Signposts Of Prophecy
It's been awhile since I have written on these pages but I wish to touch on certain indicators of prophecy that I believe are continuing to congeal before our eyes. The impressive turn of events in Tunisia and Egypt this month remind us that things can change in a matter of weeks or even days when by all appearances the overthrow of existing political orders should never happen in the first place.
Through these indicators we begin to anticipate great things as far as the Jew or Christian is concerned at least they who are the righteous, Jew, Gentile and Christian. And yet, we must understand that we are still in the Church Age, the great parenthesis of biblical eschatology, and that these indicators are for another age apart from this Age of Grace. And though, we may identify and even see the faint outline of future political, economic, and religious characters on this current world stage- we must not place them in our Church Age but bear in mind that these persons, places and things are reserved for the Age of Israel. The demarcation between the Age of Israel and the Age of the Church will be the Rapture which is simply the resurrection of the Church both dead and alive.
No one knows when the Rapture will occur because if you think of Heaven as another country and God as its Executive branch with Jesus Christ as its Prime Minister if you will, then a lot depends on mankind's relation(s) with the Ambassadors of this Divine Country, who currently belong to the Church. When enough people on earth collectively reject the Demarche from Heaven, that is, accept Christ as their liege Lord, then God the Father will remove his Ambassadors to Earth as a grave sign of his divine displeasure. It seems this tipping point is close at hand but in fairness, many Christians in many different times have felt it was near when it in hindsight was not. That being said, we never have been so globally connected as we are now and thus man on a worldwide scale can accept or reject the Demarche en masse as never before.
Additionally, as you may or may not know, when ambassadors are recalled from another country then usually a state of war exists between the two countries. The Rapture therefore is the recall of Gods' ambassadors from earth with the concomitant reduction in relations between the two civilizations. It could happen tonight or it might not happen for another thousand years. However, when it does occur then the Age of the Church will close and the Age of Israel will resume where it left off at the First Advent of Christ in 30 AD. We call it the Age of Israel because the nation and its people will take center stage as they must endure God's punishment for sins and transgressions against him in times past per the Book of Daniel.
Nearly 99% of the Age of Israel had passed when our Lord last walked the earth in 30 AD. Only 1 percent remains and it will last only a mere seven years when it does resume after the Rapture. After this then the Age of Israel will finally close and a new Age will be ushered in with the Millennial Reign of Christ where Israel takes center stage not for punishment of past sins but where she so rightly belongs as the nation basking in the glory of God's light. Her King will be the King of Kings and her Lord will be the Lord of Lords. Her enemies will be vanquished and the Church will reign with Christ in resplendent glory. Maps will be redrawn-New nations will be formed and old nations destroyed for their relationship to Israel and to the Church, the body of Christ or their lack thereof. Religion in all of its myriad forms, Satan's answer to God's Grace, will be vanquished as we will all see Christ in the flesh ruling the earth from Israel.
Until then, we only have signposts to tell us how close we are to our final destination. I count 14 signposts (there may be more) and as we review them I think you will find that indeed we are very close to the event-horizon that will be the Rapture as the next prophetic event on the eschatological calendar. I have grouped the "sign posts" into several categories - political, economic, cultural, religious and cultural/technology.
Political Signposts
Israel - The first and foremost sign that we are nearing the end of the Church Age is the rebirth of the nation of Israel. Prophecy cannot proceed forward without the nation of Israel and the Jew. End of story! Or it would be without Israel. There can be no anti-Christ were it not for Israel for the anti-Christ breaks the military treaty protecting Israel from her Moslem enemies during the middle of the Tribulation. There could be no False Prophet were it not for Israel for he comes from this country singing the praises of the anti-Christ. Even the number 666 could not become operational without the nation of Israel for it is the False Prophet of Israel who declares that all should be marked with that number who owe their allegiance to the anti-Christ. None of the prophecies in both the Old and New Testament could come to pass without the nation of Israel being in existence save one prophetic event not related to her - the Rapture of the Church. Thus, we must conclude that Israel's national resurrection in 1948 must be counted as extremely important and the final turn towards Armageddon or the Second Advent of Jesus Christ. Of course, the Second Advent of Christ could not be operational unless there is a nation called Israel in existence in the same geographical location that it currently resides in when Christ first walked on earth in the flesh nearly 2000 years ago.
King Of The South - In Daniel 11, the nation of Israel confronts the rise of the Greek gentile world power that would come to enslave Israel. However, its clear that this chapter also anticipates the rise of a great power that resides in Israel's southern sphere of influence way into the future beyond the rise and fall of the Greek empire that was anchored in the Middle East after the death of Alexander the Great in antiquity. Today, the King of the South must be placed within Israel's timeline politically speaking. In other words, since 1948 when Israel was resurrected as a nation, what power has resided south of Jerusalem? Ethnically and religiously it currently is the Arab and the Moslem in that order. Today, the Arabic Moslem hegemony resides in the state of Egypt as it's political capital and Saudi Arabia as its religious capital. Since 1948, the King of the South has not always been "Moslem" religiously as the Arabs experimented with fascistic social structures in the religious absence of the Caliphate until the rise of the Ayatolollahs and the Shia Moslems in Iran showed the way for the Sunni in 1979. Since then, we have seen the steady rise of the Moslem Brotherhood and all its offshoots in various Sunni Moslem countries such as Egypt (which they are based) to all of the North African countries as well as to all of the Arabian countries that sit on the Saudi periphery such as Yemen, Kuwait, Bahrain and Qatar. Even now, uprisings all across North Africa from Tunisia to Egypt to Bahrain and Yemen have crystallised these countries in favor of the Moslem Brotherhood. The so called Arab Spring is only defrosting the Moslem Brotherhood and giving them the breathing room to seize power as previous "pro-Western" Arabs kept them in the freezer with their anti-MB policies. As a result, we may see the rise of a new caliphate that has a specific Sunni orientation that will be completely be at odds with not only Israel but their heretical cousins sitting in Iran.
Kings Of The East - In the book of Revelation, the Anti-Christ, the False Prophet and the Dragon (Satan himself) send demonic emissaries to the "kings" of the east with explicit instructions to march their Asiatic armies westward to Israel during the latter half of the Tribulation. The Kings obey and send their armies marching west to cross the dried out riverbed of the Euphrates River which normally would have blocked such a military adventure. This is not the same army that John saw that is numbered at 200 million that exits out of the Euphrates riverbed and is led by 4 fallen angelic generals. But I digress, the kings of the east on the other hand, are led by other human Asiatic generals. Again, back to the east, we see since 1948 the slow and steady erection of an Asian Co-Prosperity Sphere not unlike Japan's forced attempt at one before and during WWII in which it would have been Japanese in orientation. Since the Japanese defeat in 1945, with the blessings of the United States and Europe, the Asians are slowly coming together to form a regional political and economic power bloc that includes Japan, China, Vietnam, Singapore, Taiwan, Philippines, Thailand and of course, Korea. And it may include the masses of the Indian peoples as well someday. Needless to say, their importance to global trade cannot be stressed enough since 1948 they have come from being a backwater local power and slave economy to being nearly a superman economically and politically over America and Europe. They only lack a military component at this moment but I'm sure as events unfold in the coming future this too may be resolved in their favor. The fact that the Chinese renmimbi and the Japanese Yen or a mixture thereof have been discussed as replacing the "almighty" American dollar as a global currency should remind us that indeed the "kings" of Asia are now poised to assume their place in prophetic history. Even the Chinese are starting to underwrite the American and European debt problem that has so vexed the West since the end of the Cold War.
King Of The North - Since the resurrection of Israel, the one power that is of any significance that sits North of Jerusalem would have to be Russia and her allies. Ezekiel 38 & 39 outlines the King of the North's intention as Magog to invade Israel and the Middle East and the North's ultimate destruction by the hands of God. Since 1948, the Middle East has once again come to the attention of Moscow just as it did in the days of the Czars, however, unlike in the days of the Czars, the Middle East now includes the state of Israel. Today, Russia finds herself thwarted politically at least by Israel and her ability to sabotage any initiative by Russia to increase her influence over the Levant and its environs much to her chagrin. The exception to this would be Iran, since the overthrow of the Shah, a pro-western leader, Iran has maintained a decisively anti-American and anti-Western paradigm by playing Russia against the West and vice versa in the Persian Gulf locally and in the Middle East at large. The book of Ezekiel clearly states that the King of the North will have allies and significantly one of these allies will be Persia, which is present day Iran. There will be other allies that could include Turkey as well but this is mere speculation on my part. However, as you may know, politics makes strange bedfellows! For example, who would have ever guessed that Stalin's Communist Russia would make a devil's pact with Hitler's Nazi Germany over the conquest of Poland in 1939? The same could be said of Turkey in her relation with Russia if the European Union does not accept Turkey's entry into that political bloc. Or if Turkey thinks it can strike out on its own then perhaps she will side with Russia and her allies in any future conflagration that might involve Israel and the West. It was only a couple of months ago that Ankara hosted a summit between herself, Iran and Russia as the beneficiaries of a future economic entity to rival OPEC and perhaps even a military bloc to match Europe and America. Again, 1948 features prominently because it was then that Turkey became a NATO ally when Israel became a nation. However, since the rise of the AK Islamic Party under Erdogan beginning in early 2000, Turkey has decisively tilted in a pro-Islamic stance and her relations with both Europe, American and Israel has disintegrated significantly enough to wonder whether she will stay with NATO or go her own way. This can only serve Russian interests. Less talked about however, is Russia's ability to be a major energy exporter and deal breaker. Russia today sends her energy exports to Europe such as oil, gas and coal. And she uses her exports to leverage any political/military advantage over her enemies real or perceived. If she were to grab the Middle East and physically control the oil there then what would Europe and China do? If Russia felt her integrity and sovereignty threatened or if she was outright attacked by a southern hegemon then perhaps this would be one of those crisis' that would be too good to go to waste? Perhaps Russia's control over the pipelines of oil and gas running through Turkey could paralyze Europe into subservience to Moscow's strategic plans which in the mind of a Russian might just be incentive enough no matter how crazy it may sound, could in times of trouble, be the one "solution" to Russia's xenophobia to the outside world especially if the Russian feels the West wants to "control" Mother Russia by other means.
King of the West - Not since Charlemagne has "Europe" been united under one German king. The last time "Europe" was united previously was under Roman Caesars and only then for a couple of hundred years in which it disintegrated with the advent of the Germanic tribes that came to occupy and ultimately pillage the ossified Roman Empire by the 5th Century. Between the 5th and 11th centuries, a period of 600 years, the German peoples congealed roughly into the nations we see today in Europe. And it wasn't until the 12th Century AD that we begin to see the advent of Europa onto the world stage beginning with, ironically enough, the sacking of Jerusalem in 1099 AD in the First Crusade outside the environs of Europe. The Franks, the English, the Germans and the Italians all had a hand in the Crusades that for nearly 200 years would harass the Islamic Caliphate that ruled that part of the world. Even in Byzantium, the crown jewel of Christendom in the Middle East, they too came to seek military aid then ultimately political and religious union with the West. However, the subject peoples of both civilizations of Christendom would come to reject such a notion. As time went on, the West under the German people would come to dominate the world in its myriad forms either under French, Spanish, Dutch, Portuguese, Austrian, Swedish, or British flags. Even the divided Italians came to dominate the Mediterranean with their small city states and navies. On the continent of Europe, the Holy Roman Empire came closest in resembling a "unified" Europe though it was extremely weak at the "federal" level of government. Then in the 19th Century, arose Germany as the fountainhead of the Germanic people, to slowly conquer and terrify the nations of Western and Eastern Europe. But then something odd occurred in the 20th Century - Europe collapsed upon itself. Again, irony has a way intruding itself on history, Germany waged war in the West to seize control of the West. Both the first and second world war completely engulfed Europe and ultimately bled it so dry that Europe could no longer venture out into the world as it had for nearly 800 years previously. In its place two hegemons, Russia and the United States, vied for control of Europe as the cockpit of strategic control of the world. Since 1948 with the advent of Israel, we see how Europe has been licking its wounds and unable to control events except at a marginal level. However, it appears, that all may change shortly. Russia has vacated eastern Europe since the end of the Cold War. The United States appears to be next as her debts have come home to roost inadvertly causing America to question the validity of paying for her armies to control the parts of the world that the West used to control during the 19th and early part of the 20th Century. As a result, we should see the United States slowly retreat from the world, especially western Europe and return back to her Western Hemispheric sphere of influence in the New World. Europe will once more control her fate but this time Israel will be in existence just as it was under the Roman Empire. Since 1948, after nearly losing everything, the West has been solidifying politically and economically while America has guarded her frontier with Russia. First came the WEU, or Western European Union, then came the EEC or European Economic Community also known as the Treaty of Rome. Now, it has emerged as the European Union and is slowly gaining ground as a political unit as much as an economic one. The Book of Daniel and Revelation predicts the advent of a 10 Nation confederation specifically anchored in the West. Out of this union of ten nations will arise the anti-Christ per the book of Daniel and Revelation. Even now, we see the EU struggling with out of control social spending thus threatening their rather large and unwieldy organization that currently includes some 23 European nations. Will a massive economic shock reduce the EU to a mere "union" of 10 nations? There is talk that the EU is too big and that some nations will have to peal off and go their own ways at least economically such as Greece and Ireland. And just recently, the EU has created the position of High Representative for foreign affairs and its own diplomatic corps thus signifying the return of a unified "Europe". Even now, as the Arab Spring runs its course in Libya, NATO under European command is now taking center stage as it now commands American forces in Libya as well its own European military organizations to strike at Quaddafi and his forces. The Europeans are a little rusty after playing second fiddle to the USA since 1945 but slowly they will prove formidable once more in military matters. Again, Israel will play their part for Europe either under Britain with Tony Blair leading political and religious initiatives to bring peace to Palestine between the Arab and the Jew or as France pushing for a Mediterranean Union stretching from Algeria to Israel and though it may be in vain nevertheless they are back into the game of foreign policy on a Europe wide level. Germany today is slowly flexing its military muscle after being neutered since the end of WWII. Only America stands in the way. Europe again will not be as relevant to the Middle East until America fully disengages from Europe and the Levant.
Economic Signposts
Globalization - Never has the world been so interconnected economically as it is now. Since the end of WWII in 1945 and by the time Israel came into existence in 1948, the world began trading using American dollars as the global reserve currency with the advent of the Bretton Woods Accord. It used to be the British Pound as the reserve currency but World War II changed all that. Most of the world is connected into this system or if they are not they certainly trade their resources for the almighty dollar such as Russia for natural gas and the Middle East for oil. Even the communists with their eternal hatred of all things capitalist succumbed and offered their peoples up for slave labor to service the West and the world with their cheap labor. This is very important when we consider that the False Prophet demands all people must accept the "mark of the beast" in order to trade and to sell and the fact the West is the rudder of this world wide system is no accident.
Commercial Babylon - With globalization as standard operating procedure for worldwide trade, we find that the ruling elite in almost all the countries within this sphere are "Babylonian" in nature. They are not economic nationalists who wish their nation to succeed at the expense of another but are "Babylonian" in their view and seek to betray their peoples to world wide subservience to this economic order. Babylonians betray their own nation's sovereignty to serve the order and we see this not merely in the United States but in Europe, Asia, and Africa. Chinese Communist ruling elites sell out their people to the capitalist West. The ruling elites in the United States sell out their people and allow Mexico to export their cheap labor across the border by looking the other way while illegal aliens cross with impunity. European ruling elites tell their people to accept the economic order of the EU at the expense of their own sovereign position in the world. The subject peoples sit helpless as they watch these events unfold incapable of action. The lack of trade with borders has given way to trade without borders and none dare question it's efficacy. Never in the history of man has this condition existed within the ruling elite. They are truly men without a country. They are commercial Babylonians.
666 - In the future the number of the anti-Christ will be required in order to buy and sell. The number of the anti-Christ is either "implanted" or "etched" in the skin or on the skin of the right hand or the forehead specifically. Not only is the technology now operational it will go hand in hand with the advent of globalization and the mentality of the commercial Babylonian. Today, animals have been "chipped" and is experiantially showing the capability and usefulness of said technology. Companies have created tiny capsules with RFID(radio frequency identification) technology that can actually be powered by the sound of the heartbeat or flow of blood. Combined with WIFI technology then suddenly we find ourselves facing exactly what the Book of Revelation so explicitly pointed out what would be the outstanding identifier of the anti-Christ when he will arise.
Religious Signposts
The Temple of Israel - To date the Temple in Israel has not been reconstructed. The Second Temple as built by Herod was destroyed in 70AD. However, I strongly believe it will be rebuilt during the Church Age. I believe this because it was destroyed in the Church Age in 70 AD by the Roman Legions that crushed Israel in their rebellion against the Empire. Thus, it should be rebuilt at the end of the Church Age, at least if there is symmetry in the plan of God. Even now, the Levitical Priesthood is now being staffed by Jews in Israel for the eventual erection of the Temple that will someday come. Also, the implements of Temple rituals are now created for their use in the daily sacrifice that will certainly be resurrected, if I dare say, for use in the Temple.
The Harlot - The Book Of Revelation has recorded within its pages a false Church that will rule the West. This False Church will have all the trappings of many religions mingled within its doctrines. This false Church rises with the 10 Nation Confederation that will come to power in Western Europe. The Roman Catholic Church fits this description the best when we consider how pervasive is the pan-theistic doctrines that suffuse this organization. And really, the Catholic Church truly controls most of the world at least in terms of its religious influence. It certainly has controlled Europe religiously and politically for nearly 1500 years. Some might say the Catholic Church has reached and surpassed its zenith especially in Europe however, they are certainly in a position today to come back big in European politics and religious affairs especially in Europe. Interestingly, since the false Church rises with the 10-Nation Confederation its future completely rests with the Confederation, thus, it will fall with the 10-Nation Confederation when the anti-Christ arises with the advent of the Fourth Reich that will supplant this political organization. The antagonism towards the Harlot is evident even now among atheists as the Catholic Church is considered one of its greatest enemies. Even with the European Union now in place, the Catholic Church is seeking greater recognition of its role in European History and wants the "constitution" of the EU to include references to its Christian past.
Religious Babylon - The idea that all religions are the same and Christianity is the same as all religions is a heresy of the highest order. Christianity depends on Jesus Christ for salvation. Religion depends on one's self for salvation. The two doctrines are completely at odds with each other. Yet, many Christians, due to lack of Bible Doctrine, have given themselves to religious living and thinking that has no basis in Christianity. In fact, if we define Christian spirituality as knowledge and belief in bible doctrine then indeed many Christians today are spiritually dead for they have rejected doctrine and invested their time in works and things physically titillating that is so common among the "religious". In the absence of bible doctrine the mind is filled with religious dogma including the idea that man is good and everyone believes in the same God. Like the commercial Babylonian, the Religious Babylonian has forsaken their own country, that is, Christendom is rejected for a pantheistic community of religious believers. Today, the world is so fused with this idea we now see ecumenical movements in almost all the Churches as well as governments and among nations. Interestingly enough, the most ecumenical counsels reject the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, Jesus Christ, that they dare not speak his name lest the ecumenical movement is somehow diluted with true doctrine.
Cultural/Technological Signposts
Fornications - The sexually deviant have always been around, however, never has it been so institutionalized as it is today. The mad dash towards homosexual acceptance at the institutional level is but one manifestation of the deviancy of this movement that has been gathering steam since World War II. And it's not just occurring in Europe and America but over the entire world. Fornications at all levels before, during and after marriage strikes at the very heart of what it means to be married between a man and a woman and what it means to create a family. In the Book of Revelation, an angel proclaims to the inhabitants of God that he judges mankind for their fornications among other things and today we see how deviancy is now the norm and being embraced fully by governments, schools, military, businesses and even Churches. An acceptance of fornications is a rejection of Christian life and doctrine.
Knowledge - The advancement of academic knowledge in general even while the masses of people reject Christianity, the ultimate knowledge rooted in the revelation of God to man, has now reached its peak. Never have so many people been as "literate" as they are today. The advent of television, newspapers, cable, magazines, movies and of course, the Internet has made people more knowledgeable of their environment than ever in human history. The Book Of Daniel in the Old Testament predicted the increase of knowledge by mankind at the end of the Age of Israel and certainly knowledge in general has exponentially increased beyond imagination.
Unwalled Cities - Cities without walls was completely unusual when the Bible was written. The invasion of the Middle East by the future King of the North is predicated on the fact that the cities have no walls thus are vulnerable to invasion. The Book of Ezekiel notes how Magog, the King of the North, acknowledges publicly how the cities are ripe for invasion and completely defenseless since they have no walls. Today, cities have no walls as military technology has rendered this historical defense against an invader completely obsolete.
Judge For Yourself
I'm sure there are more signposts I could point out but you get the picture. So many things continue to align themselves politically, economically, religiously, and militarily as to verify the prophetic truth that Christ will return and the Saints to inherit and rule the world with the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. Prepare for the judgment of God.
Through these indicators we begin to anticipate great things as far as the Jew or Christian is concerned at least they who are the righteous, Jew, Gentile and Christian. And yet, we must understand that we are still in the Church Age, the great parenthesis of biblical eschatology, and that these indicators are for another age apart from this Age of Grace. And though, we may identify and even see the faint outline of future political, economic, and religious characters on this current world stage- we must not place them in our Church Age but bear in mind that these persons, places and things are reserved for the Age of Israel. The demarcation between the Age of Israel and the Age of the Church will be the Rapture which is simply the resurrection of the Church both dead and alive.
No one knows when the Rapture will occur because if you think of Heaven as another country and God as its Executive branch with Jesus Christ as its Prime Minister if you will, then a lot depends on mankind's relation(s) with the Ambassadors of this Divine Country, who currently belong to the Church. When enough people on earth collectively reject the Demarche from Heaven, that is, accept Christ as their liege Lord, then God the Father will remove his Ambassadors to Earth as a grave sign of his divine displeasure. It seems this tipping point is close at hand but in fairness, many Christians in many different times have felt it was near when it in hindsight was not. That being said, we never have been so globally connected as we are now and thus man on a worldwide scale can accept or reject the Demarche en masse as never before.
Additionally, as you may or may not know, when ambassadors are recalled from another country then usually a state of war exists between the two countries. The Rapture therefore is the recall of Gods' ambassadors from earth with the concomitant reduction in relations between the two civilizations. It could happen tonight or it might not happen for another thousand years. However, when it does occur then the Age of the Church will close and the Age of Israel will resume where it left off at the First Advent of Christ in 30 AD. We call it the Age of Israel because the nation and its people will take center stage as they must endure God's punishment for sins and transgressions against him in times past per the Book of Daniel.
Nearly 99% of the Age of Israel had passed when our Lord last walked the earth in 30 AD. Only 1 percent remains and it will last only a mere seven years when it does resume after the Rapture. After this then the Age of Israel will finally close and a new Age will be ushered in with the Millennial Reign of Christ where Israel takes center stage not for punishment of past sins but where she so rightly belongs as the nation basking in the glory of God's light. Her King will be the King of Kings and her Lord will be the Lord of Lords. Her enemies will be vanquished and the Church will reign with Christ in resplendent glory. Maps will be redrawn-New nations will be formed and old nations destroyed for their relationship to Israel and to the Church, the body of Christ or their lack thereof. Religion in all of its myriad forms, Satan's answer to God's Grace, will be vanquished as we will all see Christ in the flesh ruling the earth from Israel.
Until then, we only have signposts to tell us how close we are to our final destination. I count 14 signposts (there may be more) and as we review them I think you will find that indeed we are very close to the event-horizon that will be the Rapture as the next prophetic event on the eschatological calendar. I have grouped the "sign posts" into several categories - political, economic, cultural, religious and cultural/technology.
Political Signposts
Israel - The first and foremost sign that we are nearing the end of the Church Age is the rebirth of the nation of Israel. Prophecy cannot proceed forward without the nation of Israel and the Jew. End of story! Or it would be without Israel. There can be no anti-Christ were it not for Israel for the anti-Christ breaks the military treaty protecting Israel from her Moslem enemies during the middle of the Tribulation. There could be no False Prophet were it not for Israel for he comes from this country singing the praises of the anti-Christ. Even the number 666 could not become operational without the nation of Israel for it is the False Prophet of Israel who declares that all should be marked with that number who owe their allegiance to the anti-Christ. None of the prophecies in both the Old and New Testament could come to pass without the nation of Israel being in existence save one prophetic event not related to her - the Rapture of the Church. Thus, we must conclude that Israel's national resurrection in 1948 must be counted as extremely important and the final turn towards Armageddon or the Second Advent of Jesus Christ. Of course, the Second Advent of Christ could not be operational unless there is a nation called Israel in existence in the same geographical location that it currently resides in when Christ first walked on earth in the flesh nearly 2000 years ago.
King Of The South - In Daniel 11, the nation of Israel confronts the rise of the Greek gentile world power that would come to enslave Israel. However, its clear that this chapter also anticipates the rise of a great power that resides in Israel's southern sphere of influence way into the future beyond the rise and fall of the Greek empire that was anchored in the Middle East after the death of Alexander the Great in antiquity. Today, the King of the South must be placed within Israel's timeline politically speaking. In other words, since 1948 when Israel was resurrected as a nation, what power has resided south of Jerusalem? Ethnically and religiously it currently is the Arab and the Moslem in that order. Today, the Arabic Moslem hegemony resides in the state of Egypt as it's political capital and Saudi Arabia as its religious capital. Since 1948, the King of the South has not always been "Moslem" religiously as the Arabs experimented with fascistic social structures in the religious absence of the Caliphate until the rise of the Ayatolollahs and the Shia Moslems in Iran showed the way for the Sunni in 1979. Since then, we have seen the steady rise of the Moslem Brotherhood and all its offshoots in various Sunni Moslem countries such as Egypt (which they are based) to all of the North African countries as well as to all of the Arabian countries that sit on the Saudi periphery such as Yemen, Kuwait, Bahrain and Qatar. Even now, uprisings all across North Africa from Tunisia to Egypt to Bahrain and Yemen have crystallised these countries in favor of the Moslem Brotherhood. The so called Arab Spring is only defrosting the Moslem Brotherhood and giving them the breathing room to seize power as previous "pro-Western" Arabs kept them in the freezer with their anti-MB policies. As a result, we may see the rise of a new caliphate that has a specific Sunni orientation that will be completely be at odds with not only Israel but their heretical cousins sitting in Iran.
Kings Of The East - In the book of Revelation, the Anti-Christ, the False Prophet and the Dragon (Satan himself) send demonic emissaries to the "kings" of the east with explicit instructions to march their Asiatic armies westward to Israel during the latter half of the Tribulation. The Kings obey and send their armies marching west to cross the dried out riverbed of the Euphrates River which normally would have blocked such a military adventure. This is not the same army that John saw that is numbered at 200 million that exits out of the Euphrates riverbed and is led by 4 fallen angelic generals. But I digress, the kings of the east on the other hand, are led by other human Asiatic generals. Again, back to the east, we see since 1948 the slow and steady erection of an Asian Co-Prosperity Sphere not unlike Japan's forced attempt at one before and during WWII in which it would have been Japanese in orientation. Since the Japanese defeat in 1945, with the blessings of the United States and Europe, the Asians are slowly coming together to form a regional political and economic power bloc that includes Japan, China, Vietnam, Singapore, Taiwan, Philippines, Thailand and of course, Korea. And it may include the masses of the Indian peoples as well someday. Needless to say, their importance to global trade cannot be stressed enough since 1948 they have come from being a backwater local power and slave economy to being nearly a superman economically and politically over America and Europe. They only lack a military component at this moment but I'm sure as events unfold in the coming future this too may be resolved in their favor. The fact that the Chinese renmimbi and the Japanese Yen or a mixture thereof have been discussed as replacing the "almighty" American dollar as a global currency should remind us that indeed the "kings" of Asia are now poised to assume their place in prophetic history. Even the Chinese are starting to underwrite the American and European debt problem that has so vexed the West since the end of the Cold War.
King Of The North - Since the resurrection of Israel, the one power that is of any significance that sits North of Jerusalem would have to be Russia and her allies. Ezekiel 38 & 39 outlines the King of the North's intention as Magog to invade Israel and the Middle East and the North's ultimate destruction by the hands of God. Since 1948, the Middle East has once again come to the attention of Moscow just as it did in the days of the Czars, however, unlike in the days of the Czars, the Middle East now includes the state of Israel. Today, Russia finds herself thwarted politically at least by Israel and her ability to sabotage any initiative by Russia to increase her influence over the Levant and its environs much to her chagrin. The exception to this would be Iran, since the overthrow of the Shah, a pro-western leader, Iran has maintained a decisively anti-American and anti-Western paradigm by playing Russia against the West and vice versa in the Persian Gulf locally and in the Middle East at large. The book of Ezekiel clearly states that the King of the North will have allies and significantly one of these allies will be Persia, which is present day Iran. There will be other allies that could include Turkey as well but this is mere speculation on my part. However, as you may know, politics makes strange bedfellows! For example, who would have ever guessed that Stalin's Communist Russia would make a devil's pact with Hitler's Nazi Germany over the conquest of Poland in 1939? The same could be said of Turkey in her relation with Russia if the European Union does not accept Turkey's entry into that political bloc. Or if Turkey thinks it can strike out on its own then perhaps she will side with Russia and her allies in any future conflagration that might involve Israel and the West. It was only a couple of months ago that Ankara hosted a summit between herself, Iran and Russia as the beneficiaries of a future economic entity to rival OPEC and perhaps even a military bloc to match Europe and America. Again, 1948 features prominently because it was then that Turkey became a NATO ally when Israel became a nation. However, since the rise of the AK Islamic Party under Erdogan beginning in early 2000, Turkey has decisively tilted in a pro-Islamic stance and her relations with both Europe, American and Israel has disintegrated significantly enough to wonder whether she will stay with NATO or go her own way. This can only serve Russian interests. Less talked about however, is Russia's ability to be a major energy exporter and deal breaker. Russia today sends her energy exports to Europe such as oil, gas and coal. And she uses her exports to leverage any political/military advantage over her enemies real or perceived. If she were to grab the Middle East and physically control the oil there then what would Europe and China do? If Russia felt her integrity and sovereignty threatened or if she was outright attacked by a southern hegemon then perhaps this would be one of those crisis' that would be too good to go to waste? Perhaps Russia's control over the pipelines of oil and gas running through Turkey could paralyze Europe into subservience to Moscow's strategic plans which in the mind of a Russian might just be incentive enough no matter how crazy it may sound, could in times of trouble, be the one "solution" to Russia's xenophobia to the outside world especially if the Russian feels the West wants to "control" Mother Russia by other means.
King of the West - Not since Charlemagne has "Europe" been united under one German king. The last time "Europe" was united previously was under Roman Caesars and only then for a couple of hundred years in which it disintegrated with the advent of the Germanic tribes that came to occupy and ultimately pillage the ossified Roman Empire by the 5th Century. Between the 5th and 11th centuries, a period of 600 years, the German peoples congealed roughly into the nations we see today in Europe. And it wasn't until the 12th Century AD that we begin to see the advent of Europa onto the world stage beginning with, ironically enough, the sacking of Jerusalem in 1099 AD in the First Crusade outside the environs of Europe. The Franks, the English, the Germans and the Italians all had a hand in the Crusades that for nearly 200 years would harass the Islamic Caliphate that ruled that part of the world. Even in Byzantium, the crown jewel of Christendom in the Middle East, they too came to seek military aid then ultimately political and religious union with the West. However, the subject peoples of both civilizations of Christendom would come to reject such a notion. As time went on, the West under the German people would come to dominate the world in its myriad forms either under French, Spanish, Dutch, Portuguese, Austrian, Swedish, or British flags. Even the divided Italians came to dominate the Mediterranean with their small city states and navies. On the continent of Europe, the Holy Roman Empire came closest in resembling a "unified" Europe though it was extremely weak at the "federal" level of government. Then in the 19th Century, arose Germany as the fountainhead of the Germanic people, to slowly conquer and terrify the nations of Western and Eastern Europe. But then something odd occurred in the 20th Century - Europe collapsed upon itself. Again, irony has a way intruding itself on history, Germany waged war in the West to seize control of the West. Both the first and second world war completely engulfed Europe and ultimately bled it so dry that Europe could no longer venture out into the world as it had for nearly 800 years previously. In its place two hegemons, Russia and the United States, vied for control of Europe as the cockpit of strategic control of the world. Since 1948 with the advent of Israel, we see how Europe has been licking its wounds and unable to control events except at a marginal level. However, it appears, that all may change shortly. Russia has vacated eastern Europe since the end of the Cold War. The United States appears to be next as her debts have come home to roost inadvertly causing America to question the validity of paying for her armies to control the parts of the world that the West used to control during the 19th and early part of the 20th Century. As a result, we should see the United States slowly retreat from the world, especially western Europe and return back to her Western Hemispheric sphere of influence in the New World. Europe will once more control her fate but this time Israel will be in existence just as it was under the Roman Empire. Since 1948, after nearly losing everything, the West has been solidifying politically and economically while America has guarded her frontier with Russia. First came the WEU, or Western European Union, then came the EEC or European Economic Community also known as the Treaty of Rome. Now, it has emerged as the European Union and is slowly gaining ground as a political unit as much as an economic one. The Book of Daniel and Revelation predicts the advent of a 10 Nation confederation specifically anchored in the West. Out of this union of ten nations will arise the anti-Christ per the book of Daniel and Revelation. Even now, we see the EU struggling with out of control social spending thus threatening their rather large and unwieldy organization that currently includes some 23 European nations. Will a massive economic shock reduce the EU to a mere "union" of 10 nations? There is talk that the EU is too big and that some nations will have to peal off and go their own ways at least economically such as Greece and Ireland. And just recently, the EU has created the position of High Representative for foreign affairs and its own diplomatic corps thus signifying the return of a unified "Europe". Even now, as the Arab Spring runs its course in Libya, NATO under European command is now taking center stage as it now commands American forces in Libya as well its own European military organizations to strike at Quaddafi and his forces. The Europeans are a little rusty after playing second fiddle to the USA since 1945 but slowly they will prove formidable once more in military matters. Again, Israel will play their part for Europe either under Britain with Tony Blair leading political and religious initiatives to bring peace to Palestine between the Arab and the Jew or as France pushing for a Mediterranean Union stretching from Algeria to Israel and though it may be in vain nevertheless they are back into the game of foreign policy on a Europe wide level. Germany today is slowly flexing its military muscle after being neutered since the end of WWII. Only America stands in the way. Europe again will not be as relevant to the Middle East until America fully disengages from Europe and the Levant.
Economic Signposts
Globalization - Never has the world been so interconnected economically as it is now. Since the end of WWII in 1945 and by the time Israel came into existence in 1948, the world began trading using American dollars as the global reserve currency with the advent of the Bretton Woods Accord. It used to be the British Pound as the reserve currency but World War II changed all that. Most of the world is connected into this system or if they are not they certainly trade their resources for the almighty dollar such as Russia for natural gas and the Middle East for oil. Even the communists with their eternal hatred of all things capitalist succumbed and offered their peoples up for slave labor to service the West and the world with their cheap labor. This is very important when we consider that the False Prophet demands all people must accept the "mark of the beast" in order to trade and to sell and the fact the West is the rudder of this world wide system is no accident.
Commercial Babylon - With globalization as standard operating procedure for worldwide trade, we find that the ruling elite in almost all the countries within this sphere are "Babylonian" in nature. They are not economic nationalists who wish their nation to succeed at the expense of another but are "Babylonian" in their view and seek to betray their peoples to world wide subservience to this economic order. Babylonians betray their own nation's sovereignty to serve the order and we see this not merely in the United States but in Europe, Asia, and Africa. Chinese Communist ruling elites sell out their people to the capitalist West. The ruling elites in the United States sell out their people and allow Mexico to export their cheap labor across the border by looking the other way while illegal aliens cross with impunity. European ruling elites tell their people to accept the economic order of the EU at the expense of their own sovereign position in the world. The subject peoples sit helpless as they watch these events unfold incapable of action. The lack of trade with borders has given way to trade without borders and none dare question it's efficacy. Never in the history of man has this condition existed within the ruling elite. They are truly men without a country. They are commercial Babylonians.
666 - In the future the number of the anti-Christ will be required in order to buy and sell. The number of the anti-Christ is either "implanted" or "etched" in the skin or on the skin of the right hand or the forehead specifically. Not only is the technology now operational it will go hand in hand with the advent of globalization and the mentality of the commercial Babylonian. Today, animals have been "chipped" and is experiantially showing the capability and usefulness of said technology. Companies have created tiny capsules with RFID(radio frequency identification) technology that can actually be powered by the sound of the heartbeat or flow of blood. Combined with WIFI technology then suddenly we find ourselves facing exactly what the Book of Revelation so explicitly pointed out what would be the outstanding identifier of the anti-Christ when he will arise.
Religious Signposts
The Temple of Israel - To date the Temple in Israel has not been reconstructed. The Second Temple as built by Herod was destroyed in 70AD. However, I strongly believe it will be rebuilt during the Church Age. I believe this because it was destroyed in the Church Age in 70 AD by the Roman Legions that crushed Israel in their rebellion against the Empire. Thus, it should be rebuilt at the end of the Church Age, at least if there is symmetry in the plan of God. Even now, the Levitical Priesthood is now being staffed by Jews in Israel for the eventual erection of the Temple that will someday come. Also, the implements of Temple rituals are now created for their use in the daily sacrifice that will certainly be resurrected, if I dare say, for use in the Temple.
The Harlot - The Book Of Revelation has recorded within its pages a false Church that will rule the West. This False Church will have all the trappings of many religions mingled within its doctrines. This false Church rises with the 10 Nation Confederation that will come to power in Western Europe. The Roman Catholic Church fits this description the best when we consider how pervasive is the pan-theistic doctrines that suffuse this organization. And really, the Catholic Church truly controls most of the world at least in terms of its religious influence. It certainly has controlled Europe religiously and politically for nearly 1500 years. Some might say the Catholic Church has reached and surpassed its zenith especially in Europe however, they are certainly in a position today to come back big in European politics and religious affairs especially in Europe. Interestingly, since the false Church rises with the 10-Nation Confederation its future completely rests with the Confederation, thus, it will fall with the 10-Nation Confederation when the anti-Christ arises with the advent of the Fourth Reich that will supplant this political organization. The antagonism towards the Harlot is evident even now among atheists as the Catholic Church is considered one of its greatest enemies. Even with the European Union now in place, the Catholic Church is seeking greater recognition of its role in European History and wants the "constitution" of the EU to include references to its Christian past.
Religious Babylon - The idea that all religions are the same and Christianity is the same as all religions is a heresy of the highest order. Christianity depends on Jesus Christ for salvation. Religion depends on one's self for salvation. The two doctrines are completely at odds with each other. Yet, many Christians, due to lack of Bible Doctrine, have given themselves to religious living and thinking that has no basis in Christianity. In fact, if we define Christian spirituality as knowledge and belief in bible doctrine then indeed many Christians today are spiritually dead for they have rejected doctrine and invested their time in works and things physically titillating that is so common among the "religious". In the absence of bible doctrine the mind is filled with religious dogma including the idea that man is good and everyone believes in the same God. Like the commercial Babylonian, the Religious Babylonian has forsaken their own country, that is, Christendom is rejected for a pantheistic community of religious believers. Today, the world is so fused with this idea we now see ecumenical movements in almost all the Churches as well as governments and among nations. Interestingly enough, the most ecumenical counsels reject the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, Jesus Christ, that they dare not speak his name lest the ecumenical movement is somehow diluted with true doctrine.
Cultural/Technological Signposts
Fornications - The sexually deviant have always been around, however, never has it been so institutionalized as it is today. The mad dash towards homosexual acceptance at the institutional level is but one manifestation of the deviancy of this movement that has been gathering steam since World War II. And it's not just occurring in Europe and America but over the entire world. Fornications at all levels before, during and after marriage strikes at the very heart of what it means to be married between a man and a woman and what it means to create a family. In the Book of Revelation, an angel proclaims to the inhabitants of God that he judges mankind for their fornications among other things and today we see how deviancy is now the norm and being embraced fully by governments, schools, military, businesses and even Churches. An acceptance of fornications is a rejection of Christian life and doctrine.
Knowledge - The advancement of academic knowledge in general even while the masses of people reject Christianity, the ultimate knowledge rooted in the revelation of God to man, has now reached its peak. Never have so many people been as "literate" as they are today. The advent of television, newspapers, cable, magazines, movies and of course, the Internet has made people more knowledgeable of their environment than ever in human history. The Book Of Daniel in the Old Testament predicted the increase of knowledge by mankind at the end of the Age of Israel and certainly knowledge in general has exponentially increased beyond imagination.
Unwalled Cities - Cities without walls was completely unusual when the Bible was written. The invasion of the Middle East by the future King of the North is predicated on the fact that the cities have no walls thus are vulnerable to invasion. The Book of Ezekiel notes how Magog, the King of the North, acknowledges publicly how the cities are ripe for invasion and completely defenseless since they have no walls. Today, cities have no walls as military technology has rendered this historical defense against an invader completely obsolete.
Judge For Yourself
I'm sure there are more signposts I could point out but you get the picture. So many things continue to align themselves politically, economically, religiously, and militarily as to verify the prophetic truth that Christ will return and the Saints to inherit and rule the world with the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. Prepare for the judgment of God.
posted by Bruce R. McConnell | 8:35 PM
|
4 comments
