Posted on 05/21/2007 6:59:42 AM PDT by Esther Ruth
Politics and Bible Prophecy
Why We Need One to Understand the Other
In Defense of the Faith
Saturday, May 19, 2007
Jack Kinsella - Omega Letter Editor
According to the Bible, the administration of the coming antichrist will rest on three separate pillars of power.
In order for the antichrist to accomplish all that the Bible predicts within the seven-year time frame allotted, he will have to seize absolute control of a global religious system, a global government, and a global economy. The Prophet Daniel and the Apostles John and Paul all reference his control of a global government. Daniel 9:26 identifies him as a 'prince' of the people who destroyed Daniel's 'city and sanctuary' and provides an iron-clad time frame for his reign of terror.
These can only be Jerusalem and the Temple. Daniel was a Jewish captive of the Babylonian Empire during the period in which he wrote the Book that bears his name.
The context in which Daniel 9:26 is presented leaves no other alternative explanation.
"Seventy weeks are determined upon THY people and upon THY holy city, to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most Holy." (Daniel 9:24)
Daniel's people were the Jews, and Daniel's holy city is Jerusalem.
"And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself: and the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary . . ." (Daniel 9:26)
The only Jewish sanctuary in the 'city' of Jerusalem is the Temple. Both were destroyed by the Romans in AD 70 -- some five hundred years after Daniel.
"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. . ." (Daniel 9:27)
The Jews divide time by seven year periods, (weeks-shabuwa) similarly to the way we divide time using the Greek system of decades (ten years).
Paul picks up on Daniel 9:27's theme, saying of the antichrist that he; "as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God." (2nd Thessalonians 2:4)
And John says "power was given him [the antichrist] over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations." (Revelation 13:7)
Revelation 13:11 introduces a second member of the antichrist's government: "And I beheld another beast coming up out of the earth; and he had two horns like a lamb, and he spake as a dragon."
This second beast has "two horns like a lamb" (symbolizing Christianity) but he speaks "as a dragon" symbolizing Satan. In context, the passage infers that his religion will be a counterfeit form of Christianity -- a theme also outlined by Paul.
"Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders, And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved." (2nd Thessalonians 2:7-8)
Finally, the Apostle John makes it clear that the antichrist will have unprecedented control over what can only be a completely centralized global economy.
"And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads: And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name." (Revelation 13:16-17)
Most folks who study the prophecy of the Mark of the Beast miss the relevancy of what it has to teach the Church Age.
Everybody is looking out for the Mark of the Beast. The Mark of the Beast is a mid-Tribulation event. The Church won't be here, so we needn't be fear it.
For the Mark of the Beast to fit John's prophecy, there must first be a 'Beast', and then there needs be a 'Mark'. What IS relevant is the fact that, for the very first time in all of recorded history, the kind of centralized, global economic control described by John is not only technically possible, it is a foregone conclusion.
The elimination of cold cash and its replacement with electronic money via smart cards and rechargable ATM cards makes logical sense. Without cash, drug dealers, terrorist financiers, burglars, tax evaders and so forth would immediately go out of business.
What is significant isn't that the Mark of the Beast is here -- it isn't. But the technology foreseen by the Apostle John in AD 87 is.
The antichrist only has seven years in which to accomplish all that the Bible outlines. That doesn't leave enough time for him to construct all the necessary religious, economic and political infrastructure necessary from scratch.
The infrastructure necessary did not exist even ten years ago. Today, the global economy is one step from being universally cashless. The UN is trying to insinuate itself into position as a functional global government.
Of course, the UN is too feckless to be trusted with that kind of power, but the world is well-aware of the need for some kind of global system of governance.
The UN has already created the essential infrastructure, such as the World Bank, World Trade Organization, UNICEF, UNESCO, UNFOR, etc., all of which are now too well-entrenched to abandon.
The UN itself is destined to join the League of Nations on the trash heap of history. But the existing infrastructure must survive.
The EU recognizes that fact, and is well on the way to constructing a parallel organization capable of assuming control of existing programs when the UN's bloated and corrupt administration implodes.
Daniel clearly identifies a revived form of the Roman Empire as the seat of the antichrist's political government. So it is no coincidence that the EU is already constructed as a global government-in-waiting.
What has yet to be fully developed is a centralized global religious system that meets John's specifications. But even that eventuality is under construction.
The United Nations has established a World Council of Religious Leaders. Under the umbrella of the "Millennium Peace Summit's slogan of "Building an Integrated Framework for Peace" it claims:
"The objective of this Council is to serve as a resource to the United Nations and its agencies around the world, nation states and other international organizations, offering the collective wisdom and resources of the faith traditions toward the resolution of critical global problems."
The Council has identified "religious fundamentalism" as the principle obstacle to peace and is actively working towards a kinder, gentler, more inclusive global religious system that can accommodate all the world's religions under one banner.
The world is currently embroiled in a conflict that pits fundamentalist Islam against fundamentalist Judaism and fundamentalist Christianity.
One of Islam's fundamental doctrines holds that any part of "Dar al Islam" (the Zone of Islam) is a permanent condition. Once an area has been conquered by Islam, any loss is only temporary.
Indeed, Osama bin Laden justified the Madrid bombing in 2003 as retaliation for the Islamic loss of Andalusia to the Spanish -- in 1492!
And at the core of the global fundamentalist religious war is the issue of ownership of Jerusalem and the Temple Mount.
Jewish fundamentalism holds that Jerusalem and the Temple Mount, (once part of Dar al Islam) is Israel's eternal capital by Divine Decree. And fundamentalist Christian theology supports Israel's claim to Jerusalem as Divine.
Fundamentalist Islam cannot recognize Israel's existence without admitting the Koran is false. Fundamentalist Judaism cannot countenance the surrender Jerusalem or the Temple without conceding the Bible is not true. Neither can fundamentalist Christianity.
Iran has threatened to destroy Israel as a fundamental religious duty. To survive, Israel must destroy Iran's nuclear capability before it is used to destroy them. And no US president that abandoned Israel would survive immediate impeachment.
Mainstream Christianity, Judaism and Islam combined, represent about half of the world's population. But of that number, only a fraction are genuine fundamentalists.
The outbreak of a nuclear conflict over such religious fundamentals would result in an immediate and global call for the abolition of religious fundamentalism -- a call that would be loudly echoed by the 'mainstream' from all three faiths.
To accomplish that, all religions would have to be brought under a central authority -- some kind of global council that could serve as both watchdog and moral authority. Such a council already exists.
What remains unfulfilled is the global will to cede authority over to it. For now.
What does it all mean?
As I've noted on plenty of previous occasions, the Church Age draws to a close with the Rapture before the onset of the Tribulation Period.
It is not the role of Christians to be looking for the antichrist. It is our job to be looking for the return of Jesus Christ, and using that information to lead others to Christ while there is still time.
Admittedly, the Omega Letter spends at least as much time examining current events, in particular, political events, as it does on Bible doctrine. I get a lot of grief over that.
"Why don't you stick to the Bible and leave politics alone?" is a common refrain, especially from non-Christians, not to mention from liberals of all religious persuasions.
The Bible's outline of the Tribulation is all about politics. The antichrist is a political leader. The signs pointing to the nearness of the Tribulation Period are far more political than they are doctrinal.
The politics of government. The politics of economics. The politics of religion. It takes injecting all three into the Big Picture in order to see it coming together.
The Bible examines the political, religious and religious worldviews as they will exist during a single generation, somewhere in time, to the exclusion of all previous generations. Those ARE the signs of the times.
I am not looking for the coming of the antichrist. When it comes to his identity, I am both ignorant and apathetic -- I don't know and I don't care. I don't expect to be here when he comes on the scene.
Instead, I am looking for the signs of the return of Christ for His Church. It is much like looking at a calendar. If the calendar says tomorrow is Thanksgiving, then one knows that Christmas is just around the corner.
Jesus said; "when these things BEGIN to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads, for your redemption draweth nigh." (Luke 21:28)
I get as tired of politics as anybody else does. I often get as discouraged and depressed by all the bad news as you do. But Jesus outlined these signs for a different reason. The fact that He said this is how things would be, and that today, this is how things are, proves that He is indeed God, He is still in control, and all things continue according to His Plan. If we trust Jesus, we have nothing to fear.
In a nutshell, what it means its this. At some point before the last puzzle piece falls into place,
"[T]he Lord Himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord." (1st Thessalonians 4:16-17)
The signs of the times are indeed disturbing. To an unbeliever, they are undoubtedly terrifying.
But the message all this chaos and confusion sends to the Church is not one of fear. It is intended as a source of comfort. As Paul wrote in conclusion to the "Rapture Chapter,"
"Wherefore, comfort one another with these words." (1st Thessalonians 4:18)
Be comforted. It's only bad if you don't know Jesus.
"Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth" (Rev 3:10).
God said He didnt appoint us to His wrath.
I believe Him.
Even if my interpretation of this promise is wrong, He is still right and worthy of all praise. But it seems very clear.
END TIMES, PROPHECY, DREAMS, VISIONS PING LIST.
Please let me know if you want on or off this sporadic ping list.
EXCELLENT. THANKS.
I worry about it for loved ones who don’t have a relationship with Jesus Christ yet.
Or WHAT is in there. Brrr.
Thanks for the ping!
I’m not convinced of pretrib rapture, but will try to be ready no matter when it happens. I think it’s spiritually and perhaps physically dangerous to expect pre trib and then not prepare (however you DO that) for pre wrath or other times.
Exactly. I’ve heard, and don’t know if this is so or not, that Christians who are not baptized in the Holy Spirit are the ones who have no oil in their lamps. It makes sense but I’m not trying to be dogmatic about it. Spirit filled Christians would be the ones to be more prepared and warned by the HS.
Very understandable and a quite concerning situation.
But tell me this. As a general rule. How should Christians spend their time? Worrying about what will happen according to God’s plan ... or actually witnessing to others?
It seems to me that worrying about The Rapture / Tribulation / End of Days is a waste of energy better spent living and teaching according to the great commandment.
I’m a pre wrath rapture person myself. Marvin Rosenthal, a Jewish believer, wrote a good book on “The PreWrath Rapture of the Church.” He used to be pre trib and suffered greatly at the hands of his old pre trib friends when he changed his stance. “The Sign” is another book written on pre wrath. Whatever, we just need to be aware and prepare.
We should always be witnessing. I believe God gives us the urgency to do just that as the time approaches.
Ping.
In one of the prophecies (not the Bible), it says that the last tyranny over man will be unlike all the previous ones in nature. James Martin and others even predict the year when computers will have taken over, past the point of return. They have a name for it, which escapes me right now. Martin, for one, doesn't seem disturbed by this. To me it seems logical, inevitable--and foreseen, if by people who couldn't conceive of computers and just saw its essence: bestial, not human.
The Singularity. There’s quite a lot about this on the Web, I see. And some people are appropriately alarmed by it.
I’ve heard, and don’t know if this is so or not, that Christians who are not baptized in the Holy Spirit are the ones who have no oil in their lamps. It makes sense but I’m not trying to be dogmatic about it. Spirit filled Christians would be the ones to be more prepared and warned by the HS.
= = =
Good points.
I think all the Scriptures related to THE BEAST
will be literally true.
I don’t think the computer quite qualifies for all of them.
Certainly the computer will be used by The Beast.
And it’s been said that the computer banks in Brussels monitoring every human being in the developed countries plus many others . . . is called . . .
THE BEAST.
We shall see.
But then what is the Beast? Certainly not an actual animal, as we have dominion over the animals. Something nonhuman. Fits to a tee. If you read Nostradamus (which you might not believe), you see that he describes things in terms that he is familiar with, rather than terms that we are now familiar with.
I am always saying to myself, “Have enough oil in your lamp.” When I make a decision that I believe (or even know) is right, I keep reminding myself to carry through on it despite what may happen.
I suppose you haven’t heard of the Dracos?
Scripture talks of beasts rising out of the earth in the end times.
I’ll stick with the literal interpretation expectations.
The computer will likely be an auxiliary tool of THE BEAST.
Of course, if there’s a robotic computer controlled creation that is supernaturally brought to life as THE BEAST . . . that could conceivably be.
But my money at present is still on a flesh and blood demonized literal BEAST.
***
I know what you mean. You imagine things will be a certain way, not sure why - but a combination of all that’s been read/watched in one’s lifetime and you create some idea of what it will be like in your mind — but you are right — it does seem to all be taking on a more a chaotic, frenzied, bumbling appearance as it unfolds, (as the presence of the Spirit of the Lord diminishes and the spirit of the end times and the antichrist increases). Like palsy, epilepsy, nail biting nervousness, like an unstable pysch patient about to spas out and charge over a cliff — but that is what a lot of the demon possessed are like in the NT.
Rev 12:12 ... Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea! for the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time.
(24) Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city, to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most Holy.This verse gives us the context for the passage. Daniel is told that a period of 70 weeks are determined for completing six things:
The question we must answer is, have all these things taken place, i.e., have they all been fulfilled, or is something still left? In short, from the requirements in verse 24 is there any reason to posit an as-yet-future 70th week?
(25) Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto the Messiah the Prince shall be seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks: the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublous times.Messiah will come after the first 69 weeks. During this time the Temple will be rebuilt. I think most folks are in agreement on that one.
(26) And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself: and the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary; and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined.Again, after the 69 weeks Messiah will be "cut off," and the "people of the prince who shall come" will cause destruction to some upon Jerusalem and the Temple. And it will be a total desolation! How long after the 69th week? To answer your implied question, just because the reference is immediate, that does not mean the timing is also immediate. Does the structure of this verse require us to place the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple in the 70th week? I don't believe it does.
(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.This verse relates directly to everything that has gone before. The "he" refers to Messiah the prince. That is the natural relationship between verses 26 and 27. Jesus "confirms" the New Covenant in His blood during this one week period. Jesus was sacrificed as the basis for the covenant in "the midst of the week." Jesus caused the sacrifices to cease by virtue of His sacrifice once-for-all. The Temple veil was ripped in two from top to bottom (Matt. 27:51). We know that Jesus' ministry lasted about 3-4 years. If we include the early apostolic ministry, especially the ministry to the Jews in Judea (the early chapters of the book of Acts), we have another 3-4 years. You might note that the severe persecution which arose in Judea against the church effectively ended the ability of the early disciples to evangelize their Jewish brethren (cf. Acts 8:1; 11:19). This was the end of the so-called 70th week.
It is not clear that the last portion of verse 27 is a reference to the actual timing of the "abomination of desolation," or whether the prophecy is simply claiming that during the 70th week the determination is made that there will be an "abomination." Certainly, we know the Jews sealed their own fate, and hence brought on the "abomination of desolation," by the actions against Messiah in AD33. Note the last phrase of verse 27: "and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate." The determination was made, but the actual "pouring" was delayed. This delay gave the apostles an opportunity to preach the good news to many Jews living in Jerusalem and Judea prior to their destruction.
It is an unnatural interpretation of Scripture to require a future Temple be built so that a future "abomination" can occur. Jesus predicted the "abomination" in Matthew 24:15, and according to the parallel passage in Luke 21 we know that that abomination referred to the armies of Titus which surrounded the city in AD70 (at least that's the way the Christians in Jerusalem before AD70 understood it). It's plain from Jesus' interpretation of Daniel 9 that He understood it to be speaking of events that would fall upon "this generation," and He warned His disciples to be prepared.
It is incorrect interpretation to separate the first 69 weeks of the Daniel 9 prophecy from the 70th week by an unknown period of time. There is no reason to do so since all the conditions of the 70 weeks have been fulfilled.
So we see that all the conditions of Daniel 9:24 were satisfied in the continuous time period, mostly during the 70th week. Therefore, Daniel's entire prophecy is a matter of history.
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