At AllFaith.com I share numerous studies into the world's religions based on my personal quest for Truth. Over the years this research has led me to embrace Judaism. That is now the main focus of the domain.
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Todah veShalom,
~ John of AllFaith
Sunday, February 01, 2009
Meet the Antichrist: How to recognize him when he rises Part 1 of 4
I John 2:18: "Little children, it is the last time: and as ye have heard that antichrist shall come, even now are there many antichrists; whereby we know that it is the last time."
The Spirit of Antichrists:
There have been innumerable "antichrists" throughout history and many such people are currently active in our troubled world. These antichrists are people who use their influence to work contrary to the will of God and the people.
What exactly is an antichrist? The word "christ" means anointed [of God]. "Antichrists" are therefore those people who work counter to God's will in diverse ways, against the divine purpose. The ultimate purpose of God as far as our world is concerned at least, is the liberation of the earth and the establishment of the global Theocracy of Moshiach. As such, antichrists are those who oppose this New Heaven and New Earth.
"Anti" references the counter position of the thing referenced. Hence, if the anointing of God aims at earth's liberation, anti-anointing activities aim at establishing the opposite, in other words, global enslavement. The spirit of antichrist is the spirit of greed, selfishness, injustice, prejudice and so on. All traits that seek to keep others down stem from the spirit of antichrist.
In our present day, these antichrists are actively laying the foundations for the coming Merovingian global regime under plans that are being developed and implemented by the Bilderberg Group and its various subsidiaries (CFR, Federal Reserve Bank, Bohemian Grove, etc).
The New Secular Order of the Ages (the Novus Ordo Seclorum), and its leader are following a flexible well established Plan that will culminate, they intend, with the revelation of a genetically superior master race and ruler and a kingdom that will never end. Yes, according to the biblical prophecies there will soon arise one man from among these lesser 'horns,' these inferior antichrists, who will be THE Antichrist. Scripture gives a good deal of information about this person and here we will examine some of this information in order to understand his role in the things to come. Moreover, we will find out how to recognize him as he comes to power.
The Person Antichrist:
Amos 3:7: Surely the Lord GOD will do nothing, but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets.
To this end, we will examine the words of the prophets:
II Thessalonians 2:1: Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him, 2 That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand. 3 Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; 4 Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God. 5 Remember ye not, that, when I was yet with you, I told you these things? 6 And now ye know what withholdeth that he might be revealed in his time. 7 For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way. 8 And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming: 9 Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders, 10 And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. 11 And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: 12 That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.
We begin with the understanding that although there are many antichrists, one man will come to power at a certain point in the prophetic timetable unlike his peers.
The coming the Antichrist is directly tied to the coming of the Moshiach (vs.3). The true Moshiach (Messiah) can not come until the revelation of this ultimate antichrist. The Antichrist must first performs his fated desecrations and destruction. THEN will Moshiach come.
The Antichrist, the Rex Mundi or Global Ruler, in turn cannot come until certain other clearly foretold events take place and these, likewise, have their own requisite precedents in the prophetic timeline.
Now they do.
All of these conditions and activities are known and revealed by the foreknowledge of God through the prophets. They all share as if by future history.
The Antichrist, the Little Horn, will not rise nor rule in vacuum, but in a highly structured system prepared for him by his predecessors: The Bilderberg Group.
There are those who teach that the Antichrist will not be an individual human being but a global system or bureaucracy (some suppose the UN, some the Bilderberg Group etc). However this is not what the prophets teach. As we will see below.
Where will the Antichrist come from? What race and religion will he be? Will the Beast be male or female? What do we really know about the coming despot as a person? The prophecies give us sound insights into these questions.
First, practically every reference to the Antichrist is to an individual. All political and religious institutions ultimately depend on individuals to function and make their policies. In the same way, the Beast will lead powerful organizations and expertly use them to fulfill the various prophecies concerning him.
There will be systems of control and organizations however these will all be lead by individuals who serve their master, the Rex Mundi. The Beast will utilize every tool at his disposal, including the UN, the World Bank, and so on, but ultimately this one leader, referred to as a male in every gender-specific reference, will be in full control.
Considering this, we believe the Beast will be an individual male of natural human birth who will head a global corporatocracy, the foundations of which are now being laid by the Bilderberg Group and others.
The Religion of the Antichrist:
Based on the prophets we further know that the Antichrist will be a Semitic Jew.
This is not an anti-Semitic statement to make! I am a lover of Israel and a Noahide Zionist. Others who have pointed out that the coming Rex Mundi will be Jewish have been accused of anti-Semitism, in part because they failed to explain why this is so. So please allow me to explain how we can be certain of this. It is very important if we hope to recognize him when he rises to power.
There have been many false Moshiachs but The Antichrist has yet to come
The New Testament prophecies clearly show that the Jewish people and their elders as a whole will be deceived and accept this man as the long awaited Jewish Messiah:
John 5:43 I [i.e. Master Y'shua] am come in my Father's name, and ye receive me not: if another shall come in his own name, him ye will receive.
The context of that statement is that Y'shua was sent to Jewish people for their blessing, to draw them back to the Written Torah of HaShem, but they rejected him. Prophet Y'shua is clear that just as he came to his people, when the other man comes to them it will be for their destruction and yet him they accept. This is also another confirmation that the Antichrist will be an individual person, just as Y'shua was an individual man, not a "system of things."
For those who accept the prophecies of Master Y'shua and his disciples this prophecy is quite clear. It is a direct prediction of the coming of a false Moshiach unlike all others and of the general Jewish acceptance of him. As the Wikipedia explains, Master Y'shua was only one of many Jewish men whose followers hoped he might be the Moshiach and he was not the last Here is their list of claimants:
The Jewish Messiah originally meant a divinely-appointed king; David, Cyrus the Great, and Alexander the Great are examples of such. Later, especially after the failure of Bar Kokhba's revolt [132–135 CE], it came to represent a figure who would deliver the Jews from oppression and usher in a new world [I disagree with the last point. It is the clear teaching of the Jewish prophets from very early that a single, specific Moshiach would come, establish the Theocracy and redeem Israel: Isa 11:1 etc.].
Simon (ca. 4 BC), a former slave of Herod the Great who rebelled.
Athronges (ca. 3 BC)
Judas of Galilee (?), son of Hezekiah/Ezekias, a member of the Zealots faction who led a bloody revolt against a Roman census in AD 6. (JA18)
Jesus of Nazareth (ca. 4 BC - AD 30-?), a wandering prophet and teacher who was crucified by the Romans; Jews who believed him to be the Messiah were the first Christians, also known as Jewish Christians.
Theudas (? - 46), who attempted a short-lived revolt against the Romans before being slain. (JA20.5.1)
"Egyptian Prophet", c.55, (an allusion to Moses[citation needed]), with 30,000 unarmed Jews doing The Exodus reenactment massacred by Procurator Antonius Felix (JW2.13.5, JA20.8.6, Acts 21:38)[2]
Menahem ben Judah (?), allegedly son of Judas of Galilee, partook in a revolt against Agrippa II before being slain by a rival Zealot leader.
Vespasian, c.70, according to Josephus[3]
Simon bar Kokhba (?- ca. 135), founded a short-lived Jewish state before being defeated in the Second Jewish-Roman War.
Moses of Crete (?), who in about 440-470, convinced the Jews of Crete to attempt to walk into the sea to return to Israel; he disappeared after that disaster.
Ishak ben Ya'kub Obadiah Abu 'Isa al-Isfahani (684-705), who led a revolt in Persia against the Umayyad Caliph 'Abd al-Malik ibn Marwan.
Yudghan (?), a disciple of Abu 'Isa who continued the faith after Isa was slain.
Serene (?), who around 720 claimed to be the Messiah and advocated expulsion of Muslims and relaxing various rabbinic laws before being arrested; he then recanted.
David Alroy (?), born in Kurdistan, who around 1160 agitated against the caliph before being assassinated.
Nissim ben Abraham (?), active around 1295.
Moses Botarel of Cisneros (?), active around 1413; claimed to be a sorcerer able to combine the names of God.
Asher Lemmlein (?), a German near Venice who proclaimed himself a forerunner of the Messiah in 1502.
David Reubeni (1490-1541?) and Solomon Molcho (1500-1532), adventurers who travelled in Portugal, Italy, and Turkey; Molcho was eventually burned at the stake by the Pope.
A mostly unknown Czech Jew from around the 1650s.[4]
Sabbatai Zevi (1626-1676), an Ottoman Jew who claimed to be the Messiah, but then converted to Islam; still has followers today in the Donmeh.
Barukhia Russo (Osman Baba), successor of Sabbatai Zevi.
Jacob Querido (?-1690), claimed to be the new incarnation of Sabbatai; later converted to Islam and led the Donmeh.
Miguel Cardoso (1630-1706), another successor of Sabbatai who claimed to be the "Messiah ben Ephraim."
Mordecai Mokia (1650-1729), "the Rebuker," another person who proclaimed himself Messiah after Sabbatai's death.
Löbele Prossnitz (?-1750), a proven fraud who nevertheless attained some following amongst former followers of Sabbatai, calling himself the "Messiah ben Joseph."
Jacob Joseph Frank (1726-1791), who claimed to be the reincarnation of King David and preached a synthesis of Christianity and Judaism.
Menachem Mendel Schneerson (1902-1994), a Chabad Rabbi who tried to "prepare the way" for the Messiah. Despite much controversy, most of his followers believed him to be the Messiah, many still do.
All of these and the other candidates for the post of Moshiach failed however to take up the throne of David.
I do want to be very clear here that I am NOT saying that "the Rebbe" (Menachem Mendel Schneerson of blessed memory) or the others on this list were in ANY way comparable to the Antichrist or even false. This list is not intended to judge any of those listed. It merely shows that there have been many Jewish masters believed by their followers to be the Moshiach. The Rebbe for instance was a truly righteous and devout Jew and one of the most important and gifted teachers produced by the Jewish people.
In each case however there are various reasons, but what their failures all have in common is that they did not fulfill the requisite prophecies for the Root of Jesse. It will appear that Rex Mundi will be fully qualified for the position:
Isa. 11:10 And in that day there shall be a root of Jesse, which shall stand for an ensign of the people; to it shall the Gentiles seek: and his rest shall be glorious.
When considering the New Testament prophecies we need to bear in mind that the Master was speaking to Jews about Jewish issues. For anyone to be accepted as the Moshiach (Messiah) he must be Semitic (descended biologically from Shem), male (as discussed above), a descendant of Abraham, Isaac, David, Jesse and others as specified by the various prophecies. Anyone who does not fit these requirements can not be the Moshiach. To believe the Jewish people would accept a non-Jew as their Moshiach as anti-biblical works such as The Left Behind Series where he is depicted as a Transylvanian vampire type of character is, in my opinion, blatantly anti-Semitic (the term means "anti-Jewish" not opposition to all Semites. To be "anti-Muslim" is not anti-Semitic (not that I'm encouraging this of course).
We also know that the Antichrist will arise from Europe thanks to Daniel's reference to his being a "little horn" sprouting from the ten nations that developed after the fall of the Roman empire:
Dan 7:8 I considered the horns, and, behold, there came up among them another little horn, before whom there were three of the first horns plucked up by the roots: and, behold, in this horn were eyes like the eyes of man, and a mouth speaking great things.
This verse again specifically states that the leader will be a man, not a System.
We'll get more into this below. We are also told by the prophets that the Antichrist will be "the Assyrian":
Isaiah 10:5: O Assyrian, the rod of mine anger, and the staff in their hand is mine indignation....
Isaiah 10:24: Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD of hosts, O my people that dwellest in Zion, be not afraid of the Assyrian: he shall smite thee with a rod, and shall lift up his staff against thee, after the manner of Egypt…
Micah 5:1: Now gather thyself in troops, O daughter of troops: he hath laid siege against us: they shall smite the judge of Israel with a rod upon the cheek. 2 But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting. 3 Therefore will he give them up, until the time that she which travaileth hath brought forth: then the remnant of his brethren shall return unto the children of Israel. 4 And he shall stand and feed in the strength of the LORD, in the majesty of the name of the LORD his God; and they shall abide: for now shall he be great unto the ends of the earth. 5 And this man shall be the peace, when the Assyrian shall come into our land: and when he shall tread in our palaces, then shall we raise against him seven shepherds, and eight principal men.
We can learn a lot from such prophecies about where the Antichrist will likely hail from. To my knowledge only one place was part of both the European branch of the Roman Empire and the Assyrian Empire, and hence the Antichrist will doubtless arise from that place. We can say with a relative degree of certainty therefore that the Son of Perdition, the Antichrist, will first appear in the Southern Greek Isles.
When this is contrasted with the other prophecies it seems very likely that the Rex Mundi has already been born in Bethlehem, of a Jewish mother and circumcised according to the Laws of Moses. Bethlehem of course is under Muslim Ummah control at present.
I further theorize, even though the scriptures do not teach this point directly, that the Antichrist has probably been born in Bethlehem and brought, probably smuggled, into Greece to escape local persecution. His mother was Jewish and his father was possibly Muslim who abandoned the mother and child due to political and religious concerns.
There are those who agree with this basic scenario but believe the leadership of the Muslim Brotherhood Project may be working with the Bilderbergs and thus be involved in the child's father's selection. Personally I do not believe this. I am convinced that the Muslim Brother Project is completely opposed to and standing up against the Illuminati.
In any case, such an arraignment, a Jewish mother and a Muslim father for the Rex Mundi, would make the child Jewish while establishing a direct link to the Muslim Ummah, thus making the acceptance of the Rex Muslim as their foretold Madhi more palatable to the Muslim world.
The case is also made by various sources, such as Holy Blood Holy Grail, that the coming leader will be a physical descendant of Master Y'shua. According to Islam the Madhi or 12th Imam will be a physical descendant of Prophet Muhammad. Imagine a European Leader who can demonstrated a direct bloodline ("san grael or san gréal") to both Prophets Y'shua and Muhammad! This, I believe, the Rex Mundi will successfully do.
Again, this last point is just my theory. The former point, that he will be a Jewish male from the Southern Greek Islands seems highly likely. The future will tell of course.
Again, for clarity, the Moshiach must be able to convince Jewish authorities that he is the Moshiach. The Madhi must be able to convince the Muslims that he is the foretold one. The Jewish elders will not be taking Christian prophecy into their consideration of course but they also must be convinced that the Rex Mundi is the Second Coming of Jesus.
The Great Falling Away
The revelation of the coming Antichrist will be one of the most important signs that the end of the age has arrived.
According to this section of scripture (II Thessalonians 2), certain events must precede the Rex Mundi's appearance: "For that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first..."
What is this falling away? We'll look more deeply into this topic in my study on the Seven Churches, however a basic understanding of this is an important key to identifying the Antichrist. For now then, in the Book of the Revelation, the Apostle John is shown the future history of the Christian Church. This history is presented through seven church periods that are typified as seven historic churches (Rev 2:1-3:22). While it is true that these were literal churches of the period, each of them represents a period of church history in the prophecies. This interpretation is commonly held among people who study the prophecies. Again, this is discussed here
In our present study our interest is with the seventh or final period, signified by the church of Laodicea. This period is discussed from Revelation 3:14 to the end of the chapter.
The Prophecy of the Seven Churches begins with the fading glory and authority of the ancient church as it reaches the End times and is finally "vomited out."
The sixth church period (which ended circa 1913 by my calculations), was known as the church of Philadelphia. That age allowed false doctrine to erode its purity and yet within that period many people remained faithful and the overall health of the Church was still acceptable although quickly waning. Throughout the Church Age certain spiritual viruses were passed on generation after generation. These spiritual infections included the acceptance of certain critical false doctrines inherited from Philadelphia's predecessor Sardis and so on.
Spiritually speaking the Church at large, "the Body of Christ," was gradually devolving and becoming more and more diseased as these false doctrines were allowed to incubate. Of those in this period who had gone awry we are told,
"Behold, I will make them of the synagogue of Satan, which say they are Jews, and are not, but do lie… ".
Due to the rising tide of anti-Semitism I should probably point out that the Jews are the Elect of God. This reference is speaking of people who claim they are are God when they are not, when they are actually serving the New World Order of Lucifer. Of such people the prophets warn,
Romans 10:2 2 For I bear them record that they have a zeal of God, but not according to knowledge.
Lucifer is the father of lies and hypocrisy and he has successfully wormed his way into control of the Nicean Church in all of its myriad forms. From early in the Church's history what John referred to as the Nicolaitane heresies were formally adopted and passed through the Believers at counsels such as Nicea. These Nicolaitane heresies are now accepted by most Christians as biblically sound, even as most Christians have now abandoned the textually solid King James Version (based on the Textus Receptus) and replaced it with New World Order versions like the New International Version (NIV) and so on. For more on these pseudo bible visit my Which Bible study.
During this Laodecian age the doctrine of a Pre-Tribulation Rapture has lulled a large percentage of Christians into deep and apathetic slumber. This is no coincidence. I discuss this new doctrine elsewhere. This is all related to the rise of the Beast. Many of those Christians who expect to be raptured before his reign begins are actually rejoicing as the new technologies and realities proclaim his rise. We are not here to escape, we are here to oppose him!
The Global Church has largely been contaminated by embracing Lucifer's doctrines through false teachings, anti-scriptures like the NIV, hypocrisy, the casting of stones, ignorance, spiritual apathy, lack of independent Bible study and a general lack of devotion to the things the followers received from Master Y'shua and his direct disciples. This apathy is the essence of Laodecian Christianity... and was foretold by the prophets.
These falsities were then passed on generation by generation as sound doctrine and spiritual principles thus infecting more and more of the Church with heresy and false doctrine. They were not "true Jews," which is to say, they were not holding to the ways of the God of Israel as presented by Master Y'shua. As we pass through the seven ages of the Church, the Church gradually became more and more heretical until eventually the teachings of Master Y'shua were largely lost.
As the present church age of Laodicea became established, as the final church age or period began, the situation became more desperate. In the earlier church ages there were always those individuals who were 'of the synagogue of Satan' but they were the minority. Master Y'shua refers to these people in his parable about the wheat and the tares (Matthew 23). As the Laodicean period continues to advance the Church is gradually becoming more and more hypocritical and lethargic, less like the early church. The tares are now far outnumbering the wheat and finding 'true Jews' among the Church is becoming increasingly difficult:
Revelation 3:14: And unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write; These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God; 15 I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot. 16 So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth. 17 Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked: 18 I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see. 19 As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent.
This is the "Great Falling Away" spoken of by Prophet Paul in II Thessalonians above. Those who "repent" and hold firm to the God of Israel will still be accepted (Rev 3:20-22), however the majority of the modern Laodicean Church will not do this. Most Christians will maintain the Nicean or Nicolaitane form of Christianity as it reaches it zenith under the leadership of the False Prophet (Rev 16:13). This falling away must come first (and it is currently under way), and then the Antichrist will be revealed. The Church isn't going anywhere as the prophets make clear.
Following the seven year reign of the world leader, the true Moshiach will come and redeem Israel and thereby the world. We see therefore several specific prophecies that the Christian Church of the Last Days will be marred in hypocrisy, greed, judgementalism and an overall lack of faith and obedience to God. We also see clear references in the prophecies that throughout the Seven Years followers of Master Y'shua will be persecuted and murdered. Again, I discuss the rapture doctrine elsewhere. The One God is therefore now turning away from the Church just as John, Master Y'shua and Paul foretold.
According to the Bible the Jews, the physical and spiritual descendants of Abraham and Sara through their sons, are the eternally Chosen People of God. Everything in the Bible concerns the Jews and God's dealings with them. They are the KEY. When Moshiach comes to save the world from certain destruction, it will be to rescue the Jews that he will come:
Matt 24:21 For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be. 22 And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect's sake those days shall be shortened.
The benefits of this divine intervention for the rest of humanity will be secondary. For reasons I present elsewhere, for a time the eternally Chosen People of God were sent into exile, into the Diaspora. When Jerusalem and its holy temple were destroyed in 70 CE, not only did the Jews go into almost complete exile, God Himself accepted a type of banishment and dispersed among them as well and the Holy City was handed over to the Gentiles until such time that God chose to restore Jerusalem to Israel. In 1948/1967 HaShem returned much of Eretz Israel to His people:
"…the most High ruleth in the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever he will."
That time arrived in May of 1948. Prophet Paul explains that during the period of Israel's exile, God 'grafted' onto the Tree of Israel new branches. These were the mainly Gentile disciples of Master Y'shua. These Gentiles did not and indeed could not ever replace Israel as the Wife of God:
Isaiah 54:5: For thy Maker is thine husband; the LORD of hosts is his name; and thy Redeemer the Holy One of Israel; The God of the whole earth shall he be called.
The Holy One of Israel is the God of the whole world, the Bridegroom of the Church, but the Husband of Israel. As the prophets foretold, the Church is now being cut off but Israel remains forever:
Romans 11:6 And if by grace, then is it no more of works: otherwise grace is no more grace. But if it be of works, then is it no more grace: otherwise work is no more work. 7 What then? Israel hath not obtained that which he seeketh for; but the election hath obtained it, and the rest were blinded 8 (According as it is written, God hath given them the spirit of slumber, eyes that they should not see, and ears that they should not hear;) unto this day. 9 And David saith, Let their table be made a snare, and a trap, and a stumblingblock, and a recompense unto them: 10 Let their eyes be darkened that they may not see, and bow down their back alway. 11 I say then, Have they stumbled that they should fall? God forbid: but rather through their fall salvation is come unto the Gentiles, for to provoke them to jealousy. 12 Now if the fall of them be the riches of the world, and the diminishing of them the riches of the Gentiles; how much more their fulness? 13 For I speak to you Gentiles, inasmuch as I am the apostle of the Gentiles, I magnify mine office: 14 If by any means I may provoke to emulation them which are my flesh, and might save some of them. 15 For if the casting away of them be the reconciling of the world, what shall the receiving of them be, but life from the dead? 16 For if the firstfruit be holy, the lump is also holy: and if the root be holy, so are the branches. 17 And if some of the branches be broken off, and thou, being a wild olive tree, wert grafted in among them, and with them partakest of the root and fatness of the olive tree; 18 Boast not against the branches. But if thou boast, thou bearest not the root, but the root thee. 19 Thou wilt say then, The branches were broken off, that I might be grafted in. 20 Well; because of unbelief they were broken off, and thou standest by faith. Be not highminded, but fear: 21 For if God spared not the natural branches, take heed lest he also spare not thee. 22 Behold therefore the goodness and severity of God: on them which fell, severity; but toward thee, goodness, if thou continue in his goodness: otherwise thou also shalt be cut off. 23 And they also, if they abide not still in unbelief, shall be grafted in: for God is able to graft them in again. 24 For if thou wert cut out of the olive tree which is wild by nature, and wert grafted contrary to nature into a good olive tree: how much more shall these, which be the natural branches, be grafted into their own olive tree? 25 For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in. 26 And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob: 27 For this is my covenant unto them, when I shall take away their sins. 28 As concerning the gospel, they are enemies for your sakes: but as touching the election, they are beloved for the fathers' sakes. 29 For the gifts and calling of God are without repentance. 30 For as ye in times past have not believed God, yet have now obtained mercy through their unbelief:
What has this got to do with identifying the Antichrist?
Everything!
When Master Y'shua of Nazareth, the son of the teenage Jewish maiden Miriam, called Israel to repentance, his message was rejected by most of his people. What this message was and why it was rejected is a topic best left for another study. However understand that in 70 CE Master Y'shua's Jewish and Gentile followers heeded his warning (Matt 24:15-20) and fled Jerusalem between the invasions of Cestius and Titus. According to accounts, Cestius was prepared to enter the Holy City with more than ample soldiery for total victory but then for some still unknown reason he turned and retreated. The Non-Nazarene Jewish defenders of the city (ie those who did not heed Master Y'shua's warnings) rushed after the troops and the Nazarenes (the followers of Master Y'shua) took the opportunity to flee the area based upon the Master's prophecy (at Matt 24:1-3).
These Nazarenes or early followers of the Way found refuge in the city of Pella in Perea. Shortly afterwards Titus attacked and destroyed the Holy City and its Temple leaving more than a million dead in his wake. As Prophet Micah had predicted:
Micah 3:1 And I said, Hear, I pray you, O heads of Jacob, and ye princes of the house of Israel; Is it not for you to know judgment? 2 Who hate the good, and love the evil; who pluck off their skin from off them, and their flesh from off their bones; 3 Who also eat the flesh of my people, and flay their skin from off them; and they break their bones, and chop them in pieces, as for the pot, and as flesh within the caldron. 4 Then shall they cry unto the LORD, but he will not hear them: he will even hide his face from them at that time, as they have behaved themselves ill in their doings. 5 Thus saith the LORD concerning the prophets that make my people err, that bite with their teeth, and cry, Peace; and he that putteth not into their mouths, they even prepare war against him. 6 Therefore night shall be unto you, that ye shall not have a vision; and it shall be dark unto you, that ye shall not divine; and the sun shall go down over the prophets, and the day shall be dark over them. 7 Then shall the seers be ashamed, and the diviners confounded: yea, they shall all cover their lips; for there is no answer of God. 8 But truly I am full of power by the spirit of the LORD, and of judgment, and of might, to declare unto Jacob his transgression, and to Israel his sin. 9 Hear this, I pray you, ye heads of the house of Jacob, and princes of the house of Israel, that abhor judgment, and pervert all equity. 10 They build up Zion with blood, and Jerusalem with iniquity. 11 The heads thereof judge for reward, and the priests thereof teach for hire, and the prophets thereof divine for money: yet will they lean upon the LORD, and say, Is not the LORD among us? none evil can come upon us. 12 Therefore shall Zion for your sake be plowed as a field, and Jerusalem shall become heaps, and the mountain of the house as the high places of the forest.
When Titus was finished, Holy Zion had been plowed as a field, and Jerusalem became like a garbage heap and so it remained until the reestablishment of the nation of Israel in 1948/1967.
The Jews Took No Ones Land
Now, there are again those who would deny the Holy City to the Jews, who would drive them into the sea as the leader of Iran keeps threatening (or that, "Israel must be wiped off the map"):
"They say it is not possible to have a world without the United States and Zionism. But you know that this is a possible goal and slogan...... When our dear Imam [Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, the founder of the Iranian revolution] said that the regime must be removed, many of those who claimed to be politically well-informed said it was not possible. All the corrupt governments were in support of the regime when Imam Khomeini started his movement. ... But our people resisted and it is 27 years now that we have survived without a regime dependent on the United States. The tyranny of the East and the West over the world should have to end, but weak people who can see only what lies in front of them cannot believe this. Who would believe that one day we could witness the collapse of the Eastern Empire? But we could watch its fall in our lifetime. And it collapsed in a way that we have to refer to libraries because no trace of it is left. Imam [Khomeini] said Saddam must go and he said he would grow weaker than anyone could imagine. Now you see the man who spoke with such arrogance ten years ago that one would have thought he was immortal, is being tried in his own country in handcuffs and shackles... Our dear Imam said that the occupying regime must be wiped off the map and this was a very wise statement. We cannot compromise over the issue of Palestine. Is it possible to create a new front in the heart of an old front. This would be a defeat and whoever accepts the legitimacy of this regime [Israel] has in fact, signed the defeat of the Islamic world. Our dear Imam targeted the heart of the world oppressor in his struggle, meaning the occupying regime. I have no doubt that the new wave that has started in Palestine, and we witness it in the Islamic world too, will eliminate this disgraceful stain from the Islamic world." (source: www.nytimes.com, based on a publication of 'Iranian Students News Agency' (ISNA) --
Yet in the fullness of time the real Moshiach will come and through him HaShem will save His dear wife, people Israel. That day is dawning but is not quite here yet...
Resolving this conflict will a prime concern of the coming Rex Mundi.
For our present purposes, note that the Rex Mundi cannot come to power until this "cutting off" of the grafted on branches, this "falling away" of the Laodicean Church takes place. This then is a key event in the prophetic time table!
Around 1948 when Israel was established the Laodicean church reached critical mass and began to wither on the vine. Today of course there remain Christians who are genuinely devoted to the God of Israel according the Light they have been granted, but their numbers are steadily dwindling as Secular Humanism becomes the defacto state religion of every Western and many Eastern nations. India for instance is currently, sadly, abandoning the Sanatana Dharma as never before in its vast history. The secularization of the world has been accelerating rapidly since the end of World War II and the return of Israel as a nation. This view is completely harmonious with the prophets and explains many points not otherwise understood.
While Israel remains a largely secular state today, coming events will inspire the Jewish people to call upon the Name of HaShem as the prophets foretell:
Isa 66:5 Hear the word of the LORD, ye that tremble at his word; Your brethren that hated you, that cast you out for my name's sake, said, Let the LORD be glorified: but he shall appear to your joy, and they shall be ashamed. 6 A voice of noise from the city, a voice from the temple, a voice of the LORD that rendereth recompense to his enemies. 7 Before she travailed, she brought forth; before her pain came, she was delivered of a man child. 8 Who hath heard such a thing? who hath seen such things? Shall the earth be made to bring forth in one day? or shall a nation be born at once? for as soon as Zion travailed, she brought forth her children. 9 Shall I bring to the birth, and not cause to bring forth? saith the LORD: shall I cause to bring forth, and shut the womb? saith thy God.
Prophet Paul references this when he says:
Romans 11:26 And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob: 27 For this is my covenant unto them, when I shall take away their sins.
Some of my readers may feel I have harped on this point too long, but it is incredibly important to understand. The Antichrist will arise at the Last Days as a final attempt to establish a global Luciferian Kingdom and prevent the establishment of the Theocracy promised to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. The Christian Church, the Muslim Ummah and even the majority of Jews will accept him as the Moshiach according to their own terminology...
Found some riveting Google articles including "Roots of {Warlike) Christian Zionism," "Pretrib Rapture Diehards" and "Famous Rapture Watchers." Historian Dave MacPherson authored these. He also authored the bestselling book THE RAPTURE PLOT which I obtained at Armageddon Books online. Thanks for your good blog. Rocky2
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Found some riveting Google articles including "Roots of {Warlike) Christian Zionism," "Pretrib Rapture Diehards" and "Famous Rapture Watchers." Historian Dave MacPherson authored these. He also authored the bestselling book THE RAPTURE PLOT which I obtained at Armageddon Books online. Thanks for your good blog.
Rocky2
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