President
Bush made his first speech concerning the Gulf War at the National Religious
Broadcasters Convention in Washington, DC. To an audience of about
three
or four thousand, the president presented his stand on the war, and then went
on to say, "You know what is going to solve all of our problems? There
is
something new called the New World order."
He
went on to say, "When this comes in, it's going to bring peace like we
have never seen. We are going to be able to lay down all of our weapons. The
New
World
order is the solution to all of our problems."
Most
of the several thousand religious broadcasters stood and applauded the
president. Only a dozen or so people remained seated. Stunned, they wondered,
as
I did, "Can this really be happening?"
Many
who heard that speech did not realize the significance of the president's
words. But those of us who have studied biblical prophecy knew George Bush
was
articulating, for the first time in a public forum, what we knew would come to
pass-some day.
The
New World order will indeed bring the world together under one government, but
it will create more problems than it will solve. In fact, in the end
this
New World order will neatly give its power to the Antichrist exactly as the
Bible predicted hundreds of years ago.
What
is an antichrist? It is one who will pretend to be everything for which Christ
stands, but he will be the exact opposite. So, he is antichrist because
he
is really opposed to Christ. He will pretend he is the Christ, hoping to win
the affection of people.
The
Bible says there will come a time when there will be one world government with
one economic system under the control of one man. Scripture says there
win
be a revived Roman Empire that will rule for a short time. Then, people will
give their allegiance to this Antichrist for the rest of time.
These
predictions were given to the prophet Daniel some twenty-four or twenty-five
hundred years ago; and to the apostle John some nineteen hundred years
ago.
Bible prophecy is different from the predictions found at the grocery tabloid
counter - whose predictions were made last week with most of them never
coming
true. The Bible's predictions were made hundreds of years ago, and every one of
them is coming true; not some, but all of them!
One
night, about twenty-five hundred years ago, King Nebuchadnezzar had a
nightmare. After tossing and turning, he sat up in bed and said, "I have
just
had
this royal dream, and I know it is important because if I dreamed it, it has to
be important. Nothing but important things go through my mind."
He
called for all the royal wise men and demanded they tell him the royal
interpretation of his royal dream. "If you will tell us the royal. dream, Your
Highness,
we will make up the royal lie; we mean the royal interpretation," they
replied.
The
king interrupted them. "As a matter of fact, I've been meaning to talk to
you about that. I tell you my dreams, and you guys make up these
interpretations
that
never come true. If you are so smart, you figure out what I dreamed and then
the meaning of it, too!"
"Oh,
no!" they quickly reminded him. "That's not in our royal
contract." The king responded, "I tell you what. If you can't figure
out the dream and give
me
its interpretation, I am going to cut off your heads." (This threat was
extended to the prophet Daniel, too.)
Now,
Daniel was a Hebrew, who, as a teenager had been taken from his home in
Jerusalem and transported some eight or nine hundred miles away by the
conquering
Babylonians.
When he was brought to this foreign kingdom, they tried to change his name, his
language, and his diet.
He
said, "Wait a minute! You will have to excuse me, but you see, I'm a
Jewish boy. There are certain things a Jewish boy doesn't eat and drink. If you
don't
mind, I'll have my own food, and I will eat that instead."
"Oh,
Daniel," the king urged, "when in Babylon, do as the Babylonians
do." But Daniel refused that generous invitation.
Since
Daniel was not afraid to take a stand, God blessed him. God is still looking
for young people who win take a stand. If they do, He will bless them.
God
delights in blessing people.
When
Daniel heard about the execution notice, he went to King Nebuchadnezzar and
said, "Would it be okay, before you chop our heads off, if I pray to my
God?"
The king answered, "Sure, you can pray."
Daniel
had more freedom to pray in a foreign kingdom than we do in our public schools
today! Isn't that pathetic? But, it is true. I don't know if you believe
in
prayer or not, but I believe my God hears and answers prayer.
I
remember a story about a young man who was going to study medicine. He went to
a university where there was a noted chemistry teacher who hated Christians.
Every
year, the professor would ask if there were any Christians in the class. If
someone was brave enough to admit to being a Christian, he would have
them
stand up. "You pray to your God that as I drop this beaker, it will not
break when it hits the floor," he would say. Of course, everyone would
laugh,
and
no one would stand up and pray.
One
semester, a young Christian man who was studying to be a doctor found himself
in the atheist's chemistry class. A few days into the semester, the professor
came
in and asked, "Is there anyone here who is a Christian?" The young
man raised his hand, and the professor told him to stand up.
When
asked if he believed in prayer, the student responded, "Yes, Sir."
The professor said, "Well then, I want you to pray to your God that when I
drop
this
beaker, it won't break."
As
everyone else in class began to laugh and snicker, the young man bowed his head
and prayed out loud. When he was through, the professor dropped the beaker.
Because
this atheist was so nervous about having had someone pray in his class, when he
dropped the beaker, it fell, hit his toe, and then rolled onto
the
floor without breaking. The professor was laughed right out of his classroom.
You
see, I believe in a God to whom you can pray, and so did this young man.
Daniel
prayed, and God told him the king's dream and its interpretation! The next day,
Daniel went back into the king's presence and said, "Listen, King.
I
think I know what you saw in your vision. You saw a huge image with its top
made of gold."
Amazed,
the king admitted that was his dream. "How did you know?" he asked.
Daniel replied that his God had revealed the dream to him and went on to ten
the
king the rest of the dream.
"After
the head of gold, there was a chest and arms of silver. The belly and thighs
were made of bronze with legs of iron. Finally, there were feet, but
they
were part iron and part clay. They were extensions of the iron legs, but clay
had been mingled in with the iron. The king said in astonishment, "That
is
exactly what I saw!"
Daniel
continued with the dream. "You then saw a stone that looked as if it came
out of the mountain, but it was not cut with hands. As it came, it rolled
toward
the image and crushed it. in fact, it ground the image into powder. The stone
then began to grow until it filled the entire earth."
The
bewildered king then said, "'That's exactly what I saw! But, what does it
mean?" Daniel said, "All right, here is the interpretation, and it is
a sure
one.
if my God could show me the dream, then His interpretation of it is sure."
He
then said, "Thou, 0 King, art the head of gold." Nebuchadnezzar liked
this interpretation. Frankly, I don't think he heard another word Daniel said.
I
believe he thought, wow! I am the head of gold... that's me. That's me, all
right, way up there on the top!
What
did he do? He built a golden image to himself arid placed it in the plain of
Shinar. As everyone came from all over the world, they would bow down
to
the golden image of him. Yes, he liked that interpretation.
Daniel,
however, told him, "God said you are not going to be the king forever. You
are going to be replaced by another country that is inferior to you.
It
will be the silver. After it will come another, even more inferior nation, and
it will take over the world. It will be the bronze. Then, there will
be
another part with two legs of iron that will be yet another kingdom. Finally,
at the end of time, there will be ten toes. They are part iron and part
clay;
and they are going to be an extension of those iron legs, even though they will
be another kingdom. However, this kingdom will only rule a little
while.
A stone will come and crush all of it. This stone will begin a kingdom of which
there will be no end."
This
stone is none other than the kingdom of God. Remember, when Christ begins to
rule and reign, He will rule forever.
Lees
look at Daniel's prophesies concerning the two world empires that were to
follow King Nebuchadnezzar's Babylonian Empire:
And
after thee shall arise another kingdom inferior to thee, and another third
kingdom of brass, which shall bear rule over all the earth (Daniel 2:39).
These
kingdoms have come into reality, exactly as the Bible said. In the Book of
Daniel, not one time, but four times, God described every world power,
in
order, and called them by name.
In
order to understand their significance, look at what Daniel 8:3-8 says:
Then
I lifted up mine eyes, and saw, and, behold, there stood before the river a ram
which had two horns: and the two horns were high; but one was higher
than
the other, and the higher came up last. I saw the ram pushing westward, and
northward, and southward; so that no beasts might stand before him, neither
was
there any that could deliver out of his hand; but he did according to his will,
and became great. And as I was considering, behold, an he goat came
from
the west on the face of the whole earth, and touched not the ground: and the
goat had a notable horn between his eyes. And he came to the ram that
had
two horns, which I had seen standing before the river, and ran unto him in the
fury of his power. And I saw him come close unto the ram, and he was
moved
with choler against him, and smote the ram, and brake his two horns: and there
was no power in the ram to stand before him, but he cast him down
to
the ground, and stamped upon him: and there was none that could deliver the ram
out of his hand. Therefore the he goat waxed very great: and when he
was
strong, the great horn was broken; and for it came up four notable ones toward
the four winds of heaven.
After
the head of gold, which was Nebuchadnezzar's Babylon, the kingdom of the Medes
and the Persians became the next world power. The two arms represent
the
two parts of their kingdom. In verse 20 Daniel writes, "The ram which thou
sawest having two horns are the kings of Media and Persia." Like a
lopsided
ram
with one horn bigger than the other, the Persian Empire would come up last and
be the dominant power. Just as Daniel predicted that is exactly what
happened.
The third kingdom, represented in this vision as the mean he-goat with one
horn, beat up the ram with two horns, and the he- goat began to rule
the
world. This is the Grecian Empire seen as the belly and thighs of bronze in the
king's dream. Then, when the he-goat was in his prime - in his great
fury
- the big horn broke, and four horns popped out of his head. The kingdom
represented by the he-goat was that of Alexander the Great, the dominant
king
of Greece who died in his prime. His four generals took power after him.
Look
at verse 21: "And the rough goat is the king of Grecia: and the great horn
that is between his eyes is the first king." Isn't that pretty simple?
That
is
Alexander the Great.
Alexander
the Great conquered the world when he was barely thirty years old and then became
frustrated because there was nothing else to conquer. Instead,
he
went around the world putting on marching exhibitions. He caught a marsh fever
and died a fool's death while putting on a parade. His generals came
home
to his infant son to say, "Your daddy's dead, now you rule the
world."
The
son asked, "'What do I do with the world?" It is recorded that the
four generals of Alexander the Great killed his son and divided the kingdom
among
themselves.
Consider
what the Bible said 175 years before Alexander the Great was ever born! Verses
21 and 22 state: ... and the great horn that is between his eyes
is
the first king. Now that being broken, whereas four stood up for it, four
kingdoms shall stand up out of the nation, but not in his power.
These
verses refer to Alexander the Great, and the last verse tells us that his son
would not rule after him. Isn't the Bible clear? The head of gold is
Babylon;
the arms and chest of silver are the Medes and the Persians; and the belly and
thighs of bronze are none other than Alexander the Great.
These
empires are recorded in yet another manner. Daniel described them as three
animals: the first one like a lion with eagle's wings (Babylon); next,
a
bear with three ribs in his mouth (the Medo-Persians - this is a matter of
recorded history); and third, a leopard with four wings that depict the
swiftness
of Alexander the Great's world conquest.
What
about the fourth kingdom? In the interpretation of the king's dream, Daniel
wrote:
And
the fourth kingdom shall be strong as iron: forasmuch as iron breaketh in
pieces and subdueth all things: and as iron that breaketh all these, shall
it
break in pieces and bruise. And whereas thou sawest the feet and toes, part of
potters' clay, and part of iron, the kingdom shall be divided; but there
shall
be in it of the strength of the iron, forasmuch as thou sawest the iron mixed
with miry clay. And as the toes of the feet were part of iron, and
part
of clay, so the kingdom shall be partly strong, and partly broken. And whereas
thou sawest iron mixed with miry clay, they shall mingle themselves
with
the seed of men: but they shall not cleave one to another, even as iron is not
mixed with clay. And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven
set
up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left
to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these
kingdoms,
and it shall stand for ever. Forasmuch as thou sawest that the stone was cut
out of the mountain without hands, and that it brake in pieces the
iron,
the brass, the clay, the silver, and the gold; the great God hath made known to
the king what shall come to pass hereafter: and the dream is certain,
and
the interpretation thereof sure (Dan. 2:40- 45).
What
kingdom do the legs of iron represent? The Roman Empire with its two capitals:
Rome and Constantinople. How do we know? Revelation 17:10 tells us that
seven
kings will rule the world. The first two were Assyria. and Egypt. Then Daniel
comes in chronologically with Babylon as number three. The fourth and
fifth
kingdoms were the Medes and the Persians followed by Alexander the Great.
In
verses 10-13 we find: And there are seven kings: five are fallen, and one is,
and the other is not yet come; and when he cometh, he must continue a short
space.
And the beast that was, and is not, even he is the eighth, and is of the seven,
and goeth into perdition. And the ten horns, which thou sawest are
ten
kings, which have received no kingdom as yet; but receive power as kings one
hour with the beast. These have one mind, and shall give their power and
strength
unto the beast.
The
Bible says, ". . . five are fallen, one is Who would be in power when
Revelation was written at about A.D. 95 or A.D.96? - Rome. This passage states
there
are seven kings; five are fallen, one is right now, and the other will come
later. The last kingdom will be an extension of the iron legs that Daniel
wrote
about. It will be a revived Roman Empire. It will be part iron and part clay, a
mixture of religion and politics. In Daniel 7:7-8, we read:
After
this I saw in the night visions, and behold a fourth beast, dreadful and
terrible, and strong exceedingly; and it had great iron teeth: it devoured
and
brake in pieces, and stamped the residue with the feet of it: and it was
diverse from an the beasts that were before it, and it had ten horns. I
considered
the
horns, and, behold, there came up among them another little horn, before whom
there were three of the first horns plucked up by the roots: and, behold,
in
this horn were eyes like the eyes of man, and a mouth speaking great things.
In
verse 7, Daniel said he saw a beast so terrible, it was like nothing he had
ever seen before. This dreadful, ugly beast was so strong that it had great
iron
teeth (like the iron legs). It broke all the other kingdoms. Ten horns then
came up representing the ten kings - in other words, an extension of those
legs
would be the feet, part of iron and part of day.
The
Bible states what has and is going to happen. There will be Babylon; the Medes
and the Persians; Greece and Alexander the Great; the Roman Empire; and
then
an extension of one - a revived Roman Empire with ten horns, or ten kings. Once
this last kingdom comes to power, it win rule for one hour, and then
will
give its power to the beast. He will rule and make war against the Lamb.
An
article in the Wichita Eagle stated, Since the fall of the Roman Empire, there
has been the dream of a unified Europe. We are ... seeing a brand new
Roman
Empire reconstructed." Even news reporters call the unified Europe the new
Roman empire.
On
December 31,1992 the European Economic Community took power, and on January 1,
1993, its policies went into effect. Until recently, the European community
was
considered to be only a political coalition. Now, it has gone from an economic
dream to a political reality.
The
Kansas City Star recently ran an article, "Is Euro-man Kinda' Like
Superman?" It goes on to state that most of western Europe will be
combined into
one,
big, powerful, economic unit that will be the envy of the world.
Will
it work, will it dominate America? Will America be second class? The answer is
yes. The European community is on the verge of becoming the dominant
power
of the world. It is a revived Roman Empire.
Northwest
Magazine, sponsored by an airline, carried an article declaring that America
will take a second seat to the revived Roman Empire.
After
the Persian Gulf crisis, I flew back from Israel and landed in Greece. I was
handed a card stating that any person who is a citizen of any one of
the
twelve Common Market nations does not have to fill out any legal papers when
going from one country to another in Europe. However, any person who is
not
from one of the Common Market nations would have to fill out all of the papers.
Forbes
Magazine wrote: "There will only be one Europe. It will be a super
power." Will there be one currency or many? This magazine answers:
"Ultimately,
the
move to a single currency is about symbolism and power. There will be only one
economy, and it will not only be a united Europe, but it will probably
be
a united world."
In
the business section of the previously quoted European newspaper, there is a
very interesting second section depicting what Europeans describe as a
historical
moment
- "Making History, A Unique Moment As World Leaders Gather in
London." Why? To launch the first test for the Euro-bank and the new
Euro-dollar.
It's
already here; it's already been issued; and now, it's on its way.
How
close are we to the New World order? An article in the Atlantic Journal begins
by announcing a New World order - a world quite different from the one
we
have known - with a United Nations that performs as envisioned by its founders.
It goes on to say that following the Persian Gulf crisis, the New World
order
is emerging as our only hope for peace around the world.
This
is it. Utopia. It is finally here, bringing the nations of the world under one
government. If we have one government, we will have no wars, they say.
This
deceptive promise of heaven on earth is winning great popularity.
Howard
Wilkins, an ambassador to one of the Common Market nations said, "We will
not recognize the world because of the change militarily and politically
in
Europe. Once it is united, it will be as big or bigger than the United States
in terms of its marketing power."
He
is right. Soon we may not recognize the world. The truthful observer must agree
that America is in decay. A new superstar on the scene - a united Europe
- a
revived Roman Empire exactly as the Bible said.
The
Common Market says to the industrialized nations, "'Hey, the United States
is in decline. If you want to look at the future, you'd better align with
the
Common Market - the seat of world power."
Presently,
there are twelve countries in the Common Market with several others who want
in. Do you know what is so interesting about that? The Bible states
that
when the Antichrist comes to power, he will pull three nations out. Then he
will put himself in power, allowing only ten nations to remain. Now, if
he
is going to pull out three and leave ten, that means he will have begun with
thirteen.
In
a special edition of the Jerusalem Post, which featured the twelve stars of the
Common Market nations, guess which nation the Post was recommending for
number
thirteen? The Israeli Star of David! Entering Europe's charmed circle seems to
be Israel's goal.
The
cover of the book, Europe Is Rising, pictures the tower of Babel, a symbol
commonly used by the Common Market, and includes these words: "Europe,
many
tongues,
one voice. In the background, a modem crane leans against the ancient tower. In
addition, the twelve stars of the Common Market are inverted,
converting
them into the sign of Satan. just coincidence?
Canadian
television aired a two-hour special called "Europe Unbounded" in
which a United Europe was predicted to rule the world while the United States
and
Canada would be left powerless. During the program some of the symbols of the
United Europe were shown, including the tower of Babel and the image
of
a woman.
Why
are these two symbols important? According to the Bible, the last world
political system will be composed part of iron and part of clay. What do these
two
parts represent?
Revelation
17 says that in the last days there will be a prostitute, a harlot, and she
will commit fornication. She (religion) will sell herself to the
kings
of the world. In other words, religion and politics will join together. Why? To
bring all men under one single government and one single religion.
What
will be the foundation of this world religion? The New Age movement - the
fastest growing religion in America today. In fact, it has already infiltrated
churches,
businesses, the media, sports, and even our schools. Children can learn how to
visualize and have out-of-the body experiences; they can be hypnotized,
but
they cannot pray to the God of all creation.
The
present unity movement, under the guise of the New Age movement, is none other
than the plan of the Antichrist and Satan. To understand how the world
could
be fooled into believing the lies of this Satanic religion, we need to go back
to the tower of Babel, where the New Age had its beginning.
In
Genesis, Chapter 11, we read of an unnamed people building a great city on the
plain of Shinar. To the narrator of this parable, peering across time
and
desert from his Nomadic traditions, these folks were awesomely clever. Since
they all spoke one common language, nothing was impossible for them.
The
plan of these ingenious people was to erect a huge tower whose top would reach
to heaven. It would be an altar to their own intellect called Babel,
or
Gate of God. Their idea was to build a tower to God, to reach up and touch Him,
so they, too, would become gods. The religion of Nimrod and Babel taught
that
we are all gods.
An
advertisement that appeared in the Wall Street Journal concerned the ancient
Tower of Babel and was presented as a parable.
The
ad states: Babel or Gate to God, the God himself came down. Walked the streets
of their cities, saw their project under construction. The arrogant race
angered
him. He passed his hand over the city, cursed it, now where there had been one
language, suddenly there were hundreds. Confusion reigned. Nothing
was
possible.
The
ad said the lesson taught by this ancient parable is uncannily applicable for
us in the twentieth century. They are saying, "Listen, people, we have
got
to get together."
Get
it? If we can come together - if we can all have one common language, one common
government, one common religion - nothing will be impossible for us.
Revelation
17 said in the last days there will be a harlot, a prostitute, who will sit on
a beast; and she will ride across all the world. She will represent
a
religion that will bring everyone together. The harlot (the end-time religious
system) will sit on the beast (the Antichrist and his end-time dictatorship),
and
she will ride around the world collecting all peoples into one.
The
Bible says that the harlot, the woman, will ride a beast. I used to think this
parading harlot was just an accident until I ran across the front cover
of
the June, 1975, edition of European Official Magazine. Even then, it showed a
Roman goddess riding on a beast as one of the official symbols of the
Common
Market. Accident? Not at all.
One
of the first stamps put out by the Common Market a collective stamp used for
the entire Common Market showed the god of Europe riding on the back of
a
bull (god), begging to be worshipped. This is an exact picture of Revelation
17. The Bible says that when Europe finally gets to the position where it
has
all the power - economically, politically, and religiously - it will have but a
short time to live. The New World order will rule only one hour and
will
give its power, strength, and might to the beast.
Telemarketing
Magazine ran an article addressing the future of Europe. Is Europe actually
going to unite and work together in a unified form? The article
states,
"I think it remains to be seen, but if it is going to work, a united
Europe will need a leader. Yes, only one overall leader to function
effectively.
If
they are going to work, they will have to have one man who win head up the
entire thing."
George
Will, of the Shreveport Journal writes, "Europe Moving Toward A
Bureaucratic State." You know what? He is right. When I was in Washington,
DC in
early
1991, 1 saw a long line of limousines snaking down the street in front of one
of the city's plush hotels. I asked a chauffeur who the dignitary was.
"Ah",
he said, "it is the president of Europe."
The
president of Europe? I didn't know they had one. I discovered that he is not
really as much of a potentate as his title implies or as he plans to be.
But
there is a president of Europe who is appointed, not elected, to bring about a
political unity in Europe and around the world. He has fifteen thousand
employees
to help him.
As
I passed through Europe last year, I picked up a copy of a European newspaper.
The front page read, "The New Mr. Europe." It stated that he will
take
over
the presidency in January, 1993, at what (in theory) will be the dawn of a new
Europe. It will be a time when Europe will dominate and control the
world.
Before
all these events fully takes place, the trumpet is going to sound, and all true
believers are going to be taken out of this world. How do I know?
Because
the Bible says that is exactly what is going to happen.
I
really believe we are living near the end of time. If we are the people who are
going to see the last political system, then the system cannot take over
and
rule until the Church is gone. We may see this last empire beginning to form,
but it will not fully be in place until after the rapture of the Church.
That's
why we as Christians must be different from any other people who have ever
lived before. Jesus could come today to take every born-again person home
to
heaven.
When
the Antichrist makes his appearance, he will speak great, swelling words of
promise. I believe there will be people, maybe even someone reading this
book
who will attend that first unholy Sunday.
You
and others may say after that great disappearing of the true Church,
"'Something is going on, and I have to find out what it is." The
great orator,
the
Antichrist, will have magnificent, thrilling explanations for the disappearance
of the millions of true Christians.
This
tremendous, worldwide religious movement will bring all people into a single
religion, and some into one government with one economy exactly as prophesied
in
God's Word.
The
apostle John saw two beasts. The first beast came out of the sea, that is, out
of the Gentile world powers. "I ... saw a beast rise up out of the sea,
having
seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads
the name of blasphemy" (Rev. 13:1).
The
one who appears is the Antichrist. He will come up out of the kingdoms of the
Gentiles.
just
as there is a true Trinity; there is a false trinity. There is God, the Father;
God, the Son; and God, the Holy Spirit. Satan's trinity puts him in
the
place of God; the Antichrist in the place of Jesus Christ; and an anti-prophet
(or anti-spirit) in the place of the Holy Spirit.
In
Revelation 13, we are introduced to this false prophet. It appears to me that
he comes up out of the land of Israel because in verse 11 we find: "And
I
beheld another beast coming up out of the earth; and he had two horns like a
lamb, and he spake as a dragon." Revelation says the land, or the earth,
represents
the land of Palestine.
What
will be the purpose of the false prophet? Verse 12 explains, "And he
exerciseth all the power of the first beast before him, and causeth the earth
and
them which dwell therein to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was
healed."
The
first beast mocks death and resurrection. Notice, I said "mocks"
because Satan does not have the power of resurrection. He is going to fake
death and
fake
resurrection because he realizes that in order to be the Messiah, he must have
a death with a resurrection. Therefore, he must fake it. The false
prophet
will give testimony to him saying, "Hey, look! He has died, and now he is
resurrected!"
Verse
14 states: "And deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by the means of
those miracles which he had power to do in the sight of the beast, saying to
them
that dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the beast, which had
the wound by a sword, and did live."
Men
will be deceived by miracles. The false prophet will be a great orator. He will
do miracles. He will speak great, lying wonders. He will fake death
and
resurrection. "And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast,
that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as
would
not worship the image of the beast should be killed" (vs. 15).
Revelation
17:1 says: And there came one of the seven angels which had the seven vials,
and talked with me, saying unto me, Come hither, I will shew unto
thee
the judgment of the great whore that sitteth upon many waters. You may ask,
"What are those waters?" Let us now consider Revelation 17:15:
"And he
saith
unto me, The waters which thou sawest, where the whore sitteth, are peoples,
and multitudes, and nations, and tongues.' In other words, it is a worldwide,
false
religious system "With whom the kings of the earth have committed
fornication, and the inhabitants of the earth have been made drunk with the
wine
of
her fornication" (vs. 2).
Verse
3 states: "So he carried me away in the spirit into the wilderness: and I
saw a woman sit upon a scarlet coloured beast, full of names of blasphemy,
having
seven heads and ten horns." Notice the similarity between the seven heads
and ten horns - the symbols of religion and government.
At
that point and time, according to Daniel 7, the Antichrist will speak great and
powerful things. He will do miracles. People will begin to say, "Well,
I
guess this has got to be the Messiah." He will change the laws. He will
change the times and the seasons. Everything will be different.
In
Daniel we read how life will be under the Antichrist: And the ten horns out of
this kingdom are ten kings that shall arise: and another shall rise after
them;
and he shall be diverse from the first, and he shall subdue three kings. And he
shall speak great words against the most High, and shall wear out
the
saints of the most High, and think to change times and laws: and they shall be
given into his hand until a time and times and the dividing of time.
But
the judgment shall sit, and they shall take away his dominion, to consume and
to destroy it unto the end (Dan. 7:24-26).
Revelation
13:16-18 also explains: And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and
poor, free and bond, to receive the 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 beast, or the number of his name. Here is wisdom. Let
him
that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of
a man; and his number is Six hundred threescore and six [or 666].
He
will say, "Listen, if you are going to go to school, if you are going to
buy food, if you are going to have a job, then you have to accept my
mark."
I
read an article written by a man who owns a company that designs small,
electronic devices - miniscule silicone chips. When a dog or cat is taken to
the
veterinarian
for a vaccination, a chip is placed in the animal's back with a wand; thus
allowing authorities to be able to prove exactly who the pet's
owner
is. This is done to cattle in Canada, also.
Incredibly,
leading companies are now considering how soon these same chips can be
implanted into people who perform various job functions. Cosmetically,
the
chip is concealed beneath the skin and is not noticeable. However, it does not
escape the scanners that register all movement of those who go in and
out
of those areas being monitored. What a great way to "'brand" people.
You
know what? If you don't take the mark of the Antichrist, (whether it is a chip
or not, I don't know), you will not be able to buy or sell. You will
not
be able to hold a job or buy food at the grocery store. The Antichrist will
require that everyone commit to him. I believe there is a coming mark but
only
after the rapture of the Church.
When
Christ returns, He will defeat the Antichrist and his cohorts.
Revelation
17:14 makes that clear: These shall make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb shall
overcome them: for he is Lord of lords, and King of kings: and
they
that are with him are called, and chosen, and faithful.
Is
the lamb a pretty good fighter? Not usually. This Lamb, however, is going to
fight the beast, and the Lamb is going to win. I believe the lamb is none
other
than the Lamb of God, the person of Calvary, Jesus Christ. You see, history has
recorded it. Reading on in Daniel 7:13-14, we find these words:
I
saw in the night visions, and, behold, one like the Son of man came with the
clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days, and they brought him near
before
him. And there was given him dominion and glory, and a kingdom, that all
people, nations, and languages, should serve him: his dominion is an
everlasting
dominion,
which shall not pass away, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed.
Yes,
friend, everything is right on schedule. Didn't the Bible say that Israel would
be back in the land? Iraq would be destroyed once, twice, then devastated
the
last time? Is Germany united? Is Israel not reborn? Is Europe reconfiguring
into a New Order, the Roman Empire reviving?
My
dear friend, I believe we are living in the last days. No other generation who
ever lived on planet earth has seen as much as you and I have seen.
Subsequently,
no
other people who have ever lived are as accountable as we are.
You
and I are responsible for deciding whether we will spend eternity in heaven
with Jesus Christ who died and rose again to save us, or whether we will
spend
all eternity in hell with Satan and his demonic fallen angels, for whom hen was
created in order that sin can ultimately be purged and God's creation
reconciled
to himself.
Jesus
is the Prince of Life. Satan is the cannibal of death. You decide. Jesus is the
truth and the life. Satan is the father of lies and the master of
death.
You decide.
The
story is told of a man who once had a stray dog show up on his porch. For a day
or two, he tolerated the dog, then he decided he had to get rid of the
critter.
But, the dog was faithful, and it followed him everywhere, no matter where he
went what he did. Frustrated by this faithful, old dog, the man
said,
"I have got to get rid of this dog."
He
didn't have the heart to shoot the dog, so he loaded him into a simple row boat
along with a big brick and rope. When he reached the middle of the lake,
he
called the faithful dog over to him, tied the rope around its neck, and the
other end around the brick. Then he threw dog, brick, and rope into the
lake.
But the brick was not heavy enough to pull the dog all the way under!
Still
being faithful, the old dog swam around and around and around the boat trying
to get back to his master, all the while hauling the brick around with
him.
Now frustrated, the man felt he had to drown the dog somehow. He took an oar
and began to hit this dog on the head, trying to poke it under the water.
In
the course of doing this, the man fell overboard into the lake, and he could
not swim.
Seeing
the man thrashing in the water himself, the dog came over, grabbed him by the
collar, and began to swim toward the shore towing the brick, rope,
and
the man. Finally, when the dog could swim no longer, the man put his feet down,
only to find that he could now walk up on the bank. He looked back
to
find the brick had finally taken its ton on the dog - he had drowned.
When
I heard this story, it made me think about a tale even more pathetic. I think
an old man who would drown a dog is pretty cruel man. But, I will tell
you
what is more cruel - for person not to receive Christ! Jesus came to earth and
did nothing but good. But some people don't want Him; they do everything
they
can to get rid of Him and keep Him out of their lives. They don't realize that
the gospel is a story of love and faithfulness: "For God so loved the
world
that He gave His only begotten Son" (John 3:16). He sent His Son to die
for you.
I
don't know your heart's condition, but I do know that Jesus paid an incredible
price to save you. He gave His life, and He did it willingly. If you have
never
received Christ as your personal Savior, then you need to make that decision
today.
Jesus
allows you the option to say, "No, I don't want to be saved." He died
for you; He arose again. The gospel is available, but He lets you say no - the
choice
is yours.
Do
you know what keeps a person from coming to Christ once they know they need
Him? It is something called pride. Jesus himself said, "No man comes to
the
Father
[God] but by me." To be saved, simply admit to God that you are a sinner.
Dear
friend, Christ came to this wretched, strife-torn, sinful world to save
sinners. To qualify for the gospel of Jesus Christ, you have to be a sinner.
And,
you are a sinner whether you admit it or not. But, if you'll admit it, if you
come to Christ who loves you so much He died for you, He will save you
in
an instant.
Instead
of going through eternity in hell, where you and I deserve to go, you will live
eternally in heaven, where God has a place reserved for you. Because
of
the sacrifice the Lord Jesus Christ made for you and me on that cruel Roman
cross nearly two thousand years ago, you can live forever. Accept Him today.
He
is the only way.