Digital Maps: Visual Images of Virtual Worlds

Digital maps have expanded the world and even the universe into something new and wonderful. Yet that something is built on the art of the old and encompasses uncharted areas old time map makers could not have imagined.

 Let this BBC video explain it all to you.  The past is amazing. The present energizing and the future beyond imagining.  Behold the brave new world of digital map technology.

A tip of my virtual chapeau to rjj who sent me this video on Stumbleupon

The Identity of the Two Witnesses

I have a mini case of writer’s block at the moment as I try to write about the future prospects of Europe as a potential superpower and write about the Bayside Prophecies. In lieu of these two topics, I’ll share with you my thoughts on the Two Witnesses who will appear on Earth during the end times, including their identity.

The Two Witnesses

To counter the propagation of Antichrist's one-world religion, God will assign two individuals to provide testimony at the halfway point of the 70th Week of Daniel (the seven year period). The two individuals will provide their testimony until the end of the 70th Week of Daniel.

• Rev 11:3 And I will give power unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and threescore days, clothed in sackcloth.
• Rev 11:4 These are the two olive trees, and the two candlesticks standing before the God of the earth.

These two individuals will essentially be invincible during the 1260 days they give their testimony. However, I strongly discourage anyone from going up to these two individuals to ask for their autograph! Anyone who tries to harm them will die. In addition, they will have the power to inflict plagues on Earth.

• Rev 11:5 And if any man will hurt them, fire proceedeth out of their mouth, and devoureth their enemies: and if any man will hurt them, he must in this manner be killed.
• Rev 11:6 These have power to shut heaven, that it rain not in the days of their prophecy: and have power over waters to turn them to blood, and to smite the earth with all plagues, as often as they will.

The Identity of the Two Witnesses

There has been debate among people in regards to the identity of these two individuals. There seems to be a consensus that the Prophet Elijah will be one of the two individuals. God promised in Malachi 4:5-6 that He will send Elijah to perform work before the coming of the Day of the Lord.

• Mal 4:5 Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD:
• Mal 4:6 And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse.

The heart of the debate rests with the identity of the second individual. Some people believe that the second individual will be Enoch because he was taken up to Heaven like Elijah was. However, I believe biblical evidence supports the identification of the second individual as Moses.

There are two passages that support the identification of the second individual as Moses. First, Jude mentions that Satan and the Archangel Michael had a battle over the body of Moses.

• Jud 1:9 Yet Michael the archangel, when contending with the devil he disputed about the body of Moses, durst not bring against him a railing accusation, but said, The Lord rebuke thee.

The battle between Satan and Michael was over a physical body. This begs the question why would Satan want Moses’s physical body? Normally, a physical body ought to be no concern to Satan because it would decompose eventually. However, in this case Satan wanted to prevent Michael’s attempt to gain (or maintain) custody over Moses's body. It’s reasonable to conclude that there was a strong demand for Moses’s physical body because it is going to be used again when Moses returns to Earth as one of the Two Witnesses.

Finally, Moses and Elijah appeared together when Christ was transfigured.

• Mat 17:1 And after six days Jesus taketh Peter, James, and John his brother, and bringeth them up into an high mountain apart,
• Mat 17:2 And was transfigured before them: and his face did shine as the sun, and his raiment was white as the light.
• Mat 17:3 And, behold, there appeared unto them Moses and Elias talking with him.

The appearance of Moses and Elijah with a transfigured Jesus complies with description of the Two Witnesses standing before God in Revelation 11:4.

(Update: Under this scenario, Moses would die twice, which does not seem right at first glance. However, according to Got Questions, a popular Christian Q & A website, there is biblical precedent for a person to die twice: Link)

The Death and Restoration of the Two Witnesses

At the end of the 70th Week of Daniel, Antichrist and his forces will summon enough strength to kill the Two Witnesses. The death of the Two Witnesses will be a cause of great celebration for those who are followers of the Antichrist because these two individuals punished the inhabitants of Earth for their conduct.

• Rev 11:7 And when they shall have finished their testimony, the beast that ascendeth out of the bottomless pit shall make war against them, and shall overcome them, and kill them.
• Rev 11:8 And their dead bodies shall lie in the street of the great city, which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also our Lord was crucified.
• Rev 11:9 And they of the people and kindreds and tongues and nations shall see their dead bodies three days and an half, and shall not suffer their dead bodies to be put in graves.
• Rev 11:10 And they that dwell upon the earth shall rejoice over them, and make merry, and shall send gifts one to another; because these two prophets tormented them that dwelt on the earth.

However, three days later the Two Witnesses will rise from the dead and ascend to Heaven to the chagrin of all those who celebrated these men’s death.

• Rev 11:11 And after three days and an half the Spirit of life from God entered into them, and they stood upon their feet; and great fear fell upon them which saw them.
• Rev 11:12 And they heard a great voice from heaven saying unto them, Come up hither. And they ascended up to heaven in a cloud; and their enemies beheld them.
• Rev 11:13 And the same hour was there a great earthquake, and the tenth part of the city fell, and in the earthquake were slain of men seven thousand: and the remnant were affrighted, and gave glory to the God of heaven.

The people who witness this event may begin to realize who is exactly in charge-and it’s not Antichrist! It’s God in Heaven!

As long as this case of writer’s block continues I’ll probably stick with sharing my thoughts on Bible Prophecy topics. Bible Prophecy topics are actually easier for me to write about than some of the other things I write about for some reason. I hope Bible Prophecy topics will suffice until this writer’s block goes away.

Psalms 83's Placement in the End Times Puzzle

The article on the Bayside Prophecies and my thoughts on the potential for Europe to become a future superpower are taking longer than I expected to write. In lieu of those two articles I’ll share with you my thoughts about Psalms 83, which is a chapter that has caught many Christians’ attention.

A few years ago author Bill Salus released a book called Isralestine which presented a revolutionary idea about an upcoming war in the Mideast where Israel would fight all of its Mideast foes simultaneously and vanquish them all before the start of the end times. After the war Israel would become the wealthy land without walls described in Ezekiel 38. The viability of Salus’s idea hinges on where the Psalms 83 war takes place in the prophetic timeline. If Psalms 83 describes an event before the beginning of the end times his idea is feasible. However, if Psalms 83 describes an end times event his entire idea would fall apart.

I initially thought Salus’s idea was very appealing and made a lot of sense. I was so enamored with Salus’s idea that I attempted to write a report that would independently confirm Salus’s idea that a major Mideast war was destined to happen before the start of the end times. However, after two weeks of attempting to write the report, I realized that Salus’s idea was an attempt to fit a square peg into a round hole. I noticed during my study of Psalms 83 that the chapter has a lot of allusions to other passages in the Bible that clearly describe end time events. Thus, I concluded that Psalms 83 describes an event that takes place during the end times rather than an event that takes place before the end times begin.

I believe Psalms 83’s describes an event that takes place some time during the 2nd half of the 70th Week of Daniel after some Jews have fled into the wilderness to avoid Antichrist’s persecution and after Antichrist’s initial attempts to attack these fleeing Jews (Revelation 12:14-15).[1] Some Jews who did not flee to the wilderness apparently will compromise with Antichrist in hopes they can be spared from the harsh treatment those who fail compromise will receive (Ezekiel 7). Antichrist apparently will temporarily spare compromising Jews and even allow them to live in Jerusalem (Zechariah 14:2). However, Antichrist will eventually betray them in an overall attempt to wipe out the Jewish race once and for all.

Psalms 83 describes a military attack coming from all the nations surrounding Israel. The motivation of the attack is twofold: (1) destroy the Jewish Race, which would include the extermination of the Jewish people hiding in the wilderness (the “hidden ones”)[2] (Psa 83:3, 5), and (2) take the land of Israel (Psa 83:12).

• Psa 83:2 For, lo, thine enemies make a tumult: and they that hate thee have lifted up the head.
• Psa 83:3 They have taken crafty counsel against thy people, and consulted against thy hidden ones.
• Psa 83:4 They have said, Come, and let us cut them off from being a nation; that the name of Israel may be no more in remembrance.
• Psa 83:5 For they have consulted together with one consent: they are confederate against thee:
• Psa 83:6 The tabernacles of Edom, and the Ishmaelites; of Moab, and the Hagarenes;
• Psa 83:7 Gebal, and Ammon, and Amalek; the Philistines with the inhabitants of Tyre;
• Psa 83:8 Assur also is joined with them: they have holpen the children of Lot. Selah.
• Psa 83:9 Do unto them as unto the Midianites; as to Sisera, as to Jabin, at the brook of Kison:
• Psa 83:10 Which perished at Endor: they became as dung for the earth.
• Psa 83:11 Make their nobles like Oreb, and like Zeeb: yea, all their princes as Zebah, and as Zalmunna:
• Psa 83:12 Who said, Let us take to ourselves the houses of God in possession.

I believe Joel Chapter 2 describes the characteristics of the military force that the nations surrounding Israel will send. The description in verses 1-9 reveal that this military force is very determined and unprecedented. How the army is unprecedented is not exactly clear, but I suspect the military force will be unprecedented in terms of its determination and viciousness.

• Joe 2:1 Blow ye the trumpet in Zion, and sound an alarm in my holy mountain: let all the inhabitants of the land tremble: for the day of the LORD cometh, for it is nigh at hand;
• Joe 2:2 A day of darkness and of gloominess, a day of clouds and of thick darkness, as the morning spread upon the mountains: a great people and a strong; there hath not been ever the like, neither shall be any more after it, even to the years of many generations.
• Joe 2:3 A fire devoureth before them; and behind them a flame burneth: the land is as the garden of Eden before them, and behind them a desolate wilderness; yea, and nothing shall escape them.
• Joe 2:4 The appearance of them is as the appearance of horses; and as horsemen, so shall they run.
• Joe 2:5 Like the noise of chariots on the tops of mountains shall they leap, like the noise of a flame of fire that devoureth the stubble, as a strong people set in battle array.
• Joe 2:6 Before their face the people shall be much pained: all faces shall gather blackness.
• Joe 2:7 They shall run like mighty men; they shall climb the wall like men of war; and they shall march every one on his ways, and they shall not break their ranks:
• Joe 2:8 Neither shall one thrust another; they shall walk every one in his path: and when they fall upon the sword, they shall not be wounded.
• Joe 2:9 They shall run to and fro in the city; they shall run upon the wall, they shall climb up upon the houses; they shall enter in at the windows like a thief.

Many compromising Jews caught in Jerusalem at the time of this invasion will be killed while others will be killed while trying to flee the oncoming forces.

• Eze 7:12 The time is come, the day draweth near: let not the buyer rejoice, nor the seller mourn: for wrath is upon all the multitude thereof.
• …
• Eze 7:15 The sword is without, and the pestilence and the famine within: he that is in the field shall die with the sword; and he that is in the city, famine and pestilence shall devour him.[3]

Some compromising Jews will be able to escape to the wilderness, but even though they survive the attack they will regret their actions, including their decision to compromise with Antichrist.

• Eze 7:16 But they that escape of them shall escape, and shall be on the mountains like doves of the valleys, all of them mourning, every one for his iniquity.
• Eze 7:17 All hands shall be feeble, and all knees shall be weak as water.
• Eze 7:18 They shall also gird themselves with sackcloth, and horror shall cover them; and shame shall be upon all faces, and baldness upon all their heads.
• Eze 7:19 They shall cast their silver in the streets, and their gold shall be removed: their silver and their gold shall not be able to deliver them in the day of the wrath of the LORD: they shall not satisfy their souls, neither fill their bowels: because it is the stumblingblock of their iniquity.

Joel Chapter 3 informs us that the military forces from the nations surrounding Israel will eventually assemble in the Valley of Jehoshaphat, which is located nearby Jerusalem in the modern day site of the Kidron Valley and faces the wilderness where Jewish refugees will be hiding.

• Joe 3:1 For, behold, in those days, and in that time, when I shall bring again the captivity of Judah and Jerusalem,
• Joe 3:2 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.
• …
• Joe 3:9 Proclaim ye this among the Gentiles; Prepare war, wake up the mighty men, let all the men of war draw near; let them come up:
• Joe 3:10 Beat your plowshares into swords, and your pruninghooks into spears: let the weak say, I am strong.
• Joe 3:11 Assemble yourselves, and come, all ye heathen, and gather yourselves together round about: thither cause thy mighty ones to come down, O LORD.
• Joe 3:12 Let the heathen be wakened, and come up to the valley of Jehoshaphat: for there will I sit to judge all the heathen round about.

After the nations gather in the Valley of Jehoshaphat some Jews will begin to resist the Antichrist via guerilla warfare. In fact, the Book of Zechariah indicates that God will empower a Jewish resistance to battle Antichrist’s forces and to drive them back to Jerusalem.[4]

• Zec 12:6 In that day will I make the governors of Judah like an hearth of fire among the wood, and like a torch of fire in a sheaf; and they shall devour all the people round about, on the right hand and on the left: and Jerusalem shall be inhabited again in her own place, even in Jerusalem.

The description of how the Jewish resistance will dominate its foes in Zechariah 12:6 parallels the description of how Israel’s enemies are asked to be treated at the end of Psalms 83.

• Psa 83:13 O my God, make them like a wheel; as the stubble before the wind.
• Psa 83:14 As the fire burneth a wood, and as the flame setteth the mountains on fire;
• Psa 83:15 So persecute them with thy tempest, and make them afraid with thy storm.
• Psa 83:16 Fill their faces with shame; that they may seek thy name, O LORD.
• Psa 83:17 Let them be confounded and troubled for ever; yea, let them be put to shame, and perish:
• Psa 83:18 That men may know that thou, whose name alone is JEHOVAH, art the most high over all the earth.

Whether or not you agree with me on my placement of Psalms 83 in the end times puzzle, I hope you at least agree that Psalms 83 is one of the most intriguing chapters in the entire Bible.

Notes

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[1] The primary wilderness region where Jews will take refuge is located in Southern Jordan in the biblical sites of Edom, Moab, and Ammon. This region will be off-limits to Antichrist even when he goes around the entire Middle East adding territory to his empire (Daniel 11:41).

[2] God instructs Moab to serve as a place where Jewish outcasts can literally hide from the Antichrist in Isaiah 16:4.

[3] Ezekiel 7:15 describes the moments prior to the forces entering the city versus Joel 2:1-9 that describes that the actual charging of forces into the city.

[4] Several verses indicate that Antichrist will be significantly weaken at this point in time; leaving him with little ability to stop the resistance.

U.S. Taxpayers to Help Bailout Greece?

There is a major aspect of the ongoing situation in Greece that I feel is being ignored by the American news media. The American news media acknowledges that the IMF and European countries would be responsible for contributing money to rescue Greece. However, the American news media has failed to acknowledge that any IMF contribution to help rescue Greece is likely going to involve a substantial amount of U.S. taxpayer money. Yes, that is correct… U.S. taxpayers are likely going to help bailout another country!

My conclusion that U.S. taxpayer dollars is likely going to be involved in the bailout of Greece is based on how the IMF actually gets the money to contribute to Greece’s bailout. The IMF acknowledges on its own website that “Most resources for IMF loans are provided by member countries, primarily through their payment of quotas”.[1] The U.S.’s payment quota represents 17.09% of all the money the IMF collects from countries.[2] Therefore, the IMF gets some of its money from the U.S and they even acknowledge it.

The rumor today is that Greece may need up to 120 billion Euros over the next three years. The IMF has already agreed to contribute 1/3 of Greece’s total funding needs with the potential to contribute more if needed. Let’s assume that the IMF will contribute 40 billion Euros over the next three years. 17.09% of 40 billion is 6,836,000,000. In dollar terms, U.S. taxpayers would in theory contribute over $8.9 billion towards the rescue of Greece over a three year period. $8.9 billion over three years is not a lot of money when you think about how much the U.S. has contributed to the bailout of major financial institutions. However, this money could be used to rescue financial strapped states instead of a different country.

It’s amazing that the American news media ignores this aspect of the situation because they have made a huge deal out of U.S. taxpayer dollars being used to bailout major financial situations over the past couple of years. Here we have a situation where U.S. taxpayer dollars is likely going to be used to bailout another country for the mistakes they made yet there is very little mention of it and little outrage from the media.

I feel the American news media’s lack of reporting about this issue represents either a lack of understanding of the situation or a major anti-business bias. I think it is unlikely that every member of the media lacks the understanding of what is going on so I suspect that it’s probably the latter.

References

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[1] “Fact Sheet-Where the IMF Gets its Money”. 21 Apr. 2010. Last Accessed 28 Apr. 2010. http://www.imf.org/external/np/exr/facts/finfac.htm

[2] “IMF’s Members’ Quotas and Voting Power, and IMF Board of Governors”. 26 Apr. 2010. Last Accessed 28 Apr. 2010. http://www.imf.org/external/np/sec/memdir/members.htm

Technorati Tags: bailout,Greece,financial crisis,U.S.,taxes,politics,economics

The Importance of Understanding the Past (Editorial)

I remember attempting to read the beginning of a book called The Causes of War for my Scientific Study of War class in the basement of my school’s library nearly five years ago. I say “attempting to read” because I was really struggling to stay awake and struggling to concentrate after waking up at 4AM that day. After an hour I managed to reach Page 12 where I encountered a startling passage from a letter written by a Scottish man in 1848 (a time of Revolution in some European countries). The following passage stood out to me so much that I remember it to this date:

“Since the smoke of Waterloo rolled away, no such important events have taken place as those of 1848. The present is a chaos, the future a mystery. Even in Scotland, far from the street fighting of so many continental cities, many of the devout were predicting that ‘some mighty change, if not the end of time, is at hand’ and that in a few years ‘Christ as a King shall appear upon this earth’”.[1]

After I read this passage I realized that there are people in every generation who inevitably conclude that their generation is the one that will see the end times. The Scottish man who wrote the letter noted startling events in his time that convinced many religious people that the end times were near. Obviously, the Scottish man’s generation lived nowhere near the start of the end times, but his contemporaries’s belief that their generation would see the end of the world should be at least be a reminder to us that the belief that the end is near is not a new phenomenon.

The Scottish man’s observation that some people were panicking should serve as an example of why it is important to have a grasp of history when trying to gauge the importance of ongoing world events. Many panicking people in 1848 apparently forgotten about the Napoleonic Wars and the turmoil in Europe during that time period. As a result, many people misjudged the importance of the events of their era and incorrectly guessed that they were living in the end times or were living close to the end times. Today, we hear about the Napoleonic Wars and not the events in Europe in the late 1840s.

I’ve heard from and read many people who believe that we are living in the end times or are living close to the end times. Sometimes when I hear such calls I am sorta reminded of what the Scottish man observed in 1848. However, I see a major difference between what the world is like now and what the world was like in 1848 that makes today’s calls that the end times are near far more reasonable and understandable than they were in 1848.

• The events that need to happen before the beginning of the end times were not even close to happening in 1848. For instance, hardly any Jews lived in Israel in 1848 and Israel wasn’t even a country that belonged to the Jews during that time.

• Many of the events that need to happen before the beginning of end times have already occurred now. Although there are some other things that need to happen before the end times can begin, the catalysts driving how many of the remaining events will occur can be identified right now (ex the upcoming economic and financial collapse).

Although I agree with people who believe we will see the end times in our lifetime, I try to keep some historical perspective when gauging the importance of current events and developments so I do not overreact to certain events and developments. For instance, I do not get overly nervous when I read about how Arab countries do not like Israel because Israel’s neighbors have always hated them and there has been past wars between Israel and its neighbors that did not lead to the end times beginning. Until I see certain developments in Israel I will be careful not to overreact to the situation.

We live in very interesting times. Some current events and developments are unprecedented (like the ongoing financial crisis) while other current events and developments have historical precedent though they may seem unprecedented at first glance (like American's current distrust of the government). Remember to consider history when gauging the importance of ongoing current events and developments. If you do so you will be less likely to overreact to certain events and developments and will be more likely to react to the "right" events and developments.

Reference

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[1] Blainey, Geoffrey. The Causes of War. New York: Free Press. 1988. 12

Signs of the End Epilogue: New Age Birth Pangs

The talk about birth pangs is not limited to just Christian circles. The forces of evil also talk about birth pangs affecting Earth. In this blog post I will give you an idea of how the forces of evil portray birth pangs and give you an idea of when they suggest the end times could begin.

Under the direction of an Ascended Master (a spiritual being mentioned in Ephesians 6:12 as the “spiritual wickedness in high places”) named Djwhal Khul, New Age author Alice Bailey wrote that “we now find ourselves, is literally the stage of birth -- the birth pangs of the new order and of the new civilization”.[1] Bailey also suggested that the distress and pain experienced in the world is necessary.[2]

The idea that the world must first undergo agony and distress to prepare it for a future time appears similar to what is taught in the Bible at first glance. Christ told us that the unsettling conditions we would see on Earth prior to the start of the end times would be necessary (Matthew 24:6). However, there is a major difference between how the forces of evil portray the purpose of birth pangs and how the Bible portrays birth pangs:

• Those associated with the forces of evil teach that the agony and distress is going to lead us directly into a New Age, the greatest time in history of mankind. In contrast, the Bible portrays birth pangs as something that is going to prepare the world for the end times, a time when life won’t be good for the inhabitants of Earth.

An Alleged Timeline

Over a half century ago Bailey provided a timeline that the forces of evil claimed they would follow as they worked to spiritually prepare the world for their physical arrival on Earth. The forces of evil’s plan is supposedly to give the world “new” spiritual thought (it’s not really new, but the same kind of teachings promoted in the Ancient Babylonian Mystery Religion) in three separate stages[3]:

• Preparatory Stage (1875-1890): Establish foundational teachings (with the works of Helena Blavatsky)

• Intermediate Stage (1919-1949): Add onto the foundational teachings (with the works of Alice Bailey)

• Revelatory Stage (1975-2025): Make the teachings as available and well-known to the general public as possible through the use of all media available (in the book Hidden Dangers of the Rainbow Christian author Constance Cumbey noted how promotional activity increased dramatically beginning in 1975, including the first public lecture by Benjamin Creme)

The main reason I mention these three stages is to alert you that many people who follow the forces of evil’s teachings do not expect a lot to happen until 2025. In fact, Bailey hinted that the earliest people could see the physical appearance of (Satan’s) spiritual hierarchy [Satan’s team of fallen angels] is 2025.

“Thus a great and new movement is proceeding and a tremendously increased interplay and interaction is taking place. This will go on until A.D. 2025. During the years intervening between now and then very great changes will be seen taking place, and at the great General Assembly of the Hierarchy - held as usual every century - in 2025 the date in all probability will be set for the first stage of the externalization of the Hierarchy”.[4]

The physical appearance of Satan’s spiritual hierarchy in the year 2025 corresponds with the general timeframe I have it occurring after estimating when the next Jubilee Year might occur. The halfway point of the 70th Week of Daniel (where the Antichrist will reveal his true identity to the world and will introduce Satan’s fallen angels to the world) is projected to occur in April 2025 under the general timeline I have.

I want to make it clear that I learned about what Bailey wrote regarding the Year 2025 over a year after I estimated when the next Jubilee Year might occur. I do not take what Bailey wrote about the Year 2025 as gospel because of who the source is. However, I do find the match between what Bailey wrote and what I estimated interesting.

Finally, I want to make it clear that none of this is set in stone because everything is determined by God’s timetable. The best a person can do is to make an educated guesstimate about when the end times might begin. I am an ordinary person-not a prophet. What you’ve read over the past several days ultimately was the support and reasoning behind my guesstimate. The actual timing will be revealed to us through the fulfillment of events that the Bible says will lead us to the end times.

References

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[1] Bailey, Alice. The Externalization of the Hierarchy. New York: Lucis Trust. 1957. 116

[2] Ibid. 116

[3] Bailey, Alice. The Rays and the Initiations. New York: Lucis Trust. 1960. 255

[4] Bailey, Alice. The Externalization of the Hierarchy. New York: Lucis Trust. 1957. 530

Signs of the End: Summary of Findings

Over the past several days I have analyzed several things that the Bible identified as indicators of whether we are approaching the end times. In this entry I summarize what these indicators are telling us and give you an idea of when I believe the end times will begin.

I analyzed what kind of developments we need to see in Israel before the end times begin in Part 1 of Signs of the End. The developments that we need to watch for are:

1. A large of migration of Jews living outside of Israel to Israel.
2. Israel strikes a seven-year protection agreement with a major world leader.

I also analyzed developments that Christ identified as indicators that we are approaching the end times (though the end is not yet when we see them-Matthew 24:6). Christ described these developments as being part of the beginning of birth pangs (Matthew 24:8). The birth pang analogy means that the frequency/prevalence of the developments we need to look out for will increase like the pain a woman feels as she is readying to give birth increases.

I reviewed each birth pang indicator from Part 3 to Part 7. The following table summarizes the findings of my study of each birth pang indicator:

Together, these indicators suggest that we are not near the end times yet. However, a few indicators suggest we are approaching the end times (albeit at slow rate) as they are becoming more prevalent as time goes on.

(Update: I would not disagree with the notion that the political instability indicator has begun to increase in the past few months, but it’s nowhere near where it’s going to be and the current overall level of political instability globally is not close to where it has been in the past (see Part 6 for more). The basis for the statement that political instability has been declining is data from the Center of Systematic Peace who devote themselves to studying this phenomenon (see Part 6 for more)).

Although these indicators do not suggest that we are not near the end times yet, conditions could change quickly with a global economic and financial collapse, which I believe is imminent and will come sooner rather than later. A global economic and financial collapse could cause many of the birth pang indicators to become far more prevalent in a short period of time because a collapse would dramatically destabilize political conditions in the areas affected (in this case it would be around the world).

• You are very likely going to see great political unrest throughout the world during and following a collapse. Governments and leaders failing to deal with major economic and financial problems in an effective manner will be endangered as people look to replace them with anyone who appears to be more competent at handling the situation than those currently in charge. The public’s desperation will give an opportunity for individuals and groups from all parts of the ideological spectrum a chance to take power through the electoral process, revolution, or military coup. We likely shall see new, moderate leaders take charge of some countries and extremists (right and left-wing) take charge of many other countries.

• You are very likely going to see a lot more war and rumors of wars because the restraints of war will be lifted and desperate political leaders searching for an excuse to shift the public’s attention away from domestic problems and for ways to secure the necessities of life for their people may turn to war to solve both these problems at the same.

• There is likely going to be a lot more hunger and food shortages because many more people will have difficulty affording to buy food and food will be diverted to soldiers fighting in wars.

• Many people will be in dire straits during an economic and financial collapse. Many people will look for someone who can rescue them from hardship and provide them comfort. This gives delusional people with major messianic complexes an opportunity to exploit people’s vulnerabilities by making all sorts of promises that they are the Christ sent to save them and the world. As a result, you are likely going to see a major increase in the number of people who falsely claim to be the Christ.

The End Time Jubilee

Before I began the Signs of the End Series I had a poll where I asked you when you thought the end times would begin. I participated in the poll by selecting that the end times would begin within the next 10 to 20 years.

One reason I believe the start of the end times are between 10 to 20 years away from now is that we do not yet have a global economic and financial collapse. We have a global economic and financial crisis that will eventually become a global economic and financial collapse. The current crisis is capable of transforming into a collapse at any moment, but it’s more likely that it will transform into a collapse within the next few years as policymakers try anything to delay a collapse. Once the global economic and financial collapse arrives I believe the world is going to need another few years to dramatically change into a world that will be conducive for the rise of Antichrist.

The main reason why I believe the end times is 10 to 20 years away from now is that we are several years away from a special year on the Hebrew Calendar called a Jubilee Year, which I’ve written about before but will write about again in case there are people who are not familiar with the concept.

Before I focus on the Jubilee Year you must first be aware of another special year on the Hebrew Calendar called a Sabbath Year. God instructed the Jews to give their land a full year of rest (basically do not farm it) every 7 years. This year of rest is known as the Sabbath Year.

• Lev 25:4 But in the seventh year shall be a sabbath of rest unto the land, a sabbath for the LORD: thou shalt neither sow thy field, nor prune thy vineyard.
• Lev 25:5 That which groweth of its own accord of thy harvest thou shalt not reap, neither gather the grapes of thy vine undressed: for it is a year of rest unto the land.
• Lev 25:6 And the sabbath of the land shall be meat for you; for thee, and for thy servant, and for thy maid, and for thy hired servant, and for thy stranger that sojourneth with thee,
• Lev 25:7 And for thy cattle, and for the beast that are in thy land, shall all the increase thereof be meat.

A Jubilee Year is a special Sabbath observed once every 50 years after the completion of the 7th Sabbath Year. A Jubilee Year begins on Yom Kippur (Tishri 10 on the Jewish calendar) with the sounding of a ram’s horn.

• Lev 25:8 And thou shalt number seven sabbaths of years unto thee, seven times seven years; and the space of the seven sabbaths of years shall be unto thee forty and nine years.
• Lev 25:9 Then shalt thou cause the trumpet of the jubile to sound on the tenth day of the seventh month, in the day of atonement shall ye make the trumpet sound throughout all your land.

At the beginning of a Jubilee Year people are obligated to return items to their original owners, including land, (Lev 25:10, 13, 23-28) and grant freedom to their servants/slaves (Lev 25:39-54). Since a Jubilee Year is another Sabbath Year it is another year of rest for the land (Lev 25:12).

The reason the Jubilee Year is so important that there are multiple passages in Isaiah that indicate that the 70th week of Daniel (the seven year period) will end at the beginning of a Jubilee Year (Isaiah 61-3 and Isaiah 58). Therefore, to find when the end times will begin a person must find first when the seven year period will end (find the Jubilee Year).

First, I tried to identify the date of a past Jubilee Year mentioned by the Bible. A scholar working for the Vatican and I believe that Luke 4 when Jesus reads Isaiah 61 in the Temple is an announcement of a Jubilee Year. Luke 4 apparently took place in the Year 28 AD, so the next step was to see if I could use some simple math to calculate the dates of other past Jubilee Years and Sabbath Years to make sure it is even possible to calculate future Jubilee Years (since if a person cannot calculate past Jubilee Years and Sabbath Years why bother calculating future ones…). My calculated dates matched up with historians’ dates for the following events.

• Jesus’s reading of Isaiah 61 in the Temple, (Luke 4:16-21, Jubilee Year)
• Nehemiah’s reading at the Feast of Tabernacles (Nehemiah 8:14-8, Sabbath Year).
• The destruction of Solomon’s Temple (Jeremiah 34:12-17, Sabbath Year)
• Ezra’s reading at the Feast of Tabernacles (Ezra 7:6-10, Sabbath Year)
• Josiah’s reading of the Book of the Law (2 Kings 22:3-11, Jubilee Year)
• Ezekiel’s vision at “the beginning of the year” (Ezekiel 40:1, Jubilee Year)
• Alexander the Great exempting tax payments in Israel (Sabbath Year).
• St. Jerome’s identification of a Jubilee Year in the 2nd year of Probus

Once I knew that I could find past Sabbath Years and Jubilee Years I tried to calculate future Jubilee Years. I found that the next Jubilee Year should take place in Fall 2028. Then I subtracted seven years from Fall 2028 and got an end times start date of Fall 2021.

• A full explanation can be found at the following link.

I hope you find this information enlightening. However, if you disagree with my findings I hope you at least learned something from reading this series. I plan to have an epilogue to this series in my next post unless something unexpected happens.

A Preview of Topics to Come: Completing the Signs of the End Series

In the coming days I will try to conclude the Signs of the End series. The ending of this series should at least include:

• A summary of my research findings and what these findings mean when trying to find when the end times will begin.
• The forces of evil’s interpretation of birth pangs

I also plan to write about the Bayside Prophecies, which is a very controversial Mary apparition that took place in New York a few decades ago, and my thoughts about the potential for the European Union to become a superpower in the future. In addition, I may alter the new blog design a little bit. Of course, everything is subject to change if something unexpected happens…

Mark Foley Speaks Out About Vatican Sex Abuse

Remember Mark Foley? The six term Congressman who was forced to resign in 2006 for hitting on teen aged Senate pages?  Until now I thought he was just another sleazebag ( check out a transcript of one of his IM conversations with an ex Senate page here), but after what Mark Foley revealed about himself last week, I feel real compassion for the guy.

It's a well known fact that sexually molested children often grow up to be abusers themselves. Seems that Mark Foley is a perfect example of this.

In an interview last week  Foley commented on the ongoing Vatican pedophile priest scandal by describing  his own molestation at the hands of a priest at the age of eleven.

It takes a brave man to be so honest about what must have been a shameful secret carried for years. Few survivors are able to come forward and make themselves so vulnerable. I salute Mark Foley for having the guts to do so.  Here's a direct quote .  It is quite chilling to read.

 "The priest befriended me, started slowly, making me feel like a special child and as time went on things advanced and then we were going to steam rooms and places where I had no idea what we were doing but nonetheless, it was happening," Foley told WPTV's Jim Sackett.

  It was 40 years ago that as an 11-year old Catholic altar boy, Foley, met Father Anthony Merceica at his Lake Worth Church. "Virtually every commandment you've been taught is now violated, don't tell your parents, I'll kill myself if you do, nobody can know about our secret," Foley said the priest told him. Foley said the abuse lasted two years...stopping when Merceica left the parish and Foley was left with guilt."    source: TCPalm.com

 image source

How do I know that Foleys' abuser was transferred out of the parish to avoid scandal and sent on to do the same thing somewhere else by a bishop who was " just obeying orders" from the Vatican?We are not just talking about sin here, we are talking about a soul-killing crime against a child  as well as an illegal cover-up of unconscionable proportions.

Mark Foley may have left Congress in disgrace, but clearly some long delayed healing has begun. May he find in his self-honesty the spiritual sustenance denied him so many years ago by his church.  Sunlight is the best disinfectant.

I hope the Vatican will figure that out soon.

Is It Biblically Possible for Greece to Leave the EU?

Update: Greece has requested aid, but this analysis is by no means obsolete yet since reluctant European countries must agree to fund this bailout.

When I woke up on Thursday morning and read about how a member of Germany’s main opposition party supported the expulsion of Greece from the Eurozone (the group of countries that are allowed to use the Euro) [i] I began to wonder whether it was possible for Greece to not be a part of the European Union (EU) when the end times begin. Here is my current thinking on the matter…

For those unfamiliar with what is going on, Greece is currently facing a major economic and financial crisis. Greece’s government has a giant budget deficit that is so high that investors and the EU demand that they reduce it. Greece is unable to print money since they use the Euro so they’ve tried to borrow long-term money and reduce government spending to reduce the budget deficit in the short-term.

The Greek government’s approach to reducing their deficit did not succeed because the government did not have enough will power to make the necessary cuts in government spending for the EU and for investors’ liking. Over the past month the cost to borrow money for Greece has risen dramatically as investors shied away from purchasing or holding onto Greek government debt. In fact, the interest rate for short-term Greek government debt rose above an astonishing 11% on early Thursday. The cost of borrowing from investors is now so high that borrowing from investors is no longer a viable option for Greece.

The Greek government is very hesitant to reduce government spending further because the unions in Greece are threatening severe consequences. There is potential for major political violence or even revolution if the Greek government aggressively reduces government spending even more than they already have to satisfy investors and the EU.

The Greek government possesses the option to seek help from the EU and the International Monetary Fund (IMF). However, the Greek government is very hesitant to seek such help because they would lose a lot of control over their economy and the IMF would force them to make major cuts in government spending and major reductions in pensions that would infuriate Greek citizens. In addition, governments throughout the EU are reluctant to help bailout Greece because using taxpayer money to bail out a country that made huge mistakes is a very unpopular idea with European voters.

The Greek government could pay off its debt and avoid the IMF by defaulting on its debt. The problem with this option is that it would trigger a violent chain reaction that would sink the global financial and economic system like the collapse of Lehman Bros did (many stock markets around the world fell by at least 40% after the collapse of Lehman Bros). Non-Greek political and economic leaders fear this option so much that they are trying their hardest to keep Greece from choosing this option.

The option that is gaining the attention of more people each day is for Greece to stop using the Euro and return to using their own national currency. By abandoning the Euro, Greece would have the option to print money to deal with its deficits. While this would be a major embarrassment for the EU, some commentators view this as the best option. This option does not mean that Greece would no longer be a member of the EU since there are some EU countries that do not use the Euro yet. However, this would be a major step towards Greece leaving the EU because this step would represent Greece’s repudiation of the Euro, a major EU institution. Since the option to stop using the Euro is being considered (despite what the IMF claims) it is well-worth exploring whether it is biblically possible for this situation to eventually lead to Greece leaving the EU.

The Antichrist’s empire will consist of ten kingdoms (Revelation 13:1 and 17:12-13). Many of the kingdoms that will comprise Antichrist’s empire are identified in Ezekiel 38 as contributors to Antichrist’s invasion of Israel.[ii]

• Eze 38:2 Son of man, set thy face against Gog, the land of Magog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal, and prophesy against him,
• …
• Eze 38:5 Persia, Ethiopia, and Libya with them; all of them with shield and helmet:
• Eze 38:6 Gomer, and all his bands; the house of Togarmah of the north quarters, and all his bands: and many people with thee.

I want to focus on Gomer, the eldest son of Japheth (mentioned in Genesis 10 as one of Noah’s sons). Jewish historian Flavius Josephus linked Gomer with the Galatians, who were also known as Gaul. Julius Caesar noted three divisions of Gaul: the Belgae, the Aquitani, and the Galli (Celtae).[iii] These particular three tribes spread throughout Western Europe encompassing the countries of Great Britain, France, Italy, and the Benelux. However, these were not all of the divisions of Gaul as other tribes moved into Central Europe. This suggests that Gomer is represented today by the European Union.

Some people teach that the Antichrist’s complete empire will just comprise the European Union. I disagree with this notion and believe that the European Union will simply be one of the ten kingdoms that will comprise Antichrist’s empire.

Ezekiel 38 does not name every kingdom that will comprise Antichrist’s empire. However, we can find out what other kingdoms will comprise Antichrist’s empire by looking at Daniel 7. Daniel 7 presents four beasts. Three of the beasts described were three past empires that dominated in biblical times: the Babylonian Empire, the Persian Empire, and the Grecian (Seleucid) Empire.

Meanwhile, the fourth beast represents an empire that will be unlike any other. It is characterized by its sheer power and by its ability to dominate the earth. The fourth beast represents Antichrist’s empire.

• Dan 7:7 After this I saw in the night visions, and behold a fourth beast, dreadful and terrible, and strong exceedingly; and it had great iron teeth: it devoured and brake in pieces, and stamped the residue with the feet of it: and it was diverse from all the beasts that were before it; and it had ten horns.
• …
• Dan 7:23 Thus he said, The fourth beast shall be the fourth kingdom upon earth, which shall be diverse from all kingdoms, and shall devour the whole earth, and shall tread it down, and break it in pieces.

Daniel 7 contains an often overlooked detail about the first three beasts. Daniel 7:12 mentions that the first three beasts will be restored for a specific time in history (most likely for the end times).

• Dan 7:12 As concerning the rest of the beasts, they had their dominion taken away: yet their lives were prolonged for a season and time.

The ancient Greeks were linked with Javan by Josephus. Javan is one of the nations listed in the Table of Nations in Genesis 10 and one of the nations mentioned in Isaiah 66 as one of the surviving nations following the devastation inflicted on Earth during the end times.

• Isa 66:18 For I know their works and their thoughts: it shall come, that I will gather all nations and tongues; and they shall come, and see my glory.
• Isa 66:19 And I will set a sign among them, and I will send those that escape of them unto the nations, to Tarshish, Pul, and Lud, that draw the bow, to Tubal, and Javan, to the isles afar off, that have not heard my fame, neither have seen my glory; and they shall declare my glory among the Gentiles.

Isaiah 66 lists Javan as an entity of its own so whatever Javan is represented by today is separate from Gomer, (the European Union).

Some Bible commentators argue that Javan is represented by modern-day Syria because the Seleucid Empire, which maintained the language, customs, and religion of Ancient Greece, had its capital in Syria during the reign of Antiochus Epiphanies IV (a major persecutor of the Jews). I have supported this argument for several years, but I now begin to wonder whether Javan is indeed represented by Greece today and whether Greece is supposed to be separate from the EU. I also wonder whether what’s going on now is the mechanism that separates Greece from the European Union if the two must be separated.

I do not know yet whether it is biblically possible for Greece to leave the EU. As you’ve seen above, a case could be made that it is possible based on where you believe Javan is located. I am not yet convinced, but I am considering the possibility (one must always be flexible when it comes to Bible prophecy). We will find out soon what’s going to happen with Greece because Greece is in a desperate situation.

Notes and Reference

---

[i] Being kicked out of the Eurozone is not the same as being kicked out of the EU. However, it’s a major step towards leaving the European Union.

[ii] Kingdoms are political entities whereas nations are “people groups” rather than ethnic groups. Kingdoms are a temporary phenomenon that can be destroyed whenever the Lord decides it is time. For instance, the Third Reich was destroyed only after being in existence for twelve years. In contrast, nations generally are not temporary because races tend to endure for thousands of years. For instance, the Jews are the descendants of Canaan, and have managed to survive despite numerous attempts to exterminate them. The entities identified in Ezekiel 38 are nations rather than kingdoms. Since nations/people groups move throughout time we must not focus on where nations were located during Biblical times but where they are located today.

[iii] “Gaul”. Microsoft Encarta Reference Library 2003

Signs of the End Part 7: False Christs

In Part 6 of the Signs of the End I went over another indicator/sign that Christ told us to watch for as we approached the end times: Commotions (political instability). In this latest installment I will go over another indicator: false Christs.

Recall that one of the signs that we would see as we approach the end times will be people who claim to be Christ.

• Mat 24:4 And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you.
• Mat 24:5 For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many.
• Mat 24:6 And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet.

I am not aware of anyone who keeps track of the number of people who claim to be the Christ each year over a long period of time like the U.S. and others track the number of earthquakes each year over the past few decades. Therefore, evaluating whether there have been more people who claim to be Christ is a lot more subjective than evaluating whether there has been an increase in earthquake activity over time.

I searched through several websites that list people who claim to be Christ as part of my preparation for this article. I found that there are a lot more documented cases of people who claim to be Christ in recent years than in the past.

• For instance, on Wikipedia’s “List of Messiah Claimants” there are 11 claims from the 1st Century AD to the end of the 19th Century and 17 claims from the start of the 20th Century until today (this does not even include Maitreya).

This should not be a complete surprise because improvements in communication technology have enabled delusional people with major messianic complexes to make their ridiculous claims known to a large audience. However, people who make the absurd claim that they are the Christ usually have their claim documented no matter how small their following is because this claim is so absurd and unusual. Thus, the discrepancy in the number of cases reported now versus in the past is more likely due to an increase in the number of people who claim to be the Christ than due to an improvement in communication technology.

I feel we are seeing an increase in the number of individuals who are claiming to be the Christ. It’s an indication that Earth is experiencing birth pangs and that we are getting closer to the end times as time goes on.

Technorati Tags: prophecy,end times

Why I Take Maitreya Seriously as a Threat

Pre-Article Disclaimer for Newer Readers: If you are reading this blog for the first time or are not totally familiar with my work, I am a 100% Christian writer who analyzes things from a Christian point of view. I sometimes research into what the spiritual forces of evil are up to in hopes of gleaning information to help us Christians figure out what is going on or to figure out what Satan has planned. You can read more about why I dare consider these unbiblical sources at the following link Now on to the article...

I know that some people who read this blog are skeptical about whether Maitreya (the leader of a group of beings known as the “Ascended Masters”-a group of beings mentioned in Ephesians 6:12 as the spiritual wickedness in high places), Benjamin Creme (Maitreya’s official spokesmen), etc should be taken seriously. The Bible warns us that we are going to see False Christs like Maitreya prior to the start of the end times. I understand why a person would be skeptical because it is not easy to see what distinguishes Maitreya between a “typical” False Christ and something greater than that.

In this blog post I want to share with you a few things that turned me from a skeptic to someone who now sees Maitreya as not your ordinary False Christ.

Christian’s Personal Experience with Creme

A few Christians have personally attended Benjamin Creme’s lecture in person and those who have talked about it describe unforgettable experiences. For instance, Christian author Constance Cumbey, who has been tracking Benjamin Creme, Maitreya, and the New Age Movement for a very long time, went to see Creme lecture in person and saw for herself that he had unnatural power.

“With a wave of the hand, Creme seemed to instantly mesmerize a vast majority of the crowd. As he spoke, the audience's collective trance deepened”.[1]

“Clearly Creme had a power that was not his own - an evil, hypnotic presence”.[2]

The following is a video of Cumbey describing her experience attending Creme’s lecture. Link

Reading Cumbey and other Christians’ experience meeting Creme in person it appears to me that Creme is someone backed by a higher, evil power.

Bible Prophecy Connection

Before I even heard about Creme, Maitreya, etc I solely focused on researching Bible prophecy. I mention this because my understanding of Bible prophecy and my unshaken belief in the complete accuracy of Bible prophecy made me very skeptical about looking at non-biblical sources for any sort of information. However, as I investigated Creme and other writer’s claims about what Maitreya and the Ascended Masters had planned for the future I found their statements corresponded with what Bible prophecy warns us about.

• The biggest statement that stands out in my mind is Creme and others’s claims about an Ascended Master who will pose as Jesus will appear to lead the Christian Church. Revelation 13 tells us that the False Prophet is going to speak like a dragon, but physically look like a lamb. The idea of a counterfeit Jesus serving as a False Prophet made too much sense for me to disregard.

The Link to Adolf Hitler

I’ve researched Adolf Hitler ever since I’ve studied Bible prophecy. I believe the Bible prophesized Adolf Hitler’s coming in Revelation 17:10 as the seventh king who would come for a short time. During my research I have uncovered several people’s account of their personal experience around Hitler, and these people describe Hitler having evil, demonic power who could literally hypnotize people with his eyes.

Hitler was an occultist who treated the works of Helena Blavatsky (whose works later influenced Alice Bailey and Benjamin Creme and whose works she and followers claim were written under the direction of the Ascended Masters) like his Bible. Blavatsky described Maitreya as the coming messiah of all major world religions in her book The Secret Doctrine (so Creme is not the one who came up with the story on Maitreya-it can be traced back to at least Blavatsky 100 years prior):

"MAITREYA is the secret name of the Fifth Buddha, and the Kalki Avatar of the Brahmins - the last MESSIAH who will come at the culmination of the Great Cycle." [3]

"He will appear as Maitreya Buddha, the last of the Avatars and Buddhas, in the seventh Race. Only it is not in the Kali yug, our present terrifically materialistic age of Darkness, the 'Black Age,' that a new Saviour of Humanity can ever appear." [4]

You can see the impact that Blavatsky had on Hitler in some peculiar statements he made. Despite his public portrayal as Germany’s Messiah, Hitler privately pushed aside calls that he was the Messiah various times. In 1924 German Georg Schott had a conversation with Hitler. Schott recounted that Hitler denied that he considered himself to be the Messiah, “with a voice and with eyes that I will never forget, he said “We are indeed all a little John [the Baptist]-like in nature. I await the Christ.” [5] Years later, Hitler reiterated that he was not the Messiah when he said, “But I am not the Messiah. He will come after me.” [6] Finally, Hitler’s last known words were to an aide who asked Hitler who they should fight for now. Hitler replied, "For the coming man".[7]

I suspect there is something going on with Maitreya that goes beyond him being some hoax or your ordinary false Christ when Hitler, someone with clearly evil connections, referenced Maitreya and his future coming.

666

Maitreya’s name calculates to 666 in Greek and in Hebrew.

This coincidence does not hurt the case of those who are leery about Maitreya in my eyes.

A Clarification on Maitreya

Finally, I want to clarify my position on Maitreya in case there is some confusion…

The term “antichrist” in Greek means “against Christ” or “oppose to Christ”. The term “antichrist” is only used four times in the Bible. The first two instances are in 1 John 2:18-23:

• 1Jn 2:18 Little children, it is the last time: and as ye have heard that antichrist shall come, even now are there many antichrists; whereby we know that it is the last time.
• 1Jn 2:19 They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would no doubt have continued with us: but they went out, that they might be made manifest that they were not all of us.
• ...
• 1Jn 2:22 Who is a liar but he that denieth that Jesus is the Christ? He is antichrist, that denieth the Father and the Son.
• 1Jn 2:23 Whosoever denieth the Son, the same hath not the Father: (but) he that acknowledgeth the Son hath the Father also.

John labeled people who denied that Jesus is the Christ and that Jesus is the Son of God as an “antichrist” in 1 John Ch 2. John’s usage of the term in this context was appropriate given the basic Greek meaning of the term because these people’s denial made them opponents of Christ. However, we also find John acknowledging that people in his day referred to a coming man as “the Antichrist” when he wrote “as ye have heard that antichrist shall come”.

John also used the term “antichrist” again in 1 John Ch 4:1-3. John wrote that every spirit that denies Jesus came in flesh is a “spirit of antichrist”:

• 1Jn 4:1 Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world.
• 1Jn 4:2 Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God:
• 1Jn 4:3 And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world.

Like in 1 John Ch 2, we learn something very important about the one we call “Antichrist”. John revealed at the end of verse 4:3 that the spirit of Antichrist was already in the world (not a spirit of Antichrist, but the spirit of Antichrist) and this spirit associated with the man that is coming.

2 John 1:7 is the final passage that includes the term “antichrist”. This passage is very similar to 1 John 4:3 as it mentions that an antichrist is a deceiver that denies that Jesus Christ has come in flesh.

• 2Jn 1:7 For many deceivers are entered into the world, who confess not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh. This is a deceiver and an antichrist.

These passages reveal that has been a deceiving spirit known as the “spirit of Antichrist” in the world for at least the past 1900 years and confirm that there will be a man coming during the end times that has been known as the Antichrist since John’s time. Both are (or will be) deceiving entities that deny that Jesus is the Christ, that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, that Jesus Christ came in the flesh etc.

I believe that Maitreya is the spirit of Antichrist that John wrote about. The man who is going to be the Antichrist is separate from Maitreya (initially but they may eventually merge when the man who will be Antichrist becomes world ruler and Satan empowers the beast). Therefore, I doubt you will see the man who is going to be Antichrist physically resemble anything close to the pictures of Maitreya published on Creme's website or even go by the name “Maitreya” until very late in the process if at all. However, I expect Maitreya to have a lot of influence on the man who will be Antichrist.

The Bible warns us that there is going to be a coming strong delusion that will be so strong that it will deceive those who do not know the truth (2 Thessalonians 2:9-12 and Matthew 24:24-27). I feel that we should at least look at what the spiritual forces of evil say they have planned so we have an idea of what kind of deceptions they may have planned. We should ignore everything that they say that doesn't correspond with what the Bible says is possible or least look at what they say with great skepticism. If we totally ignore sources like Creme we may miss something on what may be planned in the future.

I believe it is possible to survive the coming onslaught without knowledge of what the spiritual forces of evil are up to (there will be many who will). However, at least having some knowledge of what they may have planned would make it easier to survive. This is why I write so much about Creme, Maitreya, and other-related sources. I want to alert people about what’s going on so that they will be armed with knowledge to not be deceived by what the spiritual forces of evil may have planned.

References

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[1] Cumbey, Constance. The Hidden Dangers of the Rainbow. Lafayette: Huntington House Publishers 1985: 94

[2] Ibid. 94

[3] Blavatsky, Helena Petrovna. The Secret Doctrine. Vol. 1 Book 2. http://www.sacred-texts.com/the/sd/sd1-2-08.htm. 379

[4] Blavatsky, Helena Petrovna. The Secret Doctrine. Vol 1 Book 2. Theosophical Pub. Co. 1888. 470.

[5] Redles, David. Hitler’s Millennial Reich. New York: NYU Press, 2005. 118

[6] Wagener, Otto. Hitler-Memoirs of a Confidant. Trans. Ruth Hein. New Haven: Yale University Press. 1985. 172

[7] Parparov, Fyodor. The Hitler Book: the Secret Dossier Prepared for Stalin from the Interrogations of Hitler’s Personal Aides. Ed. Henrik Eberle and Matthias Uhl. Trans. Giles MacDonogh. New York: Public Affairs, 2005. 270

Signs of the End Part 6: Commotions

In Part 5 of the Signs of the End I went over two more birth pang indicators: wars and rumors of war. In this latest installment I will go over another birth pang indicator: Commotions.

Recall that Christ told His apostles that people will hear about disturbances/commotions prior to the start of the end times:

• Luk 21:7 And they asked him, saying, Master, but when shall these things be? and what sign will there be when these things shall come to pass?
• Luk 21:8 And he said, Take heed that ye be not deceived: for many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and the time draweth near: go ye not therefore after them.
• Luk 21:9 But when ye shall hear of wars and commotions, be not terrified: for these things must first come to pass; but the end is not by and by.

Also recall that “commotions” is a broad English term that can be interpreted in a variety of ways. The Greek indicates a more precise word than the one given in the version of the Bible I am using here. The Greek word is “akatastasia”, which means “instability” or “a state of disorder”.[1] This definition implies that political disorder, including revolutions and coups, is a condition prevalent during the time period that Christ described.

Like with previous birth pang indicators, if we are near the end times we should be seeing a noticeable change in the amount of political disorder in the world.

The Center for Systematic Peace (CSP) measures the fragileness of every government around the world and the fragileness of the global political system. The CSP supplies snapshots of the fragileness of individual governments and the global political system at various points of time at their website.

• For those who do not have a lot of time, the CSP notes on their website that there has been a 19% improvement in the fragility of the global political system since 1995. This means that the world’s political system has become significantly more stable in the past 15 years.

Another way to measure trends in political instability is to look at the trend in societal warfare (a category of warfare that encompasses ethnic, civil, and communal war) since the end of World War 2. The following graph illustrates the trend in societal warfare since the end of World War 2.

The graph above indicates that the prevalence of societal warfare has declined dramatically since the end of the Cold War. This finding is consistent with the CSP’s finding that the global political system has become far more stable over the past 15 years.

Terrorism

Terrorism is a phenomenon that has risen dramatically in the public’s consciousness over the past 10 years and a phenomenon that perhaps has contributed to people’s perception that the world is a less stable place to live in today than in the past. Despite the public being far more aware about the threat of terrorism, the CSP noted that the “frequency and lethality of ‘international terrorism’… remains at extremely low levels when compared with any other form of political or criminal violence” despite an explosion in the “use of ‘low-tech, smart bombs’ against “political and civilian targets” since 9/11.[2]. This finding is similar to a key finding the Center for International Development and Conflict Management (CIDCM) made in their study of 77,000 domestic and international terrorism events from 1970 to 2007. The CIDCM did not find any noticeable long-term increase in the amount of terrorism committed worldwide.[3]

Commotions Summary

The commotions indicator indicates that we are not near the end times yet because the overall level of political instability is leveling off rather than rising and the level of terrorism is not trending upward through time. If we were very close to the start of the end times we would see a major uptick in the commotions indicator like we’ve seen a huge surge in the earthquake indicator recently.

However, like wars and rumors of war, there is likely going to be dramatic increase in level of political instability around the world in the future. Researchers have identified several factors that drive political instability, and most of these factors are influenced by social-economic well being.

A future global economic and financial collapse will trigger great political unrest throughout the world. Governments and leaders failing to deal with major economic and financial problems in an effective manner will be endangered as people look to replace them with anyone who appears to be more competent at handling the situation than those currently in charge. The public’s desperation will give an opportunity for individuals and groups from all parts of the ideological spectrum a chance to take power through the electoral process, revolution, or military coup. We likely shall see new, moderate leaders take charge of some countries and extremists (right and left-wing) take charge of many other countries.

• This is just the tip of the iceberg of the consequences a future global economic and financial collapse is going to have on political and societal turmoil in many countries around the world. I wrote in detail about what other things we could see in Chapter 11 of my free book Prophecy Proof Insights of the Next World War. It’s going to get very ugly…

References

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[1] G182 ἀκαταστασία Strong’s Hebrew and Greek Dictionaries

[2] Marshall, Monty and Benjamin R. Cole. Global Report 2009: Conflict, Governance, and State Fragility. Fairfax: Center for Systematic Peace and Center for Global Policy. December 7, 2009. http://www.systemicpeace.org/Global%20Report%202009.pdf Pg. 7

[3] Source: Hewitt, Joseph J. Jonathan Wilkenfield, and Ted Robert Gurr. Peace and Conflict 2010 Executive Summary. College Park: Center for International Development and Conflict Management. 2009. http://www.cidcm.umd.edu/pc/executive_summary/exec_sum_2010.pdf. Pg 4

Signs of the End Part 5: Wars and Rumors of War

In Part 4 of the Signs of the End I went two major birth pang indicators: pestilence and famine. In this latest installment I will go over two more birth pang indicators that are interrelated: wars and rumors of war.

Like with previous birth pang indicators, if we are near the end times we should be seeing a noticeable change in the prevalence of war and rumors of war. I will start by looking at trends in war before looking at rumors of war.

Wars and Commotions

The Center of Systematic Peace (CSP) reports that there have been “over 320 distinct episodes of major armed conflict in the world’s 162 countries” since the end of World War 2.[1] The CSP notes the following trends in warfare, which is also summarized in the following figure.

• Interstate warfare (warfare between countries), “has remained at a relatively low-level since the end of the Second World War”.[2]
• Societal warfare (which is a category of warfare that encompasses ethnic, civil, and communal war) “has been the predominant mode of warfare” since the mid 1950s.[3]
• The number of states affected by wars has declined worldwide in conjunction with the rise of globalization and democratization.

The war indicator indicates that we are not near the end times yet because the overall level of warfare has been declining over time. If we were very close the start of the end times we would see a major uptick in the number of wars in the world like we have seen a huge surge in the number of earthquakes around the world recently.

Rumors of War:

I do not have data to make a numerical or statistical comparison between the prevalence of the rumors of war today versus the prevalence of the rumors of war in the past. However, I know a lot of people feel that we have rumors of war today. Every day we hear about how the U.S. or Israel will eventually need to confront Iran or how Israel might have another war with Hezbollah. I am not going to dispute that there are rumors of war today.

However, I do not know if we can say that there are more rumors of war today than there was during the Cold War. Although I am too young to remember living in the Cold War, I am aware that there was always a degree of fear that America and the Soviet Union would go to war with each other (though sometimes the fear was very high like during the Cuban Missile Crisis and sometimes low like during the era of Détente). I get the feeling that Iran is drawing the attention of people who study Bible prophecy much like the Soviet Union did back in the Cold War. I could be wrong because I am too young to remember living in the Cold War, but this is my impression from studying politics and history.

I believe that rumors of war involving Israel are not yet at a historic high. Israel has been at odds with its hostile neighbors ever since its recreation in 1948. People have always worried about Israel being caught in a war against its neighbors. However, the rumors of war involving Israel will likely increase dramatically in the future with the U.S. apparently ready to turn its back on Israel.

Future Potential of Wars and Rumors of War

It is very likely that the prevalence of war and rumors of wars will increase dramatically in the future. As mentioned earlier, the two main reasons why we have seen a gradual decline in the number of conflicts over the past few decades are: the rise of democratization in the world and globalization.

The Democratic Peace

The Democratic Peace is a term used to describe an astounding historical finding: democracies rarely fight each other in war. However, this does not mean that democracies are less war-prone than non-democracies because academic studies show that they participate and initiate wars at the same rate as other regime types. This also does not mean that democratic states do not get into disputes with each other because there are numerous cases where they do get into disputes. However, just about all of these disputes have fallen short of war. The following figure demonstrates how rare it is for democratic states to go to war with each other.

There have been several explanations offered by political scientists to explain why democracies refrain from fighting other democracies. Two main explanations center on the idea that there are institutional constraints on democratic leaders and democratic leaders are far less prone than non-democratic leaders to have misunderstandings about each other since they are usually required to be relatively more transparent in releasing information to the public than non-democratic leaders about many issues including military strength.

Regardless of why democracies do not fight each other, the Democratic Peace helps account for why there has been a lack of wars involving major power opponents since the end of World War 2. The vast majority of major powers since the end of World War 2 have been democracies so the restraining characteristics of democracies have kept major powers from facing off against each other in war. In addition, the number of wars has declined since the end of the Cold War as the number of democratic states around the world has increased dramatically. The next figure illustrates how the total number of wars has declined while the number of democracies has exploded since the end of the Cold War.

(On an aside: the Democratic Peace has probably caught the eye of American foreign policy decision makers and is perhaps one motivation behind why the U.S. is trying to bring democracy to the Middle East).

Globalization

Globalization reduces the probability of world war because countries become interdependent on each other. Each country integrated into the global economy is dependent on their economic partner(s) to provide them goods and services at a relatively lower cost than what they can produce domestically. The average leader understands this independence and is hesitant to go to war with their economic partner(s) since war will damage their economy.

The Catalyst to Change Everything

The coming economic and financial collapse is vital for bringing an end to the constraints of war and rumors of war. When the world’s economic and financial system breaks down you are very likely going to see a lot more war and rumors of wars because the restraints of war will be lifted and desperate political leaders will be searching for an excuse to shift the public’s attention away from domestic problems and for ways to secure the necessities of life for their people.

• If you’re interested in reading more the nuts and bolts into how the coming economic and financial collapse will bring war worldwide you can access my free book: Prophecy Proof Insights of the Next World War.

References

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[1] Marshall, Monty and Benjamin R. Cole. Global Report 2009: Conflict, Governance, and State Fragility. Fairfax: Center for Systematic Peace and Center for Global Policy. December 7, 2009. http://www.systemicpeace.org/Global%20Report%202009.pdf Pg.4

[2] Ibid. Pg. 4

[3] Ibid. Pg. 4