When people ask about my website I often warn them that there is something  to offend everyone on my website. I don’t write to try to offend everyone but it turns out that telling people my Christian worldview makes me an equal opportunity offender. If you  read all of my articles something is sure to offend you. However, if we really could all agree on every point we all could just do away with thinking.

Obviously much of what I write offends non Christians so if your one of those, you will not have to look far on my website to be offended. For that reason I will not get into all the articles that will offend all you unbelievers. People who do not know God cannot know the truth. (See I just said something to offend almost everyone) I will just tell you here how you can know God and how one really becomes a Christian.

Some of what I write offends Catholics because I tell them the truth. (I was once a Catholic and I I know how most in Thyatria think.)

Some of what I write offends Pentecostals and Charismatics. I was part of your movement as well, and I am aware of the spiritual games you play and how you are often led by the nose by control freaks and hucksters. Christians do not need to get the Holy Ghost in your back rooms because true Christians already got the Holy Spirit when they were saved.  (Maybe I  am a Charismatic by any strict definition because I believe the gifts did not cease. But, I do not believe some of what are claimed to be manifestations of the spiritual gifts, actually are.)

Liberal Christians are offended for many reasons. They disagree with most everything I write. That is because I disagree with most everything they believe. I believe the Bible is the infallible word of God and is meant to be taken literally.  (I never was one of those liberal Christians and never will be.)

I write something to offend conservative Christians as well, for example:

I am sure a few of my articles offend conservative Baptists along with other conservative denominations because I like to drink something fermented once in a while and have a hard time stomaching rule by committee, covenants, putting burdens on the poor in the Church, and often wooden interpretations of various Bible passages. (Although, I often am a member of some Baptist fellowship if the leadership actually permits thinking.)

Many of my articles would offend the amillennial believers since I think it is error. I believe in premillennial theology.

There is no doubt that there would be something to offend everyone that believes in Replacement Theology or Supersession Theology

I know I offend post toasties that think the Church is going through the tribulation because they often take the time to tell me I am leading people to hell with my pre-trib Rapture Theology. They tell me Christians will lose their faith in tribulation. I think they are very confused.

I certainly would offend Word Faith Kingdom Now, blab-it-and-grab-it, prosperity teachers with often their Dominion Theology. I think the leaders are all heretics.

I also write things to offend those who have brought into the teachings of pop psychology and just love to have their purpose driven pop psychology book studies in their church.

I even write something to offend some pre-trib believers when I suggest Jesus is not coming in glory by 2019, the Antichrist will not be a Muslim, pagan’s do not know Bible prophecy, you cannot figure out the date of the second coming through Bible codes and that conspiracy theories are mostly hype from those making a living selling hype to those wanting hype.

I write and offend seeker friendly leaders and their supporters and the various emergent varieties of Christians, and I should do more of that.

I write and offend global warming fear mongers in Christianity because I tell them that man-caused global warming is junk science promoted by the world elite to tax them and bring them under global governance.

If you have not found something I wrote to offend you yet,  just keep reading. I am sure I have someone to offend everyone somewhere. If you have a certain topic in mind that you know will offend you, you might do a search from the search box on either the homepage of my website or the homepage of this World and Church Trends and Bible Prophecy blog.

I do try to be an equal opportunity offender.

I really love these people who tell me that they really believe the world is coming to an end in 2012, or they are certain that the Rapture has to happen within a year or two, or that they have the date of the second coming all figured out, or that Jesus has to come before 2019 because of their interpretation of the “Fig Tree Parable”, or based on some pagan prophecy, or the sayings of  Jack Van Impe, etc., etc., but they continue to retain all their wealth like they are going to live here forever or take it with them.

If you really believe what you say you believe on the Internet and in your emails, what need will you have for all your money? Give it to someone who will use it for Christian ministry in the couple of years that you are certain that we only have left.

I certainly could use a million bucks to hire a staff and to set up a modern office and expand this ministry. I would use your money to help get the message out that Jesus is coming soon and warn Christians about all the latest heresies, and warn about the wolves in sheep’s clothing running around seeking wheat to sell baloney to, so the wolves can devour them (with mustard) before Jesus even gets here for supper.

Not to mention, that the average attender in most congregations today is brain dead when it comes to biblical knowledge and understanding, and they really needs to read my shock courses on basic Christian doctrine so they don’t get Jesus mixed up with the Mahdi or some stain on a coffee table.

Others just need to hear what I want to ramble on about (like here) but I can’t be doing much rambling on if I am busy with other tasks that go along with keeping up a website and Blog and also keeping an abode in the deepest darkest jungles of the Ozark wilderness. (We still have to appease and fight off leprechauns and trolls here, not to mention, the government wilderness control freaks).

So if you are so certain that Jesus must return before 2012 or thereabouts just send me one of those spare millions that you know you won’t ever be needing and help expand this ministry. You will not get a tax deduction because I am not on the list of IRS approved charities and probably never will be with my constitution. But what do you need a tax deduction for anyway?

Don’t get me wrong, I am not asking for small donations from anyone reading this or from those who have any doubts about the Lord coming before 2019. I can’t expand a ministry on a thousand bucks here and there, and certainly can’t on your spare change. Send your seed faith change to the TV hucksters. I need really big bucks, like a million or so from the faithful that have no doubt in their mind that Jesus must return before 2019 and so are certain they will not ever need the million bucks. I give no refunds, if you change your mind or Jesus does not return before your date, your just out a million bucks and probably used it for a better cause than you would have. You probably would have just bought more gadgets like one that will allow you to text with your toes while driving  (now don’t ask me where to buy it).

If you do not want to send the million to me then give it to the ministry of your choice or the poor. So, as the saying goes, put up or shut up!

People spouting this stuff about Jesus coming in 2012 etc., really need to put their money where there mouth is and not be hypocrites or else they should tone down their date speculations. That includes the authors that are banking money from selling 2012 new aged baloney.
You can send those million dollar donations to Don Koenig, PO Box 234, Summersville Mo, 65571.

In return I will send you a semiannual picture of my well fed (thanks to you) six dogs and six cats. Sorry, they cannot write you letters. As a bonus you will receive a envelope of fairy dust from the local leprechauns. I think if you sprinkle the dirt… er…I mean dust.. on your upside down St Joseph statue your multi-million dollar mansion will be the first one to sell on your block (not valid in California, Nevada, Arizona, or Florida).

Think the 2012 date setters are not having a negative effect on many in the Church? Obviously this speculation based mostly on Mayan ages and a Mahdi coming out of well is attracting many followers. Some such as the “Gospel Tract Society” now take the position that we are already in the tribulation. H E L L O… what tribulation? I will say it as gently as I can, those who think we are already in the tribulation have lost their marbles.

I do not see a good end result coming from all this date setting nonsense. By 2013 Bible prophecy teachers will be mocked. It is as if there is a Satanic deception (there is) to destroy the message of the soon coming of Jesus through the promotion of those crying wolf based on pagan crap – not the Bible. This 2012 date setting speculation is not coming from God.

I think I understand why people promote their crap and pet theories in books, it is profitable for them. But, why do Christians buy it and suck it up like it was profound biblical truth. Some of us warned that the 88 reason why Jesus would come in 1988 was unfounded but people bought the books anyway and Bible prophecy teaching in the Church took a huge hit because of that. Now we have to endure the 2012 end of the world books and movies based on pagan fantasy and those who only know enough about Bible eschatology to twist it to fit their theories.

The world is not going to end in 2012 and we are not in the tribulation. Like Nathan Jones said in this article “take a chill pill”

The Christ in Prophecy Journal: Gospel Tract Society Abandons Pre-Trib Heritage

The Gospel Tract Society has changed their longstanding view in the last month. Lamb & Lion Ministries was first alerted to the change when the ministry’s successor, Tom Buttram, asked founder Dr. David Reagan to change the wording in his tract “Living for Christ in the End Times” (based on the article) from “Rapture” to “Second Coming.” The second alert came when a friend of Lamb & Lion Ministries contacted the Gospel Tract Society for copies of that tract, only to be told the remaining 6,000 in inventory were going to be destroyed.

Upon inquiry as to why the Gospel Tract Society would desire to change the wording and destroy the existing inventory, Tom Buttram responded with a very startling revelation. “As though someone reprinted my Bible overnight,” Tom Buttram now believes humanity has already entered into the Tribulation and the Church will not be raptured until the Seventh Trumpet Judgment has sounded mid-way through the Tribulation.

after over 80 years of the Gospel Tract Society proclaiming the imminent return of Jesus Christ, they will now refocus their attention on printing materials “needed for all to escape delusion and attack” by the Man of Lawlessness (the Antichrist) and a Mid-Tribulation rescue by Jesus.

the esteemed Gospel Tract Society after 80 years of preaching the Rapture of believers before world judgment has just declared that they got it all wrong, that we are actually living in the Tribulation, and that we will all be attacked (means “massacred,” folks) by the coming world leader — and that is supposed to be a source of calm!?! Just how much “calm” are they now going to spread with their newest batch of tracts?

Secular movies like “Knowing” and “2012″ and books and commentaries and pundits (and the list goes on) are very interested in End Time speculation. Only the overall Church seems to be sleeping on this subject. But, for those believers who are anticipating Christ’s return, a certain hysteria has begun to set in. The people are getting very antsy and have begun chasing after every new theory and speculation that rises to the scene.

Secondly, as Dr. Ron Rhodes once said, we are filtering God’s Word through our human antennae and our fallen nature is putting static in our reception.

Every person believes God is giving them a particular revelation or insight into the Bible that is different than what they once believed — but they all conflict! I get hundreds of emails a week from people all over the world, and many writers purport to have discovered some special insight from God. For example, could the Pope, Javier Solana, Prince Hassan, Tony Blair, Barack Obama, the Mahdi and the entire United States of America all be the Antichrist at the same time? Saved believers in Christ each have a candidate God has “revealed” to them in Scripture. Or, could the Tribulation be seven years long, World War II, the Papal years, only for Israel, for the entire world, and it’s just the conflict in our hearts all at same time? Saved believers each have a position. But, only one answer can possibly be correct.

To use an 80’s term, we all need to “take a chill pill.

Full article

While reading Carla’s excellent and always discerning More Books and Things blog I came across an article that I think needs further attention by those who study world events and Bible prophecy. I might not agree with every single point in this article but I certainly agree with Prof. Malan’s major concepts. Bible prophecy teachers seem to convey that Israel today is in the will of God. Therefore they suggest we better not do anything that could be conveyed as touching the apple of God’s eye. Some even suggest that if we do not bless this largely atheist nation that God will judge our nation. There are some erroneous teachings going around that relate judgments on America to how we treat unrepentant Israel. That concept is wrong. The judgments coming on America today is due to our own sins. We are judged on how we treat all nations not just Israel. If we are a just and moral nation we have nothing to fear. God will judge all the nations on how they treat Israel after Israel accepts their true Messiah.

Israel today is still reaping the curse because they rejected God’s salvation in His Son. When God said He would curse those who curse the descendants of Abraham and Jacob he was talking about those cursing the children of the promise, the people of faith. They are the true children of Abraham, Issac and Jacob. Remember, the leaders of Israel claimed they also were children of Abraham but Jesus called them children of their father the Devil. So did Jesus curse these descendants of Israel? Actually He did. He cursed the unbelieving descendants of Israel as represented by the fig tree that had no fruit when He came (Mt 21:19).

Other Christians will not even evangelize Jews thinking that Jews already know God. They are also wrong. Those who do not accept Jesus Christ do not know the Father either (John 14:6). The nation of Israel will certainly prove that point when they accept the false Messiah that is coming in his own name and not the Father’s name like Jesus. Some of these Christian ministries will raise large sums of money to send Jews back to Israel but spend nothing on giving these Jews the Gospel of Jesus Christ. They do not even tell them that two-thirds of the people that they are sending back to Israel will be killed in the coming Jewish holocaust (Zec 13:8).

One might think that if Christians really loved the Jews they should be telling Jews about Jesus so they would get saved before these terrible events happen to them? But it is not happening, not that anyone is actually allowed to preach the gospel in Israel anyway. So what does that say about Israel? Instead we rant about how nations are dealing with Israel as if God is not sovereign and not using the leaders of these nations toward His own ends to bring Israel to repentance. Had not God said that these things would happen to the Jews in the end times?

So how will Christians siding with Israel on world events give them physical peace and spiritual enlightenment? Even if we could change our national policies toward Israel the things God said about Israel in the latter days are still going to happen. The real problem with Israel is not the Gentile nations and our leaders decisions. The real problem with Israel is the unbelief of the Jews in Israel. The Gentiles will just be used to bring Israel to a place of repentance. God would protect Israel if they came to belief in Jesus Christ but instead they will believe in the Antichrist and go into more national tribulation before they finally get the message that peace and security is only found in their Messiah Jesus Christ.

If I did not know that we were in the end times when God’s words about Israel will be fulfilled I would have to believe that the unbelieving Jews now occupying God’s land would again be cast out. Yet, the religious Jews living in Israel think that God is on their side while they reject His Son and the non-religious Jews think that they are going to hold unto the land by their own military might. Sorry, but that is not God’s plan for Israel. Many Christians by what they say and do, seem to covey similar false pretense as well. Ever wonder why the Jews flee to the mountains for 42 months? Because Satan seeks to kill every Jew in the world (Rev 12:13). That is the real destiny of those in Israel before they come to God’s Messiah. Exactly what world actions and reactions get us to that point is frankly very subjective stuff that even Bible prophecy experts do not agree on. So how do we know where God’s will is on every current event in the Middle East so that we take the correct position? Does our position even matter in God’s plan?

So knowing these things lets teach the truth to Israel and evangelize those that can be reached instead of acting as if Israel’s leaders or America’s leaders will make correct decisions to keep Israel from the holocaust that clearly will come upon Israel in these last days. In the final analysis, it really does not matters one iota if Israel or the US takes out Iran’s nuclear capabilities at least not if we are in the sequence of end time events like Bible prophecy teachers claim. Iran will invade Israel in the latter years because Ezekiel says so, and the end of that war has already been determined by God. It really does not matter if Israel agrees to divide Jerusalem in some false peace deal either because the Bible says it will happen anyway, “Zec 14:2  For I will gather all nations against Jerusalem to battle; and the city shall be taken, and the houses rifled, and the women ravished; and half of the city shall go forth into captivity, and the residue of the people shall not be cut off from the city.”

It really does not matter what action Israel takes because whatever action Israel takes in unbelief will lead to the same biblical end that God foretold the prophets and that us Bible prophecy believing Christians should be aware of. The primary Christian commission is to teach the gospel to Israel and everyone else. Our commission is not trying to stop or change Middle East events that have to happen if we are in the last days. If Christians should learn anything from Bible prophecy it should be to discern how close we are to the Lords coming for the watching faithful Church. If Christians use Bible prophecy it should be to used to evangelize those who might come to know God through Bible prophecy. Bible prophecy for Christians should not be about trying to figure out every insignificant detail and the exact dating of all events beforehand. Some of these things cannot be known with any certainty.  Nothing at all has to be fulfilled before the rapture of the Church and after the restrainer is removed all end time events will rapidly come on the earth just as God said. For most Christians it is enough to know that what God said about the last days will take place literally and that the time to work is short.

If you want more thinking on this issue read the full article.

Jesus Christ in Biblical Prophecies

Jesus Christ in Biblical Prophecies

Prof. Johan Malan, Middelburg, South Africa (June 2009)

The spiritual and doctrinal value of various articles currently published on Israel is extremely poor. Authors mostly offer only a secular review of news events without giving a balanced biblical perspective on them.

It is an alarming fact that even Christian analysts on the situation in the Middle East reveal very little insight into Israel’s end-time position. Obama is now blamed for isolating and forsaking Israel. Is he responsible for these actions or did the Lord ordain them? According to Ezekiel 22:18-22, Jeremiah 30:7 and Zechariah 14:2, the Lord will bring Israel into great affliction because they have, spiritually, become dross in His eyes for dishonouring His Word and rejecting the Messiah. In the light of this situation we should understand their international dispersion during the past 2000 years, as well as the Holocaust of World War II. Or will we merely blame the Roman Empire, the Nazis and other nations for this human tragedy? These nations are definitely guilty, but Israel is more guilty and mainly responsible for their own problems. Didn’t Jesus say that Jerusalem would be destroyed and trodden down because its inhabitants refused to accept Him as their Messiah (cf. Matt. 23:37-38)? In the attached addendum a Messianic Jew, Arthur Katz, explains the full implications of Israel’s sin and lack of faith.

As for Israel’s future, it is really irrelevant what Obama, the pope, the EU, Iran or Russia say or do with regard to Israel. If they don’t persecute or isolate Israel the Lord will allow other groups or nations to do just that. The fact is that the Israelis have to go through the time of Jacob’s trouble because of their continued apostasy.

Why are there so few people who have the boldness to inform Israel on the true reasons for their problems? Why is their own spiritual bankruptcy not addressed? Why are even organisations such as the International Christian Embassy engaged with the establishing of good relations with unsaved Israel without explicitly proclaiming the Messiah to them? Why do preachers such as John Hagee deny Jesus as Messiah of the Jews by alleging that they don’t have to accept Jesus to be saved? Why do all the Christians follow him and merely donate money to Israel, but withhold the gospel from them, which is their only hope?

When will Israel’s fortunes take a turn for the better – when the United States again support and assist them militarily, or when they have accepted the Messiah? Will they ever seek the Messiah unless they are in a great affliction (cf. Hosea 5:15; 6:1-2)?

The less people think and speak about the Lord Jesus, the less they will believe in His promise of a pretribulation rapture (Luke 21:36); the less they know about His judgement seat, the less they will be prepared for His sudden coming (1 Cor. 3:9-15). Many people become so involved with a study of the signs of the times, including possible dates for the second coming of Christ, that they never seriously attend to the necessities of our relationship with Him (holiness), and also neglect to work for Him while it is still day – the night of God’s judgements is approaching when no one can work.

I do believe that Israel and many other signs are prophetically significant, but this knowledge should lead to deeper spiritual insights and particularly to the glorification and exaltation of the Lord Jesus – also to fear for the coming day of His wrath upon sinners, including all the carnal, agnostic and unholy people. His judgements should be considered as part of the bigger picture, lest people think that the nature of the future world will only be determined by the decisions and military actions of the present generation of world leaders. One actually pities them when listening to their decisions and beholding their military manoeuvres, as they don’t have the faintest idea of what is waiting for them. They don’t know that they will be gathered in Israel to be judged by the Lord (Joel 3:2; Zech. 14:2,12).

Israel is prophetically one of the most uninformed nations in the world as far as events at the end of the church dispensation are concerned. Their ignorance will cause their virtual downfall as they will lead the way in concluding a covenant with the Antichrist under the false impression that he is the true Messiah (Dan. 9:27; John 5:43).

People in the end-time are shallow in their thinking and judge all things in terms of secular, humanistic criteria. Even Christians start conforming to this way of thinking and are in most cases not able to correctly determine and describe a spiritual perspective on world events. Many of them do not even realise their own spiritual poverty and blindness,

every Christian is committed to inform Israel on the correct biblical route to their full restoration. If they are not warned against the coming false messiah and the great tribulation, how will they ever be able to correctly understand these times and make the right decisions? Without accepting Jesus the Messiah by faith they cannot be saved – neither can they share in the blessings that He promised to the believing remnant in Israel and also to the whole world during His coming reign of peace.

Full article

This is an astute article by Jack Kelly on Pentecost and rapture of the Church. Like Kelly, I also believe that the parables of Matthew 13 describe the Church on earth and would also say each parable is linked to what Jesus also said to the seven different Church types in Revelation.

*Chuck Missler gives us a small taste of this design and correlation in his teaching on Revelation:

The Seven Kingdom parables:

The Sower ……………   Ephesus: The apostolic Church

The Tares …………….   Smyrna: The persecuted Church

Mustard Seed…………..Pergamos: Marriage to the World

Women/Leaven ……….Thyatira: The Papacy in the Medieval World

The Field………………. Sardis: Denominational/Dead Orthodoxy

The Pearl ………………Philadelphia: The rebirth of the Missionary

The Dragnet …………..Laodicea: The apostate Church

* The Book of Revelation , supplemental notes page 60, Koinonia House Inc., 1995

I believe that it is very possible that the Church will be taken alive to Heaven on Pentecost on the very same feast day when the Bride of Christ was born. The Church like Enoch was born on Pentecost and tradition tells us Enoch was taken on Pentecost. Enoch was taken because he walked with God before the judgment of the flood. The bride of Christ will also not reap the coming judgment of God because she is the Bride of Christ. Only after Jesus takes his rightful role as King of Israel and takes a Gentile bride can Israel’s promised restoration come.

I know many want to believe the Rapture is on the Feast of Trumpets but remember the Feast of Trumpets will be another fulfillment through Jesus for Israel. The Feast of Trumpets starts the last week for Israel foretold by Daniel and it ends it seven years later with the second coming of Christ. Some like to think the Rapture will occur on the same date that God deals with Israel again. However, scripture really gives no indication that the Rapture has to occur precisely seven years before the second coming of Christ. The Rapture could occur months or even a few years before the final seven years for the Jews.

One thing is certain in my mind. The 70th week and the lifting of the blindness of Israel cannot even take place until the fullness of the Gentiles comes in (Ro 11:25). In this passage Paul was speaking of the grafting in of a Gentile Bride into the Commonwealth of Israel. This Bride born from above is born of the Spirit she is not born of any flesh, be it Jew or Gentile. However, anyone not Jewish by natural birth (she is spiritual) is typed as a Gentile by definition. Therefore, the Bride is not Jewish even though there are people who were natural Jews within the Bride. This Bride gives no sin offering of her own as required by the law. Her sins are covered by the blood of God’s Jewish sacrificial Lamb. That is the reason why Pentecost is celebrated with leavened bread (leaven represents sin), the Church is full of sinners covered by the blood of Christ.

Anyway, this article by Jack Kelly is well worth the read and it is timely, being right before the Feast of Pentecost.

Pentecost and the Rapture of the Church | GraceThruFaith

Pentecost and the Rapture of the Church

A Bible Study by Jack Kelley

Pentecost comes in the early summer (May-June). This year it’s May 31. It’s the only Holy Day between the 3 Spring Feasts (Passover, Unleavened Bread, and First Fruits) and the 3 in the fall (Rosh Hashanna, Yom Kippur, and Tabernacles). Its Hebrew name is Shavuot. Pentecost is a Greek word and translates “50 days” since it comes 50 days after the Feast of First Fruits, the day we should know as Resurrection Morning . The Feast of First Fruits is celebrated on the day following the first Sabbath after Passover and Pentecost on the day after the Sabbath seven weeks later, (Lev. 23:15-16) giving rise to its nickname “Feast of Weeks.” Since the Jewish Sabbath is Saturday, both these Holy days are Sundays.
What’s a Pentecost?

Jews celebrate Pentecost (I’ll just use its Greek name to avoid any more confusion than necessary) as the day Moses received the Law on Mt. Sinai in the wilderness and the nation Israel was born. (Exodus 19-20) Christians celebrate it as the day the Holy Spirit fell on the Disciples in Jerusalem and the Church was born (Acts 2). If you agree with my view that the parables of Matthew 13 describe the church on Earth and that the parable of the yeast predicts there will be sin in the church, you’ll be interested in the fact that unlike all the other Jewish Feasts that call for unleavened bread, Pentecost requires bread baked with yeast (Lev. 23:17). Pentecost also began the annual wheat harvest, perhaps pointing to another of Matthew’s Kingdom parables, the Wheat and the Tares.

By tradition Enoch, one of the patriarchs from Genesis 5, was born on the day later to be known as Pentecost. Enoch’s name means “teaching”, a primary function of the Church. For this reason many scholars see him as a “type” of the church as well. Genesis 5:21-23 indicates that Enoch was very close to God and was actually taken live (raptured) into Heaven before the Great Flood. Pre-Trib scholars see this event as hinting of a yet future disappearance of the Church before the Great Tribulation. These same traditions also hold that Enoch disappeared from Earth on his birthday. So here’s a model in Genesis 5 of a man identified with the church being born and raptured on the day that would become Pentecost, the day the church was born.

Full article.

Things are getting pretty crazy out there to say the least so I think I will give you my world trends forecast for 2010-2020 AD. I think the next decade will be the most violent decade since the days of Noah. The only decade that will exceed it in violence will be decade of Jacob’s trouble. Here is a glimpse of some of the things I think we can expect. They are not in any time sequence and I probably will add more as I think of them:

• The world will not recover from the economic downturn and unemployment will stay high right into the next world war.
• There will be a world war early in this decade and there will be civil war in many places. The World War could start as the war of Psalm 83 or an attack on Iran. This war against radical Islam could also start over Pakistan. No matter how the war starts, at the peak of the war it will cover much of Europe, the Middle East and Central Asia. Radical Islam will be defeated but it will be a very costly and bloody war.
• India will take back Pakistan and whole cites could be lost to nuclear exchanges.
• There will be national drafts to fight the world war. The volunteer army concept will be dead.
• The whole world monetary system will have to be scrapped, the most advanced nations will be technically bankrupted because of debt. A  new world monetary system will be set up.  Most people will lose their investments.
• The word democracy may still be used but within a few years true democracies or republics will no longer exist.
• The Supreme Court of the U.S. will turn liberal and the Constitution will only mean what liberals want it to mean.
• The world will embrace the “third way” but the “third way” really is liberal fascism.
• After the world war against radical Islam a religious harlot will be given authorization to oversee all world religion. This religious harlot will claim to be the Universal World Church and have a many paths lead to God attitude. She will be tolerant and inclusive as long as others recognize that the Vatican harlot is the final religious authority speaking for God on earth. The harlot will advise the emerging world government on all religious issues.
• All fundamental religion that teach exclusive paths to God will be outlawed and those who promote it will be seen as a threat to world peace. The religious harlot will persecute all that will not submit to her authority on earth. Teaching on a coming savior, messiah figure or end time prophecy will be outlawed. Religious holy books will be sanitized and passages that might offend others will be taken out or changed.
• Many liberal post-modern Protestant churches will continue down the road of apostasy and join with the harlot.
• The true Church of Jesus Christ will have to go underground in most areas of the world and she will be at great risk.
• A nuclear EMP is very possible over the United States during the next decade and if it should happen it would bring massive civil unrest, riots and martial law.
• We can expect at least one natural pandemic in the world in the next decade but the real danger next decade will be from man made viruses. There will also be famine because of the world war.
• There will be successful terrorist attacks using weapons of mass destruction until after the world war.
• Due to the growing differences between liberals and conservatives certain states in the United States will secede and there might be civil war.  There certainly will be conflicts when police attempt to take away peoples guns.
• Toward the end of the decade all nations in North America will  join a new North American Union or face total isolation.
• Western Europe will emerge out of the world war against radical Islam as a western superpower. This will be a new union of nations, it will not include all the same nations as are in the EU today. The new union will be more on the boundary lines of  the old Roman Empire and the recently proposed Mediterranean Union.
• China, India and Japan will be well on their way to becoming nuclear superpowers.
• North Korea’s military will be obliterated and South Korea or China will take over  North Korea.
• Russia will dominate east Europe and northern Asia and form a block of nations almost on the same lines as the old USSR. Iran will make a defense agreement with the restored Russian superpower after the world war.
• Israel and most Arab states will join the Mediterranean Union after the war. This will bring a time of peace to the Middle East that will last until the Gog Magog war (Ezekiel chapters 38 and 39).
• Iraq will escape most of the world war and even profit from it and start the rebuilding of Babylon.
• Most of Africa will come under the control of the African Union of states.
• There will be a South American Union of states.
• Anything you say or write that is not politically correct and that offends someone else will subject you to hate speech laws and civil suits.
• There will be total surveillance of all electronic communications. The Internet will be policed and monitored. Talk radio and websites will have to be politically correct or they will be shut down.
• All main streets in cities will be under video surveillance. Geographical locations of homes and the names and identification numbers of occupants will just be two of the many layers on a massive Geographic Information System database that will be accessible to government and law enforcement.
• Homeschooling will be outlawed. Children will only be taught state approved programs. Parents that are not politically correct will be reported by their own children and parents will lose their children if they persist.
• All forms of sex  perversions will be called normal and protected. Addicting drugs will be taxed and legalized and addicts will be released from prison.
• There will be national health care but your access to certain health care will have to be pre-approved by bureaucrats following government guidelines.
• Energy prices will triple. Burning of firewood without obtaining an expensive permit will not be allowed. It will be enforced by sky police and by rewarding finks.
• There will be food and gas rationing almost all of next decade. Fuel will be very expensive and travel will be restricted.
• Foods that Big government Nanny says is unhealthy will be taxed out of existence. Obese people will be forced to lose weight or lose access to health care. Obese children will get parents charged with child abuse.
• Assisted suicide will be encouraged for terminal patients.
• There will be pay caps on all professions. The state will determine the most you can get paid.
• Taxes will take over half of the pay of professional productive people to pay for massive government.
• by the end of next decade the standard of living in the United States will be less than half of what it is today.
• In spite of what some are now teaching, the Lord will not physically return to earth during this period but the Rapture could occur (or  it may not).

I cannot make this stuff up. Can you believe this survey of Christians? It points out to me that most American “Christians” are not Christians at all.

You cannot even be a Christian without the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit so these people who call themselves Christians but deny the living entity of the Holy Spirit cannot be Christians. Likewise, you cannot believe the Bible and believe that Satan is not real. Furthermore, you cannot be a Christian if you believe that Jesus sinned. Therefore the only conclusion can be:

At least sixty percent of “Christians” in America have no Holy Spirit and therefore could not be Christians
At least sixty percent of “Christians” do not believe what the Bible teaches about Satan and therefore are total idiots or more likely not Christians
Thirty-nine percent of “Christians” believe Jesus sinned or probably sinned that rules them out of the Christian faith

Now lets talk about the illogical stupidity of those “Christians” who responded to this survey.

They say the Holy Spirit and Satan are just symbols not living entities but the same people say they believe people can be under the influence of spiritual forces like demons or evil spirits?

Half of those who agreed that the Holy Spirit is just a symbol believed that the Bible is totally accurate in all of the principles it teaches?? That can only  mean one thing. A large percentage that claim they believe the Bible have never read or comprehended it. They are only repeating what some preacher told them.

So is it any wonder that there are so many “Christian” heretics leading “Christians” in America when two-thirds of “Christians” in this survey make it clear that they are not Christian?

This survey just brings up a few reasons why many of those who call themselves “Christians” today are not Christian. There are many other reasons that would eliminate many more. I doubt if much more than ten percent of those calling themselves “Christians” in America are really Christians. After the Rapture of the Church the removal of true Christians will hardly put a dent in the population of “Christians” in America.

That is why I disagree with those who think the Rapture is the reason why America is not in Bible prophecy. America is  in collapse right now because “Christians” in America are not Christians.

Most U.S. Christians don’t believe Satan, Holy Spirit exist

The majority of American Christians do not believe that Satan is a real being or that the Holy Spirit is a living entity, the latest Barna survey found.

Nearly six out of ten Christians either strongly agreed or somewhat agreed with the statement that Satan “is not a living being but is a symbol of evil,” the survey found.

Forty percent strongly agreed with the statement while 19 percent of American Christians somewhat agreed.

In contrast, about 35 percent of American Christians believe Satan is real.

interestingly, the majority of Christians believe a person can be under the influence of spiritual forces, such as demons or evil spirits, even though many of these same people believe Satan is merely a symbol of evil.

Likewise, most Christians in the United States do not believe that the Holy Spirit is a living force. Fifty-eight percent strongly or somewhat agreed with the statement that the Holy Spirit is “a symbol of God’s power or presence but is not a living entity.”

Interestingly, about half (49 percent) of those who agreed that the Holy Spirit is only a symbol but not a living entity, agreed that the Bible is totally accurate in all of the principles it teaches. The Bible states that the Holy Spirit is God’s power or presence, not just symbolic.

More than one-fifth (22 percent) strongly agreed that Jesus Christ sinned when He lived on earth, with an additional 17 percent agreeing somewhat.

Full Article

Although I have seen this study posted in several different parts on a re-posting site elsewhere, the complete study is available on the link. This is about the best study I have seen on all the possible timings and positions on the Ezekiel 38-39 war. It gives all the different views and the pros and cons of each position. Nathan Jones position is quoted below. To read all the other views on this you will have to read the whole article.

By the way Nathan’s position is the same as mine except for a couple of timing differences. I am not sure this war is before the Rapture and I do not see how Israel could be burning the weapons of war for 7 years during the great tribulation?  At that point Antichrist has complete rule over the land of Israel and is exterminating Jews that did not flee to the mountains for safety. So how can Israel be burning Gog’s weapons of war in the great tribulation of 3 1/2 years?

My position is a little different then any Nathan presented. I think the war of Ezekiel 38-39 occurs 3 1/2 years before the 70th week of Daniel begins. After Gog is defeated supernaturally by God Israel burns the weapons of war but is forced to stop burning after 7 years because Israel has to flee from the Antichrist when the two witnesses sent by God are killed.

If you look at the many different views in this article you will see that none of them perfectly fit. I believe there is a reason for that. It is because most everyone thinks the war of Ezekiel 38-39 and Armageddon will happen within a seven year period. Actually I do not see where these events have to be limited to seven years at all. I do not think we can assume that all the seals of Revelation are within the last seven year spoken by Daniel. We also cannot assume that the first seals are part of Jacob’s trouble. The Jews are not even mentioned at all in Revelation until after the 6th seal is opened.

I say (not dogmatically) that the last seven years actually starts after the 6th seal. It begins with the sealing of 144,000 Jews. With my view we have a 10 1/2 year period from the war of Ezekiel 38-39 and Armageddon. All prophecy can then fit without using a shoehorn. In my view seven years after the Ezekiel intervention when the world is expecting a type of Christ to appear they receive the Antichrist.

So when is the Rapture in my view? It is imminent. It could happen today. It could be before the Ezekiel war or after it but before the sealing of the Jews.

Articles – Featured – Timing Gog-Magog

Timing Gog-Magog
When will Ezekiel 38-39 be fulfilled?
by Nathan E. Jones

My View
Which view one holds probably rests more on what one sees is the view that provides the most logical answers to the prerequisites. To me, timing the Gog-Magog Battle just before or at the very beginning of the Tribulation can best fulfill these prerequisites and makes the most logical sense in my mind.

This is how I see the timeline most likely playing out:

1. The Rapture of the Church removes the Restrainer.
2. Israel subjugates their surrounding neighbors in fulfillment of Psalm 83.
3. The Gog-Magog Battle destroys the Russian and Muslim influence in the Middle East, makes the world aware of God’s presence, and restores Israel’s belief in the God of the Torah.
4. The Antichrist conquers what’s left of the Middle East and makes a peace covenant with Israel to complete the Revived Roman Empire.
5. Israel spends the seven years of the Tribulation burning the weapons.
6. Jesus returns at the end of the seven years to defeat His enemies at Armageddon resulting in Israel acknowledging that Jesus is God’s Son.
7. Jesus gathers the people from all over the world for the Sheep/Goat Judgment, which results in only believers entering the Millennial Kingdom.

Time will tell when the Gog-Magog Battle will truly take place. But, the players are already in place and the scene is just about all set for this epic battle to be waged in the not-too-distant future.

Full article

About every other week I get a email telling me in one way or another that the parable of the fig tree means that all will be fulfilled by 2019 AD. Thus they believe the start of the tribulation or rapture has to be by 2012. There are well known Bible prophecy teachers teaching this today. I am tired of answering questions on this over and over so I am writing my own position on the “Parable of the Fig Tree”. In the future if anyone asks me about it or suggests that the Rapture has to occur within two or three years they will get a link to this post.

I will put the discourse from Jesus about the parable of the fig tree in proper context below so we can also see and consider what Jesus said before and after His parable of the fig tree statement.

Matt 24:3  And as he sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world?
4  And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you.
5  For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many.
6  And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet.
7  For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places.
8  All these are the beginning of sorrows.
9  Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name’s sake.
10  And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another.
11  And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many.
12  And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold.
13  But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.
14  And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.
15  When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand:)
16  Then let them which be in Judaea flee into the mountains:
17  Let him which is on the housetop not come down to take any thing out of his house:
18  Neither let him which is in the field return back to take his clothes.
19  And woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days!
20  But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the sabbath day:
21  For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.
22  And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect’s sake those days shall be shortened.
23  Then if any man shall say unto you, Lo, here is Christ, or there; believe it not.
24  For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect.
25  Behold, I have told you before.
26  Wherefore if they shall say unto you, Behold, he is in the desert; go not forth: behold, he is in the secret chambers; believe it not.
27  For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.
28  For wheresoever the carcase is, there will the eagles be gathered together.
29  Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken:
30  And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.
31  And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.
32  Now learn a parable of the fig tree; When his branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is nigh:
33  So likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors.
34  Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled.
35  Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.
36  But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only.
37  But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.
38  For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark,
39  And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.
40  Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left.
41  Two women shall be grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken, and the other left.
42  Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come.
43  But know this, that if the goodman of the house had known in what watch the thief would come, he would have watched, and would not have suffered his house to be broken up.
44  Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh.
45  Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his lord hath made ruler over his household, to give them meat in due season?
46  Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing.
47  Verily I say unto you, That he shall make him ruler over all his goods.
48  But and if that evil servant shall say in his heart, My lord delayeth his coming;
49  And shall begin to smite his fellowservants, and to eat and drink with the drunken;
50  The lord of that servant shall come in a day when he looketh not for him, and in an hour that he is not aware of,
51  And shall cut him asunder, and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

The whole discourse here is a reply to what the disciples asked Jesus. They asked when will these things be and what will be the sign of your coming and the end of the age? Jesus then gave them a sequence of events. Scholars differ as to if part of it was already fulfilled in Jesus time, or if it is all yet to be fulfilled, or even if part of the prophecy might have a past and future fulfillment. I take the position that there could be a partial fulfillment in the past but this whole discourse is now about the future.

Lets look at what the passage implies and lets also look at what the passage does not imply. That part of the discourse is in bold print in the scripture passage above.

The parable of the fig tree implies:
When the branch of the fig tree puts forth leaves you should know that summer is near and when you see the signs Jesus talked about you know His coming is near. The other part of the discourse following the parable passage confirms that it is talking about the Lord’s coming for the elect.
The passage also implies the generation that saw what Jesus talked about in the discourse would still be around when the Lord returned, implying that all things would take place in a short period of time of less than one generation.

The parable of the fig tree does not imply:
That the fig tree is Israel, although some believe it is.
That this last generation started when the UN allowed the rebirth of the State of Israel
That a generation is 40 50 or 70 years. More likely all Jesus said takes place in less than a twenty or thirty year period since the generation seeing the signs would also have had to reach the full age of reason to comprehend them. Also, the generation that saw the Lord return most likely would not also be so old that aged brains would forget the data. The discourse does imply that some will actually give up waiting so this period spans more than a few years.

We seem to have false birth pains called the beginning of sorrows, persecution, birth pains and the second coming in this passage. This all could take much longer than just the seven years that most assign to end time things and that also may be why the discourse says that some people will give up waiting. The big clue for me that this is more than seven years is that in the first series of events Jesus makes it perfectly clear that the end is not yet. These are just the beginning of sorrows of this last time generation.

Was Jesus telling his disciples to learn that the fig tree represented Israel’s rebirth? I kind of doubt that, they would not have a clue unless He was referring to the fig tree that He cursed that did represent Israel. If that is true His using the fig tree here with the sprouting of leaves would have to refer to Israel returning to God not the rebirth of a nation that still rejects Him.
“Fig tree” is used 32 times in the King James. Most of the time it is used with other trees and is just describing abundance of food or the lack of it. A few are describing the spiritual condition of Israel but calling Israel the fig tree from those few passages is a stretch. Actually, Israel could more easily be identified with the olive tree in scriptures.

Luke adds a little more than Matthew on this passage and says when the fig tree and all the trees are putting forth shoots you know summer is near. So If Israel is the fig tree who are the other trees that are also putting forth shoots? Perhaps this parable is more straight forward than some like to think. Perhaps Jesus was just saying when you see the things He was talking about taking place on earth this will be the generation that would see His return if they do not give up waiting. Just as when a fig tree puts forth shoots you know that summer is near you can know that the Lord’s coming is near when you see the events Jesus talked about. Perhaps there is no hidden reference to Israel in this passage at all? I do not think we can be dogmatic about it one way or the other.

If the parable of the fig tree is all about the rebirth of Israel like many teach. I would like to know why a still dead tree at the time of these events is putting forth shoots and putting forth leaves?  What are the leaves anyway? Ask those who teach this and you will get different answers.

In any case, this passage does not imply the generation that saw the rebirth of the state of Israel is the generation that would not pass away before the Lord returns. It seems to me that Jesus is really talking about the generation seeing all the things that He was talking about in prior versus.

Why do I bring this up? Because some are saying that Jesus has to come before 2019 and the Rapture is before 2012 and that they get hostile toward Christians who do not believe the time is as soon as the dates they set. There was a time when people said that Jesus would have to come in 1988 because it all had to happened within a generation of forty years from the rebirth of Israel. Then when that date came and gone they said that a generation was about 50 years. When that date came and gone they said a generation is a life span of 70 years and that is where some stand now. All of this latest date setting by some new prophecy teachers probably has more to do with their interpretation of pagan Mayan calenders then it does with sound exegesis of biblical prophecy.

Never mind that the latest interpretation of a generation being 70 years logically makes no sense because during the first decade or two of their life people of that generation would have been been too young to observe the events and properly process it. Some others extend the date by saying we should count the generation from when Israel took Jerusalem because taking new territory represented the leaves on the tree. That again is subjective speculation at best. Meanwhile, the whole concept has opened up Bible prophecy teachers to just criticism because some Bible prophecy teachers seem to be straining at gnats and swallowing camels in order to be dogmatic about their own subjective interpretations with date setting.

I do not know when the rapture of the Church will be because that date is always imminent but just looking at the signs on earth that are necessary to fulfill prophecy tells me that the coming of the Lord to set up His kingdom on earth is still twenty or thirty years down the line. If you do not want to wait that long tell it to God because the time is set by the Father. Meanwhile, lets not be so dogmatic about our prophecy speculations.

Often people ask how many Americans will be taken when the Rapture occurs. If this biblical wordview survey is any indication of true believers in America it is not as many as most think.

“A biblical worldview, as defined by the Barna study, is believing that absolute moral truth exists; the Bible is completely accurate in all of the principles it teaches; Satan is considered to be a real being or force, not merely symbolic; a person cannot earn their way into Heaven by trying to be good or do good works; Jesus Christ lived a sinless life on earth; and God is the all-knowing, all-powerful creator of the world who still rules the universe today.”

So what does this survey really tell us? It indicates that only one in 200 young people believe in the essentials of the faith. Less than one in ten adults believe in the essentials. Less than one out of five that claim to be born again Christians believe in the essentials of the faith. Even one half of the “born again Christians” think they can earn their way into heaven.

What can we deduct from this? The main thing I can deduct is that most who claim to be “Christians” are Christians in name only, they are not really Christians at all. The survey also makes it clear that America and Christians have totally lost the next generation thanks to public school and media indoctrination and parents and churches not teaching their children in the way they should go.

I also find it ironic that most Americans consider themselves to be Christian and say they know the contents of the Bible but the survey claims that less than one out of ten Americans demonstrate such knowledge through their actions. I would go even further and say most of those who claim they know the Bible are liars. They do not know the Bible. Anyone who knows the Bible and attends church Bible studies knows that most who consider themselves Christians haven’t a clue about the contents of the Bible. But most “Christians” do not even attend Bible studies and in more and more churches any meaningful teaching is not taught from the pulpits either. Christianity in general is biblically illiterate and that is why they do not have a Christian worldview. Therefore, not understanding the fundamental truths of Christian belief they also cannot be true Christians.

Survey: Less Than 1 Percent of Young Adults Hold Biblical Worldview| Christianpost.com

Less than one percent of the youngest adult generation in America has a biblical worldview, found a new study examining the changes in worldview among Christians and the overall U.S. population.

The Mosaic generation, those between the ages of 18 and 23, “rarely” have a biblical worldview as defined by The Barna Group. The research data found that less than one-half of one percent of Mosaics have a biblical worldview.

A biblical worldview, as defined by the Barna study, is believing that absolute moral truth exists; the Bible is completely accurate in all of the principles it teaches; Satan is considered to be a real being or force, not merely symbolic; a person cannot earn their way into Heaven by trying to be good or do good works; Jesus Christ lived a sinless life on earth; and God is the all-knowing, all-powerful creator of the world who still rules the universe today.

The research shows that only nine percent of all American adults have a biblical worldview, which although significantly higher than that of the Mosaic generation is still a small proportion of the total population.

Among “born again Christians,” the study found that they are twice as likely as the average adult to have a biblical worldview. However, that still amounted to no more than about one out of five (19 percent) born again Christians, a small minority, the study pointed out.

Full article

Boy do I have mixed feeling about this article by Chuck Baldwin because it is just chock full of truth spun with some of his usual crap. Please read the full article and not just what I clipped so you can follow what I am about to say about Baldwin’s views.

First, I do not like his title although there may be some in truth in it. However, my definition of a lazy Christians is not Chuck Baldwin’s definition. To me lazy Christians are those will will not read the word, take the time to fellowship with God, or with other Christians and do little if any work for Christ on earth. Baldwin in his articles seems to think you have to be an American Patriot resisting the New World Order in order to be a fruitful Christian.

Second, I disagree that Christians cannot know the season of the Lord’s return. In spite of the usual passages that Baldwin uses out of context as if they were for the latter day Church. The Church can know the season of the Lord’s return and can know that the days we live in are prophetic times and very near the time of Christ’s return. It would make no sense for Jesus to tell us to watch if there was nothing to look for. I will not burden anyone here with how we can know these things from the signs in scripture and the signs in world trends. You can read all that in my twenty-five article series on World Current Events and Bible prophecy.

Next, I do agree with Baldwin that some following Bible prophecy have become unbalanced and do have the attitude that it all has to end within a decade. Some spend their days doing nothing but looking for tea leaves to reinforce their speculation. The prophetic scripture is not enough for them so they go to Islam eschatology and read books based on pagan myths or hidden formulas that conform to their 2012 – 2019 deadline for Christ to return. There is a lot of that going on. I call them the post-modern theologians of Christian eschatology because whatever is relevant to their new found theory or Gnostic truth is used regardless of the source.

In my opinion, Baldwin in his many articles confuses Christian constitutional patriotism with the Christian commission. Frankly, he seems to believe in American Christian dominionism. He seems to think that those not pursuing the goal to make America ruled by Christians are not pulling their weight. Also, much of what he says about our forefathers is true but not all all of them were the wonderful Christians that Baldwin paints. Just read early American history and you will see many evils. Most did confess Christianity but their actions did not always reflect Christianity. They had diverse differences in what true Christianity was in their faith and practice. Defacto Christianity in America was not really established by some great Christian effort by our forefathers as Baldwin indicates. Christianity became the defacto religion because almost all American early immigrants were already Christians. Most of them left Europe become of the persecution there against Christians.

Baldwin said if pastors and Christians of Colonial America believed and acted as most Christians believe and act today this country would still be a Crown colony. The fact is that most pastors and Christians had no part against the Crown at first. It was only a very small percentage of elitists that broke with the British and led the American rebellion. Since when is rebellion initiated by God anyway? The early settlers were not really living under tyranny, they were some of the freest people on earth at the time. Who knows what America would be like today if there never had been an American revolution? We would probably be another common-wealth country. Did nations like Canada fair that much worse than us? After looking at American wars and our civil strife are we that much better off because of the revolution?

Which brings me to another point. What new world order are Christians supposed to rebel against? Baldwin’s Illuminati conspiracy version, the present version, the half dozen future versions that are on think tank drawing boards, or maybe one that has not even been conceived yet? Why is world government more evil than nation government even before the arrival of the Antichrist? Should not Christians be working from within to be the salt and light to the coming world government? After all, we already know a world government is coming. Bible prophecy tells us so. The world had previous world kingdoms did God tell his people to rebel against them? So who says that a future world government has to be evil and not in God’s will? The next world government is likely to occur some years before Satan is cast out of Heaven and given free reign.

That is not to say that Christians should not oppose evil anywhere but lets really draw the line on opposing what is evil, and not determine what is good and evil based on Baldwin’s vision of some future real or imagined evils of a new world order.

I do not like the slave-like mentality that people in America have today either, but it seems to me that our government is really a reflection of the people of this nation. Americans put their task masters into power and if Americans did not want them they would get rid of them. They want them because they promise them handouts. So why do we tolerate evil in America? Because that is what most Americans want. America morally is post Christian. Even many so called Christians are morally post Christian. So knowing that, how does Baldwin or anyone else expect to establish some new Christian dominionism in the United States? Through force? Through civil disobedience? It is not likely that it will be done through ballets because we are certainly outnumbered. The only real way to achieve this goal would be through conversion of Americans to true Christianity but Baldwin is not ever suggesting that. Instead he expects to get Christian blood out of a dead stone.

I do agree with Baldwin that many Christians see Bible prophecy and the world through American eyes and wrongly think America will never see judgment before the Rapture. It is obviously to me that we will, in fact the judgment has already started because even so called Christians have rejected God in their actions and choices and that is reflected in the evil people they put into power.

God can bless America if we turn back toward him. However, it is not the teaching of Bible prophecy that is preventing that from happening. It is as Baldwin himself said and that actually contradicts his thesis that Christians are using Bible prophecy as an excuse to become lazy.

I believe the real reason why so many professing Christians are so apathetic
and indifferent to what is happening has nothing to do with the teachings
of Scripture, Bible doctrine, eschatology, or anything of the like.
It has everything to do with old-fashioned laziness. Today’s average
Christian just flat does not want to be bothered. He has a comfortable
house, an easy chair, television, and a set of golf clubs in the closet.
He takes two or three weeks’ vacation every year, goes to church on
Sunday (a church that does not intrude on his comfort zone, of course),
pays taxes, and votes for his favorite “pro-life” Republican
candidate every two years, and assumes that he is a “good”
Christian and “patriotic” American. He is neither!

So even Baldwin admits that belief in the soon return of the Lord’s is not the real problem with Christians. The problem is that Christians in the U.S. have just become laodicean and lazy. If we can get pastors to solve the lukewarm issue in the Church, that will be about the best pastors can do to solve the issue of evil in America.

Chuck Baldwin — Christians Use Prophecy To Excuse Laziness

In response to my two previous columns regarding the current development of a devilish New World Order, many professing Christians wrote me with comments to the effect that we should not be concerned about whatever global tyranny may be developing, because “it’s all a part of God’s plan,” or “Jesus is coming soon,” and similar statements. I, too, believe in the imminent return of Jesus Christ to earth. But, then again, so did Christians from every generation over the last two millennia. In fact, the Apostle Paul was looking for the return of Christ while he lived (Philippians 3:20). But does anticipation of Christ’s Second Coming excuse personal neglect, indifference, and downright laziness? Of course not.

When confronted with an obvious evil (a burgeoning tyrannical New World Order, not to mention a number of lesser evils), modern Christians will shrug and glibly say, “It’s God’s will; we must not oppose it,” or words to that effect. This attitude says, “I will tolerate or even condone evil in order to hasten Christ’s return.”

In the first place, no one knows when Christ will return, no matter how many books or tapes they have produced to say they do.

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In the meantime, millions of Christians across America are trying to play God. They talk as if they know when Christ will come. It’s actually worse than that. They have the attitude that they have no personal responsibility to defend freedom and resist despotism. They seem to look at God as some kind of glorified fireman, who is obligated to rush in at the last minute to rescue them from a burning fire–a fire that they helped ignite, or at least, refused to put out themselves when they had the opportunity to do so. It’s the old, “God would not let that happen in America” syndrome.

I believe the real reason why so many professing Christians are so apathetic and indifferent to what is happening has nothing to do with the teachings of Scripture, Bible doctrine, eschatology, or anything of the like. It has everything to do with old-fashioned laziness. Today’s average Christian just flat does not want to be bothered. He has a comfortable house, an easy chair, television, and a set of golf clubs in the closet. He takes two or three weeks’ vacation every year, goes to church on Sunday (a church that does not intrude on his comfort zone, of course), pays taxes, and votes for his favorite “pro-life” Republican candidate every two years, and assumes that he is a “good” Christian and “patriotic” American. He is neither!

A real Christian patriot would never allow his country to be taken over by a gaggle of elitist goons bent on stealing his liberties–including his religious liberties–without doing everything in his power to prevent it. A real Christian patriot is active, alert, engaged, zealous, and committed to preserving liberty.

Tell me again that “there is nothing we can do about it,” or “it’s God’s will,” or “Jesus is coming soon.” Better yet, tell it again to the suffering Christians around the world; tell it again to our Christian forebears; tell it again to your children and grandchildren who are going to inherit a land of tyranny and oppression, all because you were too lazy to resist.

So, the next time you hear some piety-draped Christian talking about how he won’t engage the enemy and fight for liberty, because of prophecy, or some other spiritually-sounding platitude, just remember, it has nothing to do with prophecy, or anything of the sort: it has everything to do with old-fashioned laziness.

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Apparently Steve Gregg tried to come to the rescue of Partial Preterism after Dr. Norman Geisler reviewed “The Apocalypse Code” book written by Hank Hanegraaff that attacked premillennial theology and those who are looking for the soon return of Jesus in the Rapture.

I guess someone needed to come to the rescue and bail out Preterism after some of Hank Hanegraaff’s erroneous assumptions were pointed out by Dr. Geisler in his review and some of Hanegraff’s book could not even be fully accepted by preterists. This is the response by Dr. Geisler to Steve Gregg’s apparent defense of partial preterism.

In this article Dr. Geisler is brilliant and often demolishes the arguments of Steve Gregg’s Partial Preterism Theology, often with many of the inconsistent silly arguments of Gregg and other preterists.

What is quoted bellow are just a few of the many examples given in the full article. Also go to Norman Geisler Articles for his other articles on this and other topics. Dr. Geisler is a one of the great minds of our time and I highly recommend that anyone interested in Bible prophecy absorb his teachings.

A Response to Steve Gregg’s Defense of Hank Hanegraaff’s Partial Preterism

By Norman L. Geisler

My comments will be divided into two basic categories. First of all, several areas in which we are in agreement will be mentioned. Second, comments on numerous points of disagreement with his defense of partial preterism, a view he shares with Hank Hanegraaff, will be discussed.

Eleventh, it is amusing that Gregg uses a third century heretical teacher, Origen, as a basis for his amillennial view and dismisses earlier second century orthodox Fathers as a basis for futurism. Further, contrary to Gregg, Renald Showers (in Maranatha, Our Lord, Come!) has demonstrated that the very earliest Fathers believed in an imminent coming of Christ, not just the fourth century Ephraem. This is to say nothing of the inspired writings of the NT which proclaim Christ’s imminent return repeatedly (Jn. 14:1-3; 1 Cor. 1:7-8; 15:51-53; 16:22; Phil. 3:20-21; 4:5; Col. 3:4; 1 Thes. 1:10; 2:19; 4:13-18; 5:9, 23; 2 Thes. 2:1; 1 Tim. 6:14; 2 Tim. 4:1; Titus 2:13; Heb. 9:28; Jas. 5:7-9; 1 Pet. 1:7, 13; 1 Jn. 2:28-3:2; Jude 21; Rev. 2:25; 3:10; 22:7, 12, 20 ). Passages like “The Lord is at hand” (Phil. 4:5) and “the coming of the Lord is at hand” (Jas.5:8) can hardly mean anything other than imminent, unless one is a full preterist and denies a literal future Second Coming, claiming Christ returned in the first century. He summarily dismisses all this with a vague “for all anyone can say” and a guilt-by-association with the Word of Faith movement!

Twelfth, after rejecting the early Fathers who were opposed to preterism, Gregg inconsistently appeals to the early Fathers to justify his amillennial views. He speaks of the pretrib beliefs before Ephraem in the fourth century as unsupported by earlier Fathers. Yet, he criticizes futurist who use the early Fathers to support their view (see “Sixth” above).

Thirteenth, he rejects the dispensational belief in a literal restoration of Israel which is firmly based in the historical-grammatical interpretation of Scripture (see Geisler, ibid., chap. 15). Yet he claims to hold the historical-grammatical hermeneutic.

Eighteenth, Gregg dismisses a massive array of unconditional promises that are based on the historical-grammatical interpretation which says that there will be a literal restoration of ethnic Israel to their land (see our Systematic Theology, vol. 4, chaps.14-16). None of the passages he cites deny this future for Israel, and numerous passages he does not cite affirm that there will be one (Gen. 12-17; 2 Sam. 7; Psa. 89; Mt. 19:28; Acts 1:6-8; Acts 3:19; Rom. 11, and many more). So strongly are these texts in favor of a literal restoration of the land and throne promises to ethnic Israel that even some non-premills like Vern Poythress and Anthony Hoekema have been forced to acknowledge such a future for Israel. And not to see that Paul is speaking of ethnic Israel in Romans 9-11 (which he calls Israel “my kinsmen according to the flesh” (9:2) to whom God gave “the covenants” and “Promises” (9:4) is a bold act of exegetical blindness. And it is this same “Israel” in this same passage of which Paul says they will be “grafted into their own olive tree” (11:24) because “the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable” (11:29). Ironic as it may seem, a fundamental problem with reformed amillennialism is that it does not believe in unconditional election–at least not for Israel! As for the clear literal truth that Jesus will literally come again with his literal twelve disciples who sit on twelve literal thrones and reign over the literal “twelve tribes of Israel” (Mt. 19:28), the best Gregg can offer is “the suggestions” that “this is not the only way in which Matt. 19:28 can be interpreted.” Of course, it isn’t; there is the spiritualistic way Gregg interprets it as “a present reality.” But this is certainly not the result of the historical grammatical hermeneutic preterists profess to accept. Nor is his contention that Jesus “unambiguously” established His kingdom at His first coming, as any literal understanding of numerous passages reveals (see Matt. 19:28; Acts 1:6-8; 3:19-21; Rom. 11:11-36). For an example of straining out a hermeneutical gnat and swallowing a doctrinal camel, Gregg declares of Revelation 20 that “the passage says ‘a thousand years.’ It does not say, ‘a literal thousand years.’” The passage also says “the Devil” (v. 2) and not “a literal Devil,” but does this give us warrant for denying a literal Devil. It also speaks of “nations” (v. 3), martyrs (v. 4), “heaven” (v. 1), and even “Jesus” (v. 4). But surely all these are literal. Sure, there are figures of speech used in the text like “key” (v. 1), but the literal method of interpretation has always allowed for figures of speech about literal realities (see ibid., chap. 13). It simply insists that the figures of speech and symbols are about literal realities (cf. Rev. 1:20)

Nineteenth, when confronted with the obviously literal land promises to Abraham’s descendants (Gen. 13-15), Gregg replies, “I don’t find the word ‘literal’ in any of the passages cited.” Yet, he later says these literal promises were literally fulfilled in the days of Joshua–something that could not be true since they are repeated after Joshua’s time (Jer. 11:5; Amos 9:14-15; Acts 1:6-8; Acts 3:19-21; Rom. 11). As for insisting on the use of the word “literal” to determine whether a passage is literal, I would suggest that he look at the death and resurrection of Jesus passages again. The last time I looked the word “literal” was not in the resurrection accounts. Nor do I find it in Genesis 1-3. But there again, consistency of hermeneutic is not a primary characteristic of the preterist position. Further, it is far from “clear” that Heb. 4 or Gal. 4 teaches there is no ethnic fulfillment of the ethnic promises to Israel. On the contrary, it is a denial of both God’s unconditional grace and of the historical-grammatical interpretation of numerous passages already mentioned. Just because Abraham has a spiritual seed does not mean there are no promises for his ethnic offspring.

Twentieth, as to the promise that the land promises to Israel would be “forever,” Gregg says two things: 1) The Hebrew word for “forever” (olam) does not always mean eternal. While this is true, it is also true that it can. And when it does not, it certainly means a long period of time. But Israel has never occupied all the land designated in these promises for a long period of time. As all good interpreters know, the meaning of a word is discovered by its context. And the context of Psalm 89:37 declares that the Davidic covenant will be “established forever like the moon.” And the last time I looked the moon was still in the sky! 2) Greggs wrongly assumes God’s promises to Abraham and David were conditional, but they clearly were not. Abraham was not even conscious when God made a unilateral unconditional promise to him (in Gen. 15:12), and Psalm 89:31-36 declares that even “if they break my statutes,” God promised “Nevertheless My loving kindness I will not utterly take from him, nor allow My faithfulness to fail. My covenant I will not break, Nor alter the word that has gone out of My lips. Once I have sworn by My holiness; I will not lie to David: His seed will endure forever, and his throne as the sun before me.” As Paul said of this same God, “If we are faithless, He remains faithful; He cannot deny Himself” (2 Tim. 2:13). God has not given them back the land yet, but will in the future when the remnant returns to Him (e.g., see Gen. 13:17 and Deut. 30:16-20).

In brief, Gregg’s attempt to rescue the partial preterist position he shares with Hank Hanegraaff is a failure. It rests upon a methodologically unorthodox way of interpreting Scripture. If this same method were used on the Gospel narratives of the resurrection of Christ, the preterist would also be theologically unorthodox. Thus, while partial preterism itself is not heretical, its hermeneutic is unorthodox, and if applied consistently, would lead to heresy, as indeed it does in full preterism.

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Is the war of Psalm 83 and a enlarged Israel imminent as in the book “Isralestine”?
One of the great mysteries for those who study Bible prophecy is the timing of the wars mentioned in Psalm 83 and the war described in Ezekiel chapters 38 and 39. They are obviously different wars but which war occurs first and when? Are they pretribulational wars or tribulation wars? How can Israel be living in peace and security prior to the Ezekiel war as the prophecy clearly indicates? That is the ongoing debate.

Bill Salus in his book “Isralestine” offers a solution but the thesis is very difficult to accept in light of real world realities but that does not mean the thesis he offers based on his selection and interpretation of certain scriptures is wrong. I have had a very difficult time reconciling the issues in his book and think that you really need to read the book and judge the merit of this hypothesis for yourselves and not just rely on my review.

The thesis of the book is that the war of Psalm 83 is imminent. It occurs before the tribulation. The war brings about the defeat of the Arab nations and it allows a very large territorial expansion of Israel into the Arab states by conquest. After the war of Psalm 83 the greatly expanded Israel then lives in peace and security until the war of Ezekiel chapters 38 and 39 where Gog (Russia) comes against Israel with Iran and other allies. At that time God intervenes for Israel and Israel expands to the entire land area promised to Abraham. Bill Salus also believes the Ezekiel war is before the “Day of the Lord” and that the rapture could be before or after the war of Psalm 83 but will be before the “Day of the Lord”.

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It is nice to see Todd Strandberg and Terry James Rapture Ready website make the national media again. All the exposure helps to get the message out about Bible prophecy and that we are very near the prophetic end times on earth. If you have not visited the site I highly recommend it. For years RaptureReady has been the top Bible prophecy website in the world and I still very much appreciate the link they have up to my website.

Rapture: Distress about wars and the world economy feed apocalyptic warnings – Salt Lake Tribune

Strandberg, founder and editor of raptureready.com, the largest Christian prophecy site on the Internet, spends his days linking current events with biblical passages. He created a Rapture Index, modeled after the Dow Jones Industrial Average, which consists of 45 categories of prophetic indicators from the occult to inflation and the crime rate. Each is assigned a value of one to five depending on the level of activity in that category. The numbers are adjusted weekly, and the higher the number, the faster the world is moving toward its end. Just before the time known as the Great Tribulation, some believe there will be a “Rapture,” where Christ takes the righteous to heaven without their tasting death.
In recent weeks, traffic on Rapture Ready site spiked to 50,000 hits a day.

In his 22 years working on Rapture Ready, Strandberg has seen an “avalanche” of anti-Christ suggestions, including Tony Blair and Bill Clinton. Obama doesn’t fit the bill, he says, but he could be a type of “anti-Christ,” which simply means too many people see him as a replacement for Jesus.
Still, Strandberg believes the end is at hand and Jesus’ Second Coming will surprise everyone, coming as “a thief in the night,” according to the Bible, but close observers will at least know “the season.”
He points to tensions between Israel and Iran, Russia’s invasion of Georgia, and the possibility of global depression as some of the top indicators.
“We are one big event from triggering a cascade that will not stop,” he says. “There are so many indicators that are active. It’s like an overhang of snow on a mountain top. Cracks are forming on the ridge and once the ridge breaks free, it will tumble down the mountain and nothing can stop it.”

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The bailouts may bring us one step closer to the one world Beast economic system but there are some things said in this article that quite frankly make unfounded innuendos about people in our government and in the financial management of our money that are just not appropriate.

The article seems to paint that since the great depression we have been control by a worldwide conspiracy that is deliberately leading us to the Mark of the Beast system. There is no such conspiracy there is no such evil cabal of men. What is happening is the inevitable results of man’s mismanagement of the world’s economic systems. Man is designed to organize and manage things on the earth and anywhere you have civilization management is going to take place. Otherwise you have anarchy.

Because of the lust of the eyes, the lust of the flesh, and the pride of life one thing man does always leads to another. He overspends and goes into debt (the borrower will be the slave of the lender) so he becomes enslaved by the lenders through his own debt to them. The lenders are people of the same nature and they do the same thing and end up being the slaves of those with more money etc., soon everyone is owing more than they can pay and the debts have to wiped clean or the whole system collapses. That is where the U.S. is at now.

God had a way to deal with that weakness in man in the law. There was a Jubilee every fifty years where everyone’s debts were wiped out and they were to start afresh. We of course do not do what God instructed Israel to do in the law so we just keep piling up debt until the system has to collapse. When the latest modern collapse of the monetary system takes place the world elite will not want to make the same mistakes again so they will create the best system they can with the tools that they have available. In the future that means RFID tags, embedded chips and a secure worldwide economic system.

it is not really a sinister conspiracy plot as some try to sell. If man could actually manage his own sin on earth he would not need bailing out by a Savior. In addition, as long as the Church is here to be salt and light things on earth may get bad but they are not going to get totally out of control. It is only after the restrainer is taken out of the way and Satan is cast out of Heaven that the Beast system takes control of the inevitable world electronic economic system. Before Satan and his angels are cast out of heaven there are no restrictions on taking part in any of this. The electronic system only becomes sinister after the angels are cast out unto the earth and force people to take the mark and worship the Beast in order to buy or sell. Only when Satan has control of the whole earth does world electronic banking fulfill Bible prophecy.

Let’s not put the cart before the horse here and think that Satan actually can do anything he wants now, he cannot. He answers to God and only in the last 42 months does God give Satan free reign on earth in order for him to deceive those who would not have Jesus rule over them.

This article also jumps to the conclusion that Americans have lost control of their destiny. Did we ever have control of our own destiny? Not only that, the U.S. is only one nation on the earth. Believe it or not, everything is not about America.

America + decline does not = end of world, as some like to think.

America is not in Bible prophecy and that most likely is because America is not a major factor in the world during end time events. Nations have risen and fallen in the past and the Beast never rose to power because of it. Will the Beast come to power now because of U.S. economic troubles? If he does it will not be because America falls but because true Christian’s rise (Rapture) and Satan falls (to the earth).

There simply is something missing in the logic of those who love these ongoing conspiracy themes. I know saying that will not be popular with those who see demonic cabals everywhere, or the end of the world every Feast of Trumpets. The truth is that the Rapture is not likely to occur on the Feast of Trumpets this year and it probably will not come on the next or the next. The Rapture does not have to occur on the Feast of Trumpets at all despite all the Internet speculations. The Church is not Israel.

Events will go on until the time set by the Father and some Christians just need to get used to that fact and stop looking for some magic formula so they can scare their friends with their new found revelations. They need to stop blaming all the inevitable problems caused by man as proof text that the end will be here in 2012.

It is always getting closer to the end but there is no conspiracy of demon possessed men running the earth. They could not get along with each other if there were. We cannot even get the Pastors and deacons of our churches on the same page and we are led by the Holy Spirit. How in the world then does Satan get his possessed and his also possessed to see eye to eye on anything?

Then you wonder why some Christians get upset with those who spend all their time trying to figure out the timing of the Rapture and the second coming instead of using their gifts for the Church and working to get people saved? In my experience half the people coming up with these dates and theories do not even attend a local church.

Don’t get me wrong, I teach Bible prophecy and I think the Lord is coming in the lifetime of most of the people reading this article but much of what is being said lately in the name of Bible prophecy really are pagan theories with Bible terminology. I guess I am now in big trouble with some of you. Please spare me the email because when I do not see things your way you send me insults. I really do have better things to waste my time on. I get a little tired of unsolicited emails from those who just have to get me to agree with their conspiracies or agree that they know the day or dates of the Rapture or second coming. Almost always after a half dozen exchanges the only thing accomplished is wasted time.

But I digress, what the big bailout means is that most of us are too greedy and we spend far more than we have and we are so far in debt that we can never pay it back. We buy houses we cannot afford betting on them to rise in value ten percent a year and we expect our mutual fund managers to keep giving us ten percent returns on our investment when they can only safely give us five. We knew that they were gambling with our investments but we thought that everything keeps going up and that they were too smart to lose. Well, they did lose, and there will be a bailout by us or there will be a depression. There also will be more bailouts by us until the world decides it does not want to bail out America anymore. When that happen we are going to lose more than you can imagine.

That is really what all the bailouts mean. It is not some dark conspiracy by satanic bankers to take over the world it is our own enslavement to debt!

What the big bailout means

Do you think it’s an accident?

Do you think it’s just a case of bad management?

Do you think the proposed $700 billion taxpayer bailout of U.S. financial institutions just happened?

I don’t think so.

In fact, I think it’s part of a master plan – one pushing us inevitably, inexorably closer to a closed cashless global economic system of total control.

I know. This seems like an extreme statement. It sounds like I’ve drunk deep of the conspiracy Kool-Aid. But let’s take a look at history.

Americans have lost control of their own destiny. Elections don’t mean much. Congressional debates are illusory. We are on a path to tyranny. Neither Barack Obama nor John McCain is going to stop it. Neither a Republican Congress nor a Democratic Congress is likely to slow it down.

Most Americans seem ill-equipped to understand what’s happening or to comprehend the forces at work behind it. They seem more concerned with their basic needs and material pleasures than the fact that they are losing their birthright of self-government and individual freedom – that their children will never experience the promises of the Constitution.

What just happened? To simplify it, the government just got a lot bigger and more powerful, which means another nail was just hammered into the coffin of American liberty. And, in one of the largest wealth transfer schemes in history, a few wealthy and powerful individuals just got wealthier and more powerful – at your expense.

But this is not the end. This is not the final fix. This is not the final solution – not by a long shot. There will be more consolidations of power and money. There will be more “reforms.” There will be more regulations, more restrictions on the way you conduct your affairs, more centralization and control.

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