Posted on 12/03/2023 5:52:37 AM PST by Roman_War_Criminal
There have been many times when I’ve been reading prophetic passages in the Bible, and I wondered how people do not realize that prophecy is being fulfilled right before their eyes. The rapture alone should be a dead giveaway that the last days are here.
It just seems that the Antichrist (AC) would have no ability to operate with the Bible describing his true nature. The removal of everyone with clear knowledge of the end times will be a huge help to him. People should still be able to gain fast insight by dusting off their Bibles and reading up on what is about to take place.
If someone comes on the world stage as the most powerful political leader of all time, you would think hordes of people would say, “Hey, Aren’t You the Antichrist?” Few people will make the connection because the Beast of Revelation is generally viewed as someone who is totally evil. The AC, at first, will be a man who solves the world’s problems. He will have incredible skills at deception.
“Through his cunning He shall cause deceit to prosper under his rule” (Daniel 8:25 NKJV).
Another way that the AC will win over the world is that he will have supernatural powers. This ability to perform miracles is probably the key reason why Israel will believe that he is their long-awaited Messiah. By the time Israel realizes that the AC is a fraud, he will be too powerful to resist.
“For there shall arise false Christs and false prophets and shall show great signs and wonders, insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect” (Matthew 24:24).
Few Germans questioned if Adolf Hitler was the AC because he was on a massive political and military winning streak. After gambling and winning so many times, his people could only conclude that he was a genius. When he went to war with France, many Germans feared a repeat of the quagmire of World War I. It was a huge shock to the world when Hitler’s troops blitzkrieged their way to Paris in only a few weeks. It wasn’t until the onset of a cold winter at the gates of Moscow that Hitler’s luck ran out.
The stage is perfectly set for the AC because prophetic awareness is at a very low point. I can go back 120 years and find a series of books that drew the public’s attention to Bible prophecy. John Walvoord, Hal Lindsey, and Tim LaHaye are three key figures in my lifetime. For decades, we had a book on prophecy at the top of the best-seller list. Today, it has been over a decade since a prophecy book has been a major seller.
With most experts in the field of prophecy having died and few people rising to take their place, fresh end-time commentary is becoming hard to find. There will be plenty of supernatural events during the tribulation, but the AC will be free to provide his own interpretation. He may say that the rapture was God removing evil people from Earth.
One of the most repeated events in the tribulation is God pouring out His wrath on mankind and their refusal to repent. As the punishment gets stronger and stronger, the people of Earth will cling more stubbornly to their evil ways.
“Now the rest of mankind who were not killed by these plagues still did not repent of the works of their hands. They did not stop worshiping demons and idols of gold, silver, bronze, stone, and wood, which cannot see or hear or walk” (Revelation 9:20).
There will be a vast number of people who will repent and turn to God. Most of these people will suffer martyrdom for their faith.
People will not fail to turn to God because of a lack of knowledge. As the tribulation progresses, the world will know what is happening. They will be so committed to the AC that they cannot change their allegiance. They will first see him as their savior. When they take the mark, their fate will be sealed. Once people reject salvation, God will send them a strong delusion that will make them believe a deeper lie. When the tribulation draws to a close, people will be so desperate they will cry for rocks to fall on them.
The wonderful thing about this time before the rapture is that we can use it to avoid the tribulation by turning to Christ for salvation. After the rapture, salvation can only be achieved by a willingness to endure suffering. If any of you are unsure about your standing with God, you need to resolve your doubts. It is so clear to me that this world is run by the devil, and the only way someone could miss out on God’s offer of grace is through profound negligence.
“For He says: ‘In an acceptable time I have heard you, And in the day of salvation I have helped you.’ Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation” (II Corinthians 6:2 NKJV).
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Maranatha!
Twenty Prophetic Imminence Passages in the New Testament
1. You shall not finish going through the cities of Israel, until the Son of Man comes. (Matthew 10:23)
2. The Son of Man is about to come in the glory of His Father with His angels; and will then recompense every man according to his deeds. (Matthew 16:27, YLT)
3. There are some of those who are standing here who shall not taste death until they see the Son of Man coming in His kingdom. (Matthew 16:28; cf. Mark 9:1; Luke 9:27)
4. This generation will not pass away until all these things take place. (Matthew 24:34; Mark 13:30; Luke 21:32)
5. From now on, you [Caiaphas, the chief priests, the scribes, the elders, the whole Sanhedrin] will be seeing the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of power, and coming on the clouds of heaven. (Matthew 26:64; Mark 14:62; Luke 22:69)
6. These are days of vengeance, in order that all things which are written may be fulfilled. (Luke 21:22)
7. If I want him to remain until I come, what is that to you? (John 21:22)
8. For these men are not drunk, as you suppose. . . But this is what was spoken of through the prophet Joel: “And it shall be in the last days. . .” (Acts 2:15-17)
9. It is already the hour for you to awaken from sleep; for now salvation is nearer to us than when we believed. The night is almost gone, and the day is at hand. (Romans 13:11-12)
10. The appointed time has grown very short. (1 Corinthians 7:29)
11. The present form of this world is passing away. (1 Corinthians 7:31)
12. Now these things happened to them as an example, but they were written down for our instruction, on whom the end of the ages has come. (1 Corinthians 10:11)
13. God, after He spoke long ago to the fathers in the prophets in many portions and in many ways, in these last days has spoken to us in His Son. (Hebrews 1:1-2)
14. For yet in a very, very little while, He who is coming will come, and will not delay. (Hebrews 10:37)
15. You too be patient; strengthen your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand. (James 5:8)
16. He . . . has appeared in these last times for the sake of you. (1 Peter 1:20)
17. The end of all things is at hand; therefore, be of sound judgment and sober spirit for the purpose of prayer. (1 Peter 4:7)
18. It is the last hour. (1 John 2:18)
19. to show to His bond servants, the things which must shortly take place (Revelation 1:1; 22:6)
20. The time is near. (Revelation 1:3; 22:10 compare Daniel 8:26; 12:4)
QUESTION: WHY DO CHRISTIANS ROUTINELY IGNORE OR ATTEMPT TO EXPLAIN AWAY THESE PASSAGES?
It is clear that Jesus and the writers of the New Testament taught that THEY were living in the “last days,” and that Jesus would return while some of them were still alive. Where did they get this idea?―from Jesus, of course. Were they wrong? If so, neither the New Testament writers nor Jesus could be inspired—and Christianity falls.
For more about the preterist view, including the rapture theory, check out my website:
https://prophecyquestions.com/
HISTORY OF FALSE PROPHETS AMONG OUR CHRISTIAN BROTHERS
In every generation after the apostles, there have been Christians who mistakenly believed that they were in the last days. They have thought that their generation was the one Jesus spoke of when He prophesied that “all these things” would happen in “this generation.” Failed prognosticators have been a persistent embarrassment to Christianity. Perhaps there is something fundamentally wrong with these predictions.
Francis Gumerlock, in his book THE DAY AND THE HOUR: CHRISTIANITY’S PERENNIAL FASCINATION WITH PREDICTING THE END OF THE WORLD, lists end times prophecy predictions made by Christians beginning in the early centuries. He catalogs more than a thousand failed predictions since the early days of Christianity, beginning with the apostolic fathers.
For example, Ignatius writes around the year AD 100 that “the last times are come upon us.” Cyprian (200-258) writes that “the day of affliction has begun to hang over our heads, and the end of the world and the time of the Antichrist. . . draw near, so that we must all stand prepared for the battle.”
Martin Luther made this statement: “I am satisfied that the last day must be before the door; for the signs predicted by Christ and the Apostles Peter and Paul have now all been fulfilled, the trees put forth, the Scriptures are green and flourishing. . . . We certainly have nothing now to wait for but the end of all things.”
Famous among predictors of the end of the world was Christopher Columbus. Columbus wrote a book entitled BOOK OF PROPHECIES in which he called on many of the same passages of Scripture that false prophets cite today to predict the imminent end of the world. He apparently thought that his discoveries marked the beginning of the end.
The famous American Puritan preacher Cotton Mather believed Christ’s return to be imminent and saw apocalyptic meaning in the conflicts and challenges of the American frontier. Mather was also a date setter. He predicted the Second Coming for 1697, then 1716, and finally 1736. The New Jerusalem, he believed, would be located in New England.
Here are more examples of end-times dating from Christians as well as pseudo-Christian cultists:
—Ellen G. White (co-founder—Seventh Day Adventist Church): 1843, 1844, 1850, 1856.
—Joseph Smith (founder—Mormon Church): 1891.
—Jehovah’s Witnesses: 1874, 1878, 1881, 1910, 1914, 1918, 1925, 1975, and 1984.
—Hal Lindsey: 1982, 1988, 2007, with contingency dates going as far as 2048.
—Jack Van Impe: 1975, 1992, 2000, 2012. Also, in May of 1991 he said the Anti-Christ would be revealed and the Great Tribulation would begin within 20 months.
—Chuck Smith (founder of Calvary Chapel): 1981, 1988
―Herbert W. Armstrong: 1965
—Pat Robertson: 1982.
—Edgar C. Whisenant: 1988, 1989.
—Bill Maupin: 1981.
—J.R. Church: 1988.
—Charles R. Taylor: 1992.
—Benny Hinn: 1993.
—F. M. Riley: 1994.
—John Hinkle: 1994.
—Grant R. Jeffrey: 2000.
—Lester Sumrall: 1985, 1986, 2000.
—Kenneth Hagin: 1997 to 2000.
—Jerry Falwell: 2010.
—Louis Farrakhan: 1991.
—John Hagee (at age 71): before he dies. Also, appearing on the Trinity Broadcasting Network, predicted the Rapture would occur within 6 months.
—Harold Camping: 1994, 2011.
—Ronald Weinland: 2011, 2012.
—Perry Stone: 2009-2015
—Billy Graham: Even this venerable preacher began telling us in the 1930’s to expect the soon return of Christ.
Pastors all across America’s fruited plains have books of some of these authors proudly displayed in their office libraries. The same books, and videos too, fly off Christian bookstore shelves, and the money continues to flow to these authors and many others of the same ilk. While some of these authors may be good teachers on other subjects, their false predictions force us to doubt their views on eschatology. Many of the above people will be forgotten, but whenever you happen to be reading this book, you will probably be hearing from a new generation of false teachers.
All of these prognosticators had something in common: They all thought they knew better than Jesus, who over and over told his followers that his prophecies would come to pass while some of them were still alive (Matthew 10:23; 16:27-28; 26:64; Luke 21:22, 32; etc.) There are over 100 such time statements in the New Testament that limit fulfillment of prophecy to the first century.
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See these additional lists of false prophets:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Predictions_and_claims_for_the_Second_Coming_of_Christ
List of dates predicted for apocalyptic events - Wikipedia
https://www.truthmagazine.com/date-setters
If someone comes on the world stage as the most powerful political leader of all time, you would think hordes of people would say, “Hey, Aren’t You the Antichrist?”
***
Looking at the current global landscape, who is the most popular leader, who has also demonstrated the ability to negotiate peace treaties, or created peace, between the most nations?
Currently, in my view, only one man stands out.
He isn’t from the UN, or the WEF. Except for European leftists, it seems the world is mostly jaundiced to these organizations and their leadership.
The one man which I see, doesn’t appear to be evil, however, if the foretold “head wound” is interpreted as an actual wound to the head of a man, this could radically alter his ways.
Maybe another will step forward at a later time, but in the current global landscape, I see only one man who fits the description.
Herbert W. Armstrong’s book was subtitled: “1975 in Prophecy!”
Yes, with the exclamation point.
Maybe the AC is not a single person, but an idea or technology that is beyond anything currently known the average person.
Link together, the UN, WEF, Artificial Intelligence, Transhumanism and a Technocratic form of Government and you would have the basic tenets of the Antichrist.
Maybe the AC is not a single person, but an idea or technology that is beyond anything currently known the average person.
Link together, the UN, WEF, Artificial Intelligence, Transhumanism and a Technocratic form of Government and you would have the basic tenets of the Antichrist.
We said it loudly in the Spring of 2009 - but not enough people listened.
Billy Graham: Even this venerable preacher began telling us in the 1930’s to expect the soon return of Christ.
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Regarding your list, no doubt some are charlatans but each need to examined carefully to see specifically what they said, context etc. The one that caught my eye was Billy Graham... If the rapture happens say in the next year, was Billy Graham wrong? What is the definition of ‘soon’? If recorded history is say 6,000 years and Billy Graham said in the 1930s that the ‘rapture is soon’... and that was after say 5,900 years, that would mean he said it after 98% of recorded history was behind us, no?
One hundred years is but a blink of an eye. I have asked lots of old folks the question of “as you look back at your life, what’s been the most surprising thing?”... and the most common answer is “how fast the time disappeared”.....
Here is what happened when Titus took Jerusalem in 70 ad:
The siege and attack lasted five months.
It was a typical starve-and-crash assault, which the Romans did wherever they attacked.
The attack was local, involving only Judea.
The Romans crashed the gates, burned the city and crucified just about every last Judean.
No other nations got involved, not even Judea’s neighbors.
There were no heavenly signs.
The world and the reign of men did not come to an end.
After they sacked the city, Titus marched away and life went on for everyone.
Titus eventually became Caesar.
Now, compare this little historical moment in 70 ad to the scope and ending described in apocalyptic scripture.
https://www.gotquestions.org/antichrist.html
Second Thessalonians 2:3-4 tells us how we will recognize the Antichrist: “don’t let anyone deceive you in any way, for that day will not come until the rebellion occurs and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the man doomed to destruction. He will oppose and will exalt himself over everything that is called God or is worshiped, so that he sets himself up in God’s temple, proclaiming himself to be God.”
William Steuart McBirnie can be added to the list. He was the pastor of the United Community Church, a megachurch in Glendale, Calif. and hosted a conservative radio commentary, the Voice of Americanism, from the 1960s to the 1990s. He was one of the few conservative voices on the radio before Rush Limbaugh.
However, he was also into eschatology. In 1980, I heard him proclaim in a sermon that the Antichrist was already here and growing up.
Why do you spam this forum with your nonsense
They must have forgot to tell you when you joined the Free Republic you don’t have to read and react to posts you don’t like.
Exactly- there won’t be any guessing who the a tichrist is when he sets himself up in the temple and defiles it.
But- what of the “great rebellion”? I’m wondering if it will be something unmistakable that happens all of a sudden, or something that just creeps in and rots the world? We see sin creeping into our nation little by little, bUT we also see the remnant wardin it off through various means- once the remnant are removed though, evil will have nothing holding it back or resisting it any longer- and it Wil. Really take off in a big hurry I beleive.
>>> Currently, in my view, only one man stands out.
Well?... who were you referring to?
I just saw an interview of someone who has been following end times prophecy through the lens of the COP initiatives/meetings/conferences since 92.
He makes a pretty strong argument that King Charles is the guy... and that the covenant with many is happening on Dec 12-13
Not saying I’m convinced... just that there are some pretty strong arguments. I’ve already been burned too many times getting my hopes up.
Here’s the interview if anyone is interested:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7NS0RWgZOZg
Read Daniel and Revelation in the Bible. Almost like reading today’s news. Events predicted 2000 years ago, for which the technology did not exist even 100 years ago, yet is possible today.
200 million man army (only recently possible by China) Rev 9:16-18
Two witnesses will prophesy for 3 ½ years and then be killed. The whole world will see their bodies and rejoice. (CNN world wide broadcast?) Rev chap 11
The Anti-Christ: I am not saying he is Obama, I am saying the Anti-Christ has Obama-like attributes: articulate, able to enthrall millions, deceptive and can change his perspective any given minute. Rev 13:11-18
The Anti–Christ will require a mark on everyone’s wrist (UPC code?) to conduct business, buying or selling. Again, technology not available even 100 years ago, certainly available now. Rev 13:16-17
Armageddon – the location for all the armies of the world to battle over Israel/Jerusalem. Located in Israel, out side of Jerusalem. A country that did not exist until 1948, yet has been reborn where the Bible says the world will focus. (Like today Israel/Hamas) Rev 16:16
No, this is 665. I believe you want the gentleman next door.
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