 The “mark of the beast” made it way into the news this week. Three Square Market, a Wisconsin firm that deals in cafeteria kiosks brought in a tattoo artist who helped them put microchips underneath the skin of 40 employees who volunteered to receive them. This event led to a front page article in USA Today on August 4th.
The article was aimed at dispelling fears that these individuals had received the mark of the beast - mentioned in Revelation 13. For this reason it was a valuable article because certain things have to be true for someone to be receiving the mark of the beast. First, let us look at some biblical facts about this time in future prophetic history. The person called, “the beast” has to have been revealed to the world. As of yet, this has not happened. There is not yet a world leader who is galvanizing the entire planet under his evil leadership. Neither is there a world leader who has been horribly injured in the head and has miraculously recovered. There is not this world leader who has the whole earth following him and worshipping him. Nor is there a second beast that has come to be a spokesman for the first one - performing great signs and wonders - even having fire fall from heaven. This second beast has yet to call the world to make an image of the first beast who had the wound in the head from which he recovered. And finally, this second spokesman, whom Bible scholars call the false prophet, has not made a worldwide cashless system of finance - a system that doesn’t allow anyone who does not have the “mark of the beast” to buy and sell anything. All these things are in plain sight for anyone who desires to read Revelation 13. So, since these things have not happened - and since this mark is voluntary - this is not it. There is a comment made in this USA Today article from a Wheaton College professor of New Testament, Chris Vlaschos, that is very instructive for us. “I think this is more of a fulfillment of end times novels and movies than the Book of Revelation itself.” That is instructive for us in that is reminds us to be fixed on the Scriptures rather than a really cool movie or novel. One of the things that saddens me is how the whole area of Bible Prophecy has been coopted by the novel and movie writers. Their focus is too often given to the fantastic and the attention getting minutia that surrounds what is actually written in Scripture - rather than the Scriptures themselves. Take for instance the recent hysteria over “blood moons” - and now currently the same kind of religious “freaking out” about the way the stars of the heavens will be configured on September 23rd of this year. For years I’ve read and watched one claim after another made that “this is the date” because of something that has rarely ever happened. Such things make for great book and video sales - but honestly - have had little if anything to do with what is actually given to us in the Word of God. As we can see from a basic reading of Revelation 13 - these events in Wisconsin are not the beginning of the rule and reign of the beast - or of the mark of the beast which will come in that time. If we are to get anything from this story it is that there are now technologies that can insert something as small as a grain of rice under our skin which can then be used to interact with computers and other devices. This device is called an RFID - which stands for Radio Frequency Identification. This is the use of radio waves to read and capture information stored on a tag attached to an object. Even Vlaschos says that though this may not be the opening volley of the apocalypse, it may be a slippery slope. Such technology had great opposition when it first came out - but now - as seen from the 40 who receive it voluntarily - it is becoming more and more accepted by our culture. Another comment made in the article caught my attention. Three Square Market, the company involved in the story, sees these RFID chips as a way for greater convenience - and then added - “ . . . would like to see payments go cashless.” Of all the statements in the article, this was the one that grabbed me. There will be a cashless society in those last days - one in which a device maybe very similar to this will be used to restrict all buying and selling. So what do we learn from all this? First of all - I would hope that we would learn the biblical exhortation to, “ . . . not go beyond what is written.” If I want to know whether something is a sign of the coming apocalypse, I’ll check it against what is written in the Bible. To blindly accept things simply because some “end-times guru” has written another book or made another movie - is to fall into the trap of which we are warned in 2 Thessalonians. For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only he who now restrains will do so until he is taken out of the way. Then that lawless one will be revealed whom the Lord will slay with the breath of His mouth and bring to an end by the appearance of His coming; that is, the one whose coming is in accord with the activity of Satan, with all power and signs and false wonders, and with all the deception of wickedness for those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth so as to be saved. For this reason God will send upon them a deluding influence so that they will believe what is false, in order that they all may be judged who did not believe the truth, but took pleasure in wickedness. 2 Thessalonians 2:7-12 NASB (emphasis mine) This is a vital lesson! We are warned again and again in the Scriptures that these last days will feature many who come with statements that are not based in the truth. The ONLY WAY we will know the difference is to “receive the love of the truth.” The other admonition given to us is that we should test the spirits to make sure that they are from God. It might also be a good reminder that the book is called, “The Revelation of Jesus Christ.” When people talk about it - their focus should be on Him being revealed. When the topic is some cockamamie theory that requires page after page of exegetical gymnastics (and honestly they usually have little to no exegetical content at all), we should simply turn our gaze onto the Word of God - and - the One we should be awaiting - our Lord Jesus Christ Himself.
0 Comments
 Sadly, on February 15th a video was released by the terrorist group named ISIS. The video depicted the simultaneous beheading of 21 Coptic Christians. During the video the onscreen narrator said the following .
All praises due to Allah, the strong and mighty. And may blessings and peace be upon the ones sent by the sword as a mercy to all the worlds. [IS has been] chopping off the heads of those that have been carrying the cross delusion for a long time [and that war will continue until Jesus comes down from the heavens] breaking the cross and killing the swine. Honestly, for years I've wondered about the accounts in the book of Revelation where it is clear that beheading will be a means by which the Antichrist will put believers to death. Until recently, beheading was more something we read about in the French Revolution and during the Middle Ages. But now it is becoming a primary means of carrying out the death sentence - especially when the execution is motivated by religious reasons. Yet we are watching before our very eyes this kind of thing moving from the dark shadows of history onto the front pages of our newspapers and news casts. What is equally fascinating is that almost a week after our president lectured Christians and others not to wag our fingers at such things, we see a new, escalated execution by this Islamic group. I agree with him that Christians do not ever need to forget our failures - especially when they involve things like killing in the name of Christ. Racism and the treatment of blacks in the United States is also a sad memory - and even more so when some tried to use Scripture to justify it. But, that being said, it was amazing to see Christianity lectured - while watching Islam defended at this prayer breakfast. Yet, we need to realize that this will be the kind of thing that leads up to open persecution of Christians worldwide. One of the things that will happen in the last days is that Christians will be persecuted - and many will be slain for their faith. Another fact is that one of the ways this will happen is by beheading. Does this mean that the Antichrist will be of Islamic origin? There is no way that we can know this - and the Word of God does not give us details on this matter. All we know is that we are in a day where the whole idea of beheading is no longer something of the distant past. It is happening right now - unfortunately for at least 21 of our brothers and sisters in Christ - just yesterday.  Getting cash to buy bread in Weimar Germany Many really don't know what is actually happening with the current FED policy called, Qualitative Easing parts 1, 2, and now 3. We are being told that this is a stimulus for our sluggish economy. There are little more than empty promises that this will help put more money into our economy - thus making it more solvent and better for all of us. Such statements are policy statements at best, and lying propaganda statements at worst. What is slowly happening with these moves by the FED is that our money is slowly being made worthless green pieces of paper. The only inaccuracy in that statement is that this is a slow process. Unfortunately there is going to be a day very soon when we will experience a crash similar to that which was experienced by the 1920's Weimar Republic in Germany. Let me explain a little more - and hopefully also tie this to what is going to happen in these last days.
The Weimar Republic was the government in Germany after WWI. Due to a number of different factors, this government was facing great financial difficulties. During WWI Germany had borrowed tremendous amounts of money. The debt of Germany had risen from 3 billion to 55 billion marks. The way the government decided to deal with this was to "monetize" the debt. To "monetize" a debt simply means to print money to pay it. The problem is that the printed money has nothing to back it and make it worth anything. The result of monetizing their debt was disastrous. Since their money was worth nothing - it created hyperinflation. The price of everything went through the ceiling. The way the German government dealt with this was to further print worthless money. By 1922-23 hyperinflation exploded and the result was skyrocketing prices for EVERYTHING! Rising prices is something that we've learned to deal with - and some say that we will see increases in prices - but that inflation will remain under control in all of our Quantitative Easing - or monetizing our debt. To give you a little better idea of the increase of prices in Germany I will offer an example. In July of 1914 you could buy a loaf of bread for 1 mark. After they monetized their debt with their own version of QE-1, prices began to soar. By July of 1922 that same loaf of bread cost 100.6 marks. But even though that kind of inflation seems outrageous, it was nothing compared to what was to come. German government officials decided in 1922 to buy some of their debt in the form of bonds from the world markets. They did this by printing a whole lot of worthless paper money. Their hope was to create a stimulus of their economy through these actions. But what happened turned German financial markets - and prices in the street into a disaster zone. A loaf of bread shot from 100.6 marks in July 1922 to 2785 marks by January 1923. But this was nothing compared to the hyperinflation that was about to be released. A year later, in July 1923 a loaf of bread would cost 194,000 marks - and by November of that same year, 1923, the cost of a loaf of bread shot to 726,000,000,000 marks. All because the nation thought they could print money to deal with their financial problems. This seems crazy when you read it, I know, but it is all in the history books and can be verified quite easily. The decision today to initiate QE-3 is a step toward a financial cliff over which it is almost beyond our power to now avoid. The FED has stated that QE-3 is an effort to buy hundreds of billions of dollars of our government's debt bonds in the open market. What are we going to use to pay for them? Money that will be printed by the FED. What backs that money? NOTHING! We are attempting to do what the Weimar Republic did from 1914-1923 - but think we can do it without any financial repercussions. Here is the truth - we cannot! This move to initiate QE-3 is simply another order to start the printing presses of the FED. We are printing money that one day won't be worth the paper it is printed upon. What is even crazier is that the Legislative branch of our government just voted to continue to fund itself at current levels for the next 6 months because very few have the guts to tell the collective United States electorate that the emperor doesn't have any financial clothes. They are more interested in being re-elected than in doing the hard work of governing responsibly. By the way this required a bi-partisan response from both Republicans and Democrats. Hardly anyone is willing to say the truth about all this - even fewer are willing to tell us we are far beyond broke. We are flying down the path of the Weimar Republic - and no one is willing to be honest about it. Now, how does all this fit in with the Biblical last day's scenario? First of all, it is a preface to a world without cash. Since pretty much every currency is going to be worthless - why have money at all. There will be moves to remove cash from society - and for the world to work only within the framework of electronic money. This move will help us toward the second thing that is being prepared in our day - biometric chips or some other device that will have all our financial, medical, and government records on them. Thus we can run the back of our hand over a scanner or stand in front of a camera and have all our finances done electronically. This paves the way for the antichrist to institute a program where he will control all spending - and will tie it to worshiping him. The third thing that will happen is that great chaos will sweep over the world in the wake of the dollar and the euro crashing and becoming utterly worthless over a short period of time. Remember what happened in the wake of the Weimar Republic's financial stupidity. A period of horrific financial depression resulted - followed by the rise of a very charismatic leader named Adolph Hitler. When people are struggling to be able to survive - they will follow anyone - even a crazed, satanic dictator. What is about to happen worldwide due to the crash of the dollar and the euro is going to make the Weimar Republic financial disaster look like a picnic in the park. QE-3 is going to result in financial disaster. The worthless paper money that will be pumped into our system is going to do nothing except further depress it in the end. Prices will one day begin to explode - first by 10% all the way to 100% over a few years. The real disaster will come quickly as that horrific 100% increase will be eclipsed by 1000%, 100,000%, and even 1,000,000,000% increases in prices throughout our economy. IT IS COMING! The only way that we can avert it is to face up to the foolishness of what we are doing currently. That will radically affect the elections this Fall - not toward a Republican or Democratic leanings. It will require us to elect HONEST politicians who will tell us the truth - in all of its ugly overtones - and in all of its horrible consequences. But, to be honest, I don't see that happening. What I see is eminent financial disaster - followed by a descent into chaos and anarchy. Why? Because have not nor will we learn from the history of the Weimar Republic. But I truly see that what awaits us in this difficult repeat of history is something far more sinister than Adolph Hitler. The one who will rise to power over the rubble of world economic disaster (and most likely a major attack on Israel - see Ezekiel 37-38) will fulfill much prophecy in doing so. But, do not fear, little flock, for this has all been prophesied previously. Yes, things will get very difficult - and the world will face a 7 year period unlike anything it has ever seen or ever will see. But you, saints of God, lift up your heads - for in the midst of the chaos, destruction - your redemption draws near! It is once again that time of year . . . when the leaves are falling from the trees . . . when it is getting colder . . . and when I begin in earnest to study for what will be the Prophecy Update message(s) for 2012. This is going to be a year unlike any I've ever seen before. The reason for this is because there is more worldwide unrest and upheaval than in any I've known in my lifetime. Soooo . . . I thought I'd give a little preview of where I'm going in regard to my early studies and reading.
First, there is the financial upheaval that is going on everywhere in the world. The uncontrolled spending that has dominated the western world is coming to a close. The experiment with various aspects of Socialism is coming home to roost. Our governing officials are running out of other people's money to spend - and that is making for some very interesting developments now - and even more fascinating ones that are coming possibly as early as next year. What I want to explore though, is how these events may be working toward scenarios put forth for us in the prophecy writings of the Bible. Second, there is the Arab Spring. We have watched Egypt and Libya go through revolutions that have removed dictators. We are watching Syria presently on the verge of revolution. There is rampant unrest throughout the Middle East in the "street." Who is going to fill the vacuum left by the departure of these leaders and their regimes? Will it be an Arab Spring that will follow - or - something far more sinister resembling an Arab "dark ages" instead? Third, there is the specter of a nuclear Iran - and what Israel is going to do about that development. This one may happen before January 1st. There are several reports from intelligence gathering groups that point to an Israeli strike that will take out Iran's nuclear capabilities. What will this lead to in the future? Could this event be the "starting line" for a series of events that could lead to the Gog-Magog invasion of Ezekiel 38-39? Could this even be a convergence of events that could be when the rapture of the church takes place? Fourth, there is Israel. Since the 7 year tribulation period involves God's work with Israel, it is always helpful to see what kind of developments are taking place among God's chosen people. There is always a great deal that swirls around this little nation. We will look at recent developments in the peace process - in the threats that continue to surround Israel - and the way that anti-semitism in on the rise in our nation and around the world. Fifth, there are the Occupy Wall-Street protesters and the unrest that is growing in our own nation. What is all this protesting about - and where could it lead us? Along with this area of study I am going to address how these events play into America's role in the last days. Where is the United States in all that is going to happen? What can we expect as the day of our Lord's return draws ever nearer? Finally, I will also be looking into developments concerning hot-button issues like, "Who is the Antichrist?" "What about the mark of the beast?" "What is happening that might factor into the various judgments (Seal, Trumpet, and Bowl) that are going to happen?" All these may have had some kind of development that bears scrutiny as to how they may happen in the future. I would appreciate your prayers as I dive into the deep-end of these studies. This usually involves reading 100's of pages of information - various updates in the financial realm, the political realm, the military realm, and the spiritual realm. I need God's wisdom to discern truth from error - and fact from hype. As always I want the Scriptures to dominate how I look at things. Honestly, I'm excited about this year because of all the developments going on in the world. But I am also concerned that I not get caught up in any false hype or misinterpretation of the events that are happening today. |
 What is the Prophecy/News Update?At Calvary Chapel of Jonesboro, we believe that history is moving toward fulfilling God's plans and purposes. In an effort to help us be prepared for His appearing - and also to chronicle news items you just won't see in the national media - this page is devoted to sharing those items and their possible significance to 
Thank you for visiting our website! Everything on this site is offered for free. If, however, you would like to make a donation to help pay for its continued presence on the internet, you can do that by clicking here. The only thing we ask is that you give first to the local church you attend.
Thank you!  Archives
July 2020
Categories
All
|
RSS Feed