Biblical Typology and Time Travel
(Part 1) - Gary Stearman
Archetypes are impossible unless their ultimate fulfillment is already an
accomplished fact. Like no other book ever written, the Bible declares authority
over time and space. It opens with a dramatic beginning, in which God creates
the heavens and the earth. It closes with a renewed heavens and earth. But far
more important than either of these two historical data points, is its open
declaration of the events that lead from the first state of the universe to the
last. Some of these events are given by direct prophecy.
The Spirit of the Lord moves Moses and the later prophets, as well as the New
Testament Apostles, to present the future as though it has already taken place.
For the faithful, it is uncritically accepted with the assurance that it will
come to pass as written. The very existence of prophecy tells us that the Lord
has already seen what, for us, is invisible. But anyone who has attempted to
study it knows that its various revelations are interwoven with a complexity
that requires much study. To harmonize individual prophecies isn’t always
possible. But the prophecies are there, and it is an article of faith that they
will be fulfilled.
Other accounts of the future are given by inference. They are seen in historical
archetypes. The old saying that, "history repeats itself" is nowhere clearer
than in the biblical types that manifest themselves in proclamations of later –
and greater – demonstrations of the Lord’s authority over the events of history.
Earlier in this series, we mentioned one prominent archetype. It took place in
the life of Abraham when, in Genesis 14, we see the land of Canaan being invaded
by four kings. Abraham’s nephew, Lot, had chosen the favorable environment of
Sodom as his residence. Now, a coalition of four Gentile kings had come to
invade this lush land.
The first of these kings was Amraphel, king of Shinar. He represents Babylon.
With him, was Chedorlaomer, king of Elam. This king characterizes the land of
Persia. After him, we find Arioch, king of Ellasar. He is the progenitor of the
Grecian kings. Finally, we come to Tidal, king of nations. Jewish sages flatly
state that "Tidal is Rome."
Here, nineteen centuries before Christ, and thirteen centuries before the
prophecy of Daniel, we find the distinct foreshadowing of four Gentile world
powers mentioned by Daniel: Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece and Rome.
The times of the Gentiles are well defined by Daniel, being mentioned as the
primary driving force of world history. The four invading kings, therefore,
become the archetype of future history. The fact that their typology is so
apparent makes it quite plain that from God’s point of view, history is not so
much a line as an expanding set of rings that enlarge upon an originating idea.
Like waves that emanate from a central point, ideas that begin in the mind of
God intersect our physical dimension, producing repetitive designs,
prefigurations, interactions, causes and effects. For Him, they are all
happening at the same "time." For us, they are past and future manifestations of
remarkably similar concepts. Yet, history is His idea, and it is developed
around the concepts of redemption and restoration.
Think of history as a 3-D hologram whose parts all exist simultaneously as
intersecting patterns. The hologram contains the entire picture, but only one
aspect of it can be viewed at any given time. Bible themes and forms are given
for the edification of humanity. They are deliberately limited to perspectives
that emphasize qualities needed for human spiritual development. Only the Lord
of time and space can simultaneously view every aspect of the picture.
Isaac, a Window Into the Future
On the subject of "theme," the life of Abraham, features a key word: "promise."
The Lord promised him descendants beyond number – children, both physical and
spiritual. Yet, even in his old age, he and Sarah had not conceived even the
first heir. The promised child seemed an impossibility. Once, when the Lord
appeared to him, Abraham asked whether the promise had been forgotten. At one
point, he even suggested that his household steward Eliezer might become his
heir. The Lord’s answer was certain:
"And, behold, the word of the LORD came unto him, saying, This shall not be
thine heir; but he that shall come forth out of thine own bowels shall be thine
heir.
"And he brought him forth abroad, and said, Look now toward heaven, and tell the
stars, if thou be able to number them: and he said unto him, So shall thy seed
be" (Genesis 15:4,5).
A bit later, in Genesis 17:19, the promised heir is divinely named, far in
advance of his birth:
"And God said, Sarah thy wife shall bear thee a son indeed; and thou shalt call
his name Isaac: and I will establish my covenant with him for an everlasting
covenant, and with his seed after him."
Isaac, a superb type of Christ, is forever linked to the covenant of promise. At
the same time he is given the curious name, "Isaac," meaning "he will laugh."
Scripture tells us that his name came in response to Sarah’s ironic laughter at
the suggestion that she … at her advanced age … could actually bear a child.
But laughter is a great metaphor. Here, it reflects the joy at overcoming the
seeming impossibility of this world’s tribulations. Isaac represents the joyous
victory that humanity will experience, when the elements of promise are finally
realized. As in Psalm 2:4, the Lord shall laugh at His enemies:
"He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh: the Lord shall have them in
derision."
Jesus, Himself, expressed this promise in one of His first messages:
"Blessed are ye that hunger now: for ye shall be filled. Blessed are ye that
weep now: for ye shall laugh" (Luke 6:21).
Jesus was also divinely named in advance of His birth, as the angel Gabriel told
Mary, "And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and
shalt call his name JESUS" (Luke 1:31).
Like Joseph, Jesus – "salvation" – is a child of promise. Both are named before
birth, and both are linked through the promise of redemption.
Their births are similar in another way. Namely, they are both miraculous. Sarah
was barren. More than that, her advanced age placed her well beyond the normal
hope of motherhood. Yet she bore Abraham a son … "in his old age, at the set
time of which God had spoken to him" (Genesis 21:2). The time and place of his
birth were foreordained.
This miracle foreshadowed the miraculous virgin birth of Jesus, which also came
at a precise historical moment. The promise begun in Abraham and Isaac, was
completed in Jesus, who in John 3:16, is called the only begotten son:
"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever
believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life."
Isaac, too, was called an only son. He foreshadowed even this aspect of Christ’s
life, when the Lord told his father to offer him as a sacrifice. "And he said,
Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest, and get thee into the
land of Moriah; and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the
mountains which I will tell thee of" (Genesis 22:2).
Isaac points the way to the final fulfillment of the Lord’s promise. His life is
an expression of the Lord’s plan. Like notes in a musical score, he brings depth
and harmony to the reality of the life to be lived by Jesus.
Many have pointed out the similarities in their lives. Isaac was mocked by those
of his own household. In a much more open way, Jesus was mocked by His brethren.
Both were considered an acceptable sacrifice. The Lord commanded Abraham to
sacrifice Isaac, clearly making it known that He would be satisfied with this
supreme act. Jesus, born without sin, and never having broken the Law of Moses,
was deemed ultimately acceptable.
Isaac carried the wood of the burnt offering to the place of his own sacrifice.
In this way, he pointed to Christ, who carried His own cross. Both men went
willingly to the place of their sacrifice.
On the third day, Christ arose from the dead. Similarly … "on the third day
Abraham lifted up his eyes, and saw the place afar off" (Genesis 22:4). On that
symbolic third day, Abraham and Isaac arrived at the place of sacrifice. In the
ensuing events, Isaac was placed upon the altar, but was spared when the angel
of the Lord stayed Abraham’s hand.
Then, the Lord provided a ram for the sacrifice, and Isaac arose from the altar,
as one risen from the dead, saved by the substitutionary atonement provided by
the Lord. He prefigured the resurrection of Jesus.
Both Isaac and Jesus were "forsaken" by their fathers. It is the natural thing
for a father to give his own life for his son. However, it is quite contrary to
the natural order for fathers to deliberately lead their sons to the place of
death. Abraham obediently took Isaac to certain death. God the Father led His
own Son along the same path. But both sons were brought back from certain death.
Isaac’s heart must have jumped for joy. On his way back from the place of
sacrifice, he and Abraham must have excitedly shared their mountaintop
experience. No doubt, their conversation was spiced with the laughter of
rejoicing. Isaac’s laughter prefigured Jesus’ great victory over the dark forces
of this world.
The metaphoric relationship between Isaac and Jesus is truly marvelous. The
laughter of victory precedes the victory, itself. In terms of the historical
timeline, it may be said that Christ’s victory was considered as having been
fully realized – nineteen centuries before it was accomplished at the Cross.
Here, the pattern is laid out from the beginning, fully accomplished in the
vaults of eternity, but laid out in successive stages in our world of time.
Resonances and harmonies along the timeline produce the grand Messianic designs
that we perceive only in part … only in time. But biblical typology is time
travel in its purest sense. Archetypes are impossible unless their ultimate
fulfillment is already an accomplished fact.
It is quite beyond human understanding that the Lord holds men responsible for
lives whose details are worked out in accordance with a future plan. Yet that is
exactly what He does. And when we think about it, men’s daily lives are shaped
minute by minute in the vibrations of a future that lies beyond their vision.
Biblical Typology and Time Travel
(Part 2) - Gary Stearman
Joseph, Deliverer from Tribulation
How is it possible that a human life can foreshadow another life that hasn’t yet
been lived? That is, the key events of the first life are expressly aimed at
emphasizing an important future existence. Not only that, the former is lived as
a proof that God’s will is displayed in the latter. At first, this question
might be shrugged off as unworthy of consideration … plainly an impossibility.
How can two lives, perhaps separated by millennia, be somehow connected outside
what we perceive as a timeline? But in fact, this question is intimately
connected with the entire biblical narrative.
As seen in the life of Abraham, times and seasons are laid out in advance of
their actual fulfillment. This could not happen unless someone – the Lord – were
acting as a directive force, from outside this dimension. Without a doubt, He is
sovereign in weaving the fabric of our existence. Its patterns express His
thoughts, as He carefully applies the elements necessary to accomplish the
redemption and restoration of our broken universe.
Like the designs on a quilt, the patterns are recognizably repetitive.
Sometimes, the designs are recognizable at the human level. At other times, we
suspect that there are underlying links, but we can only dimly perceive them.
The life of Joseph offers us a very good example of this kind of phenomenon.
Over the years, many students of Scripture have pointed out the ways in which he
is a type of Christ. Many of them are blatantly obvious. But the longer one
looks, the more complex the connections become. At last, one must concede that
there are probably many more connections than we can possibly grasp.
Beloved of his father, Joseph was the youngest son of Jacob … the son of his old
age. Jacob, called Israel, showed his special love for Joseph by presenting him
with the famous, "coat of many colors." This garment – variously translated as a
"fine woolen tunic," or "a tunic with sleeves," or "a long tunic reaching to the
feet" – set him apart as favored and elevated above his brothers. Like Christ,
he was placed above his brethren. Joseph saw their jealousy turn to a seething
hatred.
No doubt, their fervent envy passed the boiling point when, later, he had a pair
of prophetic dreams that pictured him as sovereign over them. First, in a dream
of harvest time, their sheaves of grain bowed before his. But his second dream
went far beyond the first:
"And he dreamed yet another dream, and told it his brethren, and said, Behold, I
have dreamed a dream more; and, behold, the sun and the moon and the eleven
stars made obeisance to me.
"And he told it to his father, and to his brethren: and his father rebuked him,
and said unto him, What is this dream that thou hast dreamed? Shall I and thy
mother and thy brethren indeed come to bow down ourselves to thee to the earth?
"And his brethren envied him; but his father observed the saying" (Gen.
37:9-11).
The implications of this dream reach all the way to Revelation 12. Here, we find
a famous metaphoric description in which a woman, clothed with the sun and
standing upon the moon, has a crown of twelve stars upon her head. She
symbolizes Israel, and her crown of stars is the fulfillment of Joseph’s dream.
In the lives of Joseph and his brothers, we see Israel at its earliest
beginnings. In Revelation, we are allowed to observe Israel during its
Kingdom-Age birthpangs. Joseph’s prophecy sets the stage for his exemplary
symbolic life.
First, the fact that he was hated by his tribal brethren is, in itself, greatly
suggestive of Christ, who was despised by his intimate acquaintances in Galilee,
then later, religious authorities and the overlords of Rome. As the prophet
Isaiah put it, the Messiah was thoroughly discarded:
"He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with
grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we
esteemed him not" (Isaiah 53:3).
From the beginning, Joseph marked out the essential aspects of the life of
Jesus. His mother, Rachel, was barren. Unable to bear children, she was
desperate, even to the point of suggesting to Jacob that her handmaid might bear
children for her.
But in a miraculous reversal, the Lord remembered her plight and made it
possible for her to bear children, the first of whom was Joseph. Thus, like
Christ, his life begins with a miraculous birth.
As we have seen, Joseph was inordinately and unconditionally loved by his
father. Jesus was also beloved of His Father in heaven. In Matthew 3:17, we read
the famous words that accompanied His baptism:
"And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well
pleased."
Joseph was set apart by a special garment. As we have seen, the physical details
of his mysterious garment are unclear. What is clear is that the garment gave
him special status. Like Christ, he was separated – set apart:
"But this man, because he continueth ever, hath an unchangeable priesthood.
"Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by
him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them.
"For such an high priest became us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate
from sinners, and made higher than the heavens" (Hebrews 7: 24-26).
He declared that he would rule over His brethren. In His public ministry, Jesus
also announced that He would be King. Both men were met with envy, anger and
opposition. Both were hated, and unjustly convicted of crimes they did not
commit. Joseph was accused of seducing the wife of an Egyptian official. He was
thrown into prison. Jesus was accused of blasphemy for claiming that He was God.
Rome explicitly proclaimed His crime:
"And Pilate wrote a title, and put it on the cross. And the writing was, JESUS
OF NAZARETH THE KING OF THE JEWS" (John 19:19).
Joseph was sent to his brethren by his father, Jacob. When he found them, they
cruelly sold him into slavery. Jesus was sent to the lost sheep of the house of
Israel … and rejected.
In the end, however, Joseph was freed from prison. His close relationship with
the Spirit of the living God was recognized even by the idolatrous Egyptians. In
a stunning reversal, he was elevated to a position of rulership second only to
Pharaoh. From our perspective, we know that he was divinely placed in this
position to save his brothers. Like Jesus, he was unrecognized for a time. But
then, he revealed himself to them. In the end, he saved his people.
Like Jesus, whose salvation reached beyond the House of David, Joseph even took
a Gentile bride. Amazingly, he did so in his thirtieth year:
"And Pharaoh called Joseph’s name Zaphnathpaaneah; and he gave him to wife
Asenath the daughter of Potipherah priest of On. And Joseph went out over all
the land of Egypt.
"And Joseph was thirty years old when he stood before Pharaoh king of Egypt. And
Joseph went out from the presence of Pharaoh, and went throughout all the land
of Egypt" (Genesis 41:45,46).
Joseph’s Gentile name, Zaphnath-paaneah, roughly translates to "revealer of
secrets." His wife’s name – Asenath – means, "she who is of Neith." That is, she
was dedicated to the Egyptian goddess Neith, who corresponds to the Roman
Minerva, goddess of wisdom and patroness of the arts and business. She is
similar to the Greek Athene, wearing a helmet and displaying a staunch and
militaristic pose. To this day, female statues in martial apparel often appear
in prominent places among the capitals of the world.
Joseph’s bride thus bears a remarkable similarity to Western Gentile
civilization. She is a remarkable symbol of the Christianized West in the Age of
Grace.
After Joseph had obtained his bride, his father Jacob, and his brethren suffered
under a great famine. They came to him for grain during their time of trouble.
In the future, there will be another time of "Jacob’s trouble," when Israel will
turn to their true Messiah for deliverance. This event resonates with that final
time of trouble.
Joseph’s brethren came to him twice. On their first trip, they didn’t recognize
him, even though he stood directly before them. They returned home, but the
famine persisted, forcing them to return. On their second trip, Joseph revealed
himself to them. Likewise, in Jesus’ first appearance to His brethren, He was
not recognized. In His Second Coming, He will reveal Himself to them. Every eye
shall see Him:
"And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and
upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves
roaring;
"Men’s hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which
are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken.
"And then shall they see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great
glory" (Luke 21:25-27).
In their time of Great Tribulation, Jesus will reveal Himself. At last, like
Joseph’s brethren, national Israel will know that they are not forsaken. Jesus’
love for them will at last be revealed.
The remarkable foreshadowing of Christ’s life by Joseph tells us that God is
sovereign in history. His way of accomplishing the goals of passing time is
exhibited in the halls of heaven. Joseph will be an everlasting display of His
purity and power.
Biblical Typology and Time Travel (Part 3) - Gary Stearman
Another Egyptian Crisis
The lives of Isaac and Joseph represent personal archetypes. But there are also
archetypes that spring from historical events. They resound through history,
bringing familiar themes that cause men to remember the glory of the Lord.
Perhaps the most sweeping example of this sort of historical archetype is the
Exodus. Significantly, it also involves Egypt, which typifies the world system
at large.
About two centuries after the life of Joseph, the Israelites found themselves in
trouble once again, this time as slaves under a despotic Pharaoh. In Exodus
13:3, Moses commanded his people never to forget the great day of their
liberation.
"And Moses said unto the people, Remember this day, in which ye came out from
Egypt, out of the house of bondage; for by strength of hand the LORD brought you
out from this place: there shall no leavened bread be eaten" (Exodus 13:3).
This day, forever after commemorated on the fourteenth day of Nisan, is
Passover, when the angel of death recognized the blood on the doorposts and
lintels of the Israelites. He passed over their homes, sparing them the awful
curse meted out upon the Egyptians. The firstborn of every Egyptian home would
be slain.
This was the tenth – and worst – of ten plagues afflicted upon the Egyptians.
The hardness of Pharaoh’s heart had brought on every one of these torments, as
he refused to allow the Israelites to leave Egypt. They had begun when Moses and
Aaron had stood before him with a clear request:
"And afterward Moses and Aaron went in, and told Pharaoh, Thus saith the LORD
God of Israel, Let my people go, that they may hold a feast unto me in the
wilderness" (Exodus 5:1).
What was that feast? It was to be Passover, the feast of freedom. But only after
Pharaoh’s repeated refusals did this feast become a living reality. First, the
Egyptian waters were turned to blood. Then came successive plagues of frogs,
lice, flies, cattle disease, boils, fiery hail, locusts, and supernatural
darkness. These nine plagues had failed to soften the heart of Pharaoh. Moses
warned him that one final plague would come. The angel of death would visit
every Egyptian household.
Egypt’s power was negated by the blood of the Passover lamb. Moses commanded the
elders of Israel to slaughter lambs in the evening. Their blood was to be used
like paint around their doors. Then, they were to roast the lambs and eat them
quickly with unleavened bread. With the expectancy of their imminent departure
from captivity, the Israelites set a precedent that has resounded through the
ages.
Of course, the bloodsoaked wooden doorposts and lintels were types of the Cross
of Christ. He, Himself is the "… Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the
world" (John 1:29).
He is also the unleavened bread of the festival. Quite simply, He is the Bread
of Life. During His public ministry, He once delivered this message in such
openly manifest terms that the people turned away in stunned unbelief:
"Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except ye eat the
flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you.
"Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will
raise him up at the last day.
"For my flesh is meat indeed, and my blood is drink indeed.
"He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, dwelleth in me, and I in him.
"As the living Father hath sent me, and I live by the Father: so he that eateth
me, even he shall live by me.
"This is that bread which came down from heaven: not as your fathers did eat
manna, and are dead: he that eateth of this bread shall live for ever" (John
6:53-58).
To them, such talk sounded cannibalistic. They failed to understand the import
of his words. "Manna" is a Hebrew term meaning, "What is it?" He told them what
it was, but they were not given spiritual ears to hear and eyes to see that He
was the Passover. The manna was a type of Christ. He pointed to Himself as the
only way to the freedom for which they so desperately searched.
Globalism:
Preparation for The Antichrist
(part 1) - by Thomas Ice
No matter how the problems of today are defined, increasingly the world
believes that the only viable solutions are of a global nature. Everywhere
we turn, globalism is being talked about and touted as the only answer to
mankind’s problems. I agree wholeheartedly with Dr. LaHaye’s recent
comment that "Two of the signs all pre-trib prophecy scholars most watch
for are Israel and global government." No doubt that Israel is God’s super
sign of the end-times. And in concert with Israel’s recent rise is the
development of a global consciousness for the first time since the Tower
of Babel.
In a recent article I wrote on "Signs of The Times and Prophetic
Fulfillment," I noted that we appear to be at the end of the church age
because God is currently setting the stage for the next phase of history,
known as the Tribulation. I said, "we can see that already God is
preparing or setting the stage of the world in which the great drama of
the tribulation will unfold. In this way this future time casts shadows of
expectation in our own day so that current events provide discernable
signs of the times."
Global Stage Setting
I recall in the early 1970s, when I first starting learning about Bible
prophecy, it was common for some to cite a few events evident in our day
of the move toward global governance. Today there are so many things
happening in virtually every area of life that it is enough to make one’s
head spin. Yet, there seems to be a decreasing interest by Christians in
this obvious trend.
There is a rash of events that are currently in the news about those who
are gathering to consider a global agenda. For example, September 6-8,
2000 was to see the U. N. Millennium Summit, "billed as the largest-ever
gathering of world leaders" in New York City which is expected to draw a
record 150 heads of state and government. Louise Frechette of Canada, the
deputy secretary-general of the United Nations and spokesman for this U.
N. planned event said, the summit should "give a sense of direction to the
organization from which its work should then flow." What work? Why the
work toward globalism, of course. Secretary-General of the U. N., Kofi
Annan, has "called for benevolent globalization in the 21st century to
insure that the information revolution does not leave billions of people
behind in poverty." The Secretary-General "asked world leaders to commit
themselves to a number of targets by 2015." "But still under debate are
proposals that would highlight human rights over national sovereignty or
strongly assert the right of non-interference in domestic affairs."
Interspersed throughout the summit will be dozens of "mini-summits"
designed to reach consensus on various issues.
Events like the U. N. Millennium Summit are occurring with greater
frequency and are increasingly taken more seriously. Clearly the world is
on a path to global rule. It is not a matter of "if," but only a matter of
"when." The Clinton administration has recently committed the United
States to participation in a global court. Such a move, without the
required Congressional approval, is just one more step toward the
compromise of U. S. sovereignty and a global rule. It appears that
globalists are working overtime in an attempt to somehow implement a
global tax upon the citizens of the world so that the U. N. can have an
increased revenue source and gain jurisdiction over citizens of the world
in what would be a major step toward global governance. Globalism is
coming, faster than most may realize.
We see the urge for globalism in at least the following areas: government,
economics, religion, the environment, military, commerce and trade,
manufacturing, banking, business, population control, education,
management, publishing, entertainment, personal health and well-being,
wealth redistribution, agriculture, law, science, medicine, sports,
travel, music, electronics, the internet and information availability, and
so many more areas. With each day that passes, the mantra of our day is
the famous statement of Los Angeles citizen, Rodney King, when he said,
"Why can’t we all just get along?" Well, what’s wrong with globalism?
Globalism: Preparation
for The Antichrist (Part 2) - by Thomas Ice
Is Globalism Unbiblical?
The only global government authorized by God and His Word will be when Jesus
Christ returns to planet earth at the second advent and rules the world with a
rod of iron from Jerusalem. All other global government, no matter how
"benevolent" its intention, is frowned upon by Scripture. Yet, the Bible teaches
that God will allow evil to form a global government for three and one-half
years during the second half of the tribulation for the purpose of our Lord’s
global judgment just prior to the second coming of Christ and the establishment
of His global rule for 1,000 years upon earth. Thus, current moves toward
globalism are preparation for antichrist, not for Jesus Christ, and should be
opposed by Bible-believing Christians.
Most Christians have at least some vague familiarity with the Tower of Babel
incident shortly after the Flood, which lead to the splintering of the human
race into factions. The traditional understanding of this story (Gen. 10:8-14,
31-31; 11:1-9) indicates that the erection of the Tower corresponds with
Nimrod’s beginning of the kingdom of man at Babel (Gen. 10:10). Thus, Nimrod is
seen as the father of the kingdom of man as a vehicle of rebellion against God
and His kingdom. It is at this point God judged the first United Nations
building, confounded the single human language into many, and established the
Divine Institution of "tribal diversity" to promote social stability.
What is tribal diversity and how has God used this to promote social stability?
Tribal diversity is when God divided the human race into diverse tribal units so
that mankind would not be inclined toward unity. Due to the fall of Adam into
sin, all descendants of Adam have a sin nature. This means that socially, man
wants to unite in his rebellion against God. Such unity was displayed before the
flood and led to the global flood. God promised not to destroy humanity by a
flood again. At the end of history He will use fire. In the interim, God keeps
the human race from self-annihilation through the restraint of civil government
and tribal diversity. Charles Clough says, "In Genesis 9:25-27 an outline of
postdiluvian history is revealed which centers upon the three sons of Noah—Ham,
Shem, and Japheth. Further subdivisions are indicated in Genesis 10—11 and
Deuteronomy 32:8. "Throughout the postdiluvian period, then," explains Clough,
"God preserved man’s social stability and health by playing off one group or
tribe against another to maximize true progress and retard the influence of evil
(cf. Acts 17:26-27)." Since the flood, God has used tribal diversity as an
instrument to pit one people group against another, so that when one society
becomes entirely pagan, He can judge or restrain its evil influence through
another people. Thus, like compartments in the hull of a ship, damage to one
compartment will no sink the entire ship. This is what God uses to restrain
global government until the tribulation comes when, through the leadership of
the antichrist, mankind will overcome this restraint, resulting in a second
global judgment at Christ’s return. The day in which we live, appears to be on
the threshold of smashing God’s institutions for the supposed higher goal of
erecting a new Babel.
Modern globalism was first put forth by Dante in the fourteenth century in order
to counter the all-encompassing stranglehold of the Roman Catholic Church.
Immanuel Kant developed globalism as a philosophical idea half a millennium
later. The military turmoil of the last two hundred years have seen globalism
gradually grow to the place that it is considered the only reasonable solution
to a multiplicity of problems by secular thinkers. Nevertheless, God is as
opposed to globalism today as He was to the one world spirit displayed through
the ancient tower of Babel. His judgment will be just as certain in the future
as it was in the distant past.
The Mystery of Iniquity
No matter how hard apostate man struggles to apply a global solution to
mankind’s problems, he will not succeed until God removes His restraint of man’s
evil impulse after the rapture of the church. Paul tells us in 2 Thessalonians 2
that "the man of lawlessness (the antichrist)" (verse 3), will not be revealed
until "he who now restrains. . . is taken out of the way" (verse 7). The
restraint will be removed at that future time when God will remove His church
through the rapture. The removal at the rapture will then allow for the rise of
antichrist, who will begin the seven-year tribulation by making a covenant with
the nation of Israel. The final three and one-half years will see antichrist
implementing global governance in rebellion against God. Paul told the
Thessalonians that "the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only he who
now restrains will do so until he is taken out of the way" (verse 7). Ever since
Babel, Satan has been working to bring about his agenda of globalism, but God
restrains from reaching the flowering of his kingdom until after the rapture,
during the tribulation. Because the mystery of lawlessness (i.e., iniquity in
the KJV) has been at work since Babel, we can see evidence down through history,
even in our own day that the globalization of antichrist is coming. Step by step
it creeps, but it is coming. This is why we can see evidences of globalism
today, before the rapture.
Paul further warns the Thessalonians that the mystery of iniquity is a satanic
program that advances through deception and guile (verse 10). We can gain
insight into the present working of the mystery of iniquity by studying the
maturity of the kingdom of man as it will be brought out into the open during
the second-half of the tribulation. Revelation 17 and 18 describes this satanic
kingdom as being composed of a religious aspect as depicted by "the great harlot
who sits on many waters" (Rev. 17:1; cf. 17:1-18); and the political and
commercial aspect of the kingdom of man (cf. Rev. 18:1-24).
Conclusion
It should not be surprising that we see the development globalization advancing
at an alarming rate when we consider the insight into such developments in light
of biblical teachings about past and future growth of the kingdom of man. It
should be clear that all globalization in our own day is the result of a satanic
impulse, not one from above. Even when we find similar trends being espoused in
the Evangelical Church, they should be understood as an invasion of the enemy
(cf. 1 Tim. 4; 2 Tim. 3). We should not be surprised to learn that efforts
toward a one world government have been and continue to be the efforts of so
many in high places of government and commerce; and that they use the stealth of
deception to further their dreams and goals. This understanding provides a
framework for understanding, interpreting, and standing against many of the
trends and events of our own day, knowing from whence they have come and to
where they are leading. We take great relief in knowing that God is just and
will one day judge this ungodly world. But at the same time, while we are
eagerly waiting for a Savior from heaven, we should be aggressively preaching
the gospel of God’s grace to any who will listen. Maranatha!
Biblical Typology and
Time Travel (Part 4) - Gary Stearman
But what is Passover … really? It is the festival of the new birth, when death
directly resulted in resurrection. Its cup and bread become the symbols of
salvation:
"And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and blessed it, and brake it, and
gave it to the disciples, and said, Take, eat; this is my body.
"And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, Drink ye all
of it;
"For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the
remission of sins.
"But I say unto you, I will not drink henceforth of this fruit of the vine,
until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father’s kingdom" (Matthew
26:26-29).
But even this moment had been foreseen centuries earlier, when Abraham met with
Melchizedek after his battle with the four Gentile kings:
"And Melchizedek king of Salem brought forth bread and wine: and he was the
priest of the most high God" (Genesis 14:18).
As we have seen, Abraham’s victory and subsequent blessing by Melchizedek looked
into the far future, when the Gentile powers will be crushed by the returning
Son of God. He will come with the armies of heaven to put them down as
prophesied.
To modern Jewry, Passover is commemorated with four cups of wine, unleavened
bread and the Seder plate. All of these conclude in the anticipation of a future
deliverance: "Next year in Jerusalem!"
Their annual celebration of this festival ends with a plea for the Lord’s return
in judgment, to establish the rightful and prophesied kingdom, dominated by the
throne of David.
This brings us to the other side of Passover, namely, the Plagues of Egypt.
Though the ten plagues seem to have originated out of the stubbornness of a
truculent Pharaoh, they were much more than that. They were, in fact, an outline
for something much greater.
For example, when Jesus expounded upon the end times, He spoke of "famines, and
pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places" (Matthew 24:7). He also
mentioned "great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world
to this time…" (v. 21). Then He said:
"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:
"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" (Matt. 24:29,30).
Many have written entire treatises about the many ways that Egypt’s ten plagues
typify the Tribulation judgments. They are quite obvious, as in the first vial
of wrath, which afflicts men with some sort of skin disease, reminding us of the
fifth Egyptian plague of boils.
The second vial turns the sea to blood, like the first Egyptian plague. The
third vial completes this action, turning the fresh water to blood. One
remembers the Nile, as Moses struck it with his staff.
The great heat of the fourth vial reminds us of the hail mixed with fire. The
fifth brings the curse of darkness, like the ninth plague of Egypt.
The sixth and seventh vials of God’s wrath bring judgment directly against
Mystery Babylon, itself. Armies march, and a final cataclysmic earthquake
coupled with giant hailstones brings an unimaginable pounding destruction.
Thus, the Passover experience intertwines the atoning blood of the lamb with the
judgment of the evil world. It combines salvation and judgment, the Bible’s two
major themes. Christians are urged to purge their lives of sin, even as Jewish
homes are cleansed of leaven in anticipation of Passover:
"Purge out therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, as ye are
unleavened. For even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us" (1 Corinthians
5:7)
Biblical Typology and
Time Travel (Part 5) - Gary Stearman
Jesus, Type of Israel
Though we might not have thought about it, even Jesus is an archetype. His
attributes manifest themselves in surprising ways.
Author Vendyl Jones mentions a riddle of seven lines. He says…
"1. I am thinking about someone in history. He left his indelible imprint on
mankind. Without a biological miracle on the womb of his mother, his birth would
have been impossible.
"2. As an infant, he was called the Son of God.
"3. He was taken into Egypt to preserve his life.
"4. He returned to the land of Israel, hated by all those about him, despised
and rejected of men – a man of sorrow and acquainted with grief.
"5. He was hated so greatly that he was executed by the Romans.
"6. At the third day, he came out of the tomb.
"7. He will never die again!"
Everyone would agree that these seven points emphatically outline the life of
Jesus. It is quite extraordinary that they also describe national Israel, past,
present and future.
On the first point, we have already dealt with the miraculous birth of Isaac to
the aged Abraham and Sarah. They were beyond the years of childbearing, yet they
conceived Isaac. Without him, there would have been no Jacob, and no twelve
tribes of Israel:
"And God said unto Abraham, Let it not be grievous in thy sight because of the
lad, and because of thy bondwoman; in all that Sarah hath said unto thee,
hearken unto her voice; for in Isaac shall thy seed be called" (Genesis 21:12).
The second point – also mentioned earlier – recalls the fact that Jesus was the
only begotten Son of God. But it should be remembered that Israel is also called
the son of God. Moses was commanded to make this clear in his appearance before
Pharaoh:
"And thou shalt say unto Pharaoh, Thus saith the LORD, Israel is my son, even my
firstborn:
"And I say unto thee, Let my son go, that he may serve me: and if thou refuse to
let him go, behold, I will slay thy son, even thy firstborn" (Exodus 4:22,23).
Point three mentions the flight to Egypt. Of course, Mary, Joseph and Jesus fled
there to escape Herod. But centuries before, Israel went to Egypt, there to
receive deliverance from famine by a Pharaoh who had taken their brother Joseph
as his prime minister. Indeed, Israel’s life was saved in the refuge they found
in Egypt.
On the fourth point, Jesus and Israel both experienced hatred upon their return
to Israel. The experience of Jesus is well known. But Israel, at the conclusion
of their wilderness march, was opposed by Amalek, Edom, Moab and Ammon, as well
as the Agagites, to name but a few. And upon entrance into the Promised Land,
Israel was still forced to fight hostile and aggressive tribes on every hand.
Truly, they were acquainted with sorrow and grief.
Point five involves being put to death by the Romans. Certainly, Christ was
crucified upon a Roman cross. But Israel experienced the same fate. In A.D. 70,
their Temple was destroyed. The Jews fled for their lives. Roman opposition grew
even stronger in the decades that followed. Finally, in A.D. 135, the Jews under
Simeon Bar Kochba suffered a final defeat. They were driven to the four corners
of the earth in the great Diaspora.
The sixth point refers to resurrection on the third day. Of course, the
resurrection is the key feature in the life of Jesus. He rose from the grave on
the third day. It is fascinating that Israel is also prophesied to rise again …
on the third day.
In the well-known prophecy of Hosea, that is exactly what is predicted:
"I will go and return to my place, till they acknowledge their offence, and seek
my face: in their affliction they will seek me early.
"Come, and let us return unto the LORD: for he hath torn, and he will heal us;
he hath smitten, and he will bind us up.
"After two days will he revive us: in the third day he will raise us up, and we
shall live in his sight" (Hosea 5:15-6:2).
The Lord promised to raise Israel on the third day, just as He, Himself had
risen from the grave.
Finally, the seventh point refers to the eternal nature of the resurrected life.
Jesus typifies such everlasting life. Through His rule, eternal life is also
promised to the Kingdom of Israel. Daniel’s prophecy outlines the defeat of the
Gentile world powers. In the end, he prophesies that the Kingdom will last
forever:
"And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which
shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but
it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for
ever" (Dan. 2:44).
Jesus as a type of Israel means that their final victory and everlasting
existence are as certain as His.
So many of the Gentile powers have sought to destroy Israel. Each has said that
if only Israel can be forever wiped out, a utopian world can be established. But
like their Messiah, Israel shall rise to eternal life.
This is the Lord’s idea, and nothing can oppose it. In the purest sense, His
idea has already been brought to its conclusion. It has already been inscribed
in the historical hologram. It’s just that we haven’t the depth of perception to
see it. Nevertheless, He exhorts us to think upon these things:
"Remember the former things of old: for I am God, and there is none else; I am
God, and there is none like me,
"Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that
are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure"
(Isaiah 46:9,10).
February 11, 2004
Why Study Biblical Prophecy?
Part 1 - by Renald E. Showers
Different Attitudes Of People
Many people have negative attitudes toward the study of biblical prophecy.
For example, there are those who say, “I’m only concerned about the
present, so don’t bother me with ideas about the future.” A scientist
friend of mine ran into such people while on a commercial flight. In a
letter to me he gave the following account of what happened while he was
in the process of reading a book on the Rapture of the Church:
I’d read the first several chapters by the time the stewardess had noticed
how enthralled I was with the book. She asked what it was that I was
finding so interesting (instead of her I presume), so I explained my
excitement in such a scholarly treatment of the rapture question. It only
took about 17.6 seconds for frigidness to quash her formerly bubbly self.
The next thing I knew was that she was wondering loudly why “people like
me are always worrying about that stuff. There isn’t enough love being
shown now and if God is love then we should be spreading more of it around
instead of worrying about the future.” She had most of the First Class
passengers nodding in agreement and looking at me like I had just brought
the plague on board. Talk about instant isolation. She didn’t even give me
the chance to say that the immanency of the concept would encourage that
very lifestyle (as well as other more Godly living, which I began to
realize was the real problem). Needless to say it was a long, long six
hour flight!
Other people express a second negative attitude toward the study of
biblical prophecy. It goes like this: “Nobody can understand the
prophecies in the Bible, so why bother to study them? Such effort is a
useless waste of time.” There was a prominent pastor who spent many years
preaching systematically throughout the entire Bible. When he came to the
Book of Revelation, this is what he told his congregation:
You will not see me for several weeks. During that time I am not to be
disturbed. In essence, I am going into hiding. Here is the reason why:
When I was a student in seminary, my professor of New Testament said, “We
shall not study the Book of Revelation, because no one can understand it.”
Due to this lack in my seminary training, I know almost nothing about the
last book of the Bible. Because of this, during the next several weeks I
shall bury myself in the study of Revelation so that I can preach it to
you.
The negative attitude of this pastor’s professor of New Testament toward
the study of the Book of Revelation is tragic for at least two reasons.
First, those who ignore Revelation will miss the following special
blessing that Jesus Christ proclaimed in conjunction with that book:
“Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this
prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein” (Rev. 1:3).
Second, the very fact that the Book of Revelation and all other biblical
prophecies were given by God to mankind through divine revelation and were
recorded accurately through the means of divine inspiration (1 Cor.
2:9-13; 2 Pet. 1:19-21) indicates that God wants human beings to possess
these prophecies and to pay attention to them. Otherwise He would never
have given them to mankind. In light of this, those persons, who for any
reason fail to heed them, will miss what God intends and desires for them.
A third negative attitude toward the study of biblical prophecy is
expressed by some Chris-tians. In essence it is this: “There are very few,
if any, prophecies in the Bible concerning events that will transpire in
the future beyond our present time. Almost all biblical prophecies were
fulfilled by the end of the First Century A.D... For example, the great
tribulation to which Jesus Christ referred in Matthew 24:21-22 was
fulfilled by the events associated with the Roman destruction of Jerusalem
and Israel as a nation state in 70 A. D... This was Christ’s coming in
judgment upon the Jewish nation that had rejected Him.”
A fourth negative attitude toward the study of biblical prophecy is the
result of the mishandling of the prophetic Scriptures by some Bible
teachers and preachers. Tragically over the years some have claimed that
the prophetic Scriptures gave them information that enabled them to set a
date for the Rapture or Second Coming of Christ, or to identify the
personal name of the Antichrist. For example, during the era of World War
II some prominent Bible teachers and preachers in Great Britain and North
America claimed that Bible prophecy indicated that Hitler or Mussolini was
the Antichrist. More recently a prominent Christian leader used a book,
radio broadcasts, billboards and other means to promote the idea that
Christ would return in His Second Coming to destroy the world in the Fall
of a specific year that is now past. When time proved these men to be
wrong, this not only seriously wounded the credibility of their personal
ministries, but it also gave the unsaved more cause to ridicule biblical
Christianity and soured the attitude of many Christians toward the study
and teaching of biblical prophecy.
Two things should be noted in conjunction with this fourth negative
attitude. First, instead of learning from the past mistakes of teachers
and preachers, some today continue the same mishandling of the prophetic
Scriptures by setting dates for the Rapture or Second Coming of Christ, or
by claiming that a certain prominent individual today is the Antichrist.
Second, those Christians who are negative toward the study and teaching of
biblical prophecy because of these past or present abuses are guilty of
throwing out the baby with the dirty bath water. Instead of rejecting the
study and teaching of biblical prophecy because of abuses, they should
reject the abuses, but hold on to the valid study and teaching of the
prophetic Scriptures. They should do so because there are significant
reasons why the study and teaching of biblical prophecy is important.
My next article will look at some of those reasons.
February 13, 2004
Why Study Biblical
Prophecy? Part 2 - by Renald E. Showers (scroll down for part 1)
Reasons for Studying Biblical Prophecy
In our previous article we noted four negative attitudes that people have
toward the study of biblical prophecy. These negative attitudes are
unfortunate, because there are significant reasons why the study of
biblical prophecy is important. This present article will present three of
those reasons.
First, one-fifth to one-fourth of the Bible is prophecy. In light of this,
those people who reject the study of biblical prophecy because of a
negative attitude toward it choose to avoid twenty to twenty-five per cent
of the biblical revelation that God has given to mankind—revelation that
God wants human beings to possess and heed. This avoidance amounts to
willful rejection of a major portion of God’s truth and, therefore, has
serious implications.
Second, it is impossible to understand God’s purpose for history apart
from the study of biblical prophecy. Isaiah 46:9-11 quotes the following
divine declaration, “I am God, and there is none else; I am God, and there
is none like me, declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient
times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand,
and I will do all my pleasure:…I have spoken it, I will also bring it to
pass; I have purposed it, I will also do it.” Isaiah 14:24, 26-27 states,
“The LORD of hosts hath sworn, saying, Surely as I have thought, so shall
it come to pass; and as I have purposed, so shall it stand:…This is the
purpose that is purposed upon the whole earth: and this is the hand that
is stretched out upon all the nations. For the LORD of hosts hath
purposed, and who shall disannul it? And his hand is stretched out, and
who shall turn it back?”
These Scriptures reveal that there is one true God, and that He has a
sovereign purpose for this earth’s history. The evidence that He is the
true God and that He has a sovereign purpose for history is this: In the
past He planned and purposed what would happen on earth throughout
history. On the basis of what He planned and purposed, through His
prophets God declared to mankind what would happen in the future, even to
the end of this earth’s history. Then, during the course of history He
sovereignly causes to happen all that He planned and purposed and declared
through His prophets. No one can prevent God from fulfilling His sovereign
purpose for history.
Nebuchadnezzar, ancient Babylon’s greatest king, learned by personal
experience that the God of the Bible has a sovereign purpose for what
happens in history. After God had completed His infliction of the king
with a form of mental illness that caused him to live like a wild animal,
Nebuchadnezzar wrote the following: “I blessed the most High, and I
praised and honored him that liveth for ever, whose dominion is an
everlasting dominion, and his kingdom is from generation to generation:
and all the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing: and he doeth
according to his will in the army of heaven, and among the inhabitants of
the earth: and none can stay his hand or say unto him, What doest thou?”
(Daniel 4:34-35)
The prophetic Scriptures are the written record of what God through the
prophets declared to mankind would happen even to the end of this earth’s
history. Since those divine declarations were based upon what God had
planned and purposed for history, no one can understand God’s purpose for
history apart from the study of biblical prophecy.
In light of the facts that God has a sovereign purpose for this earth’s
history, that on the basis of that purpose He declared to mankind what
would happen to the end of history, and that the prophetic Scriptures are
the written record of that divine declaration, it is no mistake that the
Book of Revelation was the last book of the Bible written. God intended it
to be the capstone of His divine declaration to mankind, because it
foretells how He will complete His purpose for history. Because this is
so, the person who decides to avoid the study of Revelation will remain
completely oblivious to how God will complete His purpose.
Third, the study of biblical prophecy is an effective evangelistic tool.
God had His declarations of future events recorded in written form in the
Scriptures, not to satisfy the curiosity of people concerning what will
happen, but to be a life-changing tool for people of every generation. God
uses the study of biblical prophecy to serve as a warning to unsaved
people: To warn them of the future wrathful judgment that He has purposed
for this rebellious world and for all people who fail to receive His
gracious gift of salvation through faith in His crucified, buried and
resurrected Son, Jesus Christ. The Holy Spirit uses biblical prophecy to
impress unsaved people with the urgency of their trusting Christ as their
Savior now, before it may be too late for them.
I personally have witnessed people coming to a personal saving knowledge
of Jesus Christ through the study and teaching of biblical prophecy. For
example, one church that had asked me to conduct a prophecy conference
urged its people to invite unsaved acquaintances to the sessions. One
woman invited her eight fellow office-workers to attend the conference.
Every one of them came, and all eight trusted Christ as Savior. At the
same conference, a believer, who was a custodian at a public school,
brought the unsaved superintendent of that city’s public school system to
the conference men’s breakfast. In response to the study from biblical
prophecy that was presented at that breakfast, the superintendent placed
his faith in Jesus Christ for salvation.
Any Christian who avoids the study and teaching of biblical prophecy
thereby fails to use an effective evangelistic tool that God has given to
us.
WHY STUDY
BIBLICAL PROPHECY? PART 3 by Dr. Renald Showers
Reasons For Studying Biblical Prophecy
Three reasons why the study of biblical prophecy is important were
presented in our previous article. This present article will present the
fourth reason.
Fourth, it is impossible to understand God’s plan and purpose for Israel
apart from the study of biblical prophecy. The Bible reveals that God
established a unique relationship with Israel as a nation. Moses made the
following statements to the generation of Israelites who were to enter the
land of Canaan years after Israel’s exodus out of Egypt: “For thou art an
holy people unto the LORD thy God: the LORD thy God hath chosen thee to be
a special people unto himself, above all people that are upon the face of
the earth” (Deuteronomy 7:6; see also 14:2).
In addition, the Scriptures indicate that God established this unique
relationship with Israel forever. 2 Samuel 7:24 records the following
statement of King David to God: “For thou hast confirmed to thyself thy
people Israel to be a people unto thee forever.” In addition, the Apostle
Paul indicated that, in spite of Israel’s unbelief, God’s election or
calling of the nation Israel for this unique relationship will never
change (Romans 11:26-29).
The Bible also reveals that God did not establish this unique relationship
with Israel because they were greater than any other people. Moses told
them, “The LORD did not set his love upon you, nor choose you, because ye
were more in number than any people; for ye were the fewest of all people”
(Deuteronomy 7:7). Instead, God established it because He had a unique,
sovereign purpose for Israel as a nation.
God sovereignly purposed that the nation Israel play a key role in the
fulfillment of His purpose for history. One aspect of that key role was
this: God determined to bring great blessing to the whole world through
Israel. God promised to bless the world through Abraham’s offspring: “And
in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed” (Genesis
22:18). The fact that God repeated that promise to Abraham’s son, Isaac
(Genesis 26:4), and grandson, Jacob (Genesis 28:14), whose twelve sons
became the heads of the twelve tribes of Israel, indicates that God
purposed to bring this promised blessing to the world through the nation
Israel.
God has already brought great blessings to the world through Israel. The
Bible came through that nation. The Apostle Paul wrote that unto the Jews
“were committed the oracles of God” (Romans 3:1-2). The Messiah-Savior
came to the world by birth through Israel. Concerning the Israelites, Paul
said, “of whom as concerning the flesh Christ came” (Romans 9:4-5). Since
the Messiah, who provided salvation for all people, was a Jew in His
humanity, then salvation came through Israel. Jesus Himself said,
“salvation is of the Jews” (John 4:22).
Biblical prophecy indicates that another aspect of Israel’s key role is
yet future. God will not totally crush Satan and his forces and establish
His future theocratic kingdom rule to the world until the nation of Israel
repents by recognizing and accepting Jesus Christ as its Messiah-Savior.
Zechariah 12-14 reveals that, when the rulers and armies of all the
Gentile nations of the world will come against Israel in the future
(12:1-9), the remnant of Jews who are still alive will see the Messiah
coming out of Heaven. When they see the evidences of His past crucifixion,
they will repent (change their minds toward Him) and will mourn over His
past rejection (12:10-14). God will cleanse them from their sin (13:1).
Messiah will then go to battle and destroy the rulers and armies of the
world (14:1-3, 12-15; Rev. 19:11-21) and have Satan imprisoned in the
bottomless pit for 1,000 years (Rev. 20:1-3). Then He will establish God’s
theocratic kingdom and will rule as “king over all the earth” (Zech. 14:9,
16-21; Rev. 20:4-6). In that theocratic kingdom Israel will be the
spiritual leader of the world. The people of Israel will “be named the
Priests of the LORD “ and the Gentiles will call them “the Ministers of
our God” (Isaiah 61:6). The Gentiles will take hold of the Jews, “saying,
We will go with you: for we have heard that God is with you” (Zechariah
8:23).
Contrary to the divinely inspired statements of King David (2 Samuel 7:24)
and the Apostle Paul (Romans 11:26-29) noted earlier, some professing
Christians insist that God did not establish His unique relationship with
Israel forever. They believe that, because Israel as a nation rejected
Jesus Christ in His First Coming, God permanently removed Israel as a
nation from that unique relationship and replaced it with the New
Testament Church. They claim that God will save individual Jews, but that
He has no present or future national program for Israel. This belief
definitely affects their thinking concerning the right of Israel to exist
as a national entity in the Middle East today. It also causes them to
reject the idea that God has purposed Israel to play a future key role in
the fulfillment of His purpose for history. A significant part of the
reason for this belief is the neglect or allegorical interpretation of
biblical prophecy.
I received an expression of this belief from a group of four men after a
message in which I referred to the 1947 United Nations mandate for a
nation-state of Israel to be established in a portion of the land of
Palestine. They insisted that the United Nations never issued such a
mandate, and that the Jews went into Palestine and violently took the land
away from its rightful owners without any legal authority. In response to
my claim that history books record the United Nations mandate, they said,
“It doesn’t matter what the history books say; it never happened.” When I
said that they could go to the United Nations building in New York and see
the written mandate, they said, “It still doesn’t matter, it never
happened.”
The next article will present a fifth reason why the study of biblical
prophecy is important.
WHY STUDY BIBLICAL
PROPHECY? PART 4 by Dr. Renald Showers
Four reasons why the study of biblical prophecy is important were presented in
previous articles. This present article will present the fifth reason.
Fifth, the study of biblical prophecy is intended by God to purify the
believer’s life and to change his or her priorities. Two aspects of prophetic
revelation serve that purpose.
The first aspect: The imminency of Christ’s return. The English word “imminent”
means “hanging over one’s head, ready to befall or overtake one; close at hand
in its incidence” (“imminent,” The Oxford English Dictionary, 1901, V, 66).
Thus, an imminent event is one that is always hanging overhead, is constantly
ready to befall or overtake a person, is always close at hand in the sense that
it could happen at any moment. Other things may happen before the imminent
event, but nothing else must take place before it happens. If something else
must take place before an event can happen, that event is not imminent.
One never knows exactly when an imminent event will happen. Because of this, a
person cannot count on a certain amount of time transpiring before an imminent
event occurs. Thus, one should always be prepared for it to happen at any
moment.
In light of the meaning of “imminent” and the fact that the next coming of
Christ has not yet occurred, the concept of the imminent coming of Christ is as
follows: His next coming is always hanging overhead, is constantly ready to
befall or overtake us, is always close at hand in the sense that it could happen
at any moment. Other things may happen before His coming, but biblically nothing
else must happen before it takes place. If something else must happen first,
then His next coming is not imminent.
The concept of the imminent coming of Christ prompts the conclusion that we do
not know exactly when He will come. Because of this, we cannot count on a
certain amount of time transpiring before His coming. Therefore, we should
always be ready for Him to come at any moment.
Numerous Bible scholars from various church and theological backgrounds have
concluded that the New Testament teaches or implies the imminent coming of
Christ in the following passages: 1 Corinthians 1:7; 4:5; 15:51-52; 16:22;
Philippians 3:20; 4:5; 1 Thessalonians 1:10; 2 Thessalonians 3:10-12; Titus
2:13; James 5:8-9; 1 John 2:28; Revelation 3:11; 22:7, 12, 17, 20.
We shall examine James 5:8-9 as an example of a passage that teaches the
imminency of Christ’s return. James wrote the following to believers: “Be ye
also patient; stablish your hearts: for the coming of the Lord draweth nigh.
Grudge not one against another, brethren, lest ye be condemned: behold, the
judge standeth before the door.”
It is important to note that James used the Greek perfect tense in the verb
forms translated “draweth” in the expression “the coming of the Lord draweth
nigh” and “standeth” in the expression “the judge standeth before the door.” The
Greek perfect tense refers to an action that was completed in the past, but the
results of that action continue into the present. Thus, in the first expression
James was saying that the next coming of Christ drew near in the past before he
wrote his epistle, and that it continued to be near in the present while he was
writing his epistle.
In the second expression James was claiming that there was a genuine sense in
which Christ took His stand as judge at the door of Heaven before he wrote his
epistle, and that He continued to stand at the door of Heaven in the present
while he was writing his epistle. James thereby implied that Christ could step
through the door of Heaven at any moment and confront His Church saints as judge
at the Judgment Seat of Christ (Romans 14:10-12; 1 Corinthians 3:10-4:5; 2
Corinthians 5:10).
James clearly indicated that, in light of the fact that Christ could return at
any moment and confront His Church saints as judge, Christians should be careful
how they treat their fellow believers (v. 9). He thereby implied the following
truth: The fact that Christ’s next coming is imminent should make a difference
in the way Christians live. They should be living holy, godly lives every moment
of every day, because in the very next moment Christ could step through the door
of Heaven and confront them face-to-face.
The Apostle John emphasized the same truth when he wrote the following to
Christians: “And now, little children, abide in him; that, when he shall appear,
we may have confidence, and not be ashamed before him at his coming” (1 John
2:28).
The second aspect: The future destruction of the present earth and universe. In
2 Peter 3 the Apostle Peter wrote, “the heavens shall pass away with a great
noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and all the
works that are therein shall be burned up” (v. 10). Peter thereby foretold the
future destruction of the present earth and universe, including every thing that
mankind has designed and made during the history of this earth. This means that
all of our present material possessions will be totally destroyed.
In light of the certainty of this future destruction, Peter then said the
following to Christians: “Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved,
what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness”
(v. 11). His point was this: The fact that the present earth, universe and all
our material possessions will be destroyed in the future should make a
difference in our values, priorities and how we live in the present. We should
be holy in our daily conduct. The thing that should motivate us and give us
ultimate meaning and purpose in life is the glory and pleasing of God, not
money, material things, or the present world system. Because all these earthly
things are temporary and doomed for destruction, we should conform our values
and priorities to those of the future eternal state(vv. 13-14).
Are you investing your life in the things that will perish or the things that
will last forever? How are you training your children to invest their lives? Is
your bank in Heaven, or is your heaven in the bank?
HOME
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The Camp of Israel - By Chuck Missler
The great discovery which opens the Bible to us is that these 66 books, written
by 40 authors over thousands of years, are an integrated message system. Every
detail--every number, every place name, every allusion--is there by careful
design and is significant.
Jesus Himself highlighted this in Matthew 5:17, 18:
Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to
destroy, but to fulfill. For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass,
one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.
This insight unlocks a number of discoveries which otherwise would escape the
notice of someone who takes the text less seriously.
What insights are hidden in the numbering of the Tribes of Israel?
In this brief article we'll review a remarkable perspective from a passage that
most of us might skip over.
Numbering the People
In Numbers chapter 1 we encounter the numbering of the people. Why? Why did the
Holy Spirit want you to know this list of numbers? What hidden insight lies
behind them?
Of course, there are valid historical reasons for the inclusion of this detail
in the Torah (the five books of Moses). But if we examine these details more
closely, some remarkable insights emerge.
The Tabernacle
When Moses received the Ten Commandments on Mt. Sinai, he also received detailed
specifications and instructions for the building of a portable sanctuary, the
Tabernacle, or tent of meeting. The purpose of this unusual facility was to
provide a place for God to dwell among His people.
The tabernacle was always set up at the center of the Camp of Israel. The tribe
of Levi was assigned to care for it, and encamped around it. Moses, Aaron, and
the priests camped on the east side next to the entrance. The three families of
the tribe of Levi (Merari, Kohath, and Gershon), camped on the north, south and
west side, respectively.
The remaining twelve tribes were grouped into four camps around the Levites.
A Baker's Dozen
It is helpful to realize that there were really 13 tribes, not just "twelve."
This can be confusing to the uninitiated reader.
Jacob had twelve sons, each becoming the founder of one of the twelve tribes.
However, Joseph was sold into slavery and subsequently emerged as the prime
minister of Egypt. In Egypt, Joseph married Asenath and had two sons, Manasseh
and Ephraim. When Jacob and the rest of the family ultimately came to Egypt,
Jacob adopted his two grandsons as his own. With the tribe of Joseph in two
parts, we have an "alphabet" of 13 to chose from.
The twelve tribes of Israel (Jacob) are listed twenty times in the Old
Testament. They are listed by mother (Leah, Rachel, Zilhah, and Bilhah), their
numeration, their encampment, order of march, their geographical relations, etc.
Each time they are listed in a different order.
The Levites were exempt from military duties. When the order of military march
is given, there are still 12 listed, excluding Levi. How? By dividing Joseph
into two: Ephraim and Manasseh.
(Levi is thus omitted on four occasions. In a similar manner, Dan is omitted on
three occasions, the most notable one in Revelation 7.)
The Four "Camps"
The twelve remaining tribes, excluding the Levites, were clustered into four
"camps." Each of these groups, of three tribes each, were to rally around the
tribal standard of the lead tribe.
Judah's tribal standard was, of course, the lion. Reuben's ensign was a man;
Ephraim's the ox; Dan's, ultimately, the eagle.
The Mazzeroth
It may come as a surprise to many to learn that each of the 12 tribes were
associated with one of the constellations of the mazzeroth (the Hebrew zodiac.)
We know these by their post-Babel names after being corrupted by pagan
traditions. By learning the Hebrew names, and the names of the principal stars
in the order of their magnitude, we discover they portray the entire redemptive
plan of God--from the virgin birth (Virgo) to the triumph of the Lion of the
Tribe of Judah (Leo).
The Four Faces
It is interesting to note that these four primary tribal standards--the lion,
the man, the ox, and the eagle--are the same as the four faces of the cherubim.
Each time we encounter a view of the throne of God, we notice these strange
living creatures, somehow associated with the protection of His throne, His
holiness, etc.
It would seem that the camp of Israel--with the tabernacle in the middle--seems
to be a model of the throne of God: His presence in the center, represented by
the tabernacle, encircled by the four faces, all surrounded by His people.
But there's even more. Why the specific numbers?
The Numbering
The numbering of the tribes is detailed in Numbers chapter 1. The actual
population represented is obviously somewhat larger than these enumerations,
since only men over twenty, able to go to war, were counted. Most analysts
assume that women, children, and the elderly, would multiply the count by some
factor: 3 or whatever. The total camp would thus appear to approximate two
million.
While the numbers of each tribe may not seem to be very revealing, the totals
for each of the four camps are.
Cardinal Compass Points
Each of the camps, of three tribes each, were to encamp on one of the cardinal
compass directions (N, S, E, or W) with respect to the camp of the Levites
enclosing the tabernacle.
We can only guess at how much space was required by the Levites, whether it was
100 ft. on a side, 100 yards, or whatever. But whatever it was, we'll view that
length as a basic unit.
To fully appreciate all of the implications, you must try to think like a rabbi:
you need to maintain an extremely high respect for the precise details of the
instructions.
The tribes of Judah, Issachar, and Zebulun--collectively called the Camp of
Judah--had to encamp east of the Levites. This poses a technical problem. Notice
that if the breadth of their camp was larger than that of the Levites, the
excess would be southeast or northeast, not east. Therefore, their camp could
only be as wide as the Levites, and they then had to extend eastward to obtain
whatever space they required.
The camps of Reuben, Ephraim, and Dan had the same constraint on the south,
west, and north, respectively. The length of each leg would be proportional to
the total in each camp.
Aerial View
If we assemble what we can infer from the Torah account, we can imagine what the
camp of Israel looked like from above: the tabernacle and the Levites in the
center, surrounded by the four faces of the tribal standards, and each of the
four camps of Judah, Ephraim, Reuben, and Dan, stretching out in the four
cardinal directions.
We can also tally the size of each tribe to total the relative length of each
camp as they stretched out in each of the four directions.
It would appear to us that it is a cross! Isn't that remarkable? And this is
from the Torah, not the New Testament!
The New Testament is in the Old Testament concealed; The Old Testament is in the
New Testament revealed.
Isn't the Word of God fabulous?
The Coming Kingdom of God (Part
1-2)- by Grant R. Jeffrey
Will Jesus Christ literally return from heaven in the last days? Will
Christ defeat evil and set up His kingdom on earth? Does the Bible
prophesy that Jesus will establish a thousand-year millennial kingdom?
After waiting for almost two thousand years, why should we believe
that our generation might see the fulfillment of these prophecies? How
should we answer critics who claim that these prophecies were
fulfilled almost two thousand years ago when Jerusalem was destroyed?
What did the early Church believe about the Second Coming, the
Millennium, and the Antichrist?
A vital struggle is taking place regarding the fundamental doctrines
concerning the Second Coming and the establishment of the kingdom of
God. This contest regarding the Lord's return is now being waged in
seminaries, pulpits, Christian bookstores, and within the hearts of
millions of faithful Christians. This issue has tremendous implication
for all those who love Jesus Christ and who long for the ushering in
of His prophesied kingdom of God. The mainline Protestant
denominations gradually de-emphasized belief in the literal return of
Christ to set up His millennial kingdom several generations ago. In
contrast, Evangelical, Pentecostal, and charismatic churches have
strongly affirmed the truth of second advent of Christ to set up His
kingdom during the last century.
However, a powerful new attack upon this fundamental biblical doctrine
is beginning to infiltrate the minds and spirits of many Christians in
our day precisely as the New Testament warns us. The apostle Peter
prophesied that in the last days an attack would arise within the
Church against the Second Coming. Peter warned that many would say,
"Where is the promise of his coming? for since the fathers fell
asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the
creation" (2 Peter 3:4). Those who believe literally the prophecies of
the Word of God are now engaged in an unprecedented battle for the
truth of Christ's second coming. This doctrine of the Second Advent is
critical to the effectiveness of our evangelism, as well as to our
faithful walk in the faith. Jude, the brother of Jesus, wrote, "It was
needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that ye should
earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the
saints" (Jude 3).
Evangelical Christianity stands today at a historic crossroads
concerning one of the most fundamental doctrines of our faith-the
belief in the literal second coming of Christ and His final
establishment of His millennial kingdom on earth. Next in importance
to the fundamental doctrines regarding the death and resurrection of
Jesus Christ is the Second Advent. The Second Coming is taught
throughout the Word of God from Genesis to Revelation. The apostolic
Church powerfully affirmed this doctrine during the first few
centuries following the birth of the Church.
Whether or not most Christians are aware of this doctrinal conflict,
powerful forces are now being marshaled in our generation to attack
the belief in the Second Coming and the doctrine of the future
millennial kingdom of God. This book builds a compelling defense of
the biblical doctrine concerning Christ's triumphant return as the
King of kings and Lord of lords to establish His millennial kingdom.
Triumphant Return will demonstrate, there is overwhelming evidence
that the early Church taught and believed in this doctrine almost
universally during the first three centuries following the
resurrection of Christ.
The Coming Kingdom of God
(Part 2)- by Grant R. Jeffrey
The apostolic Church was clearly premillennial in its hope and waited
expectantly for the imminent return of their Messiah. Many readers
will be surprised and thrilled to see for the first time overwhelming
evidence that those who were closest in time to the life of Jesus and
His apostles held strongly to the very same prophetic beliefs that are
held today by many Evangelical students of prophecy. Despite the
often-repeated claim that modern prophetic beliefs are not supported
or shared by the teachings of the early Church, this book will
demonstrate powerful and compelling evidence that our prophetic
beliefs were held by many of the great teachers in the early Church.
To my knowledge, this evidence has seldom, if ever, been presented to
the Church in modern times. There is an obvious and common-sense
presumption in favor of the belief that those who lived and taught in
close proximity in time to the apostles who knew Christ personally
would naturally possess a more accurate understanding of the true
teachings of the apostolic Church. Therefore, our understanding of
their teaching about the imminent and literal second coming of Christ
and the premillennial return of Christ to set up His kingdom will
confirm the validity of our modern prophetic beliefs.
During the early centuries, faithful Christians throughout the Roman
Empire greeted each other with the ancient Greek phrase "Maranatha!"
("The Lord cometh!"). Their deeply held faith in the literal return of
Jesus Christ to set up His kingdom is a foundational Christian belief
and an important doctrine that has tremendous implications for our
daily walk, our witnessing to a lost world, and our hopes for the
future. Jesus Christ commanded His disciples to be watchful and ready
for the moment when He would triumphantly return, regardless of how
long He might tarry. Despite the many centuries that have passed since
He first gave the Church His promise, the prophecy of Christ's return
for His followers is absolute and unshakable.
The Christians living in the first centuries longed for the Second
Advent. This deeply held belief motivated and shaped their worship and
their daily walk with God. It transformed their hopes for the future
that they were willing to die as martyrs for their faith in Jesus as
their coming King rather than deny their faith in His deity and His
Second Coming.
It is virtually impossible to correctly understand the Lord's plan to
redeem the earth and humanity from the curse of sin unless we study
the biblical doctrine of the Second Coming. Our understanding of this
critical doctrine will enhance our appreciation of the inspiration of
the Scriptures and the unfolding purpose of God as revealed in both
the prophecies as well as in the life and ministry of Christ. The
promised kingdom is the focus of the various covenants that God has
made with humanity. The German theologian, Dr. Christian Kling.
declared the centrality of the kingdom of God: "The idea of the
kingdom of God is the central idea of the entire dispensation of
revelation; the kingdom of God is the end and motive of all heavenly
revelation and institutions of the old and new covenants; yea, of the
creation and promise from the beginning. The general foundation of
this idea is the all-inclusive power and dominion of God."[Christian
F. Kling, Herzog's Religious Encyclopedia article: "Kingdom of
God.",1891.]
A careful analysis reveals that the Lord's prophecies concerning the
kingdom of God form the largest single doctrine in His inspired
revelation. A number of biblical scholars, including Dr. Pye Smith and
Johann Peter Lange, have calculated that there are more Scriptural
passages that teach about the kingdom than all other separate
doctrines combined. This provides compelling evidence of the
importance of the coming kingdom to the plan of God. Johann Peter
Lange (1802-1884) acknowledged the fundamental importance of Christ's
coming kingdom in his Commentary on the Scriptures: "The kingdom of
heaven must form the central point of all theological
learning."[Johann Peter Lange, Commentary, vol. 1, p. 254.]
The preaching of John the Baptist, Jesus of Nazareth, His disciples
and apostles often dealt with the coming kingdom of God. This topic
formed a major part of the message of the early Church during the
first few centuries of the Christian era. The disciples continually
questioned Jesus about His parables regarding the kingdom. They wanted
to know when the kingdom would appear and what their future role would
be in it. Significantly, the New Testament affirms that the message of
Jesus is "the gospel of the kingdom." Matthew taught that Jesus began
His ministry teaching about the kingdom: "And Jesus went about all
Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the
kingdom, and healing all manner of sickness and all manner of disease
among the people" (Matthew 4:23). Matthew recorded Christ's great
prophecy that this doctrine will be preached by His Jewish witnesses
to an unbelieving world during the Great Tribulation just before the
return of the Messiah. "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" (Matthew 24:14).
The life, ministry, trial, and death of Christ are inextricably
involved with the promised kingdom. Jesus declared that He is the
promised King and that He will return to set up His prophesied
kingdom. Jesus taught His followers to pray the Lord's Prayer, which
specifically focuses on the coming kingdom of God: "Our Father which
art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be
done in earth, as it is in heaven. . . . For thine is the kingdom, and
the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen" (Matthew 6:9-13). While the
prophecy of our eternal home in heaven is the glorious promise of God
to all those who place their faith and trust in Him, Jesus also
prophesied that the Christian saints will rule and reign with Him
forever as priests and kings over the population of the earth. The
coming kingdom on God will someday encompass the entire universe
including the earth, the New Jerusalem and heaven itself.
These facts should encourage us as Christians to carefully and
prudently examine those prophecies concerning the Second Coming, which
clearly relate to our generation and to the role that Christ has
assigned us in His future kingdom. Jesus Christ commanded His
disciples to watch diligently for the fulfillment of those specific
prophetic signs that would indicate His soon coming. The Lord
declared, "And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up,
and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh" (Luke
21:28). The prophetic message about the Lord's return is not a
pessimistic message of doom and gloom to those who love Him. Rather,
Christ's message is a prophecy of hope and redemption for all those
who place their faith and trust in Him and long for His approaching
kingdom of peace and righteousness.
Muhammad or Jesus: The
Prophet Like Unto Moses - John McTernan
"The LORD thy God will raise up unto thee a Prophet from the midst of thee, of
thy brethren, like unto me; unto him ye shall hearken." — Deuteronomy 18:15
For Islam to be a religion, Muhammad must be a prophet of God. The message of
Muhammad as recorded in the Koran is the foundation of Islam. This is seen in
the confession to be a Muslim. This is called the Sha-hadatain. The second part
of the Shahadatain follows: "... that Muhammad is His messenger to all human
beings till the Day of Judgment."
By Messenger, the Koran means prophet. According to Islam, he is the final
prophet or seal of the prophets: "Muhammad... [he is] the Messenger of Allah and
the Seal of the Prophets: and Allah has full knowledge of all things" (Sura
33:40).
Islam teaches not only is Muhammad the seal of the prophets but he is the
greatest of the prophets. He is equal to or greater than Moses. Islam believes
that Muhammad is the special prophet the Bible mentions will be like Moses. This
verse from the Bible follows: "I will raise them up a Prophet from among their
brethren, like unto thee, and will put my words in his mouth; and he shall speak
unto them all that I shall command him" (Deut. 18:18).
The Koran states that Muhammad is the Prophet who will be like unto Moses.
Muhammad came with the final message which everyone has to obey: "Say: I am not
the first of the apostles, and I do not know what will be done with me or with
you: I do not follow anything but that which is revealed to me, and I am nothing
but a plain warner. Say: Have you considered if it is from Allah, and you
disbelieve in it, and a witness from among the children of Israel has borne
witness of one like him, so he believed, while you are big with pride; surely
Allah does not guide the unjust people" (Sura 46:9-10).
What It Means To Be Prophet Like Unto Moses
There are five outstanding characteristics that have to be met. The Bible
teaches that Moses is different than all the other Old Testament prophets. To be
the prophet like Moses of Deuteronomy 18, these five characteristics have to be
met. These requirements follow:
1. God spoke directly to Moses. All other prophets received their revelation by
visions or dreams. Moses' revelation was directly from the mouth of God. "And he
said, Hear now my words: If there be a prophet among you, I the LORD will make
myself known unto him in a vision, and will speak unto him in a dream. My
servant Moses is not so, who is faithful in all mine house. With him will I
speak mouth to mouth, even apparently, and not in dark speeches; and the
similitude of the LORD shall he behold: wherefore then were ye not afraid to
speak against my servant Moses?" (Num. 12:6-8).
2. Moses was in the direct presence of God. He saw the similitude or form of the
LORD. Moses glowed from being in direct presence of God's glory. "And it came to
pass, when Moses came down from mount Sinai with the two tables of testimony in
Moses' hand, when he came down from the mount, that Moses wist not that the skin
of his face shone while he talked with him. And when Aaron and all the children
of Israel saw Moses, behold, the skin of his face shone; and they were afraid to
come nigh him" (Exod. 34:29-30).
3. Moses brought in a blood covenant relationship with God. The other prophets
built upon this covenant, but no other Old Testament prophet brought in a
different covenant. "And Moses took the blood, and sprinkled it on the people,
and said, Behold the blood of the covenant, which the LORD hath made with you
concerning all these words. Then went up Moses, and Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, and
seventy of the elders of Israel: And they saw the God of Israel: and there was
under his feet as it were a paved work of a sapphire stone, and as it were the
body of heaven in his clearness" (Exod. 24:8-10).
4. Moses did mighty signs and wonders. God used Moses to split the Red Sea. "
And Moses stretched out his hand over the sea; and the LORD caused the sea to go
back by a strong east wind all that night, and made the sea dry land, and the
waters were divided. And the children of Israel went into the midst of the sea
upon the dry ground: and the waters were a wall unto them on their right hand,
and on their left" (Exod. 14:21-22).
5. Moses prophesied of the future. Moses gave entire chapters of prophecy. His
prophecy centered on the people and nation of Israel. "Then will I remember my
covenant with Jacob, and also my covenant with Isaac, and also my covenant with
Abraham will I remember; and I will remember the land. ... And yet for all that,
when they be in the land of their enemies, I will not cast them away, neither
will I abhor them, to destroy them utterly, and to break my covenant with them:
for I am the LORD their God. But I will for their sakes remember the covenant of
their ancestors, whom I brought forth out of the land of Egypt in the sight of
the heathen, that I might be their God: I am the LORD" (Lev. 26:42,44-45).
6. The prophet has to be a Jew. The Prophet like Moses will have to come from
one of the tribes of Israel. The context of Deutromony 18 makes it clear that
the brethren means someone from one of the 12 tribes of Israel. Deuteronomy
18:1,2,7,15 The priests the Levites, and all the tribe of Levi, shall have no
part nor inheritance with Israel... 2 Therefore shall they have no inheritance
among their brethren: the LORD is their inheritance, as he hath said unto them.
7 Then he shall minister in the name of the LORD his God, as all his brethren
the Levites do, which stand there before the LORD. 15 The LORD thy God will
raise up unto thee a Prophet from the midst of thee, of thy brethren, like unto
me; unto him ye shall hearken;
The Test of Muhammad as the Prophet Like unto Moses
Using the five criteria of Moses being a special prophet, let's test the
Muslim's claim that Muhammad is the special prophet like Moses which the Koran
claims.
1. God spoke directly with Moses. Muhammad fails because the Koran shows he
received his message from an angel. "Then I swear by the angels who bring down
the revelation" (Sura 77:5). "Say: Whoever is the enemy of Jibreel— for surely
he revealed it to your heart by Allah's command, verifying that which is before
it and guidance and good news for the believers" (Sura 2:97).
2. The Koran never reported that Muhammad was literally in the direct presence
of God. 3. Muhammad never brought in a blood covenant with God, but his message
went directly against the revealed word of God. Muhammad denied the basis for
the New Testament covenant which is the death of the Lord Jesus on the cross.
"And their saying: Surely we have killed the Messiah, Isa (Jesus) son of Marium,
the apostle of Allah; and they did not kill him nor did they crucify him, but it
appeared to them so" (Sura 4:157).
4. The Koran reports no signs and wonders of Muhammad.
5. Muhammad made no prophecies in the Koran. The Muslims call Sura 30 the Great
Prophecy: This Sura is often used as proof Muhammad was a prophet. "The Romans
are vanquished, In a near land, and they, after being vanquished, shall
overcome, Within a few years. Allah's is the command before and after; and on
that day the believers shall rejoice" (Sura 30:2-4).
Sura 30 is not a valid prophecy: The Romans, who were the Byzantines, were
always at war. A near land is not identified. The location to judge the near
land is not identified in the Koran. Is it Jerusalem, Mecca, or Medina etc.?
What is a few years? No date is give for this prophecy so within a few years can
be identified. The fulfillment is not recorded in the Koran. It is impossible to
verify that Sura 30:2-4 is a valid prophecy.
6. Muhammad was not a Jew. This just by itself eliminates Muhammad from being
the Prophet of Deuteronomy 18:18.
Muhammad fails the test of prophet in general and specifically he is not the
prophet like unto Moses. Therefore his message as written in the Koran is to be
totally rejected. He cannot be classified as a prophet because he made no
prophecy which could be tested. The Muslim's claim that Muhammad is the seal of
the prophets has no authority as there is no proof in the Koran that Muhammad
was a true prophet of God.
The Lord Jesus Meets the Criteria To Be the Prophet Like Unto Moses
The Bible says that the Lord Jesus is the Prophet like unto Moses. "And he shall
send Jesus Christ, which before was preached unto you: . . . For Moses truly
said unto the fathers, A prophet shall the Lord your God raise up unto you of
your brethren, like unto me; him shall ye hear in all things whatsoever he shall
say unto you. And it shall come to pass, that every soul, which will not hear
that prophet, shall be destroyed from among the people (Acts 3:20,22-23).
1. God spoke directly to Moses. God spoke directly through the Lord Jesus. "Believest
thou not that I am in the Father, and the Father in me? the words that I speak
unto you I speak not of myself: but the Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the
works" (John 14:10).
2. Moses was in the direct presence of God and glowed from God's presence. Jesus
was the direct presence of God, and He manifested the glory of God! "And after
six days Jesus taketh Peter, James, and John his brother, and bringeth them up
into an high mountain apart, And was transfigured before them: and his face did
shine as the sun, and his raiment was white as the light" (Matt. 17:1-2).
3. Moses brought in a blood covenant relationship with God. The Lord Jesus
brought in a better blood covenant with God. The better covenant gives the
assurance of eternal life to all that believe. "For this is my blood of the new
testament [covenant], which is shed for many for the remission of sins" (Matt.
26:28). "But now hath he obtained a more excellent ministry, by how much also he
is the mediator of a better covenant, which was established upon better
promises" (Heb. 8:6).
4. Moses did mighty signs and wonders. Jesus did mighty signs and wonders. The
Lord Jesus raised a man from the dead after he was four days in the grave. The
Bible reported only a few of the awesome miracles that the Lord Jesus did. These
miracles were a sign of Him being the Son of God. "Jesus said, Take ye away the
stone. Martha, the sister of him that was dead, saith unto him, Lord, by this
time he stinketh: for he hath been dead four days. ... And when he thus had
spoken, he cried with a loud voice, Lazarus, come forth. And he that was dead
came forth, bound hand and foot with graveclothes: and his face was bound about
with a napkin. Jesus saith unto them, Loose him, and let him go" (John
11:39,43-44).
5. Moses prophesied of the future, as did Jesus. Like Moses, the Lord Jesus
focused His prophecy on the Jews and their dispersion and restoration. The
restoration of Israel and Jerusalem would occur just before His second coming.
Just as the Lord prophesied, exactly happened to the Jews. Israel is once again
a nation with Jerusalem as its capital. "And they asked him, saying, Master, but
when shall these things be? and what sign will there be when these things shall
come to pass? . . . But woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give
suck, in those days! for there shall be great distress in the land [Israel], and
wrath upon this people [Jews]. And they shall fall by the edge of the sword, and
shall be led away captive into all nations: and Jerusalem shall be trodden down
of the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled" (Luke
21:7,23-24).
6. Moses was a Jew and the Lord Jesus was a Jew. Matthew 1:1 The book of the
generation of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham. The Lord Jesus
qualifies to be the Prophet because He is the Son of David from the tribe of
Judah.
The Lord Jesus not only met the requirements of being the Prophet like unto
Moses, but he exceeded them in all points. Moses was the servant of God, but the
Lord Jesus was the Son of God; therefore, He was greater than Moses. "[Christ]
Who was faithful to him that appointed him, as also Moses was faithful in all
his house. For this man was counted worthy of more glory than Moses, inasmuch as
he who hath builded the house hath more honour than the house. . . . And Moses
verily was faithful in all his house, as a servant, for a testimony of those
things which were to be spoken after; But Christ as a son over his own house
..." (Heb. 3:2-3,5-6).
The Bible shows that the Lord Jesus is greater than Moses as He is the Son of
God. God sent His Son into the world to die for our sin. Because of the death of
the Lord Jesus on the cross, you can be forgiven of all sin and have assurance
of eternal life with God.
When you trust the Lord Jesus as your Savior, God makes an eternal blood
covenant with you. Please repent of sin and trust the Lord Jesus as your Savior.
Eternal life is only through faith in Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior. He
is the Prophet like unto Moses and those that do not listen to His message, God
will require it of them. "If we receive the witness of men, the witness of God
is greater: for this is the witness of God which he hath testified of his Son.
He that believeth on the Son of God hath the witness in himself: he that
believeth not God hath made him a liar; because he believeth not the record that
God gave of his Son. And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal
life, and this life is in his Son. He that hath the Son hath life; and he that
hath not the Son of God hath not life" (1 John 5:9-12).
Where is the Ark of the Covenant?
-by Thomas S. McCall, Th.D.
The Ark of the Covenant disappeared off of the pages of history by the time of
the Babylonian Captivity. Nothing in the Bible is said about the Ark in the Old
Testament after the return from Babylon, but the Apocrypha states that the Ark
could not be found when the Jewish people rebuilt the Temple at the time of Ezra
and Zechariah. The explanation in the Apocrypha was that Jeremiah hid the Ark in
a cave in Mt. Nebo before the Babylonian invasion, and that its location would
not be revealed until God was ready for it to be found.
No Ark in the Second Temple
Thus, the Holy of Holies in the Second Temple was an empty chamber, without the
Ark of the Covenant. When the Roman General Pompey conquered Jerusalem around 63
B.C., he demanded the privilege of entering the Holy of Holies. When he did, he
came out saying that he could not understand what all the interest was about the
sanctuary, when it was only an empty room.
The fact that the Ark of the Covenant was not used in the Second Temple has led
to the speculation of where the Ark is, or if it still exists on the earth. The
Ark was so important in Israel from the time of Moses through the Judges and the
First Temple era, that it seems remarkable that nothing is said of it in the
Bible after the Babylonian Captivity, until the Letter to the Hebrews and the
Book of Revelation in the New Testament. In Hebrews it is described as it was in
the original Tabernacle made by Moses; and in Revelation, the Ark is seen by
John in heaven. In neither case is the Ark mentioned as something that remains
on the earth now.
Is the Ark Needed for the Tribulation Temple?
One question that arises is, can the Temple be rebuilt if it does not contain
the Ark? The Scriptures indicate that the Temple will be rebuilt and standing
during the Tribulation period, and that the Tribulation Temple will be
desecrated by the Antichrist. How can the worship of Yahweh be resumed as it was
in ancient times if there is no Ark in the Holy of Holies? We have already seen,
though, that the absence of the Ark of the Covenant did not keep the Temple from
being rebuilt at the conclusion of the Babylonian Captivity.
The Second Temple stood for over 500 years without containing an Ark, and it was
fully recognized as a valid house of worship for the Lord. Christ Himself
declared the Temple to be His Father's House. So it would not be unthinkable to
build the Tribulation Temple, even if the Ark is not discovered. If the Ark does
still exist, however, and it were somehow discovered, it would certainly give
rise to a strong movement in Israel and around the world to rebuild the Temple
to house the Ark properly.
Is the Ark Hidden in the Temple Mount?
There persists a legend that the Ark does exist on earth, but is hidden. A book
by Christian author Randall Price, entitled In Search of Temple Treasures,
presents the various views on what has happened to the Ark. Some of the
traditions place the Ark outside of Israel, such as at Mt. Nebo, Egypt and even
far-off Ethiopia. But all of these traditions have problems and seem unlikely,
since there is a lack of any scriptural evidence for them.
A view that has predominated in rabbinic circles is that the Ark was hidden in a
cave beneath the Temple Mount in the very heart of Israel. The theory goes that
the priests hid the Ark beneath the Temple Mount, perhaps as early as during the
time of King Josiah, since the coming prophesied invasion by the Babylonians was
only a matter of time. By hiding the Ark and other Temple treasures, the priests
felt that the priceless sacred articles could be protected from desecration by
the pagan invaders.
Why Didn't Israel Use the Ark in the Second Temple?
As it turned out, the Babylonians did invade Jerusalem. They destroyed the
Temple and carried away many of the vessels and implements to their capital city
a thousand miles away. No mention is made in the Scriptures of the Babylonians
taking the Ark, the Menorah, or other key Temple items. If the Ark and the other
implements were hidden under the Temple, why weren't they recovered and used
after the Captivity? It's hard to imagine that the priests would have knowingly
left the Ark out of the Holy of Holies if they could have utilized it during the
500 years of the Second Temple.
The explanation offered is that they felt that as long as Jerusalem was subject
to domination by the succeeding powers of Babylonia, Persia, Greece, and Rome,
the Ark and other treasures could be desecrated and captured by the Gentile
armies. Thus, the sacred items would remain in seclusion until it was considered
safe to bring them out to be placed in the Temple.
The Rabbinical Attempt to Find the Ark
At any rate, Rabbi Shlomo Goren and Rabbi Yehuda Getz, the rabbis in charge of
the Western Wall area, are convinced that the Ark has been hidden in a cave in
the Temple Mount directly under the site of the Holy of Holies, since the time
of King Josiah. They probably represent the majority of Orthodox rabbis in their
views. They have a concept of vertical air space, by which the space of the Holy
of Holies sanctifies the ground directly below it. Thus, the ancient priests
would have been careful to locate the cave repository for the Ark in the
sanctified area below the Holy of Holies. The evidence for all of these
suppositions about the location of the Ark, as Rabbi Getz concedes, comes more
from the Talmud than the Scriptures. Nevertheless, there is a large and growing
group of Orthodox Jewish adherents who believe that the Ark is in this cave
below the Holy of Holies, and awaits the right time to be found.
Rabbi Getz believes that in 1982 he was very close, within 40 feet, to finding
the cave in which the Ark resides. He was conducting a search in an old tunnel
that had been filled with the debris of centuries, which runs perpendicular to
the Western Wall and under the Temple Mount. However, when the Moslems
discovered that there were diggings being conducted under the Dome of the Rock,
they threatened a general riot and the diggings were stopped. The rabbi explains
that, for the sake of maintaining peace with their Moslem neighbors, the
Israelis had to reseal the entrance to the tunnel, and it remains blocked up to
this day.
Temple Interest an Indication of the Imminent Rapture
The Scriptures are not clear as to whether the Ark of the Covenant still exists
on the earth, but they are clear that the Temple will be rebuilt and standing
during the Tribulation. There is no question that if the Ark were found, it
would give enormous impetus to the rebuilding of the Temple to house it.
Bible-believing Christians should keep a sharp eye out for any developments
surrounding the Temple Mount, realizing that it is a key element leading to the
Tribulation era. The closer we get to the Tribulation, the closer we are to the
imminent Rapture of the Church, which, we believe the Scriptures teach, will
precede the Tribulation. Even so, come quickly, Lord Jesus.
HOME
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The
Mystery of When Miracles and Healing Ceased - by Grant Jeffrey
For many Christians one of the greatest mysteries is that the tremendous
miracles, healings, and supernatural gifts of the Holy Spirit enumerated
in 1 Corinthians 12, which characterized the life and worship of the early
Church, seem to have ceased by the beginning of the second century. Many
theologians have dogmatically asserted that God provided for supernatural
miracles and the gifts of the Holy Spirit only to attract the attention of
the pagan world and provide divine authority for the introduction of the
New Testament as God’s inspired revelation. They assert that within a
century of Christ’s resurrection, all miracles and signs had ceased
permanently. Many have claimed that these supernatural signs ceased when
the apostles died. Some writers and denominations have asserted this
theory as absolute dogmatic truth and reject even the possibility of
genuine supernatural miracles occurring today.
Several writers have claimed that a search of the writings of the early
Church indicates that there are no references to these "gifts" continuing
beyond A.D. 100. However, during the last few years I have carefully
examined the writings of the early Church writers from the time of Christ
till the Council of Nicea in 325 that were collected in a set of ten
volumes known as the Ante-Nicene Library and first published in 1890.
After an exhaustive search of these fascinating early Christian writings,
I can confirm that God continued to manifest His supernatural power
including miraculous healings, resurrection from the dead, and
demonstrations of charismatic gifts of the Holy Spirit well beyond the age
of the apostles. Further research in the writings of the medieval Church
provide compelling evidence that miracles, though rare, continued to
manifest from time to time in a variety of places as attested by
responsible historical authorities.
There are brief references to the prophetic gifts still continuing as
reported in the early Church manual known as the Didache (A.D. 110). "And
every prophet teaching the truth, if he doeth not what he teacheth, is a
false prophet. And every prophet approved and found true, if he doeth
ought as an outward mystery typical of the Church, and yet teacheth you
not to do all that he himself doeth, shall not be judged before you; he
hath his judgment in the presence of God; for in like manner also did the
prophets of old time.
Bishop Clement’s Letter to the Corinthians, written by the bishop of Rome
(A.D. 100), refers to the continuing supernatural work of the Holy Spirit.
"An abundant outpouring also of the Holy Spirit fell upon all.
The Shepherd of Hermas (A.D. 110) also contains a reference to speaking in
tongues and prophecies. "When then the man who hath the divine Spirit
cometh into an assembly of righteous men, who have faith in a divine
Spirit, and intercession is made to God by the gathering of those men,
then the angel of the prophetic spirit, who is attached to him, filleth
the man, and the man, being filled with the Holy Spirit, speaketh to the
multitude, according as the Lord willeth.
In addition, there are numerous significant references to these
supernatural gifts continuing in the life of the early Church in the
following centuries.
Irenaeus
The brilliant Christian teacher Irenaeus wrote a treatise against heresies
called the Refutation and Overthrow of Knowledge Falsely So Called (A.D.
185) that recorded many manifestations of the gifts of the Holy Spirit and
supernatural miracles that still continued in some churches, including
accounts of people being raised from the dead: Some drive out demons
really and truly, so that often those cleansed from evil spirits believe
and become members of the Church; some have foreknowledge of the future,
visions, and prophetic utterances; others, by the laying-on of hands, heal
the sick and restore them to health; and before now, as I said, dead men
have actually been raised and have remained with us for many years. In
fact, it is impossible to enumerate the gifts which throughout the world
the Church has received from God and in the name of Jesus Christ crucified
under Pontius Pilate, and every day puts to effectual use for the benefit
of the heathen, deceiving no one and making profit out of no one.
Similarly, we hear of many members of the Church who have prophetic gifts
and by the Spirit speak with all kinds of tongues, and bring men’s secret
thoughts to light for their own good, and expound the mysteries of God.
Irenaeus also wrote about the gifts of the Holy Spirit in Against
Heresies: "In like manner we do also hear many brethren in the church, who
possess prophetic gifts, and who through the Spirit speak all kinds of
languages, and bring to light for the general benefit the hidden things of
men, and declare the mysteries of God." (Irenaeus, Against Heresies 5:6:1)
Justin Martyr
Justin Martyr wrote his Dialogue with Trypho in A.D. 165 and clearly
referred to many supernatural gifts of the Holy Spirit appearing in the
daily life of the second-century Church. He wrote, "Daily some of you are
becoming disciples in the name of Christ, and quitting the path of error;
who are also receiving gifts, each as he is worthy, illumined through the
name of this Christ. For one receives the spirit of understanding, another
of counsel, another of strength, another of healing, another of
foreknowledge, another of teaching, and another of the fear of God.
Tertullian
Tertullian was a major theologian and Christian writer ministering in
Carthage. In A.D. 215 he described supernatural visions and prophetic
gifts of the Holy Spirit as operating normally in the third-century
Church. "And thus we who both acknowledge and reverence, even as we do the
prophecies, modern visions as equally promised to us, and consider the
other powers of the Holy Spirit as an agency of the Church for which also
He was sent, administering all gifts in all, even as the Lord distributed
to every one."
Origen
Origen was a Christian theologian who lived and taught in Alexandria,
Egypt, from A.D. 185 to 254. In his book Against Celsus written in 250,
Origen described the gifts of the Holy Spirit as still continuing in the
life of the Church. "Traces of the Holy Spirit who appeared in the form of
a dove are still preserved among Christians. They charm†demons away and
perform many cures and perceived certain things about the future according
to the will of the Logos.
Origen noted that these charismatic gifts were gradually diminishing,
although some "traces of His presence" were still evident. "Moreover, the
Holy Spirit gave signs of His Presence at the beginning of Christ’s
ministry, and after His ascension He gave still more; but since that time
these signs have diminished, although there are still traces of His
presence in a few who have had their souls purified by the Gospel and
their actions regulated by its influence.
Novatian
The Christian theologian Novatian (A.D. 270) of Rome wrote a strong
defense of the doctrine of the Trinity and died as a martyr during the
second last wave of persecutions by the pagan Roman emperors. Novatian
wrote about the key role of the Holy Spirit in supernaturally empowering
the Church. "they were henceforth armed and strengthened by the same
Spirit, having in themselves the gifts which this same Spirit distributes,
and appropriates to the Church, the spouse of Christ, as her ornaments.
This is He who places prophets in the Church, instructs teachers, directs
tongues, gives powers and healings, does wonderful works, often
discrimination of spirits, affords powers of government, suggests
counsels, and orders and arranges whatever other gifts there are of
charismata; and thus make the Lord’s Church everywhere, and in all,
perfected and completed.
St. Augustine
Augustine (354ñ430), bishop of Hippo, was the greatest theologians of the
early medieval Church and systematized much of the theology that governed
the teaching of the Western Church for over a thousand years. Although in
his early years Augustine believed that all miracles had ceased by the end
of the lives of the apostles, his view was transformed by the compelling
evidence of many well-attested miracles that occurred during a powerful
revival that occurred throughout the churches of North Africa that were
under his supervision. In the last section of his epic work The City of
God, Augustine wrote about numerous miracles that he had personally
witnessed and investigated, including remarkable miraculous healings
involving breast cancer, paralysis, blindness, and even people who were
resurrected from the dead. He wrote, "For even now miracles are wrought in
the name of Christ.
Professor Peter Brown wrote in his book Augustine of Hippo that Augustine
carefully collected the evidence of a variety of supernatural incidents
and miracles "until they formed a single corpus, as compact and compelling
as the miracles that had assisted the growth of the Early Church.
For example, Augustine reported on a person healed of blindness, "The
miracle which was wrought at Milan when I was there, and by which a blind
man was restored to sight, could come to the knowledge of many; for not
only is the city a large one, but also the emperor was there at the time,
and the occurrence was witnessed by an immense concourse of people.
The Venerable Bede
The great early English Church leader known as the Venerable Bede, the
father of English history, quoted a letter sent by Gregory the Great, the
bishop of Rome, in A.D. 601 to Augustine of Canterbury, a missionary sent
from Rome to England. Gregory acknowledges the fact that miracles were
occurring and that they were very effective in drawing the English natives
to faith in Christ: "I know, most loving brother, that Almighty God, by
means of your affection, shows great miracles in the nation which he has
chosen. Wherefore it is necessary that you rejoice with fear, and tremble
whilst you rejoice, on account of the same heavenly gift; viz., that you
may rejoice because the souls of the English are by outward miracles drawn
to inward grace.
Gregory also acknowledged in his letter that Augustine personally had
"received the gift of working miracles.
Continued Supernatural Miracles
If space permitted, I could quote from a variety of Church authorities
over the centuries that followed who witnessed the continued operation of
supernatural miracles. These other sources include the famous Bernard of
Clairvaux (A.D. 1190ñ1153) and Martin Luther (A.D. 1483ñ1546). In
addition, there is overwhelming evidence of supernatural miracles that
have occurred during the last few centuries during the Welsh Revival and
remarkable healings and other miracles witnessed by many reliable sources
in the tre mendous growth of the Church around the world in the last few
decades. There are many scriptural promises of Jesus Christ regarding His
continued supernatural empowering of the Church through His Holy Spirit.
"For the Father loveth the Son, and showeth him all things that himself
doeth: and he will show him greater works than these, that ye may marvel"
(John 5:20). Jesus promised that His faithful followers would be able to
do "greater works" because He was empowering the Church with His Holy
Spirit. "Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the
works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he
do; because I go unto my Father" (John 14:12).
In addition, the Scripture declared, "For I am the Lord, I change not"
(Malachi 3:6). Since God does not, and cannot change His nature, it is
consistent and logical to believe that He would continue to manifest His
supernatural power of miracles among His people from time to time to
demonstrate His continued divine nature and mercy to humanity. Therefore,
it is not surprising that our generation, which has witnessed the
fulfillment of more remarkable prophecies than any other generation in
history, should also witness extraordinary supernatural displays of God’s
providence, including miracles of healing.
The Jew! -
Proof of God's Existence and Satan's Existence (Part 1-3) - by Gary
Stearman
Benjamin Disraeli, the nineteenth-century statesman and novelist, was an
Englishman, proud of his Jewish ancestry. He was baptized into the Anglican
Church, and was twice made prime minister. The possessor of acute wit and sharp
realism, he was given to making frank public statements, particularly about
religion. Once, he was asked if he knew of any infallible proof of God's
existence. His terse answer is classic. He said, "The Jew, sir, the Jew." Like
many others, Disraeli saw the Jew as proof of God. Doubtless, he was thinking of
Israel's long and unlikely history. His famous statement was made before the
First Zionist Congress of 1897. Even then, Disraeli knew that the continued
existence of the Twelve Tribes of Israel was, in itself, a miracle. Their
language and culture should have died out centuries before. But even after A.D.
135, when they dispersed to the four corners of the world, the Jews maintained
their worship, their faith, their traditions and even their language.
While speaking the local languages of their various cultures, they maintained
the use of the Hebrew alphabet, adapting it to various dialects. Of course, they
continued to memorize the Tanach in Hebrew. When they began to return to the
Holy Land, it was with a sense of vision and the miraculous. Chaim Weizmann,
Israel's first President, once said, "A Jew must believe in miracles if he is a
realist."
The sand dunes of the Mediterranean became the streets of Tel Aviv. The swamps
of Galilee became the tropical farms that made Israel the "California of the
Middle East." Trees swept across the desert land, and forests grew up.
At the turn of the twentieth century, a Lithuanian Jew, Eliezer Ben-Yehuda,
formed a society called, "Tehiyyat Israel" (Revival of Israel). Its members were
sworn to speak only Hebrew to each other. All by himself, he created a Hebrew
dictionary that would be sufficient to allow Hebrew to be spoken in the modern
era. He even had to invent the word for "dictionary" – milon – from milah,
meaning "word."
Indeed, present-day Israel is a miracle. Out of the Holocaust of the early 1940s
came the Israeli statehood in 1948. Just as promised by the words of many
prophets, Israel once again became a sovereign nation. It successfully defended
itself against several full-scale enemy assaults. The world wondered at its
miraculous victories. Just as Disraeli had said, the Jew once again demonstrated
the existence of God.
But to this day, the enemies of Zionism and Israel swear to their deities that
this condition will not stand. They continually promise to annihilate Israel
once and for all.
Hitler's Third Reich invoked the "final solution." But in fact, his was only the
most vociferous of many voices calling for the extermination of the Jew.
Historically, and in the present, anti-Semitism is always a large factor in
world developments. Just as it seems to have been vanquished, it is discovered
to have been lying just below the surface of Gentile societies around the world.
In Europe anti-Semitic marchers are once again a visible presence. Jewish shops
and cemeteries are still desecrated by vandals.
The situation is no better in the Far East. Just a few years ago, a Japanese
best-seller was entitled (in an approximate translation), "The Source of All the
World's Troubles is the Jew."
It is axiomatic that the secular world's deepest desire is that the
"troublesome" Jew would simply vanish into insignificance. Arabs today brand
Zionism and those who support it (chiefly the U.S.) as the reason for their
terrorist fury.
But why would this be the case? Everywhere the Jews have gone, they have brought
prosperity. Historically, they have caused economies, academic institutions and
artistic colonies to thrive. One could argue that the Jews are the centerpiece
of the world's arts and sciences. Even the Arabs who live in Israel are
economically better off than their brethren in neighboring Arab states. Arab
citizens of Israel are even allowed political representation in Israel's
governing body, the Knesset!
Since 1948, the Israelis have continually extended the olive branch to those who
would destroy them. What motivates their blood lust to destroy a culture that
has produced so many of the world's finer achievements?
The Proof of Satan
The answer to this question is simple. The Jews prove the existence of both God
and Satan. Through the mountain peaks and dark valleys of history, the Jews have
been shepherded by the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Along the way, they have
also been hounded by Satan, the accuser and the slanderer who is the
personification of all evil.
He knows that they are the "People of the Book," and the "People of the Name."
He knows that the Lord, Himself chose them to inhabit a Land of Promise, and to
inherit a global kingdom of righteousness.
Satan also knows that they are the people of the prophets of old, who foretold
their latter-day rise to power. The old Serpent reasons that if they can be
destroyed, prophecy can be derailed; the kingdom can be dissolved and God's Word
can be countermanded. Satan's every effort is toward that end.
God's Word says that the kingdom is coming. We know, of course, that the coming
kingdom began with the dynastic House of David. And even then, Satan had begun
his attempts to overthrow the Kingdom. An excellent example of his diabolical
effort is found in I Chronicles:
"And Satan stood up against Israel, and provoked David to number Israel.
"And David said to Joab and to the rulers of the people, Go, number Israel from
Beersheba even to Dan; and bring the number of them to me, that I may know it.
"And Joab answered, The LORD make his people an hundred times so many more as
they be: but, my lord the king, are they not all my lord's servants? why then
doth my lord require this thing? why will he be a cause of trespass to Israel?
"Nevertheless the king's word prevailed against Joab. Wherefore Joab departed,
and went throughout all Israel, and came to Jerusalem.
"And Joab gave the sum of the number of the people unto David. And all they of
Israel were a thousand thousand and an hundred thousand men that drew sword: and
Judah was four hundred threescore and ten thousand men that drew sword.
"But Levi and Benjamin counted he not among them: for the king's word was
abominable to Joab.
"And God was displeased with this thing; therefore he smote Israel" (1 Chron.
21:1-7).
Here, we have an open, matter-of-fact statement about an evil incident that
befell King David. Satan put an wicked idea into his head. From the context, we
know that he wanted David to deviate from God's path of blessing.
Fortunately for us, Satan's motive and David's behavior give us a great deal of
insight into God's plan for the kingdom. David acted in a way that reveals much
about the dilemma of today's Israel.
But first and foremost, we must discover the nature of David's sin. What is so
wrong about simply taking a census of the people, that God would so grievously
afflict the Israelites?
Many commentators have supposed that David's action was an expression of pride
or vanity. But it seems to have been far more than that.
The context of the Scripture above suggests that David was engaged in military
preparation. He was organizing his troops, and simply wanted to have a good idea
of their strength. In other words, he wanted to know the strength of their
defensive power.
But what was wrong with that? Wasn't it just good planning? Generals through the
ages have always taken stock of their forces.
Nevertheless, David's sin was dreadful in God's sight. A close examination of
the context reveals the source of God's displeasure. First of all, it comes on
the heels of a series of military victories.
David had announced that he wanted to build a house for the Lord. Through Nathan
the prophet, the Lord had told David that He would provide a place for that
house – the coming Temple – and for the people of Israel. Furthermore, He
informed David that the house would be built by one of his sons: "He shall build
me an house, and I will stablish his throne for ever" (1 Chronicles 17:12).
Following this proclamation, the text lists a series of David's victories in
battle. In turn, the Scriptures exalt the conquest of Philistia, Moab, Zobah,
Syria, the Ammonites and the giants of Philistia. It is at this high point that
we find Satan's temptation of David. At the apex of his reign, David was tempted
to self-reliance, even self-exaltation. Many commentators have pointed out that
David had begun to perceive the strength and glory of his kingdom in the sheer
numbers of his army, and their state of preparation. Having experienced
invincibility, David was keen to review the extended power offered by a ready
military. In short, he was at the point of glorying in his power.
Joab, his right-hand man, saw what was happening to David. He objected to the
census. In the end, he refused to count the priestly tribe, Levi, and Benjamin,
the tribe whose land included Jerusalem. Significantly, Benjamin also owned the
territory that would become the Temple Mount.
David was swiftly judged by the Lord. Through the prophet Gad, he told David
that he must choose between three possible punishments: three years of famine,
three months of destruction by the enemy or three days of pestilence.
David threw himself on the Lord's mercy, in effect saying that he would much
rather suffer at the hands of a merciful God, than the hand of a cruel enemy. So
the Lord sent His angel, and seventy thousand men fell dead of pestilence.
The Jew! - Proof of God's
Existence and Satan's Existence (Part 2) - by Gary Stearman
Samuel's View
II Samuel also gives an account of this event … with some significant
differences. Here too, the context places David's temptation in the context of
his many military victories. Then comes two full chapters devoted to memorial
tributes.
Chapter twenty-two is a psalm of thanksgiving and glorifying God. Five times,
the "rock" of salvation is celebrated: "For who is God, save the LORD? and who
is a rock, save our God?" (II Samuel 22:32). The "rock," of course, is the great
metaphor of the Lord's strength and power, as defender of His people. David
rightly gives credit for his victories to the Lord.
So important is the message of this thanksgiving prayer, that it is repeated as
Psalm 18. Its words extol the Lord's great ability and willingness to stand up
for His people, giving Him the honor for victory in battle.
But then, in chapter twenty-three, there is a complete reversal of theme. Here,
the praise is heaped upon David's mighty men … the heroes of battle. Their names
are listed, and in some cases, their feats in battle. This chapter is nothing
more or less than hero worship.
But here lies the key to understanding David's great sin. At the completion of
the heroes' list, we find Samuel's version of David's temptation: "And again the
anger of the LORD was kindled against Israel, and he moved David against them to
say, Go, number Israel and Judah" (II Samuel 24:1).
And there it is, the sin of self-exaltation. In this verse, it is the Lord who
moves David to number the people; in the Chronicles version, it is Satan.
Obviously, the Lord allowed Satan to be used in David's testing.
Divine Cause, Divine Result
At the heart of this incident is David's pride. Satan was used of the Lord to
reveal the true source of Israel's peace and security, namely the Lord, Himself.
Much later in the history of the kingdom, Zerubbabel, governor of Judah and
Jerusalem, was in doubt about the possibility of rebuilding the shattered
post-exilic infrastructure. He was told, "Not by might, nor by power, but by my
spirit, saith the LORD of hosts" (Zechariah 4:6).
David and his pestilence-ridden subjects learned this lesson the hard way.
Credit for peace and security must be given to the Lord, not to any man.
But the ultimate result of David's error was blessing. He humbled himself before
the Lord, confessing his sin and interceding for his people. The prophet Gad was
sent to him with a message.
He was instructed to go to the threshing-floor of Ornan, and set up an altar
there, to make sacrifice for the people. David paid an enormous sum for the
ground that the Lord had designated:
"So David gave to Ornan for the place six hundred shekels of gold by weight.
"And David built there an altar unto the LORD, and offered burnt offerings and
peace offerings, and called upon the LORD; and he answered him from heaven by
fire upon the altar of burnt offering.
"And the LORD commanded the angel; and he put up his sword again into the sheath
thereof.
"At that time when David saw that the LORD had answered him in the
threshingfloor of Ornan the Jebusite, then he sacrificed there" (I Chron.
21:25-28).
Here we find the blessing that came from David's sin. This purchase, and David's
subsequent sacrifice pleased the Lord. More than that, it secured an important
possession for the affairs of the kingdom. Ornan's threshingfloor became the
Temple Mount, The Zion of God, where the throne of David is destined to be
established in the long-awaited period of the kingdom.
David paid in gold for the "place, "so translated from the Hebrew word magom ,
meaning "home." In other words, the price covered the entire locale of the
threshingfloor. The six-hundred shekel price would amount to well over a
hundred-thousand dollars in today's money.
Samuel's version of the purchase relates that David paid a special price for the
threshingfloor, itself. The fifty shekels of silver represented another several
thousand dollars.
King David bought Mount Zion, and he paid cash for it. Through Nathan the
prophet, the Lord related His plan to David:
"And when thy days be fulfilled, and thou shalt sleep with thy fathers, I will
set up thy seed after thee, which shall proceed out of thy bowels, and I will
establish his kingdom.
"He shall build an house for my name, and I will stablish the throne of his
kingdom for ever" (II Samuel 7:12, 13).
That throne – Mt. Zion – was purchased by David to stave off a pestilence
brought on through his own sin. Satan desired evil in the House of David, but
the Lord used it for good. In this context, a statement made by the Lord to
Isaiah is much easier to understand:
"I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil: I the
LORD do all these things" (Isaiah 45:7).
Satan is used to test Israel, but where the kingdom is concerned, the evil is
always turned into a blessing. Israel must never forget this lesson.
Rational and Irrational Hatred
Satan's hatred of the Jews takes many forms. But his actions are always directed
at derailing God's kingdom destiny for Israel. In that sense, they are quite
rational. During the millennia since David ruled, he has done everything
possible to impede, divert, dilute and counterfeit the Lord's redemptive plan.
His modus operandi is quite recognizable. In fact, it hardly changed at all
between the temptation of David, and the temptation of Jesus. And this makes
perfect sense. After all, Jesus, the Son of David, operated under the same terms
as the original monarch.
He came to national Israel to present Himself as King. And when He did, He was
publicly acknowledged by the last of the Old Testament prophets … John the
Baptist.
Following this act, the Spirit of the Lord led Jesus into the wilderness, where
He observed the biblical number commonly associated with testing. For forty days
and forty nights, He fasted.
In His weakened state, He was presented with three tests. First, came the direct
approach:
"And when the tempter came to him, he said, If thou be the Son of God, command
that these stones be made bread.
"But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but
by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God" (Matthew 4:3,4).
One can almost hear the soothing and pseudo-sympathetic tones of the devil's
voice, as he brought words of "comfort" to the hungry Jesus. There was no doubt
in his mind that Jesus was able to perform the actual miracle of turning stones
into bread. Otherwise, there would have been no temptation.
Jesus' answer foretold the very nature of His coming public ministry. He
presented Himself to Israel as the "bread of life," who came to earth to
spiritually feed a starving world. At His temptation, He simply reminded the
devil that He was the very personification of God's Word. In this case, He
quoted Deuteronomy 8:3.
The devil's second temptation struck at Jesus' heavenly authority:
"Then the devil taketh him up into the holy city, and setteth him on a pinnacle
of the temple,
"And saith unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down: for it is
written, He shall give his angels charge concerning thee: and in their hands
they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone.
"Jesus said unto him, It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy
God" (Matthew 4:5-7).
The devil's offer to Jesus is simple, and scriptural, presented from Psalm 91,
verses 11 and 12. Here, the devil reminds Jesus that the powers of heaven are at
His disposal. This proposition is aimed at Jesus' potential for self-exaltation,
as the One in control of the powers of heaven.
More than that, He would have appeared as a powerful and supernatural being, as
He touched down before the amazed crowd at the Temple. To appear as a
supernatural being before a religious crowd is a direct appeal to pride.
The devil's third (and undoubtedly most important) test struck directly at the
establishment of the Davidic Kingdom:
"Again, the devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain, and showeth him
all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them;
"And saith unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down
and worship me.
"Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt
worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.
"Then the devil leaveth him, and, behold, angels came and ministered unto him"
(Matthew 4:8-11).
Jesus knew that He was destined to rule and reign over the entire world. This,
He would do, only if He was acknowledged and exalted by the leaders of national
Israel. To have accepted the throne any other way would have been to deny Israel
its promised position as head of the nations.
This, of course, would have rendered the teachings of the Old Testament prophets
null and void … exactly what the devil desired to do.
Just as Satan had tested David by appealing to his pride and self-exaltation, he
tested Jesus by giving Him the opportunity to elevate Himself to the position of
King of the world.
The offer intrinsically involved Christ's bowing down before the devil, which
tells us that the evil one actually had the authority to make his extravagant
offer. It also tells us that at heart, he is an irrational being, with an insane
and self-obsessed personality. Satan is the classic ego-maniac.
The Jew! - Proof of God's
Existence and Satan's Existence (Part 3) - by Gary Stearman
Israel's Erstwhile Leaders
Meanwhile, Israel's de facto leaders had already been corrupted. Though Herod
built the Second Temple and retained an active priesthood, their true faith had
already been subverted:
"They answered and said unto him, Abraham is our father. Jesus saith unto them,
If ye were Abraham's children, ye would do the works of Abraham.
"But now ye seek to kill me, a man that hath told you the truth, which I have
heard of God: this did not Abraham.
"Ye do the deeds of your father. Then said they to him, We be not born of
fornication; we have one Father, even God.
"Jesus said unto them, If God were your Father, ye would love me: for I
proceeded forth and came from God; neither came I of myself, but he sent me.
"Why do ye not understand my speech? even because ye cannot hear my word.
"Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He
was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is
no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a
liar, and the father of it" (John 8:39-44).
Again and again, we find that both the monarchies and religious establishments
of Israel are the particular targets of Satan's deceptions. Here, Jesus'
condemnation of the Pharisees comes in response to their accusation that He was
born out of wed-lock: "We be not born of fornication; we have one Father, even
God" (v.41.)
This, in itself, amounts to yet another temptation of Christ. He might have
defended Himself and His Davidic genealogy. Instead, He simply pointed out the
obvious truth that their motivation came from Satan.
Here, as in most of the New Testament, Satan is called "the devil." This is a
translation of the Greek term for "slanderer," or "accuser." And indeed, that is
his role here. This name is specific, and should only be applied to Satan,
himself.
References to demons (from the Greek daimon) are sometimes wrongly translated
"devil." In fact, there is only one "devil." He is the ancient being whose
rebellion brought destruction, confusion and sin to this world.
Being fundamentally sinful himself, he encourages men to sin. He is Satan, whose
name means "adversary." He is the great opponent of redemption.
The devil's long and devastating saga has exposed him in many guises. He began
in ages past as the special covering cherub for the throne of God. But in the
book of Revelation, John calls him by his four most often-used names:
"And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon;
and the dragon fought and his angels,
"And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven.
"And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and
Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his
angels were cast out with him" (Revelation 12:7-9).
The dragon, of course is the monster of myth and legend. He is usually portrayed
as reptilian, with a sinuous body and bat-like wings. He is a sort of glorified
reptile, who flies through the air, searching for prey and surveying his domain.
Tribal lore depicts the dragon as a sentient beast who once held great power.
Now, he wanders in search of that power and the restoration of his office as
master of the world. He is said to dwell near or under water, in dank caverns
and caves. To the Chinese, he typifies wisdom.
Sir James George Frazer, in his book on mythology, called The Golden Bough,
writes, "… he is a serpent or dragon who takes possession of the springs of
water, and only allows the water to flow or the people to make use of it on
condition of receiving a human victim.
"It would probably be a mistake to dismiss all these tales as pure inventions of
the story-teller. Rather we may suppose that they reflect a real custom of
sacrificing girls or women to be the wives of the water-spirits, who are very
often conceived as great serpents or dragons."
As the "old serpent," the devil is depicted as guileful and conniving … one who
skulks about, stalking a victim. He is the archetypal "snake in the grass," who
quietly goes about his business, until he is ready to strike. It was these
characteristics that Jesus invoked when He accused the Pharisees of rank
treachery: "Ye serpents, ye generation of vipers, how can ye escape the
damnation of hell?" (Matthew 23:33).
Of course, the serpent is the accursed one who tempted Eve, and who was
sentenced to crawl upon his belly, eating the dust of the earth. He is also the
one who will be ultimately defeated by the Messiah, as given in the earliest
messianic prophecy:
"And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her
seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel" (Genesis 3:15).
This is the beginning of the prophecy – the seed of the serpent versus the seed
of the woman – the Messiah. The end is found in the twelfth chapter of
Revelation, where this prophecy is seen in its final form.
Understanding Satan
Here, with utmost clarity, we see the principle that we have pursued throughout
this article. Satan is best understood in his adversary role toward Israel.
Israel looks for her Messiah … the seed of the woman. But that seed is the focus
of a geopolitical and historical disagreement.
The seed is carefully documented in the genealogies of Genesis. Adam and Eve
produced a son, whom they named Seth. His godly line brought forth the
generations that came down to the righteous Noah.
The recipient of God's grace, he took his family across the Flood to safety.
Noah's son, Shem, produced the line that came down to Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and
Judah, who produced the monarchic line of David.
Mary, the mother of Jesus, was in that lineage. Luke gives us the genealogy of
Christ through Mary. It provides the legal line of Jesus' blood title to the
throne of David.
Satan knows this all too well. His adversarial activities are acutely focused
upon that woman. Note, in the following verses, that Satan, the accuser, never
relaxes his onslaught. It is a twenty-four hour, seven-day effort on his part:
"And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength,
and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our
brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night.
"And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their
testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death.
" Therefore rejoice, ye heavens, and ye that dwell in them. Woe to the
inhabiters of the earth and of the sea! for the devil is come down unto you,
having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time.
"And when the dragon saw that he was cast unto the earth, he persecuted the
woman which brought forth the man child" (Revelation 12:10-13).
The Dark History of Persecution
During the Tribulation Period, Satan will pour out all his abhorrence and
loathing on the House of David. Having exhausted centuries of subterfuge,
insurrection, false teaching and a million lies, he will realize that his "final
solution" has come to nothing.
His minions will bring into action every force they possess. In and of itself,
the Tribulation will bring a series of natural catastrophes. Satan adds his own
chaos to the action, by bringing a flood against the woman. In this final
offensive, he will make one last attempt to eliminate the genealogy whose
leaders are destined to bring him to defeat:
"And to the woman were given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into
the wilderness, into her place, where she is nourished for a time, and times,
and half a time, from the face of the serpent.
"And the serpent cast out of his mouth water as a flood after the woman, that he
might cause her to be carried away of the flood.
"And the earth helped the woman, and the earth opened her mouth, and swallowed
up the flood which the dragon cast out of his mouth.
"And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant
of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus
Christ" (Revelation 12:14-17).
Satan's persecutions of the woman have covered just about every possible method
of destructive activity. He has sought to destroy the line of Shem through
Abraham for thousands of years.
"Anti-Semitism," as it has come to be called, had a distinct beginning. As
recorded in the first chapter of Exodus, a cruel pharaoh enslaved the Israelites
in Egypt. That, however, was not enough for him. He instructed the Hebrew
midwives to kill all the male offspring. Where did he get such an idea? From
what we know about Satan's obsessive activity, the answer is obvious.
The result was the great Passover redemption that freed the Israelites from
slavery. Led by Moses, the deliverer, they marched into the desert, only to
encounter another of Satan's assaults. There, the tribe of Amalek declared war
upon them. But the Israelites were miraculously preserved from defeat by Moses'
intercession.
Then comes the book of Esther, in which we find Israel in Persia, under King
Ahasuerus. It is well known that there is no mention of God in this book.
Neither is there the mention of Satan. But they are both there. The godly
Mordechai and his cousin Esther represent the providence of God. The evil and
conniving Haman represents Satan. Through his trickery, an edict goes forth that
makes anti-Semitism the law of the land. But the presence of Esther at the
king's court turns his heart in favor of the Jews. Her petition to him results
in a counter decree that saves her people's lives.
In the Middle Ages, the Crusaders fought against the infidels, and that category
included the Jews. The empire of Spain killed the sons of the Jews, recalling
the perfidy of Pharaoh.
In Nazi Germany, anti-Semitism was made the law of the land. Just as in ancient
Persia, the edict went forth, and the systematic destruction of the Jews began
in earnest.
The satanic occultism of the Nazis is well known, and it is obvious that
Hitler's ideas were not really his own.
After World War II, came the statehood of Israel, which was immediately followed
by Arab declarations that the Jews would be driven into the sea. It is no secret
that many Arab leaders supported Hitler, and approved of his "final solution,"
philosophy. In fact, they have sworn to carry it to conclusion.
Israel faced Arab wars in 1948, 1956 (The Six-Day War), and 1973 (The Yom Kippur
War). The case may be made that in each of these wars, the Lord miraculously
intervened to bring an Israeli victory.
On the other hand, the blood lust that fomented each of these clashes was
satanic to the core. The spiritual fanaticism seen in everyday Arab activities
has but a single goal: to wipe out the seed of the woman (Israel, and the
Davidic line).
Furthermore, anyone who supports the seed of the woman is automatically added to
the hate list. Thus, calling upon the name of Allah, Arabs around the world add
their voices to the general call for, "Death to the American Satan!" The Lord
has given the U.S. a unique opportunity to bless Israel, and Satan knows it.
"Death to Israel and to the Zionist entity!" is the cry of their heart. Ignoring
any appeal to logic, history, or a general call for peace, they pledge their
lives to Israel's destruction.
Today, as in the days of King David, the Lord desires that Israel acknowledge
Him as the reason for their existence. The fight goes on, and the Lord will
continue to battle on Israel's behalf. But He wants them to claim His strength,
not their own. It is unfortunate for them that in the twentieth century, they
boasted that their brainpower and courage were the reasons for their success.
In fairness, it must be said that a few religious Jews credited the Lord for
their victories. But they were few and far between. National Israel has yet to
acknowledge the Lord as their Provider and Protector.
Yes, Satan's evil work can be seen all over the world. In the Orient, the
steppes of Russia and the cultural patchwork of Europe, its signs are present in
profusion.
But it is seen with ultimate clarity in the history of Israel. Truly, the Jews
prove the existence of God. Sadly, they also prove the existence of Satan.
The New World Order (Part 1-3) - by J. R.
Church
The Ultimate Goal: The New World Order
It has been several years since the term "New World Order" was widely used. It
almost seems as if it faded from the world scene after George Bush (father)
popularized the term in the early 1990s. His use of the term didn't set too well
with conservative voters. After a glorious victory over Iraq, he became a
one-term president. Politicians learned not to use the cliché around voters. But
across the pond, in stodgy old Europe, the New World Order is as popular as
ever.
Just six weeks after 9/11, Belgium's prime minister, Guy Verhofstadt, gave a
speech in Warsaw, Poland, at the opening ceremony of the College of Europe, on
the very subject of the emerging New World Order. Serving as President-in-Office
of the European Council, he spoke to students at the beginning of their academic
year. Here are a few excerpts from that speech:
"It is a great honor to be able to give the opening speech in this magnificent
building so steeped in history. My predecessors have included François
Mitterrand, Richard von Weizsäcker, King Juan Carlos of Spain, Mario Soares,
Ruud Lubbers and Jacques Delors. Each of the guest speakers, driven by the fact
that they were addressing a young audience, sought to present their own in-depth
vision of the future of Europe. I will try to do likewise.
"I have chosen to entitle my speech: 'The New World Order since 11 September.'
Barely six weeks have passed since the terrorist attacks against the World Trade
Center in New York and the Pentagon in Washington, so it is undeniably not an
easy subject to tackle. These attacks were the first ever massacres that we were
able to witness live and in full on television. It is hard to rationalize such
massive events, but the one thing that really stands out is the striking
contrast between the small number of attackers and the huge impact of their
actions.
"The 11 September attacks can legitimately be described as military attacks.
Civilians died in the space of 90 minutes in New York and in Washington, in the
heart of the United States. The attacks claimed more victims than Pearl Harbor.
In fact, since the end of the Civil War in 1865, never had so many people died
in an attack on American soil. The shock waves were enormous. The American
economy — which was already slowing down — suffered an additional blow and world
growth immediately slowed by several tenths of a percent. The world's most
powerful government, the sole surviving superpower, was forced to radically
review its foreign policy in the days and weeks that followed the attacks, and
was subsequently driven to go to war in an unknown and inaccessible region. No
American general or politician would have dared to suggest such a military
operation before 11 September.
"Forty men and one evil leader, Osama bin Laden, an extremist with a
considerable fortune who, according to American intelligence sources, succeeded
in buying the support of the government of one of the poorest nations in the
world, Afghanistan, with just a 100 million dollars. We can only continue hoping
that Osama bin Laden – with his wealth, his fanaticism and his tendency to
engage in irrational violence – will turn out to be one of a kind. But never
again will we be totally sure.
"We are now entering uncharted territory. Whatever the outcome of the current
conflict, we will have to face up to the consequences of the attacks perpetrated
in New York and Washington. National borders are continuing to become less and
less relevant. Of course, countries remain responsible for what goes on inside
their borders, but weak or impoverished states can easily become bases for or
even fall into the hands of extremists and terrorist organizations. As a result,
we need to establish a police and intelligence network, which, in some
countries, will be better informed of what is going on than the local
authorities. The events of 11 September have made policing and security an
urgent domestic policy issue for the entire world.
"Osama bin Laden is not a spokesman for the poor nations of the world. He is not
a spokesman for the Arab world. He is not poor or oppressed. He is quite simply
a murderer. However, the support he receives from certain quarters must give us
pause for thought. It is too easy to fall into the trap of thinking that our
Western civilizations serve as a model for the rest of the world, that our
values are universal and are recognized by all. On the contrary, we are not
nearly as appreciated as we would like to think. We will need to work on that.
"The first major conclusion we can draw in this context is that nobody can
simply ignore what is going on in the rest of the world. This is certainly a
lesson for the United States, which, in recent times, has shown signs of wanting
to go it alone and become more introspective. And yet it was George Bush senior
who, in 1991, two years after the fall of the Berlin Wall and shortly after the
victory against Saddam Hussein, issued a call for a New World Order … A New
World Order built or protected by the United States alone turned out to be an
illusion. In Afghanistan and Kashmir, in Gaza and on the West Bank, in Congo and
now in New York and Washington, too…
"And yet, we now need a New World Order more than ever before. A world order in
which American leadership will of course remain a key element, if only because
it will remain the only country with a global military force until such time as
Europe develops a defense capability of its own. But the other continents, and
especially Europe, must make a major contribution to building this New World
Order, too. They must take greater responsibility, and make a greater
commitment. Nobody — least of all the European Union — wants to see a
continuation of recent events, where the poorest countries in Africa, Latin
America and the Balkans have been torn apart and become a haven for criminals
and modern-day pirates capable of striking out in whatever manner they choose,
wherever and whenever they want.
"The old world order that took shape during the Cold War along a line separating
East from West, collapsed in 1989. Since then new front lines have gradually
taken shape, dividing the North from the South. Various conflicts have been
fought along these lines. The key question now is how we can repair these
splits. How can we create a New World Order that is not one-dimensional and is
not based solely on bipolar opposition? How can we find an alternative to a
system in which the United States makes all the decisions by itself and acts as
a consequence? How can we find a stronger and more effective alternative to a
system based on the United Nations with its 189 formally sovereign states? We
need to find a new path, a middle way.
"We could order the world on the basis of existing regional cooperation
organizations: the European Union, ASEAN, Mercosur, NAFTA, the African Union,
the Arab League and SAARC in southern Asia. In this context, we should also
include countries like China, Russia and Japan, and the whole of Oceania. We
need to take a first step down the path towards a global form of federalism, a
structure where the reality of an increasingly interactive world is finally made
a political reality too. In fact, a structure of this kind was already planned
when the United Nations was created in 1945, but was never implemented after the
Cold War. The New World Order could lead to a new G8, G9 or G10 …
"We need a global political vision, a political counterweight capable of reining
in uncontrolled forces, be they market forces or ideological forces. The
European Union is the model, which shows this is possible. Of course, it is only
natural to compare our situation with that of the United States of America. In
Washington there is a clear Administration, a Constitution, a President, a
Congress. Brussels has a Byzantine structure by comparison. But the United
States grew up as a new country, with none of the baggage of history. Today's
Europe, on the other hand, was built on the ruins of centuries of hate, rivalry,
misunderstandings, distrust, and linguistic, cultural and religious diversity.
Any institution called upon to take all of these things into account is bound to
have a somewhat complex structure. This is a fact that our impatient Anglo-Saxon
friends sometimes fail to grasp in its entirety.
"ASEAN, Mercosur, the African Union … all claim to have drawn their inspiration
from Europe. They, too, want to build peace and cooperation after centuries of
war and aggression. In this way, the European Union has become a model for
regional cooperation agreements worldwide; a source of inspiration for the
structures of a new world yet to be created.
"But structures can become paralyzed. And while we might hold Europe up as an
example, we must also ask ourselves whether the European Union isn't starting to
look a bit cumbersome. The institutional discussions that have been going on
almost uninterrupted for 10 years now — from Maastricht to Amsterdam and Nice —
sometimes give us the feeling that Europe is losing sight of what is important
and its ability to work towards it. The imminent 'Laeken Declaration' devoted to
the future of Europe seeks to make this objective occupy center-stage once
again.
"We must never lose sight of the fact that the central project of the European
Union is a project undertaken on an unprecedented scale. An organization of 15
Member States is looking to expand over the next decade to embrace 13 new
members. The significance of this decision is severely underestimated both
within and outside the EU. It is a major risk. The arrival on the scene of so
many new Member States could push the European Union down any number of paths.
Some people think that the very scale of this operation could quite simply
paralyze the Union. But it is a risk we must take. The collapse of
post-Communist Albania in 1997, the immigration of tens of thousands of Roma
leaving Vladimir Meciar's Slovakia, and the aggressive policy of the Serb
leadership all remind us of the risks of having an unstable, impoverished and
marginalized Central and Eastern Europe.
"Of course, own interests are a major driving force. But the enlargement of the
EU is also by far the most grandiose and ambitious political project our
generation has ever seen. For what political ambition can be stronger than the
desire to bring the underprivileged Romanians together, under one roof, and in
the space of just 10 years, with the Germans, Danes and Dutch? The average
income of the citizens of these Member States is six to seven times that of
Romanians. In fact, the average income of a Romanian is more or less the same as
that of a Filipino, Indonesian or Paraguayan and only a little more than that of
an Egyptian or a Bolivian. Consequently, EU enlargement is an ambitious plan
seeking — at least at European level — to bridge the divide between a wealthy
North and an impoverished South.
"We have already gained some experience in this domain, albeit on a smaller
scale. In the 1970s, having just thrown off the yoke of too many years of
dictatorship, Spain, Greece and Portugal trailed the rest of the continent
economically. The gulf between them and Western Europe was so wide that tens of
thousands of people left those countries in search of employment in France,
Germany, Great Britain and the Benelux. And once those countries had seen off
their dictators, the European Union was eager to embrace them. At the time, the
democratic world stopped at the barbed wire of the Iron Curtain and at the foot
of the Pyrenees. Now, 25 years later, Spain, Greece and Portugal have made up
much of the economic ground they had lost. They have gone from being countries
of emigration to countries of immigration.
"And we can succeed again, with Romania, Hungary, the Czech Republic, Poland and
all the candidate countries. However, Romania trails a lot further behind than
Spain ever did. The pessimists maintain that we have set our sights too high.
Well, perhaps we have. But we can still expect the opening up of the borders,
the enlargement of the European free trade zone, more and more intense
cooperation and the stabilization of the governments of Central and Eastern
Europe to have a remarkably positive economic effect. For this is what the
European Union has proved time and time again: the organization of free trade
and the free cooperation of economic forces exceeds all expectations.
"Nowhere is cooperation between nation states as important as it is in Europe.
Nowhere have greater efforts been made to bridge the divide between rich and
poor regions. Surely we can say outright that if a New World Order is being
sought, the European Union can indeed be held up as a model?
"What I have tried to do today is to prove that the European Union is the most
generous political project on our continent, a project that can be held up as an
example for a New World Order that will truly begin to close the gap between
rich and poor. Now, as we stand on the threshold of the 21st century, I find it
hard to imagine a greater political ambition. To all of you who are preparing
for a European career I say that I hope, one day, we will achieve this goal
together."
It's Just a Matter of Time
A "coming one-world political, economic and religious system" has been predicted
by most Bible prophecy teachers for as long as anyone can remember.
Eschatological commentaries on the subject have been presented by astute and
well-read students of the Bible since it was first transcribed.
Old Testament prophets referred to the condition of the world at the time of the
end. Jesus had more to say about the status of the world at the time of His
return than any of the writers of the New Testament. He talked about the signs
of His coming in Matthew 24, Mark 13, Luke 17 and 21.
The Apostle Paul spoke about the last days. Peter, Jude and John, climaxing with
The Revelation of Jesus Christ, wrote about the coming New World Order.
Past president George Bush, along with Mikhail Gorbachev, popularized the terms,
"New World Order," "New International Order," and "new partnership of nations."
The entire theme and focus of George Bush's address to a joint session of
Congress on September 11, 1990, was "The New World Order." Speaking of the
Persian Gulf crisis, Bush warned, "This is the first assault on the new world we
seek, the first test of our mettle." He then summed up: "a new world order" may
emerge from the crisis in which the world is "freer from the threat of terror,
stronger in the pursuit of justice and more secure in the quest for peace."
Bush had just returned from a summit meeting with Mikhail Gorbachev in Helsinki.
He said the meeting laid the groundwork for "a new partnership" between Moscow
and Washington, which would play a key role in a "new world order."
The NWO Is an Old Idea
Author Tal Brooke once wrote: "Today the pieces are falling into place for a
worldwide transformation. In the not-too-distant future a New World Order,
unlike anything the world has ever seen, could appear almost overnight. There is
an emerging global consciousness that is either an incredible historical
coincidence or is, in fact, part of a sophisticated plan whose beginnings can be
traced to antiquity. Could this be the global reality predicted 2,000 years ago
by a prophet on the Isle of Patmos? The pieces have been shifting into place for
a quantum leap more radical than the one that replaced the Dark Ages with the
Age of Reason. A momentous global event is upon us — the birth of a New World
Order."
Where did the idea for a world government originate? There was, is, and always
shall be avowed worshipers of Lucifer. Luciferians have lived and died promoting
the worship of Lucifer through Babylonian, Egyptian, and Druid Witchcraft and
are determined to overthrow all religions and governments. Their goal is to
unite all nations into a "one-world government" and exalt Lucifer as the god of
this world!
If we take a journey through history, starting with Lucifer's rebellion in
heaven, we can see him as the one who was worshiped as the sun-god of paganism.
We can see how Lucifer is responsible for false religions today. It should
become clear that Satan, himself, through an international political movement is
the one behind the move for a one-world government.
Nimrod, as the ruler of Babylon, tried to unite the world of his day. God wanted
the sons of Noah to eventually replenish the earth by traveling around the earth
and settling in colonies. This would have kept in check the wickedness that has
always been so prevalent in congregating cities and city/states. In the
beginning, it was not intended that man be crowded together in large cities. The
building of the tower of Babel, which Nimrod supervised, was to have two
purposes. The city of Babel would become the major metropolis of the world and
unite its inhabitants under the dictatorial rule of Nimrod. And its tower was to
be a monument to man to stand as a symbol of the wisdom of its builders. By
building the city of Babel, Nimrod hoped to prevent the people from scattering
abroad into colonies as the Lord intended. Before it was completed, when the
tower reached skyscraper height, our Lord came against it.
The New World Order (Part
2) - by J. R. Church
The Illuminati
Dr. Adam Weishaupt founded the Illuminati on May 1st, 1776. He earlier had
planned and produced the blueprint for the French Revolution. This Apostle of
Lucifer, Adam Weishaupt, converted to Catholicism, then turned to Witchcraft.
Like Freemasonry, the Illuminati is a Luciferian movement to preserve and
promote the ancient Black Arts of Babylonian and Druid Witchcraft. Its goals are
to destroy Christianity and all world governments, and then unite them under a
one-world government whose ruler is Lucifer.
Apostles of Lucifer are using Secret Societies, Communism, International
Banking, Christian fronts, even social issues to further their diabolical plans.
These modern day witches are determined to overthrow Christianity and the
worship of Jesus Christ by using various means — subliminal mind sciences on the
one hand, and physical force on the other.
This Luciferian plot to destroy all religions and all governments, so that a
one-world Luciferian government may be established, is here today, in what is
known as "The New Age Movement." In Latin it is called "Novus Ordo Seclorum,"
which means, New Order for the Ages. Just take a look at the back of your common
one-dollar bill, with its pyramid and satanic "all-seeing eye. Its real but
concealed name is "The Illuminati." And, it was from the Secret Order of The
Illuminati that communism was developed!
However, Luciferian front organizations, designed to destroy all controlling
governments and religions, are the real hidden instigators of all the communist
parties of the world, and communism actually derived out of spiritualism
(witchcraft)!
Communists are just another pawn for a much larger circle of hidden instigators
that want to provoke revolution, riots, race wars, and anarchy. The whole world
is to be thrown into riot and revolution by these conspirators, as a way to
frighten the inhabitants into a one-world government.
Seventy years before Karl Marx came on the scene, Adam Weishaupt told his
disciples that to achieve this one-world government, his conspirators would have
to infiltrate every agency of the governmental affairs of the nations. They
first used Masonic Lodges to begin this task. By sitting in the top seats of all
governments, the Illuminati agents could eventually guide the nations toward a "Novus
Ordo Seclorum," or New World Order. They would accomplish this as a result of
the power, which they would have while occupying positions as legislators.
What has been the goal of the Communist World Revolutionary movement? Gary
Allan's statement in his book, None Dare Call It Conspiracy, could not state it
any plainer, on page 35:
"Communism' is not a movement of the down-trodden masses but is a movement
created, manipulated and used by power-seeking billionaires to gain control over
the world ... first by establishing socialist governments in the various nations
and then consolidating them all through a 'great merger,' into an all-powerful
world socialist super-state, probably under the auspices of the United Nations."
But an International Banking Cartel pulls the strings that control the affairs
of communism, not the communists. Russia, China, Cuba — and other Socialist as
well as Communist nations — are taking their orders indirectly from the
super-rich International Bankers who control the commerce of this world.
In America, the originators of this one-world government policy are The Council
on Foreign Relations (CFR) and its economic branch, the Trilateral Commission.
The CFR is the political side of the Illuminati. They have produced congressmen,
senators and even presidents to pass laws that have led America into becoming a
Socialist nation.
The Trilateral Commission is an attempt to unite Western Europe's Common Market,
Japan, Canada, and the United States, into an economic and political
confederacy. What they couldn't do through the political side of the Illuminati
(Council on Foreign Relations), they are trying now through the economic
approach.
The CFR began on July 29, 1921, in New York City. Its building is on the west
side of Park Avenue at 68th Street. Facing it is the Soviet Embassy to the
United Nations on the opposite corner.
The CFR has openly declared its true purpose: "... building a New International
Order [which] must be responsive to world aspirations for peace [and] for social
and economic change.... including states labeling themselves as 'Socialist.'"
The first attempt to unite the whole world into a one-world Luciferian slave
unit was first tried at the close of World War I. President Woodrow Wilson on
January 8th, 1918 laid out a 14-point plan to Congress for lasting peace. Within
this package of world peace was neatly hidden a plan for these conspirators to
get all nations of the world to give up their sovereignty. It was labeled "The
League of Nations." World War I was used to frighten the war-torn people of the
world into believing that if all the governments could unite, it would stop all
wars between nations, and would achieve world peace and security.
New Age Globalism
A current buzzword designed to hide the true intentions of those implementing
one-world government, is "globalism." One of the most compelling arguments for
globalism, today, is the danger of annihilation. We are warned by a multitude of
voices that this danger alone warrants the final sacrifice required to bring
about global peace — that if nations surrender sovereignty in a manner
consistent with United Nations planning, this would end the threat of global war
and begin an era of unprecedented peace and safety. But this would require the
sacrifice of nationalism.
The United Nations was founded upon a well-thought-out policy of globalism. This
would require us to submit to the decrees of the United Nations General Assembly
(or a similar body) as law. We would submit "for the benefit, and out of respect
for, all world citizens." Globalism has been a growing trend since 1973, when
many famous and influential people signed the Humanist Manifesto II. They
declared:
"We deplore the division of humankind on nationalistic grounds. We have reached
a turning point in human history where the best option is to transcend the
limits of national sovereignty to move toward the building of a world community
... a system of world law and world order based upon transnational federal
government."
The New Age Movement, which is made up of humanistic thinkers, has been very
influential in causing free and affluent nations such as America to go along
with the global plan for a New World Order. People operating out of
self-interest do not surrender their freedoms and heritage unless they are
persuaded there is something better ahead.
The New World Order (Part
3) - by J. R. Church
"The Plan"
The ultimate device to completely control man's environment is a one-world
government, and the current organization of the world of nations is an obvious
obstacle to such a change. But, the goal of these planners of world government
is about to reach fruition. In his book, The West in Crisis, James P. Warburg
once stated his support for a world government:
"A world order without world law is an anachronism; and that, since war now
means the extinction of civilization, a world which fails to establish the rule
of law over the nation-states cannot long continue to exist. We are living in a
perilous period of transition from the era of the fully sovereign nation-state
to the era of world government."
On February 17,1950, Warburg also told a Senate Committee how the peoples of the
world would receive this world-government: "We shall have world government
whether you like it or not, if not by consent by conquest."
The world government planned by these leaders includes plans for a world police
force. Historian Arnold Toynbee once said: "We are approaching the point at
which the only effective scale for operations of any importance will be the
global scale. The local states ought to be deprived of their sovereignty and
subordinated to the sovereignty of a global world government. I think the world
state will still need an armed police … world government will have to command
sufficient force to be able to impose peace."
It would be a monumental task to convince the people of the world to give up
their national sovereignty and submit to a world government. However, that
problem is not insurmountable. The former director of the World Health
Organization, Dr. Brock Chisolm, once stated:
"To achieve world government, it is necessary to remove from the minds of men
their individualism, loyalty to family tradition, national patriotism and
religious dogmas. We have swallowed all manner of poisonous certainties fed us
by our parents, our Sunday and day school teachers, our politicians, our
priests, our newspapers and others with vested interests in controlling us. The
reinterpretation and eventual eradication of the concept of right and wrong
which has been the basis of child training, the substitution of intelligent and
rational thinking for faith in the certainties of the old people, these are the
belated objectives … for charting the changes in human behavior."
Author Ralph Epperson commented: "In addition to destroying man's basic
loyalties to family, nation and religion, the nation must be conditioned to the
belief that less is better than more. The standard of living of those in the
affluent nations must be reduced. This will be done by a slow, gradual process
of conditioning the citizens of the rich nations to survive on less than they
produce."
The President of the Rockefeller Foundation, John Knowles, made this position
very clear: "I am sure of only one thing — more is not necessarily better. The
web of interdependence is tightening. We are one world and there will be one
future — for better or for worse — for us all. Central to a new ethic of making
less more is controlled economic growth which conserves scarce resources,
provides more equitable distribution of income and wealth."
When people in more productive nations have been conditioned to live with less,
then they can be conditioned to share their excess wealth with less productive
nations. U. S. corporations have been encouraged to move their manufacturing
plants to other nations, leaving America without an industrial base.
This sharing of the wealth, the exact position proposed in the Communist
Manifesto, is called the New International Economic Order, a phrase once defined
by Council on Foreign Relations member, ex-Senator Charles Percy: "The
philosophy behind the new international economic order is based on the fact that
the developed wealthier nations use a substantially greater share of the earth's
resources than do the less developed, poor nations. The new order calls for a
more equitable distribution of the earth's resources among the earth's people
and redistribution of wealth among rich and poor nations."
In keeping with this program, CFR member and former Secretary of State Cyrus
Vance once promised that the United States would step up its economic aid to
developing nations in order to hasten "progress toward a more equitable and
healthy new international economic order."
Ralph Epperson points out: "The progress towards this world government has been
steady, not because the people of the richer countries have freely chosen it
after hearing the arguments on both sides, but because they have been lied to. A
good case-in-point was an article written by Richard Gardner, U.S. ambassador to
Italy, in the April 1974, issue of Foreign Affairs, the monthly journal of the
Council on Foreign Relations. He wrote: 'the house of world order' will have to
be built from the bottom up rather than from the top down … an end run around
national sovereignty, eroding it piece by piece, will accomplish more than the
old fashioned frontal assault.'"
A 1961 United States government document published entitled, Freedom From War —
State Department Publication 7277, was apparently a blueprint for the transfer
of America's military forces to the one-world government. It proposed the
gradual surrender of all the American forces to a world police force in a
three-phase program:
"The first stage would significantly reduce the capabilities of nations to wage
war by reducing the armed forces of the nations; the nuclear capabilities would
be reduced by treaties; and UN peace-keeping powers would be strengthened. The
second stage would provide further substantial reductions in the armed forces,
and the establishment of a permanent international peace force within the United
Nations. The third stage would have the nations retaining only those forces
required for maintaining internal order, but the United States would provide
manpower for the United Nations Peace Force."
This seems to mean that the Secretary General of the United Nations would become
the Commander-In-Chief of the armed forces of the United States — a violation of
the Constitution of the United States. The World Affairs Council (January 30,
1976) announced the next step in this program by releasing the "Declaration of
Interdependence." It read in part: "Two centuries ago, our forefathers brought
forth a new nation; now we must join with others to bring forth a new world
order. To establish a new world order … it is essential that mankind free itself
from limitations of national prejudice … We affirm that the economy of all
nations is a seamless web, and that no one nation can any longer effectively
maintain its processes of production and monetary systems without recognizing
the necessity of collaborative regulation by international authorities. We call
upon all nations to strengthen the United Nations … and other institutions of
world order."
The New Order
Tal Brooke summarized, "The New World Order will be different from anything the
world has ever seen. It will be an impressive monolith of colossal power. There
will be things about it that will surprise all of us — things we did not
foresee. In the end, the world will require something drastic, something far
beyond the ability of any man or machine to solve."
The Apostle Peter wrote about what will happen to this despoiled and tortured
planet:
"But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in which the heavens
shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent
heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.
"Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new
earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness" (II Pet. 3:10,13).
Tal Brooke said: "The dazzling empire that came in like a rainbow will be no
more. The New World Order will be blotted out, replaced by the New Creation.
Only God can remake the universe — not with the glue of human or diabolical
cunning, but with a single word uttered from highest heaven!"
A one-world government is coming. It is almost here. Christian, please
understand; it is the system that must be in place before the final world ruler
— the Antichrist — can ascend his throne.
The United Nations is currently developing the following:
1. A World Court with powers to subpoena nations.
2. A World Police with the militaries of all developing countries to be
dismantled.
3. A World Central Bank, which would give the International Monetary Fund sole
power to enforce austerity on nations.
4. A World Treasury.
5. An Economic Security Council with a mandate to intervene in those states that
do not comply with UN protocols for genocide or "free trade" liberalization.
Demilitarization would become a new condition for any aid or loans to developing
countries.
6. A World Trade and Production Organization which would not only regulate "free
trade" but also dictate quotas for nations (and, conversely, penalties and fines
for those nations which might desire to resist UN edicts).
7. Global Taxation to include taxes on pollution, savings from demilitarization,
foreign exchange transactions, and a global income tax on nations whose people
average an income above $10,000 per year.
James Gustave Speth, who headed up "Project Global 2000," once said that
"unchecked population growth" is the biggest threat to "human security" and, by
the year 2015, world population needs to be stabilized at 7.3 billion.
With the world population already above six billion and rising, some are
convinced that armed insurrections will accomodate the UN goal with massive
exterminations. Forced abortions, planned famines, and biological warfare are
other options for meeting their goal. Many are asking how long it will take the
UN to implement plans to accomplish their New World Order.
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