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Sunday, December 19, 2021

Wars and Rumors of Wars.

 Then I saw when the Lamb broke one of the seven seals, and I heard

one of the four living creatures saying as with a voice of thunder, "Come."

I looked and behold, a white horse, and he who sat on it had a bow; 

and a crown was given to him, and he went out conquering

and to conquer.

When He broke the second seal, I heard the second living creature

saying, "Come."  And another, a red horse, went out; and to him

who sat on it, it was granted to take peace from the earth, and that men

would slay one another; and a great sword was given to him.

Revelation 6:1-4 NASB


     Jesus tells us that prior to His return, we will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but the end is not yet. Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, however these things are merely the beginning of birth pangs (Matt 24:6-8). Famine is also mentioned in this passage, however for this post I will focus on some biblical prophecies concerning wars surrounding the emergence of the Anti-Christ.

     The old testament prophets have much to say about the last days, perhaps more than most of us realize. Daniel foretold much of what is to come, and anyone studying biblical prophecy soon discovers that much of what Jesus teaches, and much of what is revealed in the book of Revelation, has its roots in the prophecies of Daniel, 

     For the sake of brevity I will highlight some passages from the old testament prophets, and save further elaboration for future posts. 

     In Daniel 7, Daniel receives a vision of four beasts rising out of the great sea. One has the appearance of a winged lion, one a bear rising up on one side, one a four headed leopard, also with four wings on its back, and finally a dreadful beast unlike anything preceding it. Many scholars agree that these beasts correspond to the kingdoms represented in chapter 2, where Nebuchadnezzar has a dream of a large statue, made up of differing metals. The kingdoms here represented are that of Babylon, which was conquered by the Medes and Persians, who were them defeated by the kingdom of Greece. I agree with this, and I also believe that these kingdoms are also represented by the first three beasts Daniel saw in chapter 7. However this vision is not a repeat of Nebuchadnezzar's dream, but concerns the re-emergence of these same kingdoms in the future. 

     The fourth kingdom in king Nebuchadnezzar's dream is commonly believed to be the Roman empire, which re-emerges as the beast kingdom (represented by the ten toes on the statue, and ten horns on the beast of chapter 7) in the latter days. I disagree with this view, and briefly here is why. This vision is concerning the kingdom of Babylon, and what happens to it. Each of the successive kingdoms swallow up the previous kingdom, always having control over Babylon itself. Rome, although a dominant empire on the world scene, never conquered Babylon, or Persia to the east. the eastern Roman empire had its capitol in what is now known as Istanbul Turkey, but their dominance did not fulfill the dream of Daniel chapter 2.

     The next major kingdom on the world scene, which also defeated the eastern portion of the Roman empire is that of the Islamic caliphate. This is a much better fit, and the Bible has a lot to say prophetically about the lands that are Muslim majority nations today. This caliphate dominated all of the countries that made up the former Babylonian, Persian, and Greek empires for centuries. While the caliphate is now broken up, these countries still have the potential to unite once more as a dominant world power. This is what I believe the Bible teaches, and I hope that future posts can clarify this further. 

     This is where the wars and rumors of wars come into play. Right now in the middle east and north Africa we see many nations, some get along with each other, many do not. For a final kingdom to emerge on the scene, made up of ten of these nations, something has to happen. 

     Daniel 8 records a vision of a ram and a goat. This vision is for the time of the end (Daniel 8:17). It has not been fulfilled yet, although the defeat of the Persian empire by Alexander the great fits this, and can be looked at as a type of what is to come. The Ram represents the kings of Media and Persia, and the goat Greece (Dan 8:20-21). The actual word translated Greece in our English Bibles is Yavan. Yavan was an ancient country that was made up of a part of what is present day Greece, and what is now known today as Turkey. The modern country of Iran would represent what was formerly called Persia. Briefly, the Ram (Persia), will arise and attack countries to the west, north and south, but is ultimately, and swiftly defeated by the kingdom of Yavan (Turkey).  After this, the king of Yavan suddenly dies, and his kingdom is divided into fourths. The "little horn" (Anti-Christ) emerges from one of these kingdoms (Dan 7:7-8, 8:9-12). Could this be foretelling a coming mid eastern conflict between Iran and Turkey? It is something to consider and watch for.

     Daniel 11 gives further details of the power struggle this divided kingdom will go through. It ultimately comes down to two kingdoms, the North, and the South. Historically these events played out in the Syrian wars between the Seleucid empire (North), whose capitol was in Antioch Syria, and the Ptolemaic empire (South), which was Egypt. Historic events between these two kingdoms took place, leading to the emergence of Antiochus Epiphanes, his invasion of Egypt, and the destruction and misery he inflicted upon the land of Israel. Yet these are only partial fulfillments, shadows once again, as the events are again set for the future days as Daniel 12 shows. Antiochus Epiphanes is a type of the coming Anti-Christ, and what is applied to him in Dan 11 is ultimately fulfilled by the coming beast (Dan 11:21-45). 

     Dan 11:42-43 speak of His conquest of Egypt, Libya, and Ethiopia (Sudan). Could this be the three horns uprooted by the little horn in Daniel 7:8? Isaiah prophecies of this in chapter 19. Again, the setting is the end, the return of Christ is referenced in the first verse (Isaiah 19:1). Remember Jesus' statement in Matthew 24, "Nation will rise against Nation, and Kingdom against Kingdom?" in Isaiah 19:2 we see a similar statement made where Egyptian will be against Egyptian, each against his brother and neighbor, city against city, and kingdom against kingdom. Was Jesus making reference to this passage of scripture? Then we see Egypt fall to a cruel task master, the wicked ruler of Daniel 11 (Isaiah 19:4).  The good news is this. We see Egypt in their hour of need, cry out to the Lord, turn to the Lord, and find deliverance in Him (Isaiah 19:19-22).

     There are many more prophecies concerning the last days and the middle eastern nations found throughout the Bible. I would keep my eyes open to the events happening in that part of the world, and when you hear of wars and rumors of wars, and begin to see these events unfold, understand that this might be leading up to the return of Christ, and the inaugeration of His kingdom.

Sunday, December 12, 2021

End Times Deception

Who is the liar but the one that denies that Jesus is the Christ?

This is the antichrist, the one who denies the Father and the Son.

1 John 2:22 NASB


     When asked by His disciples about the end of the age, and of His coming, Jesus gave them a timeline so to speak, of the signs to watch for. The very first thing Jesus mentioned was deception. "See to it that no one misleads you. For many will come in My name, saying, 'I am the Christ,' and will mislead many." (Matt 24:5, Mark 13:5-6, Luke 21:8)  Indeed, we live in an age of deception, but this is nothing new to Christianity. The Bible warns of deception throughout its pages. The New Testament epistles are filled with warnings and corrections concerning heresies that were already in existence at the time of their writing. 

     Jesus is specific. He states that many will come in My name claiming to be the Christ. Out of these deceivers there are two specific ones to watch for. In the book of Daniel we read of a wicked ruler who is to come. It states that he will fling truth to the ground (Daniel 8:12), and that he ascends to power through intrigue and deception (Daniel 11:21-23). This is the same king mentioned by Paul in his second epistle to the Thessalonians. In 2 Thessalonians 2:3, Paul begins by warning his readers against deception. He then explains that the day of the Lord will not come until there is a great falling away from the faith, and the man of lawlessness is revealed. This ruler's coming is in accord with the activity of Satan, accompanied with false signs and wonders, and deception (2 Thess 2:8-10). 

     Here we also see that if we wish to avoid deception we must have a love for the truth. To love the truth means we desire, accept, and live by the truth even if it goes against the grain so to speak. To accept falsehood because it is the easy way out is dangerous! The truth is not always popular, and in the last days it will be even harder to stand for it. The warning here is that God will eventually let us go on in deception if that's the road we choose (2 Thess 2:10-12).

     We read in Revelation 13 of two beasts that arrive on the world scene. The first one again, is the one we have been talking about. The next one to watch for is found in Revelation 13:11-18. This individual is known as the false prophet. He exercises the same authority as the first beast (The antichrist), and through false signs and miraculous wonders, he deceives the multitudes into the worship of this beast (Rev 13:13-14).  This ultimately leads to an economic situation where it will be impossible to buy or sell without being marked, some sort of identification of allegiance to this satanic kingdom (Rev 13:16-17).  Jesus Himself warns us that the deceptive signs and wonders in these days are aimed at misleading even the elect if possible (Matt 24:24). 

     What do we do? There are those who believe we as Christians will not be here at this time. I would disagree. I believe the bible teaches that the saints will go through the three and one half years of the tribulation, and I will examine this in future posts. You can also read about it by clicking here. It is vital that we know the truth, that we love the truth, that we seek truth and implement it in our lives. Now is when we must grow and become strong in the faith, ultimately trusting God for the grace we will need in that hour. As Jesus said, "But the one who endures to the end, he will be saved. " (Matt 24:13 NASB)