63 posts tagged “bible prophecy”

On this website you will read what I feel has been revealed to me about many of the Bible’s end time prophecies.  I have spent a lot of time over the past 3 years studying and praying about these prophecies.  As you read what is written here, you will find that I do not agree with many popular beliefs regarding many of the Lord’s prophecies.  It has become clear to me that many of the popular interpretations of these prophecies are not correct.  In fact, I will explain to you in later posts why I believe our spiritual enemy will use these popular prophecy beliefs against us.

 

There are many people in the world today who consider themselves well-informed Christians.  They believe that they fully understand the prophecies and warnings given to us in Daniel, Revelation and other books in the Bible.  They are now either sitting back waiting for these things to happen (a secret rapture, an evil world leader, 7 years of tribulation, a peace treaty between the antichrist and Israel, etc) or they are actively proclaiming to the world that they have all the answers – we all simply need to listen to them.

 

What if many popular prophecy scholars today have it completely wrong?  What if they have let worldly pursuits cloud their judgment?  What if they have become focused on the world instead of our Lord?  What if our spiritual enemy has offered worldly wealth and glory to them as part of his plan to deceive the world and they have unknowingly accepted because they’re not as mature as they think they are?  What if there isn’t going to be a secret rapture, one evil world leader (antichrist), or a 7 year period of tribulation when the judgments of Revelation will be poured out on the earth?  What if I told you that none of these things are specifically mentioned in the Bible, but are simply interpretations – interpretations that I believe are not true.  What if we’re not as smart as we think we are?  Our self-righteousness has been used mightily by our enemy.

 

If things begin to rapidly deteriorate in the world and none of the popular interpretations of prophecy come true, what do you think will happen?  There will be many people in the world who are going to feel very lost and alone.  This is why I have been given this message.  It’s time for all of us to change our focus from the world to the Lord’s kingdom.  If you are someone who has been in the church for some time and have believed (as I did for many years) many of the popular interpretations of end time prophecy, you will need to open your mind to the truth and pray to the Lord for confirmation of what I’m going to tell you.  If you are someone who has never been in church or read the Bible, now is the time to come home.   You don’t need any biblical knowledge to start on your journey to know Jesus Christ and our Father.  You only need a desire to know the Truth – a desire to know your Creator and His plan for you.

 

I fully expect that initially - many non-Christians and Christians alike will not want to believe what is written here.  The reason is that the truth is initially going to be difficult to believe.  You’ll understand as you read through this website.  I want to make something clear from the beginning – there is no personal agenda here.  I do not seek worldly power, glory or wealth.  The world offers me nothing of real value.  Everything in this world is temporary – the sooner we all realize this, the better.  The Lord has changed me over the past 3 years and given me knowledge so that I understand what is happening and why.  Everything I have is His.  I am simply running the race placed before me.  So, with that said, we’re going to begin with what the Bible has to say on the subject of deception and being deceived in our world.

 

Let’s start by looking at what Jesus had to say on the subject of being deceived in this world.  I believe that many prophecy scholars are missing something very important that Jesus tells us about our current times.

 

Mathew Chapter 24 begins with the Disciples asking Jesus about the end times. 

“As Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately. "Tell us," they said, "when will this happen, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?"

 Jesus answered: "Watch out that no one deceives you. For many will come in my name, claiming, 'I am the Christ,' and will deceive many.” (Mathew 24:3-4)

Jesus responds by warning us against deception.  There will be many who claim to know Him and lead ‘many’ astray.  Remember – many throughout the world are deceived.

 

“At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other, and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people. Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, but he who stands firm to the end will be saved.” (Mathew 24:10-13)

 

These are very strong words and they speak very loudly to us today.  Notice carefully – ‘many’ turn away from true faith (we’ll discuss this in more detail later) and ‘many’ false prophets will deceive ‘many’ people.  When Jesus says ‘many’, he’s talking about billions of people – and this includes many professed Christians in the world.  Who are these false prophets?  These are people claiming to be God’s teachers and preachers who are, in fact, leading people away from the Truth.  They are leading people away from true faith in Jesus Christ.  They are people involved with false religions and they are people who claim to be Christians, but are not true Disciples.  They do not follow Jesus, but follow our spiritual enemy.  They have infiltrated God’s true church (more on this later).

 

“At that time if anyone says to you, 'Look, here is the Christ!' or, 'There he is!' do not believe it. For false Christs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and miracles to deceive even the elect—if that were possible. See, I have told you ahead of time.” (Mathew 24:23-25)

 

Once again, Jesus warns us of false prophets.  He adds an addition piece of information here and I feel that it is one of the most important pieces of information given to us.  In my years of attending church, I have never heard anyone discuss this – and I think I know why.  In verse 24, Jesus tells us that these ‘false prophets’ will deceive ‘even the elect’.  Who are the elect?  These are God’s true children.  They are His teachers, preachers and His true prophets.  What Jesus is telling us here is that these false prophets are so deceptive, that they deceive even true believers.  Why is this so important?  Because it’s happening right now – to us.  Our pride and our focus on the world has blinded us.

 

What we all must realize is that Jesus could obviously see into our future.  He’s God – the 2^nd person of the Holy Trinity. He could see exactly what would be happening in the world during our time – right now.  Does He ever tell us that we would have it all figured out?  No.  What does He give us?  Warnings.  Time and again He warns us about deception.  At a time when we should all be on guard against worldly and spiritual deception – we’ve allowed ourselves to be lulled to sleep.  We are not heeding our Lord’s warnings.  We have become self-righteous because we know it all – while the ‘beasts’ are taking control of the world.

 

What, in the world today, is Jesus warning us about?  You will find, as you read through these posts, that Jesus is warning us about many things.  He is warning us about the ‘beasts’ of Revelation 13.  He is warning us about false religions and their leaders in the world today and most importantly, He is warning us about the condition of the Christian Church.  Many of us in the Church today are not true Christians.  Many of us go to church and read the Bible – but many have not truly repented.  Many have not truly asked the Lord for forgiveness and therefore, have not been born again by God.  They have been deceived into believing that living a secular, worldly life is A-OK and that they can ‘believe’ and be saved without really following Jesus.  They have not overcome the world and therefore, cannot ‘see’ or ‘hear’ what is really happening in the world around them.  Every one of us must take a very hard look at our lives and determine who we are really following.  If you are like I was, you’ll find that you are not following Jesus Christ.  You have allowed yourself to be blinded by our enemy.  If you will ask God to come into your life, your life will begin an amazing transformation – and you will be able to see with a spiritual eye.  You will begin to follow the One who is not seen by our physical eyes because you will be able to spiritually discern His will for you.

 

How exactly, are these ‘beasts’ of Revelation 13 deceiving even God’s true children?  How is it possible that we cannot see what’s happening?  The truth is that they are right in front of you everyday.  They have even told us what they are planning to do – and very few are doing anything about it.  Now that’s deception.  This is what Jesus could see.  This is why we received so many warnings. In addition to Jesus’ own words, the Book of Revelation is clear – these ‘beasts’ deceive the whole world – even the elect. 

 

“And he performed great and miraculous signs, even causing fire to come down from heaven to earth in full view of men. Because of the signs he was given power to do on behalf of the first beast, he deceived the inhabitants of the earth.” (Revelation 13:13-14)

 

“Then the beast was captured, and with him the false prophet who worked signs in his presence, by which he deceived those who received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped his image.” (Revelation 19:20)

 

You’ll learn specifics about how events in the world today relate to these prophecies as you continue to read through the posts on this website.  You’ll begin to see how they have deceived you your entire life.

 

For now, let’s continue to learn about our true enemy and how he is deceiving the world.

 

Who does the Bible tell us is our true enemy?  Who is really deceiving the world?

 

“So the great dragon was cast out, that serpent of old, called the Devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world”  (Revelation 12:9)

 

“We know that we are children of God, and that the whole world is under the control of the evil one.”  (1 John 5:19)

 

“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.” (Ephesians 6:12)

 

The Bible is clear on this subject – Satan is the ruler of the world and deceives the whole world.  He is our true enemy.  You will notice that specific nations are not mentioned – he deceives the entire world.  The United States is not immune to this deception.  What you will learn is that the U.S. is actually playing a vital role in deceiving the whole world. 

 

Who overcomes this world and its ruler? 

 

“for everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith. Who is it that overcomes the world? Only he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God.” (1 John 5:4-5)

 

Only those who are spiritually regenerated (born again) by God through faith in Jesus Christ overcome this world and its deception.

 

In the movie ‘The Matrix’, the main character (Neo) discovers at one point that the world he has lived in his whole life is a fantasy created to blind him from the truth.  The parallels between that movie and our world are very similar.  You’ll understand after you read everything here.  You’ll go through the same transformation that Neo went through in the movie.  I know I did.  At first, your mind will reject the truth outright.  You will say it’s not possible, it’s crazy, this can’t possibly be true.  There’s no way I could be that deceived.  I’m intelligent.  I could see this coming if it were real.  As you begin to realize that it is true and that you have been deceived on a global scale – you might just feel physically sick – just like Neo.  You will probably even think at some point that you’d rather go back to being completely ignorant of what is happening around you.  It would be easier this way – simply ignore the truth.  Unfortunately, ignorance is not bliss.

 

If you will humble yourself, realize that you don’t know everything and pray for knowledge, wisdom, faith, strength, courage – and begin a relationship with our Father and Jesus Christ - God will transform you into someone who isn’t afraid.  You will be set free from this world.  He is looking for those who will allow Him to turn them into spiritually mature warriors.  When the rest of the world is running away in fear and telling you to do the same, you will turn and face your enemy.  You will fight when others fall.  When your day of evil comes, you will stand.  Why?  Because the Lord will be with you – always.

 

If you are in a Christian Church today, then you know that Satan is the bad guy.  You know that he is deceptive and evil.  You know that he rules over this world.  Does it make more sense that his plans would be widely known or that they are being done in secret – very deceptively?  Will there be one evil world leader who somehow gets the nations of the world to join together as depicted in the ‘Left Behind’ books?  In this deceptive world, does this really make much sense given that the Bible never points to one person as being the antichrist? Will the mark of the beast simply be the act of accepting a microchip implant or will there be deception involved with the mark as well?  If you re-read Revelation 19:20 again (above), you’ll notice that those who have received the mark are ‘deceived’.  Would the world even allow these things to happen (one evil ruler, chip implant as the mark) given that these prophetic scenarios are so widely known?  Or does it make more sense that there is something very secretive, very deceptive going on in the world that will one day take control?  In the light of the Lord’s Word, the truth is that billions of people are deceived by our spiritual enemy and because they have rejected the one, true God - their continued deception will eventually result in their eternal death.  This lines up with what the Bible tells us about Satan and end time deceptions.  This is not a fantasy created by a writer of fiction.  This is the truth. 

 

These are the questions that kept me up at night for a long time.  I felt that something very important was going on in the world – but I had no real knowledge of it and wasn’t part of it.  I came to the realization that what I was lacking was a real faith in Jesus Christ.  I realized that I was truly deceived.  I came to the startling conclusion that I had allowed Satan to blind me from the Truth.  I realized that as long as I relied on myself, I was going to go nowhere.  I would continue on the broad path to its tragic conclusion.  So, I began to pray and asked God to come into my life and help me overcome the world and its deception.  I searched for the Lord – and He revealed Himself to me.  I asked – and received.  I knocked – and doors were opened. 

 

What I found - what was revealed to me after much prayer – is that the world is truly deceived – just as the Bible tells us it is.  Something deceptive is going on right before your eyes.  The devil is scheming against us – very deceptively – just as the Bible tells us he will do.  He is the father of lies and therefore, his children in this world are liars.   They lie because deception is part of the plan - a plan that is told to us by the Lord.  Even though Satan wants to keep his plans secret, he (and those he controls in this world) cannot hide their plans from God.  Those justified by faith in Jesus Christ know the Truth – they have overcome the evil one.  They see through his evil plans because they rely on the source of all truth to guide them – the Creator of the heavens and earth.  They are light in a dark world – and the darkness will not overcome them.  While the world will tell you that there are many in the world today, I’m here to tell you there are few true believers.  There are few who have entered through the narrow gate – just as Jesus tells us.  I also believe this is about to change in preparation for the end.

 

These things no longer keep me up at night.  I sleep soundly.  Why?  Because the Lord watches over me – and the Lord never sleeps.

 

He will not let your foot slip— he who watches over you will not slumber;” (Psalm 121:3)

 

Why is wealth being taken from the United States?  When you begin to view the world from God’s perspective - and not the world’s – you begin to truly understand.  It’s really very simple.  We have allowed ourselves to be deceived.  The result is that our lives are squarely focused on the world and we have left our Creator.  He’s getting our attention.

 

Friend deceives friend,
       and no one speaks the truth.
       They have taught their tongues to lie;
       they weary themselves with sinning.

You live in the midst of deception;
       in their deceit they refuse to acknowledge me,"
       declares the LORD.

Therefore this is what the LORD Almighty says:
       "See, I will refine and test them,
       for what else can I do
       because of the sin of my people?

Their tongue is a deadly arrow;
       it speaks with deceit.
       With his mouth each speaks cordially to his neighbor,
       but in his heart he sets a trap for him.

Should I not punish them for this?"
       declares the LORD.
       "Should I not avenge myself
       on such a nation as this?" (Jeremiah 9:5-9)

 

June 2006

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.

Who is the beast “out of the sea” mentioned in Revelation 13? This has obviously intrigued many Bible scholars throughout history. If you believe the current, modern day interpretations of end time prophecy, then you most likely believe that the “beast out of the sea” of Revelation 13 is speaking about a future world leader who is also the antichrist. This is definitely the most popular belief today. Is it scripturally accurate? The problem I have always had (when I would think about the Book of Revelation) is this: why would God leave a 2,000 year prophetic void in history? Based on current interpretations of Revelation, it seems like we live in a time that is not referred to in the Bible. We are in a kind of prophetic ‘no man’s land’ where we have no guidance on what is happening in the world. Everything relating to end time prophecy is always going to happen ‘in the future’. Is this true or are we living through the prophecies in Revelation today?

There is another view of Revelation that subscribes to the theory that the Book of Revelation only references the time of the Roman Empire. This theory says that most of the prophecies of Revelation have already come to pass….in past history. This would, once again, leave us in a prophetic void. In my mind, this is even worse than the futurist view of Revelation. This belief not only places us in a prophetic void, but gives us no guidance on the future. Again, would God leave us in a prophetic void with no knowledge of future events, no guidance on how to prepare? I believe the answer is a resounding NO. Our Father in Heaven loves us too much to provide us with no guidance.

I believe that the Lord has made it clear to me that we are not approaching the beginning of the Book of Revelation, but the end. Did this get your attention? It should, because I firmly believe that it’s true. If you are like I was before being born again in the Spirit of God, then this probably shocks you. As I’ve said before, the problem with being deceived is that you don’t know you are deceived until it’s too late. All of my life, I have believed that the horrible things described in Revelation were coming someday…hopefully not in my lifetime. The truth is that the prophecies in Revelation began to come to pass during the Roman Empire and have continued to come to pass to this day. We are now nearing the time when the “beasts” of Revelation will begin to exert control over the entire world. If you’ve been living a nice, comfortable life as I was, then you haven’t been paying attention to what is happening to the governments of the world (especially America) and what is happening to Christianity. To me, it is obvious that a political beast and a religious beast are forming…..based on what we’re told in God’s Word and what we’re seeing in the world today. It’s time that we all prepared ourselves for the coming spiritual battles that are about to be waged in our world. It’s time to come close to God through His Son and become the warriors we were meant to be. You are living in the end times for a reason….and it’s not to live a nice, cozy life surrounded by worldly comforts and pleasure. You are here now to fight the good fight of faith for Jesus Christ who leads us and guides us against our enemy. Are you ready?

Something else to consider as we begin this discussion – Do you know why there are now many Protestant denominations? Ever thought much about it? I haven’t…..until now. Why do we have Baptists, Methodists, Presbyterians…etc.? If you’ve never looked into this, the answer may be surprising to you.

Continuing in “End Time Delusions”:
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Here I stand. I can do no other. God help me. Amen. – Martin Luther (1483-1546)

The New Testament Church possessed an all-consuming desire to exalt Jesus Christ and His incomprehensible once-and-for-all Sacrifice for the sins of the whole world (see Hebrews 10:12, 1 John 2:2). The Book of Acts reports how the message of Christ’s perfect righteousness and grace spread like an uncontrollable brushfire throughout the Roman Empire (see Acts 2:36-41; 5:14, 8:4). As the apostles lifted up the Risen One before the multitudes, sinners realized they were loved by God in spite of their faults, and the Lord’s power moved them to repent, be baptized, and stop serving satan (see Acts 2:38, 26:18). As people trusted the merits of Jesus Christ for salvation (see Acts 16:31), rather than their own “works” (see Ephesians 2:9), He forgave their sins (see Acts 13:38), purified their hearts (see Acts 15:8-9), and set their feet on the path to Paradise.

As a result of Spirit-filled preaching, strong churches were raised up in the midst of an idol-worshipping, pleasure-crazy, Caesar-devoted world. The new Christian converts were taught to obey the Bible above the traditions of men (see Colossians 2:8) and to cherish “every word that proceeds from the mouth of God” (Mathew 4:4). They had discovered the only way to the Father, Jesus Christ Himself (see John 14:6); and were taught to trust Him implicitly (see Ephesians 1:12) as the only Mediator between Almighty God and the human family (see 1 Timothy 2:5). They were also taught the importance of “obeying the truth” (1 Peter 1:22), even if it meant opposition, ridicule or death. They were willing to walk the narrow road “which leads to life” (Mathew 7:14) because Jesus was precious to them, just as they were to Him.

But as the Christian train rolled down history’s track, monumental changes took place. Just as Paul predicted, there came a tremendous “falling away” (2 Thessalonians 2:3) from the simplicity and purity of the gospel. Almost imperceptibly, false theories, man-made traditions, and unbiblical practices slipped into the very heart of Christianity. Little by little people lost sight of the beauty and loveliness of Jesus. In the fourth century, during the time of Constantine, a large portion of the church compromised key Bible truths and decided to line up with the Roman State. Rejecting the humility of the meek and humble One (see Mathew 11:29), church leaders sought pomp and worldly glory. Leaving the heavenly “power of the Holy Spirit” (Romans 15:13), they relied on the earthly power of politics and government. As even more traditions came in, Europe eventually became engulfed in the Dark Ages. In the twelfth century, a monstrous tribunal was established called the “Holy Office of the Inquisition” which was purposefully “created to persecute and exterminate ‘heresy’ by violence and not by persuasion.” Its 600 year history is filled with “gloomy portals”, “dark passages”, “locked doors”, “dungeons”, “bloodstained records”, and “extreme, merciless, unmitigated tortures”. Incredibly, so-called Christians murdered other Christians in the “name of Jesus Christ”.

By the time the 1500’s came along, the original simplicity of the early Christian faith was virtually non-existent. All over Europe sinners were taught to confess their sins to priests, to pray to the Virgin Mary, to buy “forgiveness notes” called indulgences and to kiss statues of the saints, none of which is taught in the New Testament. Monks even beat themselves with whips in a misguided effort to earn the favor of God. It’s true, there were sincere and godly people in what had become the Roman Catholic Church, but overall, Christianity was a mess! It was time for the Protestant Reformation!

21st century Christians should realize it was sincere Catholics wanting a change that originally spearheaded the Reformation. Initially, they had no thought of leaving the Mother Church, but simply wanted to redirect their Catholic countrymen away from the traditions of men and to lead them back to the pure truths of the Word. Their main goal was to lead other sinners like themselves to stop trusting their own works for salvation and to have simple faith in Jesus Christ. The Bible says,”Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved” (Acts 16:31). “By grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast” (Ephesians 2:8, 9). “Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ” (Romans 5:1).

Salvation is a wonderful gift from Jesus (see Romans 6:23). When we repent of our sins and receive this gift, trusting alone in Christ, the Father Himself forgives us, transforms our hearts by the Holy Spirit, and gives us power to obey His Word (see Luke 13:3, 1 John 1:9, 1 Peter 1:22, John 17:17). This simple message of free salvation through what Jesus Christ has already done for the entire world on the cross and of “the power of His resurrection” (Philippians 3:10), is called the good news of the gospel. Paul defined the good news as: “Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures” (1 Corinthians 15:3-4). We must believe this good news wholeheartedly, for it alone can save our souls (see 1 Peter 1:3, 9).

The word antichrist literally means “opposed to” or “in the place of” Christ, and in its most subtle and diabolical manifestation it concerns something which claims loyalty to Jesus while really leading away from Him. Now let’s take a closer look at what truly happened during the time of the Protestant Reformation.

In the 1500’s, as a result of the invention of the printing press, countless European and English Catholics read the Bible for the first time in their lives. As a result, they uncovered the good news of salvation through trusting in Jesus Christ. At the same time, to their shock and amazement, they also realized that many Roman doctrines – including praying to dead saints and confessing to priests – actually led away from a simple faith in the merits of the Lamb. Compelled by the Spirit, these sincere Catholics tried to reform the church they loved from within. They preached the gospel and even appealed to the Pope. The result was fury, intense opposition, threats of flames and the ugly cry, “You’re now a candidate for the Inquisition!” As the conflict deepened, those who saw the Bible as their final authority began to have serious doubts about the basic authority of a church that utilized torture chambers. In other words, they began to question whether the Holy Apostolic Roman Catholic Church, as an institution centered in popes and the Vatican, was really the Bride of Jesus Christ in the first place.

One by one the reformers turned to the prophecies. In amazement they discovered what Paul actually wrote about “the falling away”, “the son of perdition”, and a “mystery of lawlessness” that would proudly set itself up inside “the temple of God”, which is the church (see 2 Thessalonians 2:3-4, 7; 1 Corinthians 3:16). They were stunned to read Daniel’s prophecy about a “little horn” with “eyes like the eyes of a man”, “a mouth speaking great things”, that would be centered in Western Europe and would make bloody “war with the saints” (Daniel 7:7-8, 21). They shuddered as they realized this same power was called “the beast” in God’s last book, and that it would finally exert worldwide influence and control (see Revelation 13:2, 7-8). There were especially jolted when they read about a harlot named “Mystery Babylon” who was “drunk with the blood of the saints and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus” (Revelation 17:6). As death sentence after death sentence was hurled against them for pointing sinners to the holy Lamb of God, and as the smoke of burning martyrs blackened Europe’s fair skies, these reformers eventually came to a frightening, unanimous, and terribly solemn conclusion. They had discovered Jesus Christ and antichrist.

Let me clarify something right here. Even though, in the pages that follow, I will apply the Bible’s prophecies about the “little horn” and “the beast” to the papal system in general (because of its doctrines and practices), this does not reflect a judgment on individual Catholics. Personally, I have nothing against any member of the Roman Church. Because God is merciful and judges men fairly based on the light they have (see James 4:17), I know I will meet many sincere Catholics in Christ’s Kingdom.

Nor does my position reflect an exclusive view of the word antichrist itself. I realize “the spirit of antichrist” is now working inside various organizations and non-Christian religions, including many churches that call themselves Protestant. Nothing written here is designed to promote hostility toward any human being. Jesus said “God so loved the world” (John 3:16) which includes the Pope; and His clear command to “love your neighbor as yourself” (Mathew 22:39) applies to Protestants, Catholics, Muslims, Hindus and everyone else. Yet this book is about the prophetic truths of God’s Word, truths which must not be ignored by any God-fearing, Bible-believing Christian.

The following quotations may seem a bit strong for our politically correct modern ears, but they reveal the facts of history. The reader is encouraged to consider them squarely and honestly, in the blazing light of Bible prophecy.

Martin Luther (1483-1546) (Lutheran):

Newsweek reported, “Martin Luther was the first to identify the papacy as such with the antichrist. At first he discounted the value of John’s Apocalypse. But then he saw in it a revelation of the Church of Rome as the deceiving antichrist….a view that was to become dogma for all Protestant Churches.”

On August 20, 1520, Luther declared, “We here are of the conviction that the papacy is the seat of the true and real antichrist.”

John Calvin (1509-1564) (Presbyterian):

“Some persons think us too severe and censorious when we call the Roman pontiff antichrist. But those who are of this opinion do not consider that they bring the same charge of presumption against Paul himself, after whom we speak and whose language we adopt…I shall briefly show that (Paul’s words in 2 Thessalonians 2) are not capable of any other interpretation than that which applies them to the Papacy.”

John Knox (1505-1572) (Scotch Presbyterian):

John Knox wrote about “that tyranny which the pope himself has for so many ages exercised over the church.” Along with Martin Luther and John Calvin, Knox finally concluded that the Papacy was “the very antichrist, and son of perdition, of whom Paul speaks.”

Thomas Cranmer (1489-1556) (Anglican):

“Whereof it followeth Rome to be the seat of antichrist, and the pope to be very antichrist himself. I could prove the same by many other scriptures, old writers, and strong reasons.”

Fox’s Book of Martyrs (1563):

Written by Englishman John Fox (1517-1587), this much-respected volume helped “mold the national character” of 17th century America. Fox reported: “Disregarding the maxims and the spirit of the Gospel, the papal Church, arming herself with the power of the sword, vexed the Church of God and wasted it for centuries, a period most appropriately termed in history, the ‘dark ages’. The kings of the earth gave their power to the Beast.”

Roger Williams (1603-1683) (Considered the first Baptist Pastor in America):

Roger Williams spoke of the Pope as “the pretended Vicar of Christ on earth, who sits as God over the Temple of God, exalting himself not only above all that is called God, but over the souls and consciences of all his vassals, yea over the Spirit of Christ, over the Holy Spirit, yea, and God Himself….speaking against the God of heaven, thinking to change times and laws; but he is the son of perdition (2 Thessalonians 2).

A Great Cloud of Witnesses:

“Wycliffe, Tyndale, Luther, Calvin, Cranmer; in the seventeenth century, Bunyan, the translators of the King James Bible and the men who published the Westminster and Baptist confessions of Faith; Sir Isaac Newton, Wesley, Whifield, Jonathon Edwards; and more recently Spurgeon, Bishop J.C. Ryle and Dr. Martin Lloyd-Jones; these men among countless others, all saw the office of the Papacy as the antichrist.”

These quotes come from some of the most respected and influential Christians who have ever lived. They were intensely earnest, honest men who based their conclusions on the prophecies of the Bible. I realize times have changed. It’s true, we’re not in the Dark Ages anymore; and yes, this is the 21st century, but there is something we must consider: Daniel’s prophecy about “a little horn” that would make “war against the saints” (Daniel 7:8, 21), Paul’s predictions about a “falling away” and an antichrist “man of sin” or “mystery of lawlessness” that would sit in God’s temple (2 Thessalonians 2:3-4), John’s prophecy about “a beast” with global influence (Revelation 13:2, 7), and finally, Revelation’s strikingly graphic portrayal of a woman named “Mystery Babylon” who would become drunk with “the blood of the martyrs of Jesus” (Revelation 17:6) – these prophecies are still in the Bible. There is something else we should remember: Nations rise and fall, history rushes on, technology advances and a new millennium has arrived – but God’s Word has not changed!

Either those dead Protestants were dead wrong, or history’s forgotten voices still speak.
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I agree 100% with Steve when he says that his application of Bible prophecy on the papal system does not reflect a judgment on individual Catholics. Each of us will be judged individually by God. “Nothing here is designed to promote hostility toward any human being.” But I also agree with Steve that we cannot deny the Bible’s prophecies and how they relate to historical events.

Are there other prophetic verses that support this argument? The answer is yes. We will continue this in the next posting.

Based on the historical brutality and ruthlessness of the papal system in the dark ages, it stands to reason that the Roman Catholic Church would attempt to defend itself from this new application of Biblical prophecy. Did they attempt to defend themselves? How could they defend themselves from this new doctrine established by Protestants? Were they successful? The answer is yes – it took some time, but they were eventually successful. If you haven’t been shocked by anything yet, you will be by this revelation of historical fact. I say this, because if you are currently a Christian, you most likely believe the doctrine they created in their defense. Never forget, our spiritual enemy is very deceiving and highly intelligent. Read on…….

This is difficult for me to write. It’s not an easy thing to know that the nation you belong to has turned away from God and faces judgment. Until last year, I never saw it coming. The reason is that I was like most people in this country. I said I believed in Jesus Christ, but I certainly wasn’t following his teachings. What does Jesus say about this?

‘Jesus replied, "If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching. My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him. He who does not love me will not obey my teaching. These words you hear are not my own; they belong to the Father who sent me.’ (John 14:23-24)

Once I was born again, came close to the Lord and began following His teachings, the Lord certainly has made His home with me and my family. He began to show me this nation through His eyes. What do I see? Darkness. The good news is that it doesn’t have to remain this way. If we, as a nation, ask for forgiveness and come back to our Lord, then he will heal us and restore us. It is conditional on us seeking Him, understanding the truth, repenting and humbly asking for forgiveness. The bad news is that the Lord has searched this nation and He sees that we have passed the point of no return. The only way for Him to wake us up and cut the sin out is through His judgment. What happens after His judgment is up to us. Will this nation return to Him and stand for Him against the onslaught of our spiritual enemy and his beasts? I do not know. I pray that our eyes are opened and that we will someday become the people that the Lord wants us to be. I pray that instead of being a home to darkness, we will be a beacon of light in a dark world.

For now, I will continue to speak the message I have been given. I mentioned in the previous posting that the Lord has led me to two areas in the Bible regarding the future of the United States. The first was Revelation 13. The second place that I believe relates to our future judgment is Revelation 18. First, I firmly believe that this chapter in Revelation was written in reference to Rome and the Roman Catholic Church (I will spend some time on this topic in future postings). However, the Lord has led me to specific verses within this chapter because they do describe what is about to happen to America. Again, this is very difficult to write, but I know it to be the truth.

Revelation 18 begins with an angel shouting the following:

‘Fallen! Fallen is Babylon the Great! She has become a home for demons and a haunt for every evil spirit, a haunt for every unclean and detestable bird. For all the nations have drunk the maddening wine of her adulteries. The kings of the earth committed adultery with her, and the merchants of the earth grew rich from her excessive luxuries.’ (Revelation 18:2-3)

You will notice that much of Revelation 18 describes luxury, wealth and commerce. The Lord makes it clear that He detests the pursuit of wealth and luxury (I will spend some time on wealth in a future posting). The judgment described in this chapter is clearly a result of the worship of wealth and luxury. Stop and think about this for a moment. Who is the wealthiest nation on earth? Who buys more ‘stuff’ than anyone else on the planet? Who basks in luxury more than any nation on earth? It’s not hard to answer these questions. The United States has a net worth of over $52 trillion dollars. The current city of ‘Babylon’ for the world is New York. What are we doing with our vast wealth? If you read the Wall Street Journal regularly, it’s apparent that we don’t have enough wealth, we want more. Everyday I read about CEOs and the wealthy in this nation scheming to get more and more. Jesus spoke about money more than any other subject in His gospels. Do you wonder why? Ask yourself who the master of this nation truly is.

‘No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money.’ (Mathew 6:24)

What does the Bible say about the pursuit of money and wealth? This sounds very familiar to what we read in our newspapers everyday. What does God say about the pursuit of these things? They are meaningless.

‘Whoever loves money never has money enough; whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with his income. This too is meaningless.’ (Ecclesiastes 5:10)

To me, nothing sums up our nation’s problems like this verse from 1 Timothy.

‘For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.’ (1 Timothy 6:10)

What has the love of money done to us? It has caused widespread corporate and governmental fraud and corruption. It drives our pride and arrogance. It causes us to covet our neighbor’s things (thus breaking the 10th Commandment). We simply never have enough. Why? Because we do not strive to lead humble lives seeking the Lord. Most of us are completely consumed by this world and the stuff in it. I should know, I was definitely on this path – always looking ahead to the next new house, car….whatever. Probably the biggest casualty of all of this is our families. The drive to have more money and things has separated us from our children and our spouses. Business trips, day care, endless meetings….all add up to much less time spent together as a family. God created the family for a reason. Guess who wants to destroy it?

Enough about all of this – you get the picture. The bottom line is that money itself is not evil. It’s the love of money that will get you in trouble time and again. The question you must ask yourself is this – do I view my money as mine all mine, to do with as I please or do you realize that the earth is God’s and everything in it. Do you view yourself as simply a steward of God’s money to provide for your family and to use to build His kingdom here? We all need to realize that it’s all His and there’s plenty to go around - no need to be selfish.

Would it be better to live a life of luxury apart from God and spend eternity in desolation or live a humble live in service to the Lord and spend eternity with Him, surrounded by His love and joy?

Jesus sums it up in Luke 18.

‘A certain ruler asked him, "Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?"
"Why do you call me good?" Jesus answered. "No one is good—except God alone. You know the commandments: 'Do not commit adultery, do not murder, do not steal, do not give false testimony, honor your father and mother.'" "All these I have kept since I was a boy," he said. When Jesus heard this, he said to him, "You still lack one thing. Sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me." When he heard this, he became very sad, because he was a man of great wealth. Jesus looked at him and said, "How hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God! Indeed, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God."’ (Luke 18:18-25)

The following are verses in Revelation 18 that I believe relate to what we’re going to see happen to the United States.

‘When the kings of the earth who committed adultery with her and shared her luxury see the smoke of her burning, they will weep and mourn over her. Terrified at her torment, they will stand far off and cry: Woe! Woe, O great city, O Babylon, city of power! In one hour your doom has come!’ (Revelation 18:9-10)

‘The merchants of the earth will weep and mourn over her because no one buys their cargoes any more….’ (Revelation 18:11)

“They will say, ‘The fruit you longed for is gone from you. All your riches and splendor have vanished, never to be recovered.’ The merchants who sold these things and gained their wealth from her will stand far off, terrified at her torment…..in one hour such great wealth has been brought to ruin!’ (Revelation 18:14-17)

‘…every sea captain, and all who travel by ship, the sailors, and all who earn their living from the sea, will stand far off. When they see the smoke of her burning, they will exclaim, ‘Was there ever a city like this great city?’ They will throw dust on their heads, and with weeping and mourning cry out: ‘Woe! Woe, O great city, where all who had ships on the sea became rich through her wealth! In one hour she has been brought to ruin!’ (Revelation 18:17-19)

I believe that it is clear that the United States will fall from dominance both economically and militarily. It is also clear that this is going to happen in a very short period of time. ‘In one hour’ is mentioned repeatedly. As I mentioned earlier, I pray that our nation will turn back to God and seek His will for us after this is over.

In 2004, 4 major hurricanes hit the state of Florida. The city of New Orleans was destroyed by a hurricane in 2005. Drought conditions seem to be worsening each year throughout the United States. Wildfires are increasing in regularity throughout the western U.S. Thunderstorms and tornadoes now develop well into November. In October and November 2005, tornadoes ripped across the Midwest causing extensive damage in Indiana and Kentucky. Summer heat waves are becoming the norm as global temperatures continue to rise. The last decade has been the hottest on record for the world. The following article appeared today, December 3, 2006, on the Reuters news wire:

“Flowers are blooming on the slopes of Alpine ski resorts and bears are having trouble hibernating in Siberia amid a late start to winter that may be a portent of global warming. Rare December pollen is troubling asthma sufferers as far north as Scandinavia, sales of winter clothing are down and Santa Claus has to reassure children his sleigh will take off on Christmas Eve, snow or no snow. From Siberia to Estonia, bears have had trouble going to sleep for their winter hibernation because their hideaways are uncomfortably warm, soggy and damp. Renowned for frosty winters, Moscow started the calendar winter on December 1 with the warmest December day since records began in 1879 -- 4.5 degrees Celsius (40.1 Fahrenheit). From Ottawa to Moscow, temperatures have been way above average at the start of the winter in the northern hemisphere -- with exceptions including a rare snowstorm in Dallas, Texas. Like many places, Austria has had the mildest autumn since records began and many ski resorts have delayed the season's start. Many scientists say a single warm winter is most likely part of the natural variations of an unpredictable climate. Still, years of mild temperatures fit predictions of global warming, widely blamed on human use of fossil fuels.”

I’ve seen a documentary showing how polar bear populations are declining in the northern Arctic due to thawing ice. Glaciers the world over are now receding at levels that are unprecedented in modern times. The strongest Hurricane ever recorded (Wilma) formed in 2005. Whether or not you believe in global warming, something is definitely changing within our world. If you’re like me, you get an uneasy feeling about what the future holds for us. What, exactly, is going on with our climate?

Have you noticed that as our world’s political climate seems less stable (terrorism, wars, etc), the world’s weather also seems less stable? The world will tell you that there is no way the two are related. Weather is weather, and people will be people. How can the weather be, in any way, related to the overall instability of the world? If you look at the world and our weather through natural, worldly eyes – you will never see a correlation. Look at the weather and the world through spiritual eyes – sight given to you through God’s power, and you begin to see a definite correlation. Once again, you must read the Lord’s Word and you must pray to receive true knowledge and wisdom. Let’s take a look at what the Bible says about God’s warnings and what His Word says about weather during the last days.

Does the Bible tell us that God warns before judgment? Yes. The following is Chapter 4 from the Book of Amos.

‘Hear this word, you cows of Bashan on Mount Samaria, you women who oppress the poor and crush the needy and say to your husbands, "Bring us some drinks!" The Sovereign LORD has sworn by his holiness: "The time will surely come when you will be taken away with hooks, the last of you with fishhooks. You will each go straight out through breaks in the wall, and you will be cast out toward Harmon," declares the LORD. "Go to Bethel and sin; go to Gilgal and sin yet more. Bring your sacrifices every morning, your tithes every three years. Burn leavened bread as a thank offering and brag about your freewill offerings— boast about them, you Israelites, for this is what you love to do," declares the Sovereign LORD. ……"I also withheld rain from you when the harvest was still three months away. I sent rain on one town, but withheld it from another. One field had rain; another had none and dried up. People staggered from town to town for water but did not get enough to drink, yet you have not returned to me," declares the LORD. "Many times I struck your gardens and vineyards, I struck them with blight and mildew. Locusts devoured your fig and olive trees, yet you have not returned to me," declares the LORD.…..He who forms the mountains, creates the wind, and reveals his thoughts to man, he who turns dawn to darkness, and treads the high places of the earth— the LORD God Almighty is his name.’ (Amos Chapter 4)

This chapter begins with the Lord describing many of the women of Israel. They were rich, reveled in drunkenness and oppressed the poor. They were not living according to the Word and Laws of the Lord. They offered sacrifices to the Lord and occasionally gave tithes – and bragged about it. The Lord is telling us that these meant nothing to Him because they were living lives of sin, pride and arrogance. They took pleasure in sin and boasted about their religious devotion in front of men. They continued to sin against God even after numerous warnings from the Lord. After Israel was conquered, Assyrian pictures engraved on stone portray prisoners being led away with ropes tied to hooks in their nose or lips. The wealthy women of Israel’s capital were led away in judgment like cattle. These words ring true for us today. This chapter in Amos shows us that the Lord will use weather to warn a nation to return to Him. I believe that He is using it to warn the United States and I believe that He’s using it to tell the world that the end of this evil age is upon us.

In Mathew, Chapter 16, I believe that Jesus gives us a clue as to how to read the times in which we live:

‘The Pharisees and Sadducees came to Jesus and tested him by asking him to show them a sign from heaven. He replied, "When evening comes, you say, 'It will be fair weather, for the sky is red,' and in the morning, 'Today it will be stormy, for the sky is red and overcast.' You know how to interpret the appearance of the sky, but you cannot interpret the signs of the times. A wicked and adulterous generation looks for a miraculous sign, but none will be given it except the sign of Jonah." Jesus then left them and went away.’ (Mathew 16:2-4)

Jesus is obviously speaking to the fact that the Pharisees could not see that He was the Son of God. Although they were good at predicting the weather, they could not interpret the times in which they lived. Because they were not close to God, they could not see where they were on God’s timetable and His plan for salvation. They were speaking directly to God and couldn’t see it. This certainly applies to us today. With all of our technological advances, we know more about the natural world than ever before, but we’re still blind to the times in which we live. I believe that the clue to us in this message is Christ’s mention of the weather to the Pharisees, His mention of a ‘miraculous sign’ and most importantly, His mention of Jonah. Many attribute Jesus’ reference to Jonah to mean that He would be crucified and resurrected on the 3rd day, in the same way that Jonah spent 3 days in the belly of a whale. This is certainly true, but I believe there is more to His reference to Jonah. Other than the three days that Jonah spent in the whale, what is another sign mentioned in this Book? A storm.

‘The word of the LORD came to Jonah son of Amittai: "Go to the great city of Nineveh and preach against it, because its wickedness has come up before me." But Jonah ran away from the LORD and headed for Tarshish. He went down to Joppa, where he found a ship bound for that port. After paying the fare, he went aboard and sailed for Tarshish to flee from the LORD. Then the LORD sent a great wind on the sea, and such a violent storm arose that the ship threatened to break up. All the sailors were afraid and each cried out to his own god. And they threw the cargo into the sea to lighten the ship. But Jonah had gone below deck, where he lay down and fell into a deep sleep. The captain went to him and said, "How can you sleep? Get up and call on your god! Maybe he will take notice of us, and we will not perish." Then the sailors said to each other, "Come, let us cast lots to find out who is responsible for this calamity." They cast lots and the lot fell on Jonah. So they asked him, "Tell us, who is responsible for making all this trouble for us? What do you do? Where do you come from? What is your country? From what people are you?" He answered, "I am a Hebrew and I worship the LORD, the God of heaven, who made the sea and the land." This terrified them and they asked, "What have you done?" (They knew he was running away from the LORD, because he had already told them so.) The sea was getting rougher and rougher. So they asked him, "What should we do to you to make the sea calm down for us?" "Pick me up and throw me into the sea," he replied, "and it will become calm. I know that it is my fault that this great storm has come upon you." Instead, the men did their best to row back to land. But they could not, for the sea grew even wilder than before. Then they cried to the LORD, "O LORD, please do not let us die for taking this man's life. Do not hold us accountable for killing an innocent man, for you, O LORD, have done as you pleased." Then they took Jonah and threw him overboard, and the raging sea grew calm. At this the men greatly feared the LORD, and they offered a sacrifice to the LORD and made vows to him. But the LORD provided a great fish to swallow Jonah, and Jonah was inside the fish three days and three nights.’ (Jonah Chapter 1)

So, Jonah was running from the Lord (rebelling) and the Lord used a storm to turn him around. Meteorologists will tell you that the increasing number and strength of hurricanes in recent years is cyclical. The U.S. is simply experiencing a cyclical ‘upswing’ in the number of hurricanes hitting its shores. At the same time, we seem to be getting hit with an increasing number of wildfires, torrential rains, floods and severe thunderstorms (with devastating tornadoes) that now extend into November. At the same time that our weather is becoming more intense, we’re facing an enemy that we can’t fight effectively. The ‘war on terror’ has no end in sight. Our leaders tell us it may never end. The war in Iraq is getting worse with no end in sight. What about our economy? It seems that the stock market and our economy are going along just fine. Are they? How long can we sustain a 9 trillion dollar deficit before the bubble bursts? If you read the Old Testament, there is one thing that always seems to precede the Lord’s judgment – prosperity. So, at the same time as our weather seems to be getting more unstable, the world’s political landscape also seems to be much more unstable.

The story of Jonah also tells us that even though the Lord may pronounce judgment, a city or nation can repent and be spared His wrath. ‘The Ninevites believed God. They declared a fast, and all of them, from the greatest to the least, put on sackcloth.’ (Jonah 3:5). ‘When God saw what they did and how they turned from their evil ways, he had compassion and did not bring upon them the destruction he had threatened’ (Jonah 3:10). The question we need to ask is this – does our nation realize that it needs to repent and return to God? Is it asking for forgiveness? It doesn’t take much contemplation to realize that the answer to both questions is no.

How many times do we hear someone today asking for a sign from God? His signs are all around us, but you’ll never see them unless you believe in Jesus, pray for wisdom and come close to the Lord. God’s warnings are not limited to the political instability in our world. They extend to everything in the world, including our weather. I believe that both the stability of the nations in our world and our climate will continue to deteriorate as we near the end of this age.

Let’s take a look at some instances where I believe the U.S. has definitely been warned. John McTernan published a book in 2001 entitled God’s Final Warning to America. John has done extensive research into natural disasters, financial collapses and how they relate to how America has turned away from God. I am only going to list a few examples here from John’s book.

1. On Thursday, September 21, 1989, the Washington Post had a front-page article about Hurricane Hugo approaching the United States. The Hurricane was expected to make landfall on Friday (the next day). The Washington Post also had another front page article on September 21st relating to abortion. This article said that the Bush administration only had until Friday (the next day) to make oral arguments before the Supreme Court in the Hodgson vs. Minnesota case. The oral argument was for the possibility of overturning Roe vs. Wade. The oral argument was never made and Roe vs. Wade was not overturned. On Friday, September 22, 1989, Hurricane Hugo slammed into Charleston, South Carolina, causing tremendous damage to the city and the entire state.
2. On June 28, 1992, hundreds of thousands of homosexuals and their supporters attended national Gay Pride day parades across America. On the very morning of Gay Pride day, the fourth and ninth most powerful earthquakes this century in the U.S. hit southern California. These quakes were so powerful, their effects were felt as far away as Idaho. The Los Angeles Times actually reported that the marchers had to brave the earthquakes to get to the Gay Pride day parade.
3. During the late winter and early spring of 1993, heavy rains fell on the Midwest. The Mississippi and Missouri rivers rose and approached flood stage. By mid-June the rivers were at flood stage. On June 25, shipping was halted on the Mississippi river. As Gay Pride day, June 27, 1993, approached, the rains increased until USA Today reported: “Then the skies opened up on June 19-21 filling the tributaries; and on June 25-27, finally putting the rivers over their banks.” The Mississippi and Missouri rivers actually began flooding on the weekend of Gay Pride day. The Great Flood of 1993, the worst in American history, started on Gay Pride day. The flood resulted in over $15 billion in damage.
4. During September, 1994, Vice President Al Gore represented the United States at the World Population Control Conference in Cairo, Egypt. As expected, he promoted abortion as a method of birth control. Abortion was promoted as a universal right. On September 12, the next to the last day of the conference, a powerful 6.3 magnitude earthquake rocked southern California. This was the eleventh most powerful earthquake to hit the U.S. this century.
5. On May 20, 1996, the headlines of the New York Times read, “Worst drought since ‘30’s grips Plains”. The article reported how a powerful drought had gripped the Midwest and western sections of the country. The article pinpointed October 1995 as when the drought started. October 1995 was also designated as Gay/Lesbian History Month by the National Teachers Association. This association passed a resolution for every school district in the nation to observe October as Gay/Lesbian History Month.
6. On February 25, 1997, the U.S. Senate passed legislation to release $385 million overseas into 100 countries for “family planning”. Pro-life forces in the Senate tried to stop the release of the funds because some of the money could be used for abortion. The Clinton Administration backed this release of funds and pushed the date of release of the funds to March 1. On March 1, the legislation was signed into law, and the money released. On the very next day, powerful tornadoes roared across Texas into Arkansas, Mississippi, Tennessee and Kentucky. The storm stalled over Ohio, and torrential rains caused record flooding on the Ohio River.

I have mentioned Homosexuality a couple of times. Does this mean that God hates homosexuals? No. He hates the sin of homosexuality. In the same way that He hates the sin of pride, worship of wealth or the killing of the unborn. Jesus will forgive anyone if they will turn away from their sin and embrace Him. John McTernan mentions many other examples where severe weather and/or economic events coincided with our acceptance of abortion and homosexual activities. All of this doesn’t mean that if your house is hit by a tornado, you have somehow offended God. We live in a fallen world and Jesus made it clear that tribulations will happen to both believers and unbelievers. The difference is whether we have built our lives on Him and how we respond to these tribulations. I do believe, however, that God is making it clear that our support of abortion and our open acceptance of the homosexual lifestyle are unacceptable to Him. How long will we receive warnings before they turn into His judgment? Only He knows. I feel very strongly that we have passed the point of no return. I believe that the Lord has now determined that the only way to remove the sin from our nation is through judgment.

So, the final piece of this is – does Bible prophecy mention weather in our future? The answer is yes. One of God’s final judgments on the world speaks of the weather. ‘The fourth angel poured out his bowl on the sun, and the sun was given power to scorch people with fire. They were seared by the intense heat and they cursed the name of God, who had control over these plagues, but they refused to repent and glorify him’ (Revelation 16:8-9). It sounds like things are going to get very hot on this planet. We see the trends today, but where does it end? We can debate the causes in our natural world (greenhouse gases, fossil fuels, etc) for the increase in global temperature, but the truth is that this world is heading for a period of time where it is going to be very unpleasant – both from wars and from the weather. As the world turns farther away from God, our spiritual enemy will continue to increase his influence. Each of us much choose whether to fight our enemy and proclaim the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ or sit on the sidelines and watch the world’s decline from the sidelines.

We established in the last post that the woman sitting on the beast in Revelation 17 is the Roman Catholic Church located in Rome. Revelation 18 begins with another Angel coming down from heaven to give John more information. ‘With a mighty voice he [the angel] shouted: “Fallen! Fallen is Babylon the Great! She has become a home for demons and a haunt for every evil spirit, a haunt for every unclean and detestable bird. For all the nations have drunk the maddening wine of her adulteries. The kings of the earth committed adultery with her, and the merchants of the earth grew rich from her excessive luxuries.”’ (Revelation 18:2-3). I believe that God is making it clear – the Roman Church will fall. Why? It cannot get clearer than this - she has become a home for demons. The Lord is telling us that her teaching is not from Him, but from demonic activity. She has committed adultery against God by preaching false doctrine and leading many to idolatry. We are told that the ‘kings of the earth committed adultery with her’. I believe this references the governments of the world throughout history welcoming her false doctrines and gaining worldly power from her. This angel ends his dialog with yet another reference to the excessive wealth of this church.

The next verses are powerful. Another voice from heaven says: ‘Come out of her, my people, so that you will not share in her sins, so that you will not receive any of her plagues; for her sins are piled up to heaven, and God has remembered her crimes…’ (Revelation 18:4-5). The Lord is calling to His people from heaven. He is saying that there are true believers within this church, yet they are deceived. He is telling them to come out of this church and its unbiblical doctrine so that they ‘will not receive any of her plagues.’ We are also told in verse 5 that God ‘has remembered her crimes’. This is chilling. The Lord is going to repay this Church for what it has done to His people. For all of the Lord’s saints that have been killed, for all of the people who have been deceived by false teachings – the Lord is going to avenge.

The Lord continues in verse 6: ‘Give back to her as she has given; pay her back double for what she has done. Mix her a double portion from her own cup. Give her as much torture and grief as the glory and luxury she gave herself. In her heart she boasts, “I sit as queen; I am not a widow, and I will never mourn.” Therefore in one day her plagues will overtake her: death, mourning and famine. She will be consumed by fire, for mighty is the Lord God who judges her’ (Revelation 18:6-8). We are given more reasons for this judgment. The Lord mentions ‘torture and grief’ and ‘luxury and glory’. Throughout the middle ages this Church tortured the Lord’s saints and became rich and powerful. I believe that it will once again persecute the Lord’s saints before its judgment. The Lord has heard the cry of his Saints and He is going to avenge them. The Lord is also telling us that He sees the heart of this church and it is boastful and arrogant. Finally, we are once again told that this Church will be judged by fire…..resulting in death, mourning and famine. This parallels Revelation 17:16 ‘…they [the beast and the ten kings] will eat her flesh and burn her with fire’ and Revelation 13:13 ‘he [the beast] performed great and miraculous signs, even causing fire to come down from heaven to earth in full view of men’.

The last verse of Revelation 17 states: ‘The woman you saw is the great city that rules over the kings of the earth.’ (Revelation 17:18). Revelation 18:9-10 states: ‘When the kings of the earth who committed adultery with her and shared her luxury see the smoke of her burning, they will weep and mourn over her. Terrified at her torment, they will stand far off and cry: “Woe! Woe, O’ great city, O Babylon, city of power! In one hour your doom has come!’ Since Babylon is a reference to the city of Rome, it becomes clear that the entire city of Rome will be affected by this judgment – not just Vatican City. This also gives us another clue. Revelation 17:16 tells us who the Lord uses to judge the Roman Church – ‘The beast and the ten horns you saw will hate the prostitute. They will bring her to ruin and leave her naked; they will eat her flesh and burn her with fire.’ It’s clear that the highest leadership of the world government is responsible for the destruction of this city. However, Revelation 18:10 tells us that there are kings of the earth who are ‘terrified at her torment’. This leads me to believe that the world’s most powerful leaders are deceiving the rest of the world. If all of the kings of the earth knew what was happening they would not be ‘terrified’ since they would be expecting it. I believe that this world government beast once again uses massive destruction to its advantage. It will use the destruction of Rome to setup its own ‘image’ of the Roman Church. (What will this image look like? We’ll spend some time on this topic in a later post, because I believe we are seeing a glimpse of this image today.)

I also believe that this type of deception will ultimately lead the world to the final worldwide battle of Armageddon. If I didn’t know how things ended according to Bible prophecy, I would probably believe that a worldwide government (evil or not) would have a much tighter grip on the nations of the world. How could wars break out if national boundaries disappear and we’re all one, big, happy family? This sounds logical – and you hear this at times even today. It would be much easier if we only had one currency that was handled without cash or coins (no need to haul money around, no more armed robbery, etc.). Without national boundaries, no need to attack your neighbor to gain more space since we’re all together. It really sounds logical….except for one thing – Satan. This world government isn’t one, big, happy family. This world government will rule with an iron fist. All wealth and power will be at the top….forcing the world to adhere to demonic doctrines. No private ownership of land…no buying or selling unless you receive their ‘mark’…which will force many to deny Jesus Christ. Ultimately, I believe that much of the world begins to rebel against this ‘beast’…..leading to a final worldwide war – Armageddon. Many prophecy scholars today believe that Armageddon will be fought only in the Middle East against Israel. Logically, this doesn’t make much sense. Why send 200 million soldiers to attack tiny Israel? Why not just drop a few nuclear weapons? Why march millions of men, hundreds of miles when we have ships and planes that could do the job much more easily. This simply doesn’t make sense to me. These scholars are once again fitting Scripture to their prophecy beliefs. It is made clear that everyone in the world will be affected by this final battle: ‘For then there will be great distress, unequaled from the beginning of the world until now—and never to be equaled again. If those days had not been cut short, no one would survive, but for the sake of the elect those days will be shortened.’ (Mathew 24:21-22). Jesus makes it clear – no one would survive if not for the grace of God. This is a worldwide event.

Let’s finish our study of Revelation 18. Will Rome ever be rebuilt? Will the Roman Church ever return before the Lord’s return? I believe the answer is no. ‘”They will say, ‘the fruit you longed for is gone from you. All your riches and splendor have vanished, never to be recovered.’ (Revelation 18:14). Revelation 18:16-17 tells us: ‘Woe! Woe, O great city, dressed in fine linen, purple and scarlet, and glittering with gold, precious stones and pearls! In one hour such great wealth has been brought to ruin!’ Once again, the colors and wealth of this church are mentioned. These verses parallel Revelation 17:4 and confirm for us that this ‘Babylon the Great’ is the same entity as the woman whose title is ‘Mystery – Babylon the Great’ of chapter 17: ‘The woman was dressed in purple and scarlet, and was glittering with gold, precious stones and pearls’ (Revelation 17:4).

It is clear that destruction is brought on suddenly and without warning. ‘In one hour’ is used more than once to describe this judgment. In verse 20 we’re once again told that the Lord has not forgotten His saints that were tortured and killed by this Church: ‘Rejoice over her, O heaven! Rejoice, saints and apostles and prophets! God has judged her for the way she treated you.’ Regardless of what we face in the near future, we should always take comfort in the Lord and know that it is not up to us to repay those that persecute us – the Lord will repay just as we’re told in Deuteronomy 32:35: ‘It is mine to avenge; I will repay. In due time their foot will slip; their day of disaster is near and their doom rushes upon them.’

Chapter 18 finishes with the words of a mighty angel: ‘With such violence the great city of Babylon will be thrown down, never to be found again. The music of harpists and musicians, flute players and trumpeters, will never be heard in you again. No workman of any trade will be found in you again. The light of a lamp will never shine in you again. The voice of bridegroom and bride will never be heard in you again. Your merchants were the world’s great men. By your magic spell all the nations were led astray. In her was found the blood of prophets and of the saints, and of all who have been killed on earth.’ (Revelation 18:21-24). This chapter ends with finality. With violence, this city will be destroyed and never be rebuilt. Never again will people inhabit this city. Never again will a church be built in this city (bridegroom and bride). The chapter ends with the reasons for judgment – false teachings that led people away from Jesus and the killing of God’s saints. Very clear and very chilling.

I realize that it’s hard to believe these things. Much of what I have written about is not easy to believe because it’s not what we want to hear. We would much rather hear that things are going to get better and that the world will be peaceful. The truth of God’s Word tells us differently. The Lord’s truth tells us that things are going to get worse – so prepare yourself. Don’t buy into the lies of the world. Our focus should always be on His kingdom, not this world.

Babylon – Past and Future

 

The Bible speaks of two Babylons – the ancient empire of Babylon that invaded Israel around 597 B.C. and a ‘Mystery’ Babylon that is mentioned in the book of Revelation.  There is no mystery surrounding the Bible’s description of the Babylon empire.  The Old Testament speaks of the rise and fall of Babylon and the Israelite captivity that resulted from the Babylonian invasion of Jerusalem.  The prophets Isaiah and Jeremiah both gave prophecies concerning the Babylon Empire – all of which came to pass.

 

The ‘mystery’ here is – who is the ‘Babylon’ of Revelation chapters 14, 17 and 18?  As we reviewed in previous posts, I believe that the ‘Mystery’ Babylon of Revelation is the Roman Catholic Church.  Since we have already explored Revelation chapters 14, 17 and 18 and related prophecies concerning the Roman Catholic Church, in this post we’re going to examine what the Bible tells us about both Babylons.  Does the Old Testament give us any additional information regarding ‘Mystery’ Babylon?  Does the Old Testament help us confirm who ‘Mystery’ Babylon is?  As we’ve seen before, prophecies in Revelation often relate to Old Testament prophecies – and this prophecy is no different.  We’re going to see that the Old Testament description of Babylon gives us additional insight into who ‘Mystery’ Babylon is and what the future holds for ‘Mystery’ Babylon.

 

Let’s start by comparing Old Testament prophecies concerning ancient Babylon with Revelation’s prophecies regarding ‘Mystery’ Babylon.  In addition to their names, does the Bible give us a clear indication that these two entities are related?  Absolutely.

 

Revelation chapter 17 begins the description of ‘Mystery’ Babylon:

 

“One of the seven angels who had the seven bowls came and said to me, "Come, I will show you the punishment of the great prostitute, who sits on many waters. With her the kings of the earth committed adultery and the inhabitants of the earth were intoxicated with the wine of her adulteries."

 Then the angel carried me away in the Spirit into a desert. There I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast that was covered with blasphemous names and had seven heads and ten horns. The woman was dressed in purple and scarlet, and was glittering with gold, precious stones and pearls. She held a golden cup in her hand, filled with abominable things and the filth of her adulteries. This title was written on her forehead:
      MYSTERY
      BABYLON THE GREAT
      THE MOTHER OF PROSTITUTES
      AND OF THE ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH. I saw that the woman was drunk with the blood of the saints, the blood of those who bore testimony to Jesus.” (Revelation 17:1-6)

To summarize, we see the following regarding ‘Mystery’ Babylon:

1.      Commits spiritual adultery against the Lord

2.      People of the world are ‘intoxicated’ with the ‘wine’ of her adulteries

3.      This Babylon is very wealthy

4.      She holds a ‘golden cup’ in her hand

5.      The ‘golden cup’ is filled with the ‘filth of her adulteries’

6.      She is the ‘Mother’ of ‘Prostitutes’ (false religion/churches) and abominations (unbiblical doctrine and worship)

7.      This Babylon is ‘drunk’ with the ‘blood of the saints’ – meaning that it has killed the Lord’s people

Let’s compare the opening verses of Revelation chapter 17 with what the Old Testament tells us about ‘Babylon’.

“Babylon was a gold cup in the LORD's hand; she made the whole earth drunk. The nations drank her wine; therefore they have now gone mad.” (Jeremiah 51:7)

Here we see a ‘golden cup’ mentioned and that Babylon has ‘made the whole earth drunk’.  Because the nations drank her ‘wine’, they have now ‘gone mad’.  What is this referring to?  The Lord is telling us that Babylon’s worship of false idols (idolatry) has made the people spiritually ‘drunk’ with this intoxicating spiritual ‘wine’.  The Lord tells us through Jeremiah that Babylon’s worship of idols causes widespread ‘madness’ – the worship of false gods and idols.  We see the same descriptions regarding ‘Mystery’ Babylon in Revelation chapter 17.  The Lord is telling us that both Babylons are rife with idolatry and false worship.  We’re also told very clearly that much of civilization during the time of each Babylon adheres to these false beliefs.  The empire of Babylon included much of the world during its reign.  It’s easy to see that this ‘Mystery’ Babylon is also present throughout the world.

What was the result of ancient Babylon’s idolatry?  It was judged by the Lord – conquered by Cyrus the Great (Persia) in 539 B.C.  The fall of Babylon was foretold by Isaiah and Jeremiah.

'Babylon has fallen, has fallen! All the images of its gods lie shattered on the ground!' (Isaiah 21:9)

“For the time will surely come when I will punish the idols of Babylon; her whole land will be disgraced and her slain will all lie fallen within her.” (Jeremiah 51:47)

"Babylon must fall because of Israel's slain, just as the slain in all the earth have fallen because of Babylon.” (Jeremiah 51:49)

What is the reason for its fall?  Its worship of idols and because it killed the Lord’s people.  Very clear.

“A drought on her waters! They will dry up. For it is a land of idols, idols that will go mad with terror.” (Jeremiah 50:38)

What awaits ‘Mystery’ Babylon?  The same fate.

"Fallen! Fallen is Babylon the Great, which made all the nations drink the maddening wine of her adulteries." (Revelation 14:8)

"Fallen! Fallen is Babylon the Great! She has become a home for demons and a haunt for every evil spirit, a haunt for every unclean and detestable bird.  For all the nations have drunk the maddening wine of her adulteries.” (Revelation 18:2-3)

Your merchants were the world's great men. By your magic spell all the nations were led astray. In her was found the blood of prophets and of the saints, and of all who have been killed on the earth." (Revelation 18:23-24)

What is also amazing is that the Lord warns us before the judgment of both Babylons.

"Flee from Babylon! Run for your lives! Do not be destroyed because of her sins. It is time for the LORD's vengeance; he will pay her what she deserves.” (Jeremiah 51:6)

"Come out of her, my people! Run for your lives! Run from the fierce anger of the LORD. (Jeremiah 51:45)

We see that the Lord gives a very clear warning before the downfall of ancient Babylon.  Do we see a similar warning concerning ‘Mystery’ Babylon?  Absolutely.

Then I heard another voice from heaven say: "Come out of her, my people, so that you will not share in her sins, so that you will not receive any of her plagues; for her sins are piled up to heaven, and God has remembered her crimes. (Revelation 18:4-5)

I believe Jeremiah 51:9 relates to both Babylons – the Lord would have healed both if they would have humbled themselves.  He makes it clear – both refuse to be healed.  Both refuse the path of humility and repentance – and both are destroyed because of this.

'We would have healed Babylon, but she cannot be healed; let us leave her and each go to his own land, for her judgment reaches to the skies, it rises as high as the clouds.' (Jeremiah 51:9)

Did Ancient Babylon fall quickly or did it take some time.  History records that Babylon fell quickly – in one night the mighty city of Babylon fell to the Persians.  Was this foretold?  Yes.

“Babylon will suddenly fall and be broken.” (Jeremiah 51:8)

"Sharpen the arrows, take up the shields! The LORD has stirred up the kings of the Medes, because his purpose is to destroy Babylon. The LORD will take vengeance, vengeance for his temple. Lift up a banner against the walls of Babylon! Reinforce the guard, station the watchmen, prepare an ambush! The LORD will carry out his purpose, his decree against the people of Babylon.  (Jeremiah 51:11-12)

We see that ‘Mystery’ Babylon will suffer the same fate – a quick and final end.

“Therefore in one day her plagues will overtake her: death, mourning and famine.
She will be consumed by fire, for mighty is the Lord God who judges her.” (Revelation 18:8)

"When the kings of the earth who committed adultery with her and shared her luxury see the smoke of her burning, they will weep and mourn over her. Terrified at her torment, they will stand far off and cry: "'Woe! Woe, O great city, O Babylon, city of power! In one hour your doom has come!' (Revelation 18:9-10)

It’s also interesting to note that the ancient city of Babylon fell in one night.  We also see that ‘Mystery’ Babylon will fall very quickly – and we also see that a ‘city’ is mentioned more than once.  This is a clear message to us that the center of ‘Mystery’ Babylon will be destroyed.  As I’ve mentioned in other posts – I believe these are references to the city of modern day Rome.

We also see that wealth is taken from both Babylons as a result of these judgments.

You who live by many waters and are rich in treasures, your end has come, the time for you to be cut off. (Jeremiah 51:13)

They will say, 'The fruit you longed for is gone from you. All your riches and splendor have vanished, never to be recovered. (Revelation 18:14)

'Woe! Woe, O great city, dressed in fine linen, purple and scarlet, and glittering with gold, precious stones and pearls! In one hour such great wealth has been brought to ruin! (Revelation 18:16-17)

Would ancient Babylon ever rise again?  Jeremiah prophesied that it would not – and history records that Babylon never rose again.

Then say, 'So will Babylon sink to rise no more because of the disaster I will bring upon her. And her people will fall. (Jeremiah 51:64)

Once ‘Mystery’ Babylon is judged, will it ever rise again?  The Lord is clear.

Then a mighty angel picked up a boulder the size of a large millstone and threw it into the sea, and said: "With such violence the great city of Babylon will be thrown down, never to be found again. (Revelation 18:21)

Notice that ‘fire’ is mentioned as a method of judgment for both Babylons.

"I am against you, O destroying mountain, you who destroy the whole earth," declares the LORD. "I will stretch out my hand against you, roll you off the cliffs,
and make you a burned-out mountain. (Jeremiah 51:25)

This is what the LORD Almighty says: "Babylon's thick wall will be leveled and her high gates set on fire; the people exhaust themselves for nothing, the nations' labor is only fuel for the flames." (Jeremiah 51:58)

The beast and the ten horns you saw will hate the prostitute. They will bring her to ruin and leave her naked; they will eat her flesh and burn her with fire. For God has put it into their hearts to accomplish his purpose by agreeing to give the beast their power to rule, until God's words are fulfilled. The woman you saw is the great city that rules over the kings of the earth. (Revelation 17:16-18)

Therefore in one day her plagues will overtake her: death, mourning and famine. She will be consumed by fire, for mighty is the Lord God who judges her. (Revelation 18:8)

We also see that people are horrified at the aftermath of both judgments.

Because of the LORD's anger she will not be inhabited but will be completely desolate. All who pass Babylon will be horrified and scoff because of all her wounds. (Jeremiah 50:13)

"When the kings of the earth who committed adultery with her and shared her luxury see the smoke of her burning, they will weep and mourn over her. Terrified at her torment, they will stand far off and cry: " 'Woe! Woe, O great city, O Babylon, city of power! In one hour your doom has come!' (Revelation 18:9-10)

If we compare ancient Babylon with ‘Mystery’ Babylon we see striking similarities:

1.      Both are full of idolatry and false religion

2.      Both deceive many into believing that idolatry and false religion is the way of truth

3.      The Lord considers the beliefs of both to be ‘filth’ and spiritual ‘adulteries’

4.      Both are extremely wealthy

5.      Both are arrogant and full of pride

6.      Both wield enormous worldly power

7.      Both kill the Lord’s people

8.      Both will be judged because of their evil ways

9.      The judgment for both is by fire

10.  In both cases, people see this judgment and mourn

11.  In both cases, the Lord warns people to ‘flee’ or ‘come out’ of these entities prior to judgment

I would recommend that you read Isaiah and Jeremiah to understand all the Lord has to say about Babylon.  It’s very interesting reading.  As always, you’ll gain knowledge and wisdom by being in His Word.  We should note that the Lord raised up someone to overthrow Babylon (Cyrus).  Will He do the same with ‘Mystery’ Babylon?  Time will tell.

"Come together, all of you, and listen: Which of the idols has foretold these things? The LORD's chosen ally will carry out his purpose against Babylon; his arm will be against the Babylonians. I, even I, have spoken; yes, I have called him. I will bring him, and he will succeed in his mission.” (Isaiah 48:14-15)

What is amazing to me is that we all go about our lives – and most of us believe that the events taking place throughout the world are purely random - empires rise, empires fall – religions rise and religions fall.  What you are seeing as you read through this blog is that these things are not random.  There has been a hidden hand moving human events.  Only the Lord’s children can truly see this – by His Spirit.  People throughout history have gone their own way – following their own evil ways and then are surprised when their world collapses around them – and this certainly continues today.  We are seeing the beginning of this in America.  We have gone our own way – and our world is starting to collapse.  It is the Lord who lifts us up and it is the Lord who judges those who follow the evil ways of the world.  We like to think that we rule the world – but the truth, as you see – is much different.  The truth is that the Lord gave us the world – and we ultimately destroy it.  I wouldn’t exactly call us good stewards – worthy to rule anything.

Do you think that the rulers of ancient Babylon knew that their rise and fall would foreshadow the future rise and fall of another ‘Babylon’?  Not a chance.  They were the blind leading the blind – and we see this today with political and religious leaders.  Most claim to know God – but few do.  There are few in the world who truly overcome this world and find the Lord waiting for them.  I, for one, am no longer listening to the lies of the world.  I want to hear the truth.  How about you?  Who are you listening to?

Psalm 26

Of David.

Vindicate me, O LORD,
for I have led a blameless life;
I have trusted in the LORD
without wavering.

Test me, O LORD, and try me,
examine my heart and my mind;

for your love is ever before me,
and I walk continually in your truth.

I do not sit with deceitful men,
nor do I consort with hypocrites;

I abhor the assembly of evildoers
and refuse to sit with the wicked.

I wash my hands in innocence,
and go about your altar, O LORD,

proclaiming aloud your praise
and telling of all your wonderful deeds.

I love the house where you live, O LORD,
the place where your glory dwells.

Do not take away my soul along with sinners,
my life with bloodthirsty men,

in whose hands are wicked schemes,
whose right hands are full of bribes.

But I lead a blameless life;
redeem me and be merciful to me.

My feet stand on level ground

in the great assembly I will praise the LORD.