Atop the list of end time’s Antichrist signs are current Middle East war gyrations. The Bible predicts that hostilities between the Jews and their Arab and Persian enemies will rise to an unprecedented fever pitch. It further states that the whole world will someday turn against Israel, leaving the Jewish State to fend for itself. From the looks of things in the cradle of civilization, that time appears to have come!
Eschatologists email each other daily with new evidences that current events continue to reinforce their conclusions that humanity is hastening toward the dreaded “Tribulation Period”. Many of them teach that this 7-year period commences with a covenant confirmed for a similar duration between Israel and the Antichrist according to Daniel 9:27. Isaiah 28:15 and 18 identifies this Middle East peace - pact as a “covenant of death”. Isaiah’s rendition likens it to an agreement with Hell!
Undeniably the spotlight has again turned toward Israel, only this time the stakes have risen to an insurmountable high. All the Middle East prophetic chess pieces, political leaders, military arsenals, and terrorist organizations, like the Hezbollah, Al-Qaeda, and Hamas are in place for the final showdown.
There appears no way around it, this must be it! The time has come for a charismatic world leader to emerge and put a peace-proposal together that puts the Middle East temporarily out of its misery and finally works!
I say temporarily, because the prophecy contained in Daniel chapter nine clearly foretells that the Antichrist will violate this peace treaty at the mid-point of the Tribulation Period. He then turns his hatred toward the Jews, and in Zechariah 13:8 we are informed that he will successfully kill two-thirds of the Israeli Jewish population living at that time. In light of other important preceding prophetic events, which I’m about to introduce, we can anticipate that the final Jewish body-count affected by his end time’s genocidal effort will total well into the millions!
This brings me to the prophetic point of this article whereby I must thrust a monkey wrench into most end time’s models. All the above is true, however the Bible declares that before the peace-pact is confirmed; powerful Mideast wars are foretold to occur!
According to yet unfulfilled prophecies contained in Isaiah 17, Psalm 83, and Ezekiel 38 & 39, Israel will first do battle against the Syria, Iran, the Hezbollah, and many other of their surrounding Arab enemies. Some scholars predict that these three Bible prophecies will occur soon, sequentially, and in rapid succession.
Isaiah 17:1 suggests that Israel is about to nuke Damascus turning it into a ruinous heap. Most military analysts suspect that Israel presently has the nuclear wherewithal to accomplish this damnation of Damascus. Isaiah’s entire prophecy seems to infer that the Israeli Defense Forces are the instrument through which the destruction of the world’s oldest continuously populated city occurs.
Psalm 83 encourages the possibility that Israel will then battle against the Palestinians, Hezbollah, Hamas, and many other surrounding Arab enemies, like the Saudis, Lebanese, Jordanians, and Egyptians. This prophetic psalm declares these enemies of Israel will unite to wipe the Jewish State off of the map, so that the “name Israel be remembered no more”. (Psalm 83:4)
As I point out in my book, Isralestine, The Ancient Blueprints of the Future Middle East, this Arab confederacy likewise meets its demise at the hands of the I.D.F. according to assorted Bible prophecies.
Then flip a few prophetic pages forward to the war between Israel and Iran. After Damascus goes down and the inner ring of Arab populations that share common borders with Israel meet their pending doom as per Psalm 83, Iran is scheduled to team up with Russia, Turkey, Libya and a hostile host of others in fulfillment of the Ezekiel 38 & 39 invasion of Israel.
In light of Iran’s present full court press for a nuclear weapon purposed to wipe Israel off of the pages of time, this is the prophecy most frequently discussed by eschatologists today. Ezekiel 38:18-39:6 predicts yet another massive Israeli victory over Iran and its powerful allies.
At this point I could itemize the litany of current Mideast events that undeniably indicate the world has arrived at this final fateful hour; however that’s reserved for a subsequent article. What I deposit with you in closing is that the events leading up to the Antichrist’s 7 year temporary peace-pact with Israel are about to happen. As eerie the thought may be, one could possibly presume that the Antichrist may be alive and residing somewhere on the earth today!
Furthermore; the Israeli victories in the wars listed above dictate that the content of the false covenant will probably not contain the present Israeli-Palestinian 2-state peace proposals. According to Bible prophecy Israel soon defeats the Palestinians and their Arab cohorts; thus achieving this illusive peace militarily before the advent of the Antichrist. No; Isaiah’s covenant with death, will likely paint and entirely different geopolitical picture upon its pages.
To imagine its content, one must envision the existence of a significantly different, more prosperous and powerful Israel. A Jewish State that is probably much larger and more densely populated with Jews than the lesser Israel of today.
A Greater Israel, that dwells securely in receipt of vast Arab and Iranian arsenals and spoils of war. A prosperous nation that is freed from further Arab terror, torment, and threats to be wiped off of the map.
Only then can one search the scriptures to grasp the enormity of the Antichrist’s last days covenant with Israel. Christians today ought to understand current Middle East and world events in order to utilize Bible prophecy as a witnessing tool for reaching out to a harvest field of souls. The world is filled with humanity hunkering down and hungering for truth and prophetic information, and the God of the Bible has not let them down.By prophecydepot.blogspot.com
From Europa to Europe
How did Europe gets its name? Is there some prophetic significance in the name or its origin?
Let's consider a little Greek mythology. The favoured story goes that Europa, a Phoenician woman of high lineage, was seduced by the god Zeus and carried away to Crete. Zeus did this by disguising himself as a beautiful white bull and coaxing Europa to climb onto his back. Once there, he carried her off into the sea and on to Crete, where he raped her. Europa then became the first queen of Crete. The Romans adopted the myth but substituted their god Jupiter for Zeus.
It is claimed that Europa later stood for mainland Greece (recall Crete is an island off the SE corner of Greece) and then to lands north of Greece. Certainly, 'Europa seated on a bull' has been a motif in European art since Greco-Roman times, and in the eighth century Europa gained ecclesiastical usage under Charlemagne. Today, Europe is called Europa in the German language and in most other Germanic languages (except English). The actual term 'Europe' is generally derived from the Greek 'eurys' (broad) and 'ops' (face), which is an allusion to 'the broad face of the earth'. The strong Greek connection could be very significant in that Greece could be the country of origin of the final world dictator.
Why is the Europa symbol (a woman on a beast) so widespread? Is it merely symbolising Europe or is there prophetic significance? Consider: "... and I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast, full of blasphemous names, having seven heads and ten horns." (Rev 17.3)
This prophecy refers to the end time world system, and a common interpretation is that the woman symbolises an 'ecclesiastical Babylon' and the beast symbolises a 'political and commercial Babylon'. Revelation 17 describes the woman as 'Babylon the Great' whilst Rev 18 describes the fall of a commercial Babylon. In simplistic terms, a corrupt apostate church rides (and therefore by implication, controls) a corrupt and brutal political and commercial system. If Europa (Europe) really is a fulfillment of this prophecy then there must be other signs.
Europe's Apostasy and Idolatry
The Flag: Do we see an 'ecclesiastical Babylon' in Europe? The European Union (EU) flag comprises 12 golden stars on a blue background. Officially it is claimed that the circle of 12 stars represents 'solidarity and harmony between the peoples of Europe', the number 12 denoting 'perfection, completeness and unity' (in the Bible, 12 denotes 'governmental perfection').
An alternative explanation is that the flag was inspired by the halo of 12 stars around Catholic pictures of the Madonna and is an interpretation of Revelation 12.1. The Catholic church claims that the woman in Revelation represents the Virgin Mary or 'Mother of God', whereas Rev 12.1 actually refers to the woman 'Israel' and the 12 tribes of Israel. The EU flag could therefore have strong Roman Catholic significance and the 'ecclesiastical Babylon' could be be Vatican centred. The Bible supports this idea. For example, Rev 17.9 says that the woman sits on 'seven mountains' (ancient Rome was built on seven hills) and is clothed in purple and scarlet (Cardinals dress in scarlet or red and Bishops dress in purple).
The Vatican: In what sense is the woman riding the beast? It interesting that the Vatican is recognised at the UN as a sovereign state and the Pope has full rights as head of state to address the UN General Assembly. The Vatican can therefore influence debate at the highest level. Also, the Vatican has diplomatic relations with many nations and affects the laws of these nations.
Revelation 17.5 describes the woman as 'mother of harlots'. In the spiritual sense a harlot is one who commits spiritual fornication i.e. a church which leaves fundamental biblical teaching and compromises with the world. The Vatican has done this through interfaith meetings, where 'God' but not Jesus Christ is centre stage.
The Babel Connection: Babylon originated as the city of Babel and quickly degenerated into idolatry. Babel is well known for its (unfinished) tower, Nimrod's monument to the greatness of man rather than God. Today, the EU Parliament building in Strasbourg is modelled on this biblical structure, with a clear 'unfinished' appearance. An EU poster, known as 'the construction site poster', showed a painting of the partly constructed tower of Babel, with a crane in the background. It showed inverted stars above the tower (an inverted star is a witchcraft symbol) and the logo was 'EUROPE: MANY TONGUES ONE VOICE'. This glorification of man and unification against God is precisely why God destroyed man's efforts in Gen 11. A repeat performance is prophesied at the end of the age.
The Pergamon Connection: Berlin's Pergamon Museum exhibits ancient treasures such as the Pergamon Altar and Babylon's Ishtar Gate. The museum's objective is to exhibit major cultures such as those of Egypt, Mesopotamia (Babylon), Greece and Rome (note that these are the precise kingdoms seen by Daniel in his vision of the great statue - Dan 2). The Pergamon Altar (built 2nd century BC) was dedicated to Zeus and the freeze under the altar represents the struggle of gods and giants. It was destroyed during the first century AD, but was excavated by German archaeologists in the late 1800's and reconstructed in Berlin.
In 1913 German archaeologists found the Ishtar Gate and Processional Way in well preserved condition and began bringing the material back to Berlin. They were finally set up in the Pergamon Museum in Berlin.
The Serious Implication: The fact that these archaeological treasures are now restored (and idolised) in Europe is significant. In Roman times Pergamum (Pergamon), located in Western Turkey, was the centre of the imperial religion, and Christ saw it as the seat of the power of evil i.e. "Satan's throne" (Rev 2.13). This is because the God-given power of the State had been harnessed to the blasphemous worship of man (the emperor), and those not loyal to the State were executed (Rev 2.13). So a building central to Satan's throne now stands virtually complete in Berlin! This monument came from a city where man not God was worshipped.
Also in the Pergamon Museum is the reconstructed Ishtar Gate. This was the gateway to go to the Temple of Ishtar in Babylon. When the Jews went into captivity they passed through this gate. It had pictures of 337 demons, the Babylonian snake-gods. Since 337 in Hebrew numerology means 'Hell on Earth', the Jews called this gate the 'Gateway to Hell'.
Why are these biblically Satanic monuments now residing in Europe? Is it significant that the Lisbon Treaty (formerly the EU Constitution) omits reference to God or Christianity (see also Reject the Lisbon Treaty)? Is Europe preparing the seat of the final world dictator in Rev 13 - a man who will demand to be worshipped as God? An alternative and plausible view is that these Satanic artifacts will be reclaimed by Turkey to be resited at Pergamum, the biblical location of Satan's throne (Rev 2.12,13).
The 'Beast' of Europe?
A Political Dictatorship: Do we see a 'political and commercial Babylon' in Europe? Today, the EU is very much a political system, although it lacks democracy. The EU Commission is an unelected body of people (one for each member country) appointed by national governments for 5 years. The Commission President has very significant power. It meets in secret and enjoys a substantial degree of independence in exercising its powers. It has the right to propose legislation, and it does not take instructions from any national EU government! The EU Council (which is also unelected by EU citizens and meets in secret) is the EU's main decision-making body i.e. it makes EU policy. The 2009 Lisbon Treaty created a permanent President of the EU Council, the stated objective being 'to give the EU strategic leadership on the world stage'.
The EU Parliament (officially based in Strasbourg) is elected collectively by EU citizens but unlike national parliaments it does not have powers to initiate new laws; it can only accept, reject or put forward amendments to laws proposed by the Commission. According to the 2009 Lisbon Treaty, the maximum number of members (MEPs) or seats in the European Parliament is 751, although the actual number fluctuates. With such a large number of MEPs, the Parliament claims to be the second largest democratic electorate in the world (after India). But if the Parliament cannot initiate laws, isn't this a phoney democracy? Moreover, some claim that seat number 666 is vacant!
Essentially then, the unelected Commission proposes new laws, and the Parliament and Council adopt them. The laws come down to member states as directives and they are helpless to amend or reject them. Directives must be incorporated into Member State law. To many, a political system which behaves in this way is a dictatorship! Read more at inconvenient EU truths.
EU law is enforced by the European Police Office (Europol) - the EU criminal intelligence agency. Europol is nationally invasive, spanning all 27 member states. For example, under EU law (Corpus Juris) an EU citizen can be arrested and imprisoned without anyone having to produce evidence against them, whilst EU protocol on the privileges and immunities of Europol employees gives them immunity from prosecution. In the UK, Europol now has unfettered access to political affiliation, routine, places frequented, DNA, tax obligations, voiceprints, and sexual preference of individuals for purposes of collecting criminal information. The EU is also developing its own army (initially 60,000 strong), independent of NATO.
Given what is essentially an EU political dictatorship with several powerful Presidents, an increasingly invasive EU police force, and a fledgling EU army, we might ask if these are the seeds of the end time dictatorship prophesied in Rev 13?
A Commercial Babylon: What about the commercial aspects? Babylon was a city of glory and splendour, and was the chief commercial city of the Tigris-Euphrates region. The end time Babylon has similar commercial ambitions. The EU’s common trade policy operates at two levels. Firstly, within the World Trade Organisation (WTO), it is actively involved in setting the rules for the multilateral system of global trade (as such it is one of the key players in the WTO).
Secondly, the EU negotiates its own bilateral trade agreements with countries or regional groups of countries. For example, the EU and America are each other's main trading partners, and they exchange about 1.7 billion euros in trade each day! They are the largest players in global trade and together account for 57% of world GDP. Also, the EU is India's largest trading partner and China is the EU's second largest trading partner after the US. The enlarged EU of 27 member states is now China's largest export market. Clearly, the EU is rivalling America in terms of trade and may well be the leader of the commercial Babylon seen in Rev 18.
A Revived Roman Empire?
So is the European Union part of the end time scenario prophesied in the Bible? Is it even the leader of this end time World Government? Is it the 'revived Roman Empire' seen by many in Bible prophecy? Let's summarise some facts:
the Catholic undertones of the EU flag
the common 'Europa and the bull' symbol and its high correlation with Rev 17
the Babel poster with witchcraft symbols
the 'Babel-like' EU Parliament building in Strasbourg
the Lisbon Treaty omits reference to God or Christianity
the international political role of the Vatican correlates well with the apostate, controlling church in Rev 17
the emphasis on ancient cultures (godless world kingdoms), especially that of Pergamon (Satan's seat)
the emerging EU superstate which appears more like a dictatorship than a democracy
the undemocratic Corpus Juris legal system
the emerging police state, which correlates well with the 'crushing' nature of the final world empire (Dan 2.40)
the emerging EU army, independent of NATO
the EU trading capability that is rivaling that of America
Conclusion:
A New World Order or World Government is rapidly emerging. It is possible that the leader of this end time system, the coming 'man of lawlessness' (2 Thes 2.3), could arise from a region spanned by the historic Roman Empire, specifically SE Europe or the northern Middle East (Greece - Turkey - Syria - Iraq) - see world government. And the above study suggests that, if not in the Middle East, then Europe, even Germany, could be the seat of his power! The essential key is the Babylon-Nimrod connection (Nimrod was the first anti-God leader).
By seekingtruth.co.uk
The Vatican has called for a “global public authority” and a world central bank to rule over financial affairs in the wake of the engineered economic collapse.
A document released by the Vatican’s Justice and Peace department “should be music to the ears of the ‘Occupy Wall Street’ demonstrators and similar movements around the world who have protested against the economic downturn,” according to CNBC.
Condemning the “idolatry of the market,” the document states that the “economic and financial crisis which the world is going through calls everyone, individuals and peoples, to examine in depth the principles and the cultural and moral values at the basis of social coexistence.”
The planned implosion of the global economy “has revealed behaviors like selfishness, collective greed and hoarding of goods on a great scale.”
The 18-page document, entitled “Towards Reforming the International Financial and Monetary Systems in the Context of a Global Public Authority,” declares global economics needs an “ethic of solidarity” among rich and poor nations.
“If no solutions are found to the various forms of injustice, the negative effects that will follow on the social, political and economic level will be destined to create a climate of growing hostility and even violence, and ultimately undermine the very foundations of democratic institutions, even the ones considered most solid,” it said.
In response, the Vatican is calling for “a supranational authority” with worldwide scope and “universal jurisdiction” to guide economic policies and decisions. The authority will be run by the United Nations, according to the document.
It will take time to replace economic policies and in the process destroy national sovereignty, according to the Vatican.
“Of course, this transformation will be made at the cost of a gradual, balanced transfer of a part of each nation’s powers to a world authority and to regional authorities, but this is necessary at a time when the dynamism of human society and the economy and the progress of technology are transcending borders, which are in fact already very eroded in a globalizes world.”
By Kurt Nimmo Infowars.com
During a recent speech he made before the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace in Rome on December 3, Pope Benedict XVI, the current leader of the Roman Catholic Church, called for what can only be described as a unified world government, which he dubbed a "new evangelization of society" that aligns with the spirit of visions brought forth by previous popes.
While addressing the council, Pope Benedict XVI made numerous references to this "new evangelization" as an integral part of the Roman Catholic Church's world mission. And when defining what this phrase actually means, Pope Benedict XVI spoke about how individualism must be transformed into a type of communalism marked by interconnectedness and "family formation" on a global scale.
Part of this entails the "construction of a world community," as translated from the original speech, which was given in Italian. And to guide this world community will be a "corresponding authority" whose purpose it is to serve and promote the "common good of the human family." In other words, a "New World Order," in no uncertain terms, is the ultimate goal of the Roman Catholic Church.
Pope Benedict XVI is not interested in just any New World Order, however. He made it clear that the Roman Catholic Church's responsibility is to guide those who are actually bringing about this world government in how to promote an "anthropological and ethical framework around the common good." Along with this, will be a comprehensive reform of the corrupt international monetary and financial systems, of course in line with Roman Catholic doctrines.
Such language may initially sound benevolent to some, but what does it all really mean? Based on the Roman Catholic Church's sordid history of consolidating power and mandating its religion on societies through a blending of church and state, it is hard to call such a proposition by Pope Benedict XVI anything other than a call for a dictatorial New World Order guided and controlled by the Roman Catholic Church.
"These latest remarks made by the Pope and the Catholic Church come as no surprise considering that in 2010 the Catholic Church sought the establishment of a new Central World Bank that would be responsible for regulating the global financial industry and the international money supply," wrote Andrew Puhanic from Activist Post about Pope Benedict XVI's latest speech.
"It was reported (back in 2011) that the Vatican sought 'a supranatural authority' which would have worldwide scope and 'universal jurisdiction' to guide and control global economic policies and decisions."
By: Ethan A. Huff, staff writer Naturalnews.com
