The Omega Letter Intelligence Digest

Vol: 37 Issue: 2 - Saturday, October 02, 2004

Rambling Along. . .
by Jack Kinsella

......Ten years ago, radio and television programs that focused their
attention on the fulfillment of Bible prophecy were somewhat rare and
generally marginalized as members of the Lunatic Division of the Far
Religious Right.

In 1994, Hal Lindsey's International Intelligence Briefing TV show did not
exist - we couldn't find a sponsor.   Other programs devoted to Bible
prophecy, like "Jack Van Impe Presents" and "This Week in Bible Prophecy"
had to buy airtime on Christian networks.

I can remember the difficulties associated with trying to get well-known
Christian or Jewish leaders to agree to on-camera interviews when I
appeared on "This Week in Bible Prophecy" with the Lalonde brothers.

For the most part, as soon as they heard the name of the program, these
normally media-friendly types would suddenly remember they had a previous
engagement to take their dog to the park, or pick up a newspaper or get
their shoes shined or some other pressing scheduling conflict.

I once interviewed former CIA Director (the late) William Colby at a
security conference held in Washington, DC.  My producer got Colby to
agree to the interview by telling him we worked for a "TWIBP news
program" - hoping the acronym-savvy former CIA Director would assume TWIBP
stood for some station call-sign or something. It worked for a little
while.

Following a question about Europe, and in between takes, Director Colby
asked me what TWIBP stood for.  When I told him, he spun his head toward
his media guy and gave him an angry, "What the heck did you get me into?"
look.

When Colby turned back to me, there was something different about his
eyes - he clearly thought he had been suckered into giving an interview to
a nutcase. After a few minutes, Colby had to go walk his dog and buy some
gum and maybe get a haircut.  You know. A scheduling 'conflict'.

What a difference a decade can make!  Tim LaHaye and Jerry Jenkins'  "Left
Behind" series about the world during the Tribulation Period crossed-over
to the secular market where it has sold millions and millions of copies.

It is common to see Jerry Falwell being interviewed on secular talk shows
like Bill O'Reilly or Larry King.   Or Dr. James Dobson being interviewed
by a network anchor on one of the Big Three secular networks.

Many of Hal Lindsey's radio interviews about the Last Days are with
secular radio networks hosted by unbelievers who are suddenly much less
skeptical about the whole idea of Bible prophecy than they used to be.

The reason?  Because the world is coming to realize that there is
SOMETHING happening that they can't explain, and because they can no
longer comfortably deny that the Bible seems to have the answers.

During my chat with Jan, we discussed some of the natural signs of the
times, like the record-setting solar storms last year, the record-setting
hurricane season this year, the pace and patterns of climactic change and
other events that Jesus said would announce His soon Coming.

One caller mentioned the Kyoto environmental treaty and how it is suddenly
being rehabilitated; despite the fact not a single Western country had
ratified it in five years, thanks to the crazy weather patterns and
evidence of global warming.

Everybody seems to have a logical, rational, scientific reason for why we
are suddenly scanning the skies for killer asteroids, seeing exponential
increases in global natural disasters, crazy solar storms and worrying
ourselves into early, stress-related graves over global events that seem
to be spinning out of control.

It's because of global warming, or global cooling, or changes in the earth
's magnetic poles, or gravitation shifts in the solar system, etc.,
etc., -- as if explaining the natural cause somehow dilutes its relevance
to Bible prophecy.

The natural causes for what is happening are totally irrelevant to the
fact that the Bible said it WOULD happen, to a single generation,
somewhere in time.

After I finished up the interview with Jan, I went back to Scripture to
take another look at the signs of the times, and to try and read them with
new eyes:

"And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars;
and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the
waves roaring; Men's hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after
those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall
be shaken."

Science can explain the mechanics of HOW.  But Scripture tells WHAT.  And
more importantly, it explains WHY.

"For as Jonas was a sign unto the Ninevites, so shall also the Son of man
be to this generation." (Luke 11:30)

Whether this generation wants to heed it or not.