nation's leaders have to a one ejected Christ from their throne-rooms, the seats of power in western world government. They have rejected Him outright in an astonishing fulfillment of Jesus' prophecy in John 3:19. That, too, has already happened.

Can total darkness be far behind?

"The light will be with you only a little longer now. Walk while you have the light, or the dark will overtake you; he who walks in the dark does not know where he is going. While you still have the light, believe in the light and you will become sons of light." (John 12:35-36).

In the early 1930's, presaging the prophecies she held secret from the time of her 1917 visions at Fatima, Lucia described an "unknown" light that she was told in the visions would be the proof of their truth. She thought a particularly bright comet in the late 1930's was that light, but the light of a comet was not an "unknown" light. That would come later.

The False prophet persuaded the people to put up a Statue to the first beast. This statue was given the power of speech & compelled everyone to be branded in name of the beast, as a manifestation of their belief in the Dragon, his Beast and False Prophet, Satan's unholy and competing trinity.

Those things will surely come to pass.

In 1945 at a site in New Mexico, a site code-named "Trinity" by the U.S. government, the unknown light flashed into the world for the first time. Breaking through the pre-dawn darkness it lit up the entire western United States. Here, indeed was the proof of Lucia's vision, the substance of what those three prophecies represented.

If not THE False prophet, certainly science, the architect of that unknown light is a major, major false prophet. It's pre-eminent position on the academic throne, its hold on the mind of the populace and persistant advice to abandon what it considers the ignorance of faith in God makes it a fierce adversary to Christ in today's increasingly evil and darkening world.

Though that encroaching darkness promises to become dense to an extreme, it also will be broken by a flash of light:

"I gazed into the visions of the night, and I saw, coming on the clouds of heaven, one like a son of man. He came to the one of great age and was led into his presence. On him was conferred sovereignty, glory and kingship, and men of all peoples, nations and languages became his servants. His sovereignty is an eternal sovereignty which shall never pass away, nor will his empire ever be destroyed." (Dan.7:9-14).

...What purpose is served by all your end-of-the-world talk? ­AA

Answer:

The focal point of the Christian religion is the Return of Jesus Christ. We toil in waiting for that moment, filled with hope in His promise to come back for us. It is a moment of critical importance, for without it, Christian purpose would lose all its meaning. Eternal life would fade into mere human life. Without that Return, all Christian effort would meld into the commonality of ordinary civic endeavor.

No one knows the day or hour of His Return, but He has given us many signs in scripture of its approach. He let us know that as we see those signs unfold, anticipation should grow and our faith increase. The problem is, like the advancing storm He compared it to, His Return comes wrapped in the frightening winds of turbulence.

Seeing this and understanding in the prophecies, the intensity of that violence, most churches keep the book closed on apocalyptic discussion. They are cowed not only by their own flocks, but even more by the secular derision heaped on the subject and on those who broach it out loud. The secular public sees apocalyptic discussion as a negative, a real downer. For them (the citizens of Babylon), there are no positives in end of the world ­ just an abrupt end to 'the good life'.

Still, scripture tells us that God has determined to send into the world servants to make known His plans in advance. He wants there to be no surprises. If the people are to be surprised it must be a surprise of their own making ­ one of refusing to listen to what was broadcast in front of them.

"Does the trumpet sound in the city without the populace becoming alarmed? Does misfortune come to a city if God has not sent it? No more does the Lord God do anything without revealing his plans to his servants the prophets." (Amos 3:6-7).

Christ's Return is not going to be some quiet, invisible return sneaking away unseen with worthy souls after the death of their bodies. It will crescendo throughout the heavens and all across the earth when it occurs. It will be a day of immense glory for those who kept their faith in Him. But to the citizens of the world who also will be raised up to witness that glory, it will be a day of total shock, followed by intense mourning for failing that faith.

 

I was told you predicted a second American civil war. Is this true? If so, do you still think so? please respond. ­YH

Answer:

I did not predict it.

There is, however, a biblical prophecy that may suggest it.

Since America has already suffered a brutal Civil War, and Isaiah's prophecy (below) was written over 2000 years before that bitter conflict, his prophecy may already have come true ­ offering, in itself, advance confirmation that America and the "Egypt" of end-time prophecy may be closely related.

"I will stir up the Egyptians against each other and they shall fight every man against his brother, friend against friend, city against city, kingdom against kingdom." (Is. 19:2).

Note that Isaiah's verse describes the fighting in "Egypt," as not just brother against brother, but "kingdom against kingdom" as well. That virtually excludes the literal Egypt from consideration. The name is obviously a metaphore pointing to a different empire. America would qualify since it is made up of 50 states. Each state in our union is a virtual soverign nation with its own leadership, constitution, congress and supreme court.  

The idea of the possibility of a strong correlation in Bible prophecy between a metaporic Egypt and America is well justified. Scripture shows a relationship between these two nations in other end-time prophecies as well ­ prophecies that have come true in just the last several years.

For instance, in scripture "Egyptian" troops are described as invading the country now known as Iraq, and in that country manning a sort of 'Maginot' line at the Euphrates river opposite Persia, the nation now called Iran (Jer. 46:2). American troops have closely duplicated this ancient Egyptian invasion, and currently man a similar position there.  

Jeremiah foresees in this event a dark fate for the Egyptians guarding this line. His prophecies (Jer. 46:2-10) seem to coincide with the critical end-time invasion described in the Book of Revelation (where eastern troops come pouring over the dry Euphrates river-bed after the water in it have inexplicably "dried up". ­ Rev. 16:12; 9:14-19).

Also in scripture, "Egypt" is the biblical name of the western nation to whom a newly rebuilt Israel turns when it structures a military alliance forbidden by Jeremiah. The "return" conditions set forth by God through Jeremiah forbade such an alliance (Jer.42:10-18). God moved the king of Babylon to allow this Jewish return to occur, but, according to Jeremiah, to last only as long as the Jews adhered closely to that treaty's terms and boundaries.

The current state of Israel has entered into a military alliance with the United States, duplicating the actions their ancestors took with ancient Egypt.  Not only that, it has defied the treaty of its formation by erecting forbidden settlements outside the borders legally assigned to it. Both violations were predicted by Jeremiah in his prophesies (Jer. 42:10-17).

Since both of these prophecies apply to circumstances already fulfilled in American terms, every prophecy concerning the name "Egypt" in scripture relating to end-time happenings needs to be examined with that relationship (America as the Egypt of end-time prophecy) at least in mind.

In light of current circumstances, the possibility that Isaiah's prediction might pertain to our nation's future as well as its past cannot be ignored. Civil war is not beyond the realm of possibility in these increasingly polarized times.

There are violent feelings in America today and they were not assuaged by the recent election of Barack Obama. In some ways, they were intensified. Recent newspaper articles show a wave of hatred growing in certain segments of the outed political party. One news account compared this hatred to a cancer coming out of remission.

The intensity of this bitterness is stunningly reminiscent of similar hatreds that swirled 45 years ago in and around Dallas and the South. As they did then, lethal and potentially incendiary tensions still lie very close to the surface. This time we have the added gasoline of a loud and bold gay community trying to overturn the public will (election results) by force.

None of this bodes well because key parts of the hostility are being fanned by churches.  As unbelievable as it sounds, there are many in America today that do not believe it is possible to be both a politcal democrat and a Christian at the same time. In seeing the two-party system as pitting Christians against the Anti-christ, these individuals are unwittingly paving the way not only for civil conflict, but one with jihadist overtones.

News reports on television have shown signs popping up on various evangelical churches with questionable political declarations on them. At least one falsely proclaims President-elect Obama to be a Muslim. Untruths of this magnitude point to a hatred that has calcified, even in parts of the Church. Witness in this respect charges from the same quarter that Obama is the Anti-christ (Newsweek magazine, Nov. 24, 2008).

Isaiah reminds us that there is a day when God stands up and says "Enough!" (Is. 24:16). At that point He will drag the new state of Israel to catastrophic military defeat (Jer. 44:14; Dan.11:16) :and the entire world toward Armageddon (Ez. 38:1-4). The prophet Jeremiah predicted the proof that confirms God has actually activated these 'tractor-beam'-like plans lies in the fulfullment of this verse of scripture: Jer. 44:29-30.

After that occurs, provided that verse holds true, not even prayer can stop His plans:

"Now I am knocking down what I have built, tearing up what I have planted: I am going to strike the whole earth. And here you are asking for special treatment!  Do not ask. For I am now going to bring down disaster on all mankind ­ it is the Lord who speaks. As for you, I will let you escape with your own life, wherever you may go." (Jer.45:4-5).

As we have shown in previous writings, there is ample evidence that Satan has finally been released from his prison in the Abyss in fulfillment of scripture. The Book of Revelation tells us that once released, he will mobilize all the nations in the four quarters of the earth for war. His armies will be as many as the sands of the sea (Rev. 20:7-9). Whether or not the American Civil War in the 1860's was an early part of that mobilization is not known. A second American civil war, if it occurs, is certain to be, however, if for no other reason than its timing.

It is not just an unprecedented economic meltdown that faces America today. We find ourselves in very fragile and scary times on several fronts. Anything is possible, especially in the event the Gospel of Jesus Christ is rejected and ignored by a large number of citizens who formerly had pledged themselves to uphold its core doctrine of peace, mercy and love.

Everyone who turns to Jesus Christ in both thought and action will be saved. God will let them escape with their own lives, wherever they may go.

Do you see any parallel between Twenty-First Century Christians and the Old Testament scribes and Pharisees? In other words, are many of today's Christians spiritually blind? ­JR

Answer:

The scribes and pharisees of Jesus' time were the Jewish religious leaders. Just as Jesus predicted about them, many of these bore a resemblance to various potentates of Christianity, those that pump themselves up in pride of theology and in the majesty of themselves and their station, while remaining aloof to the needs and concerns of their flock.

Neither scribes and pharisees nor Christian potentates relate to ordinary Christians who struggle to follow Jesus Christ amid the trials that beset them in this world. For this reason, I do not see any particular parallel to the scribes and pharisees in the common Christian believer.

Jesus addressed this situation when he declared: "I desire mercy, not sacrifice."

That "mercy", measured in terms of their compassion, love and concern for others seems equally evident in today's Christians as it was in those of past ages. The low numbers of such Christians in this world bears witness to Christ's admonition that more would be called than chosen.

 

I have sent you people several e-mails linking Obama to the beast.. Why don't your respond? ­NA

Answer:

There is nothing in Bible prophecy remotely linked to such a charge. As this page has shown time and time again, Bible prophecy has the beast rising out of the Eastern Hemisphere and commanding what is predicted to be a Parthian army. Parthia was the ancient home of the Persians and Medes. The modern names of countries occupying that locale today include Iran, Iraq, and many of the "stans" (lands above Iran). These nations, say the prophecies, will be led by a madman (Ps. 74:22) from a country far to the north of them (Ez.38:14-16; 1-7).

That map is clear and it has nothing to do with America.

There are many signs showing that the time for that assault to begin is growing near. If so, we can assume the United States will be among the nations involved in the warfare surrounding the rise of the East to world power. The Book of Daniel, speaking of the last days shows that in the far west a land called "Kittim" will field a naval military force opposed to the beast. In today's world, only one far western nation has the kind of naval armada powerful enough to qualify as Kittim's "ships". The U.S. navy today dwarfs all other maritime fleets throughout the entire world, possibly combined. It has no peer.

Daniel tells us that it's opposition to the beast and his armies will be powerful and effective, limiting the beasts governmental reign to the nations of the Eastern Hemisphere, and even blocking his actions there (Dan.11:30). There is biblical evidence that a strong eastern forerunner to the beast will make significant inroads into various parts of what may be South America and the Caribbean (Dan.11:18). Whether those conquered countries continue under the Madman's control after he rises to power in the first king's place is not clear.

Since our nation seems to be the singular power capable of mounting a successful military opposition to the beast at the end of days, we can assume that God is directing its fate. Though we vote, God is the guiding power selecting our supreme leaders. The nations of the world today are poised on a precipice of financial collapse that could emulate the global meltdown of 1929 or worse. The United States is at the tiller of the planet in this storm. How we address this crisis will determine the fate of the world for a significant term of the future.

Everyone is going to be poorer for quite awhile to come, perhaps even to the end, because free credit is gone and will likely not return. Fateful questions still looming involve vast unemployment, a collapsed infrastructure, a mortgage flameout and bread lines. Responsible government and a cool well-informed hand will blunt the impact of those possibilities.

God has put Obama in that chair. We need to trust Him in His decision. Especially when it is is becoming clearer that due to our success in this mounting crisis, we may be the only major western nation left standing after the dust of the rise of the East clears.

Peter was very clear concerning God's hand in our governance:

"For the sake of the Lord, accept the authority of every social institution: the emperor, as the supreme authority, and the governors as commissioned by him to punish criminals and praise good citizenshiop. God wants you to be good citizens, so as to silence what fools are saying in their ignorance. You are slaves of no one except God, so behave like free men, and never use your freedom as an excuse for wickedness. Have respect for everyone and love for our community; fear God and honor the emperor." (1 Peter 2:13-17).

So was Paul:

"You must all obey the governing authorities. since all government comes from God, the civil authorities were appointed by God, and so anyone who resists authority is rebelling against God's decision, and such an act is bound to be punished. Good behavior is not afraid of magistrates; only criminals have anything to fear. If you want to live without being afraid of authority, you must live honestly and authority may even honor you."

"The state is there to serve God for your benefit. If you break the law, however, you may well have to fear: the bearing of the sword has its significance. The authorities are there to serve God: they carry out God's revenge by punishing wrongdoers. You must obey, therefore, not only because you are afraid of being punished, but also for consciences' sake.

This is also the reason why you must pay taxes, since all government officials are God's officers. They serve God by collecting taxes. Pay every government official what he has a right to ask ­ whether it be direct tax or indirect, fear or honor." (Rom. 13:1-7).

Trust in the Lord conquers all fears:

"You need not fear the terrors of night, the arrow that flies in the daytime, the plague that stalks in the dark, the scourge that wreaks havoc in broad daylight. Though a thousand fall at your side, ten thousand at your right hand, you yourself will remain unscathed, with his faithfulness for shield and buckler." (Ps.91:5-7)

Thought your readers might find some interesting symmetry on your recent discussions regarding science and its placement within prophecy as you have described. This link to an article discusses a scientist, Dr. Evans, and his experiment to be conducted this week in the hopes that the, so called, "God Particle" will be discovered assisting science with the explanation of the beginnings of life a fraction of a second after the Big Bang.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-1053091/Meet-Evans-Atom-e nd-world-Wednesday.html

­RA

I see a lot inaccurate information on the internet regarding several Apocryphal books, unfortunately your web site at http://goodnewspirit.com/apocrypha.htm is one of those inaccurate sources.

Some of the Apocrypha books were written first in Hebrew before being written in Greek, in fact fragments in Hebrew-Aramaic of some of the Apocrypha books were found in the Dead Sea scrolls.

The Song of the Three Holy Children and The History of Susanna are accepted by the Catholic Church are included in all their English Bible translations, but as extra chapters in the Book of Daniel - I know this because I have many different Catholic Bibles in my library. For example the Challoner revision of the Douay-Rheims Bible 'The Song of the Three Holy Children" are included as verses 24-90 of chapter 3 of Daniel. "The History of Susanna" is included as chapter 13 of Daniel (with "Bel and the Dragon" as chapter 14 of Daniel). They included in the same manner in the Catholic "Saint Joseph Edition of the New American Bible" edition of 1991. That edition has the following footnote for Daniel 3:24-90 "These verses are inspired additions to the Aramaic text of Daniel, translated from the Greek form of the book." [meaning the translators of the New American Bible translated these verses from the Greek text] "They were originally composed in Hebrew or Aramaic, which has not been preserved. The church has always regarded them as part of the canonical Scriptures." That Bible translation makes a similar footnote comment about chapter 13 and chapter 14. ­S

Answer:

The Greek Old Testament was written more than 200 years before the birth of Christ and many fragments of it were found at Qumran (as a part of the Dead Sea Scrolls). The Apocryphal books all gained their status for being considered "first written in Greek rather than Hebrew". That consideration was made by Hebrew scholars at Jamnia in 80-95 A.D. They were alot closer to the source of those manuscripts than are scholars today, 2000 years later. Your argument is with them.

Is there any mention of the stock market crash in the Bible? ­JK

Answer:

Stock markets did not exist in biblical times. Economic "crashes", though, were commonly referenced in terms of famine and in the warrants of destruction issued by God against various nations relative to the wickedness of the people involved. There are many prayers in the Old Testament scriptures pleading for national prosperity, a certain recognition that the opposite often prevailed.

In fact, scripture shows that prosperity is usually Satan's handmaid. The Lord inspired David to say:

"Man when he prospers forfeits intelligence: he is one with the cattle doomed to the slaughter. So on they go with their self-assurance, with men to run after them when they raise their voice." (Ps.49:12-13).

It is God's continuing purpose to offer salvation to the world's people and make the road to that eternal life easier to recognize. David's Psalm shows that prosperity is a roadblock to that recognition. The flight away from God that has charaterized the past few decades in America (and the world) shares a direct relationship with the unprecedented global prosperity that has swept the globe these past 25 years.

One of the most popular testimonies of that rush to prosperity and its ultimate flameout was typified in Thomas Wolfe's novel, "The Bonfire of the Vanities" with its designation of those who have led this greedy stampede, as "Masters of the Universe".

Of course, only God is Master of the universe. Those who thought to rival Him have been leveled by their own hand. The scoffers have brought themselves and the country who chased off after them to their knees. That roadblock to God is now gone. As the prosperity disappears, intelligence is sure to return. And with it will come a clarity that will lead many to Jesus Christ ­ perhaps hundreds of thousands of people who would have otherwise been blinded to His truth in their feverish scramble to grasp monetary wealth.

But this regaining of sense is not so certain today. The Bible tells us that in the last days mankind will not turn to God in the midst of travail and poverty, but rail against Him, blaming Him (instead of themselves) for all the misery they are suffering. It seems clear that we are in the last days now so this passage of scripture must be nearing fulfillment as well.

Instead of the clouds parting to display a bright splash of "Sonlight", we may see just the opposite. We may discover that darkness has returned just as Jesus warned it would at the end.

In terms of prophecy, we were given an image of the global financial collapse in the attack and destruction of the World Trade towers in New York by a group of Middle Eastern terrorists. This action seemed certain to be an early fulfillment of Daniel's vision concerning the rise of a fourth and terrifying Persian empire in the last days (Dan.7:7; 11:2-4).

Was this image (i.e., the events of 9-11) the handwriting on the wall of Babylon, an image that not only predicted the Persian empire's imminence, but guaranteed it's successful rise to power?

In the New York attack (viewed as a Pearl Harbor event) we may be seeing the earliest elements of the coming war between East and West that structures all the activities of the final days (Dan. 8:17). In other words, we may be witnessing the whole Book of Daniel unfolding before our eyes...and with it, the Book of Revelation as well.

I think we are.

Viewed typologically, in the 2001 New York attack, global finance was shown to be leveled. The towers of world trade were totally wiped out and came crashing to the ground in two strikes. The U.S. military was shown to be badly injured, but unconquered, and the U.S. government saved by the heroic actions of its people. The Pentagon was attacked but survived, while the Capitol, the White House and the other buildings of the U.S. democracy, though targeted, were left untouched by the raid.

When God led Daniel into Nebuchadnezzar's palace to interpret the vision on the wall, the vision that instructed Daniel to tell Babylon that Persia was coming to destroy it, was He pointing to us today?  It is hard not to see it that way.

With a second stock market crash currently in progress heralding the worst conflagration of global finance ever seen, it is hard not to see this as related to the first, i.e., a stock market crash in two parts.  The first came on 9-11-01. It crushed the so-called "Dot Com boom", foundering the technology revolution and spawning 7 years of hostile takeovers, job layoffs, outsourcing, collapsed companies and pirate booty for the CEO's masterminding the rapes.  

Today's fall is the second shoe of that event, the collapse of global real estate, and with it the credit market. Now the collapse is complete. Both towers are down. And all that is left to see is where the dust settles.

Our forces are at the Euphrates facing Persia this very moment.

Whatever is about to happen, we know that the United States will survive virtually to the end. Daniel's vision of the "ships of Kittim" forcing the beast to cower just before the world's end guarantees that survival.

If 9-11 is, as we suspect, the handwriting on the wall of Babylon, we must conclude that the reference you asked about has been there all the time, but hidden behind the veil implaced by God's command (Dan.12:4). Hidden behind that veil is the crash of the World Trade towers.

The fact of the sudden removal of this divine veil, i.e., the revelation of the decimation of the twin towers of world trade precipitated by the vanguard of an eastern army in current history, is another proof of the time we occupy in the clock of God.

"But you, Daniel, must keep these words secret and the book sealed until the time of the end." (Dan.12:4)

 

Don't you think our exile to Babylon reflects our soul's captivity to flesh and blood? ­PL

Answer:

If you are asking whether our physical bodies ride the earth through space in the way Babylon "rides" the beast (Rev.17:3-5), I would have to agree. The problem is there is no escape from our captivity simply by breaking the bond between flesh and soul (i.e., physical death). That cannot save us.

Scripture shows we were spirited off into Satan's domain long ago when he rebelled against God and took us captive. This is Satan's world. We were born here trapped in his prison awaiting execution. That is why everyone here dies. The Lord came to set us free and lead us out of Satan's dungeon. There is no other way out. Jesus has cancelled our death sentence by paying its price in our place, while putting us on a path of righteousness that leads to God's kingdom, a place far away from here where we can live forever in peace and safety.

The Bible says Babylon lives on 7 hills (Rev.17:9). Generally that is interpreted as Rome, this world's capitol city as far as the Book of Revelation is concerned. The House of Israel was evicted from the Holy Land and sent to Babylon through a mandate from God (Micah 4:10), legally executed as a part of the Peace Treaty Jesus made with the world on the cross. The King of Israel was sold by His brothers to Babylon for 30 pieces of silver. The headquarters of the Christian Church, the City of David, has been held captive in Rome (outside of Jerusalem) ever since in keeping with the terms of the treaty.

But those seven hills can also be interpreted as the 7 continents of the world as well ­ an interpretation that unites the world's capitol city with the world itself. That interpretation leads to the thought of a flesh and blood captivity.  Babylon in that sense is a composite of all the kingdoms on earth who rule in opposition to Christ's Gospel. Just as we do, those kingdoms also live under a death sentence. That sentence, like a "sword of Damocles" hangs over the whole world. It's time of fulfillment, said Jesus, is not far away.

The prince of this world is Satan. We are cautioned by God that we must not love this world or anything that is in this world. That's a tall request. Think of the world's demand that we love money, property, power and status; that we nationalize against one another and compete against one another, confident that "winning" itself is the only righteousness. It is a ubiquitous indoctrination that envelops us all.

The paradox is that the more we love this world, the more we tend to hate each other. The broad reach of Christ's love of mankind that we are supposed to hold in our hearts is circumscribed into ever smaller focal points of humanity. The world we are supposed to hate, we love, while the mankind we are supposed to love becomes the object of our hatred.

Jesus came to free us from that worldly propaganda by reforming our souls into the thoughts and behaviour that reflect the spirit of the Gospel He preached.  It is that Holy Spirit that leads us out of this world ­ to God.

In that coversion and in its place of fulfillment, we gain our freedom from the captivity that encases us here. There, our soul will be given a new body to wear. Not one of flesh and blood but everlasting and forever free (1 Cor.15:35-57; 1 Cor.15:50; Mat.22:29-30).

 

Who is the beast with seven heads? ­JH

Answer:

The beast is Satan. He is also referred to as the great sea monster, the leviathon who lurks in deep dark waters according to Old Testament prophecy (Ps.74:13-14). Jesus called him the prince of this world.

The Bible says one interpretation of the "sea" that he lives in is the people of the world. Using that as a guide, Satan is the monster who rules and terrorizes all the world's populations. Another interpretation of the "sea" is the cosmos that surrounds us, the great "abyss" (Gen.1:1-2). Following that interpretation Satan is the prince who rules this universe and all that is in it including this world. Jesus came to remove us from Satan's domain and take us to His new kingdom that is not of this world (John18:36).

Jesus said this world is doomed. Science has since examined the cosmos and come to the same conclusion. Material existance as it exists in this universe is brief and passes away ­ the universe with it.  God has created an existance that is eternal and will never pass away to replace it. Jesus has promised to lead us to that new kingdom and to the eternal life that is a fundamental essence of its nature.

The beast has seven heads. The Book of Revelation tells us that those seven are seven kingdoms or empires, as well as the specific ruler that most perfectly characterizes each of those empires (Rev.17:8-11). For instance, the sixth head was Rome and the emperor that characterized it, Nero.

Each of the heads represents the philosophy of Satan, the beast. The seven heads, therefore, are seven extraordinarily wicked kingdoms particularly antagonistic to God and to His people, the House of Israel. In fact, these seven heads can be measured in their relationship to Israel. The United States, for instance, is a strong friend and protector of Israel and therefore cannot be one of the heads of the beast. However, the kingdoms of the Middle East do not share that affection for Israel.

Iran, specifically, has pledged to destroy it.

Adolph Hitler was almost certainly the seventh head of the beast, both in his empire and his person. His hostility to the House of Israel was such that he systematically murdered Jews by the millions all over Europe in a focused attempt to exterminate the race of Israel from the face of the earth, a move that made him the most heinous of all the seven heads. Fortunately, his reign was brief (Rev.17:10).

The true reality of God is Jesus Christ, not Moses. So the House of Israel has two faces. At this time those two faces are looking in opposite directions and seem to be at odds. The odds, however have been induced by God and exist for the purpose of the salvation of that part of the pagan world willing to accept Jesus as their king. When that conversion attempt has been completed in accordance with the view of God, the two faces of Israel will merge into a single entity ruled by Jesus Christ.

Babylon, the whore who rides the beast (who lives according to the will of Satan), is the composite empire (made up of all the kingdoms on earth) who rule this world and guide or dictate to their respective populations worldly behavior and actions.

All the populations that make up those kingdoms (those who have not yet converted their lives to God) represent the "sea" that surrounds Babylon (Rev.17:15).

All of us were born into Babylon, into that "sea", into an existance whose behavior separated us from God. Not until we were baptised, converting our lives to Jesus Christ did we pass from death to life. That conversion is what Jesus called being "born again". It constitutes a personal relationship with Jesus Christ and with the Gospel that He preached. Those who have turned to Christ have broken with Babylon and left her. That "leaving" is a spiritual separation.

It is a walk that leads into eternal life.

 

Can spiritual existance be proved? ­DC

Answer:

Not by science. Science can only study the material universe. By its own definition it cannot go beyond materialism's borders. The Bible tells us that God is spirit. Science studies matter; it doesn't even recognize spirit.. Therefore God cannot be studied by science. So when scientists say scientific or evolutionary evidence proves there is no God, they are going where their own analytical rules have forbidden them to go. Science must be able to test and probe its subject for answers. It can only do that in the material world. The spiritual world cannot be probed by any physical means.

Science's ability to test and prove is the reason it has risen to become such a god in this world. It's tests, which seem to prove its prophecies, have mesmerized the populations.

Since the spiritual world cannot be probed, no similar testing process is available to it,. There is no "proof" of its existance ­ no "sign" that can be given. Jesus said it is an evil and unfaithful generation that asks for a sign. The only sign that will be given, said God, will be the sign of Jonah. That sign is the 3-days surrounding Jesus' death and resurrection.

We must come to God by faith.

The separation between what is physical and what is spiritual goes beyond "dimensions". When science talks about dimensions it is speaking of different aspects of materialism. The word "spiritual" is not in the vocabulary of science. Science recognizes no spiritual component in the universe of the Big Bang. Thus a spiritual existance, if there is such a thing (and God says there is) is best seen involving an entirely different universe. These two existances (universes) can be visualized in the concept of body and soul. Plato proposed this dualism long before Christ was born.

While such a dichotomy of existance has been debated ever since, Jesus confirmed it as a reality. Jesus explained that even though the body of each person dies, their soul continues to live. Thus a person's fundamental existance is not locked to the fate of the body. Nor is that fundamental existance even material.

Here again an entirely different universe can be postulated. The fact that the soul continues to live unharmed despite physical death (no matter how violent) implies two realities of extraordinary separation. That the soul is impervious even to hydrogen bombs or supernova's exploded next to it in material existance implies a difference the vastness of which defies comprehension. It suggests we exist in an overlay of two different kinds of universes. Not just an overlay, but two universes fundamentally integrated; tightly bound together by a mysterious force beyond our understanding. The two represent existances extraordinarily different from one another in both character and structure, but bound together by God for a limited time, seemingly as one.

While the soul cannot be killed by any material force, it still faces a life and death crisis at the hands of God. This was Christ's warning. The "end of the world" is not just a physical event, it is also spiritual. "Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away", said Jesus (Luke 21:29-31). No person (body or soul) will survive the coming finality unless marked with the cross in the blood of Christ.

God has locked the fate of the soul to Jesus' death and resurrection. This fate brings to light a concept Jesus called the "second death", i.e., spiritual death. Those who choose to follow Christ escape their soul's death and will be "born again". Not only will their soul live, a new body will be given to them and in that combination they will live forever in God's new kingdom. Everyone who declines to follow Jesus will experience the second death ­ the death of their soul. That is why choosing Christ and follwing in His footsteps is so essential to us all.

Even many religious balk at the idea of a spiritual existance. That is because its invisibility here seems to suggest the structureless equivalent of something more diaphanous than wind. That is why so many churches teach the resurrection of a physical body. This is a concrete image that can be grasped by everyone. Yet Paul and the apostles in their writings have been careful to point out that we will be given a different type of body at the resurrection ­ not the kind we wear here now, but a "perfect" body.

No one knows what type of body that is. But scripture said it will be made in the substance of God. We cannot see God in this world because of the exile. However, scripture clearly states that we will be able to see Him in the new kingdom. Since God is spirit, that means the spiritual world will no longer be invisible to us. If our new body is spiritual, our ability to "see" it, indicates that the structure of our existance in God's kingdom will mimic current existance, but in perfection. There will be no flaws. Gravity will no longer bind us in its iron chains.

It is interesting to note that in this material universe a closer inspection of matter reveals no solid structure anywhere, just vibrating charges. Materialism is not what most of us imagine it to be, or "see" it to be. Basically,, there is almost nothing there. If the electrical forces that hold the vibrating charges together ever fail, existance would simply dissolve into nothingness; all the tiny particles that underlie the material world would simply disappear. The material world would become just as invisible as the spiritual world.

Thus spiritual nothingness and material nothingness are very similar. Matter and spirit are just different platforms from, and out of which, God is able to build His creations. Matter reflects the exile; spirit the reconciliation.

The material world's fade into non-existance is going on all around us all the time in the aging process. Everything in our physical universe gets old and dies. That is because this universe reflects not just God's order, but also Satan's rebellion. Order meets disorder and decays into chaos. Everything here is contaminated with a kind of fatal rust called mortality. Not only does it infect our physical bodies, but the planets, galaxies and even the physical universe as well.

The new kingdom of God is eternal and not subject to any of these destructive forces.

Since the academic world looks to science for its "proofs", it has banked its intellect on the material world ­ an existance that is about to pass away forever. It is studying not the future, but the past ­ the extinction. It is studying what God sees as dead. Perhaps that is what the Holy Spirit had in mind when He had Isaiah prophesy, "By all means a people must consult its gods and, on behalf of the living, consult the dead. To obtain a revelation and a testimony, without doubt this is how they will talk, since there is no dawn for them." (Is. 8:18-20)

The fact that this world is slated to pass away has been confirmed by both God and science. The Bible shows it doomed in the reconciliation of God through Christ. Science recognizes its extinction in the processes of solar mechanics. The prophecies of each do not share the same timeline, but that is in the hands of God and not open to revelation as far as either is concerned.

The Book of Exodus indicates that God is holding this material universe together with "great power".

When God said "Let there be light!", He started with something far smaller than a single atom and exploded it, expanding space and filling its emptiness with all that we see around us today ­ galaxies, stars, planets ­ even houses, furniture and physical bodies. Space is the chaotic water that God parted at the beginning so that His people could walk dryshod out of Satan's wllderness into God's new kingdom. The "waters" of space have been split apart in the same way that God separated the waters at the Red Sea in the Israelite's journey out of Egypt.

When our journey is complete, God will turn off His power and the waters will all come crashing back to what they were, dooming our universe and casting it back to the chaotic nothingness of primordial space. At that moment, every soul that God has not rescued will perish.

As it was at the time of Pharaoh, the heart of the king of this world will again be hardened against the people of God. The Madman will set off to attack the last of those God is leading to safety. When the waters come crashing back together, this "pharaoh's" army will be in the act of pursuing the rear-guard of the departing House of Israel, intending to kill them all. Standing at Armageddon, his forces will surround Jerusalem. And there, suddenly, he will meet his end, and the world soon after him.

"And when your son asks you in days to come, "What does this mean?" you will tell him, "By sheer power God brought us out of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. (Ex.13:14). Our current universe, the pathway of our journey to God's new kingdom is a reflection of that sheer power in action.

 

More on the false prophet and academic godlessness.

Answer:

There is no question that the false god of the future will present as something far different than the panopoly of sculpted dieties that have crossed history's stage over past ages. Scholarship is likely to play a key role in this change. Any modern god, even though false, must embrace the deepest academic introspections of world scholarship, reaching up to unveil the heights of the cosmos and down to lay bare the depths of creation, both with equal believability.

The false prophet seems certain to proclaim the kind of God Jesus revealed: a god of "word", but based on philosophy and scholarship rather than spirit. By and large, ours is a faithless generation. That means it will demand pragmatism in its belief. A god that makes academic sense is the only one a cynical public will accept without question.

That acceptance, of course, has already taken place.

Today, the public readily acknowledges truth as emanating from scholarship rather than Jesus Christ or scripture. The academic world clearly offers the kind of "proof's" today's population's demand. This is true even of the religious. Many in the churches have made science a kind of vision modifier, using it to edit Christ's miracles to make them acceptable to their modern ("enlightened") congregations. Accepting those miracles at face value is seen as naive ­ a sure sign of gullibility among a simplistic and backward faithful.

The Book of Revelation says the false prophet will work hand in hand with world government, not just the Madman's, but all governments on earth during his reign. This shows that the overarching issue surrounding the beast is godlessness, not the Madman himself. The Bible shows all sides united at the end in godlessness ­ the Madman and his enemies as well. When the end comes, the earth will be shrouded in darkness. God's offer will have been rescinded and the gate, for most, closed (2 Thes. 3:11-12).

Science does a superb job investigating the physical world and making discoveries about it that are of great interest to mankind. It also participates in the applicaton of those discoveries. It discovers fission and fusion, and it makes the bombs those discoveries theorize. It discovers marvelous cures for disease, but it also participates in the development of profiteering drugs made by corporations whose primary product is their stock price. Science operates at both ends of its discoveries. Science can be used to help mankind. It can also used to harm mankind. It can be used to promote God and it can be used to promote Satan. Like government, it is only a tool and its nature depends entirely on the hand that wields it.

Arts and science, the two horns of scholarship, are today firmly aligned with secular government against religion. A vivid example of this lies in the 1963 U.S. Supreme Court decision that effectively sealed the divorce between Christianity and the United States school system. Not just prayer, but the mere mention of God and Jesus were forbidden in that decision. The reason given was that the Constitution mandated a separation between God and state.

In that decision, and others that followed, the spillover showed the scholastic system and the government to be united in their thinking and in their efforts to expunge every vestige of God from within their respective institutions. Thus we have godless government united with godless scholarship, especially with its visionary horn, "science", scholarship's skillful deducer of materialism's past, present and future.

Ending 1700 years of Christian rule on earth, the tools of government and scholarship have been taken over by godless forces who, sadly, now wield them in support of the Antichrist.

Given their mutual rejection of God over the past century, the alliance between government and science represents a compelling reflection of the beast and false prophet as they are portrayed in scripture. Godless government is the beast with seven heads described in the Book of Revelation. It is clear in John's apocalyptic writing that the 6th head of this beast was Nero, When the mortal wound healed, Adolph Hitler, the 7th appeared. Still in the wings, the 8th head is not far behind. In close support of the beast is its ally, the false prophet, and riding it (managing it) is Babylon, the faithless city (Rev.17:1-7).

Throughout the 20th century, few ministers proclaimed the prophecies of scripture despite the fact that the civilization around them was collapsing under a succession of seiges mandated by the violent who, in their global warmongering had amassed an enormous arsenal of weapons that had the capacity to wipe out all life on earth in a matter of minutes. In that century a vast array of apocalyptic biblical prophecies approached the precipice of reality, some cascading into it, and the rest teetering on coming true at any moment. That condition has not changed.

Yet for decades very few ministers dared address in biblical terms (prophecies) the crises facing civilization unfolding around them. Instead, it was the academic community that broadcast the warnings and sounded the alarms. With the populace looking to scholarship, not God for its understanding, the words of science had quietly supersceded the words of God, and the prophecies with them.

The few ministers who did try to sound scripture's warnings were ridiculed not only by the general populace but by much of the religious community as well. Such ministers were universally brushed off as "quacks" or "kooks". This despite the fact that the 20th century was far and away the most violent in mankind's history ­ in its rage, dragging the entire civilization all the way up to the top step of the apocalyptic gallows. Nor did this violence stop with the calendar. It continues and is now moving into the geographical areas defined by scripture for the button's push.

The public embrace of scientific prophecy and its exclusion of God's biblical counterpart was, and still is an enormous paradox. Science, not God, now gives us the warnings most are willing to listen to. Not warnings with instructions for survival attached, but hopeless warnings that none of us can do anything about. Listening to the scholars, we are helpless to do anything but simply stand and hope...for hope. That is because scholarship has shown prayer (in its estimation) to be worthless. Evolution, science tells us "proves" that God never intervenes in the affairs of man or nature. In fact, they insist, there is no God ­ no intelligence anywhere in the creation's grand design.

By taking away Jesus Christ, the secular world and its false prophet have taken away from their minions all hope, and they have done it in the very worst climate possible ­ at a time when all the governments have abandoned the Rock of Christ, the storms of crisis are beating at the door and the darkening clouds of terror surround us.

"When Jesus spoke to the people again, he said: 'I am the light of the world; anyone who follows me will not be walking in the dark; he will have the light of life'." (John 8:12).

When we look around today we can see how the light of Christ is now beginning to fade. Churches are closing and congregations slipping away.. That fading light is a reflection of the gate that is closing.

Thank God the escape is still here and the closing gate is still open enough for those who have ears to hear and eyes to see to make their way to safety in Jesus Christ.

"The light will be with you only a little longer now. Walk while you have the light, or the dark will overtake you; he who walks in the dark does not know where he is going. While you still have the light, believe in the light and you will become sons of light." (John 12:35-36).

That light is Jesus Christ. He is the gate of the sheepfold, and the bread of life:

"Anyone who eats this bread will live forever..." (John 6:51).

I was wondering if decoding prophecy in the Bible is what God would want for you to do and for me to read? I just recently bought a book by Paul Crouch called "The Shadow of the Apocalypse", (I was told) that I should not be reading this book or following your site. Then... I received a weekly bible email talking about mankind's fall had to do with our disobedience in eating of the Tree of Knowledge and about God being all knowing and man trying to figure out God's secrets, and it made me wonder if it's alright with God for you to try and decode bible prophecy and figure out what will happen in the future? ­L

Answer:

Thank you for your e-mail and good question.

We all have knowledge. Just to have a brain and think about anything is to have knowledge. Reading the Bible gives us knowledge. We cannot undo the damage Adam and Eve did in Eden (eating from the tree of knowledge). That is why Jesus died on the cross. He paid the penalty for this original sin in full, so that our guilt is removed completely. He died in our place so that we don't have to die ­ so that we can have eternal life with Him in heaven. His death and resurrection guarantee that.

The sin Adam and Eve committed in Eden was rebellion. Knowledge in itself is not evil. But what we do with it can be. We can be kind or we can be hateful. It can bring us closer to God or send us away from Him.  God sent Jesus to tell us we must be compassionate and filled with love for our fellow human beings. That is God's way and we must follow it exactly as Jesus explained in the Gospel He preached. And He told us we should do it without fear because He has saved us from eternal death and no one can steal that from us.

You do not have to worry about your faith. You have been born again in Christ, baptised (I hope) in His name and have confessed your sins to Jesus in prayer and resolved to stop sinning. That means you are saved. All you need to do from now on is live a life of love and forgiveness, i.e., just keep following Jesus (2 John 6; 1 John 5:1-4).

"To love is to live according to his commandments: this is the commandment which you have heard since the beginning, to live a life of love." (2 John 6).

"If we cannot be condemned by our own conscience, we need not be afraid in God's presence, and whatever we ask him, we shall receive, because we keep his commandments and live the kind of life that he wants. His commandments are these: that we believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ and that we love one another as he told us to. Whoever keeps his commandments lives in God and God lives in him. We know that he lives in us by the Spirit that he has given us." (1 John 3:21-24).

"Anyone who claims to be in the light but hates his brother is still in the dark. But anyone who loves his brother is living in the light and need not be afraid of stumbling..." (1 John 2:9-10).

Jesus said in scripture that it is our duty to go and spread the Good News of the kingdom of God around the world (Luke 9:60; Mark 16:15-16; Mat. 28:18-20). In his attempt to do this, Paul Crouch has built a vast radio network that now reaches every part of the world, even its most remote parts. He preaches about the Bible, i.e, spreads Jesus' Good News just about as well as anyone. There are alot of subjects in the New Testament (the word of Jesus) to preach about. Some are commandments and others concern the end of the world. Both must be preached so that people can be saved.

When I write my internet pages, I write in Bible quotations so that my words stay very close to those of scripture. This is important because I write about the Bible's prophets. They are in scripture and the subjects I write about are the things they have said. Talking about their words and applying them to our times­ making their words relevant to our world today­ is my way of helping spread the Good News of the kingdom of Jesus Christ across the world. I never ask those who read my pages to follow me; I always urge everyone to follow Jesus and only Jesus.

Nor do I tell my readers which church to join. Jesus Christ belongs to every church that proclaims His gospel to the world. His word can be followed equally as well in all churches. Church is important because it is a fellowship of believers and membership strengthens faith, but the Holy Spirit has made the choice of church individual for the sake and comfort of God's believers.

Jesus said that we are living in the last days (Jesus inaugurated the last days for the purpose of rescuing the children of God whom Satan took captive). When that rescue has been completed Jesus will return as He promised. On that day this world will be brought to an end and God's new world will appear in its place (Rev. 21:10-14). Those are not my words, they are the Bible's words. And they are true.

Jesus told us no one can predict the day of His return because only God knows that, but He said we can see the signs of the truth of His teaching all around us if we just look (Mt.16:1-3). That is why Christian's everywhere are so interested in understanding those signs because when we see them occur, they confirm our faith. This is really important ­ that our faith be confirmed ­ because it strengthens our commitment to Him making it easier for us to hold on when times are hard and the going gets rough.

Jesus told us to beware of false prophets who try to lead us astray. If we are doing what Jesus said, then no one can lead us astray. The only way someone can lead us astray is to try to get us to do something Jesus forbid, like hating others or worshipping money or killing or even being angry with others. Jesus insisted that we must forgive everyone who trespasses against us. He said if we do that, He will forgive every sin we ever commit as well, even if we don't realize we have committed a sin. This command is even in the Lord's Prayer.

False prophets make love turn cold. They kill compassion. Jesus said that God wants mercy not sacrifice (Mat.12:6-8). The false prophets say just the opposite. They say we must sacrifice, we can't sing or dance or laugh or eat certain foods or be kind to people outside our "group" ­ things like that. Jesus wanted us to know that if we showed the kind of love to others He taught, we would go to heaven no matter what.

The Bible says:

"Does the trumpet sound in the city without the populace becoming alarmed? Does misfortune come to a city if God has not sent it? No more does the Lord God do anything without revealing his plans to his servants the prophets." (Amos 3:6-7).

That prophecy is in scripture; therefore, it is true. Amos is showing here that there is an unfolding Bible prophecy that comes to the people of the world in advance from God (out of scripture), especially when grievous times are close, and it is not against the will of God that people should hear it; just the opposite ­ God wants everyone to hear it. It is meant to save ­ these prophecies are warnings to those who have not yet converted their lives to Jesus.

There are still alot of people who have not yet been saved. Billions, in fact. Many have heard about Jesus but have been too busy to pay any attention to His preaching, thinking that what He says is not relevant to their worldly lives. God has designed His prophecies to shake them and wake them up because their chance for salvation is slipping away.

It is an enormous opportunity and many are about to lose it forever.

Are you aware of this passage in scripture: "Upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it." ? -Mt. 16:18. ­DE

Answer:

Not only does the House of Israel survive intact, we win the war. The battle against the Church will be fierce, but at the last minute, scripture shows it turning in our favor. At the end of the world when the vast hordes of enemy forces have disappeared from the earth ­ that unbelievable expanse of troops all mounted against us numbering as the sands of the sea ­ suddenly all gone; At that moment, though every enemy of God has died, there will still be in Jerusalem both Christians and Jews.

Michael the Archangel will lead the surviving Christians from Babylon down the slopes of the Mount of Olives into Jerusalem where they will be greeted by their Jewish brothers and sisters. These will welcome Michael and his group with the words: "Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord."

At that moment, Gabriel will blow his trumpet and Michael will call out the command. Instantly, the Lord will appear. The brilliant light of His Return will verify before the eyes of the entire world the amazing victory God and His House of Israel have achieved over Satan.

When that happens none of the people left alive on earth will have any advantage over those who have died across the ages leading up to that moment (1 Thes. 4:15). Those who have died in Christ will be the first to be raised, and then those who are still alive will be taken up in the clouds together with them, to meet the Lord in the air to be with Him forever, never to be separated from Him again (1 Thes. 4:16-18).

"The Day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then with a roar the sky will vanish, the elements will catch fire and fall apart, the earth and all that it contains will be burnt up.

Since everything is coming to an end like this, you should be living holy and saintly lives while you wait and hope for the Day of God to come, when the sky will dissolve in flames and the elements melt in the heat.

What we are waiting for is what he promised: the new heavens and new earth, the place where righteousness will be at home. So then, my friends, while you are waiting, do your best to live lives without spot or stain so that he will find you at peace". (2 Peter 3:11-14).

This world will disappear. It will be replaced by a new heaven and a new earth where life is eternal. In the spirit, John was lifted up by an angel to see and bear witness to God's new kingdom. His words include these:

"One of the angels came to speak to me, and said, 'Come here and I will show you the bride that the Lamb has married'. In the spirit, he took me to the top of an enormous high mountain, and showed me Jerusalem, the holy city, coming down from God out of heaven.

It had all the radiant glory of God and glittered like some precious jewel of crystal-clear diamond. The walls of it were of a great height, and had twelve gates; at each of the twelve gates there was an angel, and over the gates were written the names of the twelve tribes of Israel...The city walls stood on twelve foundation stones, each one of which bore the name of one of the twelve apostles of the Lamb... The wall was built of diamond and the city of pure gold, like polished glass...

...Nothing unclean may come into it: no one who does what is loathsome or false, but only those who are listed in the Lamb's book of life... The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in its place in the city; his servants will worship him, they will see him face to face, and his name will be written on their foreheads." (Rv.21:9-22:15).

...All I have to say is you must be an ignoramus to attack science as something bad. ­DK

Answer:

Actually I said science had become one with the false prophet.

Before Russia revolted in 1918, it's government was structued in Jesus Christ. After that revolution Russia's government was dedicated to atheism. When government rules under God, it serves Him. When it rules apart from God that is no longer the case. When it attacks God and promotes atheism in His place, it is transformed into the Anti-christ. The same is true of the education system. Under God, education serves good. When it denies God and attacks Him, it becomes the servant of the Anti-christ.

What I have been writing about is a paradigm shift. From God centered goverenment and God-centered education to somthing radically different ­ a government and an educational system both of which reject God.

We know that godless government is the Anti-christ. It is clear in prophecy that the one they call the Madman, will be the world's final Anti-christ ruler. He will be the 8th head of the beast in the Book of Revelation.

The false prophet those same verses say will assist him in his evil reign is believed by many to be false religion, or at least associated with false religion. The false religious authority at the time of the twelve apostles were the panopoly of Greek and Roman gods that occupied the world stage that Christ's followers inhabited. We can still see the crumbling remains of their decaying temples all over the Mediterranean landscape. They were destroyed by the Word of Christ.

Today, the people of the world pay homage to (i.e., worship) a more sophisticated kind of diety. It is not associated with religion, but evokes the same kind of idolization and reverent adoration by the vast majority of people it touches. Following the formula of Christ who brought the word of God, this "god" gives us the word of knowledge ­ now a competing form of word. It's temples stretch from grammar schools to universities. They offer a product hallowed by the nations but blind to Christ.

The populations of the world see this huge academic establishment, the miracles it produces, and the depth of understanding it seems to embody and think, "Who is like knowledge? Who can rival this giant? "

One of the more important engines driving the world's knowledge is science, an exciting prophet of past and future divulging the formula's of existance and the hidden secrets of the universe to a fascinated populace eagerly awaiting its every new revelation. It's words are believed to be virtually infallible.

Western government and its universities once operated under God. Thomas Aquinas embraced this relationship almost a thousand years ago. Today that relationship is over. Sweeping away Christ, the alliance of government and its academic instutions now operate outside of God, in fact, they have begun to assault Him. In the case of science, the attack has recently become open and boldly pursued.

The rest of the academic environment has concurred in this assault in obedience to edicts mandated by their government's articles of separation. As a result, God's name and presence is forbidden, even in the grammar schools. That is why there is a current movement to educate Christian children outside the traditional borders of learning.

Science prophesies that there is no God and offers various "proofs" to back up its declarations. In all of its investigations it has found no evidence of a Creator, just a creation.  We are told no one can really know whether there is a Creator or not. In terms of God, it is completely about faith ­ faith in the morality of the Gospel and belief in the One who preached it. The people who follow Jesus prophesy that He exists by their belief. The people who reject God prophesy the opposite. Fence sitters are counted as non-believers.

Once the rejection of God by the world reaches a certain point, all the choices will have been made and then the world will end as Jeremiah announced:

"Thus the laboring of the peoples comes to nothing. The toiling of the nations ends in fire." (Jer.51:58).

At that point the truth will be made known. If there is a God, the scriptures will be verified. Jesus will select His people and give them eternal life as promised. If there is not, the cinders of existance will simple float away to dissolve into non-existance...into no meaning at all, the fate science prophesies.

When that time comes (and scripture shows it is close) we will see whose prophecies were true. The false prophet or Jesus Christ.

Inquiry about Rev. 13:2-8.

"Then I saw a beast emerge from the sea: it had seven heads and ten horns, with a coronet on each of its ten horns, and its heads were marked with blasphemous titles. ·1 saw that the beast was like a leopard, with paws like a bear and a mouth like a lion; the dragon had handed over to it his own power and his throne and his worldwide authority ·I saw that one of its heads seemed to have had a fatal wound but that this deadly injury had healed and, after that, the whole world had marvelled and followed the beast. They prostrated themselves in front of the dragon because he had given the beast his authority; and they prostrated themselves in front of the beast, saying, 'Who can compare with the beast? How could anybody defeat him?' ·For forty-two ' months the beast was allowed to mouth its boasts and blasphemies and to do whatever it wanted; ·and it mouthed its blasphemies against God, against his name, his heavenly Tent and all those who are sheltered there. ·It was allowed to make war against the saints and conquer them, and given power over every race people, language and nation; ·and all people of the world will worship it, that is, everybody whose name has not been written down since the foundation of the world in the book of life of the sacrificial Lamb." (Rev.13:1-8).

With nations divided by politics, geography and oceans what kind of conditions would have to exist for countries everywhere to be obeying one leader? Especially when scripture shows this same leader at war with the nation called Kittim. Isn't Kittim a part of the "whole world"? ­DV

Answer:

Not only is Kittim a part of the whole world, it is shown in Daniel's prophecy to be a very significant part of the world because the beast is bested by it's forces on the Madman's own soil, forcing him to withdraw and change his plans. (Dan.11:30). Kittim is a very powerful part of the world, indeed.

That means, with regard to the "whole world" the Bible is pointing to a different kind of beast. In other words, one that rules both sides (or, all sides) at the same time. We can certainly see this kind of scenario in Christianity. Many of the churches that insist they worship Jesus are at war with one another. Many of those wars have been exceedingly murderous. We have grown accustomed to this kind of relationship when it comes to a religion that is supposed to be all about peace. Nothing prevents the same situation from occurring among the non-religious political nations.

It means the spiritual power that motivates the Madman motivates his enemies as well. Remember, scripture shows this to be a time of spiritual darkness on earth ­ a time, Jesus said, "when no one can work". While these nations are dealing with one another, they are to a one committed to expunging Christ from the earth.

What was born in Russia in 1918?  Godless government. This is an image of the beast is it not?  Godless government is a spiritual power. It's return is the mortal wound healed. It's reappearance on earth in the last century ended almost 1700 years of political rule on earth structured in the Christian Church.

Today the political landscape of the world is criss-crossed with godless regimes, most of them structured in a new pagan architecture called "secularism". Obviously all of these secular governments are not committed to communism. Secularism and communism usually war against one another. Yet both are committed to godlessness ­ to the Anti-god.

All the works of God go in pairs by opposites. There is a spirit of godlessness that mirrors the individuals who embrace it. We have shown in these writings that the beast of the last days (the 8th in a series of beasts) is the servant of Satan and preaches a message consistent with his predecessors: godless government. Wherever we see godless government, we see the image of both Satan and his beasts.

Surrounding us today are the philosophies that will give rise to the human characters anticipated by scripture's prophecies. Those godless philosophies are stunningly present right now, and the people are rushing to them in huge numbers all over the world. No governmental border stands in their way.

The New Testament teaches that Jesus delivered a mortal wound to the sixth head of the beast, one that committed this entity and his false prophet into the fires of hell (Rev.19:20-21). At the same time, Michael threw Satan, their boss, into jail in the Abyss (Rev.20:1-3).  At the end of Christian preaching, scripture predicts, two more beasts, the 7th and 8th will reappear in concert with Satan's temporary release from the Abyss. A new false prophet will reappear at that time as well.

There is no exit from the fires of hell, so the figures that return have to be newly minted. The only problem with this is that prophecy tells us the 8th head is going to be one of the previous seven. The only one of those seven we know for sure (per scripture) to be in the fires of hell is the 6th head, Nero. Yet popular prophecy (not in scripture) insists the 8th will be a Parthian (Persian?) king who insists he is Nero reincarnated. With seven to choose from, the prophecy remains veiled.

I have written at length recently about the return of godless government to the world (i.e., chronicling the mortal wound healing). It's reappearance in this world was spectacular, structured in and surrounded by momentous events including a huge asteroid crashing to earth, World War I, the visions at Fatima and a gigantic revolution that plunged Russia into political atheism. Godlessness had returned with a bang.

If the spiritual image of the beast is godless government, what is the spiritual image of the false prophet?  Is it not the same?  In other words, "godless religion"?  Look at the first false prophet that God tossed into the flames of hell at the beginning of the faith:

At the time of the sixth beast when the Book of Revelation was written there was a dominant religious philosophy that ruled the hearts and minds of the pagan world. It developed through the Minoans, the Etruscans, the Greeks and finally the Romans. The gods and their temples of worship were much the same throughout these western cultures, only the character names changed as the religion surrounding them evolved. This godless religion reached its pinnacle of world power in the first century A.D.

Then it came across the sword of Christ and was destroyed.

In 391 A.D., Theodosus, emperor of Rome, ordered all pagan temples closed. He issued a proclamation declaring Christianity the only religion of the Roman empire. World paganism was outlawed. It's rites and ceremonies were banned. Some of its temples were converted into Christian churches, while others were simply left to weather into destruction. Theodosus' decree terminated the Olympic Games and the temples associated with them at Mt. Olympus. From that moment on, the only God permitted to be worshipped anywhere in the western world was Jesus Christ.

It seems logical to consider the panopoly of gods (Zeus and his fellow Roman dieties) worshipped by the pagan world in Roman times as the false prophet that the Book of Revelation shows committed to the flames in the earliest centuries of Christianity (Rev.19:19-21). They are no longer worshipped by the world. Nor are Baal or Bel. They are all gone. As scripture says, they have been commited to the flames.

Additional beasts and a new false prophet are rising up to take their place. How could Adoph Hitler escape being titled the seventh head of the beast in Revelation's predictions? He murdered millions of members of God's people, decimating one of the two houses of Israel on earth. Almost everyone who saw him thought he was the Madman, himself.

But he was not.

Standing in the wings is his successor, the eighth. Circulating around him are ten kings. Their single-minded committment to the spirit of godlessness unites all of these beasts with Satan.

The same invisible spirit drives the false prophet. We don't have to look for an eastern religion here. We have one in our own backyard. One with its own set of temples and just as committed to "miracles", arrogance and godlessness as the first.

While the first collection of godless dieties were focused on the worship of artifacts, the new one comes promoting a different kind of worship, an image that mirrors in an opposite way, the Word of Christ. It is the word of knowledge. Driving this word is the modern world's most hallowed god, science. If you gasp reading such a statement, you will have some idea on how much a god science has become in our world.

Science looks beautiful. Like a lamb. But we live in a time when almost everything it does promotes Satan, not God. Instead of pursuing a course toward light, a deepening darkness has come to surround it. Everything it invents or discovers passes through the crucible of war. All the weaponry that exists comes to us through science. This illustrates the nature of the people who direct science and control it for profiteering purposes.

Are warmongering, food manipulation and healthcare profiteeering the noise of the dragon personfied?  Perhaps not; but this surely is: science declares there is no God. Most scientists are atheists. In your face and loudly so. They see no God. They try to "prove" creation did not need God either to form or to exist, and they desperately fight every effort by Christians to try to introduce any suggestion of a Creator into the creation story. They are arrogantly anti-christ.

Servant of the first beast, science is backed in its Christ-expunging efforts by the world's secular governments & by their secular courts. Having been won over by science's claim of absolute, even cosmic, authority, the people those courts serve are mesmerized by its miracles, discoveries that have made science the god of modern man. That is why the people of the world flock to it and with little resistance embrace its promotion of atheism.

Science could easily have gone another direction and promoted God. All the things it sees can easily be explained in Jesus. Yet its commitment to the destruction of faith has blackened its image, and its heart.

Jesus mortally wounded godless government with the Sword of His Gospel. But science has labored to bring it back from the dead and to cast doubt on the Word that offers eternal life to the world. To this end, science has worked incredible miracles. Even to bringing fire down from heaven onto the earth while people watched. "I have become death" said Robert Oppenheimer, one of the physicts who built the bomb, as he watched its first explosion (the "unknown light" prophesied by Sister Lucia of Fatima) erupt before his eyes on the desert sands of New Mexico.

Offering a kind of self-christening claim to the title "false prophet", the government and scientists dubbed this site and its nuclear event, "Trinity", an outrageous parody of the Godhead.

Proof that they had grasped starlight and plunged it to earth are the hydrogen bombs exploded soon after in the South Pacific, and which now tip tens of thousands of missles poised for Armageddon's flight, but hidden for now in submarines and silo's all over the world.

Scripture tells us that Satan will breathe life into a statue and cause it to speak (Rev.13:15). Are television, radio and the internet not inventions of science? Can these glass-screened idols not speak? Does the propaganda they broadcast not control the way people think? If science is the false prophet described in scripture, we are not far from its statue in support of godless government that Revelation says must be worshipped in some future day under penalty of death.

Is science false? Every year new textbooks of science must be written to correct the errors in the current texts. This was true a hundred years ago. It was true 50 years ago. It is true today and it will be true next year and every year thereafter for as long as learning continues. The proclamations of science are in orbit around truth, but none touch it. Everything it teaches, though well intentioned, is ultimately false. Science is not a god. It should not be worshipped as one. But it is.

Does science cross all earthly borders, enemies and friends alike? Yes.

Is science a prophet? Of course. It's prophecy is doom. It tells us that everything is going to die. Not just you and I but the planet and the sun, the galaxy and even the universe. It's message is universal death without exception. No matter where it looks, it sees death. It is a prophet of complete despair. This is totally opposite the message of Christ. Jesus is hope. Jesus promises eternal life. Science is without hope. It sees no eternal life. To science we are in a place where death rules without exception (in other words, science sees, as Jesus taught, that this is Satan's world).

Not only does science preach death, not only has it given the world the tools needed to implement that death, it's adherents fight with all their might to smother any mention of God's salvation. They say the escape from death offered by Jesus on the cross is proved false by scientific calculation. That is not true, but they say it anyway, incorporating in their efforts, the courts and all the powers of government to deny in their temples the message of hope preached by Jesus. Not only that, the names "Jesus" and "God" cannot even be mentioned in their institutions. They have made those names objects of ridicule.

That makes science doubly a false prophet because it tries to block the message of God, not just counter it with arguments. Across the entire world, wherever divine creation is mentioned, the populations are listening to science, not to Christ or God. En masse they are siding with their godless governments. Does this sound familiar to statements found in the Book of Revelation?

Are we waiting for something that has, in a great way, already taken place?

A History Channel program shown from time to time on cable television describes the magic tricks preformed by the adherents of the first false prophet (the Zeus group) in their temples at the beginning of the Christian era. Seen by the people as "miracles', these sleights of machine and hand, using tricks of science, astounded and mesmerized the ancient observers. As a result, these gods and their temples dotted the entire landscape of the ancient world. They ruled side by side with the temporal powers, many of the emperors portraying themselves as members, even leaders of these dieties. That whole culture of worship was mortally wounded by the sword of Christ.

But it has returned in a new way and with a new set of very sophisticated temples.

It has returned today in godless government and in the godless philosophy of science which now occupies a seat closest to the temporal throne (the seat that used to be occupied by the Church) mesmerizing the population with its miracles and empowering the political leaders to control the people and wage war successfully. It's temples today are the universities which bow to it's teachings while scorning God.

We can well expect an empire fixated on the modern world, to be driven by science and its "miracles" ­ driven also by science's overt rejection of Christianity, indeed its rejection of any kind of Creator at all. In other words, not two empires, but one empire clutching to a "religion" of knowledge. Filled with temples of knowledge (and gymnasium's if you will) ­ committed to sports and Olympic Games ­ bathed in the glorification of man, and offering a kind of "worship" honoring a religion of godlessness.

For prophecy's that not only correlate the ancient Greek university's (called Gymnasia) with the temples to knowledge that surround us today, and which also tie the two into the last-day visions of Daniel, see "The Last Days of Babylon", Chapter 4, "God Brings Knowledge to Nothing".

On this the Bible has much to say:

'Now about food sacrificed to idols. 'We all have knowledge'; yes, that is so, but knowledge gives self-importance - it is love that makes the building grow. (1 Cor.8:1)

"For Christ did not send me to baptise, but to preach the Good News, and not to preach that in the terms of philosophy in which the crucifixion of Christ cannot be expressed. The language of the cross may be illogical to those who are not on the way to salvation, but those of us who are on the way see it as God's power to save." (1 Cor.1: 17-18)

"As scripture says: I shall destroy the wisdom of the wise and bring to nothing all the learning of the learned. Where are the philosophers now? Where are the scribes? Where are any of our thinkers today? Do you see how God has shown up the foolishness of human wisdom? If it was God's wisdom that human wisdom should not know God, it was because God wanted to save those who have faith through the foolishness of the message that we preach." -1 Cor.1:19-21.,

"And so, while the Jews demand miracles and the Greeks look for wisdom, here are we preaching a crucified Christ; to the Jews an obstacle that they cannnot get over, to the pagans madness, but to those who have been called, whether they are Jews or Greeks, a Christ who is the power and the wisdom of God. For God's foolishness is wiser than human wisdom, and God's weakness is stronger than human strength." (1 Cor. 1: 22-25).

"Take yourselves for instance, brothers, at the time when you were called: how many of you were wise in the ordinary sense of the word, how many were influential people, or came from noble families? No, it was to shame the wise that God chose what is weak by human reckoning; those whom the world thinks common and contemptible are the ones that God has chosen - those who are nothing at all to show up those who are everything." (1 Cor.1: 26-28).

"The human race has nothing to boast about to God, but you, God has made members of Christ Jesus and by God's doing he has become our wisdom, and our virtue, and our holiness, and our freedom. As scripture says: If anyone wants to boast, let him boast about the Lord." (1 Cor. 1: 29-31).

"Your faith should not depend on human philosophy but on the power of God." -1 Cor.2:5.

"What we teach in our mysteries is the wisdom that God predestined to be for our glory before the ages began. It is a wisdom that none of the masters of this age have ever known...we teach what scripture calls: the things that no eye has seen and no ear has heard, things beyond the mind of man." -1 Cor.2:7-9

"Now, instead of the spirit of the world, we have received the Spirit that comes from God, to teach us to understand the gifts that he has given us. Therefore we teach, not in the way in which philosophy is taught, but in the way that the Spirit teaches us; we teach spiritual things spiritually...it can only be understood by means of the Spirit." -1 Cor.2:12-14.

"Make no mistake about it: if any one of you thinks of himself as wise, in the ordinary sense of the word, then he must learn to be a fool before he really can be wise. Why? Because the wisdom of this world is foolishness to God. As scripture says: 'The Lord knows wise men's thoughts: he knows how useless they are; or again, God is not convinced by the arguments of the wise, so there is nothing to boast about in anything human...." -1 Cor.3:18-22.

And the false prophet?

"This second beast was servant to the first beast, and extended its authority everywhere, making the world and all its people worship the first beast, which had had the fatal wound and had been healed. And it worked great miracles, even to calling down fire from heaven on to the earth while people watched. Through the miracles which it was allowed to do on behalf of the first beast, it was able to win over the people of the world..." (Rev.13:12-14).

How does this false prophet serve the first beast (how does it serve godless government)? By fully backing and promoting godlessness, performing the miracles that captivate the mind of the people, controlling the world's academic institutions, and giving the government the machinery to wage war, conquer space, fix elections, and enable profiteering on a vast scale, through the control of health, wealth, transportation and all the commodities of life.

Science seems certain to be the "power of deception" Paul said God intended to send into the world in the last days to delude the people and make them believe what is untrue:

"But when the Rebel comes, Satan will set to work: there will be all kinds of miracles and a deceptive show of signs and portents, and everything evil that can deceive those who are bound for destruction because they would not grasp the love of the truth which could have saved them.

The reason why God is sending a power to delude them and make them believe what is untrue is to condemn all who refused to believe in the truth and chose wickedness instead." (2 Thes.2:9-12).

The war against faith predicted for the last days is occurring as we watch. The people of the world are lining up against God just as scripture said they would. But Jesus has made the prophecies of science false. He has provided a way to escape the death it predicts. Faith in Christ will give eternal life. For the shortening time this message can still be shouted across the world, those with voices in the Gospel must raise them in His name.

Before the night comes when no one can speak.

In your latest paper entitled 'the Reign of God' you assert that the rebellion Paul alluded to in 2 Thessalonians 2:3 references a revolt against God by the nations. Have you ever considered the impact of the Protestant rebellion? The way I see it this warfare was the dynamic that shattered Church authority. ­JA

Answer:

Paul's revolt has to do with an attack on the Church, not a disagreement between Christians. The Protestant reform movement enlarged the Church by expanding the Gospel's reach. Secularization has done the opposite.

There were many different elements coming together in the days before the secular revolution of the nations occurred. Among them were the excesses of Church power abuses, the attempt by reformers to address those abuses, an absence of compassion and love within the Christian brotherhood, the rise of intellectual and scientific inquiry, the invention of the printing press, and, especially, the appearance of secular interests among some of the European temporal powers. The documents created in the formation of the United States of America are a central example of this move toward independence from religion in western governmental affairs in the years leading up to the 20th century.

Yet, despite those documents, the United States continued to rule its people within a Christian context.

The event that fused all these elements together, and activated them toward a focused attack on Jesus and His Church was the reappearance on earth of Satan.

His release from the Abyss (Rev. 20:7) was the critical factor leading to both the political reappearance of atheism (the central Anti-god philosophy of Babylon mortally wounded by the sword of Jesus) and the mobilization of the nations for world war (Rev. 20:8-9). These two events occurred almost in unison.

The first world war began in 1914 and the Russian Revolution (politial atheism) in1918.

In 1914 virtually all nations in the western world still ruled their people in Christ. By 1963 the last temporal nation still politically championing Jesus Christ renounced Him. It had taken Satan only 45 years (1918 to 1963) to convince all the nations of the western world to overturn their 1700-year long shared reign on earth with the Christian Church. This political-spiritual alliance which had been in place since the reign of Constantine (the Edict of Milan in 312 A.D.) was shattered irrevocably across the entire earth in what can only be considered, the blink of an eye.

That official renunciation of Jesus by the world's nations is the revolt Paul prophesied.

Not only did it's speed show how fast Satan can act, it left only one nation on earth still championing Jesus. Like a city of David in exile in Babylon that nation sits alongside the Tiber river in Rome offering the perpetual sacrifice that holds back the wrath.

Prophecy is clear on what happens next.

 

I have read your web page "THE NAME OF GOD" I have to tell you that your wrong about the name "Jesus Christ".First, Christ is not his last name, it's his title, as in "The Christ". Jesus is not his real name, Hebrew does not have a letter J.The name Jesus is a mistranslations, and most likely Jesus came from the name Zeus. I know you mean well but you should do some research. God bless you. ­p

Answer:

The revelation of the Trinity formulated at the Council of Nicea in 325 A.D. proclaimed to the world that Jesus Christ is God. That is a central tenant of the Church. It will stand though everything else falls.

And as far as "J's" and the Hebrew language are concerned, it is written "Through men speaking strange languages and through the lips of foreigners, I shall talk to the nation, and still they will not listen to me, says the Lord." (1 Cor.14:21).

"Yes, certainly with stammering lips and in a foreign language, he will talk to this nation, he who once told them: Here is rest... But they would not listen." (Is.28:10).

It seems like the Muslims are positioning themselves to take over the earth. What does the Bible say about this? ­JD

Answer:

The biggest religious news story in the last 1700 years (since the day Christianity climbed out of the Roman catacombs) has been the collapse of Christ's rule of the nations. This collapse began about 90 years ago, spearheaded by the emergence of atheistic government in Russia in 1917. It was culminated in 1963 when the United States, the last major world government still willing to compromise it's secular authority in favor of Christ and the Gospel reversed it's stand and tossed God out of its ruling heirarchy once and for all. Paul predicted this would occur. He called it, in his second letter to the Thessalonians, the "great revolt".

Everything we see today, the rise of atheistic government, 20th century hedonism, runaway sexual license leading to promoted homosexuality, even the rise of the terrorists ­ militant warmongers cloaked in harsh religious garments, has poured out of this revolt.

The reversal of the nations has only just begun. Scripture tells us the rejection will soon turn into open hostility and finally a frontal world assault on God. Accompanying this anger, actually ushered in by it, a time of severity never seen before in human history will descend on this people. The culmination of this revolt will be the appearance of the tyrant scripture terms the "Lawless One", or "beast".

Paul termed the revolt a pivotal sign of the end of the age. It has come in conjunction with the rebuilding of Jerusalem, two profound events that book-end a blizzard of signs that Christ's offer of reconciliation to the nations is about to be withdrawn, a fact that guarantees with certainty that Christ's Return is drawing near. Despite the fact God's window of salvation is rapidly closing, billions of people across the earth still remain unrepentant and unsaved, hovering only moments from doom, unmindful of what is descending on the world from above.

The church is going to be handed over into the power of men. The world is going to be turned over into the power of the East. Omnipresent in the scriptures, these two prophecies pervade almost every book, reechoing again and again a constant theme ­ the world's betrayal of God and its consequences. Rejecting a peaceful master, it is ushering in a harsh one in His place ­ a tyrant.

On earth, nothing will ever be the same again.

For those still left with ears to hear, the only escape is Christ. Despite the lateness of the times, all who put their faith in Him will be saved.

 

1963 ­ The Final Betrayal

The Great Revolt

Who is the mother in the 12th chapter of Revelation? Is it Judaism? Is it the Jews? Is it Jerusalem? Is it Sarah, the wedded wife? Is it the Church? Is it the Holy Spirit? Is it Mary, the mother of Jesus? Or is it all those things? ­BE

Answer:

Revelation 12

"Now a great sign appeared in heaven: a woman, adorned with the sun, standing on the moon, and with the twelve stars on her head for a crown. She was pregnant, and in labor, crying aloud in the pangs of childbirth. ·Then a second sign appeared in the sky, a huge red dragon which had seven heads and ten horns, and each of the seven heads crowned with a coronet. ·Its tail dragged a third of the stars from the sky and dropped them to the earth and the dragon stopped in front of the woman as she was having the child, so that he could eat it as soon as it was born from its mother. ·The woman brought a male child into the world the son who was to rule all the nations with an iron sceptre, and the child was taken straight up to God and to his throne ·while the woman escaped into the desert where God had made a place of safety ready for her to be looked after in the twelve hundred and sixty days." (Rev.12:1-6).

According to Daniel, this 3-1/2 year period (the 1260 days) is the time of the upraising of the disastrous abomination in the holy place & the abolition of the perpetual sacrifce. (Dan.12:11-12). It will be presaged by the assassination of the holy bishop, the "man in white" (See Fatima prophecy).

The passage (Rev.12:6+) tells us the Church will be taken into the desert to a place of safety during this violent period. It is a vision that relates to the last days ­ to the 3-1/2 years, a time that embraces the most pivotal events in the end-of-the-world sequence.

It begins when Satan is released from his prison in the Abyss (See Rev.20:7-8)

"As soon as the devil found himself thrown down to the earth, he sprang in pursuit of the woman, the mother of the male child, ·but she was given a huge pair of eagle's wings to fly away from the serpent into the desert, to the place where she was to be looked after for a year and twice a year and half a year. So the serpent vomited water from his mouth, like a river, after the woman, to sweep her away in the current, ·but the earth came to her rescue; it opened its mouth and swallowed the river thrown up by the dragon's jaws. ·Then the dragon was enraged with the woman and went away to make war on the rest of her children, that is, all who obey God's commandments and bear witness for Jesus." (Rev.12:13-17).

Our true 'Holy Mother' is wrapped around the Gospel ­ the Holy Spirit and will of the Father ­ the Word which created the universe, and which brings each of us to life the moment we take it into our hearts and are reborn into its nature. Jesus proved this when he said,

"Who is my mother? Who are my brothers?' And stretching out his hand toward his disciples he said, 'Here are my mother and my brothers. Anyone who does the will of my Father in heaven, he is my brother and sister and mother." (Mt. 12:48-50).

This is what being 'born again' (John 3:1-8) is all about. It is our spiritual union with the word of Christ. Born again is what happens to us the moment our soul is fused with the Holy Spirit. We were born into the substance of Babylon when we came out of our earthly mother's womb, and Jesus came to transform us from that worldly material existance into the substance of heaven by imparting His Holy Spirit into us.

The mother is Jerusalem, yes, but a city of another sort ­ the new Jerusalem in heaven, the new creation of Christ and the mother of all Christians. From her flows a river of life, the Holy Spirit. It pours out of the breast of Christ and comes into each person reborn into Jesus. The "mother "in scripture is the mother of that rebirth. That rebirth is the "born again" moment. We leave our first birth into Hagar (life in the flesh ­ a Babylonian existance) and are lifted up to brotherhood with Jesus and into His new city and creation..

We are not citizens of this world any longer. We are pilgrims on a holy journey. We must not love this world or anything that is in this world. Our new world is the city of Jesus Christ, the new creation in the heavens ­ our holy mother. That is the city we have been reborn into, the city that is the mother of Revelation. It is our eternal home and dwelling place.

We are cautioned not to regard our life here as a compromise with this world and its ways. Babylon cannot be made good by replastering. We cannot paint a thin veneer of religion, tastefully, but mildly washed over a worldly life. God wants us to move with great haste down the path He has prescribed, fully absorbed in His commandments. We need to "go overboard" for God. No dual life or compromise with Babylon is acceptable (Rev. 3:15-16). We have to live like Christ, spreading the word of God and doing good. The citizens of this world must regard us as different from themselves.

Then we will live in the mother of Revelation, the city of God, and she in us.

Scripture makes clear that her children are all who obey God's commandments and bear witness for Jesus (Rev.12:17).

Which church is best? ­DH

Answer:

The prophecies show that the division of Christianity into seven churches is a division of labor, not a matter of rightness or wrongness.

This metaphoric number which encompasses scores of denominations is not a matter of which church is true or not true, it is a division of labor that characterizes the essential nature of Christ's Church on earth: "Where I am there my servant will be also."

"...God will...stretch out his hand over the River, and divide it into seven streams, for men to cross dry-shod, to make a pathway for the remnant of his people..." (Is.11:15).

Christianity is built on the template of Judaism. That is why the format is familiar. In Judaism we see a single temple overseeing the sacrifice and thousands of synagogues supporting it. It is the same in Christianity. There is one seat of Peter, a holy priesthood overseeing from its captivity in Babylon the perpetual sacrifice - the Eucharist - and, beyond that, in place of rabbi's, millions of ministers forming a vast multi-denominational scattering of preaching that stretches to the ends of the earth.

Salvation is offered everywhere from every tributary of this ubiquitous river of preachers and institutions.

"An argument started between them about which of them was the greatest, Jesus knew what thoughts were going through their minds, and he took a little child and set him by his side and then said to them, 'Anyone who welcomes this little child in my name welcomes me; and anyone who welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me. For the least among you all, that is the one who is great." (Luke 9:46-48)

This is true even of the churches. The route to salvation is not the Law (it is not theology). It is faith in Jesus. Period! Exclamation point! All churches preach that faith, but tend to wrap it up in tieir own theology (Law). Yet it is only faith in Jesus that saves ­ faith proved by obedience to the Gospel.

"My mother and my brothers are those who hear the word of God and put it into practice". (Luke 8:21).

The division of labor (this division of churches) has been designed by the Holy Spirit to search throughout every aspect of the creation to find all who are hidden and still held captive by Satan so that they may be rescued, just as their brothers and sisters have been, over the last 2000 years, through faith.

In your book "The Last Days of Babylon", can you tell me in one sentence what is Babyon? ­AE

Answer:

In the phrase "separation of Church and state", Babylon is state.

The phrase, said to have been coined by Mussolini in the 1920's, has become the catchphrase of the nations in their recent expulsion of Jesus Christ from His ruling seat over western world politics. That expulsion ended a continuous Christian reign on earth of 1700 years and has ushered in in its place, secularized government.

Paul called this remarkable event the "great revolt" (2 Thes.2:3)

It is preparatory to, and actually a part of another scheme, the pursuit as fugitives of the rear guard of the very people Christ has called over those 1700 years to follow Him to His knigdom, a replay of the efforts of pharaoh 4000 years ago in Egypt (Ex.14:28-29). The result will be the same. But this time, the waters that crash down on the world forces now gathering for the assault will be armed in cosmic fire (Jer. 51:58).

The only survivors will be those who have chosen Church over state.

Question:

Luke 14:26, If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple.

I'm sure you get asked a lot about this verse. I tried to research it but didn't really trust the information I was getting. There is really a lot of division (understandably so) over this verse of scripture. There are many who say the Greek word used in the verse literally means hate, loath, and despise. Some say it means to love less. I would really like to get your opinion. ­PL

Answer:

The seeming harshness of the verse is a Hebraism.

Yet Jesus did not mean His words here to be mild. The roughness of the Judean language acts as its own metaphore. His insistance that we break with this world was not a suggestion. It sounds to me as if you have heard the various interpretations of this verse of scripture, so I will give you an answer from another perspective.

Some Christians discover Christ in old age and turn to Him to be saved only moments before death. Most others, however, come to Him much earlier. The vast majority are born, baptised and confirmed into the Church at a young age. Considering most live into their 60's and 70's, or even later, they are called to address this commandment thousands of times during the course of their religious lives.

Almost every one of the 365 days we experience each year brings us face to face with this issue. Spanning a lifetime, thousands of days present this question to us over and over again. We respond in different ways to the multitude of shades in which we are confronted with it. Some days we are strong and ready for it and meet it with great success. Other days, we are blindsided, and that success is in doubt. God does not sit, axe in hand, waiting for that one time we stumble and fail so He can say, "Aha!" so He can condemn us to death. We are told over and over again in scripture that He is slow to anger and quick to forgive, and scripture cannot be rejected.

Built into the framework of Christ is a profound fount of forgiveness. It is opened to us when we are baptised, and it continues to flow into us when we are kind to others, when we give to the poor, the widows, orphans and all who ask, when we turn the other cheek to assault, or show mercy. In the Lord's Prayer, we are strongly instructed that God's forgiveness of our own trespasses is profoundly dependent on our forgiveness of others.

We live and work in Christ under the constant flow of this divine river of grace pouring out of the cross, washing us clean of sin in a perpetual bath of forgiveness necessitated by our sinful nature. It is this and this alone that keeps us in grace post baptism.

As long as we remain in Christ, getting up each time we stumble, asking for forgiveness, and returning to the path of His righteousness, we cannot fail. That is what it means to carry His cross and follow after Him, and not lose faith.

Trying to live Jesus' word in this world brings us into endless conflicts. We are met with them every single day. This world is hostile to Christ ­ a hostility growing deeper now that the nations have chosen to reject Him. That antagonism erects all sorts of roadblocks and obstacles that block our path to success in this world. They change the very meaning of success. This opposition and our response to it, the sacrifices we are called to endure because of our fidelity to the Gospel, is the route of the cross. It comes to us day by day, each confrontation changing our lives by the response we take, moving us farther away from the world and closer to God, or visa versa.

Since the world operates all around us in every way, every hour of every day, we are confronted with this conflict not only from enemies, but from those close to us as well (often without their even being aware of it). We are called to think of Christ at all times and be alert to those occasions when forces other than God's are at play in our lives, confident that our willingness to forgive others and show mercy to all will protect us from our moments of weakness. Jesus has promised that it will.

Thank you for all the info you provide freely online. I was wondering who and what person(s) are responsible for this ministry.. ­BA

Answer:

Thank you for you appreciation. I apologize for taking so long to get back to you. It is my sincere belief that the persons responsible for this ministry are the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. No denominational organization is behind these efforts.

Many, many people ask me about this.

My ministry is a prophecy ministry. The Lord has written in scripture that God takes no great action on earth without first alerting the people ahead of time (Amos 3:6-7). We live in one of the most extraordinary times in Christian history. On January 1, 2001 the world entered the "third day" of Christ's religion on earth. It was a seminal moment ­ almost completely unseen or even comprehended by the denominational body.

In the prophecies of Moses it is written that in preparation for the visitation of God, the people must wash and clean for two days and on the third day see Him face to face (Ex. 19:9-16). Echo's of this sequence reverberate through scripture (Hos.6:1-3; Is.29:1-2, 5-7; John 2:19). An image of this vision occurred in Jerusalem in the forward years of the first century A.D. when Jesus appeared in the flesh to die on the cross as atonement for mankind's sins (for those who accepted Him as their Savior).

A replay is set for His Second Appearance when God and all the angels of heaven gather in the skies above Jerusalem in preparation for the rescue of Christ's faithful and the Judgment of the planet.

The "washing and cleaning" is repentance and baptism, the focal point of God's "Day of Atonement" on earth in Jesus Christ. It is written of that day that it is "a single day made into two" by the power of God (Joshua 10:12-14). In other words, a single day made into two days of washing and cleaning in Christ. Scripture tells us that a day to God is like a thousand years to man (2 Peter 3:8-9; Ps.90:4). That expanse of time brings us from A.D. 1 to A.D. 2001, the two thousand-year era of Christ's preaching on earth.

The fact that we are living today at the very instant of the transition from preaching to the "Third Day" when Jesus is to return face to face, makes these days the most momentous ever seen since the departure of Jesus before the eyes of His Apostles. He is about to come back. Everything has changed. We can see that just looking at the times we are living in and comparing them to the 2000 years just ended, but what we have witnessed with our own eyes is just the tip of an iceberg compared with the things scripture tells us about the changed times ahead.

I was instructed by the Holy Spirit to write about those changes ­ to call attention to them ­ to help carry out the Lord's command that the people of God be informed that the era of Christ is in the rapid process of being transformed as the light fades into the darkness that Jesus said must come before He returns.

We have entered the day when the Church itself must bear its own share of the cross. It is a time when every Christian must brace themselves in faith and not follow after the masses who choose to leave Christ and embrace the wickedness of a world structured to meet amid great violence, its true Master.

Please send me a more detailed doctrinal statement of what you believe. Thank you. ­L

Answer:

This is a prophecy site, not a theological (doctrinal) site. We preach no theology except faith in Jesus. Our belief is that everyone, whether they choose to be Catholic, Protestant, Orthodox or otherwise, should welcome the person Jesus into their hearts and turn their lives over to Him to be remade in His image exactly as He commands in accordance with the New Testament. Jesus promised the reward for this conversion is eternal life.

Prophecy is not theology. Instead, it is the closest we can come to proof that our faith is well grounded. Prophecy is a warning to change and a proof of the truth of that warning ­ proof that everything is going to happen in the future exactly in the way it has been predicted to happen.

Prophecy when it is fulfilled is the ultimate witness that the promise of Christ is true ­ that Jesus will come again to reward all who have faith in Him.

The pages on this website study those predictions and detail the ways in which their fulfillments are manifest. Jesus warned His followers that they must not ignore these signs but regard them for what they are, images of the color of the sky at sunrise, proof of the changing of the times.

The world has enjoyed almost 2000 years of Christian rule on earth. That rule has not been without its troubles, but during its entirety, salvation has been openly preached by thousands of different churhes and ministers and God's will has been accomplished in all that preaching. Now the world is in the process of dramatic change. All across the earth, faith in Jesus is in freefall. The morning sky is crimson.

What does this mean? As it is written, "Work while you still have the day, night is coming when no one can work". (Jn.9:4). Is that time now? Are we watching the approach of darkness? The surest source of our understanding is structured in the prophets of scripture.

"Does the trumpet sound in the city without the populace becoming alarmed? Does misfortune come to a city if God has not sent it? No more does the Lord God do anything without revealing his plans to his servants the prophets." (Amos 3:6-7).

That is a promise of God. It means that all our questions have already been answered in one sure source. It is that source that we explore.

Thanks for your very useful web page on the Apocrypha. For a Protestant (?) site it is very fair and balanced. There is, however, one glaring error-

the "Song of the Three Holy Children" and "Susanna" ARE accepted as (deutero)canonical Scripture by the Greek & Roman Catholic churches. ­HJ

Which is the month of Loos in the Hebrew calendar? I have not read any month named Loos in that calendar. The months of the Hebrew calendar that I know of are: Tishri, Heshvan, Kislev, Tevet, Shevat, Adar, Adar 2, Nisan, Iyar, Sivan, Tammuz, Av and Elul. ­ACF This is with regards to your article in the website http://www.goodnewspirit.com/herodstemple.htm which states:

"In 70 A.D., just 40 years after Jesus was crucified, the Roman army burned down Herod's Temple in Jerusalem. It was a stunning loss. It happened on the 10th day of Loos in the Hebrew calendar (August 29th in 70 A.D.), the exact same day the Babylonians had burned down Solomon's temple 657 years earlier. Like bookends, the identical dates spoke loudly of divine correlation. The Bible's ancient prophecies agreed. "

Answer:

You raise an interesting question. Loos is the Macedonian name for the 4th month, "Tamuz" in the Hebrew calendar (June/July) according to modern records. Others have it represent the 10th day of the fifth month, "Av" (Jeremiah 52:13), a date that is said to correspond to August 29th. Both Solomon's temple and Herod's temple were burned down on this same day.

Do you believe that the increasing cost of food throughout the world is an indicator of Rev 6:6, and could you elaborate on this verse's specific details regarding oil and wine? Thank you. ­JF

Answer:

Many would apply it that way since food scarcity is the common interpretation of that passage of scripture. Certainly this passage brings scripture's warnings to mind whenever the ill-wind of famine blows and that is not a bad thing because it verifies scripture. And as I have shown over and over in my writings, scripture says all the works of God go in pairs by opposites. God has made it that way, so double or even multiple interpretations are likely accurate.

My understanding of the "four horsemen of the apocalypse" differs from that of most scholars. My experience studying the prophecies of scripture leads me to an alternative interpretation. I see the passages concerning these four horsemen as a picture of the 2000-year reign of Christ on earth in Satan's world after Satan, himself, has been locked in the Abyss to prevent his adversarial powers from thwarting what God has in mind for the world.

After God's short reign has run its course and all the lost children of God have been rescued, Satan will be released ­ his return verified by world war. That change will come to pass when the people stop believing the message of Christ. That change in world attitude is clearly documented in Paul's Second Letter to the Thessalonians.

The horse in verse 6:6 in the Book of Revelation, in my view, relates to a market economy, the foundation of Babylon's existance. During the course of God's reign on earth (formed by the treaty Christ made with Babylon at the cross) the economics of Babylon will be allowed to procede as long as the nations agree to permit and encourage Christian conversion (the oil and wine).

History has borne this arrangement out. The price of grain is a measure of the "Wall Street's" of the world. The financial barons (the commodities traders) set those prices. Bad governance and greed alters the settings, while populist reaction to starvation (the pitchforks) resets them. There is a two-thousand year track record to prove this arrangement.

In my understanding, the mandate not to touch the oil and wine relates to the activities of the Church. As long as the churches are allowed to preach and the civic governments encourage that preaching, i.e., as long as they keep their hands off the sacramentals of oil and wine, God's moratorium (Christ's Peace Treaty on the cross) will remain in place, keeping the rescue intact. As long as the rescue is not blocked, Christ's treaty will allow the economics of Babylon to continue in place.

Once the sacramentals are attacked, however, the treaty will end and God's offer will be rescinded. This was prefigured in Pharaoh's time (at the Exodus), and it appies to our flight as well. When the attack against the last column of Christians takes place, the fiery waters of the cosmos will crash down on Babylon's army and its evil prince will experience the spears of heaven.

The first horse in this sequence, the white horse, to me, represents Christ. He did not come to bring peace to the earth, but a sword. This goes so much against the grain of most understandings of God that it is easily overlooked. But that is the fact. It is that sword marching across the earth over the last 2000 years that marks western civilization and its impact on world affairs across this span of years. It has split nations and households and fulfilled in its totality Christ's message: "a man's enemies will be those of his own household."

The horses representing plague and hades can also be seen in the historical sequence. Plague and famine throughout these years have been endlessly recurring. Hades represents the final tribulation, the worst of all. Many believe (myself included) that we are now entering into this last phase of the apocalypse.

There can be little doubt that Satan has been released from his prison in the Abyss. World war has consumed the planet for almost a hundred years now. That is the sign according to the Book of Revelation that Satan's release has taken place. Not only has world war (warfare on a scale unimaginable to the ancients) scourged the earth in violent death, but terrifying waves of genocide have left millions more in the flames of hades. So many Christians have been consumed in these genocides that it is as if the rapture itself has been a concomitant of the purges.

As the historical sequence has shown, all these horses overlap. Though one and then another has the spotlight, they all seem to play at the same time in Christ's 2000-year battle against evil for the salvation and rescue of the hidden souls Satan has scattered across the world.

I think it is easier for us now to see the impact of Satan's incarceration.

It's result: Paganism and secularism were forbidden in his absence. All western governments championed Christ. Atheism was outlawed. Not until 1917 in Russia did atheism return openly to the earth ­ a span reaching all the way back to the Roman declarations at the beginning of the Christian era. The battle of good over evil was a lot easier with Satan removed. Had Satan been present then (as he is now in his return) God's battle for souls during that period would have been as it is today ­ an environment so filled with contrary messages, especially from high office, and the extraordinary tempations of our age ­ that a reign of Christ on the planet could not have occurred by preaching alone.

Yet many still see the four horsemen as a body of riders that will be unleashed only in the last days. That, too, is a viable alternative. Here is a comment from a reader following that interpretation:

"The breaking of the seals and the four horsemen of which we are to endure do not necessarily come as a lion, but subtly. The down fall of the dollar, America on the cusp of losing its dominance in the world, the rise of China and Russia, rising inflation in Asia, rising food prices, etc... It is so easy to pay no attention to it. It is not global warming it is the sins of man. We need to pray for stronger faith and a heart to know Jesus. My comment." ­W

I watched the History Channel program about the Bible Code. Have you seen it? Do you think it is plausible and does it go along with what you present? ­NJ

Answer:

No. As far as I am concerned it is not plausible. Certainly not for Christians. This program talks about a hidden code in scripture that when revealed presents a Torah devoid of religion and obsessed with tabloid journalism.

It offers a 2-hour examination of a contorted alphanumeric code that virtually ignores the Messiah, and makes not a single mention of Jesus Christ. How can this be when the focal point of the entire Bible was to define a messianic mission for the salvation of mankind? They leave us a Bible code filled with TV stars and terminal violence, but no Messiah? That's total nonsense, is it not?

The Jewish Torah revolves around only one thing ­ the anticipation of a coming "Messiah", a word meaning 'code breaker'. Yet the History Channel program uses the word "Messiah" just once (and that, only in passing) in 2 full hours of programming.

By contrast, the New Testament (itself a code) incorporates thousands of Messianic quotations in narrative from the Old Testament ­ a sweeping scriptural proof of prophecy in Jesus considered by billions the definitive revelation of the hidden code of God's entire religious purpose.

Not only does that program ignore the Messiah,, mention of the words "Jesus" or "Christ" cannot be found in its entire script. This despite the fact that over 2 billion people on the planet are Christian, a third of the population of the entire earth, all of these people a direct outgrowth of the Jewish Jesus and the Hebrew Bible through their relationship with the 12 tribes of Israel ­ a vast population absent from the program, but referred to again and again in the narrative of the scriptures.

Instead of the monumental messianic figure Jesus on whose shoulders 2000 years of the earth's most salient history rests, the "code" program ponders Timothy McVey, Elvis Presley, Oswald, Ruby, and a similar array of individuals and events scattered across the 20th century. It leads nowhere except to the end of the world. It sees no salvation, no hope, no eternal life. Just annihilation.

It reads like a Nostradamus knock-off, uttering in its own way the kind of 'quatrains' found in supermarket tabloids of interest only to those who follow the fleeting stars and events of modern times. If you want to know about the attack on Pearl Harbor, the fall of the Twin Towers, the names of the hijackers, Napolean, Waterloo, Elba, and Gore versus Bush in Florida, it's all there in the code presented. If you are looking for God or religious insight, the code is silent as a tomb.

Jesus showed that the hidden code of the Bible is in the narrative of scripture itself, clear and observable to all. It was never hidden in complex ancient codes that masked the names of such biblical luminaries as the freeway sniper, John Lee from a 3000 year old audience.

"I have spoken openly for all the world to hear." (Jn.18:20).

It is in the time-honored verses of Isaiah and John that the code of the Bible is truly revealed, not in a parlor trick of stairstep letters, improbably reconsitituted.

 

At what point in the prophesy are we now? ­PL

Answer:

In the allegorical template of Judaism we are at the time of Pharaoh's final hour ­ his attack on the rear-guard of the departing Israelites. The mood has changed in Babylon. No longer does it support our departure along the path of Jesus. The forces against Christ are gathering strength and the attack is beginning ­ much like the attack against the Israelites as the last of them proceded through the parted waters of the Reed Sea.

Today the last of the Christian faithful are making their way to the land of God's promise. The winds of change are everywhere and prosperity is in collapse. This is the way it was prophesied ­ the time of tribulation and chaos ushering in the physical assault against the Church. And then the Return of Jesus.

"I have told you all this so that your faith may not be shaken. They will expel you from the synagogues, and indeed the hour is coming when anyone who kills you will think he is doing a holy duty for God. They will do these things because they have never known either the Father or myself. But I have told you all this, so that when the time for it comes you may remember that I told you." (John 16:1-4).

This darkness will be shattered by the eternal light of God as He Returns in victory to take eternal command of creation.

Ted, A headline from today - "Hamas Cleric Predicts 'Rome Will Be Conquered by Islam'" "A sermon last Friday by a prominent Muslim cleric and Hamas member of the Palestinian parliament openly declared that "the capital of the Catholics, or the Crusader capital," would soon be conquered by Islam."

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,351242,00.html

This was a story from FOX News. It appears the prophecy is now more than an idealogy, it is a strategy of the Islam's radical wing. The days appear to be growing dark.­JF

Answer:

I missed the headline, but the Bible didn't. It's still hard to grasp that we seem to be in the strategic age to watch all this happen. It is interesting that their focus on Rome relates to the Crusades. It figures.

For Additional Questions and Answers, see:

2009

2008
2007­July - December
2007­January - June
2006­June - December
2006­January - May
2005­July - December
2005­January - June
2004
2003-July - December
2003-January - June
2002
2001
2000
1999
1998
1997
1996

Or Download Question & Answer pages Here

Goodnews Christian Ministry

History of IsraelGraphs & MapsChronological TableBible Prophecy
Questions From ReadersDead Sea ScrollsRevelation Study Guide

Site Index

All books, contents & materials copyright © 1991 to 2009,
Goodnews Christian Ministry.
To find out more about Goodnews Christian Ministry,

e-mail address:
askgoodnews@gmail.com


World Wide Web Home Page:
http://goodnewspirit.com
http:goodnewschristianministry.net