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Fatal Attraction: One-World Order Theories - Part II
One-World Order conspiracies seem to be a popular view with many people. In the first of this three-part series, we concluded that quite a bit of misinformation and misdirection is swallowed up in some of the more extreme versions. We are referring here mainly to such ideas that a sinister group of people — mostly the rich elites of the world, or possibly “international bankers” or Jews — are taking over the world rank and file.
In this installment, we now look to Scripture to discover why this emphasis upon so-called evil elites is a distraction to Christians. They lure us to divert our gaze from what should be the true object of our faith — the promises of the Lord Jesus Christ. Dangerously, rampant OWO theories risk making us vulnerable to critical deceptions.
No Privileged Fate for the Elites The OWO theories all mostly center on issues of money and economy — globalization and globalism, in other words. Though it is true that religious ecumenical ovements can be thought of as a “globalization” phenomenon as well, the general OWO theories are basically about money and economic power. A globalizing world is indeed gradually capturing people’s freedoms and forcing them into conditions of economic oppression, ideally setting the stage for the Antichrist to finally appear. Surely, the rich get richer and more powerful, and the poor ever more desperate. Assuredly, the schemes of globalists, world industrialists and financiers work to set up the global financial and economic architecture that will play a role in the prophetic future. But yet, something else rings false in the OWO theories. Yes, Scripture documents globalization and globalism in the last days but it certainly does not idolize the elites and kings of the world that are in the forefront of installing Mammon as the ruling order for the world. While they may be presently luxuriating in five-star hotels and traveling in first-class, they in no way have a privileged future.
Consider this text: “He also forced everyone, small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on his right hand or on his forehead, so that no one could buy or sell unless he had the mark, which is the name of the beast or the number of his name” (Revelation 13:16-17). We see here a glaring point. The “rich” and the “great” are included among those who are subject to the global command economy that will be brought about at this point in the Great Tribulation. We see here that the elites and whatever other conspirators are there will “get theirs” too. The OWO theorists suggest that they will be the privileged ones who will earn a final pay-off. But, this is not so.
“Then the kings of the earth, the princes, the generals, the rich, the mighty, and every slave and every free man hid in caves and among the rocks of the mountains. They called to the mountains and the rocks, ‘Fall on us and hide us from the face 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 can stand?’” (Revelation 6:15-17). Here again, we see the elites get no special dispensation or privileges. Elites of all kinds — kings, princes, generals, the rich and the mighty — all suffer wrath, too. Moreover, they suffer wrath in the same measure as will anyone else during that time.
World’s Wealthy Power Brokers: Broken First
Revelation 14 clearly shows that late in the Tribulation Period, after the 144,000 elect (probably Jewish evangelists to the world) have already been redeemed and are standing before the heavenly throne of the Lamb, three angels go out. The first one gives the last altar call for repentance, exclaiming that the judgment will shortly start. The second angel follows and says, “Fallen! Fallen is Babylon the Great, which made all the nations drink the maddening wine of her adulteries” (Revelation 14:8). Then comes the third angel. What does he say? He “[…] said in a loud voice: If anyone worships the beast and his image and receives his mark on the forehead or on the hand, he, too, will drink of the wine of God’s fury, which has been poured full strength into the cup of his wrath. He will be tormented with burning sulfur in the presence of the holy angels and of the Lamb” (Revelation 14:9-10).
Did you catch the significance of that sequence? We see here that it is only after the great economic trading colossus (and perhaps also including a city center) has fallen that the “mark of the beast” (representing a worldwide control system) are instituted to the extent that people cannot “buy or sell.” What that means is that the globalized currency and trading systems supposedly built by the wealth of the so called rich elites, ship captains and nefarious conspirators come to naught first. The very edifice that Christian OWO theorists depict as leading the world to the Antichrist’s control gets its judgment from God. It is a financial bust.
The people OWO theorists decry and loathe are on the losing end. They don’t even get a chance to give over the worldwide system that they have built to the Antichrist, who by then embodies the Great Dragon. All that work, toil and conspiracy to take over the world in supposed selfless sacrifice to Satan, and there is no reward for them. Indeed their outcome is just as written in Proverbs: “When a wicked man dies, his hope perishes; all he expected from his power comes to nothing” (Proverbs 11:6-7).
Global Elites Are Not the Enemies
Here is a most important reason not to become too distracted with the OWO hysteria. Yes, economic suppression and control are a central hallmark of the Tribulation conditions. If that were not so, why would buying and selling be controlled? This measure certainly falls into an economic frame. But we have not the global elites to blame for this. It will not be the rich mavens of the world, but rather a religious figure who will bring about these conditions.
It is the False Prophet — not the Antichrist or the rich elites — who forces this condition upon the world. Most people think the Antichrist enforces this system. No. It is the second beast that comes out of the earth, the False Prophet (Revelation 13:11), who imposes this oppressive device of economic sanction in order to direct worship to the Antichrist. But what a surprise! What does this “re-
ligious leader,” the False Prophet, have to do with the global economy? Wasn’t that supposed to be the domain of the rich and the elites? The False Prophet brings this about.
Here we see one of the greatest dangers of the OWO theories. Even though we may not be present in the Tribulation Period (though there certainly will be Christians at that time), if we follow the emphasis of the popular OWO ideas, our heads will be turned in the wrong direction. We’ll be looking at the globalists, the business leaders, the ultra-rich and elite conspirators.
But, from out of left field comes the False Prophet.
Conclusion? It is the religious arena, not the players in the economic or commercial domain, that will deceive the world into a globalist and economic trap. No wonder Revelation 17 and 18 are often misunderstood. Why is it that the great harlot of Revelation 17 is so indistinguishable from the world trading system that is profiled in Revelation 18?
Actually, there really shouldn’t be a break between these chapters. When all the things mentioned in those chapters take place, the religious sphere will be in bed with Mammon. This syncretism is already clearly developing today. Under this tent, we find a whole host of new doctrines, from “prosperity teaching” to Dominion theology.
Fatal Attraction: One-World Order Theories – Part I
The September 2006 issue of Midnight Call carried an article entitled, “One-World Order: Waiting for Godot?” This article likely ruffled up more than a few feathers. Why? It appeared to refute the One-World Order theories (OWO), which after all, are well entrenched in North America. In fact, views of this nature are almost folkloric.
We are referring here mainly to the notions that a sinister group of people — mostly the rich elite of the world, or possibly “international bankers” or Jews — is taking over the world rank and file. In many quarters, “global conspiracy” views are accepted with rabid fervor.
Having read countless similar theories over the years and studied Scriptures on this question, I believe they are a needless distraction to Christians. In fact, if anything, these views are dangerous. They lure us to divert our gaze from what should be the true object of our faith — the promises of the Lord Jesus Christ. Crucially, rampant
OWO theories risk making us vulnerable to possible fatal deceptions.
One-World Order Theories Described
Before going any further, let’s first clear up some possible misconceptions. OWO perspectives include, but are not limited to, the belief that globalism and globalization are sweeping the world. There is no danger in holding such views, as it can be factually documented and is also prophesied in the Bible. Sometimes, the term “New World Order” (NWO) is used interchangeably with OWO. Therefore, to talk of a NWO or OWO in the sense of today’s globalization trends is not harmful.
The problems with many OWO theories arise with their additional allegations and heavy, misdirected focus upon certain evil, rich people, their motivations and the conspiracies they are hatching upon the world. Please understand that to warn about the excesses of some OWO theories is not to deny the reality of what is happening
globally today.
In the earlier mentioned article, a main argument was that the OWO is not a scripturally documented “pinpoint” sign for Christians. It may indeed be a broad “sign of the times” but not a specific time point. As we observe, the globalization and globalism phenomena that are deeply intertwined with OWO theories, are not trends that one can measure to say that they have been completed. They are ongoing processes to be sure. But even so, the question remains: How much further must these developments proceed before one can conclude that conditions are sufficient for the Tribulation to arrive? Or, can one validly state that much of their impact still lies in the future? Indeed, these trends are definitely symbols of the endtime “season,” but they are not “pinpoints” in time.
A further point argued was that even though we cannot know the endpoint of the “fullness of the times of the Gentiles” (Luke 21:24), at the same time, globalization and globalism are a lot farther along than most people think. Their indicators are not as clear-cut and obvious as many commentators suggest — for example, the arrival of a one-world currency or a unified global government structure. Satan knows Scripture, too. And, as he is the author of lies and deception — in fact, he is the very personification of these traits — we must be wary of falling prey to anything that seems obvious at face value.
Endtime conditions are probably much more advanced than many might think. After all, our enemy has no interest in deceiving us into thinking that the time is shorter than it really is. If anything, he would rather delude us into thinking that the return of our Master, who is away on a far journey (Matthew 24:48), is yet farther in the future.
Yet, much more is unscriptural or dangerous about the emphasis of the popular OWO theories. But before we tackle these aspects, first a point of awareness: It is in the exaggerations and the misdirections of the grandiose OWO theories that we find the path to danger. Here, we may be sometimes dealing in subtleties, but these are crucial ones. As with any interpretation or view, whether it is of Scripture or even a gossip story, it only requires one degree of inaccuracy or error for the whole peck of apples to go bad.
Conspiracies R’ Us
A main thrust of all OWO theories is their focus on elites — rich people or persons of great influence. It is a fixation similar to the worship of media and sports stars. Much of society is captured by the deeds and trapping of the rich and famous. Only in this case, many of the OWO alarums cause us to focus upon the evil of these nefarious people and their ensnaring conspiracies. If movie and rock stars are the “good guys” of people’s adulation, then the “elites” and their grand conspiracies fill the emotional void of having “bad guys” that we can justifiably hate.
Not to be denied is that conspiracies exist or that certain elites might have inordinate powers in domestic or world affairs today. Not at all. What we can and do counter, however, is the popular hysteria that is dragging many Christians into unscriptural and vulnerable perspectives. As we will show, this fixation with the elite and their apparent global conspiracies cause our eyes to be averted from what Scripture actually emphasizes.
To begin, let’s first deal with the general topic of conspiracies. Yes, they are indeed playing out across the world stage today to a lesser or greater degree. However, it is one thing to agree that there are conspiracies and quite another to fear-monger, or to use them as a “pinpoint” sign or to indict a special group of advantaged people as particularly evil.
The Bible has much to say about conspiracies and the manipulations of the rich and powerful. To begin, it counsels to not get carried away with conspiracy fears.
“Do not call conspiracy everything that these people call conspiracy; do not fear what they fear, and do not dread it. The LORD Almighty is the one you are to regard as holy, he is the one you are to fear, he is the one you are to dread, and he will be a sanctuary” (Isaiah 8:12-14).
Before we put grand global conspiracies up on a pedestal to fear, it is comforting to know that God is in control. In the first place, He is the One to fear and respect, not globalists or “money-trust” conspirators, or even smaller conspirators who live down the street. Let’s rest assured that God sees what the conspirators are doing. Not only that, He assures us that their plans will come to naught: “The wicked plot against the righteous and gnash their teeth at them; but the Lord laughs at the wicked, for he knows their day is coming” (Psalm 37:12-13).
Also, we realize that the conspiracies of the wicked — people in preferred positions — have always existed. In that respect, not much is diff e rent today but only in one key respect. The means and opportunities for deceit and conspiracy today are simply bigger. It’s a global world in which some of the wicked now have worldwide influence.
The Bible records an ancient history of elite seizing the upper hand, oppre s sing the poor, and entrapping the unsuspecting and the disadvantaged. God sent many prophets to register His displeasure with such conditions. Consider just a few of such warnings that depict the nature of those similar times.
“ Woe to those who plan iniquity, to those who plot evil on their beds! At morning’s light they carry it out because it is in their power to do it. They covet fields and seize them, and houses, and take them. They defraud a man of his home, a fellowman of his inheritance” (Micah 2:1-2).
“The scoundre l ’s methods are wicked, he makes up evil schemes to destroy the poor with lies, even when the plea of the needy is just” (Isaiah 32:7).
“…that noisy crowd of evildoers. They sharpen their tongues like swords and aim their words like deadly arrows. They shoot from ambush at the innocent man; they shoot at him suddenly, without fear. They encourage each other in evil plans, they talk about hiding their snares; they say, “Who will see them?” They plot injustice and say, “We have devised a perfect plan!” Surely the mind and heart of man are cunning” (Psalm 64: 2- 6).
“Among my people are wicked men who lie in wait like men who snare bird s and like those who set traps to catch men. Like cages full of birds, their houses are full of deceit; they have become rich and powerful and have grown fat and sleek. Their evil deeds have no limit; they do not plead the case of the fatherless to win it, they do not defend the rights of the poor” (Jeremiah 5:26-28).
These are just a few of the many testimonies that the Old Testament records providing vivid descriptions of the conspiracies of wicked elite. Perhaps the most illuminating account of such conditions of evil plotting of the rich and powerful is found in Ezekiel 22. The entire chapter concerns itself with this topic. All in all, we see that conspiracies existed thousands of years ago, always have and will continue to do so until the time of the millennial reign of Christ on earth. However, included in this and all
other pictures of evil plotting and manipulation is also the prophesied outcome for these elite and their plans.
“Should I not punish them for this?” declares the LORD. “Should I not avenge myself on such a nation as this?” (Jeremiah 5:29). God declares that the wicked and the rebellious nations will not escape: “But God will shoot them with arrows; suddenly they will be struck down. He will turn their own tongues against them and bring them to ruin; all who see them will shake their heads in scorn” (Psalm 64:7-8). While we may consider the elite of this world in privileged positions — living sumptuously and in conditions of ease and prosperity — it is, however, a very shortsighted perspective. Their outcome is clear: “The wicked draw the sword and bend the bow to bring down the poor and needy, to slay those whose ways are upright. But their swords will pierce their own hearts, and their bows will be broken” (Psalm 37:14).
Follow the Evil Rich People
Let’s next turn to our modern day. Is there really a mythological group of men and women who are bound by blood across the centuries to sacrifice their lives to Satan in the selfless aim to bring about a New World Order? Moreover, could they be part of some secret cult or a certain “chosen” people who have been conscripted into an organized plan to deliver the world to the future Antichrist? Are they a tight-knit compact, dedicated to help bring about the world conditions that lead to the final Armageddon? If so, who are these people?
There are literally thousands of books that claim to identify them. Names such as John D. Rockefeller, W. Averill Harriman and hundreds of others are painstakingly documented in many of these accounts. Various groups are said to be part of this evil world plan, including the Bilderbergers, Skull and Bones, the Illuminati, the Elders of Zion and countless others. Do all these groups exist? Are many of the people cited guilty of some forms of collusion? There is probably much truth to these accounts.
If so, what then are we to do with this information? That, it turns out, is the key question. Should we be judging such conspiracies, seeking to expose them and to
condemn the elite that might be fomenting such disagreeable and difficult conditions on the rest of the world’s populations? Surely, we can expose such plots in the sense that we should not be unaware of such schemes. However, what is to be our response to these misguided people? Should we ourselves be concerned with their punishment and conviction? Should we now slavishly follow their every move and action, allowing ourselves to become captured by their money-making plotting? Just how should we respond to these people? It is here that we find one of the most critical points of departure from scriptural mandate in the histrionic bashing that we see by the OWO theorists.
However, before we seek the Bible’s answer as to how we are to respond, let’s focus upon just one of these types of elitists. No doubt, everyone has heard of the mythical “international banker.” He is a common kingpin in many OWO theories.
Money and Bankers
International bankers of conspiracy lore are caricatured as wearing a bespoke, pin-striped blue suit, working somewhere in unnamed international locations. Apparently, they are the evil force behind much of the world’s troubles. They are so evil that we are to assume that they are hell-bent upon handing the world over to the Antichrist at the end of days. They are devious and cunning, and perhaps even pray to Satan for their next set of directions to help in the take-over of the world.
Just who are these so-called international bankers? Allow me to share a personal perspective. For well over two decades, I was a globetrotting international financial executive. During that time, I can honestly say I rarely met any person I thought could fit this description. I surely did encounter all kinds of financial elite, from global corporate captains, central bankers, mega-billionaire investors, leading economists and strategists, and most certainly, individuals that might well be called “international bankers.” I met some very greedy people — some even psychopathic — but rarely anyone that qualified as an international banker of popular folklore. I certainly did not find any smoky upper meeting rooms filled with cigar-chomping elite who were plotting to take the world hostage for an apocalyptic, evil end. We see that only in the movies.
That said, there surely are many power brokers in the world today — whether rich in money or political or positional power — who are indeed bent upon evil, whose minds have been seared of all consequences of their actions. But we must repeat the question: Just who are these global elite that are taking over the world? Are they a special breed of people, chosen from the dawn of time? Or are they just ordinary humans who have gone astray, or have been deceived? Is their real intent and preferred choice to work for the losing side and to end up in eternal damnation? No, that is not likely.
These so-called elite are not extremist Muslims who want to sacrifice their lives for such an idea. They are not interested in the promise of 72 virgins in the afterlife, but rather are mostly motivated by self interest and greed in the “here and now” as well as in the ways that might appear right to godless men. Why? The answer is not surprising. These are impulses inherent to all people, though some indeed are consumed with these characteristics. These are the same flawed penchants that reside in the heart of all humanity. So said John: “For everything in the world — the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does — comes not from the Father but from the world” (1 John 2:16).
Most “international bankers” (in real life, rather than the mythological ones of lore) that I met didn’t have a clue as to what was expected of them according to OWO theory. For the most part, they were quite ignorant of the big conspiracy in which they were supposedly playing a role. Rather, the aspects that motivated them all to some extent, were much more pedestrian. The desire of many of them was for riches, power and glory. And, if not those pursuits, they were surely motivated by the fear of losing their jobs, poverty, lack of means, or professional failure. Robert South, the colorful 17thentury English churchman, couldn’t have pinpointed this motivation any more succinctly, saying: “There are not a few who believe in no God but Mammon, no devil but the absence of gold, no damnation but being poor, and no hell but an empty purse; and not a few of their descendants are living still.”
What are we to do with such people? As already proposed, should we condemn them, hound them, and convict them? No. We are to pray for them. Whenever I have encountered such people who are consumed by power or the love of money, rather than feeling loathing, I have felt compassion. Often, they are lonely, imbalanced people, sometimes even bordering on the psychopathic. At some point in their lives, they became vulnerable to the lust and ambition for riches and gain at any price. These are not people who have signed a blood pact with Satan. They are lost. They are heading for a horrible fate. They are hardly different from us, “for we were saved while we were yet sinners.”
In Part II we will turn to several Scriptures that clearly lay out strong reasons we are not to allow ourselves to be carried away with extreme OWO conspiracy theories. Most crucially, we learn that these lure us to watch in the exact opposite direction to which we are commanded. Doing so, humanity will have been set up to fall prey to a great religious deception that comes to its final crescendo in the Tribulation Period.
The Anti-Christ and Mr. Obama - Part 2
Jack Kelly, RaptureReady.com
Last week’s article has quickly become one of the most widely read of any we’ve ever posted. It has also generated several questions and some wild information I had never heard before. Among these are excerpts from secular news sources containing two non-Biblical prophecies that I will offer first. Since they both opened with rhetorical questions, I’ve arranged them in our familiar Q and A format, but post them as written. The remaining questions are all reader submitted.
Two Non-Biblical Prophecies
The first one is very controversial and I offer no opinion as to its validity, except that I’ve received it from several independent news sources. I have been able to confirm that Johanwa Owalo was who this prophecy says he was and that it apparently came from a document copyrighted in 1915. Readers are cautioned to conduct their own research before accepting it as authentic.
“Q. Is Barak Obama the “Son of Kenya” foretold by the great 19th Century Kenyan Prophet, Johanwa Owalo, the founder of Kenya’s Nomiya Luo Church?
A. Among the Kenyan people of the Luo religion Owalo is believed to be a prophet similar to Jesus Christ and Muhammad, and who in 1912 made this horrific prophecy about the United States:
‘So far have they [the United States] strayed into wickedness in those [future] times that their destruction has been sealed by my [father]. Their great cities will burn, their crops and cattle will suffer disease and death, their children will perish from diseases never seen upon this Earth, and I reveal to you the greatest [mystery] of all as I have been allowed to see that their [the United States] destruction will come about through the vengeful hands of one of our very own sons.’ “
The next one comes from a Forbes.com article dated 10-26-08 by Amir Taheri, author of 10 books on Iran, the Middle East and Islam.
“Q. Is Barack Obama the "promised warrior" coming to help the Hidden Imam of Shiite Muslims conquer the world?
A. This question has made the rounds in Iran since last month, when a pro-government Web site published a Hadith (or tradition) from a Shiite text of the 17th century. The tradition comes from Bahar al-Anvar (meaning Oceans of Light) by Mullah Majlisi, a magnum opus in 132 volumes and the basis of modern Shiite Islam.
According to the tradition, Imam Ali Ibn Abi-Talib (the prophet’s cousin and son-in-law) prophesied that at the End of Times and just before the return of the Mahdi, the Ultimate Saviour, a "tall black man will assume the reins of government in the West." Commanding "the strongest army on earth," the new ruler in the West will carry "a clear sign" from the third imam, whose name was Hussein Ibn Ali. The tradition concludes: "Shiites should have no doubt that he is with us ."
In a curious coincidence Obama’s first and second names–Barack Hussein–mean "the blessing of Hussein" in Arabic and Persian. His family name, Obama, written in the Persian alphabet, reads O Ba Ma, which means "he is with us," the magic formula in Majlisi’s tradition.”
From these secular sources it appears that people from diverse backgrounds believe that a leader matching Mr. Obama’s description could appear in the last days, and that his impact will not be good for America. Time will tell.
Reader Submitted Questions
Now we’ll begin our reader submitted questions. In the interest of time and space, I’ve summarized them all into three basic questions that speak to Mr. Obama’s qualification to be the anti-Christ.
Q. Re: The people of the leader who will come will destroy the city and the sanctuary (Daniel 9:26) How can Mr. Obama be the fulfillment of Daniel 9:26 if he was born in Hawaii, or Kenya for that matter?
A. When Daniel wrote these words from the Angel Gabriel, the Babylonians were about to be conquered by the Medes and Persians. The Romans wouldn’t arrive on the scene for several hundred years yet so Gabriel needed a way to identify them. He told Daniel the coming leader would be from the people who would destroy the city and sanctuary following the Messiah’s rejection. The Jewish Temple and the City of Jerusalem were destroyed separately. The Roman General Titus Vespasian led the troops who burned the Temple and tore its ruins apart stone by stone in either 68 or 69 AD depending on who’s account you favor. He did this under orders from his father Vespasian who was the Emperor of Rome. Then in 135 AD another Roman Emperor, Hadrian, ordered the complete destruction of Jerusalem as a consequence of the bar Kochba rebellion. These two separate events bear witness that Gabriel was referring to the Romans. Together they meet the standard that a matter must be established by the testimony of 2 or 3 witnesses. (Deut. 19:15 )
Brittainia (Great Britain) first came to the notice of the Romans in 55BC and by 43 AD had been assimilated into the Roman Empire, well before the City and Sanctuary were destroyed. Therefore the Roman Empire of the time stretched from Great Britain in the west across southern Europe and Northern Africa to the Caspian Sea and Persian Gulf in the East. Romans called the Mediterranean sea “Mare Nostrum” (our sea) because the Roman Empire pretty much surrounded it.
Many students of prophecy agree that almost anyone of Middle Eastern or European descent could meet the qualification of Daniel 9:26 to be the anti-Christ providing he also becomes a world leader. They say this is even true of many Americans because of our prior status as a British Colony and the fact that our country was founded in large part by Europeans whose ancestors dwelt in the Roman Empire of Biblical times.
Mr. Obama is almost certainly of European descent through His mother, and those who claim to have done the research say that on his father’s side he’s much more Arab than African. In fact Mr. Obama Sr.’s birth certificate identifies him as an Arab. They say Mr. Obama Jr.’s genealogy shows him to be 50% Caucasian, 43.75% Arab and 6.25% African. And in an interesting side note, Great Britain is one of the countries Mr. Obama is being asked to prove he’s not a citizen of in at least one of the lawsuits that have been filed. If he was born in Kenya in 1961 he would likely be a British citizen, because Kenya’s independence from Great Britain didn’t take place until 1963. The Supreme Court Justices will review one of these suits on Dec. 5,2008 to determine if they want to hear oral arguments. It is still unclear to everyone why Mr. Obama doesn’t just release his original birth certificate and put an end to all the speculation.
Q. Since the soldiers who destroyed the Temple were actually Assyrian mercenaries, and since Isaiah mentions an Assyrian enemy of Israel (Isaiah 10:5), doesn’t this mean the anti Christ has to be Assyrian? Wouldn’t that exclude Mr. Obama?
A. In my answer above I showed that the Angel Gabriel had to be referring to Rome when he spoke of the people who would destroy the city and the sanctuary. Remember, they were two different events, almost 70 years apart, and both times the soldiers were under Roman command following Roman orders. Also, the Assyrian Empire had been assimilated into Rome by territorial conquest, so there was no official Assyrian presence at the time. And had the passage referred to the Assyrians, Gabriel could have just mentioned them by name, since everyone in Daniel’s day knew of them.
Isaiah 10:1-19 is a judgment against Assyria. The Hebrew word translated Assyrian in verse 5 is Asshur, the name of the second son of Shem. This means it’s a reference to the Assyrian people, the descendants of Asshur, not to an individual. When the Assyrian King Sennacherib conquered Damascus and the Northern Kingdom, his army was bringing God’s judgment against godless people (verse 6). But when they set their sights on Jerusalem (verse 11) they exceeded God’s intention. In one night God sent the angel of death into the Assyrian camp and by morning 185,000 Assyrian soldiers were dead. Isaiah compared it to a fire burning through thorns and briers. (verses 17-18) The remaining Assyrians went home in shame and later Sennacherib’s own sons killed him. (Isaiah 37:36-38 ) Based on these things, I am not convinced that the Scriptures require the anti-Christ to be of Assyrian descent.
Q. The Bible seems to say that the anti-Christ will be asexual. Since Mr. Obama is happily married with two daughters why wouldn’t this exclude him?
A. This question refers to Daniel 11:37 which in the KJV reads;
Neither shall he regard the God of his fathers, nor the desire of women, nor regard any god: for he shall magnify himself above all.
According to tradition, the phrase “desire of women” refers to the Messiah, not to the anti-Christ’s sexual orientation. From the time of Eve it was every Jewish woman’s desire to be the mother of the Messiah, so one of the informal names of the Messiah was “the desire of women”. This whole idea stems from the phrase “seed of the woman”, a reference to the promised redeemer from Genesis 3:15 . The idea that the anti-Christ will be asexual can not be supported from Scripture.
What’s The Point Of All this?
My purpose in this study has been to separate Biblical fact from human opinion on the issue of the anti-Christ, specifically in support of my claim that there’s no Biblical reason Mr. Obama couldn’t one day be revealed as the anti-Christ. By the way, much this information could be used to support the opinion that Bill Clinton, Prince Charles, or a number of others could turn out to be the anti-Christ as easily as Barack Obama, but he’s the one I’ve been asked about.
In part one of this study, I said that I don’t think it’s time for the anti-Christ to be introduced yet, and that the Church will not be here when he is. In 2 Thes.2:1-8 Paul gave a summary of End Times events in sequence. A careful reading reveals that Paul identified three specific things that will have to happen before the Day of the Lord (Great Tribulation) can come. There will have to be a falling away, a rebellion against the truth. This is when the believers in name only will be drawn out of the true Church into one of the various apostate movements we see springing up in our midst. The restraining force that’s holding the secret power of lawlessness back will also have to be taken out of the way. That’s the Holy Spirit contained in the Church, a reference to the Rapture. Then the man of lawlessness will be revealed and will stand in God’s Temple proclaiming himself to be God. That’s the abomination of Desolation that kicks off the Great Tribulation, and that’s when the world will know for certain just who the anti-Christ is.
For us it’s enough to know that the signs pointing to the End of the Age are appearing all around us. This is not happening so that we can hunker down and prepare for the storm. It’s happening so we can begin making preparations for our departure. Whether it’s several months or several years is also immaterial. The sooner we act the better prepared we’ll be. No one on Earth will be able to tell you in advance when we’ll be leaving. There will be no specific warning. One moment we’ll be here and the next we’ll be there. Jesus said we won’t know the day or hour, but He had Paul tell us that we should not be taken by surprise. Fore warned is fore armed, they say, and we’ve been forewarned. You can almost hear the footsteps of the Messiah. 11-22-08
Major Prophetic Events of the Last Days
Major Prophetic Events of the Last Days
Throughout Biblical scripture are descriptions of events that will happen during the last days of the world as we know it now. Following is a list of 21 major events and their Biblical references. This list was taken from the book “Countdown To The Apocalypse” Grant R. Jeffrey, 2008, pps 163-164.
1. The rebirth of Israel (the fig tree buds)
"Now learn this lesson from the fig tree: As soon as its twigs get tender and its leaves come out, you know that summer is near. Even so, when you see all these things, you know that it is near, right at the door. I tell you the truth, this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened."
Matthew 24:32-34 (New International Version)
2. Hebrew language is recovered
"Then will I purify the lips of the peoples, that all of them may call on the name of the LORD and serve him shoulder to shoulder."
Zephaniah 3:9 (New International Version)
3. The Jewish exiles return to Israel
"… and say to them, ‘This is what the Sovereign LORD says: I will take the Israelites out of the nations where they have gone. I will gather them from all around and bring them back into their own land."
Ezekiel 37:21 (New International Version)
4. The desolate land becomes fertile
"In days to come Jacob will take root, Israel will bud and blossom and fill all the world with fruit."
Isaiah 27:6 (New International Version)
5. Plans to rebuild the Temple
"In the last days the mountain of the LORD’s temple will be established as chief among the mountains;
it will be raised above the hills, and all nations will stream to it. Many peoples will come and say, "Come, let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob. He will teach us his ways, so that we may walk in his paths." The law will go out from Zion, the word of the LORD from Jerusalem."
Isaiah 2:2-3 (New International Version)
"In the last days the mountain of the LORD’s temple will be established as chief among the mountains; it will be raised above the hills, and peoples will stream to it. Many nations will come and say, "Come, let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob. He will teach us his ways, so that we may walk in his paths." The law will go out from Zion, the word of the LORD from Jerusalem."
Micah 4:1-2
6. The global rise of anti-Semitism
"Then you will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of me. 10At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other,…"
Matthew 24:9-10 (New International Version)
7. Israel surrounded by enemy Arab nations
"Come," they say, "let us destroy them as a nation, that the name of Israel be remembered no more."
With one mind they plot together; they form an alliance against you the tents of Edom and the Ishmaelites, of Moab and the Hagrites, Gebal, Ammon and Amalek, Philistia, with the people of Tyre. Even Assyria has joined them to lend strength to the descendants of Lot. Selah"
Psalm 83:4-8 (New International Version)
8. The revival of the Roman Empire
"The ten horns are ten kings who will come from this kingdom. After them another king will arise, different from the earlier ones; he will subdue three kings. He will speak against the Most High and oppress his saints and try to change the set times and the laws. The saints will be handed over to him for a time, times and half a time."
Daniel 7:24-25 (New International Version)
9. Development of worldwide communications
"For three and a half days men from every people, tribe, language and nation will gaze on their bodies and refuse them burial. The inhabitants of the earth will gloat over them and will celebrate by sending each other gifts, because these two prophets had tormented those who live on the earth."
Revelation 11:9-10 (New International Version)
10. Return of the Ethiopian Jews to Israel
"From beyond the rivers of Cush my worshipers, my scattered people, will bring me offerings."
Zephaniah 3:10 (New International Version)
11. Russia rises again as a military power
"The word of the LORD came to me: "Son of man, set your face against Gog, of the land of Magog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal; prophesy against him and say: ‘This is what the Sovereign LORD says: I am against you, O Gog, chief prince of Meshech and Tubal. I will turn you around, put hooks in your jaws and bring you out with your whole army—your horses, your horsemen fully armed, and a great horde with large and small shields, all of them brandishing their swords. Persia, Cush and Put will be with them, all with shields and helmets, also Gomer with all its troops, and Beth Togarmah from the far north with all its troops—the many nations with you.
" ‘Get ready; be prepared, you and all the hordes gathered about you, and take command of them. After many days you will be called to arms. In future years you will invade a land that has recovered from war, whose people were gathered from many nations to the mountains of Israel, which had long been desolate. They had been brought out from the nations, and now all of them live in safety. You and all your troops and the many nations with you will go up, advancing like a storm; you will be like a cloud covering the land.
" ‘This is what the Sovereign LORD says: On that day thoughts will come into your mind and you will devise an evil scheme. You will say, "I will invade a land of unwalled villages; I will attack a peaceful and unsuspecting people—all of them living without walls and without gates and bars. I will plunder and loot and turn my hand against the resettled ruins and the people gathered from the nations, rich in livestock and goods, living at the center of the land."
Ezekiel 38:1-12 (New International Version)
12. Babylon is rebuilt
“An oracle concerning Babylon that Isaiah son of Amoz saw: …”
Isaiah 13:1 (New International Version)
“Wail, for the day of the LORD is near; it will come like destruction from the Almighty. “
Isaiah 13:6 (New International Version)
“Babylon, the jewel of kingdoms, the glory of the Babylonians’ pride, will be overthrown by God like Sodom and Gomorrah.”
Isaiah 13:19 (New International Version)
13. Preparations for a one-world government
“He was given authority, glory and sovereign power; all peoples, nations and men of every language worshiped him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will never be destroyed.”
Daniel 7:14 (New International Version)
“He was given power to make war against the saints and to conquer them. And he was given authority over every tribe, people, language and nation.”
Revelation 13:7 (New International Version)
14. Financial systems will require the mark
“so that no one could buy or sell unless he had the mark, which is the name of the beast or the number of his name. This calls for wisdom. If anyone has insight, let him calculate the number of the beast, for it is man’s number. His number is 666.”
Revelation 13:17-18 (New International Version)
15. All must receive the mark
“He also forced everyone, small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on his right hand or on his forehead, so that no one could buy or sell unless he had the mark, which is the name of the beast or the number of his name. This calls for wisdom. If anyone has insight, let him calculate the number of the beast, for it is man’s number. His number is 666.
Revelation 13:16-18 (New International Version)
16. Asia forms a 200-million-man army
“It said to the sixth angel who had the trumpet, "Release the four angels who are bound at the great river Euphrates." And the four angels who had been kept ready for this very hour and day and month and year were released to kill a third of mankind. The number of the mounted troops was two hundred million. I heard their number.”
Revelation 9:14-16 (New International Version)
17. The Euphrates River will be dried up
“The sixth angel poured out his bowl on the great river Euphrates, and its water was dried up to prepare the way for the kings from the East. Then I saw three evil spirits that looked like frogs; they came out of the mouth of the dragon, out of the mouth of the beast and out of the mouth of the false prophet. They are spirits of demons performing miraculous signs, and they go out to the kings of the whole world, to gather them for the battle on the great day of God Almighty.”
Revelation 16:12-14 (New International Version)
18. A military highway appears across Asia
“It said to the sixth angel who had the trumpet, "Release the four angels who are bound at the great river Euphrates." And the four angels who had been kept ready for this very hour and day and month and year were released to kill a third of mankind.”
Revelation 9:14-15 (New International Version)
“The sixth angel poured out his bowl on the great river Euphrates, and its water was dried up to prepare the way for the kings from the East. Then I saw three evil spirits that looked like frogs; they came out of the mouth of the dragon, out of the mouth of the beast and out of the mouth of the false prophet. They are spirits of demons performing miraculous signs, and they go out to the kings of the whole world, to gather them for the battle on the great day of God Almighty.”
Revelation 16:12-14 (New International Version)
19. Ecological devastation of the planet
“The nations were angry; and your wrath has come.
The time has come for judging the dead,
and for rewarding your servants the prophets
and your saints and those who reverence your name,
both small and great—
and for destroying those who destroy the earth."
Revelation 11:18 (New International Version)
20. Massive climate change
“The first angel sounded his trumpet, and there came hail and fire mixed with blood, and it was hurled down upon the earth. A third of the earth was burned up, a third of the trees were burned up, and all the green grass was burned up.
The second angel sounded his trumpet, and something like a huge mountain, all ablaze, was thrown into the sea. A third of the sea turned into blood, a third of the living creatures in the sea died, and a third of the ships were destroyed.
The third angel sounded his trumpet, and a great star, blazing like a torch, fell from the sky on a third of the rivers and on the springs of water— the name of the star is Wormwood. A third of the waters turned bitter, and many people died from the waters that had become bitter.
The fourth angel sounded his trumpet, and a third of the sun was struck, a third of the moon, and a third of the stars, so that a third of them turned dark. A third of the day was without light, and also a third of the night.
As I watched, I heard an eagle that was flying in midair call out in a loud voice: "Woe! Woe! Woe to the inhabitants of the earth, because of the trumpet blasts about to be sounded by the other three angels!"
Revelation 8:7-13 (New International Version)
21. Humanity’s survival threatened
“For then there will be great distress, unequaled from the beginning of the world until now—and never to be equaled again. If those days had not been cut short, no one would survive, but for the sake of the elect those days will be shortened.”
Matthew 24:21-22 (New International Version)
“ Before them fire devours,
behind them a flame blazes.
Before them the land is like the garden of Eden,
behind them, a desert waste—
nothing escapes them.”
Joel 2:3 (New International Version)
The Anti-Christ And Mr. Obama - Part 1
Jack Kelly, RaptureReady.com
Since the election I’ve been asked a number of times to comment on the likelihood that Mr. Obama could be the anti-Christ. Let me begin by saying that having been elected President he’s Mr. Obama now, not just Obama. As for him being the anti-Christ I’ve discouraged that thought because I don’t believe it’s time for the anti-Christ to be revealed yet. But apart from that there’s no Biblical reason I can find that would absolutely disqualify him. And based on the things we know about the anti-Christ there’s a fit in several important places. The anti-Christ will have to burst on the scene quickly and powerfully to accomplish so much in the little time he has, so maybe he’ll need a head start. If that’s the case, maybe Mr. Obama is on his way to becoming the anti-Christ. Let’s find out.
We know that the anti-Christ will be a descendant of the people who made up the Roman Empire in Biblical times (Daniel 9:26 ), and he’ll arrive on the world scene as a peace maker (Daniel 8:25 ). He won’t be part of the world’s powerful elite at the beginning of his career (Daniel 7:8 ) but will rise up among them to eventually surpass them and become the leader of the entire world. (Rev. 13:7-8 )
He will cause deceit to prosper, and he will consider himself superior. When they feel secure, he will destroy many and take his stand against the Prince of princes. Yet he will be destroyed, but not by human power. (Daniel 8:25 )
This means that he’ll base his success on a lie, misrepresenting himself and his intentions, but people will want to believe him so badly that they’ll disregard his inconsistencies until it’s too late to stop him. Initially he’ll seem successful, but just when they’re saying “Peace and safety”, destruction will come on them suddenly, as labor pains to a pregnant woman, and they won’t escape (1 Thes. 5:3 ).
Deja Vu All Over Again?
Some of us remember when Jimmy Carter was elected President of the US. The country was fed up with Washington and even though he had no national leadership experience, we elected him because he was an outsider who promised change. He said he would never lie to us, but after the election it turned out that he had. He had misrepresented his background and didn’t have the ability he needed when it came to governing. He said he was Christian and even orchestrated a land for peace deal between Israel and Egypt, but he proved to be anti-Israel. Soon we had a crisis in finance with interest rates at 20%, an energy crisis with our first gas shortages, and an administration that didn’t know how to work with Congress to fix things. The Iranians captured our embassy and held our citizens hostage. Thankfully he lasted only one term.
Mr. Obama could easily turn out to be just another Jimmy Carter, and if so America will suffer through the next four years and then he’ll be gone. But if he continues to be successful in convincing people all around the world that he’s on the right track even though everything seems to be falling apart, it could be a different story.
If my calculations are correct, American Christians have just voted in our last presidential elections and won’t be here to see if Mr. Obama turns out to be the anti-Christ or not. But someone with a lot more experience in accurately predicting the future has some interesting insight into the next few years. His name is Gerald Celente, CEO of Trends Research Institute, and he’s renowned the world over for his accuracy in predicting future world and economic events. He accurately predicted the 1987 Stock market crash, the Fall of the Soviet Union, the 1997 Asian currency collapse, the sub-prime mortgage crisis, and one year before the fact predicted what he said would become known as the Panic of 2008, saying that giants would tumble to their deaths, which is what we’ve just seen in the fall of several of our oldest and biggest financial firms, and with the big three auto makers teetering on the brink. (You can check his track record for yourself at www.trendsresearch.com )
Celente is now forecasting revolution in America, food riots and tax rebellions - all within four years, cautioning that putting food on the table will be a more pressing concern than buying Christmas gifts by 2012.
According to his recent Fox News interview, called “Predicting Obama’s Impact” (posted on YouTube on Nov. 10, 2008), by 2012 America will have become an undeveloped nation. There will be a revolution marked by food riots, squatter rebellions, tax revolts and job marches, and holidays will be more about obtaining food than gifts.
“We’re going to see the end of the retail Christmas….we’re going to see a fundamental shift take place….putting food on the table is going to be more important that putting gifts under the Christmas tree,” said Celente, adding that the situation would be “worse than the great depression”.
“America’s going to go through a transition the likes of which no one is prepared for,” he said, noting that people’s refusal to acknowledge that America was even in a recession highlights how big a problem denial is in being ready for the true scale of the crisis.
All this comes from a man with an international reputation for being right and whose continued success depends on it. If he’s right now like he has been so often in the past, then the next four years will be worse than the Carter Administration ever was, rather than the launching platform for a coming world leader.
(By the way, please take note that this is another independent expert pointing to the year 2012 as one of cataclysmic significance in bringing about the End of the Age.)
There’s a wild card that I hesitate to throw in here because I don’t even want to think about it. But if it’s true it could easily cause the problems that Mr. Celente is predicting. For some time now certain people, Republican and Democrat alike, have been saying that Mr. Obama isn’t legally qualified to be President because he’s not a natural born citizen of the US. I won’t go into the details but the point is that he could make this all go away by producing a legitimate birth certificate, something he’s been unwilling to do. A federal court has given him until Dec. 1, 2008 to do so, and if he does then the Electoral College vote will be certified and he’ll be the next President. But lawsuits in a dozen or so states have been or are being filed to prevent the certification until Mr. Obama proves he’s qualified. If the courts throw out the election who knows what could happen.
What Time Is It?
As many of you know, I’ve said that all of the End Times prophecies including the 2nd Coming could be fulfilled as early as 2018. I base this on the Lord’s promise that the generation being born at the time of the first End Times signs would still be alive when “all these things have happened” (Matt. 24:34 ) Most scholars view the re-birth of Israel in 1948 as the first of the end times signs. With an average lifespan being 70 years, according to Psalm 90:10 , everything will have to come to pass by 2018. If the Rapture only just precedes the 70th Week of Daniel it could come 7 years earlier, in 2011, which is 2 ½ years from now, about half way through Mr. Obama’s first term, assuming the election stands.
So here’s how to tell if he’ll become the anti-Christ or not. If it seems like he can do no wrong, if people feel safe and it’s beginning to look like there’ll be peace in our time, then there’s a good chance he’s the one. But if Gerald Celente’s predictions are coming to pass, and the world’s in worse shape than ever, then he’s just another Jimmy Carter, an inexperienced outsider who had no business running for president in the first place, let alone being elected.
Time will tell, but either way we can look for some difficult days ahead for the Church. Because either way we are in the final phase of post Christian America and can expect the world around us to become more and more anti-Christian. And if the economy continues to self-destruct it will be just that much worse.
But whether Mr. Obama turns out to be the anti-Christ or not is really irrelevant to the Church. Our job in the short time we have left is to get ready to move to our new home. That means breaking our ties with the old one. Anything that can’t be put to kingdom use is excess baggage to us now. We should be sending whatever treasure we have up ahead. We should stop worrying about our career, our retirement fund, our lifestyle, and all those other worldly distractions and put all our resources to work for the benefit of our next life. After all it’s the real one. And one way or the other, this one is already gone.
Whether you believe in a pre-trib rapture or not you know my advice is sound. After all I’m not just making this up. Everything I ‘ve been saying is straight from the Lord’s own mouth. He’s the one who said to quit storing up treasure on Earth where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal. He’s the one who said to store up treasure in Heaven instead. (Matt. 6:19-20 ) And He’s the one who said not to worry about our lives here but seek first His Kingdom and His righteousness and he’ll provide all our needs. (Matt. 6:31-34 ) So whether you think we’re leaving here soon or not, it’s time to pay attention to what He’s been telling us. No matter how much time you think we have, you can almost hear the footsteps of the Messiah. 11-15-08
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