"America's Rabbi" Warns: "Enormous, Humanic and Historic Upheaval" Rapidly Approaching

LifeSiteNews ^ | 6/25/07 | John-Henry Westen

[wagglebee]

Interview with Rabbi Daniel Lapin on How Today's World Compares to the Days of Noah

By John-Henry Westen

WASHINGTON, DC, June 25, 2007 (LifeSiteNews.com) - The recent death of Mrs. Ruth Graham, the beloved wife of preacher Billy Graham, has caused renewed reflection on her oft quoted comment:  "If God does not judge America soon, he'll have to apologize to Sodom and Gomorrah."  Indeed, with the culture war raging on abortion and same-sex 'marriage', many a Christian has wondered about a coming purgation - a cleansing as in the time of Noah and the flood.

It may come as a surprise to some, but Orthodox Jews too have a belief in a coming purgation.  As the man popularly known as "America's Rabbi" told LifeSiteNews.com, we are "moving towards some kind of enormous, humanic and historic upheaval."

Nationally acclaimed speaker and best-selling author, Rabbi Daniel Lapin spoke with LifeSiteNews.com about his newly released audio series "The Gathering Storm: Decoding the Secrets of Noah", in which he looks at the similarities between the time of Noah and our present day.

Rabbi Lapin is the founder and leader of Toward Tradition - a ground-breaking coalition of Jews, Christians and other Americans united in fighting secular fundamentalism and promoting traditional, faith-based American principles of constitutional and limited government, the rule of law, representative democracy, free markets, a strong military, and a moral public culture.

Key to interpreting the Bible (the Old Testament) suggests the Rabbi, is the Hebrew language.  In that language, he notes, the Bible tells that in the time just before the flood there were aborted babies.  "Everyone is familiar with that section just before the flood, of giants," said Rabbi Lapin.  "The King James translation refers to these people as giants - one thing, in the Hebrew, it becomes immediately very clear is that what we really are talking about is aborted people, aborted fetuses." 

"In Hebrew," explained the Rabbi there is "one word for giants (and) aborted fetuses." Comparing the time of Noah to the current day, the Rabbi said, "Babies that are aborted eventually bring about a culture of death that destroys society."

Asked if Jews, like some Christians, feel a time of purgation is coming, Rabbi Lapin replied bluntly, "Yes, it is extremely intense." 

The Rabbi stressed however that a Judeo-Christian view of the end of time is a hopeful one, in contrast to the secular view of the end of time which sees only doom and gloom.  "There is a dichotomy here between a secular world view in which the end of time is hopeless," Rabbi Lapin told LifeSiteNews.com. "It is doomed.  It ends in oblivion . . .  Right now it is global warming, a few years ago it was nuclear winter.  Before that it was that we were all going to starve and die naked and cold when Thomas Malthus at the end of the 18th century made his predictions."

"The secular world view will generate an end of time picture of hopelessness and doom and by contrast a Biblical world view of both Jews and Christians shows an end of time picture that, while it may have its turbulent threshold, is a time of some kind of unimaginable solution to all human problems."

Asked, if it would be "a time of renewal of goodness on earth?," the Rabbi replied, "Exactly right. Yes."

As for God having to apologize to Sodom and Gomorrah for not acting on America for its sins, Rabbi Lapin suggests God is in fact acting on America.  "God doesn't necessarily act towards every culture in the same way," he said.  "Every culture that adopts abortion and homosexuality as normal is a culture that begins to decline and eventually vanish off the stage of world history - that is God acting."

"That is precisely the point.  It is not that hard to see in many ways the fortunes of the US of A are simply not where they were before these twin scourges became prevalent.  Yes, He is acting - He is not going to have to apologize to Sodom at all.  He is being very consistent.  He may not be burying us in thunderbolts and mountains of salt but the damage that the US of A is enduring is no less fatal."

Rabbi Lapin sees another striking similarity between our day and the time of the Biblical flood.  Noting the political situation in the United States, where the major argumentation seems focussed on abortion and same-sex 'marriage, Rabbi Lapin observes: "Undoubtedly, it was very significant, that never before in a presidential election has there been this much focus on the faith and beliefs of the candidates which again brings us back to this Noah like period in which divisions between people are lining up very clearly on a spiritual level."

While Rabbi Lapin rejects any attempt to fix a date on the coming upheaval, he does say that it is rapidly approaching.  "What is unquestionably crystal clear is that time and history is accelerating.  Things happen more quickly now than ever before so it is moving rapidly towards this event, whatever it will look like."

[Marysecretary]

John McArthur spoke at length about this on one of Dobson’s programs. He feels, and I think he’s right, that the sexual revolution began the eventual abandonment of God towards America (not individual Christians but the country itself). Then there was the homosexual revolution, pedophilia, abortion laws, gay marriage, television and other pornography, etc., etc., etc. Our sin is a stink in his nostrils. He won’t put up with it for much longer.

[ndt]

"Your post appears to me to be idiotic."

Well that's easy to say. Now all you need to do is provided a translation of Genesis 6:4 that uses that interpretation and is not nonsensical.

I'll be waiting.

[epow]

Our sin is a stink in his nostrils. He won’t put up with it for much longer.

I think it's telling that there is no nation mentioned in end times bible prophecy that corresponds to the United States. That leads me to theorize that the US will not be a major power on the world stage when the Great Tribulation arrives. At the present time it's difficult to imagine the world without the power and wealth of the US dominating a large portion of it. But the same thing could have been said about Rome in the apostle John's time, and within 3 or 4 hundred years of John's writing the book of Revelation ca 95 AD Rome was overrun and sacked by Germanic tribes from the north. But what actually brought down mighty Rome was not the pagan invaders alone, IMHO it was the judgement of God that brought her down using the pagans as His instrument of destruction.

So it is basically true to say that it was Rome's own decadence, corruption, and grossly sinful lifestyles that brought her down. If that doesn't sound like modern America to anyone, it should.

Whether a Christian is pre-trib, mid-trib, post-trib, pre-mil, post-mil, a-mil, whatever, no one who takes bible prophecy literally can deny that the book of Revelation describes a terrible 7 year period which Jesus, speaking through the Apostle John, calls The Great Tribulation. I don't make predictions about the timing of the end of this age and the return of Jesus to earth as King and Messiah because we are told by Jesus not to do so. He said that no man knows the day of His coming, so whenever you hear some offbeat preacher or religious charlatan predict the day of His coming you can know for sure that He won't come on that day. But to my mind it's rather obvious that the US is now rapidly sinking into a morass of gross sin and moral corruption that is quite similar to the conditions that prevailed in Rome just before it fell to the Germanic barbarians, and I tend to believe that the time of our Lord's return as King and Messiah to the planet and nation which rejected Him at His first advent can't be too awfully far off in the future.

[donna]

It’s a wonderful touch point each day - always something to think over.

[MrLee]

And, we are told to be “watching”. I’m definately watching!! I feel His return for His church can’t be far off....

[Aquinasfan]

Correct, he did. But there were some early Church Father’s (usually pre Nicene) that thought the other way.

Interesting. I did a lot of reading about the Nephilim yesterday. I learned a lot of interesting things, but I've yet to see an explanation that fits with all of the data.

[epow]

Will it? I’m not so sure it will until enough attacks, floods, earthquakes, shortages of every kind, economic crises bring us to our senses.

I don't think America will come to it's senses. Read Romans chapter 1, ancient man didn't come to his senses when he was rebuked by God for his immorality and gross sin, he only became worse.

Because that, when they knew God, they glorified [him] not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened.

Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools, And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things.

Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves:

Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen.

For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature: And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence of their error which was meet.

And even as they did not like to retain God in [their] knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient;

Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers, Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, Without understanding, covenantbreakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful:

Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them.

Does that sound like 21st century America or not?

[epow]

I’m definately watching!!

Amen brother, watching and HOPING! He can't come soon enough as far as I'm concerned.

[Actually_in_Tokyo]

BTTT

[Manic_Episode]

"America's Rabbi" Warns: "Enormous, Humanic and Historic Upheaval" Rapidly Approaching"

==================================

This headline could very well be the greatest understatement in the entire history of the universe.

[Radix]

"Well that's easy to say. Now all you need to do is provided a translation of Genesis 6:4 that uses that interpretation and is not nonsensical."

I'm just getting around to my FR pings from the last several days, but I'll get around to it.

I cannot translate Hebrew or Greek, but I do know how to read.

You'll be hearing from me out here. You need to because clearly you are not able to do your own thinking.

Let me get it. It would be tonight, but I am simply swamped right this minute, and for this night.

Food for thought in the meanwhile.....

Of course it will be deemed nonsensical by a brilliant one such as yourself, but in Revelation, one third of the stars fell from Heaven.

Do you really suppose that Alpha Centauri or other celestial objects also plunged to the Earth in that cosmic drama?

Do you really not understand the Alpha/Omega reference concerning Genesis/Revelation and yet you still want to come out here and whip my butt?

Between now and when I have more free time to educate you, I'll just chasten you lightly for simply being on the wrong side of the Looking Glass.

[teldon30]

http://www.amazon.com/Twelfth-Planet-Book-Earth-Chronicles/dp/0061379131/ref=pd_bbs_1/104-4305574-3995920?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1183082293&sr=8-1

[redgolum]

Interesting. I did a lot of reading about the Nephilim yesterday. I learned a lot of interesting things, but I've yet to see an explanation that fits with all of the data.

Like much of the pre Deluge world, no one really knows much about them. A while back I did some fairly in depth searching about them (when you work nights, you do odd things on your days off when the rest of the world is asleep), and nothing really fits.

Many societies of the area had legends of the "Watchers" that some suspect were the same as the Nephlim. Of interest is they (the Watchers) were large, and mis born.

As my dear wife says "That is something we will just have to ask God about when we get there someday."

[ichabod1]

How, I don’t know.

Oh, I think we all know in our nightmares what could easily bring about a diluvian cataclysm. And soon the Iranians will possess the promethean fire.

[redgolum]

I was driving home and scanning the radio channels, when I hit a radio station that had a former US congressmen talking about the situation in the US today (I think it was Relevant Radio, the Catholic network, which is why I am pinging AF). He said that we are rapidly reaching a "Point of no return", as in the sense it means for pilots.

The point of no return is that point were you are committed to fly to the destination or crash. There is no longer enough fuel to return. We may be at that point. Rome fell, and it fell while it was a publicly "Christian" empire to a bunch of barbarians who became my ancestors. It fell because the people cared more for fornicating, partying, and drinking than protecting themselves. Many welcomed the fall, because as savage as the barbarians were they were in some ways better than what the society had become!

It maybe to late for America, but the Church (the Christian Church) will once again carry on the seed of civilization. The barbarians that destroyed the Western Empire later rebuilt it as Christendom. Which lasted in some way shape or form till 1918. The American civilization may fall, but a remnant will remain. Perhaps the truth of the Cross will take root in Asia, or reclaim its birth place, or something else we can't fathom. But Christ will remain.

[rwt60]

Jude comments as follows (KJV):

“And the angels which kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation, He hath reserved in everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the great day.” Jude 6

Why?

“Even as Sodom and Gomorrah, and the cities about them, in like manner giving themselves over to fornication, and going after strange flesh, are set forth for an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire.” Jude 7

Notice that Jude likens the sin of these angels to what happened in Sodom and Gomorrah using these expressions, “Even as Sodom...” and “in like manner.”

The point is that these specific angels committed a heinous crime that required them to be chained in darkness. Not all fallen angels are so chained. The crime is going after “strange flesh.”

[Quix]

I think George Washington’s Dream/Vision . . . though some argue about it’s authenticity . . .

I think was accurate.

We will be humbled but not destroyed.

Roland Buck asserted that Christ cared enormously for the USA and would not allow it to be utterly destroyed (though severe testing was likely—not sure how he put the latter part).

I think a number of modern prophetic types have seen things similarly.

I don’t think we can guess well how Christ is going to set things up in the Millennium.

We do know that nations which do not send at least representatives up to the New Jerusalem once a year to worship and pay tribute . . . will get no rain.

So, there will be Nations.

I don’t know how multi-cultural we’ll be. All the evil doers will have been removed from the planet. Satan will be locked up for 1,000 years and released only briefly at the end of that time.

Will be a most interesting era, for sure.

We know that the Anti-Christ will reign 3.5-7 years. LaHaye speculated possibly 10. I don’t think that’s likely. Revelation etc speaks of 3.5 year spans and 7.0 spans of time for the Great Tribulation.

Then we don’t know what “except the days be shortened, no flesh would be saved” means.

Some think it means shorter 24 hour days like maybe a faster spin and 18 hour days or some such.

Some think it means less than 3.5-7 years. We shall see.

I believe that the USA was God ordained. But that we have forsaken and as some have asserted—allowed foreign gods in to usurp and pollute the values we were founded on.

I love diversity, personally. But I don’t think diversity of values beyond a certain point is viable for a society, culture, tribe.

Thankfully, in the Millennium, Christ will be King of Kings and Lord of Lords overtly. None will want to and certainly none will dare to go against His priorities and values.

[Quix]

I think he makes a good and interesting point.

I think he fails in trying to apply that meaning/definition across the board to all those Scriptures.

Clearly in the authentic Book of Enoch as well as The OT . . . Gen 6 etc. . . . THE WATCHERS/fallen angels copulated with women who then bore giants. They also shared war making technologies with man. God was wrathful about both.

THE WATCHERS [ET’s] are doing the same thing in our era.

[Quix]

Things will ‘END’ this era

VERY WELL

FOR THOSE WHO

have accepted Christ and His Blood covering for our sins and earnestly seek to follow Him.

Actually, Scripture indicates that during the end times, those who call on the Name of The Lord Jesus shall be saved.

[ndt]

"I cannot translate Hebrew or Greek, but I do know how to read."

You don't have to be able to translate Hebrew or Greek, the rabbi already told you the definition. You seem to believe him, so use it.

I understand the idea of multiple meanings to a word, it's not rocket science. However when the resulting translation is nonsensical, that is a pretty good indicator that your translation is flawed.

"You'll be hearing from me out here. You need to because clearly you are not able to do your own thinking."

You are quite a fan of the personal insults aren't you? Shall I take that to mean that you have no idea how you will support your claim?

"Do you really not understand the Alpha/Omega reference concerning Genesis/Revelation and yet you still want to come out here and whip my butt?"

What are you talking about? You were the one who started with personal insults. Why in the world would I care whant to kick you butt?

"I'll just chasten you lightly for simply being on the wrong side of the Looking Glass."

At least I have a side, you appear to be all insult and hot air and no substance.