CURRENT EVENTS - MUST READ!

[nChrist]

Seven Things You Have To Know
To Understand End Times Prophecy - Part 3
Excerpts From a Forthcoming Book by Jack Kelley

This is the final installment of our series entitled Seven Things You Have To Know To Understand End Times Prophecy.

5) Conditions Surrounding The 2nd Coming

A couple of days before He was arrested, Jesus had a private conversation with four of His disciples, His inner circle. They were Peter and Andrew, and James and John, two pairs of brothers. They had asked Him about the 2nd Coming and the End of the Age. His response is contained in Matthew 24-25, Mark 13, and Luke 21. It's called the Olivet Discourse because the conversation took place on the Mt. of Olives. I called our study on it "The End Times According To Jesus".

In Matthew's account, the most detailed, Jesus used several specific geographic and time references. He did this so His readers wouldn't get confused as to the identity of His ultimate audience. Having commanded us to understand this passage in Matthew 24:15, He wanted to make sure we got it right. I'll point them out and explain their significance to our subject.

Of course, making the timing of events clear doesn't stop some from ignoring those references in an attempt to make the Lord's words fit their preconceived ideas. The result is that some commentators have Him speaking to a different audience than He intended, and appearing to say things He never said.

For example, some take the erroneous view that since the Olivet Discourse is in the gospels it's for the Church. But in Matthew 24:16 the Lord makes it clear that He's admonishing a future generation of people in Judea (as Israel was called then) to pray that their flight from the anti-Christ doesn't take place in the winter or fall on the Sabbath. The mountains of Judea are treacherous in the winter, and Jews are forbidden under the Law to travel more than 1000 paces on the Sabbath for any reason. The warning is intended for latter-day Israel, back in its Old Covenant relationship at the beginning of the Great Tribulation, 3 years from the Second Coming. The Church is already gone.

In Matthew 24:15-21 He explains that the Great Tribulation will begin with the Abomination that causes Desolation, the anti-Christ standing in the Temple declaring himself to be God. That's the signal for the Jews to flee into the mountains.

Then in Matthew 24:29 He says that immediately after the tribulation ends, the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from the sky, and the heavenly bodies will be shaken. It's now 3  years later. The Great Tribulation has ended.

Matthew 24:30 has people on Earth seeing the Sign of the Son of Man in the sky, His visible return to Earth with power and great glory, and all the peoples of the Earth mourning. It's now too late for them to be saved and they intuitively realize it. This is the Second Coming. (Contrast the use of the second person "you" and your" in verses 20, 23, 25 and 26 with the third person "they" in verse 30. Jews who heed this warning and flee are distinguished from the nations (Gentiles) who mourn at His return.)

Matthew 24:36 begins with "No one knows about that day or hour " What day? What hour? The day and hour of His Second Coming. Stay in context. That's been His subject since verse 30. I believe the reason He said "day or hour" is so we would know for sure that He was talking about the actual Day and Hour of His Coming, not the general time.

(Matthew 24:40-41 are often used to show where a post-tribulation rapture takes place, but a little further along I'll show you why that can't be. First let's continue with our review of the Lord's time references.)

Matthew 25 begins with the phrase "At that time, " and contains three illustrations the Lord used to describe the time of His Coming. For the purpose of this study, I'll just high light what they reveal about the identity of their intended recipients. For a more complete study on them, use the links at the end of this article.
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[nChrist]

Seven Things You Have To Know
To Understand End Times Prophecy - Part 3
Excerpts From a Forthcoming Book by Jack Kelley

The Parable of 10 Virgins

The first one is the Parable of 10 Virgins. It's sometimes used to illustrate the precarious position of "backsliders" in the Church, but there are several problems with that view.

First, if oil is being used symbolically here, as I believe it is, then the principle of Expositional Constancy demands that it represent the Holy Spirit. Can we lose the Holy Spirit, or exhaust our supply of Him? Ephesians 1:13, and 2 Corinthians 1:21-22 both say that the Holy Spirit has been sealed within us as a guarantee of our inheritance, and that it happened solely because we believed the Gospel message. Through out the New Testament, it's clear that our position with the Lord is based on belief, not behavior. Remember, all 10 are caught sleeping when He returns. They all behaved badly. It's the oil that distinguishes one group from the other.

Second, scholars never call these 10 the Bride, but often call them bridesmaids. The Church is not a bridesmaid! And it looks like they're trying to get into the Seudas Mitzvah (wedding feast) a banquet that follows the wedding ceremony. If so, none of them made it to the actual marriage ceremony, oil or not, so none of them can be the bride.

These virgins aren't the Church. They're Tribulation survivors trying to get into the Millennial Kingdom. Five were saved during the Great Tribulation, signified by the oil, and are welcomed in. The Five without oil when He arrived are not and are excluded.

The purpose of the Parable is to show that waiting to be sure the Lord has returned before deciding to let Him into your heart is a recipe for failure. That's why the people of Earth mourned when they saw Him coming on the clouds. The final whistle had blown, the game was over. They were too late!

The Parable Of The Talents

In Matthew 25:14, at the beginning of the Parable of the Talents, the word "again" means he's giving another illustration from the same time period as the parable of the 10 Virgins, the Day of His Coming. Though our use of talent as being a gift or ability derives from this parable, a talent was a Greek unit of measure, usually monetary.

The key to interpreting a parable is knowing that everything is symbolic of something else, so in this parable a talent represents something valuable to the Lord that he wished to have invested. Upon his return, He asks those to whom he had entrusted it what they've accomplished. Those who teach that the talents are gifts given to the Church to be used wisely, producing a measurable return, haven't read the last verse of the parable. The servant who buried his talent in the ground and produced nothing with it was thrown into the outer darkness, the eternal destiny of unbelievers. Is the Lord teaching a works based salvation here? Threatening us with the loss of our salvation if we don't produce enough with the gifts He gave us? It can't be!

Reading the Bible, it's clear that money isn't important to the Lord. But Psalms 138:2 says that He values His Word above all else. I believe the talents represent His Word. Those who sow it into the hearts of others find that it multiplies in new believers. Those who study it find that their own understanding grows, multiplying their faith.

But those who ignore His word find that it's like burying it in the ground. Out of sight, out of mind, until what little they began with is lost to them. This proves it never held any value for them, and condemns them as unbelievers, to be cast into the outer darkness. They had heard the truth and ignored it. Now it's too late. In 2 Thessalonians 2:10 Paul describes them as those who perish because they refused to love the Truth and so be saved. Some will bear the further responsibility of having led their followers astray by their refusal to teach the truth.

 "Surely the Sovereign LORD does nothing without revealing his plan to his servants the prophets," He said. (Amos 3:7) He did this so man would never have to wonder what He was up to. And where the End of the Age is concerned He had more to say than about any other subject. No one can plead ignorance. Again the point is that some who survive the Great Tribulation will be welcomed in to the Kingdom and some won't, and faith is the determining factor.
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[nChrist]

Seven Things You Have To Know
To Understand End Times Prophecy - Part 3
Excerpts From a Forthcoming Book by Jack Kelley

The Sheep And Goat Judgment

Matthew 25:31 leaves no doubt as to the timing on this one. It begins "When the Son of Man comes  " and goes on to talk about the Lord setting up His throne on Earth after His return for the Judgment of the Nations, actually a judgment of Gentile tribulation survivors. The Lord doesn't judge nations in the eternal sense, only individuals. The Greek word here is ethnos, and means "people of every kind." They'll be judged by how they treated "His brothers" during the Great Tribulation. It's called the Sheep and Goat judgment, with the sheep being those who helped His brothers through the horrific times just past and goats being those who didn't.

Some say His brothers are believers, whether Jew or Gentile, and others say they're specifically Jews, but the most important point is that these tribulation survivors aren't being judged by their works. Their works are being cited as evidence of their faith, as in James 2:18. To give aid to a believer, especially a Jew, during the Great Tribulation will take even more courage than it did in Hitler's Germany, and will be an offense punishable by death. Only a follower of Jesus, certain of His eternal destiny, would dare do it or even want to. Those who helped "His brothers" will have demonstrated their faith by their works and will be ushered live into the Kingdom. Those who refused to help will have condemned themselves to the outer darkness by this evidence of their lack of faith.

All three illustrations teach the same lesson. Surviving believers go live into the Kingdom. Some will have relied exclusively on the Holy Spirit's gift of faith, as in the Parable of the 10 Virgins. Others will have multiplied their faith by studying and sharing His word, as in the Parable of the Talents. Still others have put their faith into action, risking their lives in the bargain. They're the Sheep of the Sheep and Goat Judgment. But just like it's been throughout history, all are saved by faith.

Where's The Rapture?

The Sheep and Goat judgment is actually an expansion of Matthew 24: 40-41 "One taken and the other left " Beside the timing problem, here's why these verses can't be describing the Rapture. The Greek word translated taken in verses 40 and 41 means "received." Captains choosing up sides in a sandlot baseball game point to someone and say, "I'll take you." It means, "Come over here. You're on my team." No problem so far, the Lord is taking some but not others.

But the primary meaning of the word translated left is "to send away" as a divorcing husband would "send away" his wife. In those days wives had no rights and except in very unusual circumstances didn't own property. The marriage home was the husband's property, usually built on his family's land. If he divorced his wife, he sent her away to live somewhere else, excluding her from his presence. Unbelievers are not sent away in this manner at the Rapture.

This passage isn't describing the rapture. The timing, the context, and the disposition of the parties are all wrong. It's a summary of the Sheep and Goat judgment. Those taken (received) go live into the Kingdom in their natural bodies and help to re-populate the Earth, while those left (sent away) are put into the Outer Darkness, forever banned from the presence of God. (If Matthew 24: 40-41 is the rapture, how would there be any sheep left for the upcoming Sheep and Goat judgment. They would have all just been taken!)

As it was in the days of Noah so shall it be at the coming of the Son of Man (Matthew 24:37) Let's back up now and address this overview statement. In the days of Noah the people of Earth could be separated into three groups. There were the unbelievers who perished in the Flood, the family of Noah who were preserved through the Flood, and Enoch who was taken from Earth before the Flood. (Enoch was translated in Genesis 5. That means that God took him live into Heaven. The Flood came in Genesis 6.)

In The Time Of The 2nd Coming the people of Earth can also be separated into three groups The unbelieving world that will perish in the End Times judgments, Israel who will be preserved through the judgments, and The Church who will be taken from Earth before the judgments.

There are some interesting similarities between Enoch and the Church. His name means "teaching," one of the primary roles of the Church. Some traditions hold that Enoch was born on the 6th day of Sivan and was translated on his birthday. The 6th of Sivan is the day in the Hebrew Calendar on which the Feast of Pentecost is celebrated. It's the day the Church was born. Will we be raptured on our birthday as well? Time will tell. In any case, Enoch makes a good model of the Church. But you say, "Enoch was only one body." So is the Church.
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[nChrist]

Seven Things You Have To Know
To Understand End Times Prophecy - Part 3
Excerpts From a Forthcoming Book by Jack Kelley

6) The Duration and Purpose of the Millennium

Like rapture and Lucifer, millennium is a word of Latin origin and doesn't appear any where in the Scriptures. We get it from two Latin words, mille, or 1000, and annum, or year. Mille annum, millennium, the Lord's 1000-year reign on Earth, also known as the Kingdom Age. It's the seventh and final thousand years of the Age of Man, begun with the birth of Adam. It's often confused with Eternity, but as we saw earlier the two are distinct. A Millennium is obviously a defined span of time, while by definition Eternity is the absence of time.

The Millennium On Earth

During the Millennium, the Lord will be King of Heaven and Earth, Earth being restored to the condition it was in when Adam was created. This will include restoring peace between man and the animals, bringing back Earth's original garden-like environment with its world wide sub-tropical climate, eliminating foul weather, killer storms, earthquakes and extremes of heat and cold. The span of man's life will begin increasing again to equal those of the Genesis patriarchs. Sickness and disease, those by-products of sin, will be greatly reduced. It appears the population of Earth will be sustained by the return to an agrarian economy, but with all the obstacles Adam faced gone as the curse of Genesis 3 is finally lifted. Man will easily produce enough for his family's use, and enjoy doing it. None will labor unproductively, or primarily for the benefit of others. Children will grow up without fear and adults will grow old in peace. (A summary of Isaiah 2:1-5, 4:2-6, 35, 41:18-20, 60:10-22, 65:17-25, Micah 4:1-8)

Since Earth will be re-populated mostly by Tribulation survivors in their natural bodies, there will still be sin although to a much lesser extent, especially at the beginning. In the so-called Millennial Temple in Israel, priests will conduct daily sacrifices for sin, just like in Old Testament days. But while Old Testament believers observed Temple sacrifices to learn what the Messiah would one day do for them, original Millennial believers will observe them to remember, and their children to learn, what He's already done. (Ezekiel 40-47)

The Lord will reign supreme on Earth as King and High Priest, the head of both a one-world government and a one-world religion. He'll brook no threats to His established peace, nor any deviation from His doctrine. (Psalms  2)

At the beginning, only believers will inhabit Earth, enjoying the truly utopian environment that mankind has always dreamed about, but only God can create. They'll soon begin bearing children who, as they mature, will have to choose to receive the Lord's pardon just as we have. And as it is today some will reject Him to go their own way. By the time Satan is released at the end of the Millennium, there will be so many who've rejected the Lord that he'll quickly find a huge army of recruits for his final attempt to kick the Lord off the planet.

But with fire from Heaven the Lord will destroy Satan's army, casting him into the Lake of Fire, where he'll be tormented day and night forever. Never again will he or any of his accomplices be free to afflict God's people. (Revelation 20:7-10)

How'd That Happen?

What began as an age of unimagined peace and prosperity will have ended in open warfare against the very King who made it possible. How could this be?

Before the Millennium, man had three excuses for his inability to please God. The first was Satan, whose clever schemes led man astray. But all during the Millennium, Satan has been bound in darkness.

The second was the bad influence of unbelievers among us. But as the Millennium began, Earth was cleansed of all its unbelievers. Only those who had given their hearts to the Lord were allowed to enter the Kingdom.

And the third was God's absence from our midst. For 2600 years, with the exception of one 33 year period, God had been absent from the planet leaving man to "fend for himself." But all during the Millennium Father, Son, and Holy Spirit have dwelt in the midst of the people of Earth.
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[nChrist]

Seven Things You Have To Know
To Understand End Times Prophecy - Part 3
Excerpts From a Forthcoming Book by Jack Kelley

What's the point?

In the Millennium, Earth dwellers will live in the ideal of circumstances of paradise, like Adam and Eve. The curse is gone and the Lord's there among them, everyone's a believer and Satan is bound. And yet, there's enough residual sin in the hearts of unregenerate man that he'll rebel the first chance he gets. Sinful man cannot dwell in the presence of a Holy God, being unable to keep His commandments. He needs a Savior and Redeemer to reconcile him to God, and a heart transplant to cure him of his sin nature. The whole point of the Millennium is to prove once and for all that man's heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. (Jeremiah 17:9)

The Millennium In the New Jerusalem

Life is far different in the Home of the Redeemed. Although the Kings of the Earth bring us their splendor, no unbeliever can ever set foot in the place, nor even a believer in his natural state. Our mansions in the sky are built of the purest gold as are the streets that run before them, their foundations made from precious stones. There's no Temple in the New Jerusalem because the Lamb of God dwells there and is our Temple. The energy source that lights and warms us is the Glory of God, and our radiance in turn provides light for the nations of Earth.

Our glorified bodies will have been released from their dimensional bonds, allowing us to appear and disappear at will, traveling back and forth through time at the speed of thought as we plumb the limitless delights of God's Creation. No detail has been overlooked where our comfort and happiness are concerned. There's no more death or mourning or crying or pain, only the endless joys of exploration and discovery. As it is written: "No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him. (1 Corinthians 2:9)

Our home is not on Earth, but it's not at the Throne of God either. Coming down out of the heavens but never landing on Earth, our home could be called a low orbit satellite in today's terminology. 1400 miles high, wide and deep, it wouldn't fit in Israel, let alone Jerusalem. If we did touch down on Earth we'd need a space equivalent to the area from Maine to Florida to the Mississippi River, or all of Western Europe from Sweden to Italy. And we'd be over 4000 times as tall as the world's tallest building.

The Church has been described as the Pearl of Great Price. A pearl is created in the ocean and grows as a response to an irritant. It's the only precious gem to come from a living organism. At harvest time, it's removed from its natural habitat to be placed in a custom made setting where it becomes an object of adornment.

And so it is with the Church. Created from among the Gentile nations, the Church was a major irritant to both Israel and the Roman Empire. Though hundreds of years of persecution were intended for our destruction, we grew steadily. At the harvest we'll be taken from Earth to be placed in mansions the Lord has built especially for us, to become the object of His adornment.

7) Eternity

I can't say much about eternity except to tell you that there is one. The Bible ends at the end of the Millennium, yet teaches us that every one ever born lives forever. The question is not whether you have eternal life. The question is where you will spend eternity. There are only two possible destinations and we've described them both. Eternal bliss in the presence of God, or eternal shame and punishment banished from the presence of God. While God is patient, not desiring that any should be lost, it's not His decision to make. He's given it to you, knowing that without an alternative, your choice to voluntarily accept Him is meaningless. He loves you enough to risk that you'll make the wrong decision, and enough to abide by your wishes if you do.

Don't get me wrong. No one would knowingly choose to go to a place of eternal torment. But many will wind up there. When they do it'll be because they refused to choose Heaven, and it's the only other alternative.

Here then are Seven Things you Have To Know To Understand End Times Prophecy. Mastering them will allow you to successfully avoid all the heresy and false teaching that swirls about in these last days. The study of prophecy is not a salvation issue, but the Lord did admonish us on several occasions to understand the signs of the times so we wouldn't be caught off guard. We are to watch with expectation and wait with certainty.

In Revelation 1:3 we're promised blessings for our diligent study, and in 2 Timothy 4:8 a crown for longing for His appearing. But to me the greatest gift that comes from studying prophecy is the strengthening of our faith. Nothing can equal watching the Word of God proceed from abstract to concrete as we see Bible Prophecy fulfilled before our very eyes. If you listen carefully, you can almost hear the Footsteps of the Messiah.
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[nChrist]

The Kings Of The East
by Jack Kelley

   

    With all the fuss about North Korea allegedly going nuclear, let's review what the Bible says about the Far East in the last days and see if we can tell what this means."

    First, some background." I've found that there's a great deal of mystery about the origin of the people who populate the Far East." Even they don't know where they came from." The River Euphrates was a formidable natural barrier that inhibited travel and prevented the flow of information and ideas from moving back and forth." The Scythians, a Central Asian people who raided the Middle East, (they killed Saul and Jonathon at the Battle of Beth Shan) can be traced to Magog and are the fore bearers of today's Russians, but they came down from the North." The Great Wall of China was once called the Ramparts of Magog and was built to keep the Scythians out of China." This further isolated the Far East and not only clouded their origins in mystery, but resulted in the development of cultures very different from all others.

    The oldest Chinese pictograms (their equivalent to letters of the alphabet) contain characters that depict the Creation story and belief in one God, so we can assume that at the dawn of history they knew of man's origin, but their culture developed independently of any influence from those west of the barriers we've mentioned. Today there's very little similarity between East and West, and even less goodwill.

    As believers, we know that every race of mankind sprang from the loins of Ham, Shem, or Japeth." But from which one did the oriental peoples come?" Genesis 10:17 makes mention of a group called the Sinites, descended from Ham through Canaan." And Isaiah 49:12 speaks of the Sinim (same Hebrew root), a people who according to the Strong's concordance inhabited the extremity of the known world." (Strong's commentary on the Sinim suggests that it probably refers to the Chinese.) And that's about all the Bible tells us until we see a reference to the Kings of the East in the Book of Revelation.

    Back To The Future

    The sixth angel sounded his trumpet, and I heard a voice coming from the horns of the golden altar that is before God. It said to the sixth angel who had the trumpet, "Release the four angels who are bound at the great river Euphrates." And the four angels who had been kept ready for this very hour and day and month and year were released to kill a third of mankind. The number of the mounted troops was two hundred million. I heard their number. (Rev. 9:13-16)

    At the time of the 6th Trumpet, four angels who've been stationed at the River Euphrates for this very purpose are loosed to agitate the leaders of the Far East against each other causing a huge war with massive casualties to mankind." Two hundred million soldiers from the various armies will clash resulting in the deaths of 1/3rd of mankind." 25% of the Earth will already be under judgment causing much bloodshed and death (Rev. 6:8 ), and now nearly 2 billion people will perish in this war."""

    But since the traditional barrier between East and West, the River Euphrates, is not dried up to make way for them to swarm into the Middle East (we'll see that in Rev. 16) I believe that this judgment is primarily against the 60% of the world's population that lives East of the Euphrates. There's no mention of them tangling with anyone out side the region, so this could be a forging of alliances in preparation for the coming attempt to grab the Middle East and all it's resources.

    With the conflicting religions, the crowded conditions, and the abject poverty, that area of the world is always ripe for conflict, so it won't take much to stir them up against each other." And since China, India, Pakistan, Russia, and North Korea are already nuclear powers it's easy to project huge casualties." Some believe that with North Korea's announcement, the pressure to develop their own nuclear weapons will now be too great for Japan, South Korea, and perhaps others to resist.

    The 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. (Rev 16:12)"

    By the time of the 6th Bowl judgment, the anti-Christ's plans to control the world will be falling apart and the Kings of the East will be thinking that it's every man for himself. Like I said, there's no good will between East and West.

    Remember, Daniel 11:40 tells us that after the King of the North (Syria, Iraq, Iran) and the King of the South (Egypt) mount an unsuccessful attack against the anti-Christ, there'll be reports of troop movement from the East (China, etc.) and North (Russia) This is the run-up to Armageddon and the anti-Christ will locate his headquarters in Israel to direct his response to this new threat.""

    Of course we know that while all the world's attention is focused on these opposing forces, another army rushes forth to join the fray." But this one is unlike the others." In the first place it comes out of the sky." In the second place everyone's dressed in white linen, and in the third place only its leader will fight." His weapon is His Word and it will slay all these earthly armies in their tracks."
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[nChrist]

The Kings Of The East
by Jack Kelley

    Will The Circle Be Unbroken?

    The focal point of Life on Earth originated in the Middle East and was centered there for thousands of years." Then came Gentile Dominion and the focus began moving westward." From Babylon and Persia, world dominance moved to Greece, then Rome, then Spain, England, and now across the Atlantic to America. Some observers say its next move will be to the Far East and finally back to the Middle East for the conclusion of history, having come full circle.

    There are several indicators that support this observation." China boasts the world's fastest growing economy, and on the whole Asian economies are growing at three times the world's average rate. Since growth attracts capital, money has been moving into Asia in record amounts." The new Secretary General of the UN is from Korea." India is fast becoming a world center for "Knowledge Process Outsourcing". There are more Christians being born again in the Far East than in any other part of the world. Three of the four most populous nations in the world are in the far East (China, India, and Indonesia), as are almost half of the top 25." As I said, estimates place 60% of the world's population in Asia. This could very well be the beginning of their time.

    What's Happening?

    All told, that makes North Korea a small piece of the puzzle." The latest reports say their nuclear test probably wasn't an unqualified success, and that they aren't as ready to shoot a missile at New York or Washington, like they sort of threatened this week, as they claim." But Russia and China will prevent any real sanctions against them, both having helped North Korea get to this point as well as having encouraged North Korea and Iran to cooperate with each other." It looks like Russia and China helped North Korea, who in turn helped Iran, who in turn funded North Korea." (According to what I'm reading in the conservative press, the Clinton Administration gave North Korea a little help too, providing both reactors and dollars in return for a promise of peaceful intent.)

    More than being a sign that the Kings of the East are on the move, North Korea's actions were likely prompted by America's enemies to demonstrate that we're stretched so thin in Afghanistan, Iraq and soon Iran, that we really can't do much more than issue empty threats any where else." There was a time when the US had 12,000 nukes stockpiled in 24 different countries around the world to keep our enemies from trying anything foolish, but thanks to "detente" those days are over and gone forever." And now the word is that we've been steadily pulling troops out of South Korea to meet our needs in Iraq. The world's catching on to this, and especially those friends farthest away have to be wondering who's going to take care of them.

    As for our enemies, just today (Oct 14, 2006) I read of Iran's agreement to spend $90 million upgrading Hamas' 6500 man militia into a Hezbollah like attack force. "This is in addition to quickly re-arming Hezbollah and restoring them to their previous status as Iran's proxy army 0n Israel's north." The goal now is to facilitate a simultaneous attack on Israel from both North and South to pre-empt an Israeli attack on Iran." Israel's abandonment of Gaza and admitted failure to stop Hezbollah has emboldened Iran to take this action."

    And because of the world's likely non-reaction to North Korea's test, many believe that Iran will also grasp this opportunity to conduct a test of their own." I wrote early this spring that the underground facilities already exist in Iran for such a demonstration, and if North Korea gets away with it why can't they?"

    As Israel's failure to stop Hezbollah has placed her in greater peril, so will America's failure to stop North Korea result in greater peril for us. We may soon find ourselves just as surrounded as Israel." It's almost enough to make us long for the relatively stable days of the cold war." At least we knew that the Soviet Union wasn't bent on self-destruction." Can anybody say the same about Iran?" Maybe it's time for us to start wondering who's going to take care of us?" Oh, that's right. "When all these things begin to take place, stand up and lift up your heads because your redemption is drawing near." (Luke 21:28 ) You can almost hear the footsteps of the Messiah." 10-14-06

[nChrist]

Seven Major Prophetic Signs Of The Second Coming
Ikvot ha'Mashiach (Steps of the Messiah)
A Bible Study by Jack Kelley

Seventh Annual Year End Update 12-29-07

There are seven major prophetic signs of the Second Coming, and ever since we started tracking them all seven have been in some stage of fulfillment. As in years past, I'll list the seven with their primary biblical references and offer commentary from current events.

1. Israel Will Be In The Land... Ezekiel 38:8

After many days you will be called to arms. In future years you will invade a land that has recovered from war, whose people were gathered from many nations to the mountains of Israel, which had long been desolate. They had been brought out from the nations, and now all of them live in safety.

In 1948, when Israel took its place among the nations of the world again for the first time in nearly 2000 years, students of prophecy recognized the fulfillment of the primary sign that the end of the age was upon us. Ezekiel had predicted this would happen and in effect Jesus had said that the generation being born when it happened would still be alive when He returned (Matthew 24:34) because the things He gave as signs of His impending return require that Israel be a nation in its historical land with a functioning Temple.

The fulfillment of this prophecy caused another reaction as well. Satan reads prophecy too, and began exerting his influence on world leaders in his continuing effort to thwart the plan of God. As a result, Israel has fought six major wars in the last 58 years, each of them an attempt to erase the Jewish Homeland from the face of the Earth. And it's clear that this effort will continue, with the biggest battle of all looming on the horizon, foretold by Ezekiel in chapters 38-39. Israel's enemies, both physical and spiritual, won't let up until they've either succeeded (their view) or been destroyed (God's view).

Although US and Israeli leaders promised that abandoning Gaza in 2005 would improve the nation's security, the opposite has happened. As those opposed to the abandonment predicted, Gaza has become a major center for terrorist activity and there's mounting pressure from the military to take it back.

Even so, there's now serious talk of repeating this mistake in the West Bank and parts of Jerusalem, all in the name of Palestinian statehood. In the political sense there are good reasons for pursuing this strategy, even considering its dangers. First, with their high birth rate, Israel's Arab population could actually achieve an electoral majority in another generation and effectively vote Israel out of existence. So gaining their own state would help preserve Israel's Jewish identity. And second, if the Palestinians become a sovereign nation, Israel will have a legal entity with internationally recognized borders to hold responsible for preventing cross border attacks against it.

The real issue, of course, is religious not political. God made it clear that while the land He was giving to Israel would be theirs to use, He would always be its real owner. They were not permitted to permanently dispose of it. (Leviticus 25:23-24) In case of an existential threat, they should turn to Him for protection. But they haven't and in the past few years we've seen the weakening effect each effort to trade land for peace has had. As hard as it is to watch, we know this has to happen in order to put Israel into a position where only God can help when the inevitable consequences of their appeasement strategies present themselves. Then they'll have to turn to Him for help.

And help He will, because the God of Israel has also said, "I will bring back my exiled people Israel; they will rebuild the ruined cities and live in them. They will plant vineyards and drink their wine; they will make gardens and eat their fruit. I will plant Israel in their own land, never again to be uprooted from the land I have given them," says the LORD your God. (Amos 9:14-15)
______________________________

[nChrist]

Seven Major Prophetic Signs Of The Second Coming
Ikvot ha'Mashiach (Steps of the Messiah)
A Bible Study by Jack Kelley

2. Jerusalem Will Be In Jewish Hands... Luke 21:24

They will fall by the sword and will be taken as prisoners to all the nations. Jerusalem will be trampled on by the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.

The Lord prophesied that the reunification of Jerusalem as a Jewish City would be a sign that foreign (gentile) influence over His land, and indeed the world, was about to end. With the reunification of Jerusalem in 1967, prophecy experts saw another major sign being fulfilled, although as we'll see this gentile trampling won't be completely over till the 2nd Coming. Even so, the almost world wide effort to take the city apart again is in essence a battle of wills; the Will of God vs. the will of man.

Until recently every Israeli politician has stood firmly on a pledge to keep Jerusalem united forever as Israel's capital. But then former Prime Minister Sharon said that he'd consider abandoning parts of the eastern suburbs to achieve peace, and Ehud Olmert has hinted at following through on Sharon's proposals. There's even talk of turning the Temple Mount over to Jordanian custody with an international overseer composed of the UN, Egypt, Jordan, Israel and the Palestinian Authority.

Because sentiment in Israel's influential religious community runs strongly against this, the government has denied any talk of giving up the Temple Mount. But non-religious sources, including some among the Palestinians, insist that it's a "done deal." If so we might not have long to wait to see if a theory first proposed by Clarence Larkin over 100 years ago is valid. A distinguishing feature of the treaty that begins Daniel's 70th week is permission to build a Temple in Israel. Larkin insisted that a correct understanding of Ezekiel 40-48 requires that Israel's 3rd Temple be built in Shiloh, not Jerusalem.

Although I think Larkin incorrectly inserted another Temple to be built in Jerusalem during Daniel's 70th Week, I first became convinced of the validity of his take on Ezekiel 40-48 about 10 years ago, and have been pleased to learn that at least a few other prophecy scholars agree.

We must remember that Jews call Ezekiel's Temple the 3rd one, and there's good Biblical support for believing that it'll be built and made desolate during the 70th week and cleansed at the beginning of the Millennium for use then. If we're correct, the status of the current Temple mount will soon become a non-issue. (Read The Coming Temple to learn more)

In any case, support for the idea that Jerusalem will be undivided during the 70th week can be found in Zechariah 14:2 which says that in the battle leading up to the Lord's return, the city will be captured and half its people will go into exile, but the rest will not be taken from it. There's also a hint that the Palestinian question will be resolved after the Battle of Ezekiel 38, because the area chosen for the burial of the enemy soldiers appears to be the valley at the bottom of the Old Jericho Road, near the Temptation wilderness. It's described as being in Israel in Ezekiel 39:11 but today it's part of the Palestinian West Bank. Traditionally, they call it the Valley of the Shadow of Death.

From all this we can reasonably conclude that if whatever happens to the Holy Land and its Capitol City in the next year or so includes dividing them between Israel and the Palestinians, it'll only be temporary.

The fulfillment of these two major prophecies concerning Israel has caused confusion in the minds of some commentators. It centers around an incorrect interpretation of Matthew 24:34, that all end times prophecies are to be fulfilled within a generation, nominally 40 years, of Israel's re-gathering in 1948. That error made 1988 seem like the likely time for the End. But when 1988 came and went scholars focused on the Jerusalem date, 1967, and began adding 40 years to that, advancing their predictions to 2007 even though the Jerusalem prophecy won't be completely fulfilled until the 2nd Coming. As of this year, that deadline has also passed.

But the Lord didn't promise that all end times prophecies would be fulfilled within a generation of their beginning, only that the generation of people being born at the time of the first of the signs would still be alive to see their completion. According to Psalm 90:10 an average Biblical life span is 70 years, so if you begin with 1948, predicting the approximate time of the End requires the addition of 70 years, not 40. And remember, the culmination of End Times prophecies is the Second Coming, not the Rapture of the Church, which precedes it by at least 7 years.
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[nChrist]

Seven Major Prophetic Signs Of The Second Coming
Ikvot ha'Mashiach (Steps of the Messiah)
A Bible Study by Jack Kelley

3. A Moslem Coalition Armed And Led By Russia Will Attack The Holy Land... Ezekiel 38:2-6

"Son of man, set your face against Gog, of the land of Magog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal; prophesy against him. This is what the Sovereign Lord says: I am against you, O Gog, chief prince of Meshech and Tubal. I will turn you around, put hooks in your jaws and bring you out with your whole army--your horses, your horsemen fully armed, and a great horde with large and small shields, all of them brandishing their swords. Persia, Cush and Put will be with them, all with shields and helmets, also Gomer with all its troops, and Beth Togarmah from the far north with all its troops--the many nations with you."

(For a more detailed explanation of the modern equivalents to these biblical names, read An In Depth Look At The Modern Equivalent To Biblical Names in Ezekiel 38 )

Over 130 historical references make it plain that Magog stands for modern Russia, and the other countries named here form a coalition based on their common religion, Islam. (Today Russia is 30% Moslem and growing.) Among them are Iran, several North African countries, Eastern European countries along the Danube, and the Turkic nations of Asia Minor. A quick look at a world map will reveal that these areas are home to some of the most violent Islamic terrorist groups.

In 2007 there were several items of note is this category. Russia's continuing effort to re-establish itself as a force to be reckoned with is becoming more obvious with some in the West calling it a return to cold war conditions. Plans for re-locating its Black Sea fleet to the Mediterranean with headquarters in Northern Syria, the sale of even more advanced anti-air defenses to Syria and Iran, and the long delayed delivery of nuclear fuel rods to Iran's Busheir reactor are notable, as is it's claim to the North Pole, which if legal would make Russia the world's largest holder of oil reserves. The Russians are already a major supplier of arms for the Moslem coalition, just as Ezekiel prophesied, and will be drawn into joining in this battle by God Himself. Russia's barely disguised policy of becoming the major outside force in the Middle East is playing right into the Lord's hands.

Turkey is also flexing its muscles, crossing the border into Iraq recently to hammer the Kurds. This is something Iran has an interest in as well, since what the Kurds want is their home land, some of which is in Iran. Earlier this year it was reported that Iran was helping with weaponry and intelligence.

Russia has already formed commercial and military alliances with Turkey and Syria, becoming Turkey's 2nd largest trading partner after Germany. Since recent polls show a dramatic decrease in public support among Turks for EU membership, Russia has been quickly moving to bring Turkey under its influence, a shift that could help cause Turkey to abandon the West and line up with the Moslem coalition as Ezekiel foretold.

But the big news has to be the about face that the US has taken. From being on the very brink of an attack against Iran, and making no attempt to keep it secret, the US has suddenly decided that there's no Iranian nuclear threat and called the whole thing off. Immediately Russia stepped up its cooperation with Iran, and Saudi Arabia quickly became friends as well.

The public word is that the US and Iran have made a deal brokered by Saudi Arabia that in exchange for Iran no longer sending arms and explosives into Iraq and Afghanistan, the US would "remember" that Iran abandoned the military part of its nuclear program back in 2003 and call off plans to attack Iran. Israel has confirmed that the 2003 halt took place but swears they can prove it was just a pause while Iran relocated their program into secret facilities away from prying eyes. The rest of the world is still wondering just what to make of this, but agree it doesn't look good for Israel.
____________________________________

[nChrist]

Seven Major Prophetic Signs Of The Second Coming
Ikvot ha'Mashiach (Steps of the Messiah)
A Bible Study by Jack Kelley

Suddenly, what we were thinking would take a huge terrorist attack, the meltdown of our economy, or the rapture of the Church may be happening without a whimper, as the US seems to be abandoning its commitment to stand against Iran for Israel's protection. All that's missing now is for something to happen to make Israel believe they've finally achieved peace with their neighbors and can relax their state of readiness.

To this end, Pres. Bush is scheduled to be in the Middle East next month in a personal effort to accomplish what his predecessors could not, and that's to bring peace to the Middle East. With the exception of Iran, every leader involved is weak and desperate, so there's no telling what will happen.

It appears likely that a false peace could soon come to pass leaving Israel all set up for the battle of Ezekiel 38 by its supposed peace partners. When the time is right, having recently taken His church to Heaven, the Lord will use this battle to orchestrate His reconciliation with Israel, and on its heels the anti-Christ will emerge with a peace plan that includes a Jewish Temple.

4. The Ancient Roman Empire Will Re-Emerge As A Political Force... Revelation 17:9-10

"This calls for a mind with wisdom. The seven heads are seven hills on which the woman sits. They are also seven kings. Five have fallen, one is, the other has not yet come; but when he does come, he must remain for a little while." (This one is a little obscure if you don't know your history. When John was writing this, about 95AD, there had been five great world powers; Egypt, Assyria, Babylon, Persia, and Greece. All were conquered and absorbed. The current power was Rome, which was never really conquered and will re-emerge at the end of the age, according to Daniel 9:26.)

Daniel 2:36-45 describes Gentile Dominion from Daniel's time forward (Egypt and Assyria had already fallen) in the form of a giant statue. Read it carefully and you'll find some interesting things in the description of the feet of iron mixed with clay, representing the revived Roman Empire of our time. In the first place the two don't mix. We can imagine sticky clay serving as glue sticking pieces of iron together, but the language describes a clay that's made of dust and already baked... hard and brittle like shards of pottery. You can't make random pieces of iron and pottery adhere. They'll keep falling apart.

In 2005 the EU constitution vote was defeated as one more example of how the EU has had trouble sticking together just as Daniel prophesied. Half-hearted efforts to revive it in 2006 bore no fruit. The Treaty of Lisbon, signed just this month is another, more serious attempt to get it passed, and will likely be ratified. If so, the EU will have a single president, consolidated embassies, a peace keeping force, and will look ever more like a single entity.

Similar multi-national consolidations are in some stage of formation in North America, South America, Africa, the Far East, and the Moslem Middle East. Eventually the world will consist of a total of 10 of these regional governments, each with its own president, but all under the supervision of a single world leader, just as John said. (Revelation 17:12)

Prophecy buffs who've been watching the EU for years, seeing it as the fulfillment of Daniel 2, are beginning to remember that Daniel's vision of the Roman Empire had two legs. They appeared in history as the eastern and western divisions, the Eastern leg situated on land that's occupied today by the nations of the Moslem Middle East. Its capitol was Constantinople, which is also a city on seven hills. With the growth and prominence of Islam increasing, and with its goals of world domination a well known fact, it's looking like this eastern leg will fulfill Daniel's prophecy along side the western one. Remember, the 10 toes, representing the ten nation confederacy, come from two feet. And with Shiite prophecies of al Mahdi being so similar to Christian ones of the anti-Christ, we may have to re-think the traditional western view of the coming one-world government. It could just a easily be a world wide Islamic Caliphate.
__________________________________

[nChrist]

Seven Major Prophetic Signs Of The Second Coming
Ikvot ha'Mashiach (Steps of the Messiah)
A Bible Study by Jack Kelley

5. The World Will Embrace A Single Religion... Revelation 13:8

All inhabitants of the earth will worship the beast--all whose names have not been written in the book of life belonging to the Lamb that was slain from the creation of the world.

The one world religion idea has been around for most of our generation, often under the guise of ecumenism. As the liberal denominations continue watering down their theology there are fewer things keeping them apart. Now some Evangelical leaders are questioning whether Jesus is really the only way to salvation. The flirtation between certain Evangelical groups and the Catholic Church is interesting, as is the dialog between the Pope and Leaders of Islam, and their common devotion to Mary. The Catholic Church is one of the richest organizations on the planet with over 1 billion members on 6 continents, and clearly thinks of itself as the world's dominant religious group. It's no secret that the Catholic church is posturing itself to be a major player in End times events.

But make no mistake about it. The rise of radical Islam is the chief threat to world peace today and their goal is nothing less than world domination. Their god is not the God of the Bible, and their fight with Jews and Christians actually began in the 7th Century AD when the Jews rejected Mohammed's offer of consolidation. Prior to that time he had counseled his followers to respect and befriend the Jewish people, but when they refused to join his religion, he declared jihad (holy war) against them. Christians were included 400 years later as a result of the Crusades.

Currently nearly one out of five inhabitants of the world is Moslem, and like most Christians and Jews don't really know what they believe or why. Ignorance and misinformation are primary tools of the devil so I would urge all thinking people to really study the origin and goals of Islam. It will soon be the world's most popular religion, and after the removal of Evangelical Christians in the Rapture could easily be the foundation on which the one world religion is built.

In 2 Thessalonians 2:7 Paul wrote that the secret power of lawlessness was already at work in the world but that the One who holds it back would continue to do so until He is taken out of the way (out of the midst). Understand that Paul wasn't referring to man's disregard for the law here, but rather to his refusal to accept the truth. In New Testament Greek the word for unbelief is also translated disobedience. God's view is that there's just too much clear evidence of His existence for anyone not to believe in Him. Therefore so-called unbelievers are really disobeying by refusing to believe.

In 1 Timothy 4:1 Paul warned us of the doctrines of demons and in 2 Timothy 4:3-4 of the growing popularity of mythology as being part and parcel of this end times religion. This is the lawlessness Paul was writing about. Having rejected the truth, those left after the Rapture will be ripe for the Great Lie of 2 Thessalonians 2:9 to fill the need every man has to believe in something greater than himself. All it will take is for a charismatic religious leader to emerge, a leader powerful enough to bring all those who are left behind into one counterfeit religion.

Much has been written this year about al Mahdi, a manifestation of Moslem prophecy that is strikingly similar to Christian prophecies of the anti-Christ. Both come on the scene during a time of great turmoil on Earth, both come claiming a desire to restore peace, both have a seven year reign, both head a one world religion and one world government, both claim supernatural origins, and both reigns end in a battle between good and evil that brings about Earth's final judgment.

Islam is the world's fastest growing religion and is second only to Christianity in number of adherents. But the true Church will soon be gone in the Rapture. Those left behind, with their celebration of pluralism and their inclusive view of the way to salvation will be ripe for conversion. Add the widely held but incorrect beliefs that God and Allah are the same, and that Islam is a religion of peace, and you can see how Islam could be the straw that a world on the verge of chaos grasps for survival.

6. The World Will Accept A Single Government... Revelation 13:3

The whole world was astonished and followed the beast.

Last year I said that partly because of media distortion, and partly because of the constant meddling by Iran and Syria, the war in Iraq has become so unpopular that it's driven public opinion to devastating levels of dissatisfaction with the current administration. As a result both houses of Congress have changed hands and 2007 could very well see the beginning of the US departure from the Middle East entirely. After last month's Annapolis Conference and America's about face regarding Iran, that seems more likely now than ever.

I also said that a successful attack on the strength of the dollar could eventually sideline us from world affairs entirely. Last year the Euro became the most popular currency in circulation, surpassing the dollar for the first time, and is now challenging the dollar for supremacy as a reserve currency. According to experts, in the last few years the dollar has lost 40% of its value against the Euro. With just the interest on the national debt averaging $1 billion per day, effective loss of the dollar's monopoly on oil transactions, and a nation wide mortgage meltdown, it doesn't take a prophet to see that unless something drastic happens America's demise as the world's only super power is just a matter of time.

The Rapture of the Church would be the final and fatal blow to US supremacy, paving the way for the anti-Christ and his 10 regional governments to consolidate their hold on world affairs.
____________________________________

[nChrist]

Seven Major Prophetic Signs Of The Second Coming
Ikvot ha'Mashiach (Steps of the Messiah)
A Bible Study by Jack Kelley

7. Babylon Will Re-Emerge As A Prominent City In World Affairs... Revelation 18:2-3

With 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. For 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."

Babylon is still a ways away from accepting its destiny as a city of power in the end times. It's just a ceremonial city right now, but 20 years ago nobody even knew it existed at all. One of the shocks of Gulf War 1 was the discovery of Babylon standing there on the banks of the Euphrates again.

You may think that being little more than a giant museum is a far cry from being a center of world power, but some of Iraq's new political leaders are calling for their nation's capital to be moved to Babylon. The logic behind this is that Baghdad was Saddam's capital, and the new Iraq needs a new capital, more consistent with its heritage. Babylon fills the bill, and becoming the capital of Iraq would be a giant first step toward achieving its transformation into a center of power.

Because of Babylon's current lack of importance in the world, some students of prophecy search for an allegorical fulfillment of Revelation 18, and of course many see the USA or some city therein as a logical candidate. No one doubts that the US deserves this king of judgment.

But remember, even though in Revelation 17:9 John describes "mystery Babylon" as seated on seven hills (meaning Rome), a prophecy in Zechariah 5:5-11 shows it being moved "to the plains of Shinar" a reference to ancient Mesopotamia called Iraq today. We can't switch from literal to allegorical interpretations of Scripture without clear direction, and where Babylon is concerned no such direction exists. In fact the opposite is true. As the world rushes toward its destiny it becomes increasingly clear that the Bible is to be taken literally where Babylon is concerned.

Other Signs

You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. All these are the beginning of birth pains.

"Then you will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of me. At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other, and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people. Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, but he who stands firm to the end will be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come. (Matthew 24:6-14)

Then he said to them: "Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be great earthquakes, famines and pestilences in various places, and fearful events and great signs from heaven. (Luke 21:10-11)

"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. Men will faint from terror, apprehensive of what is coming on the world, for the heavenly bodies will be shaken. At that time they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. When these things begin to take place, stand up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near." (Luke 21:25-28 )

WARS AND RUMORS OF WARS ... Depending upon whose intelligence reports you read somewhere between 30 and 50 wars are currently being fought around the world, with a substantial number of additional disputes threatening to erupt into war at any time.

THE INCREASE OF NATURAL DISASTERS ... More frequent and more severe hurricanes, more frequent and more intense earthquakes. Killer storms and quakes continue to dot the news. In 2007 there were 189 more earthquakes over 5.0 on the Richter scale than in 2004 and 365 more than in 2000. And before you blame all these disasters on "global warming," over 400 prominent scientists have expressed public concern about the claims by Al Gore and others. To date the only demonstrable cause for increased global temperatures is that the Sun is getting measurably hotter, just like the Bible predicts for the Last Days.

SIGNS IN THE SUN, MOON, AND STARS ... The magnetic polar reversal, predicted by computer model for 2012 is gaining more attention since its likelihood was first announced. Having moved several hundred miles across Canada the Magnetic North Pole is currently headed for Siberia. While the effects of a Magnetic Polar Reversal have never been observed by mankind, it has apparently happened in the distant past. What's unique this time is that the Sun is due for a polar reversal at the same time. I've speculated that the effects of the polar reversal could fulfill Revelation 6 and if the projected time of 2012 is correct, it supports the view that all prophecy could be fulfilled within 70 years of Israel's re-birth.

PESTILENCE... Not only new diseases like HIV and SARS but also the return of old ones like Whooping cough. But the big news again this year is the likely spread of Avian Influenza (Bird Flu). As more cases among humans are reported, fears that the virus has mutated to thrive in a human host have increased. Dire predictions are placing possible deaths from this pandemic in the millions

THE LOVE OF MOST WILL GROW COLD ... 3500 people die every day in defense of the Christian faith. Run away crime, children being abused and murdered by their parents, children killing children. Murder trials as public entertainment soon to be followed by televised executions. Ethnic cleansing, rape and forced pregnancy, pedophilia, random shootings, the incidence of disrespect is enough to make you sick.

THIS GOSPEL WILL BE PREACHED IN ALL NATIONS ... Looking at the state of the world, it's hard to be encouraged. But as world news gets worse and worse, more people are turning to the Lord for solace. According to some reports as many as 175,000 new believers are born again every day, mostly in Africa, China, and India. Reports of these conversions are accompanied by accounts of miracles, people receiving supernatural healing and even being raised from the dead. Just as He did at the beginning of the church Age the Holy Spirit is moving mightily at its End. I believe the Lord is issuing a giant "last call" before He suddenly takes the church out of here to begin the End Times judgments.

The above are given as indicators in the Olivet Discourse. (Matthew 24, Mark 13, Luke 21) As you know most of the signs in the Olivet Discourse are progressive and all are described as happening well before the end. Their main interest to us is found in the phrase "beginning of birth pangs." Natural disasters, the tendency toward war as a tool of diplomacy, famine amidst plenty (35,000 children die each day of starvation and related diseases) and pestilence are described as being common to the era but increasing in frequency and intensity as the end approaches. This was certainly the case in 2007 and is an indicator of how close we are to the end.

It's true that for over 100 years folks have been saying, "how much worse can it get?" Sadly, the answer now as it was then is, "Much!" It seems man's depravity knows no limits. But take heart. Though we are in the world, we are not of the world. We don't belong here, being citizens of heaven. And one day soon our long awaited King will return to take us there. Maranatha!

[nChrist]

Moral Decay in America is in High Gear - Part 1 of 2
By Ron Graham

    “This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; …Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away,” 2 Timothy 3:1, 5. Paul lays out nineteen items here in his last letter to Timothy which exactly describe our society today. In the very first sentence he tells us that these things will all come to pass in the last days.
   
    Our society’s decay is festering and accelerating at a phenomenal rate unlike any other time in the history of the U.S. It’s a simple, easily provable fact that should actually come as no surprise to those of us who study our Bibles since we have scripture verses like those which Paul wrote to Timothy.
   
    “Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution,” 2 Timothy 3:12. This, of course, is a verse none of us really want to see come to pass, but in all actuality it is coming to pass all over the globe. Even though the persecution of Christians has been ongoing for almost two-thousand years now, here in the U.S. it’s really just getting underway. Individually Christians have been persecuted in the U.S. for some time now and on occasion as a group. Currently, though, we see this persecution coming on the whole of Christendom in America. The reason for this is the decay of morals in our society. Moral decay didn’t just happen, but it is a symptom of a much larger problem. As a nation that was founded on God’s moral code of decency we’ve lost that foundation. Brothers and Sisters, we have watched as the liberal left has taken picks and shovels, broken the moral foundation, and thrown it away. People, we will not survive as a nation without our God given moral precepts. That’s a promise.
   
    As decay enters into any object that’s perishable deterioration is ever so slight at first, but over time the process escalates in its scope and becomes so invasive that the item infected with the decay needs to be thrown out with all the other garbage. A society that is in decay because of its lack of morals will eventually be completely overtaken by the decay process if not halted in time. People, there will come a time when our society will be too far gone in immorality and it will need to be purged  -  completely destroyed. Think about it, what nation has ever endured long life after turning its back on God?
     
    The second law of thermodynamics is entropy. Entropy is a fact not a theory. It happens and it happens everywhere in the known universe. Basically, entropy means that everything left to its self sooner or later will fall apart. Without God in our lives and in our country our society will continue experiencing entropy but at a highly accelerated rate. Is there any turning back, can we reverse the process of decay in this country? No! At least not at our current rate of descent, but nothing is impossible for God. Oh yeah, we kicked God out of every vestige of our government arena, our public schools, and we can even see God being replaced in our Christian churches with a feel good gospel of indulgences and materialism.
     
    We are in freefall mode here in this wonderful country of ours. I’m not the only one who sees this phenomenon happening; I read comments on the web which confirm my prognoses. These comments aren’t the ramblings of wacky conspiracy theorists but are the views of some of the most venerated theologians of our time who are speaking out about the decay of our morals and the inevitable fall of our once great society.
     
    Let’s think about what’s happening currently here in this once great nation of ours. We can now see the production, promotion, and distribution of pornography in this country as a major economic player. There are literally billions of dollars being made off this perversion. Just fifty years ago who would have thought that the United States of America  -  the foremost country in the world in manufacturing and distribution, the greatest nation in terms of our humanitarian efforts and giving to faltering nations, and the number one nation in the world in terms of evangelism of the Christian Gospel  -  would now be almost completely consumed with the proliferation of pornography? If you think this immoral societal degradation isn’t a slap in the face of God, then you are part of the problem.
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[nChrist]

Moral Decay in America is in High Gear - Part 2 of 2
By Ron Graham

     
    My dear brothers and sisters in Christ, that stigma alone is responsible for much of the immorality we see in our society today. People are becoming so entwined with this perversion that their minds are being warped and diluted. Many no longer see a difference between right and wrong. I’m constantly confronted with the news of the immorality of teachers in our public school system and what they are doing to the young students whose very lives they have been entrusted with nurturing and teaching. Worldnetdaily.com has a huge and growing list of female teachers who have been arrested and some imprisoned for sexually abusing the students in their charge. Something that was unheard of twenty-five years ago is now so prevalent in our society that it has become common place. After one of these instances with a female teacher, I read on Foxnews.com, where a professor of a University disparaged the authorities for arresting these female teachers. He actually argued that those women teachers who entertain their male and female student in this way are only providing a needed service, a teaching lesson if you will. Condoning such sick and misguided behavior is only another sign of the decay that’s growing by leaps and bounds in our society today. By the way, most of these female teachers walk away with a slap on the wrist, while the male teachers who fall into this temptation are imprisoned for twenty years or more. Male or female the imprisonment should be the same. A child who is molested and abused is just as deeply scarred by women molesters as they are by male molesters. “He that walketh in his uprightness feareth the LORD: but [he that is] perverse in his ways despiseth him,” Proverbs 14:2. This nation is becoming a despiser of God.
     
    In my estimation, the real landslide of the decay of our society began years ago when we allowed the Bible to be taken out of our public schools. Soon after that we had the legalization of abortion and the teaching the lie of evolution as a fact not as a theory, even to the exclusion of any other possible scenario for life to have occurred on earth. Then, more recently, we’ve seen the teaching in our public schools of the abomination of homosexuality as being a fully acceptable and normal lifestyle. This teaching begins in kindergarten and in some instances pre-school. Also our students are being taught that the world’s religions are good and acceptable, all the while excluding Christianity.
     
    The name “Jesus Christ” is becoming a bad word, which is nothing new to those who’ve used it for years as profanity, but to many it seems Jesus Christ is such a hateful name that they wish to see it eliminated from the world scene. Our Bibles are next on the list to be completely eliminated. Of course all believers know that this will be impossible. Why? “Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away,” Matthew 24:35. Impossible task? Absolutely! I’ve recently read that Colorado and Minnesota are looking into condemning the Bible as hate speech, something that has already come to pass in our sister country to the North.
     
    There are those who will continue to try to eliminate Gods word and any vestiges of His “antiquated morals” from society. They have gotten their way for a long time now and it’s time Christians began to stand up for God’s truth.
     
    Now these evil and perverse promoters of filth are going after our children. It’s not just teachers but the pornographers are after them also. Our children are now being exploited on film as well as on the street. Child pornography and prostitution are running rampant right here in this once beautiful and loving country of ours. Yes, these two evils are still illegal but for how long? In America, as well as other countries, there is a movement underway which is promoted by “NAMBLA”, the North American Man Boy Love Association. Their agenda is to eliminate the societal norm and legality of age requirements for their sexual pleasure.
     
    Laws of the land that were voted into existence by the majority of the electorate are now being dismissed as unconstitutional by little evil men in long flowing black robes who have their own agendas. Doesn’t it conjure up visions in your mind of those dark minions belonging to the satanic realm? It’s like a Hollywood movie that has come horribly to life. 

    “Alas, sinful nation, A people laden with iniquity, A brood of evildoers, Children who are corrupters, They have forsaken the LORD, They have provoked to anger The Holy One of Israel, They have turned away backward.” Isaiah 1:4 God can do wonders with His people, but His people must turn back to Him first. “If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.” 2 Chronicles 7:14  We born again believers in Christ are His people, we must humble ourselves and pray and seek His face, we His people must turn from our wicked ways for God to heel the land. 
 
    God shield us from what’s coming.

    God bless you all,

    Ron Graham