The Flag of the European Union - its origins

Number of stars
The Twelve Olympians by Monsiau (late 18th century)
The number of stars on the flag is fixed at 12, and is not related to the number of member states of the EU. This is because it originally was the flag of the Council of Europe, and does not have a relationship with the EU. In 1953, the Council of Europe had 15 members; it was proposed that the future flag should have one star for each member, and would not change based on future members. West Germany objected to this as one of the members was the disputed area of Saarland, and to have its own star would imply sovereignty for the region. Twelve was eventually adopted as a number with no political connotations and as a symbol of perfection and completeness because of the ubiquity of the number for groups in European cultures and traditions such as:
12 stars crowning the head of the Queen of Heaven in the book of Revelation, Chapter 12
12 hours on a clock
12 months in a year
12 symbols of the zodiac
12 apostles of Jesus Christ
12 sons of Jacob
12 tribes of Israel
12 Biblical minor prophets
12 ounces in a troy pound
12 semitones in an octave
12 days of Christmas
12 Caesars chronicled by Suetonius
12 Olympian gods
12 labours of Hercules
12 tables of Roman Law
12 books of Paradise Lost and the Aeneid
12 hues in the colour wheel, star or sphere (western art)
While 12 is the correct number of stars, sometimes flags or emblems can be found that incorrectly show 15 (as of the rejected proposal) or 25 (as incorrectly suggested by some after the expansion to 25 member states in 2004).[

Biblical interpretation
Among the many myths that have developed about the origins of the design of the flag is the speculation that it relates to the twelve-star halo of the Virgin Mary seen in the sacred art of the Catholic Church. The flag's designer, Arsène Heitz, has acknowledged that the Book of Revelation (which is where the twelve-star halo of the Queen of Heaven was first mentioned) helped to inspire him. Revelation 12:1 is cited to explain the symbolism: "A great sign appeared in heaven, a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars" (a crown of stars can be interpreted as a "Crown of Immortality"). It has been noted that the date the flag was adopted, 8 December 1955, coincided with the Catholic Feast of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary, a feast decreed in 1854 by Pope Pius IX.

Another myth has evolved around Paul Lévy, a Belgian of Jewish descent, who vowed that if he should survive the war, he would convert to Christianity. He duly survived and became a Catholic. When the Council of Europe was established, Lévy became Chief of its Department of Culture. In 1952, when the idea of a European flag was being discussed, Lévy backed the flag of the Pan European Movement. However, the cross element in its design was rejected by Socialists and Turks as too Christian. Allegedly, Lévy one day passed a statue of the Virgin Mary with a halo of stars and was struck by the way the stars, reflecting the sun, glowed against the blue of the sky. Lévy later visited Count Benvenuti, a Venetian Christian democrat and then Secretary General of the Council of Europe, and suggested that he should propose twelve golden stars on a blue ground as motif for the flag of Europe. However, the idea for the flag's design came from Arsène Heitz, not Lévy, and Lévy has stated that he was only informed of the connection to the Book of Revelation after it was chosen. Official authorities of the European Union disregard the biblical interpretation as myth.

Despite the formal rejection of biblical references, on 21 October 1956 the Council of Europe presented the city of Strasbourg, its official seat, with a stained glass window for Strasbourg Cathedral by the Parisian master Max Ingrand. It shows a blessing Madonna underneath a circle of 12 stars on dark blue ground. The overall design of the Madonna is inspired by the banner of the cathedral's Congrégation Mariale des Hommes, and the twelve stars are found on the statue venerated by this congregation inside the cathedral (twelve is also the number of members of the congregation's council).

EU Council President Van Rompuy: The Time of the Nation-State is Over

Herman Van Rompuy, who is Belgian, made the following comments at an assembly of European leaders marking the 21st anniversary of the fall of the Berlin wall on November 9. The text of the speech is quite an achievement — a truly extraordinary display of ingratitude, which fails even once, even in passing, to mention that it was the American nation-state that brought down the Berlin Wall, making possible the present era of peace and prosperity in Europe. For van Rompuy, there is only one cause of peace in Europe, namely, what he calls “the European idea”:

The European idea has been the most successful and most generous project in the world since 1945. It has united the whole continent and brought us peace and prosperity.

Indeed, van Rompuy says he sees the ongoing project of absorbing more and more countries into the EU as the engine that is bringing about the end of the era of “barbarism and violence” in European history. He explicitly says the EU is the “guarantee of peace” in Europe:

[The] desire [of Balkan nations] to join our club follows a time of barbarism and violence…. This should encourage us even further to welcome them. Why? Because almost all who are now part of Europe have experienced great upheavals within living memory. It is true for Germany, France and the other founders after the destruction of the Second World War. It is true for Greece, Spain and Portugal after the end of their dictatorships. It is true for the former communist countries which joined us after the Wall came down. In every enlargement, the Union has absorbed the shocks. As an anchor of stability. As a haven of prosperity and freedom. As a guarantee of peace.

This is pretty surprising. Isn’t it American power that has been the “guarantee of peace” in Europe? Isn’t it the American nation-state that liberated Europe from imperial Nazi Germany, and then from the threat of the Soviet empire? Van Rompuy doesn’t remember any of this. In fact, in his 4,700 words marking the fall of the Berlin Wall, he doesn’t find space to mention the United States once.

For him, what’s been happening in Europe has nothing to do with America. What’s happening is this: “The idea of Europe” has created a “continent of values” — European values that are themselves the sole cause of the peace and prosperity of European peoples today.

That’s pretty surprising, too. But it does open up whole new vistas of ingratitude for us to contemplate: Isn’t it basically English and Scottish ideas, developed to govern and defend the British nation-state, that are today being borrowed to build the “continent of values” that van Rompuy heads? Isn’t it “the idea of Europe” that motivated Philip II, Napoleon, Hitler? For quite a few centuries, it seems as though it’s been the British nation-state (together with its admirers in France, America, Austria) that has been teaching the world what it means for peoples to live in freedom and decency, while “the idea of Europe” has spawned a succession of tyrannies. But van Rompuy doesn’t remember any of this either. What excites him about this “continent of values” is precisely that the era of the “nation-state is over“:

[W]e speak about Europe as the continent of values…. The time of the homogenous nation-state is over. Each European country has to be open for different cultures.
The time of the nation-state may be over, but van Rompuy says we have to be on our guard, because there are still bad guys around: These are the “Euro-sceptics,” who think that dismantling the nation-states of Europe may not be the greatest idea anyone has ever had. Van Rumpoy says these Euro-sceptics are spreading illusions and lies, and that their “nationalism” threatens to plunge Europe back into war:
We have together to fight the danger of a new Euro-scepticism…. In every Member State, there are people who believe their country can survive alone in the globalised world. It is more than an illusion: it is a lie! … The biggest enemy of Europe today is fear. Fear leads to egoism, egoism leads to nationalism, and nationalism leads to war. (“Le nationalisme, c'est la guerre” — F. Mitterrand).
Most of van Rompuy’s text is written as a message for Europeans. But he doesn't pass up the chance to send a message to nations outside the EU’s borders. Van Rompuy says that the non-European nations had better wise up too: They can no longer rely on “their military muscle” to resolve their problems, as they did in the past. Because if they do, they will find themselves “isolated”:

[P]ower and influence in the world are more and more a matter of economy, and less of weapons. Recent regional conflicts like in Iraq and Afghanistan have clearly demonstrated the limits of military intervention. Emerging powers are also learning the lesson that they cannot rely on their growing military muscle without the risk of isolating themselves.

There you have it. The New Paradigmers’ worldview in a nutshell: Military power in the service of national interests just isn’t going to do it anymore. And if you think otherwise, we’ll find ways to “isolate” you and help you come to your senses.

As I say, van Rompuy doesn’t trouble himself to mention the United States. And he doesn’t mention Israel either. But he doesn’t have to. It’s obvious where all this is headed. For van Rompuy, there’s trouble on the horizon and the threat comes from the continued existence of nation-states, which insist on using force to defend the lives and interests of their peoples. Disgust for America and downright hatred for Israel are the inevitable outcome of this line of thought, which, when one comes to think of it, is not really such a bad idea after all, what do you think?

Glenn Beck has launched a series of completely false --but terrifying - scenarios of a total economic collapse.

There is a great source of information relative to the end times available at www.cuttingedge.org

With the possibility of free advertising and with their kind permission and I have reformatted the following article from their site.

Right from the outset let me make it quite clear that I am not too certain whether or not the Cutting Edge Ministries are referring to a general economic collapse of the American economy, or a total collapse of the world economy, so in that respect the point of their assumptions still remain not so clear.

Even though I have cut out the information that I felt was of no consequence to the message of the article, which in the main includes nothing more than advertising material, the major theme of the article still remains intact.

That theme is to quietly demonize Glen Beck and make him out to be totally erroneous within the general context of his suggested scenario that the world is on the verge of a total economic collapse.

Whether or not the Cutting Edge Ministries are right or whether Glenn Beck is correct, still remains not so unambiguous.

However, the whole point of copying and pasting the article here was to dispute the allegations the Ministry had made relative to the world having to be divided up into a so-called ten super nations before the Antichrist can be revealed.

That statement is a point that I still remain in general contention with as I am still unable to find anything within the scriptures of the Holy Bible itself that clarifies that particular point.

In order for the New World Order could be brought forth, is the world on the verge of another total collapse that would run along the lines of something that was similar to the Great Depression of 1929, that is the burning question?

In my humble opinion there seems to be very clear indicators that suggested scenario seems to be happening right now even as I write this piece. There are other articles that I shall write within a few weeks that seem to suggest evidence that is precisely what is happening.

The facts of the matter are there is news that is beginning to spread right around the globe the Irish economy may be ready to collapse totally.

Of course, if that were ever to happen then there would be no doubts at all that the rest of the world would follow suite right along those precise paths.

But that is just my view, and as more often than not there has been so many instances when my insights had been well wide of the mark, so let us read and see what the Cutting Edge Ministries has to say relative to the subject matter.

NB: Even though there are no doubts it has very little to do with the subject matter the readers of this still need to remember that our friend Glenn Beck is a Mormon; that's right, he is a member of the Church of Jesus Christ and Latter Day Saints and anyone that is involved in the Mormon Church is effectively involved in another form of witchcraft - Freemasonry.

Now read on...

NEWS BRIEF: "GLENN BECK WARNS OF CATASTROPHIC EVENT & NEEDING TO STOCKPILE FOOD ",
Glenn Beck is warning in extremely vague terms, and quoting mysterious unknown sources, that the world is going to pass through the most catastrophic period in which everything economic shall collapse. This is the most frightening fear mongering I have ever heard.

And he is totally false.

Beck starts out by mysteriously building up his hidden sources, assuring his listeners that he is talking to people 'in the know', people who have access to the very deepest of information. He has "sat in on the meeting" with these responsible people and learned of this impending disaster. Later, he says that his sources are 'financial heavyweights', are 'even keeled', but mentions no names.

This kind of fear mongering is irresponsible journalism. A responsible journalist is asked to provide his sources, by name, so we can determine for ourselves whether the story is true or whether it is false. Beck is essentially saying that your faith in his trustworthiness is sufficient to believe this incredible story of an imminent economic collapse.

Glenn says that a major upheaval somewhere in the world will occur. This major catastrophe might be:
1) China refusing to buy American Dollars any more
2) Congress refusing to raise the debt ceiling
3) A terrorist attack which would dwarf the attacks of 9/11

From the day this trigger event happens, the world will change as we know it in 13 - 15 days.

Everything will change! Global catastrophe, global panic. Everything will "come apart at the seams".

Asia collapses. European markets collapse. Dow crashes. Catastrophic collapse will trigger a New World Order in a matter of days.

Beck then urges people to prepare for this non-event by buying lots of food and getting out of debt. Of course, these are commonsense preparations that all of us need to make.

However, Beck drives a stake of fear into the hearts of his listeners by over-exaggerating the possibility that such a catastrophe could occur, using terribly incendiary rhetoric. Beck also does not set a time period in which this collapse is going to occur; therefore, he stretches out the timeline of worry into the infinite future! Very clever, this demagogue! People who believe his rhetoric will worry themselves into oblivion in a never-ending wait.

However, Beck then hedges his bet by stating that this kind of catastrophe may NOT happen. But, this is a small statement completely drowned out by his constant harping on the impending economic doom. Further, if this collapse may not happen, then his "responsible", "in the know" sources are totally false; they cannot be believed if this collapse may not happen.
The Illuminati PlanNow, here is the truth of what the Illuminati has in mind. Several times in 1993, the Illuminati decided shortly after World War II that they could never collapse the economy again as they did in the Great Depression from 1929-1939. They made this decision for two very fundamental reasons:

1) During the Great Depression, many people responded to their economic plight by getting on their knees and returning to Jesus Christ. At the End of the Age, the Global Elite wants to avoid any semblance of spiritual revival being born out of economic lack.

2) The Illuminati examined the Materialistic heart of the American and came to the belief that the American citizenry would never allow themselves to be manoeuvred into the New World Order unless they felt prosperous enough to keep pursuing their Materialistic dream -- more houses, more cars, better paying jobs, and a prosperous retirement.

Therefore, while the Illuminati planned to deliberately wrench the economy, in order to overthrow Capitalism and replace it with Fascism, they were not going to actually allow it to collapse.

The first true economic collapse rumour began in June, 1998, but while in the Illuminati the Plan called for economic stress but no actual collapse.

The Illuminati Plan does call for just such a global catastrophe, but this horrific event is tightly tied to the beginning of World War III, out of which Antichrist shall come striding.

That is the collapse plan of the Illuminati. World War III is the trigger for: 1) economic collapse, 2) the next serious terrorist attack, 3) the imposition of national Martial Law in nations around the world and 4) the imprisonment of millions of dissidents.

World War III is the trigger! This war is the "final birth pangs" war of Matthew 24.

But, before this war can begin, Biblical prophecy (Daniel 7:7-8) states that the world must be reorganized into precisely 10 super nations. Antichrist cannot arise until these 10 super nations are formed and operating as nations.

We then show the progress toward creating this 10-Nation reorganization and discover that only three (3) of the 10 super nations are formed right now, leaving seven (7) to form. Of these seven remaining super nations, five (5) have not even begun forming yet. Therefore, we believe that the world has about 20 years or more to finalize the formation of these 10 super nations.

Remember, Daniel 7:7-8 reveals that Antichrist cannot arise until these 10 super nations are formed and operating as nations. Since economic collapse is tied to World War III, it cannot occur until the 10 super nations are fully formed and operating.

Never forget, the trigger event is World War III.

Therefore, what should the peoples of the world say now to Glenn Beck? They should tell him to sit down and be quiet if he is not willing to name sources and be specific as to dates of this so-called economic collapse.

Beck's rantings and ravings are so vague that they remind me of the "prophecies" of Nostradamus; his "prophecies" are so vague and ill defined that many people have claimed them over the centuries since this Black Magick magician originally cast his spell over the people!

Christians should insist that demagogues like Glenn Beck adhere to Bible prophecy when making wild and unsubstantiated claims that are designed to scare the living daylights out of his listeners.

The Illuminati plans to terribly weary the average citizen by the terrible events and the threats of terrible events.

Thus, when Antichrist arises, the people will be so worn out emotionally they will accept the promises of the Man of Sin. Beck is thus seen as simply reading from the script provided by his handlers.

Truly, Jesus was correct when He said that one of the End Times prophecies is that "men's hearts will fail them for fear"! (Luke 21:26 )

Glenn Beck is causing many men's hearts to fail for fear -- figuratively speaking.

In Exchange for Middle East Peace - the US Bribes Israel while at the same time Israel Blackmails the rest of the World.

The latest news to come out of the stalled Middle East peace process between Israel and Palestine is that the US has offered up 30 Stealth fighter jets and an offer of a guarantee from the United Nations that it would block any proposed aggressive action against Israel in the event there ever came the opportunity for such a proposition to be put forward.

All of the aforementioned in the name of a reassurance from Israel that it would freeze the building of settlements in Jerusalem for a paltry term of just three months.

Really, are they serious or delirious and just what are the US and the Israelis thinking that those jerks over in Palestine have rocks in their heads? Or at least that's what it seems they must be thinking?

What do the US and the Israel really think of the Palestinians? Do they really believe that the Palestinians are nothing more than a pack of losers and vagabonds that are destined to be totally and utterly wiped out by the Israelis? That really seems to be their true intentions of both the Israelis and United States if this latest news is any real indicator at all.

The worst part of all of this is just how ridiculous does this whole proposition sound? This really is starting to become right over the top!

This can be nothing more than a very cleverly plan designed by Tel Aviv to arm themselves for any aggression, and then repel any aggression they may feel from the Palestinians.

Then, if such an event ever happened Israel would clearly act in a manner of aggression against the Palestinians that would make any other war that has ever happened over the past few hundred years or so look like a Sunday School picnic.

There would be nothing the UN could ever hope to do in response to any act of aggression by the murderous Israelis against the Palestinians because of the aforementioned UN resolution as it would effectively mean their hands would have been tied.

There really needs to be a third party that is going to come forth from out of the EU and settle this whole sad and sick sorry mess. I have a book in the other room that tells me that is exactly what is going to happen, and happen very soon it will so that all of this madness can be laid to rest once and for all.

The book that I am referring to is called the Holy Bible and it tells me that there will be a seven year peace treaty this is going to be confirmed in the Middle East very shortly by a man the Bible calls the Beast, or the other name that he is known as of the many that he is referred to by - the Antichrist.

The way that events are shaping up at the moment it really does seem like that event is not really all that far away at all, as it really seems to be about time that we see the Man of Sin step forth to fulfil the Bible prophecies in that respect.

Come oh Lord come for the world has become far too wicked by a long shot as lies and blasphemies rage on everywhere right around the world almost unrestrained right now, so what an idle time for the Son of Satan to come forth and rubber stamp the seven year treaty below mentioned.

DANIEL CHAPTER 9, VERSE 27AND HE SHALL CONFIRM THE COVENANT WITH MANY FOR ONE WEEK: AND IN THE MIDST OF THE WEEK HE SHALL CAUSE THE SACRIFICE AND THE OBLATION TO CEASE, AND FOR THE OVERSPREADING OF ABOMINATIONS HE SHALL MAKE IT DESOLATE, EVEN UNTIL THE CONSUMMATION, AND THAT DETERMINED SHALL BE POURED UPON THE DESOLATE.

Hypocritical Christians who continually attack those groups they see as being inferior.

There is a great deal of concern relative to the continual attacks my fellow brothers and sisters in Christ continually engage in by attacking and demonizing the Roman Catholic Church on certain areas of the Internet.

When almost all of the sites mentioned are run by those that claim to be Born Again Christians there is reason for alarm with regards to the salvation of the individuals concerned who run these sites.

When I make that statement there is no way that I am defending the Catholic Church for the atrocities they have committed over the centuries.

To be certain the crimes the church has committed over the years could reach the very Heavens themselves.

I am also able to read the scriptures and so I know what the word of God says relative to the end times. I know that we are told in Revelation Chapter 17 of the World Religion be based in Rome that is to be run under the directives of the Roman Catholic Pope.

However the methodology by those that claim to be Born Again Christians in attacking other groups (whatever that group happens to be) in doing so those concerned are not only attacking a system of belief, but they are also attacking the millions and millions of decent honest folk who see the Roman Catholic Church as being their guiding light in the troubled and sick world we live in at the moment.

That said same analogy could also be applied to the numerous other groups by those who claim to be fundamentalist Born Again Christians, but who still frequently engage in launching a verbal tirades against others that they somehow see as being inferior to their own beliefs.

However, let me make it very clear that in making the aforementioned statement I am not suggesting there are other ways to inherit the Kingdom of God other than through repentance of sin by being washed under the precious blood of Christ, there is simply no other way.

I am also not suggesting the Roman Catholic Church is a truly Christian organization in any shape or form whatsoever.

However, that is not to say that I am still bothered by those who continually set out on a pathway to demonize the Catholic Church and the numerous other groups, as they frequently do.

My belief is those that frequently participate in doing so are simply debasing themselves to the low level of those they choose to denigrate.

It may be acceptable to quite briefly mention the downside of one particular group or another, but to frequently engage in the type of behaviour that continually denigrates one group or another is not the correct path to pursue.

Those that do so loose the very essence of their alleged Christianity which is compassion love and understanding towards their fellow human beings; and instead replace that essence of Christianity with something that is quite vile and repulsive, hatred and bigotry. That in itself is nothing more than pure Antichrist doctrine.

There seems to be a common denominator within the mindset of those who launch these hate filled outbursts against other groups and that is they all appear without exception to believe in something that is not in the Bible at all, the rapture of the church, and more often than not a pre -tribulation rapture. NB the pre tribulation rapture is only a very recently invented event designed by a man that lived only a few hundred years ago - John Darby.

I cannot see how a loving God who shows all knowing love and compassion towards all manner of mankind is going to treat the group mentioned above any differently by magically taking them off the face of the earth before the Great Tribulation starts, while the rest of humanity suffers through the final seven years of mankind's history here on the earth.

Almost all of the group mentioned above see the Jews and Israel as the chosen ones of God when the book of Revelations makes it very clear that of the millions and millions of Jews that populate the world there are only a very minute pittance of that entire group are going to be saved, a mere 144,000.

Almost all of the aforementioned group are also involved in the occult, or have been engaged in at one stage of their lives either witchcraft, or the New Age Movement, something that I have never ever had anything to do with whatsoever.

I really do not need to say a great deal more about the group mentioned above other than to label them as I see them, hypocrites and frauds, not really being Christians but instead putting on phoney face for the whole world to see by masquerading as something they are definitely not, fundamentalist Born Again Christians.

Truly we are living in the Laodicean Church Age!

Will there be a seven year Middle East peace treaty shortly?

Obama hopeful of quick resumption of Middle East peace process
Quote: Washington, Nov 15 (PTI) US President Barack Obama has expressed hope that the Middle East peace negotiations between Israel and Palestine would resume quickly.

Obama praised Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for trying to win approval from his coalition government for a US proposal to extend a freeze on West Bank settlement building.

"I think it's promising. And so we've been in contact with both the Israelis and the Palestinians to make sure that we use this opportunity to start negotiating as quickly as possible on some of the final status issues that would render the settlement issue moot," Obama said yesterday.

"I commend Prime Minister Netanyahu for taking I think a very constructive step. It''s not easy for him to do. I think it''s a signal that he's serious, and my hope is, is that he and (Palestine) President Abbas start negotiations immediately," he said. End of Quote

There are really no doubts at all from those of us who have been studying the end times of the Bible prophecies over a number of years the one event that will usher in the return back onto the earth of the Lord Jesus Christ will be the rubber stamping of a seven year Middle East peace treaty by the Antichrist, as per the prophecies of Daniel Chapter 9 Verse 27.

And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate. KJV

It is either a seven year Middle East peace treaty we are looking for to usher in the end times or the signing of a seven year Global Climate Change Treaty - it is either one or the other - but I have a very strong tendency to believe it is the former, rather than the later.

After that has been confirmed then there are only seven years to go until we see the return of the Lord Jesus Christ back onto the earth, at which point those that have their names written in the Lambs Book of Life will all be gathered up to meet the Lord in the air.

Now as the power base for the Antichrist is the presidency of the EU, and as we have already seen that position created and filled earlier on this year, there would be a very high likelihood that if the man that was appointed as the president of the EU earlier on this year, Herman Van Rompuy, were the Antichrist, then in all probability it would be him that we would see signing off on the treaty of Daniel mentioned above very, very shortly, more than likely before the end of this year, and certainly no later than early next year?

But for those that still remain sceptical let us just wait and see how this is going to pan out?

Don't make the mistake of prejudging Herman Van Rompuy entirely by his unusual looks!

Quote: Herman van Rompuy, the president of Europe, hasn’t enjoyed the kindest press. In Britain at least, the “richly comic” blustering Belgian, a garden gnome and dwarf straight out of Gilbert and Sullivan has been treated as a sort of joke created largely for the benefit of tabloid headline writers.

Mr. van Rompuy may never come to match, say, Vince Cable in the glamour stakes – but people who knew him in his previous job always warned that the “Mr. Nobody” gibes were misplaced. As Belgian prime minister, Mr. van Rompuy helped to bring together his notoriously divided country, and sharply reduced its budget deficit. Now, he has similar steely ambitions to unite and discipline Europe.

Last week, in Berlin, Mr. Van Rompuy proclaimed an EU leader’s strongest message of federalism yet. He said that after the financial crisis, “the national and the European interest can no longer be separated: they coincide… today, we have to act on [that] fact… in every [EU] member state, there are people who believe their country can survive alone in the globalised world. It is more than an illusion – it is a lie.”End of Quote

There is something that those that choose to denigrate Herman Van Rompuy seemed to be forgetting about?
When he was appointed as the first ever full time president of the EU he took on the responsibility for not only one of the most powerful offices that has ever been held for the entire European continent, but for the entire globe.

But that fact certainly not by passed me in any sense of the word.

It also needs to be remembered that Van Rompuy also holds the post that most of us that are Born Again Christians consider to be the seat of power for the Antichrist.

Also, that in accepting the position as the first ever full time president of the EU he took on the power of Hell and Hades itself.

Basically, Herman Van Rompuy has the power to turn the entire globe into the biggest powder keg imaginable through his control of the entire army of the EU.

That being the case, when he chooses to do so he will unleash this awesome power that he holds right in the palms of his hand onto the peoples of the world to ignite the globe to turn it into the smoldering ash that it is destined to become.

The aforementioned comical comments may be atypical of the pomes, but the fact still remains for those that have made those comments there still needs to be some consideration for the man in question and the very high office that he holds.

When there are those that have chosen to make remarks such as the ones that are mentioned above relative to Van Rompuy, those said same people need to be reminded what the relatives of the victims of the Green River Serial Killer Gary Ridgeway had said after his arrest. They had said that he could not have been the guy who had killed all of those women simply because he did not look like a killer, even though he had been responsible for the murder of well over 60 prostitutes.

There seem to be a great deal of people that are mistakenly judging Van Rompuy entirely by his looks by saying that he is not the Antichrist, simply because he does not look the part.

Don't be fooled by looks alone -- as looks can be incredibly deceiving.

Why the Modern Jews Are Not God’s Chosen People

World history reveals a remarkable story in which one group of people assumed the identity of another. The vast majority of people who are today called Jews are not, in terms of strict definition of the term, Jews at all.

The term “Jew,” actually a later comer to the Old Testament, originally meant one who can genuinely claim genetic descent from Judah, one of the twelve sons of Jacob. It is from the Hebrew and “Yhudi,” meaning “of Judah.”

The true people of Judah were a numerous part of the ancient, twelve-tribed Israelites. In time, the Israelites divided into two kingdoms. The southern one was called the “Kingdom of Judah,” and the region it occupied, “Judea.” All of its inhabitants, of whatever tribe, were often called Judeans, and in time “Jews.” As time passed, the Northern Kingdom was taken into captivity and scattered to the north and west (721 B.C.).

The Kingdom of Judah was later taken to Babylon (586 B.C.), where many stayed. Seventy years later a remnant returned, and gradually, with much struggle, regained its status of nationhood. Unfortunately, the religion they returned with had picked up many pagan elements while in Babylon, and this gradually evolved into a system of oral teachings that Scripture condemns as the tradition of the elders. (Matthew 15:2-3)

At this juncture in history, an unusual development occurred that muddled the meaning of the words Judah, Judean, and Jew. In the second century before Christ, a dynamic priest-king of Judah, John Hyrcanus of the Hasmonean dynasty, conquered the people directly to the south of Judah, the Edomites.

The Edomites (or Idumeans) were descended from Esau. Jacob/Israel’s twin brother (Genesis 36:8). Esau had married a woman of a Hittite family, thus destroying forever the pure genetic pedigree of his descendants. For this, Esau essentially was disinherited (his mother saw the need for this before his father; Genesis 26:34; 27:46). These folks had been perennial enemies of both Israel and Judah since ancient times.

After thoroughly subjugating them, Hyrcanus gave the Edomites the choice of either death or conversion to the religion, language, and culture of Judah. This proved to be a catastrophic decision for the people of Judah, and a choice which Hyrcanus should have known as forbidden in Old Testament law (Deuteronomy 7:1-5; Leviticus 20:24, Joshua 23:12-13; Ezra 9:1-4; Nehemiah 13:23-30). But not surprisingly, most chose conversion.

The Jewish (truly of Judah) historian Josephus described this event: “Hyrcanus took also Dora and Marissa, cities of Idumea, and subdued all the Idumeans; and permitted them to stay in that country; if they would circumcise their genitals, and make use of the laws of the Jews; and they were so desirous of living in the land of their forefathers, that they submitted to the use of circumcision, and of the rest of the Jewish ways of living; at which time this therefore befell them, that they were hereafter no other than Jews.” (Jewish antiquities, Book 13, 9:1)

The marginal note in Josephus’ works add this commentary, quoting Ammonius, a writer from 129 A.D.; “...the Idumeans were not Jews from the beginning...but being afterward subdued to buy the Jews.” After editorial comment regarding Josephus’ work adds emphasis: “This account of the Idumeans admitting circumcision, and the entire Jewish law, from this time, or the days of Hyrcanus, is confirmed by their entire history afterward.”

The significance of the Edomite population merging with the Jews is often overlooked. But it is not really any secret. Many modern Biblical scholars admit that the historic event did, indeed, occur. For example: “But during the warlike rule of the Maccabees (Hasmonean dynasty of the jews) they were again completely subdued and even forced to conform to Jewish laws and rites and submit to the government of Jewish perfect. The Edomites were then incorporated into the Jewish nation, and the whole providence was often termed by Greek and Roman writers ‘Idumea’...From this time, the Edomites as a separate people disappear from the pages of history.” (The New Unger’s Bible Dictionary, p. 333)

There is Edom [Esau is called Edom in Genesis 36:8]. And Edom is in 'Modern Jewry' Jewish Encyclopedia, 1925 edition, Vol. 5, p. 41. Even the encyclopedia on your shelf may inform you of these events, if one is sharp enough to understand the significance: “The Hasmonean dynasty conquered the Idumeans in the 100's B.C., and converted them to Judaism.” (World Book Encyclopedia, 1967, Vol. 6, p. 55)

Over the next century as imperial Rome cast its long shadow over the Middle East, these Edomites or Idumeans were gradually absorbed into Jewish society. Many of them, such as Herod, achieved high status, working their way into the priestly and aristocratic classes. Those who leveraged their way into the priestly professions had a strong proclivity for the pagan oral teachings (traditions of the elders) brought back from Babylon. Dominance in the two mainstream religious parties, the Pharisees and Sadducees, was soon theirs to enjoy and capitalize upon.

This was the situation when Christ lived and walked the lovely hill country of Galilee and Judea. There were two groups of people living check by cheek with each other in the land of Judea. They spoke the same language, practiced the same oppressive yoke of Roman rule, and were together in our time called jews.

In 70 A.D., the city of Jerusalem and the Kingdom of Judah was utterly shattered by the Romans. Many survivors were scattered throughout the Roman world, finding refuge where they could. The Edomite element of these jews, who had utterly rejected Christ, lodged themselves in various enclaves in the Roman Empire including the great city of Byzantium (Constantinople). During the centuries that followed, these people continued to develop and propagate their highly altered form of the ancient Hebrew faith in which the Biblical aspects were almost completely submerged in layers of pagan philosophy and rules. It was during this era that their oral tradition was codified into a written textual form called the Talmud. It has been the touchstone of the religion of Judaism for many centuries.

Rabbi Stephen Wise, one of the main Jewish leaders in the United States a few years ago, stated that when the Jews returned to Jerusalem from Babylon (with the True Israelites), about 536 B.C., they brought with them the teachings which became known as the Babylonian Talmud. "This was the end of Hebraism, and the beginning of Judaism," the learned Rabbi stated.

Judaism quite possibly would have expired in the tumult of the early Medieval Period had it not been for a single titanic evangelistic coup. In approximately 740 A.D., an entire empire was forcibly converted to Judaism by the decree of its emperor. This was the Khazarian Empire, centered in modern day Ukraine, comprised of a people of mixed Russian, Eastern Europe, and Western Mongolian descent. The Khaszarians took to their new faith like ducks to water. Even after their empire dissolved, never to rise again, they retained tenaciously the precepts of Judaism. In time these proselytes to Judaism gradually made their way in Eastern Europe. By the time the Medieval Period closed, they no longer considered themselves Khazarians, but Jews, for it was the religion of Judaism that formed the backbone of their subculture.

Arthur Koestler, a modern Jew and a prize winning author, summarizes these developments in his best selling book, The Thirteenth Tribe: “Thus the Judaization of the Khazars was a gradual process which, triggered off by political expediency, slowly penetrated into the deeper strata of their minds and eventually produced the Messianism of their period of decline. Their religious commitment survived the collapse of their state, and persisted, as we shall see, in the Khazar-Jewish settlements of Russia and Poland.” (The Thirteenth Tribe, p. 74)

Other sources document this important historical event: “The Jews, expelled from Constantinople, sought a home amongst them (Khazars), developed the Khazar trade, and contended with Mohammedans and Christians for the theological allegiance of the pagan people. The dynasty accepted Judaism (740 A.D.).” (Encyclopedia Britannica, 1911, Vol. 15-16, p. 775)
It is common knowledge that as of a century ago, most Jews in the world were found in Eastern Europe, with the highest percentage concentrated in Poland. How did they get there? A more clear picture has emerged than what was heretofore available. Koestler continues: “...the cumulative evidence makes one included to agree with the consensus of Polish historians that ‘in earlier times the main bulk originated form the Khazar country’; and that, accordingly, the Khazar contribution to the genetic make-up of the Jews must be substantial and in all likelihood, dominant.” (The Thirteenth Tribe, p. 180)

What is most important to remember abut these Khazarian converts to Judaism is this: they have no genetic link to Abraham, Isaac, Jacob/Israel, Judah or any other Hebrew. Furthermore, the majority of the Jews of today are descended from this Khazarian branch.

ACCORDING TO THE STANDARD JEWISH ENCYCLOPEDIA 96% OF ALL THE JEWS KNOWN TO THE WORLD TODAY ARE THE DESCENDANTS OF THE KHAZAR TRIBES OF RUSSIA, EASTERN EUROPE AND WESTERN MONGOLIA; THESE ARE THE ASKNAZI JEWS, THE OTHER MAJOR SECT OF THE JEWS ARE THE SEPHARDIC JEWS, AND THEY ARE A BASTARD PEOPLE FROM THE MIXING OF THE CANAANITES, HITITES, AMORITES, PERIZZITES, HIVITES, JEBUSITES, GIRGASHITES, KENITES, EDOMITES AND SOME TRUE ISRAELITES. THE JEWS HAVE NEVER BEEN ISRAELITES; THEY ARE NOT ISRAELITES NOW; AND THEY WILL NEVER BE ISRAELITES.
Let me repeat that again

ACCORDING TO THE STANDARD JEWISH ENCYCLOPEDIA 96% OF ALL THE JEWS KNOWN TO THE WORLD TODAY ARE THE DESCENDANTS OF THE KHAZAR TRIBES OF RUSSIA, EASTERN EUROPE AND WESTERN MONGOLIA; THESE ARE THE ASKNAZI JEWS, THE OTHER MAJOR SECT OF THE JEWS ARE THE SEPHARDIC JEWS, AND THEY ARE A BASTARD PEOPLE FROM THE MIXING OF THE CANAANITES, HITITES, AMORITES, PERIZZITES, HIVITES, JEBUSITES, GIRGASHITES, KENITES, EDOMITES AND SOME TRUE ISRAELITES. THE JEWS HAVE NEVER BEEN ISRAELITES; THEY ARE NOT ISRAELITES NOW; AND THEY WILL NEVER BE ISRAELITES

Although modern Jews purport the idea that they are descended from ancient Judah, they are lying. Twice in the book of Revelation, the followers of Christ are informed that there exists a group of people who claim to be Judean, but are not: “...and I know the blasphemy of them which say they are Jews, and are not, but are the synagogue of Satan.” (Revelation 2:9; 3:9)
For those who wish to be honest with the totality of Scripture, there is no mistake; somewhere on this emerald blue planet of ours, there is a group of people who claim to be Judean, who are actually not. Are they hard to find? Indeed, no. The twentieth century has seem them migrate from Poland and Eastern Europe to places like New York City and the modern nation of Israel (the United States of America).

Even honest scientific inquiry reveals the truth. Spanish geneticist Professor Antionio Amaiz-Villena recently headed a team of researchers and published a paper entitled “The Origins of Palestinians and their Genetic Relatedness with other Mediterranean Populations.” After conducing detailed DNA studies, the report state: “Jews and Palestinians in the middle East share a very similar gene pool and must be considered closely related and not genetically separate.” (The Observer, November 25, 2001)

This is consistent with the fact that modern Jews are either descended from the Khazarians, who were of a mixed background, or from the ancient Edomites. In both cases, they are genetically related to the ancient Hittites, Jebusites, Canaanites, Amorites, Perizzites, Girgashites, Kenites, Edomites; all perennial enemies of the Israelites.

Also, it must be remembered that the Edomites, and the Canaanite nations were blood drinkers, flesh heaters, and so were the Khazars, thus the tradition of Ritual Murder was carried forth from one group of Jews to those Khazars who chose Judaism as their religion.

Thus we have Christ saying: “Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.” (John 8:44)

Christ then tells the jews they are not of God that they are not His children and not of God. "He that is of God heareth God's words: YE (jews) THEREFORE HEAR THEM NOT, BECAUSE YE (jews) ARE NOT OF GOD." (John 8:47)

Christ is telling the jews that they do not believe Him because they are a perverse, generation of vipers, the children of the devil, and that they are not of His sheep. And who are His sheep? It is the Israelites of course.

"Jesus answered them, I TOLD YOU, AND YE (jews) BELIEVED NOT: the works that I do in my Father's name, they bear witness of me. But YE (jews) BELIEVE NOT, BECAUSE YE (jews) ARE NOT OF MY SHEEP, as I said unto you (jews)." (John 10:25-26)

Paul now testifies that they are a perverse race: “That ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world.” Philippians 2:16)

Strong's #Untoward: Strong's #4646 skolios (skol ee os'); from the base of NT:4628; warped, i.e. winding; figuratively, perverse: KJV crooked, froward, untoward. (Biblesoft's New Exhaustive Strong's Numbers and Concordance with Expanded Greek Hebrew Dictionary. Copyright (c) 1994, Biblesoft and International Bible Translators, Inc.)

"And with many other words did he testify and exhort, saying, SAVE YOURSELVES FROM THIS UNTOWARD GENERATION." (Acts 2:40)

John also tells us in 1 John that the jews are the children of the devil.

“In this the children of God are manifest, and THE CHILDREN OF THE DEVIL: whosoever doeth not righteousness is not of God.” (1 John 3:10)

In John 8:47 we find: “He that is of God heareth God's words: ye therefore hear them not, because ye are not of God.”

Many people say that the words of Christ was for all men everywhere, but that is simply not true, and is the lying, deceiving, statements of perverse, traitorous, false teachers, known to us as the Judaeo-Christian clergy. For Christ taught in Parables so that the Jews would not know what He was saying. For it is obvious from a reading of the parable of the tares and the wheat; when He says:

“And he said unto them, Unto you it is given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God: but unto them that are without, all these things are done in parables: THAT SEEING THEY MAY SEE, AND NOT PERCEIVE; AND HEARING THEY MAY HEAR, AND NOT UNDERSTAND; LEST AT ANY TIME THEY SHOULD BE CONVERTED, AND THEIR SINS SHOULD BE FORGIVEN THEM (Mark 4:11-12)
One could go on for several pages, but these should suffice to prove that the Jews are the most evil and perverse people that have ever existed on earth, and that there is no doubt they are the descendants of their father the devil as Christ said.

The end of Britain as a nation state? Not on your life, Mr Van Rompuy

By Daniel Johnson

The President of the European Council has finally revealed his true colours. ‘The time of the homogeneous nation state is over,’ declared Herman Van Rompuy in Berlin yesterday.

According to Mr Van Rompuy, the idea that a country can survive alone is not merely an illusion: ‘It is a lie!’

He has clearly never heard of the Battle of Britain.

Deluded: The blustering Belgian President Herman Van Rompuy

My first reaction to this latest diktat was to laugh out loud. This blustering Belgian, the grandest panjandrum in Brussels, is straight out of Gilbert and Sullivan.

‘President’ Van Rompuy and his British colleague, the EU ‘High Representative’ Baroness Ashton, cut richly comic figures on the international stage.

It is tempting to dismiss their empire-building as an extravagant but otherwise harmless pastime.

The trouble is that these Eurocrats not only waste tens of billions of pounds on their palatial offices and legions of flunkeys — they have real power, too.

The British public watched in dismay as, earlier this month, David Cameron was forced to back down from his promise to stop Brussels from increasing its already bloated budget.

The Prime Minister tried to present the deal he secured — reducing the 6 per cent increase Brussels demanded to 2.9 per cent.

But at a time when Britain is slashing its national budget by at least 25 per cent, even a 2.9 per cent increase in the profligate EU budget is indefensible.

Worse, Mr Cameron agreed to further treaty changes to placate the German Chancellor Angela Merkel, without securing any firm promise that there will be no new EU power grab.

Mr Van Rompuy’s Berlin speech appears to be the first shot in a new campaign to speed the transfer of sovereignty to Brussels — a transfer that was briefly interrupted by the defeat of the European Constitution and the Lisbon Treaty in successive referendums.

Not since the days of Jacques Delors, the French Commission President in the Eighties, have the Euro-federalists been so bold in setting out their agenda.

Opponents: Mrs Thatcher went down fighting against a federal Europe while the pro lobby have never been so bold since the days of French Commission President Jacques Delors

Although they failed then to extinguish the sovereignty of Britain and other nation states, it was a pyrrhic victory for the Eurosceptics, not least because they lost their greatest champion in Margaret Thatcher soon afterwards. Twenty years ago this month, Mrs Thatcher was deposed as Prime Minister by the Conservative Party after expressing her opposition to the single currency and a federal Europe in her inimitably direct way: ‘No! No! No!’

In the two decades since Mrs Thatcher went down fighting, the piecemeal transfer of power to Europe has ¬continued unabated.

The latest reminder of just how far that process has gone was the Government’s abject humiliation over the decision by the European Court of Human Rights that prisoners should be given the vote. Mr Cameron was said to be ‘exasperated’ and ‘furious’ at having to agree to votes for prisoners, but his hand was forced.

The economic crisis since 2008 has witnessed an attempt by Europe to get its hands on the City — the engine room of the British economy.

‘I want the world to see the victory of the European model,’ President Nicolas Sarkozy of France gloated last December, after the appointment of a Frenchman as the EU commissioner responsible for the City of London: ‘The English are the big losers in this business.’

Sure enough, since then, the EU has created three new authorities to regulate ¬banking, pensions, equity and insurance.

Their powers are limited but, over time, they will extend their control at the expense of our own regulators, until the City falls under European jurisdiction.

Last week, I was in Berlin to hear German and U.S. economists point out the danger of the economic recovery being stifled by over regulation of the financial markets at the behest of Brussels and Paris.

Britain, by far the biggest player in Europe, stands to lose most if the EU has its way.

It is a measure of President Van Rompuy’s confidence over this constant transfer of power that he is now openly calling time on the nation state and determined ‘to fight the danger of a new Euro-scepticism’.

Those of us who believe in our own country’s sovereignty, he implies, are deluded romantics with views which are outdated in a globalised world.

What, then, can David Cameron do about this new threat to the nation state — assuming, that is, that Nick Clegg and his fellow Lib Dems can be persuaded to keep their instinctive Eurofanaticism in check?

Leave aside, for an instant, the obvious injustice of an EU which is undemocratic and far from transparent assuming more powers over Britain.

The first argument that ¬Cameron should deploy has to do with the past.

History teaches us that nation states have always been the best guarantors of liberty, democracy, prosperity and the rule of law.

Only strong nation states have been able to defend their liberties against tyrants such as Napoleon, Hitler or Stalin.

An excellent example of what can go wrong in the absence of a genuine nation state is ¬Herman Van Rompuy’s own homeland, Belgium.

Unable to defend itself in two world wars, increasingly ¬dysfunctional as its Dutch-speaking Flemish and French-speaking Walloon citizens ¬gravitate towards Holland and France respectively, Belgium has little or no sense of identity or patriotism.

No wonder Mr Van Rompuy would rather belong to a United States of Europe.

The second argument in favour of the nation state concerns the present — in particular the -current predicament of the EU.

Shake on it: David Cameron should start wooing Chancellor Merkel, the most powerful voice in the EU

Since 1974, the share of world GDP represented by the 15 EU member states before the former Communist countries were admitted was 36 per cent. Today, that figure is 26 per cent, and by 2020 it is expected to be 15 per cent.

Such statistics give the lie to the claim that the European model is uniquely successful.

The EU was created to solve the problems of half a century ago, and today it looks increasingly old-fashioned, whether as an economic or a political system.

The truth is that it is Mr Van Rompuy who is deluded, for surely it is only a matter of time before the EU goes the way of other supranational empires, such as the Soviet Union.

David Cameron will need to show greater skill in building Continental alliances, but he will find that other countries share many aspects of the Euroscepticism that Mr Van Rompuy denounced yesterday.

Mr Cameron could start by wooing Chancellor Merkel, the most powerful voice in the EU, who has even demanded that bankrupt states such as Greece should lose their vote in EU councils until they put their house in order. There is little appetite anywhere in Europe for giving away more powers or money to Brussels.

It is high time that the British people were given a say in what happens to British sovereignty. A referendum on EU membership is the ultimate deterrent that David Cameron could deploy. Mr Clegg might object, but it used to be Lib Dem policy and the mere threat of a referendum would put the federalists to flight.

If Mr Van Rompuy wants a fight, David Cameron should give him one.

There are now no doubts whatsoever Bilderberger and Jesuit Herman Van Rompuy is shaping up to be the Biblical Antichrist?

Shabby and secret dealings between member states last year made Herman Van Rompuy president of the European Council. At the time, he was mocked in Britain largely because he was unknown, mouse-like and, well, Belgian. That is now something the Brits may now live to regret forever?

But last night in Berlin, Van Rompuy showed what there is a very strong probability that he is - the Biblical Antichrist, and that He is, a dangerous, cynical man who intends that all of Europe should be turned into a vast version of Belgium, an invented country called Europe where the loyal feelings and patriotism of the ancient nations are suppressed -- all replaced with a European nationalism.

Last night Van Rompuy gave a speech in which he condemned 'the danger of a new Euro-scepticism. This is no longer the monopoly of a few countries. In every member state, there are people who believe their country can survive alone in the globalised world. It is more than an illusion. It is a lie!'

[Note, I can't think of any state in the world outside Burma and North Korea that imagines it can survive alone. What Van R is attacking is any country and any people who imagine they are equipped to run their own state without an undemocratic Superstate being in control such as what the EU has turned out to be. Damn shocking, those Swiss.]

'The biggest enemy of Europe today is fear. Fear leads to egoism, egoism leads to nationalism and nationalism leads to war.'

'Today's nationalism is often not a positive feeling of pride in one's own identity, but a negative feeling of apprehension of others.'

By the ratifying of the EU constitution, even it be ever so slightly, what has been achieved is to place more and more power into the hands of Van Rompuy, and that can only be to the detriment to not only the EU but the entirety of mankind as well. More particularly, those that are not Born Again into the spirit of the living God.

Accordingly, one can make no mistake the aforementioned are the words of a man who has just been given more authority than any other human being in the combined history of the EU, (and for that matter the whole of the world) and gives a true insight of what his true intentions are, to plunge the world into the most catastrophic world war the world has ever witnessed.

Forget about the casualties of the first and second world wars combined, Bilderberger and Jesuit Van Rompuy is the most vile man ever to walk the face of the earth and his atrocities are going to make Hitler, Stalin, Pol Pot and all of the other megalomaniacs that have ever waxed vain on the face of the earth seem like Sunday School teachers by comparison as he sets out to destroy well over one third of the total of the population of the world.

Nonetheless there are still going to be some that are going to call that tripe, but let them say whatever they like, the facts of the matter still remain the EU is the final world empire on the face of the earth before the return back onto the earth of the Lord Jesus Christ and that whoever is appointed as their leader of the fully Revised Roman Empire is the one the Bible calls the Beast.

Nationalism' is not nationalism as we understand it. The word is used instead to mean any expression of rational self-interest by one country. It is used to mean any preference by any citizen for their own homeland or culture or political system over others.

Remember, the European Commission is the institution in which its employees are trained never to mention their own home countries if the word can possible be avoided -- British Eurocrats are trained not to say Britain but to say only 'the country I know best.' This is why the EU has rigged up the idea of dividing Europe into 'regions' which ignore, indeed, erase, national boundaries. This is why, under law, we are all called 'citizens of the EU' now. It's not just a gesture, it's a fact, and cynical creatures such as Van Rompuy means we should all become 'citizens of the EU' in every sense.

WE can't say we weren't warned. The day after Van Rompuy was appointed, Paul Belien, a Flemish historian and lawyer, warned readers of the Mail that the newly powerful president of the council was a man 'devoid of patriotism and contemptuous of democracy.'

Belien has known and observed Van Rompuy since the mid-1980s. He called Van Rompuy 'a shrewd manipulator, he will do all in his power to further EU integration.'

'Van Rompuy is a product of the debased, corrupt political life of Belgium. Like the EU, it is an artificial construction, the result of political compromise and experiment.'

'Because of this lack of real nationhood, Belgians despise their own state. But this unpatriotic attitude is precisely the reason why Belgian politicians have been so enthusiastic about the EU, in which they see the mirror image of their own fraudulent, unprincipled country.'

Which is to say, Van Rompuy is precisely the man to lead the Belgianisation of Europe. Make no judgment of error, the EU is an empire with global ambitions. It was no mere gesture that in his acceptance speech as president of the council, Van Rompuy extolled 'global governance.' Pay the man the compliment of believing he means what he says.

And then be prepared to treat him as the dangerous, cynical anti-patriot he is, and a man who seeks not only to gain total control not only over those that live within the sphere of the EU, but over every living creature on the planet as well.

The worst part of this is that he looks nigh on well set to achieve that very objective as we race head on towards the very end of mankind's existence here on the earth as we know it on this day.

THE ANTICHRIST - AN ARTICLE WELL WORTH READING

Preface:I thought this article was so good that it was well worth while repeating here, and for those that were, or are, looking to correctly identify the Antichrist there could be no surer guide than this.

The one section of this article that impressed me over and above every other portion of the article was the point that the author made of the ongoing work the introduction into the world of the final Antichrist, spanning thousands of years, has been for Satan.

Also that even after successive generations have been trying unsuccessfully to identify the Antichrist, there has not been a single person, in a single generation, that has been close to, or has had success in doing so.

And even after thousands of years ago there have been Christians of every generation who had thought they had identified the final Antichrist as the one who is to go up against the real Christ in the battle of the Armageddon, when the reality of the matter has been entirely different, they had not.

As the writer of the article had said there have been many, many Antichrists just as there has been over the centuries, just as there may be for and as there may be for many, many years to come, although that would seem to be highly unlikely given the rapid rate in which the Bible prophecies are currently being filled?

In other words, what the writer of the article was saying in that respect was that in every generation Satan has had his Antichrist jacked up and ready to go, but that we may not have reached the stage whereby the final Antichrist is ready to go, even though as I have said above that suggested scenario is highly unlikely.

Now read the rest of the article, it is good as there is nothing that has been written there that I could not be in agreement with or even choose to have a disagreement over, as the whole load of it is spot on.

THE ANTICHRIST
Antichrist's name gives us indication of what he is. He is Anti-christ As every Jew knows, the name Christ is simply the Greek translation of the Hebrew Messiah, whom the Jews expected to come in God's name to save them. The Messiah, or Christ, is the one anointed by God and qualified to carry out a certain work in God's name. Christ's work is to redeem God's people from sin and death by His own death, and to renew God's creation as a creation of righteousness and peace. The man Jesus of Nazareth (died circa AD 33) is this Christ. He is God's anointed, the servant of Jehovah. He is qualified to do the work of redeeming God's people and renewing creation. The confession of the church down through the ages is, "Jesus is the Christ."

Antichrist is a false Christ, according to Matthew 24:24. He claims to be anointed by God with the Holy Spirit and claims to be qualified to do the work in God's name of redeeming God's people and renewing the creation. But he is not. He is a liar. His claims are false. He is a false Christ.

Antichrist: opposed to Christ and to GodA little word study may help to understand the prefix "anti" in the name Antichrist. Just as antivenom is given to counteract the venom of a snake bite, and antiseptic is used against infection, so Antichrist is against, is opposed to, Jesus Christ. This tells us the essence of what Antichrist is: he is opposition to God's Christ. He is opposition to Christ personally; he is against Christ's Church; he is against Christ's Word, Holy Scripture. Furthermore, because Christ's mission is to show the name of Jehovah God to men by showing Himself to them (see John 17:6, John 14:8,9, and Revelation 13:6), Antichrist is opposed to God Himself. So, although the Antichrist will leave the impression that his motivating force is love, concern for humanity, and pity for the oppressed, what drives Antichrist is not love but hatred. The one motivating force in his life is opposition to Jesus Christ, opposition to all that He stands for, and to all that stand for Him.

Antichrist: in place of Christ
The name Antichrist also indicates substitution. Antichrist opposes Jesus in order to supplant Him, to take His place as Christ. Although the English language does not often use the prefix "anti" to mean substitution, it is a common use of the preposition in the Greek language. When Scripture says that Jesus died "for His people," one of the prepositions used is anti indicating that He died as a substitute for His people. This is the secondary meaning of the preposition anti. Antichrist purposes to be "in the place of," or "a substitute for" Jesus the Christ.

II Thessalonians 2 points out how Antichrist comes as an impostor of the Christ from God, and how there is a striking outward similarity between Antichrist and Christ. Will Jesus Christ be revealed some day? So will Antichrist (Vss 3,8). Will Christ be in God's temple? Antichrist will sit there also (Vs 4). Is Christ God? Antichrist will claim to be (Vs 4). Did Christ support His claim to be God with signs and wonders? Antichrist, too, will perform signs and wonders (Vs 9). Christ has a kingdom; so will Antichrist. Christ comes by the power of the Spirit; Antichrist will come by the power of a spirit, who is the devil himself.

Does it surprise anyone, then, that in the Middle Ages Antichrist was called the "ape of Christ"? He comes in the place of Christ, making himself out to be Christ. In every way mimicking Christ, Antichrist will propose to be Christ. Antichrist is Satan's counterpart to Christ. Jesus was God's choice to establish His kingdom, redeem His people, renew creation; Antichrist is Satan's choice to establish his kingdom, gather in as many people as he can, and subject all to himself. All of God's plan hinges on the works of Jesus, the Christ; all of Satan's plans hinge on the working and success of Antichrist.

Antichrist: an individual person
Although there is difference of opinion among Reformed students of Scripture regarding this, it is not difficult to see why many believe that Antichrist will be one man.

A reality that stands opposed to Jesus, but also that claims to be the Christ, the anointed of God, must be a man as Christ was a man, a man in whom they put their trust, a man to whom the people can look for deliverance from their miseries. How can something claim to be Jesus, the man, and not be a man himself? Supporting this logic, II Thessalonians 2 seems to make this plain. Antichrist is "that man of sin" and "the son of perdition" (Vs 3); he shows "himself that he is God" (Vs 4); he is "that wicked (one)" (Vs 8).

Antichrist will be a definite individual, a particular human being. A single individual of outstanding ability and extraordinary power will arise, who is opposed to Jesus Christ and claims to be the Christ.

It is significant that Antichrist will be a man. Antichrist will not be some strange creature, unrecognizable to you and me, some foreigner, a man from Mars or another solar system. Antichrist will not be a stranger to humanity. Indeed, he will be the final and full development of man, of the human race. You will know him well, for his nature will be your nature. Man always has and always will claim equality and identity with God (witness the insane ravings of the Shirley MacLaines and others today). This man's claims will be believable; he will be one of us.

Antichrist: a political powerRevelation 13 gives further instruction about Antichrist, teaching that his kingdom will be both a political and an ecclesiastical empire. The vision of Revelation 13 must be read in the light of Revelation 12, where the dragon cast out of heaven, identified as the devil and Satan, pursues the woman (who represents the church of Christ) in the new dispensation.

The dragon is angry because the woman's man-child, Jesus Christ, is caught up into heaven before the dragon can devour him. Now he spits his poisonous black bile on the woman, persecuting her, making war with her seed! He hates and tries to devastate the church.

In chapter 13 we have the appearance of two beasts which are the product of the dragon in chapter 12-- his creation and servants ("...and the dragon gave him his power, and his seat, and great authority" (Vs. 3). This first beast is a wild animal which arises out of the sea. It looks like a leopard, but its feet are like bear's feet and its mouth like a lion's. Its seven heads and ten horns make us think of the dragon himself in chapter 12:3 where he was pictured with seven heads and ten horns. The heads of the beast are full of blasphemy. And one of the heads has a scar from a wound now healed. After the beast has risen from the sea, the whole world worships this beast, while it spews out blasphemies against God and makes war with the saints and overcomes them. This is the same beast that Revelation 17:3 refers to, where it is described as scarlet in color, ridden by a great whore. If you study the vision in Revelation 13 in connection with Daniel 7, you will see that the vision of Revelation 13 is based on that of Daniel 7, and that the beast of Revelation 13 is the beast of Daniel 7. John's beast from the sea is a combination of the leopard, bear, lion, and indescribable fourth beast of Daniel 7, whose ten horns give rise to one horn that speaks great, boastful things, and makes war with the saints and prevails!

What does this beast from the sea represent?

Antichrist! But Antichrist as a world government, a political power, the likes of which this world has never seen. The origin of this beast is the sea, which represents the restless nations and peoples of the earth. Isaiah 57:20teaches, "The wicked are like the troubled sea, when it cannot rest, whose water cast up mire and dirt." If more is needed, Revelation 17 tells us that "the waters which thou sawest, where the whore sitteth, are peoples and multitudes and nations." Little doubt is left when we see that the beast has horns and crowns. In Scripture horns are symbolic of power, and crowns of ruling authority. Besides, Revelation 13:2 says that the beast has power and a throne and great authority; and verse 7 says that he has power over all kindreds and tongues and nations. If any question remains, Daniel 7 says that the four beasts are four kings; and Revelation 17 says the beast from the earth is a king. The centuries of division and separation on this earth will end in one world government. The Antichrist is a political reality, a new world order, a global unity.

We emphasize the point in the preceding paragraph because there is often the impression that Antichrist will simply be a religious figure. Scripture makes clear, however, that Anti-Christ will be a political power.

This political power will be a worldwide power.

The beast has ten horns and ten crowns, representing fullness of power and authority over the nations of the world. Verse 3 says that all the world wondered after the beast. Verse 7 says that he has power over all kindreds and tongues and nations. And verse 8 says that all that dwell on the earth shall worship him (all, of course, except those whose names have been written in the Lamb's book of life).

But it is a worldwide power that is the goal of, and embodiment of, all previous world powers. This is brought out in Revelation 13 in two ways. Follow along carefully as we look at this important point. First, the beast of Revelation 13 has the characteristics of a leopard, a bear, and a lion, so that, even though it is the final development of Daniel 7's fourth beast, it somehow embodies the other three as well. The four beasts of Daniel 7, almost all agree, represent four great world kingdoms: Babylon headed by Nebuchadnezzar; the Medes and Persians led by Cyrus; Greece and Macedonia under Alexander the Great, and, finally, Rome. The beast of Revelation 13 is the final development of the old, Roman kingdom (which indicates that Antichrist will come out of the Christian West, and not the pagan East), but it takes into itself also the other great kingdoms.

Secondly, that Antichrist's is a worldwide kingdom is also the meaning of the seven heads of the beast described in Revelation 17. The 7 heads of the beast are 7 kingdoms-- five of them had already fallen, one of them was still standing (at the time John wrote this prophecy about AD 95), and one yet to come. Rome was the kingdom in existence, and the one yet to come is the Antichristian kingdom. The five which have already passed out of existence were the Greek kingdom, the Medo-Persian, the Babylonian, the Assyrian, and the kingdom of Babel, headed by Nimrod. We see, therefore, one beast with seven heads. And now the Spirit teaches us that the great kingdom of Antichrist, as the embodiment of these former kingdoms, succeeds where the other kingdoms ultimately failed, achieving its goal of world dominance. Nations cease their warring; the planet is united; the world is one. And that world belongs to Antichrist. The healing of the wound in Revelation 13 points to the success of Antichrist. We must not fail to see the significance of the healing of the wound.

One of the heads of this beast had a "deadly wound that was healed." The explanation of this is that in the time of Nimrod, at the tower of Babel, there was an attempt to unite all men into one great world power. God frustrated this attempt by dividing the men and women into different races with different colors and languages, so that they were forced to separate. Races have remained separate ever since. All their efforts to be united have been frustrated up to this point. At the end, Antichrist will succeed.

This, we believe, is what II Thessalonians 2 speaks of when it says, "he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way." That is, "He that restraineth, will restrain...." There is something or someone that restrains, hinders, impedes, the Antichrist from coming; but in the end, that hindrance will be taken out of the way so that the Antichrist can succeed in uniting all the kingdoms and nations of the world into one.

One must be blind and deaf not to detect this happening today. In a way that has never happened before, that was impossible before, nations are holding hands and talking peace. Walls are coming down. Economies are becoming more and more interdependent. The union of all the world into one is on the horizon. One day soon the sun will rise on a united world, and Antichrist will be its bright and morning star.

Antichrist: an ecclesiastical powerBut Antichrist is not only a beast from the sea. The second part of the vision in Revelation 13 further reveals him as another beast, one arising from the earth. This beast serves the first beast, wielding the power of the first beast, making all the world worship the first beast, and showing that without it the first beast is nothing. And the point of the vision is that the reality of Antichrist is two cooperating powers, the one political, the other, ecclesiastical.

The beast that arises out of the earth looks like a lamb. It had two horns of a lamb, but it was a beast. So immediately we understand the nature of this beast; it is a deceptive creature -- a ferocious beast disguised as a gentle lamb. The horror is that this beast masquerades as Jesus Christ, who is THE Lamb of God. This beast, too, is powerful, for it has horns. However, the power of this beast is not political or military. Rather, its power is the power of persuasive speech. It speaks like a dragon, persuading the world to worship the first beast, to build an image of the first beast, and to bow down to it.

It is plain that this beast represents false religion. Preaching and teaching make men worship something or someone. But this is false teaching and lying preaching. That's evident from the fact that this beast looks like a lamb, looks like Jesus Christ and all that Jesus Christ represents, but in actuality is a beast. He claims to speak like Jesus, but has the foul breath and fiery speech (in the eyes and nostrils of God) of a dragon.

This beast will not arise from Hinduism or Buddhism or any other pagan religion; he will arise out of Christianity itself. Few Christians would believe a Ghandi's claim to be Christ. When one looks at Revelation 19:20, that becomes obvious. There, in the passage that describes the defeat of Antichrist, we read that the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that worked miracles before the beast. This second beast represents false Christianity, the apostate church that calls itself "the Church of Christ" (we mean by this designation the broad "church," and do not intend it to be confused with a certain denomination of that name).

The work of the second beast is the service of the first, the cooperating with the Antichristian world government. What is that service? It is causing all the world to worship the first beast. He will call all men and women of the world to bow down to the first beast, who is the "Savior of the world." Now the prophecy of Revelation 17 comes to pass: the kings of the earth commit fornication with the whore, the false church.

If one asks what he should look for in the days to come, we say this: there will be political union all nations will be gathered together into one mighty empire. This is the first beast. There will also be religious union, joining all the religions and religious empires of the world. The powerful ecumenical movement of today, led by the religions of Christianity, will in the end fully succeed, swallowing up all the other religions of the world. You may expect to see one man over it all. Antichrist.

ANTICHRIST'S PURPOSEWhy in the world would anyone work such deceitful effrontery? Why such effort in a sham kingdom? Why would any man with that kind of worldwide sovereignty even want his kingdom identified with Christ, labeled with the name of God?

To ask these questions is to answer them. Antichrist's purpose is to destroy the saints, God's elect. And here we get to the heart of the matter. The man Antichrist, indwelt by Satan's spirit, is opposed to God and opposed to Jesus His Christ. With a hatred that can be traced back to the fall of the angels prior to Genesis 3, he despises God and God's cause in Jesus. But he cannot touch God because God cast him out of heaven, according to Revelation 12; and he cannot touch God's Christ, because Jesus was caught up into heaven. So the only thing that remains for him to do is to breathe his fire on the seed of the woman, the Church of Christ. Revelation 12 describes this church as the "remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ." In Matthew 24 they are described as the "elect" of God.

The devil knows that to attack the Church is to attack Jesus, the Christ; and to do damage to the body of Christ is to inflict damage upon Christ. He also knows that, because the members of the church are the chosen of God, eternally loved by God (Deuteronomy 7:6-8), to destroy them is equivalent to defeating God. So the objects of his fury are the beloved of God.

His worldwide empire will be less an inflating of his ego than an attempt to see come to pass his millennia-long dream of defeating God and God's purpose in the woman's Seed. In his mind, the promise of God that the Serpent's head would be crushed must never be fulfilled. He must have the victory over and defeat God. To defeat God's people is to defeat God.

He desires to have you, who keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ -- the elect of God. And if that is true, you must know how he works. You must understand his methods.

ANTICHRIST'S METHODSAntichrist goes about his business by speaking the lie. II Thessalonians 2 says that he comes "with all deceivableness of unrighteousness." Revelation 13:12 says, "and he spoke as a dragon...." Revelation 17 tells us that he was a false prophet, a prophet being one whose calling it is to speak and to teach. The armies of the world may have guns and tanks and bombs to bring people into submission; but the power of speech and ideas is a mighty power. In his initial attempts to destroy the cause of God, the devil used a serpent to deceive the woman with crooked speech: "You will be like God." Now he uses a "dragon" who speaks crafty, lying words. His speeches will be heard by millions who will hang on his persuasive rhetoric. The content as well as the form of his speech will attract. Like most false prophets, he will even be sincere and passionate. But he is a liar. He adds dashes of truth to the mix, so that his lie tastes like truth. He will use all the right catchwords, using the language of the church, even throwing in a Bible text or two. But he is the ultimate Liar, and will deceive many.

He will use every tool available: school teachers, politicians, news broadcasters, artists, musicians, scientists and doctors, lawyers and businessmen. All will be pressed into the service of Antichrist to deceive men. But especially he will use those whose calling it is to persuade and to teach -- men who claim to be preachers of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

What is this message that has such power to deceive? What is it that is preached by the now-apostate churches once rooted in true Christianity, that stirs up mankind to this ecumenical worship? What gospel will attract the hordes of men and women? What good news will knit the souls of such diverse peoples and nations and tongues?

The gospel of Antichrist is humanism -- the happiness of man, the glory of man, the peace and prosperity, the health and wealth of man. The number of the beast, do not forget, is 6-6-6, the number of man.

But we remind you, the Antichrist deceives. He will not tip his hand by declaring publicly, "I am the Antichrist." He will not claim that there is no God, no Christ, no salvation, and that the message of the Bible is a lie. But he will say, "I am your Messiah; you are God (Shirley MacLaine has comrades and consorts in the Rastifarians of Jamaica, whose word for "divine" is "I-vine"!); and an earthly life of peace and prosperity, of health and happiness -- that is salvation." The distant rumblings of Antichrist's thunder are growing louder.

Performing miracles, Antichrist will establish himself and validate his claim as God's anointed. This is the emphasis of II Thessalonians 2. Men have always performed miracles to establish their authority, presenting them as the credentials of their divine appointment. Moses did in Egypt. Elijah did on Mount Carmel. Jesus Christ and His apostles did. So will Antichrist. Revelation 13:13 says that the second beast "doeth great wonders..." and verse 14 that "he deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by the means of those miracles which he had power to do in the sight of the beast." Matthew 24:24 indicates the same thing: "For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect." This is the teaching of II Thessalonians 2:9, "even him whose coming is after the working of Satan, with all power and signs and lying wonders...." The works of Antichrist will be the works of Satan, who has power beyond the natural ability of man.

Nor will these be fake miracles. These will not be just magic tricks of talented men like Harry Houdini and David Copperfield, but amazing deeds that simply defy explanation in human, scientific terms. Buttressing the claims of Antichrist will be nothing less than the superhuman power of the devil himself.

THE CHURCH'S CALLING: OPPOSE ANTICHRIST PRESENTLY
The critical danger for the church today is exactly the reality called Antichrist. There is a danger that the church, as it were, posts a lookout to scan the horizon for Antichrist, so that the lookout can warn the people of God when the enemy has arrived and sound the warning to give battle. In the meantime the church is busy with its own legitimate work, but supposes that the Antichrist is of no danger presently. That is precisely what Antichrist wants the church to believe.

God's call to His people is to oppose the Antichrist now. We are not saying here that the Christian's calling is to be ready to oppose Antichrist when he comes, urgent as that calling is. We are saying that our calling and the calling that we urge you to carry out is this: Oppose the opposer of Jesus Christ presently. Not someday, but today.

It is possible to oppose him now, for he is present now. Before you race ahead to find us naming names, or identifying persons and churches, let us explain. I John 2:18 does not say, "Antichrist shall come" but "Antichrist comes...." That is, there is a process of Antichrist coming all down through the history of this world. This process involves the coming of many Antichrists (in the plural). Thus, Matthew 24 can warn of "false Christs" and can say that many shall come in Jesus' name saying, "I am Christ." This also explains how Paul can say in II Thessalonians 2 that the mystery of iniquity is working. Even as Paul wrote that letter, the mystery of iniquity was active in the world, preparing the way for the final Antichrist and his work.

Recognizing Antichrist's "spirit"
Even in the old dispensation there were Antichrists, like Nimrod, Nebuchadnezzar, Antiochus Epiphanes, and others. But especially in the New Testament since Christ's ascension, Antichrist has been coming. The great Antichristian kingdom with its mighty head will not appear ex nihilo, out of nothing, but will be the result of a long and gradual development. And that long and gradual development is and has been the work of the spirit of Antichrist, the spirit of Satan himself, laying the groundwork, preparing the way, making ready for the revelation of the man of sin, the son of perdition.

Was it wrong, then, of the Reformers to say that the pope was Antichrist? If the Reformers meant that the pope at that time, Pope St. Paul III, or another, was the personal Antichrist, the man of sin, the final culmination of the Devil's work in this world, they were mistaken. He did not complete the picture the Scripture draws. But one may not dismiss the Reformers as wild-eyed fanatics. Consider: the pope is and was also a political figure. That is no less plain today than it was in Luther's day. Then already the pope laid claim to the right to crown kings and invest them with the authority to rule the world. Today, the Vatican has its ambassadors in almost every nation of the world and even we, the United States, send our own representatives to the pope.

The pope is a political head.
Rome has always embodied the Antichristian spirit and principles: a headship that is in a man, a pope, a hierarchy; an authority of tradition in addition to the one Word of God; a salvation by works in addition to faith and grace; a worship of another (Mary) in addition to the worship of the one alone in whose name we find salvation (Acts 4:12).

A present struggle
The struggle of the people of God against Antichrist has always been and will always be a present struggle. The call to oppose Antichrist must always be given in the present imperative. Whether in the future the church's children (your children and my children) are able to withstand the Man of Sin, the Son of Perdition, depends, to a great degree, on the success of the battle we wage against his spirit today.

The second beast is working; his labor is under way. We are not referring to specific persons, or particular institutions and churches. We are referring to the spirit of our age that rejects God and God's Word, and promotes with all of its power, MAN. The purpose of education today is man's welfare; the purpose of science is man's pleasure; the goal of entertainment is the good life for man. Hedonism says it all. The world is crowded with Antichrists presently. No, look not only on the horizon for Antichrist. Look about you. Oppose him today.

The manner of oppositionWe do not oppose him with guns and tanks and bombs. We do not try to prevent his coming or overthrow it when it comes by political power plays. We oppose him in a spiritual manner, in the same way Jesus Christ opposed him during His ministry, and in the way Jesus taught His disciples to oppose him in theirs -- by faith and the powerful Word of the gospel. We oppose all that opposes Jesus Christ. We oppose humanism that exalts man and promotes the cause of man and man alone. This is why Reformed believers from the beginning have maintained that it is necessary for them to maintain good, Christian schools in which their children are educated. The world inculcates its young with humanistic values and humanistic goals, and we must have no part of that mis-education. We oppose humanism from the pulpits of our churches, and put out those ministers and elders who would preach and teach this kind of a gospel. In this way we oppose Antichrist today.

We oppose hierarchical church government. Hierarchy in the church (the rule by a few "holy ones," or by an intellectual elite, from the top down) is Antichristian in spirit and purpose. That is one main reason the Reformers were opposed to the pope. Audaciously, he set himself up as Vicar of Christ, head of the church, whose word no priest or bishop or counsel, much less layman, could question. We oppose Antichrist today by opposing hierarchy -- a lordship of man, a setting aside of the Word of God and the replacing of it with the word and will of man.

We oppose the ecumenical mania, rife today in the churches. There are powerful winds blowing -- hurricane force winds -- blowing across the churches to bring them together into one, large church body. Robert Schuller, world-acclaimed pastor of one of the largest Reformed churches in America, calls the church world: "It is time for Protestants to go to the Shepherd (pope) and say, What do we have to do to come home?" (Los Angeles Herald Examiner, September 19, 1987). The bottom line, the common denominator, that summons all together is the goal of a world in which man will have earthly peace and prosperity. It seems that the only "heresy" in the minds of most churchmen today is the questioning of the ecumenical movement. There is even a widespread notion abroad, showing itself also in Reformed circles, that all the pagan religions are legitimate, nothing other than the expression of the universal religious feelings of mankind that probably find their best expressions in Christianity. Witness the Protestant preachers praying with Muslims. The basis for that is Humanism. The church of Christ today opposes Antichrist by giving battle to those notions and ideas prevalent in the church today.

We oppose Antichrist by opposing all heresy in the church. Heresy, or false doctrine, is nothing less than opposition to Jesus Christ, Who is the Way, the Truth and the Life. How often does not Jesus warn His disciples of those wolves in sheep's wool who will misrepresent the truth to draw men away from Jesus? But how much concern is there today for fighting heresy, exposing false doctrine for what it is -- Antichristian in spirit and purpose, paving the way for the man of sin himself who will deceive many?

Opposing heresy, we promote the truth. The people of God who have a heart for God's Christ and Christ's church take the offensive in this battle against Antichrist. Promote the gospel of Jesus Christ. Promote biblical church government. Promote the proper, presbyterian form of church government. Promote the proper manner of church union and reunion -- on the basis of the truth of the gospel of God.

Finally, we do battle with Antichrist in ourselves. For Antichrist has an ally in my own sinful nature. Here is humanism in its basic form -- in my own heart. Here is the false doctrine of salvation by the works of man, right here in my own proud breast. Here is hierarchy, the rule by a few --by me. Right here in my own heart I find sympathy with the notion that salvation comes by faith and by works. In myself is the lie in its crudest form -- "Ye shall be as God." When the saint fights Antichrist in his heart, with his heart, God will give him the strength to oppose Antichrist when he is revealed in the last day, at the end of which he will be destroyed utterly and completely.

ANTICHRIST'S CERTAIN DESTRUCTIONAntichrist will succeed in deceiving many. By his earthly successes and charm, Antichrist will deceive millions. The ungodly world as well as many in the churches will fawn over him. Those who do not will not only be mocked, they will be killed.

And for that, the wicked will be damned. This is the teaching of II Thessalonians 2:10-12. Even their deception is a judgment of God upon them; when Antichrist comes, God will send a strong delusion that they should believe a lie. The reason for this is that they did not receive the love of the truth that they might be saved. They heard the gospel, understood the truth, but rejected it. They will perish with the Antichrist. But in the end, Antichrist will be destroyed. God's people will be saved by sovereign grace, through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth. And Antichrist will be destroyed.

The religious Antichristian empire will be destroyed by the political Antichristian empire. For a time he uses the whore; in the end he turns on her (Rev 17:16). The political empire breaks up into the battle of Armageddon: the kingdom of the beast (the Western, "Christianized" nations) against the kingdom of the east (the pagan, non-Christian nations). In the middle of that battle, Jesus Christ will return to destroy the Antichristian kingdom, consume Antichrist with the spirit of His mouth, destroy him with the brightness of His coming, and begin the judgment.

Jesus Christ reigns!There will be no struggle by Jesus Christ with Antichrist. In moment of time, where the entire history of the world climaxes, Christ in an instant will destroy the man of sin.

Therefore, do not fear!The truth of the Antichrist is dreadful. The church must suffer under him, too. But we are not to fear for a moment. And when you see the Antichrist in the future, be not in terror. For in that darkest hour the world has ever known, we will be doing the same as we have all our lives, waiting "with uplifted heads" for the coming of Jesus Christ, Who will redeem us from all distress.