Friday, January 23, 2009

Israeli Experts Believe There May Be A Major Oil Source In The Dead Sea Area

Prophecy continues to become history and more so in this, the end times. The news story below shows the stage is being set for the great battle of Ezekiel and the invasion of Israel from the North.

Prophecy tells us: 1) a large oil reserve WILL be found 2) the Arabs, Russians and Chinese WILL ally themselves against Israel to get that oil 3) Israel WILL win that battle by the hand of God.

These things will happen before the revealing of the AntiChrist and the rapture, so any Christian reading this should know the times!

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Israeli Experts Believe There May Be A Major Oil Source In The Dead Sea Area
By Jimmy DeYoung

The Israeli National Parks Council has granted three major petroleum companies in Israel permission to do exploratory drilling for oil in the Judean Desert Nature Reserve in the Dead Sea region to see if there is a major source of oil in the lowest location on the Earth.

Led by Ginko Oil Company, the three companies believe that this is the best chance for Israel to find oil, a much needed commodity in the Jewish state of Israel which relies on the Arab world to supply Israeli oil needs.

The geological department at Hebrew University says that the fact that oil has been found previously in this area near the Dead Sea could mean that there is more in the region.

Jimmy's Prophetic Perspective on the News

The potential for a major source of oil in the Dead Sea area in Israel is setting the stage for Bible prophecy to be fulfilled.

Over the years, there have been a number of petroleum wildcatters, speculators, that have suggested various locations in Israel where oil could be found. Many of these speculators even used the Bible to help convince investors to get on board searching for this oil.

Now, three very legitimate companies in Israel have received permission to do exploratory drilling in a nature reserve near the Dead Sea that could be a major source of oil, a natural resource much needed in Israel. Should these companies and this exploratory drilling prove to be successful and they find a major source of oil in Israel, it will be that which prepares the way for Bible prophecy to be fulfilled. Ezekiel 38 mentions several times that the invading armies that come to destroy Israel in the last days will be coming, in fact, be lured into Israel to take a spoil and maybe that spoil is oil. These prophetic passages in Ezekiel 38 are verses 4, 12, 13, and 16.

The potential for a major oil source in the Dead Sea region of Israel does indeed help set the stage for Bible prophecy to be fulfilled.

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Eze 39:9 "Then those who inhabit the cities of Israel will go out and make fires with the weapons and burn them, both shields and bucklers, bows and arrows, war clubs and spears, and for seven years they will make fires of them.
Eze 39:10 "They will not take wood from the field or gather firewood from the forests, for they will make fires with the weapons; and they will take the spoil of those who despoiled them and seize the plunder of those who plundered them," declares the Lord GOD.
Eze 39:11 "On that day I will give Gog a burial ground there in Israel, the valley of those who pass by east of the sea, and it will block off those who would pass by. So they will bury Gog there with all his horde, and they will call it the valley of Hamon-gog.
Eze 39:12 "For seven months the house of Israel will be burying them in order to cleanse the land.

Thursday, January 22, 2009

By This - Measuring Stick For and About Christians

1 John is the book to read if you are unsure of your salvation. I read it in an attempt to help myself in Scripture memorization - the shorter the book perhaps the easier to memorize all the best passages in it.
In reading 1 John I noticed numerous times the phrase "by this". Flagged in my mind by one of my favorite and quickly memorized (the most relevant to me are always the easiest to remember) 1 John 4:2: "By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God;". The phrase stood out and often used to point to proof about ourselves or others. Example: the heart of a man, the will of God, the righteousness of a man by his actions, etc.
So I searched the entire Bible for "by this", I've removed the references which don't fit here (i.e. "by this city"):

(Gen 24:14) now may it be that the girl to whom I say, 'Please let down your jar so that I may drink,' and who answers, 'Drink, and I will water your camels also'--may she be the one whom You have appointed for Your servant Isaac; and by this I will know that You have shown lovingkindness to my master.

(Gen 42:15) by this you will be tested: by the life of Pharaoh, you shall not go from this place unless your youngest brother comes here!

(Gen 42:33) "The man, the lord of the land, said to us, 'By this I will know that you are honest men: leave one of your brothers with me and take grain for the famine of your households, and go.

(Exo 7:17) 'Thus says the LORD, "By this you shall know that I am the LORD: behold, I will strike the water that is in the Nile with the staff that is in my hand, and it will be turned to blood.

(Num 16:28) Moses said, "By this you shall know that the LORD has sent me to do all these deeds; for this is not my doing.

(Deu 32:47) "For it is not an idle word for you; indeed it is your life. And by this word you will prolong your days in the land, which you are about to cross the Jordan to possess."

(Jos 3:10) Joshua said, "By this you shall know that the living God is among you, and that He will assuredly dispossess from before you the Canaanite, the Hittite, the Hivite, the Perizzite, the Girgashite, the Amorite, and the Jebusite.

(2Sa 12:14) "However, because by this deed you have given occasion to the enemies of the LORD to blaspheme, the child also that is born to you shall surely die."

(Psa 41:11) By this I know that You are pleased with me, Because my enemy does not shout in triumph over me.

(Mat 15:6) he is not to honor his father or his mother.' And by this you invalidated the word of God for the sake of your tradition.

(Joh 13:35) "By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another."

(Joh 15:8) "My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be My disciples.

(Joh 16:30) "Now we know that You know all things, and have no need for anyone to question You; by this we believe that You came from God."

(Act 4:10) let it be known to all of you and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead--by this name this man stands here before you in good health.

(2Co 9:13) Because of the proof given by this ministry, they will glorify God for your obedience to your confession of the gospel of Christ and for the liberality of your contribution to them and to all,

(Heb 10:10) By this will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.

(Heb 13:2) Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by this some have entertained angels without knowing it.

(2Pe 2:19) promising them freedom while they themselves are slaves of corruption; for by what a man is overcome, by this he is enslaved.

(1Jn 2:3) By this we know that we have come to know Him, if we keep His commandments.

(1Jn 2:5) but whoever keeps His word, in him the love of God has truly been perfected. By this we know that we are in Him:

(1Jn 3:10) By this the children of God and the children of the devil are obvious: anyone who does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor the one who does not love his brother.

(1Jn 3:16) We know love by this, that He laid down His life for us; and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.

(1Jn 3:19) We will know by this that we are of the truth, and will assure our heart before Him

(1Jn 3:24) The one who keeps His commandments abides in Him, and He in him. We know by this that He abides in us, by the Spirit whom He has given us.

(1Jn 4:2) By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God;

(1Jn 4:6) We are from God; he who knows God listens to us; he who is not from God does not listen to us. By this we know the spirit of truth and the spirit of error.

(1Jn 4:9) By this the love of God was manifested in us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world so that we might live through Him.

(1Jn 4:13) By this we know that we abide in Him and He in us, because He has given us of His Spirit.

(1Jn 4:17) By this, love is perfected with us, so that we may have confidence in the day of judgment; because as He is, so also are we in this world.

(1Jn 5:2) By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and observe His commandments.

Tuesday, January 20, 2009

Inside the White House - Apparent biblical connections to the US financial contagion

Inside the White House - Apparent biblical connections to the US financial contagion - by Bill Koenig – www.watch.org
The United States is experiencing a rapid moral slide and a further acceleration into the final days. The outcome of the recent national election will only accelerate this.
We are living in a time as spoken in Isaiah 5:20 (KJV): "Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!"
Americans being impacted by inept leadership in Washington
Sadly, the leadership in Washington, which helped create the crisis our nation is facing on so many fronts, is not qualified to handle the challenges, so that means the times will get more challenging. Their previous actions have created many "unintended consequences" with many more coming in the future.
The world says the US is responsible for the worldwide financial contagion
The world is blaming the US for the worldwide financial contagion; but President Bush, others in his administration, and those on Capitol Hill deny that the subprime fiasco and Wall Street's financial derivatives and futures trading activities were a main reason for the financial catastrophe.
Apparent biblical connections to the US financial contagion
There have been some very interesting possible connections between the state of the US economy, the Jewish fall feasts this year, and the Torah readings of Nov. 1, 8 and 15.
(Thanks to Dr. Elliot Snyder of Dallas for the Wall Street and fall feast connections and Pastor Mark Biltz for the Noah/Cheshvan connection to this Saturday’s G-20 Summit in Washington and the Torah readings.)
Rosh Hashanah (the Jewish New Year) began at sundown on Monday, Sept. 29, and ended at nightfall on Wednesday Oct. 1, 2008.
Rosh Hashanah is the Jewish New Year. As such, it is a time for Jews to review the mistakes they made in the past year and to resolve to make improvements in the upcoming year.
On Rosh Hashanah, Jews listen to the shofar blown during lengthy prayer services, eat holiday meals, and do no work. After repenting for bad deeds through prayers, they symbolically cast off sins through the tashlich ceremony.
Rosh Hashanah is both a solemn and a happy day. It is a time for introspection, asking for forgiveness, giving forgiveness, resolving to do better, remembering God is King and Judge, and praying for a healthy and happy year to come. Those observing the Jewish New Year are solemn in their repentance but happy in their confidence that God is merciful and good.
The stock market crash of 2008
In 2008, Rosh Hashanah began on the evening of Sept. 29, while Yom Kippur began on the evening of Oct. 9.
On Rosh Hashanah eve in the U.S. (Sept. 29), the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) closed down a record-setting 777.68 points. Israel was already celebrating Rosh Hashanah at the time of the record Dow close.
Dr. Elliot Snyder wrote:
Seven is the number of God, and 777 could represent "Holy, Holy, Holy." This is God's signature, the manner in which the angels praise the Sovereign God in Isaiah 6:3. This is also reflected in 7-Seal, 7-Trumpet and 7-Bowl Judgments, in the events of things to come as outlined in Revelation 6:19! I believe the Rosh Hashanah shofar was a heralding, proclamation or announcement of God's weighing our nation in the balance beginning at the start of the 10 Days of Awe. The judge is entering the courtroom.
The eyes of the financial world were fixed upon the 777-point drop, the largest single one-day point decline in the history of the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA), although not the largest percentage drop.
Other peculiarities on the opening bell and gavel of 9/29/08 and 9/30/08 for the NYSE
There was an anomaly at the opening bell when there was no opening bell! At 9:30 am ET a mechanical bell should have rung. As the CNBC countdown to the opening reached zero, there was puzzlement at the podium as the bearer of the gavel awaited the opening bell in vain. After about a minute, even without the bell, trading began.
The next morning, the bell worked. CNBC had made a big deal over the bell having never failed to ring before; it had failed on the morning of 9/29. On 9/30 the bell worked at 9:30AM; however, with the camera fixed upon the podium, there was no one manning the gavel!
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Yom Kippur (the Jewish Day of Atonement) began at sundown on Wednesday, Oct. 8, and ended at nightfall on Thursday, Oct. 9.
Yom Kippur, literally "Day of Atonement," is the holiest day of the Jewish year.
After the Israelites alienated God by worshipping the golden calf, Moses ascended Mount Sinai to ask God for forgiveness. While Moses was on the mountain, the Israelites repented by fasting. On the tenth day of the Hebrew month of Tishrei (Yom Kippur), Moses descended Mount Sinai with the second tablets. Thus, on the first Yom Kippur (approximately 3,500 years ago), the Israelites succeeded in atoning for their sins and restoring their covenant with God.
Why is Yom Kippur important?
Yom Kippur is observed eight days after Rosh HaShanah (the Jewish New Year). Jews believe that on Rosh HaShanah, God inscribes all of their names in the "books"; and on Yom Kippur, the judgment entered in these books is sealed. Yom Kippur is, essentially, the last chance to demonstrate repentance and change God's judgment. On Yom Kippur, one's fate for the coming year is sealed.
Dow falls 678.91
Dr. Elliot Snyder wrote:
On Yom Kippur eve in the U.S. (Oct. 9), the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) closed down 678.910 (6, 7, 8, 9, 10!) The odds of this precise sequence arising are 1:99,999.
Following the 10 Days of Awe, on the Day of Atonement or Judgment, God sent another numerical message through the fall of the stock market. Specifically, God has judged the nation in accordance with the Noahic law. This is spelled out in the second table of the Ten Commandments – specifically, 6-10* — by the Dow falling exactly 678.910. As the sun had already set in Jerusalem, God was telling us that we have been weighed in the balance of the 6th, 7th, 8th, 9th and 10th commandments and found wanting. God has spoken for all with eyes to see and ears to hear!
Our nation is not being judged for idolatry, blasphemy or failure in Sabbath observations, but rather for murder, adultery, stealing, lying and covetousness.
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The Days of Awe refers to the ten days between the first two Fall Feasts of Israel, Rosh Hashanah (or the Feast of Trumpets), and Yom Kippur or the Day of Atonement.
The sound of the trumpet shofar ushering in Rosh Hashanah and the Days of Awe is a call to a searching of our souls and thorough examination of our thoughts, deeds and intentions for the past year. This begins a time of God's evaluating the life of each member of the House of Israel, culminating on the 10th day with Yom Kippur, the day of final judgment, and hopefully, atonement.
The just verdict was to be pronounced on the Day of Judgment, Yom Kippur!
One of the worst seven-day declines in Wall Street history occurred during this year's Days of Awe
Chronology – Sept. 29–Oct. 10
Sept. 29: U.S. House of Representatives rejects mammoth $700 billion bailout plan. Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) drops 777.68. (Rosh Hashanah began that evening; it had already begun in Israel at the close of Wall Street.)
Sept. 30: Wachovia Bank teeters on collapse, starts negotiating with Citigroup for takeover deal.
Oct. 1: U.S. Senate adopts massive bailout plan, adding sweeteners to get House acceptance.
Oct. 3: Wells Fargo Bank and the fourth largest U.S. bank, Wachovia Corp., announce merger.
Oct. 3: The largest government intervention in capital markets in U.S. history clears the U.S. House of Representatives, becoming law with President Bush's signature. The bailout was for $700 billion.
Oct. 6: Responding to global credit fears, the Dow finished below 10,000 for the first time since October 2004. After a day in which stocks dropped as deeply as 9,600, the market rebounded, finishing the day at 9990.47.
Oct 9: The Dow Jones industrial average closed down 678.910 points, or 7.33 percent, at 8,579.19. It's the first time since May 2003 that the Dow traded below 8,600. The steep sell-off capped the Dow and the S&P's biggest seven-day decline since the October 1987 market crash, and the NASDAQ’s worst seven-day decline since December 2000. Over the seven days, the Dow shed almost 21 percent and the S&P 500 nearly 22 percent. The steep declines came on the anniversary of the Dow's all-time closing high above 14,000.
"With no visible sign of restoration of normal credit movement, that is shaking investor confidence that the banking system at this point still has a long way to go before it gets fixed," said Frederic Dickson, senior vice president and market strategist at D.A. Davidson & Co., in Lake Oswego, Oregon.
Oct. 10: The central barometer of the U.S. economy, the Dow Jones Industrial Average ended one of its worst weeks in history.

Monday, January 19, 2009

The Debate Over Antichrist (by Walid Shoebat)

THE DEBATE OVER ANTICHRIST
By Walid Shoebat
THE THREE CHALLENGES
Does the beast of Revelation involve Middle Eastern Muslim nations, is it exclusively European, or is it both? Some say the notion that Islam could play a prominent role in the coming revival of the Roman Empire is impossible, unorthodox, untraditional, the work of ‘Lone Ranger’ type interpretation, and even revisionist.. 1
The majority of American evangelicals believe that the Antichrist system must be exclusively European, yet this view is changing after the last few years with the rise of Islam.
So, could Islam play a role in this end-times scenario? You might think to yourself—so what? Why should we care? Well, why then did the Almighty give us Daniel and Revelations? Even better still — why did God give us all the Messianic prophesies regarding Jesus’ first coming? Careless followers that missed these ended up without salvation, regardless of whether they sacrificed lambs in the Temple or obeyed the law—when it comes to the issue of Messiah, they missed the most crucial event in history. All for not paying close attention to Bible Prophecy. And what about the second coming? Are we to be careless with respect to the evidence presented in the Bible? I am not saying that you could lose your salvation, but if you end up on the side of Antichrist, you never had salvation in the first place.
Yet today, the debate is brewing—what about the threat of Islam? Did the Bible warn us about it? Are we supposed to keep our focus exclusively on Europe ?
To shed light on the implications of such detailed evidence (which spawned countless challenges and questions) I decided to write God’s War on Terror regarding Islam’s involvement in end-times. Consequently, I get challenges daily, not only by Muslims that want me dead but also from Christians who are dogmatic about their views. Ironically, we have no record of any Christian minister killed for exposing the E.U. as the work of Satan, yet we have millions who gave their lives for standing up to Islam. So please allow me to alleviate some pressure and present you with only three challenges:
CHALLENGE 1: Did traditional Prophecy scholars teach that Europe is exclusively the Antichrist kingdom?
You might be shocked to know that the highest caliber commentators of old did not believe that Europe was the exclusive player in the End-Times. A revival of a Roman Empire never meant a revival of a European Empire.
Many of our best western scholars on Bible prophecy believed that Islam would be a major player and will revive in the end of days as part of this end-time beast.
John Wesley interpreted the Iron in Daniel 2 as Islam (Works, 1841).
Hilaire Belloc foresaw Islam‘s rise.2
Gregory Palamus of Thessalonica interpreted the martyrdom of Christians during the Great Tribulation to come from Islam.
Josiah Litch interpreted Revelation as the ushering in of Islam.3 He even described the magnitude of Islam’s role being Antichrist to the extent of calling it the “general agreement among Christians, especially protestant commentators.”
Cyril of Jerusalem (315-368 A.D) in his Divine Institutes believed that Antichrist proceeds forth from the region of ancient Syria 4, which today extends from Syria well into portions of Asia Minor ( Turkey ).
Sophronius, Patriarch of Jerusalem (560-638) and Maximus the Confessor (580-662) identified Islam with Antichrist and lived through Islam’s invasion of Jerusalem .. Maximus was also an important theologian and scholar of the early Church who helped defeat the Monothelite heresy referred to the Muslim invasions as “announcing the advent of the Antichrist.”
John of Damascus (676-749) was another very important figure in the early church. In his famous book, Against Heresies, he identified Islam as the forerunner to the Antichrist.
Eulogius, Paul Alvarus and the Martyrs of Cordova (9th century) believed Muhammad to be a false prophet and the precursor to the Antichrist. 5
Many are not aware that while Martin Luther, father of the Protestant Reformation, believed that the Papacy played the role of the spiritual harlot, he also believed that the Muslims were the Kingdom of Antichrist . 6
John Calvin interpreted Daniel 2 eastern leg as the Eastern-Roman Islamic Empire and that Daniel 11:37 applied to the Muslims. 7
Even Jonathan Edwards the great American congregational preacher, revivalist, and president of Princeton University , like Luther and Calvin, saw Islam as one of the premiere elements of the Antichrist Kingdom . 8 Calvin even interpreted Islam’s fall at the sound of the great trumpet 9 Islam falling at the sound of the great trumpet even carries Islam into the Great Tribulation and not as many of our contemporary prophecy analysts who allege that Islam must be removed prior to Christ coming.
Even Sir Robert Anderson, perhaps one of the best prophecy experts who unlocked the seventy weeks of Daniel, in his remarkable book The Coming Prince, insists to focus on the Levant (Eastern) parts rather than the Adriatic (West). 10
Countless other Bible commentators warned about Islam being the kingdom of Antichrist—Selnecker, Nigrinus, Chytraeus, Bullinger, Foxe, Napier, Pareus, John Cotton, Thomas Parker, Increase Mather, Cotton Mather, and George Stanley Faber. 11
Also added to the list is Rev. Professor Dr. Francis Nigel Lee who sums up the traditional view in his excellent work Islam in the Bible: “from the seventh century onward – [the two legs] would degenerate respectively into the Papacy (which progressively took over the West) and Islam (which progressively took over the East.” (p. 5)
Making Europe the exclusive body of Antichrist kingdom is not the orthodox or even the traditional view. Some insist that Antichrist is Italian since he comes from the Roman Empire, but Roman does not strictly mean Italian, just as Alexander the Great was Grecian, this does not mean Athenian—he was from Macedonia . Antiochus Epiphanies, another biblical prediction was Syrian not Athenian or Cypriot. Why then, when it comes to Antichrist, insist on an Italian ignoring the whole empire. Even Jesus insisted that Pergamum in Revelation 2:12-13, was the seat of Satan and not the gymnastically altered interpretation for an archeological relic that sits in Berlin .
While contemporary prophesy analysts trumpet the idea that the fourth composite of Daniel 2 iron metal as strictly European, traditionalist views differ. Dr. Matthew Henry comments: "Who is this enemy—whose rise, reign and ruin are here foretold? Interpreters are not in agreement. Some will have the Fourth Kingdom to be that of the Seleucidae and the ‘little horn’ to be Antiochus.... Others will have the Fourth Kingdom to be that of the Romans, and the ‘little horn’ to be Julius Caesar and the succeeding emperors, as Calvin says. The Antichrist, the Papal Kingdom , says Mr. Joseph Mede.
Others make the ‘little horn’ to be the Turkish Empire [Muslim]; so Luther, Vatablus, and others. Now I cannot prove either side to be in the wrong. Therefore, since prophecies sometimes have many fulfillments, we ought to give Scripture its full latitude (in this as in many other controversies)—I am willing to allow that they are both in the right.” 12
NORTH AFRICA
Most students of prophecy that ascribe to a revival of the Roman Empire ignore that North Africa (Phut) encompasses five Muslim nations historically part of the western wing of the Roman Empire, and already mentioned literally in several end-times references. In order for the exclusively European model to fit, the whole of this Muslim region must be irrelevant. So what part of the Roman pie do we slice off and what parts do we include?
CONTEMPORARY VS TRADITIONAL
So what happened? Why do we have such a variation between contemporary versus traditional? The problem began in 1981 when Greece joined as the tenth nation in the European Union and many sounded a false alarm that announced they unlocked the mystery and have the fulfillment of Revelation 17, all with its ten horns, to later be embarrassed when the European Union mushroomed into twenty some nations.
Instead of pulling back their books, these analysts ran back to the drawing board, not to confess their error, but to insist that the E.U. model must shrink to only ten.. They still chose to finagle with the theory. Some, like Arnold Fruchtenbaum, realized that this was wrong: “It has become common today to refer to the ten kingdoms as being in Europe only, especially the Former Common Market, now the European Union. But the text does not allow for this kind of interpretation. At the very best, the European Union might become one of the ten, but it could hardly become all of the ten.'' 13
According to Fruchtenbaum, the European model comprises only one tenth, a mere slice of the whole pie. Jamieson Fausset & Brown insist that, “the ten toes are not upon the one foot (the west), as these interpretations require, but on the two (east and west) together, so that any theory which makes the ten kingdoms belong to the west alone must err..”
CHALLENGE 2: Besides the argument on whether Magog is Russia , can anyone cite any literal reference to a nation that God destroys in the End-Times that is not Muslim?
Only if you ponder this question can you grasp its magnitude. On one occasion during a lecture to a group of prominent Bible prophecy teachers in the Pre-Trib Prophecy Conference in Dallas, I asked this question and no one raised a hand to answer.
In frustration, I pointed to Dr. Randall Price, a known Prophecy teacher and asked him to respond, in which he pointed that when it comes to literal references there are none. Grant Jeffrey, another known author, once attempted to respond with Cush, not realizing that biblical Cush (a reference sometimes translated as Ethiopia) is defined in the Unger Bible Dictionary as a landmass south of Egypt . Today this will be Sudan and Somalia .
Grant Jeffrey chose one of the most fundamentalist Muslim nations as a response to find non-Muslim nations in end-times. David Reagan of the Lion and Lamb Ministries with frustration pointed to Mystery Babylon 14 ignoring that the crucial word in that question is “literal”. If Babylon is a response to cite any literal reference for a non-Muslim nation that God destroys, this would still support my view— Mystery Babylon is an allegoric reference.
CHALLENGE 3: In every portrayal of Christ’s return to the earth, is He not fighting a nation that today is Muslim?
The significance of this question is as follows —scholars are unanimous, that Christ’s second coming must happen after Antichrist appears on the scene. Christ’s mission will be to destroy Antichrist and establish His Millennium kingdom. The European Union model has the Muslim hordes destroyed before the Tribulation period. Yet the text shows that Messiah Himself deals with Muslim nations.
The next prophecy conference you attend ask, “Is Jesus on earth on the Day of the Lord?” Ezekiel tells us of that day, “For the day is near, even the Day of the Lord is near” (Ezekiel 30:3). Yet this is when “ Cush and Phut , Lydia [ Turkey ] and all Arabia, Libya and the people of the covenant land will fall by the sword along with Egypt ” (Ezekiel 30:5). Other prophesies show these nations are cast into Hell, including Asshur – “ Iraq – Syria ”, (Ezekiel 32:22-23) Elam – “ Iran ” (Ezekiel 32:24-25) Meshech & Tubal “Asia minor— Turkey ” (Ezekiel 32:26) – Edom – “ Arabia ” (Ezekiel 32:29). These nations are punished for striking terror against Israel and the believers (Ezekiel 32:22-24 & 27).
Perhaps sharing a few from the volume of hundreds of prophecies of Jesus’ wars during the Great Tribulation can shed more light on the matter: “See Jehovah rides on a swift cloud and is coming to Egypt . The idols of Egypt tremble before him, and the hearts of the Egyptians melt within them” (Isaiah 19). Does this remind you of the song “behold He comes riding on the clouds”? Yet rarely are we told that Jesus here is fighting Egypt —a Muslim nation.
Even in Christ’s judgment of the nations (Joel 3) He is fighting Muslim entities. “Now what have you against me, O Tyre and Sidon [Lebanon] and all you regions of Philistia [Gaza]” (Joel 3:4) It couldn’t be more clear! It was as if Jesus Himself was speaking directly to Hezbollah ( Tyre and Sidon ) and Hamas ( Philistia ), challenging them regarding their bloodlust against the Jewish people. Their fight against Israel is in reality a declaration of war on the King Himself.
In Isaiah 25:9-10 at the time of the Lord’s return, we have Christ fighting Moab “And it shall be said in that day, Lo, this is our God; we have waited for Him, and He will save us: this is the LORD; we have waited for Him, we will be glad and rejoice in His salvation. For in this mountain shall the hand of the LORD rest, and Moab shall be trodden down under Him, even as straw is trodden down for the dunghill.” (Isaiah 25:9-10).
Even in Isaiah 63, scholars unanimously agree that He fights Edom ( Arabia )..
Are the Muslim nations in prophecy destroyed prior to the Christ’s coming? Will the Antichrist then establish his European rule? Can anyone find a verse in the Bible in which Christ fights and nations are literally mentioned which are not Muslim?
This is why many who exclusively see Europe as Antichrist insist on removing Islam from the scene prior to the coming of Christ. Since the Muslims still exist on earth upon the Lord’s return fighting against Him, their whole premise of an exclusively European Antichrist falls apart.
Walid Shoebat, God’s War on Terror www.Shoebat.com (720)935-2826
REFERENCES
1 Lamplighter Newsletter, David Reagan, January 2009 edition.
2 The Great Heresies, chapter 4 March, 1936, page 127-128
3 Hosiah Litch, The Three Woe Trumpets, Fall of The Ottoman Empire , August 11, 1840
4 Divine Institutes, 7:17
5 Paul Alvarus, Memoriale sanctorum 2.4
6 Martin Luther, Tischreden, Weimer ed., 1, No. 330
7 Calvin On Islam Revelation Prof. Dr. Francis Nigel Lee, Lamp Trimmers El Paso , 2000
8 Jonathan Edwards, The Fall of Antichrist, Part VII, page 395, New York, Published by S. Converse 1829
9 Jonathan Edwards, The Fall of Antichrist, Part VII, page 399, New York, Published by S. Converse 1829
10 The Coming Prince, Page 273
11 Froom: op. cit., II pp. 323f, 325f, 331, 340f, 412f, 458 & 518f and also III pp. 40f, 74f, 125-31, 149, 183, 240f, &352f.
12 M. Henry: A Commentary on the Holy Bible, with Practical Remarks andObservations, London : Marshall Bros. Ltd., n.d., IV:1270f.
13 Fruchtenbaum, Footsteps of the Messiah, page 36
14 Lamplighter Newsletter, David Reagan, January 2009 edition.

Tuesday, January 13, 2009

FoxNews Science: Mystery Roar Detected From Faraway Space

This interesting story was on Fox News recently: Mystery Roar Detected From Faraway Space.
Radio waves are not sound waves, but they are still electromagnetic waves, situated on the low-frequency end of the light spectrum.

Many objects in the universe, including stars and quasars, emit radio waves. Even our home galaxy, the Milky Way, emits a static hiss (first detected in 1931 by physicist Karl Jansky). Other galaxies also send out a background radio hiss.
But the newly detected signal, described here today at the 213th meeting of the American Astronomical Society, is far louder than astronomers expected.
There is "something new and interesting going on in the universe," said Alan Kogut of NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md.A team led by Kogut detected the signal with a balloon-borne instrument named ARCADE (Absolute Radiometer for Cosmology, Astrophysics, and Diffuse Emission).

In July 2006, the instrument was launched from NASA's Columbia Scientific Balloon Facility in Palestine, Texas, and reached an altitude of about 120,000 feet (36,500 meters), where the atmosphere thins into the vacuum of space.

ARCADE's mission was to search the sky for faint signs of heat from the first generation of stars, but instead they heard a roar from the distant reaches of the universe."The universe really threw us a curve," Kogut said. "Instead of the faint signal we hoped to find, here was this booming noise six times louder than anyone had predicted."
Detailed analysis of the signal ruled out primordial stars or any known radio sources, including gas in the outermost halo of our own galaxy.
Other radio galaxies also can't account for the noise — there just aren't enough of them.
Source: FoxNews: http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,477880,00.html

2 Corinthians 12:2-4
"I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago--whether in the body I do not know, or out of the body I do not know, God knows--such a man was caught up to the third heaven. And I know how such a man--whether in the body or apart from the body I do not know, God knows-- was caught up into Paradise and heard inexpressible words, which a man is not permitted to speak."

Whether Paul was physically taken to heaven or it was shown him, even he could not say for sure; however, it's clear from this passage that he went to the place where the Lord resides, the third heaven. The first heaven is regarded by theologians as our earthly atmosphere, the second heaven: outerspace, and the third heaven as God's habitation. A paradise! I pray to see you there!