244 posts from November 2006

Hughs: The end is really near, local man contends
By INA HUGHS, hughs@ knews.com
November 8, 2005

The Book of Revelation is not pleasant reading. It describes Armageddon, the Day of Judgment in which, after a series of catastrophes, God chooses those who will be taken up into glory and those to be left behind to burn in eternal fire.
The litmus test is whether or not a person has confessed their sins and accepted Jesus Christ as their personal Savior.

"It is as simple as that," says John Gilmore, general manager of Knology of Knoxville.

He and I met for a heart-attack-on-a-plate breakfast at Cracker Barrel, and as the waitress kept us plied with coffee long after we finished eating, Gilmore explained his theory that the End of Time is near. There is nothing we can do to stop it, and the only hope for anyone is that he or she confess his or her sins and acknowledge that salvation only comes through the blood of Jesus.

There's a lot of eschatology going around these days, and if what some modern-day prophets are telling us is true, things don't look good. Signs of the end are all around: the threat of a world flu epidemic; the changing climate; the series of disastrous hurricanes; earthquakes and tidal waves; and war and carnage on every front.

For Gilmore, it is the threat of an Antichrist, the move toward globalization and a New World Order that woke him up to what is really happening and what he is supposed to do about it.

In two letters to the News Sentinel within the past month, Gilmore lists a glut of reasons that an ancient and powerful secret organization is, essentially, making all the calls as to what happens politically and militarily. So much so, they actually control who gets elected as world leaders. They are called the Illuminati, and their agenda is to secure from within their ranks power over politics, economics and the social order of the day.

Their agenda is "the new world order" referred to in the Book of Revelation.
Both of Gilmore's letters can be read in full on the News Sentinel Web site, knoxnews.com.

Gilmore, 34, is well aware that people find his words and his beliefs threatening and are apt to dismiss them as being hokey.

"I certainly don't have the answers and am no great theologian, but I am convinced that the Antichrist is walking the earth somewhere today, that we are in the End Times, that the Illuminati is gaining control and moving us toward globalization, and that our only hope of getting into heaven when the time comes, and that time is near, is to accept Jesus Christ."

The Illuminati, he explains, is a secret organization composed of rich, powerful individuals acting in tandem to gain control of the world. Every president, he says, with the exception of Lincoln, Kennedy and Reagan (who were, by the way, all shot) was part of the Illuminati, and that is how and why they rose to such positions of power. The two Bush presidents, both members of Yale University's Skull & Bones secret organization, are members of the Illuminati as well, he says.

He says the Illuminati find special significance in the number 11. He calls it their code number.

Here, Gilmore offers a bit of spooky new math.

It was on Sept. 11, 1990, that the senior George Bush mentioned before Congress the phrase "A New World Order" for the first time. Eleven years later to the day, the World Trade Center was destroyed. The Madrid bombings were on March 11, 2004 - 911 days after Sept. 11, 2001.

And, says Gilmore, something very big is going to happen on Nov. 11, 2005 - three days from today.

"Look at that date: 11-11-2005. Add 1+1+1+1+2+0+0+5, and what do you get?"
Eleven.

There's no bravado about Gilmore, and he's at a loss as to why he was chosen, but he feels God is using him to spread a warning, to encourage people to wake up and see what is happening to our country, to recognize that God is withdrawing His protection as the Illuminati tightens its grip on history and the Antichrist waits in the wings.

"I don't know why God revealed all these things to me," says Gilmore. "I just know what I have to do about it."

Not only is Gilmore spreading the word through letters to newspapers and the business world, he also is preparing materially for the coming disaster on Friday. He is storing up materially for the continuing hard, testing times between now and the Rapture, when it will be only the "true Christians" who will be accepted into heaven, while everyone else will perish.

He has sold his stock. His house is on the market. He is stockpiling nonperishable food, water, gas and other necessities.

His research into the unexplained events of 9/11 convinces him of an inside conspiracy: the fact that there are no photos of the plane that hit the Pentagon (he says there wasn't one); the ultimate and complete destruction of both towers (it had to have been more than airplanes, he says); and the fact that Bush seemed, by his behavior when told, to have been expecting it.

In fact, says Gilmore, it was Illuminati involvement that got us into previous wars: the sinking of the Lusitania, Pearl Harbor, the Gulf of Tonquin - there being at least some evidence that United States leaders knew ahead of time about them all.
"I don't know whether the Illuminati orchestrated these events, but they knew how to use them to their favor," Gilmore argues.

The mess that the world, the United States in particular, bears witness to God's displeasure: our national debt, the decline of our auto industry, and the push toward globalization - Revelation's New World Order - as evidenced by organizations like the World Bank and the United Nations.

"The Illuminati is trying to destroy national sovereignty," says Gilmore. "They are moving us toward a time when power will only be at the top. Everything will be in their control."

Gilmore, who is a Methodist, says he grew up in the church and has always believed in God but that until recently, "Jesus was not that high on my list."
Within the past year, however, things have changed, as he says God revealed to him that the end is near and compelled him to tell as many people as he can:
"The main thing I have to say, and this is what God is saying through me, is that God does love us, that God is with us. We just need to repent, ask to be saved, ask that His will be done in our lives - and then we have nothing to worry about when the time comes."

I stayed behind a while after Gilmore left the Cracker Barrel. I looked around at the people nonchalantly eating biscuits and gravy, laughing. Kids played checkers on a nearby bench. A man and his wife across the way were bowing their heads in a blessing before their meal.

According to Gilmore, three days from now, everything is to change. Our world will be blown apart by another, more-serious terror attack. Should I say something to them? Tap them on the shoulder and tell them to get on their knees? To go home and start loading up on canned goods and getting their money out of everything except, maybe, gold?

I admire Gilmore for doing what he's doing, because if I believed what he believes, that would be the right thing to do.
Instead, I pay my bill and stop by the post office on the way to work to mail my granddaughter her birthday present.

She will be three on Friday. 11/11.

Ina Hughs may be reached at 865-342-6268 or hughs@ knews.com.
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Opinions on end of days, 'Illuminati' get man fired
Knoxville News-Sentinel
11/12/2005

The Knoxville general manager of Knology Inc. was fired after he repeatedly appeared in local media espousing his belief in a coming apocalypse and a shadowy, all-powerful secret organization called the "Illuminati."

John Gilmore, 34, has worked for the West Point, Ga.-based cable television and Internet access provider for the past five years.

In a column published Tuesday in The Knoxville News Sentinel and in subsequent interviews on local television stations, Gilmore said the number 11 holds significance: the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks occurred exactly 11 years after President George H.W. Bush said the words "New World Order" in a speech to Congress.
Gilmore said Friday was a big day: Add up the digits of Nov. 11, 2005, as 1+1+1+1+2+5, and it equals 11.

Knology's vice president of marketing, Mike Roddy, confirmed Friday that the company fired Gilmore for continuing to express his opinions without drawing a clear enough separation from the company.

"The company's position is that everybody is entitled to their opinions and John is certainly among them," Roddy said. "John was asked not to represent his opinions as the company's and he continued the appearance of doing that as general manager of Knology and we decided to let him go. They just weren't the company's opinions."
Gilmore said he understood the company's decision, because "I'm kind of well known in Knoxville being associated with Knology."

"There was no animosity," he said "We're all still friends."

"I was pretty much told that I'd be leaving at some point. ... Our heavenly Father told me that. I didn't know a time or anything, but it just worked out this week," he said.
"To be honest, I'm waiting to see where my heavenly Father will lead me. I'm really being called to do other things."

A Knoxville lawyer who specializes in First Amendment issues said any kind of punitive action against someone expressing their opinions has a chilling effect.
"Anytime any action is taken adverse to an individual as a stated or implied consequence of that individual's expression or statement on a matter of public or general concern, there are First Amendment implications," Rick Hollow said

Hello Everyone! First of all, let me say that this is John writing this letter, although Karen does agree with everything I have written. You are welcome to talk to either her or myself regarding what I’m about to present to you. Depending on your current knowledge of world affairs and your religious beliefs, what I am about to tell you will most likely change your current view of the world and quite possibly your relationship with God. How’s that for the beginning of a letter? It will certainly change your view of me. Because of this, I have a few disclaimers. I am personally writing this email, nothing is copied or forwarded from someone else. This is long, but very important, so please finish reading it today. Finally, I’m not going to pull any punches here, the message of this email will be disturbing to you (depending on your faith). Initially, you will be skeptical, doubtful and will not want to believe some or all of what I’m about to tell you. I assure you it’s only the truth. If you remain skeptical, I urge you to pray, research some (or all) of this on your own and write to me with any questions. Believe me, you will have many questions. Lastly, and this is probably the most important piece to remember as you read through this, I was as spiritually blind as most people until May of 2005. The Lord has called to me, asked me to give up my pursuit of worldly things and follow Him and His purpose for my life. I have answered His call. I am a well-rounded, stable individual (thanks to my parents!) who has never been one to believe in (or write about) conspiracy theories or proclaim my Christian faith openly. I’m going to do both in this letter. The final disclaimer is this: please do not read this and discard it without much thought or because you think I’ve somehow gone off the deep end. If there is one thing I have learned over the past year, it’s this: There are no coincidences in our lives. Each of you is reading this letter for a reason. It’s up to you to determine what the reason is. I am simply a messenger here. From my recent experiences, you will either know the reasons right away or you will need to pray for God’s assistance. Either way, you are starting on a path today that will lead you to greater knowledge and I believe, will ultimately strengthen your faith in God. If you do not currently believe in God or that He sent His son Jesus Christ to die on the Cross so that each of us may have eternal life, I feel confident that you soon will. With that final message, let me begin.

When I was a teenager, my mother told me the story of the book of Revelation in the New Testament in the Bible. For those of you who haven’t read it, many believe that it describes the final 7, horrific years of this age [based on Scripture, I no longer believe this to be true]. It describes an evil one world government (imagine a world government worse than Nazi Germany). Many people either stop reading it or never read it because of the things that are described in the book….war, famine, disease, death, the Wrath of God. Some of it is very disturbing and good people like ourselves, inherently do not like reading about bad things, so many of us choose not to learn about it. I have read it, and being interested in prophesy and mysteries, I have always wondered how the one world government forms. Surely, with the knowledge God has given us in the Bible and the number of Christians in the world today, it can’t possibly form for years! The truth is that it is being formed today, right in front of us. The problem is that we accept what the media tells us and are not researching on our own to learn the truth. The ultimate reason is that many of us simply aren’t paying attention…we’re too preoccupied with the stuff going on in our lives and are ignoring the signs (I’ve been as guilty as anyone). The Bible tells us that many will be deceived during the end times. I’m here to tell you that the world is being deceived today in an effort to bring about the one world government.

Let me ask you a question. Have you researched the events of 9/11 on your own and formed your own opinions? If you’re like everyone else I’ve asked, the answer is no. You have accepted what you’ve been told and moved on as I did.

Like most people, I accepted the official account of the events of Sept 11, 2001. There were some things about the official story that bothered me, but I eventually accepted what I was told and carried on with my life. After all, as with most people in America, I’m a very busy person with many important things to do. I now know that what I thought was important (job status, wealth, house, car, etc) really isn’t important at all. 9/11 slowed America down for a few months, then it was back to business as usual. Fast forward to May 2005. I’m sitting in class at UT on a Saturday afternoon. Out of nowhere a thought pops into my head….I never saw the plane that hit the Pentagon in any photo or video, surely there is a photo/video on the internet after 3 ½ years. That simple thought has led me to not only research 9/11, but eventually the people who are working on creating a one world government and most importantly, my Christian faith. The fact is, you will not find a photo or video of the airliner (757) that hit the Pentagon, simply because a 757 did not hit the Pentagon. An amateur photographer snapped a few digital photos of the wall of the Pentagon immediately after it was hit (all other photos/videos were confiscated by the FBI)…there are fire trucks next to the wall, the wall was definitely hit by something due to the blown out windows and black smoke, but there is only a 8’-12’ hole in the wall. All subsequent photos in the media showed the wall AFTER it collapsed. The 9/11 commission’s official account said that the plane ‘vaporized’ (no mention of the wings or tail section) and strangely no aircraft parts remained (except for a small plane engine that was not large enough for a 757 and something that looked like a small piece of aluminum foil on the lawn). Yet, the bodies on board somehow survived this ‘vaporization’ and were identified. I’m not making this up…this is the ‘official’ account. In fact, you will not find any current or past investigation (photos, aircraft parts, serial numbers, etc) in the past 3 years regarding the planes used in the 9/11 attacks. When was the last time the NTSB did not attempt to rebuild a crashed plane from the crashed parts to determine the cause of the crash? The fact is….never. Even the majority of parts from TWA flight 800 were recovered from the Atlantic Ocean and reassembled. All of this begs the question….if Flight 77 did not crash into the Pentagon, what happened to the plane and the people on it? There are some very interesting theories out there. I will leave it to you to look into them and I would be glad to give you my opinion if you’re interested. After finding all of this regarding the Pentagon crash, I then moved on to research the World Trade Center buildings.

On 9/11, I was attending a meeting in Auburn, AL. After hearing of the attacks, we watched the drama unfold on CNN like everyone else. After the planes hit, a couple of co-workers started talking about whether or not they would collapse. Having a civil engineering background (part of the code of being an engineer is offering your opinion even when it’s not asked for), I told them that the tops of both buildings might ‘shear off’ and fall due to the impact and resulting cracks/stress caused by the impact, but the majority of the buildings should remain standing. The WTC buildings (as with most tall buildings) were designed to withstand a plane crash into them and are built with center ‘cores’ of extremely strong concrete and steel. To our amazement, 10 minutes later, the south tower collapsed. They not only collapsed, but collapsed in less than 10 seconds….basically a ‘free fall’ collapse. Do you know how many buildings have collapsed due to fire in this manner in world history?....exactly 3. WTC 1, WTC 2 and WTC building 7. A Spanish firm was the first to question the ‘burning fuel’ theory (9/11 commission) since they had a tall building burn for 20 hours the previous year that never collapsed. The South tower collapsed first (after being hit last) in less than an hour. The North tower collapsed a few minutes later. Many experts initially said that it appeared that the towers were professionally demolished…..they then changed their story later on. There are pictures of survivors standing on the floors of the north tower where the plane impacted the building….if fires were raging out of control, they didn’t appear to affect these people.

Something that has never been reported in the mainstream media is that at 5:30pm on 9/11 (hours after the towers collapsed), WTC building 7 completely collapsed. Other WTC buildings closer to the towers did not collapse. Among other offices, it housed the New York offices of the CIA and FBI. Many people (as I now do) believe it was professionally demolished. There are many other problems with the official account of the attacks of 9/11 and many things never reported by our media. Many firefighters reported secondary explosions both below and in the towers prior to their collapse….never reported by the media. The families of the victims have submitted a list of over 20 unanswered questions to the Bush Administration. To date, they have received no response and this has never been discussed in the media. Even with the many unanswered questions concerning 9/11, it is still very difficult for us to believe our government could somehow be involved in this. For me, after waiting over 3 years to think about it, it’s the underlying logical flaws in the events of 9/11 that cause me to believe our government was involved. If you believe the official account of 9/11, then you believe that Arab men learned how to fly Cessna’s (and not well, all of them were poor pilots and one was not even allowed to rent a small plane during the summer of 2001 based on his poor piloting knowledge and skills) which allowed them to expertly pilot and navigate some of the most sophisticated commercial airliners in the world. You also then believe that the most powerful military in the world somehow allowed a commercial airliner to crash into its headquarters 40 minutes after the planes hit the WTC. Are these things logical? The most sophisticated anti-aircraft systems and radar in the world are positioned around Washington D.C. and the Pentagon….all failed on 9/11. Where were the fighters? Good question…..they were delayed for some unknown reason, did not fly at top speed to D.C. and were sent from an air force base miles away when there were bases just a few minutes from D.C. Basically, the entire U.S. military defense system failed completely on 9/11. How many people and departments have been reprimanded for this complete failure? Not one. Not one person or dept has been demoted or reprimanded. I will also point to something that has never been discussed in the mainstream media. George Bush was informed of the attacks and then remained at the Elementary School in Florida for over 25 minutes continuing to read to children and answer questions from reporters. When was the last time that a President was in imminent danger and a potential target and was not immediately removed by the Secret Service to safety? In a Sherlock Holmes novel, the detective was able to determine the killer in the story because a dog did not bark all night during a crime, leading him to believe that the perpetrator had to know the dog. Sometimes it’s what we don’t see or hear that helps us solve mysteries. Did our President and the Secret Service know that he was not in danger? I have obviously left out many details. I invite you to research 9/11 on your own. I have listed a couple of websites and books at the end of the email to get you started if you want to learn the details.

You’re thinking as I did……if many of these things are true, why aren’t they reviewed and talked about in the media? If 9/11 was caused (or allowed) to happen by our government, what is the reason for something this horrific? I simply could not accept the fact that Iraq and Afghanistan were the only reasons. Well, this is where things get interesting. By an odd coincidence (I no longer believe in coincidences…. which I will explain later), I believe that I know the reasons for what we’ve seen. I happen to work with a gentleman who has spent the last 10 years researching secret societies. He and I have had brief discussions over the past 3 years, but I never took his information very seriously….until now. As I began looking into some of the things he told me regarding the objectives of the secret societies active in our world today, one group in particular seems to control almost all other secret societies. The goals of this group are what caught my attention and led to my further research into what they’re doing. Their objectives are eerily similar to what is described in the book of Revelation. This group is commonly known as the Illuminati (other names associated with the Illuminati – Bilderberg, Trilateral Commission, Council on Foreign Relations, Freemasons and Skull & Bones).
You can search on Google for information on the Illuminati and you’ll find vast amounts of information. I have listed a book at the end of this email that describes their influence over society for the past two hundred years and their future goals. There are a few reasons why I believe they are related to end time events:

1. They are the wealthiest families in the world (that you will never hear about) with the means to accomplish their goals. From what I’ve seen, they are worth trillions and have great control of the world economy. They exert immense control over banking, world finance & media. Some names are Rockefeller, Morgan, Onassis, and Rothschild. Very rich, powerful people.

2. Their #1 priority is bringing about a one world socialist government. It appears that they have been working on this goal for hundreds of years.

3. They appear to be involved with black/white magic and Satanism.

4. Evidence of their influence is everywhere. Our money (the most prominent symbols are on the $1 bill) and our architecture (search for Illuminati symbols & U.S. buildings) are both good places to start researching. Ever wonder what the ‘all seeing’ eye, pyramid and the eagle with 13 stars above it on the $1 represent? Find the pagan owl on our $1 bill. Very interesting.

5. Another interesting fact is that from what I’ve researched, there are only a few American Presidents that were not associated with Secret Societies. Lincoln, Kennedy and Reagan were not members of any secret society and all were shot. There are theories that say Lincoln and Kennedy could have been shot because their policies/views did not coincide with the Illuminati. It’s interesting to note that the Onassis family is one of the original 13 families of the Illuminati. Another interesting story is how George Bush Sr (Skull & Bones) was selected as our VP by Reagan in 1980 after Reagan (on more than one occasion) said publicly that he would not select Bush based on his secret society background. If not for a fraction of an inch, Bush would have become President a couple of months later when Reagan was shot.

6. The U.S. Federal Reserve is a private corporation…..few people know this. From what I can see, families of the Illuminati own large amounts (if not all) of stock in the Fed. Look at the history of the Fed…very interesting. Woodrow Wilson signed the Federal Reserve Act into law in 1913 and then said, ‘I have unwittingly ruined my country’.

7. In 1995, a game designer with knowledge of the Illuminati created an Illuminati card game. One of the cards showed the WTC towers being destroyed…another card showed the Pentagon on fire. Subsequent cards show disease, famine, terrorist attacks, war….similar to the book of Revelation. By itself, I would view it as a coincidence. It’s very peculiar when added to everything else.

8. From what I’ve read and seen, the Illuminati use the numbers 11 and 13 extensively. It looks like they use the number 11 to communicate to members that they were involved in a particular incident. On Sept 11, 1990, George Bush Sr mentioned ‘A New World Order’ for the first time in a speech to Congress on the Gulf War. 11 years to the day, the WTC was destroyed. The number 11 is all over the WTC attacks (another good topic to research). The Madrid bombings happened on March 11, 2004….911 days after Sept 11, 2001. The Indian attacks in Mumbai were on July 11th of this year. There are other instances of the number 11 in major news events.

It’s interesting to note that both George Bush and John Kerry were members of Skull & Bones. I, like most Americans, have not paid much attention to secret societies such as Skull & Bones, Freemasons and others. From what I’ve read, it appears that the Illuminati now control most, if not all of these societies. If you think it matters whether you voted for Bush or Kerry (both Skull & Bones), my research would tell you it doesn’t matter. We innocently debate among ourselves about conservative versus liberal politics, democrat versus republican, capitalism versus communism…..all the while, the Illuminati are moving their agenda forward with whoever is in power. There is a reason the Soviet Union was dismantled. Gorbachev was the first world leader to mention a ‘New World Order’ in a public speech. The Berlin wall came tumbling down soon thereafter. If the Illuminati are as powerful as some researchers indicate, I began to search for mention of them in the Bible. I reasoned that if they are the ones who bring about a one world government and the Antichrist, there is a good possibility that they are mentioned in the Bible. I began to read the Bible extensively (which is what I should have been doing my entire life). Late one night I came across 2nd Thessalonians Chapter 2 Verse 7-8: ‘For the secret power of lawlessness is already at work; but the one who now holds it back will continue to do so till he is taken out of the way. And then the lawless one will be revealed (Antichrist), whom the Lord Jesus will overthrow with the breath of his mouth and destroy by the splendor of his coming.’ Does it confirm the work of secret societies? I’m not sure, but I find it interesting that God chose the words ‘secret’ and ‘lawlessness’ in this verse while the Antichrist is referred to as the ‘man of lawlessness’ in the Bible.

I recently read a Christian author who said that God speaks to us through the circumstances of our life….if we would only listen. Before now, I had always incorrectly believed that God was in Heaven, we were on Earth and that God sometimes intervened in our life through prayer. I now know that God is with us always, is everywhere, loves us and is definitely communicating through the circumstances of our lives. I have had many examples of God answering my prayers over the past 2 months through many different circumstances. It really has been amazing. I began to pray regularly soon after researching 9/11 and the Illuminati due to the many obvious questions. Is this true? If it is true, why am I now discovering all of this? Why is this happening now? What should I do with this information? Initially, I was concerned with whether the Illuminati were as powerful as I was led to believe. I prayed for an answer to this question and received my answer a few days later. Through many different circumstances, I ended up in a building designed and built by the Illuminati. The fact that I ended up in this building was pure chance (or so I thought). As I began to realize the significance of what I was seeing, it dawned on me. God was providing my answer in a very dramatic way to finally get my attention. There is only one word to describe this experience: POWERFUL. At one point I re-entered the building after everyone else had left to take a second look at the images and writings in the building (because at the time I was having a hard time believing what I was seeing). There was no doubt that the building was built by the Illuminati and the future purpose of the building also became clear to me (the building was constructed in the 1920’s). As I stated before, this is one of many circumstances where God has shown me answers to my many questions. After 34 years of minimal prayer and worship, I can honestly say after the past 2 months that there is nothing in this world that cannot be accomplished by praying to our Heavenly Father.

So, after weeks of research and long nights, the final question became…what do I do with this information? What will other people think? I spoke to my pastor about this and received the exact same answer as I received from my prayers…Prepare. We can’t stop it, so we must be prepared spiritually first and foremost, and ensure that others are prepared. Jesus tells us that these things must happen, but not to worry. I just never thought that I would see them unfold during my lifetime. My student Bible makes an important statement that we all forget at times: ‘As Christians, we must never forget that there is an ongoing behind the scenes battle of good versus evil.’ We must always remember that Satan is at work in the world and through God, Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit, it is our duty to fight against evil. I have sat on the sidelines over the course of my life and watched others become actively involved in working for Christ while I did very little. I believe that I (and now you) have been given this message as a way to get us in the game. God has shown me what is really important in this life and I am making changes because of it. If you haven’t already, my hope is that you will do the same.

The final piece of this is….. what does the future bring and how do I prepare for it? This is difficult to communicate, but I believe we are going to see another ‘Terrorist’ event later this year. Unfortunately, I believe it’s potentially going to involve multiple U.S. cities and make us forget 9/11. Why do I believe this? There are a couple of reasons, and I would be glad to share them with you, for now I will simply say that there are signs. The reason for these ‘events’ is simple….the powers controlling this will use fear to further reduce freedoms and liberties throughout the free world. Currently, the world is being kept in a constant state of fear…terror alerts, bombings, plane crashes….we are constantly bombarded with worry. This is referred to in the Bible. If you haven’t read the Patriot Act, I would encourage you to do so. Many ‘temporary’ provisions of the Act were made permanent by Congress…with little notice from our media. As for day to day preparation, Karen and I are moving everything out of the stock market. I’m still working on this, but precious metals do well during times of uncertainty, so we’re moving a significant % of our savings into gold. I realize these things may sound strange, but the time will come very soon when we cannot depend on past ‘trends’, stock market or otherwise. I continue to pray for guidance and ask that you do the same.

I have no doubt that some of us are ready and have been ready for whatever comes our way. I will tell you that after much soul-searching, I was not ready for any of this. By ready, I mean a true belief that Jesus Christ died for me and the commitment of my life to him. As my brother and I have discussed, simply believing Jesus Christ died on the Cross is not enough. We must live our lives according to His will and commit ourselves to Him for the glory of God and our own salvation. Like most people, I went to Church on Sunday when it was convenient for me (and I wasn’t too tired), rarely prayed and gave to the Church whatever I didn’t spend in a given month. I then wondered why I never had a close relationship with God. It seems so simple now. I will admit that all of the things I have recently discovered initially depressed me. It’s not easy for good people to accept that evil is very powerful and can affect world leaders and world events. The Bible tells us that we cannot defend ourselves against Satan without God on our side. Ephesians Chapter 6 Verses 10:20 ‘Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the Devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all of this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints. Pray also for me, that whenever I open my mouth, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it fearlessly, as I should.’ Amen! Whether we choose to believe it or not, there is spiritual warfare being waged in our world. All of the things in this world that distract us from what’s important, who do you think is behind it? Without the armor of God, you are on the field of battle with nothing to protect yourself. A year ago I will admit that I was scared and fearful after learning these things. Now I fear nothing in this world….and you will feel the same through your relationship with God. As my pastor said while we were discussing this, ‘Bring it on! I’m ready.’

Why was I depressed about these things I have learned? …because I love this world, I love my family, I loved my life and because of the society that I live in, I forgot one of the most important things we must never forget as Christians, that this life is simply a brief stopover before our true life in eternity begins. As Christians, we must separate ourselves from the world and the things in it. Not easy to do. Why do Jesus and His Disciples warn us time and again about the many temptations that Satan will throw at us? Because Jesus knows that it is difficult for us. Matthew Chapter 13 Verses 13:14 ‘Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.’ Jesus is telling us that we must believe in and follow Him to receive eternal life and God’s purpose for us in this life. I will say that although I know all of these things are coming to pass, I have never experienced the peace that I now enjoy. It’s amazing how wonderful life is when you are released from the worries of this world and are able to place your life in His hands. Jesus told us that He is the Truth and the Truth will set you free from this world. I won’t lie to you, when you’re looking out over the edge of the precipice, it takes true faith to step out and know that God is going to catch you. My reason for sending this to you is the sincere hope that you are prepared for what is to come if you are a Christian, or like myself, find the faith that will lead you to truly believe that Jesus Christ died and was resurrected by the grace of God, so that you can have eternal life. He is, after all, the savior of this world! We will go through some tough times ahead, but we have God and each other to help us through. Best of all, the good guys win!
You are wondering if what I’m telling you is true. I assure you that it is. Remember, I’m just the messenger.

A couple of books that I have read that provide thorough information on these topics. There are many others as well.

‘Rule by Secrecy’ – Jim Marrs
‘Inside Job - Unraveling the 9/11 conspiracies’ – Jim Marrs
Couple of websites relating to 9/11:
Reopen911.org
911Truth.org

As I mentioned in the first letter, when you pray for guidance and knowledge, God will answer your prayers and in my case, he isn’t wasting any time. You may be wondering whether I have, in fact, gone off the deep end and you may also be wondering why I am sending another letter to you. In this respect, nothing has changed over the past 3 weeks – God is leading me where I need to go and what I need to do. It’s that simple. He has given me additional knowledge and He has also asked that I give this information to each of you. You are probably wondering how God is communicating to me (and rightfully so). I have said before that I believe God communicates to all of us through the circumstances of our lives if we would only listen. I have been listening as well as I know how (with some help from local Pastors) and have discovered something that is truly amazing to me. He knows our strengths and our talents and uses these for not only His will on Earth when we choose to follow Him, but He also uses our strengths to further His communication with us. In my case, God is using His Word, His inner voice, numbers, circumstances and my interest in solving problems to give me information that I need to know. I have gained greater knowledge as I have solved the problems that He has presented to me. I realize that this may sound strange to some of you, others may know much more about this than I do. I can only say that it is a wonderful feeling when you realize that God is talking directly to you through the Holy Spirit and using you and your talents for His will. Another question that you are probably pondering is ‘Why is He giving this information to John?’ Believe me, I have prayed for an answer to this question. The answer is simple. When we choose to follow God’s plan for our lives, He will use our talents and abilities for His will. When I chose to turn my life over to him, He began to give me my true purpose in this life. I have realized in recent weeks that He has been leading me to where I am my entire life. I’m only now understanding this, which I will explain later in this letter. I will also say that other people are getting the same message that I am. Where will this lead my family and me? I honestly don’t know. I will say that while I know we are about to face some difficult times, it is very exciting to know that we are now on the path that God has planned for us. For Karen, our family, and myself the adventure has only just started. He has a plan for all of us; it’s up to each of us to choose to accept His offer of salvation through his Son, obey Him and follow His will for us.

Here’s where I need to give you another warning about the contents you are about to read. We (Americans) are about to face the most difficult times our nation has ever encountered. Since we need to stay grounded in the Word of God, please remember the following scriptures as you read the remainder of this letter:

‘Stand at the crossroads and look; ask for the ancient paths, ask where the good way is, and walk in it, and you will find rest for your souls. But you said, “We will not walk in it.” –Jeremiah 6:16

‘I appointed watchmen over you and said, “Listen to the sound of the trumpet!” But you said, “We will not listen.” –Jeremiah 6:17

‘The word of the Lord came to me: “Son of man, speak to your countrymen and say to them: ‘When I bring the sword against a land, and the people of the land choose one of their men and make him their watchman, and he sees the sword coming against the land and blows the trumpet to warn the people, then if anyone hears the trumpet but does not take warning and the sword comes and takes his life, his blood will be on his own head. Since he heard the sound of the trumpet but did not take warning, his blood will be on his own head. If he had taken warning, he would have saved himself. But if the watchman sees the sword coming and does not blow the trumpet to warn the people and the sword comes and takes the life of one of them, that man will be taken away because of his sin, but I will hold the watchman accountable for his blood.’ – Ezekiel 33:1-6

I was neither a prophet nor a prophet’s son, but I was a shepherd, and I also took care of sycamore-fig trees. But the Lord took me from tending the flock and said to me, “Go, prophesy to my people.” – Amos 7:14-15

I believe that God is giving me a warning to give to you and anyone who will listen. He has shown our nation mercy in recent decades, but I believe that His protection of our nation has ended. What happens when a nation falls away from God? God removes his protection and the powers of Satan have free reign. Could 9/11 and recent climate/weather changes be signals to us that He is removing his protection in an effort to get our nation to repent? Is it a coincidence that our weather seems to be more unpredictable and definitely more intense? You may be thinking to yourself, ‘But we’re the good guys! There are millions of good people in this country!’ If you use this world’s idea of good and evil as your baseline, you would be able to make an argument that we’re living in a good nation. If you look at the U.S. through God’s eyes, you see our nation from a much different perspective.

I don’t believe anyone would disagree that our nation’s Godliness and moral standards are declining. Since 1973, it is estimated that the U.S. has performed over 47 million abortions. Think about that number for a minute. 47,000,000. 47 million Americans who never got a chance in this life. 47 million of God’s children who never got a chance to do His will in this world. We are slowly removing God from our government, our schools and the offices where we work (there is now a movement to remove God from our money) all in the name of ‘political correctness’ or to prevent people from being ‘offended’. Pornagraphy is now a $10 billion dollar business in this country and continues to grow. If it’s not right in God’s eyes, it shouldn’t be right in ours. I now view the world and the issues in it by God’s word and His word alone. It doesn’t matter how you phrase it, if it goes against God’s word, it goes against God’s word. We haven’t learned from the history lessons in the Bible that tell us what happens to nations that do not follow God’s word. We talk a good talk in America, but as a nation, we are ignoring His will for us. Casinos and lotteries have been built and implemented in many states. Studies have shown repeatedly that the poorest people in our country play lotteries. We recently implemented a state lottery in Tennessee after churches fought against it. The CEO of the TN lottery is a multi-millionaire. The next time you’re in a convenience store, take note of the people who are funding her salary. Jesus warned us against taking advantage of the poor. We are the wealthiest nation on Earth and many of us live in luxury, yet we strive for more power and wealth while billions of people across the globe would be happy simply to know that they were going to have something to eat each day. What was the number one topic Jesus spoke of in His gospels? Money.

This all leads me to this. I believe that the ‘terrorist’ event I mentioned in my first letter will occur on November 11th of this year. I believe that it will involve multiple cities, and I strongly believe that Las Vegas will be one of the cities affected by this event [a few weeks later I felt that the Lord also communicated that San Francisco, Washington D.C., New York and Atlanta would also be affected]. Why do I believe that November 11th is the day? It’s been an interesting journey. I realize this requires a large amount of faith, so hang in there with me. For the past 15 years I have seen 11:11 everywhere and often. I initially began to see it on digital clocks and thought I was subconsciously looking at clocks at that time in the afternoon or at night. I then began seeing it on trip mileage, phone numbers, billboards, ID’s, etc. After the first few years of seeing it over and over, I began to experience some apprehension each year as November 11th approached. I had no reason to believe that the date was related to what I was experiencing, but I felt as though I was being sent a message, but could not understand it. Karen and I met with our neighbor Krista (who was our physician’s assistant for our OB/GYN) early last year to learn the due date of our son Jake. As Krista was calculating the date, I half jokingly said, ‘It better not be November 11.’ Her response after finishing her calculation was ‘How did you know?’

When the Internet was created, I discovered that 11:11 is a worldwide phenomenon. Thousands (if not millions) of people around the globe have experienced the same thing. There are websites dedicated to this and they’re even making a movie about it this year. So, seeing 11:11 became part of my life and while I would mention it to people on occasion, I stopped thinking that it was a message. That is, I stopped thinking about it until I started researching the Illuminati earlier this year. When I discovered that the Illuminati used the number 11 in events to communicate to its members, I suddenly became very interested again in 11:11. If you question this, research the number 11 and 9/11/01. I believe you will be amazed at what you find. There is some very interesting math involved with November 11 of this year. 9/11/2001 has one 11 in the date. 3/11/2004 (Madrid bombings) has two eleven’s (3+1+1+2+4 = 11). 11/11/2005 has 3 eleven’s (1+1+1+1+2+5 = 11). There are 911 days between 9/11/2001 and 3/11/2004. There are 611 days between 3/11/2004 and 11/11/2005. The difference between previous years and this year? Never in our lives has the month, day and year on November 11th added up to 11. Earlier this year my brother Charlie and I were discussing these things. At the end of the conversation he asked ‘Do you ever see the number 11:11?’. It turns out that we both started seeing it in the early 90’s. The difference was that until this conversation, he only saw 11:11 on digital clocks. After telling him that I see it everywhere in addition to digital clocks, he paused for a few seconds and asked me if I was watching the British Open (golf). When I told him that I had it on, he told me to look at the leader board. I turned around and saw that Tiger Woods was eleven under par on the eleventh hole. In July, Karen and I both started seeing 5:42 and 5:24 on digital clocks as well as 11:11. I can understand if you are skeptical. I realize it sounds unbelievable. If you haven’t taken the time to research the Illuminati, doing so will remove some of your doubt. I have had the thought for some time that if I ever figured out what 11:11 meant, I would stop seeing it. I can honestly say I haven’t seen it in over a month. Could I be wrong? Absolutely. It is entirely possible that I could be misinterpreting God’s message for me. It is also very possible through prayer, that we can delay or stop what is happening in our world. When evil attacks us, we should always pray to God for assistance and intervention. I pray that we will be protected from what is to come, but I will also say that I am making plans in the event something does happen.

Why Vegas? One night the power went out in our home and the alarm clock in our bedroom needed to be reset. I left my watch downstairs, so I opened the top drawer of my dresser to get the time off another watch. As I was reaching into the drawer, I noticed a luggage tag next to my watch…..for some reason I flipped it over. It was from a company trip in 2003 to Las Vegas. I wasn’t sure why I flipped it over…then realized that I had been praying for greater knowledge of coming events. Could this be an answer? I laid on my bed thinking about this for a few minutes and again, without really thinking about it, turned my head and looked directly at a photo on my end table of the same trip. It was a photo of me, Karen and Olivia (2 months old) on the Gondola ride in the Venetian. I have to admit; at this point I was thinking coincidence all the way. I studied the photo for a few minutes, and not seeing anything significant, started to place the photo back on the table when something told me to take the photo out of the frame. I did so. In the bottom left-hand corner of the photo was the date of the photo and a photo number: 3/12/2003 11-3.jpg. Add up the numbers in the date. Coincidence?

Even if you don’t quite believe what I’m saying about God and the information he has given me, take a moment and look at our nation from an economist’s point of view. Our country has a national debt approaching 8 trillion dollars. That’s Trillion with a T. The average American household has over $12,000 in credit card and other revolving credit debt. Housing prices have increased dramatically in the past 5 years (doubled in many areas) leading many Americans to use the equity in their homes to finance spending while losing site of the fact that our houses are only worth something when they sell. The world economy simply cannot sustain itself unless the U.S. stops spending and starts saving and the rest of the world does the reverse. If our economy tanks, the world economy is going to suffer greatly. Foreign countries now own over 45% of our national debt. If they stop buying our treasuries, the party’s over for us. No more cheap credit. If you read the news closely, many economists are saying that America’s debt is now something to be concerned about over time, but as long as we don’t have another major hurricane disaster or ‘terrorist’ event, the economy will continue to grow. There are an increasing number of articles and publications warning about America’s debt. The warning signs are all around us. I recently read in the Wall Street Journal where a well known economist uses 10 metrics to determine if a country’s economy is on a ‘bubble’ and at risk for a significant ‘correction’. The author said that America’s economy qualifies as being on a ‘bubble’ on 8 of them. The problem is that we continue to wrongly believe that the good life will continue regardless of the signs around us and our nation’s separation from God. I realize this seems like a lot of gloom and doom, but I feel as though we are asleep at the wheel and need to be awakened! There are many Christian writers who are sounding the alarm, but are not loud enough. We are being quieted by ‘political correctness’ and a lack of conviction.

I mentioned in the first letter what Karen and I are doing in preparation for coming events. Here are a few more details. I realize that a large amount of faith is required to do what I’m doing. I’ve prayed about what to do and these were my answers. I ask that you pray for guidance as well.

1. I am getting out of the stock market completely. There are no ‘safe’ stocks during times of crisis. Simply get out of the market altogether.
2. Since my 401(k) plan does not offer anything other than stocks and a few bond funds, I’m taking the money out, paying the tax penalty and putting the money in something safe (not spending it!). If your 401(k) has investments that are not stock/bond related and carries no risk (guaranteed interest investments), I suppose that would be fine. If you aren’t changing jobs and can’t take your money out and you don’t have safe options, I would suggest that you take a 401(k) loan for the maximum amount allowable and move it to something safe. Better to have the money in something safe and pay yourself back each month, than lose a significant amount of your savings when the stock market falls.
3. Instead of stocks, I’m in a fund that tracks the price of Gold. If you’re interested the fund is ISHARES COMEX GOLD TR. Symbol – IAU (It’s up $14/share since I bought it last year). I’m sure there are others. Be aware that many ‘funds’ include Gold, but many other investments as well. Be sure that you know everything that a fund invests in.
4. Similar to most areas, home values in Knoxville have skyrocketed in the past 2 years. If you are comfortable with your mortgage, I see no reason to sell your home unless you need the equity to get free of debt. As always, this is something to pray about. Many Americans have taken out multiple mortgages or ‘interest-only’ loans to finance spending and other things…with the hope that housing prices continue to rise. If you’re in a similar situation, now would be a great time to sell and downsize or rent. Use the funds to pay down your debt or invest in something that is much less risky. It’s also a great time to lock in a fixed rate mortgage if you have any type of an adjustable rate mortgage or ARM.
5. Have more cash on hand than usual.
6. Make sacrifices now to get out of debt. Everyone’s goal should be to become debt free (other than a mortgage) as soon as possible. Not only does debt place stress on you and your family (Satan loves to place stress and uncertainty in your life); it prevents you from doing everything God asks you to do. There have been many times in my life where my Church needed additional funds for the general budget, to help a family, to support a new mission….and I couldn’t contribute due to my spending and debt. This world tells you that you need a new car (Employee discount!), that you need a bigger home (Interest only mortgages!); go shopping (low credit card rates! – free T-Shirt!) and that you deserve all of these things. God tells us that we need clothing, a roof over our head and food to eat. He will take care of everything for us when we give our lives and finances over to him. Dave Ramsey provides excellent guidance for setting a budget and getting out of debt. If you need help, he is a great source for financial planning.
7. I’m going to stock up on the basics – water, non-perishable food, fuel, etc.

Another topic that I feel I need to reference relates to spiritual warfare. The best way for me to communicate this is through my own experiences. Before I was a Christian, Satan for the most part left me alone. He tempted me with wealth, pursuit of money, new stuff to keep me in debt, etc. to keep my focus on things other than my own salvation and to keep me off God’s plan for my life, but he did not aggressively attack me. Once we become Christians, we have chosen God and chosen to fight Satan and his evil purposes in this world. As many of you know, this is the greatest experience up to this point in your life! Although this is truly a wonderful, life changing event in our lives, we must never forget that once we have chosen to serve God and are saved, we become a target of Satan and evil in this world. I believe that Satan takes a special interest in new Christians. We haven’t matured spiritually yet, so we are vulnerable to attack. Satan knows that as we become more mature both in our spiritual relationship with God, His word, the Holy Spirit and Jesus Christ, the more protected and prepared we are when faced with Satan’s temptations and attacks. The final piece of this is that once a Christian begins to follow God’s plan and begins attacking evil and spreading God’s plan of salvation through Jesus Christ, Satan does not take our aggression lying down, evil fights back. How do I know this? Because I have experienced all of these things over the past year. I have had doubts placed in my mind about the things that I’m doing. Are you sure God wants you to do this? What if you’re wrong? No one wants to hear these things! People want good news, not bad, so go back to the sidelines and get out of the game! Wasn’t your life easier before you began getting involved with these things? Why bother? Are you sure you’re saved? Would you be having these thoughts if you were saved? You’re using Scripture, are you sure that you are using it correctly? The Bible was written by men, how do you know that the Bible was inspired by God? Anything and everything has been thrown at me in an attempt to separate me from Jesus Christ and my Heavenly Father. Only through the Holy Spirit can we hope to resist these attacks. At first, unbeknownst to me, God began preparing me for this. He has guided me to a local ministry that is focused on the intensifying spiritual warfare being waged in our world. Their Pastor (Mike McClung) has created a series of CD’s on spiritual warfare that I listen to everyday (www.lionheartministries.org). If you want to learn more about God’s word, the Christian faith and spiritual warfare, I highly recommend that you order his CD’s.

I mentioned that God has used the circumstances in my life to communicate to me and to place me in positions where He needed me. The other side of this is that Satan has used non-believers to try to prevent me from doing what God has asked me to do. As I continue to do God’s work through my job, I have noticed that something, very quietly (for now) is objecting. Here’s an example. I’m a General Manager of a broadband company in Knoxville. On our cable systems throughout the Southeast, we provide the Playboy channel among other ‘Adult’ channels. The Playboy Channel recently sent our Ad Sales department in Knoxville a 30 second promotional commercial for their ‘Adult’ content. It just so happens that this is the first year that I have had control over the advertising shown on my system in Knoxville. I refused to broadcast the promotion. I believe my exact words were ‘drive over the tape with your car.’ Our marketing department objected. I refused. I was then told ‘we have a contractual obligation, every other division is showing it, it’s ‘tastefully’ done, we’re showing it after 10pm, etc, etc’. I refused. More reasons were thrown at me. I finally told them that as long as I was running this division, we were never going to promote pornography again….and that’s exactly what we were doing – promoting pornography. This must have made the point more clearly, because I was never contacted again.

Two weeks later our marketing department sent direct mail to every one of our digital customers explaining how to set parental controls on their digital boxes to prevent anyone other than adults from viewing ‘adult’ films. This is a good example of how spiritual warfare is waged. Stand up for God and He will make great things happen through you. Once you have done the little things for Him, He will give you much bigger things to do. I met with our CEO and Vice Presidents on Friday of last week to discuss removing ‘adult’ content from not only our system in Knoxville, but all of our systems in the Southeast. We discussed this for over an hour before they promised me that they are going to give the decision serious thought. What will our CEO decide? If he listens to God, we will remove this programming from our systems….and how nice would it be for a cable company to actually move in the right direction when it comes to this content. If we remove it and customers choose us instead of our competition because of it, will it put pressure on our much larger competitors to do the same? Here’s a summary of the thoughts running through my mind at the moment I was going to initiate this conversation with our CEO….Don’t do it! Lost revenue! Lost customers! You can’t force your values on other adults! …and I almost didn’t say anything. In the end, I asked myself ‘What would Jesus Christ do in this situation?’ The answer is that Jesus attacked evil at every opportunity…so I asked Jesus to help me and give me the courage I needed. The doubt and questions ran away and I initiated the conversation. We’re not asked to fight alone. In fact, God warns us against it. These things may seem like coincidences, I assure you they are not. Spiritual warfare can be very quiet, hardly noticeable. Other times it can be very obvious. On Monday of this week I received an email from our marketing department that we are increasing the price of our Adult movies. More revenue! The battle continues.

As I have started to do more and more for God through my job and our community, I began to think that it wouldn’t surprise me if Satan tried to take me out of my organization. I was now using my position of influence to rebel against the flow of this world and do what God was asking me to do. After thinking about this for awhile, I realized that evil already tried to take me out. A few months ago I planned to promote a very good, dedicated employee to a supervisor position. He has always worked very hard and deserved the promotion. Before I offered him the position, unbeknownst to me, he received a speeding ticket. Instead of paying the ticket and moving on, he decided to contact a powerful political figure in Knoxville (who I knew personally) to fix it for him. This person said sure, he’d take care of it for him…he knew the judge. To show his gratitude, my employee took this person out to dinner…a very expensive dinner (as much or more than the cost of the ticket). A couple of weeks after the ticket was ‘taken care of’, the political figure called to tell me he heard that I was considering this person for the supervisor position. He then proceeded to tell me that this employee had him fix a DUI ticket that he received in a company truck and that under no circumstances should the employee receive the promotion (he probably had someone else in mind). I told him that I appreciated the information and I would talk to the employee about it. After talking to the employee and determining that it was simply a speeding ticket in his own vehicle, I called the political figure and told him that the employee would receive the promotion since it was only a speeding ticket. This person went ballistic and demanded that I not promote him. I refused and promoted him anyway. This person then spoke to a Vice President of our company and demanded that they fire me and two of my managers due to the poor performance of our division (we perform very well). Three executives initially agreed that there could be a problem and something should probably be done. Our VP of Operations, after being informed of this, rebuked all of them in front of our CEO….adamantly. Our CEO sided with him and has banned one of the executives from ever returning to Knoxville and any contact with the politician. This is a very good example of how Satan works. He didn’t ask our CEO to fire me; he simply placed a thought in an employee’s mind…’it’s only a speeding ticket, no one will ever know.’ A short term gain (that’s not really a gain at all) turns into something much worse. Satan will never tell you the long term consequences of your actions. Evil does the same thing with alcohol, drugs, embezzlement, etc. It almost always starts small and then mushrooms out of control. Enron and WorldCom come to mind. ‘You’ll be rich and no one will ever know.’ Ask Bernie Ebbers how that turned out for him. He’s going to die in jail. I didn’t understand why other managers were included at the time. I do now. Both are moving in the right direction spiritually and are being prepared by our Father for greater things. The other side knows this. It wasn’t our time to leave our company, so we stayed. Never forget that God is in complete control. When it’s time for us to leave, it will be God’s will.

God works in our lives everyday. The difference for me is that I can see it now. In my position, many charities ask me for company donations. In the past, as with most corporations, I have only donated to charities where my company received something in return….sponsorship, publicity, etc. Over the past 4 years, a local charity has asked me many times for a donation and each time I have refused because I didn’t feel that our company received anything for the donation (cold – but that’s life in corporate America). A few weeks ago I received another letter from this charity (SMA - Families with Spinal Muscular Atrophy). For once, I decided to actually read the letter. I learned that this is a life threatening disease that affects children. Many children die from the disease before the age of 5. I decided that it was time to send a check. So, I sent them some money and thought nothing more about it. Three days later I received a voicemail message from the director of the charity. I could tell she had been crying, she said ‘Mr. Gilmore, I just wanted to let you know how much we appreciate your donation. We received a letter today from a poor family in Knoxville who just lost their 4 year old daughter to this disease. They needed some financial help with the funeral and we had none to give. In the same stack of mail we received their letter, we received your donation that allowed us to help them. It was a miracle. God bless you.’ In the same stack of mail. I had to close my office door for awhile to compose myself. I cannot imagine the anguish that these people felt losing a child. God knows and provided for them. He has taught me much over the past 2 months. Sometimes the lessons are easy, other times they are very difficult. In this case it was this….you don’t need to gain ANYTHING for yourself to help others. Jesus taught us that if we’re asked for something, give it. Selfishness will destroy us spiritually if we let it.

One last story. A few weeks ago our General Manager in Columbus, GA (a good friend of mine) and I were discussing how God was working in our lives. He mentioned that he was made aware of a little girl who had a terminal disease and did not have long to live. He was told that she loved a certain country singer (not one of the top artists). Through his contacts he was able to get a guitar signed by this artist and give it to the little girl. He went on with his life and didn’t think much more about it. The guitar and the autograph were not worth much and he was glad to help. She died a few weeks later. My friend later found out that she loved the guitar so much, she asked that it be placed next to her coffin at the funeral. We don’t know how our actions truly affect others, but God knows. He loves each and every one of us. Through my friend, He gave the little girl much happiness before she left this world to be with Him.

The important thing is that God has opened my eyes to this ongoing warfare. We need the Holy Spirit in order to see it and discern what is right. It has not been easy to get the strength to write about these things and then send it to everyone I know. There is one reason that I have been able to overcome all of my doubt. That reason is God, Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit. We are human beings. The Bible teaches us that we cannot take on Satan alone. We will fail without God’s power on our side. Have you ever given in to temptation, only to have that decision cause you pain? With His power, we can overcome everything that the devil throws at us. Without Him, we are vulnerable to evil and will ultimately fail to resist. Satan does not want me sending these letters and he doesn’t want you to read them. Since he has failed to stop me, he will create doubt in your minds. Don’t listen, Gilmore’s losing his mind, the stock market will remain stable, Homeland Security will protect us…I can hear it all now. Evil would much prefer that you are kept in the dark and will therefore, be fearful and alone when faced with what’s coming. I recently purchased a very good book on our adversary and what he is capable of doing. I have listed it below if you are interested. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard ‘If I’m just a good person I’ll be in Heaven some day’ or ‘I believe in God, but I’m not so sure about Jesus Christ’. We all have evil thoughts at times and they are the work of our adversary. The devil is relentless in his attack on our relationship with God and Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ sealed the devil’s fate…..so the devil will do whatever he can to separate us from Christ. It’s very important that we learn how to fight back.

What does all this mean? From my own experiences, I can see this warfare intensifying and it’s going to continue to intensify. If you’ve been in the battle, I commend you. If you’re like me up until a few months ago, it’s time to get in the game. It’s time to place God #1 in your life. I know what it’s like to place God #4 on my list of priorities versus #1! If you want to find true happiness, love and satisfaction in this life, move Him to #1. I will be glad to help you in any way I can.

You probably noticed that I haven’t written much about 9/11 conspiracies or the Illuminati in this letter. The reason is that now they simply don’t concern me as much. I am more concerned with following God’s plan for me and my family. He will take care of the rest. The important thing is that we are prepared spiritually for what’s coming through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. I continue to pray for our country and for all of you.

I always recommend a good study Bible to those that ask me for reading material, but if you’re interested in a couple of good books outside of the Bible relating to what I’m writing about, here are a couple:

‘The American Prophecies’ by Michael D. Evans
‘When the Enemy Strikes’ by Charles Stanley
‘A Modern Prophesy’ by John Tunstall

God Bless.

I was in Border's bookstore the other day studying the Bible and doing some writing when I began thinking about the symbols on the dollar again. I briefly looked at some of the symbols in the past, but I began to feel that there was more to it. I found a book 'The secret symbols of the Dollar Bill' and read it that night. The author talks about the history of the symbols, numerology, etc, but only mentions freemasonry a few times. He gives a very good discussion on how the symbols appeared, but he repeats the government’s reasons why they were placed on the dollar. Regardless, based on what I have learned previously, I now believe that this country was founded by freemasons (secret societies) for the main purpose of leading the world into a new world order (one world government). It’s one thing to believe that our country has been corrupted by secret societies over time, but very different to believe that this may have been our #1 purpose all along. Why do I believe this? To start, approximately 50 of the original 56 people who signed the Declaration of Independence were known to be freemasons. Washington’s inauguration was basically a Masonic ritual. I also believe that this plan is shown to us on the back of the dollar for everyone to see….which includes that their plan started in 1776. If there's one thing I've learned, the illuminati doesn't do anything without telling all of us un-illuminated people what's about to happen in some subtle way....but the symbols on the back of the dollar and what they explain to us are amazing to me. Here we go.....

The plan is listed on the reverse side of the Great Seal of the United States. This is the roundel on the left side of the back of the dollar (the front of the great seal is on the right side of the back of the dollar). Start at the top of the roundel with the Latin words 'Annuit Coeptis'. This is translated as 'he favors our undertaking' and implies that the undertaking is a daring one. This leads to three questions....who is 'he'?, what is the 'undertaking' and who are the people doing the 'undertaking'? The answers are found in the other symbols on the same roundel. I believe the undertaking is listed at the bottom of the roundel - 'Novus Ordo Seclorum'. This can be translated as 'A new order for the ages' or 'A new world order'. (We must ask ourselves why these words are in Latin - what is being hidden?  'In God we trust' is in English - why use Latin for the other phrases?). Who is undertaking the task of bringing about a new world order? The illuminati use the pyramid to symbolize their command and control structure (you see this symbol everywhere - governments, currency, corporations, etc). The pyramid has 13 courses (or levels) representing the 13 illuminati bloodline families. The base of the pyramid includes the date 1776 in Latin numbers and the top of the pyramid is unfinished. So, the 'undertaking' begins in 1776, but when does it end? When is the 'undertaking' complete? The 'all seeing eye' is the answer to who 'he' is and also when the 'undertaking' is complete. In the occult, the 'all seeing eye' surrounded by light represents ‘the eye of Lucifer’ (who was an angel of light)....where the illuminati believe they receive their supernatural power to rule over the world. So, the undertaking (task) is complete when the new world order is complete and the Illuminati gain absolute power over the natural world. It also explains who sits atop the Illuminati hierarchy.

The obvious argument is that all of these symbols have a logical explanation by our government. People will say that ‘he favors our undertaking’ is simply referring to God’s favor in establishing our nation. I would agree if this was the only phrase or symbol presented on the roundel. We’re also told that ‘A new order for the ages’ is simply a reference to our country. Why would we use ‘order’? Why not nation or republic? When has any public figure referred to a nation as an order? It doesn’t make sense. If you have any knowledge of secret societies, you know that each ‘society’ is referred to as an ‘order’….an example would be the Order of Skull & Bones. So, it is much more logical, given the facts, that a new secret society ‘order’ is referenced here (and obviously one that consolidates all the others). People will also point to 1776 at the bottom of the pyramid to say that it definitely refers to the establishment of our nation. As with all illuminati symbols or information, there is a meaning for the general population and then there is the true meaning that only the ‘illuminated’ ones understand. Something else was also founded in 1776. In early 1776, Adam Weishaupt formed the ‘Order of Perfectibilists’, which was later known as the modern day Illuminati. Its mission was the establishment of a ‘New World Order’ that would abolish national boundaries, religions, private property and marriage. He was later initiated into a Freemasonry lodge in Europe. He began incorporating his system of Illuminism into that of Masonry. Apparently, he succeeded. There are always two stories with these people, the lie that everyone is led to believe and the truth that only they know.

Probably the worst ‘official’ explanation is that of the ‘all seeing eye’. We’re told that it represents God. If you believe that our nation was founded by Christian men, then these Christian men directly disobeyed the second commandment with this image. ‘You shall not make for yourself an idol (‘graven image” in the King James translation) in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God.’ – New International translation. Many people simply assume that this commandment is referring to idols such as statues or that it refers to immoral or degrading representations of God. God forbids ANY image of himself because there is absolutely no way for us to adequately represent Him. How can we correctly represent His Holiness, Power, Love, Justice and Glory in an image? There are no images on earth that can represent Him, so He makes it clear that we are not to do so. In addition, this ‘all seeing eye’ is commonly known in the occult as representing Lucifer. It would take someone approximately 30 seconds of research to see this. Why would Christian men create an image representing Lucifer on the Great Seal of the United States? The answer is that they were either spiritually immature, uneducated Christians or they were not Christians. Based on everything else they accomplished during this time period, I think we can all assume that these were very intelligent men who knew exactly what they were doing. Most of us have seen the Alexander Tyler (sometimes spelled Tytler) email. He supposedly wrote in the late 1700's, after studying the fall of the Athenian Republic, that ‘democracy’ is always temporary in nature. What does he say the final result is – dictatorship and bondage. Whether or not he did, in fact, write this is open to debate.  What is interesting, is that it does appear that America has passed through the various stages that has ultimately led to other democracies downfall.  I have attached a copy.

What is also interesting is that the reverse side of the great seal was rejected from our currency until 1935 when Roosevelt (some say he was a 33rd degree mason, others say that he was a member of other secret societies) approved it. The truth is that millions of Americans are carrying around in their purses and wallets the answers to some of the Bible's most intriguing questions....how does the one world government come into being? Who is behind the formation of this government and how does the "beast...out of the earth" come to power? The Bible tells us that deception will continue to get worse during this age…….and God never lies. In America, we have simply refused to believe that it could happen here during our lifetime. 2nd Timothy 3:13 ‘evil men and imposters will go from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived.’

I now believe that anytime the 'New World Order' has been threatened, America has brought it back in line.....WWI, WWII, etc. George H. Bush even mentioned on Sept 11, 1990 that Saddam Hussein's aggression threatened a 'New World Order'....and must be stopped.

There is always a hidden message not known by the general population. We all believe that the Statue of Liberty represents just that....Liberty. The truth is that it was given to the U.S. by French freemasons as a symbol that the Illuminati control our country....just as they control France. The lighted torch (or eternal flame) is one of their most prominent symbols. It is always used to communicate to their members that they were behind a particular event that will further their cause. The flame on JFK’s grave is another example. (Why do I mention Kennedy? The following was taken from the JFK Library official website: Executive Order 11110: On June 4, 1963 President Kennedy signed this virtually unknown Presidential decree, which had the authority to strip the Federal Reserve Bank of its power to loan money to the United States Federal Government at interest, essentially putting the privately owned Federal Reserve Bank out of business. The order returned to the federal government, specifically the Treasury Department, the Constitutional power to create and issue currency without going through the privately owned Federal Reserve Bank. President Johnson reversed the order shortly after taking office in November, 1963. Some conspiracy theorists believe this executive order was the cause of President Kennedy's assassination.)   I’ve even heard talk of an ‘eternal flame’ at ground zero. Their use of numbers in the media and elsewhere is unbelievable once you know they use 3, 7, 9, 11, 13, 33, & 39 extensively to communicate...among other things. Simply seeing the flight numbers on 9/11 should tell those with some knowledge that the illuminati was involved. Flight 11, Flight 175 (1+7+5=13), Flight 77 & Flight 93. The dates of 'terrorist' events should tell everyone they are involved - 9/11/01, 3/11/04 (Madrid – 911 days after 9/11/2001), 7/7/2005 or 777 (London), 7/11/06 (Mumbai, India). National ID cards have been approved by Congress starting in 2008. The date the law was passed in Congress?....5/11/05. The date it will become law? ….5/11/2008. When did WWI end?....11/11/1918 at 11am. The list goes on and on and on.....

Isn't it ironic that the nation most associated with freedom in the world will be a major contributor to the world's bondage? The problem is that most of us have allowed ourselves to be deceived into believing that evil will never overtake us in this country....when it already has. Now that’s deception. We are currently the lone superpower in the world simply because they believe it’s their plan. Ultimately, this is all part of God’s plan, but they obviously can’t see this. They are simply being deceived by those they serve. When it’s time to shift power back to Europe, we’re going to be devastated in some manner that will cause us to lose our military and economic power while at the same time strike unbelievable fear in the world. They’ll tell us that it’s another catastrophic ‘terrorist’ event. In reality, it will be God’s judgment on our nation. The illuminati will have then escalated the ‘terrorist’ problem to a new level calling for a more drastic solution. How will the world protect itself against this perceived threat? We’ll need to band together. Who will lead us in this endeavor? I think we know the answer.

The obvious problem with being deceived is you don’t know it while it’s happening. We’ve all got blinders on. The quote 'We have met the Enemy and he is us' certainly applies. Only the Lord can open our eyes to the truth, and since we haven't heeded His warnings as a nation, He's going to open them in a very big way...and soon.

One last thing that looks ominous. Many conspiracy theorists mention that these global societies are using TV and movies to communicate their plans to us. Before 9/11, there were plenty of cases of this…a miniseries in early 2001 depicting a terrorist attack on the WTC, the movie A Long Kiss Goodnight in 1996 (Geena Davis & Samuel Jackson) depicting an attack on the WTC. Other examples are listed at http://www.conspiracyarchive.com/NWO/Hollywood_911.htm. What is ominous is that I believe they’re doing it again. There is a miniseries on Fox called Vanished (Friday nights at 9:00 pm) that started a few weeks ago (I think you can watch past episodes online). I’ve watched it since it started. The plot is based on the kidnapping of an American Senator’s wife. What is interesting is that they continue to hint at a ‘shadow government’ of powerful people who control our government. Believe it or not, they actually mention freemasonry and use Masonic symbols and codes throughout the show. So far, anyone in the show who begins to uncover these things gets shot, stabbed or killed. Watch it if you get the chance. You’ve probably seen the trailers for “Jericho” on Wednesday nights. After two episodes, it’s apparent that many major American cities have been hit with nuclear weapons…no explanation yet as to who has done this or why. I watched the movie ‘Signs’ again a few weeks ago and one of the scenes caught my eye. It’s Mel Gibson’s character talking to Jacquin Phoenix’s character after they discover that aliens have appeared over numerous cities. I found a copy of the dialog and copied it below. I believe that God is also getting a message across, we simply need to listen.

Take Care.

John

“People break down into two groups when they experience something lucky. Group number one sees it as more than luck, more than coincidence. They see it as a sign-evidence that there is someone up there watching out for them. Group number two sees it as just pure luck, a happy turn of chance. I'm sure the people in group number two are looking at those 14 lights in a very suspicious way. For them, the situation isn't 50-50. Could be bad, could be good. But deep down, they feel that whatever happens, they're on their own. And that fills them with fear. Yeah, there are those people. But there's a whole lot of people in the group number one. When they see those 14 lights, they're looking at a miracle. And deep down, they feel that whatever's going to happen, there'll be someone there to help them. And that fills them with hope. See, what you have to ask yourself is, what kind of person are you? Are you the kind who sees signs, sees miracles? Or do you believe that people just get lucky? Or look at the question this way-is it possible that there are no coincidences?”

- Signs (2002) - 00:40:07-00:41:50

Titus3:3

At one time we too were foolish, disobedient, deceived and enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures. We lived in malice and envy, being hated and hating one another.

James 1:16
Don't be deceived, my dear brothers.

Matthew 24:4
Jesus answered: "Watch out that no one deceives you.

Romans 16:18
I urge you, brothers, to watch out for those who cause divisions and put obstacles in your way that are contrary to the teaching you have learned. Keep away from them. For such people are not serving our Lord Christ, but their own appetites. By smooth talk and flattery they deceive the minds of naive people.

1 Corinthians 3:18-19
Do not deceive yourselves. If any one of you thinks he is wise by the standards of this age, he should become a "fool" so that he may become wise. For the wisdom of this world is foolishness in God's sight. As it is written: "He catches the wise in their craftiness"

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Today is January 21, 2009.  I wrote the post above on the Illuminati and our dollar bill at the end of 2005.  It was my first blog post after writing the two letters that were reviewed by the Knoxville News-Sentinel.  At the end of the post, I mentioned how the media is manipulated by the Illuminati to convey hidden messages – through movies, etc.  Ever since I woke up and started paying attention to what the global elite are doing – occasionally I’ll see something that I find interesting in this regard.

I was watching one of the NFL Conference Championships this past weekend and noticed a trailer for an upcoming movie – The International.  The basic premise of the movie is that there is a very powerful private bank that is involved in murder, conspiracy, corruption, extortion, drugs, weapons, etc. – on a global scale.  We’re told in the preview that this bank ‘controls everything’, sends messages by assassinating political leaders, is involved with buying and selling military weapons and ‘everyone’ is involved.  Anyone who ‘moves against this bank either ends up dead or disappears’.  We are led to believe that this is a very large private bank – central banks are never mentioned.  This, in itself, is enough to interest me since the international bankers behind the Central Banking System are apparently engaged in many of the things mentioned in the preview for this movie.  Although I find this movie interesting – it’s not why I’m adding this to the original blog post.

As the trailer was nearing its end – a couple of messages appeared that got my attention.  Toward the end of the trailer the following was displayed – ‘Follow Your Money.  Find the Truth.’  I have seen the trailer before – but the trailers I’d seen never displayed this message.  What caught my attention was that in between the first message – Follow Your Money – and the second message – Find the Truth – the logo for The International rotated vertically.  I noticed that there was something shown in black on the back of the logo – but it spun so fast I couldn’t tell what it was.  I have a DVR – so I reversed the trailer and paused it – and could see that it was the United States Federal Reserve emblem.  As I mentioned earlier – there’s no mention of the Fed or Central Banks anywhere else throughout the trailer.  Why was someone showing the Federal Reserve emblem and associating it with – follow your money and find the truth?  What really got my attention was this – if you really do follow your money (how it is created and managed by the Federal Reserve) – you will find the truth.  It appears that either someone involved with this movie is attempting to send a message – or someone is once again telling everyone what is going on – and laughing at our inability to understand.  I suppose that it could be a coincidence – but I believe it’s too close to the truth to be a mere coincidence.  Anyway – something interesting to note.  I have copied a link below to a shorter online trailer that shows the Fed’s emblem (shown at the 27 second mark).  I have not been able to find an online trailer that shows the message – follow your money, find the truth.

If you are confused (or interested) about my comments regarding the Federal Reserve System, I suggest you skip ahead in the blog and read the post entitled ‘Our Monetary System – How Central Banks Control the World’s Economy’.

'The International' Trailer

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M1Y4PpkIH8Y&eurl=http://www.shockya.com/news/2009/01/15/new-movie-trailer-for-the-international/&feature=player_embedded

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Alexander Tyler's Study of Democracy

As the Lord has revealed more to me about what is happening in the world today, I felt that He would begin to open up how these events are related to the Book of Revelation. I began to pray about this and study Revelation. If you’ve ever studied Revelation, you know that it is very difficult to understand. The imagery and symbolism seem overwhelming. Over a couple of days I began to become frustrated with my inability to glean any additional knowledge and decided to take a break from these studies for awhile. The next day a friend sent me a link to a Christian website focused on prophesy. I noticed a small ad for a book by Steve Wohlberg at the bottom of the website entitled ‘End Time Delusions’. Since it contained a study of Revelation and this was something that I had been praying about, I was immediately curious. After reading a few pages online, I decided to purchase the book. After completing the book, I know the Lord guided me to it. It contains a thorough study of end time prophesy based solely on scripture and disagrees with many current end time Christian beliefs. After further study of scripture on my own, I agree with many of Steve’s conclusions. I now believe that we are nearing the end of the book of Revelation, not the beginning. The following articles contain excerpts from his book. We will first look at the current Christian belief of a pre-tribulation rapture of God’s saints.

(The following excerpts are taken from ‘End Time Delusions’ by Steve Wohlberg)
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The following five teachings have become immensely popular in modern day Christianity (especially with the ‘Left Behind’ book series):

1. All true Christians will soon vanish in the rapture.
2. Seven years of apocalyptic terror will overtake those left behind.
3. One evil man, the antichrist, will take over the world.
4. The antichrist will enter a rebuilt temple in Jerusalem, claiming to be God.
5. The nations of earth will attack Israel at Armageddon.

The question is.....are these teachings accurate according to Scripture? We will review Scripture relating to question 1 in this discussion.

Although ‘rapture’ isn’t a biblical word, is the biblical doctrine there? The Bible certainly does teach us that Jesus Christ will return for His people. Our Lord Himself said, “I will come again and receive you to Myself” (John 14:3). The questions we must ask ourselves:

1. Will Jesus come invisibly?
2. Will the Church disappear?
3. Does the Bible really teach vanishing Christians?

The most quoted passage used to support the rapture concept is 1 Thessalonians 4:17. In this verse Paul wrote that true believers will someday be ‘caught up….in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air” 1 Thessalonians 4:17. Does “caught up” mean disappear? Is Paul describing a silent return of Jesus Christ before an apocalyptic seven-year tribulation? We don’t need to guess, the answer is in the context. Here is what Paul actually wrote:

For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord (1 Thessalonians 4:16-17).

Rapture teachers interpret this event as silent and secret, yet doesn’t it seem rather loud and visible? There is a shout, a voice and a trumpet. Look carefully, Jesus Christ comes down from Heaven shouting and blowing a trumpet. The dead rise. Then true believers are ‘caught up’. Do you see anything here about vanishing Christians prior to the tribulation? Rapture promoters interpret ‘caught up’ to mean disappear because this view fits their prophetic system, yet it must be admitted that the text doesn’t say this.

Two thousand years ago, at the end of His earthly life, Jesus Christ was also ‘taken up,’ (Acts 1:9). This doesn’t mean that He disappeared, leaving His clothes on earth. Instead, in full view of His wondering disciples, ‘while they watched, He was taken up, and a cloud received Him out of their sight’ (Acts 1:9). This event was highly visible. Luke said Jesus Christ was ‘taken up,’ and then clouds are mentioned, just like Paul wrote about believers being ‘caught up…in the clouds’.

Notice carefully the full context of Acts 1:9:

Now when He had spoken these things, while they watched, He was taken up, and a cloud received Him out of their sight. And while they looked steadfastly toward heaven as He went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel, who also said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will so come in like manner as you have seen Him go into heaven (Acts 1:9-11, emphasis added).

Here we have holy angels – in the form of men in white robes – explaining the simple truth about Jesus Christ’s return. They told the disciples that just as Jesus was literally and visibly ‘taken up’ into the clouds, even so would He ‘come in like manner as [they had seen] Him go into heaven.’ They taught no secret coming or vanishing Christians. Everything will be highly visible, just as the ascension of Jesus Christ.

Let’s return to 1 Thessalonians and take a look at the thief-in-the-night idea:

For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord. Therefore comfort one another with these words. But concerning the times and seasons, brethren, you have no need that I should write to you. For you yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so comes as a thief in the night. For when they say, “Peace and safety!” then sudden destruction comes upon them, as labor pains upon a pregnant woman. And they shall not escape (1 Thessalonians 4:16-5:3).

Here Paul compares the coming of Jesus Christ to the arrival of a midnight thief. Rapture promoters interpret this to mean Jesus will come like a silent thief to snatch believers off this earth before seven years of chaos – then driverless cars will collide, pilotless planes will crash and babies will be found missing from their cribs. Yet is this really what Paul is saying?

First of all, the day when Jesus comes as a thief is clearly the very same day in which He descends with a shout and a trumpet blast. Secondly, it comes as a ‘thief in the night’ only upon the unprepared. When it hits, ‘sudden destruction comes upon them [the lost], as labor pains upon a pregnant woman. And they shall not escape.’

Do you see what Paul is really saying? Jesus’ coming as a ‘thief in the night’ does not mean He will come quietly and invisibly to steal believers out of this world, as is taught in rapture movies and best-selling books. Rather, it means He will come unexpectedly, bringing ‘sudden destruction’ upon the unsaved. Thus it is not a secret coming, but only a sudden one. Will the unprepared get a ‘second chance’ to be saved during a subsequent seven year tribulation? Paul answered this question when he wrote, “They shall not escape” (verse 3).

Here’s a simple summary of what 1 Thessalonians 4:16-5:3 really says:

1. Jesus Christ will literally descend from Heaven with a shout and a trumpet blast.
2. The dead in Christ will rise first and true believers will be ‘caught up’, just like Jesus Christ Himself was visibly ‘taken up’ into the sky almost 2,000 years ago.
3. This cataclysmic ‘day of the Lord’ will burst upon the unprepared like the unexpected arrival of a midnight thief.
4. ‘Sudden destruction’ will overwhelm the lost, ‘and they shall not escape’.

When taken literally, these words describe the visible second coming of Jesus Christ, not a secret rapture.

Jesus Christ predicted, ‘Then two men will be in the field: one will be taken and the other left. Two women will be grinding at the mill: one will be taken and the other left. Watch therefore, for you do not know what hour your Lord is coming’ (Mathew 24:40-42). This is probably the second most quoted Scripture in the Bible used to support the doctrine of an invisible return of Jesus Christ and vanishing Christians. Supposedly, ‘one will be taken and the other left’ means believers will disappear in an unperceived flash, while the rest of the world suddenly wakes up in mystified ignorance wondering, Which way did they go?

Again, the key is in the context. Mathew 24 begins with our Savior quietly sitting upon the Mount of Olives. His “disciples came to Him privately, saying, ‘Tell us, when will these things be? And what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?’” (Mathew 24:3). Obviously, the disciples were thinking about Jesus’ return and the end of the world. In response to His disciples’ please-clarify-the-end inquiry, Christ’s very first words were, “Take heed that no one deceives you” (Mathew 24:4). We should pay close attention to the forcefulness of this response! Why? Because it clearly implies that when it comes to this exact topic of His “coming”, Jesus knew there was going to be a great deal of deception whirling around. What is even more dramatic is that Christ raised His “Don’t be Deceived” warning four times in this single sermon (see Mathew 24:4-5, 11, 24). One gets the idea that end time deceptions will someday sweep over planet earth like a massive tidal wave. The only way to avoid being swept away is to pay close attention to the exact words of Jesus Christ.
Our Lord continued, “For false christs and false prophets will rise and show great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect” (Mathew 24:24). Here Jesus said satan’s delusions will eventually become so subtle and powerful that only “the elect” will come through unscathed. Who are the “elect”? Based on the context, they must be a group of people who know the Truth Teller and the Bible so well that even the devil can’t mislead them. Verse 31 tells us that “the elect” are people who are ready for the return of Jesus Christ.

Immediately after the warning about false prophets and deception, Jesus said, ”Wherefore if they shall say unto you, Behold, he is in the desert; go not forth: behold, he is in the secret chambers; believe it not. For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shines even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be” (Mathew 24:26-27). Here Jesus draws a razor-sharp contrast between false views of His return and the truth.

Concerning false views, don’t miss that little word, “secret” in verse 26. Jesus plainly warned that some will mistakenly promote a “secret” coming. Based on the context, we discover that this will be one of those powerful delusions which only God’s faithful elect will avoid. Far from being a secret event, Jesus Himself compares His return to the brilliant flashing of lightning bolts hurtling across the sky.

Jesus finally answered His disciples exact question by fully unveiling what His return would be like:

And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And He shall send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other (Mathew 24:30-31).

There’s no question about it, his “coming” will be unmistakably visible to “all the tribes of the earth”. This entire passage parallels Paul’s words in 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17. In both Mathew 24:30-31, and in 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17, we read about clouds, noise, a loud trumpet, a gathering together and true believers being transported into the sky.

Let’s look at one more passage describing an event predicted to occur “in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye” (1 Corinthians 15:52). This is probably the third most quoted pro-rapture verse used to support the idea of vanishing Christians prior to a nightmarish seven-year tribulation. Notice carefully what Paul really wrote:

Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed – in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed (1 Corinthians 15:51-52).

Is Paul saying believers will some day vanish while their loved ones blink? Not at all! He is simply saying that the dead will be raised and our sinful bodies will be changed “in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye.” When will this moment take place? Paul’s answer is clear. It will occur “at the last trumpet,” when “the trumpet will sound,” that is, at the very end of the world. This is the very same “great sound of a trumpet” Jesus Christ said would be heard when He finally commissions His angels to gather his people at His second coming (Mathew 24:31).
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We’ll continue this study concerning current Christian end time beliefs with upcoming discussions on the 7 year tribulation theory, the antichrist, the ‘beasts’ of Revelation and discussions on the nation of Israel.

As I’ve mentioned in other postings, most Christians today believe that the antichrist of the Bible will be a man who rules over a future one world government. This person will be dynamic, well spoken, good-looking, a gifted politician….and evil. I have to say that until earlier this year, I believed this as well. It’s hard to take a step back and re-evaluate your beliefs when you’ve been told something over and over your entire life. It’s even harder to take a fresh look at end time Bible prophecy when the prevailing interpretation of end time prophecies by popular Christian teachers is all that you see and read. The question we must ask ourselves is this - are these interpretations accurate according to Scripture? Although the topic of the antichrist is one of the most talked about prophecies, I believe that most Christians in the world today have been sold an interpretation by many teachers of God’s word that is untrue. It’s not that these teachers are willfully deceiving people, but nonetheless, they are incorrect in teaching that the antichrist will someday be one evil world ruler.

This discussion will require you to have an open mind. You will need to put away your preconceived notions of what the antichrist will be. The truth is that the antichrist is here among us today…..preparing for the day when the “beast…out of the sea” mentioned in Revelation 13 will return. It will take some time to cover this topic, so I’m going to discuss this over multiple postings. I will warn you…..it is highly likely that you will not want to believe the truth. You must overcome the world and its deception. Most of all, pray about these topics. Ask God to reveal the truth to you and ask Him for wisdom. “If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!” (Luke 11:13). I now pray about anything I’m told before I accept it as the truth.

Although Jesus warned us to “Take heed that you are not deceived” (Mathew 24:4) during the last days, I believe that the world today is being deceived at a level unprecedented in human history. Why is this happening now? Because the political ‘beast’ and the religious ‘beast’ of Revelation are almost here. Satan is deceptively ushering in both of these ‘beasts’. Why are we allowing ourselves to be deceived? Many people don’t believe in the Bible and its truth and therefore, don’t read God’s words of prophecy and warning (“my people are destroyed from lack of knowledge” Hosea 4:6). Many of us who believe in God, simply are too busy to take time to read God’s word and pay attention to what is going on around us (again, our enemy is very deceptive). And lastly, fear has overtaken us on many levels. We simply don’t want to believe the truth of what is happening in the world because it scares us. We disregard the truth because believing the truth would require us to think and pray about what is really important and what God wants us to do about it. It’s much easier to focus on material things, our jobs, where we’re going on vacation this year, etc, etc. Due to fear and/or complacency, we have allowed our government to take away many of our freedoms (Patriot Act) and have even allowed our government to essentially remove the Bill of Rights (Military Commissions Act of 2006). Whether you believe it or not, we are being setup for future ‘events’. "while evil men and imposters will go from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived." 2 Timothy 3:13

Many of us take a look at what’s happening in the world and we think “how can I do anything significant to help this? How can I fight the good fight? I’m just one, insignificant person. I’m putting my faith in Jesus returning in a secret rapture to take me away from all of this.” These thoughts are from our enemy…plain and simple. The fact is, each of us can do incredible, amazing things….but not by ourselves. “With man this is impossible; but with God all things are possible.’ (Mathew 19:26) I’m writing about these things because I have thought these thoughts and allowed the enemy to shut me down for a very long time. No more. It’s time to pick up our rod and our staff and fight the wicked one who deceives. God is looking for warriors. You are one of them. The choice is yours. Do you want to follow God or continue on your own path? I say this because if you are reading this, in all likelihood you are going to face the antichrist, the ‘beasts’ of Revelation and the mark of the beast (we’ll discuss the mark at a later time). Are you ready? Have you put on the full armor of God? (Ephesians 6:10-20) When the ‘day of evil’ comes, will you be able to stand?

The following discussion is from Steve Wohlberg’s book “End Time Delusions”. Steve has done a great job of researching these topics. I highly recommend that you purchase this book. Let go of what you’ve been told in the past about end time prophecy and read this with an open mind.
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‘Men occasionally stumble over the truth, but most of them pick themselves up and hurry off as if nothing ever happened.’ –Winston Churchill

What does the Bible really teach about this mysterious subject? The word ‘antichrist’ or ‘antichrists’ is found only five times in Scripture and all of these references are found in two small books right before the Book of Revelation. The two little books are 1st and 2nd John. The exact verses are 1 John 2:18-22, 26; 4:3-4:6; and 2 John 7. That’s it. When we read these verses (and others near them), we certainly don’t read about any future Mr. Bad guy. On the contrary, we find:

1 John 2:18 The early Christians had heard that antichrist was coming.
1 John 2:18 Even now there are many antichrists
1 John 2:18 This is evidence that the last time has come
1 John 2:19 These many antichrists “went out from us”.
1 John 2:22 Anyone who denies the Father and the Son is antichrist.
1 John 2:26 These antichrists are trying to seduce us away from Jesus Christ.
1 John 4:3 There is a spirit of antichrist.
1 John 4:3 The spirit of the antichrist denies Jesus Christ has come in the flesh.
1 John 4:3 The spirit of antichrist is already in the world.
1 John 4:4 True Christians must overcome every form of antichrist.
1 John 4:6 The spirit of antichrist is the spirit of error.
2 John 7 There are many deceivers and antichrists in the world.
2 John 9 To overcome these antichrists, Christians must abide in the doctrine of Christ.

After an objective look, what have we discovered? Do any of these verses describe a solitary Mr. Sin who only shows up after we’re gone? Definitely not! The Word of God describes not just one, but many antichrists. According to 1 John 2:19, these many antichrists “went out from us”, which means out from inside the Christian church! They are subtle, deceptive and at war with true Christians. They may profess a certain faith in Jesus, yet their faith is superficial. They actually deny the Father and the Son (1 John 2:22, 26). According to the Bible, the goal of these many antichrists and of the spirit of antichrist is to deceive Christians away from God’s love, from the gospel, and from the true doctrine of Jesus Christ (2 John 7, 9). Genuine Christians do battle with these spiritual enemies of truth; and in the strength of Christ, overcome them (1 John 4:4).

This is everything God’s word actually says about “antichrist”, “antichrists” and “the spirit of antichrist”. None of these insightful passages point toward only one person – like Nicolae Carpathia (Left Behind books)– who appears as a cunning politician only after we’re gone. The truth is quite different. In reality, they all refer to seductive and deceiving elements which are here now and which true Christians must face and overcome.

It’s true, God’s Book reveals other prophecies about the emergence of an evil “little horn” (Daniel 7:8), a dreadful “beast” (Revelation 13:1), and the “man of sin” (2 Thessalonians 2:3). It is primarily these prophecies that are now being used to support the idea of a future Mr. Abominable – one who will rise up outside of Christianity after the rapture. Yet consider this – the definite trend of the Bible’s literal “antichrist” passages clearly points to things that are here now and which true Christians must face and overcome. So why would its other antichrist prophecies about the “little horn”, “the man of sin”, and the “beast”, suddenly reverse this trend and apply to things which Christians will not face because they will first vanish in the rapture?

We may trust that today’s much-respected prophecy teachers know their stuff and won’t lead us astray, but in the final analysis, we must look to God’s Word for ourselves. So far, as we have done this, we’ve seen that all of the Word’s clear “antichrist” statements apply to deceptive elements inside of Christianity – elements we must face and overcome. The problem is that most prophecy books don’t tell us this. As we continue this discussion, checking God’s Word closely and listening to His voice, you will discover many other things you won’t learn in popular prophecy books or movies.
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Are you starting to feel uncomfortable yet? Over the past year and a half, the Lord has brought me out of my comfort zone time and again to show me the truth and bring me closer to Him. As I mentioned in my very first letter to friends and family (August 2005), I now check everything against God’s Word. As we continue our study of His Word and end time prophecy, you’ll be amazed at what the Bible truly says about the “antichrist”, “little horn” and the “beast”. I've mentioned many times that there are no coincidences in our lives. You are reading about these things for a reason. The Lord has chosen to reveal the truth to you.......

I’m continuing our discussion on what God’s Word reveals to us about the antichrist. We continue with excerpts from Steve Wohlberg’s book “End Time Delusions”.
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In an age of universal deceit, telling the truth is a revolutionary act. -George Orwell

What the majority think is often wrong. People thought the Titanic was unsinkable, yet she sank like lead. Many believed the infamous Y2K computer glitch would spark global economic meltdown as the world’s clocks ticked over to 2000 A.D., yet January 1 arrived with hardly a hiccup. What the majority of humans think will happen, often fails to occur.

When it comes to the arena of Bible prophecy, how many mistakes are being made? As we have already seen, at this very moment, millions of Christians fully expect to vanish in the rapture before the antichrist arrives. Again, the idea is: first the rapture, then the antichrist. This sequence is being taught around the world in books, magazines, seminars, on radio, television, in pulpits and on the internet.

As we saw earlier, the most quoted verse about the rapture is 1 Thessalonians 4:17. There Paul wrote that true believers will someday be “caught up”. In Paul’s second letter written to the same group, he referred to the same event as “the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to Him” (2 Thessalonians 2:1). In his second letter, immediately after describing “our gathering” to the Lord, Paul wrote about something or someone that is clearly antichrist (verse 3). The question is: What did Paul teach about the sequence of events? Did he say the church would be gathered to Jesus Christ before the antichrist comes, or will antichrist come first, before we are gathered to our Savior? Amazingly, Paul gives us a straight answer, and his answer is not what the majority of prophecy-minded Christians think!

Look closely. Paul wrote:

Now, brethren, concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to Him, we ask you, not to be soon shaken in mind or troubled, either by spirit or by word or by letter, as if from us, as though the day of Christ had come. Let no one deceive you by any means; for that Day will not come unless the falling away comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition (2 Thessalonians 2:1-3).

Do you realize what you just read? Paul’s words are quite penetrating when it comes to the issue of which comes first, “our gathering” or the appearance of antichrist.

Here is a more detailed analysis of 2 Thessalonians 2:1-3:

Verse 1: Paul wrote about “the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to Him.” This is obviously the same event as the descent of Jesus Christ from Heaven and our being “caught up together” to meet Him in the air (1 Thessalonians 4:17). It’s important to realize that the Greek word for “coming” in verse 1 is “Parousia”, which clearly applies to the visible second coming of Jesus Christ (see Mathew 24:27). The exact same word is used in verse 8 describing “the brightness of His coming [Parousia]”.

Verse 2: Here Paul addressed a distortion about the timing of the coming of the Lord that was confusing the early Church. He urged the Thessalonians not to be “soon shaken” or “troubled” by false influences which were teaching, either by “word” or “spirit” or “letter” that “the day of Christ had [already] come. Because of this false teaching that “the day of Christ” was just around the corner in their own day, some of the Thessalonian Christians had quit their jobs, stopped providing for their families and were just hanging around in idle expectancy waiting for Christ’s imminent appearance (Thessalonians 3:10-12).

Verse 3: Paul clarified the truth with this warning, “Let no once deceive you by any means; for that Day [when Jesus comes to gather us – verse 1] will not come unless the falling away comes first, and that man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition.”

Verse 3 is pointed and clear. Paul wrote that before Jesus Christ comes to “gather” His people to Himself, “the falling away” and the rise of the “son of perdition” (the antichrist) must come first. Thus to those early Thessalonian believers, Paul’s message was that “the day of Christ” was not just around the corner. Something big must happen first – the “falling away” and the antichrist must be revealed. Paul directly, specifically and earnestly warned the Church not to be deceived about this very thing! Evidently, he knew that satan would work hard to deceive the saints in this exact area.

When we put these pieces together, it becomes clear that before “the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to Him (verse 1), “the falling away comes first” and the antichrist must be revealed. Therefore, contrary to popular opinion, it’s antichrist first and then the Church is “caught up”, not the other way around.

Paul’s voice echoes down through the corridors of many centuries: “Let no one deceive you by any means” (2 Thessalonians 2:3).

I know, many don’t agree with this, but remember this - people also thought the Titanic was unsinkable.
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Based on what the Lord has revealed to me, it has become clear that current, popular opinions regarding our government’s ultimate motives and end time prophecy interpretations are both modern day deceptions. We want to believe that our government is looking out for our best interests. We also want to believe that Jesus will take us out of here before things really get rough. The truth is that our government does not have our best interests in mind and Jesus is not going to “rescue” us from tribulation. The crowns in heaven are forged through trials and tribulations here on earth. So, the question becomes …….Who is deceiving us? The Bible makes it very clear:

“Finally, be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” (Ephesians 6:10-12)

Evil men and women in our modern world are being influenced by satan. Through them, our enemy is working to bring about the ‘beasts’ and gain control of this world. Should you be afraid? Absolutely not! Why? “You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.” (1 John 4-3:5). No fear. Seek the Lord and His mighty power in order to stand against the enemy.

Read on as we identify the antichrist and the beasts………

We continue our discussion on the antichrist from Steve Wohlberg’s book “End Time Delusions”.

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The truth does not change according to our ability to stomach it. –Flannery O’Connor

Millions of Christians are now being taught that the antichrist will be some evil person who will rise into power outside of Christianity after the rapture. What if this idea is a horrible mistake? What if the antichrist rises up inside of Christianity before the Church is caught up to Christ? Because few would be looking for an antichrist within, can you imagine what kind of harm he could do? Hold onto your seats, for you are about to discover that Paul taught this very thing.

Paul wrote, “Let no one deceive you by any means; for that Day [when Jesus comes to gather us – verse 1] will not come unless the falling away comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition” (2 Thessalonians 2:3). Almost everyone agrees these words predict the rise of the antichrist. What many have missed is that Paul is describing an antichrist that rises in the wake of “the falling away”. What does this mean? Once again, a little knowledge of Greek comes in handy. The original word Paul used for “the falling away”, is apostasia, which literally means an apostasy or departure from Jesus Christ inside the Christian Church. In fact, many versions of the New King James Bible place the heading “The Great Apostasy” right above 2 Thessalonians 2. As we are about to see, this “falling away” unquestionably takes place inside the church.

In the first century, the Christian Church remained relatively pure from heresy, false doctrine and open sin. With His cosmic perspective, God saw a change would come and He revealed this sober reality to the writers of the New Testament. A brief survey of the following Bible passages shows plainly that an apostasy, departure or “falling away” from Jesus Christ was predicted to occur inside of Christianity.

1. Acts 20: Paul told “the elders of the church” of Ephesus (vs. 17) that soon many false Christian leaders would rise up from among themselves to “draw away the disciples” after them (vs. 30). He was so burdened about this coming apostasy that he warned the church “night and day with tears” (vs. 31).

2. 1 Timothy 4: The Holy Spirit clearly warned that “some will depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons” (vs. 1). Here again is a predicted departure from the faith inside the church.

3. 2 Timothy 4: Paul predicted a time would come when many in the church would no longer “endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside by fables” (vs. 3-4). Friend, there is no doubt about it. These words point toward an apostasy in the church that will lead professed Christians to turn from Bible truth to fictitious fables.
4. 2 Peter 2: Peter told the early believers that soon “there will be false teachers among you” (vs. 1). “Among you” means inside the church.

5. Jude: After urging believers to contend earnestly for the original faith, Jude warned that “certain men” had already “crept in unnoticed” among them (vs. 4).

6. Revelation 2: Jesus Christ himself sadly told His followers in the Church of Ephesus, “Nevertheless, I have this against you, that you have left your first love. Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent and do the first works…” (vs. 4 & 5). These words are clear! Many Christians in the early church of Ephesus were falling away from their initial love for Jesus Christ, who died for them.

Thus we see Paul, Peter, Jude and Jesus Christ all passionately concerned about a “falling away”, which means an apostasy, occurring inside the Christian Church. We might compare this apostasy to a disease entering a portion of the human body. As a result, a malignant cancer finally develops. The shocking reality is that God’s Word has predicted a similar disease-like condition would eventually overtake a large portion of Christianity. According to 2 Thessalonians 2, as a direct result of this unhappy condition, a diabolical spiritual cancer would rise up.

Paul called this cancer, “the mystery of lawlessness” (2 Thessalonians 2:7).

We call him antichrist.

Continuing our discussion on the antichrist from “End Time Delusions”…….
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Paul warned, “Let no one deceive you by any means; for that Day will not come unless a falling away comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition” (2 Thessalonians 2:3). Here Paul called the antichrist, “the son of perdition”.

Believe it or not, this phrase, “the son of perdition” is actually like a secret password to hidden knowledge. In essence, those four words are like a special code. Once we understand their meaning, we are enabled to “crack the antichrist code” and enter into an understanding of the true nature of the ultimate deceiver.

This exact phrase, “the son of perdition” occurs only twice in the entire New Testament. One of these is in 2 Thessalonians 2:3 about the antichrist. What about the other one? Who did it apply to? What was the spiritual lesson we can learn from this? The only other time it is used is in John 17:12 when Jesus Christ applied it to one of His own disciples. You should be able to guess which one. Judas Iscariot, His betrayer.

Judas was one of the twelve disciples. After being chosen by the Lord, he became part of Christ’s inner circle (Luke 6:13-16). Amazingly, Judas even received the power of God (Mathew 10:1-4). But in spite of his tremendous privileges, Mr. Iscariot finally fell away from His Savior (Acts 1:25).

“Then satan entered Judas, surnamed Iscariot, who was numbered among the twelve” (Luke 22:3). What a scary verse! Try to imagine it. Here’s a disciple of Jesus Christ who held an honored position among the twelve. He even carried the moneybag. But as Judas opened his heart to the dark one, satan slipped in and took over. He was still a professed follower of Christ, but now he had a devil inside! Could this be what antichrist will be like?

On the night before His final agony, our Lord met with His little band of followers in an upper room somewhere inside Jerusalem. As they met for the Passover meal, Judas quietly took his seat with the other eleven disciples (Luke 22:14). After Jesus passed out the bread and the juice, Judas silently sipped his cup (Luke 22:19-20). When the supper was over, Jesus sadly whispered to His friends, “Behold, the hand of My betrayer is with Me on the table” (Luke 22:21). Moments later, Judas slipped out into the night to finalize his infamous deal with the rulers of Israel. An ancient word was fulfilled, “Even my own familiar friend in whom I trusted, who ate my bread, has lifted up his heel against me” (Psalm 41:9).

A few hours later, Judas led a mob of Temple guards, chief priests and Roman soldiers to Christ’s secret place of prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane. Approaching the Savior, the traitor whispered, “Hail, Master; and kissed Him” (Mathew 26:49). Oh, what a kiss was this! A sign of true affection? No. It was a kiss of death. What’s really happening here? I’ll tell you. Lucifer himself was working through the kiss of a professed Christian in a satanically orchestrated plot against the Son of God. If you think about it, this is antichrist in its most sinister form!

To all appearances, Judas Iscariot was a faithful apostle of Jesus Christ. With his lips he even called Christ his Master, but he was a deceiver. By this time, Judas was fully “a devil” (John 6:70). Now don’t miss this point: he was a Christian devil, a channel for satan who was hiding behind a Christian mask. Behold the ultimate deception! What could be worse than satan working through a highly honored professed Christian, through words of loyalty, through an affectionate kiss? What highly significant phrase did Jesus use to describe this unusual Christian-kissing-satanic combination? Our Lord called Judas, “the son of perdition” (John 17:12).

Paul used the same words to describe the antichrist (2 Thessalonians 2:3). In so doing, he was revealing secret, vital, inside information. These words reveal the true nature of satan’s trickster. Instead of being an openly anti-Christian person who rises outside the Church, the real antichrist will be Judas-like. In other words, he will come from the inner circle. On the surface, he will look like a true follower of Jesus Christ, a “familiar friend” (Psalm 41:9). He will even profess love and loyalty to the Savior. Yet, the devil will be there in secret, working with ingenious subtlety, to betray the Son of God with a kiss.
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Steve makes it very clear using God’s holy Word that the antichrist will definitely come from within the Church, not from the outside. If you really think about it, it makes perfect sense that satan, the father of lies and deception, would use Christ’s Church to deceive for his evil purposes. In this evil world, it is of utmost importance that you are working towards spiritual maturity so that you can resist our enemy and discern the truth. We have underestimated our enemy and let our defenses down at a time when we should be strong in the Lord and have our spiritual guard up. As we continue to reveal the truth about today's world through Scripture, you’ll begin to see just how deceived we really are………