Wednesday, April 04, 2007

I know I like to post a lot of stuff from Debkafile, but...

this headline-I just couldn't ignore:

DEBKAfile Exclusive: A secret British military delegation arrives in Tehran, as Ahmadinejad pushes for an immediate military confrontation with the UK and US

I like to post from Debkafile because they seem to be at least a week ahead of the, so-called, "mainstream media".

It's interesting how the politically correct are calling the Iraq war: a battle against insurgents. I will be so bold and just call it: the start of Armageddon. I'm not trying to be sensationalist (this blog doesn't sell advertising), but as I've stated on this blog many times before, this war is against the Leopard-Bear-Lion (LBL) beast of Islam. The Leopard-Bear-Lion beast is found in Daniel 7 (described as separate, now historic, empires in the Middle East). This beast rears its head again in Revelation 13, as a combined LBL beast, and in Revelation 16 as the instigator of Armageddon. The United States is fighting this LBL beast today, and I am convinced that the US will not be able to leave Iraq without, at least, giving Iran a bloody nose. But the US will likely not leave Iraq because once they give Iran a proverbial bloody nose - hell will break loose in the Middle East. A hell that (I believe) will kill 1/3 of mankind (Revelation 9:14-15), and is described as "the 6th Seal; the 6th Trumpet; and the 6th Bowl of Revelation.

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 (aka satan), out of the mouth of the beast (the Rev 13 LBL beast) 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. (this is starting to happen. Only question (in my opinion) - when does this battle really get going?)

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. (Revelation chapter 16. My comments in parenthesis)

I know the standard Christian eschatological view is that the beast will be a "revived Roman Empire", but this Christian just doesn't see that in the LBL beast. I've posted the following article on my blog before. But this is so important, I need to post it again. "He who has ears to hear, let him hear":

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.


Monday, April 02, 2007

Debkafile is forecasting a HOT summer in the Holy Land

Today's news:



Ezekiel 38
10 " 'This is what the Sovereign LORD says: On that day thoughts will come into your mind and you will devise an evil scheme. 11 You will say, "I will invade a land of unwalled villages; I will attack a peaceful and unsuspecting people—all of them living without walls and without gates and bars. 12 I will plunder and loot and turn my hand against the resettled ruins and the people gathered from the nations, rich in livestock and goods, living at the center of the land."

Tomorrow's news:

Isaiah 8

9
Raise the war cry, you nations, and be shattered!
Listen, all you distant lands.
Prepare for battle, and be shattered!
Prepare for battle, and be shattered!

10 Devise your strategy, but it will be thwarted;
propose your plan, but it will not stand,
for God is with us.





We may not be headed into the above-described battle right away, but when it does happen (and it will) this will be a battle between Allah and Jehovah God. I pray that more Muslims will see the error of their ways before it is too late. The War of Independence, The 6-day War and Yom Kippur War should have told them which god is the true God. This Christian is praying for Muslim souls before it is too late.



Saturday, March 31, 2007

Joel Rosenberg's Blog

For we know in part and we prophesy in part, but when perfection comes, the imperfect disappears.
1 Corinthians 13: 9-10

Note to Jamie from Joel Rosenberg's blog:
I read your post on Joel's blog. You said you had something to share. Please do drop me a note here - I am interested. I just didn't see your message until late last night-sorry. That's why I didn't respond.

Wednesday, March 28, 2007

Iranians changed their story

Source: BBC News

Stay awake fellow Christians! The Iranian dispute is far from over - it will escalate and involve other regions within the Middle East. This incident merely involves the "Bear" portion of the Lion-Bear-Leopard Beast of Daniel 7 and Revelation 13 and 16 (Iraq is the Babylonian Lion, btw). I know my words must sound crazy, but there is an excellent interpretation of what these chapters mean, and we can understand what the abomination of desolation is "...standing in the holy place" (Matthew 24:15), on Mount Moriah. I'm fairly certain the abomination of desolation is not a charismatic leader within the EU or UN waiting to come on the world scene, which I think so many people believe simply because it is the only possibility being taught. I highly recommend circumventing what is being taught second hand, and going straight to the Bible for insight. If you're a Christian, you have the Holy Spirit to confirm these things for yourselves!

Monday, March 26, 2007

"Peace, peace" and there is no peace


Isaiah 29

Woe to David's City
1 Woe to you, Ariel, Ariel,
the city where David settled!
Add year to year
and let your cycle of festivals go on.

2 Yet I will besiege Ariel;
she will mourn and lament,
she will be to me like an altar hearth.

3 I will encamp against you all around;
I will encircle you with towers
and set up my siege works against you.

4 Brought low, you will speak from the ground;
your speech will mumble out of the dust.
Your voice will come ghostlike from the earth;
out of the dust your speech will whisper.

5 But your many enemies will become like fine dust,
the ruthless hordes like blown chaff.
Suddenly, in an instant,

6 the LORD Almighty will come
with thunder and earthquake and great noise,
with windstorm and tempest and flames of a devouring fire.

7 Then the hordes of all the nations that fight against Ariel, that attack her and her fortress and besiege her, will be as it is with a dream, with a vision in the night-

Israel is back in the Holy Land. God's major punishment of Israel (Jeremiah 30:7-10) is over. God's dispersing of Israel to foreign nations was over as of May 14, 1948 (see fulfilled prophesy in Isaiah 66:7-9). It's interesting (and futile) that so much effort is being made in our day by Condoleeza Rice, the EU, Russia etc. to promote a permanent peace treaty between Israel and her Arab and Persian neighbors. The word of God clearly says that there will be no permanent peace until the Lord Almighty comes (verse 6 above) on the Day of the Lord. Even with the Arab summit starting on Wednesday, and all the shuttle diplomacy going on between Olmert, Condolezza, and Abbas; and with all the fanfare about a resurgence of the Saudi 2002 peace proposal, I can guarantee you that it will not result in lasting peace. If Condoleeza and President Bush would just crack open their Bibles (and believe what they read), they could have perfect knowledge that their peace efforts will be in vain.


22 " 'So you will be my people,
and I will be your God.' "

23 See, the storm of the LORD
will burst out in wrath,
a driving wind swirling down
on the heads of the wicked.

24 The fierce anger of the LORD will not turn back
until he fully accomplishes
the purposes of his heart.
In days to come
you will understand this.

Jeremiah Chapter 30

Here's a very interesting article I came across this morning: The Implications of a Nuclear Iran, which includes some information on Ahmadinejad's eschatological beliefs - we should be paying more attention to his motivations, but once again, most of the world is completely asleep. (8:16am;03/27)

Saturday, March 24, 2007


It will be interesting to see where things go from here. Ahmadinejad has promised to retaliate against any further UNSC sanctions; is the kidnapping of 15 British marines just the beginning? Does Ahmadinejad believe another UN speech would have been futile, and most importantly, does he see the need to escalate the crisis to the next level?

What worries me is that Ahmadinejad is a firm believer in the return of the 12th Imam Mahdi during catastrophic world conditions, and that he saw himself in a "divine aura of light" during his last UN speech. Anyone who thinks he is "divinely ordained" and at the same time speaks about destroying the remnant of Israel, is extremely dangerous and must be stopped. Of course, as a Christian, I believe God is in control and we are in a time described in Psalm 83:

1 O God, do not keep silent; be not quiet, O God, be not still.

2 See how your enemies are astir,
how your foes rear their heads.

3 With cunning they conspire against your people (i.e. Israel);
they plot against those you cherish.

4 "Come," they say, "let us destroy them as a nation,
that the name of Israel be remembered no more."

5 With one mind they plot together;
they form an alliance against you-

6 the tents of Edom and the Ishmaelites,
of Moab and the Hagrites,

7 Gebal, Ammon and Amalek,
Philistia, with the people of Tyre.

8 Even Assyria has joined them to lend strength to the descendants of Lot...

The Ishmaelites etc. have surrounded Israel and are calling for her destruction, but God already wrote the ending of this upcoming war:

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. [Zechariah 12]

May the good Lord give you peace and rest this Sabbath day.

Thursday, March 22, 2007

The 4th Carrier in the Persian Gulf...for Peace?

The latest aircraft carrier count in the Persian Gulf: 1.USS John C. Stennis; 2.USS Eisenhower; 3.USS Boxer; and now 4.the Charles de Gaulle. Call me crazy, but I don't think we're going to have peace any time soon.


"The French nuclear carrier Charles de Gaulle and its task force enter Arabian Sea, as Iran launches a new naval war game in the Persian Gulf.


The Charles de Gaulle rendezvoused with the USS John C. Stennis Wed. March 21, for missions in support of Operation Enduring Freedom and International Security Assistance Forces ISAF for the global war on terror. US and French carriers are sailing and operating in concert opposite Iranian shores for the first time. The Iranian Navy responded to the new arrival the following day by announcing a new series of military exercise in the Persian Gulf." continues...

Zechariah 12:
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.

Zephaniah 3:
8 Therefore wait for me," declares the LORD, "for the day I will stand up to testify. I have decided to assemble the nations, to gather the kingdoms and to pour out my wrath on them— all my fierce anger. The whole world will be consumed by the fire of my jealous anger. (AN ASIDE: forget Al Gore's Inconvenient Truth! Here's the real "global warming" people should be worried about!!! And it WILL HAPPEN whether you drive a Hummer or Prius. It's wise to take care of God's creation (if it was actually recognized as "creation" by the majority), but earth was destined for destruction by fire in prophesies written over 2,500 years ago.

Revelation 16:
14They are spirits of demons performing miraculous signs, and they (the lion-bear-leopard beast of Islam per Revelation 13 and Daniel 7; satan; and the false prophet Mohammad) 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.

Joel 3:
1 "In those days and at that time, when I restore the fortunes of Judah and Jerusalem (done!), 2 I will gather all nations and bring them down to the Valley of Jehoshaphat (this is beginning to happen in our day). There I will enter into judgment against them concerning my inheritance, my people Israel, for they scattered my people among the nations and divided up my land. 3 They cast lots for my people and traded boys for prostitutes; they sold girls for wine that they might drink. 4 "Now what have you against me, O Tyre and Sidon (i.e. Lebanon, possibly Hezbollah) and all you regions of Philistia (i.e. Gaza, possibly Hamas and Fatah)? 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.

(
My comments in parenthesis; bolding is mine)

Only the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob could deliver these prophesies millennia before the start of their occurrence in our day!


Late Breaking News
:

Thursday, March 15, 2007


“I have to tell you something which very few of you seem to comprehend.” He continued, “Your bungling war against a few thousand Hezbollah fighters which you should have crushed no matter what, considering the importance of the outcome, has created a completely new situation, not only for this area, but globally. Your inept leadership totally misunderstood the importance of winning this war."

“As a matter of fact, the whole Moslem world, not only the Arabs, simply couldn’t believe that the mighty Israeli Army that defeated the combined Arab forces in six days in 1967, and almost captured Cairo and Damascus in 1973, couldn’t defeat a small army of Hezbollah men. As usual the Moslems see things the way they want to see things. Most think that the present generation of Israelis have gone soft and can be defeated." CONTINUES...

Saturday, March 10, 2007

Peace and Democracy in Iraq/Babylon?!?




Isaiah chapter 13 (emphasis mine)

1
An oracle concerning Babylon that Isaiah son of Amoz saw:
2 Raise a banner on a bare hilltop,
shout to them;
beckon to them
to enter the gates of the nobles.
3 I have commanded my holy ones;
I have summoned my warriors to carry out my wrath—
those who rejoice in my triumph.
4 Listen, a noise on the mountains,
like that of a great multitude!
Listen, an uproar among the kingdoms,
like nations massing together!
The LORD Almighty is mustering
an army for war.
5 They come from faraway lands,
from the ends of the heavens—
the LORD and the weapons of his wrath—
to destroy the whole country.
6 Wail, for the day of the LORD is near;
it will come like destruction from the Almighty.
...
19 Babylon, the jewel of kingdoms,
the glory of the Babylonians' pride,
will be overthrown by God
like Sodom and Gomorrah.
20 She will never be inhabited
or lived in through all generations;
no Arab will pitch his tent there,
no shepherd will rest his flocks there.
21 But desert creatures will lie there,
jackals will fill her houses;
there the owls will dwell,
and there the wild goats will leap about.
22 Hyenas will howl in her strongholds,
jackals in her luxurious palaces.
Her time is at hand,
and her days will not be prolonged


If you've read some of my past posts, you'll know about the first three Lion, Bear, and Leopard (LBL) beasts that are written of in Daniel 7, and then are re-introduced as a combined LBL beast in Revelation 13, verse 2. In Daniel 7, the Lion, Bear, and Leopard beasts are the kingdoms of Babylon, Medo-Persia, and Alexander the Great. In Revelation 13, this beast reappears in the nations that occupy ancient Babylon, Medo-Persia and Greece under Alexander the Great. Namely Iraq, Iran, Syria, Lebanon, Turkey, and former Soviet republics eastward to India (see the conquered territory of Alexander the Great). What is the one thing that "glues" this region together as represented in Revelation 13? The religion of Islam. We are witnessing the rising of the Revelation 13:2 beast, AND we are witnessing, I believe, the beginning of the desolation of Babylon, which today is the hellhole of Iraq.

What else does it say in Isaiah 13? It talks about the "Day of the Lord"! Verses 4 to 10 state:

4 Listen, a noise on the mountains,
like that of a great multitude!
Listen, an uproar among the kingdoms,
like nations massing together!
The LORD Almighty is mustering
an army for war.
5 They come from faraway lands,
from the ends of the heavens—
the LORD and the weapons of his wrath—
to destroy the whole country.
6 Wail, for the day of the LORD is near;
it will come like destruction from the Almighty.
7 Because of this, all hands will go limp,
every man's heart will melt.
8 Terror will seize them,
pain and anguish will grip them;
they will writhe like a woman in labor.
They will look aghast at each other,
their faces aflame.
9 See, the day of the LORD is coming
—a cruel day, with wrath and fierce anger—
to make the land desolate
and destroy the sinners within it.
10 The stars of heaven and their constellations
will not show their light.
The rising sun will be darkened
and the moon will not give its light.
Verses 4 to 10 are obviously talking about The Day of the Lord (see Joel 3 for more on the Day of the Lord). It's both interesting and intriguing that the ultimate destruction of Babylon/Iraq is interspersed within verses that speak of the final Day of the Lord, and of nations massing together. What I found most intriguing and relevant to our day, is the fact that The Day of the Lord occurs when the Islamic LBL beast gathers kings of the world at Armageddon. It is the Islamic LBL beast that will gather nations to war at Armageddon. How did I make this leap? It's in Revelation 16.
Revelation 16 (comments in parenthesis)
12The sixth angel poured out his bowl on the great river Euphrates (which runs through the center of Babylon/Iraq), 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 (refers to the LBL beast introduced in Revelation 13) and out of the mouth of the false prophet (Mohammad). 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.
I believe:
the final desolation of Iraq/Babylon, and the rising of the LBL Beast of radical Islam in the Middle East today, are events that will lead to the battle of Armageddon on the Day of the Lord. I believe that battle will be soon (i.e. notice the word "generation" in Matthew 24:34). Praise God that Jesus is coming back for his followers before Armageddon, as illustrated by the relative position of verse 15 before Revelation 16:16. Oh Lord, you are coming like a thief before that battle, may you draw more people to the realization of what you did at Calvary, before that awful and dreadful day of judgment (Amos 5:18-19).

Finally, I would like to post a chart out of Ellis Skolfield's free book The False Prophet. This chart helps clarify why I believe that the Day of the Lord is very near, most likely in our lifetime. It all hinges on the significance of the 6-Day War and the re-establishment of Israel's reign over Jerusalem (Luke 21:24). Some say, " nah, Jerusalem is still subject to Islamic Waqf administration of the Temple Mount - the gentiles are still trampling upon east Jerusalem." I used to think that too, until I read The False Prophet and realized how many prophesies point to the significance of the year 1967. I'm not kidding folks, Ellis Skolfield does a tremendous job of interpreting prophesy. Those prophesies are summarized in the chart below, which comes out of chapter 12 of The False Prophet. I could write a thousand pages on this, but thankfully it is already all neatly summarized in Skolfield's book. June, 1967 (and May 14, 1948) is eternally significant when you look at the following prophesies on the following chart and interpret the "prophetic Day as equal to one Year" as God told Ezekiel to do in Ezekiel 4:5-6. I know this sounds crazy, but seriously keep looking up, because your redemption draws near fellow Christians. (Luke 21:28)

(click on chart to enlarge)




Thursday, March 08, 2007

People May Die for a Belief, but Not for a Lie

And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto death. Revelation 12:11


The information presented here is derived from two basic sources: Fox's Book of Martyrs and Fox's Christian Martyrs of the World.

Jesus Christ

The very first martyr in the name of God is of course, Jesus Christ of Nazareth. Of that there is no question. His death on the cross for all mankind, for all generations is the first, indeed most important, case of martyrdom for Christianity.

Stephen

The next martyr was Stephen. His deaths was a direct result of his preaching the Gospel and the faithful manner in which he exclaimed the glory of the Lord, even unto those betrayers and murders of Christ. Stephen was stoned to death in the street at Passover the Spring following Jesus' Crucifixion. The outrage Stephen caused was so great that there was great persecution of the Church through the regions of Judea and Samaria, particularly in Jerusalem. It is said that over 2,000 Christians suffered persecution and death as a direct result of Stephen.

James (the Great)

The next martyr was James, the son of Zebedee, elder brother of John. James' martyrdom was about 10 years after the death of Stephen. This occurred under the hand of the infamous Herod Agrippa who was determined not only to persecute the Christians but indeed annihilate them. James was undaunted when confronted with his impending death; when he was brought to the place of martyrdom, he continued to preach and exhort those around. His main accuser was so moved by the Apostle's conviction, this man repented and fell down at James' feet! Then, both men were beheaded at the same time!

Philip

Born at Bethsaida, in Galilee, he was one of the first to be called 'disciple'. He labored for Christ throughout Upper Asia and suffered martyrdom at Heliopolis, in Phrygia. He was scourged, thrown into prison and then crucified.

Matthew

Matthew was the tax collector that left all when Jesus simply said 'Follow me.' He was born at Nazareth. He wrote all of his gospel in Hebrew, but thanks to James, Jesus' brother (actually step-brother), the Gospel of Matthew was translated into Greek. Matthew labored for our Lord in Parthia, and Ethiopia where he suffered his death being slain by chopping apart by halberd.

James (the Less)

This disciple of Christ was supposed by many scholars to have been the brother of our Lord by a former wife of Joseph. He was the head of all the Churches of Jerusalem and the author of the Epistle in the New Testament bearing his name. At the age of 94, he was beaten and stoned by the Jews, still not dying they bashed his brains out with a club.

Matthias

Less is known about him than most of the other disciples, but he was elected to fill the place of Judas. He was stoned at Jerusalem and then beheaded.

Andrew

He was the brother of Peter. He preached the gospel to many Asiatic nations; but when he arrived at Odessa, he was seized and crucified on a cross, the two ends of which were fixed transversely in the ground; hence the derivation of the term, St. Andrew's Cross.

Mark

Mark was a Jew, born of the tribe of Levi. Very important tribe in the Jewish nation. He was converted to Christianity by Peter. In conjunction with Peter, he wrote the Gospel of Mark in the Greek language (instead of Hebrew which was his natural tongue). Mark was literally dragged and torn to pieces by the people of Alexandria.

Peter

The blessed Apostle Peter, the one whom Jesus declared to build his Church upon, was condemned to death at Rome by Nero. However, Peter had several, indeed many opportunities to escape. Many offered Peter refuge. He refused all. Peter recounts that while he was at the Gate of the city, preparing to flee, he saw Jesus Christ come down to meet him; worshipping Christ, Peter said that the Lord indicated that he was come again to be crucified. By this, Peter perceived that he was to be crucified for the Lord, and returned to the city. He ask that he be crucified with his head down and his feet upward, he being unworthy to be crucified in the same form and manner as the Lord.

Paul

Paul also suffered persecution and ultimately death under the hand of Nero. Two messengers of Nero, Ferega and Parthemius, were dispatched to Paul to tell him of his impending death. When they got to Paul, he was preaching the Word of God and instructing people in the way of the Lord; these messengers indicated that they too wanted to believe and wanted Paul to lead them in prayer. As Paul bowed in prayer, they beheaded him.

Jude

The brother of James was commonly called Thaddeus. He was crucified at Odessa.

Bartholomew

He preached in many countries, often translating the Gospel into the native language, including India where he was cruelly beaten and crucified.

Thomas

Also called Didymus, preached the Gospel in Parthia and India, where the pagan priests killed him by thrusting a spear through him.

Luke

The evangelist and author of the Gospel that carries his name. He traveled with Paul through various countries. He was hanged to death from an olive tree in Greece.

Simon

Preached the Gospel in Africa and even Great Britain, where he was crucified.

John

The 'beloved disciple' was a brother to James (the Great). He founded many Churches, including Smyrna, Pergamos, Sardis, Philadelphia, Laodicea, and Thyatira. Captured at Ephesus, he was taken to Rome where he was put into a cauldron of hot, boiling oil. By a miracle of God, he was taken out without any injury! Domitian immediately banished him to the Isle of Patmos, where John wrote the book of Revelation. He is the only disciple of Christ to escape violent death.


Sunday, March 04, 2007

Touched by the Love of Islam in Iraq

43"No good tree bears bad fruit, nor does a bad tree bear good fruit. 44Each tree is recognized by its own fruit. People do not pick figs from thornbushes, or grapes from briers. 45The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For out of the overflow of his heart his mouth speaks.
Luke 6:43-45



Iraq's Mandaeans 'face extinction'
By Angus Crawford
BBC News, Damascus






"The Sabian Mandaeans - one of the oldest religious groups in the world - are facing extinction, according to its leaders. They claim that Islamic extremists in Iraq are trying to wipe them out through forced conversions, rape and murder. The Mandaeans are pacifists, followers of Adam, Noah and John the Baptist. They have lived in what is now Iraq since before Islam and Christianity." (story continues...)


We need to pray to the only God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob for these people and the horrible suffering they are enduring. Come quickly Lord Jesus - amen.

Friday, March 02, 2007

Is "1967AD + 40" Significant?



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: "I am going to make Jerusalem a cup that sends all the surrounding peoples reeling. Judah will be besieged as well as Jerusalem. 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.
Zechariah 12:1-3

Therefore wait for me," declares the LORD,
"for the day I will stand up to testify.
I have decided to assemble the nations,
to gather the kingdoms
and to pour out my wrath on them—
all my fierce anger.
The whole world will be consumed
by the fire of my jealous anger.
Zephaniah 3:8

Syia is amassing troops at the border. Hezbollah is re-arming contrary to UN resolution and under the nose of the UN. The Gaza strip is fully armed and ready. Ahmadinejad continues his rants. Russia is arming Iran and Syria to the teeth. Is it just me, or does anyone else think this spring and summer are going to filled with bloodshed in the Holy Land? Keep your eyes open!
  • The Head of Israel's Mossad says: "no war in 2007". (Ha, ha, this guy is hilarious!)

Ha, ha "no war this year". I can't get over that one - watch this video Mr Dagan (fyi: You're the Star of David symbol):



Saturday, February 24, 2007

How Israel is Going to Become the Target for Ezekiel 38 Fulfillment


"Israel is negotiating with the United States for permission to fly over Iraq as part of a plan to attack Iran's nuclear facilities..."
Source: The Daily Telegraph: Israel seeks all clear for Iran air strike

'Devastating response' if Iran nukes attacked [WorldNetDaily]

Terrorists say Tehran providing instructions in case U.S., Israel strike atomic facilities...


Could 20% of the world's oil shipments be routed through a more volatile waterway than the Strait of Hormuz?

Consider:

Wednesday, February 21, 2007

Is the U.S. Being Moved to Attack Iran?



Remember I stated on this blog that spring/summer 2007 may be significant in God's calendar. See point #3 at the end of this post.

Well, I'm keeping an eye on the conflict between Iran and the US because this nuclear dispute could blow up at any moment. Most North Americans believe Bush wouldn't be crazy enough to start yet another war. They believe Bush wouldn't move without the consent of Congress. I, on the other hand, consider 2007 (forty years post-1967) to be a year to watch. If God chooses to start a regional war in the Middle East at this point (perhaps even Armageddon), he can easily cause the U.S. to ignite the fire. My advice: As crazy as it may sound, all the conditions for Armageddon are in place (see Joel chapter 3) - be ready for anything! Just as in the time of Noah, God's patience with sinful man isn't going to last forever, but praise the Lord He will save us who belong to him on the last day (John 6:39-40, 44,54).

Saturday, February 10, 2007

What's all this about a "SECRET RAPTURE"?


Taken from The Not So Secret Rapture by W. Fred Rice

Evangelical book catalogs promote books such as Planet Earth: The Final Chapter, The Great Escape, and the Left Behind series. Bumper stickers warn us that the vehicle’s occupants may disappear at any moment. It is clear that there is a preoccupation with the idea of a secret rapture. Perhaps this has become more pronounced recently due to the expectation of a new millennium and the fears regarding potential Y2K problems (Update: Obviously, Y2K didn't happen but COBOL programmers and doomsday authors (including Christian authors) made piles of money on the hype). Perhaps psychologically people are especially receptive to the idea of an imminent, secret rapture at the present time. Additionally, many Christians are not aware that any other position relative to the second coming of Jesus Christ exists. Many of these people are unaware that this viewpoint conflicts with Scripture.

What exactly is the secret rapture teaching? It is the teaching that the Christian Church will be secretly removed from the world, and that the unbelievers who are left behind will not be certain where vast multitudes have gone. These unbelievers will be left on the earth to endure seven years of tribulation, which will be initiated by the Antichrist, who will be revealed only after the rapture has taken place. The prophecies of the seven seals, the seven trumpets, and the seven bowls of the book of Revelation will be fulfilled during this tribulation.

Tim LaHaye and Jerry B. Jenkins are the authors of Left Behind and four other books in a series that delineates this theory in popular fiction. So popular is this series that 4.5 million copies of the books and audio tapes have been sold. It has its own extensive web site, postcards, and a separate Left Behind Series for Kids, and a movie is being made based on the first two books, Left Behind and Tribulation Force. In Tim LaHaye’s book Left Behind, the first in this series, Rayford Steele, pilot for Pan-Continental Airlines is making a flight from Chicago to London when he is informed by Hattie, his head flight attendant, that many of their passengers have disappeared mid-flight. Their clothes are the only evidence remaining of their former presence. As Rayford contacts other airliners he finds that they have experienced the same phenomenon. Upon his forced return to Chicago he finds total chaos, as aircraft and vehicles, suddenly without operators, have collided and crashed all over the city. After reaching his home with considerable difficulty, he finds that his own wife and son have disappeared. Actually, this is what he had expected, since his wife was a Christian who had spoken regularly about the imminent secret rapture of the Church, and he finds this the only reasonable explanation for what has happened. The majority of people, however, seek to find some other reason, such as capture by aliens or an unexplained scientific phenomenon. Rayford calls the church where his wife was a member, and the visitation pastor Bruce Barnes answers the phone! Rayford meets with Bruce in an effort to get some answers, and Bruce confesses that he was never a true Christian, and was not surprised to be left behind. But Bruce has become a Christian since the rapture, and is anxious to share his faith with others. Rayford and many others are converted. Two witnesses, Moishe and Eli, appear out of nowhere and begin witnessing in the city of Jerusalem. We are informed that through their witness 144,000 Jews will be converted. Meanwhile, Nicolae Carpathia, a brilliant and eloquent Romanian, rises quickly to power, becoming the head of the United Nations. At the end of the book it is evident that he is either the Antichrist or the False Prophet, and that his professed humanitarianism is totalitarianism in disguise. We are left hanging on the edge of a literary cliff, and will have to read the succeeding books of the series to learn the final outcome. But those of us acquainted with dispensational theology have a fairly good idea of what will happen.

So what is wrong with the perspective of these novels and other books which promote this theory in a fictional or non-fictional fashion? After all, such books accurately represent the popular theory of the rapture as taught in the majority of evangelical, Bible believing churches in the United States today. But do they truly represent the teachings of Scripture?

What, then, does the Bible teach? At the time of Christ’s ascension, the disciples were told that "this same Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will so come in like manner as you saw him go into heaven" (Acts 1:11). His ascension was visible and physical; his second coming will be visible and physical as well. Dispensationalists seek to explain this by saying that the second coming is divided into two parts, the coming of Christ for his saints (the secret rapture), and the coming of Christ with his saints (the revelation), and that it is only at his revelation that he will appear visibly. But this in reality postulates a second and a third coming.

Additionally, there is simply no hint of a secret rapture in Scripture. The coming of Christ is consistently described as a visible and noisy event, which is also accompanied by the resurrection of the dead. I Thessalonians 4:16 contains one of the most vivid descriptions of the second coming. We are told that "the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first." The same connection of the sound of the trumpet with the resurrection is also made in I Cor. 15:51-52.

Matthew 24:21-31 teaches that the coming of Christ will be "as the lightning" (v. 27), that "all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And he will send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet . . .." (vv. 30-31). In addition to describing this event as noisy and clearly visible by all the inhabitants of the earth, this passage also warns us against belief in a secret coming of Christ: "Then if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ!’ or ‘There!’ do not believe it" (v. 23); and, " . . . if they say to you, ‘Look, He is in the desert!’ do not go out; or ‘Look, he is in the inner rooms!’ do not believe it" (v. 26). There will be absolutely no question about what has happened after Christ has come. People left behind will not be dreaming up explanations – they will be mourning because their judgment has come.

Also going against this theory is II Thess. 2:1-10, which teaches that two events will occur prior to the coming of Christ: (1) "the falling away" (or "rebellion," NIV, or, literally, "apostasy"); (2) the revelation of "the man of lawlessness." Now whether we understand the Antichrist as nothing more than the spirit of Antichrist, or as a particular individual, one thing is clear: this revelation of the Antichrist will be prior to Christ’s coming, not afterwards. [I will talk about the Anti-Christ in my next post - there is substantial evidence that he is already in our midst]

Scripture teaches that the coming of Christ will be sudden and unexpected, especially to unbelievers. This is the teaching of Paul in I Thess. 5:1-10. But to say that it will be sudden and unexpected is not to say that it will be secret.

The passage that is most frequently used to substantiate a secret rapture and unbelievers being left behind is Luke 17:31-37, which speaks of "two in one bed: the one will be taken and the other will be left." It is perfectly true that this passage teaches that unbelievers will be left behind. But there is nothing here to indicate the imaginative dispensational scenario of the one being taken away secretly. Comparing Scripture with Scripture we must conclude that those left behind are left behind to suffer judgment. II Thess. 1:3-10 speaks of the Lord Jesus "in flaming fire taking vengeance" when he is revealed from heaven. Unbelievers will not be left behind to go through a seven year tribulation and have a second chance to accept the Lord during that time. This idea of a second chance is emphasized again and again in Left Behind, and yet this is an idea which is foreign to Scripture.

Concerning the Left Behind books, can anything positive be said? First, they are well written and engaging. Second, the plan of salvation is, on the whole, accurately represented: it is clear that conversion is much more than a bare profession of faith, but is accompanied by repentance and followed by a changed life. Third, these books certainly impress upon people the reality of the return of Christ, even if the details regarding it are misrepresented.


They are spirits of demons performing miraculous signs, and they go out to the kings of the whole world, to gather them for the battle on the great day of God Almighty.
- Revelation 16:14