June 14, 2012 | From theTrumpet.com
Don’t look away now; the long-prophesied German-led European empire is almost here.
Brad Macdonald
It’s difficult, especially amid the doom and gloom in Europe, to realize that we are now moments away from the creation of a United States of Europe.
Of course, “moments” in the long grind of human history are measured in weeks and months. The point is, Europe’s financial crisis is so bad that virtually everyone—most especially Germany—now realizes that the only way forward is greater consolidation and integration, more unity. In other words, the formation of a United States of Europe.
Meeting this goal won’t be easy, simple or clean. There will be casualties. Many countries will likely have to make some pretty extreme sacrifices, the essence of which will involve relinquishing national sovereignty. But Europe’s financial crisis is intensifying and rapidly heading to the point of no return. Last weekend, Spain requested a $125 billion loan to bail out its banks; many worry that Italy will be next; on Sunday, Greeks head to the polls in a run-off national election that could easily be the catalyst for Athens defaulting on its debt, then leaving the eurozone.
In Greece, anxiety is so intense, people are emptying their bank accounts and stocking up on food ahead of Sunday’s election.
Everyone agrees: A far-reaching solution cannot be put off much longer.
The most telling signs of how close we are to the emergence of a United States of Europe come from Germany. Ever since this crisis began in 2008, Berlin has reacted slowly and with tremendous caution. When others moaned and wailed and demanded more extreme measures—eurobonds, larger rescue funds, more spending—Germany simply ignored, even rejected, these cries. But over the last two to three weeks, there have been hints that Berlin might finally be ready to act.
Speaking on German TV last week, Chancellor Angela Merkel emphasized the “need [for] more Europe.” Europe doesn’t just need a currency union, she explained, “we also need a so-called fiscal union, more common budget policies.” Merkel’s recognition of the need for a “fiscal union” is significant, but it was what she said next that caught the attention of some commentators: “AND WE NEED ABOVE ALL A POLITICAL UNION. That means we must step by step, as things go forward, give up powers to Europe as well.”
Notice who Merkel was speaking to. This wasn’t a press conference in Brussels or a speech before the European Parliament. Many Europeans, especially European leaders, don’t need to be convinced of the need for more Europe. Merkel was speaking directly to the German public. She was, as Spiegel noted, “carefully preparing the public for the possibility that great changes are coming and that established certainties are no longer valid.”
Charles Grant, director of the Center for European Reform, was recently in Berlin to discuss Europe’s problems with German policymakers. He wrote in the New York Times this week that “the view of German policymakers … is that the government will do what is necessary to save the euro.” Germany knows it is going to have to intervene on a major scale, and even has measures in place, explained Grant. But it’s not overtly publicizing these measures because it’s concerned this may encourage some states to “slacken efforts to curb budget deficits and enact reforms.” That’s pretty smart.
It seems we are now getting an idea of what these measures may look like.
On Monday, Spiegel published an article outlining a plan currently in the works to stabilize the eurozone and the euro. According to George Friedman, CEO of Stratfor, Spiegel’s “report appears to be well-grounded, with European leaders confirming that the four individuals are working on a plan.” The plan is the brainchild of European Commission President José Manuel Barroso, European Council President Herman Van Rompuy, Eurogroup Chairman Jean-Claude Juncker and European Central Bank President Mario Draghi.
Spiegel says these four are conversing on the phone daily. A watered-down version of the plan is already circulating in Europe’s capitals, while a more comprehensive presentation is being prepared for the European summit later this month. A concrete version is expected as soon as August.
IF IT GOES AHEAD, THIS DRAMATIC PLAN WILL REVOLUTIONIZE EUROPE—AND THE WORLD!
Spiegel reports that the four leaders intend on “making the currency union irreversible, and DEEPENING IT TO BECOME A POLITICAL UNION” (emphasis added throughout). Remember, this is exactly what Chancellor Merkel also desires. S
Spiegel continues: “A COMPLETELY DIFFERENT EUROPE WOULD EMERGE FROM SUCH A PROCESS. The plan envisions nation-states giving up significant elements of their sovereignty to European institutions. … At the heart of the deliberations is the CREATION OF A REAL FISCAL UNION, which would prohibit member states from taking on new debt on their own.”
Basically, the plan envisions an all-powerful EU fiscal authority that would have dictatorial power over the finances of member states!
One possibility under this new plan is the creation of a special EU institution to supervise Europe’s banks. This overarching EU body “would not only keep an eye on systemically relevant financial institutions, BUT ON ALL BANKS,” reported Spiegel. If you think Brussels has too much of a controlling presence in the lives of Europeans now, wait till this plan is enacted.
The plan also provides for the creation of a eurobond, a bond backed by all eurozone nations, most importantly Germany. This will please France and many other countries, and could go a long way to solving Europe’s debt crisis. A eurobond backed by Germany is a thousand times more attractive than anything else on the market. But there’s a catch. In order to soothe Berlin’s justified concerns about a eurobond, which would basically result in all Germany taking on liability for the debt of individual countries, states would have to meet a laundry list of rules and guidelines. Rules and guidelines, mind you, essentially created by Germany.
Most notably, the plan puts the power to issue eurobonds—and leadership of the EU fiscal authority itself—in the hands of one individual, “a kind of European finance minister” with supreme authority.
WHAT POWER! If this plan proceeds, European states will effectively transfer control of their national budgets to a European fiscal authority—headed by a single individual!
Here’s another important development. Citing sources in Brussels, Spiegel also reports that the plan includes “turning the office of European Commission president and European Council president into one” and CREATING AN OVERARCHING “EUROPEAN PRESIDENT.” (Incidentally, this now-confirmed plan by an elite group to create a European super-president was exposed by Trumpet columnist Ron Fraser more than a month ago.)
This plan is still under construction. As it forms and becomes more public, it will likely be met with a lot of opposition as EU states and citizens fear ceding more power to Brussels and Berlin. But you watch: As this crisis escalates and as pressure mounts—if Greece defaults on its debt and leaves the eurozone; if Italy too needs a bailout; if the euro suddenly plummets; if even more destructive riots and protests break out—Europeans and their leaders will compromise.
Extreme crises demand extreme solutions—even as extreme as ceding power to Germany!
Consider one last observation. In its article on this dramatic plan to rescue Europe, Spiegel states that this plan would mark the “BEGINNING OF THE UNITED STATES OF EUROPE.” On Sunday, the Independent’s Peter Popham explained how “amid the bailouts, a UNITED STATES OF EUROPE takes shape.” Today, if you type the term United States of Europe into Google, you’ll get hundreds of hits from news items posted in just the last few months. It seems politicians and news nerds the world over have given this term to the political organism now forming in Europe.
WHY I AM NOT A DISPENSATIONALIST; John Nelson Darby is recognized as the father of dispensationalism later made popular in the United States by Cyrus Scofield's Scofield Reference Bible. Charles Henry Mackintosh, 1820–1896, with his popular style spread Darby's teachings to humbler elements in society and may be regarded as the journalist of the Brethren Movement. CHM popularised Darby more than any other Brethren author. As there was no Christian teaching of a “rapture” before Darby began preaching about it in the 1830s, he is sometimes credited with originating the "secret rapture" theory wherein Christ will suddenly remove His bride, the Church, from this world before the judgments of the tribulation. Dispensationalist beliefs about the fate of the Jews and the re-establishment of the Kingdom of Israel put dispensationalists at the forefront of Christian Zionism, because "God is able to graft them in again," and they believe that in His grace he will do so according to their understanding of Old Testament prophecy. They believe that, while the methodologies of God may change, His purposes to bless Israel will never be forgotten, just as He has shown unmerited favour to the Church, He will do so to a remnant of Israel to fulfill all the promises made to the genetic seed of Abraham. I am not a dispensationalist; it is unbiblical.
The aim of this blog is to identify those newsworthy events that tie in with Bible Prophecies. Then to report those findings back here. In doing so, those who read the articles may be readily informed as to where the world stands relative to the end times.
Monday, June 18, 2012
A Deadly Secret Plot Has Been Uncovered
The plot is fulfilling a great Bible prophecy. It’s all about the European Union superpower being hijacked!
By Gerald Flurry (theTrumpet.com)
We have been prophesying for over 70 years that a strong dictator is about to rule over Europe. We proclaimed that he would not be voted in by the public. We have also said for many years Britain would not be a part of the final European Union.
A recently revealed secret plot shows that all of these prophecies are being fulfilled now!
The British Express printed an article on May 4 titled, “EU Plot to Scrap Britain.” “Senior Eurocrats are secretly plotting to create a super-powerful EU president to realize their dream of abolishing Britain, we can reveal,” it began.
“A covert group of EU foreign ministers has drawn up plans for merging the jobs currently done by Herman Van Rompuy, president of the European Council, and José Manuel Barroso, president of the European Commission.
“The new bureaucrat, who would not be directly elected by voters, is set to get sweeping control over the entire EU and force member countries into ever-greater political and economic union. Tellingly, the UK has been excluded from the confidential discussions within the shady ‘Berlin Group’ of Europhile politicians, spearheaded by German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle” (emphasis mine throughout).
This “new bureaucrat” is going to get control of the EU by flatteries—not by being voted into office. That means that he and a few cohorts will hijack the powerful EU. It will be led by Germany, the only powerful economy in the Western world.
There may be a few small twists and turns, but this secret plot is going to usher in a fierce dictator! Bible prophecy makes that powerfully clear.
Back to the Dark Ages?
The Express secret-plot article continued: “Opponents fear the plan could create A MODERN-DAY EQUIVALENT OF THE EUROPEAN EMPEROR ENVISAGED BY NAPOLEON BONAPARTE OR A RETURN TO THE HOLY ROMAN EMPIRE OF CHARLEMAGNE THAT DOMINATED EUROPE IN THE DARK AGES. …
“Euro-M.P. Paul Nuttall, of the UK Independence Party, said: ‘This is a truly ridiculous idea that must never be allowed to happen. It sounds as if they are trying to go back to the days of the Holy Roman EMPEROR.’”
For about 70 years we have been prophesying of the Holy Roman Empire and emperor soon to appear on the scene. It will be the seventh and last head of that superpower.
This very moment, that prophecy is coming true. That is what the secret plot article made very clear. Britain is being kicked out.
Mr. Nuttall said that this Holy Roman Empire idea “must never be allowed to happen.” But it can’t be stopped because it has God’s approval (Revelation 17:17). Our free Daniel booklet explains why. And YOU DESPERATELY NEED TO UNDERSTAND!
This resurrected Holy Roman Empire is going to be the most destructive force ever on Earth. It is time for this world to understand what is happening in Europe!
Referring to the “Berlin Group,” Tory Foreign Office minister Lord Howell of Guildford said, “While the UK is not part of that group, we understand that one idea under discussion is a merger of the positions of president of the European
Council and president of the European Commission.” Lord Howell added: “A merger of the two presidencies would create a potential conflict of interest, undermine the quality of the EU’s decision-making processes and upset the institutional balance within the EU.” Lord Stoddart said: “These sorts of informal discussions within the
EU have a habit of rapidly being transferred into formal proposals.
“Since the government is not party to these discussions, its reservations are academic.
“Such a merger would represent a massive shift of power into the hands of a single, unelected bureaucrat. The government should be taking this far more seriously and voicing its objections very strongly.”
He added: “The holder of this new office would be both Europe’s political and administrative leader, GIVING THEM FAR MORE POWERS THAN THOSE GIVEN TO THE U.S. PRESIDENT.”
The French Election
These secret plotters saw the end of the Franco-German axis coming in the lead-up to the May 6 French presidential election. These two nations had led the EU from its inception. The plotters then moved to help form a German-Italian axis.
Germany and Italy are the first two nations of the 10 nations or groups of nations to form the Holy Roman Empire. The other eight are already a part of the EU and probably eager to join Germany and Italy.
Germany and Italy have been at the heart of the Holy Roman Empire throughout the ages. When Hitler and Mussolini became allies in World War II, it was the sixth head of the Holy Roman Empire. Mussolini even called their union THE HOLY ROMAN EMPIRE.
This new German-Italian axis—including the worldwide power of the Vatican—is a major shift in Europe’s direction. These two leading nations are going to shock the world as they demonstrate their worldwide ambitions—which they have done in the past. (For more information, request our free booklet Germany and the Holy Roman Empire.)
The secret plot has pushed France aside and Britain out. Now these plotters are working hard to find their strong leader.
We believe we may know who he is and who they are seeking to fill that strongman role.
We won’t have long to wait for his appearance. He may play a key role in choosing the other eight nations or kings. Then the world will see the horror of what this dramatic shift means!
“Germany inevitably would emerge as the leader of a united Europe,” Herbert W. Armstrong wrote in the November-December 1954 Plain Truth edition—a statement that most people only ridiculed. “All Europe is actually ready—just waiting for the confidence-inspiring leader—an international all-European Hitler, and it is on the way. That man is there somewhere.”
It’s all happening exactly as we have prophesied for 70 years! It is time for this world to wake up!
“Historical pressures, well apart from Putinism in Russia, are coming to the fore on the Continent—pressures that were long suppressed by the aberrations of World War II, the Cold War, the division of Germany, and the rise of the EU,” National Review Online wrote April 24. “The so-called German problem—the TENDENCY OF GERMANY QUITE NATURALLY AT SOME POINT TO TRANSLATE ITS INNATE DYNAMIC ECONOMIC PROWESS INTO POLITICAL, CULTURAL, AND ABOVE ALL MILITARY SUPERIORITY—did not vanish simply because a postmodern EU announced that it had transcended human nature and its membership would no longer be susceptible to ancient Thucydidean nationalist passions like honor, fear or self-interest.
“If you have doubts on that, just review current German and southern European newspapers, where commentary sounds more likely to belong in 1938 than in 2012.”
THE YEAR 1938 WAS ONE YEAR BEFORE WORLD WAR II BEGAN. In World War II, Hitler and Mussolini made Europe and much of the world bleed. But that was only a small dress rehearsal of what is about to occur!
The strongman of Europe could even appear on the scene this year.
A Prophecy for Today
We have been warning our readers to watch for this development for years. I went back and reread an article I wrote on the subject 12 years ago, in our June 2000 issue, based on the Bible’s prophecies. THE UNCOVERING OF THIS PLOT TO CREATE A EUROPEAN SUPER-PRESIDENT MAKES THAT ARTICLE FAR MORE RELEVANT TODAY THAN IT WAS 12 YEARS AGO!
The remainder of this article is essentially a reprint of that article from 2000. Please consider these prophecies in light of what is happening in Europe right now.
Let’s turn to the Bible to see what to expect in the time just ahead. Antiochus Epiphanes came to the Jerusalem temple in 167 B.C. The spring of 167 B.C. to the autumn of 164 B.C. was a terror-filled time for Palestine—3½ years of tribulation.
It was only a type, however, of the end-time Great Tribulation, also to last 3½ years, to be inflicted on America, Britain and the State of Israel.
“Then shall stand up in his estate a raiser of taxes in the glory of the kingdom: but within few days he shall be destroyed, neither in anger, nor in battle. And in his estate shall stand up a vile person, to whom they shall not give the honour of the kingdom: but he shall come in peaceably, and obtain the kingdom by flatteries” (Daniel 11:20-21). The Companion Bible states that the historical portion ends with verse 20. Verse 21 “passes on to the time which is still (1912) future to us.” And it is still future as we write now.
So there will be a future Antiochus—a vile person. He will be a type of the original Antiochus. We need to see how this will happen.
The Spirit of Charlemagne
“In the year 782, Charlemagne, the king of the Franks, became THE MILITARY CHAMPION OF THE PAPACY, stepping into the vacuum created by the separation of Constantinople and Rome, and defending the papacy from the Lombards who kept threatening it. Pope Leo III crowned Charlemagne emperor in Notre Dame Cathedral in 800. The future of Europe was bound up in that event, and THE ALLIANCE BETWEEN THE PAPACY AND GERMANY HAS BEEN OF GREAT SIGNIFICANCE EVER SINCE” (David N. Samuel, European Union and the Roman Catholic Influence in Britain).
What is happening in the European superstate is a mystery to most of the world.
But that mystery is beginning to be removed.
Bernard Connolly wrote a bombshell book in 1995 titled The Rotten Heart of Europe. For years he served at the heart of the Exchange Rate Mechanism for the EU. He headed the commission unit responsible for monitoring and servicing the system. He labels the European superstate as ROTTEN. Why?
He wrote, “It is the battle for control of the European superstate, in which French technocrats confront German federalists, both sides claiming to fight under the BANNER OF CHARLEMAGNE. The ‘collateral damage’ from this battle lies mainly in the future, but IT COULD BE GHASTLY.”
Who will get control of this great superstate? The battle can be narrowed down to two nations: France and Germany. Do knowledgeable people really doubt who will win this battle? The nation that controls the money will reign supreme.
“Across the Rhine, successive German governments have, in their pursuit of a ‘EUROPEAN’ CLOAK FOR GERMAN AMBITIONS, been prepared to accept an apparent cession of national monetary authority—as long as the new European monetary authority looks, sounds, smells and acts exactly as the German monetary authority now does” (ibid).
The European Union system has already been called a Trojan horse by a few informed analysts. Mr. Connolly says it is a “CLOAK FOR GERMAN AMBITIONS.”
We are all well aware of Hitler’s Third Reich. But did you realize that CHARLEMAGNE’S EMPIRE WAS THE FIRST REICH?
Most of the EU leaders are working to “recreate the empire of Charlemagne”—especially Germany. “It was no coincidence that the Belgian government housed the offices and meeting rooms of the EU Council of Ministers in the Charlemagne building in Brussels.
“It was no coincidence, either, that Giscard and Schmidt agreed to accept the Belgian compromise proposal at a bilateral summit in September 1978 at Aachen, principal seat and burial place of Charlemagne. The symbolism was heavily underlined in both France and Germany; the two leaders paid a special visit to the throne of Charlemagne and a special service was held in the cathedral; at the end of the summit, Giscard remarked that: ‘Perhaps when we discussed monetary problems, the spirit of Charlemagne brooded over us’” (ibid).
The spirit of Charlemagne has returned. This king who ruled the First Reich had to wade through a SEA OF BLOOD to achieve his goal of ruling Europe and establishing Catholicism as the state religion!
Get ready for another sea of blood!
‘A Vile Person’
The big question remains unanswered. “In the new empire of Charlemagne, WHO WOULD PLAY CHARLEMAGNE? Exactly the same question was implicit, and left unanswered, at Maastricht” (ibid).
Soon the world will know who the modern Charlemagne (or Antiochus) is to be. You can be sure he will have Germany’s stamp of approval. His actions will shock the world far more than the original Charlemagne’s. He will lead the world into the greatest “sea of blood” that humanity has ever seen or even dreamed about! Whether we realize it or not, the Fourth Reich has arrived.
Daniel 8 doesn’t tell us the name of the next Charlemagne. But it does tell us the kind of man he is going to be. And it is the worst news this world has ever received!
However, it leads directly to the greatest event ever to occur in the universe—the return of Jesus Christ!
The German leaders today have a hidden agenda, but even they will be shocked at the leader who will get control of the European Union.
Mr. Connolly asked, “Who is going to be Charlemagne?”
He said the outcome could be “ghastly.” Actually, it will go beyond “ghastly”—not only for Europe, but for the whole world!
The Bible labels this Charlemagne as “a vile person.”
Otto Von Hapsburg also said, “We possess a European symbol which belongs to all nations of Europe equally; this is the crown of the Holy Roman Empire, which embodies the tradition of Charlemagne.”
Daniel says Europe’s leaders will “not give the honour of the kingdom” to the vile person. He is so despicable, the royalty of the Holy Roman Empire today will fight against his coming to power. Still, he will gain control of the EU.
The Hebrew word for “vile” also means despicable and contemptible. Gesenius’ Hebrew-Chaldee Lexicon defines the word as meaning “to trample with the feet.”
That is his attitude toward anybody who opposes him.
Another Hitler?
Satan, the god of this world (2 Corinthians 4:4), was the power behind Hitler.
This vile, despicable and contemptible person will come into power much like Hitler did. Hitler was an army corporal during World War I. He had no royal or dignified background. But he won more and more influence with the people and brutally pushed himself into office.
This vile person “obtain[s] the kingdom by flatteries.” He flatters his way into office when he can. He also takes advantage of the European people as they move to the extreme right, politically.
Hitler was undoubtedly possessed by the devil. Those who knew him said he had three personalities. He was charming, at times in a trance and often in a rage!
Like Hitler, this end-time vile person could come from Austria. But the power behind him will be the devil, and Germany will be his main tool.
This evil man will come in “peaceably”—or unexpectedly.
The Revised Standard Version says of Daniel 11 that he will come in “without warning.”
If the EU were to be left in the hands of the present politicians, Europe would probably never pose a real threat. But they are going to lose control to the political “beast.”
According to Revelation 13, there will also be a religious beast led by a vile person. He will probably come on the scene in a similar manner.
Both beasts—political and religious—are empowered by the devil, and have “one mind.”
The religious beast will look like a “lamb” (Revelation 13:11)—it will appear harmless.
The last resurrection of the Holy Roman Empire will burst on the world scene suddenly, “without warning.” We are the only people who warn the world with God’s message! We must warn Europe that a VILE PERSON IS GOING TO HIJACK THE POWERFUL EUROPEAN UNION!
He is a person unworthy of dignity or royalty. Get ready, it’s coming fast.
THIS IS THE TERRIBLE AND FATAL FLAW OF THE EUROPEAN UNION. This awesome world power will fall into the hands of a wicked, contemptible person—a master deceiver.
Unless people heed our words, they will be shocked as never before!
“He shall enter peaceably even upon the fattest places of the province; and he shall do that which his fathers have not done, nor his fathers’ fathers; he shall scatter among them the prey, and spoil, and riches: yea, and he shall FORECAST his devices against the strong holds, even for a time. And he shall stir up his power and his courage against the king of the south with a great army; and the king of the south shall be stirred up to battle with a very great and mighty army; but he shall not stand: for they shall FORECAST devices against him” (Daniel 11:24-25). Notice the word “forecast.” The New Englishman’s Hebrew Concordance states that it means the future. So this man will have forecasting ability—a limited prophetic power.
Through this man, Satan, who knows Bible prophecy, will forecast his plots.
“And the king shall do according to his will; and he shall exalt himself, and magnify himself above every god, and shall speak marvellous things against the God of gods, and shall prosper till the indignation be accomplished: for that that is determined shall be done. Neither shall he regard the God of his fathers, nor the desire of women, nor regard any god: for he shall magnify himself above all” (verses 36-37). He will magnify himself above every god of this world and the true God. That means Satan the devil will possess this man! That is why he is so vile.
Ever since Lucifer rebelled and became Satan, he has spent all his time speaking AGAINST the true God.
‘Not by His Own Power’
Daniel also wrote about this man in another of his prophecies. “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 stand up” (Daniel 8:23).
This all happens in “the latter time”—that means today—now! This vile man becomes “a king” of fierce countenance, understanding “dark sentences.” What does this mean?
“And his power shall be mighty, but NOT BY HIS OWN POWER: and he shall destroy wonderfully, and shall prosper, and practise, and shall destroy the mighty and the holy people” (verse 24). This is all done “not by his own power.” He is empowered by the devil! He is consumed with Satan’s thoughts—“dark sentences.” He destroys wonderfully, or mightily, with nuclear weapons. No suffering has ever been so bad (Daniel 12:1).
“And through his policy also he shall cause craft to prosper in his hand; and he shall magnify himself in his heart, and by peace shall destroy many: he shall also stand up against the Prince of princes; but he shall be broken without hand” (Daniel 8:25). The New English Bible reads, “he shall conjure up great plans and, when they least expect it, work havoc on many.” Millions—perhaps billions—will be inflicted with his wrath.
He is a master of disguise—coming in what appears to be peace. Those who believe him—friends and enemies—often become victims.
Lange’s Commentary adds that he destroys “with suddenness by a malignant purpose.”
But look at the gloriously good news. This very king and his evil system will be destroyed by Christ! Then the world will have an all-powerful leader who is LOVE. And He will rule forever.
World Marvels at Beast
“And I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death; and his deadly wound was healed: and all the world wondered after the beast” (Revelation 13:3). All the world marvels at the beast. “And THEY WORSHIPPED THE DRAGON which gave power unto the beast: and they worshipped the beast, saying, Who is like unto the beast? who is able to make war with him?” (verse 4). Again we see that THE DEVIL IS THE POWER BEHIND THIS EMPIRE. The only way to survive—spiritually or physically—is through God’s power!
This time period, which the Bible calls the Great Tribulation, will last for 3½ years (verse 5). “And it was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them: and power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations” (verse 7). Even God’s own lukewarm church will be a victim.
Is this serious? Do you see the need to be a doer of God’s Word? You must act now, while there is time!
“And I beheld another beast coming up out of the earth; and he had two horns like a lamb, and he spake as a dragon” (verse 11). Here is the religious beast that looks like a lamb. But he speaks like a dragon—because the devil empowers him also!
That is why the religious leader will also be vile and despicable.
God is about to punish America, Britain and the Jewish nation called Israel today for their sins. He is raising up this beast to correct His rebellious people. He will get our attention!
“The beast that thou sawest was, and is not; and shall ascend out of the bottomless pit, and go into perdition: and they that dwell on the earth shall wonder, whose names were not written in the book of life from the foundation of the world, when they behold the beast that was, and is not, and yet is” (Revelation 17:8). This beast power is mostly underground at present. In the Greek language that is what “the bottomless pit” means.
That is why “they that dwell on the earth shall wonder.” Marvel would be a better translation for the word wonder. It means this beast power was underground until it suddenly burst on the scene, then the whole world was astonished, amazed and shocked. Suddenly a new world power was acting like a real superpower!
“And the ten horns which thou sawest are ten kings, which have received no kingdom as yet; but receive power as kings one hour with the beast. These have ONE MIND, and shall give their power and strength unto the beast” (verses 12-13). The 10 horns are the same as the 10 toes in Daniel 2. They receive their kingdoms for a very short time—3½ years.
THESE 10 NATIONS HAVE “ONE MIND”—THE OPPOSITE OF A DEMOCRACY! That is where the EU is headed!
These 10 kings may be literal kings. If not, they are going to act like kings, with real authority. That is what the massive shift from democracy is about in the European Union. That is why there has been such a rise in right-wing activity. It is fulfilling the prophecies of Daniel and Revelation.
There is a fierce political battle in Britain now over this very issue. Many people in Britain see that the EU is dominated by Germany in a very UNDEMOCRATIC way.
And remember, this political “beast” is labeled that way by God. THE MAN RULING IT WILL BE LIKE AN EMPEROR OVER THE 10 KINGS—AND WILL ACT LIKE A WILD BEAST! THIS COULD NOT HAPPEN IN A DEMOCRACY.
Consider again that I wrote these words 12 years ago, based solely on the Bible’s prophecies. Now we are reading headlines about European elites trying to create an unelected super-president who can dominate the political scene and elevate Europe to real SUPERPOWER status!
This role of emperor is the fatal flaw in the European Union. The vile person will become the emperor and lead Europe in its most destructive path ever.
He will even lead Europe in an attack against Russia and China, a move that will begin his downfall.
Still, there will be several armies from both sides which remain and will fight Christ at His return. Christ will then destroy these armies and rule the Earth.
So in the end, the bad news becomes the best news ever: the Second Coming of Jesus Christ.
The Best News Ever
The famous prophecy in Daniel 2 gives us the time frame of this glorious event. The image of the statue in Nebuchadnezzar’s dream represented a succession of world-ruling empires down through history (Daniel 2:31-45).
“And the fourth kingdom shall be strong as iron: forasmuch as iron breaketh in pieces and subdueth all things: and as iron that breaketh all these, shall it break in pieces and bruise. And whereas thou sawest the feet and TOES, part of potters’ clay, and part of iron, the kingdom shall be divided …” (verses 40-41). This is referring to the final resurrection of the “Holy” Roman Empire; the 10 toes represent the 10 kings of that empire.
But notice what happens next. “And IN THE DAYS OF THESE KINGS shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever” (verse 44).
We are in the time of the toes of Daniel’s image! These “toes” are now on the world scene and becoming more and more aggressive. And what comes after the toes? “IN THE DAYS OF THESE KINGS” gives us a time element. Jesus Christ will return “in the days of these kings” who rule over the European Union! Christ is going to smash the toes—the European Union, or “Holy” Roman Empire. That will be the end of the Daniel 2 image forever!
Christ must return at this time or there would be no flesh saved alive! (Matthew 24:21-22). I repeat, He must return!
Then the saints will be crowned to rule with Christ as His bride (Daniel 7:13-18). What a mind-staggering, wondrous reward God gives to those who do His work today. There will be only one bride of Christ for all eternity! What a magnificent future we have. And it’s almost here! •
WHY I AM NOT A DISPENSATIONALIST; John Nelson Darby is recognized as the father of dispensationalism later made popular in the United States by Cyrus Scofield's Scofield Reference Bible. Charles Henry Mackintosh, 1820–1896, with his popular style spread Darby's teachings to humbler elements in society and may be regarded as the journalist of the Brethren Movement. CHM popularised Darby more than any other Brethren author. As there was no Christian teaching of a “rapture” before Darby began preaching about it in the 1830s, he is sometimes credited with originating the "secret rapture" theory wherein Christ will suddenly remove His bride, the Church, from this world before the judgments of the tribulation. Dispensationalist beliefs about the fate of the Jews and the re-establishment of the Kingdom of Israel put dispensationalists at the forefront of Christian Zionism, because "God is able to graft them in again," and they believe that in His grace he will do so according to their understanding of Old Testament prophecy. They believe that, while the methodologies of God may change, His purposes to bless Israel will never be forgotten, just as He has shown unmerited favour to the Church, He will do so to a remnant of Israel to fulfill all the promises made to the genetic seed of Abraham. I am not a dispensationalist; it is unbiblical.
By Gerald Flurry (theTrumpet.com)
We have been prophesying for over 70 years that a strong dictator is about to rule over Europe. We proclaimed that he would not be voted in by the public. We have also said for many years Britain would not be a part of the final European Union.
A recently revealed secret plot shows that all of these prophecies are being fulfilled now!
The British Express printed an article on May 4 titled, “EU Plot to Scrap Britain.” “Senior Eurocrats are secretly plotting to create a super-powerful EU president to realize their dream of abolishing Britain, we can reveal,” it began.
“A covert group of EU foreign ministers has drawn up plans for merging the jobs currently done by Herman Van Rompuy, president of the European Council, and José Manuel Barroso, president of the European Commission.
“The new bureaucrat, who would not be directly elected by voters, is set to get sweeping control over the entire EU and force member countries into ever-greater political and economic union. Tellingly, the UK has been excluded from the confidential discussions within the shady ‘Berlin Group’ of Europhile politicians, spearheaded by German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle” (emphasis mine throughout).
This “new bureaucrat” is going to get control of the EU by flatteries—not by being voted into office. That means that he and a few cohorts will hijack the powerful EU. It will be led by Germany, the only powerful economy in the Western world.
There may be a few small twists and turns, but this secret plot is going to usher in a fierce dictator! Bible prophecy makes that powerfully clear.
Back to the Dark Ages?
The Express secret-plot article continued: “Opponents fear the plan could create A MODERN-DAY EQUIVALENT OF THE EUROPEAN EMPEROR ENVISAGED BY NAPOLEON BONAPARTE OR A RETURN TO THE HOLY ROMAN EMPIRE OF CHARLEMAGNE THAT DOMINATED EUROPE IN THE DARK AGES. …
“Euro-M.P. Paul Nuttall, of the UK Independence Party, said: ‘This is a truly ridiculous idea that must never be allowed to happen. It sounds as if they are trying to go back to the days of the Holy Roman EMPEROR.’”
For about 70 years we have been prophesying of the Holy Roman Empire and emperor soon to appear on the scene. It will be the seventh and last head of that superpower.
This very moment, that prophecy is coming true. That is what the secret plot article made very clear. Britain is being kicked out.
Mr. Nuttall said that this Holy Roman Empire idea “must never be allowed to happen.” But it can’t be stopped because it has God’s approval (Revelation 17:17). Our free Daniel booklet explains why. And YOU DESPERATELY NEED TO UNDERSTAND!
This resurrected Holy Roman Empire is going to be the most destructive force ever on Earth. It is time for this world to understand what is happening in Europe!
Referring to the “Berlin Group,” Tory Foreign Office minister Lord Howell of Guildford said, “While the UK is not part of that group, we understand that one idea under discussion is a merger of the positions of president of the European
Council and president of the European Commission.” Lord Howell added: “A merger of the two presidencies would create a potential conflict of interest, undermine the quality of the EU’s decision-making processes and upset the institutional balance within the EU.” Lord Stoddart said: “These sorts of informal discussions within the
EU have a habit of rapidly being transferred into formal proposals.
“Since the government is not party to these discussions, its reservations are academic.
“Such a merger would represent a massive shift of power into the hands of a single, unelected bureaucrat. The government should be taking this far more seriously and voicing its objections very strongly.”
He added: “The holder of this new office would be both Europe’s political and administrative leader, GIVING THEM FAR MORE POWERS THAN THOSE GIVEN TO THE U.S. PRESIDENT.”
The French Election
These secret plotters saw the end of the Franco-German axis coming in the lead-up to the May 6 French presidential election. These two nations had led the EU from its inception. The plotters then moved to help form a German-Italian axis.
Germany and Italy are the first two nations of the 10 nations or groups of nations to form the Holy Roman Empire. The other eight are already a part of the EU and probably eager to join Germany and Italy.
Germany and Italy have been at the heart of the Holy Roman Empire throughout the ages. When Hitler and Mussolini became allies in World War II, it was the sixth head of the Holy Roman Empire. Mussolini even called their union THE HOLY ROMAN EMPIRE.
This new German-Italian axis—including the worldwide power of the Vatican—is a major shift in Europe’s direction. These two leading nations are going to shock the world as they demonstrate their worldwide ambitions—which they have done in the past. (For more information, request our free booklet Germany and the Holy Roman Empire.)
The secret plot has pushed France aside and Britain out. Now these plotters are working hard to find their strong leader.
We believe we may know who he is and who they are seeking to fill that strongman role.
We won’t have long to wait for his appearance. He may play a key role in choosing the other eight nations or kings. Then the world will see the horror of what this dramatic shift means!
“Germany inevitably would emerge as the leader of a united Europe,” Herbert W. Armstrong wrote in the November-December 1954 Plain Truth edition—a statement that most people only ridiculed. “All Europe is actually ready—just waiting for the confidence-inspiring leader—an international all-European Hitler, and it is on the way. That man is there somewhere.”
It’s all happening exactly as we have prophesied for 70 years! It is time for this world to wake up!
“Historical pressures, well apart from Putinism in Russia, are coming to the fore on the Continent—pressures that were long suppressed by the aberrations of World War II, the Cold War, the division of Germany, and the rise of the EU,” National Review Online wrote April 24. “The so-called German problem—the TENDENCY OF GERMANY QUITE NATURALLY AT SOME POINT TO TRANSLATE ITS INNATE DYNAMIC ECONOMIC PROWESS INTO POLITICAL, CULTURAL, AND ABOVE ALL MILITARY SUPERIORITY—did not vanish simply because a postmodern EU announced that it had transcended human nature and its membership would no longer be susceptible to ancient Thucydidean nationalist passions like honor, fear or self-interest.
“If you have doubts on that, just review current German and southern European newspapers, where commentary sounds more likely to belong in 1938 than in 2012.”
THE YEAR 1938 WAS ONE YEAR BEFORE WORLD WAR II BEGAN. In World War II, Hitler and Mussolini made Europe and much of the world bleed. But that was only a small dress rehearsal of what is about to occur!
The strongman of Europe could even appear on the scene this year.
A Prophecy for Today
We have been warning our readers to watch for this development for years. I went back and reread an article I wrote on the subject 12 years ago, in our June 2000 issue, based on the Bible’s prophecies. THE UNCOVERING OF THIS PLOT TO CREATE A EUROPEAN SUPER-PRESIDENT MAKES THAT ARTICLE FAR MORE RELEVANT TODAY THAN IT WAS 12 YEARS AGO!
The remainder of this article is essentially a reprint of that article from 2000. Please consider these prophecies in light of what is happening in Europe right now.
Let’s turn to the Bible to see what to expect in the time just ahead. Antiochus Epiphanes came to the Jerusalem temple in 167 B.C. The spring of 167 B.C. to the autumn of 164 B.C. was a terror-filled time for Palestine—3½ years of tribulation.
It was only a type, however, of the end-time Great Tribulation, also to last 3½ years, to be inflicted on America, Britain and the State of Israel.
“Then shall stand up in his estate a raiser of taxes in the glory of the kingdom: but within few days he shall be destroyed, neither in anger, nor in battle. And in his estate shall stand up a vile person, to whom they shall not give the honour of the kingdom: but he shall come in peaceably, and obtain the kingdom by flatteries” (Daniel 11:20-21). The Companion Bible states that the historical portion ends with verse 20. Verse 21 “passes on to the time which is still (1912) future to us.” And it is still future as we write now.
So there will be a future Antiochus—a vile person. He will be a type of the original Antiochus. We need to see how this will happen.
The Spirit of Charlemagne
“In the year 782, Charlemagne, the king of the Franks, became THE MILITARY CHAMPION OF THE PAPACY, stepping into the vacuum created by the separation of Constantinople and Rome, and defending the papacy from the Lombards who kept threatening it. Pope Leo III crowned Charlemagne emperor in Notre Dame Cathedral in 800. The future of Europe was bound up in that event, and THE ALLIANCE BETWEEN THE PAPACY AND GERMANY HAS BEEN OF GREAT SIGNIFICANCE EVER SINCE” (David N. Samuel, European Union and the Roman Catholic Influence in Britain).
What is happening in the European superstate is a mystery to most of the world.
But that mystery is beginning to be removed.
Bernard Connolly wrote a bombshell book in 1995 titled The Rotten Heart of Europe. For years he served at the heart of the Exchange Rate Mechanism for the EU. He headed the commission unit responsible for monitoring and servicing the system. He labels the European superstate as ROTTEN. Why?
He wrote, “It is the battle for control of the European superstate, in which French technocrats confront German federalists, both sides claiming to fight under the BANNER OF CHARLEMAGNE. The ‘collateral damage’ from this battle lies mainly in the future, but IT COULD BE GHASTLY.”
Who will get control of this great superstate? The battle can be narrowed down to two nations: France and Germany. Do knowledgeable people really doubt who will win this battle? The nation that controls the money will reign supreme.
“Across the Rhine, successive German governments have, in their pursuit of a ‘EUROPEAN’ CLOAK FOR GERMAN AMBITIONS, been prepared to accept an apparent cession of national monetary authority—as long as the new European monetary authority looks, sounds, smells and acts exactly as the German monetary authority now does” (ibid).
The European Union system has already been called a Trojan horse by a few informed analysts. Mr. Connolly says it is a “CLOAK FOR GERMAN AMBITIONS.”
We are all well aware of Hitler’s Third Reich. But did you realize that CHARLEMAGNE’S EMPIRE WAS THE FIRST REICH?
Most of the EU leaders are working to “recreate the empire of Charlemagne”—especially Germany. “It was no coincidence that the Belgian government housed the offices and meeting rooms of the EU Council of Ministers in the Charlemagne building in Brussels.
“It was no coincidence, either, that Giscard and Schmidt agreed to accept the Belgian compromise proposal at a bilateral summit in September 1978 at Aachen, principal seat and burial place of Charlemagne. The symbolism was heavily underlined in both France and Germany; the two leaders paid a special visit to the throne of Charlemagne and a special service was held in the cathedral; at the end of the summit, Giscard remarked that: ‘Perhaps when we discussed monetary problems, the spirit of Charlemagne brooded over us’” (ibid).
The spirit of Charlemagne has returned. This king who ruled the First Reich had to wade through a SEA OF BLOOD to achieve his goal of ruling Europe and establishing Catholicism as the state religion!
Get ready for another sea of blood!
‘A Vile Person’
The big question remains unanswered. “In the new empire of Charlemagne, WHO WOULD PLAY CHARLEMAGNE? Exactly the same question was implicit, and left unanswered, at Maastricht” (ibid).
Soon the world will know who the modern Charlemagne (or Antiochus) is to be. You can be sure he will have Germany’s stamp of approval. His actions will shock the world far more than the original Charlemagne’s. He will lead the world into the greatest “sea of blood” that humanity has ever seen or even dreamed about! Whether we realize it or not, the Fourth Reich has arrived.
Daniel 8 doesn’t tell us the name of the next Charlemagne. But it does tell us the kind of man he is going to be. And it is the worst news this world has ever received!
However, it leads directly to the greatest event ever to occur in the universe—the return of Jesus Christ!
The German leaders today have a hidden agenda, but even they will be shocked at the leader who will get control of the European Union.
Mr. Connolly asked, “Who is going to be Charlemagne?”
He said the outcome could be “ghastly.” Actually, it will go beyond “ghastly”—not only for Europe, but for the whole world!
The Bible labels this Charlemagne as “a vile person.”
Otto Von Hapsburg also said, “We possess a European symbol which belongs to all nations of Europe equally; this is the crown of the Holy Roman Empire, which embodies the tradition of Charlemagne.”
Daniel says Europe’s leaders will “not give the honour of the kingdom” to the vile person. He is so despicable, the royalty of the Holy Roman Empire today will fight against his coming to power. Still, he will gain control of the EU.
The Hebrew word for “vile” also means despicable and contemptible. Gesenius’ Hebrew-Chaldee Lexicon defines the word as meaning “to trample with the feet.”
That is his attitude toward anybody who opposes him.
Another Hitler?
Satan, the god of this world (2 Corinthians 4:4), was the power behind Hitler.
This vile, despicable and contemptible person will come into power much like Hitler did. Hitler was an army corporal during World War I. He had no royal or dignified background. But he won more and more influence with the people and brutally pushed himself into office.
This vile person “obtain[s] the kingdom by flatteries.” He flatters his way into office when he can. He also takes advantage of the European people as they move to the extreme right, politically.
Hitler was undoubtedly possessed by the devil. Those who knew him said he had three personalities. He was charming, at times in a trance and often in a rage!
Like Hitler, this end-time vile person could come from Austria. But the power behind him will be the devil, and Germany will be his main tool.
This evil man will come in “peaceably”—or unexpectedly.
The Revised Standard Version says of Daniel 11 that he will come in “without warning.”
If the EU were to be left in the hands of the present politicians, Europe would probably never pose a real threat. But they are going to lose control to the political “beast.”
According to Revelation 13, there will also be a religious beast led by a vile person. He will probably come on the scene in a similar manner.
Both beasts—political and religious—are empowered by the devil, and have “one mind.”
The religious beast will look like a “lamb” (Revelation 13:11)—it will appear harmless.
The last resurrection of the Holy Roman Empire will burst on the world scene suddenly, “without warning.” We are the only people who warn the world with God’s message! We must warn Europe that a VILE PERSON IS GOING TO HIJACK THE POWERFUL EUROPEAN UNION!
He is a person unworthy of dignity or royalty. Get ready, it’s coming fast.
THIS IS THE TERRIBLE AND FATAL FLAW OF THE EUROPEAN UNION. This awesome world power will fall into the hands of a wicked, contemptible person—a master deceiver.
Unless people heed our words, they will be shocked as never before!
“He shall enter peaceably even upon the fattest places of the province; and he shall do that which his fathers have not done, nor his fathers’ fathers; he shall scatter among them the prey, and spoil, and riches: yea, and he shall FORECAST his devices against the strong holds, even for a time. And he shall stir up his power and his courage against the king of the south with a great army; and the king of the south shall be stirred up to battle with a very great and mighty army; but he shall not stand: for they shall FORECAST devices against him” (Daniel 11:24-25). Notice the word “forecast.” The New Englishman’s Hebrew Concordance states that it means the future. So this man will have forecasting ability—a limited prophetic power.
Through this man, Satan, who knows Bible prophecy, will forecast his plots.
“And the king shall do according to his will; and he shall exalt himself, and magnify himself above every god, and shall speak marvellous things against the God of gods, and shall prosper till the indignation be accomplished: for that that is determined shall be done. Neither shall he regard the God of his fathers, nor the desire of women, nor regard any god: for he shall magnify himself above all” (verses 36-37). He will magnify himself above every god of this world and the true God. That means Satan the devil will possess this man! That is why he is so vile.
Ever since Lucifer rebelled and became Satan, he has spent all his time speaking AGAINST the true God.
‘Not by His Own Power’
Daniel also wrote about this man in another of his prophecies. “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 stand up” (Daniel 8:23).
This all happens in “the latter time”—that means today—now! This vile man becomes “a king” of fierce countenance, understanding “dark sentences.” What does this mean?
“And his power shall be mighty, but NOT BY HIS OWN POWER: and he shall destroy wonderfully, and shall prosper, and practise, and shall destroy the mighty and the holy people” (verse 24). This is all done “not by his own power.” He is empowered by the devil! He is consumed with Satan’s thoughts—“dark sentences.” He destroys wonderfully, or mightily, with nuclear weapons. No suffering has ever been so bad (Daniel 12:1).
“And through his policy also he shall cause craft to prosper in his hand; and he shall magnify himself in his heart, and by peace shall destroy many: he shall also stand up against the Prince of princes; but he shall be broken without hand” (Daniel 8:25). The New English Bible reads, “he shall conjure up great plans and, when they least expect it, work havoc on many.” Millions—perhaps billions—will be inflicted with his wrath.
He is a master of disguise—coming in what appears to be peace. Those who believe him—friends and enemies—often become victims.
Lange’s Commentary adds that he destroys “with suddenness by a malignant purpose.”
But look at the gloriously good news. This very king and his evil system will be destroyed by Christ! Then the world will have an all-powerful leader who is LOVE. And He will rule forever.
World Marvels at Beast
“And I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death; and his deadly wound was healed: and all the world wondered after the beast” (Revelation 13:3). All the world marvels at the beast. “And THEY WORSHIPPED THE DRAGON which gave power unto the beast: and they worshipped the beast, saying, Who is like unto the beast? who is able to make war with him?” (verse 4). Again we see that THE DEVIL IS THE POWER BEHIND THIS EMPIRE. The only way to survive—spiritually or physically—is through God’s power!
This time period, which the Bible calls the Great Tribulation, will last for 3½ years (verse 5). “And it was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them: and power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations” (verse 7). Even God’s own lukewarm church will be a victim.
Is this serious? Do you see the need to be a doer of God’s Word? You must act now, while there is time!
“And I beheld another beast coming up out of the earth; and he had two horns like a lamb, and he spake as a dragon” (verse 11). Here is the religious beast that looks like a lamb. But he speaks like a dragon—because the devil empowers him also!
That is why the religious leader will also be vile and despicable.
God is about to punish America, Britain and the Jewish nation called Israel today for their sins. He is raising up this beast to correct His rebellious people. He will get our attention!
“The beast that thou sawest was, and is not; and shall ascend out of the bottomless pit, and go into perdition: and they that dwell on the earth shall wonder, whose names were not written in the book of life from the foundation of the world, when they behold the beast that was, and is not, and yet is” (Revelation 17:8). This beast power is mostly underground at present. In the Greek language that is what “the bottomless pit” means.
That is why “they that dwell on the earth shall wonder.” Marvel would be a better translation for the word wonder. It means this beast power was underground until it suddenly burst on the scene, then the whole world was astonished, amazed and shocked. Suddenly a new world power was acting like a real superpower!
“And the ten horns which thou sawest are ten kings, which have received no kingdom as yet; but receive power as kings one hour with the beast. These have ONE MIND, and shall give their power and strength unto the beast” (verses 12-13). The 10 horns are the same as the 10 toes in Daniel 2. They receive their kingdoms for a very short time—3½ years.
THESE 10 NATIONS HAVE “ONE MIND”—THE OPPOSITE OF A DEMOCRACY! That is where the EU is headed!
These 10 kings may be literal kings. If not, they are going to act like kings, with real authority. That is what the massive shift from democracy is about in the European Union. That is why there has been such a rise in right-wing activity. It is fulfilling the prophecies of Daniel and Revelation.
There is a fierce political battle in Britain now over this very issue. Many people in Britain see that the EU is dominated by Germany in a very UNDEMOCRATIC way.
And remember, this political “beast” is labeled that way by God. THE MAN RULING IT WILL BE LIKE AN EMPEROR OVER THE 10 KINGS—AND WILL ACT LIKE A WILD BEAST! THIS COULD NOT HAPPEN IN A DEMOCRACY.
Consider again that I wrote these words 12 years ago, based solely on the Bible’s prophecies. Now we are reading headlines about European elites trying to create an unelected super-president who can dominate the political scene and elevate Europe to real SUPERPOWER status!
This role of emperor is the fatal flaw in the European Union. The vile person will become the emperor and lead Europe in its most destructive path ever.
He will even lead Europe in an attack against Russia and China, a move that will begin his downfall.
Still, there will be several armies from both sides which remain and will fight Christ at His return. Christ will then destroy these armies and rule the Earth.
So in the end, the bad news becomes the best news ever: the Second Coming of Jesus Christ.
The Best News Ever
The famous prophecy in Daniel 2 gives us the time frame of this glorious event. The image of the statue in Nebuchadnezzar’s dream represented a succession of world-ruling empires down through history (Daniel 2:31-45).
“And the fourth kingdom shall be strong as iron: forasmuch as iron breaketh in pieces and subdueth all things: and as iron that breaketh all these, shall it break in pieces and bruise. And whereas thou sawest the feet and TOES, part of potters’ clay, and part of iron, the kingdom shall be divided …” (verses 40-41). This is referring to the final resurrection of the “Holy” Roman Empire; the 10 toes represent the 10 kings of that empire.
But notice what happens next. “And IN THE DAYS OF THESE KINGS shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever” (verse 44).
We are in the time of the toes of Daniel’s image! These “toes” are now on the world scene and becoming more and more aggressive. And what comes after the toes? “IN THE DAYS OF THESE KINGS” gives us a time element. Jesus Christ will return “in the days of these kings” who rule over the European Union! Christ is going to smash the toes—the European Union, or “Holy” Roman Empire. That will be the end of the Daniel 2 image forever!
Christ must return at this time or there would be no flesh saved alive! (Matthew 24:21-22). I repeat, He must return!
Then the saints will be crowned to rule with Christ as His bride (Daniel 7:13-18). What a mind-staggering, wondrous reward God gives to those who do His work today. There will be only one bride of Christ for all eternity! What a magnificent future we have. And it’s almost here! •
WHY I AM NOT A DISPENSATIONALIST; John Nelson Darby is recognized as the father of dispensationalism later made popular in the United States by Cyrus Scofield's Scofield Reference Bible. Charles Henry Mackintosh, 1820–1896, with his popular style spread Darby's teachings to humbler elements in society and may be regarded as the journalist of the Brethren Movement. CHM popularised Darby more than any other Brethren author. As there was no Christian teaching of a “rapture” before Darby began preaching about it in the 1830s, he is sometimes credited with originating the "secret rapture" theory wherein Christ will suddenly remove His bride, the Church, from this world before the judgments of the tribulation. Dispensationalist beliefs about the fate of the Jews and the re-establishment of the Kingdom of Israel put dispensationalists at the forefront of Christian Zionism, because "God is able to graft them in again," and they believe that in His grace he will do so according to their understanding of Old Testament prophecy. They believe that, while the methodologies of God may change, His purposes to bless Israel will never be forgotten, just as He has shown unmerited favour to the Church, He will do so to a remnant of Israel to fulfill all the promises made to the genetic seed of Abraham. I am not a dispensationalist; it is unbiblical.
Sunday, June 17, 2012
A Glimpse of Hell
Firstly, when I looked around the Internet for images that show the true reality of the horrors of Hell, I was not able to find anything at all that even came close to portraying the absolute dreadfulness that awaits those who die and then go to eternity without ever having known Christ as their personal saviour and deliverer.
Accordingly, the images that are presented here are the closest that I can find, when really at the end of the day there is nothing that I have shown here that really portrays the sheer terror of what Hell is really like.
I want to share the stories of two different men who had literally visited hell and been allowed to come back to tell about their experiences. The first gentleman was Bill Wiese, who subsequently penned a book about what he saw and heard on his unexpected journey called, 23 Minutes in Hell. I highly recommend it, as well as giving a copy to your unsaved friends and family.
Let me briefly recap what happened to Mr. Wiese, who was a Christian at the time. He was awakened at 3am one morning by the sensation he was falling. He states he was fully awake and conscious of his surroundings when he landed, naked, in a dimly lit cell with stone walls and iron bars for a door.
He was totally confused and terrified as well as astonished at the suffocating heat and stench of his surroundings. All light disappeared from the room and he was left in darkness so profound, he felt it enter into him. Unfortunately, there were two huge, demon-like creatures in the cell with him who took turns throwing him around and shredding the skin of his torso with their monstrous claws.
Inexplicably weak physically, mentally and emotionally, he crawled from the cell only to shortly find himself standing by a massive pit filled with fire whose flames shot up high into a huge cavernous room. In the unbearable heat, he could see people writhing in agony, screaming in the flames. Hideous demons perched on the perimeter of the pit, preventing any hope of escape.
One of the most profound aspects of this nightmarish journey was the utter hopelessness of his situation because he was completely separated from God. He instinctively knew he would never leave, never be able to speak to or share the misery with another human being and was totally at the mercy of the demons who took delight in torturing the inhabitants. No rest. No peace. No moisture or water. Just continual suffering throughout eternity.
Now, you may not believe such a fantastic story from this first man because it IS such an incredible tale of horror. Although I don’t personally know Mr. Wiese and I’ve no reason to doubt his word, I freely admit that I can’t be 100% certain this actually happened to him in 1998 as he reports.
Chester Herman Jeffery's was my mother’s father and he was not a nice man. He spent a great deal of his adult life as a cynical, critical, very angry man who, though never physical, was emotionally and verbally abusive to his wife and children. He was a hard smoking, hard drinking alcoholic whose hair-trigger temper caused him to quit job after job, cursing a blue streak at anyone who crossed him.
My grandmother, Mildred, was a Christian woman who took her children to church every Sunday and made sure they were brought up with the knowledge of the Lord and His Word. Chester, called ‘Jack’ by friends and family, refused to attend services with his family but he never prevented his wife from going or taking the children. However, he would get into heated arguments with Roxie about God and the Bible, especially when he was drunk.
He would taunt her with the fact that he’d heard that Jesus was coming back all his life but it hadn’t happened yet, so he didn’t believe it ever would. “Where’s your Jesus? When’s He gonna come back?” My grandmother answered with a soft, sad answer, “I don’t know, Jack." She faithfully prayed for her husband’s salvation for 30 long years, and stayed with him through thick and thin, enduring his abusive ways, trying to make the best home for her children she could.
In 1961, when Chester was 55 years old, he developed a life threatening torsion or twisting of his intestines, which quickly became gangrenous. He was deathly sick and rushed to the hospital for emergency surgery. His family gathered the waiting room, preparing themselves for his probable death due to the doctor’s prognosis. Roxie sat there, head bowed, praying fervently for her husband and reminded God that He had promised her He would not take Chester’s life before he was safely saved.
Almighty God, being the highly intelligent person He is, knew it would be best not to disappoint Nana (Mildred), so He answered her prayer in grand fashion!
Because he had abused his body with cigarettes and hard liquor for years on end, Chester was not in the best physical shape to fight off a serious infection like gangrene, much less endure major, open abdominal surgery and while he was on the operating table, his heart stopped several times. He didn’t have a warm, fuzzy near-death-experience of traveling through a tunnel towards a loving source of light. Nope, he got a personal tour of hell from Jesus Himself.
In subsequent weeks, while he was recovering, he began to recount to his family and friends what he experienced while he was in cardiac arrest. He said he was fully awake and conscious and became aware that someone had taken his elbow and was escorting him downward into a place of darkness.
He said it wasn’t normal darkness as we know it, but a darkness that inspired a feeling of abject terror. The deeper they went and the darker it got, the more he wanted to fight and escape the unseen danger and mounting panic he felt. He found himself in a very large cavern like space, whose only light was from a huge fire. In the suffocating heat, horrible demon-like creatures kept crawling out of the flickering shadows to leer at him.
He described a huge pit filled with flames and he watched as many, many people were being shoved and pushed into it by these hateful creatures. Their agonized screams were deafening and constant but there was no one to help them escape or provide relief for their suffering. Although engulfed in fire, they were not being consumed by the flames. They just kept burning and burning…
He looked around and could see other people seemingly attached to the walls of the cave, though he couldn’t tell how. They were unable to move or escape. He watched as huge demons plunged their long, sharp talons into the prisoner’s chests, shredding their skin all the way down their torso, leaving the tissue hanging in ribbons like they were being filleted.
Somehow, their skin would mend itself, only to have the demons tear them apart again and again. He noticed the creatures of unparalleled evil seemed to take great delight in torturing the people and hearing their screams for mercy. However, even though these physical torments were beyond the stuff of nightmares they couldn’t compare to the worst aspect of the suffering.
Every human being is made in the image of God. There is a spark of the divine in all of us which allows our hearts to be touched with joy when we hold our baby for the first time or when we marvel at a gorgeous sunset or feel the touch of a loved one. Even the most evil serial killer on earth experiences fleeting moments of transcendent joy and wonder during their earthly lives. They may deny the existence of God and commit atrocities but their spirit is still connected to their Creator until the moment they die.
When recounting his tour of hell, Chester described what it was like to realize he was completely cut off from all contact with God forever; that he would never again, for all of eternity, have any connection to the One who made him in His image. Therefore he would never know light and peace and rest and joy again. He felt entirely orphaned.
The feeling was that of complete hopelessness, overwhelming grief, despair and the most profound loneliness beyond his wildest imagination. And it would last forever and ever and ever. No rest. Not one second of relief from the continual harassment and torture by the demons surrounding him. Unable to defend himself. Constant panic. No escape. No camaraderie or conversation with any other human being, ever. Totally alone.
NO. HOPE. FOREVER.
The tour guide holding his elbow told him, “I can leave you here if this is what you really want or you can go back and totally surrender to Me. What is your choice?” He quickly made up his mind to give his heart to the Lordship of Jesus Christ and knew he would not be given another chance if he didn’t live up to his promise.
2nd Corinthians 5:17 states, “Therefore, if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.”
That was certainly true of Chester Herman Jeffreys from then on! God answered
Roxie’s faithful prayers and saved her husband. But God didn’t force his decision; Chester still retained his free will to choose. God simply made sure he understood the ramifications of making the wrong choice.
Before his hellish tour, Chester was not a man to ever be caught weeping! Afterwards, he was a broken, humbled, grateful man who was gentle and kind, whose heart was completely changed. For the remaining four years of his life, he was unable to recount his experience, especially the horror of being completely separated from God, without breaking down in tears. He and Roxie are now together in the presence of their Creator and Savior and will enjoy each other forever!
Why did I tell you these two stories? First, I want to make sure every single person reading this understands that they have a decision to make before they die and ignoring the issue IS deciding ‘no.’ We all have to decide whether we will accept the pardon for our sins that the Son of God, Jesus, died to freely provide for us.
There are only two choices. Eternal life or eternal death. What kind of blithering, rebellious idiot would a person have to be to choose eternal death?
Second reason is this: I want you to notice the incredible, undeniable similarities between these eyewitness accounts, made 37 years apart, by two very different men who never met. What are the odds the details of their stories would match so closely? Zip. Absolutely zero odds!
Listen up, people! None of us are guaranteed another hour of life, much less another day. You could be in a car wreck today. You could contract a deadly disease. You could be the victim of murder. Don’t be a fool and assume you’ll live to a ripe old age!
2nd Corinthians 6:2 says, “For He (God) saith I have heard thee in a time accepted and in the day of salvation have I succored thee: behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.”
Hell is a real place with real physical, emotional and mental suffering beyond our comprehension. Think about it. Two accounts, that similar cannot possibly be lies! Now, you’re correct when you claim a loving God would never send anyone to such a place.
Hell was never meant for men and women, but for Lucifer and the angels who participated in his weak, pansy rebellion against God. But people who join in that rebellion by rejecting Jesus will automatically join them in that place of punishment.
Christ died in our place, giving us a chance to choose to serve Him and live with Him in heaven forever. Therefore, the people who end up spending an eternity in hell freely CHOOSE to go there!
No excuses. No whining. No escape. Forever.
WHY I AM NOT A DISPENSATIONALIST; John Nelson Darby is recognized as the father of dispensationalism later made popular in the United States by Cyrus Scofield's Scofield Reference Bible. Charles Henry Mackintosh, 1820–1896, with his popular style spread Darby's teachings to humbler elements in society and may be regarded as the journalist of the Brethren Movement. CHM popularised Darby more than any other Brethren author. As there was no Christian teaching of a “rapture” before Darby began preaching about it in the 1830s, he is sometimes credited with originating the "secret rapture" theory wherein Christ will suddenly remove His bride, the Church, from this world before the judgments of the tribulation. Dispensationalist beliefs about the fate of the Jews and the re-establishment of the Kingdom of Israel put dispensationalists at the forefront of Christian Zionism, because "God is able to graft them in again," and they believe that in His grace he will do so according to their understanding of Old Testament prophecy. They believe that, while the methodologies of God may change, His purposes to bless Israel will never be forgotten, just as He has shown unmerited favour to the Church, He will do so to a remnant of Israel to fulfill all the promises made to the genetic seed of Abraham. I am not a dispensationalist; it is unbiblical.
Accordingly, the images that are presented here are the closest that I can find, when really at the end of the day there is nothing that I have shown here that really portrays the sheer terror of what Hell is really like.
I want to share the stories of two different men who had literally visited hell and been allowed to come back to tell about their experiences. The first gentleman was Bill Wiese, who subsequently penned a book about what he saw and heard on his unexpected journey called, 23 Minutes in Hell. I highly recommend it, as well as giving a copy to your unsaved friends and family.
Let me briefly recap what happened to Mr. Wiese, who was a Christian at the time. He was awakened at 3am one morning by the sensation he was falling. He states he was fully awake and conscious of his surroundings when he landed, naked, in a dimly lit cell with stone walls and iron bars for a door.
He was totally confused and terrified as well as astonished at the suffocating heat and stench of his surroundings. All light disappeared from the room and he was left in darkness so profound, he felt it enter into him. Unfortunately, there were two huge, demon-like creatures in the cell with him who took turns throwing him around and shredding the skin of his torso with their monstrous claws.
Inexplicably weak physically, mentally and emotionally, he crawled from the cell only to shortly find himself standing by a massive pit filled with fire whose flames shot up high into a huge cavernous room. In the unbearable heat, he could see people writhing in agony, screaming in the flames. Hideous demons perched on the perimeter of the pit, preventing any hope of escape.
One of the most profound aspects of this nightmarish journey was the utter hopelessness of his situation because he was completely separated from God. He instinctively knew he would never leave, never be able to speak to or share the misery with another human being and was totally at the mercy of the demons who took delight in torturing the inhabitants. No rest. No peace. No moisture or water. Just continual suffering throughout eternity.
He was lifted up, out of that place of torment by Jesus, who explained that he was allowed to visit hell for just a few minutes because He wanted Bill to spend the rest of his earthly life telling others about his experience and warning the lost that hell is indeed a real place with real suffering. Jesus wants everyone to understand that He died so that NO one would ever end up in that place that was created for satan and his demons.
Now, you may not believe such a fantastic story from this first man because it IS such an incredible tale of horror. Although I don’t personally know Mr. Wiese and I’ve no reason to doubt his word, I freely admit that I can’t be 100% certain this actually happened to him in 1998 as he reports.
However, I can be 100% sure of the second man’s story because he was my grandfather and his personal tour of hell occurred 37 years earlier, in 1961!
Chester Herman Jeffery's was my mother’s father and he was not a nice man. He spent a great deal of his adult life as a cynical, critical, very angry man who, though never physical, was emotionally and verbally abusive to his wife and children. He was a hard smoking, hard drinking alcoholic whose hair-trigger temper caused him to quit job after job, cursing a blue streak at anyone who crossed him.
My grandmother, Mildred, was a Christian woman who took her children to church every Sunday and made sure they were brought up with the knowledge of the Lord and His Word. Chester, called ‘Jack’ by friends and family, refused to attend services with his family but he never prevented his wife from going or taking the children. However, he would get into heated arguments with Roxie about God and the Bible, especially when he was drunk.
He would taunt her with the fact that he’d heard that Jesus was coming back all his life but it hadn’t happened yet, so he didn’t believe it ever would. “Where’s your Jesus? When’s He gonna come back?” My grandmother answered with a soft, sad answer, “I don’t know, Jack." She faithfully prayed for her husband’s salvation for 30 long years, and stayed with him through thick and thin, enduring his abusive ways, trying to make the best home for her children she could.
In 1961, when Chester was 55 years old, he developed a life threatening torsion or twisting of his intestines, which quickly became gangrenous. He was deathly sick and rushed to the hospital for emergency surgery. His family gathered the waiting room, preparing themselves for his probable death due to the doctor’s prognosis. Roxie sat there, head bowed, praying fervently for her husband and reminded God that He had promised her He would not take Chester’s life before he was safely saved.
Almighty God, being the highly intelligent person He is, knew it would be best not to disappoint Nana (Mildred), so He answered her prayer in grand fashion!
Because he had abused his body with cigarettes and hard liquor for years on end, Chester was not in the best physical shape to fight off a serious infection like gangrene, much less endure major, open abdominal surgery and while he was on the operating table, his heart stopped several times. He didn’t have a warm, fuzzy near-death-experience of traveling through a tunnel towards a loving source of light. Nope, he got a personal tour of hell from Jesus Himself.
In subsequent weeks, while he was recovering, he began to recount to his family and friends what he experienced while he was in cardiac arrest. He said he was fully awake and conscious and became aware that someone had taken his elbow and was escorting him downward into a place of darkness.
He said it wasn’t normal darkness as we know it, but a darkness that inspired a feeling of abject terror. The deeper they went and the darker it got, the more he wanted to fight and escape the unseen danger and mounting panic he felt. He found himself in a very large cavern like space, whose only light was from a huge fire. In the suffocating heat, horrible demon-like creatures kept crawling out of the flickering shadows to leer at him.
He described a huge pit filled with flames and he watched as many, many people were being shoved and pushed into it by these hateful creatures. Their agonized screams were deafening and constant but there was no one to help them escape or provide relief for their suffering. Although engulfed in fire, they were not being consumed by the flames. They just kept burning and burning…
He looked around and could see other people seemingly attached to the walls of the cave, though he couldn’t tell how. They were unable to move or escape. He watched as huge demons plunged their long, sharp talons into the prisoner’s chests, shredding their skin all the way down their torso, leaving the tissue hanging in ribbons like they were being filleted.
Somehow, their skin would mend itself, only to have the demons tear them apart again and again. He noticed the creatures of unparalleled evil seemed to take great delight in torturing the people and hearing their screams for mercy. However, even though these physical torments were beyond the stuff of nightmares they couldn’t compare to the worst aspect of the suffering.
Every human being is made in the image of God. There is a spark of the divine in all of us which allows our hearts to be touched with joy when we hold our baby for the first time or when we marvel at a gorgeous sunset or feel the touch of a loved one. Even the most evil serial killer on earth experiences fleeting moments of transcendent joy and wonder during their earthly lives. They may deny the existence of God and commit atrocities but their spirit is still connected to their Creator until the moment they die.
When recounting his tour of hell, Chester described what it was like to realize he was completely cut off from all contact with God forever; that he would never again, for all of eternity, have any connection to the One who made him in His image. Therefore he would never know light and peace and rest and joy again. He felt entirely orphaned.
The feeling was that of complete hopelessness, overwhelming grief, despair and the most profound loneliness beyond his wildest imagination. And it would last forever and ever and ever. No rest. Not one second of relief from the continual harassment and torture by the demons surrounding him. Unable to defend himself. Constant panic. No escape. No camaraderie or conversation with any other human being, ever. Totally alone.
NO. HOPE. FOREVER.
The tour guide holding his elbow told him, “I can leave you here if this is what you really want or you can go back and totally surrender to Me. What is your choice?” He quickly made up his mind to give his heart to the Lordship of Jesus Christ and knew he would not be given another chance if he didn’t live up to his promise.
2nd Corinthians 5:17 states, “Therefore, if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.”
That was certainly true of Chester Herman Jeffreys from then on! God answered
Roxie’s faithful prayers and saved her husband. But God didn’t force his decision; Chester still retained his free will to choose. God simply made sure he understood the ramifications of making the wrong choice.
Before his hellish tour, Chester was not a man to ever be caught weeping! Afterwards, he was a broken, humbled, grateful man who was gentle and kind, whose heart was completely changed. For the remaining four years of his life, he was unable to recount his experience, especially the horror of being completely separated from God, without breaking down in tears. He and Roxie are now together in the presence of their Creator and Savior and will enjoy each other forever!
Why did I tell you these two stories? First, I want to make sure every single person reading this understands that they have a decision to make before they die and ignoring the issue IS deciding ‘no.’ We all have to decide whether we will accept the pardon for our sins that the Son of God, Jesus, died to freely provide for us.
There are only two choices. Eternal life or eternal death. What kind of blithering, rebellious idiot would a person have to be to choose eternal death?
Second reason is this: I want you to notice the incredible, undeniable similarities between these eyewitness accounts, made 37 years apart, by two very different men who never met. What are the odds the details of their stories would match so closely? Zip. Absolutely zero odds!
Listen up, people! None of us are guaranteed another hour of life, much less another day. You could be in a car wreck today. You could contract a deadly disease. You could be the victim of murder. Don’t be a fool and assume you’ll live to a ripe old age!
2nd Corinthians 6:2 says, “For He (God) saith I have heard thee in a time accepted and in the day of salvation have I succored thee: behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.”
Hell is a real place with real physical, emotional and mental suffering beyond our comprehension. Think about it. Two accounts, that similar cannot possibly be lies! Now, you’re correct when you claim a loving God would never send anyone to such a place.
Hell was never meant for men and women, but for Lucifer and the angels who participated in his weak, pansy rebellion against God. But people who join in that rebellion by rejecting Jesus will automatically join them in that place of punishment.
Christ died in our place, giving us a chance to choose to serve Him and live with Him in heaven forever. Therefore, the people who end up spending an eternity in hell freely CHOOSE to go there!
No excuses. No whining. No escape. Forever.
WHY I AM NOT A DISPENSATIONALIST; John Nelson Darby is recognized as the father of dispensationalism later made popular in the United States by Cyrus Scofield's Scofield Reference Bible. Charles Henry Mackintosh, 1820–1896, with his popular style spread Darby's teachings to humbler elements in society and may be regarded as the journalist of the Brethren Movement. CHM popularised Darby more than any other Brethren author. As there was no Christian teaching of a “rapture” before Darby began preaching about it in the 1830s, he is sometimes credited with originating the "secret rapture" theory wherein Christ will suddenly remove His bride, the Church, from this world before the judgments of the tribulation. Dispensationalist beliefs about the fate of the Jews and the re-establishment of the Kingdom of Israel put dispensationalists at the forefront of Christian Zionism, because "God is able to graft them in again," and they believe that in His grace he will do so according to their understanding of Old Testament prophecy. They believe that, while the methodologies of God may change, His purposes to bless Israel will never be forgotten, just as He has shown unmerited favour to the Church, He will do so to a remnant of Israel to fulfill all the promises made to the genetic seed of Abraham. I am not a dispensationalist; it is unbiblical.
Thursday, June 14, 2012
Lessons from the Parable of the Prideful Pharisee
By Dr. Randy White
Jesus told a parable about a prideful Pharisee that reminds us of the glory of grace! Grace is so amazing that we need regular reminders of its depth, breadth, and height.
“And He also told this parable to some people who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and viewed others with contempt: “Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. “The Pharisee stood and was praying this to himself: ‘God, I thank You that I am not like other people: swindlers, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. ‘I fast twice a week; I pay tithes of all that I get.’ “But the tax collector, standing some distance away, was even unwilling to lift up his eyes to heaven, but was beating his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, the sinner!’ “I tell you, this man went to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but he who humbles himself will be exalted.”” (Luke 18:9–14, NASB95)
BE CAUTIOUS
I am a believer in “grace-alone” salvation. I know that almost everyone says this, but not everyone really teaches this. Grace-alone means that you and I do not have a shred of goodness to offer God, but that He has, in grace, paid the penalty for sin and made an offer to mankind to be saved in Jesus Christ. Even so, we have an amazing ability and desire to add something to the simple grace-alone salvation revealed in Scripture. These additions put us in the same place as the Pharisees, who “trusted in themselves that they were righteous.” The Pharisee in the parable of Luke 18:9-14 was disgusted with the tax-collector because the tax man had not lived up to the works of pharisaical religion. It is the sin of pride, which is at the root of our continual desire to add to the Gospel.
One of the old hymns states,
“nothing of my own I bring, simply to thy cross I cling.”
It is inspiring to sing, but it is oddly offensive to the human spirit. Who among us wants to admit that we have nothing to bring? Deep inside, we are convinced that we have at least a little goodness that caused us to become the person we are today. Because of this sinful tendency, we need to be careful, lest we add for others restrictions on salvation that are man-made.
BE CAREFUL
If you listen carefully, you will find that many of our invitations to Christ involve or imply works. We say things like:
• Commit your life to Jesus
• Jesus needs to be the Lord of every area of your life
• Give everything you have to Jesus
These statements are appropriate in discipleship, but in evangelism they imply a “work-hard-to-be-saved” theology which is opposed to grace-alone. When the Gospel is presented, it should be presented for what it is: GOOD NEWS! It is, in fact, the greatest news! God has satisfied the requirements for the salvation of mankind, and now the offer is freely given to any who would believe. In other words, we do not need to present the demands of the Gospel, but the free offer of the Gospel. There are demands of discipleship, but we often try to develop disciples before a person has been saved! Jesus simply told Nicodemus, “You must be Born Again!” The Gospel only has one demand: believe! Jesus paid it all, and He is all a person needs to be saved. After a person experiences new birth, their lives will begin to change, and even more as we disciple them.
BE CONSCIOUS
What does it take for a person to go to heaven? In a word: Jesus! That is why, after all, we are called CHRISTians. Christ is the fundamental difference. Be conscious about this grace-alone reality, and it will cause a never-ending spring of rejoicing to well up within you.
Dark is the stain that we cannot hide.
What can avail to wash it away?
Look! There is flowing a crimson tide,
Brighter than snow you may be today.
WHY I AM NOT A DISPENSATIONALIST; John Nelson Darby is recognized as the father of dispensationalism later made popular in the United States by Cyrus Scofield's Scofield Reference Bible. Charles Henry Mackintosh, 1820–1896, with his popular style spread Darby's teachings to humbler elements in society and may be regarded as the journalist of the Brethren Movement. CHM popularised Darby more than any other Brethren author. As there was no Christian teaching of a “rapture” before Darby began preaching about it in the 1830s, he is sometimes credited with originating the "secret rapture" theory wherein Christ will suddenly remove His bride, the Church, from this world before the judgments of the tribulation. Dispensationalist beliefs about the fate of the Jews and the re-establishment of the Kingdom of Israel put dispensationalists at the forefront of Christian Zionism, because "God is able to graft them in again," and they believe that in His grace he will do so according to their understanding of Old Testament prophecy. They believe that, while the methodologies of God may change, His purposes to bless Israel will never be forgotten, just as He has shown unmerited favour to the Church, He will do so to a remnant of Israel to fulfill all the promises made to the genetic seed of Abraham. I am not a dispensationalist; it is unbiblical.
Jesus told a parable about a prideful Pharisee that reminds us of the glory of grace! Grace is so amazing that we need regular reminders of its depth, breadth, and height.
“And He also told this parable to some people who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and viewed others with contempt: “Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. “The Pharisee stood and was praying this to himself: ‘God, I thank You that I am not like other people: swindlers, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. ‘I fast twice a week; I pay tithes of all that I get.’ “But the tax collector, standing some distance away, was even unwilling to lift up his eyes to heaven, but was beating his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, the sinner!’ “I tell you, this man went to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but he who humbles himself will be exalted.”” (Luke 18:9–14, NASB95)
BE CAUTIOUS
I am a believer in “grace-alone” salvation. I know that almost everyone says this, but not everyone really teaches this. Grace-alone means that you and I do not have a shred of goodness to offer God, but that He has, in grace, paid the penalty for sin and made an offer to mankind to be saved in Jesus Christ. Even so, we have an amazing ability and desire to add something to the simple grace-alone salvation revealed in Scripture. These additions put us in the same place as the Pharisees, who “trusted in themselves that they were righteous.” The Pharisee in the parable of Luke 18:9-14 was disgusted with the tax-collector because the tax man had not lived up to the works of pharisaical religion. It is the sin of pride, which is at the root of our continual desire to add to the Gospel.
One of the old hymns states,
“nothing of my own I bring, simply to thy cross I cling.”
It is inspiring to sing, but it is oddly offensive to the human spirit. Who among us wants to admit that we have nothing to bring? Deep inside, we are convinced that we have at least a little goodness that caused us to become the person we are today. Because of this sinful tendency, we need to be careful, lest we add for others restrictions on salvation that are man-made.
BE CAREFUL
If you listen carefully, you will find that many of our invitations to Christ involve or imply works. We say things like:
• Commit your life to Jesus
• Jesus needs to be the Lord of every area of your life
• Give everything you have to Jesus
These statements are appropriate in discipleship, but in evangelism they imply a “work-hard-to-be-saved” theology which is opposed to grace-alone. When the Gospel is presented, it should be presented for what it is: GOOD NEWS! It is, in fact, the greatest news! God has satisfied the requirements for the salvation of mankind, and now the offer is freely given to any who would believe. In other words, we do not need to present the demands of the Gospel, but the free offer of the Gospel. There are demands of discipleship, but we often try to develop disciples before a person has been saved! Jesus simply told Nicodemus, “You must be Born Again!” The Gospel only has one demand: believe! Jesus paid it all, and He is all a person needs to be saved. After a person experiences new birth, their lives will begin to change, and even more as we disciple them.
BE CONSCIOUS
What does it take for a person to go to heaven? In a word: Jesus! That is why, after all, we are called CHRISTians. Christ is the fundamental difference. Be conscious about this grace-alone reality, and it will cause a never-ending spring of rejoicing to well up within you.
Dark is the stain that we cannot hide.
What can avail to wash it away?
Look! There is flowing a crimson tide,
Brighter than snow you may be today.
WHY I AM NOT A DISPENSATIONALIST; John Nelson Darby is recognized as the father of dispensationalism later made popular in the United States by Cyrus Scofield's Scofield Reference Bible. Charles Henry Mackintosh, 1820–1896, with his popular style spread Darby's teachings to humbler elements in society and may be regarded as the journalist of the Brethren Movement. CHM popularised Darby more than any other Brethren author. As there was no Christian teaching of a “rapture” before Darby began preaching about it in the 1830s, he is sometimes credited with originating the "secret rapture" theory wherein Christ will suddenly remove His bride, the Church, from this world before the judgments of the tribulation. Dispensationalist beliefs about the fate of the Jews and the re-establishment of the Kingdom of Israel put dispensationalists at the forefront of Christian Zionism, because "God is able to graft them in again," and they believe that in His grace he will do so according to their understanding of Old Testament prophecy. They believe that, while the methodologies of God may change, His purposes to bless Israel will never be forgotten, just as He has shown unmerited favour to the Church, He will do so to a remnant of Israel to fulfill all the promises made to the genetic seed of Abraham. I am not a dispensationalist; it is unbiblical.
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad is preparing a major offensive in the coming days against the opposition targeting his regime
JERUSALEM—Syrian President Bashar al-Assad is preparing a major offensive in the coming days against the opposition targeting his regime, an informed Syrian government source confirmed.
The source said yesterday Assad was warned by Russia that if the coming counterinsurgency targeting the opposition is not successful in the next 4-6 weeks,
Syria should be prepared for a war.
The resource did not say whether the possibility of war referred to a Russian expectation of international intervention in Syria.
RUSSIA SUPPLYING HELICOPTERS TO SYRIA
The information comes after Secretary of State Hillary Clinton yesterday accused Russia of sending helicopter gunships to Syria for use in crackdowns on rebel positions across Syria.
“We have confronted the Russians about stopping their continued arms shipments to Syria,” said Clinton. “They have, from time to time, said that we shouldn’t worry—everything they are shipping is unrelated to their [the Syrian government’s] actions internally. That’s patently untrue.”
Continued Clinton:
“And we are concerned about the latest information we have that there are attack helicopters on the way from Russia to Syria, which will escalate the conflict quite dramatically.”
Also yesterday US State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland echoed concerns by UN envoy Kofi Annan that a so-called massacre is being organized against the Syrian opposition.
“The United States joins joint special envoy Kofi Annan in expressing deep alarm at reports from inside Syria that the regime may be organizing another massacre,” Ms Nuland said. “People will be held accountable.”
THE HOULA MASSACRE
A previous attack against civilians in the Syrian neighborhood of Houla saw 108 people, including 49 children, reportedly executed at close range on May 25. The international community quickly blamed Assad’s forces for the massacre.
This past weekend, Germany’s leading daily, the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, quoted sources claiming the Houla massacre was actually committed by anti-Assad Sunni militants.
Immediately following the massacre, KleinOnline reported Syria presented the United Nations and the U.S. with information that claimed it was a group affiliated with al-Qaida, armed by Turkey, that slaughtered the civilians in their homes in Houla, according to informed Middle Eastern security officials.
The international community has widely condemned Syria, pinning the blame for the Houla massacre on forces acting under the direction of Assad’s regime.
Assad’s regime several times has claimed al-Qaida was behind a series of attacks blamed on Syrian forces.
Last month, Syria said it arrested 26 al-Qaida “foreign terrorists,” including one Jordanian.
Two weeks ago Assad used a rare national address to blame “terrorists” and foreign elements for the Houla massacre.
The massacre further galvanized world opinion against Assad and has led to stepped-up calls by the opposition for the use of military force to oust the Syrian regime.
The U.S., Italy and Spain announced last week they are expelling Syrian ambassadors after similar moves by France, Germany, Britain, Australia and Canada.
In retaliation, Syria said it is expelling diplomats from Turkey and 10 Western countries, including the U.S. and the U.K.
Much of the Western news media blamed Assad’s troops for the Houla massacre.
But underscoring the gap of information on the ground, many news media reports at first claimed the civilian deaths in Houla were caused by mortars and shelling by Assad’s forces.
Two days later, much of the news media changed its tune, parroting a U.N. report that says most of the 108 victims of the Houla massacre were shot at close range, some of them women, children and entire families gunned down in their homes.
Survivors and witnesses cited by the U.N. blamed the house-to-house killings on pro-government thugs known as shabiha.
Largely unreported is Syria’s claim that an armed terrorism element is behind the massacre.
Middle East security officials told KleinOnline Syria has sent information to the U.S., U.N. and other international bodies indicating the house-to-house slaughter was carried out by a group affiliated with al-Qaida that came from North Africa.
According to Syria, the jihad organization entered Syria via Turkey, where the militants were first armed. Syria did not blame Turkey directly for the massacre, the security officials said. The Syrian report stated Turkey likely believes the al-
Qaida elements were going to fight Assad’s regime.
For months now, Turkey has been hosting the Syrian opposition and agitating for international military intervention against Damascus.
COLLABORATION BETWEEN SYRIAN OPPOSITION AND AL-QAIDA
Two weeks ago one Egyptian security official told KleinOnline there is a growing collaboration between the Syrian opposition and al-Qaida as well as evidence the opposition is sending weapons to jihadists in Iraq.
An Egyptian military attaché detailed the alleged collaboration between al-Qaida and the U.S.-aided opposition in Syria that operates under the banner of the National Free Army.
The purported cooperation extends to recent suicide attacks and bombings in Damascus and in the embattled Syrian city of Homs.
The military official told KleinOnline that Egypt has reports of collaboration between the Syrian opposition and three al-Qaida arms:
Jund al-Sham, which is made up of al-Qaida militants who are Syrian, Palestinian and Lebanese;
Jund al-Islam, which in recent years merged with Ansar al-Islam, an extremist group of Sunni Iraqis operating under the al-Qaida banner;
Jund Ansar al-Allah, an al-Qaida group based in Gaza linked to Palestinian camps in Lebanon and Syria.
The Arab League, which has condemned Syria, previously privately recognized an armed terrorist element agitating against Assad’s regime.
A leaked Arab League dispatch, posted in February by the Anonymous group, said Arab League monitors on the ground in Syria several times witnessed an “armed entity” provoking Syrian forces and placing civilian lives in danger.
That section of the classified report read:
“The Mission determined that there is an armed entity that is not mentioned in the protocol. … In some zones, this armed entity reacted by attacking Syrian security forces and citizens, causing the Government to respond with further violence. In the end, innocent citizens pay the price for those actions with life and limb.”
WHY I AM NOT A DISPENSATIONALIST; John Nelson Darby is recognized as the father of dispensationalism later made popular in the United States by Cyrus Scofield's Scofield Reference Bible. Charles Henry Mackintosh, 1820–1896, with his popular style spread Darby's teachings to humbler elements in society and may be regarded as the journalist of the Brethren Movement. CHM popularised Darby more than any other Brethren author. As there was no Christian teaching of a “rapture” before Darby began preaching about it in the 1830s, he is sometimes credited with originating the "secret rapture" theory wherein Christ will suddenly remove His bride, the Church, from this world before the judgments of the tribulation. Dispensationalist beliefs about the fate of the Jews and the re-establishment of the Kingdom of Israel put dispensationalists at the forefront of Christian Zionism, because "God is able to graft them in again," and they believe that in His grace he will do so according to their understanding of Old Testament prophecy. They believe that, while the methodologies of God may change, His purposes to bless Israel will never be forgotten, just as He has shown unmerited favour to the Church, He will do so to a remnant of Israel to fulfill all the promises made to the genetic seed of Abraham. I am not a dispensationalist; it is unbiblical.
The source said yesterday Assad was warned by Russia that if the coming counterinsurgency targeting the opposition is not successful in the next 4-6 weeks,
Syria should be prepared for a war.
The resource did not say whether the possibility of war referred to a Russian expectation of international intervention in Syria.
RUSSIA SUPPLYING HELICOPTERS TO SYRIA
The information comes after Secretary of State Hillary Clinton yesterday accused Russia of sending helicopter gunships to Syria for use in crackdowns on rebel positions across Syria.
“We have confronted the Russians about stopping their continued arms shipments to Syria,” said Clinton. “They have, from time to time, said that we shouldn’t worry—everything they are shipping is unrelated to their [the Syrian government’s] actions internally. That’s patently untrue.”
Continued Clinton:
“And we are concerned about the latest information we have that there are attack helicopters on the way from Russia to Syria, which will escalate the conflict quite dramatically.”
Also yesterday US State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland echoed concerns by UN envoy Kofi Annan that a so-called massacre is being organized against the Syrian opposition.
“The United States joins joint special envoy Kofi Annan in expressing deep alarm at reports from inside Syria that the regime may be organizing another massacre,” Ms Nuland said. “People will be held accountable.”
THE HOULA MASSACRE
A previous attack against civilians in the Syrian neighborhood of Houla saw 108 people, including 49 children, reportedly executed at close range on May 25. The international community quickly blamed Assad’s forces for the massacre.
This past weekend, Germany’s leading daily, the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, quoted sources claiming the Houla massacre was actually committed by anti-Assad Sunni militants.
Immediately following the massacre, KleinOnline reported Syria presented the United Nations and the U.S. with information that claimed it was a group affiliated with al-Qaida, armed by Turkey, that slaughtered the civilians in their homes in Houla, according to informed Middle Eastern security officials.
The international community has widely condemned Syria, pinning the blame for the Houla massacre on forces acting under the direction of Assad’s regime.
Assad’s regime several times has claimed al-Qaida was behind a series of attacks blamed on Syrian forces.
Last month, Syria said it arrested 26 al-Qaida “foreign terrorists,” including one Jordanian.
Two weeks ago Assad used a rare national address to blame “terrorists” and foreign elements for the Houla massacre.
The massacre further galvanized world opinion against Assad and has led to stepped-up calls by the opposition for the use of military force to oust the Syrian regime.
The U.S., Italy and Spain announced last week they are expelling Syrian ambassadors after similar moves by France, Germany, Britain, Australia and Canada.
In retaliation, Syria said it is expelling diplomats from Turkey and 10 Western countries, including the U.S. and the U.K.
Much of the Western news media blamed Assad’s troops for the Houla massacre.
But underscoring the gap of information on the ground, many news media reports at first claimed the civilian deaths in Houla were caused by mortars and shelling by Assad’s forces.
Two days later, much of the news media changed its tune, parroting a U.N. report that says most of the 108 victims of the Houla massacre were shot at close range, some of them women, children and entire families gunned down in their homes.
Survivors and witnesses cited by the U.N. blamed the house-to-house killings on pro-government thugs known as shabiha.
Largely unreported is Syria’s claim that an armed terrorism element is behind the massacre.
Middle East security officials told KleinOnline Syria has sent information to the U.S., U.N. and other international bodies indicating the house-to-house slaughter was carried out by a group affiliated with al-Qaida that came from North Africa.
According to Syria, the jihad organization entered Syria via Turkey, where the militants were first armed. Syria did not blame Turkey directly for the massacre, the security officials said. The Syrian report stated Turkey likely believes the al-
Qaida elements were going to fight Assad’s regime.
For months now, Turkey has been hosting the Syrian opposition and agitating for international military intervention against Damascus.
COLLABORATION BETWEEN SYRIAN OPPOSITION AND AL-QAIDA
Two weeks ago one Egyptian security official told KleinOnline there is a growing collaboration between the Syrian opposition and al-Qaida as well as evidence the opposition is sending weapons to jihadists in Iraq.
An Egyptian military attaché detailed the alleged collaboration between al-Qaida and the U.S.-aided opposition in Syria that operates under the banner of the National Free Army.
The purported cooperation extends to recent suicide attacks and bombings in Damascus and in the embattled Syrian city of Homs.
The military official told KleinOnline that Egypt has reports of collaboration between the Syrian opposition and three al-Qaida arms:
Jund al-Sham, which is made up of al-Qaida militants who are Syrian, Palestinian and Lebanese;
Jund al-Islam, which in recent years merged with Ansar al-Islam, an extremist group of Sunni Iraqis operating under the al-Qaida banner;
Jund Ansar al-Allah, an al-Qaida group based in Gaza linked to Palestinian camps in Lebanon and Syria.
The Arab League, which has condemned Syria, previously privately recognized an armed terrorist element agitating against Assad’s regime.
A leaked Arab League dispatch, posted in February by the Anonymous group, said Arab League monitors on the ground in Syria several times witnessed an “armed entity” provoking Syrian forces and placing civilian lives in danger.
That section of the classified report read:
“The Mission determined that there is an armed entity that is not mentioned in the protocol. … In some zones, this armed entity reacted by attacking Syrian security forces and citizens, causing the Government to respond with further violence. In the end, innocent citizens pay the price for those actions with life and limb.”
WHY I AM NOT A DISPENSATIONALIST; John Nelson Darby is recognized as the father of dispensationalism later made popular in the United States by Cyrus Scofield's Scofield Reference Bible. Charles Henry Mackintosh, 1820–1896, with his popular style spread Darby's teachings to humbler elements in society and may be regarded as the journalist of the Brethren Movement. CHM popularised Darby more than any other Brethren author. As there was no Christian teaching of a “rapture” before Darby began preaching about it in the 1830s, he is sometimes credited with originating the "secret rapture" theory wherein Christ will suddenly remove His bride, the Church, from this world before the judgments of the tribulation. Dispensationalist beliefs about the fate of the Jews and the re-establishment of the Kingdom of Israel put dispensationalists at the forefront of Christian Zionism, because "God is able to graft them in again," and they believe that in His grace he will do so according to their understanding of Old Testament prophecy. They believe that, while the methodologies of God may change, His purposes to bless Israel will never be forgotten, just as He has shown unmerited favour to the Church, He will do so to a remnant of Israel to fulfill all the promises made to the genetic seed of Abraham. I am not a dispensationalist; it is unbiblical.
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