“The Jewish people rose from ashes and destruction, from a terrible pain that can never be healed. Armed with the Jewish spirit, the justice of man, and the vision of the prophets, we sprouted new branches and grew deep roots. Dry bones became covered with flesh, a spirit filled them, and they lived and stood on their own feet, as Ezekiel prophesied: “Then He said to me, ‘Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel. They indeed say, ‘Our bones are dry, our hope is lost, and we ourselves are cut off!’ Therefore prophesy and say to them, thus says the Lord God, ‘Behold, O My people, I will open your graves and cause you to come up from your graves and bring you into the land of Israel. Then you shall know that I am the Lord, when I have opened your graves, O My people, and brought you up from your graves.”

While I agree with Netanyahu’s statement that Ezekiel 37 is being fulfilled in the regathering of the Jewish people to their ancient homeland, I don’t believe that prophecy has been completely fulfilled. Ezekiel 37 predicts a physical return of the people first to the land and then then a spiritual return of the people to the Lord (37:9-10). The Jewish people have returned to their land, but their spiritual return to the Lord is still future (Zech 12:10). Their regathering to the land, however, is the first phase, and we are seeing it fulfilled before our eyes.

The second recent headline is related to the first one. On a recent trip to Israel, Italian Prime Minister, Silvio Berlusconia, one of Israel’s stongest allies in Europe, made this startling statement. “My greatest desire, as long as I am a protagonist in politics, is to bring Israel into membership of the European Union.” This is the first I have heard of any desire for Israel to be part of the EU. Of course, no one knows if or when this will ever happen, but the Bible does predict a reuniting of the Roman Empire in the end times in Daniel 2 and 7, and the EU appears to foreshadow that revival. The Holy Land was part of the ancient Roman Empire and could be a part of its end time reconstitution. It would be natural for the reunited Roman Empire to include Israel. If this were to occur, one could easily see how Israel would be under the protection of the Antichrist (the leader of the final Roman Empire) and how he could make a covenant with Israel that brings peace as predicted in Daniel 9:27.

After the Jewish people are regathered to their land in Ezekiel 37, the next chapter predicts an all-out invasion of Israel by a horde of nations including Russia, Iran, Central Asia, Libya, Turkey and Sudan. This invasion occurs while Israel it at peace and living securely in her land (Ezek 38 8, 11). If Israel were to be admitted to the EU at some point in the future, the peace they will experience in the end times with the help of the Antichrist is easy to envision. It’s even possible that the signing of such a treaty could be part of Israel’s requirements for admisson to the EU. No one knows for sure, but we do know that the event that commences the final seven years of this age is a treaty or covenant between the leader of the reunited Roman Empire and Israel. Berlusconi’s desire could be an initial step in that direction.

These recent headlines that point toward the fulfillment of Ezekiel 37 and 38 are further striking examples of how the world stage is taking shape for the coming of Christ.

2012, the Bible and the End of the World (pt. 1)

2012, the Bible and the End of the World (pt. 2)

This is the third and final installment of articles on the 2012 doomsday theory—for now. Since I wrote the book 2012, the Bible and the End of the World, which was released last week, the media attention to this issue has been gaining momentum. Articles continue to pop-up in various publications and outlets.

“2012: Will it be the end of the world as we know it?”    Telegraph.co.uk (Sept 3, 2009)

“Mayan Calendar Spurs End-of-the-World Debate”     NPR (July 29,2009)

“Tottering on the Brink of the year 2012”   Sacramento Bee (Sept 22, 2009)

On Fox News, Shawn Hannity recently featured a segment that delved into the whole 2012 subject.  Even Adam Lambert, who finished second in last years “American Idol,” has a new song that is featured on the “2012” movie soundtrack. His debut song is already causing quite a stir on the music scene.

 The movie “2012” continues to roll out new apocalyptic posters and more clips from the movie. The move is directed by Roland Emmerich, the man behind “Independence Day” and “Day After Tomorrow.” The official movie trailer pictures a solar eclipse, rioting at the 2012 London Olympics on Downing Street after the Olympics are suspended, the city of Rio de Janeiro submerged in water while the city’s iconic the Christ the Redeemer statue crumbles, and the dome of St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome crashing down as horrified masses look on. And this is just the beginning of earth’s woes on December 21, 2012.

So, what are people expecting to happen? Many are expecting the earth’s poles to shift, a close call or even a collision with the tenth planet in our solar system (Planet X), solar Armageddon as the sunspot cycle goes wild, world-ending tsunamis, eruption of super volcanoes, and possibly even the beginning of a new age of global consciousness and transformation that will usher in a new age of humanity. And all this, simply because the earth and sun will be in galactic alignment with the equator of the Milky Way galaxy.

This may sound far out to you, but many people are very worried about 2012. I talked with a person very high up at Fox News a couple of weeks ago for an entire hour filling her in on my take on 2012 and the end times. She expressed to me that she had some serious anxiety that there could be something to all of the 2012 stuff. Even some Christians are beginning to promote 2012 as a year of eschatological significance, possibly the year of Christ’s Second Coming and the beginning of the great tribulation. Familiarizing yourself with some key information about 2012 may give you many opportunities in the next three years to be an ambassador for the truth in your office, neighborhood, and family.   

For those who want more information about the whole 2012 doomsday theory, I will be presenting two messages on this topic at the church I pastor (Faith Bible Church in Edmond, OK) on two Sunday evenings, October 11 and 18. You can access them at edmondfaithbible.com.

Over the last few years, Americans have been bombarded with one huge concept that can be summed up on one little word: change. Both political parties, and most Americans, recognize that major adjustments are needed in the economy, education, and health care. If one is to believe the political pundits, big changes are on the way. But few people are prepared for the change that many are predicting. A change they believe has been bearing down on the planet for 5,000 years, the colossal transformation of our solar system and our collective psyche that many believe will happen on December 21, 2012.       

Many believe that ancient prophecies indicate that change is coming. Big change. Predictions vary widely about what will happen. They range from total, all-out apocalypse to some kind of quantum shift in human awareness and consciousness. Yet they all agree that big change is coming for planet earth and the human race. And they appear to all focus on one specific day—December 21, 2012—the final day on the Mayan long count calendar. Never before have so many people from diverse backgrounds and viewpoints pinpointed one day as the expiration date for human civilization. It’s like Y2K gone wild.

Crises of alarming complexity are emerging and accelerating with frightening regularity—depletion of vital resources, peak in oil production, food shortages, nuclear threat, economic meltdown, vanishing species, potentially pandemic flu viruses, wars and rumors of wars, turmoil in the Middle East, record tsunamis, erratic weather patterns, unprecedented earthquakes and the escalation of battering storms. Life on planet earth in the last few years has been anything but business as usual. We live in a fragile, increasingly dangerous, interdependent world. There’s an amazing confluence of tipping points. And the world’s problems are multiplying. Is this all a build-up to some imminent cataclysm? The prelude to the grand finale of unspeakable destruction? Is 2012 the year the cosmic clock winds down to zero? A time of epic disaster? Was the warning of the earth’s grand finale encoded in the Mayan calendar? Many people believe that it was. The Mayan long count calendar ends abruptly on 12.21.12, the same day that the earth and the sun align with the center of the galaxy—an alignment that only occurs every 26,000 years. December 21, 2012 also marks the end of the fifth cycle of 5,125 years on the Mayan calendar. Allegedly each of the previous four cycles ended in some great disaster. Putting all this together and adding in Nostradamus, Bible Codes, and computers has many believing that this date marks doomsday for planet earth. The end of the world as we know it.

While there are many issues surrounding 12.21.12 that I address in detail in my new book 2012, the Bible and the End of the World, the bottom line is this—while the Mayans knew a great deal about astronomy and calendars, they did not know the future. No man does. Only God knows the future, and He has not revealed any specific dates for either the Second Coming of Jesus or the end of the world (Matthew 24:36, 42, 44). Of course, some unusual things could happen on or near December 21, 2012, but whatever occurs it won’t be the end of the world, the mass extinction of humanity or some quantum leap to a new level of human consciousness. Don’t panic or be drawn away to rash, impulsive actions by those claiming to know the exact date of the end of the world. They don’t know when the world will end. Only God knows, and He isn’t telling anyone on earth. 

 

“Never before has a date in history been so significant to so many        

cultures, so many religions, scientists and governments.”

                                               Movie Promotion for “2012″

The headline was seen all over the world. The first news item that flashed across the internet on July 6, 2008 was an article titled “Thousands Expect Apocalypse in 2012.” The article was excerpted from an ABC News investigation on the global rise in “doomsday cults.” The opening sentence of the article said it all: “Survival groups around the world are gearing up and counting down to a mysterious date that has been anticipated for thousands of years: December 21, 2012.”

Since that time, 2012 has been showing up everywhere. There are thousands of websites devoted to 2012. On several websites there’s an official 2012 countdown that will give you an up-to-the-second indicator of how long we have to wait for the end of the world. It looks like for many people the countdown has officially begun! Books on 2012 are flying off the shelves. Network news, cable channels and major internet outlets are all featuring programs and articles on the 2012 phenomenon. Here are just a few examples:

History Channel:  “Decoding the Past—Doomsday 2012: The End of Days”

History Channel:  “The Lost Book of Nostradamus and 2012”

AOL News:  “Thousands Expect Apocalypse in 2012”

 ABC News:  “Will the World End in 2012? Thousands Worldwide Prepare for the  Apocalypse, Expected in 2012”

 Fox & Friends:  “It’s the End of the World: Mayan Calendar Ends in 2012”

 Geraldo Rivera (Fox News):  “Fact or Fiction: Will the World End in 2012?”

 USA Today:  “Does Maya calendar predict 2012 apocalypse”

 Los Angeles Times: “Many gather to ponder  end of Maya days”

 New York Post: “2012: The End is Nigh!”

 U.S. News and World Report: “Apocalypse 2012: Are the Final Days Coming Soon? New Doomsdayers Adapt a Mayan Prediction”

 Newsweek: “2012: A Y2K for the New Age”

 I was shocked to find that in 2008, 16 percent of Americans answered “yes” when asked, “Do you expect any apocalyptic events to happen on December 21, 2012?” Another barometer of the swelling interest in 2012 is the “Ask an Astrobiologist” section of NASA’s Web site where senior scientist David Morrison answers questions from the public. According to CNN, more than half of the inquiries on the most popular list were related to 2012. People everywhere are asking questions about 2012. 

Recently, NPR ran an article titled “Mayan Calendar Spurs End-Of-The-World Debate” (7/29/09), and the Telegraph.co.uk headline on 9/3/09 was “2012: Will it be the end of the world as we know it.” On top of all of this is the $200 million movie “2012” from director Roland Emmerich set to release on November 13, 2009. You can watch the movie trailer on the 2012 movie website. It’s all-out, apocalyptic destruction.

So, what’s all the furor about? Could 12.21.12 be the end of the world? Many believe that it will be. Did the ancient Mayans know earth’s expiration date? Over the next few weeks, I want to address a few issues related to 2012 from my new book titled 2012, the Bible and the End of the World. The tagline for the movie “2012” is “Find out the truth . . . if you dare.” I invite you to join me in taking this dare as we try to shed some light on 2012 and the end of the world.

The United States has consistently said that it will not allow Iran to cross the nuclear finish line. President Bush made this crystal clear as has Secretary Clinton and President Obama. However, the recent efforts of the Obama administration don’t appear to be even close to getting Iran to back down. Yet, all the world knows that if diplomatic efforts fail Israel will have no other choice but to strike Iran’s nuclear megaplex. The question is—will Israel wait? How long will they wait? And what will be the domino effects in the region from an Israeli attack?

The Wall Street Journal issued a strong warning on August 31, 2009 for the Obama administration and the world concerning Iran’s nuclear pursuits and Israel’s response. Here are a few excerpts from the Wall Street Journal article.

US and Israeli military officials we’ve spoken to are confident an Israeli strike could deal a significant blow to Iran’s programs, even if some elements would survive. The longer Israel waits, however, the more steps Iran can take to protect its installations.

They can also see that the West lacks the will to do anything, as the Obama Administration continues to plead for Tehran to negotiate even as Iran holds show trials of opposition leaders and journalists for saying the recent re-election of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was fraudulent. The irony is that the weaker the West and UN appear, the more probable an Israeli attack becomes.

The consequences of an Israeli attack are impossible to predict, but there is no doubt they would implicate US interests throughout the Middle East. Short of an Islamist revolution in Pakistan, an Israeli strike on Iran would be the most dangerous foreign policy issue President Obama could face.

In recent days, the Administration has begun taking a harder line against Tehran… but unless Obama gets serious, and soon, about stopping Iran from getting a bomb, he’ll be forced to deal with the consequences of Israel acting in its own defense.

While no one knows what will happen if Israel takes out Iran’s nuclear facilities, it would destabilize the entire region, create a firestorm and possibly lead to a regional war against Israel. Hezbollah, Iran’s surrogate, could launch an offensive against Israel from the north, and Hamas might begin an all-out rocket barrage from the west. Even Syria could be called upon to get involved. The U.S. and its allies have numerous strong incentives to keep Iran from getting the bomb, but an Israeli attack against Iran and the repercussions from such an attack, should rank high on any list.

 Aside from the obvious geopolitical ramifications of an Israeli raid on Iran’s nuclear megaplex, an act of aggression of this magnitude could have a far reaching impact on the stage setting for the end times events predicted in Ezekiel 38. If Israel were to hit Iran, and widespread violence were to erupt in the region, it’s easy to see how the peace treaty of Daniel 9:27 could be the only viable solution. Also, any Israeli attack on Iran would intensify the already venomous hatred that the mullah regime in Iran harbors against Israel and fuel the desire for revenge. One could easily envision Iran, with the help of Russia, staging the kind of retaliatory attack against Israel that is predicted in Ezekiel 38.

“District 9” topped the movie charts this week, giving hope to sci-fi enthusiasts that this genre is making a comeback. Here’s a short synopsis of the movie:

The film is set in Johannesburg, South Africa where for twenty years a large alien spacecraft has been hovering, dormant, over the city. During the course of these two decades, the government has kept the ship’s growing population of nearly two million alien inhabitants, known as prawns, quarantined in a gated section of the city known as “District 9.” This district is basically a slum where a multitude of disturbing and illegal activities take place against the alien refugees.

As you could expect, from there the movie takes some interesting twists and turns. But what caught my attention was the portrayal of the aliens as locust-like or shrimp-like creatures. As I already noted, they are even called “prawns.” If you remember the movie “Independence Day,” the aliens in that movie were like locusts. Other alien invasion movies since that time have picked-up this description, so that now it’s almost standard sci-fi fare for the aliens to look like big, scary insects, especially locusts. What’s the big deal about the locust imagery? In Revelation 9:1-11, the Bible describes a future invasion of planet earth by beings from another sphere. They are graphically portrayed.

And the fifth angel sounded, and I saw a star from heaven which had fallen to the earth; and the key of the bottomless pit was given to him. And he opened the bottomless pit; and smoke went up out of the pit, like the smoke of a great furnace; and the sun and the air were darkened by the smoke of the pit. And out of the smoke came forth locusts upon the earth; and power was given them, as the scorpions of the earth have power. . . . And they were not permitted to kill anyone, but to torment for five months; and their torment was like the torment of a scorpion when it stings a man. And in those days men will seek death and will not find it; and they will long to die and death flees from them. And the appearance of the locusts was like horses prepared for battle; and on their heads, as it were, crowns like gold, and their faces were like the faces of men. And they had hair like the hair of women, and their teeth were like the teeth of lions. And they had breastplates like breastplates of iron; and the sound of their wings was like the sound of chariots, of many horses rushing to battle. And they have tails like scorpions, and stings; and in their tails is the power to hurt men for five months. They have a king over them, the angel of the abyss; his name in Hebrew is Abadddon, and in the Greek he has the name Apollyon.

These invading beings during the coming tribulation are clearly demons as they swarm out into the earth from the abyss. In this case, the truth really is stranger than fiction. This bizarre event described in Revelation 9 is well-presented in one of the books in the Left Behind series titled Apollyon. Could it be that all these movies and their portrayal of aliens is setting the world up for an actual invasion of locust-like creatures in the future that are really demons from the abyss? Most people today are totally unaware of what’s coming on this earth in the future. An alien invasion is coming, but not the kind they are expecting. Make sure you have accepted Jesus Christ as your Savior, so you will be delivered from this coming time of horror.

Daniel 9:27     “And he [Antichrist] will make a firm covenant with the many for one week, but in the middle of the week he will put a stop to sacrifice and grain offering.”
Matthew 24:15    “Therefore, when you see the Abomination of Desolation which was spoken of through Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place.”
2 Thessalonians 2:4    “who opposes and exalts himself above every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, displaying himself as being God.”
Revelation 11:1-2    “And there was given to me a measuring rod like a staff; and someone said, ‘Rise and measure the temple of God, and the altar, and those who worship in it. And leave out the court which is outside the temple, and do not measure it, for it has been given to the nations; and they will tread under foot the holy city for forty-two months.”

How this temple can be rebuilt is one of the thorniest problems in all of Bible prophecy. How can the Jews rebuild their temple with the Dome of the Rock and the Al-Aqsa mosque sitting there? Many solutions to this problem have been proposed. But never forget that before 1948 people thought it was impossible for the Jewish people to ever be restored to their ancient homeland. Yet, today almost 40 percent of the Jews in the world now live in Israel, and incredibly almost two-thirds of them now want to see the Temple rebuilt.

Ynet news reported the startling findings of a new poll about the temple on July 30, 2009. The poll asked respondents whether they wanted to see the Temple rebuilt. “Sixty-four percent responded favorably, while 36% said no. An analysis of the answers showed that not only the ultra-Orthodox and the religious look forward to the rebuilding of the Temple (100% and 97% respectively), but also the traditional public (91%) and many seculars – 47%. . . . The Temple was destroyed 1,942 years ago, and almost two-thirds of the population want to see it rebuilt, including 47% of seculars.”

This ground swell of support for a third Jewish temple is a key sign of the times. For years groups like the Temple Mount Faithful and others have championed and even made preparations for the rebuilding of the temple but broad public support seemed woefully lacking. That appears to have drastically changed. The temple must be in place during the tribulation period for the Antichrist to take his seat in it and defile it and for sacrifices to be reinstituted. While no one know when it will be rebuilt or how it will be accomplished, the stage setting for its appearance continues to fall into place.

Nations all over the globe are bracing for the worst, but no one knows at this point if it can be successfully contained. Nine students and a teacher from Rangito College in Auckland, Australia have tested positive for influenza A, and it’s believed that they contracted swine flu after a recent trip to Mexico. Samples have been sent to confirm that they have swine flu.  Five others in Australia New South Wales are feared to have the disease. New Zealand has activated its pandemic response procedures— just in case. China’s Health Ministry is on high alert for a swine flu outbreak.

The nightmare pandemic, the Spanish flu in 1918, killed a staggering 500,000 Americans and 20 million people worldwide. One of the key factors that has worried health officials is that the world today is much different than it was in 1918. Globalism and rapid means of travel have added fuel to the influenza fire. The recent swine flu outbreak highlights this fear just like the SARS outbreak a few years ago. It’s a sobering illustration of how quickly a disease can spread around the globe. People from the U.S., Australia and probably other places have contracted the disease in Mexico and transported it back home with them. Disease can spread much more rapidly today than any time in history.

There are two key New Testament prophecies that warn of global pandemics in the end times. Jesus Himself predicted that in the end times there would be sweeping plagues that would wreak havoc all over the world (Luke 21:11). The Apostle John predicted, in the fourth seal judgment of Revelation 6, that end time plagues or pestilence, along with other disasters, would wipe out 25% of the world’s population. Describing the fourth horseman of the apocalypse, the rider on the pale horse, John said, “And authority was given to them over a fourth of the earth to kill with sword and with famine and with pestilence and by the wild beasts of the earth” (Revelation 6:8b). There are signs today that point toward these global plagues that will kill millions or even billions during the end times. The world stage is ripe for the kind of global scourge predicted in the Bible for the end times.

No one can say for sure that any plagues or pandemics we currently see on the horizon are the ones predicted by Jesus or John. But we can say that globalism, rapid means of travel, and dense urban populations have paved the way for this kind of sudden devastation. The world climate is just what Jesus predicted for the end times. His coming could be very soon.

It appears that a new office of President of the EU is just around the corner and that Tony Blair’s name is already being thrown into the ring. According to the guardian.uk.co (7/15/09),

Tony Blair is a contender to become the first president of the EU with the full backing of the British government, the new Europe minister said today. Glenys Kinnock, in Strasbourg for the opening session of the new European parliament, said that although the former prime minister had not formally declared his candidacy, it was “certainly” the government position to support him. “I am sure they would not do it without asking him,” Lady Kinnock said. “The UK government is supporting Tony Blair’s candidature for president of the council.” The new post is to be created under the Lisbon treaty, which will streamline the way the EU is run if it is endorsed in an Irish referendum in early October. Blair would be the first sitting president of the EU, who will be appointed by European government chiefs for a minimum of 30 months and a maximum of five years. If the Irish back the treaty on 2 October, EU leaders are expected to decide on who will get the presidency at a summit at the end of that month.

This developing story points toward the end time scenario presented in the Bible. According to Daniel and Revelation, the coming Antichrist or man of sin, will rise from a reunited Roman Empire. He will appear first as a rather insignificant player but then will catapult to power over the Group of Ten who will be in power.
Let me make it absolutely clear that I am not saying in any way that I believe Tony Blair is the Antichrist. I don’t believe the Antichrist will be unveiled until after the rapture (2 Thessalonians 2:1-3). I’m strongly against those who claim they know the identity of the Antichrist.  However, I am saying is that this new post of EU President, strikingly foreshadows what the Bible predict for the final world government. While no one knows for sure if the Antichrist is alive today, we can say that the scene is being set for his appearance. Make sure you have accepted Jesus Christ as your personal Savior before it’s too late.