Living in Final Chapter_ the Pr - Perry Stone

LIVING IN THE FINAL CHAPTER Copyright © 2008 by Perry Stone, Jr. Voice of Evangelism Outreach Ministries, Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or otherwise, or by any information storage and retrieval system without the permission of the author, except for brief quotations in critical reviews, articles or broadcasts. ISBN 978-09785920-7-3 Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations are from the King James Version, © 1990, 1995 by Thomas Nelson Publishers, Nashville TN. Cover design: Michael Dutton Cover artwork by Marguerite Anderson ([email protected]) Printed in the United States of America.

DEDICATION

I wish to dedicate this prophetic book to a wonderful man of God and prophetic teacher - Dr. Ray Brubaker. Dr. Brubaker, founder of the great ministry God's News Behind the News, first invited me to preach at the International Prophecy Conference in 1993. This invitation to speak at such a prestigious event exposed our ministry to thousands of individuals we may not have otherwise reached. I know that he will be greatly rewarded by the Lord for sounding the trumpet in preparing people for the Lord's return. Thank you Dr. Ray for your faithful service to the Lord and to his people.

CONTENTS Title Page Copyright & Permissions Dedication Foreword Chapter 1: Discerning Signs and Seasons ARE WE IN T HE T IME OF T HE END? HOW DO T HESE SIGNS AFFECT YOU?

Chapter 2: In the Fullness of Time T HE ROLE OF CONSTANT INE A 1500 YEAR MISCALCULAT ION AMERICA'S LINK T O PALEST INE T HE FULLNESS OF T IME T HE END IN T HE BEGINNING

Chapter 3: The Invisible Side of Prophecy SPIRIT UAL BAT T LES AT T HE END OF T HE AGE T HE AT TACK OF SPIRIT S T HREE T YPES OF T EMPTAT ION T HE HOUR OF T EST ING HOW EVIL SPIRIT S OPERAT E SPIRIT S T HAT ARE T O BE LOOSED T HE SEDUCING SPIRIT DISCERNING T RUT H IN T HE END T IMES CAST ING T RUT H T O T HE GROUND GIFT S OR VIRT UE? FRUIT FUL T REES ARE GROUNDED IN GOOD SOIL END T IME ST RAT EGIES

Chapter 4: The Revenger of Blood T HE ULT IMAT E REASON FOR JUDGMENT T HE SUN OF PRIDE FULLNESS OF BREAD T HE ABUNDANCE OF IDLENESS NEGLECT ING T HE POOR AND NEEDY T HE VOICE OF BLOOD T HE VOICE OF T HE SHOFAR EXAMPLES FROM T HE BIBLE HOW T HE LAND BECOMES CURSED AMERICA'S CHILDREN

Chapter 5: Patterns in Prophecy T HE FEAST S OF ISRAEL T HE BOOK OF RUT H PROPHECIES WIT HIN GENEALOGIES T HE FUT URE IS HIDDEN IN T HE PAST PARALLELS BET WEEN ISRAEL AND JESUS SIGNS AT CHRIST 'S FIRST AND SECOND COMING T HE COMING OF ELIJAH PAT T ERNS IN SECULAR HIST ORY LINCOLN - KENNEDY CONNECT ION AMERICAN - ISRAELI CONNECT ION T HE SIGNIFICANCE OF FORT Y-T WO T HE FORT Y-T WO KINGS ADOLE HIT LER: AN ANT ICHRIST PROT OT YPE T HE FINAL SOLUT ION REMEMBER: T HE ENDING IS IN T HE BEGINNING T HE FUT URE HIDDEN IN GENESIS T HE OPENING OF T HE ABYSS T HE GENESIS PAT T ERN CONT INUES

Chapter 6: Patterns and Signs in the Heavens FOR SIGNS AND SEASONS COSMIC SINGS OF JUDGMENT REDEMPT ION IN T HE STARS

T HE CIRCLE OF T HE HEAVENS PROPHET IC PARALLELS

Chapter 7: The Days of Noah T HE ROARING SEAS T HE JERUSALEM CONNECT ION T HE KAT RINA FACT OR T HE AMERICA-ISRAEL LINK

Chapter 8: America in the Last Days DANIEL'S FOUR BEAST S T HE FOUR BEAST S OF OUR T IME AMERICA: T HE LAST GREAT EMPIRE REMOVING T HE FINAL EMPIRE AMERICA AND ISRAEL: PARALLEL WARNINGS T HE COMING COALIT ION OF NAT IONS AS ROME GOES, SO GOES AMERICA T HE RET URN OF ANCIENT SPIRIT S AMERICA - CENT ER OF CHRIST IANIT Y AMERICA'S FINAL ASSIGNMENT

Chapter 9: The Rising Islamic Crescent HORSES OF A DIFFERENT COLOR

T HE RED HORSE OF WAR T HE BLACK HORSE OF FAMINE T HE PALE HORSE T HE RISE OF ANT ICHRIST T HE MAHDI ARMY

Chapter 10: Enduring Tribulations T HE FUT URE T RIBULAT ION ENDURING OFFENSES AND BET RAYAL IN CONCLUSION

Backcover

FOREWORD "Sooner or later, it must come to an end. The kingdoms of this world must become the kingdoms of our God and His Christ (Revelation 11:15). This present world system will conclude its tenure at the battle of Armageddon, when Christ returns with the armies of heaven to rule and reign for one thousand years (Revelation 19:14; 20:1-4). Contained in the pages of this book is Biblical and historical evidence that we are rapidly approaching the end of this age. We believe that, when you conclude reading the material contained herein, you will agree with us that we are living in the era that the Hebrew prophets called the time of the end." The above paragraph is how the first printing of Living in the Final Chapter began when we first released it almost a decade ago. Since then so much has happened that I thought it prudent to update the book to reflect just how much closer we are to Christ's return than we were then. With every passing day, those who are "looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God" (Titus 2:13) can easily see that events are unfolding at an alarming rate and all validating the fact that we are the last generation spoken of by Jesus (Matthew 24:34). It is my desire then that this updated version will provoke all who read to search the Scriptures even more diligently and to remain steadfast in the faith. Though times are perilous, take

strength in the fact that you were born for such a time as this and that, soon, we shall see our King. Truly, we are "living in the final chapter."

1 DISCERNING SIGNS AND SEASONS "But thou, O Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book, even to the time of the end: many shall run to and fro and knowledge shall be increased." - Daniel 12:4 Contrary to what most people think, the "time of the end" is not the end of time. The time of the end is the same era that Jesus and Paul referred to when they spoke of "times and seasons" (Acts 1:7; 1 Thessalonians 5:1). In the original text, these two words are chronos and kairos, respectively. According to W.E. Vine's Expository Dictionary, the word "times," as used by Paul in 1 Thessalonians 5:1, refers to "the duration of the interval previous to the coming of Christ and the length it will occupy." Put simply, the word "times" in this context is referring to the climactic era leading up to Christ's second coming. The only problem is knowing how long that time interval will last. In fact, we cannot be sure just how long it will last. Yet, while the space of time denoted by chronos is open ended - it can be a long or short space of time - kairos is a fixed time. This is why it is translated as "season." We may not be able to

determine how much time we have left in this era (chronos) but we can more easily discern a prophetic season (kairos), and here is why. When Jesus rebuked the Pharisees for being unable to discern the "signs of the times" (Matthew 16:3), the word used for "times" is kairos - the word most often interpreted "seasons." In other words, Jesus is teaching us that each prophetic season has a "mark" or "sign" that initiates that season. Just as flowers blooming tells us that winter is ending and spring has arrived, so too, certain signs announce the closure of one season and act as harbinger of another prophetic season. As these seasons (kairos) increase in frequency and intensity, it is logical that the times (chronos) are drawing to a close. Another way to look at it would be to equate the seasons to birth pangs (Romans 8:22). As labor pains intensify, we know that soon the mother's suffering will give way to joy as she holds her baby for the first time. This also alludes to the fact that the end of one cycle -the final chapter -is a time of distress that must come before the joy of that which is being birthed can be realized. These principles are firmly fixed within the Scripture. In fact, the word "seasons" carries a strong Hebraic connotation of something being fixed or established. The first mention of the word "seasons" in the Bible is found in Genesis 1:14. The Septuagint version of the Old Testament translates the word as kairos. The Hebrew word found here is moedim and means "fixed or appointed times." When the word moedim is used, it most often refers to the seven Biblical festivals, known as the Seven Feasts of Israel.

During Christ's first coming He fulfilled many of these appointed times: namely, Passover, the Feast of Unleavened Bread, and the Feast of First Fruits. The church was birthed on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2:1-4), and many believe the Rapture, the Tribulation, and the Judgment will coincide with the three fall feasts - Rosh HaShana (Feast of Trumpets), Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement), and Succot (Feast of Tabernacles). These moedim (seasons) are all prophetic in nature, so we can conclude that the word "seasons," as used by Paul and Christ, alludes to the fulfillment of events prophesied by the Biblical prophets. There may be several different seasons, but all are a component of what we refer to as the end times. For instance, the rebirth of the nation of Israel was a sign of a particular prophetic season. The recapturing of the city of Jerusalem signaled a different prophetic season, yet both seasons are an integral part of the end times. Therefore, "times and seasons" refers to the overall era of time, comprised of multiple prophetic seasons, when Biblical prophecies are being fulfilled. Some of these prophecies will, as you will learn later, coincide with the seven Biblical feasts - the moedim appointed by God to Israel.

ARE WE IN THE TIME OF THE END? As I mentioned, there is a difference between the time of the end and the end of time. The end of time, as we know it, comes at the conclusion of the pouring out of God's wrath, as recorded in the Apocalypse. This is the "great and terrible day of the Lord" that the Hebrew prophets have warned about.

That day will climax with the return of Christ to the earth to begin His 1,000 year reign (Revelation 19:15). At that moment, time as we know it will be insignificant. After the Millennial reign, we will step into eternity and live with Christ forever, and "time shall be no longer" (Revelation 10:6). The time of the end is the "time and season" when the major prophecies relating to the Tribulation and the coming of Christ begin to come to pass. The prophetic events leading up to this climax are called "signs of the times" (Matthew 16:3). Many people are aware of the predictions of famine, pestilence and earthquakes, but many believers are not familiar with other dynamic prophecies tucked away in the Old Testament. Many Christians are not aware of the importance of Israel as a nation and the many prophetic patterns that, like hidden treasures, must be unearthed through careful examination of the Scriptures. Jesus put it this way: "Then he said unto them, therefore every scribe which is instructed unto the kingdom of heaven is like unto a man that is an householder which bringeth forth out of his treasure things new and old." - Matthew 13:52 Every time we uncover one of these treasures, it seems to point to the reality that we are in the time of the end. Still, how can we be certain? Are the prophetic signs pointing to Christ's return and the beginning of the Tribulation? If the answer is "Yes," then we are in the time of the end. Let us give you seven reasons why we feel that we are indeed living in the time of the

end. Number One: 1948 And The Rebirth Of Israel In the prophecy of Daniel, he uses the term "time of the end on six different occasions. "O son of man: for at the time of the end shall be the vision . . . for at the time appointed the end shall be." - Daniel 8:17, 19 "And some of them of understanding shall fall, to try them, and to purge, and to make them white, even to the time of the end: because it is yet for a time appointed . . . and at the time of the end shall the king of the south push at him." - Daniel 11:35, 40 "But thou O Daniel, shut up the words and the book, even to the time of the end: many shall run to and fro and knowledge shall be increased . . . and he said Daniel, Go thy way: for the words are closed up and sealed till the time of the end." Daniel 12:4, 9 When examining these passages, the "time of the end" seems to be the climax of human history. It is a time when secrets will be revealed and mysteries resolved. It is a time when all the pieces of the puzzle will come together to form a

clear picture. Obviously, it is a time of great change, both temporally and spiritually. Situated within this cauldron of events is the nation of Israel. Of course, Israel figures prominently in Daniel's prophecy of the time of the end and the Tribulation. Daniel sees the time of the end as one of great danger and, at the same time, redemption for Israel and her people. In his book, Daniel gives a list of empires that would affect Israel throughout their history, until the time of the end. The final kingdom would be the most fierce and would create a time of trouble such as was not since there was a nation (Daniel 12:1). Daniel is not the only prophet who deals with the nation of Israel, Jerusalem and the people of God. In fact, most of the yet-to-be-fulfilled prophecies recorded by the major prophets, such as Isaiah, Ezekiel, Zechariah, and so forth, deal with Israel, Jerusalem and the Hebrew people at the time of the end. These prophecies clearly point out that, in the time of the end, Israel would be a nation, that Jerusalem would be the capital, and the people would be coming back into the land. Therefore, consider that no end time prophecy concerning the nation of Israel could have been fulfilled before 1948! This is because Israel did not exist as a nation until May 14-15, 1948. In the year 70 A.D., the Roman tenth legion surrounded Jerusalem, destroyed the walls, burned the Temple to the ground, confiscated the Temple treasures and took the Jews captive. From that time until 1948, the land that now comprises Israel was called Palestine. Thus, from 70 to 1948, Israel did not exist as a sovereign nation. The land of Palestine passed from kingdom to kingdom: from the Romans to the Byzantines, to the Muslims, back to the Christians, back to the Muslims and

then to the British. The British finally partitioned Palestine and gave the Jews a right to an independent state. Instead of calling this new nation Palestine, David Ben Gurion and the other founding fathers of the modern state called it Israel! This was the ancient name - the one God pronounced upon His people and the one used by the Hebrew prophets when they foretold of the reborn nation. If God said there would be a nation of Israel in the time of the end, then we should not be surprised that this is the name they chose. Therefore, if no end time prophecy concerning Israel could have been fulfilled until Israel was again a nation, and we now have a sovereign nation of Israel, then that nation is a sign that we live in the time of the end. Number Two: Jerusalem Is The Capital Of Israel! The Hebrew prophets make it clear that Jerusalem is a key to Christ's return. Scripture declares that the city would be built up and be the center of attention at the time of the end. David said: "Thou shalt arise and have mercy upon Zion: for the time to favor her, yea, the set time is come. . . When the Lord shall build up Zion, he shall appear in his glory." - Psalms 102:13;16 Jerusalem has been Israel's capital since the time of King David, over 3,000 years ago! Jerusalem has been destroyed and

rebuilt about eight times and has changed hands in some form over twenty-seven times. Eight of those transfers have transpired since its destruction in the year 70. But since that time, at no point in history did the Jews have control of the city. Therefore, no major second coming Scripture could be fulfilled until Jerusalem was again the capital of Israel. In 1948, with the rebirth of the nation, things seemed to change and though Jerusalem was declared to be the capital of Israel, the city nevertheless was divided. The western half of the city belonged to the Jews, and the eastern half was controlled by the Jordanians. The Hashemite kingdom controlled the Mount of Olives, the Garden of Gethsemane, the Kidron Valley, the Temple Mount and the Western Wall. A giant cement wall with barbed wire ran down the middle of the city and marked an area declared to be "No Man's Land." For the Jews, beyond "No Man's Land lay the most sacred area to Israel - Zion! Though 1948 was a pivotal year in prophecy, it is obvious now that, with the most crucial region of Jerusalem still in Muslim hands, the prophetic word of Psalm 102 was still not ready to be fulfilled. Some may think that the above prophecy in Psalms 102 was written for those in David's time. Yet, if we continue to read, verse 18 says: "This shall be written for the generation to come: and the people which shall be created shall praise the Lord." - Psalms 102:18 There is a generation to come that shall see God favor

Zion (Jerusalem). From the Psalmist's perspective, "the people" were yet to be created. King David also notes that this future generation would be a praising generation. The Hebrew word translated as "to come" is the word acharon. It means, "the conclusion, the final." Thus, David wrote this prophecy for a future generation - the final generation! Zion is the mountain in the eastern side of the Old City. During the Six Day War in 1967, Israel reunited the city of Jerusalem, tore down the cement wall, and now has an undivided capital comprising both east and west - including Mt. Zion. Since that time, Jerusalem has been a growing city. Those who have traveled to Israel and Jerusalem can testify to the fact that the city is spreading out and growing upon the surrounding hills for miles and miles - it is being built up. I believe the generation that saw Jerusalem reunited in 1967 shall not pass until all things are fulfilled! The generation that witnesses the building up of Zion is the generation that will see Him appear. The prophecy given to Daniel concerning the seventy weeks was given "for thy people [Israel] and for the Holy City [Jerusalem]" (Daniel 9:24). A reunited Jerusalem is a sign that we are in the time of the end. Number Three: The People Returning To The Land From the destruction of the Temple in 70 A.D. and even into the 1900's, the Jews were scattered across the world. Long before that, the ten northern tribes were scattered throughout the nations and have remained there since. Before 1948, many scholars taught that the regathering of God's people back into

the land of Israel would occur at Christ's coming. This was based primarily upon Matthew 24:31, which says: "And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other." This occurs when Christ returns to the Mount of Olives and begins His earthly rule (Zechariah 14:1-8, Revelation 19:1117). Obviously, there will be people regathered from the nations during this time. Yet, at the close of the 19th century, many Jews, inspired by the Zionist movement, began returning to Palestine. The migration shifted into high gear after World War II, as Jews left the bitter memories of Europe to search for a future in their historic homeland. Since then, others have followed from Northern Africa, Iran, Syria, and Iraq. Just within the past couple of decades, a massive influx of Jews has come into Israel from Ethiopia and the former Soviet Union. Since the breakup of the Soviet Union, an estimated 1,000,000 Jews have emigrated to Israel. To put it into perspective, that equates to approximately 15% of the Israeli population. It would be equivalent to over 40 million people deciding to move into the United States over the fifteen years. Though immigration has slowed somewhat, the outcasts still continue to trickle in. The point is this - within the last twenty years, the world has witnessed the beginning of the second exodus! Of course, the first exodus was when Moses led the Hebrews out of Egypt, across the desert, and into the promised

land over 3,500 years ago. Since then, Jews have commemorated that awesome event every Passover season. Yet, the prophet Jeremiah predicted that the exodus from the north country and other lands would be greater than the exodus from Egypt! "Therefore, behold, the days come saith the Lord, that it shall no more be said, The Lord liveth, that brought up the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt; but, the Lord liveth, that brought up the children of Israel from the land of the north, and from all the lands whither he hath driven them: and I will bring them again into their land that I give unto their fathers." - Jeremiah 16:14-15 Many more prophecies foretold of the return of God's people from among the nations (Jeremiah 29:14, Isaiah 11:11). Isaiah predicted they would return from the south, west, and east (Isaiah 43:5-6). Though this exodus will climax with the return of Christ, it is very important to note that it has already started. This lets us know that we are in the time of the end. Since 1948, three major events have occurred that are a direct fulfillment of prophecy and a sign of Christ's soon return: The restoration of Israel as a nation. The restoration of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. The restoration of the people to the land of Israel. "And he shall send Jesus Christ, which before was preached

unto you: Whom the heavens must receive until the times of the restitution of all things, which God hath spoken by the mouth of all the holy prophets since the world began." - Acts 3:20-21 According to the above Scripture, the return of Christ is connected to the "restitution (or restoration) of all things." Peter said that Jesus will remain in heaven "until the restitution of all things." The Greek word "restitution" (apokatastasis) comes from two words: apo, meaning "back again" and kathistemi, which means "to set in order." In Greek manuscripts, this word was used to describe a repair of a public street, or the return of an estate back to the rightful owners. This same Greek word was used by Philo and the Jewish historian Josephus to refer to the Jews returning to Israel from Babylon and from Egypt. Therefore, in relation to Israel, it is a word dealing with the people being restored back to the land. Notice that Peter explains Jesus will remain in the heavens until all these things are restored back to their original state. Those things are the nation of Israel, the city of Jerusalem, and the Israeli people. The restoration of these things began to happen within the last sixty years. Without a doubt we are living in the time of the end. Number Four: The Gospel Is Reaching The World "This gospel of the kingdom shall be preached as a witness unto all nations; then shall the end come." - Matthew 24:14

In Matthew 24, there are three different words translated as "world." In Matthew 24:3, the word used is aion and should actually read, "the end of the age." In Matthew 24:21, "world" is cosmos and refers to the "social order." When Jesus said that the gospel will be preached across the "world," the Greek word used is oikoumene and refers to the "inhabited world." Some commentators argue that it can refer to the civilized world as opposed to the primitive world. Personally, I believe it means just what it says - the entire world. In 1993, it was reported that 70% of all the gospel that has reached mankind has been preached since 1900. Of that percentage, 70% has been preached since 1948. In turn, 70% of that percentage was preached in the seven year period previous to 1993! In short, the report was suggesting that more people had been reached with the gospel from 1986 to 1993, than in the past nineteen hundred years combined. God alone knows how that figure may have changed since 1993. The point is that only now has the world been reached with the gospel in such a way. I believe that it is because we are living in the time of the end. For centuries, the gospel was preached by men and women who traveled on foot, by horseback, and ship. In the 1900's, airplanes and trains provided faster transportation to the nations. Short wave radio and television opened another door. Now, because of satellite and the Internet, with the touch of a button, people all over the world can hear the gospel preached. Still, Jesus did not say every person would hear the gospel, but that every nation would have a witness of the gospel. "Then," Jesus predicted, "shall the end come." The

Greek word used here for "end is telos. It refers to the time when a person or a thing ceases to be what he or it was up to that point. It refers to the final state of something. In other words, Jesus could not return until the gospel had reached the all the nations of the world. For the first time in history, that is happening at a great pace - right now! Number Five: The Alignment Of The Nations The nations mentioned in the end time prophecies are aligning and allying themselves just as the prophets saw it thousands of years ago. For example, in Ezekiel 38 & 39, the prophet had a vision of a war in the Middle East that involved a coalition of nations who invaded Israel to take a spoil of gold, silver, cattle, and goods (Ezekiel 38:13). Listed among the invaders of Israel are some nations that, forty years ago, were friends of Israel and the West. Today they are nations dominated by radical Islamic leaders or nations on the verge of distancing themselves from the West and Israel. Below is a partial list: B IBLICAL NAME

MODERNS NAME

• Persia (Ezk. 38:5)

• Iran

• Ethiopia (Ezk. 38:5)

• Ethiopia

• Libya (Ezk. 38:5)

• Libya

• Gomer (Ezk. 38:6)

• Germany

• Togarmah (Ezk. 38:6)

• Turkey, southern Russia

These nations will be led by a northern army that most scholars identify as Russia. Remember, a number of predominately Muslim states were once part of the former Soviet Union. If an Islamic war (jihad) is declared by a prominent Islamic leader, then the nations listed above could decide to unite for the destruction of Israel. As far as Germany goes, historically she has always been anti-Semitic and now, along with France and other European countries, has a large Muslim population. Another example is found in Daniel's prophecy. This book reveals that the future Antichrist will direct many wars in the Mediterranean region. During these wars, the nations of Egypt, Libya, and Ethiopia will be taken by him (Daniel 11:43). For some reason, the area of Edom, Moab, and the chief children of Ammon shall "escape out of his hand (Daniel 11:41). The tribal territory described here comprises the modern nation of Jordan. During the Roman time the capital of Jordan (Amman) was called Philadelphia. It was later changed back to Ammon - the same name the prophet Daniel spoke of 2,600 years ago! This illustrates just how specific God is in His Word. He knew the names of countries that would be used in the end of days and used those names. Someone might say, "But Persia is Iran. Why didn't God call it Iran in the prophecy?" True, Iran is the modern name, in fact, paying tribute to the Aryan tribes of the northernmost provinces of the country. Nonetheless, the Iranian people by-and-large refer to themselves by the ancient name - "Persians!" Yes, the nations are aligning according to the prophetic pattern recorded thousands of years ago! Number Six: Signs Occurring More Frequently

There have always been famine, pestilence, and earthquakes. There have always been wars and rumors of wars. Yet, since 1900 there has been an amazing increase in the volume of this activity and the frequency of occurrences. Some have argued that the supposed increase in the number of earthquakes is due to the fact that technology has made it possible to detect them. No doubt, this is true to an extent. Yet more and more, earthquakes that require no sophisticated technology to detect - that is, we can see the destruction they cause - seem to be increasing throughout the world. The Bible alludes to this increased seismic activity. "For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now." - Romans 8:22 Paul tells us that Creation - the earth - is groaning and travailing. Travail is a word often used to signify birth pangs. It stands to reason that if the earth is, as Paul said, travailing, then as the time comes for the child to come forth (our redemption), these birth pangs would increase in intensity and frequency. We believe that this spiritual phenomena manifests itself, partly, in the form of earthquakes. Presently, the earth is home to over six billion souls, many of them in third world countries that do not share the same degree of blessing as those of us in the West. Tragically, thousands have died of disease and starvation. The fact that the drastic increase in the world's population accounts for the increase in hunger and sickness does not dull the sting of death, nor does it necessarily account for the appearance of plagues, such as the AIDS virus. Furthermore, can we logically

explain why serums and inoculations that have heretofore prevented such diseases as polio and malaria don't seem to have the same effect? It is my belief that this increase in pestilence and hunger is a startling sign of the times in which we live. On June 28,1914, a young Serb by the name of Gavrilo Princip stepped into a busy Sarajevo street and approached the automobile carrying Archduke Francis Ferdinand, heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne. The Archduke accompanied by his wife the Grand Duchess had, perhaps unwittingly, timed their visit to coincide with the anniversary of the Serb defeat in Kosovo exactly 525 years earlier. Princip and his fellow conspirators felt that for the Archduke to visit Bosnia on the Serb national day was a slap to the face of all Serbs, so they conspired to lull him. Princip was one of many Serb nationalists who, at that time, was making a bid for Serbian expansion in the region. Bosnia, which in 1914 was part of the Hapsburg empire, was a region in which the Serbs wanted autonomy. So to drive that message home, Princip approached Ferdinand's car and pumped several bullets into the Archduke and his wife. The couple died moments later. Princip could not have known that his actions would plunge the human race into a phenomena unique to modern times - World War! Never, until the 20th century, has war claimed so many lives so quickly and so viciously. With the advent of modern weaponry and tactics such as aerial warfare, the machine gun and the tank, not to mention nuclear weaponry, the art of war has been taken to a frightening extreme. By the time World War I had concluded, nine million servicemen had died and over

twenty-one million were wounded - many maimed for life. This figure does not take into account the many civilian deaths. If you consider that World War II (European theater) was only an extension of World War I, you can add an additional nineteen million deaths. And why all this carnage and blood letting? Because this ethnic group did not trust that one. Both World Wars and many other conflicts that have followed were a direct result of what Jesus referred to when He said, "For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom." - Matthew 24:7 Literally, Jesus said, "Ethnos shall rise against ethnos, and basileia against basileia." The Greek word ethnos is the word from which we derive "ethnic," and from the word basileia is derived the word "basilica." In short, Jesus was saying that there would be an increase in ethnic and religious wars. Both World Wars were a result of ethnic conflicts. Many regional wars since then - i.e. Saddam Hussein's campaign against the Kurds - have been the result of ethnic clashes or, as in the case of the Kosovo crisis, a showdown between religions. The increase of this activity and the suffering that ensues is another sign that we live in the time of the end. Number Seven: Holy Spirit Is Being Poured Out Both Joel and Peter mention the outpouring of the Spirit in the last days.

"It shall come to pass afterwards, I shall pour out my Spirit upon all flesh." - Joel 2:28 "It shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh." - Acts 2:17 One of the greatest signs of the end of the age is the fresh outpouring of the Holy Spirit that is sweeping through the world. This outpouring is breathing life into many lifeless churches. In many of my meetings it is now common to see as many as ten denominations represented in one service. Remember, it was MAN and not God, who built the walls and barriers that keep the saints from worshiping together. If we are going to stand on the heavenly sea of glass and worship together around the Jasper Throne (Revelation 5), then we need to practice before we arrive! That the Holy Spirit is bringing the true remnant together is a great sign of the soon return of Christ.

HOW DO THESE SIGNS AFFECT YOU? Paul said, "We are not in darkness that the day should overtake us as a thief" (1Thessalonians 5:4). Signs are given to get our attention. Therefore, these seven signs should encourage us to believe Christ will soon return. That is the most positive effect that any believer could hope for. To think that our time in this wicked day is soon to be over should bring great joy. Yet, we shouldn't neglect the opportunity and the responsibility that the day has bestowed upon us. These signs

should also give us an incentive to begin sharing the good news with friends and family members, preparing them for the great day. So then, we should, as the Bible tells us, "be not drunk with wine wherein is excess, but be filled with the Spirit" (Ephesians 5:18). The Greek text literally reads, "Keep getting filled with the Spirit." In Acts 2:1-4 the disciples were "all filled with the Holy Ghost." Then in Acts 4:31 the disciples were "all filled with the Holy Ghost and spake the Word of God with boldness." The message to people across the world should be, "Get in on the pouring out!" The whole purpose of the early and latter rain is to prepare the fruit (souls) for the harvest. James reveals this when he wrote: "Be patient therefore, brethren, unto the coming of the Lord. Behold the husbandman waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth, and hath long patience for it, until he receive the early and latter rain. Be ye also patient; stablish your hearts: for the coming of the Lord draweth nigh." - James 5:7-8 The rain of the Holy Spirit is preparing the end-time harvest of souls on the earth. We can all get in on the great move of the Holy Spirit in these final days, but we have to be in a spiritual condition to do so. These and the other signs we will talk about should serve as incentives for us to clean up our lives and to get in on the outpouring of God's Spirit. If we do this, then we will be prepared to take God's plan to the next step.

Many unsaved persons are interested in what the Bible teaches about end time prophecy. We have discovered that multitudes who do not attend any church are inclined to listen when Bible prophecy is being taught. The Body of Christ should provide written, audio and visual material to those who express an interest. Often it is difficult to explain all the events, so the printed page, along with audio and visual aids, make it easier to enlighten these people. You can participate in one of the greatest prophecies of our time - assisting in getting the Gospel out to the nations. This can be accomplished through giving and by actually traveling to the various nations to preach, teach, bring food, carry Bibles and so forth. It is our belief that the blessing of God will rest upon those who are active in winning souls. As you will soon learn, there are many more than these seven signs - some specifically prophesied, some not - that are appearing in our generation. What are these signs? How are we to interpret them? What significance does their fulfillment have for this generation? If we are the concluding generation, what does the Bible teach we will see and experience? How will the prophecies concerning judgment and the tribulation affect us? As we continue, I will explore these and many more questions, but before we do go on, I want to address another issue. When I have presented the case to support that we are living in the times of the end, some have suggested that previous generations thought and wrote the same thing. In other words, those who have come before us documented their "evidence" as to why they were the "last generation" and so how can we be so sure that we are really living in the time of the end?

To answer that question, it is necessary to understand that earlier generations, though well intended, miscalculated the times because they did not grasp an important concept that would be self-evident only to those who are part of the last day generation, and that is the "fullness of time."

2 IN THE FULLNESS OF TIME "Knowing this first: that scoffers will come in the last days, walking according to their own lusts, and saying, 'Where is the promise of His coming? For since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of creation.' "- 2 Peter 3:3-4 By reading the Scriptures, it is obvious that the apostles and early followers of Christ believed in His imminent return (James 5:8). Some of the disciples even believed that John the Revelator would be alive when the Messiah returned (John 21:23). Yet after John died around 95 AD that mindset changed into one of believing that Tribulation would come before the Messiah returned. In fact, John had left the early church with a warning from Christ that tribulation would indeed come. "Do not fear any of those things which you are about to suffer. Indeed, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested, and you will have tribulation ten days. Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life." Revelation 2:10 (NKJV)

That warning specified that "ten days" of tribulation would come and those who would be faithful would receive a crown of life from Christ. As the persecution of the early church intensified, many were convinced that they were in the midst of the Tribulation. Adding to their belief was the fact that, oddly enough, there were ten distinct persecutions at the hands of the Roman emperors. The first came when Nero came to power in about 67 AD. When Rome burned for nine days Nero blamed it on Christians. The result was thousands of believers were tortured and executed. The second persecution came under Domition, starting around 81 AD. It was this Roman leader who slew the Bishop of Jerusalem and who, reportedly, put the Apostle John into a cauldron of boiling oil. The third assault on the Church came around 108 AD. Thousands were killed for their faith, many of them crucified, in fact during this persecution, Mt. Ararat became the sight of many crucifixions. The fourth came when Marcus Antonius rose to power around 162 AD. This tormentor of Christians was noted for beating and scourging the soles of their feet and then making them walk on nails, broken shells or other sharp items. The fifth persecution came around 192 AD and is noted for the many beheadings of the faithful including many women. The sixth came under Maximus in 235 AD, the seventh under Decius (240 AD); the eighth under Valtian (257 AD); the ninth under Aurelian (274 AD); and the tenth under Diocletian in 303 AD. The names of the tormentors changed but the

animosity toward the Church and the torture and execution of the believers did not - that is until Constantine came to power.

THE ROLE OF CONSTANTINE There are many theologians and laymen alike who see the rule of Constantine as something positive for Christianity. True, he ruled without persecuting the Church and, for those being tortured and murdered, that was a good thing. Legend tells us that as Constantine was approaching Rome one evening, he saw a cross in the sky with the declaration: "In hoc Vince" ("In this sign overcome.") Thus, Constantine allegedly converted to Christianity and made it the official religion of Rome. It should be pointed out that, the reason Constantine was approaching Rome was because he was embroiled in a battle to solidify the empire and his empirical powers. Adopting Christianity as the state religion served to further his political and military objectives more than to enhance his spiritual life. In the end the church and the state were mixed. Furthermore, the vast Roman Empire -now officially Christian - wanted to popularize this new faith among the diverse citizenry of the empire and thus permitted them to mix their particular religious practices and traditions with those of Christianity. All of this and the fact that the "ten days" - the ten persecutions were over - led to a change in theology especially where the coming of the Lord was concerned. In fact, by the late fourth to early fifth century the teaching concerning the return of the Lord had changed completely. In short, there was little or no emphasis on the return of Christ.

One of the most notable early Church fathers, Augustine (354 - 430 AD), wrote a series of books collectively called The City of God. In this work Augustine suggested that the book of Revelation was merely an allegory of good vs. evil. He did not consider it to be speaking of literal events or having any futuristic connotations. He and many others believed that, because the ten persecutions had stopped and Christianity had empirical backing, the church was in the process of setting up the 1,000 year reign. In the span of about three hundred years, the Church had gone from believing in the imminent return of Christ to believing that the Church was positioning itself to rule for one thousand years and then Christ would return - if He returned at all! What happened to create this change in thinking? In my opinion, the misinterpretation and allegorization of prophetic Scriptures accompanied with a simple miscalculation of time tainted the Second Coming message for many, causing them to question the "promise of His coming."

A 1500 YEAR MISCALCULATION Early Church leader Hippolytus (170 - 236 AD) was born less than a century after John received the Revelation on the isle of Patmos. Not only was he the pastor in Rome but was an associate of the early Church father Ireaneus who in turn was a disciple of John. It would be easy to see why the early Christians would lean heavily on his writings for guidance in matters concerning prophecy. Here is some of what he wrote concerning the Second Coming.

"We are obligated to discuss the matter of the times, of which a man should not speak hastily, because they are a light to him. For as the times are noted from the foundation of the world, and reasoned from Adam, they set clearly before us the matter with which inquiry deals. For the appearance of our Lord took place in Bethlehem, under Augustus, the year of our Lord 5500: and he suffered in the thirty third year. And 6,000 years must need be accomplished, in order that the Sabbath may come, the rest, the holy day, on which God rested from all of his works . . . For the Sabbath is the type and emblem of the future kingdom of the saints, when they shall reign with Christ . . . since then in six days God made all things, it follows that 6,000 years must be fulfilled. And they are not yet fulfilled, as John says: 'five are fallen, one is, that is the sixth and the other is not yet come.' " Basically, Hippolytus said that, counting from Adam, Christ was born in the year 5500 and died in the year 5533 with the implication being that, from the death of Christ, there only remained 467 years until the millennial reign of Christ began. To Hiipplytus and his peers that meant that Christ would return sometime around the year 500 AD. Other early church writings confirm this belief. "From the birth of Christ we must reckon that 500 years remain to make up the 6,000, and thus the end shall be." How did they determine that Christ was born five hundred years after Adam? One reason is because many of their calculations were based according to the Septuagint, the Greek

translation of the Old Testament. The problem being that some Hebrew words cannot be translated into Greek as precisely as one would hope. Another theory arrived at this conclusion by using the dimensions of the Ark of the Covenant. The Scripture tells us that the Ark was 2 1/2 cubits long x 1 1/2 wide x 1 1/2 cubits high. Some men surmised that the total of the measurement (5 1/2 cubits) equated to 5500 years - that being the sum total of the Law - and thus designated the birth of Christ. As is the habit of mankind, once that theory had been postulated, everyone got on the bandwagon with the same belief or a variation of it. In the 3rd century Lactantius calculated that 5,500 years had elapsed since creation placing the end of the six thousand years and the beginning of the Millennium somewhere around 800 AD. Eusebius (265 - 340 AD) calculated that, in his day 5200 years had elapsed since creation, meaning that the Millennium would begin at about the year 1,000. Cyprian (200 258 AD) was another who believed that the end of the sixth millennium was close. He wrote: "It is an ancient adversary and an old enemy with whom we wage our battle; six thousand years are now nearly completed since the devil first attacked man." Many early writings reflect an opinion that mankind was allotted only six thousand years and then the end would come. For many in the early Church, the crucifixion of Christ not only confirmed their belief that the end would come at the end of the 5th century, but provided a clue that man had been given six thousand years before Christ would establish His kingdom on

earth. In the gospels it is recorded, "Now it was the 6th hour" (referring to when Christ was upon the cross). This was interpreted as meaning the 6,000th year since Adam. Consequently, in the waning years of the 5th century, learned men reading this and other Scriptures believed that they were fast approaching the end time - based primarily on the notion that man only has six thousand years allotted to him and that Christ came 5500 years after Adam. As to the belief that mankind only has six thousand years allotted before the end comes, I completely agree. There is indeed a six-thousand-year cycle that can be easily seen in Scripture and is confirmed in other writings as well. For example, according to the Talmud: "The world as we know it will exist for 6,000 years. The first 2,000 will be chaos. The second 2,000 will mark the years of the Torah and final 2,000 will include the Messianic age." Using this commentary as an outline, notice that every two thousand years a significant event occurs. The first 2,000 spans the time from the creation of Adam to Abraham leaving Ur of the Chaldeans. The second 2,000 years takes us from the birth of Isaac (the promised seed) to the birth of Jesus (the Promised Seed). The third and last 2,000 covers the time from Christ's resurrection to present day. The disciple of John the Revelator, Irenaeus, wrote: "For as many days as this world was made, in so many thousand years shall it be concluded . . ."

Hippolytus wrote: "And 6,000 years must needs be accomplished, in order that the Sabbath may come, the rest, the holy day, on which God rested from all of his works. . ." Many believed that the story of Elijah provided another hint at the six thousand years attributed to mankind. In the Bible it is recorded: "Yet, I have left me seven thousand in Israel, all the knees which have not bowed unto Baal, and every mouth which hath not kissed him." - 1 Kings 19:18 The belief was that, because Elijah was to come before the great day of the Lord (Malachi 4:5), the seven thousand prophets of God hinted that the day of the Lord would come at the end of six thousand years or at the beginning of the seventh millennium. Again, it is apparent that the six-thousandyear cycle is valid. When it comes to the notion that Christ was born 5500 years after Adam, however, it is equally apparent that these calculations were completely off. The genealogies in Genesis plainly tell us that from Adam to the flood was at least 1,656 years. From Adam to Abraham was 1948 years. From Abraham to Boaz was only ten generations. From King David, the greatgrandson of Boaz, to Christ was about 1,000 years. The point is that, the birth of Christ came closer to 4,000

years from Adam than 5500. Look at the obvious - if Christ had been born 5500 years after Adam and we are here two thousand years after His birth, then according to the 6,000 cycle, we should be half way through the millennium. Of course that is not the case and so, obviously, some of the early fathers made a miscalculation in time. Here are a few things to note as it pertains to the fallout these miscalculations led to. In the fifth century Augustine taught that the book of Revelation was an allegory. On Christmas Day 800 AD, Charlemagne attempted to restore the Roman empire. Around 1000 AD most of Europe believed it was time to take the Holy Land away from the Muslims. The point being that, when Jesus didn't return when some eschatologists predicted He would, others concluded that the Church must establish the Kingdom and reign for the millennium then Jesus would come. In short, this was the root of the post millennial belief. Yet, by the 1500s everybody knew something with their eschatology was wrong. Obviously, Jesus didn't return in 500 or 800 or even 1500. They were wrong and because their "evidence" failed to pan out, many today would argue that to suggest we are now living in the end and on the verge of seeing the return of the Lord is merely repeating the errors of the past. Yes, they were wrong in many of their prophetic conclusions and, yet strangely enough, about the time it was obvious that they had missed the mark some significant events with prophetic implications began to transpire. For instance, in 1517 the Turks took Palestine and Jerusalem along with much of the Middle East (they would hold on to it for 400 years). On October 31,1517, Martin Luther

wrote what became known as The 95 Theses which effectively initiated the Reformation. By that time, a new continent had been discovered and named "America" and was in the embryonic states of beginning explored. It was with that discovery and the ensuing development of the continent that a new wave of prophetic understanding and teaching was ushered in.

AMERICA'S LINK TO PALESTINE In 1812 some Americans were already realizing that the Hand of Providence was at work commenting that, "the tabernacle of God will soon be pitched among men. . ." In that same year, Levi Parson, speaking of the Holy Land and America said, "Zion will prosper." In 1815 an unknown Connecticut minister said, "We have now entered that period to prepare of the millennium." In 1819, the first Protestant missionaries left Boston for Palestine to help restore the Jews to the land and to win souls. In 1842, American missionaries established schools in Lebanon and Istanbul. In 1862, the first Protestant school in Syria was established. In 1881, American Christians set up an American colony in Jerusalem. Here is the point: almost from the founding of the country, Americans have been missions oriented with Jews and the restoration of Israel in mind. Why? Because, it seems, many Americans understood the significance of the times in which they lived and further understood the necessity of preparing the land of Israel for the return of the Messiah.

The so-called Restoration Movement began to burn with a fervor in the 1810s - 1820s. This movement was dedicated to restoring Christ's rule on earth and and its adherents moved upon the leaders of America to do what they could to see that events were set in motion - especially where Israel and the Jews were concerned. Dwight Talmage of Brooklyn Tabernacle fame and a close friend of President Grover Cleveland was a restorationist. Another restorationist, William Blackstone, wrote to President Benjamin Harrison about Jews returning to Palestine. Teddy Roosevelt helped Armenian Arabs (many of them Christian) to obtain independence. President Woodrow Wilson chose to protect American missionaries in the Middle East. Why were Americans so interested in the restoration of the land of Israel and preparing for the coming of Christ? It was in part linked to the concept of Manifest Destiny that had taken hold of the country by the 1840s. The early Puritans believed that America was a new "Promised Land." Their descendants took hold of the baton and carried the concept even further with the expansion to the West. New York journalist John O'Sullivan believed that America's destiny was to, "establish moral dignity and salvation among men . . . and to disseminate its principles, both religious and secular abroad." Hence the reason many missionaries were sent abroad and with the support of the US government. In an 1844 treatise, a Hebrew professor by the name of George Bush (isn't that interesting) called for elevating Jews to the rank of "honorable repute among the nations of the earth." Such restitution, he argued, would benefit not just Jews but all of mankind. He based this belief, in part, upon the prophecy in

Ezekiel 37 concerning the revival of the dry bones. In short, he believed in the literal restoration of the Jews to the land. Some years later, D.L. Moody and Charles Finney, among others, read the Word and saw that, it was not the Church who would establish the kingdom, but the King would set up the Kingdom. With the teachings of these men and others like them, true prophetic revelation came forth. They taught that: God will restore the nation of Israel (Isa. 669) God will restore Jerusalem (Ps. 102:16) God will restore the Israeli people (Jer. 31:7-9) God will restore the land itself (Isa. 35:1-7) God will pour out His Spirit in the fullness of time.

THE FULLNESS OF TIME For us, time is a concept measured in seconds, minutes, hours, days and years! But how does time, as we understand it, become full? Consider the following. When seconds elapse, "fullness" comes when the count reaches sixty. That fullness marks the end of one cycle (60 seconds) and accounts for one minute in time. Yet, that same fullness also signifies that another cycle is beginning simultaneously. In other words, after sixty seconds (or one minute) has elapsed, the count begins again. This continues until the count arrives at sixty minutes. At that point, another level of "fullness" (one hour) has been attained. The end of that cycle signals the beginning of yet another cycle.

This process continues until 24 hours have elapsed, marking a full day. Three hundred and sixty-five days becomes a year; ten years becomes a decade; one hundred years (ten decades) makes a century and one thousand years (ten centuries) comprises a millennium. It should be noted that as all of these cycles come to an end or, shall we say achieve "fullness," they also signify the beginning of another cycle. This concept illustrates that the "fullness of time" means an era of time and all of the events that transpire within that era must occur in order that the subsequent events of the next cycle can happen. In other words, if something in one cycle of time gets left out, it has a detrimental bearing on the next. Consider this simple truth: 59 seconds is not a minute. 59 minutes is not an hour. 23 hours is not a day. 350 days is not a year. Only when a cycle is completed does time become full. Imagine what would happen if, on New Year's Eve in New York, the giant ball started dropping at 11:30 PM instead of just before midnight. People would feel like the next year was not going to be "just right." Every minute detail that God has ordained for each cycle of time must occur in order for all things to come to pass. "Repent ye therefore, and be converted that your sins may be

blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord; and he shall send Jesus Christ, which before was preached unto you; whom the heaven must receive until the times of restitution of all things, which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began." - Acts 3:19-21 Notice how this Scripture teaches that certain things must happen before others can. First, repentance precedes refreshing. Refreshing leads to restoration. In the times of restoration, the heavens will release Christ. Now couple this information with another well known Scripture. "Behold I show you a mystery; we shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump; for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed." - 1 Corinthians 15:51When the heavens reveal Christ, then the dead will be raised followed by the living who will be changed in a MOMENT, faster than the twinkling of an eye. The Greek word translated as "moment" is atomos. This hints to us that the

living will be changed in less than 1/100th of a second - that is fast! Yet, this event is dependent upon the first one we mentioned - repentance (Acts 3:19). There are many Biblical examples of the "fullness of time" concept. For instance, Abraham was told that his seed would be in Egypt for 400 years because the "iniquity of the Amorites is not yet complete" (Gen. 15:16). In God's plan, it was necessary that Israel remain there until it was time. In fact, legend has it that over 30,000 Ephraimites left Egypt a generation before the Exodus and all perished in the wilderness. Why? Because it was not the "fullness of time." The deliverer Moses had to be born to lead. In fact, God timed things so that Moses birth came 80 years before the fullness of time. It is clear that, in Scripture, certain things are determined to happen before other and equally important events can transpire. In my opinion, this critical element was missing from the prophetic conclusions that many church fathers held to, hence their faulty predictions of when the end would come. Therefore, when trying to determine when the end shall come, we must understand that it cannot occur until all things determined are full. Paul told us: "That in the dispensation of the fullness of the times He might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven and which are on earth in Him. " - Ephesians 1:10 (NKJV) So then, in order to know if we are in the time of the end,

we must discern whether certain things have become "full." According to the Scripture, there are at least three things that must come into fullness before the end of this age. By examining these three particulars, we can know if we truly are in the last days. They are: The fullness of the Gentiles "For I do not desire, brethren, that you should be ignorant of this mystery, lest you should be wise in your own opinion, that blindness in part has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in." - Romans 11:25 (NKJV) The fullness of the Gospel "And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come." - Matthew 24:14 The fullness of transgression "And in the latter time of their kingdom, when the transgressors are come to the full, a king of fierce countenance, and understanding dark sentences, shall arise." - Daniel 8:23 When these three have reached fullness, at the set time, Christ will return and everything will be restored to the way it

was in the beginning.

THE END IN THE BEGINNING In the Hebrew language the concept of fullness and cycles is represented by the Hebrew letter called samekh. This letter, which is shaped like a circle , is said to represent a cycle (completion) and, by extension, eternity. Interestingly enough, its numerical value is sixty (60 seconds, 60 minutes etc.). Hebraic thought concludes, therefore, that because the end of one cycle is the beginning of another, the end is actually the beginning and the beginning is, in reality, the end. They are, in essence, one and the same. Through the prophet Isaiah, God said: "Remember the former things of old for I am God, and there is none else; I am God, and there is none like me, declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure." - Isaiah 46:9-10 In short He says, the proof positive of the fact that He alone is God is that He alone can, from the beginning, declare the end. He is capable of causing things to come "full circle." Imagine a circle and then affix a starting point for that circle. Follow the circle around and when you get to the end, you are "full circle" or at the exact place you started. In other words, the beginning of the circle is the end and the end is

simultaneously the beginning. So, the One who is at the beginning can tell you the end because He is already there. Our solar calendar is determined by a 365-day year. However, prophetic time is calculated on the basis of a 360-day year. That is interesting when you consider there are 360 degrees in a complete circle, or shall we say, cycle. The connection between 360 days and a complete cycle goes back into ancient times. The Greeks used a calendar of twelve months of 30 days each. Ancient India and China each used a 360 day calendar. The Romans used a calendar with ten months of 36 days each. The Incan calendar was comprised of twelve quilla that had 30 moons. The Mayans utilized 72 weeks of 5 days each (totaling 360 days). In ancient Arabia, what is now known as the Ka'aba in Mecca once housed 360 different idols situated in a complete circle. The ancient Japanese had a similar shrine with 360 idols in the palace of Dairi. The point is, the ancient world connected a circle to time. The circumference of the Earth is about 25,000 miles around, measured at 360 degrees. All of the other planets are in circular form. All of these planets revolve around the sun in a circular pattern. The twelve constellations of stars move around the heavens in a circle. Why did God make things this way? It seems that the Creation is a reflection of the Creator. For instance, in Heaven, there are twenty-four thrones surrounding the throne of God; a rainbow forms a circle around that throne (Rev. 4:3-4). It would appear that God, and consequently His Word, is to be "understood as being cyclical in nature. By that I mean, He teaches us, instructs and deals with us in cycles. Thus, the end is the beginning and the beginning is the end. As Scripture declares:

"The thing that hath been, it is that which shall be; and that which is done is that which shall be done; and there is no new thing under the sun. Is there any thing whereof it may be said, See, this is new? It hath been already of old time, which was before us." -Ecclesiastes 1:9-10 When you closely examine Jesus' life and ministry you can see this principle clearly. At the beginning of His life here on earth there was a Herod (the Great), a Mary (His mother) and a Joseph (His mother's husband). The same is true at the end: there was Herod (the tetrarch), Mary (Magdalene) and Joseph (of Arimathaea). At the beginning of His ministry, He was secluded for forty days of fasting and then He went to Jerusalem. At the end of His ministry, after His resurrection, He was seen alive for forty days and then He went to Jerusalem and ascended from the Mount of Olives. Because He ascended from the Mount of Olives, Scripture tells us that He will return to the Mount of Olives - completing the cycle. "And when he had spoken these things, while they beheld, he was taken up; and a cloud received him out of their sight. And while they looked steadfastly toward heaven as he went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel, which also said, 'Ye men of Galilee; why stand ye gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven." - Acts 1:9-11 I should also point out that, even before Jesus ascended from the mountain, His return to it had already been prophesied

to occur. "And his feet shall stand in that day upon the mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east." - Zechariah 14:4 The point of this is to demonstrate that the end repeats the beginning because the beginning determines the end. Furthermore, Scripture tells us that the testimony of the Messiah is the "spirit of prophecy" (Rev. 19:10) and so, if His life and ministry reflects the fact that the end is the beginning, then all of the Word and all of prophecy will bear this characteristic. Compare Genesis to Revelation - the beginning and the end - and you will again see this distinction. In Genesis 1 & 2, there was no sin, no sorrow, no tears and no death. God resided among man in a garden watered by a crystal clear river and adorned by the Tree of Life. In Revelation 21 & 22 we see that this condition has been restored. The end is the beginning. So then it should be understood that, as we approach the end of the age, things will start to more closely resemble things the way they were in the beginning. Remember, Christ said that the days just before His return at the end would be like the days of Noah, just before the flood (Matt. 24:37-39). This concept is, in essence, what the "fullness of times" is speaking of and that is what, in my opinion, many of the previous generations could not understand. It seems that this is something that only those living in that time could understand.

Still, there is so much more to learn - so many things that have remained hidden from us until now.

3 THE INVISIBLE SIDE OF PROPHECY "Fear not; for they that be with us are more than they that be with them. And Elisha prayed, and said, LORD, I pray thee, open his eyes, that he may see. And the LORD opened the eyes of the young man and he saw; and behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire round about Elisha." - 2 Kings 6:16-17 Most of what we see happening in the physical realm is only a reflection or consequence of what has already transpired in the spiritual realm. Many battles that we may have endured in this life have been won or lost in the spiritual battle that preceded it. As we enter the final stages of this era of history, and as we see more and more prophecy being fulfilled, we can be sure that heavenly warfare is going to be at an all time high. We must realize that prior to the physical manifestation of a prophetically significant event, a spiritual campaign between the forces of darkness and the Kingdom of God has been fought. There is an invisible side to prophecy.

SPIRITUAL BATTLES AT THE END OF THE

AGE No matter who you are, at some point in these last days, you are going to be drawn into a spiritual conflict that is directly related to the time of the end. Perhaps you already have, but don't get too complacent - it will happen again. Spiritual conflict seems to come in cycles. If the mail we receive at our ministry center is any indication of the truth, then cycles of spiritual conflict are a fact. For months, cards and letters will pour in, testifying of miracles and answered prayer. Suddenly, the content changes. Testimony turns into lament as people recount tales of broken homes, rebellious children and personal conflict. The prophetic word makes it clear - there will be an increased level of spiritual warfare as the time of the end begins to peak. Spiritual warfare consists of two major elements: the battle against spiritual rebels - we call them demons - and the battle we have within us - the battle of the mind. A majority of spiritual warfare teaching has concentrated on trying to beat up the devil. However, the problem is our own carnal nature and not some evil spirit sitting on our shoulder! Whenever the apostle Paul wrote about "war" and "warfare," he often used a derivative of the Greek root word stratos. This word means "an encamped army." The word is used metaphorically of a spiritual conflict. On four different occasions in the New Testament, the word "war" is used in relation to spiritual conflict: "According to the prophecies that went before on thee, that

thou mightest war a good warfare." - 1 Timothy 1:18 "No man that warreth entangleth himself with the affairs of this life: that he may please him who hath chosen him to be a soldier." - 2 Timothy 2:4 "From whence come wars and fightings among you?" - James 4:1 "Fleshly lust that war against the soul." - 1 Peter 2:11 The words "war" and "warreth in these four passages deals with mental bondage and the works of the flesh. Paul emphasized this in his address to the Corinthians: "For though we walk in the flesh we do not war after the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds. Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ." - 2 Corinthians 10:3-5 The warfare that most believers encounter on a daily basis is the battle of the mind. We are constantly locked in a struggle to cast down thoughts and images that are contrary to the Word of God. Too often, Satan is blamed for what is nothing more than the careless actions of a carnal Christian. Temptation begins in the mind; therefore, some of the most crucial spiritual

battles we will fight will be mental ones. Unfortunately many believers tend to lose the advantage in battle by being led astray of their own lusts (James 1:14). Thus, being led astray they allow themselves to be isolated while under attack. This is a critical mistake, because it is at this point that the enemy can come in and finish what our lusts have started. Peter seems to address this same issue when he admonished us to: "Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour." - 1 Peter 5:8 Have you ever watched a lion hunt? A lion does not attack an entire herd. Instead he focuses on that one weak animal that has been isolated from the rest of the herd. This is the one he moves in on to kill. This is why Peter said to be sober and vigilant. Don't let your guard down, because if you do, you can be led astray and become isolated, and thus, you could become the enemy's prime target. When we are grappling with a particular temptation in our minds, the natural inclination is to tell no one, not even those closest to us, for fear they would think ill of us. Yet, we must subject the natural inclination to the supernatural inclination. That is, we must not allow ourselves to be isolated. As long as the battle in our mind is our little secret, the potential for disaster is there. Yet, the moment we bring someone who is trustworthy into our confidence and make ourselves accountable to them, it is no longer a dark little war

being fought by one person. It is now a battle being fought by you and another. When you confess your weakness to another mature believer, you are, in effect, shining light into a dark place. When light invades the dark, darkness leaves. There is scriptural basis for this battle tactic. James writes: "Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much." - James 5:16 If we learn how to win the battle of the mind, then we are well on our way to winning the war. In this evil day in which we live, we must be good soldiers, prepared and trained for any assault the enemy plans to launch against us, our families, our churches and our nation.

THE ATTACK OF SPIRITS In the New Testament, Satan is introduced as "the tempter" (Matthew 4:3). This is Satan's most common role in his campaign against the believer. As the time of the end proceeds, Christians will sense an increased pressure placed upon them to sin. This pressure is what we call temptation. There are several key truths you must know about temptation. God Does Not Tempt You With Evil "Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for

God cannot be tempted with evil neither tempteth he any man." - James 1:13 Satan is the Source of Temptation "And when the tempter came to him, he said, If thou be the Son of God, command these stones to be made into bread." - Matthew 4:3 All Men Are Tempted With the Same Temptations "There hath no temptation taken you but such is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation make a way of escape, that ye may be able to bear it." - 1 Corinthians 10:13 Jesus Was Tempted But Did Not Sin "For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feelings of our infirmities, but was in all points tempted as we are yet without sin." - Hebrews 4:15 Temptation can be summed up in this manner. Temptation is a carnal thought, introduced into the mind by the enemy, in an effort to coax you to disobey God. The sin is not the

thought, but the yielding to and the acting upon it. "When lust is conceived it bringeth forth sin and sin bringeth forth death" - James 1:15

THREE TYPES OF TEMPTATION All men are subject to three kinds of temptation. The Common Temptation (1 Cor. 10:13) The Seasonal Temptation (Luke 4:13) The Hour of Temptation (Rev. 3:10) The common temptation is one that we are all subject to have. Typically, it is something that you deal with on a continual basis - it is "the sin" that so easily besets you. To overcome this temptation, one must keep their mind renewed, lest they fall into a snare of the enemy. After tempting Jesus, Satan "departed from him for a season" (Luke 4:13). We, too, have to grapple with seasonal temptation. When God has delivered you from a habit or a sinful practice, often the enemy will return every few weeks or months to test you, hoping that you will revert back to that practice or habit. If he can succeed, he will once again enslave you in the bondage from which you have been freed. This is a frustrating cycle for those who have fallen victim. It leaves them thinking that there is no hope for them and they might as well give up on living

according to God's Plan. Time and time again, we see people who were once set free, only to find them, months later, back in the same condition and full of despair. It is imperative that we understand that temptation is not a sign of defeat. If anything, it is a sign that we are striving to live a life that brings glory to God. It is the choice to resist or to give in that determines victory or defeat. Every man is subject to seasons of testing, pressure and temptation. Only by walking in the Spirit can a person keep from fulfilling the lust of their flesh (Galatians 5:16).

THE HOUR OF TESTING The hour of testing is mentioned in Revelation: "Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I will also keep thee from the hour of testing that is coming upon the whole earth." - Revelation 3:10 The hour of testing is the ultimate struggle. Abraham's hour was when he took Isaac to Mount Moriah in order to offer him up to God (Genesis 22). Joseph was tested in Egypt's prison, until God brought him out. Moses lived forty years in the desert until the time came for him to step out and deliver the Hebrews from slavery. Job experienced his hour when Satan attacked him, destroying his wealth, family and his health (Job 1-3). During the forty-two months of Jesus' ministry, the enemy

could not touch Him because, "His hour had not yet come" (John 7:30; 8:20). When Christ's hour had come, He knew it. "Now before the feast of Passover, when Jesus knew that his hour had come .. ." - John 13:1 Christ's hour of testing reached its pinnacle in the Garden of Gethsemane. This is where He prayed until his sweat turned into great drops of blood. After this, He went to the cross! Satan couldn't touch Christ until the "hour had come" (Luke 22:53). At some point in our life, each of us can expect to have an hour of testing. Furthermore, there is an hour of testing coming upon the entire earth. It will bring such pressure than many will fall by the wayside! The pressure of these spiritual attacks will increase because: Iniquity abounds in the earth (Matt. 24:12-13) There is an increase in Satanic activity (1 Tim. 4:1) Satan knows his time is short (Rev. 12:12)

HOW EVIL SPIRITS OPERATE In the New Testament, what we now refer to as demons are called "evil spirits" (Luke 7:21), "unclean spirits" (Matthew 10:1), and "foul spirits" (Mark 9:25). These are spirit beings that take possession of a human body and perform their own will through that person. Once a person is controlled by an evil spirit, there is no limit to the evil that person can perpetrate.

But how does this happen? How do evil spirits take control of a person? Years ago, I became acquainted with a Jewish man who had professed Christ as Messiah. Before his life as a believer, this gentleman had been involved in a New Age Church. He recounted some of his experiences in this church, specifically, how he would channel spirits and how, at times, the spirits would manifest visibly before him. The man explained that the spirits in a major city were very large, about the size - these are his words - "of a large gorilla." In contrast, he said, "In the Bible belt, I have seen evil spirits, but they are not as large in size as those over other cities." When asked why, his response was, "Demonic spirits feed off of iniquity and sin. If a person ate non-stop, they would gain weight and become large. Sin and evil are what feeds these spirits. They literally grow larger because they feed on the sins of that city!" When a person gives in to certain sins and determines to do evil, they subject themselves to the possibility of possession. As that person continues in that lifestyle, the evil spirit will grow stronger and larger in that person, spurring them to other, more despicable acts. It may seem strange, but I believe this is true. This explains why the warfare with spirits is increasing. Fifty years ago in America, we seldom heard of adultery or sodomy in public conversation. Abortion was taboo, even among those who never attended church. Now, every conceivable vice and practice is permitted and regarded as acceptable behavior. Pornography has moved from behind the counter and into the living room. It is becoming common for men to marry men and for women to marry women, even in the

heart of the so-called Bible belt. If spirits feed off of sin, then they are constantly gaining strength and size in our nation, while spiritually, people are becoming weaker!

SPIRITS THAT ARE TO BE LOOSED During the Tribulation, the underworld will unleash a hoard of wicked and destructive spirits. In Revelation 9, the bottomless pit is opened and millions of strange creatures are released upon earth to torment mankind. A fallen angel, whose name is Abbadon, leads this demonic army (Revelation 9:11). John also tell us that four fallen angels, now bound in the Euphrates river, will be unchained and granted the freedom to provoke unprecedented carnage during the final half of the tribulation (Revelation 9:14-18). Three unclean spirits appearing as frogs, come out of the mouth of the dragon, the beast and the false prophet (Revelation 16:13). The tribulation is a time when vicious spirits will freely roam the earth. War, plagues, and death beyond comparison will be common. In fact, men will go into the mountains asking the rocks to fall upon them (Revelation 6:16). Men who are being tormented physically will seek death, only to find that death evades them (Revelation 9:6). Though these spirits we've just discussed are going to be unleashed in the future, we need to understand that there are several spirits being unleashed in our time. We are facing spirits that destroy homes, families, churches and lives.

THE SEDUCING SPIRIT "Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits and doctrines of devils." - 1 Timothy 4:1 The phrase, "the Spirit speaketh expressly," implies this warning was an audible utterance given through the gift of prophecy. Paul warned that spirits would successfully seduce people in the latter times. According to W.E. Vines Expository Dictionary, the word "seducing" means "a wandering, then deceiving."" When we think of being seduced we tend to think it refers only to a sexual seduction. This was the case in Revelation 2:20, when, in the early church, a woman named Jezebel seduced the servants of God and caused them to commit fornication! But seduction is not always sexual in nature. In the context of what Paul was expressing to Timothy, there are spirits whose task is to draw people away from truth and Biblical doctrine. When these people have been seduced, they can become ensnared in a deadly deception. We receive many letters from women whose husbands have left them for a younger woman. There has never been a case when it happened overnight. First their eyes wandered, then their thoughts. Soon their conversation began to wander, and eventually they convinced themselves it was in their best interest to forsake their wife. Usually, adultery does not happen because of a sudden fit of lust and passion. It most likely begins with wandering eyes. The Bible calls them "eyes full of

adultery that beguile unstable souls" (2 Peter 2:14). A seducing spirit controlling one person, can lock in on another person like radar. There are both men and women who carry this spirit. They pet it and allow it to work in their mind. Suddenly a strange attraction is formed, often without ever really knowing the person. A "soul tie" is usually the next thing that develops. This is the process of seduction. Anyone who finds themselves in this predicament would do well to learn from Joseph. The best thing to do is run! Potiphar's wife was after Joseph and came on to him in the strongest terms. Joseph knew that lust was nothing to play with, so he removed himself from the seductive atmosphere. As a result he saved his soul and later the entire Hebrew nation (Genesis 39-41). Sexual sin is readily available, sad to say, even within the church. Natural desires are an easy door, perhaps the most common, for a seducing spirit to work in a person's life. Remember, however, there are other ways to be seduced. In the time of the end, one of the greatest seductions will draw believers away from the truth.

DISCERNING TRUTH IN THE END TIMES "The time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; and they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables." - 2 Timothy 4:3-4

Scripture tells us that we are to serve the Lord "in sincerity and in truth" (Joshua 24:14). David sang that only those who "walk uprightly and work righteousness and speak the truth in his heart" shall be able to abide in God's presence (Psalm 15:12). Jesus teaches us that no man can approach the Father except he first come by truth (John 14:6) and that the Father is seeking those who will worship Him "in spirit AND in truth." We cannot hope to freely worship God in spirit only. Why? Because it is the truth that sets us free to worship (John 8:32), and we can only know that truth if we know God's Word (John 17:17). Everything dealing with our relationship with God hinges on the truth. Therefore, we should not be surprised to discover that perhaps the biggest end-time battle will be fought over the truth. It is critical that, as believers, we are able to discern what is true so that we will not be blown about by every wind of doctrine (Ephesians 4:14). We must be able to detect spiritual slight of hand when it shows up in our family, our community, our nation and in our church. Paul lets us know that this battle will determine what spiritual direction many believers will go. Sadly, it seems that many will desert doctrinal truth for more palatable beliefs. Even now, many "Christians" repeat Pilate's question - "What is truth? Isn't it just relative to the society in which we live?" The answer is that God's Word is eternally true. It was true when it was written, and it remains true today, despite the best efforts of devils and men to discredit that fact. When the Lord returns world with righteousness, (Psalm 96:13). This tells us people of the 1st century

to judge earth, "He shall judge the and the people with His truth" that the standards He set for the still apply to people of the 21st

century. Yet, if the enemy can, through politicians, entertainers and even ministers, get people to think that these Biblical truths are not for our times, then there are no boundaries. Everything formerly accepted as proper and decent behavior will be cast aside and replaced with modern and more liberal practices. Sound familiar? Paul's letter to the Romans helps us see that, throughout history, mankind has remained fairly consistent. "Professing themselves to be wise, they became as fools, and changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man . . . who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshiped and served the creature more than the Creator." - Romans 1:22-23, 25 Apparently, what we see going on today is no different from what has happened for centuries. Maybe we don't erect graven images in our town squares, but we have our idols just the same. As the last days progress, more and more, those who stand on the truth of God's Word will come under fire, perhaps from places they would have never dreamed possible.

CASTING TRUTH TO THE GROUND The Bible tells us that the Antichrist will "cast truth to the ground" and will prosper (Daniel 8:12). The very essence of his nature is a lie because he opposes the truth. His source of power is Satan, who is the father of lies (John 8:44). Couple this with the fact that his cohort, the false prophet, is some type of

religious leader - perhaps from a "christian" background - who deceives "with all power and signs and lying wonders" (2 Thessalonians 2:9). The apostle Paul reveals that: "For this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie; that they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness." - 2 Thessalonians 2:11-12 If the time when the Antichrist rules is the zenith of prophecy fulfillment, and if his and the false prophet's very nature is falsehood, then it would stand to reason that the closer we get to this time, the more we will see an assault on truth. Quite frankly we are already seeing that. We live in a day when the truth is a lie and a lie is the truth. The sad part of it all is that this seducing spirit is finding its way into the church. Paul has warned us that: "In the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils; speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with hot iron." 1 Timothy 4:1-2 I hate to admit it, but presently there is as much carnality in the church as there is in the secular world. In fact, sometimes it is easier to discern what is and what is not truth in the secular world. In the church you have to look beyond the religiosity to find the truth. That religiosity is, to a seducing spirit, what a pile of coffee grounds is to a worm - a good, dark

place to hide out. In these last days the church needs to understand that what looks like God and acts like God may not be God. Things are not always what they seem to be. The apostle Paul addressed this issue in his letter to the church at Corinth. There were "ministers" who were claiming to be doing the work of God, yet Paul calls them phonies and adds: "And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works." - 2 Corinthians 11:14-15 I have had the opportunity to meet many good and solid Christians who have been so confused by what they see happening in their churches. On the surface, things seem to be in order, yet something just does not feel right. They leave church feeling frustrated, like something is wrong with them. Not all the time, but sometimes, this feeling of frustration is the Spirit of God within us letting us know that something going on is not in harmony with the truth. To feel this way is not being rebellious. In fact, John exhorts us to listen to the Spirit of God within us. "Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God; because many false prophets are gone out into the world." - 1 John 4:1

Any spirit that we suspect is not of God needs to be compared to what the Word of Truth has to say. If in any point, it contradicts what Scripture has to say, then we know that this is not of God. Many people may have a hard time with this subject matter, but we know for sure that the diluting of truth within the Body of Messiah will be one of the most commonly used tactics by the forces of darkness in the time of the end. If he can succeed with his assault on truth, then those who fall victim will be hard pressed to properly discern what is going on as prophecy is fulfilled. Paul gives us further insight into what we should expect to encounter in the end-time church. A literal reading of, "speaking lies in hypocrisy" would be, "as actors in a role, they teach false doctrine." The reason that these one-time believers have decided to teach lies is because they have allowed their conscience - their moral compass - to be cauterized. In other words, it would be like someone taking a hot iron and burning a piece of tissue so badly that it is rendered totally useless, incapable of ever having any sensation. Your conscience is that part of you that challenges you to deny your lusts and your will when it clashes with what is right. To have that part of your soul rendered useless is catastrophic, and yet that is exactly what Paul says will happen in the end-time church!

GIFTS OR VIRTUE? "Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever

things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things." - Philippians 4:8 Those of you who know me realize that I would never launch an assault on what the Lord Himself instituted - the Church of Jesus Christ. Instead, because I love the church, I want to sound an alarm for us all to heed. We need to be sober in these last days and, unfortunately, the church at large has gone to sleep. Who can deny that there has been a breakdown in our character? How many public failures would we need to list to prove our point? For the Body of Messiah to be effective in the time of the end, the church needs to return to a virtuous lifestyle, because character and virtue listen to the voice of conscience. When we continually ignore that part of us that provokes us to deny self, we stray farther from the truth. Sooner or later, we give in to self, and self wants to be coddled and caressed. In a religious setting, one of the most lucrative tools the enemy has at his disposal to exploit those who ignore their conscience is that person's gifts. Let's face it - certain gifts attract attention, and humans, especially those who are walking after their own lusts, love attention. The church, and in particular Pentecostal and Charismatic churches, have overemphasized gifts and talents for too long. Don't misunderstand me. Gifts are an integral part of our Christian walk. "Every good gift and every perfect gift comes from above" (James 1:17). Paul said, "The gifts and calling of God are without repentance" (Romans 11:29). Paul also said, however, that we "covet earnestly the best gifts; and yet shew

I unto you a more excellent way. . . . though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity - a virtue - I am nothing" (1 Corinthians 12:31, 13:2). He also said, "Even so ye, forasmuch as ye are zealous of spiritual gifts, seek that ye may excel to the edifying of the church (1 Corinthians 14:12). In other words, as important as gifts are, they are not the most important attribute of our Christian lifestyle. We must be balanced believers. Our talents and gifts should only compliment the spiritual fruit that we bear. Jesus didn't shower blessings on the fig tree because it was gifted with beautiful branches and covered with leaves. No, He cursed it because it was bearing no fruit. John the Baptist exclaimed that, "The ax is laid unto the root of the trees; therefore every tree which bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire" (Matthew 3:10). A person's gifts do not always guarantee fruit. Gifts are tools that God has given us to use for His purposes - they are a means to an end. Too many times, however, we focus so much on the gifts of the Spirit, that we neglect the fruit of the Spirit. To put it bluntly, how many people do you know who speak in tongues but have run off with someone else's spouse? How many churches or ministries have exploded onto the scene, growing by leaps and bounds, and then suddenly reach a point where they begin a slow and steady decline into oblivion? Sadly, they are too numerous to count. Many times, it is because that church has been built

around someone's gift. Gifts can only take us so far. When a church or ministry reaches that point, if character and virtue is missing, then that church or ministry is destined to suffer or even crumble. On many occasions, talented people have given in to seducing spirits and have used their gifts and anointing for their own purposes. Remember, God does not take our gifts, talents and calling away from us just because we don't use them for His purpose - they are without repentance. Unfortunately, we know of gifted people who became so engrossed in themselves, that they refused to acknowledge their own conscience and have, true to Paul's prediction, begun to teach false doctrine. I know of one very gifted man who falls into this category. He has the gift of prophecy and has been used many times by the Lord. However, somewhere along the way, he began to crave the attention and recognition the gift had brought him. He began to focus on himself instead of those he was called to shepherd. Before long, he was teaching "new revelations," as he referred to them. These new revelations - one of them was that the concept of hell was only allegorical - were not scriptural. The disturbing thing is that, because the people were so focused on his gift, they readily accepted his teaching. Recall the story of King Saul. He was given the gift of prophecy (1 Samuel 10:11), but because he was so consumed with pride and refused to embrace the truth, the Spirit of the Lord departed from him and an evil spirit came upon him (1 Samuel 16:14). He prophesied under a satanic anointing as he began to plan David's murder (1 Samuel 18:10). Saul was so consumed with jealousy for those he knew God's hand was upon, that he killed the men of God associated with him (1

Samuel 22:18). Finally as a last ditch effort to once again hear a "word from God," he began to conjure up spirits (1 Samuel 28:11). To think that people in the church today could resort to that type of activity is, to some, unbelievable. Yet, it is happening. For decades, many Christians have been taken in by so called apparitions of "Jesus" and "Mary." Thousands of Christians, many who claim to be spirit-filled, pack into churches and caves where Jesus or Mary are said to be appearing. Many claim to have been healed in the presence of a bleeding or crying icon. These people are so enamored with a gift, that they have thrown truth out the window. This is really disturbing when you consider where things are heading. In Revelation 13, we read that the deceiving power of the false prophet will be so great that he convinces people to build an image of the Antichrist. The word "image" in Revelation 13 is eikona. This is the feminine form of the word from which we derive the English word "icon." In other words, the people in Revelation 13 fashion an icon of the Beast. Much to their amazement, the false prophet causes the icon to speak and live. People all over the world begin to worship this icon and will, at the icon's instruction, take the mark of blasphemy the mark that dooms them for eternity. Here is the point. Many Christians do not feel that they could be taken in by such a scam. Yet, I have personally seen "Christians" bowing before what they thought to be an apparition of the Virgin Mary. The events of Revelation 13 illustrate how people will, in fact, bow down and worship something they perceive as supernatural, in spite of the fact that God's Word says;

"Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image . . . Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God." - Exodus 20:4-5 The fact that many Bible-believing Christians have already been willing to pray to a bleeding icon or what they perceive to be an authentic apparition, is a sure sign that the false prophet will have no problem convincing unbalanced Christians that he is from God. In effect, these people who pray to these apparitions are chasing what they believe to be supernatural gifts. This type of behavior betrays the condition of their spiritual walk. If they were grounded in the Word of Truth, they would know that God is not behind these apparitions, any more than He will be the cause for the image of the Beast to speak and live.

FRUITFUL TREES ARE GROUNDED IN GOOD SOIL A century ago, an honorable man would not think of seeking a political office, because it was said that the office should seek the man. This belief illustrated that recognition has a way of finding those of virtuous character. Anyone who exhibited those kinds of characteristics was considered to be from good stock and well grounded in principle. Jesus taught this same principle in a parable. "And he put forth a parable to those which were bidden, . . . saying unto them, when thou art bidden of any man to a

wedding, sit not down in the highest room; lest a more honorable man than thou be bidden of him; and he that bade thee and him come and say to thee, Give this man place; and thou begin with shame to take the lowest room. But when thou art bidden, go and sit down in the lowest room; that when he that bade thee cometh, he may say unto thee, Friend, go up higher; then shalt thou have worship in the presence of them that sit at meat with thee. For whosoever exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted." Luke 14:7-11 In these last days, we cannot afford to neglect virtue in our quest for recognition. When we prefer gifts over virtue and character, it is an indication that there may be something in us that wants people to notice us. The attention we gain by overemphasizing our talents will stroke our ego. This is the antithesis of the fruit of the Spirit and certainly does not depict a virtuous lifestyle. This type of behavior is dangerous and eventually leads to a departure from truth and might open the door for a seducing spirit to come in. I think it prudent to also point out that this sentiment was exactly what got Lucifer expelled from heaven (Isaiah 14:11). How can we keep from falling into this snare? We avoid it by discerning the truth and being grounded in it. We avoid it by listening to our conscience and the still small voice of the Holy Spirit as they witness to our spirit. We avoid it by denying ourselves. As last day pressures accumulate, it is going to be easier to see who has been grounded in truth and who has not. Pressure has a way of exposing a person's true nature. Many talented people can discipline themselves just

enough to hide their true character, but eventually, something will happen to bring the real nature of that person into the light. Truth is not a gift, it is a virtue. Being grounded in truth, being able to discern truth, means that we have listened to the voice of our conscience and have acted wisely and responsibly, in spite of consequences. Peter said: "His divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue; whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises; that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust. . . . Add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge; and to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness; and to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity. For if these things be in you and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful . . . but he that lacketh these things is blind, and cannot see afar off, and hath forgotten that he was purged from his old sins. Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure; for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall." - 2 Peter 1:3-10 Peter tells us that if we are to be able to stand in these last days, we must place emphasis on character and virtues. With the help of the Holy Spirit, we must strive to emulate the character - not only the gifts - of Jesus Christ. If we accomplish this, we will be in harmony with God's will and His truth. Full of the virtues that Peter listed, we will rightly divide the word of

truth and will be able to discern the truth from a lie. Jesus said, "My sheep hear my voice, and I know them and they follow me" (John 10:27). Living in these last days requires all believers to realize that there is a heavenly war occurring right now. This war is being fought to determine the course of history. Thankfully we can be confident that our God, the sovereign of the Universe, has everything in His control. Nothing is going to prevent the plan of God from being fulfilled. Still, in war there can be casualties. We are the enemy of the forces of darkness; therefore, they want to stop us from being effective soldiers. Spiritual attacks on believers will be unleashed at an unprecedented level. Yet, if we know this in advance, we can be prepared. Seducing spirits are out in force in an effort to lure vulnerable believers into a trap. They will use natural desires and weaknesses to accomplish this goal. One of the greatest lures will be the clouding of what is true and what is not. This has been the enemy's most successful tactic since the dawn of time (Genesis 3). If you remove your spiritual armor, you will be vulnerable to the fiery missiles of Satan. Therefore, let us heed the words of Paul: "Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; and your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God." - Ephesians 6:14 - 17

END TIME STRATEGIES Know the Word, Renew Your Mind Many people the world over believe in God. Yet, how many of those same people know God? Likewise, of all the people who believe the Word, how many actually know it? We live in a day when it is not enough to believe the Word, we must know it. Many times, what people believe is what someone else told them. Generally speaking, that is how many Christians fall into false teaching. They believe the Word of God says a certain thing, when in reality, it does not. We must know the Word and the doctrines contained therein if we are to survive the onslaught against truth. When we arm ourselves with God's Word, not only can we discern the lies and entrapments of the enemy but we will be able to conduct ourselves with clarity of mind, for by studying the Word, our minds are renewed. The renewing of the mind has to be a daily practice. Just as dust collects on furniture, the carnal dust of this world eventually collects in our mind. We must sweep it out with daily prayer, the reading and study of the Holy Scriptures and meditating upon pure and holy thoughts (Philippians 4:8). Guard Your Heart One of the gravest mistakes a military force can make is to underestimate the enemy. Human nature is that, when we feel

secure, we drop our guard. Remember, the strongest and the greatest have fallen because of weak flesh. We are to "guard our heart with all diligence, for out of it proceeds the issues of life" (Proverbs 4:23). Guard yourself as you would your own children. Remember, there is no discharge in this war (Ecclesiastes 8:8). We either overcome and win or we lose. So a person must keep the door closed to the various seducing powers. If we succeed in this, we will be free to accomplish goals for the Kingdom of God. Make Yourself Accountable So many times, we keep our guard up in our strengths and neglect the areas where we are weak. We try to ignore those areas, because if we think about it too much, it clashes with our perception of ourselves as victorious Christians. This attitude can be a fatal mistake. A good general does not fortify his strengths. He knows that his enemy will not attack him there. On the other hand, the enemy will attack where you are weak, so a good general knows to pay special attention to where he is weak. One of the greatest battle tactics we have at our disposal is confession. Every believer needs someone that they can confess their weaknesses to. In a marriage, that someone should be your spouse. I confide in my wife what I would tell no other human. Your spouse should be your closest friend and confidante. Assuming the marriage is a healthy relationship, no other person is going to be as concerned for your welfare as your spouse. Do not keep a secret from them. If you are troubled, tell them. Remember, Satan cannot control

what you reveal and bring into the light! Exposing areas of weakness can determine the difference between spiritual life and death. If you do not have a husband or wife, confide in a close spiritual friend - someone you can trust. Tell them when you are under an attack, and have them pray for you. They can become what Aaron and Hur were to Moses. They held up his hands all during the battle until the victory was accomplished (Exodus 17:12). Be A Balanced Believer Solomon said, "A man's gift maketh room for him, and bringeth him before great men" (Proverbs 18:16). Paul wrote, "Follow after charity, and desire spiritual gifts, but rather that ye may prophesy" (1 Corinthians 14:1). Paul exhorted Timothy to "stir up the gift of God, which is in thee" (2 Timothy 1:6). We all need to perfect and use the gifts and talents that God has given us to use for His glory. Still, we need to remember that they are spiritual tools designed to help us in our quest to fulfill God's purposes for us. God's will is that we be balanced believers, neither neglecting nor overemphasizing our gifts. Instead He wishes for us to use them in their proper manner as He shapes and molds us into men and women of integrity and virtue. In many of the parables, Jesus taught that the gifts we present to God should never be considered the most important thing, but instead, should take a back seat to matters of virtue.

"Therefore if thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there rememberest that thy brother hath ought against thee; leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way; first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift." - Matthew 5:23-24 When confronting religious leaders of the day, He exposed the hypocrisy in lavishing exorbitant attention upon gifts at the expense of virtue. "Why do ye also transgress the commandment of God by your tradition? For God commanded, saying, Honor thy father and mother, He that curseth father or mother, let him die the death. But ye say, Whosoever shall say to his father or his mother, It is a gift, by whatsoever thou mightest be profited by me; and honor not his father or his mother, he shall be free. Thus have ye made the commandment of God of none effect by your tradition. Ye hypocrites." - Matthew 15:3-7 The Lord desires that we be whole, balanced men and women of God. Our worship of Him should be in "spirit and in truth," not "in spirit or in truth." We cannot afford to be found guilty of the same mistake the Pharisees of old made. They placed more attention and importance on the gift rather than what made the gifts holy (Matthew 23:16-22). Jesus rebuked them when He said:

"Yes, woe upon you, Pharisees, and you religious leaders hypocrites! For you tithe down to the last mint leaf in your garden, but ignore the important things - justice mercy and faith. Yes, you should tithe, but you shouldn't leave the more important things undone." - Matthew 23:23 (TLB) In other words, it is very important to bring our gifts and talents into the House of God, but we need to pay closer attention to the virtues that God wants evident in our life. The Greek word that is translated "virtue" is arete (pronounced aret-ay). Arete comes from the Greek word that means "man." In other words, virtue was considered synonymous with being a man. I feel that God sees it that way too. To be a balanced man or woman of God, we must exhibit virtues. To win prophecy's invisible war, we must be a balanced believer. Not only that, but consider when in the past God has judged nations and peoples for their sins, has He typically protected those who are gifted or those who are virtuous? Considering what is on the horizon prophetically, God's people must strive to be virtuous and stand for Godly principles in the midst of a godless society. It might prove to be the difference between life and death.

4 THE REVENGER OF BLOOD "The revenger of blood himself shall slay the murderer: when he meeteth him, he shall slay him." - Numbers 35:19 "For he is the minister of God to thee for good. But if thou do that which is evil, be afraid; for he beareth not the sword in vain: for he is the minister of God a revenger to execute wrath upon him that doth evil." - Romans 13:4 Before we go further into what is happening and what is going to happen, we first need to discuss why it is happening and why it will happen. When the final wrath of God is poured upon the earth, it will be because of man's willingness to continue in sin without repenting. As a nation, America has always known how to pray during a crisis, but we have forgotten how to repent! During the first part of the tribulation, some will turn to God and be willing to die for their testimony and faith in Christ (Revelation 20:4). But during the latter part, the Bible teaches that men will not repent of their evil deeds (Revelation 9:20; 16:9 & 16:11). God allows intense judgment to bring men to repentance. When men are no longer willing to repent, then the wrath of God will be unleashed without restraint!

For many years, America was a nation that turned to God in times of trouble. Presidents, governors and civic leaders would call for a day of prayer, fasting and repentance in times of great calamity. Today, when a crisis arises, we are encouraged by leaders to pray, but there is no mention of repentance. We live in a day when mankind is no longer willing to acknowledge mistakes and refuses to take responsibility for his actions. We see it in our political and spiritual leaders; in our neighborhoods and schools and even in our own families. This is a childish attribute that should dissipate as we develop into men and women. Paul said, "When I became a man, I put away childish things" (1Corinthians 13:11). Yet, it seems that the present generation has opted to continue in their wrongdoing and has chosen to excuse it as their democratic right, regardless of the consequences. Repentance is not saying, "I'm sorry." Repentance is acknowledging your error, taking responsibility for it and making restitution. Unfortunately, as a nation, we are a far cry from that. In 1994, a devastating earthquake hit the Los Angeles area. The epicenter of the quake was located in Northridge, which just happened to be the heart of America's pornography industry. Up to that point, it was one of the costliest disasters in U.S. history at a staggering $20 billion in damages. In human costs, twenty-two thousand were left homeless; over eight thousand were injured and sixty-one were killed. Instead of being moved to repentance, however, the porn moguls adopted an attitude of ridiculing those who determined the quake was a sign of God's disfavor. They simply rebuilt their facilities and continued cranking out their filth. In San Francisco, men and woman march in parades with

signs proclaiming, "God is gay" even as the earth quakes beneath them! They do not fall to their knees in repentance. To the contrary, they only laugh at those who believe the trembling ground to be a divine wake up call. When earthquakes, tornados, floods, fires and hurricanes such as Katrina (which we'll discuss in a later chapter) no longer humble the proud and cease to cause men to seek God's mercy, then the time of tribulation cannot be far off. The Tribulation will be the full measure of God's wrath upon the earth. The end result will be that God will "destroy sinners from off the earth (Isaiah 13:9). The sins of the world are accumulating before God in the heavenly winepress. When the winepress of God's wrath is full, then the inhabitants of earth will receive their just punishment (Revelation 14:19).

THE ULTIMATE REASON FOR JUDGMENT The average Christian would say God is judging the world because of sin. This is a true statement, but very general. If I asked, "Which sins?," there would probably be a wide range of answers. Some would feel that belligerent homosexuality would be a prime candidate. After all, that is why He judged Sodom and Gomorrah. Reading Genesis 19, we find that the men of Sodom were exceedingly wicked. So vile was their heart, that they banged on Lot's door and demanded that he turn over to them the strangers that had come into town, so that they may have sexual relations with them. The next morning, the city and its inhabitants were reduced to ashes. It would seem the motive for God's judgment on the cities of the plain is pretty easy to

see. Yet, many Christians are not aware that there were four major sins of Sodom mentioned by Ezekiel the prophet. "Behold, this was the iniquity of thy sister Sodom, pride, fullness of bread, the abundance of idleness was in her and in her daughters. Neither did she strengthen the hand of the poor and needy." - Ezekiel 16:49 Judgment came for several sins, but nowhere does it mention homosexuality. The reason is that sexual perversion was not the root of the problem, but only a fruit of the problem. The four sins that Ezekiel mentioned paved the way for Sodom's citizens to follow every vain imagination in their heart. These four sins, by the way, are found in every nation of the world. Yet, in today's world, there is none who compares to the United States in transgression of these four sins. Consequently, we too are faced with belligerent homosexuality, the kind that dares anyone to come against it. For the sins that America has committed, she will pay greatly in the time of Tribulation, and perhaps in some measure before then.

THE SUN OF PRIDE "The wicked, through the pride of his countenance, will not seek after God; God is not in all his thoughts." - Psalm 10:4 "Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before

a fall." - Proverbs 16:18 The Bible could not be any clearer. There is no room in the heart of the proud for God. To acknowledge God and dependence upon Him would suggest that we are fallible and in need. Pride seduces you into thinking that you alone can accomplish anything set before you. Pride was what filled the heart of Nebuchadnezzar as he looked upon his capital city Babylon and proclaimed, "Is not this great Babylon, that I have built for the house of the kingdom by the might of my power, and for the honor of my majesty?" (Daniel 4:30). The Bible says that while the words were still in his mouth, a voice announced that the kingdom would be taken away from him. For seven years, the most powerful man on earth behaved as an animal. His pride and haughty spirit had paved the way for his destruction. Likewise, America is in danger of a fall. We pride ourselves on being independent of anything and everyone. This is not the heritage our forebears left us. They declared independence from a tyrant, even as they professed dependence upon Almighty God and interdependence upon one another. Still, most Americans either cannot, or will not, bring themselves to believe that anything destructive or catastrophic could ever happen to America. Those people should pay close attention to the words of the prophet Obadiah, who wrote: "The pride of thine heart hath deceived thee, thou that dwellest in the clefts of the rock, whose habitation is high; that saith in his heart, Who shall bring me down to the ground? Though

thou exalt thyself as the eagle, and though thou set thy nest among the stars, thence will I bring thee down, saith the Lord." - Obadiah 1:3-4 It is interesting to note the terminology used by Obadiah "Though thou exalt thyself as the eagle. . . though thou set thy nest among the stars." Is it possible that this prophecy has an application for our times? If so, is this an allusion to the American eagle? Is it referring to the stars of our national standard, the Stars and Stripes? Or perhaps it is alluding to our space exploration. Remember, we were the first to land on the moon and plant our standard upon that heavenly body. Recall the immortal words of Neil Armstrong as the first space module from Earth landed on the moon: "Tranquility base here. The Eagle has landed." No matter how lofty a status we have attained as a people and as a nation, if we are guilty of pride to the degree that Sodom was, how then can we expect to escape God's retribution? Unrepentant, we will not. We have a deep, ugly root called pride growing in our society. The fruit of pride sexual perversion, violence (Psalms 73:6), etc. - knows not repentance, but only selfish indulgence. There is coming a day when we shall reap the bitter rewards of that fruit. We are sure to feel the sting of God's words as given to Obadiah, "I will bring you down, says the Lord."

FULLNESS OF BREAD What was intended to be, and should have been, a

blessing to a nation became a sin. It has always been a flaw in human nature, that we cannot discipline ourselves to properly use the blessings of God in the manner they were intended. As we are blessed, we may at first acknowledge God's goodness, but then pride opens the door for excessive behavior. Sodom had "fullness of bread" - in other words, they had an abundance of food and wealth. Yet, it became a curse to them. They indulged themselves in the abundance of their nation and forgot from whom these blessings had come. Besides being sexual predators, they had become drunkards and gluttons. Hear what the Bible has to say. "This our son is stubborn and rebellious; he will not obey our voice; he is a glutton and a drunkard. And all the men of his city shall stone him with stones, that he die; so shalt thou put evil away from among you." - Deuteronomy 21:20-21 "Be not among winebibbers; among riotous eaters of flesh; for the drunkard and the glutton shall come to poverty; and drowsiness shall clothe a man with rags." - Proverbs 23:2021 Notice how the word "glutton" is associated with "drunkard." This is because both flaws are related to excessive living. The very word "glutton" carries with it the idea of being unprincipled and undisciplined, being susceptible to every kind of excess. In one instance, God commands for this type of person to be put out of society - permanently! In the other Scripture, Solomon warns that the end of this person, who

once reveled in abundance, will be poverty and rags! In America, we also have "fullness of bread." In material wealth, we are the richest nation the world has ever known. We have anything we want. But what was once intended to be a blessing, what once was a gracious answer to fervent prayer has now become another way for us to revel. True, despite our wicked ways, we continue to prosper. We are so wealthy in fact, that some of our teenagers can transport their pipe bombs and assault weapons to school in BMWs! God help us all. In the hands of a proud people, fullness of bread becomes a curse.

THE ABUNDANCE OF IDLENESS In plain language, this means "prosperity of peace" or "abundance of quiet." On the surface it sounds very nice. Who doesn't want to have peace and quiet? The implications of this phrase, however, go far beyond simple peace and quiet. It implies that, because they were wealthy - they had "fullness of bread" - and had most everything life had to offer, the deficit of time spent in labor compared with idle time became greater. In other words, the wealthier they became, the more luxury time they had. If a people were righteous, that would translate into more time to spend in communion with God and more time to spend in service to God. For a wicked and proud people, it becomes the inspiration for the old saying, "An idle mind is the devil's workshop." How else can you explain the fact that two teenage boys are able to accumulate an arsenal of over thirty bombs, several

guns and hundred of rounds of ammunition to use on their fellow students in Littleton, Colorado? Both of these boys came from fairly well-to-do families. Neither of these boys had to worry about making money or helping to provide for their family, not that a teenager should neccesarily have to. According to news reports, they spent most of their time on the internet and playing violent video games, such as DOOM. The point is that an abundance of wealth and idle time can be a deadly combination when the society in which you live is proud and arrogant enough to forget God.

NEGLECTING THE POOR AND NEEDY Many Americans are under the impression that we do a lot to "strengthen the hand of the poor and needy." We pay taxes that fund social programs such as Social Security, Food Stamps, Medicaid, etc., so that those who are less fortunate than we are taken care of. First of all, the plight of the poor and needy is as much a political issue as a social one. True, there are some government officials who are truly concerned for the welfare of the poor. Then there are those who use the social issue as a political platform with no serious intention of doing anything about it. The reality of the situation is, if you have an electorate that is dependent on you for their welfare, then you are somewhat insured of a long political tenure. In short, all the Federal and State governments have done for the poor, with some exceptions, is to maintain the lifestyle these people already had and keep them dependent on state supported

funding. This is not "strengthening" the hand of the poor and needy. Many Americans, including Christians, have the attitude that, because they pay taxes, their obligation to the poor is fulfilled. In other words, they do not want to be bothered with it. They are in a hurry to get to the golf course, or perhaps, they don't have it to spare because they are saving up for a new swimming pool. Jesus decried this type of person as one who is full of darkness. "The lamp of your body is the eye. When you have a good eye [that is, when you are generous] your whole body is full of light; but when you have an evil eye [when you are stingy], you body is full of darkness." - Luke 11:34 (JNT) Apparently, this was the spiritual condition of the inhabitants of Sodom. Sadly, it is also the condition of our nation. Yes, we do send a lot of aid to other countries when they are hit with a disaster. True, we do have social assistance programs to help some of our own citizens. But do we fulfill what is required of us? Scripture tells us that to whom much is given, MUCH is required (Luke 12:48).Are we truly concerned about our fellow man as much as we are concerned about ourselves? It seems a bit hypocritical to think of ourselves as some great humanitarian society on a grand crusade for human rights when we have so much blood on our hands. You see, a proud and arrogant society immersed in revelry, absorbed with evil thoughts and disinterested in the plight of their fellow man,

sooner or later turns to violence. We must understand that the men of Sodom were violent. The two angelic strangers were not their "partners" and yet the Sodomites wanted to abuse these two. Had they not been struck with blindness, they would have stopped at nothing to have their way. That is where we are as a society. Our abundance and revelry has created a nation of flesh junkies. There is nothing sacred anymore. There is nothing that will prevent us from satisfying every carnal and animalistic desire we can contrive - not even the sanctity of human life!

THE VOICE OF BLOOD For too many years, America has shed innocent blood. We have murdered for political reasons or for something so trivial as a little spare change. Perhaps the most atrocious murders, however, are being perpetrated under the protection of federal law and under the political cover of "Pro Choice." Since the Roe vs. Wade decision in 1973, America has aborted on average 1.5 million babies each year. These precious babies are not a blob of tissue, or just a fetus. They are living, breathing human beings, created in the image of Almighty God. The Lord told Jeremiah: "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you and I ordained you to be a prophet to the nations." - Jeremiah 1:5 God Himself has settled the issue of whether the unborn baby is a human or not, if with no other statement than that

one. Who are we to now tell God, "You made a mistake. While he was in his mother's womb, Jeremiah was inanimate fetal tissue." There are many mysteries and miracles associated with birth and life. One of those mysteries is the soul. The Bible says, "The life of the flesh is in the blood" (Leviticus 17:11). The Hebrew word used here for "life" is nefesh and many times is translated "soul." Therefore, Leviticus 17:11 could be interpreted, "The soul of the flesh is in the blood." So you see, blood is comprised of more than just red and white cells, DNA and chromosomes. Blood contains an eternal life force, destined to spend eternity somewhere. Our soul contains our consciousness, our pattern of thought and our expression of it. God has given us the ability to express those thoughts through words. Put simply, our soul has a voice. Likewise, our blood also has a voice! When Cain killed Abel, God said to Cain, "Where is your brother? . . . The voice of thy brother's blood cries up to me from the ground" (Genesis 4:10). Hidden within the Hebrew text is an interesting point. In the Hebrew text, the word "blood" should actually be interpreted as "bloods" - plural. It should read, "Thy brother's bloods cry up to me from the ground." The rabbinical commentaries teach that, by using the plural form of the word, the Scripture conveys the idea that Cain killed, not only Abel, but all of Abel's offspring that would have been born, had he lived. Therefore, it was not only Abel's blood crying out to God, but all of his descendant's blood cried out for vengeance as well. Thus, the rabbinic adage:

"When a person kills one man, it is as if he has killed an entire world."

THE VOICE OF THE SHOFAR "Blow ye the trumpet (shofar) in Zion, and sound an alarm in my holy mountain." - Joel 2:1 In the Bible, "horn" denotes power. Likewise, the shofar, the ram's horn, and its associated sound denotes power, for the shofar is the representative voice of innocent blood. We must recognize that for us to hear the sound of the shofar, an innocent gave its life; and remember, innocent blood has a voice (Gen. 4:10). Every time we hear the shofar, the voice of innocent blood cries out to be heard. Churches across America have been led by God to incorporate the blowing of the shofar into their services. Why? One reason may be that God wants to use the symbolism of the shofar to drive His message home. That message is, that the voices of innocent blood, which has been spilled on American soil, are crying out to Him for vengeance. The shofar is announcing that the time to avenge them has come. When you consider the shofar is a picture of the substitute sacrifice and ultimately the true substitute sacrifice, the Promised Seed - Jesus - the power of the shofar becomes even more evident. The voice of the shofar becomes the voice of God Himself, calling out for us to remember our sin, both individually and corporately. The shofar calls upon us to be of a repentant heart and, through the power of the substitute

sacrifice - Jesus the Messiah - to return to God. Unfortunately, many will never hear this voice, or will not heed its warning. So, the carnage continues. While you have read these two paragraphs, the blood of another innocent child has stained the conscience of our country in some federally protected abortion clinic. Abortion destroys many lives. Every woman who has had an abortion is scarred in some way for life - some physically some emotionally and some both. Abortion not only destroys the life of one child, but every child that would have been born through that child's lineage. The Bible says, "Abel being dead yet speaketh (Hebrews 11:4). When the blood of the innocent hits the ground, it begins to cry out to God for vengeance. This is exactly what the souls of the martyrs are doing in heaven. The souls of the righteous throughout the ages are under Heaven's Sea of Glass. The Bible teaches that they cry out to God saying, "How long will it be until you avenge us of our blood on earth?" (Revelation 6:10). The voice of innocent blood has God's attention. God will not allow His Creation, fashioned in His own similitude, to be vandalized and thrown away as if it were a mere piece of trash. We do not believe that He will allow those who sit idly by and silently witness the murder of innocents to go unscathed. We cannot embrace Cain's attitude - "Am I my brother's keeper?" - and expect God not to hold us accountable. We must speak out against this tragedy and call for justice in the land. The value of human life, young and old, is far greater than anything this world has to offer. We must not be found guilty of condoning murder, for God will exact a great price of the nation that allows its children to be "passed through the fire"

(Leviticus 18:21). In the future, God will destroy Mystery Babylon, that religious system which has murdered millions in the name of religion. He will burn it to the ground. The Bible tells us that He takes vengeance upon those who have shed the blood of the prophets and the saints (Revelation 18:24)! It is our belief that, ultimately, America's judgment will come because of the shedding of innocent blood. True, there are many other transgressions that our nation is guilty of and, no doubt, God will deal with each one. Still, it seems that no crime committed against God brings such a swift and vengeful response as does the shedding of innocent blood. We are a violent nation, to the extent that even our children think nothing of taking someone's life. In Jonesboro, Arkansas, in 1998, eleven and thirteen-year-old boys killed four classmates and a teacher. In Littleton, Colorado, two misguided teens killed thirteen people and wounded twenty-three others. One of their victims, a young woman, was asked, "Do you believe in God?"" When she responded in the affirmative she was shot in the head. As her blood cries out for vengeance, the revenger of blood prepares to go through the land, and there is no place to hide.

EXAMPLES FROM THE BIBLE The stories of the Old Testament are given to us as an example to learn from (1Corinthians 10:11). We believe that contained within some of these Old Testament narratives are clues to America's future. Furthermore, the patterns these

stories reveal may indicate where God's judgment will strike first. The Judgment Of Egypt As Israel began to populate in Egypt, there arose a Pharaoh who "knew not Joseph (Exodus 1:8). This king feared that the Hebrews would become powerful enough to sweep the dynasty he represented from power. Like the evil demagogue who would follow him in history, he enslaved the Hebrew people and forced them to live in the ancient equivalent of concentration camps. Not satisfied with this, he came up with his own version of the Final Solution and demanded that all the midwives kill all newborn Hebrew males. For fear of God, the midwives refused. Pharaoh then commanded: "Every son that is born ye shall cast into the river, and every daughter ye shall save alive." - Exodus 1:22 As this began to happen one Hebrew mother hid her newborn son, Moses, in the reeds of the Nile River. There is no estimate of how many innocent babies became food for the crocodiles, but undoubtedly, their blood began to call out to God for retribution. Many years later, when God's judgment came upon Egypt, one of the first things to feel God's wrath was the Nile - the life source for all of Egypt. As if to illustrate to Egypt why He was there to judge, God turned the waters of the river into blood (Exodus 7:17-20). The king of Egypt shed the blood of the Hebrews, therefore, the revenger of blood gave them blood to drink!

This same type of revenge will occur in the coming Tribulation. The Bible tells us that the rivers and sea will become bloody. God declares, "For those who have shed the blood of the innocent and the righteous, they will have blood to drink." "For they have shed the blood of saints and prophets, and thou hast given them blood to drink; for they are worthy." - Revelation 16:6 By the time God's wrath had subsided, Egypt lay in ruins. The last and most terrible judgment was upon Egypt's children. From every household, including the palace of Pharaoh, came wails of lament as each family discovered the lifeless form of their firstborn child. Egypt had been so unconcerned for the sanctity of life where the Hebrews were concerned. They had tossed crying babies into the Nile because it was the law of the land. Now, they were living with the consequences of that despicable act. Now they were the grieving parents. No one was spared, not even Pharaoh. He was personally paying for the treatment of the Hebrew children. His ultimate demise came just a few days later. As Israel, surrounded by canyons and Egyptian chariots, began to cross the Red Sea the waters they passed through formed a wall on either side of them (Exodus 14:22). When they were safely on the other side, Pharaoh and his army began to pursue them, but what was salvation and liberty for the Hebrews, became a grave for Egypt's lung. The walls of water caved in on Pharaoh and his men and drowned them all.

Egyptian law had thrown Israel's children into the water, and now Egypt's symbol of law and power perished in the water, as well (Exodus 15:19). The Collapse Of Jericho When Joshua and Israel crossed over the Jordan to take possession of the Promised Land, there was only one city where God caused the walls to fall down. That city, as you know, was Jericho. Why did God bring those walls down for Israel, and not repeat the miracle as they conquered other cities? The answer is very interesting and alarming. If you have ever had the privilege of traveling to Israel, perhaps, you were able to tour the ancient site of Jericho. As you gaze upon the ruins, you can still see rubble remains of the ancient walls. Years ago, an Israeli guide pointed out to me the remains of a clay jar within the ancient brick walls. The guide said, "When this place was excavated, the archaeologist discovered a large jar within the wall containing the bones of an infant." Archaeology has discovered that the inhabitants of Jericho were members of a religious cult which practiced ritual offerings of children to an idol god. After the child had been sacrificed, they would place the body into a jar and enclose the vessel into the city walls for "good luck." I could clearly see that there were still bone fragments mixed in with the brick. It was then that I realized that God's judgment upon that city had to include bringing down the walls, because the innocent blood of children cried out from within the wall. The

revenger of blood brought the wall down to avenge the slaughter of the innocents, and the entire city was purged with fire! The Walls Of Jerusalem In ancient times, a large idol sat in the valley of Hinnom, situated on the western side of Jerusalem. Moloch, as it was called, was fashioned from iron and was portrayed as half bull and half man. An opening was cut into the belly of the image so that fires could be kindled within the iron beast. As part of a cult ritual, parents would offer their children to Molech. This was called "passing your children through the fire." It was forbidden in the law of Moses for Israel to participate in such idolatry (Deuteronomy 18:10). Strange as it may seem, the wisest man in the world, Solomon, broke the command and allowed his children to be offered to Molech and to be "passed through the fire." Four hundred years later, the Babylonians surrounded the walls of Jerusalem and destroyed the city - including Solomon's Temple - burning it to the ground. Solomon used fire to destroy children, and when God allowed judgment to come upon the city, Jerusalem was itself engulfed in flames. The Warning Of Christ In 30 A.D. In the days just before Jesus went to the cross, through tears He announced to the inhabitants of Jerusalem:

"Upon you may come all the righteous blood shed upon the earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to Zecharias whom ye slew between the porch and the altar . . . O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets and stoned them which are sent unto thee; how oft would I have gathered thy children together" - Matthew 23:35, 37 Notice Jesus said "righteous blood." In other words, innocent blood. The slayers had no justifiable reason to kill these godly people. Notice also that He said from "Abel to Zacharias." Basically, Jesus was announcing that the judgment for 4,000 years of bloodshed was coming upon one generation and one city! Why? Because they were visited by the Messiah and rejected him! Within a generation, the words of Jesus came to pass. In 66 A.D., the Romans lay siege to the city. Before it was over, mothers were eating their own children! After three years of siege, the Roman legions breached the city's fortifications and destroyed the wall. They entered in and set fire to the Temple.

HOW THE LAND BECOMES CURSED The Torah makes it clear. When innocent blood is shed and there is no repentance, then the land becomes cursed. God established the law of innocent blood in Deuteronomy 21. If a man was found dead near a city, then the elders of that city had to go to the closest city and meet with the elders there. In the presence of witnesses, they were to slay a heifer, then take a bowl of water and wash their hands with the blood of the heifer mingling with the water. They then declared they were

innocent of the blood of the slain man. If they refused this law, then their land was cursed by God. This is what happened when Christ was crucified. Three times Pilate declared Jesus innocent and just. He then washed his hands in the presence of the crowd. Every Jewish member of that audience knew the importance of what Pilate was doing. Suddenly they cried out, "His blood be upon us and upon our children" (Matthew 27:25). Because Jesus was an innocent man, the land of Israel came under a curse; furthermore, the people pronounced judgment upon themselves! They knew the law of Moses. However, in His compassion Jesus prayed, "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do" (Luke 23:34). With this simple prayer, Jesus removed the curse from these individuals, but the curse upon the land remained intact. For the past two thousand years, the land of Israel has been under a curse. It has continued to be the backdrop for many deaths of innocent victims. Until recently, very little would grow there. It has only been in the last few decades that the land has shown any signs of coming back to life, just in time for the return of the Messiah. Innocent blood causes the land to be cursed. Think about this. In our country, regions that have historically been the biggest contributors to our food supplies have suffered immensely. Florida, California and other regions have battled massive wildfires. Torrential rain and mud slides affect one region while, simultaneously, other regions suffer severe drought. As a consequence food supplies are critically hampered - and this is while things remain relatively "good." One can only speculate what will happen in the coming months

and years. To make matters worse, neither the American people nor our leadership have a clue as to what is going on. Many will pass these problems off as a result of global warming! It is getting hotter alright, but not just because of pollution emissions. Another temperature is rising. The heat and anger of a righteous God is beginning to be felt. It seems we have reached a time where His patience is wearing thin. The pattern is there. Abortion is nothing more than legalized murder. There is a fraction of adult society that thinks nothing of physically and sexually abusing our kids. The courts think nothing of letting them off relatively easy. Jesus said it would have been better for these to tie a millstone around their necks and be cast into the sea (Matthew 18:6). When we reach the point where we defile and murder our own children - God's precious gift - then we have reached a point where God must act. America shall not escape. As a nation, we will face the same judgments that ransacked the ancient empires. God's voice will allow our hedge of protection, the walls around America, to fall violently. Just as surely as the shofar blasts flattened the walls of Jericho, the voice of innocent blood will bring the walls of our nation raining down. Just as Pharaoh and his army perished as the walls of the Red Sea came crashing down upon them, so too will this nation feel the blast of God's fury as He avenges the blood of the innocents we have slaughtered. The walls of Jerusalem, the city of the great King, were judged. Just because we are America, the most blessed nation

in the history of mankind, can we expect to escape His justice? No. The walls of America will also come down. Recall that when God judged Sodom for its sin, it was the cities of the plain, the coastal region, that felt the heat of God's anger. If, on one extreme, we have violent storms, then the other extreme will be drought. As you all are aware, Hurricane Katrina completely devastated the Gulf Coast in parts of Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana. Then the subsequent flooding of New Orleans created not only a financial drain on the country but also further exposed the political strain in the US. Furthermore, instead of bringing people to repentance, the flood waters provoked those who were determined to rebuild the Crescent City to do so that the debauchery associated with her could continue. Almost simultaneously, the southeastern US has been experiencing what is called a "100 Year Drought." During this terrible drought Atlantans have, at times, feared that they would have no water at all. Think about it - two cities within five hundred miles of one another: one under water and one without enough water. I am fearful that these circumstances are but the beginning of many such instances. More and more we shall see the effects of the curse upon our land.

AMERICA'S CHILDREN Everyone remembers the terrible tragedy that occurred at Littleton Colorado's Columbine High School. That is where two teenage boys, armed with sawed off shotguns, assault weapons and home-made bombs, marched into their school and

gunned down over thirty of their classmates. Twelve students and one teacher died. After the killers knew that they could not escape, they put a gun to their heads and pulled the trigger. More recently, a disturbed Virginia Tech student massacred thirty-two of his fellow students and teachers before taking his own life. This murderous rampage is currently the most deadly school shooting on record. The question that is always raised when something like this happens is "WHY?" Why is this country experiencing this frightening trend of senseless killings? Perhaps the Bible gives us the answer. Egypt's lust for control and power seduced them into thinking that they could murder children and get away with it. They mingled innocent blood with the waters of the Nile. Years later, God stirred up that blood and made them drink it. Moreover, because they had not preferred the life of an innocent child over their own lusts, He took their children away from them through death. Because Jericho did not hesitate to destroy the lives of innocent children for the sake of their own lusts, God pronounced that the city and all its inhabitants were cursed (Joshua 6:17). God instructed Joshua that no one, whether they be young or old, save the harlot Rahab, should live. That means that many of the inhabitants of Jericho saw their children slain. The inhabitants of Jerusalem and their leaders partook of a ghastly ritual that required the lives of their innocent children. These people were not pagans. These were people

who had known God and had witnessed His displays of might and power. How could they have possibly been seduced into thinking that they could get away with this? Still, they caused their own children to "pass through the fire." In retribution, God caused them to pass through the fire. Don't overlook the fact that before that happened, history records that many of the inhabitants of Jerusalem ate their own children. So, what are we to make of this? It seems that in each case, because that nation's lusts drove them to such barbaric acts as to murder innocent children, that when judgment did visit them, something happened to their children. It was as if their crime demanded "an eye for an eye." Could it be that this is why we see our children being molested? Is it possible that, because we think nothing of sucking the brains out of an unborn baby, the brains of our teenagers and even our preteens are being twisted and manipulated to the point that they will rape, murder and commit suicide? You be the judge! If God's judgment does fall upon America soon then know that ALL will be affected. This is why - He causes it to rain upon the just and the unjust. However, we must understand that judgment does not necessarily have to be a bad thing. When a plaintiff and a defendant go into a courtroom, someone will leave vindicated, and someone will leave having a decision rendered against them. Someone will leave feeling that justice was finally served. Hopefully, someone will leave repentant of what landed them in court. If you and I are present to witness God's judgment and we have been found pure before Him, we can trust that His judgments will vindicate us. What caused the wicked Egyptians to grope in darkness only served to

distinguish the light that was in Goshen. When judgment comes, perhaps God wants us to be there so that He will have the opportunity to show a wicked generation how God cares for his own and brings retribution upon those who defy Him. Someone needs to be in a position to tell those groping in darkness how to come into the light. There will be many questions and many opportunities and platforms for God's people to provide the answer. Judgment is also intended to bring people to repentance not just the wicked, but the Christian as well. Many Christians are living lives unbefitting of a Christian testimony. Like children, we sometimes push our heavenly Father to His limits, leaving Him no other choice but to chasten us in an effort to bring about a change in our heart. If this is you, then when the revenger of blood comes through the land, He may have to deal with errant children as well as the wicked. There are some examples in Scripture that should cause us to take account of our sin and repent. Likewise, there are stories in Scripture that should cause us to take heart. When God determined to judge Sodom and Gomorrah, the relationship that Abraham had with the Lord spared Lot and his family. It is not the time to throw up our hands and say, "all is lost." To the contrary, let us pray fervently for our children. They, even more so than we, are feeling the consequence of our mistakes and the mistakes of the prior generation. Though it does not seem fair, still that is reality. In this life, outside of salvation through the Messiah, our children are the most precious gift we have. We should be

determined as never before to stand in the gap for the children of this nation. Find one who needs a holy influence in their life and become that influence. Pray for your country and its leaders. After all, the problems we have in our country are only a reflection of the condition of the church. There is hope! The Lord has promised us that: "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

5 PATTERNS IN PROPHECY Whether you know it or not, patterns affect you everyday. After all, we are all created according to a pattern. When God designed us, He did not just throw us together. He had a plan a blueprint, if you will and a blueprint is just another way of saying pattern. Our parents, our childhood - everything about us - is a pattern that influences how we live. In this chapter I want to stress to you the fact that, beyond the normal everyday patterns, there are patterns in Biblical and secular history that affect each and everyone of us. "Whatever is, has been long ago; and whatever is going to be has been before; God brings to pass again what was in the distant past and disappeared." - Ecclesiastes 3:15 (TLB) There exists a principle in the Bible that teaches significant events of today almost always have a historical precedent. Moreover, it is God Himself who established the pattern in the beginning and who causes it to be repeated in the future.

THE FEASTS OF ISRAEL A great example of this truth is found in the Seven Feasts

of Israel. Basically, all seven festivals were, and still are, considered patterns for future events. For example, the crucifixion of Messiah was prophesied in Scripture long before Jesus ever walked the earth. Psalm 22 is a good example of this, but no prophetic pattern is so obviously direct as the story of Passover. If one studies all facets of the Passover story and compares it to the crucifixion of Jesus, you will discover that Jesus' execution fits the Passover pattern in every detail. Below is a list, in very brief detail, of some of the similarities between the story of Passover and the New Testament account of the Crucifixion. E XODUS 12

GOSPELS

Lamb taken into house

Jesus enters Temple

Lamb without blemish

"No fault" in him

Lamb examined 4 days

Jesus tested 4 days

Lamb slain on 14 Aviv

Jesus crucified on 14 Aviv

Lamb killed at 3 pm

Jesus died at 3 pm

As we all know, three days after the crucifixion, Jesus arose from the dead, bringing with Him all the saints of old who had died. The Bible teaches us that He presented them unto God (Ephesians 4:8). That particular Sunday morning following Passover would have been the Festival of First Fruits (Leviticus 23:10-14). At the time Jesus was coming from the tomb, accompanied by the resurrected saints of old, men and women would have been proceeding to the Temple to offer the firstfruits of their spring harvest to the Lord. This is why Paul referred to Jesus as the "firstfruits of them that slept" (1

Corinthians 15:20). There are many more examples of how Jesus fulfilled the Passover pattern - too many, in fact, to go into here. We just wanted the reader to see that God does fulfill prophecy according to patterns of the past. Passover is just one example. There is another good example found in Exodus 19. This particular chapter relates the story of how Israel received the revelation of the Torah at Mount Sinai. God came down upon the mountain and spoke to the people audibly, giving them the Law of Moses. The day that God came down upon the mountain would later be called Shavuot or, as we say, Pentecost. Within Exodus 19 and the story of Pentecost lies another pattern for a future event. We need to interject at this point that Pentecost and Passover are linked. For Israel to correctly calculate when to celebrate Pentecost, they had to start the calculation at the Feast of First Fruits which we just mentioned. (We should note that Passover, Unleavened Bread and Firstfruits all fall within a seven day period initiated by the Passover celebration.) That means that Jesus' death, burial and resurrection are all linked to the feast of Pentecost and, specifically, the events of Acts 2. "And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance."

- Acts 2:1-4 Had it not been for the Passover in Egypt, including the death of the firstborn, there would have been no deliverance of Israel and thus, no revelation at Sinai. Likewise, had it not been for the resurrection, the events of Acts 2 would have never occurred. Furthermore, Jesus, before He went away, commanded them that they should wait in Jerusalem until this event had taken place. By doing this, He was connecting His death, burial and resurrection to the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. Now understanding this, let us take a closer look at the pattern that Exodus 19 establishes. We know that when God descended upon Sinai, there was thunder, lightning, and the noise of a shofar. The mountain itself smoked and quaked to the point that the people in the camp trembled (Exodus 19:16). We also know that God began to speak to the people in an audible voice from out of the midst of a fire (Deuteronomy 4:10-12). What the Bible does not share with us directly, however, bears mentioning as well. Jewish tradition tells us that, besides all the things mentioned above, many other strange manifestations accompanied the giving of the Law at Sinai. Listed below are the most peculiar: God spoke in all languages known to man. God's voice issued forth as a flame of fire. God's voice divided into tongues of fire. This is very interesting in light of what Acts 2 tells us

about the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost. They heard a loud, roaring wind. Cloven, divided tongues of fire appeared over them. People of every nation heard in their own language. Here again, we see how God established a pattern and then fulfilled prophecy at a later time according to that pattern. In addition, it seems possible that God is not completely finished with the pattern of Pentecost. It may, in fact, offer some clues about another future event - the Resurrection. Compare what happened in Exodus 19 to what we know about this great event. First of all, the Bible tells us that the catching away will be preceded by a loud voice and the sound of a trumpet. "For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God and the dead in Christ shall rise first; Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air; and so shall we ever be with the Lord." - 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17 "In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump; for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed." -1Corinthians 15:52

This is exactly the pattern that we discover in Exodus 19. "And it came to pass on the third day in the morning, that there were thunders and lightnings, and a thick cloud upon the mount, and the voice of the trumpet exceeding loud; so that all the people that were in the camp trembled. . . . And mount Sinai was altogether on a smoke, because the LORD descended upon it in fire; . . . And when the voice of the trumpet sounded long, and waxed louder and louder, Moses spake, and God answered him by a voice. And the LORD came down upon mount Sinai, on the top of the mount; and the LORD called Moses up to the top of the mount and Moses went up." - Exodus 19:16, 18-20 Notice the similarities between those scriptures relating to the coming of the Lord and the passages in Exodus. AT MT. S INAI

COMING OF THE L ORD

Came down on the 3rd day

The Third Day (Hosea 6:1-3)

Came down in clouds

Coming in clouds (Acts 1:9-11)

Noise of the trumpet

Trump of God will sound

God came in a five

Comes in fire (2 Thess. 1:7-8)

God answered with a voice

A shout and voice of archangel

God descended from heaven

Christ descends from heaven

God called Moses up

All believers caught up

Moses went up

Believers meet him in the air

Now, if we tie all this together, this is what we see

developing within the pattern. The accounts found in Exodus describe how Israel was delivered out of the hands of Pharaoh. Through the shed blood of the Lamb, God provided for their salvation. He led them through the Red Sea and on to Sinai. At Sinai, He displayed His mighty power and majesty, speaking to them audibly. It was there that He gave them the Law of Moses. The Rabbis teach that the freedom they obtained at Passover would not have been complete without the revelation at Sinai. Only then could they proceed to the Promised Land. In the New Testament, Jesus is our Passover Lamb. Through His death, we are delivered from the bonds of Pharaoh (Satan). After His death, God poured out His Spirit on the day of Pentecost with awesome signs, just as He did at Sinai. When God pours out His Spirit upon us, it is as if He writes His law upon our hearts (Jeremiah 31:33).In addition, because of the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus (our Passover Lamb) and the outpouring of God's Spirit, we can now look to the future with great hope. We expect that any day, the Son of God will announce His descent from heaven with a shout and the voice of a trumpet.

THE BOOK OF RUTH While we are on the subject of Pentecost, it seems this would be a good time to introduce the pattern found in Ruth's story. Each year at Pentecost, the book of Ruth is read in synagogues around the world. This is a very interesting point because, hidden within this short but fascinating story, we believe, are two possible patterns - one which has been fulfilled

and the other is, perhaps, yet to be fulfilled. We will not take the time to recount the entire story here. We encourage the reader to take the time to read the account and familiarize yourself with the details of the story. So, in summary, this is what we find. A Jewish woman, Naomi, had wandered among the Gentiles for several years. During that time, she had lost her husband, her sons and her inheritance. The only thing she did have was a faithful daughter-in-law who decided to return with Naomi to the land of her birth, Bethlehem of Judah. The daughter-in-law, Ruth, not only returned with her, but professed faith in the God of Israel. The duo arrived in Bethlehem at the beginning of the barley harvest (Ruth 1:22).We know that would have been in early spring. It was around that time that Ruth was introduced to Boaz, a wealthy kinsman of Naomi. After gleaning in his field for some time, Ruth finally went to him so that he could take her in. That occurred when the barley was being threshed (Ruth 3:2). Interestingly, that would have been about the time of Passover. It was that very night, at midnight in fact, that Boaz promised this virtuous woman (Ruth 3:11) that he would redeem her and Naomi. Before she left, he gave her a gift of six measures of barley in addition to the promise. The Bible says that on that very day, Boaz went to the city to find the one kinsman who was a closer relative to Naomi than he was. In the presence of ten elders, he challenged this man to redeem Naomi's inheritance and to take Ruth as his bride. After he refused, Boaz declared that he will take Ruth as his wife. Tradition says that just a few weeks later, during the wheat harvest or as we know it, Pentecost, Boaz and Ruth were

married. In fact, this is one of the main reasons that the book of Ruth is read during Pentecost. Here is the pattern. Naomi represents the Jewish people. For centuries they had been forced to wander among the Gentile nations, having lost their inheritance - the land of Israel. After some time, they returned with the aid of some righteous Gentiles. Ruth represents those Gentiles who profess faith in the God of Israel and who link themselves with their Jewish brothers and sisters and join them at Bethlehem, which means "house of bread." Boaz, the kinsman redeemer, represents the Messiah. Notice that Boaz did not take Naomi as his bride, but took Ruth, the Gentile. Likewise, the bride of Messiah is comprised mainly of Gentile believers. Yet, because of the Gentile bride being joined to the kinsman redeemer, Israel is also reunited with her inheritance. It is Naomi who takes the offspring of Boaz and Ruth to her bosom and becomes nurse to it (Ruth 4:16). The fact that Boaz had to challenge the jurisdiction of another kinsman in the presence of ten witnesses alludes to how Jesus (Boaz) "saved" his bride instead of their nearer kinsman - the Law of Moses (represented by ten witnesses). Notice also that Boaz (Messiah) and Ruth (Gentile bride) meet at the barley harvest (Passover) and wed at the wheat harvest (Pentecost). This is a perfect picture of the covenant Messiah made with mankind at Passover and which was confirmed at Pentecost with the birth of the Church. Ruth's story may also allude to another future event. If we consider that, although Ruth was betrothed to Boaz at Passover, she did not enter the wedding chamber until Pentecost. Consider also that this story is read at Pentecost, a

festival whose pattern was established at Mount Sinai. It was at Mount Sinai that God descended with the blast of a trumpet and many other awesome sights, painting a beautiful picture of the Rapture. Perhaps the story of Ruth serves as a confirming witness of Pentecost's pattern for the future and portrays a picture of the future marriage of Messiah and His bride. Though Enoch's story has nothing to do with Ruth, it is interesting to note that, traditionally, Enoch, like the Church, was born on Pentecost. Also, traditionally, it is believed that Enoch was translated on Pentecost. Enoch is one of the most interesting personalities in the Bible. In fact, in my opinion, Enoch is a picture of the Church. He is the seventh man from Adam, seven being the number of completion, perfection and rest. He lived 365 years which represents the cycle of a year. He was translated alive (Gen. 5 & Heb. 11)

PROPHECIES WITHIN GENEALOGIES Thus far, we have seen how Biblical laws and festivals and even a person's life paint a picture of some future event. Now we would like to illustrate how even the most overlooked portions of the Bible can contain patterns for the future. Perhaps this is the answer to the question many have asked: "Why did God put those boring genealogies in the Bible?" Genesis 5 is a chapter rich in patterns and mysteries and also contains a prophetic "message" within the passages.

Several years ago, Chuck Missler published in his magazine, Personal Update, an interesting find based on the key figures in Genesis 5. Mr. Missler's article centered around an exhaustive word study on the ten men mentioned in the genealogy. It was discovered that the meaning of their respective names, when read in chronological order, contained a prophecy. Beginning with Adam and continuing through Noah, we would like to show the reader what is revealed. Adam means "man" (Gen. 5:2) Seth means "appointed" (Gen. 5:8) Enos means "mortal" (Gen. 5:11) Cainan means "sorrow" (Gen. 5:14) Mahalaleel means "blessed God (Gen. 5:17) Jared means "shall come down" (Gen. 5:20) Enoch means "teaching" (Gen. 5:24) Methuselah means "his death brings" (Gen. 5:27) Lamech means "despairing" (Gen. 5:28) Noah means "rest" (Gen. 5:32) When Moses inscribed the words of Genesis 5 on the sacred parchment 3,500 years ago, within the words was a prophecy concerning God's plan for redemption. The prophecy stated that "Man (is) appointed mortal sorrow (but the) blessed God shall come down teaching (that) his death brings (the) despairing rest." This is simply amazing, but take a look at another genealogical prophecy.

If you combine the information contained in Genesis 5 with the genealogy in Genesis 11, you will discover that from Adam to the birth of Abraham (Genesis 5:3 to 11:26) totals 1,948 years. This is very interesting for the following reason: Abraham is considered to be the first Hebrew, because he was the first to cross over the Jordan. The Hebrew word translated as "cross over" is avar, from which we get the word ivri or "Hebrew." Of course, since he was the first Hebrew, you could say that Abraham was the father of the Israeli nation. So, from Adam to the establishment of "Israel" was 1,948 years. Now as we know, Jesus is referred to as the second man, or the last Adam (1 Corinthians 15:45, 47). We also know that the Gregorian calendar dates time as either B.C. (Before Christ) or A.D. (Anno Domini - year since Christ's birth). On May 15, 1948 - which is 1948 years after the birth of Christ - Israel became a nation once again. Here again, another prophetic pattern is concealed in, of all things, a genealogy!

THE FUTURE IS HIDDEN IN THE PAST The Bible is clear on the subject - there are patterns in Scripture that dictate how things will turn out. For instance, in Genesis 1 & 2, there is no sin, no pain and no sorrow. Everything is in harmony with God's will. Compare this with the last two chapters of the Bible, Revelation 21 & 22, and you will find that things are exactly as they were in the beginning of human history. Even the Tree of Life is present in the end of the Bible just as it was in the beginning. When it comes to human history, things will end the way they began!

When we look at the life of Jesus, we can see the evidence of this truth. In the beginning of Jesus' earthly life, we find there are four notable people mentioned. They are: Mary (Matthew 1:18) Joseph (Matthew 1:18) Herod (Matthew 2:1) Simeon or Simon (Luke 2:25) At His death we find four other people by the same name: Mary (Matthew 27:56) Joseph (Matthew 27:57) Herod (Luke 23:7) Simon (Matthew 27:32) At the beginning of Jesus' ministry we find that He we was tempted by Satan. Three times Satan challenged Jesus with: If you are the son of God (Matthew 4:3) If you are the son of God (Matthew 4:6) If you will fall down and worship me (Matthew 49) At the close of His earthly ministry, we see that Satan is still taunting Him with "If you are the Son of God."

"And they that passed by reviled him, wagging their heads and saying, thou that destroyest the temple, and buildest it in three days, save thyself. If thou be the Son of God, come down from the cross. Likewise also the chief priests mocking him, with the scribes and elders said, He saved others; himself he cannot save. If he be the King of Israel, let him now come down from the cross, and we will believe him." - Matthew 27:39-42 "The soldiers also mocked him, coming to him, and offering him vinegar, and saying, If thou be the king of the Jews, save thyself."- Luke 23:36-37 There are many other examples of this pattern throughout the life of Jesus. Additionally, there are patterns found in the life of Jesus that relate to His return. Once again, these patterns illustrate how the beginning has already determined the end. In the beginning of His ministry, Jesus was introduced as the Lamb of God (John 1:29). At the close of His ministry, Jesus is once again referred to as the Lamb of God (Revelation 22:3). The resurrection was accompanied by a great earthquake that shook Jerusalem (Matthew 28:2). When Jesus returns to earth, there will be another great earthquake that will shake Jerusalem. In fact, this one will cause the Mount of Olives to cleave into two parts (Zechariah 14:4).The Mount of Olives is where the Lord will return, because this is where He left the earth (Acts 1:9). The two men in white apparel announced at that time, that He would return in like manner (Acts 1:11).

PARALLELS BETWEEN ISRAEL AND JESUS In every way possible, the man Jesus fulfilled the plan of God for the nation of Israel. It is only fitting that the two share similarities. Both were born in Canaan. Israel had to move to Egypt in order to be spared from death (Genesis 46:6). Likewise, Jesus had to be taken to Egypt in order to live (Matthew 2:13). Israel began their conquest of the Promised Land after they crossed the Jordan. Jesus began His ministry after He was baptized in the Jordan at the very place where Israel crossed over. Israel wandered in the wilderness for forty years. Jesus went into the wilderness to be tempted for forty days. Israel was comprised of twelve tribes under the leadership of Moses and Joshua. Jesus had twelve disciples. When Joshua (Yehoshua -"He will save") died, he left Israel in the charge of the elders. When Jesus (Yeshua - "He saves") ascended to heaven, he left the disciples to carry on the work. From there the pattern seems to continue. As Israel moved in to possess the land, God had allowed certain enemies to remain in order to test His people. As the Church began to possess the kingdom, they encountered an enemy who still persists today. In time, Israel forsook the Lord. During those times, God raised up deliverers to challenge the people to return to God. Likewise, throughout her history the church has forsaken the Lord. In those times, God raised up reformers who called the Church to repentance. It seems that the story of Israel also provides a pattern for

the future, as well. After some time, Israel began to cry out for a king so that they could be like the nations of the world. In the future, the nations of the world will forget God and embrace a dictator unlike any the world has ever seen. The man Israel made king eventually turned on the priesthood and persecuted them. As we know, the Antichrist will persecute God's people, Israel. At Saul's death, David was made King. After seven years, David conquered Jerusalem and subdued his enemies. At the close of a seven year tribulation, King Jesus will subdue all His enemies and make Jerusalem His capital. David's son, Solomon, built a temple upon Mount Moriah and established a kingdom that enjoyed unprecedented peace. When Jesus comes to rule and reign, He also will construct a Temple and be sovereign of the world in a time that will see one thousand years of peace.

SIGNS AT CHRIST'S FIRST AND SECOND COMING The more we compare Jesus' first coming with the times preceding His second coming, the more interesting the parallel becomes. In the time before the birth of Christ, the entire Mediterranean world was under the occupation and sovereignty of the Roman Empire. This time was known as the Pax Romana, or "Roman Peace." In the time preceding the Second Advent, we believe the Bible teaches that there will, once again, be a world-wide government promising universal peace. We call this anticipated global government the New World Order. Paul corroborates that there will indeed be a

space of time when the world will announce an era of peace and safety (1 Thessalonians 5:3), which will be followed death and destruction. At the time of Jesus' birth, the world was filled with wicked rulers. Herod was so ungodly that he ordered the death of countless numbers of young Jewish children. Today, we also live in an era of wicked rulers who have forgotten the value of human life. Every year, under the protection of these leaders and their government's laws, thousands of innocent children are slaughtered within their mothers' wombs. To announce His birth, God placed a cosmic sign in the heavens - the star of Bethlehem. Jesus said that the days before His return would be marked by signs in the sun, moon and stars (Luke 21:25). These, as well as other signs, stirred the people of the First Century. In that day, many people were expecting the Messiah to be revealed. This is one of the reasons that John the Baptist was queried, "Are you the Messiah?" (John 1:19-20). Today, many are interpreting the signs to mean that very soon, the Messiah will once again be revealed to the world. There are many Jews who agree with us, not on who that person will be, but on the fact that we are living in the days of redemption.

THE COMING OF ELIJAH "Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the corning of the great and dreadful day of the Lord." - Malachi 4:5

As we know from this passage, there will come a day when Elijah, who has never tasted death, will be sent back to earth to herald the coming of God's judgment and the Messianic Kingdom. It is commonly believed that Elijah is one of the two witnesses that John writes of in Revelation 11:3. This knowledge, coupled with the truth that, "what has been will be" (Ecclesiastes 3:15), provokes us to compare events from Elijah's life with events described in Revelation. We have prepared a comparison table below to illustrate the similarities of Elijah's ministry in the Old Testament with that of the Tribulation Period as described by John in the book of Revelation. E LIJAH'S DAY

T RIBULATION PERIOD

1 Kings 17 - 2 Kings 2

Revelation 6 - 13

42 months of judgment

42 months of judgment

42 months of no rain

42 months of no rain

Famine in the land

Famine in the world

Food rationing

Food rationing

Brook dried up

Rivers dry up

Faithful in the caves

A faithful remnant

Fire from Heaven

Fire from Heaven

A false religion

A false prophet

7000 did not bow to Ba'al

7000 die at the resurrection

Caught into heaven

Caught up after 3 days

This comparison reveals that there are no less than ten

points that are common between the two time periods, again illustrating that the ending is revealed in the beginning.

PATTERNS IN SECULAR HISTORY We have seen quite clearly how patterns for the future can be revealed in Biblical history, but what about secular history? Can it be that there are lessons to learn from our history books? The answer, I believe, is emphatically "Yes." We must understand that it is God who influences the course of history, whether it is recorded in the Bible or not. Therefore, it is logical to assume that we can glean important information from the secular past, and may even be able to discern certain aspects of the future from what we know of the past. There seems to be a Biblical precedent for this, for the Bible says: "And of the children of Issachar, which were men that had understanding of the times, to know what Israel ought to do . . . and all their brethren were at their commandment." - 1 Chronicles 12:32 There are two key words found in this particular passage of Scripture - "understanding" and "times." In Hebrew, the word "understanding" is binah and means "enlightenment" or "illumination." Something about the "times" stirred these men to the point that they could predict what course of action Israel should take. That "something" seems to be indicated by the word "times."

In Hebrew, the root of this word is et. According to Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon, this word has at least two dimensions. First of all, it means "time" in the sense of experiences. In other words, they understood the significance of the past. Secondly, it means "time" in the sense of occurrences. In other words, they understood the significance of the present when compared to the past. So, the children of Issachar had understanding of the past and the present and by comparing these two factors, they could accurately predict what Israel should be doing in preparation for the future. Notice that all of Israel listened to what they had to say. In short, these men understood that historical patterns do repeat throughout the cycles of history. They understood that Ecclesiastes 3:15 - "that which has been, shall be" - was for secular as well as Biblical history. That being understood, let us now take a look at two events in American history separated by a century that nevertheless seem to be connected.

LINCOLN - KENNEDY CONNECTION One of the most fascinating examples of patterns in secular history is the Lincoln-Kennedy connection. Below is a table that compares the similarities. Elected 100 years apart (1860 & 1960 respectively). Both Presidents had seven letters in last name. The election of each President was divisive. Both Presidents were involved in civil rights.

Lincoln warned not to go to theater, Kennedy warned not to go to Dallas. Lincoln shot in a theater, Kennedy's killer hid in a theater. Both Presidents slain on a Friday Both wives were sitting next to their husband when shot. Both had successors named Johnson. Both successors born 100 years apart (1808 & 1908). Both successors were southern Democrats. Both successors were former Senators. Both President's remains carried on same caisson. Both assassins killed before coming to trial. Booth and Oswald were born 100 years apart. Booth and Oswald were southerners with radical ideals. The names of both assassins each contain fifteen letters. Kennedy was riding in a Lincoln automobile when shot. How anyone could deny the existence and repetition of historical patterns after reading this is hard to comprehend. Still, there are others to contemplate.

AMERICAN - ISRAELI CONNECTION

As many of you may already know, I hold to a strong conviction that America and Israel share a common spiritual bond. I believe that God raised up America for a particular purpose just as surely as He raised up Israel for a purpose. That is not to say, however, that we have permanently replaced Israel; to the contrary, we also strongly feel that God is slowly turning His attention back to that tiny country. Still, the point I would like to make here is that critical events and dates in Israeli history seem to have parallels in American history. For instance, Columbus' voyage to the New World was to have begun on 9 Av - an important Hebrew date. But for fear of bad luck, Columbus, who may have been of Jewish ancestry decided to postpone the departure for one day. When he did arrive at what he christened San Salvador about ten weeks later, the Hebrew date was 21 Tishri. On this date the Jews were celebrating Hoshana Rabba, the last day of the Feast of Tabernacles - a feast that commemorated the Jews wandering through the wilderness. The fact that Columbus' discovery of a land that would offer safe haven to Jews on that particular date is especially noteworthy. If we move ahead further in American history we find other significant events in American history occurring on significant dates in Israeli history. In 1607, English settlers landed in present day Virginia, establishing the first permanent English colony of Jamestown in the New World. What is so incredibly interesting though, is that they stepped off the boat onto the sight that would be Jamestown on May 14, 1607. May 14, as you know, is significant in prophetic history, for this is the day in the year 1948 that David Ben Gurion announced that the Jews were establishing the modern state of Israel.

Almost two centuries later, the descendants of those and other English colonists were under the tyranny of England's king. Tensions on both sides were mounting when, on April 19, 1775, those tensions exploded into what history calls the "shot heard 'round the world" - the American Revolution. The situation was this: a small, rag-tag force of farmers faced the most powerful and up-to-date military force in the world, commanded by the most powerful tyrant in the world. If you think about it, that is exactly what Israel faced when they were in Egyptian bondage. Of course, we know that God passed through the land one night and delivered them. That night we now know as Passover. Interestingly, April 19, 1775, on the Hebrew calendar, fell during the Passover week! If the struggle for our independence began in the Spring, it concluded in the fall of 1781 - October 19, 1781, to be exact. This marked the surrender of the British forces under Cornwallis at Yorktown, Virginia. (Coincidentally, Yorktown was only a short distance from Jamestown). The British had been under siege for almost a month at that point and faced annihilation. During that siege, important American and French operations against the British seemed to coincide with three very important Biblical dates - the feast of Trumpets, Yom Kippur and the Feast of Tabernacles. In other words, the American Revolution, which began during Passover, for all practical purposes came to a close during the Fall feasts. Once again, it seems that American history has a very Israeli flavor. Though the war would continue officially for another two years, all historians agree that American independence was decided at Yorktown. It took seven years to establish and solidify our hold on the American

colonies and to forge them into a united government. Likewise, the Bible says that, though David was anointed king, it took him seven years before he would conquer Jerusalem and unite all of Israel under him. The Bible also tells us that David reigned for forty years. He was succeeded by Solomon, who also reigned forty years. After Solomon's death, the kingdom of Israel split into north and south and remained divided. If we establish that 1781 is the date that American independence was secured and move ahead eighty years (corresponding to the combined reigns of David and Solomon) we come to the year 1861. It was in that year that the United States of America was divided into North and South. Thankfully, God saw fit that the Union would not remain divided as was the case with Israel. If so, perhaps we would have ceased to exist, as did the Northern Kingdom of Israel. We could go on and on, but suffice it to say that there are many parallels between American and Israeli history, some of which we will discuss later in the book. But for now we want to look at one last pattern in Israeli history that may have an influence on American history.

THE SIGNIFICANCE OF FORTY-TWO If you are a student of the Bible, then you realize that there is often significance in the use of certain numbers. For instance, most people realize that the value seven is associated with completion or perfection. We want to focus in on the value forty-two and show the reader how this number may be

significant to Americans in the very near future. As we go through the Bible and compare the verses where this value is used, there are two things that come to light. One is that this number is associated with judgment and death. On three different occasions we find this to be so. When Elisha returned from witnessing the translation of Elijah, the young people of the area began to mock. For their irreverence, Elisha cursed them and the Bible says that bears came out of the woods and killed forty-two of them (2 Kings 2:24). This is an interesting picture. We live in a day when our countrymen think nothing of mocking the Bible and those who believe it. This, coupled with the fact that one of our notable political and military opponents is symbolized by a bear, prompts some serious thought on whether there is a prophecy hidden within that ancient story. We will have to wait and see. On another occasion, Jehu - the man God chose to bring judgment on Ahab - finds forty-two men who were on their way to pay homage to the king. The Bible says that he killed every one of them (2 Kings 10:14). The third occasion is found in Ezra 2:24. This Scripture simply says, "The children of Azmaveth, forty and two." The name Azmaveth means "strong one of death." So, here again, we see the association the value forty-two has with death. The second thing we discover about the value forty-two is its association with finality or perhaps a better way to phrase it would be, the fulfillment of time. For instance, the first chapter of Matthew lists the genealogy of Jesus Christ. The genealogy tells us that "From Abraham to David are fourteen generations; and from David to the carrying away into Babylon are fourteen generations; and from the carrying away into Babylon unto

Christ are fourteen generations" (Matthew 1:17). Everything that God promised Abraham was made possible by the advent of Christ, so it is appropriate that Jesus' birth should mark the fulfillment of that promise. His birth was the final generation logged in the genealogy. If we combine the three sets of generations, we will find that the total number is forty-two. The book of Revelation also mentions the number fortytwo on two different occasions (Revelation 11:2 & 13:5).These two verses allot forty-two months to a specific period of time. The first occurrence of forty-two is the amount of time that the temple will be trodden underfoot by the Gentiles. The second occurrence is the time allotted to the Beast to continue. We believe that this space of time is one and the same - the final forty-two months of the Tribulation. Yet, Revelation 11:3 mentions another space of time - a thousand two hundred and sixty days - whereby the two witnesses will prophesy. Based on the Biblical calendar, these men will prophesy for a total of forty-two months, but not during the time the Beast is in control of the Temple. Therefore, it must be the previous forty-two months. By comparing these Scriptures with Daniel's prophecy, we can ascertain that the seven-year Tribulation is divided into two forty-two month periods. The first time span is when the two witnesses will be allowed to prophesy. When their time is fulfilled, they will be killed by the Antichrist who is just coming to power (Revelation 11:7). From that point, the Antichrist, being the final kingdom of man, will have forty-months to rule and make

war.

THE FORTY-TWO KINGS Judgment, death and finality - these are the elements associated with the value forty-two. Nowhere is that exemplified more clearly than with Israel's kings. Throughout the history of the Israeli monarchy, the Bible states many times that these men were evil, leading the people into idolatry and wickedness. Finally God said that is enough and decided that He would put an end to it. The final Jewish monarch was Zedekiah. The Bible says that this man was evil and "prophesied lies in the name of the Lord (Jeremiah 29:21). Before his reign was over, the once prosperous people of Jerusalem were going hungry and being threatened by foreign powers. The most interesting fact about Zedekiah is that he was the forty-second king. After him, there were no others! Many books have been written on the subject of numbers in the Bible and their significance. One such book, Number In Scripture, was written by the renowned scholar E.W. Bullinger. Of the value forty-two, Mr. Bullinger wrote, "Forty-two is a number connected with Antichrist." If there is something to this cycle, and if we do witness a severe declination of American power, it could open the door to the infamous man we know as Antichrist. Interestingly secular history provides a vivid picture of what this man may be like and how he could come to power.

ADOLE HITLER: AN ANTICHRIST PROTOTYPE Several years ago, I heard a supposedly true story about a group of missionaries who were ministering in Tibet in the early 1930's. The story goes that one morning in 1933, the missionaries awoke to find many of the natives running around in a frenzy. When they asked what the commotion was about, they were told that the Tibetan monks claimed something unusual was transpiring in the supernatural world. These monks claimed that all of their chief deities had left the Himalayan region and had moved to Germany. Not long after that, the missionaries learned about the election of Adolf Hitler. They also learned that the very day he came to power was the same day the monks had been so upset. Adolf Hitler is one of the most despised men in history, and with good reason. How is it possible that an insignificant wallpaper hanger, a failed painter and lowly corporal in some obscure Bavarian regiment could attain such power and infamous notoriety? Some would blame the aftermath of World War I and what it unloaded on the German people as the culprit. Some would say that the West, because they did not counter his aggression soon enough, was to blame. These things certainly set the stage for the war that would come, but that still does not explain how Hitler managed to get to that level of power in the first place. It seems as if the powers of darkness were in league to ensure Hitler would rise to power. There is an interesting story that sheds some light on how Hitler's meteoric rise to power came about. Supposedly, young

Adolf Hitler visited a museum in Vienna, Austria. In the museum was a spear said to be the one that pierced the side of Christ. The spear had been dubbed the Spear of Destiny. The legend that accompanied the spear said that whoever was in possession of the spear would rule the world. Hitler, it is said, saw an apparition - the Spirit of the spear - and was, on that very day, possessed by this spirit. The story suggests that from that day forward marked the rise of Adolf Hitler. Even if this story is more fable than fact, it is well known that high ranking Nazis were well acquainted with the occult and practiced many dark rituals. Heinrich Himmler, the Reichsfuehrer of the Schutzstaffel (S.S.), employed many occultic practices in his recruitment of S.S. officers. Joseph Goebbels, Hitler's propaganda minister, and Frau Goebbels were deeply involved with occultic practices. Hitler embraced and encouraged these pagan beliefs, in the belief that it was Teutonic heritage. Perhaps the Tibetan monks were correct. It seems very possible, if not likely, that demonic activity was concentrated in and around the Germanic nations during the 1930s and 40s. If so, it would certainly go a long way in explaining how just one man could be responsible for so much death and destruction.

THE FINAL SOLUTION One cannot think of Hitler without thinking of the Jews. He and the people he tried to destroy are forever linked by the crimes Hitler incited his followers to commit. This, in fact, is why this man came to power. If Hitler was possessed, it seems

the object of that possession was to exterminate the Jewish race. Of course, Satan would have every possible motive for killing them. First, he has been attempting it for thousands of years without success. Secondly, if there was some way he could pull it off, then the integrity of God's Word would crumble, because God declared that the Israel would continue as a people. The Bible tells us that this is the very thing that the Antichrist will try to do. No doubt, this is one of the primary reasons ministers of the 30s and 40s claimed that Hitler was the Antichrist. One really cannot blame them for thinking this way because, in almost every way, Hitler was a perfect example of what this man of sin will be. Of course, we now know that Hitler was not the Antichrist, however, the Bible seems to hint at the persecution Hitler brought about. "Alas! for that day is great, so that none is like it: it is even the time of Jacob's trouble; but he shall be saved out of it." - Jeremiah 30:7 Most people assume that "Jacob's trouble" refers to the time we call the Tribulation, which as the reader should know, will last seven years. We relate the Tribulation to Jacob's trouble because Jacob had to work seven years or one week in order to marry Rachel (Genesis 29:27-28 & compare with Daniel 9:24-27). This relationship is partly true. However, the Bible teaches that Jacob had already worked the previous seven years and married Leah. So, Jacob's trouble actually involves two spans of time, each seven years in length. I believe that the

second span of seven years is the Tribulation. I believe that the first seven year period may have been the Holocaust (1938 to 1945). Kristallnacht - "The night of broken glass" - officially served notice to the Jews to leave Germany. This terrifying event occurred in the fall of 1938. By September 1941 the "Final Solution" - a plan to exterminate all Jews in the German sphere of power - had come into being. Interestingly from September 1941 until April 1945 - the end of the war - is approximately 3 1/2 years! There are numerous similarities between Hitler and the coming Antichrist. Below are some of the examples. HITLER

ANTICHRIST

Insignificant beginnings

"Little Horn" (Dan. 8:9)

Political & military leader

Political & military leader

Propaganda minister Goebbels

False Prophet (Rev. 13:11)

Allied with Mussolini (Rome)

False Prophet from Rome?

Persecuted Jews for 7 years

7 year tribulation (Dan.9:27)

Final Solution was 3 1/2 years

Great Tribulation is 3 1/2 years

Swastika was his mark

Mark of the Beast (Rev. 13:18)

Tattooed Jews in camps

His mark will be upon people

Body was set on fire

Cast into the Lake of Fire

Before it was all over, Hitler and the Nazis were responsible for the deaths of over six million Jews, not to mention the nineteen million soldiers and countless civilians who died during the war. No one before or since has been responsible for

so much death, and no one will until the day the man of sin is revealed. Until then, we have Hitler as a good example of what this man will be like.

REMEMBER: THE ENDING IS IN THE BEGINNING "Remember the former things of old; for I am God, and there is none else; I am God, and there is none like me, declaring the end from the beginning and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure." - Isaiah 46:9-10 As I said earlier, the beginning of everything contains the blueprint for all that is to follow. The seed comes first, yet, contained in the seed is the tree and from the tree will come the fruit. As we have shown, this same concept applies to history. As events take place today, they seed the field of time for the future. Things we see happening today are the fruit of what happened yesterday. I want to show the reader another graphic example of how this principle provides a pattern for end time events. For centuries, rabbinic scholars have practiced an ancient letter substitution system within the Hebrew language called atbash. In this system, the last letter of the Hebrew alphabet is substituted for the first, the second-to-the-last for the second, and so on. In essence, the first becomes last and the last becomes first; the beginning is tied to the end. Many Bible

commentators believe that this is the system Jeremiah employed twice in his book when referring to Babylon. "How is Sheshach taken! and how is the praise of the whole earth surprised! How is Babylon become an astonishment among the nations!" - Jeremiah 51:41 Notice that Jeremiah refers to a "Sheshach" as well as Babylon. By using the atbash system, the Hebrew rendering of Babel - would become Sheshach . Thus, Sheshach was code for Babylon. (Jeremiah uses this system in Jeremiah 25:26 as well.) If the prophet did, in fact, utilize this system, it further legitimizes what we are about to tell you. Understand that there are twenty-two letters in the Hebrew alphabet. The way atbash works is that starting with the alef (the first letter of the Hebrew alphabet), one would count ahead to the eleventh letter. The twelfth letter would become interchangeable with the eleventh letter; the thirteenth with the tenth; the fourteenth with the ninth and so on. See the table below.

ATBASH

THE FUTURE HIDDEN IN GENESIS Hopefully you have grasped this principle as it relates to the Hebrew language. Now we are going to apply the atbash principle to the Bible. Of course, we must start at the beginning of the Bible in Genesis 1. If we do this and count ahead to Genesis 11 (corresponding to the eleventh letter of the alphabet) we come to the story of the tower of Babel. To remain faithful to the principle of atbash, we must now work backwards, in other words, Genesis 10 will follow Genesis 11, then Genesis 9, followed by Genesis 8 and so on, until we get back to Genesis 1. When we do this, we discover that there is a possible outline for the order of events during the seven year Tribulation. Genesis 11 describes a world whose leaders and populace desired to be one people with one language. In other words, they were seeking to be a New World Order. Their leader was wicked and rebellious and encouraged the people to build a city and a tower that would defy heaven (Genesis 11:14). Before they could complete this task, God came down and confused their language, so that they had to scatter abroad (Genesis 11:7-8). This sounds very similar to our present day. Though there

is no global government as of yet, we see that already men are seeking to come together and be one world under one system of government, one system of finance and eventually one religious system. Thanks to computer technology and the Internet, more and more, mankind is becoming universal in language - the computer language. Leaders are wicked and rebellious and encourage their citizens to be likewise. Soon, this global government will, in fact, materialize. Yet, the Bible indicates that this government will only have a short space of time to operate (Revelation 17:10). After that time is expired, God will confuse the New World Order and disrupt their technology and their power base. In Genesis 10, there are at least two passages worth noting. First of all, the tenth chapter is when Nimrod established the kingdom of Babylon (Genesis 10:10). Secondly, the Bible records that in the days of Peleg - which means "division" - the earth was divided (Genesis 10:25). It is my belief that when the New World Order has completed the time allotted to it and this global system comes to an end, the power vacuum created will lend to the rise of the Prince of Babylon and the kingdom of the Antichrist. If that is so, shortly after the supposed global union of the New World Order will come war and division - nation fighting against nation. It will be unlike anything the world has ever seen. There are three characteristics of Genesis 9 that fit the pattern for the future: shedding of innocent blood (Genesis 956), drunkenness (Genesis 9:21), and homosexuality (Genesis 9:22-24). After the Antichrist comes to power, no sin will be restrained. Everything that man has imagined to do will be accentuated in the Antichrist's lawless society. Murder,

sodomy, rape and every type of perverse vice will run rampant in the cities and countrysides of the world's nations. No one will be safe. In spite of all this turmoil, God will still be present for those who call on His name, for Genesis 8:1 tells us that "God remembered Noah . . . and made a wind to pass over the earth." The Bible also states that "he sent forth a dove from him" (Genesis 823). These verses seem to imply that even in the midst of the Tribulation, God is still listening to the cries of the repentant heart. The word for "wind" in Genesis 8:1 - ruach - is the same word that is interpreted "spirit." In addition, the dove represents the Holy Spirit (Matthew 3:16). This seems to be an allusion to the fact that God's Spirit will continue to move through the earth in spite of the flood of iniquity that will inundate the planet.

THE OPENING OF THE ABYSS Genesis 7 records the beginning of God's unrestrained wrath. The Bible says that "All the fountains of the great deep were broken up and the windows of heaven were opened" (Genesis 7:11). It also records that the flood waters "prevailed upon the earth an hundred and fifty days" (Genesis 7:24). Using the Biblical calendar of twelve months of thirty days, one-hundred-fifty days would be equivalent to five months. The Septuagint, a Greek translation of the Old Testament, reveals something very interesting about Genesis 7:11. Where the Hebrew text uses tehom, interpreted as "the great deep," the Greek translation uses the word for "abyss."

Thus, this phrase states literally that the "spring of the abyss was ripped open." So, the deluge was actually a combination of waters from the abyss and the rain that fell from heaven. This water remained upon the earth for five months. Tradition says that, as the waters receded, they retreated into the plain of Shinar and emptied into a large hole there. There is some speculation that this hole was the one which opened at the beginning of the flood, allowing the "fountains of the great deep" to issue forth. It is also believed that, as the water drained into this area, the remains of those who were destroyed by the flood collected here. It is suggested that this is one of the reasons Nimrod decided to build his city in Shinar. In other words, he used the remains of their drowned forefathers to incite the people to rebel against God. Please note that this area is Mesopotamia - "the land between the rivers." The rivers, of course, referring to the Tigris and the Euphrates. Jude mentions that there are angels who "kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation" and are bound in chains until the day of judgment (Jude 6). Peter echos this revelation. He also reveals that these angels are bound in hell until the day of judgment. Yet, Peter adds another layer to the revelation. He links these bound angels to what occurred during the flood of waters described in Genesis 7 (2 Peter 2:45). In Revelation 9, we find that at some point in the Tribulation, the bottomless pit, or the abyss, will be opened (Revelation 9:2). When this abyss is opened, locust-like creatures will be loosed, the Bible says, in order to torment men for five months or one-hundred-fifty days (Revelation 9:5, 10).

Note that this is exactly how long the flood waters were upon the earth. There seems to be some link between the opening of the abyss in Revelation 9 and the opening of the abyss in Genesis 7. Now take a look at what Revelation 9:14 has to say: "Loose the four angels which are bound in the great river Euphrates." - Revelation 9:14 These four angels have to be the angels that Jude and Peter mentioned. These angels committed a sin so egregious that God decided to lock them up underneath the Euphrates. But when the abyss is opened up, they will be loosed because the day of judgment has come. All this seems to point to the probability that the gate of the abyss is located somewhere in Mesopotamia, perhaps at the mouth of the Euphrates. Notice that the king of the abyss is called Abaddon (Revelation 9:11). There is today, at the mouth of the Euphrates, an island city called Abaddan (in Hebrew, these two names are spelled identically). Is it possible this modern site marks the gate of the abyss? So, here is what I believe all of this means. There is a direct relationship between Genesis 7 and Revelation 9. When God decided to destroy the earth in Noah's day it was because violence filled the earth, but also because these angels may have been procreating with human females (Genesis 6:2). God ruptured the opening to the abyss, allowing the waters to spring up and flood the earth. Five months later, the waters drained, possibly into an opening somewhere in the Mesopotamian region. As this occurred, God bound these angels in the abyss, there to stay until the day would come that

God would judge the entire earth once more. Therefore, Genesis 7 is the prophetic seed that will blossom in Revelation 9.

THE GENESIS PATTERN CONTINUES In Genesis 6, God notices that the entire earth is filled with violence (Genesis 6:13), and He decides that His Spirit will not always strive with man (Genesis 6:3). Man's fate is sealed at that point. After the initiation of God's wrath in the Tribulation, there is no turning back. Those rebels and pagans who would not repent "of their murders, nor of their sorceries, nor of their fornication, nor of their thefts" (Revelation 9:21) are destined for destruction. In Genesis 5, the righteous man Enoch is translated. The Bible says that "Enoch walked with God; and he was not; for God took him" (Genesis 5:24). The book of Hebrews testifies to this as well. "By faith Enoch was translated that he should not see death; and was not found, because God had translated him; for before his translation he had this testimony, that he pleased God." Hebrews 11:5 Many people feel that Enoch is one of the two witnesses mentioned in Revelation 11:3. If this is so, Enoch's translation in Genesis 5 may be the pattern for the witnesses' rapture in Revelation 11:11-12. Notice that they are active in their ministry until the beast that ascended out of the abyss comes to make

war against them. In fact, it is this beast that kills them (Revelation 11:7). In addition, it could be that Enoch's translation is a pattern for the translation of the 144,000 who were marked in Revelation 7, but who are standing upon the heavenly Mount Zion in Revelation 14. It is likely that these male virgins are translated at the sound of the voice that calls the two witnesses up to heaven (Revelation 11:12). In Genesis 4, we find that Cain, a murderer, receives a mark upon him and is commanded to leave God's presence and wander the earth for the rest of his days (Genesis 4:12-16). Following the death and resurrection of the two witnesses, the Beast will come into the fullness of his power. It is at that point that his cohort in crime, the False Prophet, will issue a mark that all who wish to buy and sell must receive (Revelation 13:16-17). For those who receive this mark, their fate is sealed. They will be separated from the presence of God for all eternity (Revelation 14:9-11). Genesis 3 prophesies that there would come a day when the head of the serpent would be bruised (Genesis 3:15). In the Hebrew text, the word used for "bruise" implies that the serpent would receive more than just a mere bruise. Actually, the word infers that the head of the serpent would be crushed! Of course, we know who that serpent is - it is none other than Satan. At the close of the Tribulation period, the Bible tells us that the serpent - the Devil and Adversary of our soul - will come to his end. "And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years."

-Revelation 20:2 "In the day the LORD with his sore and great and strong sword shall punish leviathan the piercing serpent, even leviathan that crooked serpent; and he shall slay the dragon that is in the sea." - Isaiah 27:1 "Thou breakest the heads of leviathan in pieces" -Psalm 74:14 Notice Isaiah says that God will punish Leviathan, who is the dragon that is in the sea. This obviously refers to the seven-headed Beast who rises from the sea (Revelation 13:1). The Psalm verifies this, because it states that Leviathan has more than one head. Furthermore, we should not overlook the fact that these heads of Leviathan are crushed into pieces, fulfilling the prophecy of Genesis 3. Genesis 2 deals with the seventh day, the Sabbath. It is the day when God rested from His work. It also chronicles how God created the man and gave him and his bride dominion over all the earth. After Satan is bound in the abyss, mankind will enjoy a day like none we have seen since the Garden of Eden. On that day, that Great Sabbath rest, we will enjoy one thousand years of peace and tranquility under the rulership of the Messiah Jesus. As His bride, we also will be given the authority to rule and reign with Him (Revelation 5:10). Finally in Genesis 1 there is God; there is eternity. Likewise, after the Millennial reign of Messiah, there will be

eternity (Revelation 21:1). There is no Satan to contest us (Revelation 21:27) and for all eternity we will worship God (Revelation 22:3) and reign with Him (Revelation 22:5). Thus we see that the end is the beginning and the beginning is the end. Furthermore, from beginning to end, patterns outline and define everything concerning our future. It is my hope then that you will be more sensitive to what is happening around you and recognize how these historical precedents affect your life. If you do, with the aid of the Holy Spirit, you can be a son of Issachar - that is, you will know what you and your family need to do for the future. Keep this in mind as you continue to read, for you are going to see even more patterns in history and how God even placed patterns in the heavens above.

6 PATTERNS AND SIGNS IN THE HEAVENS According to Scripture, God will never allow anything to happen without first warning His people. The prophet Amos wrote: "Surely, the Lord God will do nothing, but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets." - Amos 3:7 Understanding this, Jewish sages have long placed great importance on the patterns of history and Scripture and the signs they believed to be from God. They knew that He was trying to warn them of some impending danger or advising them on what course the nation should take for the future. You will recall the sons of Issachar were renowned for their ability to correctly interpret the signs of the times (1 Chronicles 12:32). Through centuries of experience, the art of correctly interpreting these patterns and signs was written down for posterity in certain commentaries. You may be surprised to know that many entries in these commentaries deal with the patterns and signs as revealed by the sun, moon and stars. The historian Josephus mentions, on several occasions,

how the heavenly bodies played such an important part in Israeli life. For instance, Josephus described the garments of the High Priest, the holy vessels and the tabernacle itself as representations of certain aspects of the universe, and, in particular, the heavenly bodies (Antiquities Of The Jews; Book III, Chapter VII, Section 7). His description was in no way suggesting that these were to be worshiped, but instead to signify how the Creation was to submit itself in obeisance to the Creator. Josephus also records that the appearance and movement of heavenly bodies was sometimes seen as warning signs. Josephus relates that, just before the destruction of the Temple in 70 A.D., there were many such signs that went unheeded. "They did not attend nor give credit to the signs that were so evident, and did so plainly foretell their future desolation, but, like men infatuated, without either eyes to see or minds to consider, did not regard the denunciations that God made to them. Thus there was a star resembling a sword, which stood over the city, and a comet, that continued a whole year." - Wars of the Jews; Book VI, Chapter 5, section 3 Other Jewish writings comment on the use of celestial bodies as instruments of warning. For instance, the Talmud has a lot to say on the subject of lunar eclipses. "When the moon is in eclipse, it is a bad omen for Israel . . . if its face is red as blood, [it is a sign that] the sword is coming to the world." - Sukkah 29a

Suffice it to say, for centuries, Israel has looked to the heavens for signs and instruction from God. I realize that some Christians may have a problem with this topic. When contemplating what signs can be gleaned from the stars, the first thing that pops into many people's minds is astrology, which the Bible condemns (Deuteronomy 18:10). We must realize that astrology seeks to guide the fortunes of man - it esteems the Creation instead of the Creator. However, there is a science of the stars called astronomy. Astronomy tracks and analyzes the movement and position of heavenly bodies so that we can learn more about the cosmos. The more we know about the Creation, the more we learn of the majesty of the Creator. The Psalm proclaims: "The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handiwork." - Psalm 19:1 "The heavens declare his righteousness, and all the people see his glory." - Psalm 97:6 For the ancient people of God, the study of the heavens was not used as a form of worship of the Creation, but was used to understand the glory of the Creator. In fact, Josephus writes that the wisdom that comes from studying the heavens could be attributed to Adam and his son Seth, whom he described as being righteous and virtuous men. "They lived long on account of their virtue, and the good use

they made of it, astronomical and geometrical discoveries, which would have not have afforded the time of foretelling unless they lived 600 years." - Josephus, Chapter 3, Section 9 "They (Seth's family) also were the inventors of that peculiar sort of wisdom which is concerned with the heavenly bodies, and their order and that their inventions might not be lost before they were sufficiently known; upon Adam's prediction that the world was at one time to be destroyed by the force of fire and at the other time by the quantity of water, they made two pillars; one of brick and the other of stone; they inscribed their discoveries on them both." - Antiquities, Book I, Chapter 2, Section 3 Scripture tells us that Adam lived 930 years and Seth 912 years. According to Josephus, their long lives were, in part, that they may pass down to subsequent generations all the knowledge they had accumulated! This would include one of their descendants, Enoch, who walked the earth for 365 years (Gen. 5:23). Tradition has left us with what has been called the Book of Enoch, writings said to have been penned by the patriarch at age 65 after a visitation to heaven. Part of what was revealed to him, so say some rabbis, was the workings of the planetary bodies including some of their names. The Bible reveals some names of these stars and planets and that means that people had this knowledge at least 3,500 years ago. Job, the central figure in the oldest book in the Bible, lived before the Exodus and even before Abraham. This is important because Job, a person who lived about 2,150 years before

Christ and 1000 years before Homer and the Greeks, mentions Arcturus, Pleides, Orion and the chambers of the south (Job 99, 38:31). The point of this is, by the time of the patriarchs, the constellations were already known and named. There must be an important reason for God entrusting this knowledge to them.

FOR SIGNS AND SEASONS The Bible says that God created the lights in the heavens for four different reasons (Genesis 1:14-15). They were created to: Divide the day from night. Be for signs and seasons. Calculate days and years. Give light upon the earth. Pay close attention to what these two passages teach us. The luminaries serve to provide light, to help us know when to work and when to rest, and to aid us in keeping a calendar. However, do not overlook that one of their primary purposes is to serve as "signs" and harbingers of "seasons." This is why Adam, Seth and their children paid such close attention to and gained such knowledge from the study of the heavenly bodies. It was because God had placed the sun, moon and stars in the sky for that very purpose. The Hebrew root of the word used here for "signs" is ote. Not only does this word mean "sign" but can also be

interpreted as "a warning" or "omen." The root of the word used for "seasons" is moed. As we discussed in the opening chapter, the word moed means "appointed time" and is used in the Bible most frequently to describe the seven Biblical festivals - Passover, Pentecost, Tabernacles, etc. The point is that we believe God's intention for the sun, moon and stars was and is more than just calculating days and years. A significant purpose for these celestial bodies is to administer warnings or signs of appointed times. Think about it for a just a moment. How did the magi know to follow the star to the newborn King of the Jews? Is there any reason to believe that these men bowed and worshiped the star? They knew where to go and what to do because they had read the prophecy recorded in the Torah: "I see him, but not now: I shall behold him, but not nigh: there shall come a Star out of Jacob, and a Scepter shall rise out of Israel, and shall smite the corners of Moab, and destroy all the children of Sheth" - Numbers 24:17 The Bible says that these wise men were from the East, possibly Babylon. If that is true, we know that they were acquainted with the science of the stars, as well as pagan practices associated with the stars. Yet, they came to Jerusalem to worship the King of the Jews because they saw his star (Matthew 2:2). That means, dear reader, that God provided a cosmic sign that stirred their hearts. They saw the sign and understood what it meant. They understood its significance and acted upon it.

Why is it that the sun was darkened as Christ hung upon the tree? It was because God orchestrated a solar eclipse so that all of Israel would bear witness to the fact that something extraordinarily significant was unfolding before them. God has used the heavenly bodies as signs to mankind all through the past. Likewise, we need to understand that God presently uses celestial bodies to alert us to what is about to transpire in the world. When prophecies speak of the moon being turned to blood or the sun becoming sackcloth (Revelation 6:12), it is referring to lunar and solar eclipses - cosmic signs! Jesus Himself said: "And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars." - Luke 21:25 Can we ignore what Jesus has taught us? He emphatically states that in the time of the end, signs will appear in the heavens. Jewish commentary bears witness to this fact and contains countless prophecies about cosmic signs that will accompany the appearance of the Messiah. We must be in a spiritual condition to perceive those signs and to properly interpret what those signs portend. According to rabbinical writings, eclipses - whether they are lunar or solar - are not supposed to occur more than seven times in a year. Those years where there are seven eclipses are believed to be extremely important. Interestingly enough, there are two years we would like to comment upon that each witnessed lunar and solar eclipses totaling seven for the year. In 1917, there were four eclipses of the sun and three of

the moon. In 1917, the entire world was in the throes of the greatest conflict ever known up to that time. Much of Europe was facing terrible famine, persecution and death and the war was reaching a fevered pitch. Meanwhile, tired of hunger and poverty, Russian peasants revolted under the leadership of the Bolsheviks and overthrew the Czarist government. This revolution marked the beginning of a seventy year reign of terror in Eastern Europe. 1917 also saw significant events that would eventually lead to the fulfillment of prophecy concerning the Jews and Jerusalem. That year witnessed the signing of the Balfour Declaration, which opened the door for the establishment of a Jewish homeland. Also, in December 1917, the seventh eclipse of that year coincided with the Turkish loss of Jerusalem to the British under General Allenby - a devout Christian. All in all, 1917 was one of the most significant years in Bible prophecy in the 20th century. The year 1973 also witnessed seven different eclipses of both the sun and moon. As was true with 1917, the year 1973 also proved to be significant in the fulfillment of prophecy. In the fall of that year, Israel came close to complete defeat as her Muslim enemies invaded her during what became known as the Yom Kippur War. Had it not been for the intervention of God, Israel may have ceased to be a nation. As a direct result of that war, Arab oil countries (OPEC) discovered that they had a unique weapon they could wield against the West and all friends of Israel. From October 1973 through March 1974, members of OPEC refused to export any oil to countries who supported Israel. In the United States, fuel prices quadrupled in just a few months, intensifying an

international monetary crisis. Some of you will remember those days. In 1973, twenty-eight different nations were suffering through a severe drought. That year also marked the largest known explosion on the surface of the sun - perhaps another sign of the times. My reason for pointing this out is, there were significant cosmic events transpiring in years that play prominent roles in the overall prophetic picture. There are signs in the heavens!

COSMIC SINGS OF JUDGMENT "And fearful sights and great signs shall there be from heaven." - Luke 21:11 Before Jesus returns, there is going to be an increase in frequency and peculiarity of cosmic signs. Jesus Himself said this. The above Scripture teaches that these signs will probably be more dramatic than anything we have heretofore seen. If we were to break this Scripture down word by word and expound upon its meaning, it would be saying that, in the atmosphere - where the clouds gather - and in the skies where the stars are positioned, there are going to appear great miracles and tokens along with sights that will cause such fright among people, that they will run in terror. This description makes it sound as if this is more than just a shooting star or conjunction of planets. Jesus infers that the signs to appear in the heavens are, perhaps, unexpected and

unprecedented, so much that even we, with all our knowledge and technology, can not explain it away by the laws of nature. Make no doubt about it, the greatest cosmic activity is still ahead of us. Furthermore, Jesus teaches that the very "stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken" (Matthew 24:29). The word "stars" in the original text is the word astares. From this word we derive the English word "asteroid." It would seem that Jesus is saying, or at least hinting, that asteroids, large enough to warrant fear, will fall from heaven. His words also announce that the natural forces of the universe will be toppled. In other words, when all this activity begins to accelerate, cosmologists will not be able to tell people what is happening, because the basic laws of the cosmos will be in chaos. The signs that we have witnessed in the 20th and early 21st centuries and the signs that we will witness in what remains of this era of human history, all serve to warn us of what lies ahead and to instruct us how to walk in these perilous times. What lies ahead, ladies and gentlemen, is the wrath of God. The Lord wants us to know this, so that we may prepare accordingly. The Bible says that "The wrath of God is revealed from heaven" (Romans 1:18).

REDEMPTION IN THE STARS Even though God's wrath is revealed from heaven, nevertheless, His mercy and deliverance is also revealed in the heavens. In fact, judgment is really intended to bring about

God's purposes and His ultimate purpose is to restore "all things" (Acts 3:21). So then, if the heavens hint at coming dreadful events, these signs are actually to serve as indicators that God is bringing deliverance and complete restoration to His people. Throughout Scripture we see that, in order to fulfill His purpose, God usually uses a person or persons. Thus, I could argue that many of these celestial signs serve to announce that someone (a person or group of people) is about to emerge from their obscurity. For instance, three years before Moses' birth Jupiter and Saturn were in conjunction with Pisces. The Egyptians interpreted this sign as one that foretold the birth of a child of destiny and, furthermore, they considered it to be favorable to Israel. This favor was indicated by Pisces, a constellation thought to represent Israel because it is two fish joined by a band. By this sign, the Egyptian soothsayers predicted the defeat of Egypt at the hand of the Hebrews and so, as Josephus records it, they counseled Pharaoh to order the death of the Hebrew males (Josephus Antiquities ii, 9). Of course, the greatest example of this is the birth of Christ. Just as with the birth of Moses, the birth of Jesus was preceded with the conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn. The eastern wise men saw the alignment and called it "his star." The Persians believed a prophet above all prophets was coming to the earth. When this new star appeared it was described by Ignatius thus: "It sparkled brilliantly above all stars." It allegedly shined throughout Jesus' lifetime. In 125 BC Hipparchus saw it and drew it in his catalog. In 150 AD, Ptolemy reportedly saw it but commented that it was becoming

faint.

THE CIRCLE OF THE HEAVENS Earlier I spoke about cycles and their relationship to the value 360. Again, a complete circle is 360 degrees and so, because a circle speaks of patterns and is important in marking prophetic time, we should not be surprised to see this pattern of cycles in the heavens. The first thing that comes to mind is the revolution of the planets around the sun. We also see this pattern in the cycle of the moon. Earth's only satellite makes twelve complete revolutions around the earth. During those twelve months the moon moves across the star belt. This is more commonly referred to as the "zodiac" (from the root zoad, which means "to walk or go up steps.") and this is what most dramatically demonstrates the patterns in the heavens. From ancient times, a 360 degree circle has been linked to the ecliptic, and that suggests the twelve major constellations of the zodiac tell a story from beginning to end. The ecliptic is the path in which the earth moves around the sun. It moves 30 degrees every month and at the end of the twelve month (360 degree) cycle, it starts over again. As earth moves across the ecliptic, certain constellations become prominent at their appointed time. Those twelve signs are: Virgo (the Virgin) Libra (a pair of balances)

Scorpio (a scorpion) Sagittarius (half horse, half man holding a bow) Capricorn (a dying goat-fish) Aquarius (man pouring water from an urn) Pisces (the two fish) Aries (ram / lamb with horns) Taurus (rushing bull or ox) Gemini (twins) Cancer (a crab) Leo (a lion with a snake under his feet) While I certainly want to expound upon this pattern in the stars, I should mention that to exhaust this particular subject would require a book devoted to just this. Nevertheless, I wish to mention some of the highlights of the "gospel in the stars" so that the reader will appreciate that God does speak to us in patterns - even in the heavens. Well over a century ago, E.W. Bullinger did devote an entire book to this subject. In his classic work, A Witness In The Stars, Bullinger details the message contained within the twelve constellations and, specifically, by defining the ancient names of the stars that comprise them. There are similar books that echo what Bullinger wrote, but all agree: the Creator designed the heavenly bodies to teach mankind of His purposes. From the very first sign, Virgo (the Virgin), through the last one, Leo (the Lion), God told, in detail, His intentions from the very beginning of Creation, most importantly - the birth, death, burial, resurrection and ultimate return of the

Messiah. He wrote the gospel in the stars! Beginning with the constellation known as Virgo, this virgin is depicted as holding an infant and a branch. Of course, we know that Scripture declared that a virgin would give birth to a child, the promised seed (Gen. 3:15, Isa. 7:14; Mt. 1:23) and other Scriptures referred to this Promised One as the branch (Isa. 11:1; Jer. 23:5-6; Zech. 3:8, 6:12; ). This picture is due primarily to the star in her left hand, Spica (which in Latin means ''an ear or seed of corn"). In Hebrew this star is called zerah or "seed." This is, by the way, the same Hebrew word we find in Genesis 3:15 where God promised to send into the world the "seed of the woman." Yet, the oldest Hebrew name for this particular star is tzemach which is "a branch." There is a related decan constellation of Virgo called Coma. This constellation is depicted as a woman seated and holding and feeding a child. Coma means "the desired one." In the book of Haggai a derivative Hebrew word is used to describe the longed-for Messiah: "And I will shake all nations, and the desire of all nations shall come." - Haggai 2:7 Another decan constellation of Virgo is called Centauras and is depicted as being half man and half horse, suggesting that the "seed and "branch and "desired one" would have a dual nature. The Hebrew name for this decan is Bezeh which means "despised." I should point out that this is the Hebrew word used in Isaiah 53:3 which mentions that the Promised One would be "despised."

One other decan of Virgo I wish to mention is the one called Bootes. This constellation is often depicted as a shepherd holding a sickle. It is believed that the Greek bootes comes from the Hebrew bo, which means "to come." One of the primary stars in bootes is Arcturus and is mentioned by Job (Job 9:9, 38:32). The meaning of Arcturus is basically the same "He comes." Scripture tells us that when Christ comes He will, as Great Shepherd, divide the sheep from the goats (Mt. 25:3132) and will thrust in His "sharp sickle" (Rev. 14:14-15). Between the initial sign of the Virgin and the last sign, the Lion, there are other significant constellations which tell their part of the story. Again, to detail each and every one would require much more time and space than I wish to in this book, but suffice it to say each of them is as convincing as the first (Virgo) and the last (Leo). For instance, the constellation Libra, "the scales" or "balances" depicts judgment. A decan constellation of Libra is Crux or better known as the Southern Cross. It is believed that this grouping of stars was seen in the Northern Hemisphere up until the time of Christ. In fact, it seems that the death of Christ may have been about the time this constellation stopped being seen in the north and began to be viewed in the southern hemisphere. This suggests, at least to me, that though man deserves "judgment," Christ died on a cross that we might be reconciled to God. The next constellation, Scorpio, the scorpion signifies death. This scorpion is trying to sting the heel of a mighty man who is wrestling with a snake called serpens or "serpent." It was the serpent who seduced mankind into sin which, consequently, required judgment. The mighty man who

wrestled with the serpent had his heel bruised when He died upon the cross (see Gen. 3:15). Yet, because He died and rose again, you and I can enjoy the blessings of God as depicted by another interesting constellation called Aquarius. This constellation is a man holding a water urn and pouring out the water. This speaks, subsequent to our new birth, God pours out upon us His Holy Spirit. The story as written in the heavens climaxes with the constellation called Leo or "the Lion." This constellation is seen as an adult lion about to pounce upon his enemy the serpent called Hydra. In Hebrew this is called Aryeh ("the lion who rends") and is associated with the tribe of Judah. Of course we know that Jesus is referred to as the "Lion of the tribe of Judah who will "prevail" (Rev. 5:5). The position of the Lion suggests that his paw is about to crush the head of the serpent Hydra (Gen. 3:15). The Adversary, Satan, is a prominent fixture in the entire zodiac. Besides the serpent Hydra there is Serpens as well as the constellation Draco (the dragon). Draco, by the way, is also seen as having its head beneath the heel of a mighty warrior. Obviously, because He knew all things in advance, God interspersed within the story in the stars other particulars such as the war between righteousness and evil, Satan, the Antichrist etc. Scripture says: "By his spirit He hath garnished the heavens; his hand hath formed the crooked serpent." - Job 26:13

PROPHETIC PARALLELS

Because there are twelve primary constellations and because they paint a prophetic picture from beginning to end, I want to suggest that these twelve constellations can be divided into three groups. The first group (the first four constellations) foretold of Christ's earthly ministry. The second group tells of the present ministry of Christ. The third group portends the future ministry of Christ. This last group would include, for instance, the constellation Taurus or the "bull." Within this constellation there is a grouping of seven stars (a.k.a. seven sisters) called Pleiades. These seven surround one primary star and are collectively called, in Hebrew, the "accumulation." Here is one reason I find this so interesting. In the book of Revelation, Christ appears to John holding seven stars in His right hand. Scripture tells us the meaning of this vision. "The mystery of the seven stars which thou sawest in my right hand, and the seven golden candlesticks. The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches; and the seven candlesticks which thou saw are the seven churches." - Revelation 1:20-21 Keep in mind that the Pleiades is seven stars (sisters) surrounding one star. Jesus was standing in the midst of the seven golden candlesticks which He said represented the "seven churches." In other words, they are accumulating around Him. Furthermore, the seven churches that Jesus addressed in Revelation 1 were all in present day Turkey, situated at the base of what is called the Taurus mountains!

Though there were seven literal churches two thousand years ago, most scholars agree that Jesus' message was, not only to them, but to those who would be living in the end of days. In other words, the constellations give us a pattern of what to look for as we come into the "fullness of time." I am convinced that we are fast approaching the end, that is, the Lion called Leo. Before the the very end - Leo - comes the constellation known as Cancer. In modern times this is depicted as a crab, but in ancient days, it more than likely was considered a "sheepfold." The most ancient meanings of cancer is said to come from Arabic terms khan and cer (khancer), meaning "the resting place encircled" inferring something akin to a sheepfold. In Scripture we are told that one of the signs of the sooncoming Messiah would be that He would gather all of His people as sheep into a sheepfold. "I will surely assemble, O Jacob, all of thee; I will surely gather the remnant of Israel; I will put them together as the sheep of Bozrah, as the flock in the midst of their fold." - Micah 2:12 By studying the names of the different stars in this constellation and the associated decan constellations, there is no doubt that this next to last star grouping speaks prophetically of when God would begin to assemble all of His people before the Lion of the tribe of Judah would, at last, come.

One of those decan constellations is called Argo and is considered a "ship" that is about to dock. The name Argo comes from Greek mythology, specifically from the story of Jason and the Argonauts - men who took a perilous journey to recover treasure from the serpent who guarded it. However, there are those who believe that, at first, this ship was an "ark." This is important because, just before Christ (the Lion) returns, there will be perilous days that Jesus likened unto the "days of Noah (Mat. 24:37). Positioned between Argo and the conquering lion Leo is a snake, Hydra, who, if you look at chart of the constellations compasses one-third of the ecliptic! Scripture tells us that, at the end, something happens that alerts the Dragon to know that he has but a "short time" (Rev. 12:12). Furthermore, Revelation 12 tells us that when he is cast down from heaven: "His tail drew a third of the stars of heaven and threw them to the earth. And the dragon stood before the woman who was ready to give birth, to devour her Child as soon as it was born." - Revelation 12:4-5 (NKJV) It is my belief that the days of Noah are here and a flood called the Tribulation is coming in the near future. Soon, the serpent is coming down with wrath and one third of the angels with him. During that time, God will then begin to pour out His judgments upon the earth. Interestingly enough, some of those judgments are called "bowl judgments" (Rev. 15). One of the associated decans of the constellation Leo is called Crater and is considered a "cup" or "bowl." Revelation tells us that those who worship the beast and his image will:

"Drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without measure into the cup of his indignation." - Revelation 14:10 During this time, Scripture describes a scene in which "every one lifted up shall be brought low" (Isa. 2:12). At that time the "day of wrath will destroy sinners out of it" (Isa. 13:9). Joel says the "day of the Lord is as destruction" (Joel 1:15) when the sun will be darkened and the moon turned to blood (Joel 2:31). It is a "day of waste, trouble, distress and gloom" (Zeph. 1:15), Yet in the end we see that, Jesus, the Lion of the tribe of Judah shall prevail over the dragon! "And one of the elders saith unto me, weep not; behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, hath prevailed to open the book, and to loose the seven seals thereof." - Revelation 5:5 In that day, the day of the Lord, Satan will be bound and the millennial reign of Christ upon the earth will begin. In that day, according to the patterns in the heavens, the feet of the Lion will be planted firmly on the head of the serpent.

7 THE DAYS OF NOAH "But as the days of Noah were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be." - Matthew 24:37 Just what did Jesus signify by those words? Many great sermons have been preached about how the vile propensities of our generation parallel those of Noah's day. Surely, the wickedness that prevailed at that time is thriving in ours. Unrestrained fornication, violence, corruption and robbery are all signs that we live in those days spoken of by the Lord. Judgment must be just around the corner. Sadly, just as Noah had to endure the ridicule of those prediluvian scoffers, the modern prophet is mocked as he or she tries to warn of God's impending judgment. Unless repentant, the unbelieving of this generation will meet the same tragic end as those who, as Jesus said, "knew not until the flood came, and took them all away" (Mat. 24:39). These and other signs abound to serve as proof that we are living in the era which will see the return of the Son of Man. Is it possible, however, that the greatest signs of the times are cloaked behind the obvious? In other words, did Jesus have more in

mind than just "eating, drinking and marrying" when he likened the days preceding His return to the days just before the flood? It is my opinion that, in the days preceding the flood, God warned through a series of signs, at least one of which was a sign in the heavens. According to ancient Jewish literature, Noah was witness to, not only violence and perversion, but cosmic signs to confirm to him that judgment was indeed coming. Remember, the wrath of God is revealed from heaven. Noah, a preacher of righteousness, warned people that the coming judgment was an impending flood of waters. That generation ignored God's warning and, as we know, they were all destroyed. Likewise, the current generation dismisses warnings that come through things like signs in the heavens as the wild ramblings of madmen and doomsday preachers. Unfortunately, the majority of those in the end will, like those of Noah's time, be swept away with the coming flood of tribulation. Now I wish to raise this question: considering that Noah and the emphasis of his life's story centers upon a flood of waters, is it possible that the "days of Noah before Christ's return will be characterized by signs in the waters as well? In other words, is God trying to warn this generation with signs in the heavens and signs in the seas?

THE ROARING SEAS "In the sixth hundredth year of Noah's life, in the second month, the seventeenth day of the month, the same day were all

the fountains of the great deep broken up and the windows of heaven were opened." - Genesis 7:11 As I have already mentioned, the Septuagint (the Greek translation of the Hebrew Scriptures) uses the word for "abyss" to define the "the great deep." It seems that the abyss was ripped open and in addition to this upheaval of water, torrential rains began to fall from heaven. Since the days of Noah are a picture of the last days, is it possible that, in our time, the breakup of the fountains of the deep is synonymous with the seeming swelling number of tsunamis? Likewise, could it be that the "windows of heaven" being opened could be something akin to the growing intensity of hurricanes? Scripture makes it clear that God has, in times past, used the seas to bring judgment In the time of Noah, the flood waters destroyed the wicked. In Lot's day, the five cities of the plain ended up at the bottom of the Salt Sea, (a.k.a the Dead Sea). Because she looked back, Lot's wife died when incredible amounts of extremely salty water transformed her into a pillar of salt. The point is, tsunamis and hurricanes are comprised of salt water and salt water has been instrumental in the past when God judged the wickedness of mankind. "And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring; men's hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth; for the powers of heaven shall be shaken." - Luke 21:25-26

Consider how some of the other translations render this verse. "Dismay among nations, in perplexity at the roaring of the sea and the waves." (NASU) "Distress (trouble and anguish) of nations in bewilderment and perplexity (without resources, left wanting, embarrassed, in doubt, not knowing which way to turn) at the roaring (the echo) of the tossing of the sea." (AMP) "And down here on earth the nations will be in turmoil, perplexed by the roaring seas and strange tides." (NLT) The Scriptures tells us that, at this time, the "powers of heaven will be shaken." In Greek, the word translated as "powers" is dunamis. It means "a force, strength, mighty." What is the powers of heaven? Perhaps it is referring to the force, strength and violence of the wind. When it says that these powers are "shaken" the Greek language suggests that these powers are going to be agitated and disturbed. The root word that is translated as "shaken" comes from salos which is a vibration or a wave and, so, it seems that the sea will be forcibly agitated to the degree that men's hearts will fail them. This description seems to go handin-hand with what the writer of Hebrews foretold of the end of days.

"Whose voice then shook the earth; but now he hath promised, saying, 'Yet once more I shake not the earth only, but also heaven.'" - Hebrews 12:26 Now pay attention to the verse that precedes the one describing the sea and waves roaring. "And they will fall by the edge of the sword, and shall be led away captive into all nations. And Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled." - Luke 21:24 When we look at the complete picture being presented to us, Scripture says that at the end of days, the Gentiles would lose their grip on Jerusalem. Following this, cosmic signs would be evident and then the seas would begin to toss and turn to the distress of mankind.

THE JERUSALEM CONNECTION After the fall of Jerusalem in 70 A.D., almost 1900 years passed before Jerusalem was again under Jewish control. Beginning with the Romans in 70, the Byzantines, the Ottoman Turks and finally the British in 1947, all the nations who ruled Jerusalem during that 1900 years were Gentiles. That changed in the 1967 Six Day War with the reunification of the city of Jerusalem. Interestingly enough, two years later in July 1969, man

landed on the moon - a sign? Since that time, there have been other, perhaps, more dramatic signs in the heavens. For instance, the Shumaker-Levi comet that struck the planet Jupiter in 1996 was an interesting sign. Sixteen fragments of this comet struck the surface of the planet with the impact of atomic bombs. The interesting thing about this is that rabbis consider Jupiter to be the planet of King David. Is it just coincidental that this occurred when the Oslo peace accords were being secretly signed? Another cosmic sign that comes to mind is the appearance of the Hale-Bopp comet in 1997. What made this particular comet so incredible was the fact that it could easily be seen with the naked eye and for several nights. Moreover, it was concluded that the last time this particular comet had been visible from earth was about 4,500 years ago. That would have been about the time of Noah and the flood. That brings us now to what the Scripture said would happen next - the sea and the waves roaring. Hurricanes and tsunamis have always been with us. However, there are those, myself included, who think that these types of phenomena may be intensifying. In 2004, for instance, four major hurricanes struck Florida - that was bad enough. Yet soon after those terrible storms, perhaps the most destructive storm to ever afflict the US struck the Gulf Coast and the affects of the ensuing disaster are still with us. That storm was Katrina.

THE KATRINA FACTOR Some say that hurricanes like Katrina are "natural

disasters" or acts of "Mother Nature." When anyone raises the issue of the timing of these types of disasters with significant world events, some cite that these storms are the result of normal storm cycles. Yet in Scripture we see that sometimes these events come about as an attack from the Adversary. The whirlwind mentioned in Job 1 was obviously brought about by Satan. As believers, we understand that some of these storms come about because prophecy is being fulfilled just as we see in Luke 21:24. We also see that, unfortunately at times, these storms are a method of divine chastisement. Many people are of the opinion that Katrina was the latter - chastisement for America's flagrant debauchery. The fact that the converging waters of the Mississippi and the Gulf submerged a large part of New Orleans is a topic worth investigating. First of all, it is reported that around 15% of the population in New Orleans is involved in voodoo and the occult. A typical night on Bourbon Street is pretty raunchy when compared to most of Main Street USA, but the perversion that goes on during Mardi Gras and other special "events" is mind boggling. For instance, since 1972 the Southern Decadence Celebration - occurring on the Sunday before Labor Day - is a city-wide party that hosts well over one-hundred thousand predominately gay men dressed in drag. According to one news report that monitored one of these celebrations: "When the time comes to march, the Grand Marshal blows his-her-its whistle and the whole drunken, rowdy group weaves its drunken way down the streets of one quarter, one

year cutting through St. Louis Basilica while a Mass was in progress. . ." Just before Katrina struck it was reported that: "The Crescent City is gearing up for one of the largest Decadence celebrations in history bringing in over 125,000 revelers. . . . Not even the fire from a dragon's breath would keep participants from assembling in the 1200 block of Royal Street on the first Sunday before Labor Day for a celebration that has gotten bigger and more wonderfully insane each year since its casual creation in 1972." Two days later, Katrina struck.

THE AMERICA-ISRAEL LINK "And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee." - Genesis 12:3 Recall that Luke 21 connects the "sea and waves roaring" to the city of Jerusalem and, by extension, the land of Israel. Therefore, it is believed by many that the destruction Katrina caused was due, not only to the perverseness of New Orleans as a city, but to our national complicity in forcing Israel to surrender and evacuate land to be handed over to their enemies. Think back with me - Noah's family was removed from their

homes for the duration of the flood. Lot's family had to leave behind homes, possessions - even family members - and had to live in a cave. Now consider the forcible removal of 9,000 mostly religious Jews from their homes in Gaza in August 2005. The evacuation began on 9 Av which, on the Hebrew calendar, is a solemn day of mourning. I remember seeing the images of crying women and children being loaded on buses against their will. I remember seeing groups of men defiantly waving Israeli flags as they stood on the roof of the synagogue, refusing to leave. Eventually, though, all were evacuated by force and taken by buses to relocation centers. Later their homes were bulldozed. America's policies toward the Israeli-Palestinian conflict played a large role in what eventually took place in Gaza. So then, we should not be surprised to see that, because of our involvement, the very thing that happens to Israel ends up being repeated in the United States. Israel has fought wars with Islamic nations five different times. Now we are fighting wars in Islamic nations. Israeli soldiers have been attacked by homicide bombers. Now, our soldiers are being murdered by roadside bombings. Why? It seems obvious that God deals directly and harshly with those who interfere with and undermine His purposes in the land of Israel. Consider the following passages: "And first I will recompense their iniquity and their sin double; because they have defiled my land, they have filled mine inheritance with the carcasses of their detestable and abominable things." - Jeremiah 16:18

"I will also gather all nations, and will bring them down into the valley of Jehoshaphat, and will plead with them there for my people and for my heritage Israel, whom they have scattered among the nations, and parted my land." - Joel 3:2 Understanding this, can it be coincidental that as plans were being prepared to forcibly remove Israelis from their homes, and at the insistence of the US government I might add, that Katrina was forming off the coast of Africa? As those plans went into action, Katrina strengthened and began to bear down on the US and, ultimately, the Gulf coast. Is it just a coincidence that, in the end, thousands of US citizens had to be, in some cases, forcibly removed from their homes and relocated? I don't think it a coincidence at all. According to Christ's words in Luke 21, the sea and the waves roaring is one of the final signs that the times of the Gentiles is coming to a close and the return of Christ is at hand.

8 AMERICA IN THE LAST DAYS A common question pertaining to prophecy is, "Where is America in Prophecy? What happens to the US in the last days?" Some cite Isaiah 18 as a cryptic clue identifying the United States at the end of days (I have taught on this myself at times). There are those who consider America to be the modern Babylon and use Jeremiah 50 and 51, as well as Revelation 17-18 to advance this idea. While I do believe that "Babylon" infects every nation on earth, including our own, I still tend to believe that Babylon means Babylon - as in Iraq. Through the years I have pointed out that, in the vineyard parable of Matthew 21, Christ stated that the kingdom given to Israel would be temporarily given to another nation. That nation, Jesus says, would exist for one purpose - to bring forth fruit in its season. After years of study, I am convinced that America is that nation. Who can deny that God ordained this country to be a counterbalance to much evil in the modern era? Who can refute that God's Hand was in the very founding of this nation? While this nation has degenerated morally, ethically and spiritually, nevertheless, the U.S. is still the country leading the way when it comes to extending tangible aid to nations in need and, most importantly, declaring the message of the Messiah to those abroad.

Therefore, I believe that America's spiritual pattern is linked to Israel - the other unique and God-ordained nation. However, when it comes to our political, economic and governmental patterns - because these enhance mankind's interests - I am afraid they are most likely linked to ancient Rome and, yes, Babylon. Because all things modern - including America - have ancient roots, I believe that, in order to explain America's future, we must discuss the past. Solomon explained it this way: "That which hath been is now, and that which is to be hath already been, and God requireth that which is past." - Ecclesiastes 3:15

DANIEL'S FOUR BEASTS In Chapter 7, the prophet Daniel revealed that five empires would arise on the world scene. Each was identified by a particular beast whose nature represented the personality and character of that particular empire. Those beasts were: Lion with eagle's wings. (Dan. 7:4) Bear with three ribs in its mouth. (Dan. 7:5) Four-headed, leopard with wings. (Dan. 7:6) Beast with iron teeth and ten horns (Dan. 7:7) Of the first beast, Daniel says that the wings were "plucked off; and it was lifted up from the earth and made to

stand on two feet like a man" (Dan. 7:4). The second beast, the bear, was told to, "Arise, devour much flesh (Dan. 7:5). The third beast, the four-headed leopard was given dominion (Dan. 7:6). When he describes the fourth beast, Daniel makes it clear that this beast is totally different from the rest; it is "dreadful and terrible, exceedingly strong." With its teeth it devoured and with its feet it broke into pieces whatever stood in its way. As he was observing this very unique beast, Daniel says: "I was considering the horns, and there was another horn, a little one, coming up among them, before whom three of the first horns were plucked out by the roots. And there, in this horn, were eyes like the eyes of a man, and a mouth speaking pompous words." - Daniel 7:8 (NKJV) The traditional interpretation of this prophecy concerning the identity of the beasts goes something like this: the lion is Babylon; the wings plucked out alludes to Nebuchadnezzar's breakdown. The bear is Medo-Persia, an empire which overthrew the Babylonians. The leopard refers to the Grecian empire, the swift rise of Alexander the Great and the division of his empire into four sectors upon his death. The fourth, nondescript beast is identified as the great Roman Empire. The "little horn" and the "ten horns" are the future antichrist who arises from a coalition of ten nations that have resurrected the Holy Roman Empire. I certainly agree with this interpretation. Babylon had winged lions carved upon their walls to "guard" their city gates. Some of the largest bears in the world were once located on the mountains of Persia. The leopard is swift, revealing the

speed in which Alexander the Great swept into world by the age of 32. The fourth beast, Rome, had "iron teeth," denoting that Rome would be the "iron kingdom," a kingdom of military power; a fierce fighting machine that would trample anyone who interfered with it's agenda. Yes, this all makes sense and, yet for many years, some prophetic teachers have noted that there are modern nations whose emblems and character resemble the description of the four beasts seen by Daniel. Moreover, just as the ancient empires formed in order, from Babylon to Rome, these four modern nations formed in the same order indicated by Daniel.

THE FOUR BEASTS OF OUR TIME It is interesting that Great Britain has, for centuries, been identified with a Lion. During World Wars I and II, people spoke of the British "Lion." America's emblem is the bald eagle. Remember, the eagle's wings were plucked from the lion and lion became a man with a compassionate heart. America came about after being "plucked" from the British empire and stood on it's own feet and became a nation of compassion among the nations of the world. According to Daniel a bear would follow the Lion and rise of the Eagle. Certainly the Bolshevik Revolution of 1917 and the rise of the Soviet Union fits the description. The symbol of Russia is the bear! In Daniel's prophecy the bear is laying on one side; the Soviet Union spread to one side of the globe. The three ribs in its mouth perhaps allude to the three primary leaders, Lenin, Stalin and Krushchev. Communism certainly

"devoured much flesh as it's reign of murder and terror endured for more than seventy years. The next major empire, the leopard, would have to arise after the Russian "bear." Less than twenty years after the rise of the Soviet Union, Germany propelled the world into one of its darkest hours - World War II. The swift rise of Hitler can certainly be compared to the quickness of a leopard. With lightning speed - blitzkrieg - Hitler and his Third Reich swept throughout Europe and even Africa, leaving the stench of death and destruction in its path. Oddly enough, Alexander's reign lasted only about twelve years; Hitler's Third Reich also lasted just over twelve years. If all of this is a valid interpretation, then another empire must form and out of this diverse and unique empire will come the infamous Antichrist of Bible prophecy. As far as I am concerned, it is clearly not the European Union because it is "diverse from all the beasts" (Dan. 7:7). In reality the EU is a coalition of nations held together by trade and a single monetary unit. Presently, the EU does not fit the description of the warring, destructive nature of the ancient Roman beast nor does it is resemble the beast as revealed in Revelation. That beast is continually "making war" (Rev. 13:4; 7)), beheading all who oppose it (Rev. 20:4). People who believe the fourth beast will be a revised Holy Roman (European) Empire like to trumpet the economic power of the EU and their amassing political clout. However, I would argue that the oil producing nations are the ones swimming in money, and with billions in assets not to mention the resource that the entire world depends on - oil - it is the Muslim countries who are currently displaying their political power.

Consider that in the Gulf nation of Dubai, the most modern and accessorized city in the world is being built with the intentions that it will become "the" vacation mecca of the world! Because some of these sheiks have so much money they can't possibly spend, they are purchasing man-made islands complete with luxurious hotels that house indoor ski resorts. It is a city literally rising from the sea! If that were not enough, many of the buildings being constructed there are built in the form of towering "horns." The real wealth of late has been in oil and much of that "black gold" comes from the deserts of Islamic nations. Today, the revenues from the sale of this oil is being channeled into the West, not to assist, but to purchase land and businesses, and to construct mosques - in many cases on the site of closed churches. In other words, I believe that the last empire is in the process of organizing and will soon rise to power. I believe that fourth beast Daniel describes - a beast that is "dreadful and terrible" - will be a coalition of Islamic nations ruling from the Middle East (the ancient Roman Empire was comprised of lands in Europe, Africa and the Middle East). Out of this revived Islamic kingdom (the Ottoman Turks were a powerful Muslim empire for 400 years) will arise the "little horn" or the Antichrist. He will seize ten nations (10 horns) and, through his seizure of vast oil deposits and revenues, effectively control the global economy. In Revelation, this final kingdom is compared to a lion (ancient Babylon) a bear (ancient Persia) and a leopard (ancient Greece).

"And the beast which I saw was like unto a leopard, and his feet were as the feet of a bear, and his mouth as the mouth of a lion: and the dragon gave him his power, and his seat, and great authority." - Revelation 13:2 This passage suggests that the final beast will swallow up the territory of Babylon, Medo-Persia and Greece. Today this would include the nations of Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iran, Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, parts of Turkey, parts of Greece, and a small area in Bulgaria (Macedonia). With the exception of Greece and parts of Bulgaria, these areas are predominantly Muslim. Now getting back to America's fate: in consideration that the beasts in Daniel 7 not only describe ancient kingdoms but also modern nations, then the fourth beast - the kingdom of the Antichrist - is going to bring to an end the global stature of the lion (Britain), the eagle's wings (America), the bear (Russia) and and the leopard (Germany, perhaps representing Western Europe). We know that the Antichrist will control the economies of the world, at least indirectly, through a system utilizing a mark, a number or the name of the beast. How is this control possible considering he has to humble some of the most powerful nations of the earth? I should point out that, currently, the demographics of Europe, including Great Britain, are swiftly changing. That is to say that, with every passing day, there are fewer and fewer Christians and more and more Muslims. Much of what was the former Soviet Union is Muslim and Russia itself has always shown a willingness to align itself with powerful Muslim nations. When it comes to America, though the Muslim

advance here has been slower, it is no doubt progressing. So now the question is, "Of these - Britain, America, Russia, Germany (Western Europe): who will be the last to fall?" Considering that America is currently the leading power in the world, I submit that the answer to the question is "America." If so, there is soon to be a dramatic decline in American power and sovereignty.

AMERICA: THE LAST GREAT EMPIRE The time is coming when many nations, in order to sustain or expand their power and influence, will find it necessary to surrender their individual sovereignty and unite in various coalitions and confederacies. To some degree this is already happening. So then, America as we know it today may possibly be the last great sovereign power in world history. America was founded by men and women seeking religious freedom who arrived by ship from Europe. The founding fathers transformed thirteen colonies into a union of people with a common goal - life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. As a young America developed, the founders further expressed our national mandate in the Preamble of the US Constitution: "We the people of the United States, in order to form a more perfect union, establish justice, insure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity."

It is obvious that the founders of this nation placed a premium on liberty and justice. Where did their inspiration come from? Their own writings tell us - the Bible! The Scriptures and the principles contained therein provided the moral and ethical outline to the laws they enacted in order "to form a more perfect union." As America grew, so did our influence and power. By the close of World War II, America had been elevated to the level of "superpower." As our power and influence grew, so did our sin. We shouldn't be too surprised by this outcome, because this is exactly what happened to ancient Rome. While the founders truly acknowledged the need for biblical principles in government, they were equally inspired by the ancient Greco-Roman world as well. Consequently, they employed many of the governing principles they learned from the ancient world. For instance, they founded what they called a republic; the same term used to describe the government of the Roman Empire. So, as I mentioned previously, while I do believe that spiritual America parallels Israel - politically, militarily and even economically - we follow the pattern of the ancient Gentile powers, especially Rome, and that is not good! When studying the past empires of Biblical prophecy, there appears to be four common threads woven into the fabric of each one - Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece and Rome. I believe the same four traits are stitched into the fabric that is America. Military Authority

Every previous empire dominated the world through a powerful and seemingly undefeatable military machine. The Babylonians were the first to conquer the known world. The Medes and Persians conquered the Babylonians with their military. Through the military prowess of Alexander, 30,000 highly motivated Greeks conquered over one million Persians. Eventually, it was Romans who developed the most powerful army in world history, spreading their influence to nations and regions previously untouched by past empires. Just as ancient Rome was noted for its great military power, America has also been acknowledged as the most powerful military force in the world. Some suggest that Russia is equal to or surpasses America in military strength. This is a false assumption. While Russia does possess an arsenal of nuclear weapons, the collapse of the Soviet Union brought a deep division into the Russian military. Many high ranking officials defected to other nations. Many Soviet soldiers went for months without pay. Russia is still a dangerous force, primarily due to their willingness to sell high tech weapons to rogue nations like Iran. Still, America's advanced technology and military discipline is the envy of the world. The fact that we currently have the greatest military is a characteristic that connects us to the empires of the past. Economic Dominion In some way, each of the ancient empires drove and affected the global economy in their time. Babylon was rich with gold while the Persians abounded in silver and spices.

Through an extensive road system and merchant marine, the Romans conducted trade at unprecedented levels, bringing in incredible revenues. Each empire dominated their day through economic strength. In the modern era, most nations have their own currency. Israel uses the shekel, Japan has the yen, England the poundsterling and so on. Yet over the last fifty years or so, the only currency that is desired and recognized universally is the American dollar. Even Saddam Hussein hoarded nearly one billion American dollars in anticipation of a getaway. After the 2007 Israeli conflict with Hezbollah, the same Islamic terrorist who called for death to Israel and the destruction of America handed out $12,000 in American currency to each Lebanese who had lost their home in the conflict (I might note here that the strength of the dollar is beginning to wane). The growth and strength of global markets are many times determined by what happens on Wall Street. A negative drop in New York almost immediately impacts Asian and European markets. In short, for the past 50 years much of the world's global economy has been directly linked and driven by America's currency and economic power. Political Influence To be a leading empire you must be the leading policy maker among the nations. Your political clout must extend beyond you own borders and influence the decisions of other world leaders. This political power is directly related to one's military and economic strength. In other words, a nation will be influenced by the empire who is capable of bringing prosperity

or destruction to their borders. From early times, economic and military strength was the foundation upon which political power was built. This three-fold cord (military, economy, political) was what enabled an empire to remain in power. During World War I, Britain was the prominent world power. It was said that the sun never set on the British Empire. After WW II, Britain realized it was becoming too expensive to be the guardians of the world. Eventually, the British withdrew their troops from areas such as Iraq and Palestine, making room for the state of Israel - and eventually Saddam Hussein. As the British left these areas, a certain degree of a power vacuum was created. It was America who stepped in to fill the gap and to stabilize the geo-political tempest that has been brewing since the British relinquished their role as superpower. Consequently, the world now looks to America to resolve political conflicts and to assist in war efforts, including forging peace treaties. While the ancient world looked to Rome for Pax-Romana ("Roman peace"), America is almost always called upon to be the mediator and peacemaker. This is the primary evidence that we are, at least now, the greatest political force in the world.

REMOVING THE FINAL EMPIRE Most of the dominant empires of history have lasted anywhere between 200 to 500 years. The Medo-Persians ruled for about 330 years. The Greeks ruled for about 300 years.

Rome (the Western leg) lasted 500 years. The Ottoman Turks ruled for 400 years. Though Columbus was credited with discovering the New World in 1492, America did not build her first colony until 1607 in Jamestown, Virginia. From the forming of Jamestown unto the year 2007 was four hundred years. I mention this because a four-hundred year cycle is first found in Genesis 15:13. God revealed to Abraham that his descendants would live in a strange land (Egypt) for four hundred years. Afterwards, God said He would bring them out of captivity and back into the Promised Land. As He brought them into the land, God would use Israel to destroy the immoral and idolatrous tribes that had possessed the Promised Land. Another interesting thing to consider is that, from the last Hebrew prophet, Malachi, to the revelation of John the Baptist, there was a period of four hundred years. It seems then, a four-hundred year cycle often hints at the "fullness" and completion of something, which then leads to a transition of stature. In other words, at the end of the fourhundred years, Egypt went from being the dominant power to a nation reduced to shambles. When John came and prepared the way for Christ, many stopped looking at the religious leaders as the "last word" and started looking to Christ. Since there appears to be some element of this fourhundred year cycle in our county, it is my belief that America's "cup of iniquity" is becoming full and a major transition of power and influence is about to occur. When judgment does indeed come, America will decline in military, economic and

political strength. In essence, you and I are witnessing the last gasps of the great American Empire. When this finally comes, we will not be able to say that we did not understand or we can't believe God would allow this to happen. God warned Israel that judgment would come if they would not repent. They didn't and judgment came. The same warnings He issued to them, He has issued to us. Why? This country shares a spiritual connection to Israel. Unfortunately, we also share a connection with the pagan and idolatrous empires fallen empires I might add - of the past.

AMERICA AND ISRAEL: PARALLEL WARNINGS Throughout the Five Books of Moses, commonly known as the Torah, God instructed Israel in every aspect of life; from what is good for food and how one should respect a neighbor's property to how, when and where one was to worship the Almighty. Throughout these instructions God was always careful to warn the people that, after entering into this covenant, should they decide to rebel and turn away from God's instructions, certain consequences were sure to come upon them. These "curses of the law" are recorded in two main passages: Deuteronomy 28 and Leviticus 26. It was this same moral and spiritual law penned by Moses that became the foundation for the moral and spiritual law in America. As a matter of fact, according to President Harry Truman, the founding documents of America - the Constitution, the Declaration of Independence, etc. - were all

based upon the Torah, the Prophets and the four gospels. Think about it: in the past we rejected homosexuality, bestiality and pornography because, according to Scripture, it was wrong. Now, however, just like Israel we are turning away from what had so long guided us as a nation and turning to what we deem to be right. Just as with Israel, God has been issuing warnings to America that we had better turn around. God told Israel: "If ye will not hearken unto me, and will not do all these commandments; and if ye shall despise my statutes, or if your soul abhor my judgments, so that ye will not do all my commandments, but that ye break my covenant: I also will do this unto you." - Leviticus 26:14-16 God then detailed seven warnings for the nation who rejects His covenant with them. I will appoint over your terror (Lev. 26:16) Your heavens will be brass; I will withhold the rain making a drought (Lev. 26:19) Your fruit trees will not yield their fruit (Lev. 26:20) You cattle will be destroyed and your highways empty (Lev. 26:22) Pestilence will strike and I will allow your enemies to defeat you (Lev. 26:25) You will see food shortages (Lev. 26:26) Cities will become desolate and your sanctuaries

(churches) empty (Lev. 26:31) Let's compare America's recent conflicts with these Biblical warnings. God said he would "appoint" (or visit) you with terror. Since September 11, 2001, America has been engaged in a global war on terror. Islamic fanatics entered our nation and executed a well-orchestrated plan, claiming close to 3,000 victims. Beyond the deaths, the attack eliminated over one million jobs and the ensuing war has cost billions of dollars and more deaths. As of this writing, young men are still dying in defense of the nation. Terror has visited America. The Almighty then warned that, following the terror, there would be a lack of rain. Drought has been partially responsible for huge fires in the west and midwest. Since September 11th, tens of thousands of acres have burned due to wild fires, some the result of arson. Recently, the lack of rain has resulted in one of the worse droughts the southeastern United States has experienced in well over a century. This drought has been especially harsh on the state of Georgia and her principal city Atlanta. In the midst of this drought, Atlantans were being warned that, unless a large amount of rain doused the area soon, the city of 5.4 million could soon be without drinking water! This has never happened to any American city in the modern era. It should be noted that, over the last several years, Atlanta has become the "San Francisco of the south," meaning it has become a popular haven for the homosexual community. I also wish to point out that several of the mega-churches and

ministries in the area have been caught in unbelievable sexual scandals. Certainly, we have experienced terror and drought. The third warning was the fruit trees would not produce their fruit. A drought would naturally affect the growth of fruit and vegetables. However, there may be another angle on this warning. In late autumn 2006, many beekeepers began to notice that their hives were dying and the bees were gone! By spring 2007 this phenomena, dubbed Colony Collapse Disorder or CCD, was being reported globally. At first people theorized that cell phone towers were interfering with the internal navigation system of the bee - this was later rejected. The prevailing theory was that a virus had spread through the colonies and was killing the bees. Whatever the cause, the potential consequence is that the dieoff would have a significant impact on food supplies, especially fruit-bearing trees. The next warning concerns livestock. One of the ramifications of the recent drought in the southeast was a shortage of hay. Not only that, but because of the bee phenomena, there were fears that alfalfa (a staple in the cattle industry and a plant pollinated by bees) would be in short supply. Many ranchers ended up selling a great deal of their livestock for fear of starving animals. Furthermore, it has come to my attention that, in certain states, unreported diseases have been discovered in cattle - and these cattle are being sold for slaughter. The next warning appears to allude to travel. God warns, "Your highways will be desolate." The Hebrew word translated here as "highways" is derek, meaning a road, a path, a way." If

this is to be understood as a road for travelers, then it is empty. How could America's extensive highway system become empty? One logical conclusion is that the price of gasoline has become so high that the average American can't afford to travel as they once did. Just in the last few years we have seen crude oil go from $72.00 a barrel to $100.00. This price increase is blamed on an array of causes - hurricanes, political unrest, demands from China, etc. Imagine how much of a spike a prolonged war in the Middle East could cause - $150, $200 a barrel? This would translate into as much as $10 a gallon for gas. These kind of conditions could realistically empty America's highways. I could go on but I believe the reader can easily see the pattern that is developing. America's sins are creating circumstances in the same manner that Israel's sins provoked God to act. That means America is ripe for the same level of judgment. I believe that the great American empire is at its peak. Furthermore, I believe that the four-hundred year cycle is evidence that a transition of power and influence from a sovereign America is forthcoming. In order to survive at any level, America will be forced to give up its sovereignty and become a part of a coalition of nations. This, at least, is what the patterns of prophecy seem to indicate.

THE COMING COALITION OF NATIONS We can begin to see the signs - a new form of government rising from the sea of nations. Instead of one main superpower, the world's political climate is poised to see different coalitions

emerging, forged by the common denominator of geography, culture, religion or ethnicity. One of these has already evolved - the European Union, now consisting of over a dozen individual nations. Within the E.U., national borders, to some degree, have been removed, thus allowing travelers to move from country to country without a passport and to spend a common monetary unit, the Euro. Not to be left out, many Asian countries are looking into the prospects of forming their own coalition. Interestingly, the Bible identifies a group of leaders called the "lungs of the east" (Rev. 16:12). The Greek word translated as "east" is anatole, and alludes to the "rising light." Since the sun rises in the east, it is presumed that the "kings of the east" are from Asian nations. Please note that the Japanese flag is a white field with a "rising" sun. Could it be that China, Taiwan, Japan, Vietnam, Korea and other regional nations form a coalition in the future? Still, the one that stands out above the others is the coalition of "ten kings" who give their kingdoms over to the Antichrist in one hour (Rev. 17:12). These ten kings are the "ten toes" on the metallic image in Nebuchadnezzar's dream (Dan. 2:41). They are also the ten horns on the fourth beast Daniel saw (Dan. 7:24). Since the Antichrist will uproot three of the ten horns (Dan. 7:20-24) - identified by the early fathers as Egypt, Libya and Ethiopia (Dan. 11:42-43) - this coalition appears to be linked to Islam. As a point of interest, fanatical Muslims have plans to overthrow Egypt and have threatened Libya for cooperating with the United States. Presently, one coalition has formed in Europe (the EU).

Others are poised to take shape and one in particular will be Islamic. So then, where does this leave America? It would seem America must consider forging a western coalition in order to survive. The environment for this union has already been created through the North American Free Trade Agreement. (NAFTA). As hard as it is to believe, this was only the first step in what will eventually become an American Union. Plans are developing whereby the borders between the United States, Canada and Mexico will be erased and, like the Europeans, this Union would promote one common currency, the Amero. There are, thankfully, roadblocks that must be overcome in order for this union to succeed. The first one is the sovereignty of each nation. The US Constitution was written in such a way that an American government that would seek to wrest liberties from the people would have to launch a major assault against the Constitution and the ancient laws of the land. Should the American people devolve to the level of being willing to "sell their birthright" for a mess of pottage, then this union could begin to materialize. A second hindrance is the American economy. One primary reason illegal immigrants are pouring into America is to work. There are hard working individuals who send a large portion of their income back to Mexico. For this reason the Mexican government is reticent to prevent their citizens from crossing the border. If, however, America's economy began to collapse and the dollar lost its buying power (as the German Mark was prior to Hitler's rise), then the union could evolve along with its official currency, the Amero. One indication that governments are planning for this probability is a trade

thoroughfare is being built from the Mexican border through the heartland of America and all the way to the Canadian border. Realizing that for many this is hard to comprehend, let me remind the reader that we thought September 11th unlikely. Yet that day changed the way we live overnight. Similar events or those with the same ability to change our way of life overnight can happen and most likely will.

AS ROME GOES, SO GOES AMERICA As I have pointed out, the United States shares similarities with the ancient Roman Empire. Notice several of the fascinating parallels between these two historic empires. The greatest superpower of its day. The greatest military in the world. The eagle is the national emblem. Have a Senate on a "Capitol Hill." Have a national anthem. Pledge allegiance to their flags. Enamored with sports stars. Built stadiums for sporting events. Allowed for the killing of infants. Both promoted homosexuality as normal. Tolerant of all beliefs - for a while.

Persecute true believers who stand for truth. When Rome was at its peak under Trajan (98-117 AD), foreign gods began to receive sanctuary. Yet, this also brought a persecution of the people who believed there was only one God who deserves worship as He prescribes - Jews and Christians! This was consistent with the policy of squashing anything they considered seditious. Typically, the military was used to put a stop to rebellions throughout the empire. This was in addition to their normal duties of protecting the borders of the empire and invading rival nations. As the military was called upon more and more to preserve Pax Romana (Roman peace) in the world, the empire's debts increased. Increased taxation was employed to offset the expenses but that caused once prosperous farmers, who could not pay their tax debt, to quit farming. Rome, then, was forced to develop a "welfare system to assist those in financial distress. Eventually a poor Roman citizen had one of three choices: he could join the army for food and a salary, leave Rome and colonize a new land, or go on the welfare system and depend upon government assistance. According to history, many chose the third option. In order to fund this scenario, The Roman Senate concluded that they should "tax the rich to assist the poor." Eventually the taxes became such a burden that even more people left their jobs to be supported by the government. In time a law was passed that, if you had a job, you could not quit work. The vicious financial cycle they had created began to take its toll on the empire. In time, the tolerance of sin, lofty political and military policies, extreme wealth and heavy

taxation bred so much corruption that the once great Roman Empire began to crumble from within. Though Rome's military seldom lost to an opposing army on the battlefield as with previous empires, Rome was nevertheless overrun by Germanic tribes. I would argue though, that this was made possible, not by the strength of the foreign tribes, but by the weakened state of the empire brought on by its immorality and corruption. The Roman empire had become the proverbial "house of cards." The external forces that toppled the empire merely applied the appropriate pressure at the right spot and that hastened the end. The prophetic parallels are undeniable. Currently, America has the greatest army on the planet; however, we are forced to fight a war in two theaters - Iraq and Afghanistan. If threats continue to come from Iran, another battlefield may soon develop there in ancient Persia. Here is the point: the cost of effectively waging war and keeping peace has become a huge drain on the economy. This is rather interesting considering that, in times past, war has been the impetus of a robust economy. World War II actually brought America out of the Great Depression. It seems logical to presume that, as time goes on, the people of America will be called upon to pay higher taxes in order to sustain our military. While I certainly believe it is our civic duty to do all we can to keep our military well funded, the fact that many on Capitol Hill who live by the credo, "tax the rich to help the poor" want your taxes to fund other programs, including the ever expanding welfare system. Rome adopted this strategy and it failed and it is failing in America as well. As much as we might not like the lifestyles of the "rich," they are

the ones with money to give jobs to those less fortunate. Through excessive taxation jobs are lost and the poor end up suffering. When you tie the hands of the small businessman the backbone of the US economy - you hasten the decline of the economy and, if the trend continues, you hasten the end of the empire. While these components are interesting to contemplate, however, idolatry, seeking sensual pleasure and the tolerance of immorality is what truly suffocated the Roman empire.

THE RETURN OF ANCIENT SPIRITS Many people consider an idol to be something formed of wood, stone or metal. Yet Scripture makes it clear that an idol is anything that is bigger in your heart and mind than God. It is anything you put before or worship besides the Almighty. It is anything you trust other than God or His Word. What makes this so important to understand is the fact that, ancient idols had evil spirits - devil worship if you will - connected to them! This should come as no surprise for we read in Scripture that Satan desired to be like God. In Isaiah 14, Lucifer (in Hebrew heilal, or "morning star") wanted his throne to be like the Almighty's. In Ezekiel 28, as the "anointed cherub," Satan allowed pride to take root in his heart. It seems logical that his objectives have remained the same - he wants to ascend into heaven and exalt himself to be like God. He desires to be worshiped. When he tempted Jesus his intentions became clear when he said, "all these things (kingdoms of the world) will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me" (Mt.4:9). I

suggest to the reader that idol worship, in any form, can ultimately be traced back to Satan and his desire to be venerated. In considering the nature of the three most prominent idols found in ancient Israel - Molech, Ba'al and Ashteroth - it can be said that the same spirit and allure of these idols can be found in America today. I believe the spirit of these idols is at the heart of the corruption we see in our country. The Spirit of Molech "And thou shalt not let any of thy seed pass through the fire to Molech, neither shalt thou profane the name of thy God: I am the LORD." - Leviticus 18:21 Molech is mentioned multiple times in Scripture and it is clear that God detests the worship of this idol. In fact, God pronounced a death penalty on any parent who worshiped Molech by passing children through the fire. It is believed that this particular idol was worshiped outside the walls of old Jerusalem in the Hinnom valley (gehenna or "hell"). Molech, made of iron and brass, was depicted as part human and part bull. The belly of the image was hollowed out so that a fire could burn within the opening. It was here that children were "passed through" and burned as an offering, some believe while still alive. As hard as it is to believe, the wisest man who ever lived, Solomon, was so influenced by strange women that he began to worship Molech (1 Kings 11:7). The worship of Molech

represents child abuse in the worst form. We can't imagine someone so cold as to allow an innocent child to be burned, perhaps alive, as worship to a piece of metal. Yet in America, some Catholic dioceses are going bankrupt because errant priests give in to pedophilia. Almost everyday there are reports of a child being kidnapped, raped or killed. Some parents are killing their children and claiming that "God told them to do it." Fathers are molesting their own children. All these things are happening and are more common than anyone would like to admit. The truly alarming element of all of this is, a great deal of these disturbing acts are being committed by people claiming to be Christian! Of course, as I mentioned earlier in the book, there is abortion: basically the slaughter of millions unable to defend themselves. All of this amounts to parents offering their seed as a "sacrifice to devils." It is absolutely no different than causing children to be passed through the fire to Molech. Unfortunately, we now live in a country that ridicules anyone who stands against this type of demonic behavior. Where abortion is concerned, even the Congress and the Supreme Court uphold and support the right of people to continue the slaughter - all to the glory and obvious glee of Satan himself. The Spirit Of Ba'al This god, known by many other names, was considered to be "male" in nature and was considered synonymous with the sun. As an image, Ba'al was most often depicted as an ox or bull. This was the same god that the Egyptians knew as Apis.

Apis was worshiped at Memphis and at the priest city of Heliopolis (a.k.a On) which, by the way, bordered the land of Goshen where Israel lived for hundreds of years. This god personified the animal that was used to plow fields from which came food. So then, Apis or Ba'al was associated with material things - food, clothing and wealth. When Israel was in the wilderness and there was no evident food source, perhaps this is why they chose to fashion a golden calf. The Bible says that they took gold jewelry and transformed them into a golden calf and cried, "This is your god O Israel who brought you up out of the land of Egypt" (Ex. 32:4). While most of us wouldn't consider doing anything like that, we would nevertheless follow the ways of modern culture when it comes to the worship of Ba'al. By that I mean, many think nothing of taking their earnings and investing them into the Stock Market. In and of itself, there is nothing wrong with investing. The problem is when your stock portfolio becomes more important to you than the spiritual welfare of your family. When greed overtakes you, that is idolatry - that is the spirit of Ba'al. Oddly enough, in New York's Financial district there sits a brass bull - symbolizing a "bull market." James warns us of this type of sin. "Go to now, ye rich men, weep and howl for your miseries that shall come upon you. Your riches are corrupted, and your garments are motheaten. Your gold and silver is cankered; and the rust of them shall be a witness against you and shall eat your flesh as it were fire. Ye have heaped treasure together for the last days. Behold, the hire of the laborers who have reaped down your fields, which is of you kept back by fraud,

crieth: and the cries of them which have reaped are entered into the ears of the LORD of hosts. Ye have lived in pleasure on the earth, and been wanton; ye have nourished your hearts, as in a day of slaughter. Ye have condemned and killed the just; and he doth not resist you." - James 5:1-6 I should also point out that history clearly teaches us that one of the last things God allows before bringing judgment upon a nation is prosperity. David Wilkerson wrote, "Throughout the Scriptures, we detect a pattern. Whenever nations turned away from God he sent them warnings through prophets. If the people didn't respond, God sent them violent storms and drastic weather changes and plagues to wake them up. And if that didn't work, God sent them one final message: He inundated them with prosperity. It was a last great mercy call." In 1 Samuel we see that a prophet was sent to the High Priest Eli and told him that in a day of prosperity, judgment would come (1 Sam. 2:32). Before Judah was carried off into Babylon they were enjoying such wealth and prosperity they didn't think it possible that God would permit judgment to come. So what does this say about those who teach the "prosperity message"? Is it coincidental that this is a message that most often emanates from American pulpits? In light of Scripture, are they not hastening the day of judgment? Could it also be said that they are conditioning a large segment of God's people to be completely overwhelmed by what is truly coming upon our nation?

The Spirit Of Ashteroth While Ba'al was the sun god, Ashteroth was considered a female - sometimes moon - deity. She was depicted as having many breasts and was synonymous with fertility. Consequently, sexual acts were performed in her temples as means of worshiping the one who could bring fertility. She was also connected to the concept of "mother earth." In today's world there are those who worship nature trees, rocks, etc. There are people who, by way of astrology, also worship the sun, moon, and the stars. Many of these "sects" find their way into Wicca, which is nothing more than witchcraft. Within Wicca and related beliefs, fertility - sexual acts - take front and center. Now I realize that many people don't adhere to the tenets of Wicca; however, have you noticed just how prevalent sexual perversion is in American society? It is this very same ancient spirit and that spirit can be found throughout America. Ladies and gentlemen, we are repeating the same mistakes that Israel made. We have gone after "other gods" and, because we parallel Israel in spiritual matters, God will not allow us to be exempt from correction. Yet, consider something else. Where did Israel learn of these other gods? They learned of them from the other nations and empires that had such an influence upon them. Likewise, America, by following in the parallel path of ancient Israel is also succumbing to the tendencies of the pagan empires, i.e. the ancient Romans.

AMERICA - CENTER OF CHRISTIANITY

Another interesting parallel between Rome and America is this: ancient Rome eventually became the center of Christianity. With all due respect to those with a Catholic background, I would argue that, in today's world, America has become the Christian center. Over 80% of our population claim Christianity as their religion. This does not mean they are "born again" or have a true relationship with Christ, but it does indicate that Christian teaching has penetrated and influenced the culture of the nation. Nevertheless, like the Romans before us, America continues to slide deeper into a immoral and backslidden condition from which we may never recover. The problem is, while America still knows how to pray, America no longer knows how to repent. Without repentance, ladies and gentlemen, there is no hope for the nation. As painful as it is for me to say that and for you to read, that is the reality of the situation. Furthermore, Scripture makes it clear that Jesus Christ is not returning to establish His throne in Washington D.C., but in Jerusalem. That means that, during the reign of Christ, Jerusalem will be the center of the worship of the one and only God. You see, there is coming a transition the times of the Gentiles is fast coming to a close.

AMERICA'S FINAL ASSIGNMENT Throughout history Gentile nations have affected and infected Israel. When the power of the Gentiles is broken it is a sign that the Millennial reign is soon to commence. Seeing that we are living in those times, what can we say has been America's assignment? Here is a short list that I think

summarizes it. We have helped spread the Gospel. We helped to restrain evil in the earth. We helped those in financial need. We have been a beacon of liberty. We have supported the state of Israel. We help bring the Jews back from the nations. These last two items are indeed important because America is spiritually linked to Israel's history in ways that no other nation could claim. I have documented these parallels at length in my book, Plucking the Eagle's Wings and so, for the sake of time, I will simply say this - America's mission has, in large part, been to see to it that prophecy concerning the nation of Israel and the return of her people comes to fruition. As a matter of fact, Scripture says that Israel will return from the north, south (Jer. 23:7-8, 31:8), and the west (Isa. 49:12, Zech. 8:7)! Something is going to happen that will enable Israel to come back into the land from the West. Now consider the following scripture: "And to the woman were given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness, into her place, where she is nourished for a time, and times, and half a time, from the face of the serpent." - Revelation 12:14 In this passage the woman, who most eschatologists

consider to be Israel, is carried into the wilderness by the wings of an eagle. Is it possible that this is describing our final mission as a nation? If so, at the conclusion of that mission, what becomes of America? Ladies and gentlemen, there can be no doubt that the times of the Gentiles are coming to an end. Furthermore, the Scriptures are clear that there is to arise a final and most dreadful empire, one that is bent upon destroying Israel. For this to happen, one must arrive at an unsettling but, nevertheless, inescapable conclusion - America's time is running out. When that comes, I believe it will be clear that the reasons will be the same as they have been for every other great power. All the wealth, power and military success caused us to look to ourselves as the source of these benefits and indulge ourselves in whatever perversions we thought necessary. We, like the Romans, have become that "house of cards." All that is needed for us to topple is for external pressure to be applied in just the right place. I think you can see where this is going. So, let us now take a look at the what the Bible has to say about the emergence of the next and last empire - that fourth and fearsome beast that spawns the Antichrist.

9 THE RISING ISLAMIC CRESCENT Off the coast of Turkey is the tiny island of Patmos. It was here that the last of the twelve disciples, John, saw a vision of the future (95 AD). Since he recorded these series of visions in the book of Revelation, men have debated the cryptic meanings John described. Many are of the belief that the entire book is merely an allegory. Some feel that all the events prophesied have already occurred in the distant past. For the record, I am a futurist - that is, I believe that John's book deals with time of the end. The theme of the book is a seven year tribulation - the day of the Lord, the time when the wrath of God and the Lamb is poured out upon the earth. Though I don't believe we are quite there yet, I do believe that we are seeing the early signs of what is coming later. To understand the book of Revelation one must try and understand the symbolism, the animals, colors, etc. Now, here is the key to that understanding. Most of what John describes is not new. In other words, John is shown things using the same symbols that are found in the Law and the Prophets. People often misinterpret the book of Revelation because they

do not understand the book of Genesis, if they read it at all. If you don't study Daniel's prophecies, you cannot hope to understand John's mysterious writings in Revelation. God does not reveal the end from the end, but from the beginning (Isa. 46:10). For our purposes, we begin in the heavenly Temple with Jesus breaking a seven sealed scroll. With the breaking of the first four seals we see that four horses with riders are introduced into the earth. These four horsemen have become somewhat iconic even in the secular world symbolizing death, destruction and mayhem in general. Still, does the Bible tell us what they truly represent? And how do these symbols relate to events right now?

HORSES OF A DIFFERENT COLOR The Bible makes a point of describing both horse and rider and tells us what they are sent to do. The White Horse "And I saw, and behold a white horse, and he that sat on him had a bow; and a crown was given unto him, and he went forth conquering, and to conquer." - Revelation 6:2 The Red Horse "And there went out another horse that was red; and power

was given to him that sat thereon to take peace from the earth, and that they should kill one another; and there was given unto him a great sword." - Revelation 6:4 The Black Horse "And when he had opened the third seal, I heard the third beast say, 'Come and see;' And I beheld, and 10 a black horse; and he that sat on him had a pair of balances in his hand." Revelation 6:5 The Pale (green) Horse "And I looked, and behold a pale horse; and his name that sat on him was Death, and Hell followed with him. And power was given unto them over the fourth part of the earth; to kill with sword and with hunger, and with death, and with the beasts of the earth." - Revelation 6:8 As I alluded to before, most are of the opinion that John is the first to mention most of what is described in Revelation. Actually though, many of the earlier prophets had already discussed much of what is confirmed to John. One book in which we see such similar imagery is in Zechariah's prophecy. In fact, you could say that Zechariah is miniature Revelation. Everyone is familiar with the two witnesses of Revelation (Rev. 11:1-3) but how many have taken the time to see that the wit nesses of Revelation are the fulfillment of what Zechariah saw in a vision (Zech. 4:14) centuries before? Revelation describes

the battle for Jerusalem (Rev. 11:13) but Zechariah described it first (Zech. 13 & 14). Zechariah also wrote of the Messiah's return to Jerusalem and His ruling on earth (Zech. 14:4-16) long before John wrote of it in his book (Rev. 19 & 20). Likewise, the first mention of different colored horses is not in Revelation but in Zechariah 6:1-7. Where the four horses of Revelation had riders, the horses in Zechariah are attached to chariots. The Bible describes the four different chariots having: Red horses. Black horses headed north. White horses following the black ones. Gristle horses (green) going south. "And the angel answered and said unto me, 'These are the four spirits of the heavens, which go forth from standing before the Lord of all the earth.' " - Zechariah 6:5 As I said, the four horses in Zechariah are harnessed to chariots whereas in Revelation they are being ridden. Yet, and here is the point, the colors are the same. Seeing that we have four colors to discuss, I will make four points. First, history reveals that emperors and many conquerors rode in chariots pulled by white horses. The first rider in Revelation carried a bow. In Greek the word translated as "bow" is toxon and is to be understood as the "bow of a warrior." The first rider also wears a crown. That Greek word - stephanos - is a "wreath or crown given as a prize at games.

Now, perhaps you have been wondering what this all has to do with the rise of an Islamic empire. As you have already seen, evidence seems to indicate that as the powers of today begin to decline this will create a shift in power. Furthermore, you have already seen that I am of the belief that Scripture presents evidence that this final empire is an Islamic kingdom rising out of the Middle East. When it comes to these four horses and their riders, the scenario remains consistent. In other words there are beliefs within in Islam that can be tied to these four riders and the colors of their horses. For instance, many Muslims believe, because the first rider is seated upon a white horse, that rider is their coming world leader - al Mahdi. According to Islamic eschatology, al Mahdi is the twelfth and last imam and will appear at the end of days to form an Islamic empire. It is also understood that, when he comes, he will kill Jews and any Christians who do not convert to Islam. The most favored way of executing such "infidels" is beheading. Finally, according to the hadiths (Islamic commentaries), al Mahdi will emerge from the desert riding a white horse coming as a conqueror. "It is clear that this man the Mahdi who will ride the white horse and judge by the Quran (with justice) and with whom will be men with marks of prostration on their forehead (marks from bowing down in prayer with their heads to the ground five times a day.)" "I find the Mahdi recorded in the books of the prophets. . . for

instance the Book of Revelation says: 'And I saw and behold a white horse. He that sat upon him went forth conquering and to conquer.' "- Hadith interpreter Ka'b al Ahbar The Bible says that this man would come using "peace" in order to conquer. Daniel says that he "confirms (strengthens) the covenant with many for one week" (Dan. 9:27). Daniel further reveals that "by peace he shall destroy many" (Dan. 8:25). Remember that Paul warned that in a day when men would cry "peace and safety," then sudden destruction would come upon them (1 Thes. 5:3). Therefore we see that, if the coming Mahdi is the Antichrist, then he will set out to make peace treaties and in particular with Israel. Yet, it will be a false peace. "And in the latter time of their kingdom, when the transgressors have reached their fullness, a king shall arise, having fierce features, who understands sinister schemes. His power shall be mighty, but not by his own power; he shall destroy fearfully, and shall prosper and thrive; he shall destroy the mighty, and also the holy people. And by peace he shall destroy many." - Daniel 8:23-25 The word that is translated here as "peace" is not the Hebrew word that most associate with peace, that is shalom. Instead, the word used here is shalval, meaning "security (false or genuine)"; "making things quiet." When it says he will "destroy" many, the Hebrew word means, "decay, cause ruin" and to "lay them waste." It implies that if you follow his laws,

you will have security. If you don't follow his laws, you will be ruined and laid waste. Perhaps his laws are called sharia (Islamic law). Could it be said that there are Muslims in the world aggressively pursuing a goal whereby sharia becomes the law for all peoples? The answer is "yes." The Bible teaches that he will promote his agenda through "peace" and, as we have just seen, it is not shalom. Now consider the Islamic principle of hudna - the word in Arabic translated as "peace." To the Muslim world, hudna does not mean an accord between two peoples who agree to coexist with respect to each other's way of life. Hudna is the "peace" that is attained by a cease fire - it never considers respecting the opponent's views and opinions. The cease fire is called when it becomes apparent that the armies of Islam are not yet strong enough to carry out the demands of jihad. In other words, hudna is the term ascribed to "peace" but it is understood, at least in the Muslim world, that this is a peace that will not last. As soon as Islam is strong enough, the enemies of Allah will be attacked and annihilated. Consider what Islam has to say about future peace treaties. "The prophet said there will be four peace agreements between you and the Romans. The fourth will be mediated through a person who will be from the progeny of Hadrat Aaron (honorable Aaron the brother of Moses) and it will be upheld for seven years." - The Mufti A.H. Elias "The prophet said . . . He will divide the property, and will govern the people by the Sunnah of their Prophet, and

establish Islam in the earth. He will remain seven years then die, and the Muslims will pray over him." "The prophet said, 'The Mahdi will fill the earth with equity and justice as it was filled with oppression and tyranny, and he will rule for seven years.' " At the beginning of the tribulation (the first forty-two months), a man will come conquering through war and by false peace. According to the Scriptures, his conquests will include Egypt, Libya and Ethiopia (Dan. 11:42-43). I believe wholeheartedly that this white horse rider is the leader of the coming Islamic empire, the eighth king of Revelation 17 who is destined to rule and terrorize the world for three and one-half years.

THE RED HORSE OF WAR Red is a prominent color in the book of Revelation. There is a red dragon (Rev. 12:3), a scarlet colored beast (Rev. 17:4) and a scarlet clothed harlot (Rev. 17:4). The second horseman rides a horse that is red with the objective of taking peace from the earth. The Greek word that is used here infers that this rider is going to bring continual unrest. The text says that he carries a great sword, and in Greek, the word megas means that it is a mighty sword. Of course, a sword symbolizes aggression, conflict and blood (perhaps the red horse alludes to blood). How can one come on a white horse conquering and yet peace be taken by the red horse? Remember that Daniel said he

would accomplish his goal of destroying by using the promise of peace - "by peace he will destroy many." In short, this leader will insist that the people of the world follow him and the laws he upholds or suffer war and destruction. Now consider what is currently happening in many predominantly Islamic nations. Indonesia constantly makes the news because of the Islamic induced fighting. In Nigeria, Muslim terrorists attack and kill innocent tourists and Christians. The same can be said of the Muslims in the Sudan. In Pakistan there is political unrest between those who think the country should be secular and those who think it should be guided by sharia law. It should also be noted that this country has nuclear weapons. Few Christians are aware that, on average, 160,000 Christians are killed for the sake of the Gospel every year. Many of the victims are in Islamic nations, murdered by fanatical Muslims. Unbelievably, 25% of Americans think it is okay for homicide bombers to kill in order to protect and advance the Islamic religion. My point is that Islamic terrorism is taking peace from the nations. What is it that is provoking them to murder in such a vicious manner? First of all, Muslims understand that jihad holy war - will never end until all the world submits to Allah. If you want a preview of what that would be like, consider the quality of life (especially for women and Christians) in Afghanistan before the fall of the Taliban. The frightening thing about that is, the majority of the insurgents in Iraq are not Iraqi, but from many of the other Muslim nations. They pour into Iraq in the belief that now is the time for the Islamic Crescent to ascend and for the armies of Allah to defeat the

Zionists and the infidels, namely "great Satan" (the US) and "little Satan" (Israel). Consider this: if the greatest political, economic and military power on the face of earth proves unable or unwilling to defeat a mob of ragtag warriors armed with roadside bombs, who will be able to defeat them? The answer is, no one and thus the world will cry: "Who is like unto the beast? Who is able to make war with him?"-Revelation 13:4

THE BLACK HORSE OF FAMINE Concerning the black horse and its rider, the Bible says "And I heard a voice in the midst of the four living creatures saying, 'A quart of wheat for a denarius and three quarts of barley for a denarius; and do not harm the oil and the wine.'" - Revelation 6:6 (NKJV) Imagine what the aftermath of a war when a great conqueror comes to change the world into something unseen or unheard of since the time of Nebuchadnezzar. The many battles, the bloodshed, not to mention the drain on the various economies of the antagonists, would create chaos throughout the world. As in any war, primary roads would be heavily damaged, bridges would be destroyed and communication would be interrupted if not completely cut off in some places. With all of this confusion and uncertainty, isn't it logical to

assume that the production and distribution of food would be severely curtailed? The advent of the third horseman and his black horse certainly seems to indicate that food will be in short supply. While the Scripture indicates that there will be some food wheat and barley - it nonetheless paints a bleak picture. One quart or one "measure" of wheat will cost a denarius. For some people, this doesn't mean much, but let me put it to you in familiar terms. One "measure" or quart is equivalent to about 1.5 pints, which is about one day's ration for one person. A denarius refers to an ancient coin that would be compensation for one day's work. In other words, the black horse signals a time of famine so severe that a person must work all day in order to purchase enough food to feed just him for one day! Apparently, barley will be a bit more affordable, allowing a day's wage to purchase enough for him to feed himself and two other family members for one more day. The rider of the black horse is described as holding scales, which might be hinting at food rationing during this incredible global famine. Still, people will be selling barley and wheat, and it would appear oil and wines as well. It is just that they are much more expensive. You will recall that, earlier, I mentioned the fact that honeybees have been disappearing in many nations throughout the world. The so-called Colony Collapse Disorder has been recognized in at least 35 US states as the culprit in massive hive die-offs. I also mentioned that the problem with this lies in the fact that bees pollinate about one-third of the plants and trees from which we derive our food. In fact, they pollinated over ninety fruits and vegetables. Is it possible that

this problem in conjunction with other issues - climate changes, GMOs (genetically modified organisms), threats of nuclear war, etc. - could create a famine unheard of in modern history, one nevertheless described in Revelation 6:6? There are a few other factors to consider. According to John's record of the future, the earth will go without rain for forty-two months (Rev. 11:6). Obviously, this would result in famine and may be the reason that the Euphrates River dries up (Rev. 16:12). The Bible also predicts that an asteroid called "wormwood will strike the earth, polluting one-third of the waters and thus causing the deaths of millions. It stands to reason that if a third of the world's waters are polluted then a vast amount of food would be rendered inedible. The result would again be famine. How would an Islamic empire play a factor in this type of scenario? If the world's food supplies are down and the demand is up, the basic laws of economics dictate that the price will increase. When the price increases who do you think will be first in line to get the available food? Obviously, those with money and power! I submit to you that, in today's world, the one who controls oil supplies not only has the money but the power to manipulate all nations dependent upon petroleum. I have no doubts that the Antichrist will attempt to control as much of the world's food supplies as possible, either directly or indirectly, and then use his influence in determining who gets food and who does not. If the Antichrist is of an Islamic background, he would not hesitate to use food as a bargaining chip to advance his agenda - that is to bring the world under the control of Islam. It should be pointed out here that the false prophet will

insist that people take a mark in order to buy and sell. Could it be that, through his immense wealth and power, the Antichrist could enforce his demands, not only upon those peoples directly under his heel, but upon others by blackmailing them. Furthermore, consider that Muslims are not permitted to charge other Muslims usury. As a result, many people have converted to Islam simply to save money. Might they do the same in order to eat? It seems to me that these things the Bible predicted so long ago are taking shape before our very eyes and are being corroborated by scientists, astronomers, politicians, and the daily news. Scoff if you want, but the sound of hoofbeats can be heard if you listen closely. A conquering warrior is coming and in his wake, war, bloodshed and famine. As bad as these things are, the Bible says that yet one more horse and rider must come upon the scene.

THE PALE HORSE In Greek, the word translated as "pale" is chloros or "pale green." When someone is pale, we associate that with "green." Have you ever heard the phrase, "green in the gills"? The point is, this particular horse and rider represent sickness unto death. It makes me wonder if this particular rider is basically a summary of the previous three. Take into account that, by the time this horse comes upon the scene, the world will have experienced war at an unprecedented level - peace will be taken from the earth. In conjunction with this will come great food shortages, brought

on both by the wars and the natural disasters that have struck. Rivers, lakes and streams will be polluted with all types of contaminants further advancing pestilences. It has been established in the past that as many people die from starvation, disease and depression AFTER a battle as do soldiers in the battle itself. So then, this horse represents the sickness, disease, and death that comes as a direct result of war and hunger. Notice what the Scripture says when describing this horse. "Power was given to THEM over one fourth of the earth to kill with sword, hunger, death and the beasts." - Revelation 6:8 Does "them" refer to Death and Hell or does it hint that, collectively, the four horses have the power over a quarter of the earth's population? That is interesting to consider because one-fourth of the earth's population today would equate to about 1.5 billion. Incredibly, it is estimated that, between the years 2015-2020, one quarter of the world's population will be Muslim. Think about all of this. A conqueror riding a white horse sounds very similar to Muslim expectations of the future. Through his policies he will take peace from the earth by the sword (of Islam?). As a result of a "take no prisoners" "mentality, the world will be plunged into unprecedented famine with the man of sin deciding who lives and who dies. Now consider that TODAY there are already those in the world working very hard to make this type of scenario a reality.

THE RISE OF ANTICHRIST Scripture tells us that this man will rise from the Mediterranean ("great") Sea area (Dan. 7:2) and will be great to the south, the east and Israel (Dan. 8:9). Five times the book of Revelation mentions that he will make war against many people. It appears that he experiences a setback but then rebounds very strong (Rev. 13:3) and especially in Assyria and Babylonia (Isa 14). Eventually, he will invade Jerusalem and start killing God's people (Rev. 12). Everything mentioned here fits in perfectly with an Islamic Antichrist and Muslim tradition as it pertains to the end of days. Before Muhammad died, he failed to name a successor but did take time to predict that a final Muslim leader - al Mahdi would come in the last days to bring Islamic rule and law to the world. Upon his death, Islam split into two factions - the followers of Ali (Shi'a Islam) and Abu (Sunni Islam). The Shi'a leader, Ali, was killed in present day Iraq in Kufah near the "holy city" of Najaf. A shrine exists there today to commemorate Ali's death and burial there. In addition to Ali, ten other Shi'ite leaders were killed by the Sunnis - the 10th and 11th (Ali and Hussein) were killed in Sammarah. Both were buried there and the Golden Mosque (Al Askaryi) was built. It is believed by many Muslims that the twelfth imam, for fear of death, was hidden in a well beside the mosque. No one is sure about what happened to this imam. It should be noted that Cain, a prototype of the Antichrist, said, "I shall be hidden from your face" or better, "I am going to hide where you can not find me."

This is important to understand because most of the American deaths since the fall of Saddam Hussein have come at the hands of people who believe that they are to fight in preparation of the return of the twelfth imam. They believe that, soon, their al Mahdi will coming riding out of the deserts of Iraq upon a white stallion. Before he comes, many of the faithful believe that certain signs will precede his arrival. One of those beliefs is, two European countries will be attacked (some specify it will be Spain and Britain). They also believe that a war between the eastern powers and the western powers engulfs the world. "As believers of the traditions, we believe in a savior who will come first, before Jesus Christ. We have in our traditions his name, which is Muhammad d'ul Mahdi. He is coming but his arrival will be after a great war. It will be the fight of the big powers with each other. And in that war the savior will come like a divine hand from heaven to stop the war." "There will be a great war break out between the east and the west. There will be strong fighting. Very many people will be killed. Then the Lord will command al-Mahdi Alaihi asSalam to appear. Now, he is in a cave, in a big, deep cave. No one can approach it. Jinns (genies) are protecting and guarding him." - Turkish Grand Sheik I wonder if those four "jinns" are the four angels now bound in the great river Euphrates (Rev. 9:14)? At any rate, according to the tradition, the west is to be defeated and the

eastern powers will rise. Just look at what is happening now. The signs that follow include cosmic events, namely, the belief that three stars will be aligned on one axis. A new star, never seen before, will appear and then another war, involving Syria and Turkey will break out, all in preparation of the coming Mahdi.

THE MAHDI ARMY According to the Pentagon, the so-called Al Mahdi Militia has replaced al-Qaeda in Iraq. This militia was started by a Muslim cleric named Muqtada al-Sadr. I remember, when the Second Gulf War broke out, speaking to a friend in the military. During this conversation, he mentioned this militia and noted that this army numbered only a few thousand. Now, this completely Shi'ite militia has somewhere between 60,000 80,000 members and and controls thirty seats in the Iraqi Parliament. This group, a violent antagonist to American presence in Iraq, is a key part of al Malaki's coalition. Have you noticed that al-Sadr always wears a black turban? I have often wondered why. To find the answer we must, once again, turn to the hadiths. It is there that we read: "When you see the black banners coming from Khurasan then go to them even if it means crawling over the snow. The deputy of Allah, the Mahdi, will be among them. It is also reported that Muhammad said, 'the black banners will come from the east and their hearts will be as firm as iron.' "

It seems that thousands have perceived the sign and are heeding the call. Behind the every headline concerning a roadside bomb incident or a suicide bomber in the heart of Baghdad there is dedicated servant of Allah who believes that the time for al Mahdi to return is here. When this time comes and whoever the person turns out to be, one thing is sure - he will be hailed as the Islamic deliverer by millions of Muslims worldwide. That he comes from this part of the world, ancient Babylon, there can be no doubt. The Bible is clear that the last empire, the kingdom of the Antichrist, comes out of the the Middle East and rules throughout the region and into Europe. This is the area that the previous empires of prophecy came from and this last kingdom will be no different. Recently I saw some new Iraqi currency that, as of now, is not being circulated. On each of these notes there is watermark. Upon inspection of the watermark one can clearly see the image of a white horse - perhaps a cryptic allusion to a long-held eschatological belief? As the beast rises, rest assured that it will seek to destroy every perceived enemy that stands in the way of its advance. Front and center is Israel and America. I think it is fair to say that both of these nations can expect more aggressive behavior from the forces of Islam in the future. Moreover, because it seems apparent that Usama bin Ladin and others like him recognize that, to destroy Israel, America must first be neutralized, it stands to reason that America is probably at the top of their list for destruction. Were we a moral nation, devoted to scriptural principles and worship of the true God, then I would say that we have

nothing to fear. However, as we all know, that is not the case. Though I will not predict what will happen in America's near future and beyond, what I have already stated in previous chapters, I will again. The stage is set for the culmination of what Scripture has predicted. It is obvious that we are living very near the "fullness to time."

10 ENDURING TRIBULATIONS "For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be." - Matthew 24:21 The word "tribulation" is mentioned nineteen times in the New Testament and each time it translated from the same Greek word thlipsis. This word conveys "affliction, anguish, burdens, and persecution." Tribulation is something that individuals or groups can experience and Scripture is clear: "We must through many tribulations enter the kingdom of God." - Acts 14:22 The purpose of the preceding chapters has been to demonstrate to you that we are truly "living in the final chapter." It is a fact that, before it gets better it will get worse, and you and I are right here in the middle of what is taking shape. That means, then, that unpleasant and bothersome events are in the short term forecast. Instead of instilling fear, God's purpose for warning us is to give His people time to

prepare our body, mind and spirit. Moreover, He has given us examples of those who had to endure tribulation in order to step into their ultimate purpose - Joseph, David, even Jesus. So then, to face the possibility of trials and tribulations is not a new development for the New Testament speaks of three distinct tribulations. The tribulation Paul went through (2 Cor. 1:4). The tribulation believers will encounter (Acts 14:22). The tribulation of the future (Rev. 7:14).

THE FUTURE TRIBULATION It is this last tribulation that most people are concerned about. People want to know whether or not we will be here to see it. They ask, "Will the Church go through it? Must I prepare to give my life? Would I take the mark of the beast?" Some concede that, "If I can't do what is right now, how will I make it if I have to endure the tribulation?" The Scripture says: "If you have run with the footmen, and they have wearied you, then how can you contend with horses? And if in the land of peace, in which you trusted, they wearied you, then how will you do in the flood plain of the Jordan?" - Jeremiah 12:5 (NKJV) The main point here, and the one I wish to stress, is that the future tribulation isn't the real culprit when it comes to

draining God's people - it is the present tribulation that is wearing them out. Jesus said in the Parable of the Sower. "But he that received the seed into stony places, the same is he that heareth the word, and with joy recieveth it; yet hath he not root in himself, but endureth for a while, for when tribulation or persecution ariseth because of the word, eventually he is offended." - Matthew 13:20-21 So there is some truth to the idea that, if a person can't endure tribulations now, how could they possibly endure them in the Great Tribulation? Take into account another statement Christ made on this subject: "But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved."-Matthew 24:13 It is clear that you and I must be prepared to "endure unto the end." The question is, endure to the end of what? It seems to me that there are three distinct possibilities. Considering the context of the verse, was Jesus referring to the end of Jerusalem and the destruction of the Temple? Those who heeded His warning concerning the city being surrounded by armies fled the city and were saved. Another possibility is that He was referring to the end of one's life. In other words, was He saying that the one who stays saved until the end of their life would make it into the Kingdom? The last possibility is that He was talking about those who endure the trouble that is coming upon the last

generation - those would be saved. This last interpretation is what I have heard taught more than any other. In Matthew 24:1-7, Jesus spoke of wars, rumors of wars, earthquakes and various other troubles. Those at the end would have to endure these troubles coming to the earth in order to be saved. Of course, these signs are the beginning of the birth pangs (Mt. 24:8) leading up to the Messianic Kingdom. But look at what the Bible says just before Jesus instructs us to endure. "Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted and shall kill you, and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name's sake. and then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another. And many false prophets shall rise and shall deceive many. And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold." - Matthew 24:9-12

ENDURING OFFENSES AND BETRAYAL One of the main reasons most people are not in church is because of what they perceive to be hypocrisy and/or an offense. The Greek word translated here as "offense" is scandelon. That should look familiar to you for it is the origin of our word "scandal." In other words, scandals do as much to keep people away from church as the Adversary does. Scripture says:

"A brother offended is harder to be won than a strong city; and their contentions are like the bars of a castle." - Proverbs 18:19 If the Adversary's trap intends to cause you to fall away from God, then the bait to that trap is the offense. That is what draws so many people into a state of mind that equates God with the one who hurt them. The offense is the stumbling block for so many. So, it is possible that Jesus was also saying, "You must be able to endure the offenses that are sure to come." It will prove to be difficult for some because, once a person becomes offended they will attempt to pull others into their pit of despair and say anything just to bring people around to their way of thinking. It is interesting to note that, within this context, Jesus twice mentioned false prophets (Mt. 24:5, 11). Jesus warned us that people will "prophelie." There is another type of offense that we should take note of. John the Baptist, the forerunner of the Messiah, hailed him as the "Lamb of God" (Jn. 1:36)." He also acknowledged that "He must increase while I must decrease." Not long after this, John was arrested - for being political incorrect I might add. It was while he was imprisoned, enduring his own tribulation, that he sent representatives to Jesus with a question: "Art thou he that should come, or do we look for another?" - Matthew 11:3 Was John confused? He had said Jesus was the Lamb; he acknowledged that he must decrease. He boldly declared while

John baptized with water, the one coming after him would baptize with fire. Notice how Jesus answered John. "Go and tell John the things which you hear and see. The blind see and the lame walk; the lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear; the dead are raised up and the poor have the gospel preached to them. And blessed is he who is not offended because of Me." - Matthew 11:4-6 In other words, it seems that Jesus was saying to John, "You know who I am so don't be offended that I don't come and get you out of jail." The facts are these: John was placed in jail for speaking the truth and the Lord did not go and bust him out of jail. It would seem then that God's purposes included the need for John to "endure" tribulation and "endure" the offense he may have felt for being left in jail. John was allowed to die it was his time. I can't tell you just how many good people are offended at God. I have received countless emails from people complaining about unanswered prayer. They have paid tithes and are still just getting by. A sick loved one took communion daily but got sicker and died. They thought that if they did the right thing, God would keep bad things from happening to them. They expected one thing and God did something else. I can't explain why it turns out "good" for one person and "bad for another but I can point you to what the Bible shows us. There was no one like Job and, yet, God allowed him to go through hell. In the midst of his tribulation Job said, "I know my Redeemer lives." Joseph was tossed into prison because he

did the right thing. Many Christians would have thrown in the towel then and there; thankfully, Joseph did not. But Joseph was of a different time and mindset. Our culture and our generation wants to placate those who are "seeker sensitive" (and I emphasize the word "sensitive"). Here is why - because they are so easily offended and in today's world there is no theology to accommodate tragedy. Consequently, there are churches and pastors who never mention "hell" because it is too hot a subject. They never mention the gifts of the Spirit because some don't believe in it. They play down the need to confess sins because they like to explain that we are all on a journey. All in all they don't do and say anything that might be offensive for fear of running off those who are sensitive. Our Church culture argues that, if we have faith, that will keep us from sickness. Don't tell that to Elisha, a prophet of God who died of sickness. We think we're exempt from tragedy. Don't tell Stephen's family. He was a faithful follower of Jesus and he was stoned to death. This generation believes that all who believe will have plenty of money. Really? Paul had to make tents in order to eat. Again, though the Bible says otherwise, people today think that nothing bad should happen to us if we go to Church and try to live right. That translates into this: we are living in a generation that is in no way prepared to endure tribulations and offenses. The reason Holland became so liberal is because their prayer that Hitler would not invade their tiny country wasn't answered. Consequently, Holland turned their back on God. It is said that when Ted Turner's sister died, he became bitter and turned against the gospel. These are just a couple of examples

of the ramifications of being unable to endure tribulation. Let me give you an example of someone who did. This amazing story is based in the 1930s and centers upon Charles Greenway, the pastor of a small Assembly of God church in Elba, Alabama. He desired to go to the missions field but could not because of his child Daniel. Daniel had become sickened with leukemia and was not responding to treatments. Pastor Greenway wondered why miracles would occur in his meetings but there seemed to be no healing available for his son. Finally, he went into his bedroom and told his wife, "I can't stand to see him suffer anymore." He prayed that God would perform His will and at two o'clock in the morning, Daniel died in his arms. According to the story, Pastor Greenway said, "God, I don't understand but I'll not go to hell over a mystery." Later, he was accepted as a missionary and had two children born in the field. He established 17,000 churches, 13 Bible colleges and preached on every continent. This one man touched the entire world because he learned to endure tribulation. His spouse, on the other hand, never recovered from the loss and, so, every time he saw a child he would pray for his wife. Remember that when Paul and Silas were arrested, beaten, and thrown into jail for preaching the Gospel, they did not start singing the blues. Instead, they sang praises unto God. At midnight there was an earthquake resulting in the jailer and his entire family being saved. If they had not been thrown in jail, the jailer might have gone to hell. If Joseph had not been imprisoned (for resisting the advances of a married woman no less) then he would have never met the butler. Had he not met the butler then he could not have interpreted his dream and

ultimately elevated to great power and influence. If he had not been in that position of power, then it could be argued that Israel would have ceased to exist. The point is that, when tribulation comes, don't let the enemy steal your song because what you perceive as tribulation might just be the very thing that brings you into what God has purposed for you life. In other words, as all these alarming events begin to take shape don't get scared, rather get prepared for the destiny God has designed for you. The Bible says that, for the joy that was set before Him, Jesus endured the suffering and shame of the cross (Heb. 12:2 ). Paul said that we are "joint heirs with Christ" and will be "glorified together" if we suffer with Him (Rom. 8:17). I am not suggesting that we should resign ourselves to a life of suffering, destitution and gloom; to the contrary, I feel we should strive to live a life that is healthy, joyous and victorious in spite of the tribulations that come our way. On the other hand, when tribulations do come, we should not turn our backs on God but turn our hearts toward him. We must learn to endure these tribulations for those who endure to the end, they shall be saved.

IN CONCLUSION As the Bible prophecies are fulfilled more and more, no doubt there will be times of fear and uncertainty. These are the times that we will need to lean on God as never before. One of the tools He has given us to help us through those times is His ever-present Spirit. When the early believers were filled with

the Spirit in Acts 2, they began to preach the Gospel with power. Predictably, persecution arose. Yet, they didn't melt away and accuse God of injustice. Instead that same group got together, prayed and were all refilled with the Holy Ghost. That is good advice for us today, because this is the final chapter. Another help that God has supplied us with is the fellowship of like-minded believers. There is power in agreement. Furthermore, when the early Church was being persecuted, they sought support and comfort from their own fellow believers (Acts 5). Finally we must prepare ourselves to exercise faith and patience during these perilous times. Scripture admonishes us with these words: "Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing." - James 1:3-4 "So that we ourselves glory in you in the churches of God for your patience and faith in all your persecutions and tribulations that ye endure; which is a manifest token of the righteous judgment of God, that ye may be counted worthy of the kingdom of God, for which ye also suffer." - 2 Thess. 1:4-5 "That ye be not slothful, but followers of them who through faith and patience inherit the promises." - Hebrews 6:12 To inherit the promises, to be worthy of the kingdom of

God, we must be consistent in our faith and exhibit endurance in the face of adversity. We must be able to look beyond all of the alarming signs and what they portend for the immediate future and recognize that our Father in Heaven is the One who orchestrates history. He is the One who is bringing His purposes to fruition and that boils down to this truth. Though we are certainly "living in the final chapter" of man's dominion, that final chapter only heralds the beginning of a new book the Kingdom of our God and of His Christ. Consequently, you must conclude that this generation - you and I - were chosen for such a time as this. So then, if you are reading this and have become alarmed by the signs of the times, search your heart. If you find that you are in need of forgiveness, then I encourage you to let this day be the last day in which you continue in an uncertain state. Don't let another moment pass before you confess your sins to the Father and find peace and salvation through Jesus Christ. Today, close the chapter on that part of your life and begin the first chapter of a brand new life. God bless you!