©
March 13, 2006 – The Revelation Files
From
the Editor: Iran goes before the UN Security Council,
but few have hopes that anything of substance will be accomplished through
diplomacy. Iran’s president
seems determined to bring his country into the nuclear family, and has continually
threatened to wipe Israel from the face of the earth. Some 70+ tornados tore through the Midwestern
US over a 24-hour period this weekend alone, leaving devastation and death
in their wake.
Casual
conversations seem to be turning to a discussion of end time events more
frequently, with even non-believers noting that “something is up” and they’ve
never seen the world in such a state of “chaos”. What a great opportunity this presents
to share the Good News of the Gospel with those who are willing to hear.
Three
articles appear in this edition of The Revelation Files. Jack Kelly provides a study on Revelation
6, Hal Lindsey adds his comments on Mid-east events, and Wess Stafford challenges
us in our daily walk with Christ. Please feel free to share this newsletter
with your family and friends, and remember we don’t charge for access to
our site or our newsletters. Revfiles
is a reader-supported ministry, and I want to personally say “Thank You”
for your continued prayers and support of this ministry.
John
Terry
The
Revelation Files
The
Four 4 Horsemen, al Mahdi, and the Magnetic Polar Reversal
Commentary
on Revelation 6 by Jack Kelley
http://www.gracethrufaith.com/ikvot/the-four-4-horsemen-al-mahdi-and-the-magnetic-polar-reversal
Now
I watched when the Lamb opened one of the seven seals, and I heard one of
the four living creatures say with a voice like thunder, "Come!" and I looked,
and behold, a white horse! And its rider had a bow, and a crown was given
to him, and he came out conquering, and to conquer.
(Rev 6:1-2)
The first of the seven seals is broken early in the 70th
week of Daniel, just after the church has disappeared. Liberal scholars
often identify the rider of the white horse as the Lord Jesus, pointing
to his crown and the fact that he's a conqueror. I think some part of their
conclusion comes from watching all those TV westerns as kids, where the
good guys always rode white horses. I say that because this rider is most
definitely not Jesus. He's the anti-Christ.
What
Makes You Think So?
In the first place he carries a bow. The Lord's weapon
of choice is a sword. The reason he has no arrows is that he won't use force
to make his initial impact on Earth. He comes as a peacemaker (Daniel 8:25). Since the Book of Revelation
is filled with symbolism explained elsewhere in the Bible, I looked for
the first mention of a man with a bow, hoping to get an additional clue
to this rider's identity. I found it in Genesis
21:20, referring to Ishmael.
As details of Islamic eschatology become more widely known,
prophecy students are discovering a striking similarity between descriptions
of al Mahdi, the Moslem Messiah, and a figure Christians call the
anti-Christ. I've made mention of these in previous articles, how
both come on the scene during a time of great turmoil on Earth, both
come claiming a desire to restore peace, both have a seven year
reign, both head a one world religion and one world government, both claim
supernatural origins, and both reigns end in a battle between good and evil
that brings Earth's final judgment.
The number of similarities between the two defies coincidence
and continues to grow as knowledge of al Mahdi increases. Now with the connection
between the Bible's first archer and the man with a bow in Rev.
6, another piece of the puzzle may have fallen into place. Mohammed
was descended from Kedar, second son of Ishmael, and Al
Mahdi is the 12th Iman descended from Mohammed. Jack Kinsella,
in his commentary entitled "The Third Pillar of anti-Christ" makes an excellent
case for Islam being the religion of anti-Christ. (The Omega Letter Intelligence
Digest Vol: 53 Issue: 25 - Saturday, February 25, 2006 www.omegaletter.com)
When you read it, you'll understand that after the Church is gone, those
who also call themselves the church, but have been left behind, won't have
much trouble at all accepting Islam. And like Paul said, the addition of
a few "miracles" into the mix will be all it takes to deceive the whole
world (2 Thes.2:9).
Got Anything
Else?
In the second place this guy's wearing the wrong kind
of crown. The Greek word for a King's crown is diadem. But this one
wears a stephanos, or victor's crown. It was the award
given to winners in the ancient Olympics and other public games. It was
typically an ivy wreath, and in fact the word stephanos comes from a root
meaning wreath. It identifies the wearer as a conqueror, but
not as royalty. And in Revelation
13 where the Great Tribulation begins, we're told that He
was given power to make war against the saints and to conquer them. And
he was given authority over every tribe, people, language and nation.
(Rev. 13:7) Why would Jesus make war with
the tribulation saints to conquer them? Like I said, while he fools people
into thinking he's the Christ, he's really the anti-Christ.
When
he opened the second seal, I heard the second living creature say, "Come!"
And out came another horse, bright red. Its rider was permitted to take
peace from the earth, so that men should slay one another, and he was given
a great sword.
(Rev. 6:3-4)
This is the point at which the anti-Christ turns to war to establish his authority over human governments and turn the world toward his religion. The Moslem prophecies say this will be Islam, of course, and the Koran teaches conversion or death as the only alternatives available to non-believers. Current studies speculate that Europe, far into its post Christian era, may already be on the verge of yielding to the growing Moslem influence, but other parts of the world will resist, causing much bloodshed.
If You
Think This Is Bad ...
Historically, the great sword was a long two-handed weapon
wielded by mighty warriors who received double the average soldier's wage.
With overwhelming strength they hacked their way through enemy lines, leaving
a gaping hole for the regular troops who followed. In just this way the
anti-Christ will use supernatural power to tighten his grip on the world,
enforcing his will upon the people of Earth. And remember, the Seal judgments
are just the beginning of Daniel's 70th week. The last half, called the
Great Tribulation, is still to come and is significantly more deadly.
When
he opened the third seal, I heard the third living creature say, "Come!"
And I looked, and behold, a black horse! And its rider had a pair of scales
in his hand. And I heard what seemed to be a voice in the midst of the four
living creatures, saying, "A quart of wheat for a denarius, and three quarts
of barley for a denarius, and do not harm the oil and wine!"
(Rev 6:5-6)
Two things result when the world is plunged into uncertainty
and wars erupt. First comes inflation, causing the prices
of everything to skyrocket. When John wrote this, a denarius was the
average pay for a day's work, and that's what it will cost to buy a
quart of wheat, about enough food for one day. Think of it. For many, a
whole days wages will barely buy enough food for that day. The next day
it starts all over again. No money left for anything else.
Of course, the wealthy always benefit from inflation.
When they see it coming, they're able to convert their wealth into things
that are either inflation proof, or actually increase in value during periods
of inflation. The earliest example of this is comes from the Book of Genesis,
when Joseph, who gained control of the world's wheat supply on Pharaoh's
behalf, eventually acquired the entire wealth of Egypt in exchange for it.
That's what John meant by not harming the oil and wine,
commodities that in his day were symbols of wealth. The vision he
saw was famine amidst plenty. Both the Book of Daniel and the Moslem
prophecies speak of the anti-Christ/al Mahdi showering lavish gifts on his
followers while forcing his enemies into submission. (Daniel
11:39)
When
he opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living creature
say, "Come!" And I looked, and behold, a pale horse! And its rider's name
was Death, and Hades followed him. And they were given authority over a
fourth of the earth, to kill with sword and with famine and with pestilence
and by wild beasts of the earth.
(Rev. 6:7-8)
The second result of war is famine and pestilence.
Crops and food processing facilities are destroyed. Transportation networks
are disrupted. Dead bodies are left where they fall and public health systems
break down. Mass starvation and rampant disease often claim
more victims than the battles that caused them. Animals become desperate
for food and attack humans. Some think the phrase "a fourth of the Earth"
relates to geography and some think it describes the number of people involved.
Either way, many will suffer and die during this time, while those not in
the direct path of war will enjoy a false sense of peace and prosperity.
When
he opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had
been slain for the word of God and for the witness they had borne. They
cried out with a loud voice, "O Sovereign Lord, holy and true, how long
before you will judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?"
Then they were each given a white robe and told to rest a little longer,
until the number of their fellow servants and their brothers should be complete,
who were to be killed as they themselves had been.
(Rev. 6:9-11)
Just as the church has a fixed number to achieve before
its time on Earth is fulfilled (Romans
11:25) so it is for believers who're martyred for their faith
following the Church's disappearance.
An Eye For An Eye
In Hebrew the word translated "kinsman redeemer"
also means "avenger of blood." The same next of kin who was responsible
for buying a relative out of debt related servitude or redeeming his lost
property, was also responsible for avenging physical attacks against a relative
that resulted in death. The tribulation martyrs are calling for enforcement
of this law.
Our Lord Jesus is our Kinsman Redeemer,
come to pay our debts and buy back that which our father Adam lost. But
He's also our Avenger of Blood, responsible for bringing to justice the
one who maliciously murdered our first parents and therefore us. Everyone
who sides with Satan, called those who dwell on the Earth in Revelation,
will share his punishment, just as we who side with the Lord, called those
who dwell in heaven, will share His inheritance.
When
he opened the sixth seal, I looked, and behold, there was a great earthquake,
and the sun became black as sackcloth, the full moon became like blood,
and the stars of the sky fell to the earth as the fig tree sheds its winter
fruit when shaken by a gale. The sky vanished like a scroll that is being
rolled up, and every mountain and island was removed from its place.
(Rev. 6:12-14)
As you would expect, since the Tsunami of 2004 scientists
have been watching the recent spate of earthquakes and volcanic eruptions
in the Far East very closely. They've found that during the three year period
ending in 2005 when the study was conducted, the incidence of underwater
quakes and volcanic eruptions had increased by 88% over the norm while continental
earthquakes had gone up by 62%. In a single four month period the
earth experienced the largest three earthquakes in the last two hundred
years. Most of this increased activity came in the so-called Pacific Ring
of Fire, a chain of 160 active volcanoes stretching from the East Asia rim
to the West Coast of the Americas.
During the same time the magnetic North pole has
begun drifting across Canada and is headed for Siberia. Also, the
strength of the Earth's magnetic field has weakened noticeably,
being about 10% weaker now than when scientists began measuring it in 1845.
Based on these findings, some scientists are now convinced
that a reversal of the Earth's magnetic poles is underway. They're
predicting that in 2012 this reversal will be suddenly and dramatically
completed with the North pole having the polarity of the South pole and
vice versa.
In 2012 the Sun will also experience a polar
reversal. Although the Sun's magnetic poles reverse every eleven
years, the Earth has never experienced one in the memory of man. This double
shift could produce even greater occurrences of massive quakes and volcanic
eruptions of a magnitude that could actually cause a significant continental
shift.
The Earth's magnetic field helps protect us against harmful
rays from the sun, and a polar reversal could cause this field to collapse
just like the water vapor canopy around the earth collapsed at the time
of the Great Flood. That event brought violent weather and drastically shortened
life spans.
The effects of a magnetic field collapse would be even
more severe. According to some projections, the electromagnetic
energy released from the sun during a polar reversal could cause Earth's
upper atmosphere to "erupt in flames" if our magnetic field isn't there
to deflect it. Was John referring to this in saying the sky vanished
like a scroll being rolled up? No one knows. We can only imagine what a
sudden reversal of magnetic poles would do to life on Earth. Predictions
range all the way from a temporary increase in the frequency and severity
of volcanic eruptions and earthquakes to a worldwide disaster of "Biblical
proportions."
The convergence of other prophetic timelines leads me
to believe that the 6th Seal Judgment might very well be John's description
of this coming dual Magnetic Polar Reversal. (See "The Convergence Of Prophecy
And Current Events" referenced below.) If so we're really getting close
to the Rapture.
Who Invited
Them?
What's more, in 2005 a branch of Orthodox Judaism announced
that their messiah figure (not Jesus) would arrive in 7 years. That's 2012.
And 2012 is one of those "hot button" dates in occult and new age prophecies.
The ancient Mayan calendar ends in December of 2012, and pagans
view this as a sign that this age is coming to an end, and our utopian future
is just over the horizon. The internet is bulging with websites
on the subject, so be careful as you research this critical date. And above
all, remember that the Rapture of the Church comes in Revelation 4. Revelation
6 happens after we're gone.
Then
the kings of the earth and the great ones and the generals and the rich
and the powerful, and everyone, slave and free, hid themselves in the caves
and among the rocks of the mountains, calling to the mountains and rocks,
"Fall on us and hide us from the face of him who is seated on the throne,
and from the wrath of the Lamb, for the great day of their wrath has come,
and who can stand?"
(Rev. 6:15-17)
It's no surprise that verse 15 is reminiscent of Joshua
10:16. Of the 404 verses in Revelation, 280 are taken from the
Old Testament. As they hide, the kings of the Earth unknowingly utter a
prophecy we should all read carefully. "The
great day of their wrath has come, and who can stand?" This
passage has always been associated with the beginning of God's wrath. The
view that His wrath begins with the bowl judgments of Revelation
16 is a newcomer to studies of prophecy, and is incorrect. The
Wrath of God begins in chapter 6, placing the Pre-Wrath Rapture of the Church
in Chapter 4, right where pre-Trib Rapture believers have seen it all along.
Now What
Do We Do?
The number and pace of life affecting events on Earth
is unprecedented. It's becoming more and more difficult to keep track of
them all. A Jewish Messiah, a Moslem Messiah, and the anti-Christ are waiting
in the wings, ready for the cue to take center stage. The New Age Utopia
is eagerly anticipated. There are wars and rumors of wars, famines, earthquakes
and pestilence. Our Lord likened these to birth pangs, signs that begin
as mild, widely spaced, surges. As the time for the birth draws nearer,
they increase in both frequency and intensity, until it's hard to tell
when one stops and the next one begins. And so it is now.
But then He said, " So also, when you see these things taking
place, you know that the kingdom of God is near." (Luke 21:31) This is the time for us to be
standing tall and looking up. If you listen carefully, you can almost hear
the footsteps of the Messiah. 03-12-06
Iran,
Russia and Ezekiel
By:
Hal Lindsey
http://www.hallindseyoracle.com/articles.asp?ArticleID=12473
One
of the highlights of President Bush's State of the Union speech was his
jab at the far Left, reminding them that "hindsight is not wisdom and second
guessing was not a strategy."
Nowhere
is that truth more evident than when considering our next move in the nuclear
stand-off with the mad mullahs of Iran.
Iranian
president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad responded to Bush's promise to defend Israel
by mocking the West, telling a crowd of thousands near Bushehr; "I am telling
those fake superpowers that the Iranian nation became independent 27 years
ago and ... on the nuclear case, it will resist until fully achieving its
rights."
Ahmadinejad's
war talk has even started to make the Russians and Chinese nervous.
The
Russians realize that they helped let the nuclear genie out of the bottle,
but they didn't expect to find themselves joining the effort to try and
stuff it back in. The Security Council's five permanent members, including
a reluctant Russia and China, have asked the U.N. nuclear watchdog to report
Iran to New York "immediately."
The
IAEA said in a confidential report last week that Iran had already begun
preparing for uranium enrichment. Tehran makes no effort to deny its connection
with what it calls "resistance groups" or "liberation movements" like Hezbollah
or Hamas.
Ahmadinejad
just concluded a meeting in Damascus with leaders of Hezbollah, Palestinian
Jihad, Hamas, and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine on January
20th.
At that meeting, Ahmadinejad reminded the Muslim world that "continued resistance"
is the "only way" to end "the occupation of the holy Islamic lands" by Israel.
In
remarks commemorating the 27th anniversary of the Islamic Revolution last
week, Ahmadinejad promised Israel 'will be removed.'
"We
ask the West to remove what they created sixty years ago and if they do
not listen to our recommendations, then the Palestinian nation and other
nations will eventually do this for them. . . . Do the removal of Israel
before it is too late and save yourself from the fury of regional nations,"
he thundered.
Ahamdinejad
also reportedly said that while giving an address to the UN he underwent
a 'mystical experience' that convinced him that the great end-times Islamic
war against the infidels was at hand, and that it fell to Ahmadinejad to
'kick things off' if necessary.
(It
was probably when Ahmadinejad started seeing halos and getting fuzzy spiritual
experiences about starting the Islamic end of the world that Moscow began
to have second thoughts about its Iranian nuclear program.)
The
Hebrew prophet Ezekiel, writing from his vantage point in history, circa
537 BC, predicted that in the last days, there would be a great war involving
not only Islam, but dragging an unwilling Moscow along for the ride, as
if God had put 'hooks in its jaws', the prophet said.
Leading
the Islamic alliance, according to Ezekiel, is Persia, (modern Iran). Together
with the Islamic nations of North Africa and the Mediterranean Middle East,
Ezekiel says they will constitute an invasion force that will move against
the nation of Israel.
In
Ezekiel's day, there had been no nation called 'Israel' for almost two centuries
and no sovereign nation called Israel would exist for another 2500 years.
Today,
in 2006, Israel exists, as Ezekiel predicted. Iran, [Persia] is Israel's
sworn enemy, as Ezekiel predicted. The Islamic world is poised, waiting
for an excuse to wipe Israel off the map, as Ahmadinejad is promising to
do if Iran obtains nuclear weapons.
Israel,
facing the potential of annihilation at the hands of a nuclear Iran, will
have to take action to stop the Iranians as a matter of national survival.
In
The Other Hand
with
Wess Stafford
www.lifetoday.org
“But
if anyone has this world’s good (resources for sustaining life) and sees
his brother and fellow believer in need, yet closes his heart of compassion
against him, how can the love of God live and remain in him?" (1
John 3:17, Amplified)
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The
first six years of my life, I lived with my missionary family on the Ivory
Coast of West Africa. My sister and I were the only white children for a
day’s drive in any direction. Now I direct Compassion International. Everything
I need to know to lead this worldwide ministry, I learned from living in
that poverty-stricken village.
In
spite of the color of my skin, everyone in the village considered me their
son. I was taught how to hunt and fish for food with the African boys. I
learned how to keep monkeys out of our corn fields with an accurate sling
shot.
I
remember when my buddies and I first heard the story of David and Goliath we
thought, “Stupid giant! He let a little boy with his sling shot get that
close?”
The
temperature in that region of Africa averages 120 degrees. No missionary
wanted to be stationed there, but for me it was a paradise. I never fell
and hurt myself without some African woman picking me up and drying my eyes.
Around campfires I listened to the poor speak. I learned their songs and
dances, their proverbs and their values.
But then something went wrong
in our village, it spiraled down, and children paid the greatest price.
When adults got hungry, the little ones starved. When disease struck, the
little ones died. I lost one out of every four of my friends to measles,
malaria and small pox.
One
of my childhood friends was bitten by a viper, and I held him in my lap,
knowing the venom would take his life within thirty minutes. With the hospital
a day’s drive away, all I could do was love him to death. When you have
done that at the age of six, you don’t have a lot of choices in what you
do with your life.
My
father was a great pioneer missionary and he made me believe that he couldn’t
do the Lord's work without his little boy. We took the gospel into villages
where white people had not been since the slave traders several hundred
years before.
We
would sit under the mango trees and my father would tell Bible stories to
people. Africans love to hear stories and the Bible was a wealth of new
material for them.
In
the evening, when the Egrets came to rest in the trees over head, the people
had trouble hearing him over the birds' warbling. My father would nod to
me and I would take my slingshot and shoot rocks to scare the birds away.
The
Africans taught me that joy is not dictated by circumstances, but a decision
you make. I learned that time is to be your servant, not your master. They
taught me courage and that if God made you brave, it was not for you, but
for others.
One
of the greatest lessons I learned was generosity. I leaned
how to give and receive. In that village, the worst thing you could have
done would be to give me two pieces of candy. I would have looked at you
and said. “The one in this hand must be for me, but surely not both. Fifty
friends and one piece of candy, what am I going to do with the one in the
other hand?"
The
worst crime you could do in my village was to be selfish and withhold from
your brother in his time of need.
It
is my joy to carry that attitude and passion into my work as President of
Compassion International. I challenge Christians to seriously look at the
desperate needs of the poor and minister to them with the generous heart
of those little African boys. When God’s blessings are placed in
our hands, a portion is for us, but we must remember to share and not withhold
from our brother when we see their need.
This
Week
Keep your heart of compassion open to the poor and needy. Remember that
compassion is the evidence of God's love in your life.
Prayer
"Father, I want to think like those African children and not live selfishly.
Help me make it a priority to share from what is placed in my hands."