 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.
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 Over the years that I’ve studied Bible prophecy, especially that of the last days, there has been a nagging question in my head about what I would read. That question was always, “Where is the high levels of technology?” For all the fantastic interpretations of the beasts and locusts that turn them into helicopters and other things - I just did not see the prevalence of technology that I thought I would see in an end times scenario. Sure, the mark of the beast may be some sort of microchip, and the ability for every eye to see Jesus or the two witnesses in Jerusalem might be the ability of events to be televised globally. Also we might be dealing with someone in the first century seeing things that would honestly blow anyone’s mind who was seeing 21st century technology with a first century understanding of life. But lately, I’ve been looking at information that would help make sense of a world pushed back from its technological moorings.
Most of this has been revisited because of the current problems we are having with North Korea - and the threats that nation has been making against ours. One of the things that is fascinating is the ongoing scenarios where either a nuclear weapon is detonated in the United States - or just an EMP blast took place at a higher altitude. The affects of a nuclear blast are fairly well known - although we would be talking about a nuclear explosion at least 10 times the size of those that happened in Hiroshima and Nagasaki. But the prospect of an EMP blast high above our nation is something I’m not sure any of us could truly grasp. If such a detonation were to take place it would pretty much cripple the electrical grid almost everywhere in the United States. The aftermath of such an attack would be truly disastrous. Some who work in the Homeland Security Department believe that the fatalities from such an attack could run in the millions - even up to 10 million or more. This is not because of any fallout or any explosive event - but rather due to the crippling of our infrastructure. There would be a nationwide blackout, as well as the destruction of all of our electronic infrastructure that is not protected by some sort of shield that filters out the EMP pulse from the explosion. Dr. Peter Vincent Pry, a former Congressional EMP Commission member, paints a very powerful picture of what such an attack would bring on our nation. A significant EMP attack carried out high above the skies of the United States would take town the nation’s electronic infrastructure. Electronic systems of all kinds - computers, networks, and communication systems would all be down for at least months if not years. Currently all the systems that provide fuel, food, banking, medical, and transportation in our nation would be destroyed. All our electronic shipping and banking systems would be gone in a flash. Pray stated, “It would be, literally, a new stone age. In recent days the North Korean dictator, Kim Jong Un, has threatened to destroy America, warning of “nuclear thunderbolts” that would bring judgment to us. But what should deeply concern us is that we are not just talking about transcontinental ballistic missiles fitted with nuclear warheads, there have been two satellites that are in orbit that could carry out the attack as well. Pry explained in an interview recently that North Korea launched two satellites into strange orbits around the earth. Their orbits have them approach our country from the southern regions of the globe, where we do not have adequate early warning systems in place. There are also no missiles in place that could intercept an attack from these satellites. Pry, who is not the executive director of the Task Force on National and Homeland Security, and direct of the U.S. Nuclear Strategy Forum, has made his thoughts known alone with a field of experts in this field. “All of us,” Pry states, have written that we think that the threat, the possibility of a super-EMP warhead is so great, the United States should take North Korea’s satellites down. We ought not tolerate them orbiting, because nobody knows for sure what’s on the satellites.” Pry went on to add that such an attack would render the United States, “blind and defenseless.” Jim Oberg, an American scientist and retired Space Shuttle Mission Control Specialist is also concerned about these satellites. Oberg was on of a few American scientists who visited North Korea’s Sohae space launch site. In a Space Review article Oberg said the following” ”There have been fears expressed that North Korea might use a satellite to carry a small nuclear warhead into orbit and then detonate it over the United States for an EMP strike.” Oberg went on to say, "These concerns seem extreme and require an astronomical scale of irrationality on the part of the regime. The most frightening aspect, I've come to realize," he said, "is that exactly such a scale of insanity is now evident in the rest of this ‘space program.” There was an enormous amount of money put into this program - and the observers like Oberg were not convinced at all that the program was not military in nature. Oberg’s concerns seem far more warranted now that a report from just over a year ago confirmed that North Korea's satellites are fully capable of performing a surprise EMP attack at an altitude and trajectory that evade U.S. National Missile Defenses. When I read these reports recently things began to make a little more sense. A world where we go from a technological giant into a stone age culture would be disastrous beyond imagination. The rampant spread of disease, starvation, and subsequent war (because we would be pretty much blind and defenseless) seem to fit the onset of the seal judgments of Revelation 6. In that chapter events happen where we see war, famine, pestilence, wild beast attacks, and massive persecution against believers take place. Are we in that time period now? I am not making a prediction that we are - but I am saying that we are in the midst of times that could easily come about due to the current world crises. If this is the case, what should we do? I will save those comments for my next article. In the meantime - watch, pray, and make sure that you are ready for His return.  Prophecy/News Update 2016
Falling Apart or Falling Together? Greetings in the name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ! As this New Year begins I want to begin it by saying, maranatha! For those of you who are not familiar with this word, it means, “O Lord, come!” in Aramaic. It was a phrase that was used by the early church – and was used by Paul in the New Testament. The word or phrase was used to speak of a strong desire for the return of the Lord Jesus Christ. I mention this because like never before I want to pray daily, maranatha! Next Sunday I will be sharing the 2016 Prophecy/News Update message. This year has been filled with events that involve Israel, and that possibly foreshadow the fulfillment of biblical prophecy. World events are definitely heating up and many, even in the secular world, are predicting that we may be on the verge of World War III. It was also a year in which the United States Supreme Court legalized homosexual marriage. This decision has set up a monumental battle between the newly fashioned erotic rights of our age with the constitutional right to religious liberty. That battle will be fought right before our eyes in the courts of our land and the court of public opinion. In light of how scary this can be – I want to begin this week with an encouraging word to the saints. Things that are going in our world can be very frightening. We are definitely watching our world become more and more volatile before our very eyes. Things in the Middle East continue to degenerate almost daily. The ongoing Syrian civil war is a flashpoint for the entire world as superpowers like Russia, China, and the United States get involved in that conflict. The rise of ISIS (The Islamic State in Iran and Syria) and the ongoing fight to remove them from large portions of Syria and Iraq are causing a destabilization of the entire region. The daily rocket fire on Israel continues (those it is a situation almost completely ignored by the mainstream news media) – as does the daily threat to Israel from Hezbollah, ISIS, Hamas, and Iran. Add to this the uptick in terrorist activity in Europe, Africa, and the United States – and we have a world that is ready to blow up in a worldwide war between various factions and nations. In the midst of all this it would be easy to want to throw your hands up and say, “The world is falling apart!” Things are also scary when it comes to the changes in our nation. The battle between religious liberty and erotic liberty is heating up every day. It is no surprise that the world system is standing firmly behind erotic liberty. What we were told was a quest for tolerance has become a very intolerant attack on the church for holding to a biblical view of sexuality and marriage. Close on the heels of the recent victories for gay marriage we watched as the next battle began concerning gender confusion. The speed at which the sexual revolution is happening is dizzying – and frightening. It is as if nothing is either sacred or stable in our culture any longer. On top of all this there is a growing racial tension in our nation as we watch police shootings being questioned and riots erupting that engulf entire cities in flames and lawlessness. In light of all that is happening around us it would be easy to say, “Our nation is falling apart!” Those with a Christian/Biblical worldview understand this differently. First of all we know that the world has been falling apart ever since the “fall.” When man chose to sin against the Lord – everything began to fall apart. The descent into chaos and destruction began in that moment – and for those who forget the narrative of Genesis – resulted in the whole earth being flooded to address the wickedness of man just 10 chapters later. Shortly after Noah and his family departed from the ark – Noah got drunk – and the whole process started all over again. Our current situation is not any more wicked than others in history – it is just that we are given vastly more information about the results of godlessness in our day. Sin has always been destructive – wars and devastation have always either been ongoing – or on the horizon as mankind continues to reject God and live according to their own sinful nature and inclinations. A Biblical understanding of the chaos that happens as a nation turns away from God is also nothing radically new. The history of nations recorded for us in Scripture makes it clear that when a nation rejects God and godly principles bad things happen. The history of Israel and Judah’s kings as recorded by the historical record as well as the prophecies spoken against them for their rejection of God is clear. Just as a nation is blessed when it submits to God – it will be under a curse when it rejects and turns from Him. Our nation is rejecting not only godly principles – but God Himself as it rebels against what the Scriptures say. When we take a few minutes to refocus our thinking with Scripture, we may come to a different realization about the current state of affairs in the world. Things have always been falling apart due to sin – but God is working so that things are falling together for the return of Christ. Mark chapter 13 and Luke chapter 21 are accounts of Jesus’ teaching about the last days. In this teaching Jesus presents the things that will be happening before His second coming. Many of these things match events that are taking place in our time. Jesus closes this section of both gospels with the following words, “Even so, you too, when you see these things happening, recognize that He is near, right at the door.” (Mark 13:29, NASB) When you read through the previous verses to this one, you will see that what is happening in our day was foretold by our Lord Jesus. He spoke of wars and rumors of wars – earthquakes – famines – and a wholesale rejection of God by humanity. What is equally fascinating is that passages that speak of future prophetic events, which require a certain aligning of the nations against Israel, are being fulfilled before our eyes. Truly things are falling together just as God said – even as they fall apart because of mankind’s rejection of Him. The more they fight against Him – the more they are unwitting accomplices to do what He said would be done. Take courage saints, none of what has happened has taken God by surprise. All of it was foretold 2000 or more years ago. Anyone even remotely aware of what the Bible says about the last days knows that the return of our Lord Jesus Christ will be at a time when the world is falling apart. You cannot read of what the prophets foretold and imagine a world getting better and better. You cannot be familiar with the seal judgments of Revelation 6, the trumpet judgments of Revelation 8 and 9, and the bowl judgments of Revelation 16 and think that things will be at an all time best at the second coming of Christ. All the nations, all the prophetic predictions, all the things necessary to see all thing fulfilled just as God spoke – are falling together as if God were sovereign over the affairs of men (which, by the way, He is). Based on this knowledge, then, we need to live in reality concerning where the world is headed. This is not our home, saints – it is the place where God has been rejected. We await the kingdom of our God and of His Christ. And as that falls together the world itself will fall apart. But take courage dear ones of God – He has overcome the world – and by His grace and the power of His Spirit – He will grant to us the ability to be overcomers even in this difficult hour!  Recently I read through Revelation 6 and came across the following passage.
I looked when He broke the sixth seal, and there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth made of hair, and the whole moon became like blood; and the stars of the sky fell to the earth, as a fig tree casts its unripe figs when shaken by a great wind. The sky was split apart like a scroll when it is rolled up, and every mountain and island were moved out of their places. Then the kings of the earth and the great men and the commanders and the rich and the strong and every slave and free man hid themselves in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains; and they *said to the mountains and to the rocks, "Fall on us and hide us from the presence of Him who sits on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb; for the great day of their wrath has come, and who is able to stand?" Revelation 6:12-17 (NASB) What kind of event could cause the kind of ecological disaster that this seal mentions? When you read this kind of description – with the sun black as sackcloth – the moon becoming red like blood – the sky split like a scroll – and every mountain and island moved – it seems impossible except for maybe some kind of miracle by which it would take place. That may well be what causes this event – but there is evidence of a geological anomaly that could very well be part, if not all, of what causes this disaster. Scientists from The University of Utah as well as others from the USGS (United States Geological Survey) have recently realized that underneath the some 300 active geysers, thousands of bubbling mud pots, and steam vents in Yellowstone National Park is a couple of magma reservoirs unmatched in our knowledge of what lies under the earth’s crust. The super volcano has been a mystery for years and would still be one if it were not for recent seismic technology being used to do a kind of CT-scan of the chambers beneath Yellowstone. What they found from the three-dimensional seismic maps they were able to put together dwarfs any previous thoughts about the size of the what is going on beneath the park. A subsequent article reviewing their findings was published in March of 2015 in the journal Science. HOW BIG IS THIS SUPERVOLCANO? The researchers scientists from Utah found that beneath Yellowstone Park are two huge magma chambers – and upper and a lower one – whose size is staggering to grasp. The upper chamber is closest to the surface and has 2,500 cubic miles in volume. It measures about 19 by 55 miles. The lower reservoir is close to 5 times that size, measuring 11,500 cubic miles, and measures 30 by 40 miles and is roughly about 16 miles thick. These two chambers are the some of the largest ever found by researchers. Although these chambers have not erupted, their presence has been made known as recently as 2003. Park officials closed Yellowstone at this time because they feared that people would burn their feet walking on the ground or that their tires would be melted and ruined by the roads that were melting at the time. The ground temperatures rose to such a level that geysers dried out and amazingly, even trees in the area were destroyed as the sap within them boiled. Thermometers were put a few inches under the surface and recorded temperatures rising to 200 degrees Fahrenheit – just a few degrees more and one would have been able to boil water just beneath the soil. The real problems came when researchers began to describe the effects of an eruption of this super volcano. The best way to understand this is by comparing volcanic eruptions of the past with what is possible if Yellowstone were to erupt. Compared to Yellowstone, Mount St. Helens was a lovely picnic in the park. This eruption covered the state of Washington with an ash bed nearly the size of all of Lake Michigan back in 1980. In the Philippines the Mount Pinatubo blast of 1991, which yielded an earthquake over 7.0 in magnitude. In addition to this Pinatubo, considered the second largest eruption in the 20th century, blew 1 cubic mile of debris into the air almost 22 miles high – and spread ash as far away as the Indian Ocean – and dropped temperatures throughout the region by at least 1 degree for the next year. If we compare the largest volcanic blasts known to us in modern times we have to go back to Krakatoa (1883) and the eruption of Mount Tambora in Indonesia in 1815. Krakatoa blew on August 26-27 of 1883 and sent 11 cubic miles of debris into the air. The explosion from this volcano ruptured the eardrums of people as far as 40 miles away – and completely obliterated two mountains that disappeared into the sea. The earthquake and subsequent tsunami from this event sent a wave 120 feet high into Java and Sumatra – killing an estimated 36,000 people – and sending ships a mile inland. But the mother of all known modern volcanoes was that of Mount Tambora. Tambora killed 10,000 people instantly and over 100,000 people before it was over. It launched over 30 cubic miles of debris up to 38 miles into the atmosphere. Other effects of this volcano were a period of 3 to 5 days without any sunshine and a 5-degree drop in worldwide temperatures. The weather patterns of the whole earth were so dramatically impacted that it caused famines and crop failures as far away as the U.S. and Europe – and 1816 was referred to as the year without a summer. HOW BIG WOULD THE BLAST BE? Here are the comparisons of a blast in Yellowstone to those of recent history. Tambora shot 30 cubic feet of debris over 35 miles into the atmosphere. It is estimated that an eruption of the super volcano under Yellowstone could launch up to 600 cubic miles of debris at least that high into our atmosphere. The effects of this would be disastrous to the earth. First, it is estimated that over 100,000 people would be killed almost instantly – and the entire population of North America would face death from the ash, gasses, and lava bombs that would result. Such an eruption would so fill the entire atmosphere of the earth that travel by air would be impossible for up to as long as a year or more. The temperature change involved in such an eruption could be as high as 10 or more degrees – almost ensuring a kind of volcanic winter for at least a year. The destruction to agriculture would be beyond compare – making almost the entire surface of the United States unusable for years or even decades. What is shocking is how a super volcano blast of this magnitude would mirror the events of Revelation 6 in many ways. I will examine this in my next article. I would be remiss if I did not also tell you that such an eruption of the super volcano underneath Yellowstone is considered to be very unlikely. Scientists who have studied this put the odds of it around 1 in 700,000 – or the likelihood that you will be struck by lightning. But, with that said, it is interesting that such a scenario as that of Revelation 6 is possible from a geological standpoint. This morning I am beginning the arduous work of putting together the 2015 Prophecy News Update. This may be a difficult task, yet it is one that I actually enjoy as I look over what is to come in 2015. Just a reminder to all those who will hear this update. I do not intend to update what God has prophesied - as that is not something anyone can do. We need to be reminded of this because there are those who unfortunately think that their own statements can prophesy the future.
There are those who think that the current gift of prophecy can foretell the future in ways that are contrary to what is already given in Scripture. This is a false understanding of Scripture, as well as a dangerous one. Any choice that God may make concerning revealing the future to us through a prophetic utterance - is completely under the authority of what we currently have in the Scriptures. Anyone who contradicts what is given in the Word of God is a false prophet - as is anyone whose previous supposed prophetic statements have not come 100% true. Oh how we need to remember those two important things when dealing with any kind of statement concerning prophecy. What I endeavor to do each year is to take a look at what is happening in our world today, and then see how that fits into the prophetic events that God says will happen in the last days. This is difficult to do because there are differing views on how those events will unfold. That is why anyone who attempts this needs to be careful how specific they are concerning what is going to happen. Ultimately, the one thing we are certain of is that Jesus Christ will return again to judge the world. That is one thing we all can agree on concerning end times. Beyond that one pivotal truth, we need to be gracious with one another. This year's Prophecy/News Update will have the usual information about major events concerning Israel as well as the other players that Scripture indicates will be a part of the end times scenario. But this year's message will have more to do with what is happening in our own nation and how it will affect the church. This is an area that we need to be awakened to because it it going to radically affect the church in the months and years to come. The ongoing moral revolution in our nation when it comes to sexuality and now, even gender confusion, is about to have a radical affect on the church and how it operates. There are also rumblings of racial tensions as well as the battlefronts that multiculturalism will bring to the advance of the gospel in our culture. There is much that is happening news-wise that will truly change how the church will operate in our culture. There is much that will determine if the church will remain above ground in our culture as well. One last thing I want to comment upon before I close this article is the way that I desire for you to receive this year's Prophecy/News Update. Because of the nature of this information, some react in fear to what is said. Please understand that I do not mean to try to scare anyone with what is presented. The health/wealth and prosperity movement has mislead us concerning what the Bible has to say about this world and its future. The influence of the health/wealth and prosperity teaching has led many to believe that truly every day is supposed to be Friday for us. Forget that Jesus said that in this world we would have tribulation. Forget that Paul told us that if we desire to live godly in Christ Jesus we will suffer persecution. Forget that He told us that if He was rejected, we would be rejected as well. Forget all that the Scriptures tell us about a world that grows steadily worse in its wickedness and will one day be destroyed with fire. We have false teachers who promise that only good things are coming in our future. This has given rise to an entire generation of those in the church who reject the biblical teaching of the last days. They reject it because it is not positive enough for them. They reject it because it speaks of suffering - and even martyrdom for those who remain faithful to Christ in the last days. This has led to a very serious rejection of anything negative by those who hold to these heretical teachings. It has also led to a general rejection of the last days biblical narrative. The current teaching by those who teach these heresies is that because of our wonderful influence as Christians, the world will get better and better until Jesus comes back and takes over a world that we've redeemed by our corporate wonderfulness. Those who hold to this kind of teaching will embrace two things as our world moves toward its ultimate conclusion. First, they will have to utterly delude themselves as things grow steadily worse. Second, they will embrace compromise with the world as the world embraces an ever-worsening moral revolution against true biblical sexuality and morality. Unfortunately we are already seeing this as more and more abandon any biblically informed sexuality - and embrace the sexual and gender confusion of our day. Dear saints of God . . . we have the honor and the priviledge of standing and shining like stars in the midst of the morass of darkness and rebellion against God and His Word and ways. As we hold fast the Word of truth and the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ - we will be as lights and beacons of hope to those who watch the world crumbling under the weight of its rebellion against God. This is not a time to fear - a time to be timid - or a time to be frightened by the things the world fears. We are to fear God and hold forth the message of His salvation to a world that more desperately needs it than ever before. May God help us to be that people - that city set on a hill - that light, not under a basket, but on the lampstand giving light to all who see it. May our hearts be given fully to knowing and loving Jesus Christ. And may our testimony be to the grace that saved us - and that can save all those who come to Him in repentance and faith! PJ  I recently received a question from a precious believer who read a “Prophecy/News Update” article. Because this question was so great, I want to put out my answer for all to read. The question was, “Can our actions change God’s plan in relation to this end time prophecy?” The prophecy referred to was the one in Revelation 6 about the fourth horseman of the apocalypse who will come – and his coming will be attended with horrific plagues that will be partly responsible for 25% of the population being killed (the other three are war, famine, and wild beast attacks).
First let me deal with this question in regard to anyone being able to change God’s sovereign plan. When it comes to God’s ultimate sovereignty, no one can change this. He knows the time frame in which He is going to do things. But, having said that, it might be wise to see just what God says about what he sovereignly is going to do. In all wisdom and insight He made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His kind intention which He purposed in Him with a view to an administration suitable to the fullness of the times, that is, the summing up of all things in Christ, things in the heavens and things on the earth. In Him also we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to His purpose who works all things after the counsel of His will, to the end that we who were the first to hope in Christ would be to the praise of His glory. Ephesians 1:8-12 (NASB) Two important things are said here about God’s ultimate sovereignty. The first is that God is working toward the, “. . . summing up of all things in Christ.” This means that ultimately we know that God will one day sum up everything in Jesus Christ. This tells us that we too should be seeking to honor, glorify, praise, and exalt Jesus – because one day it will be ALL ABOUT HIM. The second phrase used here is speaks of “God’s purpose” – the end of which is that those who hope in Christ are to be to the praise of God’s glory. This statement has huge implications, because Paul makes it in the context of the work of the gospel in the hearts and minds of men and women on this earth. God’s ultimate work is that the gospel of Jesus Christ should be the means by which men and women are saved, transformed, sanctified from sinners into those who live for the glory of God. Seeing this happen brings glory to God for His grace and mercy given through the gospel of Jesus Christ. Thus ultimately – God sovereignly is working through the gospel – He is doing so to manifest His own grace – which should cause men to praise God for the glory of His grace. What does this mean for us? It means – if you believe in the sovereignty of God (which matters little – because He is sovereign if you believe He is or not), you should manifest it by both living it out in your life – and by proclaiming it to others. Ultimately – all the universe will be focused on God’s glory seen through His grace – and that grace is ONLY available through Jesus Christ, His crucifixion and resurrection. To me, the very least of all saints, this grace was given, to preach to the Gentiles the unfathomable riches of Christ, and to bring to light what is the administration of the mystery which for ages has been hidden in God who created all things; so that the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known through the church to the rulers and the authorities in the heavenly places. This was in accordance with the eternal purpose which He carried out in Christ Jesus our Lord, in whom we have boldness and confident access through faith in Him. Ephesians 3:8-12 (NASB) This passage actually speaks of God’s “eternal purpose” within it. That purpose was carried out in Christ Jesus our Lord. What is this purpose? It is known as those called by God make known the unfathomable riches of Christ. Once again, the eternal purpose of God is to have the gospel of Jesus Christ preached – this time so that even the “rulers and authorities in the heavenly places” can have the gospel made known to them. These are the angels – both the holy and the unholy ones – and even they need to hear about Jesus Christ and His gospel. Let me wrap this up for you in a few sentences. God’s ultimate purpose, as revealed in His Word, is that the all people praise God for the glory of His grace in the gospel. We are to be to the praise of the glory of that gospel grace. Look at the songs at the end of the age in Revelation – they praise God for His marvelous salvation. Believe me when I say that eternity is going to be an everlasting praise and worship service for God. It will be a time when we will sing, and sing, and sing, and shout . . . and then sing some more about God’s astounding grace in Jesus Christ! Now, back to the question that was asked. Can we change God’s plan and purpose in what happens in Revelation? The answer to that I believe is no, we cannot change it. What happens in Revelation is biblical prophecy and cannot be altered. But remember, at least in how we teach God’s Word here, that involves a 7-year Great Tribulation period. I teach that this happens after the church is snatched away in an event called, “the rapture.” Over and over again this time period is mentioned in Revelation. The things that happen in it, I believe, cannot be reversed. But also remember that we, the church, are still here and have not been raptured yet. That means that we are not currently in the Great Tribulation. We may have regular tribulation because we love Jesus, preach the gospel, and endeavor to live holy lives according to God’s Word. But the tribulation mentioned in Revelation 6 and later, that is reserved until after the rapture of the church. Let me try to give you a conclusion on all this. Can we change the events in the Great Tribulation described for us in the book of Revelation? No, we cannot do that. But, since we are not in the Great Tribulation yet, those events are not happening. We may see the gathering storm on the horizon, which may indicate that we are not far from these events beginning, but we are not “IN” the Great Tribulation. (Note: When I write in the Prophecy/News section of our webpage, I write about things which may be leading up to this time period – but I never intend to say that we are currently “IN” the Great Tribulation) Since we are NOT in the Great Tribulation, do everything you can to help others – especially in regard to the Ebola virus outbreak (or any other situation for that matter). Regarding God’s eternal purposes that cannot be revoked - I also have a comment for us. If you will note, God’s eternal purpose is that His great salvation through Jesus Christ be seen in His redeemed, so that we would be a cause of others (and even we ourselves, since we should praise Him for the grace He gave us in salvation) giving glory to Him for His grace in Jesus. How can we do this? We do it two ways. First we do it by working out our salvation in fear and trembling – living godly, holy lives as we wait for His coming – or our own going to Him when we die and leave this world. Second, we do it by proclaiming the gospel to the world around us – seeking to see them repent and believe in Jesus Christ for their salvation. Now – you want to know what is truly awesome! We can do these two things ANY TIME IN HISTORY without worrying about something in God’s sovereignty hindering us. He desires for these things to happen – and the only thing that could hinder them from coming to pass in our individual lives – disobedience. The ONLY thing keeping us from fulfilling that eternal purpose is us making a choice to live for something else – us making a choice to NOT proclaim the gospel boldly and lovingly to the lost – us choosing to live for this present world that is passing away rather than living for the world that is to come, and that is coming even now. As I said to the person who asked this question . . . there is never a time when loving the Lord, loving your brothers and sisters in Christ, reading and studying His Word, praying and seeking God’s face, living as a servant to others in Jesus’ name, and witnessing with a loving, bold heart is not going to benefit us. Regardless of what any prophecy says – these things will bring blessing into our lives – and believe it or not – very often into the lives of those around us! Live for Jesus daily! Love God with all your heart daily! Give your life away as you love others for God’s glory and the gospel daily! These things are NEVER-MISS in the sight of God in any generation!  Ebola: The Pestilence of the Fourth Horseman of the Apocalypse?
In the book of Revelation we read in the 6th chapter about the fourth “seal judgment.” When that seal is broken and the judgment is released, what is known as the fourth horseman of the apocalypse is released upon the earth. He rides an ashen horse and has the terrifying name, “Death.” We read in this passage that following this rider is the place of the dead, also known as Hades. Authority was given to him over one-fourth of the entire population of the earth. His ride on the earth would result with four types of killing. There would be warfare represented by the sword. There would also be death because of famine and due to the wild beasts of the earth attacking humans in an unprecedented way. The fourth means by which Death would kill twenty-five percent of the earth would be through pestilence. That fourth means is what I want to address in this article. Before I continue you may want to read Revelation 6:7-8 below. “When the Lamb broke the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living creature saying, "Come." I looked, and behold, an ashen horse; and he who sat on it had the name Death; and Hades was following with him. Authority was given to them over a fourth of the earth, to kill with sword and with famine and with pestilence and by the wild beasts of the earth.” (Revelation 6:7-8) The word “pestilence” is the Greek word “thanatos” which is the word “death.” So we have Death killing with death. The reason this is translated as pestilence is because this same word is used in the Greek Old Testament translation (called the Septuagint) in Exodus, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel where it is clear in the Hebrew that a plague or pestilence is meant. This is also why the term “the black death” was used often in the 14th and 15th centuries to name horrific plagues of sickness that came upon China and Europe. Therefore what we have before us in Revelation 6 is an apocalyptic outbreak of pestilence or plague that aids in killing 25% of the population. To give you a sense of what God is saying here we can look at current population totals on earth today – which roughly can be estimated at around 7 billion people. That would mean that 2,250,000,000 people would die during this time. Locally, the population of Jonesboro, Arkansas, which is currently around 76,000, would see one in four dies, which are 24,000 people dead. What could do this kind of thing? One of the four listed here is pestilence – and – we are watching what pestilence can do right now in West Africa. This is especially true in Liberia, where that country has seen the largest outbreak of Ebola in history – last count by the CDC is 2710 cases. Of these cases already 1459 have died. A regional outbreak in five West African counties now totals 5,350 cases with a death rate of around 50%. This sounds terrible enough, but recently the WHO (World Health Organization) ran numbers on what a normal outbreak looks like. The results were that if we do not get very serious about this current outbreak, it is nothing to see somewhere in the neighborhood of 300,000 plus cases of Ebola in West Africa alone. When the virus reaches this kind of proliferation – and begins to show up in increasing numbers in nations like Nigeria – some very bad things begin to happen. Let me expound on that thought – actually, not a thought, but rather a reality. Most of the nations currently affected in West Africa are small enough that it is easier to monitor whether the risk of the virus getting out of that country into the larger world population. Nigeria, on the other hand, is a nation that has airline service on a much wider scale. It also has people travelling to and from it in vastly larger numbers because of general trade traffic – with oil trade traffic requiring much larger numbers to travel in and out of the country. Two ports of call that could be quickly affected with disastrous results are the airports in Nairobi, Kenya, and in Entebbe, Uganda. Both of these airports have numerous regular flights into Europe. If the virus is carried into either of these airports – and from there into European airports – it will be loosed in ways that will dwarf what is happening in West Africa. We would be talking about millions instead of hundreds of thousands. This is why President Obama recently made a speech in which he used strong military rhetoric concerning our fight against the Ebola virus. If such a spread of this virus is to be contained – and hopefully driven back by modern medicine – it will take strong efforts to establish better public health systems in many African countries. The one thing, though, that is not being taken seriously – is how this works into God’s purpose and plan. Here is where some reading this article will probably take great offense at what I am about to say. Biblically – when outbreaks like this happen – God was addressing sin among His people. In the book of Numbers several plagues were loosed among God’s people Israel because of their sin and rebellion against Him. When God allows things like this to happen, we ought to be willing to step back and consider where we are spiritually. There should be a willingness to examine ourselves and turn back to God with all our hearts. Many of these plagues were stayed when God’s people humbled themselves and dealt in one way or another with the outbreak of sin that preceded the outbreak of plague. In light of this shouldn’t we, as God’s people, take time to examine our hearts – ask the Lord to reveal to us where we may have departed from Him – and return to Him? Many might say that we don’t have time for this – we need to address these situations medically. But even the CDC and the WHO have said that it will be very easy for this outbreak to overwhelm and drown our health systems if it continues to grow like it has. Just to give you an idea of how fast that growth can be – realize that a few cases broke out a couple of years ago and were for the most part controlled. But we have a situation were a few cases broke out a couple of months ago – followed by cases in the 10’s a few weeks later. After a month and a half these few cases grew into hundreds. After 2-3 months they were in the thousands. Now we have facts that say that these measly hundreds have grown into over 4000 cases – with a near-term potential of hundreds of thousands by Christmas this year. What should be our response as believers to this virus? I want to answer that in a couple different ways. On a health level, we need to practice good personal hygiene as well as wise health habits. We also need to support our president and our nation’s efforts to combat this through the CDC and other agencies that battle world health concerns like this. But there are also spiritual things we need to keep in mind. We need to pray for the nations of West Africa. We need to pray for the church in these areas – praying that God would protect them as well as use them in a time of tremendous need. We need to continue to send and support missionaries and relief teams like the one that was infected from Samaritan’s Purse. One of the most powerful testimonies the church of Jesus Christ can offer is that of people who will respond to this outbreak with mercy and compassion. Throughout history the church has responded this way in plague after plague. At the risk of their own lives many in the church have reacted to crises like this by taking their medical skills, much needed medicines, and most importantly the love of God (as well as the gospel into these places.) Throughout history the churches’ finest hours have often been in times like these. It is where the true selfless nature of the church should be seen. Let us pray that God would make the Ebola virus outbreak of 2014-15 one of those times. Pray for Samaritan’s Purse and other gospel-oriented aid ministries and their people as they take on such dangerous assignments for the glory of God and the advance of the gospel. Finally, let us pray and turn to God as never before. You have no idea how easy it is for a virus to enter a country and wreak havoc on its population. It is honestly pure arrogance to think that we can stop all disease through our medical efforts alone. It is also arrogance to think that our nation can sin and turn from God like it has been without some kind of action on God’s part to bring humility to such a spiritually arrogant people. May we be among those grateful for modern medicine, yet wary of elevating it to god-like, or maybe more appropriately said – God-replacing, status in our lives. May we instead be those grateful for it, but painfully aware that medicine may be able to solve the crisis in public health, but it can do little to solve the crisis of sin and rebellion against God in the human heart. May we be wise enough to realize that the providence of God has allowed this so that we might turn to Him for help in our time of need. A large meteorite has recently exploded over Russia! The devastation is everwhere. Doors have been blown in – windows were shattered – and the sky was lit up by the exploding fireball from heaven. What does all this mean? Could it be a prophecy of the return of Christ? Was this meteorite predicted by the prophets of the Bible? Could it be one of the meteorite strikes promised in the prophecies of the book of Revelation? Are we possibly days or even moments away from the return of Christ?
Thus write the Prophecy nuts of our time – who use just about any excuse a flashy news item to once again tell us that the sky is falling and the coming of Christ is just around the corner. Oh, and they also introduce yet another book that they or someone else within the prophecy movement just wrote to show you the numbers, prophecies, or whatever other gimmick they turn to each time – to prove their point (and make $19.95 – plus shipping). But . . . when we dig a little deeper – and we dig into the clear meaning of Scripture rather than other non-biblical sources – we come back to sanity. At least we tend to return to a biblical view of God’s purposes and intent. We also return to a heart set on His will and purpose rather than the most recent “scare” that hit Christian TV or radio. And more than anything we hopefully return to the Bible rather than whatever book that recently hit news-stands and bookstores or whatever article was in a magazine or prophecy blog. For the next couple of days I’ll cover two events that have filled the papers and blogs with headlines mentioning the end times and even some predicting that this event is reminding us that the coming of Christ is very near. I’ll begin with the meteorite that exploded in Russia. From the articles I read about the incident they described the meteor as being about the size of a school bus. When it exploded in the sky over Russia, it was powerful enough to shatter windows – rock homes – and even destroy buildings that were closer to the center of the shock wave it produced. Videotapes were also available on the internet which showed the sky lighting up like a flash from a camera – followed by a bright white flash that pulsated to an even brighter level as the meteorite exploded in the sky. These are the facts about the event. What was amazing though was the speculation about end times that took place afterward. I read a few articles that said this was a harbinger of the end times – some even stating that additional meteors were coming which would bring greater devastation. Some went as far as to say this was an event prophesied in the Bible and the book of Revelation. Sheesh. There is a couple of events in the book of Revelation that involve something that might be describing a meteor burning when it hits the earths atmosphere. During the trumpet judgments of Revelation chapter 8 we read the following: “The first sounded, and there came hail and fire, mixed with blood, and they were thrown to the earth; and a third of the earth was burned up, and a third of the trees were burned up, and all the green grass was burned up. 8 The second angel sounded, and something like a great mountain burning with fire was thrown into the sea; and a third of the sea became blood, 9 and a third of the creatures which were in the sea and had life, died; and a third of the ships were destroyed. 10 The third angel sounded, and a great star fell from heaven, burning like a torch, and it fell on a third of the rivers and on the springs of waters. 11 The name of the star is called Wormwood; and a third of the waters became wormwood, and many men died from the waters, because they were made bitter.” Revelation 8:7-11 (NASB) These three judgments may – and please read the statement MAY – involve some sort of meteorite striking the earth. The first in verse 7 speaks of hail, fire, and blood falling from the skies. The hail and fire might be from a meteor striking the earth which subsequently burns up a third of the earth, trees, and all the green grass. The problem here is the blood that is mentioned. Not sure I’ve ever heard of a meteorite that did that. The second possibility is in verse 8 where something like a great mountain burning with fire fell into the sea – making a third of the sea blood – as well as killing a third of the creatures in the sea. The third event is described as a great star falling from heaven, named wormwood. This “star” falls from the heavens onto the earth, making a third of the rivers and waters bitter. Men die from drinking these waters. Now that we have the Scriptures before us let’s take a look at the Russian meteor event. Do you have any grass alive near you? If so – this was not a meteorite event that fulfills verse 7. Was this thing the size of a mountain – and did it destroy a third of all sea life? If not – then it was not a meteorite event fulfilling verse 8. Was there a star-like event falling from heaven that subsequently turned a third of the earth’s drinking water bitter – and killed many who drank it? If not – then we are 0-3 – and we’ve accomplished a prophetic strike out! Never mind that biblically we are not allowed even one strike if someone is a biblical prophet (they should be 100% accurate on all predictions – or else we should ignore them and not be afraid of anything they prophesy). Then what was the Russian meteorite event? Well – let’s try this – it was a meteorite that came into our atmosphere – and exploded over a small area of Russia. It was scary and terrifying to those who experienced it. The Royal Astronomical Society of England states that every year we have between 18,000 to 84,000 meteorites larger than 10 grams hit the earth every year. This was a particularly large one comparatively but – was nothing compared to what will come one day as the coming of Christ draws nearer. Is it a sign that His coming is nearer? Not really – what we have that is far more reliable than this is the Scriptural admonition that we be ready for His coming at ANY MOMENT. The Bible does not tell us the exact time of date of these events that will happen. It spends far more of its time telling us that God wants us to share the gospel with men and women who desperately need forgiveness of sin – and a righteousness that will stand on the day of judgment. It is a reminder that we live in a universe that is filled with millions of pieces of space junk that floats all over – and occasionally (at least 18,000 times a year) hits our planet with varying degrees of destruction. But unless you look out your window and see devastation on a continent-wide degree – or learn of tsunamis that were started by a meteorite the size of a mountain hitting the ocean – you can be assured that no biblical event has yet occurred. Oh – once you’ve realized this – you might want to share the gospel with those around you. There are far more clear commands indicating that this is what should be dominating our time – rather than making a burning mountain out of a meteorite no bigger than a bus.  Every year for the past 10-15 I’ve done what is called a “Prophecy Update” in January. Some have mistakenly thought that this meant I was going to update what God’s Word said about prophecy – and how God was going to bring things to an end on this earth. Scripture says that this is God summing up all things in Christ – which I like far better. During these updates I’ve not told people who the antichrist was – or when the rapture was going to happen – or even when the world was going to end. They have hopefully dealt with how the historical events of the past year look when placed against the statements of Scripture on the last days. The usual question I ask myself as I prepare for these messages is, “Has anything happened in the last year that seems to factor into my limited knowledge of the end-times scenario as presented in God’s Word.
Some have called these messages, “How to scare a congregation to within an inch of their life in 45 minutes or less.” I would beg to differ with this – because several times I’ve gone past 45 minutes. Seriously though, I know that the information in these messages has been very rough – and often is difficult to hear. The reason for this is that my view of Biblical history is not Dominion-based – meaning that the church will make things get better and better through the gospel and our prayers – until Jesus comes back to a near perfect world. Even a basic reading of the book of Revelation should negate this view. Unfortunately, in this world, things are not going to get better and better – they are getting worse and worse. That is because of sin and mankind’s continued rebellion against God and His commands. But there is a larger issue that I want to address about the ‘scariness’ of these messages. That is the issue of what foundation we are building upon in our brief few years on this rock called earth. Matthew 7:27-28 speaks of two foundations upon which a life is built. One is a sand foundation that has no stability – which the other is called, “a rock” which will stand no matter what is thrown against it. Which foundation you are built upon is based in one major issue – are you obeying God’s Word in your life? If you are – then as the storms of this life come and beat and break upon your life – the foundation of obeying God’s Word will keep you strong and standing as the storm rages. If you are not listening to God’s Word and obeying – you will find that the sand foundations of this world cannot stand against the battering that will come with life itself. Now we come to the fulfillment of end-times prophecy. The things of this world are going to pass away. That sounds so peaceful – but when you examine how they are going to pass away – it scares you to within an inch of your life. The seal, trumpet, and bowl judgments of Revelation are horrific to read. They scared me half to death when I read them as a kid – and they pretty much shake me up even today. Here’s the well-kept secret . . . they were meant to do this! They were meant to awaken us to the transitory nature of the world we live in today. They were meant to remind us that all that we are so apt to build our lives upon as humans – is going to pass away with intense heat as they burn up in the midst of God’s wrath against sin. What will remain in the midst of all this is what is built upon obedience to God’s Word. What are those things? A life well built begins with the gospel of Jesus Christ. The foundation that will not be moved is Jesus Christ, crucified, buried, and resurrected three days later from the dead. We come to know God through the grace that was lavished upon us in the gospel. Next, is living for things that are eternal, rather than for this world and the things of this world. John tells us that the things of the world are passing away – but the one who does the will of the Father will endure forever. Therefore a life lived for stuff – is a life which will eventually end with you getting the ‘stuff-ing’ knocked out of you. Ok, that was pretty lame – but fairly accurate. We don’t live for the possessions we can gather – we live for God’s purposes and for God’s ways. That means we live first of all to know Him – which involves knowing His Word and walking in what it teaches us. Then we live for making Him known to others – by sharing the gospel – and then seeing them become disciples of Jesus Christ (which is what Jesus said were our marching orders in Matthew 28:18-20). What happens then when God’s eventual end-times plans start to come to fruition? That’s an easy one to answer – all the stuff gets destroyed. All the things that men and women live for in a worldly context gets burned up and no longer exists. Honestly – that is why I and others get so scared by this stuff – because it threatens our stuff – and makes us see that a life lived for stuff is pretty dumb. We are left seeing the sand beneath our feet start to either be blown away or eroded by the effect of the storms of life – and the ultimate storm at the end of the age. Almost every year I’ve done a “prophecy-update message” I have quoted the following verse as an encouragement to everyone who hears the message. It is from the book of 2 Peter. Since all these things are to be destroyed in this way, what sort of people ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness, looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be destroyed by burning, and the elements will melt with intense heat! But according to His promise we are looking for new heavens and a new earth, in which righteousness dwells. Therefore, beloved, since you look for these things, be diligent to be found by Him in peace, spotless and blameless, and regard the patience of our Lord as salvation; just as also our beloved brother Paul, according to the wisdom given him, wrote to you, as also in all his letters, speaking in them of these things, in which are some things hard to understand, which the untaught and unstable distort, as they do also the rest of the Scriptures, to their own destruction. You therefore, beloved, knowing this beforehand, be on your guard so that you are not carried away by the error of unprincipled men and fall from your own steadfastness, but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory, both now and to the day of eternity. Amen. (2 Peter 3:11-18, NASB) It may be an encouragement to you to know that Peter needed to issue the same kind of admonition to the people in the first century as we need today. Everything of this world is going to be destroyed. So in light of that, we need to live far different than the people of this world. Here’s a quick list of how we should live . . . · Seeking to live holy, godly lives · We should look for and want to hasten the coming of Jesus! · Look for a new heavens and earth – where righteousness rules! · Be at peace. · Live spotless, blameless lives before God. · If God tarries in bringing Jesus – that means He is being patient. Use that time to share the gospel of Jesus with as many people as you can! · Grow in grace. · Grow in a personal, intimate knowledge of Jesus (that’s what the word knowledge implies in the Greek language). It is not enough to know ‘about’ Jesus – KNOW JESUS! · Live for God’s glory – TODAY! Personally, I know that every year as I share this I am convicted that I need a far more “rock-based” foundation than I currently stand upon. The fact that I get scared and want to hold a little tighter to my “stuff” lets me know that I’m holding on to “stuff” too much. I’m reminded that the only foundation that is going to stand through these days is the one that is rock-solid in loving, obeying, and growing in a more intimate knowledge of Jesus Christ. So I close this post with a very simple question, “So, when it comes to the foundation of your life . . . sand or rock? Your answer will make all the difference in how you respond to what God says is going to happen in these last days. Recently, we’ve seen a rise of movements in Egypt, Libya, and several other countries in the Middle East where moderate Muslim governments are being overthrown by public protests. It is interesting to me that whereas our government supported the overthrow of these moderate Muslim leaders – they have said little or nothing about protesters who are seeking to deal with oppression from radical Muslim leaders like Ahmadinajad in Iran or Assad in Syria. This is because this is not about freedom. It is about a movement to destabilize the governments of the world – and hopefully bring about revolutions that will put even more radical leaders into power.
In Egypt and Libya, countries where their revolutionaries are worthy of full support, we are watching as far more radical governments are coming into power. Even though these two countries were governed by little more than thugs – they were at least the devil we knew. What is rising up in both of these countries now is the Muslim Brotherhood – a group dedicated to the destruction of Israel. They also desire Shar’ia law to be put into place – and – desire a worldwide Muslim Caliphate – where a radical Muslim cleric will rise to power. This will not result in freedom in these countries. It will result in an even more oppressive regime who will use radical Muslim religious views to bring their people under control. We will not see women have greater freedom, but rather greater repression and violence used against them if they will not submit to the Shar’ia law that is put into place as the law of the land. Yet we are seeing all this called, “The Arab Spring” by those in our government who are foolish enough to be taken in by poor understanding (we hope) of what is going on in the Middle East. Let us now turn to the streets of New York City, Boston, Philadelphia, and San Francisco. Since mid-September there has been a movement to protest against Wall Street and the financial institutions of our country. Due to pitiful news coverage which looks more like promotion of these events – we do not fully grasp the intent of those who are doing this. The purpose behind all this is not to have peaceful protests – but to hopefully begin what they want to be a radical revolution in our nation. Whether we accept it or not – this is part of their stated goals – at least if we believe the words that they are saying at these rallys. They are hoping that these protests grow in size – as well as grow in disturbance to our financial system. The leaders of these protests subscribe to writings that encourage them to first cause problems and violence – for the purpose of enabling those in power presently to quell them and seize power in an absolutist fashion. Their hope is that in the end – just like in Cairo – they will see a rise of protest so great that it will overthrow our current FORM of government. They are hoping in the end to watch President Obama have to respond by seizing power – and preventing the elections next Fall. I know that I am writing some very radical things – but I want to relate this to Biblical prophecy – as this blog seeks to do with everything written here. As a patriot and a red-blooded American – I hate what is happening to my nation. In many ways we are reaping what we have sown – having pursued a national course of promiscuity, ungodliness, and anti-life policies (by this I mean abortion, infanticide, and euthanasia toward the elderly and infirmed prior to and at birth). God is allowing what we see today to bring discipline on His church – and hopefully to get us on our knees praying for revival and spiritual awakening in our land. But there is also another reason this “may” be happening. My eschatology (theological view of end times) sees a time where God is going to pour out astounding judgments on this world system. This is called the “Great Tribulation” and according to passages from Daniel and Revelation will last 7 years. During that period a ruler will rise up who will bring peace to the Middle East between Israel and her Muslim neighbors. This ruler will also be able to bring about a one-world governmental, financial, and religious system as well. He will rule over a 10 nation confederation centered in Europe. He will also eventually bring about a cashless society where a mark will be given whereby people can buy and sell things economically (which lately looks like it may involve a computer chip implanted in either the hand or the forehead). Lastly, he will also eventually require the world to worship him as god. Having read this you may think, “How does all this fit with our current situation?” The things I mentioned above have come from a study of the book of Revelation. But in order for them to happen – the world will have to move from states that embrace their own sovereignty – to a world that cries out for a world leader. The United States has been a very real problem for this development for years. We are a freedom loving people – or at least used to be. We are a people that used to know these things – and would oppose anything that looked like a one-world governmental system. But now, we are watching our own government turn into a socialist experiment. We are watching our freedoms disappear left and right (far more by the left – but often the right is too complicit – at least at the congressional and party level). It seems little can be done to stem the tide. Please realize that I am going to fight these things personally – because I believe freedom is worth fighting for (although not through violent means). BUT – as God moves all things toward His ultimate purpose and plan – we are going to watch a growing cancer throughout the world. This cancer is going to take two forms. The first cancer we will see growing is that of Radical Islam. This cancer will grow because it is the most fertile ground for those who hate Israel and want to see her wiped off the face of the earth. The so-called Arab Spring is more like a moderate winter. The more we watch the “supported” movements rise – the more we will see radicals who hate Israel come to power. In the end – the Biblical narrative where Israel stands alone against enemies who surround her – will come to pass through this first cancer – Radical Islam. The second cancer we will see grow is that of Western Socialism/Collectivism. Europe is falling apart financially faster than the United States. The people of Europe are ready to cede power to anyone who can deliver them from their fast-coming destruction. Sounds like fertile ground for a one-world ruler doesn’t it? The United States is unfortunately following in Europe’s footsteps with increasing speed. If there were to be radical protests and violence that required our current president to rise up and declare marshal law – it would play right into the kind of socialist/collectivist worldview he has put forth for the past 2-3 years. The United States could then easily join a “United States of the World” group and surrender our sovereignty to one who would rise up and be joyfully embraced as the “new” savior of our world! What I fear though is that the devastation of the United States will be far worse that some think. Prophecy does not even recognize a super-power like state in the West. My prediction is that when such events happen – the result will be a severely weakened state that will fall quickly to second or even third world status. The rise of this “new” savior of our world – is synonymous with what the Bible describes as the rise of the Antichrist. He will rule over all of Europe – and will be heralded as a world-saver! He will also eventually set up a cashless financial system – and require all to worship him and the image he sets up for all to worship. What are we to do in such a situation? Actually, I would ask that you consider listening to a message entitled, “Prophetic Inevitability and Personal Responsibility.” This message will help you grasp what to do in light of prophecy that WILL be fulfilled – while not just standing around and allowing evil to prevail in the meantime. God calls us to seek His face – His kingdom and His righteousness no matter what the political situation under which we live. He calls us to love others – even those who hate us – and to share the gospel so that they might be saved. God calls us to pray – to stand in the gap and oppose evil by calling out to Him – and for Him to move upon His people. Too often what Americans want – is a never-ending American state no matter how vile our morals become. We would like to maintain our comfort and our current lifestyle – even if we are not humbling ourselves, praying, seeking His face, and turning from our wicked ways. This is happening SO THAT WE WILL REPENT AND RETURN TO GOD! This is happening SO THAT WE WILL HUMBLE OURSELVES AND PRAY! This is happening SO THAT WE WILL REALIZE THAT THIS WORLD IS NOT OUR HOME! This is happening SO THAT WE WILL JOYEOUSLY AWAIT AND EVEN CRY OUT FOR OUR LORD’S RETURN! I do not desire – nor want to hasten the demise of my beloved country. BUT – if push comes to shove Biblically – this is NOT my country. I am looking for a city whose architect and builder is God Himself. Therefore as I continue to love this country and seek its peace – I will also live in the reality that apart from a widespread revival and spiritual awakening in our land we are headed for very rough and difficult times. And one of the benefits of seeing things this way has been a renewed call to prayer – and a renewed passion in looking to the heavens and crying out, “Maranatha!” Come Lord Jesus! |
 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 
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