More on the LBL Beast

Iran's supreme ruler Ayatollah Ali Khamenei clutching on to an AK-47 machine gun during "Friday prayers" this past Friday. This guy gives Ahmadinejad spiritual direction (guess what? It ain't a spirit of love and forgiveness)

Here's some more on the LBL beast from Ellis Skolfield. The LBL beast is what the western world is just starting to wake up to. I'm not sure of Mr. Skolfield's interpretation of the mark of the beast, but I do know that Islam considers 666 to be a number of perfection. Just do a search on Google for "Quran 666" and you'll get a whole lot of disconcerting information. I have no idea why Muslims would defend the number 666, when the bible clearly states that it is the mark of the beast - God's infinite wisdom appears to convincingly label Islam. We need to be alert, watch, and pray for 1.3 billion Muslims and all the lost of the world.

Ellis Skolfield's article:

This page is only a short explanation of the verses in the Bible that predict the fall of Islam during this generation. It is only intended as an overview. For a complete analysis of the subject, please go to www.ellisskolfield.com. Read our e-book, "The False Prophet" and the other letters and essays on that site. All are free downloads.

First of all, we need to learn what some of the figurative words in Revelation, like "beast," actually mean. The definition for "beast" can be found in an Old Testament book of the prophet Daniel. In Daniel 7, the figurative word "beast" was defined as world empires that existed during and after Daniel's time.
1. The first beast in Daniel 7 was a Lion. History shows this Lion beast to be a figurative picture of the Babylonian empire. (Babylon controlled the Holy Land from 606 to 536 B.C.)
2. The next beast in his vision was a Bear. History shows this Bear to be a figurative picture of the Medo-Persian empire. (Medo-Persia controlled the Holy Land from 536 B.C. to 332 B.C.)
3. The third beast was a Leopard. History shows this Leopard to be a figurative picture of the Greek empire (Grecian rulers controlled the Holy Land from 332 B.C. to 65 B.C. when Rome took control).
So unless God changes the definition of "beast" later in Scripture, visionary beasts should always be understood as empires. Babylon the Lion, Medo-Persia the Bear and Greece the Leopard. Each of these empires controlled the whole known world, from India to Greece, the Holy Land, and even into North Africa. In other words, the whole Middle East.
Now lets pan forward to 95 A.D., when John, a New Testament prophet, foretells the future of the Middle East during the Christian Era. In his visions, guess what John sees? Three more beasts: the Leopard-Bear-Lion "beast," a Two Horned "beast" and a Scarlet "beast". These three "beasts" are not real beasts because we now know that "beast" means something other than a wild animal:

Revelation 13:2 "And the beast which I saw was like unto a Leopard, and his feet were as the feet of a Bear, and his mouth as the mouth of a Lion: and the dragon gave him his power, and his seat, and great authority."
Beasts = Empires, but this beastly empire in Revelation is a composite Leopard-Bear-Lion so it isn't just one of Daniel's three empires. It's all three empires rolled into one. In other words, this new empire is composed of the descendants of those earlier empires, in the same geographic location. Looking back at the history of the Middle East, we can now identify this new empire as the various Islamic powers that have controlled the Holy Land, and particularly Jerusalem since the 1st Jihad (which began in 639 A.D.)
Some might claim that the Islamic states in the Middle East do not constitute a real "empire" because they are not united under one central government, but the God of the Bible is far more concerned with the spiritual realities in a land than He is with how many earthly governments it may have. The reality is this: All Middle Eastern states are united under one religion, Islam, and all Moslems have one central goal: world conquest for their religion. So how should Revelation 13 be understood? Quoted below is part of the chapter, with a few of my words inserted (in parenthesis) to explain the figures . . .

Revelation 13:1-5 "And I stood upon the sand of the sea and saw a beast (an empire) rise up out of the sea (of people Rev 17:15), having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns (various Islamic rulers in the Middle East who controlled the Holy Land), and upon his heads the name of blasphemy (this empire stands against the God of the Bible). And the beast which I saw was like unto a leopard, and his feet were as the feet of a bear, and his mouth as the mouth of a lion (Leopard-Bear-Lion gives the reader a positive ID; it's the Middle East): and the dragon (Satan) gave him his power, and his seat, and great authority. And I saw one of his heads (governments) as it were wounded to death (the first Jihad
was defeated at the battle of Tours and the battle of Vienna); and his deadly wound was healed (the rise
of Islam today and the new Jihad): and all the world wondered after the beast (this Islamic empire). And they (the people of the Middle East) worshipped the dragon (Satan) which gave power unto the beast: and they worshipped the beast (the Islamic empire), saying, Who is like unto the beast, who is able to make war with him? And there was given unto him a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies; and power was given unto him to continue (controlling Jerusalem) forty and two months."

Those 42 months is how the above interpretation can be proven. 42 months is 1278.34 days. Construction of the Islamic Dome of the Rock began in Jerusalem in 688 A.D.. Jerusalem was freed of Islamic control in 1967 A.D.. Applying the prophetic days of Ezekiel 4:5-6 . . .

1967A.D. - 1278.34 years = 688.66 A. D. An exact historic fit; so the interpretation is correct. But to continue on . . .

Revelation 13:6-9 "And he (the Leopard-Bear-Lion) opened his mouth in blasphemy against God (by
saying "God forbid that He should have a Son"), to blaspheme his name (by trying to change the name of the true God from I AM, to that of a local Arab deity), and his tabernacle (God's temple mount in Jerusalem), and them that dwell in heaven (Believers are presently seated in heaven with Christ, Eph 2:6). And it was given unto him (the Islamic empire) to make war with the saints (the Christians and Jews),
and to overcome them (during the 1st Jihad): and power was given him over all kindreds,
and tongues, and nations (of the Middle East). And all that dwell upon the earth (the known world at the time of John) shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb (Jesus, the Son of God) slain from the foundation of the world. If any man have an ear, let him hear."

Not many can hear, but it is now apparent that 1.3 billion people are being terribly deceived by Satan.
The God of the Bible and the god of Islam are not the same being because the God of the Bible said, "they worship the dragon" (Satan). What's more, the God of the Bible and the god of Islam are totally different
in nature; they have different values and teach people to behave differently . . .
The Quran states: "O ye who believe! fight the unbelievers ... " (Sura 9:123).
The God of the Bible says: "Love your enemies."
The Quran states: "But when the forbidden months are past, then fight and slay the pagans wherever ye find them, and seize them, beleaguer them and lie in wait (ambush) for them in every stratagem (of war)" (Sura 9:5).
The God of the Bible says: "Bless them that curse you."
The Quran states: "Fight those who believe not in God [Allah] and his apostle [Muhammad], nor acknowledge the religion of truth [even if they are] of the people of the book [i.e. Jews and Christians], until they pay jizya [humiliating tax] with willing submission, and feel themselves subdued [enslaved]" (Sura 9:29).
The God of the Bible says: "Do good to them that hate you."
The Quran states: "Therefore when ye meet the unbelievers [in fight] smite at their necks; at length,
when ye have thoroughly subdued them, bind a bond firmly [on them]" (Sura 47:4).
The God of the Bible says: "Pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you."
So you see, the Bible and the Quran teach different thoughts and a different morality. In 1984, Ayatollah Khomeini declared to the entire world: "In order to achieve the victory of Islam in the world, we need to provoke repeated crises, restored value to the idea of death and martyrdom. The important thing is to engulf the world in crises."
The God of the Bible goes on to say:
Be ye kind to one another, tender hearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you."

The point being, the God of the Bible and Allah are not the same being because One teaches man to do good and the other teaches man to do evil. One teaches love and peace, the other teaches war and
hatred. One is really the Creator of the Universe and one is not.
So which is a god worthy of worship? The One who teaches man to do good or the one who teaches man
to do evil?
The Quran states: "God forbid that he should have a son." Jesus declared He is the Son of God and in saying, "Before Abraham was, I AM" declared Himself to be God.
Jesus also said: "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. For God sent not His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved."

We should pray for Moslems, not hate them. If they do not turn to Jesus, their eventual fate could be the greatest tragedy in all human history.

Revelation 13:16 "And he (the Leopard-Bear-Lion) causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads: And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the (Islamic) beast, or the number of his name."

Like the rest of the church, I used to teach that above verse was a worldwide prophecy, but that doesn't
fit context. The Leopard-Bear-Lion prophecy is about the Middle East and the Islamic control of the Holy Land and nowhere else. Contextually, the mark of the beast is given by the Leopard-Bear-Lion, the Islamic empire. There are 1.3 billion Muslims in the world now, but do you see that mark on a forehead of any of the servants of the Leopard-Bear-Lion? No? Then that mark must be an invisible Satanic mark, on the forehead of Moslems, seen only in the spiritual world. That "no man might buy or sell" is not about China, Europe or the Americas, it's about conditions that have existed for Christians and Jews in Islamic
countries ever since the 1st Jihad. One only needs to watch the nightly news or read about the latest beheading to see how accurate that prophecy is.
Revelation 14:9-11 ". . . If any man worship the (Islamic) beast and his image (some eschatologists believe that image to be the Kaaba stone in Mecca), and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand (man thinks evil thoughts in his mind and with his hands he does them), the same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb (Jesus): And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the (Leopard-Bear-Lion) beast and his image (the Kaaba stone?), and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name."
So will Islam fall? The God of the Bible says so. As written earlier, it will be a spiritual tragedy of unimaginable proportions, and it will happen because the followers of the Leopard-Bear-Lion have been deceived into rejecting the Son of God who sacrificed Himself for all mankind on the Cross of Calvary. Scripture goes on to say:

Revelation 13:18 "Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the (Leopard-Bear-Lion) beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred threescore and six," i.e., 666.

Many books have been written about that number, all speculative, but about 20 years ago a former Muslim who could read Arabic told me that 666 was the number of the Koran. I believed him, sort of, and promptly forgot about it. Then about three months ago, another friend told me there were many Islamic sites on
the Internet claiming 666 to be the number of the Koran, though Moslems keep changing the addresses which makes those sites harder for us infidels to find. But that did it; by knowing the true identity of 666, the last piece of the Leopard-Bear-Lion puzzle fell into place. We can now see the verse in a new light:

666 The number of a man! So what man has led a billion and a half people away from the Savior of the world? What man said, "God forbid that he should have a son." Is that not Muhammad, the prophet of the Leopard-Bear-Lion? Of course, and according to the Bible, the end for him and his followers will be grim indeed:

Revelation 19:20 "And the (Leopard-Bear-Lion) beast was taken, and with him the false prophet (Muhammad) that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image (the Kaaba stone?). These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone."

May our beloved God, who sacrificed His only begotten Son for all mankind, take the blindness from their eyes while there is still time.

Gathering the Nations

1 This is the word of the LORD concerning Israel. The LORD, who stretches out the heavens, who lays the foundation of the earth, and who forms the spirit of man within him, declares: 2 "I am going to make Jerusalem a cup that sends all the surrounding peoples reeling. Judah will be besieged as well as Jerusalem. 3 On that day, when all the nations of the earth are gathered against her, I will make Jerusalem an immovable rock for all the nations. All who try to move it will injure themselves. 4 On that day I will strike every horse with panic and its rider with madness," declares the LORD. "I will keep a watchful eye over the house of Judah, but I will blind all the horses of the nations. 5 Then the leaders of Judah will say in their hearts, 'The people of Jerusalem are strong, because the LORD Almighty is their God.'
6 "On that day I will make the leaders of Judah like a firepot in a woodpile, like a flaming torch among sheaves. They will consume right and left all the surrounding peoples, but Jerusalem will remain intact in her place. [Zechariah 12:1-6]

I was reading through Debka.com the other day and came across an interesting article on how there is an armada of ships lining up off the coast of the Israeli/Lebanon border (see "Lebanese Security” Is the Pretext for the Naval Babel around Lebanon’s Shores). I have found Debka.com to be quite accurate and detailed in their coverage in the past; they seem to be well-connected to Middle East intelligence sources. That fact makes this article all the more interesting.

According to the article, there is a naval build-up off the coast of Lebanon that is “…the greatest sea and air armada Europe has ever assembled at any point on earth since WWII”. Hmm, funny that no other news source is reporting anything about this military build-up. All I hear in the mainstream news, and I monitor A LOT of it, is about Israeli troop withdrawals out of Lebanon, and how a couple thousand UNIFIL troops are slowly making their way down to southern Lebanon – all else is quiet and the press has moved on to reporting other issues of our day. Lebanon is almost completely off the public radar.

Continuing with the details in the Debka article, it states that the primary objective of the armada is to monitor the ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon after their 34-day battle this past summer. But common’ that can’t possibly be the objective because, as per the article, this naval armada includes:

“…France’s nuclear-powered 38,000-ton Charles De Gaulle carrier, 40 Rafale M fighter craft whose range is 3,340 km can take off at intervals of 30 seconds. The ship also carries three E-2C Hawkeye surveillance craft. The combat control center of the French carrier can handle 2,000 simultaneous targets. The carrier leads a task fore of 7 warships carrying 2,800 French Marines.

Charles De Gaulle is also a floating logistics center operating water desalination plants for 15,000 men and enough food to feed an army for 90 days. The USS Mount Whitney has the most sophisticated command and control suite in the world. Like the French Charles De Gaulle , it exercises command over a task force of 1,800 sailors, Marines, Air force medical and other personnel serving aboard the USS Barry, the USS Trenton , HSV Swift and USNS Kanawha .
Available to the fleet commander, US Vice Admiral J. “Boomer” Stufflebeem, formally titled commander of Joint Task Force Lebanon, is the uniquely advanced C41 command and intelligence system through which he can flash intelligence data to every American commander at any point between the eastern Mediterranean and the Persian Gulf and Iran. USS Mount Whitney communications are described as unsurpassed for the secure transmission of data from any point to any other point in the world through HF, UHF,VHF, SHF and EHF.
The third carrier joining the other two is the Italian aircraft-helicopter carrier Garibaldi , which has launch pads for vertical takeoff by 16 AV-8B Harrier fighter-bombers or 18 Sikorsky SH-3D Sea King sea-choppers (or Italian Augusta Bell AB212 helicopters), designed to attack submarines and missile ships. Military experts estimate that the Garibaldi currently carries 10 fighter planes and 6 helicopters.”

A military expert referenced by Debka estimates that this naval armada off the Lebanon shores is roughly 10 times the amount of support the UN troops (UNIFIL) monitoring the “ceasefire” need. This is especially true because the UN troops have an extremely limited mandate in monitoring the ceasefire – they are basically monitoring the rearming of Hezbollah and there’s nothing the UN troops are willing to do under the UN Security Resolution 1701 without the permission of the Lebanese government. The Lebanese government includes two Hezbollah MP’s and the government as a whole is much less popular than the Hezbollah terrorist regime, who are literally handing out fistfuls of rebuilding cash to the Lebanese citizens who had their homes destroyed by Israeli bombs. Hezbollah ( and its backers/suppliers in Syria and Iran) can do what it wants in southern Lebanon under the sleepy eye of the UNIFIL. The current number of UNIFIL troops actually on the ground in southern Lebanon is less than 3,800. The UN wasn’t quite able to pull together the 15,000 ground troops they promised under UN Security Resolution 1701, but then again I wouldn’t want to be one of those ground troops who are “sitting ducks” when the conflict resumes, plus there is an Al Qaeda chapter establishing itself in Lebanon, under Al Qaeda’s second-in-command Ayman Zawahiri, that has threatened that UNIFIL troops are legitimate targets of attack.


With this temporary ceasefire (read: re-loading) the major countries of the world have been encouraged to restart the peace process and discuss Bush’s favourite “two state solution”. Too bad Hamas in the Gaza Stip can’t be convinced to recognize the nation of Israel – they can’t seem to get past the dream of obliterating Israel with a nuke. I’m always wary about ceasefires and peace agreements that involve Israel and its Arab and Persian neighbours. Peace agreements involving Israel remind me of 1 Thessalonians 5:2-4:

2for you know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. 3While people are saying, "Peace and safety," destruction will come on them suddenly, as labor pains on a pregnant woman, and they will not escape.
4But you, brothers, are not in darkness so that this day should surprise you like a thief.
[1 Thessalonians 5:2-4].

And

37As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. 38For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark [Matthew 24:37-38]

Are we soon headed into the Day of the Lord? Is God starting to bring the nations of the world together against Jerusalem, and the more encompassing Judah, at this time as stated in Zechariah 12? Well one thing is for sure: most people are completely asleep, unconcerned, and mesmerized by money, job, and family issues (and probably in that order). I think our society is perfectly described by Matthew 24:37-38. How I wish that 1 Thessalonians 5:4 described the readiness of the church today – but I’m afraid that day will come as a complete surprise to many brothers and sisters.

Call me completely nuts (if you haven’t written me off already), but I think the Day of the Lord is potentially shaping up in Lebanon today. There are already plenty of nations represented on the UNIFIL deployment and off the coast of Lebanon in a naval armada. Satan is the current ruler of this world, and it wouldn’t take much for all these nations to suddenly turn against (see Ezekiel 38:10) Jerusalem and Judah (i.e. Israel). Now would be an excellent time to read the chapters of Zechariah 12 and 14; Ezekiel 38 and 39; and Joel 1,2 and 3 (among others) to find out what the Day of the Lord will be.

Check out especially Joel 3,verse 4 : "Now what have you against me, O Tyre and Sidon and all you regions of Philistia? Are you repaying me for something I have done? If you are paying me back, I will swiftly and speedily return on your own heads what you have done."

Joel 3 is an amazing prophesy! You'll find Tyre and Sidon mentioned frequently in today's news in reference to Hezbollah strongholds - they are still called Tyre and Sidon (there's no guesswork on who God is talking about)!

In our times, one of the verses I lean on very heavily, and one of my favourites, is: “Be always on the watch, and pray that you may be able to escape all that is about to happen, and that you may be able to stand before the Son of Man." [Luke 21:36] Praise the Lord that we can be on the winning side of this inevitable, final conflict when it happens.

A Religious War

Source: EllisSkolfield.com

A Hindu doctor friend who left northern India because of the violence there made the following observation, "When there is trouble anywhere in the world today, you will find Moslems on one side of it and they started it. Western leaders don’t understand Islam's goal for the past 1400 years. It has been to make peace with the infidels until Moslems are strong enough, then to fight against them."

Strange as it may seem, Sadaam’s secular regime was a buffer against the unification of Islam in the Middle East, but now, who is there to stop that happening? The United States could, but our leaders don’t recognize who our enemy really is. We keep hearing that we’re just fighting a few million radical Islamic terrorists, but it isn’t so. Our enemy is Islam itself. For details read Chapter 13 in "The False Prophet," downloadable free on this site.

In Islam there are only two houses, The Dar el Salaam (the house of peace) and the Dar el Harb (the house of war). If you are a Moslem you are in the Dar el Salaam, but if you’re of any other faith, you’re an infidel in the Dar el Harb and Islam is at war with you. That is why making a treaty with Iran is meaningless. Since we are all Infidels, as far as they are concerned, no treaty we sign with them is binding. For over 40 years, Israel has been signing treaties with the Palestinian Moslems; to date, they have not honored a single one. It isn’t that Moslems are worse than anyone else. They are doing their best to follow their bloody religion because they have been deluded by a false prophet. Since our leaders don’t really understand the problem and don't prepare us for the real battle, it's just as Scripture states . . .

1Corinthians 14:8 "For if the trumpet give an uncertain sound, who shall prepare himself to the battle?",

During the 2nd Gulf War, Palestinians in Jordan were rioting in the streets and Mullahs all over the Middle East were preaching against the United States and inciting thousands of Jihadists to fight for Sadaam. Did they do so because of any great love for Iraq’s secular dictator? Of course not. Jihadists came into Iraq (and still do) because an Islamic state was being invaded by infidels. Middle Eastern Islam was just behaving Islamic.

Despite hand-wringing protests to the contrary, this is a religious war. The God of the Bible against Allah, but the whole Western Church is asleep. Forgetting Islam’s bloody history, we smilingly permit Moslem Mullahs to preach sedition against our democratic way of life and violence against anyone of a different faith. The God of the Bible and Allah are not the same being, nevertheless, some church leaders invite Islamic Mullahs to preach from their pulpits. We even have Moslem Mullahs as chaplains in our prisons. Regardless of where Moslems might live or any internal differences they might have between themselves, Few seem to realize that Islam is one entity with one book they consider holy, a Koran that teaches Moslems to bring the world into Islam by the power of the sword. To fight against, subjugate and even kill all who are determined to remain non-Moslem. We may not be at war with Islam, but Islam has been at war with the West since it’s inception.

The war in Iraq was barely over before fundamental Mullah’s from Iran goaded 1,000,000 or so Iraqi Shi’ites to demonstrate against the American forces who had just freed them from Sadaam’s brutal tyranny. And what was the stated purpose of those "spontaneous" gatherings? Fundamental Mullahs want Iraq to become an fundamental Islamic state like its neighbor Iran. Fundamental Islam hasn’t been weakened by freeing Iraqi’s people, it’s been strengthened. And this war cannot be won by force of arms. If we kill bin Laden, another bin Laden will arise, and another and another. The only way to win is to change the belief structure of those waging it. The gospel could do that, but with the church asleep, the gospel trumpet has indeed been giving an uncertain sound.

We are at the threshold of a final time of trial coming upon the earth. The final enemy of the Church and Israel (the Leopard-Bear-Lion Islamic beast) is clawing at the gates and we’re worried about gas prices, the economy, building a bigger church facility, buying a new car or whether we get to speak in tongues or not. Jesus’ beloved sheep have shepherds whose blindness is self-inflicted. They are preaching, "We’ll all be raptured out before the bad stuff happens," but it isn’t so. We will be taken to be with the Lord at the last trumpet of all time and "the day of the Lord" will be just like God said it would:

Amos 5:18-19 "Woe unto you that desire the day of the LORD! to what end is it for you? the day of the LORD is darkness, and not light. As if a man did flee from a lion, and a bear met him; or went into the house, and leaned his hand on the wall, and a serpent bit him."

Thank God that His Son Jesus will be here soon. It isn’t going to be easy for Jews and Christians between now and then. There is still an "hour of trial" to come, but the Lord can see us through it.

Isaiah 59:1 "Behold, the LORD'S hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; neither his ear heavy, that it cannot hear."

Ellis Skolfield

The Leopard Bear Lion

In chapter 11 of Ellis Skolfield’s book The False Prophet, Skolfield states that the Leopard-Bear-Lion beast mentioned in Revelation chapter 13 is representative of the Muslim nations currently surrounding Israel. Specifically, Skolfield makes the following connection on page 20 of his book:

Lion = ancient Babylon = modern day Iraq
Bear = ancient Medo/Persia = modern day Iran
Leopard = ancient Greece = modern day Syria/Lebanon

Skolfield makes this connection between the beast and the related kingdoms from the prophesy given in Daniel 7. The following is a quote from page 16 of Skolfield’s book. He in turn quotes scripture and inserts his own comments in parenthesis:

Dan 7:3-4 And four great beasts came up from the sea [the
sea is the peoples and nations of the world, Rev 17:15], diverse
one from another. The first was like a lion [The national
emblem of Babylon was the winged lion], and had eagle’s
wings [The Ishtar gate of that city has bass reliefs of winged
lions upon it]: I beheld till the wings thereof were plucked,
and it was lifted up from the earth, and made stand upon the
feet as a man [The Neo-Babylonian Empire, begun under
Nebopolasser, was brought to the peak of its power by his son
Nebuchadnezzar, (606-562BC). Nebuchadnezzar was the most
absolute monarch in all human history], and a man’s heart
was given to it [Also a reference to Nebuchadnezzar, who came
to the Lord late in life, Dan 4:37].

Dan 7:5 And behold another beast, a second, like to a bear
[After Babylon was taken in 536BC, Medo-Persia became the
dominant world power], and it raised up itself on one side
[The Persians were ”raised up” over and ruled the Medean half
of their empire], and it had three ribs in the mouth of it
between the teeth of it [The Medo-Persians conquered three
other empires: Lydia, Babylon, and Egypt]: and they said thus
unto it, Arise, devour much flesh.
Dan 7:6 After this I beheld, and lo another, like a leopard,
which had upon the back of it four wings of a fowl
[Alexander the Great defeated the Medo-Persian Empire at the
Battle of Issus, in 332BC]; the beast had also four heads
[Alexander had four great generals under him]; and dominion
was given to it [After Alexander died in Babylon, 323BC, his
empire was divided between his four generals: Ptolemy,
Selucius, Lycimicus, and Cassander].
Dan 7:7 After this I saw in the night visions, and behold a
fourth beast, dreadful and terrible, and strong exceedingly;
and it had great iron teeth: it devoured and brake in pieces,
and stamped the residue with the feet of it [Rome destroyed
the remnants of the divided Grecian Empire and began to
control the Holy Land in 65BC . The Roman Empire continued
until 476AD]: and it was diverse from all the beasts that were
before it; and it had ten horns [After Rome fell, it was divided
into roughly ten Eastern and western nations which have
continued to this day.].

The attribution in Daniel between the Lion-Bear-Leopard vision to Babylon, Medo-Persia, and Greece is of little doubt. Unbelievers generally do not contest this relationship; however many unbelievers doubt that Daniel was written as early as the 6th century BC during Judah’s captivity because of the book’s accuracy in describing the ancient kingdoms. They attribute Daniel’s prophesies to the mid 2nd century or they contend that other, later writers changed Daniel’s original prophesies to line up with history – both of these contentions are an utterly ridiculous attempt to discredit the Bible, but I suppose we’re stuck with Christian scoffers until our Messiah returns:
[see Isaiah 45:23]

It is no coincidence that the Lion-Bear-Leopard beast in Revelation 13 describes the focal point of the world’s attention today. Israel is at war with Hezbollah, which is funded and armed by Iran and Syria. Iraq has been a political disaster for President Bush since the U.S. invasion on March 20, 2003. Is it merely coincidence that Israel is surrounded by its enemies who are bent on Israel’s destruction? Absolutely not. Read Zechariah 12.

Another interesting point that has crossed my mind: take a look at the map above and notice the location of the Valley of Megiddo. Revelation 16: 12-16 states [with my comments in parenthesis]:

12The sixth angel poured out his bowl on the great river Euphrates, and its water was dried up to prepare the way for the kings from the East. 13Then I saw three evil spirits that looked like frogs; they came out of the mouth of the dragon [Satan], out of the mouth of the beast[Lion-Bear-Leopard= Islam] and out of the mouth of the false prophet[Mohammed]. 14They are spirits of demons performing miraculous signs, and they go out to the kings of the whole world, to gather them for the battle on the great day of God Almighty.

15"Behold, I come like a thief! Blessed is he who stays awake and keeps his clothes with him, so that he may not go naked and be shamefully exposed."

16Then they gathered the kings together to the place that in Hebrew is called Armageddon.

Are world leaders being gathered in our day to fight in this final battle? Is this final battle going to be fought just south of the Israel/Lebanon border in the Jezreel Valley, in Megiddo as is commonly believed by many eschatologists? The Lion-Bear-Leopard beast is represented by modern day Iraq, Iran, and Syria/Lebanon – this we can prove in Daniel 7. What holds this beast together as presented in Revelation 13 is the religion of Islam, which denies the sonship of Christ. As stated in my earlier post, the Dome of the Rock has blasphemies incribed in it such as: Surely He does not have a Son; Do not say three- cease. (i.e. a reference to the trinity), etc. Don't be deceived by Islam treating Jesus as a wise prophet. He was not/is not a prophet of God- he is the Son of God. Anyone who denies that is the Anti-Christ [I John 2:22-23]

The whole world is watching the Lebanon-Israel conflict and each nation has a stake in its outcome. Don’t believe for a minute that the current cease-fire in Lebanon is going to hold and we will have peace (see 1 Thessalonians 5:3). The “cease-fire” should instead be called a “re-load” because both Israel and Hezbollah are re-arming themselves for further conflict. Debka.com reports that Hezbollah is currently smuggling hundreds of rockets and dozens of launchers into S. Lebanon without interference from UNIFIL (UN troops) or the Lebanese government.

Interestingly, Ahmadinejad has agreed to respond to the UN Security Council tomorrow (August 22) on whether he will accept their incentives package and stop nuclear enrichment activities. We’ve already been told by Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei yesterday that Tehran will continue to pursue nuclear technology regardless of what the UN does. How is Ahmadinejad going to respond to the UN? Is he planning an attack on Jerusalem as Bernard Lewis, professor emeritus at Princeton University and a renowned Middle East expert, has suggested is possible:

“This might well be deemed an appropriate date for the apocalyptic ending of Israel and if necessary of the world. It is far from certain that Mr. Ahmadinejad plans any such cataclysmic events precisely for Aug. 22. But it would be wise to bear the possibility in mind.”

If you’re a Christian, be ready for Christ's return. If you’ve not made a decision to follow Christ – what are you waiting for? The end of this world has already been determined. The only question is when. Bet your life on it!

“By the same word the present heavens and earth are reserved for fire, being kept for the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men.” 2 Peter 3:7

Challenging Words

I would like to point to Ellis Skolfield's July comments: http://www.ellisskolfield.com/millennial-musings-july-2006.shtml

I am working on a next post, but in the mean time, Skolfield makes some incredibly challenging July 2006 comments on his web site that I would like to point people to. I feel so utterly ignorant of scripture when I read the challenges put forward by Skolfield. I love it when a Christian isn't afraid to go against the enormous tide of common belief when common belief appears to be in Biblical error. May Skolfield's words challenge you to dig ever deeper into God's word. I know I have been enormously challenged to dig deeper, and not necessarily just accept the words coming from the pulpit on Sunday. That being said, Skolfield's comments are not sacred scripture either and are definitely open to constructive criticism. If anyone has any comments, please do post them.

Now We See but a Poor Reflection

Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.

1 Corinthians 13:12 (New International Version)

Sometimes I’m frustrated by all the alternative theories that are floating out there about the end times or Armageddon, or about where we are in God’s plan, and how the current Middle East crisis fits in. Are we at the very threshold of Armageddon where two-thirds of Israel will be killed (Zechariah 13:8-9)? Where does the rapture fit in? Is there even going to be a rapture since 1 Corinthians 15:52 says that we will ALL be transformed “at the last trumpet” (of Revelation?). Very confusing! Nonetheless, there is no doubt we are to keep watch for Christ’s return. The preparations are clear. We need to preach the gospel “in and out of season” until Christ calls us home. I thank God for the simplicity of that instruction, and mostly, for the simplicity of His plan of salvation. All you have to do is simply confess sin and accept Christ as ruler of your life. That sounds like a big commitment, but our lives are only a vapour in time so this is not asking much of us at all, especially since Jesus did the hard part by providing the sacrifice.

I’ve often wondered how meaningless and incredibly shallow it is to pursue a life of leisure, money and possessions. We are living on a minuscule planet in an immeasurable universe, and most of mankind is interested in “the pursuit of happiness” as its overriding goal. If you’re living life like that, may you snap out of the utter stupidity of it (sorry, there are no other, more appropriate words for it). I guess that kind of lifestyle just grinds me, because I see it all over where I live, in the land of the second largest oil reserves in the world. Many young people here are incredibly wealthy, with incredible amounts of toys (i.e. boats, $125,000 cars, trailers, ATV’s, Harley’s, massive houses, etc, etc, etc). Ahhhh! These people are completely blind and need desperately to wake up! It’s frustrating watching young people throw their very eternities, not just lives, away because they devote their lives to hedonism– what a trap! THERE IS AN INFINITELY BIGGER PURPOSE! (did I stress that enough? I don’t think so!)

I’m going on vacation again to visit family over the next two weeks. I’m looking forward to it as a kind of “spiritual pilgrimage”. I’ve already had great talks with my dad on eschatology on the phone, and I can’t wait to dig deeper into conversation with him personally. Thank God that I have godly parents, who have truly dedicated their lives to Christ. It’s an incredible, divine miracle that my parents even survived their childhood, fleeing the horrors of Germany during WWII and literally outrunning Russian bombs, not unlike the situation in Lebanon today. But as is typical of God’s wisdom, I think it’s this traumatic event that produced the unshakable faith in God in my parents. One thing I’m clear on regarding the end times is that the world will enter a time of unparalleled tribulation (Matthew 24:21) before Christ returns. And whether we as Christians live through, or die in, or completely miss the Tribulation, we should all be praying for more faith, and more wisdom so that that day does not surprise us “…like a thief” (I Thessalonians 5:4)

I can tell you what will happen next!

"If the occupying regime of Jerusalem attacks Syria, it will be equivalent to an attack on the whole Islamic world and the regime (Israel) will face a crushing response" Ahmadinejad was quoted as saying by the official IRNA news agency.

Yup, it's going that way alright. Am I the only one of very few who are awake on this issue? The Muslim Dome of the Rock is the abomination of desolation on Mount Moriah, the temple mount. The battle of Armageddon is just about ready to ignite...and what do you hear in Christ's remaining churches? NOTHING!

Granted, there have been a far-than-adequate number of false alarms about Christ return, but shouldn't Christian churches at least be exploring the possibility that this latest Middle East crisis will lead to Armageddon and the return of Christ? A U.S. senator (I can't remember which one) stated last night on CNN's Larry King Live that this crisis is far more severe than any of the previous Israeli battles - including the 6-day war in 1967, and the Yom Kippur war of 1972, because this conflict has a chain-reaction (read: nuclear reaction) attached to it. The enemies of Israel in this war will chain-react from: Hamas->Hezballah->Syria->Iran->the rest of the world. THIS SOUNDS A LOT LIKE ARMAGEDDON TO ME, FOLKS! Should the sincere Christian churches, few they may be, not at least be standing up and speaking about this distinct possibility?

Alas, we are in an evil, blind age. Call me a fundamentalist Christian. That's ok, I consider that a compliment and a necessity, but the church reaction to this crisis gives me perfect understanding of Matthew 24:38-39:

"38For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark; 39and they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away. That is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man."

Lord, help me to do what I can to wake up my fellow Christians (and non-Christians especially), because your patience is about finished - the time is short.

Matthew 24:32"Now learn this lesson from the fig tree [i.e. Israel]: As soon as its twigs get tender and its leaves come out[i.e. May 14, 1948 the re-establishment of the state of Israel], you know that summer [i.e. the Second Coming] is near.

World Crisis Escalation

As a Christian, today is an incredible time to be alive. Israel, the olive tree upon which I am grafted (Praise the Lord!), is back in the holy land and is surrounded by its enemies. These enemies, the leopard-bear-lion of the Book of Revelation, are intent on Israel's complete annihilation:

"I am going to make Jerusalem a cup that sends all the surrounding peoples reeling." Zechariah 12:2

Now, Iran's Ahmadinejad is thumbing his nose at the U.N. and the IAEA, and promising the soon destruction of Israel. Iran Focus (http://www.iranfocus.com/modules/news/article.php?storyid=7885) has reported that Ahmadinejad said just yesterday: “In the near future we will witness the rapid collapse of the Zionist regime”.
Ah...excuse me Mr. Ahmadinejad? The true and only God of Abraham, that is: the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob said:

On that day the LORD will shield those who live in Jerusalem, so that the feeblest among them will be like David, and the house of David will be like God, like the Angel of the LORD going before them. 9 On that day I will set out to destroy all the nations that attack Jerusalem. [Zechariah 12:8-9]

These are the words of the only God, not the words of the anti-Christ - Allah, and his book of Satanic Verses - the Quran. So put the only God to the test Mr. Ahmadinejad. Let's see whose god is the true God. Ahmadinejad is only coming against Jerusalem because God declared it long ago in Joel chapter 3.

This upcoming battle, whether very near (as Ahmadinejad's rhetoric seems to suggest) or in the not-too-distant future, is what I call the world escalation in slow motion. As a Christian, I know this battle is coming. The only question is when. According to Ahmadinejad, the Hezbollah, Hamas, Al Aqsa, etc this day will be coming sooner rather than later. I say: amen, let it come:

He who testifies to these things says, "Yes, I am coming soon." Amen Come Lord Jesus [Revelation 22:20; emphasis mine].

May you be found ready.

Things are Flaring Up Quickly, Folks!

The significant news of our day concerning Israel is happening at a blistering pace. And yet, while it seems like a million things are happening at once, the news all seems to be vaguely familiar to me – like I’ve already read this book before. The reason of course is that what’s happening in Israel today, is leading up to what has already been written in the books of Jeremiah, Zechariah, Joel, etc. Have you been paying attention to the news this week? I have a regular habit of watching at least an hour of news every night. I think I sometimes drive my wife nuts with my infatuation with world events. But I’m thinking that our generation could very well be the last generation before Jesus’ second coming. What can be more exciting than that?!

Things seem to be moving very quickly to a final showdown. I’m not trying to set a specific date, but it just seems to me that end time events are happening at a quickening pace. It’s like the world is being overtaken by the flood of Daniel 9:26

26 After the sixty-two 'sevens,' the Anointed One will be cut off and will have nothing. The people of the ruler who will come will destroy the city and the sanctuary. The end will come like a flood: War will continue until the end, and desolations have been decreed.

or Matthew 24:38-39:

38For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark; 39and they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away. That is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man.

Just look at what is happening today in Israel. Hezbollah fighters (Islamic warriors at that – see my last posting) have taken two Israeli soldiers hostage and eight others have been killed in a firefight between the IDF (Israeli Defense Forces) and Hezbollah. According to a news report in DEBKAfile (Debka.com) Iran’s nuclear negotiator, Ali Larijani, is flying to Syria to honour a recently signed defense agreement between Iran and Syria, and in response to the Israeli incursion into Lebanon. Basically the pact states that any attack on Syria is considered an attack on Iran. At the same time, the White House released a statement holding Syria and Iran jointly responsible for the Hezbollah abduction and demanding their immediate and unconditional release. Israel meanwhile is marching into Lebanon, which is basically a satellite state of Syria, looking for it’s two kidnapped soldiers, while at the same time turning Gaza upside down searching for their initial kidnapped IDF soldier - Gilad Shalit This situation is flaring up in a hurry folks.

In Zechariah 12:6 God says:

"On that day I will make the leaders of Judah like a firepot in a woodpile, like a flaming torch among sheaves. They will consume right and left all the surrounding peoples, but Jerusalem will remain intact in her place.

God uses the analogy of a torch among sheaves implying that the battle of Armageddon will be a fiery lop-sided battle, not a United Nations diplomacy battle of the clauses. Are we immediately headed toward Armageddon – I don’t know for sure. But I do know that we should be watching the apple of God’s eye, Israel, very closely these days, and becoming prepared for His coming. Do not let Him find you sleeping (Matthew 25:1-13).

Ok, Let's Review the Evidence

A couple articles ago, I mentioned that I read Ellis Skolfield’s book The False Prophet on my vacation. I found the book thoroughly challenged what I’ve been taught about the end times. I fully subscribed to the theory of a final 7-year tribulation period as being Daniel’s final 70th week, and I fully supported the idea that the anti-Christ will make a peace agreement between Israel and the Palestinians/Muslims/Arabs which he will break in the middle of the final 7 years, and at the same time he’ll stop resumed, temple sacrifices in a rebuilt, third Jewish temple. Whew! That, in a nutshell, is the most prevalent evangelical church version of how end times will occur. I was ok with all that until I read Skolfield’s book. Skolfield makes some very good, biblically supported points that should be considered. I should note that ultimately nobody on earth knows with detailed certainty how or when this world will end, however Skolfield does an excellent job of searching God’s Word to develop an alternate, possibly more plausible, theory. I think we have to at least listen to anyone who provides biblically based teaching that may differ from what we have been taught, when what we’ve been taught does not have equal-weighted support in the Bible. Christ said that he would not return until after a falling away from Christian faith (2 Thessalonians 2:3 ; Luke 18:8); and the bible states that Satan deceives the whole world (Revelation 12:9), so if someone is challenging our beliefs with numerous examples of in-context scripture, we need to pay attention and test and approve (Romans 12:2) whether we have been deceived about certain aspects of our belief. I’m not encouraging the wild adoption of all and any alternative beliefs, but only that we become intimately familiar with the contents of the Bible. We live in an incredibly apostate and deceptive time, so it is absolutely crucial that we:

“take [up] the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God” [Ephesians 6:17].

“Test everything. Hold on to the good. Avoid every kind of evil.” [1 Thessalonians 5:21-22]

You may be asking: is searching for a better understanding of the end times even that important? I would answer with an emphatic “yes”! If you are truly a born again Christian - praise God you are saved, but our minds should also be focused on Christ’s command that we stay alert and watch for his coming. We must live in obedience and do what He says (James 1:22-25). Christ gave us this instruction:

Luke 21:34"Be careful, or your hearts will be weighed down with dissipation, drunkenness and the anxieties of life, and that day will close on you unexpectedly like a trap. 35For it will come upon all those who live on the face of the whole earth. 36Be always on the watch, and pray that you may be able to escape all that is about to happen, and that you may be able to stand before the Son of Man." [NIV; emphasis mine]

Getting back to Skolfield, here’s a brief summary of a couple things I’ve been challenged with in his writing. I would highly recommend that you visit http://www.ellisskolfield.com and read his papers and judge for yourselves (look under the web site’s menu). You may not agree with all of his conclusions (I don’t agree with them 100%) but I think Skolfield is much closer to the true interpretation of Daniel and Revelation than the traditional version being taught (or avoided) in our churches today. Especially relevant to today, is Skolfield’s interpretation of who the anti-Christ is. Here’s a shocker - the anti-Christ is already in our midst [1 John 4:3]. This may sound surreal, flaky, and plain outrageous, but examine the evidence and then decide. This brief summary is entirely based on Skolfield’s book The False Prophet [TFP], which is free to download on his web site.

One day is equal to one year [The False Prophet, page 36]:

In order to have any chance of understanding the time periods mentioned in Daniel, you have to first determine what the “days” signify in Daniel 9:24-25 and Daniel 12:11. Of course the best way to interpret these days is to look at other scripture to see if they are defined. Skolfield finds support that a prophetic day is equal to one 360 day Hebraic year in Numbers14:34 and Ezekiel 4:5-6:

"After the number of the days in which ye searched the land, even forty days, each day for a year."[Numbers14:34]

"5 I have assigned you the same number of days as the years of their sin. So for 390 days you will bear the sin of the house of Israel.
6 "After you have finished this, lie down again, this time on your right side, and bear the sin of the house of Judah. I have assigned you 40 days, a day for each year. "
[ Ezekiel 4:5-6]

As additional support for counting prophetic days as years, we can look at the sum of the first two time periods in Daniel 9:25 which count the time period up to Christ’s crucifixion – the “69 weeks” [see The False Prophet (TFP) page 34]. In calculating the time from the decree to rebuild the temple until the time that the Messiah is cut off (i.e. crucified), it is necessary to incorporate this prophetic day = one Hebrew 360-day year conversion. This same counting of prophetic days (one prophetic day = to one 360 day Hebraic year) should also be followed for the prophesy in Daniel 12:11 because it is established as reliable in Daniel 9. As well, the Old Testament doesn’t give any other method of converting prophetic days. [Note: I once again recommend that you read TFP in conjunction with your Bible, because my summary only touches on the very “mountain tops” of the details. My purpose here is just to bring your attention to the issues that Skolfield presents]

The abomination of desolation:

After providing some support that a prophetic day is equal to a Hebrew, 360-day year, Skolfield looks at the prophesy in Daniel 12:11 to test his day-counting theory to see if it fits here as it does in Daniel 9. Looking at Daniel 12:11:

From the time that the daily sacrifice is abolished and the abomination that causes desolation is set up, there will be 1,290 days. [Daniel 12:11]

On page 42 of TFP, Skolfield comes to the conclusion that the time when the daily sacrifice was abolished is in the 23rd year of Nebuchadnezzar’s reign, namely 583BC. Now whether this is the correct time when the sacrifice was abolished – I don’t know, and I don’t think anyone can say with absolute certainty. There were 3 times when sacrifices were stopped on the temple mount in Jerusalem in the Old Testament. The traditional theory holds that this ceasing of sacrifices is yet to come in the future, in the middle of the 7-year tribulation. This is also plausible. However 583BC is a scripturally supportable time where sacrifices were abolished. What I find interesting, and highly relevant to our day, is Skolfield’s next calculation.

Using the date of 583 BC as the date sacrifices are abolished and adding the 1,290 prophetical days we get our Gregorian calendar year equivalent:

583BC + 1,290 Hebrew years x 360/365.25 = 688.5 AD

Looking at the year 688AD and the only geographical location where temple sacrifices were performed by the Israelites, you have to look at the temple mount in Jerusalem. It is around this time that the 9th Caliph, Abd al-Malik built the Muslim Dome of the Rock at the center of the temple mount. According to my encyclopedia, the Dome of the Rock was built between 687 and 691AD. The Dome of the Rock is at the site on the temple mount where Muslims claim Abraham was to have sacrificed Ishmael (instead of Isaac, as per Genesis 22).

So is the Abomination of Desolation the Dome of the Rock? The Jews Can’t offer sacrifices to the Lord on His holy mountain while that structure, devoted to Allah, remains there, and it’s been there for over thirteen hundred years. Consider some of the Islamic inscriptions that are written on the dome:

The Messiah, Jesus son of Mary, was only a Messenger of God
So believe in God and His messengers, and say not 'Three' - Cease!
God is only One God. Far be it removed from His transcendent majesty that He should have a son.
Muhammad is the Messenger of God, the blessing of God be on him.

(Source: http://www.islamic-awareness.org/History/Islam/Inscriptions/DoTR.html)

Are these inscriptions not an abomination to the Lord of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob/Israel? The Muslim Dome of the Rock fits the 1,290 days of the abomination of desolation in Daniel 12:11 perfectly. Is there a religion in the world more opposed to Christianity (or Judaism) than Islam? Ask the Christians suffering persecution in Nigeria, Egypt, Indonesia, etc.

Lord, give us eyes to see and a mind full of wisdom. May we develop a firm grip on Your Holy Word, a loose grip on biblical commentaries, and fill us with the Holy Spirit – the author of the only trustworthy commentary. Amen.

How Lost is Our “Enlightened Society”?

Another earthquake has claimed the lives of, at latest count, 3,500 people in Indonesia as per the Globe and Mail this morning (see Luke 21:11). We’ll find out eventually how many lives were snuffed out. This is absolutely tragic, but not surprising since we are in the end times, the time after the time of the Gentiles (Luke 21:24).

I’ve wondered why God has centered tragic events - like this earthquake, the 2004 tsunami, and hurricane Katrina - in specific areas. But looking at the areas they’ve affected, they seem to be areas of extreme immorality (the sex trade in Phuket Thailand or the immorality of New Orleans) or in areas of brutal Christian persecution (Muslims on Christians in Indonesia). If God’s patience is starting to weigh thin with the sins of this world, and at some point it does as per the Old Testament, these events should be a red light warning to the citizens of Canada. It amazes me how immoral our society has become and how hateful some people have become in Canada.

Case in point: the story of the earthquake in the Globe and Mail invited readers to post comments. One lady, bless her soul, wrote:

Researchers have suggested that this century has been the most violent and destructive in natural disaster terms for the couple of thousands of years of the earth’s existence. Could this be a warning sign that the Day of Judgment is near?

Here are some responses to her post:

Naah.

You crack me up.

Give it a rest.

Day of judgment? That’s right, the Day of Judgment is upon us. Spending every Sunday of your life listening to some guy spew unsubstantiated stories to you in exchange for 10% of your pre-tax salary is about to pay off.

A religious crackpot has chimed in to shove her ridiculous belief down the public throat.

God doesn’t judge – people do.

Your religion has nothing to do with this. The Christian god [sic] didn’t create the world nor is he/she going to destroy it. Religion is a faith based on human beliefs not facts.

Etc, etc, etc.

God bless the lady who wrote the original comment and WOE to the scoffers who ridiculed her (2 Peter 3:3)! How awful it is to scoff at the Lord, the maker of everything seen and unseen. These people think Sodom and Gomorrah and Noah’s Ark are fairytales. We need to pray for these people, even though they ridicule us, that God would reveal himself to them and draw them to him before it is too late. Reading these comments was disheartening, and demonstrated that God’s anger must be burning against Canadian society as well – our general society must be a repugnant stench to the Lord. Rest assured God’s wrath will fall upon Canada as well at some point, just as it has in Phuket, New Orleans, and twice recently with the 2004 earthquake/tsunami and yesterday’s earthquake in Indonesia.

Thank God that, just as he saved Lot and Noah from amongst the ungodly, he is able to save true Christians from his coming day of wrath (2 Peter 3:7).

A key passage:

Be careful, or your hearts will be weighed down with dissipation, drunkenness and the anxieties of life, and that day will close on you unexpectedly like a trap. For it will come upon all those who live on the face of the whole earth. Be always on the watch, and pray that you may be able to escape all that is about to happen, and that you may be able to stand before the Son of Man. [Luke 21:34-36]

My advice is be sure of your salvation and do what it says in Luke 21:36 because the day of wrath is coming.

Repentance

It is a word too infrequently spoken in our churches today. I suspect it’s because congregations prefer to hear “feel-good” sermons and sing about Christ’s love for us...and that’s it. There is rarely a mention of the pathetic condition of man without Christ, or the condition of a “Christian” who continuously allows sin to creep in uncontested. We rarely talk about the coming day of judgment and the wrath of God. Instead our focus seems often, only on the love of God. “Fire and brimstone” sermons are avoided and considered too old fashioned and too harsh for “seeker services”. Are we really doing our fellow man a favour by ignoring the spiritual battle around us and in us, and by ignoring God’s coming day of judgment? Have we lessened the urgency to repent by saying things like :”who am I to judge” , when Christians should instead be holding one another accountable? Is there a greater failure than to fail to warn of God's impending judgment?

2:4 Or do you have contempt for the wealth of his kindness, forbearance, and patience, and yet do not know that God’s kindness leads you to repentance? 2:5 But because of your stubbornness and your unrepentant heart, you are storing up wrath for yourselves in the day of wrath, when God’s righteous judgment is revealed! [Romans 2:4-5]

Our recognition of God’s kindness, forbearance, and patience should lead us to the next step – lead us to daily repentance. We need to examine our hearts, thoughtfully read the bible, and pray that God would give us wisdom to make repentance a priority, and it should hurt us when we recognize that we have sinned. The world is sending us the opposite message: of tolerance and understanding of sinful behavior. That is not surprising because Satan is the ruler of this temporary world. Unfortunately, I see that this message is also polluting the church’s thinking. As Christians, we need to confess our sins daily and admit when we’ve failed. Woe to that person whose conscience has been so dulled that they rarely see the need to repent. That is Satan’s ploy – to make us believe that we’re really not that bad, that “surely you will not die” [Genesis 3:4] I don’t know about you, but I find that I am in a constant battle against sin, “which so easily entangles” [Hebrews 12:1], and is so prevalent in our self-seeking world. Lord forgive us and prevent us from ever becoming comfortable with sin, or failing to recognize it.

And then here’s the best part: the recognition of sin and repentance produces an overflowing, grateful heart for God’s free gift of grace. Christ died for us, so that we can live – it is impossible to overstate this! We have no hope apart from Christ to live up to the righteous standard that is demanded by God. Praise God, he has provided us a way. It’s only through the recognition and admission of sin, that we see the immeasurable value of Christ’s death.

And Lord, let it begin with me – amen:
25Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. 26Therefore I do not run like a man running aimlessly; I do not fight like a man beating the air. 27No, I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize. [I Corinthians 9:25-27]

You Are Being Used, Mr. Ahmadinejad

Is Satan influencing your heart and mind Mr. Ahmadinejad (Iranian President)? Undoubtedly he is. Don't you know that you cannot defeat God's chosen people? To Abram, God said: "I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse" [Genesis 12:3]. God has not/will not rescind his covenant with Israel, the "apple of his eye". I've been on vacation, and thoroughly enjoyed it. It's always fantastic getting away from daily responsibilities. On this vacation I spent a lot of time playing with my “ankle-biters” (aka kids) and doing a bit of reading.

What I’ve been reading in the news lately is simply amazing. Just this last week I read about the situation in Iran: how Iran is using new centrifuge technology to process uranium four times faster than standard technology, and how Ahmadinejad is thumbing his nose at the IAEA and the UN Security Council – (something tells me this man doesn't care about economic sanctions). The Iranian people are solidly behind him, and any sanctions are months down the road IF the U.S., Britain and France can even successfully negotiate sanctions with Russia and China, the other members of the UN Council with veto capability. Unfortunately for the western world, China has just inked a $200 billion oil deal with Iran and Russia is economically tied to Iran's nuclear industry. Both China and Russia are adamantly opposed to any sanctions.

Other News This Week:
Mossad chief Meir Dagan met at the White House. Mossad is the Israel equivalent to the US CIA. There's no doubt that Israel is getting nervous about the fanatical rantings of Ahmadinejad, who's stated that he wants to push Israel into the Mediterranean Sea and wipe it off the map. Huge question: will the international community be able to do enough against the Iranian threats to keep Israel from pulling the trigger? This weekend, Israel successfully launched a sophisticated spy satellite to keep an eye on Iran (launched from Russia, interestingly enough). Iran already has conventional missiles aimed at Israel in Lebanon, manned by the Hezbollah. Lastly, Iran has been testing high speed torpedoes in the Straight of Hormuz, where 25-35% of the world's oil flows through aboard supertankers.

”Lay off the conspiracy novels, dude”, you say? Let's just say, I will be incredibly surprised if this kettle, containing a perfect storm, doesn't boil over in short order. I think the world may be in for a painful jolt. Not just an economic recession due to sky-rocketing oil, but I wonder if this could be Ezekiel 38:16 in the making: "You will advance against my people Israel like a cloud that covers the land. In days to come, O Gog, I will bring you against my land, so that the nations may know me when I show myself holy through you before their eyes." If I were not a fervent believer in the infallibility of God’s Word, I would find it hard to believe that we could witness the end of this age - it would simply be too surreal and unbelievable. But God's word is true - it is only a matter of when these things happen. Praise God!

One more brief thing and then I'll close. I've read Ellis Skolfield's "The False Prophet" as I stated on my last post. Very interesting book! A point that Skolfield makes in his book is that the abomination of desolation of Matthew 24:15 (etc) is the Al Aqsa Mosque and the Dome of the Rock that have been desecrating the former sites of the Solomonic and second temple since 688AD, on the temple mount in Jerusalem. Actually the location of the Muslim mosque and dome is in the court of Gentiles, which gives perfect meaning to Revelation 11:2 "But the court which is without the temple leave out, and measure it not; for it is given unto the Gentiles; and the holy city shall they tread under foot forty and two months." Skolfield makes an interesting, if not an almost irrefutable argument that the third most holy site in Islam is the abomination of desolation upon the temple mount, and upon the site of Lord God Jehovah’s holy of holies.

I plan to write more about Skolfield's book because his theories have support within scripture. They do not adhere to a literal 7-year tribulation with the anti-Christ in the middle, but I think we need to be open to challenge end-time theories made in the 19th century, when confronted with scripture that may be saying something else. The devil deceives the whole world, as I wrote earlier, so challenging what is commonly accepted is not a bad thing, but it all needs to be done under the light of God’s word. Thank God that we have a solid foundation to test and approve what is good and what isn’t.

Up For a Challenge?

I'm going on vacation and decided to take along some light leisure reading. I stumbled upon ellisskolfield.com. I've read the first half of his free book The False Prophet on this site, and I must say I am intrigued. He makes some challenging theological arguments about the end times - I'd recommend a look. Thankfully, my vacation involves visiting my parents, who have been Christians almost twice as long as I've been breathing (that's a long time) so I can't wait to challenge their spirit-filled minds with the thesis of this book. Can all the classical theologians be wrong about an upcoming 7-year tribulation and the nature of the anti-Christ? If nothing else, this book is something to think and pray about. I appreciate any author that challenges me with scripture, and encourages me to look deeper into the Good Book. May the Holy Spirit continue to lead and guide us, and keep us from all evil, because let's face it folks - we live in evil and deceptive times.

Are We In For More "Fearful Events"?

In the Headlines this Past Week

Iran Steps Up Military Exercises
The head of Iran's elite Revolutionary Guards played up the significance of its wargames in the narrow neck in the Persian Gulf through which two-fifths of the world's oil trade passes. "The importance of the ... maneuvers lies in the time and geographical place they are happening as well as the arms used," General Yahya Rahim Safavi told the official IRNA news agency. The Straits of Hormuz, between the Persian Gulf and the Sea of Oman, is a strategic corridor for the oil exports. Iran has been showing off its military achievements in the Persian Gulf, including radar-evading anti-ship missiles, which analysts fear Tehran could use to cripple maritime traffic and block the Straits if threatened over its nuclear ambitions.

Floods in Central Europe Claim More Lives
As Europe emerges from one of the worst winters on record, Central and Eastern parts are not out of the woods yet with rising floodwaters continuing to wreak havoc. The River Danube has risen to record levels, with Hungary, Slovenia, the Czech Republic and Germany all losing lives to the waters. In Austria on Tuesday, a the walls of a dam broke causing the death of an 18 month old boy - adding to the 20 lives lost already in the other countries affected.

64 Twisters and 28 Confirmed Dead in Central U.S.
Tornadoes that ravaged the central United States claimed another victim in Tennessee, raising the death toll in the region to 28, state officials said on Tuesday. The tornado outbreak -- which produced 64 unconfirmed reports of twisters across the central United States -- was the deadliest since November, when 23 people died in southern Indiana. The Tennessee storms left a 25-mile (40.2 km) path of destruction, demolishing houses, stripping the bark off trees and hurling people into the air.

'Gospel of Judas': He didn't betray Jesus
Perhaps it wasn't history's greatest betrayal after all, but a simple act of obedience. Judas turned Jesus over to the high priests, not for money, but because Jesus asked him to do so, according to a newly translated ancient document.

Am I being alarmist? No. The definition of alarmist is someone who alarms others needlessly. These headlines speak of a world in trouble; a world that is trying to discredit the message of the cross and the necessity of repentance. The world is ripe for God’s judgment. It is tragically interesting how the “news” of the Gospel of Judas (this is not new news) is racing through our media. People seem almost eager to believe anything that contradicts the bible. For example, Dan Brown’s The Da Vinci Code has been on the New York’s Best Sellers List for 157 weeks and counting, and been number 1 for weeks. It is a ridiculous work of fiction, and yet people are flocking to it and being fooled by it. The financial success of this book has led to an upcoming movie based on the book. For more on this see http://www.rbc.org/davinci/pdf/q1117.pdf

Now we have the re-introduction of the Gospel of Judas. The financial success of these heresies will spawn more heresies. The importance of the Christian being grounded in the word cannot be understated. Satan is the ruler of this corrupt world, as I stated in my last article. It is crucial that we are not deceived. Thank God that he is in control.

10Then he said to them: "Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. 11There will be great earthquakes, famines and pestilences in various places, and fearful events and great signs from heaven.
25"There will be signs in the sun, moon and stars. On the earth, nations will be in anguish and perplexity at the roaring and tossing of the sea. 26Men will faint from terror, apprehensive of what is coming on the world, for the heavenly bodies will be shaken. 27At that time they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. 28When these things begin to take place, stand up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near."
36Be always on the watch, and pray that you may be able to escape all that is about to happen, and that you may be able to stand before the Son of Man."[Luke 21:10-11,25-28, 36]

Revelation 18: The Whore of Babylon

3 As Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives opposite the temple, Peter, James, John and Andrew asked him privately, 4"Tell us, when will these things happen? And what will be the sign that they are all about to be fulfilled?"

5Jesus said to them: "Watch out that no one deceives you. 6Many will come in my name, claiming, 'I am he,' and will deceive many. [Mark 13:3-6, NIV]

It’s interesting that Jesus’ first response to the disciples’ question was: “Watch out that no one deceives you”. I love this response! The disciples ask “when”, and Jesus responds “watch out that not one deceives you”. Christ’s unconventional response tells us that Satan’s deception will be rampant before his coming.

What is the deception that Jesus talked about? It’s pretty obvious in our day, who is and who isn’t a Christian – right? Is it?!

21"Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22Many will say to me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?' 23Then I will tell them plainly, 'I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!' [Matthew 7:21-23; NIV]

Do we know that we are following true Christianity? Are we certain that we are not being deceived?

9And 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 12:9 King James Version;emphasis mine]

3[The angel] threw [Satan] into the Abyss, and locked and sealed it over him, to keep him from deceiving the nations anymore until the thousand years were ended. After that, he must be set free for a short time. [Revelation 20:3 NIV;emphasis mine]

There are about 2 billion professing Christians in various denominations in the world, out of a total world population of about 6.5 billion. I will be bold enough to say that I don’t think all 2 billion people professing Christianity are practicing Christ’s Christianity. Satan is actively deceiving “the whole world”. Satan knows the bible [Matthew 4:6], and therefore knows that he will soon meet his end [Isaiah 14:12-15]. You can be sure that Satan is working overtime in our day!

The most dominant deception in the end times is described in Revelation 18:

1After this I saw another angel coming down from heaven. He had great authority, and the earth was illuminated by his splendor. 2With a mighty voice he shouted:

"Fallen! Fallen is Babylon the Great!

She has become a home for demons

and a haunt for every evil spirit,

a haunt for every unclean and detestable bird.

3For all the nations have drunk

the maddening wine of her adulteries.

The kings of the earth committed adultery with her,

and the merchants of the earth grew rich from her excessive luxuries."

4Then I heard another voice from heaven say:

"Come out of her, my people,

so that you will not share in her sins,

so that you will not receive any of her plagues;

5for her sins are piled up to heaven,

and God has remembered her crimes.

6Give back to her as she has given;

pay her back double for what she has done.

Mix her a double portion from her own cup.

7Give her as much torture and grief

as the glory and luxury she gave herself.

In her heart she boasts,

'I sit as queen; I am not a widow,

and I will never mourn.'

8Therefore in one day her plagues will overtake her:

death, mourning and famine.

She will be consumed by fire,

for mighty is the Lord God who judges her.

9"When the kings of the earth who committed adultery with her and shared her luxury see the smoke of her burning, they will weep and mourn over her. 10Terrified at her torment, they will stand far off and cry:

" 'Woe! Woe, O great city,

O Babylon, city of power!

In one hour your doom has come!'

[Revelation 18:1-10; NIV]

I did some research on Revelation 18 and ended up back at the Berean Call. Like I said in my last post: I love their ministry. Dave Hunt, in my opinion convincingly equates the Whore of Babylon to the Roman Catholic Church. One of my bibles even entitles Revelation 18 as: “The fall of Babylon, which is Rome; the vision of the woman”. Here’s a link to a chapter out of one of Dave Hunt’s books:

http://www.wayoflife.org/otimothy/tl030003.htm

Of course the Catholic church isn’t the only deception used by the devil. I think another huge deception, especially for western Christians, is materialism. We should ask ourselves this: would Christ approve of the time and effort we devote to obtaining the world’s list of “must haves” – nice house, nice car, nice boat, nice vacations, etc, etc. These things aren’t evil in themselves, of course. They can be a blessing as long as we are seeking God’s kingdom first, and we are living “transformed lives”:

Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will. [Romans 12:2;emphasis mine]

It is absolutely crucial that Christians be committed to studying the bible and yielding to the Holy Spirit for direction. The instruction in Revelation 18:4 is shouting at us to: “Come out of her”. Has the modern protestant church made a complete “Reformation” and come out? Or are we starting to go back in and accept the world’s ecumenical message that “all roads lead to heaven” - I had to shake my head when I heard Oprah say that the other day. I had to do a double take at a photograph showing Pope John Paul II kissing the Koran. I even had an online chat just this week where I was called “ignorant” and “arrogant” for stating that Christ is the only way to God (that’s ok, because I consider it pure joy – James 1:2). Actually here’s the message this one individual left me. I want to share it with you because I think it’s very telling of some of the attitudes in our time:

“What arrogance you display. What gives you the right to speak of God so freely? You speak exclusively from a dualistic Christian viewpoint, living by blind faith alone. Your beliefs are not written in stone. What gives you the right to say that the bible is the correct and final word in our reality? There are many belief systems alive and well on our planet including science. Take some time out of your day to cultivate some awareness.”

We must be in the last of the last days.

Dear friends, although I was very eager to write to you about the salvation we share, I felt I had to write and urge you to contend for the faith that was once for all entrusted to the saints. For certain men whose condemnation was written about long ago have secretly slipped in among you. They are godless men, who change the grace of our God into a license for immorality and deny Jesus Christ our only Sovereign and Lord [Jude 1:3-4 ]

God, help us to diligently contend for the faith and effectively point a lost world to Christ, “…for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.” [Acts 4:12; KJV] Help us to read your word, understand it, and do what it says. Amen